Dawn broke over the Forbidden Zone, and Mu Zhi’an stood atop a cliff overlooking a vast ocean.

A shimmering mirror, stretching from the heavens to the earth, reflected the sky above.

This was the Ancestral Ground, the inheritance grounds of the Forbidden Zone, the place where the Reincarnated Empress, the founder of the Forbidden Zone, had once resided.

Disciples were gathering at the edge of the ocean, eager to receive the inheritance, to enhance their bloodline, to boost their cultivation.

“Fairy Sister, do you know how to enter the Ancestral Ground?” he asked, trying to communicate with the Jade Empress.

“It’s a celestial realm created by the Reincarnated Empress. I’ve never been there,” she replied, her voice echoing in his mind.

You’re definitely not asleep… He thought.

He had asked partly out of curiosity about the Ancestral Ground, but mostly to see if she was truly asleep within his vessel or if she was observing the outside world.

It seemed… she hadn’t been asleep at all.

“We’ll be leaving for the Jade Pool Sacred Land in a few days. I need to ensure your safety. If I were to fall asleep, there might be… complications,” she explained.

Sure, I believe you. He thought.

“You two, come and try,” an elder’s voice called out from below.

He turned to see the elder standing at the foot of the cliff, then bowed politely and flew towards the ocean.

Nine ancient stone tablets, each depicting a woman, stood at the edge of the ocean.

The woman’s pose differed on each tablet, but her appearance was the same.

“Legend has it that the Reincarnated Empress lived nine lives, each spanning five thousand years. The elders of the Forbidden Zone gave her that title. No one knows her true name,” Ye Lingxuan whispered beside him.

So the title “Reincarnated Empress” wasn’t her real name… He studied the tablets, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“What about that mirror?” he asked, glancing at the massive mirror reflecting the sky above.

“It’s also part of the celestial realm, a secret technique left behind by the Reincarnated Empress. Those who stand before it can see their future selves,” she explained.

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Though she usually appeared calm and composed, she was actually quite concerned about her figure.

She was still young, so her lack of development could be attributed to her age.

But what about in a few years?

If things remained the same… it would be a tragedy.

In the eyes of others, she was a perfect goddess, her beauty flawless, her figure slender and graceful, her feet as delicate as jade.

However, even she had her insecurities.

Among the girls she knew, her… chest was the least developed… though it wasn’t completely flat, it was still lacking, especially compared to her younger sister, Ye Qian.

“Wow…”

A gasp of admiration echoed behind them, and he turned to see Ye Siyu stepping onto the mirror.

She was clad in a dark, knee-length dress, her feet adorned with embroidered boots, her fair skin glowing against the dark fabric, her beauty breathtaking.

However, his gaze was drawn to the woman reflected in the mirror.

She had the same brown hair, but it now cascaded down to her calves, tied with a ribbon at the end. Her figure was taller, curvier, more alluring…

“She’s even more beautiful now…” a disciple murmured, his voice filled with admiration.

“She was always a beauty. It’s not surprising she grew up to be so stunning,” another disciple replied.

“Why are you only focused on her appearance? Look at her evaluation!” a female disciple scolded, exasperated by their shallowness.

Look at Young Master Mu. His expression hasn’t changed at all. He’s so calm and composed…

He was indeed calm and composed, his black and gold robe elegant and refined, his figure unmoved by the sea breeze.

It wasn’t because he wasn’t attracted to beauty.

He stroked the Desolate Time Lock, which was writhing behind him, and stared at Ye Siyu’s reflection, his voice serious. “So that’s what she’ll look like when she’s older? But how do we know what kind of inheritance she’ll receive?”

Lingxuan beckoned with her finger, and the chain uncoiled from his back, slithering into her sleeve.

“The Ancestral Ground evaluates everyone who steps onto the mirror. The higher the grade, the better the inheritance,” she explained, her gaze fixed on Ye Siyu.

“I see…” he murmured.

Ripples spread across the mirror’s surface, then Ye Siyu vanished.

“She’s entered the Ancestral Ground,” Lingxuan said, sensing his confusion.

As she spoke, an ancient character appeared on the mirror’s surface.

“Tenth-Grade.”

Ye Siyu’s bloodline evaluation was Tenth-Grade!

The disciples gasped, their surprise mixed with admiration. It was an expected outcome.

She was the master’s younger sister, sealed within a formation by the elders, awakened in this era. They wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble if she wasn’t exceptionally talented.

“She’s truly worthy of being the master’s sister. She likely possesses the most perfect bloodline after our Miss!”

“Ye Cian is going next,” a disciple said.

They watched as the young man flew towards the mirror.

His reflection appeared, a handsome young man, his features refined.

His evaluation: Ninth-Grade.

They weren’t surprised.

Both he and Ye Siyu possessed a strong bloodline. It was within their expectations.

Mu Zhi’an didn’t step forward immediately. He observed the other disciples as they entered the mirror.

Their future selves appeared, then their bloodline evaluations, before they vanished into the Ancestral Ground.

What kind of secret technique did the Reincarnated Empress use to create this mirror…? He thought, impressed.

“It’s your turn, Miss,” an elder said gently.

The elders and disciples treated her with respect, not only because of her status, but also because of her kind and humble demeanor.

Unlike many from ancient families, she wasn’t arrogant or condescending.

Her politeness endeared her to the elders.

She nodded, then, under their watchful gazes, she walked towards the mirror.

Silence fell upon the crowd as they watched her.

The sound of the waves faded, the sea breeze stilled, and only the sound of her footsteps on the mirror echoed through the air.

“Hmm…”

He heard the Jade Empress’s voice in his mind, laced with a hint of confusion.

“What is it?” he asked.

“There’s something… strange… about her,” she replied.

As they watched, her reflection appeared on the mirror’s surface.

The whispers ceased.

The woman in the mirror was clad in a purple dress, her delicate features more mature and alluring than Lingxuan’s current appearance.

But that wasn’t what surprised them.

He stared at her reflection.

Her appearance… it slowly overlapped with the woman depicted on the stone tablets.

Lingxuan’s future self… she resembles the Reincarnated Empress?!

“She’s truly worthy of being our most perfect inheritor. Her bloodline is the strongest we’ve ever seen,” an elder murmured, his eyes filled with admiration.

A brilliant, golden light enveloped her.

The mirror… it didn’t give her an evaluation!

Or rather… her bloodline was so strong that it didn’t need an evaluation!

The disciples stared at her, their eyes filled with awe, their gazes lingering on her future self, a majestic and powerful empress.

They envied Mu Zhi’an.

She would become their Empress, and he… he would be her husband…

They couldn’t help but glance at him.

She also looked at him, her eyes soft, her lips curving into a smile. “Why don’t you try it too, Brother Mu?” she transmitted her voice.

He nodded.

He wasn’t particularly interested in the inheritance itself, but he was curious to see what his future self would look like.

“Infuse it with a bit of your spiritual energy, and it’ll show you your future self,” she explained, her mood clearly improved.

She had been worried about her lack of development… but her future self in the mirror… she had a mature and alluring figure… though not as ample as Ruoxi’s, she was satisfied.

“It seems Mu Zhi’an is going to try as well,” an elder remarked, noticing his spiritual energy.

The elders looked at him, watching as he infused the mirror with his spiritual energy.

Only those with the Forbidden Zone’s bloodline could enter the Ancestral Ground.

But even if he didn’t have the bloodline, the mirror would still show them his future self.

He was their Miss’s Dao Companion, after all. They were curious about his future.

…

Time passed, but the mirror remained unchanged. It only reflected his current appearance. His future self didn’t appear.

However, because of their experience at the Rebirth Pool, they didn’t speak, patiently waiting.

Two incense sticks burned out.

The mirror was still unresponsive.

“It seems he truly doesn’t have the bloodline. The Ancestral Ground doesn’t acknowledge him,” a disciple said, sighing with relief.

He had caused quite a stir since arriving in the Forbidden Zone. They were relieved to see he wasn’t acknowledged by the Ancestral Ground.

Mu Zhi’an stared at his reflection, lost in thought.

If he hadn’t seen the other disciples enter the mirror, he would have thought it was just an ordinary mirror.

“It seems you don’t have the bloodline, Brother Mu,” Lingxuan said softly, her brow furrowed.

“But even if you don’t, it should still show your future self.”

Even those without the bloodline could see their future selves in the mirror. Why wasn’t his reflection changing…?

Then, the mirror’s surface rippled, and a desolate landscape appeared, a woman in a white dress standing at its edge.

She was beautiful, but they couldn’t describe her features. Whenever they looked at her, only one thought filled their minds: She’s beautiful.

And then they would look away… and forget her appearance.

“The Reincarnated Empress,” Lingxuan murmured, staring at the woman.

He studied her, her eyes deep and mysterious, her figure slender and graceful, her skin fair, her hands bound by a golden chain.

The Desolate Time Lock!

This must be a vision from the past. The real Reincarnated Empress had long since vanished… and the Desolate Time Lock was now in Lingxuan’s possession.

What were her thoughts in her final moments…? He wondered, his heart filled with a strange sadness as he looked at her.

More disciples entered the Ancestral Ground, and the once-crowded ocean seemed empty.

He was about to look away when he saw the woman in the mirror raise her eyes, her gaze fixed on something ahead.

What is she looking at…?

He followed her gaze, his eyes widening as he met hers.

“…!”

He shuddered, taking a step back, his heart pounding.

She’s staring at me?!

But her spirit shouldn’t be here anymore…

He turned to Lingxuan, his voice urgent. “Lingxuan, the Reincarnated Empress… she’s dead, right?”

She nodded. “The elders and my father confirmed it long ago. Her spirit no longer resides in the Ancestral Ground.”

“Why do you ask, Brother Mu?” she asked, curious.

“I felt like… she was looking at me,” he replied, his voice barely a whisper.

She chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re being paranoid, Brother Mu. If she was still alive, she wouldn’t have been so quiet all this time—”

She stopped abruptly, her ears catching a faint, melodious voice.

She looked up at the woman in the mirror.

She was clad in a simple white dress, her attire casual, but it couldn’t hide her alluring figure.

And she realized that the woman in the mirror looked exactly like her future self!

She stared at her, her disbelief growing, and she saw the woman wave at them.

… The Reincarnated Empress, who should be dead was waving at them?!

She stared at her, her mind reeling.

Could it be… she’s still alive?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay