The air was still. A golden glow illuminated Shen Yuan's eyes, his irises shifting into a six-pointed star. The change was subtle, yet the oppressive aura radiating from him sent shivers down the spines of those present.
Tang Jiyan, Xiang Xiaoli, Guo Bohai, Shi Meixiu, and Dong Chen instinctively took a step back, their senses warning them of impending danger. Yet, the danger didn't come in the form of an attack.
Shen Yuan's voice was calm yet chillingly detached.
"World Devourer's Mirage Eye... First Skill – Mirage."
The surroundings shifted.
The world around them shattered like fragile glass, dissolving into a swirling, colorless void. The familiar scent of grass, the cool breeze, and the warmth of the sun were all erased in an instant.
Each of them plummeted into their own personal hell.
When Tang Jiyan's vision cleared, he found himself in a place he wished never to see again. The sharp stench of blood filled his nose, and beneath him, a field of corpses stretched beyond the horizon. The sky was painted in the red hues of a burning sect, its once-proud structures reduced to nothing but blackened ruins.
The scene was painfully familiar.
"No... not again…"
He turned his head stiffly, as if resisting the very act of looking. Yet, his eyes fell upon a figure trapped beneath crumbling rubble—a man barely clinging to life. Blood trickled from his lips, his voice weak yet desperate as he called out:
"Tang Jiyan... help me..."
Tang Jiyan's body froze. He knew this man. He had seen this exact moment before. This was one of his senior brothers, one of the countless lives he had failed to save that day. His hands trembled.
Back then, he had stood in the same spot, gripped by the same hesitation. If he had acted faster, could he have saved him? If he had been stronger, could he have prevented this destruction?
The guilt, the regret—these emotions clawed at his chest, suffocating him.
His feet felt heavy, as if invisible chains bound him to the ground.
"Move. Move, damn it!"
But no matter how much he struggled, the same thing happened as before—his hesitation swallowed him whole. The voice of his dying senior grew weaker. The fires roared louder.
But suddenly, his mind sharpened.
Shen Yuan's voice echoed in his thoughts.
"Whatever you are seeing now is just an illusion… The illusion can only be broken with willpower."
His breath steadied. His trembling hands clenched into fists.
This wasn't real.
He wasn't the same person from 300 years ago.
Tang Jiyan exhaled, his expression softening. His gaze returned to the dying senior before him, but this time, there was no overwhelming grief—only a quiet acceptance.
"I am sorry... that I couldn't save you." His voice was firm. "But I no longer let my past drag me down. I refuse to be bound by guilt any longer."
The moment he spoke those words, the entire illusion shattered like a broken mirror. The crimson sky, the scent of blood, the burning ruins—everything dissolved into mist.
When his vision cleared, he was back in the training ground. The first thing he saw was Shen Yuan sitting against a rock, watching him with a smirk.
Tang Jiyan narrowed his eyes. His mind was still sharp from the illusion, and as he observed Shen Yuan's expression, a thought struck him.
"...That ability of yours, Mirage, it's not just about creating illusions, is it?"
Shen Yuan tilted his head, amusement flickering in his golden eyes. "Oh?"
Tang Jiyan's gaze darkened. "It doesn't just create false images or memories—it forces someone to experience their greatest fear... and if their willpower is weak, it could actually break their mind."
Shen Yuan chuckled. "Bingo! Expected no less from you."
Tang Jiyan's jaw tightened. "You... you actually intended to put us through this hell?"
Shen Yuan shrugged. "Would you rather some random illusion cultivator out in the world exploit your weaknesses? Or would you rather I help you eliminate them?"
Tang Jiyan fell silent.
"...Tch." He clicked his tongue and turned away, unwilling to admit that Shen Yuan had a point.
But he wasn't the only one trapped.
His gaze swept the surroundings. Guo Bohai and Shi Meixiu had also broken free just a few moments after him.
That left only two—Xiang Xiaoli and Dong Chen.
For Xiang Xiaoli, she found herself standing in a grand hall, surrounded by lavish decorations and well-dressed cultivators. Her heart pounded in disbelief.
Dozens of people surrounded her—cultivators, elders, disciples—all cheering her name. Calling her a prodigy.
At the front of the room, she saw herself seated on an elder's throne.
For years, she had been an outcast. Looked down upon, used, discarded. But here—here, she was at the top.
Her fingers curled against the throne's armrest.
"This… this is what I always wanted…"
A whisper of doubt slithered into her thoughts.
"If this were real…"
Her smirk widened with realization and slight anger.
"Shen Yuan, you sly bastard. You really thought I'd fall for this?" Her voice was laced with annoyance.
She leaned back against the throne and crossed her legs. "If this illusion was filled with pain, I might have believed it. But you tried to tempt me with the one thing I wanted most."
Her voice dropped into a whisper.
"Nice try, you bastard."
The illusion shattered.
When she opened her eyes, she was back.
Shen Yuan smirked at her. She scowled. "I hate you."
Shen Yuan chuckled. "I know."
"So how was your experience?" Shen Yuan asked with a smirk.
Xiang Xiaoli on the other hand turned to him with annoyance, "Shut up, you piece of…."
But before she could finish, Tang Jiyan stopped her. From his look, she understood Shen Yuan was just making fun of her and that she can't compete with his sly mouth and head.
Now, only one left was Dong Chen.
Unlike the others, Dong Chen had yet to break free.
His body trembled, his breathing ragged. Whatever he was experiencing, it was something deeply personal.
The group turned toward him.
Tang Jiyan folded his arms. "This... might be bad."
Shen Yuan's smirk faded slightly as he observed. "Interesting..."
Though he wasn't that worried, after all he was the one who was creating the illusions.
Unlike the others, Dong Chen had not encountered a scene of overwhelming pain or temptation.
His illusion was something different—something deeper.
Would he be able to break free?
Or would his past consume him?
Everyone except for Shen Yuan seemed genuinely worried.
The final test had yet to be completed.