Chapter 8: Reception Method

The *Mystic Pearl Spirit Offering Art* is far more extensive than the *Lunar Breath Cultivation Scripture*. It primarily explains how to use the mirror's body to draw in lunar essence and condense it into a Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed.

Planting this seed in another person's dantian can assist them in their cultivation. Once that person achieves a certain level of cultivation or dies, the seed will return to the caster, allowing them to cultivate Lunar Darklight.

It also includes a receiving method that teaches the recipient how to invite the Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed from the mirror and then cultivate it within their dantian.

Lu Jiangxian was stunned. He felt that the *Mystic Pearl Spirit Offering Art* seemed somewhat sinister, much like demonic cultivation techniques described in books. After careful consideration and reading the spell from beginning to end, he confirmed that the Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed was not only harmless to the recipient but also offered many benefits.

The *Mystic Pearl Spirit Offering Art* is the innate spell awakened by this mirror. The number of Mystic Pearl Talisman Seeds that can be condensed depends on his spiritual power. Currently, he can only sustain six such seeds.

Considering this, Lu Jiangxian's spiritual sense moved, sweeping through the entire Li family household, inside and out. He couldn't help but exclaim: "What great changes!"

He had slept for three years within the mirror, and now the Li family had dug a pond and built a large courtyard, making it quite prosperous! Li Changhu had even taken a wife and grown a beard, looking every bit like the new head of the Li family.

He activated the spell, sweeping his gaze over everyone in the Li family. As expected, yet to his disappointment, he found that not a single person possessed a spiritual "aperture."

This meant that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, everyone in the Li family was destined to be without a connection to immortality for life, and would spend their days toiling in the mundane world, perhaps living to a natural seventy years if fortunate.

Gazing at the Li family members around him, Lu Jiangxian sighed deeply and activated the spell.

"Father, look!" several of the Li brothers had already gathered around, and Li Chijing, with his sharp eyes, called out.

Li Mutian quickly focused his gaze. White light shimmered on the mirror's surface, revealing tiny, intricate characters. He patted Li Chijing's shoulder and urgently said, "Bring cloth and ink!"

The brothers quickly split up to fetch them. Fortunately, the Li family had built a study, equipped with the "four treasures of the study" that a scholar had discarded. Otherwise, they would have had to go to the village head.

Before long, Li Changhu brought the cloth, and Li Tongya stubbornly carried over a wooden table with ink and brushes. Fortunately, Li Chijing had already waited by the mirror, having memorized the text that appeared and then faded from its surface.

Among them, Li Chijing was the youngest but had read the most books, so Li Mutian had him take the brush and copy down all the small characters.

The receiving method was quite lengthy. Li Chijing wrote with the brush for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, his wrist aching terribly. He had to hand it over to Li Tongya to continue copying. Everyone watched attentively, afraid of making a mistake.

They alternated like this, copying for a full hour before finishing.

Lu Jiangxian was also concerned they might mispractice the technique, so the text appeared three times, along with detailed annotations for some esoteric terms in the Daoist methods and several diagrams of energy circulation. Only after seeing them carefully proofread everything did the light slowly recede.

"The Receiving Method," Li Xiangping read slowly from the small characters on the silk scroll. "'The Mystic Pearl is the true elixir. At the beginning of the first circulation, the elixir descends into the heart's network, hence it is said the elixir's cave is in the central palace, and the elixir's descent is the first circulation... After the elixir descends, one performs nine breath-holds, which counts as one cycle, until nine times nine equals eighty-one, making nine cycles. Therefore, it is called the 'ninth-fold number'..." "This is immortal magic!" Li Changhu exclaimed, both startled and overjoyed, wishing he could hug and kiss the mirror.

Suppressing their excitement, the others passed the spell around, reading it carefully and silently memorizing it with the aid of the annotations in the scroll.

Li Xiangping's gaze quickly scanned the cloth, settling on the last few lines of the text. "After mastering the Receiving Method, wait for days such as Jiazi, Gengshen, Benming, Sanyuan, Sanhui, Bajie, Huisuo, etc. On these days, when the qi of heaven is born and yang light dispels darkness, place the magical mirror under the moonlight, burn incense, bathe, and bow to invite, saying: 'This disciple [Your Name] respectfully invites the wondrous method of Xuannming, to calm the spirit and practice the Dao. I shall achieve merit in due time, not fail in my trust, burn with the talisman, and dedicate my body to the Great Yin.' After this, swallow the qi three times."

"Achieve merit in due time, not fail in my trust, burn with the talisman, and dedicate my body to the Great Yin," he repeated softly.

Li Mutian looked at the child, who was silent with his head bowed, and comfortingly stroked his head. With a calm expression, he said, "Calm the spirit and practice the Dao."

————

In the early morning, wisps of cooking smoke drifted from the village rooftops, and the air was filled with a veil-like mist.

"Uncle Li, is there a special occasion today?" Li Mutian grunted as he walked through the fields, hearing someone working in the fields ask with a laugh.

Li Mutian looked down and saw his nephew, Ye Chengfu. The young man looked honest and simple, but his words were charming.

"The green ears of grain in these fields are a delightful sight!" Li Mutian chuckled and replied.

Lijing Village had four major surnames: Ye, Tian, Li, and Liu. Ye was the largest surname in Lijing Village, with over thirty percent of the villagers bearing it. If they could unite, they would be a force to be reckoned with.

"Oh, that's thanks to Brother Changhu's good fortune!" Ye Chengfu replied respectfully, leaning on his hoe.

"You're too good with words, young man!"

The elder knew he was referring to Li Changhu's recent wedding. Ren-shi was lovely, well-behaved, sensible, and utterly devoted to Li Changhu.

Li Mutian intended to reveal certain information appropriately once Ren-shi gave birth to an heir. Ren-shi was good at keeping secrets, and living under the same roof, excessive secrecy could lead to discord.

"Tongya, however, isn't willing to marry, and Xiangping is also of age now," Li Mutian mused, stroking his beard and counting the households in the village.

"That old brother's daughter, Tian Yun, isn't bad; her age is also suitable. I'll go back and ask Xiangping. If everything is in order, then in a few days, we'll bring the wild goose and go propose marriage," he thought with a smile.

Li Tongya and his brothers were diligently studying the guiding method in the courtyard, while Li Changhu, after a quick morning inspection of the fields, also hurried back to the courtyard to study with his brothers.

Only he, the old man, feeling that he was getting on in years and his mind was not as sharp as before, had forsaken the immortal methods to oversee the fields.

Firstly, these mundane worldly affairs always needed someone to manage them, otherwise, there would be no source for food and expenses. Secondly, it was to guard against any ill-intentioned person stealthily peeking over the walls.

Li Mutian was in high spirits today, leisurely sitting on the field ridge and chatting idly with the village elders.

————

The Li Family Estate.

Lu Jiangxian's spiritual sense fell upon Li Tongya and the other three, who were sitting cross-legged with closed eyes in the courtyard. Faint white glows immediately appeared above their heads.

Li Chijing's white aura was the longest, about eight inches, and it shimmered brightly. Li Tongya's was six inches, Li Xiangping's five inches, and Li Changhu's was only three inches long.

The white aura that appears during the initial practice of the receiving method indicates the person's compatibility with the Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed. Someone with a foot-long white aura, upon absorbing the seed, would be like a person naturally possessing a spiritual aperture.

With an eight-inch white aura, Li Chijing could achieve eighty percent of the cultivation speed of someone with a spiritual aperture. However, Li Changhu's white aura was only three inches, meaning his cultivation speed was merely thirty percent of someone with a spiritual aperture.

In other words, Li Changhu cultivating for an entire day would not be equivalent to someone else cultivating for just four hours.