"Once you’re stable, instead of forcing open a new Life Land, you should consolidate your Adolescent Life Land. The Adolescent Life Land should focus on study, progress, stability, and diligence. The Youth Life Land should focus on nobility and humility, while the Middle-Aged Life Land should prioritize stability, concealment, and consolidation. Of course, a Fate Grid like Zhao Yishan’s—legend has it all four of his lands are based on study, diligence, and progress—is admirable, but it might not be suitable for everyone."
"You’re able to know Chief Minister Zhao’s Fate Grid?" Li Qingxian asked.
"He’s different from ordinary people; he never conceals it. An experienced Fate Master can guess some of his Fate Grid just by looking at his life experiences. But how would we dare to look? Only Great Fate Masters have done so, which is why only bits and pieces have been passed down. It’s said that every Great Fate Master who has observed Zhao Yishan’s fate holds him in the highest regard. Even that arrogant lot from the Celestial Fate Sect are exceptionally respectful when they see Zhao Yishan."
"Is Zhao Yishan’s Fate Grid that strong?"
The zebra-masked man looked at the cross-eyed dog-masked man and said, "What’s powerful about Zhao Yishan isn’t his Fate Grid; it’s the man himself. You’re just a novice, so it’s hard to explain. Once you reach Middle Grade, you’ll understand why the Emperor said Chief Minister Zhao is ’the clumsiest man under heaven, and also the wisest.’ Hmm? The Life Play is about to begin. Let’s go see."
Li Qingxian followed Guo Xiang’s gaze and saw a banner standing in the middle of the Beast Bridge—white with a blue cloud-patterned border.
The long, pointed banner was flat on top, and the blue cloud pattern on its edge circled it a full nine times.
The banner of a First-Grade Fate Master.
On the white background encircled by the blue clouds, four large black words were written vertically:
Seeking Flowers, Asking Willows.
Li Qingxian blinked. ’Are First-Grade Fate Masters really this capricious?’
Guo Xiang chuckled. "That’s the banner of Elder Xu Xunzi from the Life-Seeking Sect. When it’s your time to accumulate luck and observe fate, you can decide on your own banner. Generally, yours should start with the character for ’Measure,’ but you can change it, of course."
"Do I have to have a banner?"
"You don’t have to. You can wait until you’re more established."
The two chatted as they walked toward the banner.
"Why does the Life-Seeking Sect teach Fate Skills to outsiders?" Li Qingxian asked.
"That goes back to the conflict over legacy during the founding of Daqi. The Imperial Court and the Celestial Fate Sect placed a ban on Fate Skills, which many Fate Skill Sects opposed. A lot of Great Fate Masters believed that Fate Skills aren’t meant for a single person, but for the entire Human Race. They argued that any attempt to suppress Fate Skills could lead to disaster. Regarding this, a Great Fate Master once gave an example that has stuck with me to this day."
"What was the example?"
"Among the Fate Sects, there’s one called the Ancient Exploration Sect. This particular Fate Skill Sect is unique; they rarely interact with others. All of their Fate Skills are dedicated to studying ancient matters to uncover the secrets of fate, which they then share with the public."
"The Fate Masters in the books I’ve read all respect this Sect," Li Qingxian said.
"This Sect once discovered a secret about birds, which was then confirmed by the Inference of a Great Fate Master. Do you know what a bird’s feathers are for?"
"Is that even a question? They’re for flying, of course."
"But were feathers *initially* for flying?"
"Well... I suppose so. If not for flying, why else would birds have feathers?"
Guo Xiang smiled faintly. "Experts from the Ancient Exploration Sect discovered that in a far ancient era, the ancestors of birds lived solely on the ground; they couldn’t fly. They could thrive on the land, eating and drinking their fill, so it’s impossible they would have grown feathers for the purpose of flight. And yet, it was precisely at that time that they began to grow feathers. Why do you think they grew them then?"
"Maybe for warmth," Li Qingxian said.
"That was a factor, but not the only one. Isn’t an animal’s hide warm? Why grow something that looked like feathers specifically?"
"Then I have no idea," Li Qingxian said, shaking his head.
"For appearances."
"Huh? Like peacocks and pheasants?"
"Exactly. The ancestors of birds had many branches. One of these ancestral branches, in order to attract mates and reproduce, did everything they could to become as showy as possible. The feathers were originally just for looks. But it was these very feathers, meant only for show, that over time developed into feathers capable of flight, slowly helping this line of ancestors evolve into birds. But then, it gets more interesting."
"The Ancient Exploration Sect discovered that right around the time birds emerged, a catastrophe struck the world. The birds that could fly—especially the smaller, originally weaker ones—actually survived. Yet the other bird ancestors, who had been the undisputed masters of the land, were all wiped out."
Li Qingxian fell into silent contemplation.
Guo Xiang pressed on, "The feathers that the bird ancestors grew purely out of vanity ended up saving their entire species. Isn’t that bizarre? And those other ancestors, the so-called masters of the land, were suddenly wiped out, while the weak little birds and beasts survived. Isn’t that bizarre?"
Li Qingxian said, "I understand now. In other words, many Fate Masters believe that when the Celestial Fate Sect and the Imperial Court ban Fate Skills, it’s like plucking a bird’s feathers. From a short-term perspective, forcing the bird to hunt honestly, walk on the ground, and be obedient seems correct. But in the long run, it destroys the bird’s potential to fly. Or, to put it another way, the Fate Masters hypothesize that the Human Race, much like the ancestors of birds, will one day face a great catastrophe. We don’t know what kind of catastrophe it will be, so we must make all sorts of preparations. Therefore, for the Celestial Fate Sect and the Imperial Court to ban Fate Skills is to ban a ’potential means of saving the Human Race.’ One ban might be fine, but if they ban this and ban that, if there are too many bans, it could very well mean that even if the Human Race had the potential to create the power to fight the catastrophe, that potential would be cut short by the bans, leading to our extinction."
"Well said. That’s why some Fate Masters spread Fate Skills under the guise of testing the younger generation," Guo Xiang said.
"But why would the Celestial Fate Sect and the Imperial Court ban Fate Skills? They have so many brilliant minds; surely they understand this reasoning? Don’t they understand that letting a hundred flowers bloom for the Human Race is the best way to prepare for an unknown catastrophe?"
"What if they believe they are correct? What if they believe their methods are what will bring long-lasting peace and stability to the Human Race?" a person nearby suddenly interjected.
Li Qingxian and Guo Xiang turned to the speaker. It was a person with a white deer head. Two small, tender yellow antlers sprouted from it, making the head look delicate and petite. The person wore a cyan men’s long robe and was followed by someone with a green parrot head dressed in a woman’s emerald blouse.
The White Deer Head’s voice was soft, ambiguously male or female.
"That’s not an impossibility, but I believe those in high positions must have a long-term perspective. Especially the current Emperor, who is incomparably sagacious, a peerless and brilliant monarch," Li Qingxian said.
"Pfft..." The White Deer Head laughed. "Your words are even more ridiculous than that mask on your head."
"I’m serious!" the Cross-Eyed Dog Head said with a completely earnest expression.
"HAHAHA... Young Master, I’m sorry, I can’t help it! This dog head is hilarious..." The parrot-headed woman clutched her stomach, doubled over in laughter.
Li Qingxian shot the Parrot Head a glare, which only made her laugh harder.
The White Deer Head said, "Haven’t you noticed? Nearly all brilliant rulers become senile in their old age. Nearly all great clans eventually fall into ruin. Nearly all powerful nations gradually decline."
"That is true," Li Qingxian acknowledged.
"And do you know why?"
Li Qingxian shook his head. "How would I know?"
"Because the Human Race is changing, but they are not. Their refusal to change wouldn’t be a problem, but they actively prevent the Human Race from changing. They try to drag us back to the past, plucking the bird’s feathers one by one. *That* makes them a cancer on the Human Race!" the White Deer Head declared.
"Friend, you have some intense Evil Qi about you. Let’s drop this topic and go watch the Life Play." The Cross-Eyed Dog Head decisively chose self-preservation.
"Are you planning to participate in this Life Play?" the White Deer Head asked, looking Li Qingxian up and down.
"Just for fun," Li Qingxian said.
"You have a good head on your shoulders." With that, the White Deer Head puffed out their chest, held their head high, and walked away.
The green-clad parrot person covered their mouth with both hands, still looking at Li Qingxian and snickering as they followed.
Li Qingxian muttered under his breath, "I suspect they’re a Rebel!"
Guo Xiang shot Li Qingxian a look. "All the Fate Masters from Half Bridge are Rebels."
"Alas, what has the world come to? People just aren’t what they used to be..." Li Qingxian said, turning to leave.