Wanyan Xue had always been a standout among her peers since she began cultivating.
After forming a contract with the Samsara Rat, she gained the wondrous Samsara Eyes, becoming a being who effortlessly crushed cultivators of the same level.
No one could escape the Samsara Eyes.
She was incredibly confident.
However, her confidence was shattered today by someone whose cultivation was even lower than hers.
That person seemed shrouded in a layer of mist; she could see nothing.
Her Samsara Eyes had never encountered such a situation.
Unwilling to accept it, Wanyan Xue activated her Samsara Eyes again, and a blurry vision immediately appeared before her.
Her heart rejoiced, and just as she was about to examine it closely, a dazzling white light suddenly erupted.
"Ah!"
She cried out in pain, her fingers covering her eyes in panic, tears involuntarily slipping through her fingers.
Her eyes...
Lu Zaiye's expression remained unchanged as he said indifferently, "No one ever taught you that casually foreseeing the future would result in backlash."
Foreseeing the future was, in itself, defying heaven's will.
Even the most adept grand cultivators in divination dared not arbitrarily reveal heavenly secrets.
Lu Zaiye did not understand why Wanyan Xue, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, dared to use an ability she couldn't control so recklessly.
To him, it was incredibly foolish.
Wanyan Xue slowly lowered the hand covering her eyes, revealing her bloodshot eyes. She bit her lower lip, her face no longer showing the detached composure from before.
"Your name?"
"Lu Zaiye."
"Lu Zaiye?" Wanyan Xue murmured softly, then looked at Lu Zaiye and stated with certainty, "You are the top contender in this grand competition."
"I am not."
Lu Zaiye shook his head, denying it.
"You are not?"
Wanyan Xue was astonished once more.
After her surprise, her gaze shifted again.
She suddenly wondered if she could still become first if she participated in this sect's grand competition.
Her previously unwavering belief suddenly began to waver.
"Why have you come to the secret realm?"
Lu Zaiye's question jolted Wanyan Xue back from her reverie.
Her red lips parted slightly, and she said softly, "It concerns Kunlun Academy; I'm afraid I cannot tell you."
Lu Zaiye glanced at her indifferently and walked past her, not willing to say another word to her.
It was the first time Wanyan Xue had been so disregarded. She turned around, wanting to say something, but remembering her useless Samsara Eyes against Lu Zaiye, she ultimately said nothing and silently watched him leave.
She thought they would meet again.
...
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang retracted his fist, his brow furrowed as he looked at the fallen corpse, his face still showing strong disgust.
What was wrong with these demons?
Why were they so easily defeated?
He shook his fist and was about to leave when he suddenly sensed a powerful yet hidden aura in the air.
He stopped in his tracks, his gaze returning to the corpse.
That aura seemed to be coming from beneath the corpse.
He violently kicked the corpse aside, and a damaged mirror appeared before him.
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang hesitated for a moment before bowing and picking up the mirror.
The mirror was only palm-sized, a dark cyan color, with intricate patterns carved around its edges. The mirror's surface bore a crack that was impossible to ignore.
As Xiong Zhuang Zhuang held the bronze mirror, he could clearly feel the terrifying power contained within it.
"Is this a Level Seven artifact?" Xiong Zhuang Zhuang mused, then quickly shook his head, negating it. "No, this should be a Level Eight artifact. How could such an artifact appear here?"
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang did not feel the joy of finding a Level Eight artifact; instead, he was filled with doubt.
Although he had tried his best to convince himself that the scene he had just witnessed might not be real, he still felt an inexplicable sense of caution about this place.
He pondered for a moment and finally decided to discard the mirror and turn away.
A damaged Level Eight artifact was not enough to put himself in danger.
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang threw the mirror as far as he could and continued his journey in the opposite direction.
He just wanted to find others as quickly as possible.
However, not long after, Xiong Zhuang Zhuang realized he had overestimated the simplicity of the situation.
He stared at the mirror, which had reappeared beneath the demon corpse, his face turning grim, a chill running down his spine.
Disbelieving, he threw the mirror away again, moving at full speed. Along the way, he encountered other demons, but he did not stop. Instead, he found ways to bypass them.
Yet, even so, he could not shake off the mirror.
The mirror began to appear on his unavoidable path. No matter which direction he went, the mirror would be lying quietly on the road ahead of him.
Three days later, when the mirror appeared once more, Xiong Zhuang Zhuang finally exploded.
His pupils emitted a dark yellow light, his arms swelled, tearing through his clothes, and he stepped forward, smashing his fist towards the mirror.
The fist wind whistled, stirring violent ripples, and the sound of breaking air ensued.
*Crack!*
The crisp sound of breaking glass echoed.
Another crack appeared on the mirror's surface.
After punching it once, Xiong Zhuang Zhuang still felt unsatisfied and threw another punch.
*Bang!*
However, this time his attack was blocked.
He stared in horror at an arm extending from the mirror's surface, his throat dry, his mind going blank.
That arm was now tightly gripping Xiong Zhuang Zhuang's fist, strong and thick; one could feel its immense power just by looking at it.
If one looked closely, they would find that this arm was identical to Xiong Zhuang Zhuang's, as if cast from the same mold.
Once the arm confirmed that Xiong Zhuang Zhuang had stopped attacking, it suddenly released his fist and began to struggle its way out of the mirror.
Then, Xiong Zhuang Zhuang watched as a complete arm emerged from the mirror, followed by half a body, and finally, a full human figure appeared before him.
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang's face turned ashen.
The humanoid figure was unmistakably his likeness.
Large beads of sweat now covered Xiong Zhuang Zhuang's forehead.
He stared intently at the "Xiong Zhuang Zhuang" opposite him, his gaze sweeping over its body, trying to find even the slightest difference from himself.
However, no matter how he looked, there was no flaw in this "Xiong Zhuang Zhuang."
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang felt a chill down his spine; anyone would be flustered upon seeing someone exactly like themselves.
As he hesitated, the "Xiong Zhuang Zhuang" opposite him glanced at him, suddenly picked up the mirror, and turned, running away with large strides.
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang froze for a moment, then immediately gave chase.
This was a joke. This imposter looked exactly like him, and even he himself had been confused just now.
If anyone else encountered him and mistook him for the original, it would be a huge problem.
Thinking of this, Xiong Zhuang Zhuang's expression stiffened, and a ridiculous yet plausible guess surfaced in his mind.
The person he saw as dead in Wanyan Xue's eyes, could it have been an imposter conjured from that mirror?
The more Xiong Zhuang Zhuang thought about it, the more excited he became.
Yes, it must be like this!
Since this mirror could conjure someone identical to him, it could naturally conjure others as well.
And they would certainly not allow these imposters to continue existing, so they would find ways to deal with them, which was why he had witnessed that hellish scene.
The shadow that had been suppressed in Xiong Zhuang Zhuang's heart suddenly scattered, and his perpetually furrowed brow finally relaxed.