The mountain path curved into mist.
Red clouds clung to the slopes like breath held by the heavens themselves. At the summit, two titanic doors loomed — carved from a single slab of obsidian and etched with nine moons, each one cracked by age.
A thousand years of dust coated their surface.
As Lin Qing approached, the markings began to glow. Lines of silver crawled outward like veins awakening beneath skin.
Li Chun stopped ten paces behind, gripping his broom like a weapon. "It's really opening," he whispered. "No one's touched these gates since the last Saint ascended!"
Lin Qing glanced back. "Good to know I'm breaking and entering on a historical scale."
The gates shuddered. With a sound like stone exhaling, they split apart, revealing a corridor of floating staircases suspended in red light. Scrolls and books drifted in the air, orbiting unseen centers of gravity.
Qi saturated the air—thick, heavy, humming.
Li Chun didn't move. "The Heir enters alone," he said reverently. "The Hall tests truth. If I follow, I'll be judged unworthy."
Lin Qing hesitated. "Unworthy sounds contagious. You sure?"
Li Chun just bowed low. "May the Heir find the scripture destined by the Moon."
"Right," Lin Qing muttered. "If I don't come back, tell them I ascended or something."
He stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the world warped.
The staircases rearranged themselves in silence, stretching into impossible angles. Each landing held a hovering scripture, sealed behind runes. Countless scrolls floated like stars — millions of them, all burning faintly red.
A voice drifted through the air.
"Choose wisely, Heir. The scripture you claim will shape your destiny."
"Fantastic," Lin Qing said. "Now even buildings talk."
He extended his Heavenly Insight instinctively. His pupils flickered silver; the world peeled open. Each scroll bled information — qi patterns, cultivation paths, success rates, lethal side effects. It was like seeing thousands of math equations written in light.
[Comprehension Rate: 0% → 100%]
[Rejected: Incompatible Qi Signature.]
[Rejected: Soul Devouring Attribute.]
[Rejected: Blood Madness Lineage Required.]
One after another, the scrolls dimmed as his Insight dismissed them.
Until one, near the top of the Hall, flared brighter instead of fading.
It hung above a shattered pedestal, sealed under seven layers of black talisman chains. Its title pulsed faintly behind the bindings:
Mirror Blood Scripture.
The moment he read it, the Hall itself reacted. Wind roared through the chamber, scrolls scattering like frightened birds.
A whisper brushed his ear.
"Only reflection births truth."
Lin Qing's eyes sharpened. The Heavenly Insight engaged on its own.
[Analyzing Formation Seals…]
[Layer 1 Comprehended.]
[Layer 2 → 5 Comprehended.]
[Layer 6—requires qi resonance.]
"Qi resonance?" he muttered. "Guess we're winging it."
He pressed his palm to the air before the seal and mimicked the rhythm of the talismans — a pulse, then a release. His veins flared silver.
The chains burst into sparks.
The final seal unraveled, and the scripture unfolded in midair — hundreds of red pages spinning around him, each reflecting his own image in their ink.
Every reflection moved differently. Some laughed. Some cried. One smiled cruelly.
Then they all spoke together.
"You bear Heaven's eyes. You comprehend, but do you understand?"
The room darkened.
He felt pressure, vast and ancient, trying to read him in return.
He met its gaze and refused to blink.
Light exploded outward. The pages merged into his body like molten glass.
[Comprehension: 0% → 100%.]
[Scripture Acquired: Mirror Blood Scripture.]
[Effect: Reflects, learns, and perfects all techniques witnessed.]
When the light faded, he stood alone again. The staircases stilled. Every other scroll in the Hall dimmed to ash.
"Hope that wasn't important," Lin Qing muttered, rubbing his temples. His pulse was steady, but his body buzzed as if filled with static.
A distant rumble echoed through the Hall — deep, resonant, like the mountain itself sighing in relief.
Outside, Li Chun saw the crimson glow burst from the summit.
"The Heir has chosen," he breathed.
When Lin Qing finally stepped back through the gates, the crimson light faded behind him.
Elder Hei was waiting with several disciples, all kneeling. "The Mirror Blood Scripture has awakened. Even the Saintess could not touch that seal. It has slept since the Mirror Emperor's death."
Saintess Yao approached, her eyes unreadable. "So the prophecy was wrong. The Blood Heir does not bring slaughter… he brings reflection."
"Reflection," Lin Qing said lightly, "is just another way of seeing who needs killing first."
The Elders murmured approval, mistaking his sarcasm for deep philosophy.
Saintess Yao inclined her head. "The Sect will prepare your Blood Altar trial. Let us see if Heaven still dares to gaze back at you."
As they dispersed, Lin Qing stared up at the Blood Moon hanging over the mountain. Its glow seemed to pulse with the same rhythm as his veins.
He exhaled slowly. "Fantastic. I just stole a technique from a dead Emperor. Again."