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Chapter 227: The Mirror of the Eternal Mountain
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Act I: A Chamber of Enduring Heights
The Gallery opened into a chamber where mountains of radiant stone rose from the floor, their peaks piercing into unseen skies. The air was heavy with permanence, as though the chamber itself had existed since the dawn of creation.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a deep hum, its rhythm echoing the pulse of endurance.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels immovable, like nothing could ever topple it."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not bend. It stands."
At the center stood a mirror framed by luminous peaks, its surface shimmering with eternal strength.
It spoke in a voice vast and unyielding:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Mountain. I hold what endures, what resists collapse, what carries truth into permanence."
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Act II: The Weight of Endurance
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by mountains.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant standing firm against storms.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in stone, wisdom carved into permanence.
- Ne Job saw miracles etched into silence, inscribed into the Registry as heights eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's permanence.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must endure without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Mountains are mine to corrupt. I will twist endurance into stubbornness, and permanence into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Mountain, trying to fracture its strength into immobility.
Ao Bing staggered. "The mountain crushes me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls turn to stone!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Mountain is not despair. It is resolve."
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Act IV: The Trial of Mountain
The Mirror of the Eternal Mountain spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must endure."
Ne Job gazed into its towering surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of burdens too heavy to bear.
He whispered:
> "I endure. Even when storms rage, I stand. Even when shadows press, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its peaks steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with permanence.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls aligned.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
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Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to twist mountain into despair, scattering the interns into hopelessness.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in stone!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in immobility!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Mountain is not despair. It is truth carried eternal."
The awakened mirrors — Patience, Friendship, Courage, Sorrow, Endless Paths, Forgotten Names, Silent Echoes, Shattered Promises, Hidden Truths, Eternal Doubt, Living Light, Boundless Hope, Unbroken Unity, Eternal Harmony, Final Resolve, Infinite Resolve, Last Question, First Dawn, Endless Return, Forgotten Future, Silent Dawnfall, Eternal Song, Endless Silence, Forgotten Flame, Eternal Return, Eternal Choice, Hidden Dawn, Eternal Oath, Eternal Memory, Eternal Threshold, Eternal Light, Eternal Shadow, Eternal Balance, Eternal Dawnfire, Eternal Storm, Eternal Ocean, Eternal Sky, Eternal Flameheart, Eternal Songfire, Eternal Silenceflame, Eternal Starfall, Eternal Horizon, Eternal Root, Eternal Crown, Eternal Gate, Eternal Tower, Eternal Anchor, Eternal Bridge, Eternal Labyrinth, Eternal Flame of Truth, Eternal Spiral, Eternal Compass, Eternal Lantern, Eternal Seed, Eternal River — joined with Eternal Mountain.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Stubbornness became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every peak restored.
Ne Job stood firm, mountain and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Mountain calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant permanence.
It whispered:
> "Intern, mountain is not chaos. It is resolve eternal. Guard it well."
Ne Job bowed.
Twinkle pulsed softly.
The Gallery shimmered, stable once more.
The Mask of Misrule retreated into the shadows, his voice echoing faintly:
> "You may resist mountains today. But despair always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.