Yu Ci’s mind reverberated as a burst of inexplicable information, accompanied by a beam of light, poured in and suddenly activated, transforming into a short and clear set of sentences that ultimately formed a ritual formula. It explained how to regulate one’s breath, how to mobilize divine intent, and the method to harmonize the two, and finally how to apply them to the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror.
This… Yu Ci realized after organizing it in his mind more than ten times, was the ritual method for refining the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror!
This piece of information had been hidden in the mirror in some form all along, even when it fell into the hands of the Immortal Zi Lei and Chi Yin, it went undiscovered. Perhaps Yu Ci truly had some fortune, accidentally triggering the mechanism and receiving the information.
The ritual formula was quite concise, teaching step by step without any unnecessary explanations. Fortunately, Yu Ci had already learned the basic concepts from Ye Tu, so he was not completely in the dark. The concise narrative style suited him well, allowing him to follow the instructions without overthinking.
Yu Ci also noticed that there was one part of the ritual formula that was “nonsense” to him. This was the initial step, the “nurturing the mirror” phase, which involved harmonizing with the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror’s breath to merge their energies. The formula achieved this through a lengthy and complex ritual text, filled with praise for the so-called “Lord of Infinite Void,” stating that a sincere heart was needed to receive the deity’s response and activate the mirror’s powers.
However, Yu Ci obtained this ritual method too late. Instead of performing the ritual as instructed, he used the simplest method, keeping the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror close to him and constantly infusing it with true Qi to obtain the green light as a guide for drawing symbols.
After twelve years of daily interaction, the mutual blending of their natures and energies naturally occurred, bypassing the ritual steps. When Yu Ci reached the divine connection realm and met the basic requirements for refining, everything fell into place.
This was also the fundamental reason why the Immortal Zi Lei and Chi Yin couldn’t unlock the mirror’s magical effects—given their status, how could they carry a mirror on their person year-round? Even if they did, they would store it in a storage ring, not keep it constantly in contact with their body to the point of achieving mutual energy flow like Yu Ci did.
Yu Ci steadied himself for a moment before reaching out to take down the suspended mirror. The Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was unexpectedly hot, as if it had been heated for a long time, with a strange luster flowing across its surface. He stared at the mirror, and if possible, he would have dismantled it to see if there were any extraordinary secrets hidden inside.
Regardless, after twelve years of possession, he finally obtained the method for refining this treasure, signifying that he had truly become the rightful master of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror.
With such an achievement, the previous dangers seemed insignificant.
As if in response to his joyful mood, the light on the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror flashed again, and the previously quiet Divine Map reappeared in the void. By shifting his thoughts, he could see a middle-aged man dressed in dark gold robes with a jade belt at his waist, stepping into a carriage at Dan Cliff. The chief steward Lu Yang stood respectfully with two young men beside him, while the other servants and warriors lay prostrate on the ground as if facing a deity.
The carriage was drawn by four divine steeds, with a frame made of fierce beast bones and a canopy of heavenly silk. Luxurious yet capable of traversing mountains and rivers with ease, it could travel a thousand miles a day. Who else could ride such a carriage and command such reverence from the people of the Sun Light Sect, if not the manor’s lord Jin Huan?
This thought crossed Yu Ci’s mind, and he suddenly froze. The next moment, a heavy fog descended, shrouding the clear scene in a thick haze, rendering it indistinct.
Was what he saw just now really Jin Huan?
Yu Ci still had doubts. He took a deep breath and focused again, but within a radius, the area remained blurry… Although it was only a blur, if he strained his eyes, he could still see shadows moving within, though he couldn’t make out their faces. While it couldn’t be restored to the clear image from earlier, the intense distortion of light and shadow was no longer visible.
This was progress, and there was no more intuitive “progress” than this.
Yu Ci suppressed his joy and focused on the movement of the foggy spots, seeing that they descended Dan Cliff and turned towards the eastern gate of Cliff City, traveling the same route as him!
Same route, good!
****
The Ten Thousand Great Mountains of the world are vast, but the Broken Boundary Mountain Range is neither the most majestic nor the one with the most spiritual veins. Yet, it holds a significant place in the hearts of the world’s inhabitants. It is the source of the two longest rivers in the world and the westernmost point of the Eastern cultivation realm. Beyond it lies the Sky Rift Valley, the geographical boundary between the Eastern and Western realms, dividing the cultivation world in two.
The Western world is distant and elusive. The legendary Boundless Buddhist Kingdom is a place most people, including many cultivators, will never have the chance to visit. Thus, to many, Duanjie Mountain feels like the edge of the world.
On the sixteenth day after leaving Cliff City, Yu Ci wandered through the depths of the Broken Boundary Mountain Range like a ghost in the wilderness. The mountains were so vast that, even with the Divine Map, he was nearly lost. Fortunately, he had a clear goal.
The Broken Boundary Mountain Range is sparsely populated, and Jin Huan’s group of ten was probably the largest within a thousand miles. They did not make an effort to conceal their trail, which made Yu Ci feel that even without the Divine Map, he could still track them.
Of course, Yu Ci would never risk approaching them. Over time, he increasingly felt the immense power of the alchemical pill cultivators. At specific times each day, when Jin Huan practiced and adjusted his breath, the true Qi he emitted caused the surrounding spiritual energy to boil and churn within a mile radius, affecting an area of ten miles. On the Divine Map, this region nearly ignited, forcing Lu Yang and others to keep their distance to carry out their tasks.
This also gave Yu Ci an opportunity to gather information. Over the past few days, he had identified all the individuals in Jin Huan’s entourage. Besides Jin Huan, Lu Yang, and Kuang Yanqi, there were six bodyguards and Jin Huan’s grandnephew, Jin Chuan. Although Jin Chuan was a year younger than Kuang Yanqi, he was also at the divine connection level and was hailed as one of the shining stars of the new generation in the manor, alongside Kuang Yanqi.
Jin Huan had high hopes for them. This time, he had brought the two young men along, seemingly preparing to send them to a certain sect’s “mountain gate” for training. Throughout the journey, although Yu Ci couldn’t see Jin Huan himself, he frequently heard Lu Yang refer to what the “Sect Master” had said, emphasizing the importance of this opportunity to the young men.
Reflecting on it, Lu Yang had also taken Kuang Zheng to give instructions to his disciples before they left, indicating preparations were being made well in advance.
As for the sect, it was called Rifting Earth Sect.
This sect sounded unfamiliar, but given the importance Jin Huan and others placed on it, it was clearly not an ordinary one.
At this moment, during Jin Huan’s practice, Lu Yang checked the defense of several bodyguards and then spoke to the two young men: “We’ll be there in less than three hundred miles. The Sect Master wishes for you to rest and conserve your energy here for the night. Tomorrow, you must be in your best condition, as we cannot afford to lose face for the Sun Light Sect.”
Lu Yang’s statement was taken seriously by his disciples, but as Jin Huan’s grandnephew, Jin Chuan was able to ask a few more questions: “I recall my uncle mentioned that the Rifting Earth Sect’s mountain gate is near the source of the Sifted Split River, which is seventy thousand miles from Cliff City. Given our travel of a thousand eight hundred miles a day, we’ve covered no more than thirty thousand miles in half a month. How could we be arriving so soon?”
As the third highest-ranking figure in the manor, Lu Yang only maintained basic courtesy towards Jin Chuan. He smiled and said, “The Rifting Earth Sect’s mountain gate is not accessible to ordinary people. We cannot go directly there; instead, we first need to reach the outer sect’s Daoist temple, Heart Prohibition Temple. From there, we will contact the mountain’s immortals to come down and receive you. In a few days, you, Young Master, will likely become the first external sect cultivator from Cliff City to step into the Rifting Earth Sect’s mountain gate.”
Given Lu Yang’s status, Jin Chuan, no matter how self-assured, did not dare to accept the flattery and quickly replied, “I will accompany Senior Brother Kuang and strive together with him…”
While the group exchanged pleasantries, they were unaware that someone was observing their every move from dozens of miles away, capturing everything except for the sounds.
“Heart Prohibition Temple?”
Yu Ci pondered briefly but soon shifted his focus back to the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror in his hands.
At this moment, he felt a warm sensation within him, as though soaking in warm water, with the heat permeating through his pores and enveloping his body. Under the guidance of his divine intent, this warmth was infused into the bronze mirror. He was currently refining the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror.
Refinement is a crucial step for cultivators in the cultivation world. Treasures in the cultivation world are categorized into treasures, artifacts, and crafted tools. Among them, treasures are the most superior, artifacts are second, and crafted tools are the lowest. Within these categories, there are further divisions, making it quite complex.
Crafted tools are simply made by craftsmen and can be used directly without any further refinement, thus they are only ordinary tools with limited power.
Artifacts and treasures, however, not only require great effort from craftsmen to create but also need the user to merge their essence, Qi, and spirit with them over years, allowing the tools to grow in power and function together with the user. Even the most ordinary items can become powerful treasures through this process.
For instance, the golden and jade knives used by Ye Tu in Sky Rift Valley were actually made from similar materials, both as sharp and resilient as cutting iron. Yet, the former was much more powerful due to Ye Tu’s dedicated refinement over time, resulting in a significant difference.
With such examples, Yu Ci could not afford to be careless.
The method of refining the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was peculiar, with the Divine Map playing a crucial role.
The ritual formula also had a method for activating the Divine Map, but it relied on ritual texts to invoke the “Lord of Infinite Void” for activation. However, based on Yu Ci’s years of experience in acting as a divine medium, he felt that it was more about creating mystery.
Although his method of activating the Divine Map seemed a bit odd, it was still more practical than the ritualistic method. Interestingly, it also referred to the image that illuminates the void as the “Divine Map,” which was a fortunate coincidence.
Of course, these were minor details. The key was the entire set of refining methods based on the Divine Map, which truly opened Yu Ci’s eyes and proved immensely useful.
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