Chapter Sixty-One: The Law of the Celestial Palace, Equivalent Exchange

Inside the quiet chamber, the crisis had been resolved.

Master Qingxuan, leading the elders of Mount Shu, once again bowed deeply to me in gratitude.

“Senior, Mount Shu shall never forget your immense favor!”

I waved my hand dismissively, my gaze returning to the pair of now unremarkable Azure and Violet Swords—or, more precisely, to the spirit stone I had sealed within them.

“Master Qingxuan, I have a certain connection to this object. I hope to obtain it,” I stated my purpose directly.

Qingxuan was momentarily stunned, then his expression turned troubled. The Azure and Violet Swords were the symbol of Mount Shu’s lineage; even with their diminished power, their significance was unparalleled. Moreover, this “spirit stone” was the very core of the swords.

Noting his hesitation, I smiled faintly. “Naturally, I will not take it without compensation. I am willing to exchange something of equal value.”

“An equal exchange?” Qingxuan looked puzzled. In his eyes, it was hard to imagine anything in this world that could equal this “divine object” from beyond the heavens.

I offered no further explanation, simply raising a finger and pointing in the air.

A thread of faint light shot from my fingertip, transforming in midair into lines of golden ancient script, each character exquisite and profound. One was the “Lesser Art of Forging,” detailing how to guide earthfire, smelt celestial materials, and inscribe basic runes upon artifacts. The other was the “True Explanation of Condensing the Golden Core,” which expounded on refining the “true water” gathered at the Dantian spring into a single golden pill.

“What is this…”

Qingxuan and the elders needed only a glance before they were struck as if by lightning, instantly captivated by the boundless profundity of the texts, their breaths turning rapid.

The “Lesser Art of Forging” completely overturned their understanding of smithing; this was no mundane craft, but a genuine immortal method! If mastered, not only could they restore the Azure and Violet Swords, but elevate all their sect’s weapons to a new level.

The “True Explanation of Condensing the Golden Core” was even more astonishing, perfectly connecting Yuan Hao’s “spring theory” and laying out in detail every step and difficulty from the Divine Sea stage to the Golden Core stage—clear as a broad, sunlit road.

This was the path to transcendence they had dreamed of but failed to grasp for centuries!

Beside them, Yuan Hao was wide-eyed, his heart surging. He had expected Mr. Jiang to offer something extraordinary, but had never imagined he would present supreme techniques that would drive the entire ancient martial world to madness.

“These two texts—one can revive your sect’s art of forging, the other can renew your path of cultivation,” I said calmly. “With them, in exchange for this ‘spirit stone’ which has lost its function, do you consider the trade fair?”

“Fair! More than fair!” Qingxuan was so moved his old face flushed, his voice trembling.

How could this be merely fair? Mount Shu was gaining unimaginably from this exchange! A stone that had become “useless” to them, traded for the hope of their entire sect’s resurgence.

He bowed deeply without hesitation. “Senior, please take the spirit stone! These two techniques are a great debt owed not only by Mount Shu, but by the entire ancient martial world of China!”

I nodded, flicked my finger, and the sealed spirit stone flew out from the swords into my palm. It felt cool to the touch, as though I held a fragment of the sleeping night sky.

The first stone was in my possession.

Then I turned to Qingxuan with the question that concerned me most.

“Master Qingxuan, I wish to inquire—according to your sect’s ancient records, has anyone besides your founder ever obtained a similar ‘divine stone from beyond the heavens’?”

My question brought a new gravity to the chamber.

Qingxuan pondered for a long while, as if searching the vast archives of his sect. Mount Shu and Kunlun, the two ancient pillars of the martial world, had a millennia-old heritage and secrets beyond imagination.

“Senior, the ‘divine stone from beyond the heavens’ you speak of…” Qingxuan began solemnly, “is indeed mentioned in a fragmentary journal left by our third-generation founder. He traveled the world in search of immortality, and wrote that he once debated Dao with an extraordinary figure from Kunlun.”

He paused, choosing his words. “This Kunlun sage once showed our ancestor a treasure called the ‘Mirror of the Firmament.’ According to the account, the mirror was neither metal nor jade, shrouded always in a clear radiance, able to pierce all illusions and even reflect the purity of one’s Dao heart. Our founder suspected at the time that the core of the Firmament Mirror and the ‘Sword Heart’ of our Azure and Violet Swords shared a common origin, both unlike anything of this world.”

At that, all eyes turned to Yuan Hao.

Yuan Hao’s body tensed, his expression a mix of shock and complexity. As the Holy Son of Kunlun, he knew well of the Firmament Mirror—Kunlun’s greatest treasure, enshrined atop “Cliff of Inquiry” and guarded by the sect leader and grand elders, beyond the reach of ordinary disciples.

He took a deep breath, bowed to me, and said, “What Master Qingxuan says is true. Though I have never touched it, I was fortunate enough to glimpse the Firmament Mirror from afar during my investiture as Holy Son. That mirror… emits an aura strikingly similar to that of the Azure and Violet Swords, yet even purer and more profound. The elders say it is ‘celestial energy,’ the very source of Kunlun’s immortal lineage.”

“The source of the immortal lineage…” Now I understood.

It seemed the whereabouts of the second spirit stone were clear.

These stones, bearing energy far beyond this world, could not be comprehended by the ancients who found them. Unable to grasp their true nature, they named them “divine objects,” “celestial energy,” or “sword hearts” according to their apparent properties, and embedded them in their greatest treasures or traditions, making them the linchpins of their sects’ fortunes.

“Senior, do you… intend to go to Kunlun?” Yuan Hao’s voice quivered almost imperceptibly.

This question made everyone hold their breath. Kunlun was not Mount Shu. Mount Shu was indebted, but Kunlun had always been the unchallenged overlord of the ancient martial world. To take the core of their most precious relic was akin to snatching food from the tiger’s mouth.

“Yi Yi, would you like to see the highest snow mountain in the world?” I did not answer directly, but smiled down at my daughter.

Her eyes lit up instantly and she nodded vigorously. “Yes! Father, are there snow monsters on the mountain?”

“Perhaps there are.” I ruffled her hair with a laugh, then looked up at Yuan Hao, my tone as calm as if discussing something utterly ordinary.

“We are going to Kunlun.”