Ask the Mirror
Chapter 165: Tenfold

It wasn’t just the Elders—everyone in the warehouse had their eyes fixed on Yu Ci. They were unconsciously watching every shift in his expression. Just a simple frown earlier had made many people’s hearts tighten.

Zhou Hu, the strongest cultivator in the warehouse, had already reached the peak of Divine Connectivity. He was only one step away from sensing the pivotal “opportunity” that would allow him to attempt Core Refinement. So naturally, he was the most sensitive to Yu Ci’s presence.

“This is Sword Intent-induced soul shock!”

To put it bluntly, when Yu Ci’s sword intent erupted, the innate Qi it produced was directed at the Earth Soul Fiend, but its sheer intensity still inadvertently affected the minds and spirits of the bystanders, even injuring some of them. That’s what caused the current state of tension.

Zhou Hu couldn’t help but shake his head in admiration. ‘What a fierce strike!'

After two months together, Zhou Hu thought he had a decent grasp of the young man’s strength. But now, he realized he’d only scratched the surface. At the very least, there weren’t many cultivators at the Divine Connectivity stage who could have taken that sword head-on. He certainly couldn’t!

Surprisingly, Zhao Xiqiao was faring better. This smooth-talking merchant had often gone out hunting with Yu Ci recently and had personally witnessed the refining of his sword intent, how he repeatedly honed the sword’s lethality. Having seen it enough times, Zhao had developed some resistance. Now he was fully focused on cleaning up the demon corpses.

While they were clearing out the Earth Soul Fiend, Yan Hao and the others also brought over the corpse of the mountain demon to deal with. 

As Zhao Xiqiao worked, the Elders silently approached, not saying a word, just staring at the two demon corpses with deep interest.

Yu Ci, however, didn’t have time to worry about any of that. There was still much to do. 

Though the battle earlier had been dangerous, it also gave him a chance to learn more about the new cultivators who had arrived. After chatting with Feng Zhao for a while, he learned that the man had come during the first wave of cultivators who had entered Sky Rift Valley to hunt demons after the recent upheaval. In fact, all seven cultivators who arrived at the docks were part of that wave—five of them had even passed through the docks before.

Feng Zhao cultivated a technique called the “Eleventh Earthly Branch Divine Art,” which made him highly sensitive to the flow of spiritual energy in soil and rock. That’s how he had detected the Earth Soul Fiend’s movement. He was also at the upper tier of Divine Connectivity, just slightly below Zhou Hu.

But what caught Yu Ci off guard was this:

“I once attended a treasure exchange banquet hosted by the Heart's Desire Pavilion in Cliff City. I saw you at the Heavenly Wings Pavilion,” Feng Zhao said. “That Zhao Ziyue—he ran rampant in the Northern Wasteland for decades, ruthless and cunning as a fox. Yet you had him so suppressed he couldn’t even lift his head. When word spreads in the Northern Wasteland, people will be overjoyed!”

Zhao Ziyue? If Feng Zhao hadn’t brought it up, Yu Ci would’ve completely forgotten about that guy who was always hugging a lion cat. So, Feng Zhao was from the Northern Wasteland too, and it seemed he had a bone to pick with Zhao Ziyue.

Yu Ci didn’t care about their grudges. Now that he’d confirmed Feng Zhao wasn’t a hotheaded loose cannon, he stopped talking and began preparations for the coming days.

Thanks to their previous experience with the Sky Rift Valley chaos, everyone was able to act in a fairly organized manner. For instance, they restructured the trap messages, spread powder to mask scents within the mountain, and so on. By the time all that was done, it was already the middle of the night.

Still, Yu Ci didn’t rest. This was the moment he needed to assume his role as a patrol guard.

He moved through the two levels within the mountain, inspecting traps and protection wards. When he returned to the warehouse, he didn’t feel tired in the slightest. But he could tell that among the dozen or so people inside, few were truly resting. The sporadic roars of beasts outside left them tossing and turning, unable to find peace.

Yu Ci’s feelings were quite different. Maybe the thrill of slaying two demons hadn’t worn off yet—his body brimmed with spiritual energy, and his entire meridian network pulsed with innate Qi like tidal waves, constant and unrelenting. Beneath that, a more powerful surge was building—an impending tsunami of strength.

The last two months had been stifling.

He had come here under the guise of being punished, but everyone knew it was just for show—a way to placate certain people. But Yu Ci had arrived with purpose. He had plans: to take a risk and reenter Sky Rift Valley to catch a Dragon Fish, specifically one with a “Marrow-Born Crown” to replace the now-worthless “Little Guy,” just in case something happened with Yu Zhou.

Ironically, the person he hoped to help had instead arranged a huge favor for him. 

Punishment? More like rehabilitation.

Yu Ci wasn’t one to reject good intentions, and he understood them well enough. But he wasn’t a child in need of looking after. He had his own goals. A decade of wandering had made him used to a free life. The overly meticulous arrangements made by Elders and the others left him feeling smothered.

Now, with this unexpected twist, that suffocating order had finally been broken.

To be blunt, he was a little excited.

Letting out a quiet breath, Yu Ci sat down near the edge of the warehouse.

Behind him came the soft shuffling of footsteps—it was Zhao Xiqiao creeping over. Having hunted together for so long, they had formed some rapport. In private, Zhao Xiqiao could speak a little more freely without worrying about misunderstandings.

“Do you think your sect’s Immortals will notice the commotion over here?” he asked.

What could Yu Ci say to that? He had already confirmed that this was a localized incident, affecting at most a few hundred miles. In a region that stretched for tens of thousands of miles, it was barely noticeable. Most of the cultivators from both sects had already retreated to their mountain gates, and the odds of anyone detecting the current unrest were slim.

“I’ve already released a messenger hawk to report back to the sect,” Yu Ci said, just to reassure him. With a speed of six to seven thousand miles per day, it would take two full days to reach the nearest place—Cliff City. By then, whatever was going to happen here would likely be long settled. It didn’t matter much.

Zhao Xiqiao was clearly disappointed, though he had mentally prepared himself for this. Asking was just a way to let go of false hope. He quickly gathered himself, then retrieved a finely crafted jade box from his storage ring and handed it to Yu Ci.

“Brother Yu, this is a batch of ‘Soul Soothing Pills' crafted by my Three Halls Pavilion’s alchemists. They can dispel inner demons, purge Yin toxins, and nourish the spirit. If taken before attempting to release the Yin Spirit, they can ensure one’s soul remains intact for a day—very helpful for cultivation. I see your cultivation has been progressing steadily, and you’re probably not far from upper-tier Divine Connectivity. These pills might come in handy. Just consider them payment for the ‘Rotwind’ and ‘Rising Dust’ blood treasures.”

Truth be told, Zhao Xiqiao was pained to give them away. The jade box contained a hundred pills, and their value actually exceeded that of the two blood treasures harvested from the Earth Soul Fiend and the Mountain Demon. But with things so unstable, survival took precedence.

His cultivation was average, but he had sharp eyes. After the battle earlier, he realized that while Yu Ci’s cultivation ranked fifth or lower among the mountain’s cultivators, his actual combat strength was undoubtedly top-tier. His swift demon slaying had shocked everyone and established his authority—he was already showing signs of becoming the group’s leader. With that in mind, it couldn’t hurt to deepen their connection.

Yu Ci understood Zhao Xiqiao’s intentions and accepted the jade box with a smile. The pills’ other effects were secondary—the ability to keep his spirit intact was genuinely valuable. Back in Cliff City, when he had forced his Yin Spirit out of his body without undergoing the tempering of Heaven and Earth’s elemental winds, he had suffered greatly. If he’d had these pills then, things might have gone very differently.

If he had the time, he really did want to test that Yin Spirit out-of-body state again.

Zhao Xiqiao still wanted to chat, but a light cough interrupted them. Both he and Yu Ci instantly recognized the voice.

They turned to see Elder Zhu standing behind them—his bald head gleaming faintly in the dim warehouse light.

Zhao Xiqiao, ever tactful, offered a greeting and promptly took his leave. Elder Zhu clearly had business but wasn’t going to sit down and talk like Zhao. With a grunt, he turned and strode out of the warehouse. Yu Ci chuckled silently and followed.

“You brat, your stuff!”

As soon as they were outside, the bald old man glared at him and shoved a jade slip into his hand—clearly containing the Light Concealment Escape Technique. 

Yu Ci smiled, took it without hesitation, and thanked him politely.

But this wasn’t the real reason the elder had called him out. When he saw Yu Ci put the jade slip away without even looking at it, Elder Zhu’s face twitched several times. He finally forced himself to calm down and said gravely:

“Today when I saw you use your sword—fierce Qi surging, one strike to kill—that’s no cultivation sword. That’s a killing sword. This isn’t the way of the Rifting Earth Sect, but rather reminds me of the Heavenly Escape Killing Sword—strike once, and if it fails, vanish without a trace.”

The “Heavenly Escape Killing Sword” he spoke of belonged to the mysterious Heavenly Escape Sect, a great sect on par with the Rifting Earth Sect. Their sword techniques followed the “Grand Illusion Sword Intent” path—known for its fog-like, intangible nature. Their motto was “strike once, flee a thousand miles.” They pursued enlightenment through slaughter, often seeking life in the face of death and achieving the impossible.

This sect also happened to be the cultivation world’s largest assassin organization. Heaven knows how a whole sect of assassins managed to cultivate.

Yu Ci had heard of the Heavenly Escape Sect and understood what the elder meant—but he couldn’t help feeling amused. After two months together, he knew the elder was a complete outsider when it came to swordsmanship. Now he was trying to offer some serious commentary? It felt absurd.

He wasn’t looking down on Elder Zhu, just puzzled as to why he was saying all this.

The elder didn’t keep him guessing long. After a moment’s thought, he said, “This Light Concealment Escape Technique has a unique feature: it allows one to enter a state of ‘silent concealment.’ It hides the presence of both spirit and Qi, while also allowing one to accumulate innate Qi for a thunderous strike. It’s an exclusive secret of the Heavenly Escape Sect—and it pairs well with your sword style. You won’t be at a loss.”

Yu Ci was surprised. Wasn’t this the same elder who had always disapproved of his killing methods and the Yin Qi they attracted, which harmed the spirit? Why the sudden change in tone? And why was he now talking himself up like Shopkeeper Zhao?

Just as he was pondering, Elder Zhu's eyes bulged, staring him down.

“The Light Concealment Escape Technique is fine, but it’s not rare. It’s only worth one blood treasure. But I’ve got something ten times more valuable than it—something that’ll benefit you greatly. Want it?”