“Focus,” the young man said. Despite his aloof appearance, his words were remarkably patient.
Although Nan Yan tried to concentrate on his explanation of cultivation bottlenecks, she couldn’t help but steal glances at his delicate features. She knew this must be an illusion, yet unlike the Yellow Springs Mirror, she could sense his physical presence.
His eyes seemed to hold galaxies. When he lowered his gaze, his eyelashes cast small shadows like raven feathers, softening his cold mountain spring-like aura. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, and he’d hold her gaze, ensuring she understood before continuing his lesson.
Could it be you? she wondered.
Yet Ji Yang’s demeanor was more intense, like a leopard lurking in the wilderness, adhering to societal norms only on the surface. Beyond that facade lay sharp fangs.
This difference made Nan Yan vaguely aware she was overlooking something crucial.
She recalled Ji Yang’s casual mention of his banishment from Dao Sheng Tian. Was it as simple as being left to fend for himself?
“You’re distracted. How do you expect to break through?” The young man, slightly displeased with her wandering thoughts, admonished her gently. “The Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique begins tomorrow. If you haven’t mastered this before the inspectors arrive, I’ll have to punish you.”
He emphasized “punish” softly, his voice caught between adolescence and adulthood. Though his words were strict, they carried an unintentional allure.
His lack of intention was clear; any other young woman might have been flustered. Nan Yan’s curiosity piqued, and as she looked up at him, he lightly tapped her head with his jade scroll.
“Since you’re not focused on cultivation, and curfew has arrived, it’s time to return,” he said.
Brother? Nan Yan was confused.
She caught a glimpse of his jade scroll, which read “Approved in the 42nd year of Qing Xu.” The spiritual energy was fresh, indicating it was recently inscribed.
Calculating the years, she realized this was at least thirty years in the past.
Glancing at the Mirror of Reverse Reincarnation in the Taoist Master’s statue, Nan Yan understood. To him, she appeared as an ordinary Dao Sheng Tian disciple, and this was over thirty years ago.
Choosing her words carefully, Nan Yan asked, “Apologies, senior brother. Are you confident about facing the talents from various states in tomorrow’s Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique?”
The young man sat up straight, like a green pine or bamboo. “I initially called the world’s outstanding talents mere commoners, and Master punished me. Have you all been laughing at me in private?”
He’s responding! A mix of excitement and nervousness welled up in Nan Yan. Thirty years ago, her mother surely hadn’t met with misfortune. If she could change everything…
The young man seemed to finally notice something odd about the disciple before him. He glanced at the ancient mirror in the Taoist Master’s statue, which should have reflected him as an ordinary disciple. Instead, he saw a pale-skinned woman with black hair.
His brow furrowed as he grabbed her hand. “You’re not from Dao Sheng Tian.”
Impulsively, Nan Yan opened her mouth to warn, “Be careful of your master—”
Space distorted subtly, freezing Nan Yan’s voice. She watched her form begin to disintegrate along with her unspoken words.
It was as if she were the illusion sent to the past by the Mirror of Reverse Reincarnation.
“You…” The young woman’s wrist vanished from his grasp. Starlight flickered in the young man’s eyes as if he suddenly understood something. Looking at Nan Yan’s disappearing form, he murmured, “The last chance. I failed again by not recognizing the illusion created by the Mirror of Reverse Reincarnation… But you still have a chance.”
Before vanishing, Nan Yan urgently asked, “Where can I see you again?”
“You won’t see me again. This illusory space is about to collapse. I’ll return to my previous path and won’t remember you. If fate allows, at the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique, at the end of Ten Karma Mountain, I’ll be there… If you can break through the illusion, make sure the Mirror of Reverse Reincarnation accepts you as its master.” The young man’s gaze remained unfamiliar, but there was a hint of curiosity and longing. “Also, may I know your name?”
Before Nan Yan could respond, darkness enveloped her. When she regained awareness, she found herself holding the shard that had fallen from the Mirror of Reverse Reincarnation. As she opened her palm, the shard dissolved into her skin like water.
Chaotic footsteps approached from below—
“A-Yan, what are you doing? The incense is almost burnt out! Where’s that bastard Yuan Ang? Come out and fight! What’s wrong with all of you?”
Nan Yan suddenly remembered she had just broken the Mirror of Reverse Reincarnation. Yet when other cultivators came up to view it, they showed no reaction. Looking again, she saw the cracks on the ancient mirror had vanished, leaving it whole once more.
“Is this the Mirror of Reverse Reincarnation?” Other cultivators, seeing Nan Yan sitting dazed on the top floor, sneered, “Friend, are you so desperate that you’d try to use Dao Sheng Tian’s treasure? With the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique approaching, the backlash would be quite harmful.”
“Why become a nun? There aren’t many female cultivators participating in the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique. If you returned to secular life and called for a male cultivator’s protection, you’d have plenty of takers.”
Mu Zhanting, wielding a long axe that seemed forged from magma, stormed up just in time to hear these words. With a fierce expression, he growled, “Who said that?”
Everyone fell silent. Mu Zhanting grabbed the cultivator who had just mocked Nan Yan and threw him down the stairs, roaring, “Who the hell needs your dogs to protect her? My sister is the toughest monk under heaven!”
Nan Yan was speechless.
Someone nearby asked, bewildered, “Who’s his sister?”
Nan Yan replied, “This humble nun doesn’t know. It’s not my concern.”
…
At the third watch of the night, Nan Yan released her third messenger paper crane, still receiving no response from Ji Yang. After pacing in her room for a while, she opened the door to find Mu Zhanting sitting boldly outside, axe in hand.
“Brother, what are you doing here?” Nan Yan asked.
Mu Zhanting looked around warily. “I’m out for a walk, seeking inspiration.”
“Did you find any?”
“Writing comes naturally. How could it be found in daily routines? Forcing inspiration won’t work.”
Nan Yan pondered his words, unsure of his meaning. “Put away your axe. It wouldn’t look good if someone saw it.”
“No can do. It’d be worse if Dragon Lord found out.”
Unable to persuade him, Nan Yan eyed his impressive flame axe. “I meant to ask, what’s the story with this axe?”
“Don’t get me started,” Mu Zhanting grumbled. “I had my eye on a Wen Wang brush. It kept shaking, and I thought we had a connection. After breaking the barrier, the stupid thing flew out and stuck to Cloud Nian’s forehead. What an idiot brush.”
Nan Yan suspected the real idiot wasn’t the brush but patiently asked, “Then what happened?”
“I let Cloud Nian choose another treasure. But when she entered the stone chamber, that dumb brush followed her and helped break the barrier around a Tian Ba axe.” Mu Zhanting tossed the axe away disdainfully, but it flew back, nuzzling his knee like a loyal dog. “This axe doesn’t suit my literary temperament at all.”
Recognizing the Tian Ba axe’s spiritual nature as a nearly divine-grade, Nan Yan tried to encourage her brother’s martial side. “I wasn’t empty-handed either. I got a bottle of Nine-Eyed Lacquer and applied it to my Buddhist beads. The green glow is stunning. Why don’t we paint your axe green? Didn’t you always admire Guan Yu?”
Reminded of his childhood admiration for Guan Yu, Mu Zhanting mused, “Well when you put it that way, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade doesn’t sound too bad.”
When Yuan Ang, the young master of Wu State, arrived, he intended to assert his authority over Nan Yan for her earlier disrespect. However, as he approached her residence, he heard a booming theatrical voice.
Mu Zhanting stood in the courtyard, wearing a fake beard made from who-knows-what creature’s tail, disturbing the night with his performance:
“I could have shattered like jade, not crumbled like clay~ But I feared failing my great responsibility~ So I temporarily surrendered to Cao Cao~”
Nan Yan sat nearby, cracking melon seeds and applauding. “Bravo! Well sung!”
Yuan Ang was dumbfounded.
Noticing Yuan Ang’s arrival, Nan Yan quickly tidied up and composed herself. “Young Master, you’ve arrived on time.”
Yuan Ang glanced at the melon seed shells on the ground, momentarily wavering. “You two… seem quite carefree. In the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique, if there’s no fighting, maybe eight or nine out of ten will survive. But if fighting breaks out, perhaps only one in ten will make it. Chen State’s young master, you hold the highest-ranking position, making you the most at risk. Yet you still have time for such frivolity?”
Nan Yan restrained Mu Zhanting, who looked eager to reenact the “Slaying Hua Xiong over warm wine” scene. “Young Master, if you’re interested in cooperation, why not speak plainly?”
Yuan Ang snorted. “You should know that in the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique, primal spiritual energy is crucial for our survival and Core Formation. While killing demonic beasts provides some energy, it’s nothing compared to the nine spiritual wells in the Nine Tribulations Sea of the first trial. However, those wells are sealed by both Five Elements Chaos Currents and Ghost Tides, making them nearly impenetrable. I don’t know if Mo Xingzhi has approached you, but I must warn you, cooperating with Dao Sheng Tian is less beneficial than working with me.”
“Young Master, you speak as if you have an advantage?” Nan Yan noticed his glance at Mu Zhanting. “Please, speak freely. If he leaks anything about today, I’ll break his poem-writing hand.”
Mu Zhanting exclaimed, “What?”
Yuan Ang questioned, “Are you two seriously here for the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique?”
Nan Yan responded solemnly, “Absolutely serious. Please continue, Young Master.”
Half-believing, Yuan Ang explained proudly, “Fine, I doubt you could cause much trouble anyway. I’ll be direct. The nine spiritual wells in the Nine Tribulations Sea are constantly shifting. Only my Yuan Magnetic Holy Light can sense their locations from a hundred miles away. I’ll break through the Five Elements Chaos Currents, and I need you to use your special Buddhist power that suppressed evil spirits in the Hall of Ten Thousand Treasures to fend off the Ghost Tides. I’ll give you one-tenth of the primal spiritual energy we obtain!”
Mu Zhanting’s Chen State business sense awakened. He removed his fake beard and frowned. “One-tenth for my sister’s life-risking efforts? That’s pretty stingy for a man.”
Yuan Ang narrowed his eyes. “I know you Chen State people have coordinates for the spiritual wells—a privilege from Dao Sheng Tian. However, my Yuan magnetic power might locate more than one well. How much do you want?”
The siblings exchanged glances, and Mu Zhanting grinned. “How about we divide it based on our abilities? We’ll break the wells together, and whoever grabs more keeps it.”
Yuan Ang looked perplexed. His Yuan magnetic power could form a magnetic net to absorb all spiritual energy within range, making him unparalleled in spiritual energy collection. He thought these two were foolish.
“I suspect you have some trick up your sleeve, but you’re greatly underestimating the Yuan magnetic power… You might be making a huge mistake!”
Nan Yan said, “I agree with this division. What about you, Young Master?”
Yuan Ang replied, “It’s settled then. When we enter the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique and separate, use this mechanical bird to guide you if you run out of spiritual energy.”
Nan Yan’s previously calm expression changed slightly upon seeing the mechanical bird. “Who… who made this mechanical bird?”
“I heard it was made by an artificer from Si State. In the early stages of the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique, an artificer’s skills might be the most useful. The young masters from various states should all have brought artificers, right? Do you have any objections?”
“No, then… see you at the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique.”