Mirror Dream Tree

Kato stepped in with a stranger at his side.

Haruki's eyes narrowed as he examined the newcomer — a man with a distinct Cui family bearing.

The other three in the room turned to face Kato as well.

"How did you find him?" Haruki asked.

Before Kato could answer, the Cui clansman spoke first.

"He didn't," the man replied calmly. "I came here myself."

Haruki frowned. "What do you mean?"

The Cui clansman inclined his head.

"I know where my family's inner treasure is," the Cui clansman said firmly. "And I'll give you its location — but only if you swear an oath not to harm me and give me enough resources to advance to the Ascendant realm."

Kato glanced at Toru with a sarcastic grin. "Look at that — someone actually useful. With him, we'll have access to all the treasure the Cui family has gathered for centuries."

The man's expression brightened with pride.

Toru only sneered. "That treasure's already in the Dragon Master's mouth, waiting to be swallowed. Do you really have the guts to pry it from his jaws?"

The Cui clansman froze. "What do you mean? My family treasure… why would the Dragon Master have anything to do with it? How could he even know its location?"

Toru raised a brow. "Did you forget you're not the only Cui left alive?"

The man's face darkened. "Cui Li," he growled.

"That's right," Toru replied, his voice dry. "And she's already staying in the Dragon Master's tower."

The clansman's fists clenched. "So you're telling me there's no one left to buy my information?"

Kato smirked. "Looks like it."

The man glared at them all, then forced himself to say, "Then may I leave?"

Kato glanced around the table. Receiving small nods, he replied, "Let's go," and led the man back through the rear door.

As the door shut behind them, Kato activated the visual formation again — one he'd deliberately disabled while the Cui clansman was present.

Suddenly, Haruki spoke up. "The guest in room ninety-six just left."

Sato asked, "And did he pay?"

"Yeah," Kato replied. "One purple-gold coin."

Sato glanced at the screen showing the feed from room 96 — five naked girls asleep in a tangle.

"He booked five girls for himself," Sato said. "And judging by the state of that room, he had the stamina to match."

Haruki groaned. "Damn. I would've liked to meet him, see what cultivation technique he practices."

Megumi shook his head with a sigh. "So — what's the plan now?" he asked, turning to Sato.

The other four also fixed their eyes on Sato, waiting.

Sato considered for a moment before saying, "What do you all make of that Cui clansman?"

He glanced at Kato. "What's his name again?"

"Cao Bi," Kato replied.

Sato nodded. "That Cao Bi has given me an idea. If we can find others like him — the last stragglers of fallen families — we could strike from the inside and outside."

Megumi frowned. "And we can only find people like him because their clan is gone. Otherwise, he'd never have betrayed his own."

Toru added, "Exactly. And he probably doesn't even know we destroyed his family."

Haruki's eyes narrowed. "He might discover it later. Shouldn't we kill him now before he becomes a problem?"

Sato raised a hand. "No — let him go. But keep an eye on him."

He glanced at Toru. "You'll track him. Inform us if he does anything suspicious."

---

Cao Bi wandered across the bridges and past the moored houseboats, searching for a place to spend the night.

Suddenly, an arm hooked around his shoulders.

He tensed, turning to see a bald man at his side — and before Cao Bi could speak, the stranger's eyes glowed a strange purple, pulling him into a blank haze.

Without a word, the bald man led Cao Bi to the edge of the black market and dove into the dark lake.

As they sank into the water, a massive fish glided up and swallowed them whole.

Within its belly, the fish surged through a hidden tunnel before spitting them out into a dimly lit water hole inside a cave.

The bald man dragged the dazed Cao Bi through winding tunnels until they reached a broad cavern. Its walls were lined with wooden doors.

"Everyone," the bald man bellowed, "come out. I have news about a Spirit Master."

Doors creaked open one after another, and men and women emerged.

Among them was Som — either the boy who had once ambushed Merin at Evergreen Forest or someone bearing the same face, only years older and emanating the dense pressure of an Earthly Base realm cultivator.

He scowled as he crossed his arms.

"Meng," Som growled, his voice sharp with irritation, "I was consolidating my foundation after my breakthrough. This better be important — or you and I will have a problem."

Meng merely shrugs and glances at Cao Bi. "Go on," he says. "Where's your family's inner treasury?"

Still dazed, Cao Bi answers in a dull monotone, "Sky Mountain."

Som folds his arms and scoffs. "You dragged us all out here just for news about a treasure vault?"

One of the women, Silli, cuts in. "Meng, you said you had news about a Spirit Master."

Meng grins. "That's right. Back at the Red Pavilion — you know, where I was training my body and spirit against five bloodsucking demons — I overheard something interesting."

Several of them snort knowingly at his excuse.

"Quit joking," Tie says flatly. "Get to the point."

Meng leans forward. "The Dragon Master also knows about the treasury and might go after it himself."

At the mention of the Dragon Master, Som's expression darkens with hatred. Four years ago, he nearly died at the hands of that boy. Only the life-saving talisman given to him by their Mountain Master had kept him from succumbing to Dragon Master's illusions.

He clenches his fists and looks toward Yueling, their leader, a graceful and deadly Heavenly Master.

"Captain," Som says, "this is our only chance. Sky Mountain lies in the Eastern House — we could ambush him and leave this world before the locals even know what happened."

The other six echo his enthusiasm, eyes fixed on Yueling.

After a long moment of thought, Yueling's gaze sharpens. "Then the Dragon Master will be our target."

Kuran steps up. "We should send a team ahead to Sky Mountain and prepare an array to trap him when he arrives."

Yueling nods. "Do it. Take Tie and Silli with you."

Yueling's voice stays cool as she continues, "Meng and I will shadow Dragon Master. Som, Renni, Jhurn — you three head toward the ocean and prepare the ship."

Once the plan is decided, Meng reaches over and, with a quick twist, snaps Cao Bi's neck.

No one bats an eye.

He hauls the corpse to the water hole and throws it in. Almost immediately, the dark water churns as the fish beneath surge upward to feed.

--

A day before the start of the second phase of the Youth Competition.

Cui Ying checks the time and ends his training, then changes into fresh clothes.

A few minutes later, he steps outside the tower and looks up at the sky.

The sun still hasn't set — there might be time to catch his friends.

He'd agreed to meet them at the lake near the academy, the day before the top 64 matches began.

When he reaches the lakeside, his friends — all fellow half-yao who had trained under Dragon Master for a few weeks — are just preparing to leave.

Only Cui Ying has reached the top 64. In fact, he is the only half-yao from the Hundred Lakes State to make it this far.

Before they part, his friends wish him luck and offer prayers for him to gain a good ranking.

That's when a group of boys suddenly appears and attacks them.

His friends fight back, and Cui Ying steps forward to help — but they stop him.

Fighting in public is a crime, and if Cui Ying joins, he'll be arrested for two days.

Even Dragon Master couldn't exempt him. The law was handed down by the spiritual council itself, and a Spirit Master wouldn't break it for a disciple who'd only face two days in jail.

Still, seeing his friends getting beaten enrages him, and Cui Ying is on the verge of rushing in.

But then he notices the city guards standing to the side, calmly watching.

That's when it hits him — this is a trap.

And perhaps one of his friends is involved.

Only they knew he'd come to the lake at this hour.

He slowly steps back, then turns and runs.

With him gone, there's no reason to continue the fight.

And as he flees, one question burns in his heart: Why go to such lengths to stop him from competing in the youth tournament?

He'd already decided to withdraw if the fight was too dangerous or too costly.

But after this ambush, Cui Ying understands the truth — his enemies don't want him on the stage at all.

And that only strengthens his resolve.

He will fight tomorrow, even if it costs him his life.

He will fight and reach the top eight, so that the Hundred Lakes State will see a half-yao stand among its best.