The night was as dark as ink, and cold moonlight fell across the courtyard.
Li Changhe sat cross-legged in the corner, drenched in sweat, his chest heaving violently. He slowly opened his eyes, and within them was undisguised exhaustion and frustration. Beside him, his two younger brothers breathed steadily and deeply, clearly at a critical juncture in their cultivation, faint spiritual energy flowing around their bodies.
"This is too hard."
He murmured to himself, gazing bitterly at his dantian. Within the Qihai acupoint, the spiritual seed was dim and lifeless, as if it might extinguish at any moment. Three months of arduous cultivation—Li Yunping had already attempted to condense the Xuan Guang Lun, Li Tongyan had absorbed over seventy strands of moonlight, yet he was still struggling at a single digit.
Not to mention being unable to sense spiritual energy during the day, even on nights when the moonlight was slightly dim, without the treasure mirror's assistance, he couldn't grasp that thread of faint moonlight at all.
"Sigh."
Li Changhe let out a long sigh, and a wave of guilt surged through his heart. He knew only too well how dull his talent was, and every time it came to his turn to use the treasure mirror, he felt he was holding back his brothers' path to the Dao.
After his seventh failed attempt at forced meditation, Li Changhe cast a dim glance at the two sleeping brothers beside him, gritted his teeth, and quietly rose, tiptoeing toward the door.
Crossing the corridor into the back courtyard, a rhythmic scraping sound reached his ears.
Li Gengye was bent over, wholly absorbed in polishing a long blade. His right hand gripped the back of the blade tightly while his left thumb and forefinger steadily held the blade body, pushing it back and forth across the whetstone, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Li Changhe stood by and watched. Drawing a deep breath and steeling his expression, he called out:
"Father."
"What is it?" Li Gengye didn't lift his head, his hands never pausing, responding coolly.
"Your son fears he is not cut out for cultivation." Li Changhe lowered his head, his voice carrying a hint of shame.
The grinding sound stopped abruptly. Li Gengye raised his head, his gaze cold as a blade as it pierced his eldest son. "Then you simply won't cultivate?"
"It's not that I refuse to." Li Changhe had already prepared his words, and he hastened to explain:
"Your son's talent is far inferior to Tongyan's and Yunping's, let alone Chixi's. Even with the treasure mirror's help, I can barely keep up. During the day, I should help Father manage the family estate and walk the fields. At least that way, no one will grow suspicious."
Upon hearing this, Li Gengye's gaze lingered on his eldest son's face for a moment, the coldness in his eyes gradually fading. He considered for a while, his expression softening considerably. He shook his head and said:
"Very well. Forget tomorrow's session. Go prepare for Yunping's wedding. Don't make a show of it—just invite some relatives and keep it simple."
"Yes." Li Changhe nodded vigorously, relieved as if a great burden had lifted, and turned to hurry toward the main courtyard.
No sooner had he entered the main courtyard than he saw his wife, Madam Lin, sitting beneath a tree in the yard, sewing clothes by hand. Beside her sat Tian Wan, the two women chatting quietly in low voices. Since women were not permitted in the back courtyard's ancestral hall, they could only wait here.
Seeing Li Changhe emerge, Tian Wan noticed his hurried expression, as if he had something to discuss with her husband. With a smile, she found an excuse, rose, and returned to the Tian household.
"What's wrong, Ping'er?" Li Changhe hurried to his wife's side, the gloom in his brow dissipating, replaced by a tender warmth as he softly asked.
"Changhe."
Lin Pinger set down her needlework. Her features were dignified and poised, yet her eyes held an indescribable joy. She spoke in a low voice:
"I'm pregnant."
"What?" Li Changhe was struck as if by lightning, utterly stunned. The depression and irritability that had accumulated in his mind for days instantly vanished. His face flushing slightly, he asked in disbelief:
"Truly pregnant?"
"Would I trick you about something like this? Mother-in-law has already confirmed it." Lin Pinger nodded shyly, shooting him a reproachful glance.
"Father! Father! Ping'er's pregnant!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Li Changhe burst into laughter, overjoyed, and turned to run to the back courtyard to share the news.
"Clang..."
A rapid clatter of metal rang out. Li Gengye immediately abandoned the blade in his hands, strode rapidly to the main courtyard, and asked excitedly:
"What did you say, boy?"
"Ping'er's pregnant!" Li Changhe grinned like a child, repeating the words.
"Good! Good!"
Li Gengye laughed heartily, slapping the blushing Lin Pinger on the back heavily, and said loudly to Li Changhe:
"I'll go summon the physician. You take good care of her."
Li Changhe nodded repeatedly, pulled Lin Pinger down to sit, and began to fuss over her with tender concern.
—
Back Courtyard
Li Yunping formed a hand seal with his fingers and slowly awoke from his meditation.
He reached for the wooden slip standing upright before him, untied the cloth binding, and unfurled it with a whoosh.
Under the pristine moonlight, several large characters at the beginning of the scroll were clearly visible:
Golden Light Mantra
The Xuan Yin Zhuan Lun could not be recited or written down, but the accompanying techniques could be taught orally and recorded in writing. Li Tongyan and the others had each transcribed the magical techniques they had obtained and shared them with one another.
This scroll of the Golden Light Mantra was the technique Li Chixi had obtained. Li Yunping had cultivated the Xuan Guang Lun just a few nights prior and had borrowed this technique to practice.
The Golden Light Mantra was not difficult. After reading through it and comparing notes for two nights, Li Yunping had completely grasped all the subtleties.
He turned his left palm upward, and a resplendent golden radiance burst forth from the center of his palm.
"Golden Light Mantra!"
This was an offensive and protective technique. By forming hand seals and channeling the technique, one could condense a blade of golden light, exceptionally sharp and deadly.
This golden radiance could be attached to a sword or blade to strike down enemies, or it could be hurled outward as a projectile, with particularly impressive destructive power.
He waved his hand to dispel the technique. Li Yunping stepped through the courtyard gate, where all his brothers were seated in meditation. He found a blue stone at the gate, wrapped his arms around it, and shouted quietly:
"Lift!"
Unexpectedly, Li Yunping raised the blue stone with great ease—so easily, in fact, that he was thrown backward several steps from the force.
"Upon entering the Fetal Breathing stage, one's lifespan extends to one hundred and twenty years. Spiritual power flows through the meridian points; the body becomes light, strength increases, hearing and vision grow sharp. Hand seals and spellcasting become possible—this is no ordinary state."
Li Yunping recalled the description from the Xuan Yin Zhuan Lun and couldn't help but laugh. Carrying the blue stone, he re-entered the back courtyard.
He set the stone upright, backed up three zhang, formed hand seals, and channeled the technique. A streak of golden light leaped from his palm and slashed directly at the blue stone.
"Clang~"
Bright sparks flashed, and a shallow cut appeared on the surface of the blue stone. The stone itself was pushed back a full hand's width, leaving a pale white grinding scratch on the ground.
"A magnificent technique!"
It was Li Tongyan, who had long since awakened from his meditation. He watched Li Yunping with a smile and said:
"Chixi obtained this technique and put it to the best use. A few days ago, he only meant to slash at the fake mountain in the back courtyard, but he ended up cleaving it clean through. I didn't dare tell Father."
"As far as cultivation goes, we truly can't compare to Chixi." Li Yunping pursed his lips, righted the blue stone, and estimated the spiritual power remaining in his body—he could probably cast the technique four or five more times.
"Chixi entered the Xuan Jing stage in less than a month. Though he had the treasure mirror's assistance, it's still utterly astonishing." Li Tongyan shook his head.
The six cycles of Fetal Breathing were respectively called Xuan Jing, Cheng Guang, Zhou You, Qing Xuan, Yu Hua, and Ling Shi. Among them, Xuan Jing, Zhou You, and Yu Hua were known as the Three Calamities of Fetal Breathing, and they were especially difficult to overcome.
Li Chixi and the others had easily broken through the Fetal Breathing realm with the treasure mirror's help. From then on, there were