Forty-six days.
It has been exactly forty-six days.
Li Qi traversed every inch of Guangyang.
Since then, he had been buried in organizing and refining the entire process for a grand ritual.
This was an extremely difficult task.
His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, but still bright. His face showed signs of fatigue, yet his movements remained swift and his reactions unaffected.
He immersed himself in countless scrolls, meticulously crafting every detail of the rituals.
Offering sacrifices to heaven by burning wood, burying offerings to earth, sacrificing cattle during seasonal changes, offering to the gods of cold and heat at altars, honoring the sun in the palace, the moon in the night sky, stars in hidden temples, praying for rain or drought relief, and honoring the gods of the four seasons and cardinal directions—all these constituted rituals.
Rituals were conducted to honor those who bestowed laws upon the people, those who served diligently until death, those who stabilized the nation through hard work, those who could defend against great disasters, and those who could ward off major calamities. Heaven, earth, the four corners, mountains, and rivers were honored according to their respective times.
These distinctions needed to be understood and arranged according to specific circumstances. A grand ritual required numerous smaller rituals and ceremonies, each needing to follow certain protocols, collectively completing the ceremony—a highly complex task.
Back when Li Qi was in Lǐ Prefecture, the annual river-opening ceremony was essentially a regularized ritual.
The entire city, with its millions of inhabitants, was mobilized, everyone playing their part. Each person's role, each faction's duty, and every time-specific activity were all planned out.
Even what to eat on that day was dictated by custom.
Such meticulous planning allowed the river-opening ceremony to benefit both the spirit of Lǐ River and the Prefect, while also benefiting people like Li Qi, the boatmen, who received rewards and meat.
Similarly, during Ghost Festival, the entire realm would simultaneously perform rituals, everyone burning paper, honoring ancestors, and offering sacrifices.
Such mass rituals, involving countless people, were incredibly complex, varying by region and country, yet these differences contributed to the overall grand ritual.
Just imagining coordinating such activities across the entire realm, with different roles assigned to everyone, and solidifying it into tradition...
How this spread throughout Tianxia remains unknown—it simply became "custom."
Now, Li Qi aimed to do the same thing, albeit on a smaller scale.
Wu Deity Mountain promoted the Ghost Festival globally.
Li Qi, however, had to plan for several million people in Guangyang, orchestrating everything they would do in one day.
On that day, everyone must follow his arrangements, performing various rituals, generating different effects, creating different types of qi.
These qi would converge at the central main altar under Li Qi's coordination, where subtle reactions between different qi would ultimately achieve his desired outcome.
The complexity was evident, requiring calculations beyond count.
Which rituals produced which types of qi, how these qi combined, what reactions ensued, and what effects followed—this chain reaction involved billions of nodes, each having different outcomes and interconnections.
Relying solely on reading was insufficient; small-scale trials were necessary.
Li Qi organized knowledge based on Guangyang's actual conditions, down to specific villages and neighborhoods within towns.
Though overly detailed planning risked errors, starting with precision and gradually adjusting improved error tolerance.
This multiplied his workload by tenfold but reduced risks effectively.
However, it meant he had to hurry.
Over forty days had already passed.
Delaying design work for a year would result in far more than ten thousand deaths from starvation.
Moreover, implementing the design would take even longer.
Speed was essential. Apart from necessary eating and resting, Li Qi devoted almost all his time to this task.
While Li Qi worked diligently, there was a knock on the door.
"Mr. Li... It's time for lunch," a maid entered with some meat soup and pies.
These meals were too simple for someone of Li Qi's status.
But it was his special request; dining formally would take too long.
Meat pies and soup with vegetables could be consumed quickly, very efficient.
"Oh, thank you," Li Qi looked up from endless documents, smiling as he accepted the food.
Li Qi had been buried in research for over a month.
During this time, apart from eating, he spent all his time reading materials gathered from various sources.
These included not only the book "Wu" but also ancient texts and secret documents from Wu Deity Mountain, including key points written by Grand Invokers detailing ritual methods and experiences.
Such benefits came from being part of a powerful force.
Even snippets from these books could spark intense competition outside.
Yet, Li Qi could freely browse and select from them.
These materials were far more extensive than expected, containing hundreds of millions of characters, each word carefully chosen. Every detail required thorough digestion, not skimming.
Some materials included images, recordings, and even holographic explanations simulating real scenarios, highly advanced.
But this took even more time.
He needed to quickly identify critical parts without delay.
Thus, except during meals, Li Qi read tirelessly, not missing a single word.
Even during meals, he ate while reading.
Tearing open a pie, gulping it down with soup in just over a minute, a meal was done efficiently.
The maid watched worriedly: "Mr. Li... This is too much. Shouldn't you rest?"
"No need to worry, you may leave," Li Qi shook his head casually.
"Yes," the maid left quietly.
Outside, Shen Shuibei sat at a stone table in the courtyard.
Seeing the maid come out, she turned: "Same response?"
"Same, Master... You might have to persuade him personally."
"No need to persuade. Why bother?" Shen Shuibei tilted her head: "You go, no need to return here. I'll handle it."
"Yes." The maid nodded and retreated nervously.
Avoiding this place was best.
That Mr. Li seemed to be doing something significant; being near him felt pressuring, making her heart race.
She felt nervous but relieved if she didn't have to come back often.
However, many said Mr. Li was a sage-like figure, unlikely to punish her severely for mistakes.
Hearing he was busy saving Guangyang made her doubtful.
Could one person truly save such a vast area?
With doubts, the maid left.
Meanwhile, Shen Shuibei tidied up and entered.
Li Qi frowned without looking up: "Anything urgent? Unless it's about meals, don't disturb me."
But it wasn't the maid's voice, it was Shen Shuibei's.
"It's me," she said.
"Oh?" Li Qi paused, looking up: "Ah, Miss Shen, why are you here?"
Shen Shuibei moved closer, sat beside him, picked up a book: "I'm here to help."
Li Qi laughed awkwardly: "You can't..."
"So teach me, I learn fast," Shen Shuibei replied matter-of-factly, flipping through the book.
Li Qi realized she was serious.
"These are secrets of Wu Deity Mountain, these books—" Before he finished, Shen Shuibei tapped his forehead.
Suddenly, a divine transmission appeared in his mind. He barely glimpsed the title:
"The Method of Chenji Golden Elixir"
This was... Luo Fu Mountain's foundational method?!
Previously mentioned:
Heaven has its center, unchanging, around which all stars revolve. Luo Fu Mountain uses this metaphor for the golden elixir, viewing oneself as the universe's center, with all things revolving around.
Focusing on self-purification, maintaining composure amidst temptations, achieving inner peace, and treating oneself as the center for cultivation.
Li Qi was stunned, but Shen Shuibei spoke:
"This is Luo Fu Mountain's core method. With this, Grand Invokers and Diviners shouldn't object."
Li Qi was speechless.
Shen Shuibei ignored him, studying the book intently.
Even starting from scratch, she believed her learning speed surpassed Li Qi's.
Li Qi took a deep breath.
Given Shen Shuibei's dedication, there was no need for further discussion. Speed up.
In the study late at night, only the sounds of reading and occasional questions filled the air.
"Sacrificial offerings?"
"Add during lifting."
"Oh."
Time passed.
Another month went by.
Li Qi truly felt Shen Shuibei's intelligence.
Her abilities were astonishing, grasping concepts instantly, easily deducing deeper insights, predicting correct answers among countless choices purely through intuition and reasoning.
Countless predictions and corrections helped Li Qi avoid many pitfalls.
Everything seemed stable here.
————————
Twenty more days passed.
However, things grew complicated with Le Ya.
As a fifth-rank Wu practitioner from Wu Deity Mountain, tasked as Bo Yue's guardian, he promised to assist Li Qi due to a misunderstanding.
Initially, he thought helping this promising young master complete an extraordinary ninth-rank ritual wouldn't be challenging.
This achievement would earn full marks at Wu Deity Mountain.
Whatever Li Qi needed, Le Ya provided.
Le Ya believed his strength could protect Li Qi from external interference.
Enemies like the Swallowing Heaven Demon Sovereign or national wars wouldn't dare interfere, risking severe consequences.
But the situation changed.
Shen Shuibei revealed the Chenji Golden Elixir Method.
What did this mean?
Headache.
Wu Deity Mountain wouldn't stoop to demanding personal property from a young master—it would be disgraceful.
Even if the method was crucial for operating the Sun-Moon True Lead Cauldron, owned by Luo Fu Niangniang, Wu practitioners valued integrity, refusing to exploit opportunities.
Regardless, whether it belonged to the young master or Luo Fu Niangniang, Wu Deity Mountain wouldn't touch it.
But Tang Dynasty might.
The cauldron held a secret, the reason behind Luo Fu Mountain's downfall.
With the revelation of the Chenji Golden Elixir Method, Wu Deity Mountain now had the means to operate the cauldron.
Without doubt, Tang Dynasty's Astronomical Bureau already knew through causal connections.
If this happened within the sect, it'd merely escalate tensions. But in Baiyue...
Le Ya covered his face in frustration.
He reported to the sect.
What happens next isn't his decision.
As for the young master's grand ritual...
Only fate knows.