Chapter 125

Ye Qiao, the last one to be pulled into the illusion, opened her eyes in a daze, her mind a blank slate, in a state of “Who am I, where am I?”

It felt quite mystical. The moment she stepped in, she even forgot her own name.

This illusion was somewhat map to the mountain and river.

It immediately read Ye Qiao’s memory, getting confused by the chaotic jumble. Generally, a cultivator’s memory wouldn’t be this scattered, but Ye Qiao’s was strange, filled with unfamiliar scenes.

This illusion bore a remarkable similarity to the map mountain and river, and it began by constructing a scenario from Ye Qiao’s work life.

To be honest, as a corporate drone, her most annoying experiences involved demanding clients. In the illusion, she was being harshly scolded, forced to revise numerous design drafts. Initially bewildered, Ye Qiao abruptly snapped out of it when she was scolded for the first time.

“What is this?”

“What a strange scene.”

“Wait, doesn’t she have anyone she hates?” The illusion would amplify a person’s innermost malice countless times over.

Ming Xuan hated those peers who looked down on him and the direct family members who ridiculed him.

The illusion was good at targeting specific issues.

The cultivators outside were also curious—what did Ye Qiao hate the most? Such illusions were the best at revealing deep-seated malice, fears, and desires.

Seeing the true self within the illusion, they all enjoyed watching the personal illusions of the disciples, hoping to get a glimpse of who they truly were.

Ye Qiao was the most intriguing. Her personality was the most unpredictable, and they hoped the illusion would reveal her innermost fears. However, they were met with a strange scene as soon as she entered.

What were design drafts? What was a client?

“Huh? Ye Qiao is afraid of this? What is there to be afraid of, just fight back, Ye Qiao.”

“Why let them boss you around? Do they deserve it? Give them a sword strike and show them who’s in charge in the cultivation world!”

The group of cultivators was indignant.

Ye Qiao snapped out of her daze after being scolded. She wiped her face, realizing the illusion was ridiculous, and unhesitatingly shattered the scene with a punch, coldly saying, “Get lost.”

The illusion shattered unexpectedly.

However, given the previous encounters, it knew she was likely no pushover. Though the first illusion failed, it wasn’t discouraged.

Soon, another scene was constructed.

Ye Qiao looked up to see the illusion transforming into her own likeness, wearing the same disciple’s robe.

The illusion, now looking exactly like her, spoke softly, “Ye Qiao.”

The voice was identical.

Ye Qiao admitted that, for a moment, it gave her goosebumps.

It was too real, like talking to herself, creating a disorienting sense of “Who am I?” Observing her reaction, the illusion continued with a smile, “I know who you are and what you want to do.”

Ye Qiao calmly looked at this version of herself, “You know what I want to do?”

“Yes,” the illusion whispered, “You’ve always wanted to save them, haven’t you? To try and change something, but what can you change, Ye Qiao? With your Foundation Establishment level cultivation, you might not even be able to save yourself, right?”

“They” referred to the senior brothers from the original story.

Ye Qiao realized she had underestimated the illusion. It was far more advanced than the map mountain and river, having existed in the secret realm for thousands of years, even knowing such details.

The illusion could read memories to find the deepest desires, fears, or malice. The purest and truest thoughts were the hardest to deal with.

Ye Qiao’s memories were too chaotic, unlike those disciples who were single-minded in their pursuit of the Dao, making it more likely for the illusion to trap her.

The illusion slowly curled its lips, continuing to coax her, “You can’t do anything right, can you?”

“Stay here,” it said gently, “Everyone instinctively follows the light. Stay here, and I’ll guide you. Don’t you want to save them?”

Ye Qiao paused for a long time. The cultivators outside thought it was over when she shattered the first illusion, but it wasn’t. This time, Ye Qiao hesitated.

The confused cultivators murmured, “Who does she want to save?”

“This illusion is very dangerous,” a seasoned cultivator said gravely. “Don’t be fooled by its previous failures. It failed because the others had pure hearts, making them hard to conquer. Once it brainwashes someone, they become trapped and used as sustenance.”

“Let’s wait and see. I don’t think Ye Qiao will be easily swayed.”

“Not necessarily, she is clearly hesitating.”

Ye Qiao indeed hesitated, surprised by how much the illusion knew. It could transform into various forms and knew so much. It was truly fascinating.

Seeing her silent, the illusion asked softly, “Can you feel the light?”

“I feel it.”

It smiled, believing it had finally brainwashed her, “So we are all—”

Ye Qiao: “Followers of light.”

She looked up, as if finding a kindred spirit, shaking its hand excitedly like meeting a leader.

“You like Ultraman too? That’s great.”

“?” What’s Ultraman?

Are you insane?

Ye Qiao’s excited demeanor didn’t seem fake; it was clear she genuinely liked “Ultraman.”

The illusion’s face contorted for a moment, then it made the most foolish decision.

Tentatively, it transformed into the image she had in her mind.

“……”

Then it took a step closer to her.

Ye Qiao watched this Ultraman, her lips curling slightly. It could really transform into anything from her mind. That was…

Wonderful!

The two shook hands like leaders meeting each other.

This was wrong.

The illusion thought calmly.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go; it had almost succeeded in brainwashing her earlier.

The illusion decided to press on, its voice gentle, “Do you have faith?”

Everyone does.

Like that swordsman, Ye Qinghan.

Which sword cultivator doesn’t aspire to be the greatest, like the ancestor who once brought peace with a single strike? And conveniently, this girl was also a sword cultivator.

“Yes,” Ye Qiao said, as if finding a soulmate.

Its eyes lit up, ready to transform into the sword ancestor,

But then Ye Qiao slowly and sincerely said, “I’m a follower of Jack Ma.”

“?” It was stunned for a few seconds.

“Who is that?”

The illusion didn’t understand. This was beyond its knowledge; it didn’t even know who Jack Ma was.

Despite having lived for thousands of years and devoured countless geniuses from various sects, it encountered such a tough opponent for the first time. To cover up its ignorance of ‘Jack Ma,’ it decided to change the subject.

“Apart from that, what do you truly desire?”

Ye Qiao heard this and smiled slowly.

She had been testing to see if it intended to trap her. Now, it was clear. She nodded, smiled, lowered her eyes shyly, and said, “My swordsmanship has always been poor.”

“Could you demonstrate the third move of the Qingfeng Technique?”

“I couldn’t learn it before, and the disciples of the Sword Sect laughed at me,” Ye Qiao said softly. “I know I lack talent, but I will work hard.”

Her expression was somewhat sad, which delighted the illusion. Emotions were a good sign; the most challenging opponents were those like Ye Qinghan, who remained indifferent no matter what form the illusion took.

Ye Qiao was truthful in her performance. She genuinely struggled with the third move of the Qingfeng Technique, as did Mu Chongxi. Both had been scolded by Elder Duan for it, though fortunately, even a natural sword talent hadn’t mastered it, so Ye Qiao wasn’t the only one getting reprimanded.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “This is my lifelong wish.”

The illusion didn’t doubt her. Sword cultivators were obsessed with sword techniques, after all.

“Stay here,” it said. “I will learn it first.”

Having trapped many cultivators, the illusion had absorbed a vast amount of information. It needed to organize its thoughts before completely brainwashing and devouring this disciple.

Ye Qiao whispered, “Alright.”

After a while, the illusion returned, indeed demonstrating the Qingfeng Technique’s third move. It mimicked Ye Qiao’s form perfectly.

Watching the illusion imitate her movements one-on-one was more effective than learning bit by bit. She could adjust any mistakes by comparison.

“Thank you,” Ye Qiao said, cupping her hands. “I’d also like to see one of the Four Major Formations, the Floating Life Formation.”

“???” Aren’t you a sword cultivator?

“You might not believe it,” she said with a straight face. “I’m a sword cultivator with dreams. I want to learn about formations and broaden my knowledge.”

The Floating Life Formation was a famous illusion array from the Yueqing Sect.

“This Ye Qiao!” An elder from the Yueqing Sect couldn’t sit still. “She’s shameless!”

Learning formations from an illusion?

“She’s not learning from your disciples, so why are you upset?” Qin Fanfan sneered. “This is just an illusion.”

“…” The Yueqing Sect elder almost fainted from anger.

No one had ever exploited an illusion like this before.

*

Are these really her obsessions? The illusion itself was starting to doubt.

“…”

“Finished practicing,” it said breathlessly, smiling. “Have you decided to stay?”

Ye Qiao looked at it sympathetically. The illusion worked hard to meet its quotas. She started clapping, “Amazing, amazing.”

The illusion distorted in anger for a moment, then reformed quickly. “…This isn’t what I wanted to hear.”

It wanted her to say she’d stay and be its sustenance, not praise it!

“Ye Qiao, don’t you hate them?” The illusion took a deep breath, drawing closer, transforming into her likeness again. It whispered repeatedly in her ear, “The Yueqing Sect, those who look down on you—don’t you wish to crush them underfoot someday?”

Ye Qiao’s expression was hard to read.

The illusion’s process involved multiple steps: first transforming into her to create self-doubt, then using her memories to tempt her when that failed.

After two failures, it tried to use her original self’s painful memories to provoke her.

“I do hate them,” she said, looking down and clenching her fists to keep the illusion from losing hope. “But I can’t resist them. You know, I’m just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I can’t even save myself.”

A smile appeared on the illusion’s face. “Then you can seek my help…”

“So,” Ye Qiao continued, her face full of dissatisfaction and sadness. “I want to see what top-tier pills and spirit plants look like.”

“I’ve never seen anything like that growing up in the Yueqing Sect.”

“…”

The illusion’s face twisted with rage, swearing it would consume her today. This disciple had the purest spiritual energy it had ever encountered; not devouring her would be a regret it couldn’t bear.

Ye Qiao watched the illusion that looked exactly like her, its uncontrolled expression. She silently clicked her tongue. It was like dealing with a Ninja Turtle—clearly, it was desperate to devour her.

…

Outside, the cultivators waited for a long time without seeing any movement from Ye Qiao. It had been a whole night since she entered.

“Has her own malice trapped her inside?” Su Zhuo wondered.

Anyone trapped in the illusion would have some malice; who could guarantee they were entirely clean?

Others were also curious about what she saw that kept her trapped for so long.

The sooner one emerged from the illusion, the purer their heart was.

Those with simple minds usually progressed further in their cultivation path, while those with inner demons, trapped for long, were essentially ruined.

The grand path was clear. If one couldn’t rid themselves of inner demons and distractions, what Dao were they cultivating? They might as well go home and raise pigs.

Chu Xingzhi couldn’t figure it out either. “What is Ye Qiao doing in there?”

They were all waiting for Ye Qiao to come out and discuss cooperation matters. The atmosphere was unusually harmonious, but the person in question had been inside for a long time without any movement.

Could she really be stuck by herself?

Inside, the illusion was also feeling a bit unsteady.

Usually, it would transform into the obsessions in the opponent’s mind, confront their true self, tempt them, and make them doubt themselves, continually questioning until they were completely brainwashed.

But this disciple wasn’t following the usual script.

After it transformed into her, Ye Qiao actually smiled slightly, then took a step back and started making wishes. “I want to see the sword techniques of Chengfeng Sect, Yueqing Sect, and Sword Inquiry Sect.”

“Please fulfill my wish.”

“This is my only obsession.”

“…???” Your obsessions are quite a lot, aren’t they?

Ye Qiao believed in the saying, “Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.” The team matches and individual matches were too closely packed; the individual matches would start right after the fifth team match ended.

In that case, she thought she could figure out the sword moves of the disciples from various sects before considering leaving.

The illusion was being driven crazy by her. It kept transforming, eventually asking in a hateful voice, “Are you leaving or not?”

“Unfortunately,” Ye Qiao said, “I plan to settle down here until I master the techniques.”

Sword moves could be mastered through practice, but those she fought against were either more skilled or had been practicing longer. Elder Duan had also given her guidance, but it hadn’t been very effective.

However, fighting herself allowed her to analyze her weaknesses and make adjustments constantly. From being inexperienced to now wielding the sword skillfully, she was visibly growing.

“This disciple of yours is progressing quite quickly.”

In two days, she used the illusion to create countless versions of herself.

The illusion split into six, and she trained with them. Ye Qiao’s psychological resilience was impressive; she remained calm while training with multiple versions of herself.

This long-lost immersive practice allowed Ye Qiao to find the state of focus she had when she first studied sword techniques.

The illusion had been driven mad. After fighting Ye Qiao for so long, instead of being brainwashed, she became stronger.

Ye Qiao continued to create six versions of herself. After being sneak attacked and kicked away again, she quickly adjusted, suddenly advancing and launching the third move of the Qingfeng Technique, catching the opponent off guard.

The version of herself in front of her vanished instantly.

The third move of the Qingfeng Technique was silent and hard to detect, but once it was close, it exploded, making it a perfect move for surprise attacks and counter-kills.

“…Impressive.”

“Ye Qiao is impressive.”

“Such a formidable person.”

The longer it dragged on, the less Ye Qiao seemed willing to stop. The illusion was overwhelmed.

It had been stalling this long just to consume her. Such pure spiritual roots were rare even in a thousand years, and it would be a waste not to devour her after spending so much time.

By now, it had gradually recognized the reality.

This person didn’t see it as a threat at all.

Instead, she was using it as a training ground!

After another illusion was kicked away, Ye Qiao landed lightly. Just as she was about to try again, the world spun around her. When she opened her eyes again, the scenery had changed.

The illusion dissipated, and Ye Qiao was released.

She felt a bit complicated, then shamelessly said, “Its mind is surprisingly fragile.”

The cultivators watching her couldn’t help but criticize her. Be a decent person, Ye Qiao!!

The senior brothers guarding her exchanged glances, getting excited.

She was finally out.

Xue Yu grabbed her and scrutinized her for a long time before asking, “What did it do to you?”

For two whole days, they almost thought she was completely lost in there.

Ye Qiao, still a bit dazed, gathered herself and said slowly, “It performed a series of ever-changing sword techniques for me?”

“Hmm?” They had thought she was stuck in her own mind, but from her words, it seemed otherwise.

Chu Xingzhi, having waited impatiently, asked, “Why did it take you so long to come out?”

“Long?” Ye Qiao blinked. She had lost track of time inside the illusion, scratched her head, and clicked her tongue lightly. “I was thinking of going back in.”

She was just about to get the hang of it, but was kicked out halfway, leaving her somewhat regretful.

As soon as she finished speaking, the illusion cracked.

In a true sense, it split apart, the once ethereal illusion tearing in two and rushing out wildly with a scream.

“Ye Qiao,” Xue Yu’s tone turned strange. “What did you do to it?”

Ye Qiao: “…”

*

Five thousand words, considered an extra update.