Hearing this, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion lowered its voice: "His golden eyes... aren't they...?"
Bi Ji shook her head slightly; she herself wasn't sure.
She had only heard about these divine trials from Di Tian.
And Di Tian knew about them because of the master in the center of the lake.
It is said that when a god chooses an heir, he will send down layers of trials. These trials are extremely difficult, and if one fails or perishes during the trials, all previous efforts will be in vain.
But if one passes, one will receive incredible rewards such as the ability to mobilize divine power and a divinely bestowed soul ring.
However, apart from that mysterious and terrifying golden eye, Dongfang Jing showed no clear signs of divine trials, which was what puzzled Bi Ji.
"If the path of inheriting the divine position is temporarily blocked, then perhaps we can only consider the first path, relying on himself. But no matter which path he chooses, I will accompany him all the way."
Bi Ji looked at Dongfang Jing, her emerald green eyes filled with tenderness and determination.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion glanced at her, then at the Eastern Mirror outside the window, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside it.
Suddenly, it changed the subject, asking, "What about Di Tian? Aren't you going to take care of him?"
Hearing this, Bi Ji's face stiffened slightly, momentarily speechless.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion persisted, pressing, "It seems you haven't been to the bottom of the lake since that day, have you?" "
Ahem," Bi Ji coughed lightly, somewhat awkwardly. She skillfully steered the conversation back on track: "What about you, Lord Auspicious Beast? You should know that Little Mirror can't stay in the Star Dou Great Forest forever. He has a very important younger sister. Speaking of which, much of what we eat and use lately has been sent by his sister, Yao'er, but we haven't even met that little girl yet."
She smiled gently, "I wanted to ask, Lord Auspicious Beast, what do you plan to do then?"
"I…" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's gaze returned to the Eastern Mirror, its eyes filled with unreadable emotions.
Perhaps it was because its gaze was too focused, Dongfang Jing seemed to sense something, stopped carving with its knife, and turned to look out the window.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately lowered its head as if its tail had been stepped on, avoiding his gaze.
Seeing its reaction, Bi Ji couldn't help but chuckle.
She suppressed her laughter and turned to business, her tone becoming serious:
"I plan to take Little Mirror to the far north later."
"To the far north?" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked up, somewhat surprised. "What for?"
Bi Ji's face showed a hint of worry: "You know, Di Tian is too stubborn. And Xiong Jun and Chi Wang... I'm afraid they'll find it hard to truly trust Little Mirror, especially since they're still asleep. When Little Mirror leaves the forest, how complex and dangerous the human world is! I'm worried he'll suffer."
"So what do you mean?"
"Well, I want to see that Ice and Snow Maiden. Perhaps... we can try to communicate and gain some allies for Little Mirror, or... some protection?"
A very faint fluttering of butterfly wings broke the afternoon's tranquility.
A butterfly, no bigger than a palm, with wings displaying a dreamlike gradient of blue and pink, flew over, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.
"The Illusionary Crystal Butterfly?" Bi Ji recognized it, her heart sinking.
The little butterfly landed anxiously on Bi Ji's fingertip, its wings flapping rapidly, its antennae twitching incessantly, conveying a silent message.
"I understand." Bi Ji sighed softly, rising from the rocking chair.
"Disciple, come with me."
Upon receiving Bi Ji's telepathic message, Dongfang Jing immediately stopped carving.
He nodded and silently followed behind his master and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
A flock of emerald swans also seemed to sense something, emerging from their roosting wooden houses to follow quietly.
Soon, they stopped in a dense forest filled with tall, lush flowers.
Bi Ji's voice was gentle: "Little Mirror, do you remember what I told you a few days ago?"
"I remember, it was about my fourth soul ring," Dongfang Jing replied, his tone somewhat low.
His soul power had now broken through to level forty.
With Bi Ji's protection in the Star Dou Great Forest, he didn't need to worry about survival. Yao'er was well-fed and clothed at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, so he didn't need to worry too much either.
Therefore, he could devote all his energy to cultivation and study.
Bi Ji had visited many soul beast clans these days and finally chose a 45,000-year-old Illusionary Light Crystal Butterfly.
This soul beast was once the guardian of the Emerald Swan clan and had fought a bloody battle with a soul beast called the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger many years ago.
Although it survived by breaking out of its cocoon through its innate ability, its essence was severely damaged, and its cultivation had not improved at all.
Before Dongfang Jing arrived, even Bi Ji was helpless.
But what was even more regrettable was that the lifespan of this 10,000-year-old Illusionary Light Crystal Butterfly had already come to an end.
Even now that Bi Ji had activated the Phoenix Bloodline and had the ability to heal it,she was ultimately powerless to reverse the situation. Bi Ji and Dongfang Jing both thought of the Mirror of Glimmering Light.
Perhaps as long as it drank from it, it could be reborn.
But Bi Ji quickly rejected this idea.
Everything in the Hall of Ten Thousand Mirrors is ultimately a unique opportunity for the Eastern Mirror. Does it mean that every time a soul beast nearing the end of its lifespan is encountered, it should be fed the Mirror Spring? That would be endless!
Who knows if a soul beast that drinks from the Mirror Spring and evolves might develop even more ambitions?
Or perhaps it would use its suddenly increased strength to indiscriminately devour innocent humans who enter the forest?
The consequences of such actions are too great, and Bi Ji herself knows very well that she only benefited from her disciple's influence by chance.
She doesn't want to set a precedent for this, much less order her disciple in the name of her master.
At this moment, amidst this profusion of flowers, a beautiful but weak Illusionary Crystal Butterfly lies quietly.
Its wingspan is nearly two meters, the inner sides of its wings transitioning from light pink to deep cherry blossom pink, while the outer sides are deep sea blue to light sky blue, adorned with tiny, luminous crystal spots beside the wing veins.
Its body is slender and silvery-white, its compound eyes like blue-pink crystals, its antennae like silver threads, each tipped with a blue-pink pom-pom.
But now, the luster on its wings has dimmed, and its antennae droop limply.
This luminous crystal butterfly, having been saved by the emerald swans, was filled with gratitude and had lived silently in the flowerbeds not far from the swans, protecting them.
The emerald swans gathered around, emitting mournful cries, creating a somber atmosphere.
Seeing this scene, Dongfang Jing, Bi Ji, and even the Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt incredibly conflicted.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion also preyed on soul beasts, which was perfectly normal among them.
Those chosen as its prey could not resist and could only flee.
But since meeting Dongfang Jing and hearing him recount the myriad aspects of human life and the coldness and warmth of human relationships, its heart had changed.
From then on, it stayed by Dongfang Jing's side every day, never again preying on any innocent soul beasts.
The Emerald Swan clan is inherently sentimental. Biji wiped her slightly reddened eyes and led Dongfang Jing to the Illusionary Crystal Butterfly, softly saying,
"Little Mirror, this guardian says it's willing to become your spirit ring. It's very grateful for your appearance, allowing it to taste many delicacies it had never experienced before in the final days of its life. It hopes you can use its power to continue protecting these children."
Dongfang Jing, upon hearing this, met the Illusionary Crystal Butterfly's half-open, jewel-like compound eyes.
His throat felt blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word.
How could he possibly harm such a guardian after hearing these words?
The Illusionary Crystal Butterfly weakly gazed at him, its mind flashing back to everything since this human's arrival.
Initially, like the other guardians, it was wary of this human.
Later, he prepared food for the Emerald Swans daily, even sharing it with them, the guardians.
It remembered how its still-developing offspring had once flown away from its side and wandered into a spider web.
It was this human named Dongfang Jing who discovered and saved its child.
This human is indeed different. No wonder Senior Brigitte was willing to take him in.
I truly hope that Senior Brigitte's long-cherished wish can be fulfilled because of him.
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(End of this chapter)