I have a composite mirror

Chapter 107 Entrustment

The next day, in a corner of the library.

The "Student Alliance" trio reunited.

Han Sushuang pulled a stack of slightly yellowed papers from her sleeve.

"I found this at home."

"It's my grandfather's debriefing record from when he participated in the selection competition."

She spread out the paper, which was covered with dense annotations.

"Although they are from a long time ago, some of their rivals' schools and styles are inherited from the same lineage."

"Especially this Mad Talisman Sect," their disciples love to unleash a torrent of firepower in the first three breaths of the battle.

"If they can survive the first three breaths, they are lambs to the slaughter."

Gu Shenyan took the record, his eyes flashing with blue light, and quickly scanned and entered the data.

"nice one."

"This can help us avoid a lot of first-meeting kills."

At this moment, Jia Shouren chuckled and pulled out a crumpled map from his pocket.

"Hehe, guess what this is?"

"A floor plan of the Genzheng Division's training grounds!"

"And they even marked the location of the outhouses!"

Jia Shouren pointed to several red circles on the map.

"Here, here, and here."

"These locations are precisely at the nodes of the earth's spiritual energy."

"If you can secure these positions during the match, your mana regeneration speed will be at least 20% faster!"

Looking at the picture, Gu Shenyan couldn't help but look at Jia Shouren with new respect.

This fat guy is indeed quite skilled.

"Walk."

Gu Shenyan put away the map, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Looking at pictures alone is useless."

"We need to go to the site to scout it out."

So, that afternoon...

Outside the Xuanzheng Division's training ground, three seemingly curious but actually shifty-eyed "passersby" appeared.

They wandered around outside the wall, stopping every now and then to sense the flow of the earth's energy.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past two weeks, the courtyard may have seemed calm on the surface, but undercurrents were actually surging beneath.

There are five days left until the selection competition.

Behind Tingtao Pavilion, there is a hidden stone chamber.

The stone gate was tightly shut, isolating it from all outside noise.

There were only three people inside.

Cao Wenjing stood with his hands behind his back, facing Gu Shenyan and Han Sushuang.

"I have called you here to teach you something."

Cao Wenjing's expression was solemn, even carrying a sense of gravity he had never shown before.

"Someone doesn't want us to win this selection competition."

"You could even say that someone wants to use the competition to ruin you."

Han Sushuang's eyes turned cold, and her hand instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword.

Gu Shenyan remained calm, clearly having anticipated this.

"So, in order to save our lives, and in order to win."

"I will pass on a secret technique of our sect to you."

Cao Wenjing extended his right hand, palm facing up.

There were no incantations or talismans.

Suddenly, the air in his palm began to fluctuate violently, as if layers of invisible ripples were overlapping.

"Snapped!"

A crisp popping sound.

The seemingly gentle ripples in the air actually created a visible white mark in the void.

On the hard stone wall, a palm print about an inch deep appeared instantly.

"This is called 'Layered Wave Force'."

Cao Wenjing withdrew his hand and said calmly.

"This is not a talisman technique, but a method for channeling spiritual energy."

"Its principle is like the tides of the ocean."

"9

"One wave pushes another, the new wave pushes the old wave."

"In a very short period of time, multiple basic talismans of the same attribute are activated in succession with a specific rhythm."

"Let their power resonate, amplify, and finally explode."

"Even the most ordinary fireball talisman, if stacked with three layers of energy, can be as powerful as a mid-level Explosive Flame Talisman!"

Gu Shenyan was shocked upon hearing this.

This is practically a killer move tailor-made for "basic talisman duels"!

"Watch closely, I'll only demonstrate three times."

Next, Cao Wenjing began to analyze this special spiritual energy vibration frequency in detail.

Han Sushuang, after all, came from a family with a strong tradition of spiritual cultivation, and she quickly mastered this method of controlling spiritual energy.

In less than half an hour, the wind blade talisman in her hand was already emitting a buzzing sound.

In contrast, Gu Shenyan initially stumbled and struggled.

Although his spiritual energy output is stable, he can never quite pinpoint the point of "overlap".

It's like two waves colliding; instead of overlapping, they cancel each other out.

"Rhythm".

"You have to feel that rhythm."

Cao Wenjing stood by, pointing and giving instructions, his brows slightly furrowed.

Gu Shenyan took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Since conventional methods don't work, let's use cheat codes.

"system."

"Activate spirit energy fluctuation detection."

"Analyze the frequency model of 'Layered Wave Force' that Cao Wenjing just demonstrated."

The system has started.

[High-frequency spiritual energy shockwave detected.]

[Mathematical model under construction ————]

[Analysis complete. The key lies in the delay of the third spiritual energy pulse; it needs to be 0.03 seconds faster than the previous one.]

Gu Shenyan suddenly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, it seemed as if a ghostly blue flame was flickering.

That was his lifeblood—"The Abyss".

Water is inherently both the softest and the hardest substance.

Since it's about "layered waves," what understands the rhythm of waves better than "water"?

He mobilized the water-elemental spiritual power within his body, no longer deliberately imitating Cao Wenjing's fierceness, but guiding it along with that continuous artistic conception.

The first talisman, the starting position.

The second talisman is for receiving.

The third talisman, push it up!

"Buzz"

A low, lingering tremor echoed through the air.

The water bullet talisman in Gu Shenyan's hand was not shot out directly, but was instantly condensed into a water droplet compressed to the extreme at his fingertips.

Inside the water droplet, it seemed as if tides were surging.

"go."

Gu Shenyan flicked his finger.

"boom!"

Water droplets hit a distant target, not splash, but explode!

A tremendous impact, like a heavy hammer, smashed a dent into the specially made refined iron target.

Cao Wenjing's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Good lad!"

"The balance of strength and gentleness, the mutual generation of yin and yang."

Your "Layered Waves" technique is even more profound than I understood it back then!

, 7

late at night.

Gu Shenyan dragged his tired body back to his room.

As soon as he pushed open the door, all the muscles in his body tensed up instantly.

There are people inside!

"take it easy."

A gentle voice came from the darkness.

The candlelight lit up automatically.

Liu Wenyuan was sitting at the table, holding a book in his hand, as if he were at home.

"Senior brother?"

Gu Shenyan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed.

Liu Wenyuan waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

His face was somewhat pale, as if he had recently exhausted himself.

"I've come so late at night because I have something to ask you."

Liu Wenyuan took out a blue jade slip from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table.

The jade slip looked ordinary, but if you sensed it carefully, you would find that the space around it seemed to be somewhat distorted.

"This is a specially made jade slip for taking a photograph."

"It can block probes from those below the Golden Core stage."

Liu Wenyuan lowered his voice, his tone more solemn than ever before.

"We caught two corrupt officials within the Xuanzheng Division."

"The interrogation revealed that people from Southeast Asia were very interested in something in the provincial government's secret talisman repository."

"Their elaborate schemes to interfere in the selection process probably weren't aimed at helping anyone win the championship."

"It's for the opportunity to enter the Secret Treasury."

Gu Shenyan felt a chill run down his spine.

"What my senior brother means is—"

"If any of you have entered the secret vault, especially you."

Liu Wenyuan stared intently into Gu Shenyan's eyes.

"If any unusual people, things, or objects are found inside."

"Or you feel that something is guiding or tempting you."

"Don't make a fuss about it."

"Use this jade slip to secretly record it."

"This matter may be bigger than we imagine."

Gu Shenyan solemnly put away the jade slip.

"Disciple understands."

Not long after Liu Wenyuan left, Gu Shenyan was just about to rest.

The door rang again.

This time it was a soft tapping sound, with a rhythm of three long taps and two short taps.

Gu Shenyan sighed helplessly.

What's going on tonight? Is nobody sleeping?

The door opened, revealing Chen An dressed in black.

He looked even thinner than before, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.

To make a long story short...

Chen An did not enter the house; he simply stood in the shadows.

"The transfer order from above has come down."

"Once the selection competition is over, regardless of the outcome, I will be transferred out of the compound to carry out a new undercover mission."

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Gu Shenyan's heart.

Although their partnership was purely based on mutual benefit, their time working side-by-side had fostered a certain level of understanding between them.

"Take care of yourself."

Gu Shenyan only said those two words.

Chen An nodded, took out a yellow talisman folded into a triangle from his pocket, and stuffed it into Gu Shenyan's hand.

"This is a parting gift."

"Don't underestimate it."

"A golden light that breaks through boundaries is sealed inside."

Chen An spoke in a very low voice, almost in a whisper.

"This stuff was extracted from some ancient, fragmented array."

"if----"

"I mean, if."

"You encountered some kind of incomprehensible illusion during the competition or in the secret chamber," or you felt that your soul had been given a suggestion, or even that you were trapped in a certain space and couldn't get out.

"Burn it."

"It can save your life."

At this point, Chen An gave Gu Shenyan a deep look, as if there was something more to his words.

"besides."

"If we really get into the secret vault."

"Besides the tasks assigned by Senior Brother Liu."

"You might want to look for any fragmentary records about the ancient water palace or the Dragon Gate."

Gu Shenyan's heart skipped a beat.

Water Palace? Dragon Gate?

This corresponds perfectly to his mysterious "Abyss" life fire, and the vague background of the original owner of this body!

What does Chen An know?

Before Gu Shenyan could even ask a question, Chen An's figure had already disappeared into the night like a ghost.

All that remained was a single, fleeting thought: "Be very careful of that Vice President Wang—"

at last.

The opening day of the selection competition.

Outside the Xuanzheng Division's training ground, banners fluttered and crowds thronged.

-

The best of the best from various branches, families, and even independent cultivators gathered together.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Gu Shenyan, dressed in a brand-new Tingtao Pavilion disciple's robe, stood side by side with Han Sushuang and Jia Shouren.

The moment he stepped into the gate of the training ground.

[Warning! High-intensity spiritual scan detected!]

[Source direction: Due east, viewing platform!]

Gu Shenyan remained calm and his steps did not falter in the slightest.

But his keen senses told him that at least three eyes were on him.

The first sensation was cold and sticky, like a venomous snake licking his back.

That's coming from the direction of the Talisman Guild; it's probably from that Vice President Wang.

The second group, filled with scrutiny and curiosity, seemed to come from a high-ranking member of the Xuanzheng Division.

And the third one—

Gu Shenyan's heart stirred slightly.

That gaze was somewhat familiar, even carrying a hint of—mockery?

He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

But they found nothing.

"Brother Gu, what's wrong?"

Jia Shouren noticed his unusual behavior and asked in a low voice.

Gu Shenyan withdrew his gaze, a faint, cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

He straightened his clothes and strode towards the center of the field.

"It's nothing."

"I just feel that the wind is a little strong today."