Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1322 - 1318: Autumn Moon Mirror

"No wonder..." Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded.

In just a day and a half, it felt as if it had been decades, or even several decades, to him.

Long and arduous, this was truly what it meant to pass days as if they were years, not just an exaggeration.

But ultimately, he was unable to get close to that cluster of light, which counted as a failure.

"Senior Brother, have you found it?"

"That direction, right?" Ning Dongge pointed his left hand towards the southeast direction: "I vaguely feel it’s there."

"Hmm, I also feel it’s over there." Zhang Ji Yuan nodded: "What about you, junior brother?"

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

"What, didn’t you get any sense?" Zhang Ji Yuan laughed: "Impossible, right?"

If he felt nothing, there’s no way he could have maintained the Heaven Peeping Skill for such a long time.

The Heaven Peeping Skill’s consumption of spiritual power and soul power is incredibly high.

They initially thought Chu Zhiyuan would stop first, never expecting he could sustain it for so long.

After exercising it for so long, it couldn’t be possible to have gained nothing.

He had clearly been activating the Heaven Peeping Skill, so why had he not discovered anything?

Chu Zhiyuan said, "The direction I sensed is not over there, but over here."

He pointed towards the southwest direction.

Zhang Ji Yuan looked at Ning Dongge, hesitating: "There’s too much of a discrepancy in directions."

Both of them sensed the direction was southeast, while Chu Zhiyuan sensed it in the southwest.

With two people in agreement, it should be more accurate, the correct direction.

But Chu Zhiyuan possessed a powerful spiritual power and soul far surpassing theirs.

This made him hesitant to definitively claim Chu Zhiyuan’s senses were wrong.

Ning Dongge said, "Junior Brother, do you truly feel it’s that direction?"

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded: "Unfortunately, I can’t completely reach over there, can’t get closer."

Zhang Ji Yuan curiously asked: "Junior Brother, how close did you get?"

Ning Dongge also stared at him intently.

Chu Zhiyuan said: "First, I saw starlight, then it transformed into a bright moon as I moved forward, and further on, there’s a light sphere about two hundred meters away. At that point, it’s the limit, and no matter how I move, I can’t get any closer."

The two exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly.

Chu Zhiyuan said: "Is it because my level in the Heaven Peeping Skill is too low?"

"Level?" Zhang Ji Yuan laughed: "The Heaven Peeping Skill is just a Miracle Technique, there’s no differentiation in levels, and the result is the same no matter how proficient you become."

Chu Zhiyuan said: "Brother Zhang, then why do we have completely different outcomes?"

Zhang Ji Yuan said: "One side must have gotten it wrong, ... or should we try again?"

"Today, it won’t work." Ning Dongge smiled bitterly: "We need a few days’ rest."

If it were purely about consuming spirit, a night’s rest would restore them completely.

But the Heaven Peeping Skill drains not only spiritual power, but soul power as well, a more difficult and precious energy to recover.

Under normal circumstances, it would take at least a month to fully recover.

Taking a Spirit Pill can only reduce the recovery time by half, at best.

Chu Zhiyuan said: "Then I’ll go take a look first, see if there’s any findings."

Zhang Ji Yuan laughed: "Junior brother, do you still have the spirit?"

The Qinggong of the Heaven-Reaching Sect is exceptional, but it requires spiritual energy; they no longer had the energy to move.

They just wanted to lie there and accelerate their recovery.

The atmosphere in the main hall of the Heaven-Reaching Sect is far superior to any other place, facilitating quicker recovery.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled: "It’s fine, I’ll go take a look, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll check another direction."

Ning Dongge said, "If you get it right, you might encounter several experts."

"Yes, got it, I’ll be careful." Chu Zhiyuan said: "Then, I’m off."

"Hold on." Ning Dongge suddenly waved his hand.

Chu Zhiyuan looked at him.

Ning Dongge said: "Wait a moment, I’ll be right back."

He turned and left through a Light Gate.

Chu Zhiyuan looked at Zhang Ji Yuan.

Zhang Ji Yuan smiled and said: "I guess Senior Brother is preparing to bring you something good."

Chu Zhiyuan said: "A Spiritual Treasure?"

"Something like that."

As they spoke, Ning Dongge appeared again, holding a small copper mirror in his hand.

He handed it directly to Chu Zhiyuan: "Take this, I originally thought you couldn’t utilize it, but I underestimated you."

Chu Zhiyuan took it, and it felt light in his hands, feather-like.

The mirror’s surface was clear and polished to an excellent finish, with no signs of age, looking like a brand new mirror.

The back was engraved with simple patterns, resembling blossoms unfurling petal by petal, but these simplistic patterns conveyed a sense of flowers in full bloom, thriving and luxurious.

He examined it closely, feeling no particular mystery, so he urged his True Yuan.

The copper mirror suddenly became heavy, growing weightier, shifting from a feather into a stone, the stone increasing in size from a fist to the size of his body, and then nearly a mountain.

His body tensed, the strength of his body refined by the Taihao Jade Void Scripture was unparalleled, barely able to withstand it.

But his face turned red, veins bulging on his neck, seemingly ready to burst forth from his skin at any moment.

"Can you do it?" Zhang Ji Yuan was somewhat worried.

Ning Dongge shook his head, "Hard to say."

Earlier, he was certain that Chu Zhiyuan couldn’t withstand this Autumn Moon Mirror; his mind and soul couldn’t handle it.

But after using the Heaven Peeping Skill this time, he realized he had underestimated his soul and spiritual power.

Only then did he take out this Autumn Moon Mirror.

Looking at it now, it’s still a bit much.

But there’s not necessarily no hope at all.

Chu Zhiyuan felt he was almost at his limit, about to be overwhelmed.

Drawing on a spirit of defiance, he held on forcefully, with the power provided by his other three clones.

Yet the force upon his physical body grew stronger, pressing him to the ground.

Already stuck at the limit, struggling on.

At this moment, a sudden surge of power from his feet rushed through him, vast and deep, connecting instantly throughout his body.

The copper mirror in his hand instantly became light, as if it had transformed into a feather.

A smile spread across his tense face.

This was the power of the earth.

The Earth Origin Technique came into play at this moment.

Ning Dongge and Zhang Ji Yuan watched him in amazement, witnessing him transform from a precarious state to an easeful one.

This was clearly an elevation, even if not in cultivation, an elevation in other aspects, deserving of admiration.

Truly a remarkable talent.

The copper mirror began to turn ethereal, as if dropped into water, gradually becoming transparent, finally dissolving into nothingness.

Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes, solemnly clasping his fist in gratitude, "Thank you, Senior Brother Ning!"

Ning Dongge patted his shoulder, "Good!"

Zhang Ji Yuan scrutinized Chu Zhiyuan, examining him from all angles.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Brother Zhang, what’s the matter?"

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "That’s the Autumn Moon Mirror, a top-tier Spiritual Artifact, capable of withstanding a strike from a Spirit Venerable."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Thank you, Senior Brother Ning."

Ning Dongge waved, "It’s your own tenacity. The Spiritual Artifacts that can withstand a Spirit Venerable’s attack are often beyond our ability to refine or control; your situation is unique, with strong spirits and soul, enabling you to wield it."

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "Junior Brother, indeed none of us could control it. We tried."

Ning Dongge said, "With it, if you truly encounter a Spirit Venerable, you have a chance to escape."

"Indeed." Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Suddenly, a flash in his palm, a copper mirror appeared, identical to its prior form.

Palm-sized, seemingly ordinary.

With slight changes from the original mirror.

The mirror’s surface shimmered with bright light, like a ripple of autumn water.

The back patterns had threads of golden light weaving through, like golden flowers continuously blooming.

Recognizable as something unusual.

Chu Zhiyuan could sense the powerful aura it contained, seeming to command a vast ocean, ready to unleash at any moment, engulfing the world.

Zhang Ji Yuan smiled, "Junior Brother, let me try it, shall we?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Zhang Ji Yuan slapped his right palm, sending forth a white light like a bolt.

Chu Zhiyuan raised his palm, the mirror emitted a white light to meet it.

The two beams of white light vanished simultaneously in the air.

"Again!" Zhang Ji Yuan struck with another palm, releasing sword-aura-like white light.

Chu Zhiyuan moved the copper mirror slightly, the mirror emitted another beam of white light, identical to the previous.

The two beams of white light vanished in the air.

"Junior Brother Zhang, that’s enough." Ning Dongge said, "The mirror can withstand a strike from a Spirit Venerable, not to mention your palm force."

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "We must try, just in case, it wouldn’t be reliable if we face a Spirit Venerable."

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Brother Zhang, give it your strongest strike."

"Watch the palm!" Zhang Ji Yuan shouted decisively, striking with a palm, yet no white light appeared, but a distortion in the air.

A palm-sized distorted Void flew toward Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan’s mirror emitted another white light, simultaneously vanishing with the distorted Void.

"Indeed, quite strong." Zhang Ji Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

Ning Dongge said, "Junior Brother Zhang, let’s join forces for a combined strike."

"Here we go!" Zhang Ji Yuan struck with a palm.

Ning Dongge followed with a palm.

The two distorted palm forces merged in the air, quickly contracting into a small black point.

The small black point moved swiftly, reaching near Chu Zhiyuan in an instant.

Chu Zhiyuan had already flipped the Autumn Moon Mirror, emitting a white light to meet it.

The white light and the small black point collided in the air, producing a crisp "pop" sound, then they vanished.

Ning Dongge and Zhang Ji Yuan exhaled deeply.