“The Moon Lake Autumn Reflection Technique, once a revered technique passed down from the immortal mansion, is quite extraordinary. It requires two distinct types of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. One is known as the Supreme Yin Moonlight, and the other is the Golden Autumn In Lake. Our sect possesses some reserves of the latter, but the Supreme Yin Moonlight hasn’t been seen since the immortal mansion withdrew from the world centuries ago.”
“The Peak Master of Moon Lake Peak managed to successfully attain the mastery of this technique several hundred years ago after he had fortuitously received a reward from the immortal mansion. Since his passing, no one else has managed to attain mastery of the technique.”
Li Chejing was familiar with the legends surrounding the immortal mansion. It was a colossal entity spanning several states, now absent from the world for centuries.
He sighed softly, then nodded in understanding and said, “I see. Thank you for clarifying that, Senior Brother!”
————
Lu Jiangxian’s divine sense expanded from the mirror, observing the child practicing the Reception Method .
A faint white light hovered above the boy’s head, approximately seven cun[1] in length, glowing ever so slightly.
“This child’s affinity with the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed seems promising. Yet, it remains a mystery how skillful he will be in cultivation.”
As Lu Jiangxian withdrew his divine sense from Li Xuanxuan, he felt his heart flutter with excitement. His vision blurred momentarily, but he thought he saw a pure white jade-like disk floating before him.
“Li Chejing, that boy... He has condensed the Jade Capital Chakra!”
A surge of profound energy traveled vast distances, connecting through the Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds. It gently alighted upon the bluish-gray mirror on the stone platform.
Lu Jiangxian felt a profound lightness in his divine soul, accompanied by a pristine white stream of light.
When Li Tongya and Li Xiangping made their breakthroughs, a minuscule amount of energy was channeled back into Lu Jiangxian’s mirror.
With Li Chejing’s successive breakthroughs, particularly with the Jade Capital Chakra, Lu Jiangxian was finally able to condense the Supreme Yin Profound Light.
“This Profound Light possesses the force of a single, concentrated strike of a Jade Capital Chakra cultivator in peak condition. Yet, its attack range is so vast it exceeds the current reach of my divine sense.”
Upon attaining the mastery of this Profound Light, Lu Jiangxian’s divine sense had expanded to encompass the entirety of Lijing Village.
In that moment of exhilaration, the mirror grew warm and he could sense a faint pull from somewhere.
“The expansion of my divine sense allows me to sense things from greater distances!”
Lu Jiangxian focused on the pull, then realized, “The pull still came from Moongaze Lake, but it’s significantly farther than where I sensed it before. Perhaps I should alert the Li Family to look into this?”
He hesitated, then thought to himself, No. Given its location, it appears to come from that market in the heart of the lake. Perhaps it’s wiser to wait until the two Li brothers have successfully condensed the Jade Capital Chakra before making them explore it.
As the room’s door creaked open, Li Mutian and the two Li brothers entered. Li Xiangping patted Li Xuanxuan’s shoulder and asked in a serious tone, “Are you ready?”
“Ready!” Li Xuanxuan affirmed, nodding vigorously and returning the wooden slip to Li Xiangping.
Watching Li Xiangping stow away the wooden slip, Li Mutian respectfully placed the mirror on the table and offered it a few incense sticks.
“As a disciple of the Li Family, I, Li Xuanxuan, respectfully request the Profound Light. I dedicate myself to pursuing the Dao and my destiny rests in your hands. When the time comes, I will remain true to my oath. With this talisman burned, I express my gratitude to Supreme Yin.”
As soon as Li Xuanxuan finished speaking, Lu Jiangxian initiated the spell. Colorful lights converged on the mirror surface, pulsating rhythmically like it was breathing, and suddenly expelled a white pill.
Li Xuanxuan promptly sat down, focusing intently on receiving the talisman seed through the Reception Method.
Li Tongya observed Li Xuanxuan on the ground, then turned to securely shut the room’s door and remarked softly, “Liu Rouxuan condensed the Profound Scenery Chakra last night. In a few months, Xuanxuan will also condense the Profound Scenery Chakra. With this, our Li family will have six immortal cultivators.”
“Two Celestial Whirl Chakras and three Profound Scenery Chakras... Jing’er has likely condensed the Jade Capital Chakra in the immortal sect by now,” Li Xiangping mused, his gaze resting on the bluish-gray mirror that was glowing on the table.
He continued, “Our Li Family still needs cultivators at higher realms. Putting aside Ji Dengqi who’s already in the Qi Cultivation Realm, even our neighboring Wan Family has peak Jade Capital cultivators among their ranks.”
“Jade Capital Chakra cultivators possess innate spiritual sense, enabling them to refine pills, forge weapons, set up formations, use storage bags, and navigate markets safely.”
Meanwhile, Lu Jiangxian who was listening to the conversation, suddenly felt a stir in his divine sense. He sensed an unfamiliar presence approaching from the west.
Lu Jiangxian’s perception operated on two levels.
The first level, visual sense, was akin to mortal sight and covered a vast range, extending over the Li Family’s territory from Lichuankou Village to Lidaokou Village. This allowed him to observe and probe without detection, making it unnoticeable even to Si Yuanbai who was a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The second level, his divine sense, encompassed Lijing Village and was similar to mortal touch. Within this range, Lu Jiangxian could scan individuals, but the intensity of the scan could make it noticeable depending on the target’s strength. Here, he could wield the Supreme Yin Profound Light for defense.
At this moment, he detected an aura with the strength of a Jade Capital Chakra suspiciously wandering near Lichuankou Village with his visual sense.
Why is a Jade Capital Chakra cultivator wandering around here? The Li Family must be alerted at once , he thought to himself with concern.
He willed a silvery-white moonlight to gush out from the mirror, forming white silk threads in the air.
This phenomenon caught Li Tongya and the others off guard. They exchanged puzzled looks as the silver light continued to gather in the air.
Li Mutian narrowed his eyes and advised calmly, “Keep calm and take a good look at it first.”
“It appears to be a map of the Li Family’s territory,” Li Tongya remarked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
As they watched, the moonlight transformed into a luminous white map, detailing Lichuankou, Lidaokou Village, and Jingyang Village. Notably, the mark representing Lichuankou Village on the map emitted a flashing silver light.
“Lichuankou Village?” Li Xiangping murmured to himself.
————
Over the past few years, Chen Erniu had grown into his managing role at Li Chuankou Village. He had put on considerable weight and grown a beard on his chin. Because of this, he no longer looked like a mere farmer.
After a day spent settling field accounts and resolving a quarrel over fields between two brothers, Chen Erniu lay on his bed contently and began contemplating the plan for the next day.
“The plots to the east of the village are still fertile. Tomorrow, I’ll send some folks to cultivate them and expand our landholdings a bit more.”
Lichuankou Village and Lidaokou Village, while adjacent, lacked the clear administrative division that separated Lijing Village and Jingyang Village. This meant Chen Erniu, as the manager, often had to negotiate and reason through every issue concerning these two villages.
Xu Wenshan’s recent push to open a trade route had hit a wall. The Wan Family’s near loss of the Guli Road to the Ji Family had blocked eastern access, leaving Xu Wenshan frustrated and increasingly combative in recent months, much to Chen Erniu’s annoyance.
“What a headache.”
While Chen Erniu was lost in his thoughts, a commotion outside startled him.
His eldest son burst in with his face flushed with panic, blurting out, “Father, this is terrible! Someone died at the village entrance!”
Chen Erniu leaped from his bed and shouted, “What?”
1. Cun is Chinese inches, so one cun = 3.333 cm. ☜