Chapter 1: The Opening Incantation

  The Kuanglu Mountains stretch for thousands of miles, majestic and towering, with few human footprints. Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, several temples and Taoist monasteries are hidden within.

  "Tomorrow is the inauguration ceremony, finally waiting for this day!"

  Seven or eight fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boys, wearing loose Taoist robes, walked out of a Taoist temple, with smiles on their faces that were as pleasant as the spring breeze. Their loud laughter broke the silence here, and the echoes reverberated among the peaks.

  It can be said that young people don't know the taste of sorrow. Just looking at them for a moment, you will feel great and full of hope!

  "After the opening, we will be a real immortal cultivator!" A thin and small boy said excitedly, his expression showed a lot of expectation and excitement, but also a little worry: "I'm afraid I won't be able to draw a good opening talisman."

  "Yes, although I have three talismans in my hand, whether I can draw a high-quality talisman is uncertain! If I had Brother Zhao's skills, it would be no problem!" The white and fat boy walking at the back said with envy.

  "Hey, it's all because you're lazy every day! Who told you not to be as diligent as Zhao Shixiong?"

  "Right, Zhao Shixiong, what kind of talisman are you planning to draw? I want to try the mid-tier fire attribute talisman, don't know if it'll be successful."

  "Hey, you're really arrogant! Can you even draw a mid-level talisman? Zhao brother is still somewhat decent!"

  "It's not necessarily so, there are three chances after all! Of course we have to give it a try, Brother Zhao, don't you think?"

  The boys chattered incessantly, but the Zhao boy with a delicate appearance surrounded in the middle remained smiling and silent, with a calmness that was inconsistent with his age flowing between his eyebrows.

  ……

  At the inner end of each person's eyebrows, one inch in, there is a hidden aperture called the Ancestral Aperture, which is the lock of the spirit and soul.

  The mortal's ancestral aperture is blocked by worldly dust and impurities, unable to sense the existence of the heavenly and earthly primordial energy, let alone cultivate immortality.

  "Opening the Ancestral Aperture and Illuminating the Divine Light", abbreviated as "Opening the Light", refers to the process of opening up the ancestral aperture, clarifying the mind and seeing one's true nature, which is also the first step in cultivation.

  In the vast world, there is nothing strange that doesn't exist. Some people are born with their apertures open and can see divine light, which is the innate light and extremely rare cultivation genius. However, such people appear ordinary on the surface, just like other mortals, and if they are buried among the crowd without encountering any immortal fate, it's a great pity.

  There are also people who, although not born with innate wisdom, have read extensively and traveled far, accumulating rich experiences. One day, suddenly, they experience a profound awakening, as if the heavens have opened up to them, and their minds become enlightened. This is the light of great wisdom. Such individuals, once they embark on spiritual practice, will make rapid progress, with extraordinary intuition; however, people like this often miss the optimal age for spiritual cultivation and find it difficult to encounter a suitable master.

  Of course, such situations are extremely rare!

  For the vast majority of people who are determined to cultivate themselves, the empowerment has specific methods and means.

  This group of young people are from the Yuán Fú Zōng, a Taoist immortal sect that mainly cultivates by controlling and driving talismans. When disciples in the sect open their spiritual aperture, it is done through the form of "Opening Light Talismans".

  The talisman is very special and must be drawn by the disciple himself, and cannot use ordinary pen and ink, but uses his fingers as a brush and his own blood as ink to draw a Taoist symbol that will affect his life.

  It was night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. On the New Show Peak, it was exceptionally quiet. The future disciples of Yuanfu Sect were all bathing and changing clothes, calming their minds and focusing their spirits to prepare for drawing the talisman. The impatient young man had already eagerly taken out the talisman paper, eager to try.

  That young man with the surname Zhao, Zhao Wuming, walked out of the wooden house alone.

  He looked up at the bright moonlight and smiled slightly: "The weather is fine, those preparations were not in vain!"

  Zhao Wuming quickly climbed the mountain and soon arrived at a strange rock formation near the summit. Among the rocks, there were two adjacent boulders of different heights that he had previously polished to be relatively flat, resembling natural stone pedestals and stools.

  Tonight, Zhao Wuming is about to create the first symbol of his life here.

  The talisman should dispel worldly dust, open the ancestral orifice, and communicate the spiritual soul of man with the primordial energy of heaven and earth. It emphasizes "heaven, earth, human, and harmony", so it must be drawn with one's own materials, and it is best to complete it in an environment closest to the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

  The ancient method says: the Tao is natural; therefore, drawing talismans under the moonlight on a mountain top is better than doing so in a wooden house with a lamp. This statement was seen by Zhao Wuming in a dusty old book in his study room. Probably because this point is too trivial and lacks substantial evidence, this view has not been taken seriously by the Yuanshu School.

  But Zhao Wuming didn't think so, he had a characteristic, either don't do it or do his best to make it perfect! If there was indeed some help, it would be worth spending some effort; even if it had no effect, at most it would just be a waste of time.

  Zhao Wuming sat down on a rock in the mountain, gazing up at the night sky, and suddenly let out a soft sigh.

  "It's been exactly three years since I came into this world!"

  Perhaps it was because tomorrow was the grand opening ceremony and he would officially embark on his immortal journey, at this moment he had a lot of feelings, past events also gradually floated to mind.

  He was originally named Li Muran, a scholar who came from a family of scholars and had a relatively affluent family background, so he didn't need to worry about food and clothing.

  Li Muran, although born into a wealthy family, was not like other spoiled sons who were arrogant and indulgent. From his youth, he was renowned for his extensive knowledge and exceptional intelligence, but he remained humble and unassuming, unaffected by worldly fame and wealth. His greatest pleasure lay in hiding away in his study, poring over the countless books accumulated over generations, often spending entire days and nights without stepping out of the door.

  Three years ago, on a quiet night, Li Muran was reading a newly purchased ancient book in his study as usual. Suddenly, Li Muran felt that the light in the study flashed, and a beam of light came out from a corner of the study.

  He followed the light and found an old copper mirror in a miscellaneous box; this copper mirror seemed inconspicuous, but it emitted a layer of milky white halo, very colorful.

  This copper mirror was seen by Li Muran long ago, and it is unknown which ancestor of the Li family bought it together with a pile of miscellaneous objects when purchasing ancient books and antiques, and piled them up in a corner of this study room, without anyone paying attention.

  Now the copper mirror emitted a brilliant light, which made Li Muran feel great wonder. He played with this copper mirror and examined it carefully. At this moment, the copper mirror suddenly burst out a strong light that was dazzling to the eyes. Li Muran subconsciously closed his eyes, feeling a sharp pain in his brain, and then he lost consciousness.

  When he came to, he found himself transformed into a twelve or thirteen year old Taoist boy who had "died and come back to life", known as Zhao Wuming.

  Not only has his identity changed, but the land he is on and the starry sky above him are also vastly different from before. Everything from before cannot be verified, no traces can be found, as if it were an elusive dream.

  "These three years, only this copper mirror has made me feel that it wasn't a dream!" Li Muran muttered to himself, at the same time taking out from his bosom a copper mirror the size of a palm.

  The surface of the copper mirror is not very flat, and there are some green rust spots. It looks very old at first glance. Three years ago, Li Muran came to this world with this copper mirror; in the past three years, Li Muran has always carried the copper mirror with him, occasionally taking it out to admire it repeatedly, but the copper mirror has never appeared to emit light on its own again.

  "Since I've come, then I'll make the best of it. Now that I've become Zhao Wuming and entered the Daoist sect, I must seize this opportunity to seek immortality and ask about the Dao!"

  Li Muran said, putting the copper mirror on a nearby rock, and then took out his identity bamboo card, a few pieces of broken silver, and other miscellaneous items, placing them to one side.

  Body without miscellaneous things, heart without miscellaneous thoughts, can make a symbol.

  Li Muran carefully unfolded the three green talismans, his eyesight was extraordinary, even under the faint moonlight, he could still see the fine wood grain lines on the talismans.

  This is a high-quality talisman paper made from the wood pulp of a thousand-year-old Ling tree, which has been finely ground and then steamed and filtered nine times to obtain its pure wood pulp. It is six inches six points in length and three inches three points in width, with each sheet being identical.

  Li Muran pressed his hand on the talisman paper, closed his eyes slightly, and carefully went through the process of making the talisman from start to finish in his mind.

  In order to create this symbol, he has gone through a lot of hardships in recent years and laid a solid foundation.

  It emphasizes concentration and tranquility, with quick eyes and hands, the whole process is like flowing clouds and water, so it has high requirements for hand strength, eyesight, and mental state.

  To train his eyesight, for three years, Li Muran braved the wind and rain, every day at dawn when the sun first rose, he would climb high and gaze far into the distance, using the purple energy of the morning to practice his eyes; this method of training one's eyes, if interrupted for even a single day, all previous efforts would be wasted, but Li Muran was able to persist for over a thousand days, finally achieving some small success, just this persistence and determination alone is something few people can match.

  To practice, he held a water bucket in both hands and stood still in the courtyard for one or two hours every day. After several years, not only was his arm strength superior to others, but also his force was extremely stable, without any slight tremble or deviation.

  As for cultivating the mind, the method is even more tedious, often requiring day and night meditation. For those restless young people, this is undoubtedly the most painful thing, but Li Muran can persist.

  A solid foundation gave Li Muran a significant advantage in the creation of talismans, which is also why his fellow disciples hold him in high regard.

  "With three talismans, I'll have three chances!" Li Muran thought to himself: "Let's give it a try!"

  He has more than 60% confidence that he can successfully create a mid-tier enlightenment talisman in one go, but he has higher expectations for himself.

  "The quality of the talisman is closely related to your future cultivation. If you can create a high-level talisman, that would be best!"

  Li Muran deliberated repeatedly, the high-level talisman required too much skill to use, with extremely high requirements for the eyes, hands, and heart. Even if he was diligent and laid a solid foundation, he only had a glimmer of hope to create a high-level talisman.

  The talismans made from the sacred paper were extremely precious, and each disciple only had three sheets, which meant he only had three chances.

  "Do it perfectly or don't do it at all!"

  Li Muran made up his mind to try and create a high-level talisman.

  Under the moonlight, on a mountain rock, one person sits alone, with a calm and concentrated spirit.

  What Li Muran didn't notice was that the copper mirror he had placed aside, under the moonlight, gradually revealed a faint layer of radiance.