Le Gui had barely escaped a dire situation, and her mind was still somewhat foggy. The moment she said “Go ahead,” she met Di Jiang’s sharp, intimidating gaze.

Without hesitation, she smoothly dropped to her knees. “Your Lordship, I was wrong.”

Di Jiang glanced at her with mild disdain. “Filthy.”

Following his gaze downward, Le Gui noticed that her skirt had gotten muddy from kneeling.

Ever since she sold that self-cleaning robe for three thousand taels, she had been wearing coarse fabric like a commoner. Getting dirty was inevitable. The only reason she had managed to stay somewhat presentable was thanks to the Hehuan Sect Master occasionally casting cleaning spells for her. But the moment she wasn’t careful, her clothes would end up stained again.

She wiped at the dirt on her knees, about to say something, when Di Jiang suddenly reached out and tapped her forehead with his finger.

Having experienced an unforgettable and suffocating ordeal the last time he did this, Le Gui instinctively flinched. But this time, she wasn’t quick enough to avoid it.

A wave of cool spiritual energy surged into her body. She shivered as she felt her wounds rapidly heal. The soreness from being tossed around in the competition disappeared instantly. When Di Jiang withdrew his hand, she sprang up, full of energy, and realized that even her clothes were now spotless—far cleaner than when the Hehuan Sect Master had cleaned them.

“Thank you, Your Lordship,” she said sweetly.

Di Jiang looked down at her and said, “Win the second round of the trial tournament.”

“…Your Lordship, isn’t that a bit too demanding?” Le Gui asked as tactfully as possible.

Di Jiang stared at her for a long moment before speaking. “If you dare to lose, I’ll kill you.”

[Oh no, no, no—he absolutely means it this time!]

A smirk played on Di Jiang’s lips as he turned to leave. Le Gui instinctively reached out to grab his sleeve, but her fingers swiped through empty air. He had already vanished.

“Your Lordship, don’t go! You haven’t told me how I’m supposed to win! The first round was easy because I had a defensive artifact, but the second round is one-on-one combat! Your Lordship! Your Lordship!” she shouted.

But there was no one left to answer her.

The once-bustling competition grounds were now empty, leaving Le Gui alone. She took a deep breath, then pulled out the Seer Mirror and slammed it onto the ground with all her strength.

The mirror, which had assumed she had forgotten about her grudge: “…”

With the sheer force of a mere mortal, she managed to crack the mirror in two places. Satisfied, she returned to the Hehuan Sect’s base. As soon as she stepped inside, she was unsurprised to find herself facing a three-person tribunal.

“Sect Master,” she greeted obediently, making a proper bow—albeit with her fingers forming the wrong gesture again.

The Hehuan Sect Master ignored her improper hand sign and simply asked in a calm tone, “Why did you not inform this master about the jade token you used to register for the tournament?”

He referred to himself as “this master” instead of “I,” a sign that the matter was serious.

Le Gui cleared her throat. “This disciple did not intend to keep it from you, Sect Master. However, I once promised a senior that I would not tell anyone about it.”

“A senior?” The Sect Master’s gaze sharpened.

“Yes, a very powerful elder. I don’t know his name, only that he has long white hair and a beard down to his chest. He’s always smiling. Because I gave him a peach, he gave me a registration jade token in return.”

Of the fifty spots available to mortals, the five major sects occupied thirty, while various smaller sects shared ten. The remaining ten were distributed randomly, with no one knowing where they would end up.

Le Gui’s explanation seemed plausible, but the Sect Master still felt that something was amiss. After a long pause, she asked, “How did you pass the first round?”

“That elder also gave me a defensive artifact, saying it would ensure my survival in the first round,” Le Gui replied without hesitation. “He also gave me two healing elixirs, one of which I took just now. Sure enough, my injuries healed completely.”

Cultivators had sharp senses, especially when it came to smell. They would have noticed that the scent of blood on her was faint. Rather than wait for them to question her, she decided to offer the explanation herself.

The Sect Master studied her for a moment before saying, “Come here.”

Le Gui obediently stepped forward. When she saw the Sect Master place a hand over her injury without touching her, she remained still, waiting patiently.

After a long moment, the Sect Master withdrew her hand and said, “It is indeed fully healed.”

“…You used a precious healing elixir just to treat three minor wounds?” someone suddenly interjected. “What a waste. Why didn’t you wait until you returned so we could treat you? That way, you could have saved the elixir for the sisters who were injured earlier.”

“Because it was my elixir,” Le Gui said with an innocent expression. “I thought using my own medicine to heal my own injuries was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.”

“You…” The person was momentarily speechless but could not refute her words.

“Enough,” the Sect Leader softened her expression. “The Hehuan Sect did not secure a trial quota this year. Now that Juzi can participate, it is a blessing for our sect. There is no need to dwell on trivial matters.”

“What blessing? More like an embarrassment…” someone muttered under their breath.

The Sect Leader pretended not to hear, her gaze gentle as she looked at Le Gui. “Go and rest. Do not miss the trial in two days.”

“Yes, Sect Master.” Le Gui responded and returned to her room.

Watching her leave, the others could no longer suppress their resentment. Someone couldn’t help but say, “Sect Master, she was fortunate enough to obtain such an opportunity, yet she hid it from the sect and refused to report it. This clearly shows she has divided loyalties. Are you really going to let her off so easily?”

“She received the jade token before meeting us. Where was she supposed to report it?” The Sect Leader gave the group a warning glance. “She is now representing our sect in the trials. I expect all of you to behave yourselves. If I find out that anyone dares to make a move against her, do not blame me for disregarding our ties as master and disciple.”

“Understood.” Though unwilling, they could only obey.

Le Gui, back in her room, immediately shut the windows and doors. The first thing she did was pull out the broken and battered mirror she had just beaten up. “Don’t forget to put up a restriction. I don’t want them eavesdropping.”

“You’ve already lied so effortlessly. Why are you still afraid of being overheard?” The Seer Mirror, still recovering from its beating, spoke with bitterness. “You could have just said you found the jade token on the ground. That would have been better than claiming someone gifted it to you. Now your lies are practically announcing to everyone that you’ve received a great opportunity. You are just waiting for people to come after you like wolves eyeing their prey.”

“Come on now. If I could just find a jade token, could I also just find a defensive artifact? And how would I explain my injuries suddenly healing?” Le Gui scoffed, flopping onto the bed and rolling around lazily. “I drew too much attention today. By now, the whole world probably knows I am a disciple of the Hehuan Sect. If anyone dares to rob me now, they will be labeling our sect as dishonorable and shameless. Even for the sake of the sect’s reputation, the Sect Master must protect me.”

“At most, she will protect you until the trial ends,” the Seer Mirror said, its voice hoarse and dull.

Le Gui smiled. “Isn’t that enough?”

…Oh. The mirror had to admit that was true. After all, once the trials ended, they would be returning to the Demon Realm with their master.

“You are the craftiest mortal I have ever seen,” the Seer Mirror admitted sincerely.

“And you are the most sinister mirror I have ever met,” Le Gui responded with equal sincerity.

Once again, they found each other equally intolerable.

With two days left before the second trial, Le Gui did not want to stay cooped up inside. She decided to take the Seer Mirror and wander around.

Although the mountaintop of Miaomang Mountain was not as lively as the foot of the mountain, the scenery was beautiful. Le Gui loved to climb onto the highest boulder outside Dengtian Pavilion at dusk, watching the setting sun paint the sky in vibrant colors. The golden light reflected in her eyes, casting a warm glow over her entire body.

During these moments, she would overlook the various training grounds below, watching the eager disciples of the immortal sects spar with restraint. A few times, she even caught sight of Yaoyao.

Although she had once been deceived, poisoned, kidnapped, and threatened by her in the Demon Realm, she had also received Yaoyao’s help during the first trial. Le Gui felt it was only polite to greet her. However, before she could smile, Yaoyao coldly turned her face away, as if avoiding some kind of filth.

That reaction truly stung. Le Gui rubbed her eyes and pretended nothing happened, continuing to watch the disciples train.

“They are testing their strength against one another before the real competition,” the Seer Mirror explained lazily. “That way, during the actual duels, if they come across someone stronger, they won’t waste energy fighting to the bitter end and can preserve their strength for the secret realm trial later.”

Le Gui paused. “Isn’t that considered cheating?”

“It’s just mutual sparring. How is that cheating?” the Seer Mirror countered.

Le Gui nodded. “True.”

“…Did you just accept that a little too quickly?” The Seer Mirror was speechless.

Le Gui spread her hands. “What else should I do? File a formal complaint against the immortal sects? If this has been the unspoken rule for thousands of years, what difference would my protest make? Rather than getting upset, it’s better to adapt… Though if it were me, I would deliberately hide my strength, make them think I’m weak, and then catch them off guard in the duels.”

The Seer Mirror: “…” Shameless. Truly shameless.

“Unfortunately, I am just a mortal. I don’t even have any strength to hide, so it’s all just wishful thinking.” Le Gui sighed. “More importantly, I need to figure out how to win my second match.”

The Seer Mirror said confidently, “With me here, what are you afraid of?”

Le Gui snorted. “Ha.”

The Seer Mirror: “…”

Even though Le Gui had been secretly praying for Di Jiang to lose control and blow up Miaomang Mountain before the second trial, the day arrived as scheduled.

According to the rules, each participant had to reach into a box and pull out a rope. Those with ropes of the same length and color would become opponents. It was a traditional method that did not require spiritual energy, minimizing the chance of cheating.

As Le Gui lined up to draw her rope, she found herself standing directly in front of Yaoyao. Neither of them spoke as they moved with the flow of the crowd. Just as Le Gui reached out to pick a rope, Yaoyao suddenly said, “You still have time to withdraw.”

Le Gui paused and jokingly replied, “How can I? If I withdrew, wouldn’t one contestant be left without an opponent?”

“In cases of an odd number of participants, one person automatically advances,” Yaoyao said coolly.

Le Gui smiled. “Well, to prevent that lucky winner from appearing, I must participate.”

Yaoyao: “…”

Without wasting any more words, Le Gui picked up her rope, and Yaoyao silently did the same before turning away.

In just fifteen minutes, all the matchups were determined. Le Gui’s opponent was a chubby disciple from the Lianqi Sect. The moment he saw her, his eyes lit up with excitement, as if he had already won by default.

Le Gui: “…” Can you at least try to restrain yourself and show a little respect for your opponent?