Judging by the aura emanating from the mirror, Lu Yuan could tell almost at a glance that it was a Saint weapon.
A Saint weapon was an armament that only a Saint could forge and temper.
Imbued with a Saint's will, its power was immense.
Even in the hands of a low-realm Awakened, it could guarantee that the wielder remained undefeated.
And if a Saint Realm being held a Saint weapon, the might unleashed would be terrifying beyond imagination.
Of course, not every entity who attained the Saint Realm was capable of forging a Saint weapon.
Doing so required at least the cultivation of a Demi-Saint, extraordinarily demanding materials, and, most importantly, a tremendous expenditure of time.
In his eyes, the ancient bronze mirror before him ranked among the very strongest of Saint weapons.
It was a slaughtering weapon in the truest sense.
He had not expected Jiang Ningxian to produce such a treasure.
Even so, Lu Yuan was merely somewhat surprised, not deeply shaken.
The reason was simple: setting aside the Fantian Seal he had just obtained, even the Heaven-Shaking Bow and the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace were, strictly speaking, far more powerful than ordinary Saint weapons.
Yet because this world had been sealed for so long, they had inevitably lost a portion of their divinity, even though the world had begun to revive.
With so many divine treasures already in his possession, he would hardly be overwhelmed by a single Saint weapon.
"King Lu truly has a keen eye," Jiang Ningxian said with a smile. "This isn't anything overly precious, but it should at least prove useful."
Naturally, she possessed far better items, but she knew he would find those difficult to accept. Bringing out something moderate was much simpler.
"One should not accept rewards without having earned them. Miss Jiang, you should take it back. When the battle comes, I have my own plans," Lu Yuan said, still shaking his head and refusing to take it.
"I consider you a friend. It's a gift from a friend wishing for your safety, and it's only temporary—it isn't that serious.
"Whether you end up using it or not, take it as a token of my goodwill. You can just return it when the time comes.
"Unless, of course, King Lu never considered me a friend in the first place."
Jiang Ningxian seemed to have anticipated his refusal, having prepared her excuse well in advance. As she spoke, the smile in her eyes deepened.
Hearing that, Lu Yuan paused, feeling somewhat helpless. "Naturally, I consider Miss Jiang a friend."
With words pushed to that point, he was not one to be overly pedantic and accepted it.
He had a very good impression of Jiang Ningxian.
She carried no arrogant airs, only an easy calm.
She treated both him and others the same way—a quality truly rare for someone from a Jiang clan hailing from the top ten star sectors of the deep cosmos.
At the very least, she was vastly superior to the likes of the Celestial Clan.
"Then that's settled," Jiang Ningxian said with a smile. "I will be watching this battle closely."
With that, she turned to head back to her room.
"Wait," Lu Yuan called out suddenly. "Miss Jiang, aren't you curious about what I obtained at Guangchengzi's Dao arena on Mount Kongtong?"
That was, after all, a place where an immortal had once cultivated. Even with the Jiang clan's immense heritage, it was not something one could entirely disregard.
"Fortunes and legacies belong to those who are capable. Asking too much is bad form, so there is nothing to be curious about."
Jiang Ningxian's tone remained light. "Since we're friends, there's no need to scheme in private."
Her words made it clear that she took the concept of friendship seriously, rather than offering mere lip service.
At this, Lu Yuan nodded and pressed the matter no further.
The two of them returned to their respective rooms.
Lu Yuan resumed his seclusion.
The Void Blazing Heaven Mirror was indeed a Saint weapon, but its restrictions had already been dispelled, meaning it required no refining to wield.
Evidently, Jiang Ningxian had intended this from the very start.
To him, it was another trump card in hand.
Still, Lu Yuan possessed numerous cards to play; whether he would actually need to use it remained to be seen.
Regardless, he kept her kindness in mind.
Without dwelling on it further, he closed his eyes and devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
A little over ten days remained until the arrival of the three Saint Realm entities.
Lu Yuan needed to adjust his condition to its absolute peak to face this genuine clash.
For him, across both his past life and the present, this would be his first time battling figures of such stature.
He did not deny the terrifying power of the Saint Realm.
Thus, even he could not afford the slightest carelessness.
Time slipped past rapidly.
In the outside world, news of the impending battle between Earth's Lu Yuan and the extraterrestrial Saints had spread to virtually everyone.
Some looked forward to it, hoping this battle would completely upend the world's power balance and make things far easier for them going forward.
Others wished time would slow down, fearing that King Lu might truly fall. If that happened, this world's living beings would no longer have a true powerhouse watching over them, and countless lives would be altered forever.
Meanwhile, extraterrestrial beings and Earth's Awakened frequently clashed in heated verbal wars, the atmosphere thick with hostility.
Yet because Lu Yuan was still alive, some dared not act rashly.
With the authorities keeping a close watch as well, the situation remained relatively stable.
Even so, how long could this peace last?
Lu Yuan was entirely unaware of these developments, and even had he known, he would not have cared.
Previously, the extraterrestrial beings had merely been intimidated, yielding on the surface while remaining defiant at heart.
Now, he would use this opportunity to truly make those beings understand:
The Milky Way Star Sector.
Earth.
Even if its glory had faded, it was still not something anyone could trample at will!
During his seclusion, mutated beast kings such as the Peacock King, the Nine-Tailed Fox King, and the Spirit Monkey came down, wishing to speak with him.
They all understood the immense gravity of this battle and did not want Lu Yuan to fall in defeat.
However, upon learning that he was in seclusion, they abandoned the idea.
It was safe to say that countless eyes were fixed upon this battle—beasts, Awakened, and extraterrestrial beings alike.
Finally, the one-month mark arrived.
On this day, countless people grew anxious, stepping out of their homes to look up at the sky.
The extraterrestrial Saint Realm beings were set to descend on this day and unleash a great war.
Yet some still harbored a faint hope that they would not appear.
Soon, however, the authorities released relevant reports.
A mysterious energy was surging beyond Earth.
Satellites transmitted images: a winged man wrapped in lightning, resembling a god;
a colossal figure as massive as a mountain range, shrouded in boundless mist, striding slowly toward Earth;
and finally, a creature with three heads, grasping a heavenly dagger-axe.
The three Saints.
After a month of preparation, they were finally ready.
Standing side by side, they advanced toward Earth step by step.
Behind them, host upon host of extraterrestrial beings looked on.
And on that very day, within Mount Tai Trial Academy,
Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in his room.
Enveloped in golden blood qi, he looked extraordinarily transcendent.
Within his body, a magnificent power surged, held tightly in check without releasing a trace.
By now, he had brought his condition to its absolute peak.
After an unknown length of time, all his power converged and gathered back into his body.
Lu Yuan abruptly opened his eyes, brilliant light shining from his gaze.
"It begins!"
Chapter 157