Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Eight: Ancient Mirror! Ancient Mirror!

The depths of the Liyue Valley fell silent. The earth fire had extinguished, the magma solidified, the frigid waters regained their warmth, and the biting chill dissipated. The same was true for the other three elemental sectors—metal, wood, and earth.

Qingyuan stood with an iron staff in his right hand and an ancient mirror in his left, lost in deep contemplation. As he emerged from his trance, he vaguely sensed that the five elemental energies in the air were balanced, yet so intense they were almost suffocating. There was heat and cold, sharpness and weight, all while a thread of refreshing vitality pulsed beneath it all.

"The five elements transform into yin and yang... returning to chaos..."

He closed his eyes, sensing these five forces continuously pouring into the ancient mirror. Within his brow, the Nine-Story Jade Tower grew stronger; in particular, the third story—the Hall of Condensing Dharma—which required the essence of all five elements, flourished with this newfound aid.

At this moment, he had reached the peak of the Third Heaven, the absolute limit attainable by any mortal. A Grandmaster of Martial Arts, upon reaching this stage, arrives at the pinnacle beyond which no further progress can be made, for martial arts are, in the end, the path of man—and the path of man has an end. But the study of the Dao is the path of the immortal; thus, the road of cultivation continues onward.

Having reached the peak of the Third Heaven, Qingyuan, aided by the ancient mirror, had touched the barrier of that ultimate limit. If he were to shatter this barrier, he would no longer be a mere mortal, but a superior being... one who has transcended the limits of human capability.

...

The ancient mirror held further records. It detailed how the Primordial Sovereign of Vast Industry, when condensing the Earth Dragon in those days, had first taken the Dragon Pearl and infused it into the mirror, only then being able to use Mount Fuzhong to gather the momentum of the mountains and rivers, forming the Five Elements Array.

Furthermore, he had left records in the mirror regarding the Great Mountain Demon and the Earth Dragon. Should anyone obtain the mirror, they could travel to Li County to seek the Earth Dragon.

"By striking a part of the Earth Dragon into the mirror, the two became inextricably linked?" Qingyuan frowned. "The Sovereign left word of the mirror within the Great Mountain Demon, and here, within the mirror... he left word of the Great Mountain Demon?"

He examined it closely. This mirror possessed infinite miraculous uses and was a primordial treasure, yet it had once nearly fallen from its primordial rank, hence its current flaws. What Qingyuan had obtained should have been a primordial treasure of immortal-grade quality, but now, it held a unique distinction.

The most significant distinction lay in the term "life-bound." Qingyuan had the Earth Dragon within him, and the mirror was the Dragon Pearl. A life-bound treasure means they share the same fate: they thrive together and perish together. What he possessed was no longer a finished immortal treasure, but a primordial one; its power was inextricably tied to the depth of Qingyuan’s own cultivation. Only when Qingyuan attained the Dao and became an immortal would this primordial treasure be fully restored and ascend to the rank of an immortal treasure.

...

"A flaw..."

The mirror possessed infinite uses, but because of this flaw, even the Primordial Sovereign of Vast Industry had never fully refined it, thus remaining ignorant of its true nature, only managing to grasp three methods.

First, the treasure excelled in protection. Any Daoist technique directed at him would be met by the mirror and dissolve into nothingness. In its prime and undamaged state, even immortal arts could be treated as trivial. But now, with its flaw and its connection to Qingyuan, its efficacy depended on his own cultivation. If the opponent’s technique was far below his, it could be easily dispelled; if the difference was small, he would have to use his own true qi to resist; but if... the opponent far surpassed him, the mirror would remain undamaged and absorb much of the impact, but any residual force beyond its limit would strike Qingyuan himself.

"It excels in protection, but if my cultivation is too low and the opponent’s power too high, I am still in mortal danger?" Qingyuan was silent for a moment, feeling a hint of regret, though he realized this might also serve as a form of tempering.

...

Second, the mirror, being primordial, contained the essence of yin, yang, and the five elements. Since the five elements give rise to all things, it meant the mirror held a small world within, containing every substance found in the outside world. Through this small world, it could analyze anything in the external world—living or dead, regardless of rank—and create a phantom image.

Just as when Qingyuan had stepped into the Liyue Valley, he had been reflected by the mirror. By the time he reached this point, the mirror had already fully parsed him, projecting a phantom image identical to his own. Being a primordial object, the mirror could even perform its own deductions, perfecting whatever it analyzed. Thus, what Qingyuan faced was a perfected version of himself.

This method was not limited to any one thing; as long as his cultivation was high enough, he could analyze and manifest anything, even Daoist arts and supernatural powers. If he could analyze a technique, he could perform it through the mirror, and even do so more perfectly than the original caster.

However, the limitation remained Qingyuan himself. If the target of his analysis was of a higher grade than his own cultivation, it would take time—how much, depending on the disparity. With his current Third Heaven cultivation, to dream of analyzing an immortal art would be a fantasy. Even with this primordial mirror, it would take centuries, and even if he succeeded, his low cultivation would likely prevent him from ever casting it.

"Analyzing techniques... even deducing them to perfection?" Qingyuan remained silent. He had been reflected earlier only because the mirror still held the residual power of the Primordial Sovereign. With his current cultivation, he could not yet manifest such things. But if he could, he would be able to refine every skill he learned—be it lightning arts, his five-element techniques, or even the secret to wielding his own strength—to perfection.

"A method to perfect oneself?"

...

The mirror held a third use: the small world hidden within. It was a space unto itself, capable of storing objects.

"It is quite similar to the Ancient Immortal Bag." Qingyuan was astonished, then discovered the method of use left by the Sovereign. It could store thousands of weapons, which could be unleashed in a torrent through the use of his magical power. The more weapons and treasures stored, and the higher their grade, the greater the power. The Sovereign called this method: The Heavenly River of Divine Treasures.

...

"Protection, analysis, and the small world." Qingyuan lowered his head, lost in thought. "Does the efficacy of these methods depend on the depth of my cultivation?"

He could not help but feel joy. His heart was set on the Dao. The methods of protecting the Dao were meant to preserve his own life, ensuring he would not perish before achieving his goals. The root of all this was his cultivation. As his cultivation deepened, his abilities would naturally rise, and his defensive capabilities would strengthen. In this way, he could conserve his energy for the pursuit of the Dao itself.

"Now, I suppose... I have no more worries for the future, do I?"

He gripped the iron staff and the ancient mirror tightly. Having refined the mirror, the threat to his life had finally vanished.