Chapter 52: The Contest for the Treasure Mirror (Part 1)

Early in the morning, Lin Yunfeng went to find Lu Yun, only to discover that Lu Yun was missing. After asking around carefully, it became apparent that no one knew where Lu Yun had gone. After searching around for a while, none of the three disciples from Yi Garden could find Lu Yun's whereabouts, so they had no choice but to return to the Skyfire Cave.

Seeing the expressions of the three, Master Ziyang understood that Lu Yun had not been found, and he couldn't help but feel a slight worry. With a light sigh, Master Ziyang looked at the three and said, "Forget it, let's not search for him for now. He might have gone out alone to clear his mind and will probably be back soon. Let's all prepare, and later we'll go with the headmaster to the Tianxuan Cave to deal with the matter of the Heavenly Vision Mirror."

Upon hearing this, Aoxue glanced lightly at the sky, a faint call drifting in the wind. Glancing at Yunfeng and Li Hongfei, Aoxue said nothing and calmly turned back to the cave. Watching Aoxue's figure, Li Hongfei's eyes revealed a hint of concern. He shook his head gently and left without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Lin Yunfeng, lost in thought, didn't notice the departure of the other two. When he looked up and saw that they were gone, he was taken aback. Squatting down gently, Lin Yunfeng drew a circle on the ground and began making strange gestures with his hands clasped in front of his chest. At the same time, he murmured something, but his voice was too low to be heard clearly. After a while, he suddenly exclaimed, startling Master Ziyang awake.

Looking at him, Master Ziyang's eyes showed a hint of puzzlement as he asked softly, "Yunfeng, what are you doing? Why did you just shout?"

Surprised, Lin Yunfeng looked at Master Ziyang and said, "Senior Brother, I encountered something strange. Just now, I used the Yin-Yang Divine Art to deduce Lu Yun's current whereabouts, but when I was about to get the result, everything suddenly disappeared. This is very strange. Although I rarely use the Yin-Yang Divine Art, it always works without fail. How could it fail this time when used on Lu Yun? It's strange."

Upon hearing this, Master Ziyang's face changed slightly, and he looked at the ground before saying in a deep voice, "Forget it, let's not deduce anymore. Let's just wait quietly for now. When the headmaster comes, we'll discuss this matter. Prepare yourself, we still have things to do later." With that, he turned away without looking back at him. Lin Yunfeng looked at Master Ziyang and suddenly understood that he was afraid. Afraid of what? Nothing but afraid of the outcome, isn't it?

When Xuanyu Master came out, he saw everyone except Lu Yun and Master Ziyang gathered at the entrance. Without asking anything, Xuanyu Master said softly, "Junior Brother, stay behind and wait for Lu Yun to come later. The rest of you, follow me first." With that, he flew towards the direction of the Tianxuan Cave. Behind him, Master Jingyue and three disciples followed closely and soon disappeared.

Watching everyone leave, Master Ziyang stood silently at the entrance, sighing softly, "Lu Yun, where have you gone? Don't you know that we are all worried about you? If you hear this, please come back soon." Standing quietly at the entrance, at that moment, his eyes were filled with endless worry.

At the entrance of the Tianxuan Cave, the experts from the other five academies were already waiting. Since everyone knew about the matter of the Heavenly Vision Mirror, they had all come not only to witness but also to see who would ultimately obtain the treasure.

Seeing Xuanyu Master arriving with the four others, everyone looked at him with a hint of confusion, wondering why Lu Yun and Master Ziyang were not present. Just as everyone was puzzled, the headmaster of the Sky Sword Academy, Li Changchun, asked, "Greetings, Xuanyu Master. Why haven't the other two come? Is there something wrong? Are they not participating anymore?"

Xuanyu Master smiled faintly and replied, "They are a bit delayed due to some matters. They will come later. To avoid keeping everyone waiting, we came first. Let's not worry about them for now and focus on the matter at hand." With that, he gestured for Li Changchun to continue.

Li Changchun nodded and said, "It's getting late, so let's begin. This time, the treasure mirror was obtained by six people, including four disciples from Yi Garden and two from the Phoenix Academy, Cangyue and Xujie. Now, please let these two also come forward and participate in this contest of fate."

Cangyue and Xujie glanced at Master Yu Wushuang and, seeing her nod slightly, stepped forward to stand beside Aoxue. After the two women were in position, Li Changchun continued, "In the spirit of fair competition, our Sky Sword Academy will also send six people to try their luck. Due to the special nature of this matter, we will compete in literary arts and rely on our respective fortunes. Each participant will have three chances, taking turns one by one. Such matters sometimes require a bit of thought, so it's best to try different methods each time for better chances. Now, I will call up the participants from our Sky Sword Academy, and everyone present will witness."

With a wave of his hand, six people walked over from the side. Xuanyu Master carefully watched the six people, his eyes slightly trembling. Among these six people were Jian Wuchen, Wu Xin, Zhan Yu, Leng Jiahao, and two other outstanding disciples from the Sky Sword Academy. With this lineup, except for Lu Yun, everyone else was present.

Li Changchun looked at Xuanyu Master and asked, "Xuanyu Daoist friend, shall we start now or wait for your disciple Lu Yun to arrive?" Xuanyu Master replied calmly, "Let's begin. He can try later when he arrives."

Li Changchun nodded and said, "Very well, let's start with one by one, alternating between the two sides. The first one to try will be from your Yi Garden."

Xuanyu Master declined, "You are the host, and since we are currently short one person, you should go first."

Li Changchun did not refuse further and let Zhan Yu step forward for the first attempt. Zhan Yu held the treasure mirror, carefully examined it, and then slowly gathered a purple light with his right hand, enveloping the mirror inside. With all his might, Zhan Yu attempted to break the mysterious prohibition on the mirror. However, after a cup of tea's time, Zhan Yu was sweating profusely, but the mirror showed no reaction.

Thus, the first round ended in failure for Zhan Yu. The second person to try was Li Hongfei from Yi Garden. Li Hongfei also chose to

 use all his strength to break the prohibition on the mirror. However, this method clearly didn't work, and after a while of trying, Li Hongfei also ended in failure.

Next, one by one, the second round began. However, even strong cultivators like Jian Wuchen and Wu Xin were helpless against the mirror. The collective failure in the first round made both sides feel heavy-hearted, as they contemplated what to do if they couldn't get any results in the end.

The second round quickly began. When Jian Wuchen made his second attempt, instead of using his hands directly, he used the Celestial Spirit Sword to lift the treasure mirror. The sword carried the mirror in mid-air, spinning and dancing faster and faster. As the speed increased, the previously motionless mirror gradually emitted a five-colored light, growing stronger with the acceleration. This caused everyone from the Sky Sword Academy to be excited, and many disciples cheered loudly, appearing very happy.

Jian Wuchen's whole body was covered in a colorful aura, appearing like a celestial being as he slowly ascended into the air. The scene was very exciting, bringing hope to countless people. However, as time passed, besides emitting the five-colored light, the mirror showed no other reaction. When Jian Wuchen stopped, the mirror returned to its original state without any trace of change.

With Jian Wuchen's guidance, Aoxue and Cangyue also made the mirror show a five-colored light with their two swords. Even Wu Xin, using an unknown method, managed to stir the mirror. With these attempts, four out of eleven people were able to make the mirror react. At the end of the second round, both sides were tied at two attempts each.