Divine abilities are the fruit of the vast Dao foundation. They’re nurtured from the Immortal Foundation, carried from the qi sea into the Shenyang acupoint, and through the Twelve Chonglou[1] with its boundless visions. The Juque acupoint, the qi sea, and the Shenyang acupoint shine in unison. From there, the Shenyang Mansion[2] soars into the great void, severing the mortal shell and dispersing worldly appearances.
Li Ximing steadied his mind for six days as he sat upright atop the jade pillar. Several jade slips were laid out before him. The Li Family’s Dao lineages were not extensive, yet most had been granted by the Immortal Mirror. Their profundity went without saying; they were all worthy of study and reference.
The Radiant Essence Scripture describes the Purple Mansion Realm as: fire rising from the heart, yang radiance within and without. The Heavenly Scripture of the Dimming Li Day states: conceal the heart’s fire, let the sun decline toward the southern light, and govern the world facing south. The Houshu Golden Book is even more concise, summarizing it in just a simple sentence: the nature of things transforms to the utmost.
These were all Daoist methods pertaining to the Purple Mansion Dao and Golden Core Dao. As Li Ximing prepared to attempt his breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Realm, he paid special attention to such knowledge. When Kongheng was still around, Li Ximing had even sought him out to ask about it.
Kongheng had said, "Follow your will to completion, attain infinite radiance, realize the Maha, gain divine abilities, and enter the state of liberation. Wherever transformation manifests, follow it there; wherever you reside, guard it diligently."
Each sect had its own interpretation, yet the method to break through to the Purple Mansion Dao and Golden Core Dao was largely the same. Temper the Immortal Foundation, drive it up to the Shenyang acupoint, pass through the Twelve Chonglou, and cross the boundless illusions.
It was easier said than done, as just the step of driving the Immortal Foundation up to the Shenyang acupoint was enough to halt ninety percent of cultivators.
The Purple Mansion Realm cultivation methods each had their own techniques, yet once the Immortal Foundation stirred, left the qi sea, and began to ascend into Yin Crossing and Spirit Gate, the cultivator’s entire cultivation would surge upward. There was absolutely no turning back, which meant that failure to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm inevitably led to instant death, usually without any chance of survival.
To begin on this upward path, one first had to ignite the Juque acupoint, then move upward into the Shenyang acupoint. If their mana reserves were insufficient, their Immortal Foundation of too low a grade, or their Daoist mastery too shallow to handle excessive depletion, they would burn out before even reaching the Shenyang acupoint, dying on the spot.
Back then, Li Encheng and others secluded themselves for several years, only to make a hasty and failed breakthrough, transforming into a celestial phenomenon before falling at this very stage. They had collapsed at the very first hurdle.
Those who perish here have their cultivation dissipated. Though the celestial phenomenon may be grand, it drifts away like cloud smoke, and no precious spirit items descend from it... thought Li Ximing.
If one successfully soars into the Shenyang acupoint, they must manifest their divine ability. The higher the grade of the Immortal Foundation, the more secret techniques one has cultivated, and the deeper one’s understanding of their own Dao, the easier it will be to manifest a divine ability. This process was not long, lasting only about six years.
Failure in refining the divine ability is where rogue cultivators and family cultivators most often fell, for their foundation grades would be inferior, their secret techniques fewer, and even their Dao comprehension lacking compared to others, leading to a hasty downfall.
If, in the end, one could manifest the divine ability within the Shenyang acupoint and use it to propel the Shenyang Mansion into the great void, they will regard the mortal flesh as nothing. In the immortal Dao, this is called severing the mortal body and dispersing worldly appearances. For Buddhist cultivators, this would be pushing the Shenyang acupoint into the Pure Land, attaining the state of Non-Retrogression.
To enter the great void, one must first experience the thought of obscurity, forgetting both self and surroundings. Often one would sink into it, lingering without wanting to leave. It may break in a few days, or they may remain immobile for decades. By then, the mortal body has already been severed, yet they remain unaware, sometimes staying trapped until their lifespan ends. This is where the differences in time taken to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm come from.
Ning Wan and Yang Tianya have most likely halted at this stage. Ning Wan’s situation is uncertain, but according to rumors, Yang Tianya had, in all likelihood, remained in obscurity until his lifespan was nearly exhausted, with no chance of reversal.
At this stage of success, half the phenomena of the Purple Mansion Realm are already present. If one were to perish now, the celestial phenomenon might blanket a region, showering it with spirit items, or affect several prefectures, turning into a natural disaster.
In the past, Yuan Licheng, the Yuan Family’s ancestor, had failed in his breakthrough, to the lament of all. The overcast rain had shrouded several prefectures. Even with the Azure Pond Sect’s means to extend the phenomenon’s duration, the effect was still not to be underestimated.
Only after piercing through the thought of obscurity did one have the chance to face boundless illusions. The illusions last but an instant with the divine ability held within. If one failed to cross, all cultivation would be lost. However, if they succeed, they emerge from seclusion having attained the Purple Mansion Realm.
This is how it is now. In ancient cultivation, one still had to face the three tribulations. After passing them, those from the Thunder Palace would already be waiting, one to drive the lightning and another to stir the clouds and call down profound thunder to smite evil. Even if you lived an upright life, it was hard to avoid harming others, and all their suffering would be returned to you...
Such calamities no longer need to be crossed nowadays. Otherwise, with Li Ximing’s combat abilities, whether he could survive would truly be uncertain.
He merely sorted through the key points, put away the jade slips, then searched his storage pouch for a vermilion brush. Using mana as ink, he infused it into the brush, making it shine brilliantly. Li Ximing thought to himself, With the Radiant Violet Pill my master gave me, I won’t fall at the first hurdle. And if I pass away in meditation, there should be quite a few spirit items.
He pondered for a long while, estimating the scene of his own death, then casually set up a formation to encircle the jade pillar. Standing beside it, he began writing with swift strokes.
The desert city walls have crumbled, and gathering qi is especially difficult. If I die, the skies will gather their radiance, sand and smoke will billow, and the Radiant Origin will overflow. I bind it with a formation to benefit future generations.
Li family descendant, Ximing.
Putting away the brush, he flew atop the jade pillar, brought two fingers together, and gently traced a circle on its top. Although the jade pillar was of high quality, it was not especially sturdy. Li Ximing only needed a single stroke to carve a small groove into its center. Blowing away the jade dust, Li Ximing retrieved a small golden-red ring from his sleeve.
The small ring was no thicker than a pinky finger. It was neither gold nor silver and was shrouded in a faint red glow. Li Ximing embedded it into the groove he had just carved.
It was the Sun Seeker Ring!
This treasure’s material and grade were unknown, but it was at least an ancient Bright Yang item. Li Ximing had deliberately taken it out and placed it at his seclusion spot, perhaps to invite a good omen.
He let out a self-deprecating chuckle, then took out an ink-colored jade box from his sleeve and set it on the table. Inside was a white stone the size of a fingernail, its Radiant Light shining brilliantly, like mist and smoke.
The Radiant Sky Stone!
This spirit item was used to condense a divine ability. Li Ximing dared not gaze at it too long. He also took out the Radiant Violet Pill with five golden patterns and placed it on the table alongside it.
He swallowed a calming pill, then sat on the meditation mat beneath the jade pillar. Letting the light and shadow intermingle around him, he regulated his breathing for three months, before finally opening his eyes, which now held nothing but calm.
Buzz.
The pure white jade bottle on the table lurched, its mouth tilting as a perfectly round pill flew out.
Li Ximing wrapped the pill in a layer of mana to prevent its medicinal power from dissipating. Yet the Radiant Violet Pill, forged from numerous treasured panaceas, shone brilliantly the moment it emerged. It was like a miniature sun leaping into the air, illuminating the entirety of Mount Wu in dazzling light.
He swallowed the Radiant Violet Pill and instantly felt a surge of heat burrow into his qi sea.
The Radiant Light mana surged in golden-white waves within his qi sea, sending white vapors roiling. The radiant pass, built from white bricks, its refined battlements, and the seventy-two ridges atop its corner towers all gleamed brightly like the gates of heaven. Intricate patterns adorned its white base, shining with Radiant Light.
1. 重楼(Chonglou) is a term unique to Taoist internal alchemy for referring to the human throat passage. Its name originates from the anatomical feature recorded in the Taoist classic 金丹元奥(Jindan Yuan’ao), which notes that "the throat passage has twelve segments." In literary works such as Journey to the West, the term appears as a symbolic channel for the circulation of qi, as in cultivation descriptions like "the Chonglou’s liver fire enters the heart." In Taoist rites for guiding souls to transcendence, the Twelve Chonglou is regarded as the necessary passage through which a departed soul must ascend to the heavens, corresponding to the principles of qi circulation in internal alchemy. ☜
2. This is referring to the Shenyang acupoint, which is between the eyebrows. ☜