Inside the Heart-Examining Abbey Main Hall, Chu Mo gazed with unfathomable eyes at the bluish-gray Ancient Mirror Xu Yuan presented.
The Ancient Mirror was roughly the size of a human face, its edges carved with eerie cloud patterns. A murky film covered its surface, like dust-or something moving within.
Xu Yuan held the mirror in both hands, bowing deeply.
"My lord, this is our abbey's defining treasure, the Form-Substituting Ancient Mirror."
Xu Yuan's voice trembled. To quiet this mirror, he had all but severed the Heart-Examining Abbey's lineage with his own hands.
Though grief overwhelmed him and he nearly fainted, he could only continue his explanation to avoid angering the ruthless man before him.
"According to the abbey's secret records, this mirror was unearthed from the ruins of Xu Capital after its destruction."
"This mirror can reveal what one thinks, imagines, and desires. Successive abbots have used it to cultivate, pierce the barriers of the heart, and see their true selves clearly. Only..."
Chu Mo beckoned through the air, drawing the Ancient Mirror over and turning it facedown to avoid reflecting himself. Then he asked casually, "Only what?"
"Only that this mirror becomes active at intervals."
Xu Yuan lowered his voice. "If someone looks into it then, what they see in the mirror will... come alive."
Chu Mo raised an eyebrow. "Come alive?"
"Precisely." Fine beads of sweat seeped from Xu Yuan's temples. "Urban legends are uncanny, but encountering one is not inevitable. Countless people under heaven look into mirrors or see their reflections in water, yet only a few encounter a [Ghost Mirror].
"But once this Ancient Mirror becomes active, it invariably draws a Ghost Mirror. There are no exceptions.
"Three hundred and twenty years ago, the seventeenth abbot still knew nothing of this. While looking into the mirror