Chapter 1267: Imperial Edict (II)

Only then did Li Zhouwei feel the carriage tremble. Yuanzi lifted the curtain for him and said respectfully, "My lord, please."

Li Zhouwei stepped out. The dharma altar beneath his feet was made of gleaming silver white metal. The Daoists below all kept their heads lowered. Only the leading elderly Daoist stepped forward, bowed from a step away, and said, "We pay homage to the aspect of Bright Yang. That my lord has chosen to tread upon this small mountain and give rise to the Dao lineage here fills this humble cultivator with awe and gratitude beyond measure."

Fearing he might offend someone, Yuanzi hurried to stay close and spoke gently, "Reporting to my lord, when the Eastern Sea experienced Falling Water Rising Storm and the Thunder Pool descended into the world, Celestial Cloud Monastery followed in response to its Dao lineage resonance from the Northern Sea. Their tradition derives from ancient cultivators. If there are any words of offense, please be understanding..."

She smoothed things over with her words, yet felt uneasy inside,

The man surnamed Lü truly has no fear of death. This is the White Qilin. Even if he behaves properly within the Thunder Pool, the manifestation of Bright Yang values hierarchy above all. Not even a kowtow, and he is already talking about propagating Dao successors...

Li Zhouwei, however, was quite interested. He swept his eyes over them and discovered that most of Celestial Cloud Monastery consisted of mortals, with only a few at the Embryonic Breathing Realm. The elderly Daoist before him was merely at the Qi Cultivation Realm. It was truly pitiable.

"Please rise." He replied, raising an eyebrow, "Are these ancient rites, or are they rules of the thunder arts?"

Cold sweat immediately broke out on the elderly Daoist's forehead as he replied respectfully, "My lord, only a single rule has been passed down. I do not know whether it is ritual propriety or a rule of the thunder arts. This small mountain is humble and cannot provide everything in full. That is this humble cultivator's fault."

Li Zhouwei gave him a thoughtful glance, sensing that these ancient cultivation rules differed from what he had imagined. He immediately summoned radiant heavenly light and descended from the ritual altar.

Although Li Zhouwei was not truly a White Qilin, his Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation combined with his fate made him no different from one in the eyes of these mortals, filling them with shock and awe.

Yuanzi accompanied him into the monastery and quietly added, "Although these cultivators are weak in cultivation, their Dao lineage has deep ties to the Celestial Thunder Pool and the Dao of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling. There is also a Xi Family in the Northern Sea that sent a disciple to cultivate at Celestial Cloud Monastery. He is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to Qi Cultivation Realm."

"I have heard of it."

Li Zhouwei also knew that Xi Zikang of the Xi Family was an upright figure, though he had most likely fallen together with the others within the grotto heaven. He could only sigh softly as he thought,

Dao of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling. From the name alone, it is something the Dragon Clan is determined to obtain. One who steers thunder and dwells among clouds should, by nature, be a dragon.

They soon reached the deepest cave dwelling of Celestial Cloud Monastery. As Li Qinghong had said, this place not only had weaker spiritual qi than the lakes, but the space itself was extremely cramped.

If a mainland cultivator were to open a cave dwelling, it would at least be the size of a courtyard. This one seemed no larger than a single room, containing only a table, a chair, and a meditation cushion. Yet the elderly Daoist cherished it greatly, with soft mats laid neatly at the entrance.

The elderly Daoist bowed as he stood to the side, while Yuanzi activated the formation for him and said respectfully, "My lord, please enter. When there is news of the dharma artifact, I will come up the mountain to inform you."

Li Zhouwei nodded and entered. The door closed automatically, and the dharma lamps inside the cave dwelling lit up at once, illuminating the cramped space. He sat there for a while, organizing all the information, and his thoughts gradually became clear.

As he sat upright on the meditation cushion, he sank into deep contemplation. Nine vast yet concise secret techniques immediately surged forth from his spiritual sense. They were the nine secret techniques of the Radiant Essence Scripture.

These secret techniques were exceedingly precious. Li Zhouwei had no need to carry copies for study. They had been bestowed upon him long ago through talisman seeds. Now preparing to cultivate them, he followed the experiential notes left by Li Ximing and first drew out Yang Origin to read.

"The origin of Bright Yang. The yang pivot manifests in form. Every movement is in accordance with proper measure, and every glance conforms to bearing and dignity. In sound, it harmonizes the pitches. In movement, it regulates the laws of rank. In stepping, it does not tread upon lands without a lord. In rest, it does not abide in the domains of feudal rulers."

Li Zhouwei read through it once and nodded slightly, thinking to himself,

It is fairly straightforward and easy to grasp.

He suddenly remembered something and rummaged through his storage pouch, taking out a jade slip. This was something Li Ximing had given him. It seemed to be a commentary on this secret technique, containing only annotations and no original text.

Li Zhouwei first read the preface and then looked at the signature,

Daoist Master Gufeng.

Oh, the Daoist Master chose a fine nickname. It must have been taken from talisman qi.

He then carefully read through the massive text of over a hundred thousand characters, frowned, and shook his head as he thought,

This thing is rather long winded. Ahem. It does not suit me. It should have been prepared for the younger generation of the family. Holding it myself is of little use.

However, this volume speculates that cultivation difficulty is not the same for everyone. Although the nine secret techniques advance step by step, the difficulty of cultivating each varies depending on one's temperament and innate ability.

He had no choice but to put it away. He did not immediately begin cultivating Yang Origin. Instead, he read through the remaining eight techniques one by one and spent time testing each of them.

Golden light appeared in his qi sea in bursts, sometimes white, sometimes gold. At times it was a lantern, at times a stairway, then vast palaces and millions of elite soldiers, flickering endlessly as time flowed away like running water.

After more than half a month, Li Zhouwei slowly opened his eyes within the cave dwelling and exhaled a breath of white vapor. Although the lamps inside were bright, his eyes were still dazzling, with faint golden heavenly light flowing within them.

Yet his expression was far from calm. Doubt arose in his heart, and his face showed clear astonishment.

These nine secret techniques have already been cultivated to a considerable extent.

Li Zhouwei had tested them repeatedly, driving his Immortal Foundation with the secret techniques and observing its transformations. Faintly visible edict patterns had appeared upon the Immortal Foundation, with golden patterns and white light flowing from time to time. This was clearly the sign that Imperial Edict, one among the nine, had been cultivated successfully.

Yet Imperial Edict was almost the most difficult of the nine secret techniques.

It must not be the technique itself. Before breaking through, the Daoist Master cultivated for so many years and always started from the beginning. In that case, it is most likely the influence of my fate.

Yet after testing all nine secret techniques, the results went far beyond that. Among Yang Origin, Heavenly Lantern, Jewel Steps, Great Fissure, Reversal, Hundred Arms Arsenal, Imperial Edict, Golden Scales, and Red Cicada, Imperial Edict had reached great completion and perfection, Great Fissure was cultivated to fifty percent, and Hundred Arms Arsenal had reached thirty percent.

Li Zhouwei felt both shock and delight, followed immediately by confusion,

Why these three?

Although Li Zhouwei's cultivation was not high, he carried fate and had gained much valuable information through his conversations with the Dragon Clan. He already had a few suspicions,

When Shuyang[1] gives birth, one is the White Qilin, the other the White Cicada. Yet when I was born, the White Qilin bore the child as an omen and the White Cicada beat its wings.[2] Both manifestations appeared. I am likely somewhere between qilin and cicada. As for how much this relates to Shuyang, that requires further study.

After all, Shuyang was the first manifestation of Bright Yang. Li Zhouwei did not dare compare himself rashly. How much influence had been exerted upon the Bright Yang Fruition Attainment over the many Wei's Li dynasties was even harder to say. Since the Dragon Clan regarded him as a White Qilin, it was likely not far off.

Regardless of whether it is related to Shuyang, the Imperial Edict likely corresponds to this fate.

The completion of the Imperial Edict was understandable, but the fact that the Great Fissure had reached fifty percent and the Hundred Arms Arsenal thirty percent was baffling. If all of them had shown slight progress, it would have been fine, yet Yang Origin and several others showed not the slightest trace.

Strange. When did I cultivate these two arts? Could they be innate?

thought Li Zhouwei.

1. The beast of Bright Yang. ☜

2. This should mean that at his birth, Heaven simultaneously affirmed his rightful destiny and his path of transformation, combining mandate and transcendence in a single fate. ☜