Chapter 323: Dawn Moon Receives the Talisman

Li Yuanjiao led a few young men up the mountain. As they stopped in front of the back courtyard, the formation array before them glowed with a pure white light. Li Xijun, his face full of hope, tugged at Li Ximing's hand and whispered, "Third Brother, is this where everyone says our family keeps that azure and white immortal sword...?"

"I don't know," Li Ximing furrowed his small brows. His features were regular and quite pleasant, but Li Xijun's presence made him seem rather ordinary by comparison. He replied, "Anyway, I've been in this home for so many years and never been to this courtyard."

"It's the ancestral hall," Li Xizhi, wrapped in a brocade fur cloak, spoke softly from the side. He was much older than his two younger brothers; they only reached his waist. He gently explained, "Back then, after Brother Cheng and I were confirmed to possess spiritual apertures, we were sent here to acknowledge our ancestors and memorize the family history."

The two children suddenly understood. Li Xicheng stood silently at the very front. Li Yuanjiao chanted an incantation and cast a spell, taking three distinct steps to unlock the grand formation before leading the four into the back hall.

Inside the back hall, various artifacts were displayed, all ancient and rustic. Several wolf hides hung there, and in the very center, an azure-gray bow hung, covered in scratches. Though only at the Fetal Breath level, it exuded a profound sense of age and history.

Li Xicheng and Li Xizhi exchanged glances, each seeing excitement and emotion in the other's eyes. Li Xizhi, both mysterious and excited, whispered, "The Azure Crow Bow."

Li Xicheng, not one for many words, gave a deep hum of acknowledgment. This bow was Li Xiangping's spiritual artifact during his lifetime, and having read the family history, they naturally knew this.

Li Yuanjiao glanced at the four, took out a jade slip, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you all still remember 'The Guiding Method' that I had you memorize a few days ago?"

"Of course we remember..." The four looked at each other and nodded. Li Yuanjiao, satisfied, put away the jade slip and smiled, "Good! That saves me some time."

He then led the four for a short walk and pushed open the ancestral hall's main door. The ancestral tablets stood silently above, appearing particularly solemn amidst the wisps of incense smoke.

"Hold hands tightly!" Li Yuanjiao led the four in a respectful bow. Then, he tapped each of them on their *Shengyang* points, instantly sealing their six senses, and led them into a secret chamber. At the head of the chamber, an azure-gray magical mirror shimmered with brilliant light, and streams of moon essence, like smoke and mist, flowed downwards.

After the younger ones, who had entered one by one, knelt down properly, Li Yuanjiao bowed respectfully once more. Only then did he step forward, his spiritual consciousness probing into the mirror, where he discovered five glowing white talisman seeds.

"Five...?!" Li Yuanjiao paused in surprise, pondered for a moment, then a look of joy spread across his face. He thought to himself, "So, Uncle Xuanfeng has cultivated his immortal foundation!"

The talisman seeds provided by the magical mirror had always been determined by strength. After Li Tongya broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage in his lifetime, there were nine seeds. Now that Li Tongya had fallen, if there were still nine, it meant Li Xuanfeng had broken through to Foundation Establishment.

"It's a pity that Uncle Cong is trapped in Yishan City, and news is cut off there. He missed such important news..." Li Yuanjiao sighed inwardly, feeling a surge of confidence. He took a step back and respectfully chanted, "The Li Clan of Lijing, humbly presents pure libations, simple delicacies, and cold-food sacrifices... We will not betray your trust, but follow the decree, incinerating ourselves, our bodies returning to the Great Yin."

Lu Jiangxian's spiritual consciousness was stirred and emerged from the mirror. He looked at the four children, young and old, kneeling before him. Invisible, colorless, transparent ripples swept over them, and a nearly translucent white aura emanated from the crown of each child's head.

"It's another generation..."

The eldest young man at the front was likely Li Xicheng. He appeared honest, already sixteen or seventeen years old, and at the third level of Fetal Breath. His talent was acceptable, but his white aura was only three inches long, emitting a faint glow. Lu Jiangxian's gaze flickered and lightly passed over him.

The second young man wore a brocade fur robe. His face closely resembled Li Yuanjiao's, quite spirited, with similarly short eyebrow spacing, hinting at a touch of cunning.

"This must be Li Xizhi... the one to be sent to the Qingchi Sect."

Li Xizhi, at twelve or thirteen, was at the third level of Fetal Breath. His cultivation talent should be on par with Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong. Lu Jiangxian tentatively classified it as upper-tier, with a six-inch white aura.

Next was Li Ximing, whose white aura finally reached seven inches. His cultivation talent was only slightly inferior to Li Xizhi's. Lu Jiangxian's spiritual consciousness swept over him, but discovered something amiss.

"Oh?!" He carefully checked twice, from the *Shengyang* point to the Twelve-Story Pagoda, finally settling on the *Qi Sea Acupoint*. Indeed, it was exactly as described.

"In this *Qi Sea Acupoint*, the four cycles of elixirs are complete, water and fire are in harmony, and the *Shengyang* qi is stable and balanced, with no signs of yin-yang imbalance... This is the makings of an alchemist!" Lu Jiangxian had, after all, read a couple of alchemy texts and many books describing the Dao of alchemy from the Yu and Fei families' libraries. Naturally, he understood far more than the Li family members. He immediately recognized it and was delighted: "Seven inches of white aura—even after receiving a Xuanzhu talisman seed, he'll be a considerable talent, capable of becoming a pillar for the Li family. What's more, to be able to refine pills, he's a treasure."

Lu Jiangxian had been solitary in the mirror for eighty years, watching generations of the Li family grow, and had also reviewed the memories of Li Chijing and Li Tongya. He had developed some feelings for them, and his heart felt a slight joy. He then looked at the last child, Li Xijun.

"...What a fine appearance!" Cultivators' appearances were generally good. Lu Jiangxian had seen many people on the lake, including the handsome Li Chijing, the graceful Fei Wangbai, and the ethereal An Jingming. Yet, upon seeing Li Xijun, he still couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

Li Xijun was born only a month or two after Li Ximing, and they looked to be about the same age. Li Xijun was strikingly handsome; though his face was still childish, his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes were already evident, making him particularly outstanding among his brothers.

"His talent is ordinary, yet his white aura is nine inches." Lu Jiangxian calculated on his fingers. Although Li Xijun's talent was unremarkable, the nine-inch white aura enhancement was enough to make him stand out among ordinary cultivators, allowing him to match Li Ximing's talent before receiving a talisman.

"Li Ximing must certainly receive a talisman. The remaining ones are Li Xizhi and Li Xijun." With an unprecedented abundance of talisman seeds at hand, Lu Jiangxian acted generously. After a brief consideration, he waved his hand, releasing three talisman seeds.

"Li Xizhi is going to the Qingchi Sect, so his cultivation speed will surely be superior, making him worthy of one. As for Li Ximing, if he alone receives a talisman, I fear he might be unable to stand alone, potentially leading to the same fate as the Yu family."

"Although Li Xijun's talent is ordinary, with a nine-inch white aura, he will also become a minor genius after receiving a talisman. Let him receive one as well!"

These three talisman seeds hovered above the three young men's heads. The two remaining seeds in Lu Jiangxian's hand were enough for the Chengming generation. He then implanted the "Golden Hall Brilliant Origin Art," "Brief Explanation of Alchemy Dao," and "Cold Pine Dew Snow Art" into each of the three, respectively.

With an incantation, three streaks of white light leaped from the azure-gray mirror, breaking through the smoky, misty, pale white moon essence. They glowed in the air, incredibly mystical, with the ends of the flowing light faintly branching into subtle rainbows, quite captivating.

"Three...?!" Li Yuanjiao was overjoyed. Watching the flowing light settle onto the three, he quickly clapped each of them on the shoulder, releasing the spell that had sealed their six senses. He said in a deep voice, "Calm your minds, stabilize your essence, and circulate your spiritual energy according to 'The Guiding Method'!"