Chapter 31: Ancestral Worship Ceremony

Zhang Sheng picked up a blank jade paper and shot a streak of blue sword qi from his fingertip; a visualization map appeared on the paper.

He handed the jade paper to Wei Yuan and said, “After much deliberation, I have decided to grant you the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Map as the foundation for your Body Casting. Study this visualization map carefully. When you cultivate, use it as a bridge to connect with heaven and earth, drawing in spiritual energy to forge your body. To establish such a connection during the Body Casting stage, harnessing the flow of fate, is an exceptional cultivation art. But fortune harbors misfortune—its dangers far exceed those of other arts. No matter what visions or sensations arise during cultivation, hold fast to your original heart and spiritual sense; never panic or fear.”

After giving these detailed instructions, Zhang Sheng took out three pills and said, “These three Purifying Heart Pills were specially obtained for you; they can slightly improve your innate constitution. With three days left until the Ancestral Worship Ceremony, take one each day—it will aid your worship of the Ancestor’s statue.”

Wei Yuan memorized the visualization map and began cultivating according to the art.

According to the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Map, the physical body is the foundation of all. The first step in cultivation is to manifest the visualization map within the mind sea; the size of the map’s scope reflects the quality of one’s foundation. Then, using the map as a basis, draw in spiritual energy and one’s own fate to forge the self. When both body and primordial spirit are fully forged and transformed into an immortal embryo, the visualization map ignites with life, becoming as real as the physical world. At this point, Body Casting is complete, and one may begin condensing the Dao foundation.

Wei Yuan’s mind was exceptional; in moments, he forgot self and world.

Zhang Sheng took out one Purifying Heart Pill and placed an incense burner before Wei Yuan, then dropped the pill into the furnace. The furnace bottom held charcoal; as it smoldered, a thread of pill fragrance drifted from the vent, forming a single line that entered Wei Yuan’s nose as if endowed with spirit.

Wei Yuan’s vision had been pitch black, but now he smelled the pill fragrance. As it entered his body, it instantly turned into warm threads, slowly spreading through his limbs and bones, filling him with indescribable comfort. Under the fragrance’s influence, a faint glow stirred in his mind sea, illuminating a small realm—where he faintly saw a large stone, upon which sat a jade toad, and just above, a full moon hung.

After successfully manifesting the visualization map, the threads of pill fragrance found their direction, each flowing into the map, making it clearer and more stable.

Wei Yuan continued reciting the cultivation incantation; after an unknown time, his vision suddenly blurred, and the scenery changed entirely.

Wei Yuan now felt he had become the jade toad himself, his eyes fixed only on the moon in the sky, continuously inhaling and exhaling toward it. The sensation was utterly real—he could no longer tell whether he was man or toad.

Fortunately, he remembered Zhang Sheng’s warning: no matter what strange visions appeared, remain at ease, let no ripples disturb his original heart.

In Wei Yuan’s eyes, now transformed into the jade toad, the moon in the sky was no longer a flat, false disc, but a vast sphere, seemingly within reach. Threads of lunar radiance continuously spilled from the moon, swallowed by Wei Yuan in great gulps, becoming part of his body.

After another unknown span of time, while still inhaling lunar radiance, Wei Yuan suddenly felt his body had grown larger, and the small realm around him had become cramped—even turning his body was difficult.

At that moment, Wei Yuan heard a chime. His spiritual sense withdrew from the jade toad and returned to his physical form, and Zhang Sheng’s voice sounded in his ear: “Enough.”

Wei Yuan ended his cultivation and rose. Only then did he see dawn light through the window—unaware, an entire night had passed.

Zhang Sheng inquired about his cultivation experience, offered a few pointers, then told Wei Yuan to rest. Wei Yuan was not yet at a stage where cultivation could replace sleep, so he returned to his bedroom and slept. An hour later, he awoke naturally.

During the day, Zhang Sheng taught Wei Yuan cultivation basics; at night, Wei Yuan cultivated alone.

On his second cultivation session, Wei Yuan was far more proficient. Soon, he forgot self and world again, transforming into the jade toad.

He again felt the cramped space around him, as if trapped in a cage, struggling to turn. Unable to move, he could only force himself to inhale and exhale lunar radiance. Each gulp made his body feel denser. As he continued, he suddenly saw a colossal shape faintly emerging from within the moon—then a familiar black mist appeared in the lunar radiance, swallowed whole by Wei Yuan.

As the black mist entered his belly, Wei Yuan’s perception expanded slightly, finally crossing the invisible barrier and extending into the void. Floating in the void were countless invisible particles, which his consciousness could draw, merging them into the ground beneath him. As more particles were drawn, the ground beneath Wei Yuan slowly expanded, and the constriction around him lessened.

In Wei Yuan’s mind sea now stood a patch of land, roughly ten feet square, with a large stone upon it, a pure white jade toad crouched, inhaling lunar radiance. At the edge of the stone’s land, a new patch—palm-sized—began to solidify from void to substance.

As soon as the new land solidified, Zhang Sheng awakened Wei Yuan. As usual, he asked about the cultivation process, then judged that the shadow Wei Yuan saw in the moon was a reflection of his own fate, and the black mist mixed with the lunar radiance had been drawn from Wei Yuan’s own fate.

On the third day of cultivation, the same occurred: from the start, Wei Yuan saw the shadow in the moon, and as he inhaled lunar radiance, he continuously drew in black mist, and a new ring of land formed beneath him.

The three days of cultivation passed in a flash; all the Purifying Heart Pills were used up. Now came the Ancestral Worship Ceremony.

That morning, Wei Yuan finished his preparations early, then sat in quiet meditation for half an hour under Zhang Sheng’s guidance, purifying his heart and sincerity, before heading toward the Ancestor Hall.

The Ancestor Hall stood atop a high mountain, its rocks jagged and strange, a waterfall cascading from the heavens, finally pooling into a mirror-like lake at its base. Everywhere on the mountain bloomed colorful trees, their exotic fragrance filling the air; any mortal who stayed even briefly, breathing the flowers’ scent, could extend their life by ten years. A staircase of green jade wound upward through the mountain, leading straight to the summit.

Zhang Sheng carried Wei Yuan with Daoist art; in a single breath, Wei Yuan’s vision blurred, then cleared again—he was already a hundred zhang away. Wei Yuan strained to discern it, finally realizing that during the blur, the surroundings were actually flashing past at incredible speed, too fast to perceive clearly.

Even with Zhang Sheng’s speed, it took some time to reach the Ancestor Hall. By then, hundreds had already gathered in the courtyard before the hall.

The Ancestor Hall stood a hundred zhang tall; its two red copper doors reached thirty zhang high—who could possibly need such towering gates?

The hall’s doors stood wide open. Inside, the Ancestor’s statue was thirty zhang tall, depicting a young cultivator, even with a touch of youthfulness. It was said the Ancestor had formed his Dao foundation before reaching adulthood, so his appearance had frozen then, unchanged until his ascension. The statue held one hand behind its back, the other clutching a scroll, with four immortal swords floating around it.

The statue was astonishingly lifelike—its robes seemed truly fluttering in the wind. Even more astonishing, the four immortal swords floated in midair with no visible support.

Wei Yuan was led by a ritual Daoist to the hall’s outer courtyard, where he joined all newly admitted disciples, waiting to be called.

The ritual Daoist called names one by one; new disciples worshipped in batches, grouped by region—some in fives, others in sevens or eights.

The entry guidelines given to new disciples detailed the worship ritual: each disciple must kowtow seven times, then silently recite the offering text. The text was roughly a thousand characters, recounting the Ancestor’s deeds, describing the current state of the mortal world, and expressing the disciple’s sincere intent to cultivate. The entire text contained no incantations—but if a new disciple’s heart was pure and sincere, and their foundation and fate strong, they might gain the Ancestor’s favor and receive a gift.

Once, Zhang Sheng had received two sword qi from the four immortal swords, using them as a foundation to achieve immortality, causing a great sensation.

(End of Chapter)