Guidance Method

The Mystic Pearl Offering Spirit Art was far longer than the Great Yin Breathing Nurturing Wheel Scripture. It mainly explained how to use the Mirror Body to draw in Grand Yin Moonlight and condense Mystic Pearl Talisman Seeds.

Planting one of these Talisman Seeds within another person's elixir field could aid their cultivation. Once that person's cultivation bore fruit or they died, it could nourish its owner in return, allowing them to cultivate Great Yin Mystic Light. It also contained a Guidance Method, used to instruct those who received the seed to invite the Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed forth from the mirror and nurture it within their elixir fields.

Lu Jiangxian froze for a moment. The Mystic Pearl Offering Spirit Art seemed somewhat sinister, strikingly similar to the Demonic Arts described in books. Yet after pondering it carefully and reading the formula from top to bottom several times, he confirmed that the Mystic Pearl Talisman Seeds were not only harmless to their recipients, but brought them many benefits.

The Mystic Pearl Offering Spirit Art was the awakened innate art of this mirror. The number of Mystic Pearl Talisman Seeds he could condense depended on the strength of his divine sense. At present, he could only support six such seeds.

With that thought, Lu Jiangxian stirred his divine sense and swept through every corner of the Li Clan. He could not help sighing:

"Such tremendous changes!"

He had slept within the mirror for three years. Now, the Li Clan had dug a pond and built a grand courtyard, flourishing in prosperity. Li Changhu had even taken a wife and grown a beard, looking every bit the new head of the Li Clan.

He activated the formula and swept his senses over every member of the Li Clan. As expected, yet still disappointingly, he found—not a single one possessed a spirit aperture.

In other words, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Li Clan would remain forever without affinity for immortality, their lives ground away amid the dust of the mortal world. If fortune favored them, they might live out their seventy years and die peacefully in bed.

Looking at the Li family members around him, Lu Jiangxian let out a long sigh and activated the formula.

"Father, look!" The Li brothers had long since gathered around. Sharp-eyed Li Chijing called out first.

Li Mutian hurriedly focused his gaze. White light flickered across the mirror's surface, and tiny characters emerged one after another. He slapped Li Chijing on the shoulder and repeatedly said:

"Bring silk and brush and ink!"

The brothers hurried off in different directions to fetch them. Fortunately, the Li Clan had built a study and furnished it with the Four Treasures of the Study discarded by their former tutor. Otherwise, they would have had to go to the village entrance to borrow them.

Before long, Li Changhu brought silk, while Li Tongya simply carried over the wooden table already set with ink and brushes. Fortunately, Li Chijing had been waiting beside the mirror and had memorized the earlier text as it appeared and vanished from its surface.

Among them, Li Chijing was the youngest, yet he had read the most books. Li Mutian thus had him take up the brush and copy down every one of the tiny characters.

The Guidance Method was quite lengthy. Li Chijing wrote for the time it took one incense stick to burn, until his wrist ached unbearably and he had no choice but to let Li Tongya continue copying. Everyone watched from the side, terrified that a single character might be copied incorrectly.

They took turns like this, copying continuously for two hours before they finally finished.

Lu Jiangxian also feared that they might go astray in their cultivation. He displayed the text three full times, along with detailed annotations on certain coded terms in Daoist arts and several diagrams of the circulation pathways of breath. Only after seeing them carefully compare the copies did he slowly withdraw the light.

"The Guidance Method."

Li Xiangping looked at the small writing on the silk and slowly read aloud:

"The Mystic Pearl True Elixir. At the beginning of the first turn, the elixir descends into the heart channels; thus it is said that the elixir cavern lies within the central palace, and the elixir's descent marks the first turn... After the elixir descends, hold the breath for nine counts as one cycle, until nine times nine makes eighty-one, completing nine cycles. Thus it is called the doubled nine number..."

"This is an immortal art!"

Li Changhu was both shocked and overjoyed, so eager he nearly lifted the mirror and kissed it.

Suppressing their excitement, they passed the formula between them and read it carefully, memorizing it with the annotations in the scroll as their guide.

Li Xiangping's gaze swiftly swept over the silk before settling on several lines at the end.

"Having mastered the Guidance Art, wait for days of Jiazi, Gengshen, one's birth date, Three Origins, Three Assemblies, the Eight Seasonal Nodes, the dark moon and new moon, and the like. On such days, Heaven's qi announces birth, bright yang dispels darkness. Place the Law Mirror beneath the moonlight, burn incense and bathe, then respectfully make the request, saying: 'This disciple of such-and-such household, so-and-so, respectfully invites the Mystic Profound Wonderful Method, Governing Fate and Pacifying Spirits, adhering to Dao in cultivation. I shall report my merits in due time, never betray proof of efficacy; burn the talisman thereafter, and offer my body in thanks to Greater Yin.' When finished, swallow breath three times."

"Report my merits in due time, never betray proof of efficacy; burn the talisman thereafter, and offer my body in thanks to Greater Yin."

He repeated it softly.

Li Mutian looked at the child lowering his head in silence, then stroked his head in comfort and spoke calmly:

"Governing Fate and Pacifying Spirits, adhering to Dao in cultivation."

At dawn, wisps of smoke from cooking fires drifted above the village rooftops, while a gauzy mist filled the air.

"Uncle Li, is there some happy occasion today?" Li Mutian walked along the fields, humming to himself, when he heard someone in the field ask with a smile.

Li Mutian lowered his head and saw that it was his nephew, Ye Chengfu. The boy looked honest and simple, yet he had a pleasing way with words.

"These green grain ears are a most delightful sight!" Li Mutian laughed heartily in reply.

Li Jing Village had four great surnames: Ye, Tian, Li, and Liu. The Ye Surname was the foremost surname in Li Jing Village, with over thirty percent of the villagers bearing it. If they could unite as one, they were not to be underestimated.

"Ha, then it must be that I've been touched by Brother Changhu's good fortune!" Ye Chengfu rested both hands on his hoe and answered respectfully.

"You brat, you really know how to talk!"

The old man knew he was referring to Li Changhu's wedding some days ago. Ren Shi was lovely, obedient, and sensible, and her whole heart was devoted to Li Changhu.

Li Mutian intended to reveal some information at the proper time after Ren Shi bore descendants. Ren Shi could keep her mouth shut, and since they lived beneath the same roof, excessive secrecy would only breed suspicion.

"Tongya, though, refuses to marry, while Xiangping has reached the right age." Li Mutian stroked his beard, counting the households in the village.

"That old brother's foster daughter, Tian Yun, would be quite suitable, and her age matches as well. I'll ask Xiangping when I return. If all goes well, after living together for a time, I'll bring geese to ask her name." He smiled to himself.

Li Tongya and his brothers were carefully studying the Guidance Method in the courtyard. Li Changhu had made a round of the fields that morning, then hurried back to the courtyard to study alongside his brothers.

Only this old man felt that his years were advanced and his thoughts no longer as sharp as before, so he set aside the immortal art and came to watch over the fields.

For one thing, someone had to handle the mundane affairs of the mortal world, or there would be nowhere for food, drink, and daily necessities to come from. For another, he had to guard against some blind fool sneaking about, climbing over the walls to spy.

In an excellent mood today, Li Mutian slowly sat upon the ridge between fields and chatted idly with the village elders.

Li Clan.

Lu Jiangxian's divine sense settled upon the four seated cross-legged in the courtyard, their eyes closed. Faint, intermittent white glimmers immediately emerged above their heads.

Li Chijing's white filament was the longest, about eight inches, gleaming brilliantly. Li Tongya's and Li Xiangping's measured six and five inches respectively, while Li Changhu's was only three inches long.

The white filaments revealed during one's first cultivation of the Guidance Method represented that person's compatibility with the Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed. If one's white filament reached a full foot, swallowing the Talisman Seed would make them akin to someone born with a spirit aperture.

Li Chijing's white filament was eight inches long, allowing him to reach eighty percent of the cultivation speed of someone with a spirit aperture. Li Changhu's was merely three inches long, leaving him with only thirty percent of such a person's cultivation speed.

In other words, Li Changhu's entire day of cultivation would not even equal another person's four hours...