Ask the Mirror

Chapter 188: Remote Sensing

Yu Ci was surprised, then smiled. “You’re really willing to bleed for this!”

Every cultivator in the hunting party knew that Fan Lao possessed a large-capacity storage ring—his most prized possession. It served as the ‘shelves’ for his small trading business, with goods constantly flowing in and out, yet it never seemed to fill up. Even if it held no large items, it was still quite remarkable.

For any storage container, the most basic standards were capacity and spatial stability. Leaving the latter aside, the larger the former, the higher the value undoubtedly was. With such a treasure, Fan Lao knew his own strength was insufficient to protect it completely. So, he had gritted his teeth and used a Life-Binding Blood Curse, linking his own life force to the ring. If anyone tried to kill him, the storage ring would be destroyed instantly, thwarting any ill intentions.

But circumstances change. For the matter weighing on his heart, if Yu Ci agreed now, he would be willing to endure a great loss of vital energy, break the blood curse, and risk removing the ring.

Having named his price, Fan Lao stared at Yu Ci, his heart filled with anxiety.

Yu Ci shook his head. Storage rings weren’t rare. After returning to his sect and filing a report, he could receive one. Yu Ci had always felt that this sort of thing didn’t need to be large; sufficient was fine. The conditions Fan Lao offered held no appeal for him whatsoever. Even setting that aside, if Fan Lao actually produced a treasure that tempted him, he still wouldn’t change his earlier decision, not after Hun Qiu had carried him and Gan Shizhen flying for several thousand li.

Just as he was about to refuse, Yu Ci suddenly sensed something.

Fifty li away, deep in the mountain forest, a patch of ‘bright’ space suddenly opened up, perceivable only to him. The feeling was all too familiar to Yu Ci; it was the state he experienced when his soul was possessed by a living being, shifting his perspective. Only this time, the target of his soul-possession wasn’t the Dragon Fish, nor the large bird, but a fellow he had nearly forgotten.

Branches crisscrossed wildly in the forest, rapidly approaching and receding, indicating the possession target was moving at high speed. Seven or eight others were with him. In an instant, they had closed to within forty li, finally stopping beneath a cliff.

“This business deal, catching the unprepared by surprise, is bound to succeed without a doubt.”

The hoarse voice belonged to the possession target. Someone nearby immediately responded, “The key is to contact the inside agent and make preparations first. You Gongquan is, after all, at the Core Refinement realm. If he sets his mind on escaping, we won’t be able to stop him.”

Yu Ci was momentarily stunned, never expecting to stumble upon something like this inadvertently.

He had already recalled that the possession target was Lakes and Seas Wanderer he’d seen descending from the Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat, accompanied by a beautiful woman. Back then, on a whim, he had driven a Divine Intent Star Shard into the man’s mind palace and subsequently forgotten about it. Who would have thought that, days later and ten thousand li from the dock, they would ‘meet again’?

The scheming woman in red, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was about to listen more closely, his heart suddenly leaped as he remembered something. This soul-possession method of his had always been limited to a single sensory dimension. For instance, when he had used the Dragon Fish to spy on Venerated Master Bi Chao back then, he could hear but not see, or see but not hear—a significant limitation.

Yet at this moment, he not only heard the voices clearly, but the surrounding scenery and the figures nearby were also vaguely visible. And as he focused his attention, the outlines and colors grew increasingly vivid.

Comparing past and present, Yu Ci became even more aware of his progress. Currently, he could only see and hear. He had a faint feeling that if he continued to advance along this path in the future, the goal would be to exhaust the six consciousnesses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought. When that might happen was anyone’s guess.

Lakes and Seas Wanderer held a relatively high position within this group; he continued speaking, “There are a few formidable fighters in the hunting party. Although not many would die for You Gongquan, we still need to be cautious. Have you found out the background of that new member who joined a couple of days ago?”

Hearing the topic shift to himself, Yu Ci paid even closer attention. He heard someone say, “We only know his surname is Yu, his given name Ci…”

“Yu Ci? Does anyone here know this person’s origins?”

Everyone shook their heads. “Never heard of him.”

“We’re all outsiders here, not familiar with the Broken Boundary Mountains.”

“Doesn’t seem like someone of repute.”

The same person who spoke first said, “Our man over there says You Gongquan often talks to him but has never asked about his background.”

Lakes and Seas Wanderer was also an experienced traveler. Hearing this, he laughed. “This is both trying to curry favor and keeping him at a distance—wanting to build a connection while avoiding trouble. A petty tactic, utterly lacking in boldness. Needless to say, this person won’t die for You Gongquan. But I’ve heard that the woman with him is a stunning beauty?”

“I’ve heard that too! I’ve heard that too!”

Whenever such topics arose, everyone perked up.

“Mmm hmm, I heard that when that kid first carried the beauty out, the whole crowd was dumbstruck.”

“Supposedly, she’s incredibly alluring, exquisite in every way. It’s a pity her health is poor; she’s been lying in that Cloud-Driven Floating Cart the whole time. That kid never leaves her side, guarding her strictly. Tsk, being so clingy, how could she possibly get better?”

At these words, everyone snickered lewdly. 

Seeing the lively atmosphere, Lakes and Seas Wanderer uttered several sounds of approval and laughed heartily. “Once this business here is concluded, let’s go see this sick beauty. We’ll rescue the poor soul from that thoughtless whelp, and then our brothers here can properly comfort her!”

The group roared in approval. Someone even chimed in with a strange, mocking tone, “Ah, now I understand! So this is why the Lake-Sea Daoist is finally separated from that beauty, Miss Chu, today.”

More raucous laughter erupted beneath the cliff. 

Lakes and Seas Wanderer wasn’t the least bit angry. He just laughed strangely and said, “You’ve just shown your inexperience. Your Daoist master here comforts beauties and never shies away from an audience. Besides, for some who are oblivious and need a bit of… hands-on work, I always have your Sister Chu handle it!”

At that, the place burst into thunderous laughter and strange howls. 

Fifty li away, Yu Ci also smiled, but his smile was cold.

Below the Cloud-Driven Floating Cart, Fan Lao still stood with a bowed back. Earlier, when he saw Yu Ci shake his head, he was initially unable to hide his disappointment. But then he noticed that this Immortal Yu had closed his eyes and fallen silent, his expression shifting and changing—quite strange. Not knowing the reason, he simply thought that the actions of a lofty expert were unfathomable and dared not disturb him, his gaze only lingering on the large bird atop the carriage.

Yu Ci opened his eyes and saw Fan Lao in this state. He nodded, said nothing more, and simply instructed, “Do me a favor. Go and invite Brother You over here. Tell him I have urgent matters to discuss.”

Fan Lao was slightly startled, but dared not refuse. He turned and scurried away.

Yu Ci sat on the carriage shaft, smiling coldly. No matter how meticulously those people planned, they could never have imagined that a full month ago, Yu Ci had driven a ‘nail’ into their key figure. Their plans had all become a joke.

That pack of degenerates would pay for their unbridled arrogance.

As killing intent coiled around him and pressure descended upon his brow, the altar of Yu Ci’s spirit became, instead, completely empty and bright. Thoughts flowed within his mind, devoid of any trace of forced intention.

The Inner Void of his Heart opened once more. He shifted his consciousness, merging it with the Mental Image of the Dragon Fish, forgetting his own physical form. He roamed through the void, united with the Mental Image. At this moment, he could sense the movement of the world’s primordial energy, though a membrane still separated them, preventing him from grasping it clearly.

This was the barrier between the ‘Inner Void of the Heart’ and the external world. But now, several extremely tiny pores had opened in this dense ‘membrane,’ and drops of external primordial energy were seeping in.

Logically, the ‘Inner Void of the Heart’ was a self-contained space of self-image. Although rooted in physical images, it existed independently of the real world; inside and outside did not connect. However, Yu Ci’s situation was somewhat different. Initially, he had used an ‘external object’—the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror—to reflect and form his Mental Image. The nature of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was extremely special, and from the very beginning, his ‘Inner Void of the Heart’ had been linked to the outside world.

It was precisely through this, and a series of fortuitous coincidences, that he had absorbed the True Form Heavenly Dragon Qi. And the powerful, instinctual nature of the True Form Heavenly Dragon Qi craved the primordial energy of heaven and earth, causing the ‘Inner Void of the Heart’ to undergo further change, reaching what Xie Liang had described as the initial stage of ‘drawing energy into the body.’

These four stages—Void Opening, Energy Drawing, Inner Scene Externalization, and Heaven-Earth Oneness—were precisely the four progressive levels of the Primordial Origin Qi Method, from low to high.

In essence, these four stages described a complete process: first, opening the Inner Void of the Heart; second, drawing external primordial energy into it; third, using that energy to evolve various inner scene divine abilities; and finally, ‘connecting the inner and outer voids,’ fusing inside and outside into a single, indistinguishable whole, allowing the ‘Mental Image’ to move freely between the inner and outer voids without hindrance.

Previously, Yu Ci’s insight had been insufficient to grasp its profound meaning. Only after being awakened by He Qing and then consulting Xie Liang did he understand that the greatest value of the Primordial Origin Qi Method lay not merely in being an Innate Qi Method that laid the foundation for learning the Core Refinement Method. Rather, it was a new line of thought, a convergence of the essences of the Transcendence Sect’s Virtue, Theory, and Discipline Departments.

Considering its function solely as an ‘Innate Qi Method,’ merely opening the Void and forming the Mental Image was sufficient. What followed was a long process of accumulation and gentle nurturing until one reached perfection, naturally stabilizing the pivot and condensing the Core.

In other words, Yu Ci had already done ninety percent of what needed to be done in the ‘Innate Qi Method’ stage. All that remained was the lengthy process of refining and purifying. Perhaps three or five years, perhaps eight or ten, until he reached the predetermined level, and then attempt Core Formation.

This was also the path virtually every cultivator had to tread. In the present age, whether it be Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Demonism, or other eclectic schools—whether Golden Core, śarīra, Demon Core, or Sage’s Heart—all were more or less influenced by the path of the Golden Core. The wondrous methods of the Golden Core unified the world; cultivation could not bypass it, could not do without it. It was the orthodox path of all sects.

But Xie Liang’s Primordial Origin Qi Method, starting from talismanic arts and thought preservation techniques, opened the Inner Void of the Heart and used the Mental Image to control physical images. It actually allowed one to glimpse, beyond the Great Dao, another small path leading to the summit. Regardless of its practicality, its value was incomparable!

Yu Ci was now at a very delicate juncture. An ordinary person at this stage could only gently nurture and accumulate over months and years, following the prescribed path step by step. But Yu Ci had an additional choice: to push the Primordial Origin Qi Method towards another level and continue delving deeper.

Regarding this, he did not hesitate. He had to seize every opportunity to climb upward; how could he possibly let this pass?

Just then, You Gongquan approached with a puzzled expression.

*****

After a night’s rest, the hunting party packed up camp and moved on. 

Yu Ci remained in the Cloud-Driven Floating Cart, tending to the unconscious Gan Shizhen. The floating cart was originally designed for the wounded and was very comfortable, but powering it required special crystals, a considerable expense. 

To secure this cart, Yu Ci had used the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror to lock onto and capture alive the Golden-Eyed Poison Ape deep within the sprawling forests, astonishing the entire hunting party. Most people described him as ‘unfathomably deep.’

Sunlight crested the mountain peaks and shone down. 

Just then, someone called from outside, “Brother Yu, do you have a moment? My master invites you to come over for a talk.”

Yu Ci opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. His gaze was cold and piercing.