Chapter 8: The Reception Technique

The *Mystic Pearl Spirit Worship Technique* is far more extensive than the *Great Yin Breathing and Cultivation Sutra*. It mainly explains how to use the mirror body to draw in the moon's essence and condense it into a Mystic Pearl talisman seed.

By planting this talisman seed in another person's dantian, it can aid in their cultivation. Once that person achieves success in cultivation or dies, it can nourish the practitioner, allowing them to cultivate the Great Yin Mystic Light.

It also includes a *Reception Technique*, which teaches the recipient how to invite the Mystic Pearl talisman seed from the mirror and cultivate it in their dantian.

Lu Jiangxian was taken aback, feeling that the *Mystic Pearl Spirit Worship Technique* seemed somewhat sinister, much like the dark arts described in books. After careful consideration, he read the technique thoroughly and confirmed that the Mystic Pearl talisman seed was not only harmless to the recipient but also beneficial in many ways.

The *Mystic Pearl Spirit Worship Technique* is the mirror's innate technique, and the number of Mystic Pearl talisman seeds it can condense depends on his spiritual awareness. Currently, he can only support six Mystic Pearl talisman seeds.

Thinking about this, Lu Jiangxian's spiritual awareness swept through the Li family, inside and out. He couldn't help but sigh:

"What a great change!"

He had been asleep in the mirror for three years, and now the Li family had dug ponds, built large courtyards, and become quite prosperous! Li Changhu had even married and grown a beard, looking every bit the new head of the Li family.

He activated the technique, scanning over the Li family members, and, as expected, was disappointed to find that none of them possessed a spiritual acupoint.

This meant that the Li family members, if nothing unexpected happened, would never have a chance to become immortals and would spend their lives in the mundane world, perhaps living to seventy years old if they were lucky.

Looking at the Li family members around him, Lu Jiangxian sighed deeply and activated the technique.

"Father, look!" The Li brothers had already gathered around, and Li Chijing, with his keen eyes, called out.

Li Mutian quickly focused his gaze and saw the mirror's surface flash with white light, revealing tiny characters. He patted Li Chijing's shoulder and said:

"Bring some cloth and ink!"

The brothers hurriedly went to fetch them. Fortunately, the Li family had built a study, equipped with the Four Treasures of the Study, which had been discarded by the tutor. Otherwise, they would have had to go to the village head.

Soon, Li Changhu brought the cloth, and Li Tongya carried the wooden table with the ink. Fortunately, Li Chijing had already memorized the text that appeared and disappeared on the mirror.

Among the brothers, Li Chijing was the youngest but had read the most books. Li Mutian let him write, copying down the small characters.

The *Reception Technique* was quite long, and Li Chijing wrote for about an hour, his wrist aching. He had to switch with Li Tongya to continue copying, with everyone watching closely to avoid any mistakes.

They alternated back and forth, copying for an entire hour before finishing.

Lu Jiangxian was also afraid they would practice incorrectly, so he displayed the text three times, including detailed annotations of some of the esoteric terms and several diagrams of the energy pathways. After they carefully checked the text, he slowly withdrew the light.

"The *Reception Technique*."

Li Xiangping read the small characters on the cloth slowly:

"The Mystic Pearl is the true elixir. At the beginning of the first cycle, the elixir descends into the heart meridian, hence it is said that the elixir cave is in the middle palace, and the elixir descends as the first cycle... After the elixir descends, one must hold one's breath for nine breaths, and this is repeated nine times, making a total of eighty-one breaths. Hence it is said to follow the number nine..."

"This is an immortal technique!"

Li Changhu was both surprised and delighted, wishing he could hug the mirror and kiss it.

The brothers suppressed their excitement, read the technique carefully, and memorized it with the annotations.

Li Xiangping's eyes quickly scanned the cloth and focused on the last few sentences:

"Once the Reception Technique is mastered, it should be practiced on days such as Jiazi, Gengshen, Benming, San Yuan, San Hui, Ba Jie, Hui Shuo, etc. On these days, the heavenly qi is vibrant, and the yang light dispels the darkness. Place the mirror under the moonlight, burn incense, bathe, and bow, saying: 'Disciple so-and-so respectfully invites the Mystic Brightness Technique, to pacify the soul and follow the Dao in cultivation. I will report my progress at the appropriate time, not failing to fulfill my faith, and will burn the talisman when my body returns to the Great Yin.' After this, swallow the qi three times."

"Report progress at the appropriate time, not failing to fulfill faith, burn the talisman when the body returns to the Great Yin."

He repeated it softly.

Li Mutian looked at his son, who was looking down, and patted his head comfortingly, speaking calmly:

"Pacify the soul, follow the Dao in cultivation."

——

In the early morning, wisps of smoke rose from the rooftops of the village, and a light mist enveloped the air.

"Uncle Li, is there any good news today?" Li Mutian hummed as he walked through the fields, hearing the farmers laugh and ask.

Li Mutian looked down and saw his nephew Ye Chengfu, a simple and honest boy with a knack for flattery.

"The green ears of grain look promising!" Li Mutian laughed in response.

The four major surnames in Lijing Village were Ye, Tian, Li, and Liu. The Ye surname was the largest, with over thirty percent of the villagers sharing it. If they could unite, they would be a formidable force.

"Wow, that must be due to Brother Changhu's good fortune!" Ye Chengfu supported his hoe and answered respectfully.

"You're quite the talker!"

The old man knew he was referring to Li Changhu's recent wedding. Ren Shi was cute, obedient, and devoted to Li Changhu.

Li Mutian planned to reveal some information after Ren Shi gave birth, as she was trustworthy and living under the same roof. Being overly secretive could create unnecessary suspicion.

"It's just that Tongya doesn't want to marry, and Xiangping is also of age." Li Mutian stroked his beard, counting the families in the village.

"That young brother's Tian Yun is quite a good match, and her age is suitable. I'll ask Xiangping when I get home, and if it's a good match, we'll send a goose to ask for her name," he thought with a smile.

The Li brothers were carefully studying the *Reception Technique* in the courtyard, while Li Changhu, after a morning inspection of the fields, hurried back to study with them.

Only this old man, feeling his age and declining mental acuity, chose to watch the fields instead of practicing the immortal technique.

First, mundane affairs always need someone to manage, otherwise, there would be no food or drink. Second, he needed to guard against any prying eyes.

Li Mutian was in a good mood today and sat leisurely on the field ridge, chatting with the old men in the village.

——

The Li Family.

Lu Jiangxian's spiritual awareness focused on the four people sitting cross-legged in the courtyard with their eyes closed. White light immediately appeared above their heads, faintly visible.

Li Chijing's white light was the longest, about eight inches, shining brightly. Li Tongya and Li Xiangping had six and five inches, respectively, while Li Changhu had only three inches.

The white light that appeared during the first practice of the *Reception Technique* represented the person's compatibility with the Mystic Pearl talisman seed. A person with a one-foot white light could ingest the talisman seed and cultivate as if they had a spiritual acupoint.

Li Chijing's eight-inch white light meant he could cultivate at eighty percent of the speed of someone with a spiritual acupoint, while Li Changhu's three-inch white light meant he could only cultivate at thirty percent of the speed.

In other words, Li Changhu's one day of cultivation was equivalent to four hours of cultivation for someone with a spiritual acupoint...

(End of Chapter)