Shen Le sat upright before the half bronze mirror. He steadied his breathing and focused his mind until he was free of thought and worry, without desire or distraction. Then, he began: his left hand drew a square, while his right hand drew a circle!
Ah, no—his left hand reached for a bronze ingot beside him and summoned metal-element energy from the ingot, which was made of the same material as the bronze mirror, slowly pouring it into the mirror;
His right hand gently brushed the mirror's surface and cast a Cleansing Spell, removing the demonic aura buried deep within the bronze mirror—an aura that had never faded and had almost fused with the mirror itself.
At the same time, his consciousness remained immersed in the bronze mirror, connecting with that tiny, frail spark of spirituality. Like tending a flame that had only just been lit, he could neither let the wind extinguish it nor let the added firewood smother it. Dividing his attention three ways like this, fine beads of sweat soon seeped across Shen Le's forehead.
Before, it had not mattered if he made a hundred mistakes. Those hundred mistakes had been made on practice fragments supplied by the Special Affairs Bureau; if they broke, he would not feel bad about it, and could simply hold out his hand for more.
But now, never mind making one mistake—even the slightest flaw would leave the bronze mirror's spiritual growth incomplete.
This was his own possession. If he made a mistake, the loss would be his alone!
Shen Le could only control the infusion of spirituality and the removal of demonic aura, one advancing while the other retreated, fitting together seamlessly. There could not be the slightest gap between them, nor the slightest mixing.
Meanwhile, the bronze mirror's own spirituality