Chapter 46 – The Spiritual Treasure Celestial Mystery Mirror
by spirapiraChapter 46 – The Spiritual Treasure Celestial Mystery Mirror
“Buzz…”
A droning roar echoed ceaselessly in his ears, and the scene before his eyes spun without stopping, impossible to make out clearly.
It was a long while before Li Fan finally recovered from this disorientation.
“Everyone’s like this the first time they use a teleportation array. You’ll get used to it.” He Zhenghao explained casually.
Li Fan nodded silently and surveyed his surroundings.
He seemed to be standing in a massive plaza.
At the very front of the plaza stood an enormous statue.
It depicted an elderly man with a long beard and a tall crown upon his head.
Below the statue, the plaza was filled with tens of thousands of stone figures of varying sizes and forms.
Without exception, every single one of the tens of thousands of stone figures had their heads raised, gazing upward at the long-bearded elder.
The teleportation array Li Fan had emerged from was positioned right in front of one of these stone figures.
“This is the Dao Transmission Plaza. It was built to commemorate the Immortal Venerable’s transmission of the Dao. Every outpost of our Myriad Immortals Alliance has one just like it,” He Zhenghao explained.
Recalling the scene described in the 《Five Spirits Qi Sensing Method》— the Immortal Venerable assuming a form as vast as heaven and earth, transmitting the Dao to all living beings — Li Fan gazed at the elder’s statue for a long time, then nodded silently.
“Flight is not prohibited on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, but remember this: you must never fly higher than the Immortal Venerable’s statue. Otherwise, the Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Array will attack without fail. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would perish in moments,” He Zhenghao cautioned, his expression grave.
Li Fan felt a chill in his heart and immediately committed this to memory.
“Although flight isn’t forbidden on the island, I’d advise you not to fly around carelessly. Cultivators from across the entire Layered Cloud Sea have gathered here, and among them are no shortage of Golden Core and Nascent Soul experts. If you fly over their heads and offend them, they might just take note of it.”
“Then when they follow you off Ten Thousand Immortals Island, they could kill you as easily as swatting a fly, and you’d have nowhere to seek justice.”
He Zhenghao led Li Fan along, quietly briefing him on things to watch out for while on Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
Since these were matters of life and death, Li Fan committed every detail to memory.
After walking for a while, the two passed through a corridor naturally formed by woven vines and arrived at a serene, verdant grove.
In a clearing within the grove stood an enormous, ancient-looking mirror.
From time to time, cultivators hurried through the mirror’s surface, disappearing to unknown destinations.
Other cultivators emerged from the mirror and departed without pause.
“This mirror is our Myriad Immortals Alliance’s Celestial Mystery Mirror.”
“Legend has it that before the Immortal Venerable transmitted the Dao, this Celestial Mystery Mirror was nothing more than an ordinary mirror. Later, when the Immortal Venerable bestowed his teachings, the mirror reflected his divine image and somehow gave birth to a sliver of its own will. After that, it began cultivating like a cultivator, gradually evolving from an ordinary object into the heavenly spiritual treasure it is today.”
“Most of the affairs we cultivators deal with within the Myriad Immortals Alliance are handled by this Celestial Mystery Mirror. They say this fellow is quite the grudge-holder, so be careful and watch what you say.” He Zhenghao warned Li Fan in a low voice.
Then He Zhenghao pulled Li Fan through the mirror.
What met his eyes was an isolated space, with no other cultivators in sight.
It was as if they were floating in the void — nothing but emptiness and darkness in every direction.
“This person is a newly inducted cultivator. He has come to Ten Thousand Immortals Island to join our Myriad Immortals Alliance,” He Zhenghao said, pointing at Li Fan.
“Referral of one early Qi Refining stage cultivator. Recorded as medium-grade D-rank merit, converted to 50 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 920.” A voice sounded from within the space.
He Zhenghao’s expression remained unchanged.
Li Fan observed this thoughtfully.
Having received his contribution points, He Zhenghao looked pleased.
“Now that you’ve made it here, young friend, I can rest easy. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the Celestial Mystery Mirror. Generally speaking, it will explain everything in detail. I still have island patrol duties to attend to, so I won’t keep you company any longer.”
With that, He Zhenghao hurried off.
Leaving Li Fan alone in the Celestial Mystery Mirror’s space.
A flash of light sparked in the surrounding darkness, then went dark again.
“Divine sense fluctuation recorded.”
“Independent space generated.”
“Cultivator, please state your name.”
A somewhat peculiar voice spoke.
“Li Fan,” Li Fan replied.
“Cultivator Li Fan, welcome to the Myriad Immortals Alliance. As a welcome gift, you will receive 20 contribution points free of charge. You may use contribution points to exchange for spirit stones, cultivation methods, magical treasures, and more.”
“You can earn contribution points by submitting resources, completing tasks, trading with others, and other means.”
“Likewise, if you encounter a problem you cannot solve on your own, you may spend contribution points to post a bounty.”
“Your current total contribution points: 20.”
“As a newly joined member of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, you may reside within the Celestial Mystery Mirror free of charge for thirty days. After thirty days, you will need to pay contribution points to continue residing here.”
“The residence fee is: 10 contribution points per thirty days.”
“Of course, you may also choose to spend contribution points to purchase your own cave dwelling on Ten Thousand Immortals Island.”
…
The Celestial Mystery Mirror tirelessly explained the basics of life within the Myriad Immortals Alliance to Li Fan.
“If I can’t make it in the Myriad Immortals Alliance, can I choose to leave and join the Five Elders Society?” Li Fan asked suddenly, after listening for a long while.
As if someone had grabbed it by the throat, the Celestial Mystery Mirror’s voice cut off abruptly.
After a moment of silence, the Celestial Mystery Mirror continued: “Those who have joined the Myriad Immortals Alliance cannot subsequently join the Five Elders Society. The reverse is also true.”
“Violators will be hunted down jointly by both sides.”
Now it was Li Fan’s turn to fall silent.
“I don’t believe I ever agreed to join your Myriad Immortals Alliance, did I?”
“Once one enters the Celestial Mystery Mirror and has their divine sense recorded, it is considered voluntary enrollment in the Myriad Immortals Alliance.”
“Can I withdraw from the Myriad Immortals Alliance and, without joining the Five Elders Society, choose to be a rogue cultivator?” Li Fan asked again.
The Celestial Mystery Mirror fell silent once more.
After a pause, it finally responded.
“You may. However, should you choose to withdraw, all items previously obtained within the Myriad Immortals Alliance will be forcibly reclaimed. Please make your decision carefully.”
“Can gold, silver, and such be exchanged for contribution points?”
“Yes. Specific exchange rates can be found in the exchange catalog.”
…
Li Fan asked the Celestial Mystery Mirror question after question, tireless and thorough.
After a long while, he finally stopped.
“I have no more questions for now.”
“Very well, cultivator. Should new questions arise, you may call upon me at any time. You may also browse information independently through your divine sense.”
The space fell quiet again.
As Li Fan manipulated his divine sense, the pitch-black void transformed into a simple, classical room.
Its furnishings and decorations were identical to those in his room at the Grand Preceptor’s Manor in Great Xuan.
Li Fan reached out to touch the decorations and objects in the room. They felt almost exactly like the real thing — he could detect no difference whatsoever.
“The Celestial Mystery Mirror really is a remarkable treasure,” Li Fan murmured to himself.
Through the exchange of questions and answers just now, he had formed a general understanding of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
He used his divine sense to open the cultivation method exchange menu. The simplest Qi Refining stage techniques cost a thousand contribution points each.
Then he opened the task board and filtered for missions available to early Qi Refining cultivators. Every task reward in sight was five points here, ten points there.
“So this is what immortal cultivation is really like — working like a beast of burden.” A nameless emotion slowly took root in Li Fan’s heart.
“You have a new image transmission. Please check it promptly.” Just then, the Celestial Mystery Mirror’s voice suddenly rang out again.