The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The Kan Palace is precisely where the Three Lives Tree was planted by the Flowing Cloud Medicine God.

Once this key is placed, it will be the final move in this game of chess.

The sea of ​​clouds suddenly stopped.

The clouds and mist that had been churning for thousands of years suddenly fell silent.

The wind stopped, the clouds dispersed, and even time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Immediately, from where the key hovered, the clouds and mist slowly swirled.

At first, it was extremely slow, like a light veil dancing.

Then it gradually sped up, turning faster and faster, transforming into a black and white vortex that stretched across the sky.

The yin and yang energies swirl and intertwine within the vortex, drawing each other in and complementing one another, like the rising and setting of the sun and moon, like the alternation of day and night.

Tang Xixue gazed at the vortex and slowly said:

"If Yin and Yang are not in harmony and there is no way forward, then let's carve out a path."

The sea of ​​clouds split open from the center and neatly parted to both sides.

A heavenly gate, sealed for a thousand years, was slowly pushed open from the inside.

At the crack, clouds and mist swirl like a thousand-petaled lotus, blooming layer by layer and retreating layer by layer.

The clouds and mist create a magnificent and ever-changing spectacle, making way for a path that no one had ever walked before.

"They're here..."

A beam of light extended from the depths of the rift, passing through clouds and the void, crossing the ages that the Heavenly Dao had sealed away for far too long, and landed steadily on the edge of the cliff beneath Tang Xixue's feet.

That optical path is formed by countless interwoven warp and weft threads.

The horizontal axis represents space, and the vertical axis represents time; at each intersection, a tiny glimmer of light shines.

Like a galaxy hanging upside down, like fireflies paving the way.

"Since no one has successfully walked this path before, then I will be the pioneer."

Tang Xixue took a deep breath and stepped forward.

first step.

The cool sensation underfoot was an indescribable, strange coolness, as if stepping on solidified starlight.

The light rippled outwards from her toes, creating a faint, shimmering effect that vanished silently, like a drop of dew falling into still water.

The second step.

The cliff behind us began to recede into the distance.

It's not that she's moving forward, but that the whole world is retreating.

The clouds and cliffs were stretched to the farthest reaches in that instant, as if separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, or by intersecting times and spaces.

third step.

The clouds surged in from both sides, like wisps of smoke, gently engulfing her entire body.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that she was not walking a path, but traversing layer upon layer of time.

With each step, something brushed past me.

It is the wind, the light, and the unwavering conviction left behind by those who once stood atop this precipice.

They came, they tried, they failed.

Their footprints were swallowed by the clouds and mist, and their names were forgotten by time.

But their resentment remained, strand by strand, entwined around every node of this road, like a flickering lamp, like embers still warm.

She heard their sighs.

Those medical masters, on their deathbeds, uttered their final question: "Flowing Cloud Medicine God, to whom will you leave your legacy?"

She heard it, but she neither turned around nor stopped.

"It's not for any particular type of person."

She spoke softly amidst the clouds, as if answering questions that had lingered for millennia.

"It's for those who can reach the place of inheritance. I'll walk the paths you can't walk. I'll do the things you can't finish."

Ahead, deeper into the sea of ​​clouds, a glimmer of light awaits her.

The light was extremely weak, as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, as faint as a star about to go out.

But it remained lit.

In this cloud and mist that has been dormant for thousands of years, it always shines, waiting for someone who can pass through the chessboard and break through the fog.

Heaven, in its myriad calculations, probably never anticipated that someone skilled in both medicine and Taoism would arrive here.

She studied medicine and understood the original intention of the legendary healer, Liu Yun, to save lives.

He also cultivated Taoism and could use the Seven Star Compass to observe the clouds and determine positions, transforming the vast fog into nineteen crisscrossing chessboards.

All the knowledge and skills acquired over the years have now become the only key to breaking this thousand-year-old deadlock.

Where can I find the key to the Crystal Palace?

She herself is the real key.

Her life, Tang Xixue's life, was snatched back from the guillotine of Heaven by many people.

A sword immortal defied the heavens for her, a national advisor burned his life star for her, and an emperor devoted the entire nation's strength to her.

Every step she takes to survive to this day is a gamble against fate.

Only such a person can break this deadly trap set by the will of Heaven.

She strode confidently toward the light.

The moment I emerged from the clouds, I passed through that enormous heavenly gate.

Before my eyes, a dazzling light shone forth.

A magnificent celestial palace hangs in the clouds, with jade pavilions and painted beams.

The celestial palace of glazed tiles appears and disappears amidst the sea of ​​clouds, with strings of silver wind chimes hanging from its upturned eaves.

It moves automatically without wind, making a tinkling sound, as if welcoming her.

"We have finally arrived at the Crystal Palace."

She stood at the end of the road, beneath a huge glazed tile archway.

The entire archway is made of glass and jade, crystal clear and radiant.

The doorposts are carved with intricate patterns of medicinal herbs and ancient medicine cauldrons, each line bearing the marks of countless years.

Above the archway, four large characters are engraved in ancient medicinal script, with elegant strokes and a graceful charm.

"The Crystal Palace".

Above the clouds, a floating garden of immortal herbs hangs quietly beside the celestial palace, shrouded in celestial mist and auspicious energy.

The garden is filled with spiritual plants, all of which are ancient spiritual herbs that have been seen in the incomplete scroll of the "Medicine God's Canon" and were thought to have long been extinct.

Nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum is layered like an umbrella, Purple Jade Ginseng is translucent, Dragon Blood Vine has intertwined roots, and Heavenly Heart Lotus is in bud.

The plants grow in a staggered arrangement in the jade-lined medicinal beds.

The leaves are still covered with dew that has not dried for a thousand years, crystal clear, like tears and pearls.

However, there is still a barrier ahead if you want to reach the Crystal Palace.

White jade steps leading to heaven.

"Coming here marks the true beginning of the training."

Tang Xixue looked up and saw a long white jade staircase suspended above the surging sea of ​​clouds.

Each step is crystal clear, with a faint silver-blue halo flowing across its surface, like stars hidden in jade or springs frozen beneath ice.

The long staircase stretches upwards, winding its way into the depths of the clouds, with no end in sight.

The sea of ​​clouds surges like angry waves beside the steps, while celestial light appears and disappears like a dream on the steps.

It appears beautiful and magnificent, but in reality, every step is fraught with danger—a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.

The trials of the Medicine God have only just begun.

This path to heaven, after thousands of years, has finally welcomed its first challenger.

No one had ever taught her this question, and no one could teach her.

No one knows what kind of questions the brilliant and talented Flowing Cloud Medicine God left for future generations.

Can she, on her own, knock on that palace gate that has been sealed for thousands of years?

Outside, a storm is brewing.

The Pavilion Master of Fengxiao Pavilion had already clashed with Jiufangzhi, and the sound of the collision between the Silver Dust Gu and the mechanical array reverberated throughout the long street.

Outside the city, the lurking moths were stirring, and countless tiny buzzing sounds wove a web of death in the darkness.

This city is waiting for a light.

And she was that torchbearer.

The fate of the entire city rests on her success or failure.