Diviner of Distant Reach

For years, the jade abacus sat fixed upon his head as if it were a natural organ.
Threads of light meandered into his gray hair, merging with his very consciousness.
At a speed far beyond mortal limits, he interpreted vast streams of data, translating them into lucid hexagrams. Even in sleep, portents would flow into his mind as a parade of strange dreams.

Admiring his reputation as "The Divine Seer," students meeting him for the first time would often ask curiously:
"Master Jingtian, if the jade abacus is so miraculous, then surely, in time, it could lay bare all of the world's secrets?"
In response, he would often pose some puzzling questions:
"That depends on... what do you see it as?"
Many would flatter him to his face, only to be met with a silent smile and a gentle shake of his head. Yet among them, one particularly spirited young girl spoke with blunt honesty:
"It looks like... a shackle."

Instead of getting angry, he burst into hearty laughter.
For a distinguished diviner, the greatest peril is being trapped within the confines of his own extrapolation.
"If one believes solely in the jade abacus," he muttered, "how can one comprehend the will of fate?"
Yet years later, he chose a different path, the only one that destiny had laid before him.