After the path was cut off

The Xuanli Mirror flashed wildly, causing even the faint phantom to sway, making Li Wangxiang almost dizzy.

But the excitement in those words was absolutely genuine.

Li Wangxiang's heart skipped a beat.

"How so?"

Xuan Li cleared his throat, as if he had finally found an opportunity to show off, and even his tone became more raised.

Listen carefully.

"You may offer me as a sacrificial vessel. In this way, I will no longer be merely someone who conceals your presence and obscures your senses."

"Although my original power is waning, even if only a few scraps remain, it will be enough for you to enjoy."

It paused.

"Firstly, I have held some authority over the underworld."

"Although things are not as good as before, if we use sacrificial vessels, incense, and the spirit of a lineage to slowly nurture it, we may be able to lend a hand in matters concerning the bloodline and the reincarnation of descendants."

Li Wangxiang's eyes narrowed slightly.

Xuan Li saw that he finally reacted, and the mirror shone even brighter.

Secondly, I can bestow a mirror image.

"Those who wield my mirror image can borrow my position and utilize some of my spiritual abilities. If they succeed in slaying an enemy, they can even capture a wisp of their true spirit for me."

As it spoke, a hint of barely suppressed pride crept into its voice.

Thirdly—

"I can also organize your cultivation techniques, dissect the methods, patch up the incomplete parts, and create wonderful formulas."

"The cultivation techniques and spells on your Ziwei Star seem to me to be mostly quite crude. Even though my memory is now incomplete and I only have a little discernment left, it's enough for me to point out the mistakes and omissions for you."

As Li Wangxiang listened, his mind raced.

Xuan Li's statement was, of course, quite grand.

But what he thought of first was not how amazing these powers were, but rather—

How many points can they fall behind right now?

The power of the underworld sounds terrifying. Even if it could tamper with the reincarnation of one's descendants, it wouldn't solve the immediate problem.

The use of mirror images to create illusions is indeed practical. However, since the mirror's owner is currently in such a vulnerable state, the methods they can utilize are likely limited.

As for organizing cultivation methods and supplementing secret techniques... as a former true disciple of the Tianxuan Sect, he has no shortage of these Taoist teachings.

Xuan Li had long resided in his sea of ​​consciousness, and could detect even the slightest fluctuation in his mind.

Its newly raised sense of pride immediately crumbled.

"What kind of look is that?"

"You think these things are worthless?"

Its mirror gleamed, and its tone quickened.

"The reincarnation of descendants, to put it bluntly, is the spiritual aperture."

"On your Ziwei Star, spiritual apertures are one in ten thousand, and it all depends on luck. How many people who should have cultivated the Tao are destined to remain mortals their entire lives; how many heartless good-for-nothings are born with spiritual apertures!"

"But if I were here—"

"You can raise a group of children until they are six or seven years old, observe their temperament first, then their talents, and then I will guide them to take that next step."

"Tell me yourself, what's the difference between this and adding a new foundation to an existing system out of thin air?"

A glimmer of light finally flashed across Li Wangxiang's eyes.

This one point is indeed enough to change a person's fundamental nature.

Seeing this, Xuan Li became even more energetic and continued to press down:

"Not to mention I can bestow a mirror image."

"Those who wield the mirror's shadow can borrow my position to slay enemies and then gather their true spirits. Little by little, those fragmented souls may well be able to nurture something truly useful."

"As for the third point—organizing the techniques and supplementing the secret formulas—if you go deeper into it, it ultimately comes down to the way of divination and numerology."

"I can't predict the future right now, but once I recover more, these things might be possible."

As it said this, it suddenly let out a hum.

"You little brat, you dare look at me with that skeptical look."

"If you dare to be so ignorant again, then go play by yourself."

Li Wangxiang, however, no longer cared about its temper.

He knew in his heart that of the things the Mirror Master had thrown out, not many of them might be immediately of great use. But once they were put into practice, they would be enough to connect the threads of "family," "immortal sect," and "younger generation" all at once.

For this reason, Li Wangxiang's heart suddenly sank.

These methods, if they come too easily and end too easily, may not necessarily be a blessing.

He almost subconsciously recalled his attitude when he spoke to the Mirror Master earlier. Although he addressed him as "Mirror Master," he had never truly shown the respect he should have.

Perhaps it was the influence of that dream, or perhaps it was the inexplicable sense of indebtedness at play; in any case, he always found himself looking at Xuan Li too closely without realizing it.

I can accept my situation, but what about his disciples and followers after me?

If these gifts come too easily, if the title of "Master of the Mirror" is given too casually, how could they truly regard it as something to be respected, feared, and kept secret?

Thinking of this, the glimmer of hope that had been stirred in Li Wangxiang's heart by "lighting up his spiritual aperture" immediately returned to his rationality.

No.

We can't be so casual about it.

He raised his head and looked at Xuan Li, his expression becoming more serious.

"Master Mirror, there is one more thing."

Xuan Li was taken aback.

"If you truly wish to enlighten my juniors or bestow upon them a mirror image, what specific techniques and rituals are required?"

"Incantation? Ritual?"

It seemed as if it hadn't expected Li Wangxiang to ask about this, and its tone even carried a hint of bewilderment.

"I can do it with a single thought, why go through all this trouble?"

Li Wangxiang gently shook his head.

"The master of the mirror possesses supernatural powers and naturally disdains such trivial matters."

"only--"

He paused briefly before continuing.

"If we really want to establish a gate, we can't just do things for convenience."

"Whether it's an enlightenment or a gift, if there's no ritual to follow it or any reverence to restrain it, then in the eyes of others, it's just a sudden favor."

"But if there are methods and rituals, then it's different."

Xuanli Jingguang twitched slightly, as if he had suddenly grasped something.

Li Wangxiang continued in a calm and unhurried tone:

"With the ritual in place, disciples will know that this is not something to be taken for granted, but a blessing that needs to be respected, observed, and remembered."

"With the Dharma, they will know how to serve you, respect you, and fear you."

"More importantly—"

"The Mirror Master's origins are extraordinary, a secret of unparalleled proportions. If, in the future, the clan grows larger and the number of disciples increases, without a complete set of rules to restrain, keep secret, and maintain reverence, it's hard to guarantee that some shallow-minded and loose-lipped fools won't emerge."

"If the existence of the Mirror Master is leaked at that time, it will bring about a death and the extermination of the entire family."

Xuan Li originally wanted to say, "Why would I be afraid of any calamity?", but he swallowed the words back down.

In its current state, it wouldn't have gone far from Li Wangxiang's sea of ​​consciousness.

If someone really targets them, they might not be able to withstand it.

After a moment of silence, the mirror finally responded somewhat reluctantly:

"...What you said makes some sense."

When Li Wangxiang heard it relent, he felt seven or eight parts of the matter settled, and then took another step forward.

"Furthermore, I would like to ask the Mirror Master to consider the sacrificial method."

"A sacrificial ceremony?"

Xuan Li heard a new word again.

"On Ziwei Star, any high-level spiritual artifact or mountain gate sacrificial artifact that needs incense offerings always requires rituals, offerings, and prayers," Li Wangxiang said. "Although I don't know whether these incense offerings are actually helpful to the Mirror Master, if one really wants to use sacrificial artifacts to establish a sect, it's always good to prepare this set first."

Even if you don't need it now, you'll definitely need it in the future.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Li's gaze suddenly froze.

It originally thought that the transmission of the Ziwei Star's ritual artifact method was just a coincidence.

But upon closer listening, it turned out there was an entire set of rituals, offerings, prayers, and incense burning procedures involved.

Is this really just for the sake of running a sect?

Or perhaps... someone in this realm has already followed this path and discovered something else?

As the thought crossed his mind, the clear light on Xuanli Mirror gradually dimmed.

The almost joyful excitement from just now slowly faded into the mirror.

It suddenly realized that it might have been thinking too superficially before.

If the sacrificial vessels were truly just sacrificial vessels, why would they be circulated so openly on Ziwei Star?

If incense were truly just incense, why would it be offered, worshipped, and maintained so solemnly by cultivators of this realm?

This place...

Something's very strange!