In the darkness, Yu Ci suddenly awoke from a deep sleep, stirred by the dew that had soaked his hair, chillingly trickling down his brow. As he opened his eyes, the shadow of the rocks behind him enveloped him, shielding him from the mountain winds. Beyond the shadows lay a dense fog.

The heavy mist had persisted for some time now, covering a vast area. But with the wind picking up, it seemed its force was finally waning. At present, he was perched atop some mountain peak, though its exact location was difficult to ascertain. Days of exposure to the elements and this persistent fog had obliterated his sense of geography, save for his direction: westward. For more, he would have to wait until he could spot those distinctive mountains and rivers to make further judgments.

He rubbed his chin, feeling the prickly stubble, his clothes filthy to the point of disarray. His appearance was the least of his concerns; not a single part of his body was at ease.

On that day, following Shadow Ghost's advice, he had hidden deep beneath the earth, a thousand zhang down, yet he could not escape the reach of Fang Hui's Great Mystical Powers. The penetrating Blood Light found him, and soon his bones and muscles ached unbearably.

Severing Meridians and Veins? Dislocating Tendons and Misaligning Bones? Ten Thousand Ants Devouring the Heart? None of these legendary descriptors quite fit. Yu Ci felt as though every bone in his body had been shattered and then reassembled, every muscle torn and then fused back together, his Primordial Qi brought to a boil only to be cooled down again, over and over.

What was worse was that the sensation wasn't explosive but lingering with a long aftereffect. For days afterward, this feeling persisted, and though its intensity gradually diminished, the experience remained excruciating. Yet, it must be said that the human capacity for adaptation is boundless. From the initial ten days and nights of restless agony to last night's deep, undisturbed sleep, the journey was nothing short of miraculous.

"Last night, your sinews and fascia strengthened by about ten percent, your Golden Elixir True Sha increased slightly, and your Yin Spirit has almost stabilized. If this trend continues, in seven or eight days, you'll have reached the limit of this potential stimulation. Heh, congratulations."

Shadow Ghost always had a biting wit, but the information he provided was not without merit.

Yu Ci clenched his fist, instinctively ignoring the discomfort in his body, and focused intently on the surging power within. This sensation was something he had only felt once before when he first achieved Yin Spirit and unlocked his body's potential, yet never had it been so intense.

Since that day, aside from the routine agony, Yu Ci felt his tendons and bones become more resilient, his qi and blood more vigorous, his True Sha abundant, and his Yin Spirit refined. He was like a furnace glowing red-hot, in exceptional condition, though the fuel was not quite right...

At that moment, a strong wind swept across the mountaintop. Being so high up, the fog dispersed much faster than it would on the plains, and he watched as layers of mist were pushed and rolled away into the distance, his view growing ever wider. Finally, straining his eyes, he could vaguely make out another mountaintop, and above, a few stars twinkled.

"It must be... the latter half of the night."

Yu Ci stood up, gazing into the distance in the direction of the drifting fog. His eyes gradually moved past several nearby peaks, where the mist seemed even thicker. Looking closely, he felt as though he was witnessing a boundless movement of clouds, like the sea or the tide, endless. Upon seeing this, he paused, then with a sudden clap of his hands, the fog of confusion that clouded his cognition cleared:

It turned out to be the Sky Rift Valley.

Unexpectedly, he had returned!

Gliding through the void like a bird, Yu Ci cut through clouds and fog among the high cliffs and deep valleys, circling for several rounds. He felt a touch of sentimentality, though he had no interest in delving into specifics, simply savoring the strange emotions welling up inside him.

From his perspective, the clouds and mist of Sky Rift Valley seemed to stretch on infinitely, yet he knew rationally that there was an end to it.

To the west lay the Western Extreme Buddha Land, the site where the Three Thousand Sword Immortals had fallen; to the north was the path to the Northern Wilderness Region, the freest and most chaotic place under the heavens; and to the south, one would reach the 'Ten Thousand Demons' Den' where countless demons and devils were sealed, as well as the Six Barbarians Mountain Range, where formidable demons dwelt.

When Yu Ci was still struggling with the "Three Barriers of the Mundane," he could only travel on foot, and the vast Broken Realm Mountain seemed boundless, as if one could never reach the end. But now, having stepped into the Initial Stage of the Golden Elixir and wielding the Void Divine Travel Talisman, he was like a pair of invisible wings, soaring through the Great Void, his flight swift as lightning, and the feeling was utterly different.

Had the world become smaller, or was it more expansive?

Yu Ci turned back, gazing in the direction from which he had come, then after a moment, turned his face towards the boundless clouds and mist, took a deep breath, and suddenly let out a long, loud howl into the sky. The sound waves swept in all directions, piercing through the clouds and startling the fierce beasts and birds within a hundred miles.

After his howl, Yu Ci cracked a smile and then suddenly called out, "Master Jie Liang, you're there, aren't you?"

It was a question asked with utter certainty.

No one responded, but after a few breaths, a tall, thin figure emerged from the roiling clouds.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Elder Jie Liang was perplexed; with his level of cultivation, there was no way Yu Ci should have been able to detect him. Yet he wasn't in the mood to ponder this, merely staring at Yu Ci with a stern face, wanting to speak but unsure of what to say.

Yu Ci, however, appeared more at ease. He tightened his grip on a mirror concealed in his sleeve and said with a smile, "Uncle Master has worked hard, following me for these past few days must have been quite the bother."

Another person might have taken his words for sarcasm, but Jie Liang was different; he preferred straightforwardness, "Would you... be willing to come back with me?"

Yu Ci laughed again upon hearing this, this time choosing not to speak, merely shaking his head.

"You must understand something clearly, the Marrow-Burning Curse from Grandmaster Fang..."

"Ah, is it called the Marrow-Burning Curse?" Yu Ci appeared enlightened, "I see, that is indeed quite apt."

"You... know about it?"

"Yes."

With a faint smile, Yu Ci wielded the Seven Dipper Star Sword in his hand, tracing arcs through the air. The ceaselessly flowing clouds at his side momentarily paused, as if filled with something by the sword's energy, before the ground beneath them shattered, revealing a passage stretching a hundred feet long.

Elder Jie Liang remained silent.

Yu Ci sheathed his sword and said with a grin, "In such a state, even a fool would realize something's amiss. The intensity of the True Sha within me has increased by at least fifty percent, and it's still growing. Although the momentum has slowed, doubling it wouldn't be a problem. This is Grandmaster Fang's handiwork. But this man would never let anyone benefit without a price; the side effects are bound to be significant."

"That is so," Elder Jie Liang replied with a tinge of bitterness. "This Marrow-Burning Curse does indeed stimulate one's potential by consuming the innate Primordial Qi. The greater the potential unleashed, the greater the consumption, essentially it's cutting down your lifespan! I've measured the area from before, and I estimate the reduction to be about half..."

"Half?" Yu Ci looked up at the sky, hiding his expression from Elder Jie Liang, but after a moment, his smile reappeared.

How ruthless!

Having ascended to the Golden Elixir Stage and achieved a Leakless Body, his lifespan limit was around three hundred years. But afflicted by this curse, he was left with only one hundred and fifty years. After accounting for nearly thirty years of consumption, what remained was scarcely a century.

A century!

For the average person, this might be considered a lifetime, but in the world of cultivation, a hundred years was akin to a mere nap.

"This kind of loss is irreversible and ongoing. Even if you enter the Vacuum Walking Realm, the depletion continues. It means you, you will always have half the lifespan of your fellow cultivators at the same level, unless you achieve immortality..."

Apart from prodigies like Yu Qingxuan, who else could attain immortality within a century?

Of course, it wasn't just a century. If he could reach the Vacuum Walking Realm within that time, he could extend his life and gain time for further cultivation. Nonetheless, it was an extremely cruel and lethal tactic, targeting the very thing cultivators feared most.

"But there are advantages, aren't there?"

Yu Ci responded casually, more aware of the situation than Elder Jie Liang had estimated. Although he had lost contact with Xing Tian, with the likes of Shadow Ghost by his side, he had a hunch that this "Marrow-Burning Curse," while stimulating one's potential, also led to heightened excitement, resulting in a significant increase in explosive power. A single unit of strength exerted could yield the effect of one and a half, and before the potential was exhausted, the speed of cultivation could increase, among other things...

Elder Jie Liang fell silent again, and Yu Ci flashed him a broad smile: "I know, Master Jie Liang, this is a transaction, right?"

Before Elder Jie Liang could respond, he continued, "No need to speak, let me guess. Fang must have offered the kind of terms that say 'as long as the junior bows his head, all will be forgiven,' right? Of course, if I were to be ungrateful, the consequences need not be mentioned. If it weren't for this, Uncle-Master, you wouldn't have followed me for a full ten days, hesitating about this and that... Ha, it's been making me anxious to watch!"

The more casually he spoke, the more Elder Jie Liang realized how clear-sighted he was and understood how resolute his heart had become.

"That's right, you won't go back."

"Of course, I won't go back!" Yu Ci replied with clarity. This was not a petulant decision, but one made after careful consideration: "Suddenly returning to see Grandmaster Fang's frustrated face might be satisfying, but since it's a deal, there's never been a reason to raise the stakes after agreeing on the price. If I go back now, I'd break the tacit agreement, and who knows what the future would hold... From a practical standpoint, I'm right, aren't I?"

Elder Jie Liang frowned. Even though he was the instigator of this situation, he still disliked this kind of talk.

Then Yu Ci laughed, "I enjoy wielding a sword. Once the sword is drawn, life and death are revealed; where is there room to beg for mercy with hands raised? Unless I stop using the sword in the future, I won't go back... From a cultivation perspective, that's correct too, right?"

To this, Elder Jie Liang tacitly agreed.

"And then there's Taoist Yu..."

Elder Jie Liang suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing.

Yu Ci's smile was faint: "These days, I sometimes ponder a question: why did the Temple Master go to such lengths on the Star Plucking Tower? His departure was so dramatic that it was impossible to ignore. Later, I realized that he, too, wanted me to leave. With my temperament, if it weren't for He Qing pushing things to the extreme, after understanding the reasons, I might have indeed left for a broader world. Perhaps, that's a place the Temple Master also longed for? It's just that He Qing was harsher and more pitiful than he imagined..."

Elder Jie Liang remained silent for a long while before squeezing out four words through clenched teeth: "Wild and wishful thinking!"

To Elder Jie Liang's retort, Yu Ci laughed heartily. As his laughter faded, he bowed deeply in the void:

"Master Jie Liang, I thank you for being here at this time. With someone to see me off, the atmosphere is good, far better than the look of a bereaved dog I had before. I'm honoring my teacher's command to travel afar, so I won't delay any longer..."

Elder Jie Liang interrupted him with a sentence: "Nonsense!"

But Yu Ci did not argue. He listened to the wind blowing from all directions, and yet in his ears rang that clear and distant melody, prompting him to clap his hands and sing:

"Where heavens join the sea of clouds, with dawn's mist intertwined,

The Milky Way seems poised to swirl, a thousand sails to twine.

As if in dreams my spirit soars to the Emperor's divine abode.

Hearing celestial voices, they earnestly inquire my intended road..."

Elder Jie Liang's lips quivered slightly, and as the closing verse approached, he finally began to sing in a hoarse whisper, "I lament the long journey as evening falls too soon, seeking immortality in vain, no true sage offers boon..."

These lines, however, were glossed over by Yu Ci, who waited until the low, raspy voice was about to fade before he sang out forcefully, "Ninety thousand li, the mighty roc rises with the breeze. When the wind ceases, let my boat be taken to the Three Mountains with ease!"

The canyon carried the long wind, driving clouds before it, striking against the cliffs and passing by. When the gusts had dispersed, only Elder Jie Liang remained with the lingering melody of the song, while Yu Ci had vanished, both his form and shadow gone.

*************

That the first part concludes today is purely coincidental. This chapter, a farewell song, is unremarkable in terms of plot, but it was written with deep emotion.

Hereby, I declare that "Inquire the Mirror" has come to an end.

Well, the end of the first part, that is.