Chapter 50: A Bright Mirror Hanging High in the Tower of Clear Reflection, and the Post-Heaven Qi

Chen Zhi'an also raised his head to look. Having just stepped across the threshold of cultivation, he knew very little of its many mysteries, yet even so, he was utterly awed by the spectacle in the heavens.

The sparse clouds and mist in the sky had long since dispersed, vaguely casting the reflection of a mountain.

The mountain appeared and disappeared in the haze, its crisp peak entirely blanketed in pristine white snow. Illuminated by the lingering glow of the distant mountains, the glacial radiance lit up the boundless sky for tens of thousands of miles.

Amidst that snow, the silhouettes of a man, an ox, and a white crane were reflected.

A youthful-looking Daoist priest, holding a horsetail whisk, sat astride a green ox. High in the sky above his head, a white crane fluttered and circled endlessly, as if welcoming something.

"A mirage?" Chen Zhi'an thought to himself.

Just at that moment, within the reflection amidst the clouds, a bright moon rose in the east, the cloud colors resembling dark emerald. In the chilling moonlight, a gigantic stone tablet gradually emerged in the sky.

The stone tablet hung in mid-air, massive as a mountain. The moonlight poured over it, gradually revealing blurry lines of characters.

Chen Zhi'an strained his eyes to gaze into the distance, yet he remained unable to clearly discern those words.

Chu Muye murmured softly at that moment: "There are nine tablets beneath the Dao, and some have even carved thirteen characters upon them. Today, the young abbot of the Temple of Heaven and Man is to carve the fourteenth."

To carve upon the ninth tablet beneath the Dao, henceforth earning a place among the fourteen characters of the nine tablets, was the greatest glory under the heavens. Those figures throughout history capable of carving upon the ninth tablet were all the supreme powerhouses of the world.

Just like Gong Longsu, who had once visited Tiger Hill, or this young Daoist priest reflected in the sky before them.

"Soaring gracefully into cloud and vapor, looking down from the Dao upon the worldly realm! Loose-haired and embracing the pristine moon, gods and men alike raise their heads in awe."

Chu Muye whispered softly, chanting the poem written by the young abbot of the Temple of Heaven and Man: "It defies all imagination. The abbot of the Temple of Heaven and Man is barely twenty-seven, yet he has already carved upon the ninth tablet."

At this very moment, countless people across the realm raised their heads in adoration. Even monarchs of nations, even cultivators of supreme fortune, stared straight into the void to witness the spectacle in the sky.

Facing the moonlight, the young Daoist rode the green ox into the void, arriving before the ninth tablet.

The young abbot gazed at it for a long while before finally extending a single finger to gently touch the stone tablet.

In an instant, it was as if the dust upon the tablet had scattered; the stone tablet grew impeccably smooth and brilliantly radiant, shining like a sun suspended in the firmament.

Chen Zhi'an and Jiang Taiping looked closely, seeing that another character had been added to the ninth tablet, yet the character remained blurry and indistinct, leaving the two of them unable to truly make it out.

Chu Muye narrowed his eyes, watching with utmost concentration and unwavering focus.

Chen Zhi'an asked out of curiosity, "Uncle Chu, did you see the character carved by the abbot of the Temple of Heaven and Man?"

Chu Muye regulated his breathing so his voice wouldn't tremble: "I saw it. He wrote the character for 'See'."

'See'?

Chen Zhi'an did not know what profound meaning was contained within this single word. Yet at this moment, standing within the small courtyard on Dongfeng Street in Sunan Prefecture, gazing up at the magnificent spectacle in the sky and watching the young abbot who rode the ox to ascend the heavens, his heart swelled with an incomparable yearning.

"This is one of the pinnacle figures of the world's cultivation today."

"There is no greater marvel in the Dao of cultivation than this."

Chen Zhi'an thought silently to himself. Because of today's celestial spectacle, his interest in this world grew all the more intense.

Just as Chen Zhi'an's heart was filled with yearning, another strange anomaly abruptly occurred: the Jade Capital Map of the Heavens within Chen Zhi'an's mind slowly unfolded.

The moonlight shining upon the ninth tablet beneath the Dao seemed to traverse an immense distance, falling into Chen Zhi'an's eyes before shining once more into the Jade Capital Map of the Heavens.

Within the Jade Capital Map of the Heavens, the swirling spiritual energy suddenly dispersed. On a mountain right beside the Pavilion of Azure Mountains, yet another pavilion emerged.

The eaves of that pavilion turned upward in graceful curves, and the glazed tiles on its roof gleamed with dappled radiance under the refraction of the moonlight. Even more wondrously, suspended high at the very center of the roof was a bronze mirror.

Thick spiritual energy gathered upon the bronze mirror, shining brilliantly.

Streams of information already flooded into Chen Zhi'an's mind.

"The... Bright Mirror Pavilion..."

With a movement of his will, the bright mirror atop the pavilion emitted an even more dazzling brilliance. Immediately after, the spiritual energy surrounding the mirror was entirely absorbed by its surface.

Two rays of light shone forth from the mirror, merging into one with the light of Nan Liujing, and burst outward through Chen Zhi'an's eyes.

Just as Chen Zhi'an felt a sense of astonishment, a tremor suddenly erupted from the direction of Tiger Hill.

Chu Muye, Jiang Taiping, and Chen Zhi'an in the courtyard turned their heads in unison at almost the exact same moment.

Then, the bright mirror light radiating from Chen Zhi'an's eyes seemed endowed with a spirit of its own, soaring straight into the clouds, flying across the vast Sunan Prefecture, and landing upon Tiger Hill.

In a single instant, Chen Zhi'an bypassed a vast expanse of distance, seeing a towering figure with a magnificent and awe-inspiring aura—resembling a blazing sun—slowly rise to his feet upon Tiger Hill.

He raised his head to look at the ninth tablet in the sky, looking at the reflection of the young abbot of the Temple of Heaven and Man!

That man stood upon the mountain, yet his physique seemed even more majestic than the mountains and rivers themselves.

An unimaginable true essence radiated from his body, pervading the entirety of Tiger Hill. For a moment, Tiger Hill was shrouded in the true essence lingering in the air, resembling gathering mist.

"Who is this? What realm is he in?"

Chen Zhi'an felt as though this man standing on Tiger Hill had suppressed an entire mountain range. Even though he had witnessed countless profound marvels within the White Jade Capital, he was still deeply shocked by this person.

Chu Muye also seemed to have caught sight of the figure upon Tiger Hill, his expression turning solemn.

"Gong Longsu... To think he is still on Tiger Hill," Chu Muye muttered to himself.

Yet barely two or three breaths later, Chu Muye's pupils suddenly constricted as he fixed his gaze upon Tiger Hill.

Jiang Taiping, standing nearby, felt a mild curiosity, yet he could not clearly make out what was happening on the cloud-shrouded Tiger Hill.

However, aided by the brilliance of the Bright Mirror Pavilion, Chen Zhi'an clearly perceived the wonder upon Tiger Hill.

He saw that towering figure stepping upward into the clouds, where a coiled true dragon faintly materialized amidst the mist.

That man stepped upon the claws of the true dragon, walked across the spine of the hundred-zhang true dragon, and arrived at the top of the dragon's head, seating himself cross-legged between the two dragon horns. Summoning clouds and mist, the true dragon carried that figure away, vanishing completely within the vapor.

Yet upon Tiger Hill, even more wondrous changes were taking place.

—In Chen Zhi'an's eyes, three wisps of hazy spiritual energy rose slowly like curling smoke from cooking fires.

These three wisps of spiritual energy—one thick and two thin—merged into the void, looking just like that true dragon, similarly faint and indistinct.

"Those are the lingering acquired energies within two spiritual veins refined by Gong Longsu."

Chu Muye swept his sleeve, a trace of regret tinged across his expression.

Hearing Chu Muye's words, Chen Zhi'an's brow furrowed involuntarily.

"Two wisps of acquired energy? Are there not three?"

Within Chen Zhi'an's vision, the brilliance of the Bright Mirror Pavilion flashed intermittently. He had clearly and unequivocally seen three strands of spiritual energy distributed across three locations on Tiger Hill, yet a person of Chu Muye's stature seemed to have only perceived two.

"Acquired energy, innate qi, and Dao-true qi can all be nurtured from spiritual veins. The advent of the ninth tablet has attracted the attention of this martial artist who suppresses the great era and stands at the pinnacle of martial arts, leaving behind two wisps of acquired energy. I suppose this is the fortune destined for Si Hougui, the third young master of the Si family," Chu Muye slowly explained.

Chen Zhi'an grew even more puzzled.

Beside him, Jiang Taiping smiled faintly and said, "Lord Chu, acquired energy is infinitely precious. Countless cultivators below the Innate realm pursue it avidly. Since Your Lordship has clearly seen two wisps of acquired energy on Tiger Hill, this humble Haizi Envoy also wishes to seek a share of this fortune.

"Strong though Si Hougui may be, I am also a cultivator of the Flawless Jade realm, and I have the Guijing long saber by my side. If he wishes to monopolize both wisps of acquired energy, I fear it will not be so easy."

As he spoke, Jiang Taiping stood up, one hand gently resting upon the long saber at his waist. His gaze was sharp and clear, devoid of the slightest trace of fear.

Chu Muye cast an interested look at this Earth-grade Haizi Envoy and smiled, saying, "Among the Haizi Department, two Heaven-grade Haizi Envoys hail from the Si family. You, a young man, dare to contend with the third young master of the Si family for acquired energy. Are you not afraid that in the future you will never be able to cross the threshold of the Inspectorate?"

Jiang Taiping laughed heartily: "Why fear him? Are all the fortunes of this world supposed to belong solely to these great noble clans? I grew up by the river since I was a child; the river is never lacking in wind and waves, yet I, Jiang Taiping, have never known fear. Once I seize the acquired energy and break through in a single bound to the perfection of the Flawless Jade realm, I will be merely a step away from the Innate realm.

"When that time comes, I ask Lord Song and Lord Chu to lend me a hand, enabling me to step into the Innate realm, advance yet further, and become a Heaven-grade Haizi Envoy as well."

Having uttered these words, he waved goodbye to Chen Zhi'an and departed with his saber strapped to his waist.

Chen Zhi'an watched him leave and turned to Chu Muye: "Uncle Chu, you see, our Great Yu is not lacking in men who hold no fear of powerful nobles."

Chu Muye nodded: "This Jiang Taiping appears frivolous and indifferent, but beneath that lies a fierce and unyielding spirit. He is quite a character."

Chen Zhi'an asked, puzzled: "Just now, Uncle Chu said those two wisps of acquired energy would fall into Si Hougui's hands... Although Sunan Prefecture is peaceful and its powerhouses may not match those at the borders or in the northwest, it is still a prosperous land. Surely the prefectural yamen has quite a few powerhouses of its own. Why should an outsider like Si Hougui be allowed to claim them? Furthermore... Uncle Chu is currently residing in Sunan Prefecture..."

Chu Muye interrupted Chen Zhi'an and explained, "Acquired energy is deeply profound. For cultivators below the Innate realm, obtaining it yields boundless marvelous uses—whether refining pills or forging weapons, its utility is extraordinary, not to mention its ability to sublimate one's constitution and solidify true essence.

"However, the moment acquired energy senses Innate true essence, it instantly dissipates and vanishes without a trace.

"Acquired and Innate cannot coexist in the same place, unless it is within the spiritual veins of heaven and earth's creation.

"Coupled with the fact that... at this moment, very few people in Sunan Prefecture can perceive the profound mysteries upon Tiger Hill.

"I can see it, Li Botu can see it, and the Divine Arm General presumably can see it as well.

"Apart from them, there is no one else. That is why I said... this acquired energy will end up favoring Si Hougui."

Chu Muye explained with utmost seriousness.

Only then did Chen Zhi'an understand. Li Botu would undoubtedly inform Si Hougui of this matter, and at present, neither Chu Muye's subordinates nor the Divine Arm General's granddaughter, Shen Haohao, were a match for Si Hougui!

Yet...

Chen Zhi'an swallowed hard.

He digested the various streams of information flowing from the White Jade Capital within his mind.

[The Bright Mirror Pavilion suspends the bright mirror, accumulates spiritual energy, discovers treasures, and perceives fortunes...]

"Right now, there are three wisps of acquired energy on Tiger Hill—one thick and two thin. Yet Uncle Chu only saw two. Presumably, the ones he saw were the two thin ones."

"Therefore, there is still a much thicker wisp of acquired energy on Tiger Hill that no one else knows about."

As his thoughts reached this point, Chen Zhi'an's heart stirred greatly.

"Originally, if I cultivated step-by-step to the Divine Manifestation realm, it would probably still take me two months. But if this acquired energy is truly as wondrous as they say, could it allow me to break through even faster?"