The ripples on the mirror surface smoothed out, and Lu Chenyuan’s divine consciousness immersed itself in the newly awakened innate technique.
This Mystic Pearl Spirit Sacrifice Art was arcane and obscure, far surpassing the Mystic Yin Reincarnation Scripture he had seen in the past. Its core principle lay in borrowing the power of the mirror body to draw upon the Taiyin Moon Essence, condensing it into a Mystic Pearl Spirit Seed. If this spirit seed were implanted into a mortal's dantian, it could not only help them embark on the path of cultivation but also, upon the attainment of great success or the dissipation of their dao upon death, provide feedback to the caster, refining the Taiyin Mystic Radiance.
The latter half of the technique also recorded an Art of Reception, an introductory mental method instructing the recipient on how to invite the spirit seed out from the mirror and nurture it within their dantian.
Lu Chenyuan pondered over it for a long time. Initially, he felt that this method used others as human cauldrons, bearing a semblance to the wicked arts of the Demonic Dao, and a trace of caution rose in his heart. However, after deducing the contextual formulas repeatedly, his doubts gradually dissipated. Although this Mystic Pearl Spirit Seed was parasitic, it caused no harm to the recipient; on the contrary, it could nourish the physical body, extend life, and offer many benefits.
It was just that the number of spirit seeds one could condense depended entirely on the strength of the caster's divine consciousness. At his current realm, exerting his full effort would only allow him to maintain the existence of six spirit seeds.
"Forget it, let us first observe the current state of the Li family."
With a slight movement of his mind, Lu Chenyuan’s divine consciousness spread out like mercury pouring onto the ground, instantly enveloping the entire Li residence.
This sweep caused him to click his tongue in secret admiration.
"I did not expect that while I slept for three years, so much time has passed in the world."
The Li family before his eyes was no longer the slightly shabby small courtyard of his memory. The pond had been dug wider, and the newly built main courtyard was grand and imposing, exuding an atmosphere of thriving prosperity and worldly vitality everywhere. Li Changhe, in particular, had not only grown a beard but had also taken a wife and started a family; his every gesture carried the air of a master in charge of the household.
Lu Chenyuan retracted his focus, activated the technique, and specifically circulated his awareness through the meridians and acupoints of the Li family members.
A moment later, he sighed softly, a hint of disappointment flashing through his eyes.
Throughout the entire household, not a single person possessed a Spirit Aperture.
This meant that without heaven-defying fortune, these generations of the Li family were destined to have no affinity with the Immortal Dao. They could only drift with the tides of the mortal world; even if their lives were smooth, they would merely attain a lifespan of seventy years at best.
Looking at those busy figures in the courtyard, Lu Chenyuan’s heart stirred slightly, and he ultimately decided to lend them a helping hand.
"Father, look quickly!"
Several brothers had already gathered around the mirror. Li Chixi, with his sharp eyes, suddenly pointed at the mirror surface and cried out in surprise.
Hearing this, Li Gengye hurriedly fixed his gaze on it, only to see white light circulating on the mirror surface, with rows of tiny script appearing and vanishing within the radiance. Excitedly, he slapped Li Chixi on the shoulder and shouted:
"Quick! Fetch cloth and brush and ink!"
The brothers sprang into action at the command, scattering to retrieve the items. Fortunately, the Li family’s estate had grown, and they had specifically built a study, furnished with the 'Four Treasures of the Study' cast off by the village schoolteacher, so there was no need to borrow them from the village head in a rush.
Before long, Li Changhe brought white cloth, while Li Tongyan struggled to carry over a wooden table complete with brush and ink. Li Chixi had stayed by the mirror and, taking advantage of the interval, had already committed the first few lines that appeared on the surface to memory.
Among the group, although Li Chixi was the youngest, he had read the most books. Li Gengye thus had him hold the brush, responsible for transcribing the small characters appearing in the mirror one by one.
This Art of Reception was extremely long. Li Chixi held the brush for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, until his wrist was sore and numb, forcing Li Tongyan to take over the transcription. The others stood by the side, holding their breath and staring intently, terrified of missing or miswriting a single character.
In this way, they took turns, transcribing for a full two hours before the task was finally complete.
Fearing they might practice the foundation incorrectly, Lu Chenyuan deliberately displayed the technique on the mirror surface three times in full, including the obscure annotations on Daoist terminology and several key diagrams of qi circulation channels. Only after watching them proofread carefully did he slowly withdraw the radiance from the mirror.
"Art of Reception."
Li Yunping gazed at the densely packed small characters on the white cloth and could not help but read aloud slowly:
"The Mystic Pearl is the True Elixir. At the beginning of the first revolution, the Elixir descends into the heart meridians; thus it is said the Elixir Grotto resides in the Central Palace, and the descent of the Elixir is the first revolution... Once the Elixir has descended, hold the breath for nine intervals to constitute one degree, reaching nine times nine, eighty-one, for nine degrees. Thus it is called the Heavy Nine number..."
After reading a few sentences, he suddenly raised his head, his voice trembling:
"This is an Immortal Technique!"
Li Changhe was both shocked and delighted. If the Profound Mirror were not so heavy, he would have wanted to pick it up and kiss it.
Suppressing the wild joy in their hearts, the group passed the white cloth around to study it carefully, muttering the words and beginning to memorize the formulas with the help of the annotations in the scroll.
Li Yunping’s gaze quickly swept across the white cloth, finally settling on the few lines of prayer at the end of the chapter.
"Master the Art of Reception, and await the days of Jiazi, Gengshen, Benming, Sanyuan, Sanhui, Eight Festivals, and the dark and light of the moon. On these days, the weather announces life, and the Yang brightness dispels darkness. Place the mirror under the Moon Essence, burn incense and bathe, bow the body to invite, saying: 'Disciple so-and-so of such-and-such family, respectfully invites the Mystic Spirit Wondrous Method, that the Controller of Fate may settle the spirit, and vows to cultivate the Dao. I shall speak of merit in due time, never failing in trust. Let the register be burned and transformed, and the body return to the Taiyin.' Upon completion, swallow the breath three times."
"Speak of merit in due time, never failing in trust. Let the register be burned and transformed, and the body return to the Taiyin."
He repeated these words in a low voice, his expression solemn.
Li Gengye looked