Chapter 1024: Various Factions (I)
Li Ximing responded with a nod. Li Xuanxuan quickly wiped away his tears and said with a smile, "This is a joyous occasion, not one for tears. How is your divine ability?"
Li Ximing lightly waved his sleeve. A ray of heavenly light surged forth from his cuff, weaving through the hall's many ornaments. The entire great hall was bathed in brilliance, sealed from the outside by his divine ability.
"Bright Yang Art divine ability, Heaven-Venerating Gate!" Li Ximing said softly, "The Azure Pond Sect obtained the Dongli Secret Register from the grotto heaven of the Dongli Sect. They discerned long ago that I cultivated the Golden Palace Radiant Origin Manual, and they were aware of the many mysteries of my clan's Radiant Origin Pass, though at the time they paid it little heed.
"Yet they did not know that though I used the Golden Palace Radiant Origin Manual to build my Foundation Establishment, later I transformed my mana with the fifth-grade, same-essence Radiant Essence Scripture. It was also with this scripture that I achieved the Purple Mansion Realm. The divine ability born from it is called Heaven-Venerating Gate."
Li Xuanxuan looked slightly perplexed. After frowning in thought for a moment, he asked, "Then is there a difference between the divine ability attained through the Radiant Origin Pass? Could it be that different grades of Immortal Foundation, when breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm, yield different divine abilities?"
Li Ximing paused briefly, then spoke softly, "In truth, the difference is not that great. Aside from rare substitutions, any technique that can produce a divine ability is generally of fifth grade or higher. Whether it is Radiant Origin Pass or Heaven-Venerating Gate, they are both aspects of the same Bright Yang Dao divine ability, only with slight differences in what each excels at. As for sixth or seventh-grade manuals, perhaps their divine abilities are stronger, but I have never seen them."
The light at the center of his brows flickered faintly as he spoke in deep thought, "After cultivating this divine ability, I realized that a person's divine ability is tied more closely to their own Dao cultivation than to the manual itself. It gradually breaks free from the manual's constraints. Perhaps this is the difference between innate nature and destiny. When the Purple Mansion Realm touches upon destiny, it seems no longer bound by manuals."
Li Ximing paused again, speaking with some caution, "When I linked to the great void, I faintly sensed a premonition. It seems that the Purple Mansion and Golden Core Daos are bound by manuals, and that reaching the peak of the Purple Mansion Realm and breaking through to the Golden Core Realm is already the limit. Once one forges Metallic Essence and ascends to Fruition Attainment, manuals are no longer needed. From then on, everything depends solely on one's own cultivation."
He lifted the teacup, took a light sip, and continued, "Perhaps the ancient techniques of Qi Ingestion for nourishing one's nature, or spell arts beyond the Golden Core Realm, may offer further insight. But the Purple Mansion and Golden Core Daos ends with the Golden Core Realm. Once one ascends to Fruition Attainment and becomes a True Monarch, a single thought can transform heaven and earth. At that level, what manual could possibly offer them guidance?"
Li Xuanxuan nodded, calculated silently, and said quietly, "I have heard that the Answers to a Beggar's Questions Under the Mulberry Tree, bestowed by an immortal, is no more than seventh grade. Most likely, the truly exquisite manuals for the Purple Mansion and Golden Core Daos are those of fifth or sixth grade."