After Shin successively resolved several incidents using his unique and highly effective Daoist arts—such as the whispers in the Old School Building, the recovery of lost items, and the purification of the Spiritual Vein at Shirasagi-tei Hot Spring—his reputation for "excelling at handling delicate energy problems and environmental anomalies" spread rapidly within Kuoh Town's supernatural circles.
It gradually moved beyond the realm of "novelty" and began to take on the nuance of an "expert."
As a result, the Occult Research Club also received more specific and targeted requests for assistance.
On this day, the clubroom welcomed a rather special visitor—an elderly gentleman in his sixties, dressed in an elegant kimono, with a serene demeanor.
He was not a wielder of supernatural powers, but rather Mr. Fujiwara Hiroki, the director of the Fujiwara Memorial Museum, a long-established and reputable private museum in Kuoh Town.
He held an item carefully encased in a zitan wood box, his expression grave with a hint of confusion and unease.
"Club President Gremory, I apologize for the intrusion."
Director Fujiwara's demeanor was elegant, and his words polite. "I have come today because an ancient artifact in our collection has recently exhibited some… incomprehensible anomalies. I would like to ask your club, especially Advisor Shin, who is proficient in Eastern mystic arts, to help identify it."
Upon hearing this, Rias's crimson eyes flashed with interest.
She gestured for Akeno to serve tea and invited the old man to sit. "Director Fujiwara, please speak. Our Occult Research Club is indeed very interested in such peculiar supernatural phenomena."
"Advisor Shin," she turned to Shin by the window, "this is Director Fujiwara of the Fujiwara Memorial Museum. He has an ancient artifact that seems to require your professional opinion."
Shin put down the scroll in his hand, walked over, and nodded slightly to the old man. "Director Fujiwara, hello. What item has shown anomalies?"
Director Fujiwara carefully opened the zitan wood box in his hands.
The box was lined with soft silk, and in its center lay an artifact—
It was an ancient bronze mirror, approximately twenty centimeters in diameter, with a simple, unadorned design. The back of the mirror was carved with intricate cloud and thunder patterns and some indecipherable bird motifs. There was a small knob in the center, but the mirror surface was not a bright bronze. Instead, it was covered with a thick, dull, oxidized layer, making it almost impossible to reflect an image.
The entire mirror exuded a strong sense of age, but there were no obvious magical or energy fluctuations.
"This is an 'Auspicious Bird Pattern Mirror' in our museum's collection, said to be from ancient China," Director Fujiwara introduced, his tone filled with confusion. "According to carbon dating, it is over a thousand years old."
"It has always been displayed as an ordinary cultural relic, with nothing special about it."
"But strangely, starting about a week ago, every day at midnight, this mirror… would spontaneously emit a very faint, soft white glow, which would last for about fifteen minutes before fading away on its own."
He paused, then continued, "We checked all possible external light sources, reflections, and even chemical fluorescence, and ruled them all out. The light seemed to emanate from within the mirror itself. It was very soft, not dazzling, and couldn't illuminate its surroundings; it merely clung to the mirror's surface."
"Even stranger, we tried to detect it with various instruments, including energy detectors, but found no abnormal energy readings. Yet it truly glows! This phenomenon has been ongoing for several days, and the pattern has never changed."
Kiba Yuto and Akeno also leaned in curiously to observe.
Kiba closed his eyes and sensed carefully, then shook his head. "I truly can't feel any magic, light energy, or other common energy fluctuations."
Akeno also attempted a magic scan, equally finding nothing. "It's very peculiar. It's like… it's just 'pretending' to glow, with no energy traces at all."
Rias also personally sensed it, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. "Indeed strange. This phenomenon… is unheard of."
Director Fujiwara looked at Shin, his eyes filled with anticipation. "Advisor Shin, I heard you are proficient in ancient Eastern arts. Do you have any insights into this peculiar phenomenon exhibited by an ancient artifact from the East?"
Everyone's gaze focused on Shin.
Shin did not answer immediately.
He first carefully observed the bronze mirror. The mirror's patterns were ancient, with a distinct Huaxia style. The flying bird motif… seemed somewhat similar to certain auspicious beasts recorded in Daoist culture.
He extended his finger, not directly touching the mirror surface, but hovering an inch above it, moving it slowly. He did not forcefully investigate by circulating True Qi. Instead, he employed an extremely subtle technique called "Touching Object to Sense Spirit," using his mind to experience the "Concept" and "Charm" accumulated within the artifact itself.
In an instant, an extremely faint yet exceptionally pure and ancient sense of "tranquility" passed through his fingertips into his perception. That was not energy; it was more like… a residual "Concept" or "spiritual imprint"?
At the same time, he indeed felt that in the deepest part of the mirror's oxidized layer, there seemed to be a faint, extremely subtle "Spiritual Light," almost integrated with the artifact itself, and extremely introverted in nature.
This Spiritual Light was not energy from the Western magic system; it was more like an Origin spirituality, specially refined and integrated with the object, extremely adept at concealing itself and making it undetectable by ordinary means.
"Director," Shin retracted his hand and mused, "this mirror is probably not an ordinary ancient artifact. If I'm not mistaken, it's very likely a remnant of an ancient 'Daoist Magical Artifact,' or more precisely, the 'base' or 'carrier' of a Magical Artifact."
"Daoist Magical Artifact?" Director Fujiwara, Rias, and the others all showed confused expressions.
"Hmm." Shin nodded, organizing his words to explain. "The Eastern art of Artifact Refining differs from the Western method of infusing magic. Sometimes, it emphasizes 'nurturing spirit' and 'raising artifacts,' refining specific intentions, runes, or spiritual power into the deep material of the artifact itself through special techniques. This allows them to coexist and grow with the artifact, thus imbuing it with certain special effects."
"This spiritual power is often extremely introverted, completely integrated with the artifact, not outwardly apparent, and difficult to detect by ordinary means."
He pointed to the mirror. "The oxidized layer on the surface of this mirror might not be simple corrosion; instead, it could be a protective layer, sealing and nurturing the remaining spirituality within."
"As for why it glows at midnight…" Shin pondered the records in the miscellaneous chapters of the basic Daoist canon. "Midnight is the transition from Yin to Yang, the time of day when Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is purest and most likely to trigger certain deep-seated resonances."
"Perhaps this remnant spirituality, at a specific hour, generated an extremely faint resonance with the Qi mechanism of heaven and earth, thereby manifesting a subtle external phenomenon. However, its intrinsic spiritual energy is too weak and deeply hidden, making it impossible to detect energy fluctuations—only a faint glow."
His explanation was profound yet easy to understand, revealing to everyone a concept of artifacts that was completely different from the Western magic and Divine Artifact system, imbued with Eastern mystique.
"So that's it… it's an ancient Eastern Magical Artifact!" Director Fujiwara suddenly understood, his eyes sparkling with surprise and excitement. "Then… does this faint glow have any special meaning? Or… does it still possess other functions?"
Shin shook his head. "This spirituality is too weak, and it's ancient; most of its functions have long since dissipated. The current faint glow is more like an instinctive, periodic 'breathing' or 'manifestation,' with no practical effect and no impact on its surroundings. Perhaps… it's just proving its former existence."
His tone carried a hint of faint emotion, as if he were conversing with an ancient artifact that had spanned a millennium.
Director Fujiwara, hearing this, felt both relieved and a little regretful. "So, it's not dangerous, but also not of much use?"
"Not necessarily." Shin smiled slightly. "If we can ascertain the specific pattern and Origin of its spiritual resonance, perhaps we can deduce some of the initial rune categories or functional directions it was refined with, thereby increasing its archaeological and cultural value."
"Furthermore… I can attempt to use a gentle Daoist art to slightly 'awaken' a bit of its spirituality, making its manifestation clearer for observation and recording, without damaging the artifact itself."
Director Fujiwara was overjoyed. "That would be splendid! Then I shall trouble Advisor Shin! As long as the ancient artifact is not damaged, I would be very happy to witness its marvel!"
Rias also nodded in agreement, filled with curiosity about this Eastern method of "appraising treasures."
That night, as midnight approached, the Occult Research Club members followed Director Fujiwara to the museum's collection research room.
The Auspicious Bird Pattern Mirror was placed on a velvet-covered table, surrounded by a simple barrier array, just in case.
Time ticked by, and when the clock hands pointed precisely to midnight—
Indeed!
On the surface of the ancient bronze mirror, without any warning, an extremely faint, soft, milky-white glow slowly permeated!
The halo evenly covered the entire mirror surface. It wasn't bright, yet it was exceptionally pure and tranquil, as if moonlight had solidified.
As the director had said, there were no energy fluctuations escaping, but the light was definitely there!
"Now!"
Shin focused his mind and formed a special "Spirit Communication Seal" with his hands. Instead of forcefully extracting power, he gently, in a manner akin to "resonance," slowly channeled a wisp of pure and peaceful True Qi, like a trickling stream, into the knob hole on the back of the mirror (which is often the point where such Magical Artifacts' spirituality converges or is input).
At the same time, he chanted a short "Spirit Manifestation Incantation," the ancient words designed to soothe and guide the introverted spirituality to reveal a faint trace outwards.
As the True Qi was gently infused and the incantation guided, the milky-white glow on the mirror surface seemed to subtly fluctuate, becoming a little more solidified.
Immediately after, within that glow, extremely faint, shimmering golden rune phantoms slowly began to circulate!
Those runes had ancient, profound structures, completely different from contemporary Daoist talismans, carrying an ancient and vast aura. They formed an incomplete, constantly circulating tiny pattern, seemingly expounding some basic principles of "calming the mind," "pacifying the spirit," and "warding off evil"!
"Look! There are words…" Asia couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.
Kiba Yuto and Akeno also widened their eyes. Although they couldn't understand the runes, they could feel the ancient and pure "Concept" contained within them.
"As expected, it's a remnant of an auxiliary Magical Artifact for 'calming the mind and warding off evil.'" Shin thought to himself, silently memorizing the runes. While maintaining the faint True Qi output, he explained, "These manifested rune phantoms are the residual imprints of its core functions. Unfortunately, most of them are incomplete and have dissipated."
He continued to guide for about five minutes, then slowly withdrew his True Qi and incantation power.
The rune phantoms on the mirror surface faded, and the milky-white glow gradually weakened, finally extinguishing completely at precisely fifteen minutes. It returned to its ancient, dull appearance, as if nothing had ever happened.
The entire process was incredibly peaceful, causing no burden or change to the ancient mirror.
"Unbelievable… truly unbelievable!" Director Fujiwara's voice trembled with excitement. "To actually witness traces of power left by ancient people from a thousand years ago! Advisor Shin, your methods are truly miraculous! This not only solved the mystery but also provided invaluable direct evidence for the study of this ancient artifact! Thank you so much!"
He bowed deeply to Shin.
Rias, Kiba, and Akeno also exchanged smiles, their eyes filled with admiration for Shin's unique abilities. This method, which did not rely on powerful magic but on profound understanding and subtle manipulation, once again broadened their horizons.
"This mirror's spirituality is weak, and there will be no further anomalies," Shin nodded.
After this incident, Shin's reputation as someone "proficient in ancient Eastern arts, skilled in appraising and handling peculiar ancient artifacts" rose another notch.
Not only in supernatural circles, but even in Kuoh Town's ancient artifact collecting and cultural circles, legends began to circulate about an Eastern Advisor in the Occult Research Club who could "converse with ancient artifacts."
As for Shin himself, he also benefited greatly from this encounter with the remnant of an ancient Daoist Magical Artifact. He barely managed to memorize some of the Daoist artifact runes for Artifact Refining in this world, while also feeling a sense of familiarity and inspiration.
Although incomplete, those ancient rune structures shared a common heritage with the basic Daoist canon he studied, sparking a deeper interest and contemplation about the Origin of his own Dao path.
His "Dao," while resolving these bizarre minor requests, not only accumulated fame but also seemed to resonate subtly across time and space with certain ancient traces of this world, quietly nurturing his knowledge and cultivation.
...
📢 Author's Note
The full completed version of High School DxD: The Quiet Immortal Who Guides Devils (Part 1) is now available on Patreon!
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✅ Part 1 Complete — 116 Chapters
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1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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