Chapter Thirty-Eight: Reflections Shatter, Frost and Moon Surging

If there were any other choice, Hong Jian would never want to entrust such a life-or-death matter to Jian Hui. Yet Jian Hui acted as though nothing had happened, his face filled with genuine joy on her behalf. He said cheerfully, “Don’t worry, junior sister. The beasts in the sect’s secret realm aren’t that formidable. I’ve picked out all the magical artifacts from Snow Cliff that you can wield. Try them out and take whichever suits you.”

Hong Jian’s worries eased somewhat at his words, and she hurriedly replied, “Then I’ll trouble you, senior brother.”

The magical artifacts for warding off enemies were different from the “Fortunate Border” she wore. Once activated, they consumed spiritual energy a hundredfold. The ones Hong Jian could handle were naturally of lower grade, chosen to compensate for the lack of martial skills during the Qi Refining stage. If real danger arose, her spiritual power might be exhausted within a few exchanges, leaving her powerless.

Thus, these artifacts, despite their variety of uses, paled in comparison to the techniques personally cultivated and refined by Foundation Establishment cultivators after much deliberation. Such chicken-ribbed items were not many in Snow Cliff’s collection; Jian Hui ultimately selected just over a dozen. Hong Jian followed him into the storeroom, listened as he explained each artifact one by one, and formed a rough idea in her mind.

She supposed that, over at Brocade Peak, Qi Xiuning and the others must also be carefully choosing their own handy artifacts these days.

After finishing his introduction, Jian Hui pointed out a round mirror etched with intricate runes placed in a prominent spot. He recommended, “If you ask me, among these artifacts, junior sister should first choose this ‘Shadow Reflection.’”

Hong Jian understood what Jian Hui meant. He had already explained: it was a purely defensive artifact, capable of withstanding various attacks, with even a small chance of reflecting them back. As a Qi Refining apprentice, she would be an absolute weakling in the secret realm. If danger struck, ‘Shadow Reflection’ would let her flee if she couldn’t win; the beasts in the secret realm rarely left their territories, so survival would not be an issue.

Hong Jian turned the ‘Shadow Reflection’ over in her hands, examining it for a while. That was Jian Hui’s advice, and aside from the vigilance she always maintained towards him, she herself was not particularly fond of this artifact.

If she entered the secret realm thinking only of survival and flight, relying solely on this, what meaning would there be in her journey? To gain anything, slaying beasts would be inevitable.

So, disregarding Jian Hui’s opinion, she put ‘Shadow Reflection’ back and pointed to a short sword in the corner. “Senior brother Jian, I don’t like always running away. Wouldn’t picking the Frost Shard Sword be better?”

From what she’d heard, the ‘Frost Shard’ was the most formidable among the water-based artifacts here, its attack resembling the ice-root martial arts: the blade’s intent freezes and shatters its target. Hong Jian had often heard of the sect master Ling Xuzi’s renowned cultivation of the Essence Accumulation Scripture, hence her question.

Jian Hui’s brows furrowed as he replied earnestly, “Not very suitable. First, you aren’t born with the ice spiritual root; using this with a water root adds another layer, greatly increasing spiritual energy consumption—hardly worth it. Secondly, you know how the secret realm was formed—the sect’s masters over generations were mostly water-rooted, so the realm is saturated with moisture. From my own experience, most beasts there excel at water manipulation, and many are encased in ice. If you encounter one, with your cultivation, ‘Frost Shard’ would be of little use.”

Hong Jian had not considered these points before, but had to admit he was right. Seeing Jian Hui’s earnest consideration for her, a pang of guilt surfaced in her heart—had she truly misjudged him?

Jian Hui, noticing her silent gaze at the ‘Frost Shard,’ thought she was still reluctant, and continued, “If you really want an offensive artifact, the ‘Moon Surge’ to your left is better than ‘Frost Shard.’”

Stars hang over the wilds; the moon surges over the river.

The ‘Moon Surge’ looked somewhat like a crescent moon. Its material was unknown, but though it wasn’t large, it felt substantial in Hong Jian’s hand.

Jian Hui cautioned, “Don’t test it inside.” Following his advice, Hong Jian took ‘Moon Surge’ outside, closed her eyes to sense the artifact, and, as Jian Hui had instructed, locked her spiritual sense onto a massive stone several yards ahead. She began channeling her energy into ‘Moon Surge.’

Truthfully, unlike Jian Hui’s assumption, this wasn’t Hong Jian’s first experience with magical artifacts; she ought to have been quite skilled. Yet, whether due to the artifact’s grade or its offensive nature, ‘Moon Surge’ felt worlds apart from her ‘Fortunate Border.’

The moment her palm touched ‘Moon Surge,’ it felt as if a hole had opened, draining nearly half her spiritual energy in an instant. A blue light flashed from ‘Moon Surge,’ not dazzling in daylight but shimmering with watery brilliance.

As Jian Hui called out, “Slash!” Hong Jian let go. ‘Moon Surge’ flew forth, glowing faintly, and before hitting the stone, split into a dozen or so light points. Its main body reappeared instantly in her hand, while the scattered sparks landed on the stone’s center. The granite boulder shattered in response, fragments strewn across the ground.

Marvelous! Hong Jian’s face lit up in admiration—the force of this strike approached the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. No wonder it had consumed so much of her energy.

Jian Hui asked beside her, “How is it? Enough spiritual power for another try?”

Hong Jian was cautious, replying, “I need to recover for a while.”

Jian Hui seemed to hesitate, advising, “To give your all for a single strike is too risky, junior sister. I still think you should pick ‘Shadow Reflection.’”

Though Hong Jian had wavered for a moment, she soon reaffirmed her choice. That vision she’d glimpsed with ‘Fortunate Border’ could not have been false. Her suspicion of Jian Hui had become so acute that the more he recommended an artifact, the more she resisted. Pretending not to care, she smiled, “This one will do. I think it’s quite good.”

Jian Hui hesitated, sighed helplessly, “Very well. I’ll find you a better storage pouch—a universe bag. It’ll fit the artifact, and you can store any gains from the secret realm as well.”

Hong Jian smiled sweetly. “Thank you, senior brother.”

Without mentioning the matter of the necklace at any point, Jian Hui took his leave.

Hong Jian took ‘Moon Surge’ back to her quarters, tried it several times, and found nothing amiss. After all, it was Jian Hui’s recommendation; fearful of her own limited experience, she sought her master’s opinion. Yan Changqing, hearing she’d chosen ‘Moon Surge,’ merely nodded and said, “Alright,” betraying no other reaction.

Still uneasy, Hong Jian cornered her second senior brother Qin Baoxian, who was about to enter closed cultivation, for advice. Qin Baoxian’s opinion frustrated her—he too thought she should pick the defensive ‘Shadow Reflection.’ Hong Jian scratched her head, puzzled: “Could it be I’ve wrongly accused senior brother Jian? Is he truly acting out of sincere concern for me?”