The Hun Tian Mirror of Returning to Truth, and All Beings in a Dream

Under the flickering interplay of light and shadow,

a cyan pill housed in a stone box appeared, its mystical aura similarly sealed by the system to prevent leakage.

The pill was no larger than a thumb, resembling a freshly plucked lotus seed, vibrant and verdant.

[Everlasting Longevity Pill]: "A supreme-grade treasure pill, condensed over a millennium using the Seed Elixir Method. Contains a wisp of the Dao of Longevity, forcibly extending the consumer’s Life Wheel by sixty years. Can only be consumed once."

As everyone knew,

Li Mo was something of a genius when it came to alchemy.

This was why another alchemical prodigy, Elder Xue, often regretted not kicking out one of his disciples back then to make room for Li Mo on the path of pill refinement.

Perhaps out of this regret, Elder Xue frequently dropped hints and shared alchemical knowledge with him—

such as the Seed Elixir Method.

"This is the first time I’ve seen a pill refined using the Seed Elixir Method."

Li Mo’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

The Seed Elixir Method, as the name suggested, treated pills like plants, allowing them to grow naturally. However, instead of soil, these pills were nurtured within specially treated rare materials.

This method produced pills of exceptional quality, though it was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Yet, some pills couldn’t tolerate the touch of fire and could only be refined this way—

such as the Everlasting Longevity Pill.

"A thousand years to refine... by the time the pill is ready, the alchemist would’ve long turned to dust."

Li Mo shook his head. Though he had no use for it, he understood its value.

Forcibly extending one’s Life Wheel!

Ordinary longevity-enhancing items merely replenished the consumer’s vitality, useless to those truly at death’s door.

But the Everlasting Longevity Pill? Even if you showed up at the gates of the Underworld, Yama himself would be baffled, poring over the Book of Life and Death for three days and nights trying to reconcile the discrepancy.

Li Mo stored it carefully and continued browsing.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in Su Shen, sparing him the tragedy of losing his family after the city’s fall.]

[Investment Reward: The Su family’s ancestral dumpling filling recipe.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in Qing Hao, sparing him from perishing in the fallen city.]

[Investment Reward: Equine Physiognomy Art.]

...

As Li Mo reviewed these investment rewards tied to individuals with high Destiny rankings, his suspicions grew firmer.

The rewards were also influenced by the gap between his cultivation realm and that of the investment target.

He couldn’t say for certain about gold or red Destiny ranks, but for blue Destiny, the greater the disparity in cultivation, the more pronounced the difference in rewards.

As for white and gray Destiny ranks, even saving their lives wouldn’t yield martial insights anymore.

Li Mo’s eyelids grew heavy as he scrolled, but the next moment, his drowsy eyes lit up.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in ‘Ying Bing,’ permanently resolving her lingering concerns.]

[Investment Reward: Primal Chaos Reversion Mirror.]

[Primal Chaos Reversion Mirror]: "Projects the true spirits imprinted within divine diagrams or other forms of records, allowing them to manifest in the world once more. Those vanished legends, the names etched in history books—all can become your opponents."

"Let the heroic aura of the world forge your invincible heart!"

"Note: This mirror requires the power of the masses to activate."

Li Mo couldn’t help but shudder, his hair standing on end.

Did this mean he could use this mirror to spar directly with the beings depicted in divine diagrams?

When he had studied the divine form of the Great Sage wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he’d vaguely grasped the method to comprehend that grand Dao manifestation.

The Monkey King’s approach to enlightenment was anything but conventional—no silent meditation or copying.

One word: Fight!

That was why the first divine ability he’d gleaned from it was the Heavenly Battle Intent. Less a technique and more the foundational method to truly grasp the divine form’s essence—the very staircase to mastering its other abilities.

But where could he find so many worthy opponents?

Back then, Li Mo hadn’t found an answer.

Now, Ying Bing’s reward had delivered the solution.

From divine diagrams! From history books!

"Does this mean that with enough power of the masses, I can even spar with Ying Bing?"

"Or... cross blows with the Monkey King himself?"

The freshly bandaged wounds on Li Mo’s body seeped red once more—

his excitement had stirred his qi and blood.

What better way to temper his battle intent than facing the Great Sage himself?

After a moment, he cooled down and sank into contemplation.

The power of the masses... where could he obtain it?

From Ying Bing’s warnings and his own experiences, this power wasn’t something to be used lightly or recklessly. Caution was paramount.

What to do?

With this question lingering, Li Mo drifted into slumber.

In the haze between dreams and wakefulness, he seemed to hear countless voices murmuring.

"Grandpa! I told you Big Brother was a peerless hero, one of the prodigies on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, but you didn’t believe me!"

"Mom, do all Central Plains people eat dumplings when winter comes?"

"Bro, I ain’t exaggerating—when I followed Young Master Li out of the city, I didn’t feel much then, but now, just thinking about it gives me the chills."

"Old Zhao was my sworn brother. He died in the chaos of battle. We’ve got to take care of his old mother and two kids."

"Deep down, we all knew that military pay came from Young Master Li’s own pockets..."

"......"

Whispers drifted through the twilight of his consciousness.

In his dazed state, Li Mo glimpsed wisps of pure white threads weaving toward him from all directions, carrying those murmurs—yet they didn’t dissipate afterward.

It was the power of the masses.

But then Ying Bing’s stern warning surfaced in his mind, her expression grave and unwavering.

"Once you rely on the power of the masses, there’s no turning back."

Li Mo had always been one to heed good advice, never one to court death recklessly.

So, instinctively, he resisted the urge to absorb it.

......

The next morning.

The snow that had fallen all night had ceased at some point, blanketing the vast Greenwood Barracks in a white sheen. Yet the three suns hanging in the sky couldn’t pierce through the overcast clouds.

Li Mo rose, his body aching. He tried lifting his arm, but his fingers couldn’t quite clench into a fist—movement was possible, but strength eluded him.

Recovered, but not fully.

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about struggling with his waistband during bathroom breaks anymore.

His throat parched, Li Mo reached for a cup of water when footsteps sounded outside.

In a flash—so fast!—he flopped back onto the bed.

"Ah, my hand still won’t obey me... If only someone could feed me some water right now."

The acting chops of a Best Actor nominee were beyond reproach.

Alas, the visitor wasn’t Ying Bing.

"Brother Li, let me help you."

Huang Donglai, unsuspecting, hurriedly poured a cup of water.

"No need. I’m a man of iron will—drinking water shouldn’t require another’s aid."

"But Brother Li, didn’t you say your arm wasn’t working?"

"Oh, my physique’s just built different. A little rest, and I’m back in action."

"......??"

Huang Donglai had come to ask if Li Mo wanted to attend the victory banquet. The Greenwood Barracks was celebrating both their triumph and their survival, with Commander Qu combining the feast with the winter solstice festivities.

Li Mo nodded, then paused, struck by a thought.

Wait.

Where was Commander Qu’s investment reward?

That man, who’d risen to the rank of Divine General from the Outer Scenery realm in a time of crisis, was a bona fide holder of pale purple Destiny.