The Mirror Master

"Boss Jin."

Sun Xuan suddenly spoke up. "How come it’s two thousand gold for an incense stick’s worth of time now? The auctions we were in started at four thousand."

"After all, this Celestial Tier Technique is extremely difficult to cultivate. Lowering the barrier to entry gives more people a chance."

Second Master Jin smiled faintly, his gaze drifting pointedly toward Lu Bai.

"Heh."

Sun Xuan let out a soft chuckle.

A strange look flashed through the eyes of the others as well.

Luo Hongyuan said, "Father, since we didn’t win the bid for those two Profound Tier Inner Strength techniques, let’s head back."

Luo Tianxiong nodded.

Lu Bai watched for a long time, but no one made a bid.

The extreme difficulty of cultivating a Celestial Tier Technique was enough to dissuade most people, but for the reaction to be this tepid was still a bit strange.

Lu Bai mulled it over for a moment and decided to bid on it anyway, just to give it a try.

Opportunities like this were rare.

"Boss Jin."

Lu Bai suddenly spoke. "If an incense stick’s worth of time is two thousand gold, then a quarter of that time would be five hundred gold, correct?"

The members of the Luo Family, who had been about to leave, stopped in their tracks at his words.

Everyone present also looked bewildered.

’What does he mean by this?

Is he doing arithmetic in the middle of an auction?’

Second Master Jin was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding Lu Bai’s intention. Then he smiled and said, "Young Hero Lu’s calculations are correct."

Lu Bai said, "In that case, I’ll bid five hundred gold for a quarter of an incense stick’s time."

"Huh?"

Those words left Second Master Jin completely dumbfounded.

Everyone else present was also flabbergasted.

’You can bid like that?’

When people bid on Celestial Tier Techniques, they usually complain that even twelve hours is too short.

If they had the money, they would be desperate to bid for six days, or even six years.

’Why is this guy doing the exact opposite?’

It took a long while for Second Master Jin to recover. He shook his head and said, "Young Hero Lu, you must be joking. The Drunken Flower House has never sold anything this way..."

’That’s just because you hadn’t met me. If you had, you would’ve started selling like this ages ago.’

Lu Bai grumbled inwardly.

If he weren’t worried that bidding for too short a time would arouse suspicion, he would have tried to bid for a tenth of an incense stick’s duration.

Sun Bohan of the Sun Family sneered, "What a disgrace!"

Lu Bai couldn’t be bothered with his kind and said, "How about half an incense stick? I’ll bid a thousand gold!"

"This..."

Second Master Jin hesitated, at a loss for words.

Lu Bai said, "Boss Jin, I only have about a thousand gold on me. Since no one else is bidding, why not sell half an incense stick’s time to me first?"

Second Master Jin pondered for a moment, then said, "Very well. Young Hero Lu eliminated villains for our Bluestone County. In light of that meritorious deed, I’ll make an exception for you today, Young Hero Lu."

Hearing the three words "Young Hero Lu," Sun Bohan let out another cold sneer. "I heard this so-called Young Hero Lu is from Liuxi Town and barely has any family left. Where would he get a thousand gold? Boss Jin, don’t let him swindle you."

Lu Bai took a porcelain bottle from his robes and said, "There is a Middle Grade Enlightenment Pill inside. I wonder if this can be exchanged for a thousand gold?"

"He actually has a Middle Grade Enlightenment Pill!"

"A Low Grade Enlightenment Pill is worth about three Low Grade Spirit Stones, or around three hundred gold. A Middle Grade one would be about nine hundred to a thousand gold. That’s just about enough."

"He’s only at the Root Bone Stage. Where did he get a Middle Grade Enlightenment Pill?"

A wave of whispers spread through the crowd.

"Lu Bai, stop messing around."

Luo Hongyuan frowned slightly. "Even if you have the money, you can’t just waste it like this."

"What can you possibly do in the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn?"

Luo Yunxuan also shook his head.

Luo Mingzhao reminded him, "Xiaolu, a technique on the level of a Celestial Tier Technique isn’t something ordinary Martial Artists like us can cultivate. That Enlightenment Pill is more important for you."

"Think of it as just broadening my horizons."

Lu Bai just smiled.

The existence of the Ancient Mirror was beyond their comprehension. In their eyes, Lu Bai was just being young and ignorant.

Luo Tianxiong, who had been silent all this time, saw Lu Bai’s persistence and suddenly said, "Xiaolu, you keep that Enlightenment Pill. I’ll pay the thousand gold."

"Father!"

Luo Hongyuan frowned.

’Has the old man gone senile? Why is he fooling around with a junior like this?’

’Even if he thinks highly of Lu Bai, he can’t just throw money away like this.’

"Senior Luo, a thousand gold is too much."

Lu Bai handed the Enlightenment Pill over, saying, "Please, you should take this Enlightenment Pill, senior."

"I have no use for it."

Luo Tianxiong chuckled. "Qing’er happens to need it. You can give it to her."

"Grandfather."

Luo Qing’s heart warmed.

She had already spent all of her personal savings, leaving her without enough money for an Enlightenment Pill.

She had been so busy with family affairs these past few days that her cultivation had hit a bottleneck, preventing her from breaking through.

She never expected her grandfather to have kept this in mind.

Luo Qing said, "Grandfather, a Low Grade Enlightenment Pill is enough for me. A Middle Grade one would be a waste."

"It’s not a waste. Just consider it a gift from Xiaolu."

Luo Tianxiong said, "Xiaolu doesn’t need it right now. You can just buy him another one later."

A favor given, a favor to be returned.

Hearing this, Lu Bai pressed the porcelain bottle into Luo Qing’s hands.

"Young Hero Lu, this way, please."

Second Master Jin smiled faintly.

Lu Bai got up and followed Second Master Jin toward the back of the main hall, arriving before a hidden chamber.

"Young Hero Lu, the Dragon Elephant Skill is stored within a piece of jade. You just need to place the jade on your brow, and the Cultivation Technique will be transmitted to you."

Second Master Jin continued, "However, how much you can comprehend will depend on your own aptitude, Young Hero Lu.

When the time is up, someone will come to ask you to leave. I hope you will not take offense, Young Hero Lu."

"Of course."

Lu Bai gave a cupped fist salute and entered the hidden chamber.

The interior was bare, containing only a meditation cushion and, on a wooden table before it, a piece of jade.

Lu Bai walked over to the cushion, sat down, and picked up the piece of jade to examine it.

The jade was warm and smooth to the touch. Carved upon it was an exquisite pattern of a True Dragon and a Giant Elephant, both stunningly lifelike.

As Lu Bai turned the jade over, he thought he saw a speck of golden light as fine as a mote of dust.

But when he focused his gaze to get a better look, the speck of light was gone.

"Hm?"

Lu Bai grew wary. He circulated his Blood Qi and used the Ancient Mirror to inspect the jade.

Two words appeared on the mirror’s surface: Memory Jade.

There was nothing else out of the ordinary.

’An illusion?’

Lu Bai studied the jade for a long time, but he didn’t see the speck of golden light again.

’Since the Ancient Mirror didn’t show anything else, it probably isn’t a major problem.’

Time was precious.

Lu Bai placed the jade against his brow.

The next moment, a vast torrent of information regarding the Dragon Elephant Skill’s legacy flooded into his mind.

It included the Cultivation Method, the pathways for circulating Inner Breath, and various insights on its practice—a massive and esoteric volume of information.

If one were to cultivate this normally, they might not be able to comprehend it in a year and a half, let alone twelve hours.

But after a short moment, a ripple spread across the mirror’s surface.

Behind the Cultivation Technique section, a new line of text appeared.

[Dragon Elephant Skill · Heaven (Not Comprehended)]

’It worked!’

’Now I just have to find a way to get some Soul Light, and I’ll be able to comprehend it.’

Lu Bai removed the jade and placed it back on the table.

After waiting for the full duration of half an incense stick, he slowly rose and left the hidden chamber.

When Second Master Jin saw Young Hero Lu walk out with a bewildered expression, he laughed to himself but said aloud, "It seems Young Hero Lu has had a great harvest. Congratulations, congratulations."

Lu Bai offered a few noncommittal words in reply and returned to the main hall with Second Master Jin.

The auction was still in progress over there; after the Cultivation Techniques, some Spirit Pills were now up for bidding.

"Let’s go."

Seeing Lu Bai emerge, Luo Tianxiong called out, preparing to lead his family away.

"Wait!"

Just then, Sun Bohan suddenly stood up and called out to the Luo Family.

His shout interrupted the auction, drawing the eyes of everyone present.

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