Hidden moth

Chapter 311 The Fragrance of Fragrance Continues for a Thousand Years

As soon as He Kao entered the gate of the Awakening Flower Cave, he heard Wei Luo's voice in his primordial spirit, filled with undisguised joy: "You've arrived?"

He Kao immediately realized that Steward Wei was currently in charge of the array core in the cave, which was why he was able to transmit messages remotely and simulate a divine sense technique that was only mastered by a sixth-level cultivator.

He nodded and smiled at the air, "How have you been lately?"

Wei Luo: "That's great. We've been waiting for you. I heard you've already broken through to the fifth level of cultivation?"

He Kao: "How did you know?"

Wei Luo: "Elder Li brought the news yesterday that you were attacked in the Bashan Medicine Garden, but you managed to kill the assassin... Are you alright?"

He Kao: "Nothing's wrong at all, I'm perfectly fine."

Wei Luo: "I was relieved to see you just now. It turns out you really are alright. Yesterday, Elder Li said you claimed to have suffered severe internal injuries..."

Just then, a very abrupt voice interrupted, like a broken line on a phone call. Jiang Daozhen said with his divine sense, "You two are having a good chat, huh? Did you forget why you came here?"

Wei Luo quickly said, "Oh dear, Elder Jiang and Grandmaster Guo are waiting for you at the Ancestral Hall!"

He Kao did not use his teleportation ability, nor could he use it under Wei Luo's remote monitoring. However, as a fifth-realm cultivator, he was not slow. He passed through the canyon path between the two mountains, entered the plain basin in the mountains, and arrived in front of the Ancestral Hall.

The Lingxi Sect has had very few disciples throughout its history. Although it has created some cave dwellings and medicinal fields, most of them are cleverly integrated with the natural environment and are scattered throughout the vast cave world, making them inconspicuous.

He Kao did not encounter any other sorcerers along the way; they might be cultivating in the deep mountains, or Elder Jiang might have deliberately sent them away.

The layout and scale of the sect's ancestral hall were the same as those of the other seven major sects. The main gate was open, and Elder Jiang guided him with his divine sense to the central main hall to first offer incense to the ancestral masters of all generations.

Although He Kao was not a disciple of the Lingxi Sect, he was, after all, Jiang Daozhen's successor.

After passing through the second gate and entering the central hall, two elders were standing in the hall. He Kao first bowed to them, then stepped forward, picked up three sticks of incense from the table, lit them, and offered them as a sacrifice.

The altar in the center of the main hall is very simply furnished, with only one memorial tablet inscribed with "The Tablet of the Ancestral Masters of All Dynasties".

The standard way to light the incense for awakening the mind is not with a lighter, but by igniting it with magical power. It is smokeless, and only divine sense can perceive its slowly spreading, wondrous effects, which are all absorbed by the ancestral tablets enshrined on the altar.

After the incense for waking the spirits was lit, Jiang Daozhen waved his sleeve, and several rows of chime-shaped ritual instruments were hung on the shelves on both sides of the main hall. The chime stones rang out, playing a complete sacrificial melody, an ancient tune that He Kao had never heard before.

He Kao took three steps back, knelt on the cushion, and performed a deep bowing ceremony. The music entered his ears, and his primordial spirit was at peace. A divine thought imprint was planted in his mind.

He Kao had already received most of the contents of this Divine Mind Seal, which is the Lingxi Technique and various application techniques of the Lingxi Sect.

Usually, such a ceremony of bestowing a Dharma is held when a disciple breaks through to a higher level and is summoned to enter a grotto-heaven. It is also known as the second inheritance. Jiang Daozhen took the opportunity to arrange it for He Kao today.

Although He Kao was not a disciple of the Lingxi Sect, the patriarch did not say that it was not allowed. If anyone had any questions, Jiang Daozhen's answer was always that the patriarch would bestow blessings.

Hmm, there seems to be something else here?
After receiving the divine mind imprint, Wei Luo took the opportunity to whisper a few words to him, explaining some intricacies related to this secondary inheritance ceremony and the awakening incense.

When Li Xiuyuan asked He Kao what reward he wanted last time, besides the Qi Ling Dan and Hua Xing Dan for research, He Kao wanted the Awakening Incense, which would be helpful for his cultivation.

He Kao is worshipping the ancestral master today, and the incense he lit happens to be an incense to awaken his spirit.

Few disciples of cultivation sects use the "Awakening Incense" to help them cultivate, because it takes many years to see noticeable results. Its advantage is that it nourishes the primordial spirit, but its disadvantage is that it is very costly.

When a third-realm sorcerer cultivates, lighting one stick is enough each time; when a fourth-realm sorcerer cultivates, three sticks need to be lit each time.

As for the Awakening Incense after breaking through to the fifth level or even higher, it still has a helpful effect, but there is no need for more, and there is no such thing as increasing it to six or nine sticks, because it is only an auxiliary item after all, and cultivation still mainly depends on the cultivator himself.

The Zongfa Hall has a dedicated team responsible for refining the Awakening Incense, maintaining a certain inventory year-round; otherwise, Elder Li wouldn't have given He Kao so much at once.

However, the incense for awakening the spirit refined by the ancestral hall rarely circulates outside, because it is an essential item used in the ancestral hall for ancestral worship.

When He Kao offered incense just now, there were already three lit sticks of incense in the incense burner. Wei Luo told him that this was also one of the daily tasks of guarding the cave, to ensure that incense burned continuously in the main hall 24 hours a day.

Its function is to refine and nurture the divine thoughts left by the ancestor in the cave. The divine thoughts and imprints that He Kao just experienced in the second inheritance came from these divine thoughts.

The thought of controlling the gods was left by the patriarch with great supernatural powers, but it will gradually dissipate over the long years.

Although this process is extremely slow and can last for thousands of years, the more activity the living beings in the cave engage in and the more intense the fluctuations in their spiritual energy and magical power, the faster it dissipates.

The most significant impact is on the secondary inheritance ceremony. If it is held more than a hundred times in a row, the divine will left by the ancestor may be completely erased.

Therefore, the various schools of magic have set up special rituals to use incense to warm and refine the spirit, protecting the divine seal of inheritance from being weakened... All major schools of magic have regulations that the incense in the ancestral hall must be burned continuously year after year.

In fact, the situation varies from sect to sect. For sects like Guanshen, which has the most disciples, it is very necessary for the ancestral hall to be constantly filled with incense 24 hours a day. But for sects like Lingxi, which has the fewest disciples, doing so would definitely be a waste.

But this is the tradition of the sect, which gives its disciples a sense of belief that the tradition will continue uninterrupted. They cannot simply calculate whether a few sticks of incense were wasted.

He Kao did some mental calculations. One stick of incense could burn for an hour. If three sticks were lit at the same time, thirty-six sticks would be needed every day, and thirteen thousand one hundred and forty sticks would be needed every year.

At the "friendship price" Lin Qingshuang helped him buy the Awakening Incense, each stick cost 5,000 yuan, which is equivalent to 65.7 million yuan per year. And this is just the expense of one sect; the total for the seven sects is close to 460 million yuan.

Fortunately, the sect is large and powerful enough to afford it, but this stuff cannot be purchased in large quantities from outside, so the clan hall has to assign a special team to be responsible for processing and refining it.

He Kao couldn't help but think of the painting "Tan Xian Leaning on His Staff". No wonder Tan Zu in the painting only reacted when he worshipped him with incense according to traditional rituals.

Then he thought of his own Piaocai Cave Heaven, where there was also the divine thought left by the ancestor, which could communicate with the central hub of the cave heaven so that disciples could receive a second inheritance.

In the future, the Ancestral Hall can be built, and corresponding formations and rituals can be arranged to make it a fixed ceremony... The Hidden Moth Sect has been extinct for a thousand years, and the Floating Color Cave has been unvisited for a thousand years. The divine thoughts left by the Ancestral Master have dissipated very slowly. It is enough to offer incense at a fixed time every day. From a practical point of view, there is no need for incense to be burned continuously for 24 hours.

After all, the Hidden Moth Sect had very few disciples a thousand years ago, and even fewer who could accept a second inheritance.

According to the information provided by Wei Luo, the seven major magic sects have maintained their incense offerings for at least two thousand years, even during times of internal strife within the magic sects.

If conditions permit in the future, the Hidden Moth Sect may consider doing so. However, it is not possible with just the current few people. If the Hidden Moth lineage were to return to the magic sect, this one thing alone would be too costly, and it might even require the support of resources allocated by the Clan Law Hall.

Leaving aside the incident of Wei Luo taking the opportunity to spread rumors, after the worship was completed, He Kao did not get up immediately. Instead, he turned to Jiang Daozhen and bowed deeply, asking, "It's been a long time since I've seen you, sir. How are you?"

Jiang Daozhen chuckled and stepped forward to help him up: "I've been too busy lately, otherwise I would have wanted you to come and meet me a long time ago. I heard you just broke through to the fifth realm of cultivation, so now is the perfect time for you to come."

Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Elder Guo of the Subtle Entry Sect…”

Before he could finish speaking, He Kao knelt down swiftly, his forehead touching the ground in a deep kowtow: "Junior He Kao pays respects to Grandmaster Guo. I have long admired your name and your esteemed demeanor. I am finally fortunate to meet you in person!"

Jiang Daozhen, standing to the side, was somewhat stunned. Why was this child being so well-behaved today? Given Guo Qianhuai's status and his special relationship with He Kao, it was only right that he would perform such a grand ceremony, but he hadn't finished his introduction yet.

Guo Qianhuai laughed heartily, glanced at Jiang Daozhen, clearly very satisfied, and waved his sleeve to help He Kao up, asking, "Tell me properly, what great name have you long admired about me, and what kind of demeanor have you heard of this old man?"

That rhetorical question was a bit shameless, but He Kao responded naturally: "Elder Li told me a few days ago that in the Jinghua Cave, you and three other elders used a magic array to trap and kill the Xiaomeng experts who came to launch a sneak attack."

"And the animal claw pendant I've worn since childhood was also your creation. I've never had the chance to thank you in person, but today I finally have the opportunity..."

Guo Qianhuai laughed even more heartily: "You already know about this! It wasn't just my achievement. Elder Jiang and Elder Li were both involved in refining the pendant."

Then, changing the subject, "Elder Li came by yesterday. I heard you obtained a precious mirror at the Bashan Herb Garden?"

He Kao quickly extended his left hand, the lines on his palm transforming into a mirror, which he presented with both hands: "This is the magical artifact; I've already named it the Reflection Mirror..."

He was actually a little puzzled. They had only just met and hadn't said anything else, yet Guo Qianhuai wanted to look at the mirror. But then he thought, this senior is the most outstanding weapon-refining master in the current arts world, so this kind of thing is probably what he's most interested in.

He not only handed the mirror to Elder Guo, but also shared his insights on the ritual.

Guo Qianhuai's attention was immediately drawn to the mirror, and he held it in his hands, fiddling with it repeatedly. Jiang Daozhen asked somewhat anxiously, "Uncle-Master, is this a replica of the Bone-Penetrating Mirror?"

Guo Qianhuai didn't even look up and said, "It's rare to hear you call me 'Uncle-Master'. Don't you usually call me Senior Brother Guo or Guo Dachui?"

In terms of seniority, Guo Qianhuai was a generation older than Jiang Daozhen, but he wasn't much older. The two had known each other since childhood, and when they were young, Guo Qianhuai would often deliberately put on airs as a senior to Jiang Daozhen to annoy him.

Therefore, apart from public ceremonial occasions, Jiang Daozhen was unwilling to call him "Shishu" (a respectful term for a senior martial brother), preferring to call him "Shixiong" (another respectful term for a senior martial brother) or use his nickname. Now that he is older and has gotten used to it over the years, Guo Qianhuai no longer minds it.

Jiang Daozhen ignored this and continued, "Although Li Xiuyuan is skilled in alchemy, he is not skilled in weapon crafting, so Uncle Guo still needs to examine him carefully."

Guo Qianhuai finally raised his head and said, "It should be a replica of the Bone-Penetrating Mirror, there's no mistake!"

Jiang Daozhen breathed a sigh of relief: "This is a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect my plan to succeed ahead of schedule."

Guo Qianhuai: "Shall we continue?"

Jiang Daozhen: "Will there be a second one of these counterfeits?"

Guo Qianhuai: "Although it's not the Bone-Penetrating Treasure Mirror, even I would have a hard time creating a replica of this quality. The craftsman's skill level is clearly above mine. It must be the work of some ancestor of the Free Alliance. It would be quite an achievement to be able to create one!"

Jiang Daozhen: "So if someone wants to do something else, they'll have to use the Bone-Penetrating Mirror?"

Guo Qianhuai: "I can only say that maybe, but no one can guarantee that things will definitely turn out the way you think."

Jiang Daozhen: "I understand that principle... shall we continue with the arrangements?"

Guo Qianhuai didn't speak, but nodded while looking at the mirror in his hand. Then he turned to He Kao and said, "Little Kao, could I take this mirror and study it for a while?"

He Kao: "If you find it useful, please feel free to take it."

Guo Qianhuai: "I don't know how long it will take to study it, and it's more likely to cause some damage. Even if it can be returned intact, you'll probably need to refine it again."

Guo Qianhuai wanted to personally refine the precious mirror in order to fully master its wondrous uses. In this way, He Kao's day and night of refining would be wasted, and he would have to start all over again.

That's not so bad. What's truly worrying is that this precious mirror might be damaged. Magical artifacts are very difficult to break under normal use, but who knows what this master craftsman intends to do with it?

He Kao did not hesitate and readily replied, "Please feel free to study it, it doesn't matter if you break it."

Jiang Daozhen, however, grew a little anxious and interrupted, saying, "Uncle-Master, this thing is quite rare. As I just said, even you yourself might not be able to forge it..."

Guo Qianhuai waved his hand and said, "There's no need to imply that I'm being unfair. What kind of person am I? Would I take advantage of a child?"

"He Kao brought this precious mirror today, which was a pleasant surprise. But to tell you the truth, whether or not the mirror exists, my things were already prepared long ago!"

Wei Luo chimed in, "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right! Just ask around and you'll find out that in the current world of martial arts, Grandmaster Guo can be considered the greatest talent!"

Guo Qianhuai was amused and took out something, smiling as he said to He Kao, "This Four Seasons Flower Screen is my gift to you."

He Kao was overjoyed, thinking to himself that it was just as he had imagined. He knelt down on one knee and accepted the gift with both hands, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Guo, for bestowing this weapon upon me!"

**
(End of this chapter)