The Daoist Order was like a great furnace, refining people the same way one refined pills.0

To achieve success within the Daoist Order, one had to cultivate certain abilities. The first level could loosely be called “tact,” never revealing one’s true attitude too easily. The second level built further upon that foundation, mastering balance and constantly weighing every situation. The highest level was what the sages described as following one’s heart’s desires without overstepping the boundaries.0

However, some people mystified political maneuvering as some kind of dragon-slaying art, believing that everyone had unfathomable schemes and extremely manipulative skills. As such, every encounter became some game of strategy, with layer upon layer of reversals hidden in endless trump cards.0

In this arena of power, though things were not simple, they were not that complicated. 0

In this world, there were a few truly capable and shrewd people and a few utterly deranged people. The overwhelming majority were ordinary people. They could only see what lay before them, not what came after. Even those lofty Sages were no exception.0

Everyone advanced one step at a time and...0