Three Purification Incantations Linkage: Truth Communion!

After finishing his cultivation, Jiang Xuan thanked Cheng Xiudao, who had watched over him all day, then turned and headed home.

Upon returning to his residence, Jiang Xuan did not rest immediately.

Thanks to the effects of True Spirit stacking, coupled with the fact that both of his professions were related to the Dao Path of the mind, Jiang Xuan's soul was now overwhelmingly stronger than his physical body.

And the core principle of the early stages of Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening could ultimately be summed up in four words—Refining Essence into Qi.

This state of having a strong soul but weak body meant that after every cultivation session, Jiang Xuan's body would develop an unbearable sense of depletion. Even supplemented by nourishing spiritual meals and pills, he needed a long period of quiet recovery before he could regain his strength.

Yet it was only his body that was depleted. Relying on his incomparably powerful divine soul, his mind remained clear and vigorous.

Taking advantage of his remaining mental energy, Jiang Xuan sat down cross-legged and began chanting incantations once more.

Naturally, this time he was no longer reciting the familiar Heart-Purification Divine Incantation, but the Mouth-Purification and Body-Purification Incantations.

"Among the Eight Great Divine Incantations, the foremost Heart-Purification Divine Incantation, Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation, and Body-Purification Divine Incantation are collectively called the 'Three Purification Incantations.' Besides being the foremost compulsory content in the daily morning and evening practices, fasting and offering rites, talisman-drawing rituals, and everyday cultivation of the mystic sects, they are also foundational methods for cultivators to forge a True Communion Vessel and build bridges of communication between man and gods, man and heaven and earth."

A True Communion Vessel could also be called a "Pure Vessel." However, Jiang Xuan had yet to figure out what exactly this so-called Pure Vessel could do.

Still, somewhere deep inside, he had a feeling that once all Three Purification Incantations reached Lesser Mastery, the stacking of their three transformations might bring about a rebirth-like transformation in his body.

That was also why Jiang Xuan remained fully motivated while cultivating the Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation and Body-Purification Divine Incantation.

"Cinnabar-red mouth god, expel filth and disperse miasma; tongue god Zhenglun, connect life and nourish the spirit..."

"Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, soothe and comfort this form; this disciple's soul and spirit, five viscera dark and profound..."

The only thing Jiang Xuan found regrettable was that although the Clear-Heart Sword Disciple was a sword cultivator profession, it primarily centered upon the mind. It was highly compatible with the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation, allowing Jiang Xuan to cultivate several methods at once.

Furthermore, the mutual corroboration between those methods meant that every recitation granted him several points of experience.

However, neither the Body-Purification Divine Incantation nor the Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation was related to the Clear-Heart Sword Disciple, so cultivating them brought no such special bonus.

"Never mind. I'll cultivate them slowly. Going from the second realm to the third realm of the Three Purification Incantations only requires three hundred experience points. There's no rush."

That day, Jiang Xuan kept chanting in his room without pause, only stopping at midnight.

Afterward, he slept for merely two or three hours before getting up to continue reciting the Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation and Body-Purification Divine Incantation.

Such round-the-clock cultivation did take a certain toll on Jiang Xuan.

"But for just one day, I can still endure it!"

Jiang Xuan was young, after all. Even in his previous life, if he forced himself, he could stay awake for three days and three nights.

In this world, with mana to support him, he could force himself through ten days or half a month without rest or sleep.

Of course, forcibly draining his vitality like this would not only harm his body, but also greatly reduce his cultivation efficiency once his mind grew fatigued. But Jiang Xuan had never intended to keep it up for long. It was only one day, and he had rested for over two hours. He believed he could afford this level of depletion.

"...Tongue god Zhenglun, connect life and nourish the spirit..."

"Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, soothe and comfort this form; this disciple's soul and spirit, five viscera dark and profound..."

The clear, ringing chants echoed endlessly through the hall. Jiang Xuan sat cross-legged, facing the two characters for "Heaven and Earth" hanging upon the wall as he recited the incantations over and over.

And this uninterrupted day-and-night cultivation finally yielded solid results.

At dawn, when a faint fish-belly white had just appeared in the eastern sky, the final chant fell silent. After hundreds of complete cultivation cycles, Jiang Xuan's Mouth-Purification and Body-Purification Divine Incantations both entered the third realm—Proficiency!

Almost at the same moment, successive system notifications rang out in his sea of consciousness:

[You continuously recited the Body-Purification Divine Incantation and Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation. Your cultivation of both incantations has reached completion, and they have advanced to the third realm—Proficiency.]

[Your Daoist Acolyte profession experience is full. You may level up. Advance?]

For a Daoist Acolyte, chanting incantations was cultivation. Having consecutively cultivated all three Great Divine Incantations to the third realm, it was only natural that his Daoist Acolyte profession experience had also filled up.

Of course, this was also inseparable from the fact that Daoist Acolyte was merely a first-tier profession.

"First-tier professions are quick to improve by nature. In the Celestial Immortal Realm, they cannot even be called proper professionals—they are simply apprentices."

"Since they are merely beginners, professionals at this stage do not possess much combat power. Only from the second-tier official professions onward do players truly gain combat ability and qualify to venture through the Celestial Immortal Realm."

Reflecting on himself, Jiang Xuan realized that aside from the immortal arts of this world, he indeed possessed little combat power if he relied solely on the professions of the Celestial World.

There was no need to mention the support profession of Daoist Acolyte. Its three accompanying skills were practically divine techniques when it came to cultivation preparations, but if used in spell combat, they were less practical than simply raising his fists and wildly smashing away.

As for the Clear-Heart Sword Disciple, it only had the barely usable skill Sword of the Mind. Wanting to roam the martial world with that alone was undoubtedly a castle in the air.

"The second-stage official advancement is where the profession system truly begins to exert its strength, and I have already touched the threshold."

With that thought, Jiang Xuan did not hesitate in the slightest. He silently said in his heart, "Advance."

"Buzz—!"

Following Jiang Xuan's command, a clear chime exploded deep within his sea of consciousness. Immediately afterward, a limpid and pure aura swept through his entire body, gently cleansing both his soul and flesh before vanishing without a trace.

After all, it was only an entry-level support profession, so the improvement brought by advancement was indeed not particularly significant.

Fortunately, Jiang Xuan had never expected to break the deadlock through such a small boost. What truly exhilarated him was this—his Daoist Acolyte level had risen to Level 3, and all three Great Divine Incantations had reached Lesser Mastery. He had now perfectly fulfilled the first two requirements for advancing to the Scripture Mystic Daoist profession!

"Together with the fourth task I completed ahead of time, all I need to do now is memorize three hundred volumes of Daoist scriptures and Daoist canon, then build a Scripture Repository. Then I can complete the advancement to Scripture Mystic Daoist."

His first official profession seemed within reach, and Jiang Xuan's heart began pounding uncontrollably.

But then he remembered that he possessed no Daoist scriptures or Daoist canon to read, and he had even less idea when he would be able to build a Scripture Repository with his own hands. Jiang Xuan could not help but sigh.

However, that disappointment lasted only an instant. Soon, he pulled himself together again.

"Never mind. The advancement to Scripture Mystic Daoist may still take some time, but I can test the linkage effect of the Three Purification Incantations right now!"

After murmuring this, he focused and summoned his attribute panel. Two new ability descriptions immediately leapt into view:

[Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation]

[Realm: Third Realm · Proficiency]

[Ability Description: Through years of persistent chanting and cultivation, your understanding of the Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation has deepened... The duration of your Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation's enhancement has increased; the sound of your scripture recitations and incantations will become pure and clear, making others more likely to believe you; when you chant incantations aloud, their power will increase accordingly; your rebukes carry innate authority, causing those with guilty consciences to feel shame; the divine incantation may be cast upon others; you may actively exhale the turbid qi within your body; you have gained the permanent effect "Transcendent Purity."]

[Body-Purification Divine Incantation]

[Realm: Third Realm · Proficiency]

[Ability Description: Through years of persistent chanting and cultivation, your understanding of the Body-Purification Divine Incantation has deepened... The duration of your Body-Purification Divine Incantation's enhancement has increased; when the body-purification incantation enhances yourself, your body will become clear and limpid, and you can remove negative conditions such as poisoning, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, illness, and more; when you encounter curses, you may also use the Body-Purification Divine Incantation to alleviate or even purify them; your Body-Purification Divine Incantation may be cast upon others; you have gained one layer of the "Transcendent Purity" effect.]

After reading the descriptions listed by the system, Jiang Xuan found that the latter two Great Divine Incantations were both extremely useful. The Mouth-Purification Divine Incantation enhanced the power of his chants, while the Body-Purification Divine Incantation was even more of a divine skill. With it, whether his body encountered illness or curses, he could directly purify them and restore himself to perfect condition.

"No wonder poison masters and curse masters have always been classified as unorthodox paths in Huaxia legends. Orthodox mystic sect cultivators restrain these two Dao Paths far too strongly."

"Whether it is gu poison or curses, they must ultimately fall upon a cultivator's body and mind. But orthodox Daoists chant the Three Purification Incantations all year round, leaving their bodies and minds without stain. Evil entities cannot approach them at all, and even if they do get close, they will be instantly purified..."

Shaking his head and no longer dwelling on poison masters, Jiang Xuan's gaze fell upon the final notification in the system log:

[You have cultivated all Three Purification Incantations to the third realm—Proficiency, triggering the incantation linkage effect.]

[Release the Three Purification Incantations in sequence according to ritual procedure to gain the special status enhancement: Communion with Truth.]

[Three Purification Incantations · Truth Communion]

[Grade: Purple Treasure]

[Effect Description: By chanting the Three Purification Incantations in sequence, you will achieve all-encompassing purity: "No stray thoughts within, no foulness in speech, no evil qi upon the body." "When man can remain ever pure and still, heaven and earth shall all return." Having maintained your own purity, you will become the finest vessel for sensing deities and communing with heaven and earth. In this state, your perception of heaven and earth's spiritual resonance will greatly increase, and you will receive the active affinity of the world's clear spiritual qi.]

[Note: The enhancement brought by the Three Purification Incantations is capped at a purple rating (Earth-grade Spirit Root).]

[Note ②: Warning! In the Truth Communion state, your perception of spiritual resonance is indiscriminately amplified, making you more susceptible to the disturbance and possession of evil spirits.]

"My guess was right after all!"

The description of Communion with Truth made Jiang Xuan fiercely swing his fist.

The game panel's description was lengthy, yet its core effect could be summarized in one sentence—it was equivalent to directly increasing the grade of his Spirit Root!

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Xuan immediately focused his mind and steadied his breath, chanting the Three Purification Incantations in order according to the ritual procedure.

"Supreme Platform Star, ever-changing without cease; drive away evil and bind demons, preserve life and protect the body..."

The Heart-Purification Incantation steadied his spirit, the Mouth-Purification Incantation cleansed his speech, and the Body-Purification Incantation purified his body. As the final syllable fell, the "Communion with Truth" status instantly descended upon him. An unprecedented sense of limpid purity permeated his soul and flesh in an instant.

At that moment, Jiang Xuan felt as though his body had become thirty percent lighter. What sent joy surging through his heart even more was that the spiritual qi drifting between heaven and earth, which had always treated him with indifference, now actively gathered toward him like weary birds returning to the forest. Quite a bit of spiritual qi even flowed into his limbs and bones on its own, without him needing to activate any cultivation method.

With heaven and earth's spiritual qi actively drawing near him, the difficulty of refining mana had directly dropped by another thirty percent!

"So this is what it feels like to possess outstanding Spirit Root talent? This is far too exhilarating!"

The pleasurable sensation of being in tune with heaven and earth nearly made Jiang Xuan lose himself in it.

However, he also noticed that his Spirit Root talent had only risen by two minor stages, from Mystic-grade Middle to Supreme Mystic-grade. He had not yet touched the threshold of Earth-grade.

Jiang Xuan was already very satisfied with that.

"Earth-grade Spirit Roots are far too rare. In the entire Star Daoist Academy, most prodigies, including Dong Hao and the others, are only Earth-grade."

Yes. After observing for the past few days and speaking with Dong Hao and the others, Jiang Xuan had learned that the prodigies seated in the front rows also possessed Earth-grade Spirit Root talent, rather than the Heaven-grade talent he had previously assumed.

He still remembered Dong Hao's face full of astonishment and helplessness when he spoke of it.

"How could I possibly have a Heaven-grade Spirit Root? You're underestimating the value of Heaven-grade Spirit Roots far too much. If we truly had Heaven-grade Spirit Roots and privileged backgrounds, we would never have waited until the third or fourth day for someone to open thirty-six apertures and obtain an Excellent rating. Someone would have perfectly met the standard on the second day, or even the first."

"It isn't as if the Divine Firmament Sect has no Heaven-grade prodigies, but they all cultivate in the Daozi Academy." At this point, the expression on Dong Hao's face was impossible to identify as relief or wistfulness. "Besides, as long as a student's Spirit Root is rated Heaven-grade, their place in the inner sect is directly secured. Even if they take part in the assessment, they will not compete with us for these limited slots."

Those words made Jiang Xuan completely understand the true value of Heaven-grade talent. He also learned that Qin Feng and Xie Hanyan, the first in class to undergo Aperture Opening, both possessed Supreme Earth-Grade Spirit Roots, while Dong Hao himself possessed an upper Earth-grade Spirit Root.

"I still have some gap between them and myself, but as long as I persist in chanting and cultivating, gradually washing the turbid qi from within my body, my Spirit Root talent will only grow stronger and stronger."

"Furthermore, the Communion with Truth state can grant my Spirit Root talent an additional increase of two minor grades. That means that once my innate Spirit Root improves once more, I can directly enter lower Earth-grade while under the Three Purification Incantations' enhancement!"

Thinking that he stood only one step away from becoming a "genius" in the eyes of others, Jiang Xuan could not suppress his excitement.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to sit down cross-legged and cultivate on the spot.

But on second thought, Divine Firmament Academy had specifically opened up a cultivation ground halfway up the mountain and set fixed times for their morning lessons. Even their lecturer, Song Zhou, always timed his guidance of their cultivation precisely. There had to be cultivation secrets within that training ground which he did not know.

"Coming from a poor household, I have access to far too little information. I even guessed the Spirit Root ratings of my classmates wrong before. I most likely know nothing at all about the hidden benefits of cultivating in that training ground."

Having made up his mind, Jiang Xuan forcibly suppressed the urge to cultivate on the spot, rose to his feet, and walked out of the hall.

After greeting his mother, Jiang Xuan hurried toward the cultivation ground of Star Daoist Academy halfway up the mountain.

To his mild surprise, as soon as he arrived at the entrance to the training ground, he ran into his former friend Zhou Lin and the young lady she served, Su Linyin.

There was only one entrance to the training ground, so such a chance encounter was ordinary enough. Jiang Xuan merely gave a faint nod in greeting before quickly walking toward his seat.

He did not look back, so naturally he did not see Su Linyin abruptly halt as she watched his receding figure.

After a moment, she suddenly spoke softly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "Lin'er, tell me, was I right or wrong to hand Jiang Xuan over to Dong Hao?"

"Of course you were right, Young Miss." Zhou Lin answered without the slightest hesitation. "You already gave him an opportunity. He was the one who refused to seize it."

Su Linyin lowered her eyes and softly repeated, "Yes. I gave him an opportunity."

As her words fell, the final trace of ripples in her eyes disappeared, and her gaze abruptly became sharp and cold—since she had decided to abandon him, she should cut everything off completely.

She had resolved to stop thinking about Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan knew nothing of Su Linyin's decision, nor did he care.

By then, he had returned to his seat and was preparing to perform the rites of hand purification, mouth purification, body purification, and heart purification according to ritual procedure.

Yet before the ritual even began, Jiang Xuan noticed that something was off about the emotions of the students in the training ground today.

The air was filled with restlessness and anxiety.

What made Jiang Xuan raise his brows even more was that this time, it was not only the students seated in the back rows who were anxious. Many people in front also wore uneasy, worried expressions.

He even noticed that quite a few descendants of cultivation lineages had gloomy faces, while some were trembling from head to toe without stopping.

"What is going on? Why are they like this?"

Just as Jiang Xuan was surprised and puzzled by the sight before him, Dong Hao came to his side.

Seeing Jiang Xuan's surprise, Dong Hao explained with a somewhat wistful expression.

"You're wondering why they're so restless, aren't you?"

Without waiting for Jiang Xuan to respond, he continued, "They have every reason to be anxious. Today is the seventh day since we entered Star Daoist Academy, and it is also the final day for receiving an Excellent rating. For those of us born into cultivation lineages, this day is also a threshold that separates the elite descendants of a lineage from its collateral branches."

"Compared with you, our cultivation lineages are larger and possess more resources, but that has never meant that we face less competitive pressure than you do."

"There may be more resources, but cultivation lineages have even more descendants. In order to survive in this cultivation world, where one must fight for everything, no lineage has ever divided resources equally, much less invested them in the weak."

"Only elites deserve preferential allocation of resources."

"This first assessment before us is the first sieve. Succeed, and the lineage will continue to devote all its efforts to nurturing you. Fail, and not only will your share of resources be directly cut, but for the rest of your life, you will have to run about and serve the lineage."

He paused, sweeping his gaze across several female cultivators in the training ground whose faces had gone deathly pale. His voice dropped even lower. "Like these female cultivators from cultivation lineages—if they fail the assessment, they can only accept marriage alliances arranged by their families. Either they marry an elite from a collateral branch, or... they are given to a prodigy from a poor household as a Dao companion."

At that point, Dong Hao turned to look at Jiang Xuan. There was solemnity in his eyes, but also a blazing fire that refused to yield.

"Jiang Xuan, I won't hide it from you. From the start, I had something I wanted when I approached you."

He took a deep breath and solemnly extended his hand toward Jiang Xuan, his tone incomparably sincere. "This kind of assessment will happen more than once. Entering the Dao-Bearing Class is only the beginning of the struggle."

"I don't want to fall behind. I don't want to be abandoned by my lineage... Jiang Xuan, I need your help!"