Aperture Opening Realm

037 Aperture Opening Realm

Zhao Siqi felt her Foundation Establishment bottleneck loosen again. Had the change in her state of mind affected her cultivation realm, or was it the unsealing of the spiritual veins underground that had impacted her?

She turned and gently floated down from the arrow tower, feeling an even deeper connection with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This was cultivation!

Life was also cultivation; being of one heart with others was a form of cultivation; facing hardships together could also be a kind of cultivation.

Cultivate the heart and nurture the spirit.

Zhao Siqi found Old Zhao and Little Zhao and asked them to discuss with the other guards and farmers what rituals were needed for the New Year, and what rituals were observed in their respective hometowns.

The two of them had originally been in the palace and had experienced many tedious rituals. While they weren't suitable here, they still held reference value.

Therefore, Zhao Siqi didn't dismiss their opinions but instead asked them to gather everyone's thoughts first.

Moreover, she herself had seen the most grand New Year ritual in the Zhao Clan when she was younger, which was ancestor worship.

The imperial family, on the other hand, in addition to ancestor worship, placed more importance on heaven worship, especially the first heaven worship ceremony in early spring, according to the agricultural calendar.

Ming Shu was also contemplating the second ritual he needed to master, besides fortune-telling rituals. As he experimented, the relatively vague content in the Fate Book gradually became clearer.

Heaven's will – bloodline – clan fortune, forming a connection and influencing each other. This was also a pattern that other clans studied and imitated.

The ancestors of various families established their foundations, set up their legacies and clans, rooted themselves in the land, and then passed them down and developed them through generations.

Ups and downs, prosperity and decline, the baptism of time.

Ming Shu no longer confined himself to cultivating the sorcery techniques of the Sky-Toppling Observatory but also borrowed the Daoist Sect techniques that Zhao Siqi practiced.

The first stage of entering the Daoist Sect was the Qi Refining Realm. Zhao Siqi was currently at the peak of the second stage, Aperture Opening Realm, and was about to break through.

The Qi Refining Realm was similar to his own cultivated first-stage Sorcerer realm, Qi Gathering Realm. One could even say that the Sky-Toppling Observatory's system was a mimicry of the Daoist Sect's system, which eventually evolved into its own.

Daoist cultivators also first absorbed the spiritual energy between heaven and earth into their bodies to refine it, and continuously tempered their physical bodies, allowing themselves and the spiritual energy to adapt to each other.

At this stage, both physical strengthening and spellcasting were almost nonexistent. Only a very small number of genius disciples could possess some combat power at this stage.

In most cases, they were not even as good as Martial Artists, and sometimes not even as good as ordinary people.

Only in the second stage, the Aperture Opening Realm, did they open up acupoints within their bodies. Similar to how Martial Artists cultivated internal energy, they converted spiritual energy into magic power and stored it in various acupoints, thereby strengthening their bodies.

And when casting spells, they could mobilize this magic power, converting it from within their bodies into external spells. Of course, at this stage, they could only produce small spell effects.

Their combat power was still inferior to Martial Artists, and even to Sorcerers. Second-stage Spirit Awakening Realm Sorcerers could already borrow the power of some Demonic Spirits.

It was only after reaching the third stage, Foundation Establishment Realm, that cultivators could borrow external objects and command some minor spirits. Of course, after establishing their own foundation, the power of their spells would also greatly increase.

Ming Shu did not intend to switch to cultivating the power of the Daoist Sect, but rather to reference their methods of arranging rituals and formations to perfect what he had learned from the Fate Book.

Mutual verification.

Although he had been expelled and exiled by the Imperial Family, he could still attempt to perform an ancestor worship ritual.

Moreover, he did not intend to direct the sacrificial rites towards the ancestors of the Imperial Family, but rather, using the Fate Book, to direct them towards his past lives.

It was just an attempt, after all. What if there were unexpected results? Even if he gained nothing, there shouldn't be any negative consequences, right?

Zhao Dun led people to clear the snow and dismantle the traps around the perimeter of the manor. Ming Shu planned to expand it into a small town. The manor would be for his own people, while outsiders should live in their own homes in the town.

There needed to be a sense of boundaries between people. They couldn't be allowed to enter and exit his home freely.

In the future, other people who sought refuge or were incorporated would also need to be allocated an observation area. They could only move out after a period of observation.

A transition period and the cultivation of identity.

Furthermore, Zhao Dun and the families of other guards would also move in together in the future. The rooms within the manor needed to be reserved for them.

While the interior of the manor was being repaired, the construction of new homes for the farmers outside the manor would also commence simultaneously.

This way, everyone's enthusiasm wouldn't wane.

Coupled with work-relief programs, under the heavy snow, there were still some families nearby who sought refuge, coming in twos and threes.

These newcomers were not allowed to move directly into the manor either. Instead, temporary sheds were erected outside the manor. They had to speed up the construction of houses outside.

This approach quickly established a sense of recognition for the manor owner's family among the farmers who had moved into the manor earlier. They even felt closer to the manor owner than the newcomers outside.

They felt more trusted.

Their enthusiasm for work increased. They could even proactively help manage minor matters. The distinction between close and distant relationships gradually emerged spontaneously.

Ming Shu and Zhao Siqi needed to learn to grasp the balance. They couldn't be too distant from everyone, nor could they be overly intimate.

Ren Yuan led a few carefully selected individuals who had performed well in recent battles to be responsible for training and combat. In the future, they would be responsible for training, reconnaissance, and frontline combat.

Their treatment would also be higher than that of other guards.

Besides training, Ren Yuan and his team also helped repair walls and build houses!

Old Zhao's role remained that of the head steward, primarily responsible for internal affairs of the manor. He was temporarily also in charge of the construction of the new town.

The newly arrived refugees were also under his charge, with Zhao Chuan and Little Zhao assisting him.

Zhao Dun also held multiple positions. Ren Yuan only assisted with combat-related matters. Zhao Dun not only had to assist with the affairs of the combat personnel but also handle the affairs of other guards. He even had to assist with the cultivation of spirit fields, guard duties, and patrols.

Old Lu, the Spirit Planter Master, was arranged by the Sky-Toppling Observatory. He just wanted to find a small place to retire. With his skills, he could make a living anywhere.

Upon seeing the development status of Baishi Village, Old Lu proactively offered to invite his good friend Old Luo to join them in their development.

Old Luo was also a retired member of the Sky-Toppling Observatory's periphery. His spirit planting skills were about the same as Old Lu's, but while Old Lu had dealt with spirit rice and spirit grains year-round, Old Luo had lived in the mountains, dealing with spirit medicine and spirit fruits year-round.

Old Lu wrote a letter to invite Old Luo. Even if it arrived quickly, he probably wouldn't receive it until after the new year. It was still unknown when he would be able to come.

Everything was in disarray, a thousand threads of concern.

All crucial matters were handled by Zhao Siqi.

Ming Shu, on the other hand, was fully immersed in preparations for the New Year's sacrifices.