Chapter 201. A Sage Weapon, Great Battle, Peak Condition

Judging by the aura emanating from the mirror, Lu Yuan recognized it almost instantly—a Sage Weapon.

Sage Weapons could only be forged by Sages. Imbued with the will of a Sage, their might was extraordinary. Even in the hands of an Awakened at a low stage of evolution, it would ensure its wielder remained undefeated.

If a Sage were to wield one personally, its destructive power would simply be unimaginable.

Of course, not every Sage was capable of forging a Sage Weapon. One needed to be at least a Lesser Sage, and the material requirements were extremely demanding as well. Most importantly, the entire process demanded a lot of time.

In Lu Yuan's assessment, the ancient bronze mirror before him ranked among the most powerful of all Sage Weapons. It was a true weapon of mass destruction. He hadn't expected Jiang Ningxian to show him something like that, much less allow him to borrow it.

Even so, Lu Yuan felt only mild surprise, not genuine shock at the sight of it. The reason was simple. Setting aside the Heaven-Flipping Seal he had obtained previously, the Heavenquake Bow and the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace were undoubtedly stronger than ordinary Sage Artifacts.

Unfortunately, this world had been sealed off for so long that a portion of their power was lost despite the Global Awakening. Since he already had so many divine artifacts, a single Sage Weapon was hardly enough to shake him.

"King Lu truly has a discerning eye." Jiang Ningxian smiled. "This item isn't particularly precious, but it should prove useful to you."

She naturally possessed finer treasures, but she knew he would find those difficult to accept. In other words, offering something more modest would make it more likely for him to accept it.

"As the saying goes, one must refuse an undeserved reward. Miss Jiang, please take it back. I have my own plans for the upcoming battle," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head.

"I consider you a friend, and this is my gift to you as a friend, as I wish you'll remain safe in the coming days. Besides, you'll just be borrowing it, so there's no need to make this more serious than it actually is," Jiang Ningxian said.

"Regardless of whether you'll need it or not, just consider it a token of my goodwill. You can return it afterward. Of course, if you've never considered me a friend to begin with, then there's nothing I can do about that."

Jiang Ningxian seemed to have anticipated his refusal and had prepared her replies in advance. The amusement in her eyes only deepened as she recited her prepared lines.

Lu Yuan blinked and then sighed in resignation. "Of course, I consider you a friend, Miss Jiang."

Since she had already put it that way, he saw no reason to stand on ceremony. He decided to accept the mirror. His impression of Jiang Ningxian was quite favorable. She carried no air of superiority, and she remained calm and composed, regardless of whether she faced him or anyone else.

Jiang Ningxian possessed humility rarely seen from those in the Outer Cosmos, much less those from the Jiang Clan, a powerful starfield in the top ten across the universe.

She was far better than those Celestials by a great margin.

"Great." Jiang Ningxian smiled. "I'll keep a close eye on your fight."

With that, she turned around to return to her quarters.

"Wait," Lu Yuan suddenly said, "Miss Jiang, do you not want to know what I obtained in Guang Chengzi's Dao ground at the Kongtong Mountains?"

The Jiang Clan's foundations were deep, but there was no way they could completely disregard a Dao ground where an Immortal once resided.

"Boons and inheritance belong to those capable of obtaining them. It's not appropriate to ask too many questions, so I see no reason to be curious." Jiang Ningxian's voice remained relaxed. "We're friends. There's no need to scheme against each other in private."

He could tell that she took the word "friend" seriously. It wasn't something she said lightly.

Lu Yuan nodded and went silent.

Just like that, the two returned to their respective accommodations.

Lu Yuan resumed his seclusion. The Void Flame Celestial Mirror was a Sage Weapon, but its arrays had already been dealt with, eliminating the need for any refinement. Clearly, Jiang Ningxian had planned this from the very beginning.

For him, it was simply another card up his sleeve. However, Lu Yuan already possessed many such cards, and whether he would actually use this one remained to be seen.

Regardless, he would remember her kindness.

Lu Yuan emptied his mind and closed his eyes, focusing entirely on himself. Ten days later, three Sages would descend, and Lu Yuan's condition had to be at its absolute peak in order to face them.

For him, whether in his past life or this one, this would be his first time fighting opponents of such caliber. He was well aware of a Sage's incredible strength, and he knew that even someone like him could not afford to be careless against them.

Just like that, time flew by.

The entire world had long heard about the impending battle between Earth's Lu Yuan and the Sages from the Outer Cosmos. Some looked forward to it, hoping this clash would fundamentally reshape the world's power structure.

If that happened, many things would become much easier going forward.

Others hoped time would slow down, fearing that King Lu would die. If that happened, Earth would lose its only true powerhouse, and countless lives would be changed irrevocably.

During this period of time, verbal skirmishes between the beings of the Outer Cosmos and Earth's Awakeneds broke out constantly, and the air between them remained thick with hostility.

However, Lu Yuan was still alive, so they dared not act rashly. The officials, too, were watching closely, and while the situation remained relatively stable, an elephant in the room lingered—how long would this peace last?

Lu Yuan, however, knew nothing of these. Even if he were aware of these, he wouldn't care.

He had merely forced the beings from the Outer Cosmos into submission; they appeared obedient, but they remained defiant in their hearts.

In the upcoming battle, he intended to use that opportunity to show those beings the truth—they could not afford to mess with the Milky Way Starfield and Earth, even if their glory days had long ended.

During his seclusion, the Peacock King, the Nine-tailed Fox King, the Spirit Monkey, and other mutated beast kings descended, hoping to speak with him.

They knew the significance of the battle, and they did not wish to see Lu Yuan's downfall. Upon learning that he was in seclusion, however, they abandoned the idea of seeing him.

The upcoming battle had captured the attention of countless beings, regardless of whether they were mutated beasts, Awakened, or those beings from the Outer Cosmos.

Soon, the day of the battle finally came. The people of Earth anxiously stepped out of their homes to look at the sky. The Sages from the Outer Cosmos would descend today and ignite the flames of war.

Some huffed extreme amounts of hopium, but soon, the officials announced something that they believed would force them to huff copium instead.

Apparently, waves of a mysterious energy were detected in outer space.

The images transmitted by the satellites depicted a winged man shrouded in lightning, appearing like a god. To make matters even more terrifying, there was another being as massive as a mountain range slowly approaching Earth while shrouded in what seemed like endless fog.

Before anyone could recover from disbelief, a creature with three heads appeared, wielding what looked like a halberd.

After a month of preparation, the Sages were finally ready to descend.

Behind them, the beings from the Outer Cosmos watched as they stood together and advanced toward Earth step by step.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was sitting cross-legged in his training chambers inside a detached building within the Trials Academy on Mount Tai. Golden vital qi billowed out of him, making him appear extraordinary.

A vast and boundless power churned inside him. It remained restrained, yet it could erupt at any moment. He had finished calibrating himself, and today, he was finally in peak condition.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

An unknown amount of time later, the golden vital qi billowing out of him receded into him, disappearing as if it had never even appeared in the first place.

Lu Yuan's eyes snapped open and flickered with light.

"Let's go!"