"Life is but a fleeting dream, and how many autumns have we truly lived through…"
Gazing at the courtyard filled with old belongings, Arius felt as though he had returned to his childhood.
A century of cultivation, and the grand path turned to emptiness. Upon his return, all that remained were things unchanged while people and circumstances had moved on.
Rustle…
The autumn wind swept through the courtyard, lifting a flurry of crimson leaves into the air.
As Arius's thoughts surged like the tides, a palm-sized ancient mirror, intricately engraved with complex runes, suddenly fell from the courtyard gate.
The ancient mirror appeared unremarkable at first glance, but Arius instinctively picked it up.
The moment his fingers touched the mirror, strands of soft moonlight cascaded down, coincidentally illuminating its surface.
Under the moonlight's glow, the mirror suddenly emitted a mysterious and profound radiance.
At the same time, a stream of information flooded Arius's mind:
"Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror, capable of appraising all things!"
"With resources provided, it can enhance the nature of anything!"
Faced with the sudden influx of information, Arius's expression remained calm, his emotions steady.
He was certain now: this ancient mirror was a treasure—perhaps even an artifact belonging to an immortal.
In this world, any object associated with the word "immortal" was invariably tied to the legendary beings of immortality.
But how could such a treasure exist within the De Molinos family? Could his ancestors have some mysterious history unknown to him?
Holding the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror in his hands, Arius once again fell into deep thought.
A century of cultivation had tempered his mind. Even when obtaining an item of such unimaginable value, Arius did not show any signs of wild joy or excitement. Instead, he felt a subtle undercurrent of worry.
"An ordinary man is innocent, but carrying a jade makes him guilty."
If word of the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror reached the ears of other cultivators, it would surely spell disaster for the De Molinos family.
The recorded history of the De Molinos family spanned only a few hundred years. Beyond that, even Arius, the ancestral elder, knew nothing.
If this Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror wasn't acquired by coincidence but instead originated from the De Molinos family's ancestors, it implied that his lineage might once have been incredibly illustrious.
For a family of great glory to fall into decline, it must have faced cataclysmic upheavals in its past.
Arius's thoughts drifted further and further. Only after some time did he return to the present, his gaze once again falling on the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror.
According to the information in his mind, as long as resources were provided to the mirror, it could enhance the quality of any item.
After pondering for a moment, Arius slowly retrieved his last remaining piece of spirit stone and attempted to place it on the surface of the mirror.
The moment the fragment touched the mirror, the brilliance radiating from its surface grew even more dazzling. Then, under Arius's somewhat startled gaze, the mirror devoured the spirit stone fragment entirely!
Arius felt a pang of distress.
For a bottom-tier cultivator like him, at the mid-stage of the Blood Tempering realm, even a year of arduous labor might not yield a single spirit stone fragment.
Spirit stones were the universal currency of cultivators and also their most vital cultivation resource.
Spirit stones were categorized into four grades: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and top-grade.
The exchange rate between each grade followed a 1:10 ratio.
1 mid-grade spirit stone = 10 low-grade spirit stones, and so on.
Spirit stone fragments were pieces chipped off from low-grade spirit stones. A single low-grade spirit stone could typically be divided into 100 fragments.
Just as Arius was lamenting the loss of his precious fragment, the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror suddenly emitted a golden beam of light. The beam landed squarely on Arius.
The moment the light touched him, Arius abruptly felt a transformation in his body. It was as though his ability to absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and earth had increased significantly.
Given Arius's natural aptitude, even in secluded meditation, it was nearly impossible for him to absorb much spiritual energy.
Yet at this very moment, within the De Molinos family's spiritual energy-deprived environment, Arius's body was actively absorbing spiritual energy! And at an impressive rate!
This… was an enhancement of his aptitude.
A hint of surprise appeared on Arius's face.
According to records, only those with "Mystic-grade spiritual roots" could automatically absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and earth.
When Arius had his spiritual roots tested at the age of three, it was discovered that while he did possess spiritual roots, they were the lowest grade: "False spiritual roots."
If not the De Molinos family's Ascension Decree, Arius might not have been able to enter the Albigensians Sect to cultivate at all.
Spiritual root grades were ranked as follows: False spiritual roots, True spiritual roots, Mystic-grade spiritual roots, Earth-grade spiritual roots, and Heaven-grade spiritual roots.
Mystic-grade spiritual roots were already considered top-tier talent within the Albigensians Sect. Every time a Mystic-grade individual appeared, they would be nurtured as a priority by the sect!
This was because with Mystic-grade spiritual roots, one was guaranteed to cultivate to at least the Level 2 stage if they matured properly.
It must be understood that even across the entire cultivation world of Kingdom of Aragon , a Level 2 cultivator held considerable status.
The Albigensians Sect's sect leader, for example, was a master at the pinnacle of the Level 3 .
Gripping the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror tightly, Arius's breathing quickened. The value of this treasure was far beyond what he had imagined.
In the cultivation world, any object capable of improving aptitude was an invaluable treasure. The mere appearance of such an item was enough to incite deadly conflict and chaos.
But the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror's abilities didn't stop at just enhancing aptitude. Its ability—"With resources, enhance all things"—was profound and terrifyingly powerful.
Providing it with resources might allow it to enhance the grade of cultivation techniques, spiritual herbs, pills, or even magical tools.
However, Arius was faced with a problem: he no longer had any spirit stone fragments.
For a moment, he was at a loss.
He wanted to continue exploring the capabilities of the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror.
After a brief silence, inspiration suddenly struck Arius.
Though he no longer had any spirit stone fragments, the De Molinos family still possessed a large amount of mundane gold and silver treasures.
Would such worldly wealth count as "resources" for the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror?
With this thought, Arius retrieved a gold ingot and carefully placed it on the mirror's surface.
Clang!
To Arius's delight, the moment the gold ingot touched the mirror, it began to emit radiant light once again.
This time, Arius directed the light toward a common "Body Tempering Pill"—a low-grade pill widely used by entry-level cultivators.
Bathed in the light of the mirror, the pill transformed in mere moments. The previously mediocre pill, with weak medicinal properties, suddenly turned crystalline and translucent, exuding a rich, fragrant aroma.
Even from a distance, Arius could feel the overwhelming energy contained within the pill.
Arius instinctively knew that if he consumed this enhanced Body Tempering Pill and relied on his newly improved spiritual roots, there was a significant chance he could directly advance to the Bone Tempering Realm!
But what thrilled Arius the most was the realization that mundane gold and silver treasures could also be used as resources to enhance items.
Clutching the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror tightly, a gleam of determination flashed through Arius's weathered eyes.
With this treasure in hand, even in his twilight years, he might still have a chance to pursue immortality and knock on the gates of ascension!