The Mirror Master

In a quiet, secluded courtyard, several buildings were arranged in a tasteful, staggered layout.

The courtyard was adorned with rockeries and ponds, and the small bridges over flowing water added a particular charm, suggesting its owner was a person of noble status and exquisite taste.

Yet the courtyard was completely deserted. Not a single maid or guard could be seen.

A skinny old man with dark skin and a stooped figure suddenly appeared. He hurried to the door of one of the rooms and said in a low voice, "Madame, we’ve lost contact with that Painted Skin Ghost. It has been killed.

I made some inquiries. Luo Mingzhao, Lu Bai, and the others went to the mines today. Apparently, Lu Bai was the one who went into the mine, and the timing fits perfectly.

What’s more, Luo Mingzhao delivered the painted skin to the Evil Extermination Bureau."

"Oh?"

A voice replied from inside the room, tinged with surprise. "That Lu Bai actually knows Magic Techniques for dealing with Ghostly Creatures?"

The skinny old man said, "I heard the boy has a Five-Black Dog with him. It’s possible the dog has a supernatural nature and saw through the disguise, allowing him to slice open the painted skin.

What I don’t know is what method the boy used to kill the Little Ghost. The blood of the Five-Black Dog, perhaps?"

"That must be it,"

the woman said softly.

The skinny old man said, "Madame, since Lu Bai has been afflicted, why don’t you act now and eliminate him? It would save us from any more trouble he might cause."

"I was planning to play with them for a while longer..."

The woman chuckled softly. "Oh, well. With him dead, the Lu Family will be completely wiped out. That will be one of my sister’s unfinished affairs taken care of."

The skinny old man added, "If the boy dies a sudden, violent death, the Luo Family will have their hands full. They’ll likely grow paranoid and won’t know what to do."

After saying this, the skinny old man stood quietly at the door, waiting.

"Hmm?"

After a long moment, a surprised and puzzled voice came from inside the room.

The skinny old man asked, "Madame, what’s wrong?"

"How strange."

The woman whispered, "Little Jin has stopped moving. It seems to be suppressed by his Blood Qi and can only curl up for the time being."

The skinny old man pondered for a moment. "I just heard that by the time he returned, the boy had already entered the Inner Strength Realm. He also defeated the Eight Acupoints Martial Artist, Sun Bohan, in two moves on the Martial Arts Discussion Platform. Could that have something to do with this?"

"Even if he has entered the Inner Strength Realm, how could his Blood Qi be strong enough to suppress my Little Jin? Unless... unless he has the bloodline of an Ancient Fierce Beast or an Ancient Exotic Beast." The woman was still puzzled.

The skinny old man suggested, "Should we call Little Jin back for now?"

"We can’t,"

the woman said. "Little Jin can only remain hidden for now. If it makes the slightest move, the boy is certain to notice."

The skinny old man was silent for a moment, then said abruptly, "Madame, how about this? At the third watch tonight, I’ll have that bitch make a move and kill the boy!

We’ve been raising that bitch for years now; even a Five-Black Dog can’t harm her. It’s time to let her stretch her legs. She can kill both the boy and his dog!"

"Very well."

The woman nodded. "Make sure it’s clean."

"Rest assured, Madame."

The skinny old man continued, "The grudge between the Luo and Sun Families has been deepening. Lu Bai beat Sun Bohan today, so if Lu Bai suddenly drops dead tonight, the Luo Family will only suspect the Sun Family.

When that happens, the two families will fight to the death, and you, Madame, can sit back and enjoy the show."

-----------------

Above a sea of mist and clouds, a floating island was faintly visible.

If one were to observe it for a year or so, they might even notice that the massive island was, in fact, slowly moving.

In a quiet room in an attic, the setting sun streamed through the window.

A beautiful young woman in a pale yellow Daoist Robe sat before a desk. Her black hair was held by a simple pin, her skin was like snow, and her features were as elegant as a painting.

The golden twilight fell upon the side of her face, illuminating her bright, flawless beauty. She was as exquisite as a masterpiece on a scroll, a beauty beyond compare.

At that moment, with her gaze lowered, she held a brush. Her wrist hovered above the desk as her brush danced across the paper with a soft SHUSH, her expression one of intense concentration.

A Daoist Child of about four or five, with rosy lips and pearly teeth, tiptoed up to the attic. Seeing the woman, the child remained silent, afraid to shatter the tranquil moment.

"What is it?"

the woman asked in a soft voice, not looking up.

"Auntie."

The Daoist Child said, "There’s been a change on the Ultimate Skill list. A new Inner Strength Ultimate Skill has been added, from the Wu Country over in the Celestial Divine Land. It’s stirred up quite a few of the masters."

Creating an entirely new Ultimate Skill was far more difficult than mastering an existing one.

"Oh."

The woman responded softly, but didn’t inquire further.

The Daoist Child continued anyway, "It’s only been two months, and already two people from the Wu Country have mastered two different lost Ultimate Skills, while another has created a new one entirely. Even the Pavilion Master said that the current prosperity of Wu Country’s fortune is something he’s never seen before."

The woman still paid it no mind, seemingly uninterested.

The Daoist Child took the hint, bowing to take their leave. As they left, they muttered to themself, "’Dragon Elephant Suppression... Dragon Elephant Skill... I wonder if they’re related...’"

Upon hearing the two words ’Dragon Elephant Suppression,’ the woman’s brush froze, and she lifted her head.

"What is that Ultimate Skill called?"

The woman called out to the Daoist Child.

The Daoist Child turned back and replied, "The Dragon Elephant Suppression Skill."

For some reason, the woman’s expression turned strange, and she fell silent.

The Daoist Child faintly sensed that, for a fleeting moment, a complex emotion had flashed in their Auntie’s eyes.

It seemed to be joy, or perhaps anticipation, mixed with some other unidentifiable feeling.

This Auntie of theirs had a cool, otherworldly temperament. Ever since her arrival, she had remained aloof from everyone, as if nothing in the world concerned her.

But no one on the entire island dared to disrespect her.

Even the Pavilion Master treated her with the utmost respect.

This was the first time the Daoist Child had ever seen such an emotion on their Auntie’s face.

She was still young and didn’t understand, but her heart was filled with curiosity.

’Why does Auntie care so much about this Cultivation Technique?’

The Daoist Child asked, "Auntie, is this Ultimate Skill different from the others?"

The woman was silent for a long moment before she spoke. "Some cultivation techniques are called Ultimate Skills because their potential caps out at the level of an Ultimate Skill. Other techniques are called Ultimate Skills simply because the level of power here *defines* an Ultimate Skill as the peak."

The explanation was a bit convoluted, and the Daoist Child was left feeling rather confused.

She only vaguely understood that this Dragon Elephant Suppression Skill must be different somehow.

"It’s time I took a trip out."

The woman rose and went to the window. She gazed at the setting sun and spoke softly.

The Daoist Child blinked, her eyes full of anticipation. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated several times.

Finally, she mustered her courage and asked in a small voice, "Auntie, can you take me with you? I... I want to go see the outside world, too. The other disciples all say I’m too little and won’t play with me."

"Of course,"

the woman agreed with a smile.

"Thank you, Auntie!"

The Daoist Child hadn’t expected the woman to agree so easily. Her face broke into a wide, joyful grin as she said, "With you making the request, Auntie, not even the Pavilion Master will dare to stop us!"

’This island is huge, but no matter where I look, it’s always the same old scenery.’

’She always found it a little boring and longed to see the world outside.’

"Auntie, where are we going?"

the Daoist Child asked.

The woman replied, "The Celestial Divine Land. The Wu Country."

"Yay!"

The Daoist Child pumped her little fists. "Wait here, Auntie! I’ll go get a map of the Celestial Divine Land from the other disciples!"

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