The primordial profound qi converted by the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment poured entirely into Zhou Wuji's divine acupoint.
Channeling the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture, he circulated and refined the eleven strands of primordial profound qi.
In the Arctic Sect, the eighth-rank Qi Ingestion stage began by opening the divine acupoint between the brows, followed by opening the seven apertures of the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, thereby advancing to the seventh rank.
Finally, opening the Baihui acupoint atop the crown of the head brought spiritual communion across the nine apertures, achieving the sixth rank.
Linking the head's nine opened apertures together formed the upper dantian.
A dantian literally meant a precious field capable of nurturing an inner core.
Forging the upper dantian marked the perfection of the sixth rank.
Opening the heart aperture then brought advancement to the fifth rank.
When the five apertures of the five viscera were opened in unison, the Five Elements became complete to form the middle dantian, brimming with refined essence and spirit—the perfection of the fifth rank.
The next step was to unblock the Qihai aperture, advancing to the fourth rank.
Opening the five apertures of Shenque, Guanyuan, Guilai, Huiyin, and Weilu and linking them into the lower dantian marked the perfection of the fourth rank.
Having cultivated under Daoist Yiyuan since childhood as his personal disciple, Zhou Wuji was well-versed in the Arctic Sect's cultivation realms below the fourth rank.
The Arctic Sect placed supreme importance on cultivating the spirit. Thus, the opening of apertures invariably began with the divine acupoint between the brows, followed by the seven facial apertures and the Baihui acupoint, using the nine spiritualized apertures to nourish the spirit.
This was the foundation of all their cultivation.
The Arctic Sect held that the seven apertures corresponded to the Seven Stars, each aperture uniquely specialized.
The left eye corresponded to Tianshu, the right eye to Tianxuan, the left ear to Tianji, and the right ear to Tianquan.
Transmuted through the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, the eleven strands of primordial profound qi flowed first into the depths of his left eye, piercing open the secret aperture hidden within.
Next, the qi surged into his right eye, left ear, and right ear. In this manner, four apertures were breached in succession, consuming over ninety percent of the primordial profound qi.
With each aperture opened, Zhou Wuji sensed the spiritual qi of the corresponding celestial body.
Though named the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture, it merely took Tianshu as its root and likewise contained methods for circulating the powers of the other six Northern Dipper stars.
As Zhou Wuji established a spiritual qi connection with the corresponding stars, the associated methods naturally began to circulate.
Yet by this stage, he knew it was impossible to open a sixth aperture. Without hesitation, he guided the remaining primordial profound qi back to his divine acupoint, establishing a somewhat imperfect internal circuit.
Presiding over the ordination, Daoist Yiping noticed the surging spiritual qi about Zhou Wuji and felt a faint resonance forming between the youth and the stars high in the nine heavens.
His aged eyes lit up, his plump, round face beaming with joy. Wuji had actually received the blessing of the Celestial Emperor and resonated with the Northern Dipper Seven Stars—an immense stroke of fortune!
Fate was fickle; a peerlessly gifted genius was never guaranteed great achievements.
Those who truly attained greatness invariably possessed fortune rivaling the heavens.
Receiving the blessing of the Celestial Emperor while at the altar of ordination was an auspicious omen and an extraordinary honor for the entire branch abbey.
As the officiant of the ritual, this feat was enough for him to boast about for the rest of his life!
Daoist Yiping thought of his deceased senior brother Yiyuan and could not help feeling a swell of emotion. If his senior brother's spirit was watching from heaven, seeing Wuji blessed with such great fortune would surely bring him deep comfort...
In Heart Inquest Hall, Zhiyuan sat meditating with closed eyes when he suddenly sensed an unusual surge of heaven-and-earth primordial qi.
After a moment's thought, he gave his horsetail whisk a light flick. The Heart Inquest Mirror before him shone brightly, displaying the scene within the Arctic Celestial Emperor Hall.
At a glance, Zhiyuan saw Zhou Wuji enveloped in flowing wisps of astral spiritual qi, forming a subtle, wondrous resonance with the Northern Dipper Seven Stars in the sky.
As a fourth-rank spiritual artifact, the Heart Inquest Mirror was capable of directly reflecting changes in the state of heaven-and-earth primordial qi.
Furthermore, this was inside the branch abbey, well within the mirror's domain.
Zhiyuan felt a touch of surprise. He had only ever read about receiving a divine blessing during ordination in ancient records; this was the first time he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
Truth be told, he was genuinely shocked.
The statue of the Arctic Celestial Emperor was in fact a special spiritual artifact. Having absorbed the faith and prayers of countless devotees for centuries, it held immense power and served as the core of the branch abbey's array.
Yet the statue had no true connection to the Arctic Celestial Emperor himself.
As the master of the branch abbey, Zhiyuan had detected no abnormal fluctuation of magical power from the divine statue.
*Is it truly a blessing from the Celestial Emperor?*
Zhiyuan hardly dared believe it. High in the nine heavens, how could the Arctic Celestial Emperor take notice of a mere eighth-rank practitioner?
Even a first-rank Celestial Master amounted to nothing before the Celestial Emperor!
Unable to fathom the mystery, Zhiyuan did not dwell on it.
The world was vast and the Great Dao profound; countless things were beyond explanation, and there was no need to cling to them.
Reporting this to the main abbey would count as a tremendously auspicious sign. For the branch abbey, for himself, and for Wuji, it was a good thing all around.
Zhiyuan had already considered Zhou Wuji promising material; after this occurrence, the youth's standing in his mind rose considerably.
Officiating the ceremony, Daoist Yiping naturally had no idea that Zhiyuan had witnessed it all.
At the end of the ritual, Daoist Yiping presented Zhou Wuji with a Celestial Pivot Demon-Subduing Token.
Carved upon the round medallion was Zhou Wuji's Daoist monastic name, beneath which lay the talismanic script of the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot and the sect's Seven Stars emblem.
The reverse side remained blank. Only when Zhou Wuji attained the seventh rank could the Celestial Pivot Demon-Subduing Token be submitted to the Celestial Master Mansion to be stamped and converted into an official ordination certificate.
Only then would his status as a Daoist receive imperial court recognition and be recorded in the jade register.
Once the rites concluded, Daoist Yiping eagerly brought Zhou Wuji to see Zhiyuan to deliver the joyous news in person.
Zhiyuan offered a few words of praise before concluding, "The Celestial Emperor's blessing is an immense stroke of fortune for Wuji, but such matters easily breed jealousy. You and Wuji must keep this secret."
The old Daoist pondered for a moment and added, "The branch abbey will cover the costs of Wuji's spell studies. We shall also reward him with ten Golden Yang Pills. Cultivate diligently and strictly observe the precepts."
"Thank you, Abbot," Zhou Wuji bowed deeply in gratitude. "This disciple will not fail your high expectations..."
Zhiyuan was quite pleased with Zhou Wuji's obedient manner and praised him a few more times.
Emerging from Heart Inquest Hall, Daoist Yiping's face beamed with delight. He said to Zhou Wuji, "I've been at the branch abbey for nearly twenty years, and this is the first time I've seen the abbot so generous.
"Ten Golden Yang Pills alone are worth fifty taels of gold! Though they are seventh-rank pills, even I can't bear to take them!
"Waiving the fees for your spell studies saves several dozen more taels of gold. The Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Sword alone is worth sixty taels!"
Zhou Wuji was taken aback. "That expensive?"
"The Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Sword is one of our sect's foundational secret arts. It involves the circulation of the Northern Dipper Seven Stars' spiritual qi, far more than just a simple demon-slaying technique,"
Daoist Yiping emphasized, "It is mandatory for the eighth rank. Other incantations and talismans, like the Mind-Clearing Divine Curse, are entirely up to personal preference."
"What if someone doesn't have that much money?" Zhou Wuji asked out of curiosity.
"You can take it on credit, though the branch abbey charges twenty percent interest." Daoist Yiping looked somewhat embarrassed mentioning this.
Other branch abbeys did not seem so harsh; only the Yunyang Branch Abbey gouged money so ruthlessly.
"The Dharma is not lightly imparted," Zhou Wuji remarked. Having just received benefits from Zhiyuan, though he inwardly found the old man somewhat predatory, he voiced his agreement on the surface.
Whether Zhiyuan could hear or not, it was best never to speak ill of others behind their backs. More importantly, bad-mouthing offered no practical benefit; doing so merely to indulge one's tongue was utterly foolish.
Daoist Yiping nodded repeatedly. Even behind closed doors, his grand-nephew apprentice was tactful, wise, and dependable!
Returning to Feixuan Hall, Daoist Yiping felt thoroughly drained from the day's exertions. He told Zhou Wuji to rest, saying he could collect his arts from the Dharma Transmission Hall tomorrow.
Zhou Wuji returned to his quarters, washed up briefly, and undressed to get into bed.
Lying down, he silently circulated the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture. Endless heaven-and-earth primordial qi poured in through the five apertures—the divine acupoint, both eyes, and both ears—coursing throughout his body under the divine acupoint's direction.
He felt the volume of his primordial qi had increased nearly threefold.
If the qi circulated by opening only the divine acupoint was counted as one hundred, then with the four apertures of his eyes and ears added, the total amount he could mobilize reached four hundred.
For him, this was an immense leap in cultivation.
With the four apertures of his eyes and ears unblocked, his vision and hearing grew exceptionally keen.
In the dim room, he could clearly discern the lines on his palm using only the faint moonlight filtering through the window.
Not only had his eyesight sharpened, but he could even discern details such as an object's material and weight.
According to the sect's secret lore, the left eye corresponded to Tianshu, representing observation, while the right eye corresponded to Tianxuan, representing discernment.
The left ear corresponded to Tianji, representing sharpness, while the right ear corresponded to Tianquan, representing wisdom.
Though such claims sounded rather esoteric, Zhou Wuji did find that his hearing had indeed improved.
As he lay in bed, he could clearly hear the squeaking of two rats beneath the floor.
Rats mostly emitted high-frequency sounds imperceptible to ordinary people. The fact that he could hear them proved that opening his ear apertures had drastically broadened the range of his hearing.
Once he ceased circulating his true qi, his sight and hearing immediately dropped by a tier.
He could no longer see his palm lines clearly, nor could he hear the rats' squeaks.
Stripping away the mystical explanations of the secret lore, he was now truly sharp-eyed and keen-eared, allowing him to judge spatial distance with much greater precision—an enormous boon in combat.
This enhancement alone was enough for him to slay those rebel soldiers at Baishi Crossing in a frontal clash without suffering a scratch.
As for the increase in true qi, it elevated his combat strength by at least an entire grade.
Zhou Wuji opened the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment and glanced at his own page; the attribute data regarding him was very simple.
He checked his lifespan down to the day and saw it had grown by over a hundred days.
Nothing else had changed.
He knew the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment was like a clear mirror, flawlessly reflecting his personal status and presenting it in a simple, direct manner he could comprehend.
A thought suddenly struck Zhou Wuji: he could easily create a more detailed data panel for himself to facilitate comparisons and track his cultivation progress at any time!
Chapter 18