Soon it was the day of the clan sacrifice.
Early in the morning, the residents of the tribe were already bustling about, preparing for the sacrificial ceremony at noon, getting all the necessary offerings, incense burners, and so on ready.
The clan sacrifice is the most sacred and solemn festival in each tribe, held once every ten years. Today happens to be the arrival of another decade, so it is extremely grand and lively.
The old clan leader, Xuanyuan Chen, had tidied himself up and arrived at the square early. In front of him were a group of children of different ages. The youngest among these children was around six years old, and the oldest was no more than sixteen. There were both boys and girls, with more boys, including the old clan leader's grandson, Xuanyuan Taihao.
These were the children who were to participate in the sacrificial ceremony this year. They were to receive the blessings of their ancestors during today's sacrifice. It was said that the minimum age to participate in the sacrifice was six years old, and each person could only receive the blessing once in a lifetime.
On ordinary days, only the clan leader could enter the ancestral shrine. Only during the ancestor - worshiping ceremony could the children receiving the blessings and some of the tribal elders enter. Most people in the tribe could only enter it once in their lives. Therefore, while these children were extremely excited, they were also a bit nervous. Children are far more curious about the unknown than adults. But they just couldn't contain their curiosity, and as for what ancestor - worshiping meant to them, it wasn't something they cared about.
"Since our clan ancestors migrated the devastated clan here, they have always hoped that some outstanding figures could be born among the descendants, making the tribe prosperous and leading the clansmen to restore the former glorious scene. I don't know how many generations have passed, but each generation seems to be worse than the previous one," the old clan leader, Xuanyuan Chen, was whispering to the approaching elders. Then he continued, "Not to mention the appearance of a peerless genius, there are even pitifully few descendants with a foundation for cultivation."
One of the elders said, "Among us back then, you had the greatest hope. And you had already embarked on that path. It's just a pity that later..." His tone was full of unwillingness and anger. From his words, it was not difficult to imagine that the clan leader's past seemed to be full of stories.
Another elder, with a face full of regret, said, "It's a pity about those two children, Lingfeng and Jiyue. They originally had great hopes, but unfortunately..."
Hearing this, the old clan leader and several elders all had expressions of grief on their faces, as if they were reminiscing or feeling sorry.
After a moment of silence, the old clan leader said, "However, the two of them also left hope for the tribe. Hao'er has been very smart and quick - witted since childhood. He learns everything quickly, and his physique is much stronger than that of children of the same age. He should have a great chance. Moreover, this group of children is very strong, and they all have great hopes." The elders nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
...
In a flash, noon arrived. All the preparations were completed.
...
The sacrifice began. Curls of incense smoke rose, and the bell tolled leisurely.
"Present the offerings," as the old clan leader shouted, the elders placed the freshly slaughtered flesh and blood of rare and precious beasts in special stone vessels and placed them under a magnificent statue. The statue depicted a man holding a halberd - like weapon, with a well - defined face, sword - like eyebrows, and star - like eyes. One could tell from the statue that if this person were to appear, he would surely be a peerless and handsome man.
"The ancestors have passed away, but their bloodline endures. Time passes, and our remembrance remains. Do not forget, live in peace, and bear the bonds of our predecessors. Thoughts drive shadows, and hearts are filled with sorrow. We earnestly invite the hearts of our ancestors to descend. The sincere ones pray for a grand family feast. Bloodlines are connected, generations continue, and the power of the ancestors' souls appears..." Six elders wearing black sacrificial robes stood behind, and the old clan leader in a magnificent red sacrificial robe knelt in front of the statue of the ancestors, devoutly kowtowing and constantly chanting the sacrificial words. As they kowtowed and chanted, the blood used in the sacrifice gradually turned into wisps of red mist and was continuously absorbed by the statue.
As the blood mist was gradually absorbed completely, the statue became more and more majestic and sacred. A faint golden glow spread out around it. Seeing this, the old clan leader and the elders became even more devout and chanted more attentively.
Before long, the golden glow became even stronger. And a golden human - shaped虚影, very similar to the statue, appeared in the space behind it. Compared with the statue, it seemed more vivid and majestic, as if a god summoned by believers was about to cross time and space.
Seeing this scene, the old clan leader immediately ordered, "Let the children come in."
Then, led by an elder, seven children of different ages entered. They were all very nervous, including the child who was about to turn fifteen. It was their first time entering the ancestral shrine, and they were extremely curious, looking around from time to time. Only Xuanyuan Taihao seemed a little calmer.
Soon, they stood neatly under the statue. Between them and the statue was placed a half - person - high white jade stone with the words "Spiritual Perception" engraved on it.
"This stone is called Spiritual Perception, which implies the awakening potential of living beings. It can detect your innate potential. Your innate talents are evaluated according to the number of lit halos. There are only seven halos in total. The more halos, the stronger your innate talent, and the higher the probability of becoming a powerful person in the future. And it is connected to the statue. If you win the pity of the ancestors, you can obtain the inheritance method of the ancestors," the old clan leader explained to Xuanyuan Taihao and the others. Then he continued, "Next, you need to come one by one, drip your blood on the Spiritual Perception Stone, and then place your palm on it to see the reactions of the Spiritual Perception Stone and the statue of the ancestors."
The first to go was the youngest child, a snot - nosed boy named Xuanyuan Yichen, the youngest son of the hunting team leader, Xuanyuan Long. When he heard that he had to bite his finger, he was so scared that he stepped back again and again. Finally, the elders forcibly took his blood and pressed his hand on the Spiritual Perception Stone.
Suddenly, the Spiritual Perception Stone lit up with three halos. The fourth halo flickered on and off, and finally, it also gradually lit up. Although the light was a bit dim, there were four halos in total. This made the eyes of the old clan leader and the elders involuntarily become eager. Although there was no resonance with the statue of the ancestors, which was a bit disappointing, they were still very happy. It should be known that there had been no one with cultivation talent in the tribe for many years.
The second to go was Xuanyuan Ruixue. Her father was also a member of the hunting team. She was only seven years old, one year younger than Xuanyuan Taihao. She had liked to follow Xuanyuan Taihao around since she was a child. She was much braver than the snot - nosed boy. She went by herself. After the same steps, five halos lit up, proving that her talent was better than Xuanyuan Yichen's. Unfortunately, there was still no resonance with the statue.
However, in the subsequent tests, none of the children could make the Spiritual Perception Stone light up with three halos. Some children could only light up one halo, and the light was extremely dim. This also showed that the cultivation talents of these children were not as good as the previous two.
...
Finally, only Xuanyuan Taihao was left. He walked up to the Spiritual Perception Stone, dripped his blood, and then slowly placed his palm on it.
At first, there was no reaction. Everyone present stared at the stone, and there was a deathly silence. Just when people were extremely disappointed and had lost hope.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened.
The Spiritual Perception Stone, which had been motionless just now, suddenly trembled slightly and lit up with one halo.
Then the second one.
The third one.
The fourth one.
...
The seventh one.
It didn't stop. It didn't stop growing until nine halos lit up.
There was a deathly silence in the whole place. People didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Everyone stared without blinking, for fear of missing something. Then there was a burst of laughter and cheers. The depressed mood after the previous awkward silence was completely swept away. At the same time, they saw that the light had not gone out, and Xuanyuan Taihao was still standing there.
At this moment, Xuanyuan Taihao was in another space. All the people around him had disappeared. There was only a man with a majestic and domineering physique, a cold and handsome face, and sword - like eyebrows and star - like eyes. His demeanor was very similar to the man depicted in the statue in the ancestral shrine.
"Who are you? Where is this? Where did Grandpa Clan Leader and the others go?" Xuanyuan Taihao, encountering this situation for the first time, asked the man in front of him nervously.
"This is the consciousness space I left behind. What you see of me now is just an incarnation of a wisp of my consciousness before my death, not a living being. I left some inheritance here. Your ability to come here proves that you are a descendant of our Xuanyuan family and have extraordinary talent, so you can receive my inheritance," the man said.
After saying that, the man turned into a wisp of clear air and shot towards the center of Xuanyuan Taihao's eyebrows.
"Don't..." He only managed to say these two words, and before he could stop it, the wisp of clear air had already merged into his eyebrows.
....
Xuanyuan Taihao, who was beside the Spiritual Perception Stone, suddenly raised his hand and rubbed the center of his eyebrows. He didn't feel any discomfort.
At the same time, he found that he had returned to the ancestral shrine. The scene just now suddenly disappeared, and he thought he had just had an illusion.
But he found that there was suddenly something more in his mind. For a moment, he felt a bit dazed, and at the same time, he realized that what had happened just now seemed to be real.
Because in his memory, there was suddenly a cultivation method.
It was called "Xuanyuan Zhentian Jue"....