At dawn, drums thundered across Crimson River City.
The Sky Vine Court shimmered as formations activated. Thousands of cultivators took seats on viewing platforms while a hundred chosen contestants stepped into the central arena—a floating disc of marble surrounded by talismans pulsing with spirit light.
Elder Hua, the Trials overseer, floated above them.
"First Trial: Survive the Mirror Forest. Inside is a domain of illusions and spectral beasts. You may use any method to escape. Those who falter will be marked and removed."
The talismans flared.
The world twisted.
Li Fan blinked. One moment he was in the arena—next, he stood in a mist-drenched bamboo forest. The trees shimmered. Their reflections moved independently, some grinning, some weeping.
A sword whistled toward his neck.
He ducked, turned, and struck with a palm.
Crack!
The attacker shattered into mist—but its essence lingered.
This forest wasn't merely illusion. It read thoughts, preyed on fears, twisted memories.
He walked forward, steady. The Fourth Cauldron in his core rotated slowly, generating a constant hum of heat and resistance.
Hours passed. He saw visions—his father's broken body, his clan burning, his own corpse lying still under a shattered sky.
He kept walking.
At one point, vines wrapped around his ankles and pulled him down. He slammed his palms into the ground, sending out a shockwave of inner force that shattered the phantom growths. Mist screamed.
Then the forest parted.
And he saw her.
Yue Xin, standing at the edge of a cliff.
"You're not real," Li Fan said calmly.
She tilted her head. "I might be."
"You're not. The real Yue Xin wouldn't wait for me to catch up."
She laughed.
The illusion shattered.
A path opened—and sunlight poured in.
Li Fan stepped into the clearing.
Fifteen others stood there, bloodied, breathing heavily.
Only sixteen out of a hundred passed.
Ren Tian stood nearby, sword drawn, a shallow cut on his cheek.
He looked at Li Fan.
"You survived the forest," he said. "But the next trial? It breaks bones."
Li Fan smiled faintly.
"Good. I brought bones to spare."