To Embark on Dao-Discovery

Logean Wuji sat comfortably on his conjured chair of cloud, overlooking his excited students. They each went, one by one, to over a hundred different mirrors and counting. As he watched them with warmth in his gaze, a familiar looking serpent slithered in circles down Logean Wuji's arm, coming from under his sleeve.

"Young Master," Jormy-Worm turned its tiny spade of a head upward, eyes glistening. Now that it no longer emitted a glow, it was easy to spot its scales, colored a dark green. The serpent continued, "there is a problem in The Low. The one called Gouki is there presently; he will not suffice."

Nodding, though never taking his eyes off of his students, Logean Wuji responded. "I know; I am there. The elves have yet to settle down." In his left eye appeared a warm light, at the center of his pupil. Easily dividing his consciousness, Logean Wuji then assumed one of his incarnations that was somewhere else entirely.

While that was happening, Zhou Hua and Ye Zuliao found each other at the exact same mirror.

"What do you think, Sister Hua? Does 'Lord Gulon's Forest Garden' not sound like a delicious place?" Ye Zuliao was already salivating as he thought of the types of fruits he might find. Considering they were in the magical United Realm, he could only imagine the types of wondrous energies those fruits contained.

As for Zhou Hua, she was excited about the possible new ingredients for her to experiment with. "It truly does sound interesting."

Suddenly, she had an idea and a bright smile flashed across her face. "Say, Brother Zuliao..."

"Hm?" He managed to bring himself out of his mouthwatering stupor.

"What do you say to helping me out. With your appetite and my knowledge and skill, we could both reap big rewards in this forest garden."

Though he was not a cynical person, Ye Zuliao still cautiously asked, "How so, Sister Hua?"

"Think about it," she beamed, "the United Realm is anything but ordinary, so those ingredients may as well be as precious as gold."

Ye Zuliao's eyes widened as he silently mouthed the words, 'Oouu, gold...'

"I get to acquire new knowledge and practice, you get to eat as many of what's there as you like. It works out perfectly for both of us." Zhou Hua, in her eagerness and wholeheartedly pure intent, saw that Ye Zuliao was on the verge of being convinced.

He seemed to bounce the idea around in his head a few times, then his wide smile showed itself in full. "Sister Hua, your reason is sound and the logic unshakeable. I, Iron-Stomach, shall accompany you. This must be the inner workings of the Dao!"

Zhou Hua extended her hand and Ye Zuliao shook it with fervor. In the back of her mind, she suddenly had an inkling that things were meant to work out that way, favoring them both.

Meanwhile, Ling Jian'er and Cyrus were standing slack jawed. The mirrors they were transfixed by stood right next to each other, so they looked at each other in awe.

"This is definitely the very best mirror here! The Indomitable Corridor! What a kickass name," Ling Jian'er praised.

Cyrus snorted coldly, eyeing her mirror with derision and contempt, looking down on it. "You think that sounds kickass? Oh please!" He raised his arms as he stood before the mirror, getting ready to, quite literally, 'heap' praise onto it.

"Hear and tremble, Whirlwind Monkey! Summit of the Raging Voice Demon!"

"Oh? Voice, you say! Peh! What's it going to do, scream like a certain little brat whose ass I kicked?" Ling Jian'er giggled, then broke out into high-pitched laughter. Cyrus fumed, then reminded himself of the words written on Ling Jian'er's mirror.

"Indomitable Corridor? More like the Indomitable Latrine! You think that toilet bowl trash heap can compare to my Demon of Sound? Ha!"

Fuming, they both had sparks flying between them. Ling Jian'er gave a, 'hmph' and Cyrus snorted coldly yet again, turning back to his mirror.

Ji Haogui had remained standing before a mirror titled 'Tranquility Hall.' It seemed to be a quiet, peaceful place and was greatly enticing to him for some reason. He thought about it, his small face contorting a bit. He looked around at the rows of mirrors, finding his sister running circles around a mirror as she celebrated excitedly.

"The Storm Cloud Crater! The Storm Cloud Crater! Doesn't that just sound perfect!"

He saw Bi Xue place her hand on a mirror not too far from where he was, but she was not loudly exclaiming the name of her choice and he could not read it from where he was. She seemed lost though; there was a distance in her eyes. He smiled, then he refocused on his mirror before closing his eyes.

In the still darkness, he could sense something guiding him.

'This has to be it.'

Ye Zhiyuan had just stumbled across a mirror that was the passageway into a place called 'Hadur's Copper Forge.' She had came across a few other mirrors that lead to forges, but this one seemed different in a way that she could not quite understand. Pixie looked over to Ye Zhiyuan and saw the way she looked at the mirror.

"You found the one?" Ye Zhiyuan snapped out of it then smiled and nodded at Pixie. "Yes, I think this is the one for me."

Ye Zhiyuan then cleared her throat and shook her head a bit, "What about you, Pixie? Have you found the one meant for you?"

With a weak smile, Pixie looked at the two mirrors she was standing directly between. One read 'K's Collection of Artistic Oddities,' and the other read, 'Heavenly Library of Martial Arts.'

"I just... I can't decide for the life of me, Zhiyuan."

After talking with Ye Zhiyuan a bit earlier, Pixie had revealed the dilemma she faced. She did not want to disappoint her parents by pursuing a path that led nowhere, but she also did not want to forsake the feelings in her heart in order to please them.

"I saw this mirror, K's Collection of Artistic Oddities, and I suddenly felt like nothing mattered to me more. Not my parents, not my own desires... nothing."

Ye Zhiyuan smirked, giving her a nudge on the shoulder. "Then that's the one, Pixie. This is the one."

Her eyes glittering, Pixie looked to Ye Zhiyuan as if searching for permission. The girl laughed and gave her another, stronger nudge, then returned to her own mirror.

'But is it really?'

Pixie looked at the words written on the mirror, feeling like she should reach out and touch them. Caught in between doing it and not doing it, she heard Ye Zhiyuan's voice to her left.

"Now that we've decided, we can go back to Master with the others and inform him of our decision."

"Mm, right." Pixie and Zhiyuan took final glances at their respective mirrors, then left together to return to Logean Wuji. As they were making their way, they happened upon the warring states of the Whirlwind Monkey and the King-Boy. They threw remarks at each other as they walked along, causing the two girls to laugh and shake their heads.

Zhou Hua and Ye Zuliao were making big plans for their work in Lord Gulon's Forest Garden. Ji Haogui seemed to be in a trance as he walked alongside Ji Tianshan, who went on and on about how great the Storm Cloud Crater would be. She was so energetic and ecstatic that she did not even stop to notice how out of it her brother seemed.

It was like he was partially mindless as he nodded and made soft 'mm' sounds in response to her.

Soon, they all returned to Logean Wuji, who stood up once they had gathered before him.

"Now then, inform me of your choices."

Starting from Logean Wuji's left, Ling Jian'er stepped forward while glaring at Cyrus who was at the far end of the line, her monkey tail standing curved, but tall behind her. "I, Ling Jian'er, have scoured these mediocre mirrors and found the one true treasure: the Indomitable Corridor!"

Logean Wuji gave a light chuckle, thinking that her decision made sense. Since he suppressed his foresight, all he had were vague ideas regarding their choices. This excited him just a bit- the chance of being wrong and receiving a surprise.

Cyrus completely broke the order, causing Zhou Hua and Ye Zuliao, who were meant to go next, to step back.

"Master, ignore the crazy monkey over there. I am the one who has found the greatest of treasures, and it is the Summit of the Raging Voice Demon. No other mirror, not even the monkey's Indomitable Latrine, can compare to it."

Logean Wuji shook his head, a small smile on his face. "The Indomitable Corridor was a trial zone handcrafted by a Law Enforcement elder. It was made with the goal of developing willpower in the face of insurmountable odds. It suits you, Jian'er."

Hearing this, Ling Jian'er smiled and stuck her tongue out at Cyrus, who scoffed.

"As for you, Cyrus, your choice has actually surprised me. The Raging Voice Demon was a student of the United Sect for a long time, hailing from a distant dimension. Before he became known as the Voice Demon, Father told me he was strange and would try his best to keep to himself. However trouble seemed to follow him and, in the face of it, he was belligerent, recalcitrant and overbearing."

"Father admired his character, and knew that his inner struggles were great."

"I heard of his power and, considering that, I see how visiting him might suit you. It is the right choice for you, King-Boy."

Gleefully giggling, Cyrus smiled coldly at Ling Jian'er and pumped his brows with pride.

Zhou Hua and Ye Zuliao finally stepped forward, but not before the latter party glared at both Ling Jian'er and Cyrus.

"Master, after careful consideration, Sister Hua and I have decided to embark on a journey of careful study, experimentation and gluttony!" Ye Zuliao puffed up his chest and pounded on it, looking as serious as he could.

"Indeed. I feel that together, Brother Zuliao and I will be able to effectively study the potential delicacies that can be made from the contents of Lord Gulon's Forest Garden."

Instantly, Logean Wuji's head fell back and he laughed for a few seconds. "This is even better than I suspected."

"Lord Gulon is quite a... character. However, I feel that you two are a great match for him and his special temperament." Having nothing else to say to them, Logean Wuji waved his hand for the next person in line to step forward.

Pixie took a breath and stepped forward, her decision firm. Even so, she stood before Logean Wuji and found the words stuck in her throat. This was a big step. It was the foundation of her dao-discovery, the thing that would help her begin her cultivation of the Dao-Seizing Calamity Law.

This was her future path.

Pixie opened her mouth, trying desperately to speak the words that would express the true feelings of her inner heart. Instead, she shut her eyes and balled her fists tightly, tugging at her clothing.

"My parents did a lot for me and I know that. They have always supported me and helped guide me, but their vision for my future is not the same as mine."

Ye Zhiyuan smiled proudly, silently encouraging her new friend. Pixie opened her eyes and found Logean Wuji's warm smile.

"Master, I have decided to go to see K's Collection of Artistic Oddities."

Logean Wuji's eyes closed and he nodded, expecting such a choice.

"K is the great-grandson of one of the instructors of the United Sect: Thadeo, an arts instructor. He shares his predecessor's love of the arts, and has travelled far and wide to gather the works in his gallery. It is the perfect place to start, Pixie."

Breathing heavily, Pixie nodded stiffly and turned around, feeling the eyes on her. The others watched her with differing gazes, but Ye Zhiyuan whispered, "Just you wait, Pixie. I know they'll be just as proud as I am someday. I know it."

It was Ye Zhiyuan's turn, so she went up and told Logean Wuji her choice.

"Hadur was, by far, the strangest of the blacksmithing instructors. I heard he also taught the war arts alongside a few other instructors. Definitely a surprise coming from you, but a fine choice nonetheless."

Then Ji Tianshan walked up, confidence in her step.

"I'm going to the Storm Cloud Crater! Heehee!"