After Chu Qingchuan finished speaking, seizing the moment when everyone was stunned, he endured the excruciating pain in his dantian and summoned a flash of spiritual light—the Mirror of Truth appeared before the crowd.
The Mirror of Truth stood as tall as a person, its surface engraved with countless long-lost runes that shimmered and shifted under the sunlight. The mirror itself was pitch black, devoid of even a sliver of light.
This was a spiritual treasure lost to the cultivation world for a thousand years—a mirror capable of revealing a cultivator’s truest desires.
Even a Venerable in the Transcendent Tribulation Realm, once trapped within it, would be powerless to resist its grasp, forced to confront their deepest yearnings.
A treasure like this, one that could peer into the heart regardless of cultivation level, was exceedingly rare.
At this thought, one of the Venerables cast a thoughtful glance at the disheveled Chu Qingchuan:
To think this mirror was in his possession.
With such fortune, it was no wonder everyone had once believed him to be the chosen one destined for ascension.
Gu Yunqi recognized the Mirror of Truth as well. She shielded Xu Wanci, her expression icy:
"Impossible."
"The Taiqing Sect will never allow Xu Wanci to take such a risk."
Ning Menglan flicked her sleeve, her resolve unwavering:
"Chu Qingchuan, out of respect for our past master-disciple bond, I spared your life."
"But if you persist in your delusions and attempt to harm Xu Wanci, the Taiqing Sect will show no further mercy."
The immediate reaction of the entire Taiqing Sect was refusal.
Despite Chu Qingchuan’s lengthy accusations, no one believed him.
Compared to the selfish and scheming Chu Qingchuan, Xu Wanci was the one they were willing to rally their entire sect behind to help seize destiny’s favor.
As the Taiqing Sect’s firm rejection echoed, the Bai Family Head exchanged a glance with an elder beside him.
The elder spoke up at just the right moment:
"Patriarch Ning’s devotion to her disciple is truly moving."
"However, the Mirror of Truth merely reveals a cultivator’s desires—it does no harm. There’s little danger in it."
Not far away, Venerable Huayu chimed in:
"Indeed, it’s just a mirror. To refuse so vehemently only invites suspicion."
Gu Yunqi didn’t bother sparing him any courtesy:
"If Venerable Huayu finds it so trivial, why not enter the Mirror of Truth first and pave the way for us?"
Venerable Huayu flushed with anger and flicked his sleeve:
"The mirror was prepared for Xu Wanci—what does it have to do with me?"
"Elder Gu, don’t twist my words."
Gu Yunqi coldly threw his own words back at him:
"If it’s just a mirror, then avoiding it makes it seem like the Venerable has something to hide."
Venerable Huayu’s face darkened. "You—!"
Gu Yunqi ignored him, her voice grave:
"The Taiqing Sect does not yield to threats."
"Chu Qingchuan, you’ve miscalculated."
Chu Qingchuan watched as the Taiqing Sect encircled Xu Wanci, shielding her completely. Bloodshot veins crept into his eyes.
Once, he had been the one they protected. But because of Xu Wanci, everything had changed.
He turned to Xu Wanci, his voice dripping with venomous resolve:
"The Tome of Divine Refinement is a divine artifact bound to me—our fates are intertwined."
"If you refuse to enter the Mirror of Truth, then the Tome will perish with me."
By now, nearly all his spiritual treasures had been exhausted—only the divine artifact remained.
Sacrificing a divine artifact he could no longer use to force Xu Wanci into the mirror… it was a fair trade.
Whether or not she truly had ties to the Immortal Venerable, once he produced the Tome before all these witnesses, she would have no choice but to comply.
After all, she "loved" the Immortal Venerable so deeply.
Hearing Chu Qingchuan’s words, Ning Menglan instinctively looked at Xu Wanci, worry flickering in her eyes:
No matter how profound their cultivation, they couldn’t seize the divine artifact from its master.
For the first time, Xu Wanci met Chu Qingchuan’s gaze.
She knew he had cornered her.
If she refused to enter the mirror and walked away, even those who had believed her lies might begin to doubt.
And with the Tome in play, escape was impossible.
The Mirror of Truth…
Xu Wanci’s fingertips twitched.
In the original story, the mirror had existed too.
Back then, Chu Qingchuan had been captivated by the alluring Bai Wanyi, dreaming of having both her and Jiang Qiuning by his side—along with the power of the Jiang and Bai families.
But though Bai Wanyi adored him, she refused to share him. Eventually, he obtained the Mirror of Truth and used it on her.
What he saw was her deepest desire:
A Bai Wanyi who had ascended to immortality, standing above all others, surrounded by beautiful men—while he groveled at her feet, tormented and humiliated.
She had never loved him. She had only sought to exploit his fortune for her own gain and the rise of the Bai family.
After seeing her ambition laid bare, Chu Qingchuan awoke from his delusion, severed ties with the Bai family, and vowed to devote himself solely to Jiang Qiuning.
At this memory, Xu Wanci lowered her lashes, concealing the mockery in her eyes.
The Mirror of Truth reflected one’s desires. The Three-Leaf Lotus countered illusions and mental arrays—but against the mirror, it would be nearly useless.
In the past, this would have been an inescapable trap for her.
Because her desires had been solely for herself—for power.
But now…
No matter how much she rationalized it, she couldn’t deny the influence of the man from her dreams.
Yet before, she had forced herself to ignore it.
She had drawn a line between dream and reality, locking away all traces of longing in the waking world.
Her gaze remained calm as she slowly amplified every memory, every emotion tied to him.
Chu Qingchuan watched Xu Wanci’s silence and the Taiqing Sect’s distrustful stares. His smile turned bitter:
They didn’t believe him.
Yet they trusted Xu Wanci—a woman who hadn’t spoken a word, who dared not even face the mirror!
Suppressing his fury, he pressed on:
"I swear upon the Heavenly Dao—if Xu Wanci enters the Mirror of Truth, I will relinquish the Tome of Divine Refinement to her."
"If I break this oath, may my cultivation shatter, and may ten thousand arrows pierce my heart!"
He would force everyone to see Xu Wanci for the hypocrite she was.
But Xu Wanci’s reaction wasn’t the panic or feigned composure he expected. She simply looked at him, silent and unreadable, before stepping toward the mirror with effortless grace.
As her figure merged into the darkness, her voice, devoid of emotion, rang out:
"Chu Qingchuan."
"You were never worthy of the Tome."
The moment Xu Wanci stepped into the mirror, her consciousness began to blur.
Her long lashes fluttered faintly.
How confident was she?
Sixty percent.
She closed her eyes.
Even if she could amplify her desires…
That sixty percent chance forced her to acknowledge—her feelings for him were real.
Outside the mirror, everyone watched as the scene within began to unfold.
In a sea of blue ephemeral rain flowers, the figure of Xu Wanci gradually came into focus.
She wore the outer disciple robes of the Taiqing Sect, her cultivation barely at the Qi Refining stage, her face still carrying the innocence of one untouched by the world.
Sitting amidst the blue blossoms, she seemed drowsy, her eyes slowly closing.
She murmured her desires one by one:
"I want to become strong."
"I want to possess the greatest talent, the highest cultivation, to control my own destiny."
"I want to live freely."
Outside the Mirror of Heart’s Inquiry, listening to her voice, Chu Qingchuan struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with frenzied laughter:
"Listen! Her desires have always been for herself!"
"What profound love? What vows of life and death? All lies! She pretended to love the Immortal Venerable deeply—all for the sake of growing stronger, for cultivation!"
"Look at how much she’s gained from being the Immortal Venerable’s beloved!"
At this, several Venerables frowned.
There was nothing wrong with wanting strength.
Every cultivator’s ultimate goal was to grow powerful, to attain the Great Dao.
But Xu Wanci had always presented herself as selfless, reckless for the sake of Immortal Venerable Qingyan…
Her desires were a far cry from the image she had upheld.
Then, an ice blade pierced through Chu Qingchuan’s wrist.
Jiang Ze’s palm radiated threads of cold energy, his voice frigid:
"Chu Qingchuan, I won’t hesitate to cripple you before everyone."
To him, Xu Wanci was the only one who mattered.
His feelings for her had always been for her sake alone, unrelated to anyone else.
He almost wished her past sacrifices had been false—so her century of suffering might have been spared.
But he knew better. It could never have been a lie.
Jiang Ze gazed at the sea of ephemeral rain flowers within the Mirror of Heart’s Inquiry, his aura gradually receding into stillness.
Chu Qingchuan’s frozen right hand hung uselessly as he sneered through gritted teeth:
"Even if I say nothing, everyone has seen it!"
"They’ve seen her true desires!"
Under the Bai Family Head’s signal, several Venerables spoke gravely:
"It seems Xu Wanci is not what she appeared to be."
"Could she truly have deceived us all, as Chu Qingchuan claims?"
"Venerable Moze, have you never doubted her?"
Just as the murmurs of suspicion arose, the scene in the Mirror of Heart’s Inquiry shifted.
This time, it was a grove of illusionary trees.
Xu Wanci’s cultivation seemed slightly advanced. She gazed ahead, her smile bright and genuine—a side of her no one had ever seen.
No lifeless calm, no century-deep sorrow—just the simple joy of a young cultivator wandering freely.
Spotting something, her smile softened with warmth.
She spoke earnestly:
"I want to become the strongest in the world—to protect myself, fear no danger, and live without restraint."
"I’ll strive for this goal relentlessly, whether or not anyone stands beside me."
"Nothing will change this purpose."
"Even if the one I love leaves me, I’ll mourn for but a few days before returning to my cultivation, growing stronger."
Two scenes. Two declarations.
They planted seeds of doubt even in those who had believed in Xu Wanci.
Chu Qingchuan laughed wildly, nearly delirious.
He could already envision Xu Wanci’s fall—cast into the mud, scorned by all.
Her cultivation, her privileges—all would vanish.
From this day forth, he alone would be the Child of Destiny, the one destined to ascend!
Until… another voice echoed from the Mirror.
Light as falling snow, serene yet tender, it answered softly:
"As it should be."
"No one in this world should matter more than yourself."
"If that person truly loves you, they will return."
Just a voice. A gentle whisper from a mere shadow in the Mirror.
Yet the moment it spoke, every listener felt a primal surge of danger, their hearts pounding.
Instinctively, they shielded themselves with spiritual energy, steadying their breath before daring to look again.
In the Mirror, Xu Wanci asked curiously:
"And if they don’t return?"
A figure stepped forward to stand before her:
"Then they never loved you enough."
"Forget them."
Hearing this, an inconceivable thought struck many—though they swiftly suppressed it.
Impossible!
Surely they were mistaken!
Their reverence and fear for that being made even the faintest suspicion too terrifying to entertain.
Xu Wanci looked up at the figure, studying him intently:
"Including you?"
At last, all saw the one who stood before her.
Clad in moon-white robes, he carried the stillness of frost atop a silent peak—aloof yet radiant, his presence compressing the world’s laws into a single silhouette.
One glimpse, and they yearned to kneel.
Yet this existence, powerful enough to overturn the cultivation realm, treated the girl before him with near-fragile tenderness.
He said: "Especially me."
If I leave, you must forget me.
Then live well—for yourself.
Become strong, as you wished.
Forever free.
Then, as if sensing something, his gaze—transcending a century—flickered toward them.
The Mirror shattered.
A surge of Void-Shattering cultivation energy erupted.
The crowd barely shielded their dantians with all their might; weaker cultivators coughed blood.
As for Chu Qingchuan, master of the Mirror, he lay near death, his cultivation plummeting from Great Ascension to Nascent Soul.
All now knew the identity of the figure in the Mirror.
The Immortal Venerable Qingyan… from a hundred years past.
