My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times-Chapter 123 - 100: Finally Becoming a Celestial Human, Moon Like a Hook (End of Volume 1)

Chapter 123: Chapter 100: Finally Becoming a Celestial Human, Moon Like a Hook (End of Volume 1)

Inside the Guardian Storage Room, it was as tranquil as ever.

"Sir." Yin Xi bowed respectfully. "I am leaving to take up my new post."

As he spoke, he stole a glance at the young man before him, then quickly lowered his head again.

"Where to?"

The young man brewed a pot of tea and asked calmly.

"Hangu Pass." Yin Xi smiled, bowing once more as he accepted the tea the young man offered. He watched the fragrant steam rise from it, his gaze distant for a moment.

"Go on, go on."

Lu Xuan waved his hand. Yin Xi finished his tea, stood up, bowed again, and slowly departed.

The Guardian Storage Room was once again empty and still.

’It’s been over a month. Why haven’t I gotten a letter from Senior Brother yet?’ Lu Xuan muttered in confusion, but he immediately shook his head and put it out of his mind.

In his last letter, Senior Brother Zhang had said he was going with Duke Huan of Qi to attack the Sui Kingdom.

The Sui Kingdom was situated deep within vast mountains and had little contact with the outside world. A single piece of news often took several months to reach Luoyang. ’It must be difficult for Senior Brother Zhang to get a letter out,’ he thought.

Quietly finishing his tea and savoring its enveloping fragrance, Lu Xuan rose gracefully, strode forward, and pushed open the great, ancient door of the Guardian Storage Room.

Outside, the Eighty-One Armors stood with swords and shields, their presence imposing and radiating a palpable killing intent.

A serving maid sent by the Court also waited at the side. She was stunningly beautiful, with skin as fair and smooth as fine cream. Her features were lovely, highlighted by a high-bridged nose.

While not a peerless beauty who could topple nations, she was certainly a belle of the first order.

"Sir."

The maid spoke gently, dipping into a curtsy.

Lu Xuan nodded and asked,

"Has there been any news from the Qi Region or the Sui Kingdom recently?"

The maid thought for a moment, then replied in a soft voice,

"In reply to your question, Sir, there is some news. Qi is at war with Sui, and battles have been raging endlessly. I’ve heard that Duke Mu of Qin has also led his army to the battlefield... But because the Sui Region is so remote, this news is likely quite old. These events took place over a month ago."

Having received the answer he wanted, Lu Xuan gave a slight nod. Without saying more, he turned and returned to the Guardian Storage Room.

He felt a persistent sense of unease in his heart, though he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

After sitting on the meditation cushion for a long time, Lu Xuan picked up the crack-riddled Keeper of the Records’ Token from the table and pulled another one from within his robes.

This second one had even more cracks and looked as if it was about to shatter. A heavy aura of the Years clung to it, suffused with a sense of ancientness.

’Strange...’

Lu Xuan’s expression grew focused. He could sense that the token in his left hand, the one in better condition, could be used two more times.

But he couldn’t get a clear sense of the one in his right hand, the one from the tomb. It seemed both usable and unusable at the same time.

It was as if both states existed at once, superimposed. As for whether it could actually be used, he would only find out by trying...

Whenever the thought of using the token in his right hand crossed Lu Xuan’s mind, its cracks would deepen, as if it were about to crumble completely.

In fact, even when he merely considered using the slightly more intact Keeper of the Records’ Token in his left hand, the one from the tomb in his right would still show signs of crumbling.

After pondering this for a long time, he had a flash of insight and muttered to himself,

"That’s it. The one from the tomb is, after all, a relic from Ancient Times. It can be considered the ’future’ of the Keeper of the Records’ Token in my left hand."

"The future is unfixed, while the past is set. To date, I’ve used this ’past’ Keeper of the Records’ Token once, and the ’future’ one once. Although that makes two uses in total, they each exist in a different state of space and time."

"In other words, if I use the old Keeper of the Records’ Token just one more time, the ’future’ token will reach its third use and shatter completely. But if I decide to use the ’future’ token directly, the Years will converge to a single outcome, and I probably won’t be able to use the ’past’ token again—it will have to be saved for the future."

As he spoke, Lu Xuan began to understand. The Keeper of the Records’ Token in his right hand, the one from the future, was currently in a peculiar "superposition of the Years."

It might have one use left, or it might have none at all. Whether or not it could be used depended on whether he would, in the future, use the older, more intact Keeper of the Records’ Token in his left hand.

He recalled a scientific experiment from the Old Calendar Era he’d once read about—something called Schrödinger’s Cat. The principle was likely the same. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"So complicated," Lu Xuan muttered to himself.

"It involves the Years and Time, after all. That is one of the most abstruse Daos in all existence. It would be strange if it weren’t complicated." An ancient voice suddenly echoed in the Guardian Storage Room.

Lu Xuan froze for a second, then whipped his head to the side, a look of delighted surprise on his face.

"Teacher!"

The old man had appeared in the Guardian Storage Room at some unknown point. He sat down leisurely, and with a gentle wave of his hand, a cup of Immortal Tea brimming with immense Dao Rhyme materialized.

Lu Xuan swallowed hard as he watched his teacher take a leisurely sip of the tea. Dao Rhyme spilled forth, suffused with all manner of Truths of Heaven and Earth, too numerous to list.

"The path of the Years, alongside those of Cause and Effect and Fate, is among the most supreme in all of existence."

The old man set down his teacup and said calmly,

"On the path of cultivation, one only truly begins to grapple with the Years upon reaching the Seventh Step, attempting to achieve Transcendence. But the only true Transcenders are those at the Eighth Step—the Supreme beings who sit upon the great throne of the Dao Fruit."

Lu Xuan listened intently, lost in thought.

His Three Masters had once told him that the Seventh Step was a realm for beings who had surpassed the level of Upper Celestial Venerables and Great Buddhas. They were exceedingly rare—the most powerful handful of individuals beneath the Dao Fruit, whose every word and action could influence the great tides of Heaven and Earth.

’And even such beings cannot completely transcend the Years?’

’Then how truly magnificent must they be, those who possess the Dao Fruit and can achieve complete Transcendence?’