I have a composite mirror

Chapter 4 Three-Element Mirror

Gu Shenwei took a sip of water and thought for a moment:

"Brother, I heard from the old nanny in the manor that martial arts practitioners are only beginners."

The truly powerful ones are those who practice Taoist arts and techniques.

They can not only cultivate internal energy to strengthen their bodies, but also fly on swords, summon wind and rain, and even…

She lowered her voice:

"It can prolong life and grant immortality."

Gu Shenyan's heart skipped a beat.

Longevity! That's exactly what he needs!

Although his cheat ability is powerful, it consumes his life essence every time he uses it.

If things continue like this, no matter how careful he is, he probably won't live past thirty.

But if one could cultivate oneself, if one could prolong one's life...

"And your illness..."

"Perhaps it can be cured." Gu Shenwei smiled wryly.

"But how could someone from such a humble family like ours possibly have the opportunity to meet such a person?"

Gu Shenyan remained silent.

Indeed, given the Gu family's current status, it would be extremely difficult for them to reach that level.

But no matter what, he has to take this path.

For my sister's illness, and also, in search of the possibility of returning to that world...

If cultivators are truly omnipotent, then time travel might not be impossible.

"Brother, do you also want to cultivate?"

"I want to." Gu Shenyan nodded without hesitation: "Not only do I want to cultivate, but I want to cultivate to the highest level."

Gu Shenwei, who was standing to the side, simply smiled and rested his chin on his hand, his eyes full of encouragement.

My brother has changed a lot in the past few years.

The sickly young master who never even left the courtyard.

He gradually became more composed and decisive, and his eyes held a deep, indescribable quality.

It's like... a completely different person.

But she never asked.

Because she knew that everyone should have some secrets in their heart.

Even with your closest relatives, you shouldn't pry into their lives.

Moreover, her brother had never harmed her; on the contrary, he was one of the few people in the world who genuinely cared for her, and that was enough.

"Brother." She pointed to the bucket containing the spirit fish:

"Now that we have found this, we should take it as soon as possible."

Although your health has improved, you are still somewhat weak.

This spirit fish is a naturally born and nurtured creature, and it is most effective at nourishing the body.

Take it now while you can, before some people have a chance to take advantage of it.

As she spoke, a sly smile appeared on her face:

"I'm feeling a bit tired."

I'll drink the calming soup the old woman brought earlier and then take a nap.

My brother can just focus on his own business and doesn't need to worry about me.

Gu Shenyan looked at her, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

This girl sees through everything, yet says nothing.

She was using this method to give him space so that she could do what she wanted in peace.

"Alright, alright."

Gu Shenwei waved his hand, picked up the medicine bowl from the small table beside the bed, and drank it down in one gulp:

"This calming soup is very effective; I will fall asleep very soon."

Brother, remember to close the door properly so no one disturbs us.

After she finished speaking, she leaned against the pillow and closed her eyes.

Before long, the girl's breathing gradually became steady, and she had clearly fallen into a deep sleep.

Gu Shenyan watched her quietly for a while, gently tucked the blanket around her, and then got up and walked to a corner of the room.

He placed the two buckets on the ground, a thought forming in his mind.

The world before my eyes suddenly changed.

That wasn't a real change, but rather a kind of... indescribable change that only he could perceive.

An ancient bronze mirror floats in my mind.

The mirror surface is covered in rust, and the edges are engraved with intricate patterns that vaguely resemble some kind of hieroglyphics.

These patterns only gradually appeared after the journey, as if they were adapting to the rules of this world.

This is his greatest secret—the Three Elements Mirror.

While it's called a "mirror," it's more like a manifestation of a cheat code in this extraordinary world.

This cheat ability consumes his accumulated "source energy" every time he uses it.

"Source Qi" is extremely difficult to obtain:

Eating, sleeping, reading, and writing every day, even if you work yourself to death, you can only accumulate a little bit of white source energy.

In the past few years, he had barely managed to accumulate enough to synthesize the spirit fish by relying on these small, incremental efforts.

Fortunately, he later discovered that engaging in activities related to the supernatural could accelerate the accumulation of source energy:

If one accumulates more health-preserving abilities through practice, and then embarks on a path of cultivation... the benefits would likely multiply several times over.

This also became one of the reasons why he desperately wanted to embark on the path of cultivation.

On the mirror, under his mental control, several lines of ancient characters began to appear:

[Source Qi Chi:

• White Source Qi: 20

• Green Source Qi: 0 (Unlocked)

• Blue Source Qi: 0 (Unlocked)...

[Unlocked Feature: Basic Crafting (3-in-1)]

Unlocked features: ??? (Requires entering the path of magic)

Looking at these data, Gu Shenyan was filled with mixed emotions.

20 points of white source energy, which is all he has accumulated over the past four years.

The acquisition of white source energy is ridiculously slow.

It wasn't until I started practicing health-preserving exercises that my efficiency improved slightly.

Even so, after several years, I only managed to accumulate 20 points.

Moreover, according to his observations, repeating the same activity yields diminishing returns.

This forced him to stop mindlessly following the same thing and to develop in multiple directions.

He sighed inwardly and looked at the line "Unlocked features".

Will stepping into the path of magic unlock new features?

There are also green and blue source energy... what are those?

"Let's find a way to reach the extraordinary realm first," Gu Shenyan took a deep breath and selected the three fish.

The bronze mirror glowed with a faint light, and new characters appeared on its surface:

[Found something that can be refined]

Gu Shenyan made a decision and selected his target.

The spirit fish in front of him, along with the two pike, vanished into thin air from the wooden tub.

At the same time, the three squares on the mirror lit up.

In the first square, a silvery-white fish appears, swimming slowly.

Below the fish, lines of ancient characters appeared:

Silver-scaled Fish

[Grade: Common Item - Superior]

【Nature: Gentle in water, intelligent and perceptive, and dwells among reefs year-round.】

Its flesh is edible, and long-term consumption can clear the mind, improve eyesight, and strengthen muscles and bones.

Its scales can be used in medicine and are believed to have antidotes to various poisons.

[Contains: a faint trace of water-based spiritual energy]

[Note: These fish are occasionally found in the crevices of nearshore reefs, and it is rare to find two in a year. Fishermen regard them as a treasure for making money.]

Although this creature is a spirit fish, it is ultimately just an ordinary item and hardly suitable for great use.

The other two squares contain two ordinary pike.

Barracuda

[Grade: Common, Low-grade]

[Nature: A common sea fish with delicious flesh, nothing particularly special.]

[Note: These are mundane things, not worth mentioning.]

Gu Shenyan looked at these words and silently made plans in his mind.

According to the rules of the Tripartite Mirror, as long as three of the same kind are gathered, they can be combined into one, giving birth to a higher quality existence.

But there's a trick to it.

If three items of the same quality are combined, the level can be steadily increased by one.

However, if the main product is high-quality goods, and the secondary product is low-quality goods.

While it can improve quality, it will result in significant losses.

The quality of the finished product may be imperfect, and this imperfection must be made up for in other ways afterwards.

Now he holds one spirit fish and two ordinary fish.

If forced synthesis is performed, it may improve the quality of the spirit fish.

But the final result will likely be somewhat compromised.

But I couldn't wait any longer.

Spirit fish are rare and hard to come by, so this time it can only be described as good luck.

He could no longer wait anxiously for the next, or even the next two, spirit fish to appear.

"Give it a try."

With a thought, he selected the three illusory fish images simultaneously.

Suddenly, three squares on the mirror surface burst forth with dazzling light.

The light converged like flowing water, condensing into a vortex in the air.

Strange sounds emanated from the vortex, like the surging tides or the roars of dragons and tigers.

Immediately afterwards, a line of text appeared in the center of the vortex:

[Should we proceed with the synthesis?]

【Main ingredient: Silver-scaled Fish (Common Grade, Superior) ×1】

[Additional Ingredients: Barracuda (Common Grade, Low Quality) x2]

[Estimated Result: Spiritual Item - Damaged (with some damage)]

【Required Source Qi: Base Consumption: 20 (White)】

Same discount: -20%

Actual consumption: 16 (white)