I have a composite mirror

Chapter 123 Secret Investigation of the Jade Pendant and the Opportunity for Forging

The air inside Tingyu Pavilion was filled with the fragrance of herbs.

Han Sushuang lay pale on the soft couch. Although she had taken healing pills, the insidious black fire still left indelible dark injuries in her body.

"Sorry—I've still revealed my hand."

Han Sushuang smiled weakly, her voice hoarse.

Gu Shenyan was administering acupuncture to her when he heard this, his hand paused slightly, and then he said softly, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Being alive is more important than any trump card."

He inserted the last silver needle into the acupoint, guiding his purifying spiritual energy to gradually remove the toxins from her body.

"And you won this battle beautifully."

After Han Sushuang fell into a deep sleep, Gu Shenyan got up and went to the outer room.

His face instantly darkened, like a bottomless pool of cold water.

"Did you find it?"

A blurry figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

It is "crow".

He handed over a sealed file, his voice low: "The screenshot of the jade pendant you sent is very interesting."

"We found the origin of this thing in the dusty archives of the Genjō-ji."

[Item: Three-legged Azure Phoenix Pendant]

[Source: Evidence seized in the major smuggling case in Southeast Asia during the third year of the Hongdao era.]

Status: Already stored and sealed in warehouse.

[Note: The person in charge was Wang Tong (deceased).]

Gu Shenyan's gaze lingered on the words "already stored and sealed," and he let out a cold laugh.

"How did something that was sealed away end up on a contestant?"

The crow shrugged, a hint of sarcasm in its voice: "The files show that two years ago, this batch of evidence was unfortunately 'lost' in a warehouse 'accidental fire'."

"And the biggest creditor of the deceased clerk, Wang Tong, was Tongbao Money Exchange, owned by the Zhao Yuanlang family."

All the clues came to a conclusion at this moment.

Smuggling in Southeast Asia, evil magic talismans, the Zhao family's money shop, and corruption within the Xuanzheng Division.

This is a huge net.

Zhao Yuanlang, or rather, the "Yingrong" behind him, is the poisonous spider in this web.

"The Zhao family's reach is quite extensive."

Gu Shenyan closed the file, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"This jade pendant was the iron pin used to pry open their tortoise shell."

Just then.

A paper crane, no bigger than the palm of a hand, fluttered its wings and flew in through the window, landing on Gu Shenyan's shoulder.

The paper crane spoke in a human voice, old and majestic: "Be careful what you say, bring that girl to the Hall of Offerings to see me."

It's Master Lu.

Deep within the temple grounds, in front of an inconspicuous thatched hut.

Lu Banxian was sitting in a rattan chair, still playing with two walnuts in his hands—but this time he had replaced them with two black metal balls of unknown material.

Han Sushuang, supported by Gu Shenyan, bowed respectfully.

"Alright, stop pretending."

Lu Banxian didn't even lift his eyelids, and casually tossed out a porcelain bottle.

"This is 'Nine-Turn Rejuvenating Ointment.' Apply it to this girl, and she'll be bouncing around again in three days."

Gu Shenyan was overjoyed and quickly accepted the gift, saying, "Thank you, senior!"

This is a priceless, unavailable medicine!

"Girl, go rest in the side room first. I have something to say to this boy."

Lu Banxian waved his hand.

After Han Sushuang left, Lu Banxian's cloudy old eyes suddenly became incredibly clear, staring straight at Gu Shenyan.

That gaze seemed to see right through his soul.

"Kid, your spirit core is quite interesting."

Gu Shenyan's heart tightened, and he was about to explain when he was interrupted by Lu Banxian.

"Don't make up lies to fool this old man."

"Everyone has secrets. As long as you don't fall into the demonic path or betray humanity, this old man can't be bothered with your scheming."

Lu Banxian pointed to the futon in front of him.

"sit."

Gu Shenyan sat down as instructed.

"You now possess a 'flawless' spirit core, your foundation is so stable that it even surpasses that of many cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"But this also means that if you want to go further and enter the realm of Law Forging, it will be ten or a hundred times harder than for others."

Casting the realm of law.

That was the first real insurmountable barrier on the path of cultivation.

Refining Qi and Foundation Building are both simply ways of accumulating spiritual energy.

The casting method, on the other hand, involves using these spiritual energies to "cast" one's own innate magic within the body according to specific rules!

Once forged, this technique will become the cultivator's foundation, possessing boundless power and capable of being manipulated at will.

"Please give me your guidance, senior," Gu Shenyan said respectfully.

Lu Banxian held up three fingers.

"To build a perfect foundation, you need three conditions."

"First, the second life fire diagram."

"Your first elemental fire is the Abyss," which governs water and concealment. Isolated yin cannot last; you need a second elemental fire to harmonize it, either through mutual generation or complementarity.

"Second, the materials for casting the magic."

"Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Ordinary rare and precious materials are simply insufficient to support a flawless magical structure."

"Thirdly, the place where the law is forged."

Lu Banxian paused here, and gave Gu Shenyan a meaningful look.

"Wen Yuan told me you have a fragment of a map?"

Gu Shenyan was shocked and instinctively covered his chest.

"Don't be nervous, I wouldn't even look at that piece of junk."

Lu Banxian chuckled.

"If I'm not mistaken, what's depicted in that picture should be the 'Lancang Water Palace' from ancient legends."

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"Those kinds of places often abound with top-grade water-based spiritual materials, and may even contain the very essence of a water palace."

"If you are interested, you can try your luck after this ceremony ends and the turmoil subsides."

"This may be your only chance."

Gu Shenyan took a deep breath and kowtowed heavily.

"I'll remember that!"

This isn't giving pointers; it's clearly paving the way for him!

After returning to Tingyuxuan.

Gu Shenyan immediately announced that he would go into seclusion for half a day.

He frantically tried to reconstruct Lu Banxian's words in his mind.

"System, establish a simulation model of the 'Casting Realm'."

[Command confirmed.]

[Based on the "Flawless" Spirit Core, simulation begins————]

Gu Shenyan's consciousness was immersed in a sea of ​​data.

He looked at his crystal-clear spirit core and tried to infuse it with spiritual power of various attributes.

If it's just a simple accumulation, the spirit core will collapse because it can't withstand the pressure.

"There must be a cycle."

"The way of life is endless renewal."

He constructed an extremely complex model in his mind.

It is based on the water-based power of "Diving Abyss".

The element of "wood" is introduced to represent vitality and serve as a buffer.

The character "土" (earth) is introduced to represent weight and serve as a support.

Water produces wood, wood overcomes earth, and earth overcomes water————

This is not only mutual generation, but also a balance within mutual restraint.

"Buzz—"

Although it was just a simulation, Gu Shenyan still felt a chill run down his spine.

too difficult.

The complexity of the rune structure is comparable to rewriting an entire operating system.

But amidst those countless failures, he vaguely touched upon the threshold.

It was a mysterious and profound feeling.

It was as if he could grasp the very rules of heaven and earth in his hands if he took just one more step forward.

"call----"

Gu Shenyan opened his eyes, his head covered in sweat, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

"Although it's still a long way off, I can see the road ahead."

Just then.

The clock outside the window rang again.

That was a notice from the organizing committee.

The specific rules for the third round of the competition have finally been announced.

Gu Shenyan pushed open the window, looked at the golden characters that appeared in the sky, and smiled slightly.

It's no longer about fighting and killing.

This time, it's about "heart".

[Round 3: Asking the Way with a Heart Symbol.]

[Location: Royal Secret Realm - Questioning Platform]

[Rules: Sit quietly and introspectively, contemplate the meaning of ancient symbols; the longer you persist, the higher your ranking.]

Gu Shenyan turned around and looked at Han Sushuang, who had just woken up and was looking at him with some concern.

"Don't worry, we don't need to lift a finger this round."