Mirror Dream Tree

Merin listens as Yanli says, "I understand the artistic conceptions of ice, cold, yin, and one more, but I don't know what it is."

"Show me," Merin replies.

Yanli nods, and in her hand, blood-colored mana emerges.

Merin watches as the mana gradually shifts colour, glowing with a gentle silver light.

He closes his eyes and reaches out with his mental energy, sensing the silver light more clearly.

The feeling is strangely familiar, its fluctuations stirring a memory he can't immediately grasp.

He searches his thoughts until an image surfaces — the moon spilling its light over a lone tree in a desert.

That's when he realises it matches the artistic conception of the moon in the main world.

Yanli, too, understands the artistic conception of the moon.

He compares her moon conception to his own from the main world and identifies fourteen matching points.

Yanli's understanding reaches thirty-six points, placing her at the initial level of artistic conception — between 0 and 100 points — while his is at 247 points, the medium level.

He recalls his own classification: initial level up to 100 points, medium level up to 300 points, high level up to 600 points, and peak level up to 1000 points.

And once a conception passes 1000 points, it becomes a rule.

Merin opens his eyes.

"It's the artistic conception of the moon," he says.

Yanli's eyes widen.

"The moon also has an artistic conception?" she asks.

Merin nods.

"Before I recommend which artistic conception you should choose, tell me your thoughts," he says.

"Ice?" Yanli Ventures.

"You know that ice is closely tied to water," Merin replies.

"The water ancestor is very likely to elevate the artistic conception of ice into the rule of ice."

"Then what about cold?" Yanli asks.

"Cold is intertwined with ice, water, and wind," Merin says.

"If you're determined, you can choose ice or cold.

But if the water ancestor merges these conceptions into the rule of water, it will make turning ice or cold into a rule far more difficult."

Yanli thinks for a moment, her brow furrowing as she asks, "What about the artistic conception of Yin?"

Of all the artistic conceptions, Yin and Yang were not born as one of the nine fundamental rules, but as time passes, they grow closer and closer to becoming just as powerful as those fundamental rules.

Merin isn't sure whether Yin and Yang's strength stems from the world itself or if someone is secretly behind their rise.

If someone is orchestrating this, then choosing the artistic conception of Yin to advance into the True Core Realm could be risky.

"Choose the moon," Merin says.

Yanli tilts her head.

This is the first time she's heard of the artistic conception of the moon, and a trace of hesitation crosses her face.

"Is the moon's artistic conception even complete?" she asks.

Merin reaches out with his senses and confirms that, across the world, the moon's conception is only around six hundred points.

"That's exactly why you should pick it," he replies.

"Wouldn't it be better if nobody were there to compete with you to turn the artistic conception of the moon into a rule?"

When Merin himself chose the artistic conception of vitality, it was complete but fragmented and incredibly difficult to grasp — he was only lucky enough to turn it into a rule.

Yanli looks uncertain.

"With my talent, do you believe I could complete an artistic conception?"

Merin leans back in his chair.

"Why not? You have already reached the Ascendant Realm on the beast cultivation path."

Yanli shakes her head, her silver hair swaying.

"You know it's only because my bloodline let me grow so quickly."

Merin leans forward again.

"But do you realise that without the Rule Body, you'll never be able to advance to Spirit Master or Dharma Realm?"

Yanli's eyes widen.

She's heard of the Rule Body — a reward granted by the world to every Spirit Master — but its deeper purpose is still unclear to her.

"I only know it's given by the world," she admits. "But why is it given and what does it actually do… I don't know."

Merin answers calmly, "The Rule Body is bestowed when a Spirit Master turns an artistic conception into a rule. When your chosen rule reaches ten per cent of one of the world's fundamental rules, your Rule Body is sublimated along with your life origin. That's the key to breaking the bloodline limit."

Yanli's brow furrows. "Why is breaking my bloodline limit so difficult for me, while others don't struggle like this?"

Merin knows who she's thinking of.

"You mean Cui Ying and the others?" he replies.

Before she can speak, he continues.

"Their bloodlines don't compare to yours. They can't even advance into the Spirit Beast Realm. You, on the other hand, reached the Ascendant Beast Realm as soon as you approached adulthood, without any bottlenecks."

Yanli takes this in, then asks, "So is that the only way to surpass my bloodline limit?"

Merin shakes his head.

"There is another path. You can risk damaging your life origin and merge a beast-transformation technique into your Rimefang bloodline. But that transformation would need a deep connection to Rimefang."

Yanli thinks aloud, "That connection would most likely come from an artistic conception."

"Yes," Merin agrees. "And between the two paths, choosing the artistic conception of the moon would serve you better."

Yanli looks at him with pleading eyes.

"But where can I even comprehend the Rule of the Moon?"

Merin falls silent and considers her question.

This is the first time he's sensed the artistic conception of the moon in this world — it's also the first time he's ever heard of it.

That means it will be difficult to find any object or living being carrying its artistic conception.

A Dharma Realm Rimefang Beast might possess it, but capturing one is impossible at their current level.

Merin thinks of a way — comprehending the artistic conception of the moon directly from natural energy — but natural energy is chaotic, infused with every rule and artistic conception of the world, and the moon's artistic conception here is incomplete.

Finding it in this way would be almost impossible. Like searching for a needle in a haystack.

The only feasible method would be to set up a formation that refines natural energy into moon energy.

But to construct such a formation, they would need a profound understanding of the moon's artistic conception — at least to a high level — and Yanli's blood only contains 36 points of the moon's conception.

Merin has 247, but most of those, 233 points, originate from the main world and don't belong to this one.

If he could transfer those points into this world and merge them like he did with the wooden element, it might work, but he simply doesn't have time for that.

He sighs, then looks at her seriously. "I have a way."

He can see the worry in her eyes as he continues.

"But you have to do it yourself."

Yanli tilts her head. "Okay… what do I have to do?"

Merin takes a breath. "I will send you my understanding of the moon's artistic conception. It's not originally yours, so before you can use it, you must merge it with the artistic conception already in your blood."

He watches her face closely, hoping for her agreement, for two reasons.

First, if she successfully advances the moon's artistic conception into a rule and passes it back to him one day, he'll gain a new method of evolving into a spiritual tree with both wood and moon elements when he returns to the main world.

It would greatly boost his strength.

And second… well, he's a man after all, and without the rule body suppressing his emotions as it once did, he wouldn't mind the warmth of a woman at his side.

Yanli knows about the only way to pass one person's artistic conception to another — it requires an act that only happens between lovers and with a technique- the Yang and Yin soul connect.

The technique has to be run during the act, which would make their mental energy merge to become one for a period.

And that moment, the artistic conception could be shared.

She draws a slow, deep breath.

"We're not married yet," she says, voice trembling slightly.

Merin looks at her with calm determination.

"We will be married in five months," Merin says softly. "Whether it happens now or later — what's the difference?"

Yanli takes a deep breath, her cheeks warm as she looks at him.

"I'm ready," she says. "Let's go to your bedroom."

Merin's eyes widen in surprise.

"I was joking," he replies quickly.

And it's the truth — he had only teased her, his emotions stirring more easily after being suppressed for so long.

All kinds of thoughts ran wild in his mind, thoughts that had been buried for a year.

But seeing the determined light in her eyes, he hastens to explain, hands raised.

"I really was joking. I didn't imagine you'd actually say yes."

Yanli shakes her head.

"But I'm not joking," she replies softly. "We'll do it the traditional way."

Before Merin can answer, she takes his hand and gently tugs him toward his room.

She has her reasons — agreeing to do this would bind her to him in a way that words could not.

Even though they already have a marriage contract, there are still five months before they officially wed, and anything could happen.

By sharing this together, she knows Kanoru will never see her as someone who belongs to anyone else.

And as a spirit master, he would never allow someone who is truly his to slip away.

With his hand in hers, they step into his bedroom.

Merin could stop her if he wished — but why would he? Unlike his relationship with Asuna, where things had been unclear and uncertain, Yanli is his fiancée.

In five months' time, she will be his wife, and nothing but death could change that.

And so he follows her in without hesitation.