The Mirror Legacy

Li Ximing stroked his beard thoughtfully before remarking, "[Vast Expanse Suspended Void] also belongs to the Dao of True Essence. It appears to be closely connected to Ning State."

Tinglan studied him closely, seemingly considering how to broach the subject. Only after a long while did she ask, "Zhaojing... have you heard of the True Dao faction?"

Li Ximing was inwardly startled, but replied, "Please elaborate, fellow Daoist..."

A peculiar look crossed Tinglan's face as she answered, "The True Dao faction is composed of four lineages. They once held Profound Truth Mountain, which is now the territory of the Yue Cultivating Sect. They advocated a Great Dao of following nature and cultivating all Five Virtues. During the reign of the Wei Emperor, it was the True Dao faction that chiefly cultivated [True Essence] and [Purple Essence]..."

After pondering for a moment, she continued, "However, they did not call them [True Essence] and [Purple Essence], but [True Yang] and [Purple Yin]."

Li Ximing raised his brows slightly as countless thoughts raced through his mind. Meanwhile, Tinglan continued, "In the ancient times, a True Monarch cultivated on Profound Truth Mountain. His surname was Zhuang, and the people of that age called him Daoist Zhuang. At the time, the common people were still unenlightened, and 'Daoist' was a title of the highest esteem. He later ascended as an immortal, leaving behind a cave dwelling in the mountain. Within it was a scripture known as the [Taihua Scripture].

"The scripture was shared among his six disciples. Later, they fell one after another, each leaving behind successors who jointly safeguarded the scripture, forming the foundation of what would become the True Dao faction.

"The True Dao faction advanced extraordinarily far along the paths of True Essence and Purple Essence. [Vast Expanse Suspended Void]... was a spiritual aura proposed by their Dao lineage. Although the paths of True Essence and Purple Essence within the True Dao faction split at the fall of Zhou, and the doctrine of the Five Virtues all but eradicated that of Yin and Yang, the Dao Collection they preserved remained extraordinarily profound. It forms the foundational canon of today's True Essence and Purple Essence paths."

Li Ximing nodded slightly and replied, "The True Dao immortal cultivators had their crowns stripped and their wings clipped..."

Of course Li Ximing knew of this event. Whether regarded as a feat of arms that the Cui Family took great pride in or as grounds upon which later generations condemned and denounced the Wei Emperor, none could overlook the astonishing deed accomplished by that Imperial Monarch!

Tinglan was surprised at first, but soon found it understandable. She shook her head and said, "Precisely. The Wei Emperor marched out of Guanlong with sword in hand. Any immortal cultivator who had forsaken the mortal world and refused to save the common people had their crown stripped and their wings clipped. Although the True Dao faction was not the only one subjected to this purge, it was undoubtedly the most renowned among them.

"After the True Dao faction's destruction, the Wei Emperor read the Taihua Scripture and was awestruck by its transcendent brilliance. Subsequently, he restored the Profound Truth lineage and enfeoffed the [Jiangling King] to guard the mountain. A descendant of this [Jiangling King]... later became True Monarch Tianwu!"

After hearing Tinglan lay everything out, Li Ximing immediately saw the full picture and finally understood. "No wonder Great Ning took in the clans that fled south and sought to inherit Great Wei's orthodox legacy... So this was the connection behind it all... Such matters are probably only known in this much detail to a Dao lineage like yours that cultivates Purple Essence!"

Tinglan nodded solemnly and said quietly, "I have been thinking that even the Sima Family may not know the name [Vast Expanse Suspended Void]!

"When Tianwu manifested in this world, the spiritual aura took the same form as it has today. The two essences complemented Yin and Yang; stars shone in broad daylight; [Anhuai Heaven] rose on high; and [Wanlin Heaven] expanded by an immeasurable extent... Great Ning drew the attention of the entire world.

“However, following the destruction of the True Dao faction, all the relevant Dao lineages were sealed within the Zhaoyuan Immortal Mansion. The Sima and Su Families were merely clans, and even after searching through every scripture they possessed, they could not discover the name of this spiritual aura. They therefore submitted a memorial naming it [Pacification and Martial Glory]."

After a moment of thought, she continued, "My master once speculated that since Great Ning inherited the legacy of Wei and established an imperial dynasty, it would have been inappropriate to use [Vast Expanse Suspended Void], which the True Dao faction associated with withdrawing from the world to cultivate and ascending into a grotto heaven. That was why they adopted the name proposed by the Sima and Su Families instead."

Li Ximing nodded inwardly as realization suddenly dawned on him, So... it was no coincidence that Zhouwei obtained the [Art of Perfecting the Sleeve Estate] from the Cui Family. It was said to have come from the Immortal Mansion, yet it contains very little Bright Yang qi. It most likely originated from one of the True Dao arts collected there!

Grotto heaven and secret realm...

Li Ximing's heart stirred. He and Li Zhouwei had considered this matter long ago. Although their family now ranked among the notable powers of Jiangnan and their cultivation methods were not necessarily inferior to anyone else's, their foundations remained shallow when it came to such immortal secrets. They did not even possess a method for traversing the great void, much less one concerning grotto heavens and secret realms.

Li Ximing had originally pinned his hopes on Li Quewan. Hearing this news did not disappoint him, and he nodded to himself as he thought, Even if this spiritual aura does not persist for a hundred years, fifty years would be enough... With the aid of the talisman seed, Quewan will certainly have enough time. As for an art for establishing a secret realm...

Spirit items and spirit materials could always be found eventually, but such secret techniques were priceless and often existed only in the repositories of great powers. This was the true cause for concern, yet Li Ximing smiled inwardly.

Other places may not have one, but the Realm of Sun and Moon Radiance might!

Back then, they had destroyed Changxiao Gate, eradicated its lineage, and slain Chengyan, earning fifty-seven immortal merits. Combined with what they had already possessed, they had exchanged the merits for the [Imperial Book of Radiance-Slaying for Myriad Chariots], leaving twelve remaining. Although their achievements in the recent battle on the river had not been particularly conspicuous, they had still brought down Daisi and crippled Chilu, while countless monks had perished in the battle. The immortal merits they earned surpassed even those from the battle against Chengyan, reaching a total of sixty-five.

We likely will not need to worry about immortal merits in the future. The only issue is finding a plausible origin for the art!

As his thoughts turned, a hint of secret delight arose in his heart.

The [Art of Perfecting the Sleeve Estate] is an Art of the Sleeve Estate. It would not be wrong to call it a small secret realm. If this spiritual aura is greatly beneficial to elevating secret realms, it should also substantially reduce the cost of cultivating this art...

While Li Ximing pondered his family's affairs, he expressed his gratitude. "To share such closely guarded secrets without reservation... You have my gratitude, fellow Daoist!"

Tinglan shook her head and smiled. "With the blessed land entering the world, Quexi has also emerged from seclusion. She has cultivated diligently over the years and possesses deep fortune, so she has already reached the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. For the past few days, she has been asking to return to the lake for a visit. However, Wenqing thinks highly of her and took her straight to the imperial capital. It will be several more days before she returns.

"However... there is another junior..."

With a sweep of her sleeve, Tinglan opened the palace doors. A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator swiftly entered the hall. He was tall and thin, but carried himself with great propriety.

Somewhat overcome with emotion, he bowed before them and said respectfully, "This humble one is Ding Mu. Greetings, Daoist Master. Congratulations on your great advancement in divine ability."

Tinglan smiled and explained, "He came from your lake. Although he has lived rather poorly in the gate over the years, he has not disappointed us. When he heard that I was coming to the lake, he knelt outside my cave dwelling for several days, insisting that I bring him along so he could express his gratitude."

Li Ximing smiled with interest. "So it was you..."

Back when the cultivators of Purple Smoke Gate came to the lake to construct formations, a romantic and amorous Daoist Cao had taken a widow from the lakeshore back with him, along with this orphan of the Ding Family, who went to Purple Smoke Gate to cultivate. The child had been small and scrawny at the time. Li Ximing had never expected him to grow into the man he was today!

"How is your mother?"

Ding Mu kowtowed and answered respectfully, "The spiritual qi on the mountain is abundant, but mother was not so fortunate and passed away long ago. Once master entered seclusion, no one knew when he would emerge, so he did not even see her one last time. I handled her funeral arrangements myself and have remained on the mountain cultivating ever since. It has been about ten years now..."

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