111: Chapter 111 Zhang Shi, Prince Su

Chapter 112: Prince Su's Zhang Clan

Several months ago.

Nanjin Prefecture City, the Song Clan's residence.

When Song Jingzhao met Jiang Yuhe, he had already changed into a spell robe.

The base color of the spell robe was a deep crimson, and the cuffs were edged with gold thread. As he walked, a trace of Spiritual Qi resembling summer fire occasionally swept across the hem of his garment.

He stood within a stone hall deep inside the residence. The hall was completely empty without any decorations, save for an enormous bronze mirror erected in the center.

That bronze mirror stood a full two people tall, its frame cast from dark gold, with an ancient seal script embedded in each of the four corners.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.

The mirror's surface floated with only a layer of grayish mist. Deep within the mist, an ancient mountain gate could be faintly seen, behind which lay a hundred tiers of stone steps, extending upward step by step.

At the end of the stone steps stood four stone doors, carved respectively with Spring Branch, Blazing Sun, Frost Leaf, and Cold Spring.

Yet looking across the mirror's surface, those four doors all appeared extremely distant, as if they did not belong to this mortal world.

Hearing footsteps, Song Jingzhao turned his head back.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang."

Jiang Yuhe bowed to him.

"Your Highness."

After taking the Grain Rain Origin-Ascending Medicinal Pill and the Clear Rain Pulse-Firming Medicinal Pill, she had already stabilized her cultivation at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation.

Song Jingzhao glanced at her and nodded, saying, "It seems those two Medicinal Pills were not wasted."

Jiang Yuhe did not pick up on that remark, only looking toward the mountain gate within the mirror.

"Is this the Qi Condensation trial Your Highness mentioned?"

"Indeed."

Song Jingzhao turned around and looked at that bronze mirror.

"This mirror is named the Four Seasons Mirror, and it is the Qi Condensation trial left to me by my Imperial Father. What is shown within the mirror is a small Secret Realm locked away by the prince's estate Formation."

"After entering the mirror, one must first ascend a hundred steps, and then divide into four doors."

"The four Daos of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter each hold a trial."

"Only if all four trials are passed will the final mountain gate truly open."

As he spoke to this point, his voice lowered slightly.

"Therefore, this trial tests both my own cultivation and my eye for choosing people."

Jiang Yuhe's heart stirred slightly, but she did not ask much more.

Currently, she did not know much about Song Jingzhao, knowing only that this person was the youngest son of the Prince of Wu, favored yet constrained.

His elder brothers had all reached Foundation Establishment, and within the prince's estate, things appeared prosperous, but in reality, every step was fraught with blades and weapons.

Yet she naturally could not refuse the Song Clan's invitation, nor could she do without the path provided by the Song Clan.

Therefore, she came.

Suddenly, there were footsteps outside the stone hall.

The second person had arrived.

The newcomer was a female Cultivator wearing a bamboo hat.

Her figure was tall, with a sword hanging at her waist and another carried on her back.

The veil hanging from her bamboo hat concealed half her face, revealing only a coldly lined chin.

When she stepped into the stone hall, the Formation patterns within the hall lit up slightly before quickly dimming again.

The moment Jiang Yuhe saw her, she recognized her.

It was precisely that female Cultivator who held the Qu Clan's silver token to enter the pass at the Liangdao Pass City that day.

That day, when this woman walked past her, the talismanic Qi of the 'Subtle Perception to Avoid Misfortune' almost violently jumped, allowing Jiang Yuhe to glimpse that the Qi movement on her body was like a waterfall from the nine heavens, eventually no longer resembling a human, but rather a sword.

Seeing her again now, this woman's aura remained completely empty, lacking the traces ordinary Cultivators ought to have when standing between heaven and earth.

Song Jingzhao looked at her and smiled, saying, "Fellow Daoist Qu."

That female Cultivator merely gave a slight nod.

"Qu Shi."

After stating her name, she walked aside and stood still, saying no more.

Song Jingzhao seemed long accustomed to this temperament of hers and did not mind it, only saying to Jiang Yuhe, "This is the contemporary Dao Child of the Prince of Qi's Qu Clan, Qu Shi."

"The Prince of Qi's Qu Clan and my Prince of Wu's Song Clan are both royal clans, but the Qu Clan has always esteemed the sword, and the position of Dao Child within their clan is also different from other families."

Jiang Yuhe listened quietly.

Song Jingzhao continued, "Every twenty years, the Qu Clan selects a contemporary Dao Child, with peers of Cultivators competing based on their own abilities. Anyone of the same age or generation qualified for selection can step onto the stage to question the sword, and the final victor obtains the title of Dao Child."

"Qu Shi is twenty-four years old this year, and has already reached the ninth layer of Qi Condensation."

"She defeated all competing peers within the Qu Clan and won the name of this generation's Dao Child."

As he spoke to this point, there was also a measure of seriousness in his gaze toward Qu Shi.

"Not only that, after obtaining the position of Dao Child, she entered the Qu Clan's Legacy trial tower."

"That trial tower can only be entered by past Dao Children, featuring nine layers and nine trials, each harder than the last. The Qu Clan has had no shortage of Dao Children in recent centuries, yet she is the only one who has truly cleared all nine layers."

Qu Shi stood to the side, still without the slightest reaction.

Song Jingzhao smiled.

"Therefore, she has now obtained all the true Legacy left behind by the Qu Clan's Old Ancestor, and the Prince of Qi's Qu Clan will also go all out to help her achieve Foundation Establishment."

"It's just that Fellow Daoist Qu does not care much for such fame."

"She is simply infatuated with the Dao of the sword."

"A few days ago, she even went to other continents to seek out foreign Sword Cultivators to test her sword. If not for the agreement I made with her years ago inviting her to help me with this trial, and telling her that there is an Autumn Gate Sword Trial within the Four Seasons Doors, she might not have been willing to return to Nanjin just to look at me."

Qu Shi finally raised her eyes slightly.

"Your Highness is speaking too much."

Song Jingzhao's smile remained undiminished.

"Very well, I won't say anymore."

Jiang Yuhe glanced at Qu Shi and then withdrew her gaze.

She did want to approach and befriend certain fate-bound figures, but toward someone whose fate was so heavy, she still chose to keep her distance.

Before long, the third person also arrived.

The one who entered this time was a young girl appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen years of age.

The young girl wore plain-colored garments, her brows and eyes gentle, with a faint smile always lingering at the corners of her lips. Upon entering the hall, she first saluted Song Jingzhao, and then bowed respectively to Jiang Yuhe and Qu Shi.

"Zhang Yanning greets Your Highness and two Fellow Daoists."

Song Jingzhao's expression softened a little.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, there is no need for such formalities."

Hearing the surname 'Zhang', Jiang Yuhe's heart suddenly stirred.

On the day of the Beginning of Autumn, that old man in gray clothes in the Nanjin tavern, holding a broken three-stringed instrument and squinting his eyes as he sang that ballad of the Plucked Willow and Twin Immortals.

In that tune, there was mention of the Zhang Clan.

Song Jingzhao introduced, "This is the young Clan Chief of Prince Su's Zhang Clan, Zhang Yanning."

"Prince Su's Zhang Clan was enfeoffed in the northern borders of Xuanshuo Circuit. Their ancestors once followed the Grand Progenitor to pacify the north, suppress the demon tribes of the snow plains, and quell the military rebellions of the three Xuanshuo prefectures. Later, when the Dynasty enfeoffed various clans, the Zhang Clan was granted the title of Prince Su due to their merits in defending the northern borders."

"The Zhang Clan lineage mostly Cultivates winter spells, placing particular emphasis on categories such as cold spring, winter storage, and congealing snow."

Zhang Yanning's expression was gentle as she softly added, "The Zhang Family is no longer what it used to be; we are merely guarding the lingering shade of our ancestors."

Song Jingzhao shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang is being too modest."

He looked at Jiang Yuhe and added, "Although Fellow Daoist Zhang is a young Clan Chief, she does not care to participate in such struggles. Inviting her this time is because my mother had old ties with a senior within Prince Su's estate in her early years."

"After some complications arose with my originally scheduled winter spell Cultivator, my mother sent a letter on my behalf to Xuanshuo Circuit."

"Fellow Daoist Zhang happened to be traveling near Yanque Circuit. Hearing that this trial required the assistance of winter spells and was related to an old rumor concerning the Zhang Clan, she agreed to it."

Zhang Yanning smiled and said, "I was also curious."

"The elders in the clan always say that the methods of the four seasons each have their ultimate destination. Yet I have grown up in Xuanshuo Circuit since I was young, accustomed to snow-capped mountains and cold springs, and have rarely seen the three methods of spring, summer, and autumn on the same stage."

She looked at Jiang Yuhe, her tone becoming much more intimate.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang Cultivates spring spells?"

Jiang Yuhe said, "Grain Rain."

Zhang Yanning's eyes brightened slightly.

"Grain Rain is wonderful. Deep spring rain moistens and is best at nurturing all things."

Looking at her gentle brows and eyes, Jiang Yuhe felt somewhat unaccustomed to it for a moment.

Having grown used to schemes and lies these past days, abruptly encountering someone so sincere and gentle in speech instead left her not knowing how to respond.

She could only nod gently.

Seeing that everyone had gathered, Song Jingzhao walked before the bronze mirror.

"Since all four of you have arrived, I will clearly explain this trial."

He raised his hand and pressed it against the mirror frame.

The ancient seal scripts at the four corners lit up slightly.

The gray mist within the mirror surged, and the hundred tiers of stone steps became increasingly clear.

"This door is the Four Seasons Door."

"After entering, one must first ascend the hundred steps, and then enter the four doors."

"These hundred tiers of stone steps are named the Dao-Questioning Steps. With every step ascended, the Dao within the Four Seasons Door will descend upon the body to test the cultivation Foundation and Dao attainment of the climber."

"The deeper one's Dao attainment, the more it corresponds to the method one Cultivates, and the lighter the Dao pressure suffered will be. If one merely possesses cultivation with thick magical power yet shallow Dao intent, walking to the later stages will feel like carrying a mountain, making it difficult to move an inch."

He paused and added, "However, these steps do not solely question Dao attainment."

"If the Physical Body is sufficiently formidable and the Qi and blood are as robust as a furnace, one can also forcibly withstand the Dao pressure to ascend. Back when my second elder brother passed this trial, he found a Cultivator who specialized in the Dao of Body Refining to accompany him. That person's Dao attainment was not top-tier, but with a physique of bronze and iron bones, they forcefully walked through the hundred steps for him."

"Only after passing the hundred steps is it the true Four Seasons Trial."

As he spoke to this point, his gaze slowly swept across the three people.

"Every door possesses an independent trial, and within the trials, life and death are one's own responsibility. If anyone fails the trial, the Four Seasons Doors will close, and this Qi Condensation trial will also be considered a failure."

"Since everyone is helping me pass the trial, the items promised previously will not be lacking by a single one."

"In addition, if this trial succeeds, I will additionally prepare a token of gratitude for each of you in the name of the Song Clan."

Qu Shi said indifferently, "I only want the Autumn Gate Sword Trial."

Zhang Yanning smiled and said, "Your Highness just needs to follow the agreement."

Jiang Yuhe looked at the stone steps within the mirror without speaking.

She had come here naturally not for a token of gratitude.

She needed the path of the Song Clan.

The Yao Family had been destroyed, the method for Breakthrough had been obtained, and the Yan Family's backup plans had also been laid down.

Yet wind and rain were about to rise in Guli Circuit, with Han Lu pressing upon the borders. If the Jiang Family merely guarded Hexi, they would ultimately be like a tiny leaf pressed down amidst a great flood.

If Song Jingzhao could pass this trial, she could use this to leave a name and standing before the Song Clan.

Even if Guli Circuit were to fall into complete chaos in the future, the Jiang Family would not necessarily lack a second retreat.

Spiritual Qi lit up in the palm of Song Jingzhao's hand.

The bronze mirror trembled violently, and gray mist gushed out from within the mirror, slowly spreading along the floor of the stone hall and submerging everyone's ankles in an instant.

At that very instant, the talismanic Qi of 'Subtle Perception to Avoid Misfortune' deep within Jiang Yuhe's spiritual platform suddenly jumped.

Jiang Yuhe frowned slightly and turned back to look in the direction of Guli Circuit.

The Formation patterns on the four walls of the Song Clan's residence were stern and rigorous, and outside the stone hall remained completely quiet; not a single sound could be heard.

The next moment, the Four Seasons Doors within the bronze mirror slowly opened.

A swirl of gray mist engulfed everyone's figures.