Divine Ability

"Now, a divine ability is the fruit of a vast Dao foundation, conceived from the immortal foundation, coursing from the Qihai into the Shengyang. Through the infinite illusions of the Twelve Chambers, the Juque, Qihai, and Shengyang become thoroughly illumined, whereupon the Shengyang Mansion ascends into the Great Void, severing mortal ties and dispelling physical forms." Li Ximing calmed his mind for six days, seated upright atop the jade pillar. Several jade slips lay arranged before him. The Li family did not possess many Daoist lineages, but most had been bestowed by the Immortal Mirror; their profundity went without saying, and all could be studied for insight. "The *Scripture of Minghua Huangyuan* describes the Violet Palace as: 'Fire rises from the heart; yang brightness permeates within and without.' "The *Scripture of Tianli Rize* describes it as: 'Conceal the heart fire; as the sun declines into southern illumination, rule the realm facing south.' "The *Houshu Golden Scripture* is even more concise, stating merely four words: 'Essence reaches ultimate transformation.'" These were all methods of the Violet Palace and Golden Core paths. As Li Ximing was preparing to charge toward the Violet Palace, he had paid great attention to information of this sort. Back when Kongheng was still around, Li Ximing had even sought him out specifically to inquire. What Kongheng had said was: "According to one's vows, all actions attain completion; boundlessly luminous, one instantly realizes Maha, attains divine abilities, and enters the realm of liberation. Wherever all manifested forms reside, one goes along with the transformation; wherever one abides, one diligently guards and protects." Each school had its own manifestations, yet the methods for breaking through on the Violet Palace and Golden Core paths were mostly similar: nothing more than tempering the immortal foundation to charge up into the Shengyang, traversing the Twelve Chambers, and crossing the boundless illusions. It sounded simple, but the single step of charging the immortal foundation up into the Shengyang was enough to halt ninety percent of cultivators in their tracks. Each Violet Palace technique had its own methods, but once the immortal foundation moved—leaving the Qihai Acupoint to ascend through Yinjiao and Shenque—one's entire cultivation surged upward, and there was absolutely no turning back. Therefore, failure in breaking through to the Violet Palace meant instant death, usually leaving no leeway whatsoever. Along this upward path, one had to first ignite the Juque Acupoint before ascending further into the Shengyang. If one's accumulation of magic power was not deep enough, if the grade of one's immortal foundation was too low, or if one's comprehension of Dao methods was lacking so that consumption was too rapid, one would run out of oil before even reaching the Shengyang, dying on the spot. Years ago, Li Encheng and others had entered seclusion only to fail their breakthroughs hastily after a few years, dissolving into celestial phenomena; they had fallen precisely here, succumbing at the very first hurdle. "Those who fall here have already had their cultivation disperse. Though the celestial phenomenon is vast, it drifts away like smoke and clouds, leaving behind no precious spiritual materials..." If one succeeded in ascending into the Shengyang, one had to manifest a divine ability. The higher the grade of the immortal foundation, the more secret arts one practiced, and the deeper one's understanding of one's Dao attainment, the easier manifesting a divine ability would be. This process was not very long, taking only around six years. Failing to refine and manifest a divine ability was where rogue cultivators and clan cultivators were most prone to falling. After all, their foundation's grade was inferior to others, their secret arts were inferior, and even their grasp of Dao attainment fell short, leading to an abrupt death. Finally, if one could manifest the divine ability within the Shengyang, one would then use that divine ability to propel the Shengyang Mansion into the Great Void, treating the mortal physical body as nothing. The immortal path called this severing the mortal vessel and dispelling physical forms, while Shakya cultivators called it propelling the Shengyang into the Shakya Land to realize the stage of non-retrogression. To enter the Great Void, one first encountered an obscure haze of consciousness where self and world were both forgotten. Cultivators often sank into it and lingered; one might break through in mere days, or remain stuck and immobile for decades. Yet because the mortal vessel was already severed, they were completely unaware, sometimes stagnating until their lifespan expired. The vast disparity in the time it took different cultivators to achieve the Violet Palace stemmed precisely from this stage. Ning Wan and Yang Tianya were most likely stranded here. Ning Wan's situation was uncertain, but according to grapevine rumors, Yang Tianya was eight or nine out of ten chances lost in obscurity until his lifespan ran dry, with no turning back. At this point, if one succeeded, half the aura of a Violet Palace was already realized; if one fell, the phenomenon might shroud an entire region with spiritual materials falling from the heavens, or spread across several commanderies and turn into a natural disaster. Back then, when the ancestor of the Yuan family, Yuan Licheng, failed his breakthrough, everyone sighed in sorrow. Somber rain cloaked several commanderies; even though Qingchi used methods to prolong the duration of the phenomenon, the phenomenon itself had not been negligible, placing him in this category. Only after seeing through the obscure haze did one have the chance to face the infinite illusions. Holding the divine ability in one's mouth, the illusory thoughts lasted merely an instant; fail to cross, and one's entire cultivation would disperse completely; cross it, and success was attained, stepping out of seclusion to achieve the Violet Palace. "This is how it is now. In ancient times, cultivation required facing the Three Disasters. After surviving the Three Disasters, officials of the Thunder Palace would already be waiting aside—one driving thunder, one stirring clouds—to bring down Xuan Thunder to slay evil. Even if one had lived an honest and peaceful life, one would inevitably have harmed others, and all that suffering would be repaid in full..." These tribulations did not need to be faced nowadays; otherwise, given Li Ximing's combat abilities, whether he could survive would truly be anyone's guess. He merely sorted through the key cruxes, put away the jade slips, and fished out a vermilion brush from his storage bag. Using magic power as ink, he channeled it into the brush, causing radiant light to flash. Li Ximing mused inwardly: 'With the Ziming Pill given to me by Master, I shouldn't fall at the first hurdle. If I pass away, there should be quite a few spiritual materials left behind.' He pondered for a long time, estimating the scene of his own demise. Casually setting up a formation around the jade pillar, he stood steadily beside it and wielded the brush: "The great desert city walls have collapsed, and collecting qi is arduous. If I die, heavenly light will gather, sand and smoke will billow, and Huangyuan qi will overflow. I specially bind it with this formation to bestow upon future generations. "Li Clan Son, Ximing." He stowed the brush, flew to the top of the jade pillar, pressed two fingers together, and gently drew a circle atop the pillar. Although this jade pillar was of quite high quality, it was not particularly sturdy. With this trace, a small circular groove appeared in the very center of its top. Li Ximing blew away the jade powder, and only then took out a small golden-red ring from his sleeve. This small ring was merely the thickness of a little finger, neither gold nor silver, emitting a dim red glow. Li Ximing set it down, embedding it within the groove he had just etched. It was none other than the Jianyang Ring! The material and grade of this treasure were unknown, but at the very least it was an ancient Mingyang object. Li Ximing had brought it out specifically and placed it at his seclusion spot, hoping it might serve as a good omen. He gave a self-deprecating chuckle and took a black jade box from his sleeve, setting it on the table. Inside rested a white stone the size of a fingernail, brilliantly radiant like smoke and mist. "Mingfang Sky Stone!" This spiritual item was meant for condensing a divine ability. Li Ximing did not dare gaze at it too long, simply taking out the Ziming Pill with five golden ripples as well and placing it on the table alongside. He took a heart-calming elixir and sat down on the futon beneath the jade pillar, letting light and shadow interlace around him. After regulating his breath for three months, he finally opened his eyes, nothing but serenity in his gaze. *Hum.* The clean white jade bottle on the table hopped up, its mouth tilting, and a plump, round pill flew out. Li Ximing enveloped the pill in magic power to prevent its medicinal potency from dissipating. Yet the Ziming Pill had been refined from multiple precious herbs after all; the moment it emerged, it shone with glorious radiance as if a sun had leapt into the air, illuminating the entirety of Mount Wu in pure brilliance. He swallowed the Ziming Pill, feeling only a warm current boring straight into his Qihai. Within the Qihai, bright magic power was originally churning in a gold-and-white sea with billowing white vapors. A radiant pass stood erect amidst it, piled of white bricks with exquisite battlements; all seventy-two ridges on its corner watchtowers shone brightly like heavenly gates, and numerous patterns on the white gate-piers gleamed with dazzling brilliance. As this sun-like Ziming Pill dropped into the Qihai, Mingyang power cascaded like rain, flooding the entire Qihai in an instant and drowning everything in golden light. *Boom!* Fortunately, the Huangyuan Pass was inherently an immortal foundation of the suppression path and reacted immediately. As if provoked, the radiant pass leaped above the Qihai and suppressed the sun-like Ziming Pill, preserving its pill shape. "Good." This spared Li Ximing from dividing his attention to suppress it. The Qihai was like a mountain torrent bursting forth as Mingyang magic power surged into every limb and bone. Ignoring the swelling pain throughout his meridians and Qihai, heavenly light spouted from his mouth as his hands formed incantation seals. "Ascend the immortal foundation!" The incantations and mental mantras of his Violet Palace technique circulated in unison. Amid the infinite heavenly light within the Qihai Acupoint, the Huangyuan Pass shook violently. The *Precious Steps* shone brighter and brighter, and a profound sense of great fortune and great joy emanated from the immortal foundation, turning into golden light as it surged upward from the Qihai. For an immortal foundation to leave the Qihai was normally an omen of imminent death for ordinary cultivators. Even with the mental mantras and formulas of the Violet Palace technique suppressing it, the entire Qihai still waned as though leaking air. Magic power poured through the opening to propel the Huangyuan Pass upward, rapidly thinning out. Once the Huangyuan Pass departed, the suppressed Ziming Pill reignited like dying embers rekindling; rain-like radiant light showered down once more, revitalizing the entire Qihai with vibrant life. *All thanks to this precious pill!* The Ziming Pill had been refined from two entire Mingyang precious herbs supplemented by nearly a hundred kinds of Mingyang spiritual materials, which was why it could keep the Qihai perpetually full. Without this pill, Li Ximing would likely be drenched in sweat right now, exhausting his entire body's essence to push the immortal foundation... With this Ziming Pill, Li Ximing only needed to steady the immortal foundation and let it ascend step by step! He calmed his heart and mind, fixing his entire focus upon this single immortal foundation. Unaware of any shifts between light and darkness in the outside world, after an unknown period, he finally sensed a flash of light before him: the immortal foundation had been pushed into a vast, hazy expanse. "The Juque Court!" The three secret keystones of the Violet Palace and Golden Core path, from top to bottom, were the Shengyang, Juque, and Qihai. After the six wheels fused into one, the Juque became obscured; from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment, the only place one could inspect via internal vision was the Qihai. *Boom!* The Mingyang power supplied by the Ziming Pill seemed to have found an outlet, flooding into this broad domain. The magic power in the Qihai was rapidly drained away, nearly half of it gathering into the Juque Court. Now that the Huangyuan Pass flew in, the haze before Li Ximing's eyes was finally illuminated by heavenly light. He saw pure white covering the ground, piled high like snow across the Juque Court, surrounding an elevated terrace at its very center. And atop this high platform, a bright, round object floated quietly. *A talisman seed?!* Li Ximing had never imagined this thing would be inside his Juque Court. He instinctively looked down at his Qihai. In the Qihai, the Ziming Pill had already been exhausted, leaving only a thin veil of magic power. At the bottom of the Qihai, that very same round, bright talisman seed was lying quietly. *There is also one in the Qihai? Or is it the same one?* Now was not the time to probe deeper. Li Ximing had no leisure to overthink it; taking a brief rest, the Huangyuan Pass once again left the Juque Court, ascending further upward. At this point, having finally lost the aid of the Ziming Pill, Li Ximing ascended the immortal foundation alone. It felt like shouldering a colossal tripod; cold sweat immediately broke out on his face, and a chill gripped his shoulders. Yet he was already far better off than other cultivators, with his starting point shifted from the Qihai to the Juque. But if he were someone like Chi Zhiyun, he would likely have another pill or two similar to the Ziming Pill to take at this juncture, pushing it straight into the Shengyang in a single breath. It was not that Li Ximing had no other pills to take; rather, any lapse of concentration would cause the immortal foundation to plunge. The replenishment from ordinary pills would not even offset the loss caused by dividing his attention. Li Ximing estimated it would require something at least of the precious herb tier... *It's not that our family lacks precious herbs... but simply that no one has ever broken through to the Violet Palace before, so we didn't know the exact details...* Cold sweat dripped down his face. Compared to before, this stretch of time was exceedingly grueling. The path was full of hardships; the Twelve Chambers were like twelve massive flights of stairs, and shouldering a heavy cauldron while striding forward crushed him until blood seeped from all seven facial orifices. After who knew how long, Li Ximing's vision went black. Finally, a glimmer of light appeared before his eyes, revealing a small manor atop a sea. Here, the seawater was clear and azure, dotted with lotus blossoms. Twelve white bridges spanned across both shores. In the sky, white light glittered, and upon closer inspection, the sun shining high above was none other than the talisman seed! *There really is one in the Shengyang Mansion too! That's fine... The three mansions are the profound secrets of immortal cultivation, so how could one be favored over the other!* Before Li Ximing could look closer, bright light rushed into it, jolting the sea into roiling waves and overturning several lotus blossoms. His head spun and throbbed, and he could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood. *Pfft!* He hastily swallowed down the rest of the blood. Knowing he had sustained no light injury, his heart was nonetheless overflowing with joy. *I've finally reached it!* With the help of the Ziming Pill, he had merely suffered severe injuries, far from running out of oil. Focusing his mind intently, he channeled his magic power and shifted his hand seals, establishing the Huangyuan Pass within the Shengyang Mansion. This light brought a soothing warmth to his mind, making his spiritual sense feel wonderfully comfortable. Yet his physical body formed a stark contrast—as frail as that of a mortal, feeling as if he might perish at any next moment. He dared not dally. Taking advantage of the Huangyuan Pass being anchored in place without needing much magic power, he forced his eyelids open. Darkness shrouded his vision, rendering him unable to see anything clearly. Searching with his spiritual sense, Li Ximing used his remaining magic power to open the jade box. The thumb-sized white stone flew up and pressed gently against the center of his brow. The Mingfang Sky Stone instantly came alive. Struggling twice like an insect, dense little scales surfaced on it as it plunged into the center of his brow, breaking through skin and flesh to burrow straight into the Shengyang Mansion. The Huangyuan Pass hung suspended midair. The moment the Mingfang Sky Stone flew in, the Huangyuan Pass clamped down immediately. All seventy-two ridges on its corner towers blazed with dazzling brilliance. "...Resonating with the seventy-two profound attributes of Mingyang, I now seek the inner Mingyang through the outer, seeking life through essence. May a thousand divine subordinates all come to protect and uphold. Divine light illuminates within, pure and clear spiritual brilliance; through this, may the five decays and five tribulations dissolve away..." He chanted the mental mantra, and the Huangyuan Pass in the sky shook violently: "Birth, aging, sickness, and death shall encroach no more; essence and life shall be eternally secured, enduring endlessly!" The Huangyuan Pass shook with increasing violence. Vast white vapors cascaded down like water. Two golden openwork sky lanterns lit up atop the corner towers, and bright steps flashed into view, tier by tier. The Mingfang Sky Stone evaporated like white vapor, surging entirely into this immortal foundation. Li Ximing's mind was flooded with boundless brilliance, the formulas and mantras in his mouth and the art seals in his hands switching set after set. After an unknown time, he vaguely glimpsed white qilin leaping between heaven and earth, white cicadas chirping, and the heavenly pass shattering into pieces. Layer upon layer of white bricks crumbled down like broken tiles, while variegated light floated in their midst, wheeling and taking flight. Li Ximing felt only a wave of drowsiness rushing into his mind. An obscure haze hazily enveloped his consciousness, like being poised between waking and sleep, or waking only to fall asleep once more, leaving a murky gray before his eyes. Everything within the Shengyang Mansion came to a standstill: the seawater ceased to ripple, the lotus blossoms ceased to bloom, and the variegated light froze in place. All motion stopped, locked in stasis. Yet the sun in the sky paused for a moment, showering down a pool of cool, water-like light.