Princess Lianhua was rapidly becoming consumed by the mystery of Lin Qi. She had witnessed his "Unseen Shattering Grade" talent, his "Mudra of Misfortune," and his "Alchemical Contempt." She was convinced he was an ancient immortal testing the limits of mortal understanding, and she was determined to unravel his disguise.
Lianhua sought a personal audience with Lin Qi near the Whispering Willow's small, neglected herb garden—the only place she felt might be free from Sect Master Wu's immediate influence.
Lin Qi was there, trying to convince his pet Basilisk, Fluffikins, that chasing the Moon-Winged Butterfly was not the best use of a Tier-5 spirit beast's time.
Lianhua approached, radiating a careful blend of humility and intensity. "Disciple Lin Qi," she said, her voice soft but earnest. "I seek your guidance on a matter of the heart—the Dao Heart, that is."
Lin Qi stopped wrestling with Fluffikins. "Dao Heart? Oh. Like the thing that helps you do exercises?"
"Precisely," Lianhua affirmed, mistaking his simple language for profound understatement. "My Dao Heart is strong, but it is currently beset by the Barrier of Unyielding Pride. I find myself unable to submit to the higher power of the Dao, constantly relying on my own cultivated strength. How does one break this stubborn barrier?"
Lin Qi, completely misunderstanding her meaning (he thought she was talking about a physical lock on a treasure chest), thought hard. He remembered seeing a particularly stubborn, rusted lock on the main gate earlier that week.
"Oh, that's easy," Lin Qi advised, scratching his head. "If the lock is very, very stubborn, and you can't open it with the key, you just have to give it a good, hard whack! Make sure to use the side of the hammer, not the flat part."
Lianhua's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened, not in anger, but in sudden, terrifying illumination.
A good, hard whack? Use the side of the hammer?
She realized instantly: Lin Qi was not telling her to hit a chest. He was talking about The Divine Percussion of Self-Doubt, a legendary, suicidal method of forcibly shattering one's own Dao Heart barrier to achieve an explosive, uncontrolled breakthrough into a new realm. The "side of the hammer" referred to using a subtle, dangerous reversal of Qi flow—a mistake that would kill 99.9\% of cultivators.
Lianhua trembled with excitement. No one had ever dared to suggest such a reckless, ultimate path!
"Master Lin Qi," she whispered, bowing deeply, her pride instantly discarded. "You are truly merciless in your wisdom! You propose the 'Dao of Self-Destructive Advancement!' To break the barrier of Pride, one must abandon the self entirely and court oblivion!"
Lin Qi, delighted that his advice was so well-received, beamed. "Yes! And sometimes," he added helpfully, "if the lock is really stuck, a little bit of grease helps!"
Lianhua nodded vigorously, integrating the new wisdom: "The 'grease'! The hidden lubrication of fate! One must not only strike the blow but ensure the celestial gears are oiled with unconditional faith in the unknown! Magnificent!"
Lin Qi then noticed Fluffikins had caught the butterfly, but accidentally melted the glass jar with a small dribble of excitement-induced venom.
"Oh dear! Fluffikins, no!" Lin Qi sighed, frustrated at the loss of the jar.
Lianhua mistook the sigh and the accidental melting of the jar as a profound demonstration of the ultimate goal.
"Your sigh," Lianhua concluded, her voice filled with conviction, "is the sound of a master who has achieved Absolute Emptiness! The melting jar is a lesson: Worldly attachments are merely vapor before the heat of true Enlightenment!"
She turned to leave, already planning how to administer the "Divine Percussion of Self-Doubt" to her Dao Heart.
Before she left, she paused and gave Lin Qi a sincere, earnest look. "Thank you, Master Lin Qi. You have taught me that true power lies in complete irreverence for one's own safety."
The Original Maxim, spoken entirely within Lianhua's mind: "When seeking the highest wisdom, always listen to the fool, for his words are unfiltered by wisdom and thus carry the truth of chaos."
Lin Qi waved goodbye, already distracted by trying to put the gooey butterfly back together. He had successfully, and accidentally, convinced the greatest genius of the region to undertake a near-suicidal cultivation technique, believing it to be the highest wisdom.