The little green snake grew bit by bit, its body gradually thickening, and its cultivation slowly rose through a long history of hunting and slaughter.
Until eventually, it became a massive spirit python.
The image shifted once more.
Within a dense, dark forest, the fully grown spirit python was locked in a fierce struggle with a Rock-Armored Spirit Tiger.
Xie Wujiu recognized it at a single glance.
This Rock-Armored Spirit Tiger was precisely the other contracted spirit beast on the sparring platform today.
Just as the two spirit beasts were locked in an inseparable battle, the figure of a female cultivator appeared in the mirror.
Because the image remained somewhat blurry, Xie Wujiu could not make out her face.
But judging by her figure, she should be Yun Heng.
Yun Heng stood before the two spirit beasts, seemingly saying something to them.
Then, she retrieved a deep black token from her person.
A blurry character for “Yun” was engraved on the front of the token.
Even through the blurry image of the Cause-Tracing Mirror, Xie Wujiu could still feel the ancient, primitive aura emanating from the token.
Not long after, Yun Heng completed contracts with the two spirit beasts.
The image rapidly darkened.
By the time a new image surfaced, the Emerald Poison Spirit Python was in an extremely vast, open area.
No cities or mountains of the outside world could be seen there.
As far as the eye could see, there was only a gray sky and vast stretches of land, with very few buildings in sight.
Occasionally, some cultivators wearing uniform attire would pass by in the distance.
Xie Wujiu frowned slightly.
Is this the Yun Family?
But this place really did not look like the residence of a family with a long heritage.
It was completely different from the mysterious and powerful Yun Family rumored in the outside world.
However, after the Emerald Poison Spirit Python arrived here, its cultivation speed was clearly much faster.
It and the Rock-Armored Spirit Tiger often cultivated together.
Occasionally, they would also swallow some pills and spiritual materials.
The aura of the two spirit beasts grew continuously at an incomprehensible speed.
The image in the mirror suddenly shook violently.
By the time the image stabilized again, the environment where the two spirit beasts were had completely changed.
The originally open and desolate land had vanished.
In its place were rolling green mountains and vast lakes.
Vegetation grew lushly upon the spiritual peaks, and spiritual springs flowed through the mountains.
Even though he was only seeing past images through the Cause-Tracing Mirror, Xie Wujiu could tell from the growth of the spiritual herbs and the dense spiritual mist around them that the spiritual energy there must be extremely abundant.
The Emerald Poison Spirit Python and the Rock-Armored Spirit Tiger cultivated on one of those peaks.
Spiritual mist swirled around the mountain peak.
With every breath the two spirit beasts took, a massive amount of spiritual energy surged into their bodies.
The more Xie Wujiu watched, the tighter his brow furrowed.
Were the places in these two consecutive images truly the same location?
Why was there such a massive change?
Judging by the size of the Emerald Poison Spirit Python, not much time had clearly passed in between.
Yet the Yun Family's clan grounds had gone from an empty expanse to a grotto-heaven blessed land rich in spiritual energy.
Just how was such a change accomplished?
Just as Xie Wujiu wanted to continue looking, the image in the Cause-Tracing Mirror suddenly began to distort.
The glowing patterns on the edge of the ancient mirror also rapidly dimmed.
In the next instant, all the images vanished completely.
Xie Wujiu's body swayed. Feeling the world spin around him, he nearly tumbled off the bed.
Only then did he realize that he had unconsciously consumed a massive amount of spiritual energy just now.
Given his current injuries, forcing himself to use the Cause-Tracing Mirror was still too much of a strain.
Xie Wujiu quickly put away the ancient mirror and the scale, retrieved a pill to recover spiritual energy from his storage bag to swallow, and then sat cross-legged on the bed to circulate his cultivation method.
The pure medicinal force slowly dispersed through his meridians.
That dizzy, lightheaded feeling finally eased slightly.
Xie Wujiu closed his eyes, but the images he had just seen kept replaying in his mind.
Relying on those fragmented images alone, he could at least confirm three things.
First, the Yun Family indeed existed.
That independent and special space, as well as the cultivators who appeared within it, could not possibly have been entirely fabricated.
Second, the Yun Family had undergone an extremely massive change in a very short period of time.
Not only had their clan grounds transformed from a desolate emptiness into a grotto-heaven blessed land rich in spiritual energy, but even the spirit beasts living within it had raised their cultivation exceptionally fast.
Third, that deep black token Yun Heng had once produced.
The token was engraved with the character for “Yun” on the front and bore clear symbols of status; it should be the token that could prove her identity as the Young Lord of the Yun Family.
However, these answers did not truly resolve the doubts in Xie Wujiu's heart.
Instead, they shrouded the Yun Family in even more mist.
Just where did Yun Heng and the Yun Family come from?
Xie Wujiu slowly opened his eyes.
Perhaps after his injuries recovered, he should look into it personally.
He had to find out exactly what secret lay hidden behind the Yun Family.
One month later.
The semifinals of the Five Domains Prodigy Gathering officially began.
Just as dawn broke, the area outside the Five Domains Platform was already packed with cultivators who had come to watch the matches.
The temporary stalls set up on both sides of the streets were surrounded by crowds, and cultivators discussing today's matches could be heard everywhere.
As the sky gradually brightened, more and more spectators filled the Five Domains Platform.
The surrounding circular viewing stands were almost completely packed.
Many cultivators who had failed to buy a seat stood at the back, all just to witness these two semifinal matches with their own eyes.
The massive light screen high above had already lit up in advance.
The names of the four contestants appeared on the light screen in turn, along with some footage of them from the previous rounds of matches.
The moment the scene of Yun Heng sending Xie Wujiu flying off the sparring platform with a single sword strike appeared, a burst of cheers erupted from the viewing stands.
One cultivator looked at the light screen and couldn't help but say with emotion, “It's actually already the semifinals.”
“It feels like the first round just started. Time really flies.”
His companion beside him nodded.
“Indeed, it's very fast.”
“Once today's two matches are over, only the final match will be left.”
The cultivator who spoke first peered toward the sparring platform for a moment, then suddenly said with a serious expression, “Let me see if Young Lord Yun broke through to the Void Refinement Realm this past month.”
The person beside him raised a hand and smacked him on the head.
“What kind of pipe dream is that?”
“That's the Void Refinement Realm, not some minor realm you can just break through to whenever you want.”
The cultivator rubbed his head and chuckled.
“I was just joking.”
“But while it's definitely impossible for anyone else, it might not be the case for Yun Heng.”
Just then, the cultivator suddenly pointed toward the main stage.
“Look!”
“Deacon Gong is going up!”
A melodious tolling of bells echoed from above the Five Domains Platform.
The spectators, who had still been discussing among themselves, quieted down one after another, turning their gazes toward the sparring platform in the center.
Gong Yiding was already standing on the platform.
Yun Heng, Ye Zezhi, Bai Chu'an, and Xiao Cen had also all arrived, standing side by side behind her.
The array slowly operated.
The massive light screen floating high above swept across the faces of the four in turn, clearly presenting their current appearances to all the spectators.
Gong Yiding took a step forward, a smile on her face.
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