Chapter 19: The Wondrous Utility of the Jade Fragment

"This time, I have gained the upper hand."

The Peak Master of Xiangdan Peak stroked his beard, his eyes crinkling into slits as he smiled. Several other peak masters were nearby, their gazes burning with intensity, each holding a precious immortal artifact of supreme quality, engaged in a heated discussion. Zhang Tian silently drew closer to listen.

"I told you, this girl would certainly face the challenge head-on. The trial of the state of mind may seem subtle, but it holds great utility for future cultivation... Or is it possible that she already realized the importance of the state of mind despite her current cultivation level?" the Peak Master of the Artifact Refining Peak mused, rubbing his chin.

"Heh, you all still underestimate her. Just watch. And by the way, those who lost, do not forget to hand over your treasures." Shen Xiyue’s eyes brimmed with a faint joy, though she left the rest of her thoughts unsaid, for at that very moment, Zong Zi-Fu had cast a glance in their direction.

***

Song Junyu knew nothing of these matters, for upon entering the gate, she discovered that the two people who had been by her side had vanished.

...Could it be that the trial of the state of mind had already begun?

As if in response to her thought, the scene before her shifted from a vast expanse of white to a desolate, endless desert. In the center hung a sun, though for some reason, half of its light had turned gray, with a subtle trend toward deepening into black. Song Junyu squinted, looking into the distance, where a single, solitary tree stood starkly against the sands.

"You've come."

A soft voice halted Song Junyu in her tracks. She scanned her surroundings vigilantly, only to see a slender figure gradually crystallizing beside the withered tree. A familiar figure. A familiar person.

"Yu'er, it has been a long time."

The moment Song Junyu’s gaze touched the phantom, the sky brightened and the winds died down.

"Aunt Liu," she whispered softly.

Song Junyu looked at those gentle features, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She could not describe her own emotions—joy, grievance, the feeling of recovering something lost... She could no longer hold back and ran toward the person before her.

"You have suffered, Yu'er. Look, your face has grown so thin."

As Song Junyu rushed forward, Aunt Liu raised her arms and enveloped the girl’s slight frame.

"Where did you go... I missed you so much."

The young woman, who was always resilient and never showed a hint of fear before others, felt her tears spill over in those few moments. She had truly been away for far too long. Aunt Liu patted Song Junyu’s shoulder soothingly, then said softly, "I missed you too. From now on, we shall never be parted again."

***

"Yu'er, come with me."

After saying this, she made to lead Song Junyu toward the heart of the desert, but when she turned back, she found the girl standing rooted to the spot.

"Yu'er?" Aunt Liu called out again.

"I am here, Aunt Liu. I only wanted to say that after all this time, you are just as you always were. But I have already endured the pain of having my bones extracted, and I have come to understand that in this world, one must drink the water and know its temperature for oneself."

"I have more talent now, more strength, Aunt Liu..."

The air fell silent for a moment. Song Junyu took a deep breath and finally said earnestly, "I can protect myself now."

"Being able to protect yourself is a good thing, Yu'er. There, there, we can talk about whatever is on your mind later. Do not stand here; come with me," Aunt Liu responded gently, though with a hint of urgency.

But this time, there was no response from Song Junyu. Instead, golden lightning surged from her fingertips, piercing through the phantom's thin body.

"You—"

"Thank you for letting me see her one last time. My wish has been fulfilled."

"With my heart satisfied, the regrets... can finally be laid to rest."

When the incident with Aunt Liu occurred, she had happened to be punished with extra days of cultivation training. She still remembered the weather that day: heavy clouds, layer upon layer, like an impending siege, pressing down until one could not breathe. She should have known then that it was a warning from heaven. In reality, the person was long gone; why should she continue to cling to this final memory?

Aunt Liu’s phantom soon dissipated. As the surrounding dust settled, the vast yellow sands shattered like a broken mirror, crumbling piece by piece until the entire heart-demon world collapsed completely.

Song Junyu stood for a long time, struggling to steady her emotions. It was not that her heart was made of stone that she could strike such a blow against Aunt Liu. It was because she knew too well that the person before her was not Aunt Liu. The real Aunt Liu was someone who would turn red-eyed in an instant if she saw her feeling aggrieved. To comfort her back then, she would have tried to pluck the moon from the sky; she would never have been able to maintain such a soft, gentle demeanor.

A thousand emotions finally settled into silence.

As her state of mind slowly stabilized, Song Junyu felt a loosening in her cultivation realm. She quickly sat cross-legged to accumulate spiritual power. Suddenly, a golden jade shard slowly emerged from her spirit platform. Was this not the spiritual object given to her by the golden phantom last time? If she hadn't searched her memory carefully, she would have forgotten it entirely.

What did it mean by appearing now?

Before she could think clearly, her thoughts were swallowed by a sky filled with golden light, and Song Junyu felt her spiritual consciousness pulled into a space. A second later, twelve screens rose around her, and dense golden characters drifted from them, drilling directly into her mind.

After digesting the information for a long time, she was deeply shocked!

***

This was something left behind by an ancient immortal!

Though she did not know how effective the techniques transcribed within might be, she reasoned that they would certainly be no worse than the high-grade techniques she usually encountered. The only problem was that this was a fragmented scroll, and it contained notes recorded by others—the secrets and methods were merely experiences accumulated over many years. Many had attempted it, but almost no one had succeeded.

Song Junyu steadied her mind, forcing herself to remain calm.

"Almost no one" meant that a few had.

Even if the chance were one in a hundred thousand, she wanted to try! After all, her longing for power now surpassed everything else.

The name of this technique was "Formless." Its essence lay in its ever-changing nature, elusive and unpredictable, with no fixed style of attack. Song Junyu gradually focused her mind and began to practice according to the incantations.

Time passed, and she discovered that she had practiced hundreds of times without the slightest sign of fatigue. During this process, her spiritual power became incredibly solidified. Seeing an opportunity, Song Junyu raised her arms and continued to practice without pause.

Five thousand and one, five thousand and two...

As she channeled the technique once more, the golden lightning no longer appeared as mere clusters; it transformed into a thin film of light, shielding her entire body.

The energy circulated through the six meridians, slowly returning to one. Without heart, without desire, without pursuit, without aim.

"Break!"

With the final strike, Song Junyu felt a massive surge of external spiritual energy rushing toward her like a torrent. She absorbed it passively, acting like a bottomless pit. She did not know how much time had passed, but the spiritual power threatened to tear her body apart. The power of the Mysterious Gate surged like a dragon, heading straight for her dantian.

Cold sweat drenched Song Junyu. She forcefully suppressed it, and after a quarter of an hour, she managed to contain the black current, guiding it to flow through her meridians and bones. The agony of reshaping her meridians played out over and over, even more intense than the first time.

She did not know how long it had been. When she finally stopped, she looked as if she had been pulled out of water, her sweat and blood dried upon her skin. Only her sharp, dark eyes stared fixedly at her palms, a faint joy shimmering in their depths.

It was done!

Sixth level of Qi Refining!

Before she could even enjoy the joy of her breakthrough, a savage attack was flung her way.

"Hey! You little piece of trash, hand over your identity jade!"