Di Jiang left expressionlessly, his entire presence exuding a low-pressure aura.

Le Gui had no idea why he was angry again, but since he was always angry, it didn’t seem all that surprising.

Di Jiang’s brief visit, aside from leaving her with a kiss, also brought an unexpected effect—she fell asleep the moment she lay down and slept straight until noon the next day. By the time she woke up, she was nearly late.

She hurriedly dressed, grabbed the mirror, and rushed out, only to bump straight into the sect leader waiting in the courtyard.

[This scene feels so familiar. Back in the Demon Realm, when I was about to leave for Diyun Peak, Senior Sister Li was also standing in the courtyard waiting for me… Truly, sect members are all the same. Their timing is eerily identical.]

Le Gui quickly composed herself and respectfully bowed. “Sect Master.”

“Why are you only getting up now…” The Hehuan Sect Leader had just begun reprimanding her when her eyes suddenly widened. “You’ve reached the Golden Core stage?!”

“What?”

“Golden Core?!”

The senior sisters hiding nearby to eavesdrop gasped in shock, and some of their expressions darkened.

Le Gui had already experienced a sudden “Foundation Establishment” before, so hearing that she had now reached the Golden Core stage barely fazed her. “Ah, I wasn’t being lazy and sleeping in. I was meditating in my room, which is why I came out late.”

“The way you lie is truly effortless.” The mirror, knowing only Le Gui could hear, mocked her outright.

Le Gui remained unfazed.

“In just a few days, you went from a mortal to Foundation Establishment, and now to Golden Core… It seems our Hehuan Sect has recruited quite the remarkable talent.” The sect leader’s expression was complicated.

As the leader of Hehuan Sect, she had been one of the top disciples in her youth, always holding herself above others. She never expected that the mortal girl she had once dismissed would possess a talent far superior to her own.

Le Gui coughed lightly. “It’s all thanks to the Sect Master’s teachings.”

If Le Gui had truly been guided by her, she might have been pleased. But the truth was, she had only taken Le Gui in to gain favor with His Lordship. The Hehuan Sect Leader’s emotions were complex. After a long silence, she said indifferently, “I had planned to teach you a few techniques before this trial, but seeing how fast you’ve progressed, there’s no need. We’ll discuss it after the trial is over.”

[Teach me a few techniques? How nice that sounds. There were two and a half days between the second and third trial, yet you never mentioned teaching me anything until there’s barely a quarter of an hour left before it starts. Isn’t this just an excuse to scold me and warn me not to embarrass the sect like last time?]

Le Gui became even more obedient. “Yes, Sect Master.”

“Enough. Go now.” The sect leader gestured for her to leave.

Le Gui gave a respectful reply and walked away. Once she was gone, the courtyard fell silent. The sect leader flicked her fingers, sending a wave of spiritual energy toward the disciples hiding behind a pillar. The moment it touched them, their minds cleared, and they hastily stepped forward to express their gratitude.

“With this mindset, how will you ever progress?” the sect leader remarked coolly before turning to leave.

“Not like the Sect Master herself is much calmer…” one disciple mumbled softly long after she had gone.

Le Gui missed the little drama in Hehuan Sect and raced toward the trial platform.

Looking up at the familiar two-meter-tall stage, she was about to protest that climbing it was beneath her now that she was at the Golden Core stage. But before she could speak, the mirror effortlessly lifted her onto the platform.

After the first two trials, Le Gui had become the biggest spectacle of this tournament. Many of the eliminated participants had come to watch, eager to see how miserably she would fail this time. Yet, when they saw how lightly she landed on the stage, all eyes turned to her, and even the sect leaders on the viewing platform reacted with surprise.

“She’s already at the Golden Core stage?” the Lianqi Sect Leader blurted out.

The central seat was still empty, allowing the others to speak freely.

Zhao Wuyou stroked his beard. “To progress this quickly is truly rare in this world. Unfortunately, she belongs to the Hehuan Sect. Their cultivation methods may yield fast results, but their upper limits are low.”

As the others sighed in regret, the Emperor of the Immortal Realm chuckled. “With such rapid comprehension, even if she were to switch sects now, she would not lag behind. Give her three to five hundred years, and she may become a pillar of both the mortal and immortal realms.”

At this remark, the sect leaders’ minds began to stir.

On the trial platform, the remaining twenty-some contestants also looked at Le Gui in shock.

“You’ve already reached the Golden Core stage?!”

Le Gui: “…”

[Great. Now I’m definitely going to be targeted.]

She glanced at the viewing platform. Seeing that Di Jiang had yet to arrive, she felt a little uneasy.

To become an elite, both talent and effort were crucial. The remaining contestants knew far better than the average onlookers how difficult it was to progress from mortal to Golden Core. Now that they saw Le Gui accomplish it in just a few days, their initial disdain had turned into wariness.

Among them, Yaoyao watched Le Gui with calm eyes. The senior sister beside her whispered, “Let’s deal with her first.”

“I doubt that will work,” Yaoyao replied softly. “Sticking to the original plan is the only way to secure our rankings.”

Different ranks received different rewards, all of which would be useful in the upcoming secret realm.

Her senior sister hesitated, then silently agreed.

As the bell rang, a chaotic battle erupted among the top disciples of the mortal and immortal realms. A burst of spiritual energy shot toward Le Gui. Instinctively, she raised her hand to shield her face. The next moment, the mirror intercepted the attack, making it look as though she had countered it on her own.

The spectators below the stage whispered among themselves.

“Who is this mortal? How did she achieve such cultivation in just a few days?”

Someone replied, “She seems to be a disciple of the Hehuan Sect.”

“The Hehuan Sect, huh…”

Although many of those present had trained alongside disciples of the Hehuan Sect, due to certain reasons, the name of the sect still elicited disdain from both the celestial and mortal realms. When they looked at Le Gui on the stage, their gazes carried a hint of contempt.

Unaware of their scorn, Le Gui moved between the disciples of various celestial sects. Occasionally, she pretended to make a move, allowing the Seer Mirror to act in her place. Before long, she had smoothly retreated to the side.

“…I thought they would target me,” Le Gui muttered as she watched the competitors engage in a chaotic battle, feeling somewhat confused.

The Seer Mirror said indifferently, “At this stage, only the disciples of the ten great sects remain on the stage. To secure higher rankings for their respective sects, many choose to form temporary alliances to eliminate other opponents. Since everyone is forming alliances, and their cultivation levels are similar, even the slightest distraction could lead to failure. No one has the time to bother with a newly emerged Golden Core cultivator.”

“So… it sounds like I’m being ignored,” Le Gui reflected.

The Seer Mirror replied, “Yes, you are being ignored.”

Le Gui tugged at the corner of her lips, then instinctively glanced toward the spectator’s platform. The previously empty central seat was now occupied by a man dressed in red and black robes.

She had thought that after being upset yesterday, he wouldn’t come today.

Sensing her gaze, Di Jiang looked over with a cold expression. Le Gui felt like laughing but remembered she had to act like they were strangers. She first glanced at the people sitting around him, making sure they were all focused on their disciples, then flashed him a bright smile.

Di Jiang let out a soft scoff and leisurely watched as she mingled among the elites.

As alliances formed in small groups, the battle on stage grew increasingly intense. When one side began to falter, the others pounced like a pack of hyenas, overwhelming their weakened opponents in an instant.

Le Gui watched with alarm. As she wondered why these immortal sect disciples fought like the old grandmothers in her neighborhood, Yaoyao suddenly lunged at her with a sword.

Startled, Le Gui lost her footing and nearly fell off the stage. The Seer Mirror yanked her back with a surge of spiritual energy and scolded, “Useless! Why are you dodging? You think I’d let you die?”

“…It’s called instinct!” Le Gui hissed under her breath.

Though Yaoyao couldn’t hear her, she could see Le Gui murmuring something. Frowning, she attacked again.

“Fight back! If you don’t move, how am I supposed to help you?” The Seer Mirror snapped.

“I don’t even know what move to make!” Le Gui was on the verge of panicking. As Yaoyao’s sword neared her forehead, she instinctively dodged and imitated a sword stance with two fingers, thrusting them toward Yaoyao.

Yaoyao smirked slightly, but in the next instant, a surge of spiritual energy forced her to retreat several steps.

“Did she just use Wangtian Sect’s sword technique to push back a Wangtian Sect disciple?!”

A shocked voice rose from the audience. On the spectator’s platform, Zhao Wuyou’s face darkened, but with Di Jiang present, he didn’t dare voice his displeasure. Instead, he sent Yaoyao a silent command to eliminate Le Gui.

Yaoyao’s expression remained calm as she charged again. Just as Le Gui prepared to counter, Yaoyao lowered her voice so that only the two of them could hear.

“What exactly is going on between you and Di Jiang?”

Le Gui’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a composed expression. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Di Jiang’s cultivation is unmatched across the three realms. He can do whatever he pleases. If you think that staying by his side will make you like him, you’re beyond foolish,” Yaoyao said, lifting her sword in preparation for another strike. “No matter what his intentions are, I advise you to flee while you still can. Don’t become another victim of his fleeting amusement.”

Le Gui understood her point—Di Jiang was like the top student of the entire school, free to do as he pleased, while she was the failing student who should be focused on studying instead of playing around with him.

But…

She looked up at the spectator’s platform. Di Jiang’s expression was calm, as if he couldn’t hear their conversation.

[…As if. That guy is definitely listening.]

Le Gui coughed lightly and declared righteously, “I refuse to run!”

“Why?!” Yaoyao sounded frustrated.

Le Gui answered with conviction, “Because I love His Lordship!”

Yaoyao: “…”

“His Lordship is the one I think about day and night, the light of my life, the little kitten in my heart! Without him, I can’t survive. Whatever he wants me to do, I will do. If it makes him happy, I would walk through fire and brimstone for him! My love for him runs deep!”

Utter nonsense.

Di Jiang’s lips curled slightly.

Yaoyao was momentarily stunned by Le Gui’s exaggerated confession. When she came back to her senses, her gaze turned sharp. “You’re beyond saving. Rather than letting you sink deeper, I should kill you right now!”

With that, she channeled all her strength into her next strike, aiming directly at Le Gui.

Le Gui was so shocked that she nearly forgot to dodge. The Seer Mirror had to drag her out of harm’s way.

[What the hell?! Even if I were lovesick, you don’t have to kill me over it!]

“What are you waiting for? Fight back!” The Seer Mirror roared.

Le Gui snapped out of it, quickly mimicking Yaoyao’s previous moves. Without hesitation, the Seer Mirror unleashed a counterattack, forcing Yaoyao to retreat again and again. One misstep sent her crashing into the chaotic melee.

She turned to defend herself against an incoming disciple from Mingyue Pavilion, but when she locked eyes with her senior sister, she hesitated.

Her senior sister had already closed in, yet instead of helping her, she subtly signaled her to hold back, letting the Mingyue Pavilion disciple strike first.

It was a reminder that, in the grand scheme of things, she was merely a pawn.

Yaoyao’s eyes flickered as she tactfully lowered her sword. However, she discreetly flicked a trace of spiritual energy onto the wrist of the Mingyue Pavilion disciple. The disciple instinctively turned, only to realize that someone had been attempting to ambush him from behind. Reacting swiftly, he counterattacked, striking down his would-be attacker—Yaoyao’s senior sister—who had not expected such a reversal. Caught off guard, she was immediately eliminated.

Zhao Wuyou’s hand, which had been resting on the armrest of his chair, tightened suddenly. His gaze darkened as he looked at Yaoyao, who should have been sacrificed according to plan. But instead of backing down, she took the opportunity to strike down the Mingyue Pavilion disciple, eliminating them as well. Yet, before she could steady herself, she was swiftly taken out by a disciple from the Lianqi Sect.

To avenge her daughter, she truly disregarded her own standing. Zhao Wuyou nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with her performance.

In just a brief moment, three people had been eliminated, leaving only five or six contestants on the stage.

“The esteemed daughter and the favored goddaughter have both been eliminated. I imagine Sect Master Zhao must be feeling quite uneasy.” Despite the ominous presence of Di Jiang beside him, the Lianqi Sect’s master couldn’t help but gloat.

Zhao Wuyou’s expression remained cold, and he said nothing.

“She was holding back,” Seer Mirror suddenly said.

Le Gui blinked. “What?”

“That so-called friend of yours—the one who has betrayed you eight hundred times, mocked you at every turn, but the moment she helps you once, you let bygones be bygones—her true strength is far greater than what she has shown.” Seer Mirror elaborated.

Le Gui’s expression twitched. “You could have just said the last part. No need for such a long-winded introduction.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t understand,” Seer Mirror replied smugly.

Le Gui rolled her eyes. “Oh.”