Li Yuanjiao led the youths up the mountain. When they came to a halt before the rear courtyard, the warding formation in front of them glowed with shimmering white luminescence. Li Xijun’s face was filled with hope. Tugging at the hand of Li Ximing beside him, he whispered, "Third Brother, is it true what everyone says—that our family has a greenish-white immortal sword...?"
"I don't know."
Li Ximing furrowed his little brows. His facial features were neat and pleasant enough, yet Li Xijun's presence made him seem far plainer. He replied, "At any rate, all these years I've lived at home, I've never set foot inside this courtyard."
"It is the ancestral hall," Li Xizhi spoke softly from the side, drawing his brocade fur cloak closer around himself. He was much older than his two younger brothers, who barely came up to his waist. He explained gently, "Back when Brother Cheng and I were confirmed to possess spirit apertures, we were brought here to pay respects to our ancestors and memorize the Clan History."
The two children came to an understanding. Li Xicheng stood at the very front, not uttering a single word. Li Yuanjiao formed hand seals and cast spells, going through a full three measures before finally unraveling the great formation, and led the four of them into the rear hall.
Inside the rear hall, various furnishings were laid out, all antiquated and weathered; there were even a few wolf pelts hanging from the walls. Right in the middle hung a grayish-green bow covered in scratches. Though only at the Embryonic Breathing rank, it carried a distinct air of weathered age.
Li Xicheng and Li Xizhi exchanged a glance, both catching the excitement and emotion in the other's eyes. Li Xizhi whispered with an air of eager secrecy:
"The Qingwu Bow."
Unskilled with words, Li Xicheng merely gave a heavy nod of affirmation. This bow was the magical artifact Li Xiangping had used during his lifetime; having studied the Clan History, both of them naturally recognized it.
Li Yuanjiao glanced over the four of them, produced a jade slip, and said in a grave voice:
"The Reception Method I had you all memorize some days ago—do you still recall it?"
"Of course we remember..."
The four looked at each other and nodded. Li Yuanjiao put away the jade slip, satisfied, and smiled. "Good! That saves me the trouble of spending more time on it."
With that, he led the four forward for a short walk and pushed open the main doors of the ancestral hall. The spirit tablets stood quietly above, looking exceptionally solemn amid the drifting incense smoke.
"Hold hands!"
Li Yuanjiao led the four in a reverent bow, then patted each on their Shengyang Mansion in turn, instantly sealing their six senses. He guided them into the secret chamber. Up ahead, the grayish-green magical mirror scintillated with radiant light as ribbons of mist-like moon essence flowed downward.
Having the youngsters, who had entered in single file, kneel properly, Li Yuanjiao bowed reverently once more. Only then did he step forward and extend his spiritual sense into the mirror, where he discovered five lustrous, glowing white talisman seeds.
"Five...?!"
Li Yuanjiao froze, pondered for a breath, and a look of delight broke across his face. He thought to himself:
*So Uncle Xuanfeng has formed his immortal foundation!*
The talisman seeds granted by the magical mirror had always depended on the clan's strength. Back when Li Tongya was alive and broke through to Foundation Establishment, the total had become nine. Now Li Tongya had fallen, yet there were still nine in total, which meant Li Xuanfeng had broken through to Foundation Establishment.
*It is just a pity that my uncle is trapped in Yishan City and cut off from news, causing us to miss out on such monumental tidings...*
Li Yuanjiao sighed inward, feeling considerably more reassured. Stepping back, he intoned respectfully:
"The Li family of Lijing reverently presents pure libations and humble delicacies, cold offerings and sacrificial rites... fulfilling our sworn pledge, burned along with the talismans, in bodily gratitude to Taiyin."
Lu Jiangxian's divine sense was stirred, emerging from the mirror. Gazing upon the four children of varying ages kneeling before him, an invisible and colorless transparent ripple swept over them. Above each child's head arose fine rays of nearly transparent white light.
*Another generation has come...*
The youth at the very front was the oldest and must be Li Xicheng. He looked honest and steady; already sixteen or seventeen years old and at the third tier of Embryonic Breathing, his talent was fair. However, his white rays measured merely three inches and gave off only a faint glow. Lu Jiangxian's gaze shifted and lightly swept past him.
The second youth wore brocade clothes and a fur cloak, his features bearing a strong resemblance to Li Yuanjiao's—quite handsome and heroic, with the same narrow distance between his brows, giving him a slightly cunning air.
*This must be Li Xizhi... the one who is to be sent to the Qingchi Sect.*
At twelve or thirteen, Li Xizhi was already at the third tier of Embryonic Breathing. His cultivation talent was likely on the same level as Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong; Lu Jiangxian tentatively assessed it as superior, with white rays of six inches.
Next was Li Ximing, whose white rays finally reached seven inches. His cultivation talent was only slightly inferior to Li Xizhi's, but as Lu Jiangxian's divine sense swept over him, he noticed something unusual.
"Eh?!"
He examined him carefully twice over, from the Shengyang Mansion to the twelve-storied tower, and finally down to the sea of qi acupoint; it was indeed exactly as described, without the slightest discrepancy.
*In his sea of qi acupoint, cinnabar clouds rise in all four directions, water and fire aid each other, while the qi of his Shengyang Mansion is calm and balanced, showing no signs of disharmony between yin and yang... This boy is natural material for alchemy!*
Lu Jiangxian had read a couple of alchemy manuals by now and had perused many books describing the Dao of Alchemy from the libraries of the Yu and Fei families, so he naturally understood far more than the Li family. Recognizing it immediately, he was thrilled:
*White rays of seven inches—after receiving a Xuanzhu talisman seed, he'll be a prodigy in his own right, capable of becoming a pillar of the Li family. What's more, he can practice alchemy. He is truly a treasure!*
Lu Jiangxian had endured eighty years of solitude within the mirror, watching successive generations of the Li family grow up, and had witnessed the memories of both Li Chijing and Li Tongya. He had developed a degree of affection for them. Feeling a slight warmth in his heart, he turned his gaze to the last child, Li Xijun.
*...What fine looks!*
Cultivators generally had good appearances, and Lu Jiangxian had seen many across the lake—the handsome and graceful Li Chijing, the poised and elegant Fei Wangbai, the ethereal An Jingming—yet upon seeing Li Xijun, he still could not help but sigh in admiration.
Li Xijun had been born only a month or two after Li Ximing, and the two looked to be of the same age. Li Xijun possessed exceptional looks; though his face was still tender and childish, one could already discern sword-like brows and star-like eyes, making him stand out prominently among the brothers.
*His innate talent is mediocre, yet his white rays reach nine inches.*
Lu Jiangxian calculated mentally: although Li Xijun’s natural cultivation talent was ordinary, an enhancement from nine inches of white rays would be enough to set him apart from common cultivators, putting him on par with Li Ximing's talent before receiving a talisman.
*Li Ximing must certainly receive a talisman. That leaves Li Xizhi and Li Xijun.*
Lu Jiangxian had a more abundant supply of talisman seeds than ever before, and so he was generous. After brief consideration, with a wave of his hand, he released three talisman seeds.
*Li Xizhi is to go to the Qingchi Sect, where his cultivation speed is bound to be even faster, so he too deserves one. If only Li Ximing received a talisman, I fear a single pillar could not support the roof, and the Li family might meet the same fate as the Yu family in the future.*
*Though Li Xijun’s talent is ordinary, with white rays of nine inches, receiving a talisman seed will also make him a young genius. He shall receive one as well!*
The three talisman seeds hovered above the heads of the three boys. The remaining two seeds in Lu Jiangxian's hands were enough for the Chengming generation. He imbued the three with the *Golden Hall Huangyuan Formula*, the *Brief Treatise on the Dao of Alchemy*, and the *Cold Pine Dew-Snow Formula* respectively.
He then formed a hand seal. Three beams of white light leaped from the grayish-green mirror, piercing through the smoky, misty pale-white moon essence. They radiated extraordinary brilliance in the air, the trailing ends of the streaming light faintly splitting into subtle rainbow hues, captivating the eye.
"Three?!"
Li Yuanjiao was overjoyed. Seeing the streaming light settle upon the three, he hurriedly slapped each of them on the shoulder, unraveling the dharmic force sealing their six senses, and commanded in a deep voice:
"Calm your minds and steady your breaths! Embrace the origin and hold fast to the one, and circulate your dharmic force according to the Reception Method!"
Chapter 323