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Zhou Hu explained, "As the name suggests, Mirror Challenge allows you to fight against a perfect copy of yourself."
"The mirror image replicates all of your abilities—your strength, techniques, and even your weapons," one of his teammates added.
Old Bai and Ji Wuhui were momentarily stunned before their eyes lit up with excitement.
For cultivators at their level—and even more so for those still progressing—the challenge of facing one's exact replica was an unparalleled test.
A battle like this not only provided an even match but also exposed personal weaknesses and refined combat techniques.
And if that wasn't enough, it even contributed to improving cultivation.
A single challenge with three benefits.
Such an opportunity could only exist at Origin Mall.
"In that case, let's find a place to sit first," Old Bai said with a smile.
Both he and Ji Wuhui were eager to test it out.
"Haha! You guys go ahead. We need to have a bucket of instant noodles first!" Zhou Hu laughed.
Eating instant noodles before diving into the virtual world had become a tradition for Origin Mall customers.
Old Bai and Ji Wuhui wasted no time, putting on their helmets. In an instant, the world before them flickered and transformed.
When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing in a pure white starting space.
Two icons hovered in the air, floating silently.
"That must be the cooking tutorial the boss mentioned," Old Bai muttered, glancing at an icon shaped like kitchen utensils.
Then, his gaze shifted to the Tower of Trials icon.
For a long moment, he hesitated.
It was a difficult choice.
Beside him, Ji Wuhui was equally conflicted.
After all, the two had been close friends for decades—it was no surprise they were struggling with the same decision.
Minutes passed.
Finally, Old Bai made up his mind.
He selected the cooking tutorial.
The moment he clicked the icon, the scene around him shifted.
Suddenly, he found himself inside a strange kitchen.
Having already experienced the Tower of Trials, and having mentally prepared himself, Bai Lao remained calm.
He glanced downward and saw a menu interface.
With a nod, he summoned a translucent selection screen filled with countless dish names.
Old Bai's eyes widened slightly. Almost every dish listed was something he had never heard of before—and their grades were absurdly high.
To put it simply, if he successfully prepared even one of these meals, even a Pathseeker-ranked cultivator might explode just from taking a single bite due to the sheer amount of condensed energy within it.
Scanning the list, Bai Lao carefully considered his options.
He already understood the rules—each person could choose only one dish per day.
After a brief moment of thought, he made his decision.
He selected "Grilled Realm Beast."
It was the same dish Luo Chuan had once seen.
Just from the name alone, it sounded incredibly powerful.
Old Bai checked the description of the main ingredient—the Realm Beast.
According to the entry, the Realm Beast was a creature born from the will of the world itself, existing solely for destruction.
For these terrifying beings, entire planets were nothing more than food.
Though Old Bai wasn't entirely certain what kind of "planets" the description referred to, he had a suspicion—
Most likely, it meant the very stars in the sky!
If a creature could devour stars, just how powerful must it be?
But what was even more mind-blowing was the fact that such an existence could be turned into food.
It was beyond imagination.
That, precisely, was why Bai Lao had chosen it.
After confirming his selection, his surroundings changed once again.
Suddenly, he felt as if he had become someone else—a man in a black robe.
He wasn't just observing—he was seeing through this person's eyes.
The environment around him was unfamiliar, as if he had been transported into a vast, dark void.
In the distance, celestial bodies spun in slow, majestic arcs.
Further beyond, countless stars twinkled in the boundless abyss.
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