Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

The Li Family held a funeral draped in white and hemp, and Li Xihong followed the will without making it grand. However, Shanyue King Li Jiman hurried back and wept deeply in grief.

Whether the sorrow was real or feigned, at least he showed he cared. Supported to his feet by Li Xihong, the man had reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivating. Clearly, he had been earnestly cultivating these years.

Yet to the current Li Family, Qi Cultivators no longer counted as a key fighting force, merely aiding with tasks in the middle ranks. The fight for positions in the several Spirit Mountains was intense, with the numbers of Qi Cultivators even in the Jade Courtyard Guards reaching double digits in the last two years, making his Sixth Layer Cultivation seem rather insignificant.

Li Xijun had stood guard in the mountains for two months when suddenly, he saw the golden crow dazzling in the sky, a cloudless expanse of ten thousand miles. He lifted his arm and brushed his sleeve, dusting off some soot.

'Lake waters ripple for miles... Where is this dust coming from...'

He paused, his face showing surprise, as he sighed in his heart:

"Ximing has succeeded!"

Li Xijun hurried down and indeed saw brilliant golden light within the Cave Mansion, with the rustling of the wind. A man in a robe was standing with the support of a railing, young in appearance. Golden light and golden flames shuttled back and forth beside him, arriving on fiery steps, laughing as he said:

"I have cast my Taoist Foundation; six years of cultivation, and now, after twenty-seven years, I have achieved the 'Huanyuan Border'."

Li Ximing had broken through to Foundation Establishment more than half a month ago, spent some time stabilizing his Cultivation Level, and then emerged from his breakthrough. Li Xijun, after calculating the time, exclaimed in surprise:

"That's only... about three years. How difficult was it? Was it as if everything fell into place naturally? How did it happen so quickly!"

Li Ximing paused and pondered:

"Initially, it was very difficult. I struggled to consolidate it, and although there was a significant hope of success, it would still take five years no matter what."

"But a few months ago, I suddenly had visions of numerous golden lights. The Immortal Foundation within me began to condense spontaneously, tens of times faster than when I diligently cultivated. It quickly formed... I don't know what caused it."

As Li Xijun heard about the golden light, he suddenly remembered that "[Sunrise Ring]," and with a thoughtful expression, Li Ximing proudly began to explain:

"This Immortal Foundation is called the 'Huanyuan Border.' It captures Heavenly Light, seizes flame, treads on light dust, drives away evil, averts disasters, proliferates all things, and at night commands the... cough cough."

Caught up in his enthusiasm, he misspoke, then seriously began to explain:

"It possesses two marvelous abilities; the first is to [capture Heavenly Light], using the Heavenly Light for spells, which can outperform most Dharma Light."

With a pinch of his fingers, the Dharma Light in his hands indeed turned bright gold, as if he had cultivated some special Spell, dazzling and eye-catching. Li Xijun, who had cultivated the Pupil Technique, did not shy away, looked straight on, and nodded. Then Li Ximing continued:

"Second, called the [Minghuang Sun Gate], it can summon a bright and majestic gate that suppresses enemies. As the cultivation level becomes deeper, the gate grows longer and taller..."

He laughed and went on:

"As for techniques like fire manipulation, Yin Yang integration, and stepping on light dust, they're just minor tricks, hardly worth mentioning!"

After all, the 'Golden Hall Bright Yuan Art' is a Fifth Grade Cultivation Technique producing a mighty Immortal Foundation, offering a comprehensive improvement in all aspects. While there isn't a specialized Secret Manual for cultivation, it still surpasses Third and Fourth Grade techniques by a wide margin.

He was very proud, so much so that he didn't even notice the white gauze in the mountains at first, until he saw Li Xijun's face holding sorrow, and then belatedly realized the situation.

"This..."

He was stunned, and Li Xijun sighed:

"Please, Seventh Brother, accept my condolences."

Li Ximing shook his sleeves, suddenly understanding, and said:

"Oh!"

The voice of Li Ximing suddenly choked up, his heart's joy vanished into thin air. He stood still in the air for a few breaths before replying,

"When did it happen? Has Father been buried?"

He asked foolishly a couple of times and began to cry. As Li Xijun landed silently in the mountains, Li Ximing said,

"Eighth brother... I just wanted to let go for a little while, to see him again after reaching Foundation Establishment."

Since returning from the Xiao Family and having a big quarrel, Li Ximing had not seen his father again. Li Yuanping was filled with disappointment and stubbornly refused to see him. Li Ximing was very scared, procrastinating day by day, unwilling to face his father's countenance. Little did he think that this delay would last for years, and his father passed away without them having seen each other again.

Now walking through the cemetery, looking at a gray sea of tombstones, Li Ximing's face was covered with tears. His whole body shook from head to toe, covered in cold sweat that wouldn't stop for a moment.

He walked directly to Li Yuanping's tombstone, which bore fresh inscriptions of his life's accomplishments. Li Ximing collapsed to his knees weakly, while Li Xijun silently stepped back, wanting to give him some time alone, not expecting Li Ximing to groan,

"...Don't go..."

He had no choice but to stand silently as Li Ximing in front of him seemed more confused and terrified than sad, collapsed before this tombstone. He knelt for a long while, until the moon rose and the sound of raindrops fell from the sky. Only then did he startle.

Li Ximing quickly got up and looked around frantically, then, like fleeing, he flew off with the wind, stumbling back to his cave mansion. He tripped over the threshold twice, tumbling in front of the stone table.

On this table lay a stack of letters, all placed outside his chamber during his seclusion. Groggily, he grabbed one:

"When will Ximing emerge from seclusion? There are thirteen elixirs at home, the amounts need to be arranged. If there's a gap in your schedule, please come see me."

The handwriting was forceful, seemingly thoughtful, signed by his father, Li Yuanping, about half a year ago. Pulling out another, it read:

"Ximing, if you have finished your seclusion, please come see me."

This note was even more recent, about three months old. Li Ximing flipped through them one by one, fifteen letters in total, each more streamlined and urgent than the last.

The final letter, written just half a month ago, no longer called him Li Ximing. The handwriting of his father was no longer neat, but messy, and it said:

"My son, come quickly."

Li Ximing's heart had been filled with confusion and distraction, without much sorrow, but now regret spread through him like a tsunami. He threw the letter aside as if it was electrified, gasping for breath, he cried,

"Dad... Dad... I was wrong... Dad..."

In his mind, thunder roared, and everything before his eyes whirled around wildly, causing immense pain in his head. Li Ximing's fingers to toes trembled in fear, and the world was silent.

"Thump."

Li Ximing slowly regained consciousness to find himself sprawled on the table, his arms outstretched, pulling all the letters into his embrace, only to grasp at nothing as they rustled to the ground, the last one still hanging from his sleeve, four characters he could not bear to look at.

Li Ximing was only confused for a moment, his Foundation Establishment cultivation allowing him to regain his senses quickly. His face pale and expression blank, he stood still.

He had always been afraid to see his father, only daring to wait for his father to call him back.

But Li Yuanping was tough, holding out until the end. In these final moments of his father's life, the tone had changed from commanding excuses to gently inviting, from repeated requests to a final breath of lamentation—none of which Li Ximing had ever heard.

Li Ximing's mind was a mess. Only now, after all this time, did he realize what he had been reluctant to face, something he would never have the chance to confront for the rest of his life.