Qi Ping contemplated the old tortoise's words. 'Believing one can calculate the past and future, thinking one's strength is divine, only to realize one is just an old man who knows more... shifting from intervening in karma to following the heavens... realizing that forced intervention only brought worse results...'
If that were the case, did his own enforcement of order in the Star-Sea—forbidding unprovoked slaughter—also stifle a certain possibility? For a moment, Qi Ping was unsure. He knew the Old Tortoise Xuanjia wasn't lying. But what did it mean to "follow the heavens"? To sit back and watch the destiny of all living beings rise and fall without acting?
"No, that is not it!"
After only a moment, Qi Ping's gaze became incredibly firm. He looked at the Old Tortoise and said with certainty, "Senior, my choice would still be to save them!"
This even more certain answer made the Old Tortoise freeze. It had been untold ages since anyone had spoken to him in such a manner. He wasn't angry, however. He was curious.
"Do you think I am lying?"
"Of course not. I do not think a Senior like you would lie about such matters."
"Then why?"
"As you said, you once believed you could know the past and future and chose to intervene, only to meet with worse results. Thus, you discovered the vastness of destiny and your own smallness, leading you to choose quietude and inaction, letting destiny filter out its true strongest... but does that opposite answer have to be correct?"
"This..." The Old Tortoise was momentarily at a loss for words, but a spark of light appeared in his eyes as if he had caught onto something. "Then tell me, what is the right way to act?"
"I do not know what is right!" Qi Ping answered, shaking his head.
The Old Tortoise was confused. "You don't know?" Qi Ping's gaze was so firm; he should have had an answer.
"Yes, I don't know!" Qi Ping confirmed. "I don't know if intervening in destiny is right or wrong. I don't know if choosing to be a bystander is the better path. I don't even know if I will discover a better answer in the future, or if that future answer will be right or wrong. Because until one truly masters all information and destiny in the world, no one can have a truly 'correct' answer."
"However," Qi Ping continued, his eyes filled with unprecedented resolve, "I know what choice allows me to have a clear conscience! I don't know if saving a genius will block the birth of a stronger being, but I know that I do not wish for a talented disciple of a sect with a trustworthy character to fall. I don't know if establishing a good social order will lead to more people becoming hothouse flowers who lack the tempering of life and death, but I know that I do not want countless cultivators to live in fear, nor do I want the world to be filled with tragedy."
"I firmly believe that what I am doing now is making the Star-Sea world stronger, building a home worth protecting and staying loyal to, and fighting for a better future. I don't know if these things are right or wrong, and no one can judge them. If I am truly wrong, let destiny show me the answer—or let my death end my actions. But until then, I will only stand by my choice. Once a piece is played, there are no regrets!"
As Qi Ping's last words fell, the Old Tortoise Xuanjia was struck with intense shock. This was an answer he had never considered. For all these years, for the safety and future of the Forest-Sea Demon Domain, he had calculated everything, exhausted his heart and soul to find the true method for his home to endure. He had calculated the world, altered destiny, and constantly reflected just to find that one perfect answer.
That was the reason he had reached out to Qi Ping after his three-thousand-year slumber, facilitating this meeting and discussion. Yet, he never expected to receive this answer: the "perfect answer" he sought was fundamentally flawed because a perfect answer didn't exist in the first place!
Despite his cultivation being higher than Qi Ping's and having lived for untold ages with the ability to see the past and future, he was not as clear-headed as a Unity-stage youngster. However, he didn't feel humiliated. Instead, the heavy burden that had weighed on his heart for years suddenly lifted!
"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!" The Old Tortoise burst into laughter, saying "good" three times in a row. His voice carried the regret of years of confusion, but more so, it carried the joy of sudden enlightenment. "What a phrase—'No regrets in the played piece!' Your vision and the firmness of your Dao-heart are rare throughout history!"
"Senior Xuanjia overpraises me."
"Do not be humble, Daoist Friend..." In this moment, the Old Tortoise changed his form of address from "Little Friend" to "Daoist Friend." This meant he had elevated Qi Ping from the position of a Unity-stage junior to that of an equal.
Hearing this, Qi Ping was inwardly stunned. This Old Tortoise possessed unfathomable strength and an extraordinary status; he usually referred to Mahayana experts as "little rascals," yet he now treated Qi Ping as a peer. If this news spread, many Mahayana sacred beasts would have their jaws hit the floor.
The Old Tortoise continued, "For the Star-Sea world to produce a figure like you just as it was about to become scorched earth is truly its fortune! I have lived for untold ages in vain, yet I am not as clear as you. Today, thanks to Daoist Friend Qi, my knots of countless years have been untied, and I have comprehended the Great Dao."
Following his words, an incredibly profound aura began to emanate from the Old Tortoise. This level of profound meaning was something Qi Ping had never seen in his life. 'What realm is this Black Tortoise truly in?' Qi Ping was shaken. This aura even reminded him of that horrific demon dragon that had been summoned through sacrifice. He was now certain that the Old Tortoise Xuanjia was an unimaginably terrifying existence.
"Daoist Friend Qi, with my knots unraveled, I am about to enter a state of Dao-comprehension. Before that, there are two things. First, I agree to the trade details you proposed. Furthermore, for our Forest-Sea Demon Domain, I am willing to increase the price by twenty percent on that basis. From this day forth, we are willing to forge a war alliance with the Star-Sea world."
Qi Ping's pupils trembled. He hadn't expected the Old Tortoise to agree so directly. His proposed prices weren't low! And the tortoise had volunteered an extra twenty percent! While twenty percent might seem small, given the projected trade volume between the two worlds, that additional profit would be a staggering astronomical sum.
"However, that is merely a small gift within my authority. I have prepared an additional gift for you. Little Gold Spirit will take you to retrieve it later. I believe you will be far more interested in this second gift."
"I shall take my leave now. Please forgive my lack of hospitality!"
With those words, the Old Tortoise Xuanjia vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the mountain-like piles of skeletons.