128. The Swordsmanship Tournament

The Blood-Clothed Cult Master stood agape, rendered speechless.

Outside the Mirror of Three Lives, Wei Wuyang covered his face, unable to bear watching any longer. "What a chaotic mess..." he muttered to himself. "Master said the Mirror of Three Lives could only deceive the foolish... could this be why?"

The story the Blood-Clothed Cult Master had fabricated was a complete disaster. Yet, there is a certain advantage to such chaos; if he had been meticulous, he might have been caught by his own inconsistencies. Clever people always love to project their own thoughts onto others, and even when the other party’s story is full of holes, they will fill in the gaps with all sorts of logical justifications.

Wei Wuyang was a clever man, and as he realized this, he felt he shouldn't have taken on such a clever apprentice. Intelligence must be balanced; those who are too clever are often tripped up by their own convoluted thoughts. Part of why he chose Lingyu was because sword cultivators, no matter how clever, are straightforward—they prefer to let their swords do the talking.

Though his motives for taking an apprentice were not entirely pure, he couldn't afford to have one who was mediocre. She was his first disciple, and likely his only one; she represented his reputation.

Inside the mirror, Lingyu demanded again, "Who exactly are you?"

The Blood-Clothed Cult Master stalled for a long time. Seeing Lingyu’s patience wearing thin, he fell to his knees with a thud, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Mercy, Sect Master! Your subordinate... I am merely a wandering spirit of the Mirror of Three Lives..."

A wandering spirit—a ghost that fails to reincarnate and drifts aimlessly after death. Such entities were rare in the various continents. Reincarnation is a law of heaven and earth that even Nascent Soul cultivators cannot interfere with, so how wandering spirits came to be remained a mystery in the Cangming Realm.

Lingyu eyed him suspiciously. "You are a wandering spirit? Do wandering spirits have physical bodies?" If he were truly a spirit, how could he have a corporeal form? And how could he have been injured so badly by her sword?

The Blood-Clothed Cult Master explained, "I do not dare lie to you, Sect Master. My body was granted to me by the Mirror of Three Lives."

"Oh?"

"Years ago, I accidentally entered the Mirror of Three Lives and died after exhausting my life force, becoming a wandering spirit. This is a space created by the mirror, and this body was also provided by it. Here, although I am a wandering spirit, I can live like a human..."

"Then what was your purpose in deceiving me?"

The Blood-Clothed Cult Master gave a bitter smile. "You are a visitor from the outside world, naturally a target for the mirror to deal with. Since I am one with the mirror, I naturally..."

"If that is so, why are you confessing everything now?" Lingyu pressed, question after question.

The Blood-Clothed Cult Master was silent for a moment before saying, "My life is in your hands, Sect Master. I have no choice. The Mirror of Three Lives is ultimately a lifeless object, and I..."

In short, he was banking on the fact that the mirror lacked a true spirit to discern the situation.

Lingyu rubbed her brow and continued, "Which parts of what you said before were true, and which were false? What are the rules of this world, and how can I leave?"

The Blood-Clothed Cult Master replied, "Apart from my origins, everything I said is fact. This is a world created by the mirror. You might call it fake, but everything is real, including these treasures." He pointed to the items on the floor. "If you don’t believe me, Sect Master, look at this manual. Even if the stories of the masters were fabricated, the techniques cannot be fake. My aptitude is low and my cultivation insufficient; I lack the ability to forge such things..."

"So, it’s possible that these things were actually left here by some senior master?"

"I don't know," the Blood-Clothed Cult Master answered honestly. "I only know that in this world, everything is indistinguishable from reality."

Seeing his sincere expression, Lingyu skeptically took the manual from him. As she read, her brow furrowed deeper. The Blood-Clothed Cult Master was right; this technique was beyond his level to fabricate. No matter what, she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and she could tell the quality of a technique at a glance. Such a work could only have been written by at least a Golden Core cultivator.

Could it be that some predecessor really had hidden things in the Mirror of Three Lives? Or perhaps, were these actually Wei Wuyang’s possessions?

Lingyu held the manual and thought for a moment before asking, "You said I must reach the Golden Core stage to leave—is that also true?"

"This..." The Blood-Clothed Cult Master hesitated. "That is my speculation. I am not certain, but it is true that you cannot leave while at the Foundation Establishment stage."

"So, the best way for me to get out is to stay here and cultivate until the Golden Core stage?"

"I... I cannot be sure," the Blood-Clothed Cult Master shook his head honestly.

Lingyu looked at the manual in her hand, the piles of treasures at her feet, and the submissive, kneeling Blood-Clothed Cult Master.

"What you say... seems to make some sense..."

The Blood-Clothed Cult Master was overjoyed, bowing low. "If you are satisfied, Sect Master, please spare my life! I will follow your every command!"

Following this ringing declaration of loyalty, the Blood-Clothed Cult Master thought he was safe. But as he stood up, a piercing purple light cut through his body, decapitating him. Before he dissolved back into a wandering spirit, he heard Lingyu’s cold voice: "Too bad, I don't believe you."

As blood sprayed and the headless corpse fell, the surrounding space began to twist, finally turning into gray fragments and stretching into chaotic lines.

Lingyu put away the Kanli Sword, stood in the center of the vortex, and called out, "Master, you didn't make this up, did you?"

Wei Wuyang’s soft laughter echoed in her ears. "If I had made it up, would it be this poor?"

Lingyu rolled her eyes. "Then what? Isn't the Mirror of Three Lives your magic treasure?"

"The one you're talking about is a treasure without spirit. That kind of artifact is low-grade, bottom-tier stuff!"

"Is your Mirror of Three Lives considered high-tier then?" Lingyu retorted bluntly. "Blood-Clothed Cult Master, master’s treasures—it’s all so cliché! Even the pulp fiction of mortals wouldn't stoop to this!"

"..." Wei Wuyang didn't answer immediately; she wondered if he was grinding his teeth.

After a while, Lingyu heard his steady voice. "I ask you, why did you kill the Blood-Clothed Cult Master?"

Lingyu spread her hands. "Need you ask? He was full of lies; I didn't believe a word he said."

"Then how did you know that killing him would end this lifetime?"

"I didn't! I just felt like killing him!"

Lingyu’s answer nearly made Wei Wuyang cough up blood. He had assumed that for her to pass this lifetime, his apprentice must have been clever enough to keep a clear head regardless of how chaotic and illogical the world was. He hadn't expected this to be the answer.

He held back, pressing a throbbing vein on his forehead. "Then how did you interpret what he said?"

"Interpret?" Lingyu tilted her head. "Master, are you referring to his description of this world?"

"...Yes."

Lingyu said, "A tangled mess, completely chaotic. Treasures of some master? I’d have to be a ghost to believe him!"

"Why didn't you believe him?"

"It’s simple. If these things were real, you wouldn't be sitting idly by, Master; you would have found a way to retrieve them long ago. If these things were actually yours, would you be stupid enough to let a wandering spirit in the mirror claim them as their own?" Lingyu’s eyes were filled with disdain. "Besides, since this magic treasure is so extraordinary that it can create such a realistic world, what would be difficult about deceiving a Foundation Establishment cultivator like me?"

"..." At this moment, Wei Wuyang wondered if he had truly chosen the right apprentice. It wasn't great wisdom hidden behind foolishness, nor was it careful deduction. She had killed the Blood-Clothed Cult Master and emerged from the second lifetime simply because her intuition told her to kill!

Yet, to say she had no wisdom at all would be wrong; she had grasped the most crucial point: his personality!

Wei Wuyang covered his face. Why did he feel such a profound sense of helplessness? He couldn't help but feel that the apprentice he was raising would not turn out the way he liked...

Wiping his face, Wei Wuyang resumed his arrogant demeanor. "Hmph! Don't think that just because you passed two lifetimes, it’s going to be easy! The third lifetime won't be so simple!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the lines around Lingyu began to coalesce into a mass, turning into colors and manifesting a scene...

"Thump!" Lingyu rubbed her waist as she stood up, wincing and muttering, "Throwing me in directly again? Could you not find a different way?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she froze.

Peaks piercing the clouds, spiritual veins thick with energy—why did this mountain before her look so familiar? It seemed to be the main peak of the Taibai Sect.

"Fellow Daoist, are you also here to attend the Sword Discussion Meeting?" A voice came from behind her.

Lingyu turned and saw a humble, gentle face. It was a young man with regular features—not strikingly handsome, yet his demeanor was unforgettable. Judging by his cultivation, he was also in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, much like her.

"Sword Discussion Meeting?" Lingyu repeated.

"You haven't heard of it?" The young man raised his eyebrows.

"Uh... I’ve heard of it, just came to take a look," Lingyu said vaguely, internally complaining. Next time, she would strongly protest to her master; he had to give her a hint before entering the mirror. What if she said the wrong thing in the first sentence? Dying in confusion would be a laughingstock.

"Oh..." The young man nodded slowly. "Do you have an invitation, Fellow Daoist?"

"...No."

It was the answer he expected. The young man smiled. "Meeting is fate. How about we go together?" He added, "Thanks to my elders, I have an invitation, and I was just looking for someone to accompany me. It’s such a coincidence that I met you as soon as I arrived. Your cultivation is on par with mine, and you appear to be a sword cultivator. If you can lend me a hand, there will be a generous reward afterward."

Lingyu tried to analyze the key points from the young man’s words. First, the invitation must be important; perhaps one couldn't watch or compete without one. Second, even with an invitation, one needed a companion. The young man wasn't inviting her out of pure kindness; he mentioned two things: her cultivation was equal to his, and she was a sword cultivator who could assist him. She inferred that this Sword Discussion Meeting might involve sword duels, and there were benefits to winning, so he was looking for a partner.

Lingyu was completely ignorant of this third lifetime and feared being unable to participate, so she naturally wouldn't refuse. She nodded immediately. "That would be excellent."

Seeing her agree, the young man smiled, gestured, and walked alongside her. "I am Duanmu Cheng. May I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?"

Hearing this, Lingyu nearly stumbled. "Duanmu Cheng?"