"The Self-Seeking Mirror cannot actively cultivate your mind for you, but it reflects your true self with absolute clarity, making it easier to recognize the flaws in your state of mind."
Priest Zhu Yao explained softly.
"Furthermore, when you first begin this practice, the mirror won't expose your spiritual shortcomings too harshly. This prevents sudden shocks that could breed fear and spawn inner demons."
Li Ban had heard of inner demons in his previous life. They usually manifested from uncontrollable desires or a buildup of negative emotions.
For cultivators, they were a terrifying hurdle that could haunt a person for a lifetime.
Priest Zhu Yao told Li Ban that cultivating the mind was a deeply personal endeavor. She and the others could offer him their insights, but they couldn't truly walk the path for him.
It was an endless journey, and she warned him never to rush it. He simply needed to let nature take its course and follow his heart.
Priest Chu Zhan, who was responsible for guiding Li Ban's mental cultivation, had also told him there was no need to hurry.
With the simple robe-granting ceremony complete, Priest Zhu Yao prepared to leave.
Neither of them planned to participate in the upcoming festivities.
Priest Zhu Yao was returning to the Nine Heavens Sea, and Li Ban had to resume escorting Shi Ming to the Unreturning Place.
Even though he was now a Priest, he still had to go to the Myriad Ancient Pagoda at the Unreturning Place to continue his cultivation.
Moreover, since Shi Ming had saved his life, Li Ban wanted to see what the man would actually face once they reached the Unreturning Place.
If things went poorly, Li Ban was determined to find a way to help him.
However, when they went to bid farewell to the Realm Emperor, the aging ruler did his best to make them stay, hoping they would attend Li Zhai's investiture ceremony.
If Priests were present to witness and endorse the event, Li Zhai's title as crown prince would carry far more weight.
Growing annoyed by the Realm Emperor's pestering, Priest Zhu Yao pointed at Li Ban. "I truly have urgent matters. Traces of a black-robed priest have been discovered near the Hundred Flowers Pavilion again, and I must rush over to investigate. Why not let Priest Ban stay behind to observe the ceremony in my stead? He happens to have some history with the sixth prince. Having an old acquaintance in attendance should please him even more."
Li Ban gave Priest Zhu Yao a helpless look. Having just obtained the Self-Seeking Mirror, he was eager to begin his mental cultivation. He really didn't want to sit through a succession ceremony.
Still, ever since he started following Priest Zhu Yao, she had taken excellent care of him. In a daze, he felt as if his early days of scheming and backstabbing in the Death Prison had faded into a distant dream.
So, in the end, he decided to shoulder this troublesome task for her.
Shortly after, Li Ban saw Priest Zhu Yao off.
Without a mission to escort the first prince, Priests generally despised traveling with a massive entourage.
After saying his goodbyes, Li Ban headed to a temporary estate outside the Imperial Palace to see off Cat Girl.
Following that, he headed back to the Heavenly Pavilion. Halfway there, he ran into the sixth prince, Li Zhai—someone he had seen a few times but had never exchanged a single word with.
Because his investiture ceremony was rapidly approaching, Li Zhai now traveled with a throng of attendants. His opulent robes and heavy accessories looked thick enough to suffocate a person.
He seemed quite pleased with them, however, walking ahead of the crowd with his hands clasped behind his back.
His pace was unhurried, making him look like an alpha wolf dragging a massive tail.
Upon spotting Li Ban, he raised a hand to halt his retinue and stepped forward alone.
Li Ban dropped his spell and didn't immediately leave.
Li Zhai was finally no longer drooling. His exceptionally handsome face looked like a meticulously crafted work of art.
Yet, upon seeing Li Ban, a wry smile surfaced on Li Zhai's face. "So you were the one hiding your true depths all along. Does Du An know about your situation?"
"Even if he doesn't know now, he will soon enough."
Realization dawned on Li Zhai. "He didn't know before? I've already heard that Du An also became a Priest."
He shook his head. The joy of soon becoming the crown prince and advancing to an 8th Tier identity was somewhat diluted.
"Back in the Death Prison, I always thought I was the one controlling the board. I never expected that in the blink of an eye, both you and Du An would become Priests." He paused for a moment before asking, "Back on the seventh floor of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, the person who threw the White Jade Ocarina to me—was that you?"
Li Zhai stared into Li Ban's eyes.
If it was Li Ban, then Li Ban was an accomplice to that mole who called himself Chen Dong.
Did Priest Zhu Yao and Priest Chu Zhan know about this?
Li Ban smiled. This time, he didn't lie, nor was there any need to.
Priest Zhu Yao was fully aware of his origins.
"It was."
Hearing Li Ban admit it so readily, Li Zhai was momentarily dazed. Things were entirely different from what he had imagined.
Just like how Li Ban, despite clearly holding only a 4th Tier Identity right now, could receive a bow from him—a Spirit Practitioner who would soon hold an 8th Tier identity.
Things he had once thought were incredibly important had gradually become less significant as his own status and horizons expanded.
Or perhaps, in a higher-tiered world, they simply weren't that important anymore.
"Your Highness, the lords of the Six Ministries are still waiting."
In the distance, a guard whispered with an anxious expression.
He didn't dare rush the prince, but if the officials of the Six Ministries grew angry, it would be the guards who suffered the consequences.
"Go tend to your business," Li Ban said, walking away first.
Seeing Li Ban's figure vanish, Li Zhai finally snapped out of his daze and was quickly ushered away by the guards behind him.
Although he had been restored to his royal status and was about to become the crown prince, he had also lost his corresponding freedom.
While waiting to attend the investiture ceremony, Li Ban found time to visit the Shadow World a few more times.
The first time he crossed over, it was night. He learned from Nana that their Ash Alliance neighbor, Priest Huangzhi, had come looking for them during the day.
Because Li Ban had been fast asleep, however, Nana hadn't dared to wake him.
Fortunately, ever since Li Ban's last conversation with Priest Huangzhi, the two sides had settled into a friendly, mutually helpful dynamic.
When Priest Huangzhi heard that Li Ban was resting and couldn't come out, he hadn't shown the slightest trace of anger. He merely smiled and arranged a time for their next meeting.
Thus, after waking up and learning the schedule, Li Ban made sure to cross over right on time for his second visit.
Priest Huangzhi had plenty of time on his hands. Upon learning that Li Ban and Priest Zhong Ye had both arrived, he directly invited them into the small conference room from last time.
This time, however, Priest Huangzhi specifically emphasized that they shouldn't bring anyone else.
The guard captain, Luca, was very worried.
Ever since Priest Zhong Ye's health had begun to deteriorate, he had barely left the man's side.
Pushing Priest Zhong Ye to the door of the small conference room, he tried to negotiate with Priest Huangzhi to let him go inside, promising to shut off his auditory channels.
Out of gratitude and respect for Priest Huangzhi, however, Priest Zhong Ye still ordered Luca to wait outside.
"I can move on my own," Priest Zhong Ye said, looking up at the hunched Luca. "Besides, Priest Ban is with me."
Luca had no choice but to let go of the wheelchair.
In the very next second, he saw Li Ban step forward, take his position, give him a nod, and push Priest Zhong Ye into the small conference room.
Luca and Ah She, who was standing beside him, were both stunned.
Only the younger Nana vaguely felt that this meant something, though she couldn't quite put it into words.
It wasn't until the three Priests had gone inside and the conference room doors closed that Nana heard Ah She muttering softly.
"This is simply... this is simply—"
Luca finished with a buzzing voice, "Priest Ban is stepping back. He's telling them, and he's telling us, that Priest Zhong Ye is still our leader."
He was a grown man in his forties and a two-and-a-half-meter-tall mechanical warrior—yet at this moment, his eyes were actually growing hot.
Ever since Li Ban had joined their group and gradually revealed his formidable strength, Luca had constantly worried about Priest Zhong Ye.
He wasn't just worried about his health, but also his standing.
It was like when an old lion king aged and was driven out of the pride by a newly crowned young lion, left to fend for itself and perish in the wild.
Luca had been deeply afraid that Priest Ban would force Priest Zhong Ye out of their group to consolidate his own authority.
If he were even more ruthless, he might have even had Priest Zhong Ye permanently removed from the world of the living.
After all, given Priest Zhong Ye's physical condition, he wouldn't last another two years anyway.
And as long as Priest Zhong Ye remained in the group, Li Ban would need to spend more time and energy building his prestige to become the true core of this team.
But Luca had never in a million years imagined that Priest Ban would voluntarily take a step back in front of their neighbors.
With such a gesture, there was no longer any need to worry that Priest Zhong Ye might die a sudden death or abruptly be forced out of the group.
"Luca," Ah She said, resting her hand on his cold mechanical arm.
A gentle smile appeared on Luca's usually stern face. "Don't worry. I understand."
Nana listened in a daze, feeling a warmth in her chest and a sense of pride.
After all, she was the one who had brought Priest Ban back.
The Priests inside the small conference room naturally understood Li Ban's intentions as well.
Huangzhi secretly raised an eyebrow.
Priest Zhong Ye did his best to maintain his composure, but his hand continuously fumbling with the wheelchair's joystick betrayed the surging emotions within his heart.
Li Ban didn't actually feel much of anything. He pushed Priest Zhong Ye up to the table, then pulled out a chair and sat down beside him.
Priest Zhong Ye cleared his throat and took the initiative to speak. "Is there something Priest Huangzhi needs from us?"
Priest Huangzhi smiled and gathered his thoughts. "It's like this. Over these past few days, I've been observing how our two groups interact. To be honest, it's much better than I initially expected. Although your group has fewer people, every single one of them works diligently. I haven't seen a single person slacking off. This tells me that our ambitions and ideals are aligned. Rather than living with our guards up against each other, why don't we merge? What do you say to banding together for warmth in a cruel place like the Trash Realm?"
Li Ban raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word.
He had just used his actions to demonstrate that Priest Zhong Ye was the leader of their group, so naturally, he had to let him speak first.
Priest Zhong Ye remained silent, not answering right away.
Truth be told, before Li Ban's arrival—or rather, before Li Ban had done so much for the group—he very likely would have readily agreed to Priest Huangzhi's request.
After all, he only had a few years left to live.
After his death, a group without a Priest would find it incredibly difficult to survive in the wastelands of the Trash Realm.
Their final outcome would likely be death amid natural disasters or violent conflict.
The only other possibility was that they would be voluntarily or forcibly absorbed by another group within the Ash Alliance.
And that assimilation process would inevitably entail the old, the young, the sick, and the disabled being weeded out.
The absolute worst-case scenario was that the people in their group would be captured, dismantled, and sold as precious organic parts.
But things were different now.
He had already found a successor to lead this group, and this new leader was a remarkably kind-hearted child.
Under these circumstances, merging with another group might come at the expense of Li Ban's interests.
After all, it would be extremely difficult for a small group of one or two hundred people to gather enough resources to support two Priests at the same time.