Chapter 564 - 574: Heart-Inquiry Mirror

In truth, from the very beginning, she had wanted to find someone from the Celestial Profound Sect, especially True Disciples like Chu Bufan, Wang Hao, Du Qianqian, and Lu Wushuang. Wen Qingye had also been on her list initially.

But who would have thought she would run into Ling Tianyu? And who was Ling Tianyu? A genius on par with Chu Bufan. Now that he had practically delivered himself to her doorstep, why should she bother going to the Celestial Profound Sect to seek out those arrogant True Disciples?

And so, Yanm Fang gave up on heading to the Celestial Profound Sect and simply had Ling Tianyu become her support.

Nearby, Ling Tianyu’s expression was incredibly grim. Compared to Wen Qingye, his own words now seemed like child’s play. The gap between them was enormous.

"So this is the Wen Qingye who’s been in the spotlight recently? I didn’t expect him to earn praise from the Great Elder. The Great Elder doesn’t usually praise people so easily."

"I heard he killed Venerable Zhuo of Taiyi Pavilion with a single sword strike? Venerable Zhuo was a top expert of the Life and Death Realm, and Wen Qingye’s Bone Age is only twenty-one, right?"

"He must have used a Secret Technique. Otherwise, he wouldn’t necessarily have been a match for Zhuo Xiangqun."

For a moment, the Jade Maiden Sect disciples in the hall shifted their gazes from Ling Tianyu, pointing at Wen Qingye and murmuring amongst themselves.

At this moment, Wen Qingye’s eyes swept over the nearby Jade Maiden Sect disciples and Elders as his mind began to race.

’The Jade Maiden Sect’s strength is actually quite decent; they can’t be underestimated. Since people from both Baoling Temple and Taiyi Pavilion have come, there must be a reason for it.’

’Right now, the power dynamics in the entire Eastern Profound Domain are intricate and complex. It’s not just Taiyi Pavilion and the Celestial Profound Sect being at each other’s throats like fire and water. The strengths of Thousand Nether Valley, the Sword Sect, Baoling Temple, and the Daoist School of Non-action are also unfathomable, and they’re all constantly making their own little moves.’

’Thousand Nether Valley, situated in the south, seems to ignore these struggles, but they might be the most deeply hidden power, waiting for a critical moment. Then there’s Baoling Temple and the Daoist School of Non-action, both with ambiguous attitudes and inscrutable intentions, seemingly content to just wait and see.’

’And there are the slightly weaker sects, the various Ancient Countries, and dormant powers like the Ninth Trading House—none of them can be underestimated.’

’Taiyi Pavilion wants to weaken the Celestial Profound Sect, to clip its wings. But Baoling Temple’s goal doesn’t seem so simple. They don’t just want to weaken the Celestial Profound Sect; it seems they also want to take over the entire Jade Maiden Sect for their own purposes.’

Wen Qingye’s mind raced. ’The Jade Maiden Sect cannot be handed over to either of those two sects,’ he thought.

"Alright, alright. Young Hero Wen’s understanding of the art of tea is truly extraordinary, beyond the reach of ordinary people. I have learned something today," Fang Huatong said, smiling at Wen Qingye without a hint of awkwardness, her eyes full of admiration. She then turned to the disciples of the Jade Maiden Sect. "I’ve called you all here, and as you should know, today is a very important day for the Jade Maiden Sect. We are selecting our Sect Leader Candidate."

After Fang Huatong finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent. Clearly, the Jade Maiden Sect disciples had known about this matter for some time.

"Alright, I won’t say any more. There are currently four people who wish to become the Sect Leader Candidate, but the rules of our Jade Maiden Sect state that there can only be one. Therefore, to become the candidate, you must undergo several trials. The first is a test of one’s heart."

"One’s heart?"

Everyone present was slightly stunned, unsure of what Fang Huatong meant.

Fang Huatong smiled faintly and took out a large, ancient-looking mirror from her Sumeru Mustard Seed, setting it up in front of her.

The mirror was adorned with a pattern of glazed Eight Treasures, and its purple-gold frame looked exceedingly extraordinary. A vast and magnificent aura washed over them.

When Ling Tianyu saw the mirror, a greedy glint appeared in his eyes.

Jiechen put his palms together and said with sudden realization, "The Heart-Inquiry Mirror? I see."

The Heart-Inquiry Mirror was an extremely famous treasure in the Eastern Profound Domain. Legend had it that the founding Ancestral Master of the Jade Maiden Sect had chanced upon it in a Secret Realm. It was a treasure used to temper one’s heart, but its other wondrous uses were rarely known.

When Meng Fei saw the Heart-Inquiry Mirror, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.

"This is bad. This trial is about one’s heart," Yanm Fang couldn’t help but say with a frown. "Baoling Temple follows the Buddhist Dao, which places the greatest emphasis on the state of one’s mind. I’m afraid that among everyone here, not even the Great Elder’s heart-state is necessarily as profound as that Jiechen’s."

Ling Tianyu nodded and took a deep breath. "To think your sect’s Meng Fei managed to invite Jiechen... this is going to be trouble. I’m not too concerned about Wen Qingye and the Xiaoxiang Wanderer, but this Jiechen... even my Senior Brother Huangfu is full of praise for him. It seems this trial is going to be tricky."

Yanm Fang sighed and comforted him in a low voice, "It’s alright. There are still other trials to come. The later ones are the most important."

It wasn’t just the two of them who thought this way; the others felt the same. The Heart-Inquiry Mirror tested one’s heart. Among those present, who could possibly have a heart as clear as Jiechen’s?

After all, the monks of Baoling Temple spent their days in arduous meditation, observing a vegetarian diet, chanting scriptures, and ignoring worldly affairs. Their hearts had long been tempered to a remarkable degree.

Fang Huatong looked at the crowd and said slowly, "This mirror is a Spiritual Middle-level Magical Artifact. Not only can it temper one’s heart, but one of its wondrous uses is to reflect a person’s state of mind and discern their character. And this is the first trial for our Jade Maiden Sect."

The moment Fang Huatong finished speaking, surprised expressions appeared on every face, and a buzz of discussion erupted.

The Great Elder of the Jade Maiden Sect looked at the four women and asked, "The more brilliantly the Heart-Inquiry Mirror shines, the more profound your heart-state, and the more successful your trial. Will you come up yourselves, or will you have your support participate in the assessment?"

The four women pondered for a moment. They were well aware of how formidable the Heart-Inquiry Mirror was, and they quickly made their decisions, each indicating that they wanted their support to take the assessment in their place.

Jiechen said nonchalantly, "Then I shall go first."

Fang Huatong nodded. Jiechen walked slowly to the Heart-Inquiry Mirror and sat down cross-legged.

Youu Junlian whispered to Wen Qingye, "When the Heart-Inquiry Mirror shines on you, be sure to guard your true heart. If it is exposed, your fundamental nature will also be laid bare, and the light it reflects will be greatly diminished."

Wen Qingye smiled. He looked at Jiechen’s back and couldn’t help but shake his head, thinking, ’It seems this Nine Dragon Tea isn’t so easy to drink after all.’

’Just now, the Nine Dragon Tea had a strange, faint fragrance that most people wouldn’t have noticed. But how could Wen Qingye not sense it? It was obviously a trick by Fang Huatong, and the goal must be this Heart-Inquiry Mirror test.’

’This strange fragrance can make a person’s Heart Spirit slowly let down its guard, release its attachments, and present its most relaxed and harmonious side. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be a big deal; it might even have a refreshing and clarifying effect on the mind.’