Zhangye Commandery, Reflecting Peril Mountain.
Ten thousand rays of blue-black demonic light burst from the summit, piercing the daylight and shining upon the roiling sea of clouds. The light twisted and changed, condensing into countless strange, hideous shadows.
Atop one of the mountain's spirit peaks, the Greenwood Gate of a cave abode suddenly opened, releasing the rounded, harmonious aura of newly attained Qi Refining. It carried the promise of a newborn morning sun, breaking through the gloom between the mountains.
A young girl emerged from the darkness, looking no more than sixteen.
She wore a long black dress patterned in gold. Her figure was slender and graceful, her features serene and lovely. The Black Snow Mystic Mark between her brows held an air of mystery and demonic allure, making her all the more beautiful.
She had attained Qi Refining.
Liu Shu Han had lived and cultivated in these mountains for over six years. Now that she had refined that strand of [Northern Feng Yin Qi], she had finally crossed the threshold of the Nine Provinces Mountain-Traversing True Scripture.
This was a high-grade method, with many marvelous properties even at the Qi Refining stage. A thought stirred in her mind, and she silently recalled the scripture's opening passage:
[Let the spirit roam the Nine Provinces, anchor the center at Great Tai Mountain, revere Righteous Order above, bow to Northern Yin below, command yin ghosts and baleful demons, and suffer no death from Yang Thunder or Yin Thunder]
Liu Shu Han was clever and perceptive, no longer as ignorant as when she first entered the Wu Household. Naturally, she understood how precious and profound this scripture was.
She gently stroked the space between her brows and felt a faint burning pain.
The Black Snow Mystic Mark there had further wondrous uses, greatly