At two in the morning, another friend sent me a private message:
"Bro, I'm really confused lately, I can't understand the market. Can you create a small group to guide us? I'm willing to pay."
This is already the Nth time I've received similar messages this month.
To be honest, I understand this feeling. The crypto world is like a cultivation world—without enough spirit stones (capital) and incomplete techniques (methodologies), every day I watch others successfully establish their foundation (financial freedom), while I am still struggling in the Qi refining stage.
As a result, many people start looking for a "master," hoping that a skilled person can guide them, helping them avoid detours, and ideally directly imparting "ultimate techniques" to soar into the sky.
But the problem is: Is this path really feasible?
One, the "Qi refining stage confusion" in the crypto world.
If we compare the crypto world to the world of cultivation, most people are in the "Qi refining stage"—just starting out, full of confusion.
Typical symptoms:
Seeing big shots tweet "this project is 100 times", feeling itchy but not daring to invest.
Wanting to chase every trend, AI Agent, DeFi, RWA, PayFi... but ending up just scratching the surface of each.
Clearly did the homework but still lost money; didn't do the homework but followed others and still lost money.
Watching the balance in your wallet decrease, unsure whether to persist or go back to working.
The root of this confusion lies in: you have not yet established your own "cultivation system".
Just like the corresponding relationships in the world of cultivation:
The reality of the crypto world is your dilemma: Spirit stones capital/liquidity are not enough to participate in big projects, only able to grind small profits; skills Alpha information/research capabilities information gaps are widening, unable to understand new narratives; magical tools/network/resources scattered repairs are hard to obtain quality resources; insights cognitive/judgment others' words seem reasonable; opportunities airdrops/early projects missed too many, severe FOMO.
When these resources are insufficient, a person's instinctive reaction is: find someone with resources to guide me.
Two, "Senior, can you guide me?"
This is the most common mindset in the crypto world.
Join various paid groups, frantically private message KOLs: "Teacher, can you guide me?", looking everywhere for a "master", hoping someone will give you the answer directly, waiting for others to share Alpha, while you don't do any research.
Sounds reasonable, right? After all, isn’t it like this in cultivation novels—protagonists meet experts who guide them, imparting secret skills, and then they soar into the sky.
But the problem is: you are not the protagonist.
The truth of the world of cultivation.
The real world of cultivation is like this:
Experts are all in seclusion to cultivate, where do they have time to guide disciples every day?
Those willing to "take you along" either want your spirit stones (charging), or see you as cannon fodder (leading the charge for them).
Even if someone truly guides you, their path may not be suitable for you, and forced cultivation may lead to deviation.
The most important thing: the tribulations you have not experienced will eventually have to be faced.
Traps in the crypto world.
You think the reality is that big shots' calls are sincere, but they might be unloading, or they might be promoting paid groups where real Alpha won't be shared in the group. KOLs will share selflessly but they also need to make a living, interests come first, follow along and you can make money; your costs, timing, and capital amounts are different. Some people will teach you hands-on, who has free time to be your private tutor?
Three, the three outcomes of being "guided".
Let’s see what results usually come from relying on others:
Outcome A: Become an investor who feeds the market 🥬
Path:
Paid group → Following losses → Paying again for "advanced courses".
→ Continue losing → Doubt your efforts → Continue paying.
Corresponding in cultivation: Giving spirit stones to evil cultivators, and in the end, being drained of essence.
You think you are learning skills, but you are actually someone else's "spirit stone mine".
Outcome B: Never learn to think independently 🧠
Path:
Depend on others' judgments → Do not cultivate your own cognition.
→ The big shot doesn’t send messages and you dare not act → Missed opportunities or get stuck.
→ In the end, the big shot runs away and you don’t know what to do.
Corresponding in cultivation: Without your own determination, when the heart demon comes, you will directly go off the rails.
What's even scarier is that when the "master" is gone, you will find you know nothing.
Outcome C: Lucked out and made some money, but can't hold onto it 💸
Path:
Following big shots made 10 times → became arrogant, thinking they have understood.
→ Started to gamble on their own → Without risk control and cognitive support.
→ A wave of pullback causes everything to be lost, even more.
Corresponding in cultivation: Eating a foundational pill and getting lucky in establishing a foundation, but the foundation is unstable, eventually leading to a catastrophic failure.
Wealth brought by luck will eventually be taken away by strength.
Four, Han Li: Never rely on others.
(In the story of mortals cultivating immortality) Han Li is the least "protagonist-like" protagonist I have seen.
He had no astonishing talent, no strong background, and had not even encountered many "willing to guide him" experts.
But he gradually moved from the Qi refining stage to the immortal realm.
His philosophy of survival:
1. "I, Han, never owe favors."
Having others help you is a favor, not helping is a duty. If you owe someone a favor, sooner or later you have to repay it, and often you have to repay even more.
Corresponding in the crypto world: Don’t expect big shots to guide you for free; there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
2. "The technique still needs to be cultivated by oneself."
A master leads you to the door, cultivation is up to the individual. Others' experiences can be referenced, but the path must be walked by yourself.
Corresponding in the crypto world: Others' methodologies, you must practice and verify before they become your own.
3. "Opportunities are to be encountered, not sought after."
Instead of relying on experts to guide you, it's better to improve your own abilities. When your abilities are sufficient, opportunities will naturally come.
Corresponding in the crypto world: Spend time improving cognition, rather than searching everywhere for Alpha.
4. "Caution brings longevity."
When others call you to explore secret realms (gamble on new projects), Han Li's choice is: I'll wait and see, you all go first.
Result: Others got wiped out, Han Li picked up the pieces.
In the crypto world: Don't FOMO, staying alive is more important than anything.
Five, from "waiting for someone to guide" to "guiding myself".
After saying all this, it’s not to say you shouldn’t learn from others, but to distinguish: what can be learned and what cannot be copied.
✅ Learnable.
Thinking framework: How big shots analyze projects and assess risks.
Information channels: Where to get first-hand news.
Operational discipline: Position management, stop-loss and take-profit logic.
Pitfall experience: Common traps to watch out for.
❌ Cannot be copied.
Specific operations: What coins to buy, at what price to buy, how much to buy.
Investment decisions: Other people's capital, risk tolerance differs from yours.
Timing control: When you see the news, the big shot may have already unloaded.
Six, your advanced roadmap.
Qi refining stage (beginner phase).
Goal: Establish basic cognition and learn to survive.
✅ Learn more, but don't be greedy.
✅ Test with small funds, treat each loss as tuition.
❌ Don't fantasize about getting rich overnight.
❌ Don't put everything on hearsay "insider information".
Time: 0-6 months.
Foundation-building period (advanced stage).
Goal: Formulate your own methodology and be able to make independent judgments.
✅ Have your own research framework (not copying others).
✅ Can independently assess the fundamentals of projects.
✅ Have a clear position management strategy.
❌ Don't blindly chase trends.
Time: 6-18 months.
Golden core stage (advanced phase).
Goal: Stable profit, start outputting.
✅ Have a stable source of income (ambush, arbitrage, LP, etc.)
✅ Can predict trends and cycles.
✅ Start producing content to help newcomers.
🎯 At this point, you have become the "leg" that others want to "hug".
Time: Over 18 months.
Seven, a cruel but realistic answer.
"Those who truly make big money are those who explore on their own when no one is guiding them."
Why?
1. Information disparity is the core competitive advantage.
If everyone knows, it’s not called Alpha anymore. By the time the "person taking you" tells you, it’s basically the last train.
2. The gap in cognition is the direction of wealth flow.
Those who are guided earn hard money; those who guide others earn cognitive premiums.
3. Independent thinking is the only moat.
Markets change, narratives change, and "masters" may also run away. Only your own judgment is something that can never be taken away.
Final note.
Back to that private message from the deep night at the beginning.
I didn’t promise to form a group, but I gave him a piece of advice:
"Rather than spending time finding someone to guide you, it's better to spend time asking yourself three questions:
1. Why am I losing money at this position? (Review)
2. What did successful people do right? (Learning)
3. How can I avoid making the same mistake next time? (Evolution)"
The reason Han Li was able to become an immortal is not because he had the highest talent, but because he never placed his hopes on others.
The crypto world is the same.
Those who truly make money are those who calmly think when others panic, and explore on their own when no one teaches them.
Relying on others to guide you is essentially wanting to take shortcuts.
But on the path of cultivation, shortcuts are often detours.
If you are currently in a phase of confusion, looking everywhere for a "master", I hope this article can give you some inspiration.
It's not that you can't learn, but you must understand:
The best master is yourself.
The fastest shortcut is not to take shortcuts.
May you and I find our own path in this world of cultivation.
Let's encourage each other.