As they recalled the scene from earlier, laughter rippled through the group. Even those senior sisters who had been somewhat kind to Le Gui before now looked at her with indifference.

Le Gui was all too familiar with this kind of situation. Back at Bi’an Terrace, it had been the same. As long as she stayed quiet and kept to herself, people showed her some goodwill, but the moment she was selected to go to Diyun Peak, that goodwill turned into resentment and jealousy.

They had all worked tirelessly to earn His Lordship’s favor, so why should the weakest among them win so easily? Le Gui understood their feelings, but this time, she wasn’t going to tolerate it. “His Lordship just said that after the trial tournament, he will take me back to Diyun Peak.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place fell silent.

At that moment, the sect leader emerged from her chamber, having clearly overheard the conversation. “Why are you all standing around? Go back to your rooms and rest.”

“Yes, Sect Master.”

The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving only Le Gui standing in the courtyard.

“Sect Master, where am I staying?” she asked curiously.

The sect leader gave her a gentle smile. “You will stay in the largest room—Room One.”

“Alright.” Le Gui readily agreed and went off to find her room.

The sect leader had expected some expression of gratitude, but instead, Le Gui simply walked away. She paused briefly, then called out, “Juzi.”

“Yes, Sect Master?” Le Gui stopped.

Bathed in the moonlight, the sect leader observed her for a long moment before smiling. “I am truly happy for you that you have caught His Lordship’s attention today.”

“Thank you, Sect Master.” Le Gui had intended to perform the customary disciple’s bow, but decided against it after recalling how cumbersome the movement was.

The sect leader didn’t seem to mind. “Once you enter the Demon Realm, remember that everything you say and do represents the Hehuan Sect. Be careful in His Lordship’s presence and do not act recklessly. If possible… I’ve heard that Wuyou Palace is full of opportunities. If you find success there, do not forget your sect. Mutual support is the key to lasting prosperity.”

“Yes, this disciple understands.” Le Gui nodded obediently.

She did not have striking beauty or a flawless figure, but her eyes were clear and sincere—so much so that one couldn’t help but believe her.

Seeing this, the sect leader smiled in satisfaction. “It’s late. Go get some rest.”

Le Gui answered cheerfully and headed for her room.

As it turned out, the sect leader had not been exaggerating. The room she was given was indeed the largest. The moment she stepped inside and saw the plush, inviting bed, she let out a delighted squeal and dove onto it, burying herself in the soft blankets.

“Was that necessary?” the mirror asked disdainfully after being jostled free by her rolling around.

“Of course!” Le Gui replied enthusiastically. “I had to sleep in the servant quarters in the town below! Even after joining the Hehuan Sect, I was given the worst room.”

The mirror scoffed, then recalled what she had promised the sect leader earlier. “Are you really planning to form an alliance with the Hehuan Sect?”

“What?”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

Le Gui thought for a moment, then smiled. “No way. Just because she saved me a few days of travel and helped me reach the mountain peak in time for the trial, it doesn’t mean I owe her anything.”

She snorted and rolled over on the bed. “She let me perform the dance because she wanted to recreate the miracle of a mere mortal capturing His Lordship’s attention. But do you really think she didn’t consider what would happen if I failed?”

Failure would have meant an uncertain fate, perhaps even death. But to the Hehuan Sect, the life or death of a mortal disciple who had never even truly been part of the sect was of little consequence.

The mirror was silent for a moment before speaking in a slow, deliberate tone. “For once, you’re not being foolish.”

“…I was never foolish to begin with,” Le Gui huffed. “I’m actually pretty amazing. Didn’t you see how I shut them all up earlier? In the past, I would’ve just smiled and let it slide, but not anymore.”

“Oh, so now that you have His Lordship backing you up, you think you’re untouchable?” The mirror mocked.

Was it because of Di Jiang? Le Gui blinked, suddenly realizing this for the first time. The thought left her feeling… strangely amused.

The night grew deep, and Le Gui yawned, placing the mirror on the table before diving into bed.

For the past few days, the Hehuan Sect’s leader had been keeping her on a strict regimen of elixirs and training, leaving her utterly exhausted. She hadn’t had a proper rest in a long time. In her half-asleep state, she thought she might sleep for an entire day and night. But a part of her had a nagging feeling that things wouldn’t go so smoothly.

Sure enough, just past midnight, she jolted awake.

The little ghost girl who usually sat in front of the mirror was now perched right at the edge of her bed. Two hollow, bloodied sockets stared directly at Le Gui. Her long, disheveled hair cascaded over her shoulders, some strands pooling onto the bed. As Le Gui moved slightly, she could feel those strands wrapping around her fingers.

Though she had encountered this ghost countless times in the dead of night, never had it been this close. Only now did she truly see that the wounds weren’t just on the girl’s wrists—her neck, collarbones, and every visible part of her thin, frail body were riddled with gaping, blackened holes, as if she had been pinned down and punctured all over.

Le Gui had grown up in a province notorious for its grueling college entrance exams. Her high school years were spent in a constant state of tension and numbness. Life was suffocatingly dull, so whenever the school allowed a movie screening once a month, the students deliberately chose the most grotesque horror films in an attempt to inject some thrill into their monotonous routine.

It was during that time that she truly understood the difference between physical terror and psychological horror.

Zombies were terrifying, sure, but when they came running at you, all you felt was instinctive fear—fear that faded once the initial shock passed. But the eerie stillness of a ghostly presence? A dimly lit restroom in the dead of night? A pair of embroidered shoes appearing out of nowhere? That was the kind of fear that festered, gnawed at your mind, and refused to let go.

Just like now.

A ghostly little girl, riddled with holes, sitting silently at the foot of her bed, watching her.

It was a hundred—no, a thousand—times more terrifying than some mindless creature that merely lunged at its victims.

Le Gui could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly shut them, tucking her hands and feet tightly under the blanket.

[I can’t see you, I can’t see you, I can’t see you…]

She chanted the thought over and over, trying to convince herself.

Then, something brushed against the tip of her nose—light and feathery, like a single strand of hair drifting down.

Le Gui: “…”

The darkness remained utterly silent.

Then, a hoarse, raspy voice asked, “Can you see me?”

Le Gui shuddered and pulled the blanket over her head.

But the voice seeped through effortlessly.

“Do you think hiding like this means I won’t find you?”

Le Gui: “…”

“Why are you ignoring me? Why are you shaking?”

“Are you crying? Look at me. Why won’t you look at me?”

“…I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!” Le Gui finally snapped, reaching her breaking point. She ripped off the blanket and threw it over the ghost girl’s head. Then, without hesitation, she landed a few solid punches on her. “You damn rotten mirror! Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize you? And if you’re going to scare someone, at least change that awful, raspy voice! I swear, I’ll beat the hell out of you!”

The ghost girl: “…”

Le Gui, having vented her frustration, calmed down. She peeled the blanket back.

The ghost girl sat up and reached out her thin, matchstick-like fingers, attempting to fix her messy hair. But the more she tried, the worse it got.

Le Gui, unable to watch any longer, let out a long sigh. With a scowl, she reached over and gathered the girl’s hair, deftly weaving it into a neat braid. The ghost girl had an abundance of long, silky hair, and braiding it took quite some time. Throughout the process, she sat quietly, letting Le Gui do as she pleased.

Once the braid was done, their gazes met—or at least, as much as they could, given that the ghost girl only had two hollowed-out sockets where her eyes should have been.

“When did you figure out that I was the Seer Mirror?” she asked in her rasping voice.

Le Gui sneered. “The moment we left the Demon Realm and I saw you again.”

Because seriously, who carried around a haunted mirror that was constantly followed by a ghost? And hadn’t the mirror itself once admitted to having a soul?

The mirror spirit fell silent for a moment.

“I don’t recall ever having any deep-seated grudge against you. Why do you keep trying to scare me?” This time, it was Le Gui’s turn to interrogate.

The mirror scoffed. “I wasn’t trying to scare you. A few days ago, I was severely injured by my master, and my soul drifted out involuntarily.”

“And tonight?” Le Gui pressed.

The mirror hesitated before muttering, “…Tonight was on purpose.”

Le Gui rolled her eyes so hard they nearly reached the back of her head.

Before she could say anything else, the mirror spirit jumped off the bed and slowly floated toward the Seer Mirror resting on the table.

At midnight, the blood-covered little girl with hair trailing along the ground silently faded away. It was the kind of sight that should have been terrifying. Yet, to Le Gui, it somehow reeked of… embarrassment.

“Where are you going?” she called out teasingly.

“To sleep.”

With that, the ghostly figure dissolved into wisps of white mist and disappeared into the mirror.

Le Gui: “…”

Getting caught while trying to scare someone and then getting beaten up for it—clearly, this had left the mirror spirit deeply traumatized.

The next day, it didn’t reappear at all.

Not only did the spirit not show itself, but even the little decorative flowers that usually bloomed within the mirror’s reflection were gone. Now, the Seer Mirror looked just like any ordinary, battered old mirror.

Le Gui wasn’t allowed to seek out Di Jiang, and the members of the Hehuan Sect were subtly ostracizing her. Now, even the one entity that actually talked to her had vanished.

She couldn’t help but feel… a little lonely.

Fortunately, this feeling of loneliness did not last long, as the Three Realms Trial Tournament officially began.

The tournament consisted of four rounds. In the first round, all participants stood on the same battle stage while the various sects launched attacks using their magical artifacts until only half of the contestants remained. The second round was a one-on-one duel determined by a random draw, eliminating half once more. The third round was even more straightforward—a chaotic free-for-all on the battle stage until a single winner was determined.

As for the fourth round, it was an optional secret realm trial open to all participants, whether they had been eliminated or not. Based on the results of the first three rounds, contestants could form their own teams. The secret realm was filled with danger, and those with higher rankings were more likely to band together, increasing their chances of success. However, this had nothing to do with Le Gui. Di Jiang had only ordered her to reach the third round and claim first place. He had no intention of letting her participate in the fourth round.

[At least he has some conscience, even if it’s barely worth mentioning.]

Standing among the tightly packed spectators, Le Gui watched as the disciples of various sects landed on the two-meter-high battle stage in their most ostentatious poses. Then, she looked up toward the VIP viewing platform floating in midair.

In front of so many people, the Immortal Realm’s Emperor and the sect leaders would not be reduced to standing guard like they were in the Dengtian Pavilion. However, the most prominent position was still reserved for Di Jiang. Among the sea of uninspired white robes, Di Jiang sat lazily in his seat, draped in red and black robes, his eyes closed as if he were asleep. Even so, he effortlessly commanded the attention of everyone present.

[That bastard really is good-looking.]

“You might want to wipe your drool,” the Seer Mirror suddenly remarked.

Le Gui immediately shot back with a sarcastic tone, “Oh, so you’ve finally decided to talk? I was starting to think you’d gone mute for life.”

The Seer Mirror retorted, “…One day, I’ll rip that annoying mouth of yours apart.”

Le Gui sneered and then put on a friendly smile as she squeezed forward through the crowd. “Excuse me, please let me through. Just a little space, thank you…”

“What is she doing?” A senior disciple of the Hehuan Sect frowned. “She’s not trying to push to the front so His Lordship can see her, is she?”

“His Lordship hasn’t summoned her even once since that night. That proves he only saw her as a joke. She doesn’t actually believe he likes her, does she?” Another disciple covered her mouth, snickering. “The Demon Realm isn’t like the Immortal Realm. If he truly liked her, he would have dragged her into bed and ravaged her for days and nights. There’s no way he would have let her go so easily and then ignored her for this long.”

“A foolish mortal who thinks she can rise to the top overnight. How pathetic.”

Suddenly, Di Jiang opened his eyes. Within a ten-meter radius centered on the gossiping Hehuan Sect disciples, a suffocating pressure descended. Those with weaker cultivation immediately coughed up blood and collapsed, while the Hehuan Sect disciples writhed in the greatest agony.

Le Gui heard groans of pain behind her and turned around, only to see people lying on the ground. She was stunned. “…What happened?”

On the floating platform, the others exchanged glances, equally perplexed by Di Jiang’s sudden outburst. After a long silence, the Immortal Realms Emperor cautiously asked, “Your Lordship, may I ask—”

“I was just half-asleep,” Di Jiang explained calmly.

Everyone: “…”