Chapter 31: The Inheritance
As if sensing Li Qi's confusion, Mister Zhu explained while performing the inheritance:
"Divine Will Inheritance, in its earliest form, was designed to directly imbue disciples and followers with understanding. It carried a strong subjective inclination, even capable of directly twisting a disciple's path, turning them into a mere copy of the master, thereby cutting off their future development."
"Later, the Confucian sages proposed that the true essence of the Dao is universally applicable and transcends generations. Why then forcibly impose one's own understanding on disciples? Thus, this technique was later refined to transmit only the original texts, without excessive subjective interpretation."
"So, the inheritance won't rapidly improve your understanding, nor will it allow you to recite things by heart. But it will spare you the trouble of carrying stacks of books around every day. Isn't that convenient? It's like having the books directly installed in your mind, ready for you to consult at any time," Mister Zhu said with a smile.
Li Qi's expression, however, was subtle, as if he didn't know what to say…
What was there to say?
It seemed there was nothing to say. The people of this world… they weren't foolish at all. There were no loopholes for him to exploit or reforms to implement. It would be incredibly difficult to propose modifications based on his own knowledge…
However, this was rather normal. After all, while he might possess some novel ideas or different experiences, it would be sheer arrogance to think he could surpass the wisdom of this world.
The inheritance was almost painless. All that happened was that a method for cultivating as a ritual priest appeared in his mind. Its name was very simple, just one character: "Zhu" (Blessing).
However, when he delved into it, he suddenly felt… immense.
It was truly immense. It was as if what was in his mind was not merely a cultivation method at all, but an entire encyclopedia!
The sheer volume of information contained within was incredibly complex, almost unbelievably so. From the vastness of the Nine Provinces under heaven and astronomical phenomena, down to the smallest irrigation ditches, roads, plants, insects, and fish all were included.
Furthermore, there were rites and music, military and legal codes, agriculture, commerce, medicine, and divination, all of these were imprinted in his mind!
The cultivation portion even occupied only a small part.
The profession of 'ritual priest' itself refers to the person who presides over sacrificial rituals.
This 'Zhu' book was more of a database of knowledge that a 'ritual priest' practitioner needed to understand and know!
Various sacrificial rites, various artifacts, animals, plants, and rituals useful for sacrifices, even the forms of mountains and earth veins, methods for discerning different types of heaven and earth qi. In short, anything related to sacrifices was likely contained within!
Countless pieces of knowledge were not directly infused into his mind but rather stored there. He needed to read and memorize them himself to truly remember them. However, for now, he only needed to think and like searching a database, the information would appear after a slight delay.
For example, Li Qi now clearly understood the sacrificial significance of 'Lichun' (Start of Spring).
"On Lichun day, officials welcome the Goumang earth ox and the Goumang name the Awkward Spring Child. If he wears a hat, spring will be warm; otherwise, it will be cold. If the earth ox is red, it indicates drought; if black, flood. People compete to sprinkle it with red beans and five-colored rice to ward off illnesses for the year. The mud from the earth ox is used to smear the stove, to fatten the livestock."
There were also methods of sacrifice: blood sacrifice for the gods of land and grain, the five sacrifices, and the Five Sacred Mountains; immersing a badger in water for mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes; offering a flayed animal for the four directions and all things. With ominous rites, one mourned the sorrows of the nation; with funeral rites, one mourned death; with famine rites, one mourned calamities; with condolence rites, one mourned disasters; with purification rites, one mourned defeat in encirclement; with relief rites, one mourned banditry and chaos.
For instance, if one needed to perform a military sacrifice, it had to be done on mountains and rivers, with offerings made to the ancestral spirits of the community.
There were also various other sacrificial methods, broadly categorized as: life sacrifice, extended sacrifice, inclusive sacrifice, cyclical sacrifice, shaking sacrifice, profound sacrifice, ultimate sacrifice, comprehensive sacrifice, offering sacrifice, and so on.
It also detailed how to distinguish various malevolent spirits, such as calamity spirits, disaster spirits, great evil spirits, and so forth.
Furthermore, it taught techniques for observing the heavens and divining stars. For example, by observing the five colors of clouds around the sun, one could foretell good or ill fortune. By observing the winds of the twelve months, one could discern the movements of the heaven and earth qi and reveal auspicious or ominous signs that heaven and earth wished to portend.
In short, countless pieces of knowledge, including those pertaining to celestial worship, extended contemplation, and conferring titles, were all meticulously recorded.
Everything a ritual priest needed to do was clearly outlined.
However, many things Li Qi simply could not comprehend. Although they were recorded, he had no idea what they meant, much like an elementary school student looking at advanced mathematics, he would remain bewildered after a long time.
Compared to this vast and indescribable knowledge, the cultivation method was introduced in just a short section.
It was very simple: the cultivation method for ritual priests is divided into three branches: Heaven Spirits, Earth Deities, and Human Ghosts. The one Li Qi received was the Earth Deity branch.
One only needed to regularly offer sacrifices to mountains, rivers, and water veins, maintain respect for nature spirits, and act according to fixed rituals. By doing so, one could extract the power of the myriad things belonging to the Earth Deities, gather it within oneself, and store it in their body.
There was no dantian, no need for energy gathering points, and no need to compress energy from a gaseous to a liquid state. Many previously encountered notions were rendered useless.
Because, according to the book, the human body itself is a miniature heaven and earth, capable of containing a vast array of things. Symbolic "qi" and similar concepts are difficult to truly fill the small heaven and earth of the human body.
By cultivating in this manner, accumulating slowly, one could gradually come into contact with stronger and more numerous Earth Deities, gain more powerful strength and utilize more potent techniques.
Everything was so unhurried, natural, and not intense, nor were there any bottlenecks.
It was such a peaceful cultivation method that Li Qi could hardly believe it, a cultivation method that didn't require fighting or competing for resources to progress smoothly…
All those previous novels he read were for nothing.
This was the path of the Shamanic Dao.
However, though peaceful, there were still general distinctions in rank.
According to this book, there are countless methods in the world, each with different levels. Inferior ones, like the wave-breaking force, have an upper limit of only one level, and after mastering it, one can reach the standard of an adult in this world. Higher-level ones, like this 'Zhu' book, have an unknown upper limit.
Various methods have their own realms and levels. Even different orthodoxies have different classifications. Confucianism has its own grades, Shamanic Way has its own categories, and Taoism has concepts like Nascent Soul and Golden Core. The levels of these various cultivation methods are highly chaotic and difficult to distinguish from each other.
Therefore, the Sages established a rule: regardless of their original orthodoxy, all would be unified by a single standard, which was Ninth Rank up to First Rank.
Li Qi was perusing the book in his mind, but Mister Zhu couldn't wait any longer. He spoke again, "Everything that needs to be said, learned, and understood is within the Divine Will Inheritance. There's not much more to say about memorization. Now, let me introduce you to someone… oh, a demon." With that, he gently pulled someone from behind him.
(Chapter End)