Mysterious Palace

This silver key was something Mù Qīngyǔ had discovered by her side at the very beginning of her transmigration.

She had found no memories related to it within the original body’s recollections, nor had she ever witnessed anyone else in the Four Sacred Courts utilizing anything similar.

‘Could this be my unique advantage, a bonus granted to me as a transmigrator?’

It seemed the heavens had not entirely forsaken Mù Qīngyǔ, though the manner of their bestowal was undeniably peculiar.

Why a key?

Before Mù Qīngyǔ’s transmigration, the web novel world had been utterly saturated with ‘system’ tropes.

Shouldn’t her own transmigration have awakened a loyalty system for her, too?

At the very least, a wise old man in a ring would have sufficed.

Oh, wait, this world did indeed have such individuals, though where they had vanished to was now a mystery.

Mù Qīngyǔ had tried using the silver key on various door locks, but it had never triggered any miraculous effects.

Concerned about missing her apprenticeship ceremony, she hadn’t investigated it for long back then.

It was only after being startled by Xǔ Tiānlí’s rapid evolution that she recalled she possessed such an item.

“How exactly am I supposed to use this?”

Mù Qīngyǔ held the key aloft in one hand.

“Since it’s not a master key, could it be a spatial ability, a cheat code of sorts?”

She pretended a door stood before her, inserted the key, and twisted it.

Click!

Accompanied by a faint, illusory unlocking sound, a swirl of mist surged before Mù Qīngyǔ’s eyes, swiftly engulfing her vision.

When she regained her senses, she found herself no longer in the small room, but in a peculiar new place.

“It actually worked?”

“Is it truly spatial?”

Mù Qīngyǔ was astonished to find that she had reverted to her true form here—the white-haired, red-eyed maiden—no longer disguised as the elegant, long-haired black-haired older sister.

The place resembled an ancient palace, yet also a library, with mist swirling all around, seemingly without end.

Recalling the novels she had read, Mù Qīngyǔ imagined long benches and tables appearing, attempting to transform the space into a grand hall suitable for meetings.

However, nothing happened.

“Alright, so this place can’t serve as a clandestine meeting spot for secret organizations.”

Ahead, five ancient, gray stone gates stood, each entangled with bronze chains.

The maiden approached one of the stone gates, gazing at the key in her hand, then at the bronze lock on the chains.

She lifted the cold lock with one hand and inserted the silver key with the other.

To her surprise, it unlocked.

The bronze chains spontaneously loosened, crumbling into ash, and the stone gate swung open on its own.

A large black bird flew out from within, circling in mid-air, its crimson eyes fixed on the maiden below.

“Is that… a Xuán Bird?”

It was a mythical creature recorded in ancient texts, one whose corresponding Spirit Wielder had not appeared for over a century.

No, wait, there was one person whose spiritual imprint was indeed a Xuán Bird imprint.

The black bird plunged into the stone gate, carving ancient and intricate patterns onto its surface, transforming the once simple gate.

The stone gate fully opened, revealing a row of bookshelves behind it.

Only one book rested there.

Mù Qīngyǔ pulled it out, and the moment her fingers touched it, the pages began to turn on their own.

A single page drifted out, transforming into a blurry human figure the instant it touched the ground.

“Hm, Xǔ Tiānlí?”

Mù Qīngyǔ gasped, nearly covering her face, but then reconsidered and lowered her hand.

“It’s not him.”

“What is this?”

The blurry figure, strikingly similar to Xǔ Tiānlí, sat cross-legged on the ground.

A vortex of wind swirled around them, centered on their form.

“A Qi Accumulation Art?”

It was indeed the Qi Accumulation Art, and the swirling wind it generated was far more intense than when Mù Qīngyǔ performed it.

The maiden circled the figure, expecting it to unleash a punch towards her face, but it did nothing.

It simply sat there, repeatedly performing the Qi Accumulation Art, like a relentless practice machine.

Oh, right, it wasn’t actually a person.

“Hm?”

Mù Qīngyǔ noticed golden glowing patterns emanating from the blurry figure, which appeared to be Xǔ Tiānlí’s own spiritual imprint.

The next second, the spiritual imprint detached directly from its surface, floating in mid-air and expanding, like a blueprint of the human body’s blood vessels and meridians.

What was this for?

Mù Qīngyǔ extended her hand, touching one of the golden patterns, and discovered she could actually drag it.

It was then that the blurry figure’s Qi Accumulation Art on the ground went awry.

The airflow became unstable, rapidly intensifying into a raging torrent, like a bomb continuously gathering energy.

Then—Boom!

With a deafening explosion, Mù Qīngyǔ was thrown to the ground by the erupting airflow.

Her bones cracked with agonizing sounds, accompanied by pain that almost rendered her unconscious.

When she scrambled to her feet, she found herself completely unharmed, and the figure had vanished.

‘An illusion?’

‘No, the pain was real.’

Mù Qīngyǔ licked her lips, picked up the fallen book, and opened it again.

Another page flew out, transforming into a blurry figure resembling Xǔ Tiānlí.

It began to perform the Qi Accumulation Art, and a spiritual imprint emerged from its body, unfolding before her.

It was indeed Xǔ Tiānlí… or more precisely, Xǔ Tiānlí after mastering the Qi Accumulation Art.

Could what she did here alter reality?

That didn’t seem quite right either.

This time, Mù Qīngyǔ carefully observed the energy flowing within the spiritual imprint, then reached out, her hand trembling slightly as she began to move it.

‘Hm? No explosion…’

Just as Mù Qīngyǔ thought this, her finger accidentally slipped, sending the spiritual imprint flying off into the distance.

Boom!

The mist within the mysterious palace churned violently from the impact.

Lying on the ground, Mù Qīngyǔ exhaled.

Though she had “died” once more, she felt neither annoyance nor anger.

If not for her trembling hand, there would have been no explosion, only dissipated airflow.

‘Strange.’

‘The Qi Accumulation Art, as its name suggests, is for accumulating qi.’

‘How could it involve qi dispersion?’

The maiden rose again, picked up the book, and reactivated it.

On her third attempt, she didn’t tremble.

After moving the spiritual imprint, the vortex generated by the blurry figure’s Qi Accumulation on the ground showed signs of qi dispersion, but no explosion occurred.

It seemed she could continue.

Boom!

“Damn it, again!”

Boom!

“I don’t believe this!”

Boom!

“Bastard Xǔ Tiānlí, you just wait!”

Thus, within the mysterious palace, a tragic drama unfolded repeatedly, a sight that would make any outsider shudder.

Explosions echoed again and again, and the palace’s mist churned like boiling water, restless and agitated.

Fortunately, no matter how many times Mù Qīngyǔ was blasted to smithereens, she had countless chances to start over.

Given this, she would use countless deaths as a foundation to discover the correct path.

After an unknown number of these tragic cycles, Mù Qīngyǔ finally figured out the correct path to improvement.

She eliminated all errors, moving the spiritual imprint—or more accurately, the power within it—with precision.

As the final correct step was completed, the modified spiritual imprint radiated a brilliant light and flew back into the blurry figure’s body.

The vortex generated by the Qi Accumulation Art merged into the figure’s body.

While absorbing qi, qi also dispersed, creating a magnificent aura!

“It worked?”

Mù Qīngyǔ, triumphant, raised her arms in a cheer.

“So, what’s the reward?”

The blurry figure, still seated on the ground, reverted into a page and flew back into the book in her hand.

New characters were etched upon it, and without needing to read, she instantly grasped their meaning.

So that was it.

In an instant, she understood everything.

Learn, improve, and then make it her own.

Mù Qīngyǔ had now acquired an upgraded version of the Qi Accumulation Art; it was no longer solely about accumulation, but also about dispersion!

The mysterious palace began to tremble, and the mist condensed, forming a throne-like chair.

Mù Qīngyǔ chuckled softly, settling onto it, then closed her eyes.

Now, it was time to test the fruits of her arduous labor.

A wind began to stir in the previously still mysterious palace.

The redirected currents converged on the maiden, her silver hair flowing, like a celestial being descending to the mortal realm.