Mirror Dream Tree

Merin sits once more in the VIP box to observe the competition.

His parents, Yanli, and his sister are also with him.

He stays silent, eyes fixed on the arena as the next stage begins.

This round will last four days, concluding with eight remaining contestants.

To reach the top eight — who will go on to represent the Hundred Lakes State in the final round — his brother must face eight opponents randomly selected by the organisers.

Points will be awarded per victory, and only those with the highest totals will advance.

After the first two matches finish, his brother enters the arena.

His opponent isn't from the academy, but a sect within the state.

As the fight begins, his brother strikes first with a golden bullet spell, but his opponent responds by raising a vine wall — not green, but a deep red and black.

The vines easily absorb the bullets.

And then, instead of vanishing, they hiss like snakes and lunge at his brother.

The vine-tips split into serpent mouths that spray a poisonous green mist.

To counter the mist, Kuro casts Blade Storm.

Metal-element blades swirl into a howling gale that drives the mist back.

Undeterred, the opponent chants again.

The vines twist and merge into a huge, red-and-black hand that swings down toward Kuro.

He rolls aside just in time — but the hand divides into two and darts after him, wrapping around his legs.

Trying to drag him out of the arena, the vines tug hard.

But Kuro's body ripples and his skin turns to iron, two antenna-like appendages rising from his head.

His weight grows dense enough that the vines stop moving him.

With a swift shift, Kuro's hands transform into razor-sharp metal blades, longer than his arms, and he slices the vines apart to free himself.

Kuro has already trained his Iron Ant transformation to the third stage, allowing him to turn his entire body into living metal.

Combined with his mastery of a first-level metal-control spell, he can reshape his body at will.

He rises to his feet.

His opponent withdraws the vines and holds his ground, the two locking eyes in tense silence.

Merin can tell that both are preparing a final, decisive move.

From the brief exchange so far, the sect cultivator holds the advantage at range, yet cannot overcome Kuro up close.

And Kuro's Iron Ant body thrives in close-quarters combat — but his opponent is careful to stay at a distance.

Suddenly, red lines gleam across Kuro's metallic form as his opponent's vines arrange themselves into a glowing array.

In an instant, hundreds of lightning bolts erupt from the formation, surging toward him.

Kuro's jaws part, and a deep breath turns into a roaring cone of red-hot fire.

Both attacks collide mid-arena, neither side giving ground.

Searing heat builds as the fire and lightning struggle for dominance.

Gradually, the lightning begins to wane.

Sensing his moment, Kuro intensifies his attack.

The fire surges, tearing through the weakening lightning and shattering the vine array.

The opponent barely throws himself aside as a plume of flame streaks past him, crashing into the arena's wall, which glimmers as a protective energy barrier absorbs the heat.

Cheers erupt across the arena as Kuro's opponent raises his hands in surrender, and the crowd chants Kuro's name.

Merin's attention sharpens as the names for the fifth battle of the day are announced — one of them is Cui Ying.

When Cui Ying steps into the arena, most of the crowd immediately begins to boo.

And these are not people from the western continent, but civilians once ruled by half-yao nobles during the Seven Kingdoms' reign.

Ever since the Spiritual Council conquered the Seven Kingdoms and "liberated" the people, resentment toward the half-yao nobles has only grown.

Merin watches without judgment; he knows he was lucky to be born into a healer family and rise quickly, reaching the top of the world by eighteen.

He cannot fully grasp the civilians' feelings, who suffered under those nobles and now want them to taste the same pain they once endured.

As the fight begins, Cui Ying's opponent immediately keeps his distance.

Having seen Cui Ying defeat his previous adversaries up close, the opponent is determined not to repeat that mistake.

And now, with most of the arena left as open ground, Cui Ying cannot simply close the gap — his opponent has more than enough space to unleash spells at will.

As expected, a rain of fireballs follows.

Cui Ying glides across the arena like the wind, weaving between the incoming flames and countering with razor-sharp wind blades.

For several tense minutes, they exchange attacks as dust clouds rise around them, eventually obscuring the entire arena.

When the dust finally settles, the opponent stands encased in a hastily raised stone wall—a defense thrown up to stop Cui Ying from closing in under cover of the debris.

Suddenly, the wall bursts outward, showering the arena with jagged shards.

The opponent scans the arena, realising Cui Ying is nowhere to be seen.

Panic rises as he recalls that Cui Ying possesses the blood of the flying wolf clan.

He looks up too late.

Cui Ying is already high in the air, summoning a storm of wind blades that descend upon him in a deadly rain.

With no time to counter, the opponent is forced to trigger his emergency shield, which flashes into existence to protect him.

The referee calls the match in Cui Ying's favour, and though the crowd's reaction is subdued, they still offer a few scattered cheers as the competition moves on.

Elsewhere, in a grand castle deep in the Yao region, Fengyi, Enya, Leihan, Jeihou, and Tuchi gather around a low table.

The meeting was called by Tuchi.

Brushing light-blue strands of hair from her face, Fengyi looks at him.

"Tuchi, why did you summon us?"

"I have a plan," Tuchi replies.

The others listen in silence as Fengyi asks, "What plan?"

"I've dug a tunnel," Tuchi says calmly. "It runs from here, directly beneath Saisei City."

Fengyi arches a brow.

"You mean to attack there?"

Leihan leans forward eagerly.

"Let's go right now. I owe those humans a lesson—and revenge for Chemei."

Tuchi raises a hand.

"Not yet."

Enya sips from a glass filled with soul essence and fruit juice, her eyes sharp as she says, "We should strike as soon as possible. If they discover the tunnel, we'll lose our advantage."

Tuchi's gaze remains steady.

"If we move too early, we won't inflict the most damage."

"Then when?" Fengyi asks.

Tuchi smiles faintly.

"Have you heard about the humans' youth competition?"

Fengyi leans back thoughtfully.

"Yes. Four years have passed since the last one. So, the next youth competition must already be starting—or it will begin soon."

Tuchi nods.

"It's already underway," he replies calmly. "And this time, the final rounds will take place in the newly rebuilt Saisei City."

Fengyi's eyes narrowed.

"You want to strike on the last day," she says slowly. "When the city will be packed with humans."

Leihan grins savagely.

"That would mean the most talented youth of their generation all gathered in one place," he agrees. "A perfect opportunity to take revenge for Chemei's death."

Jeihou folds his arms.

"But the Blood Ancestor will sense that. If we move against Saisei City, all the Blood Ancestors will focus their attention there."

Tuchi smiles.

"That's exactly what I want. I have a plan to draw all of their eyes to one place."

He looks around at the four of them.

"Before that, I need to know: have any of you refined an artistic conception into a Rule? And have you raised that Rule to ten per cent?"

The room falls into a tense silence.

Then Tuchi stretches out his palm, and a shimmering light of stone gathers there.

"Mine is the Rule of Stone," he says evenly, "but it hasn't quite reached ten per cent."

One by one, the others reveal their own Rules.

Fengyi's is the Rule of Speed. Enya's burns with the Rule of Heat. Leihan's crackles with the Rule of Explosion. Jeihou's gleams like a blade—the Rule of Sharpness.

Enya's and Jeihou's Rule glows noticeably brighter; they alone have pushed theirs to ten per cent.

Tuchi looks at them both.

"Enya. Jeihou. I need one of you to merge your Rule."

Both remain quiet.

Tuchi's voice is firm.

"If my Rule of Stone had already reached ten per cent, I would do it myself."

Fengyi frowns.

"You know someone must do it eventually."

Jeihou lets out a sharp laugh.

"Then wait until one of you reaches ten per cent. Why should we be the ones to risk everything?"

Tuchi's eyes flash.

"By then, the youth competition will already be over. Waiting will cost us our perfect chance."

Enya exhales and rises, her hands already glowing with twin currents of light.

"Fine," she says, closing her eyes. "I'll do it."

The Rule of Fire blooms in one hand, and the Rule of Heat in the other.

The room falls utterly silent as the two glowing forces begin to merge — every gaze fixed on Enya, aware that this perilous path had only ever been successfully walked once before.

And this might be the only way to erase the curse that has plagued them for so long.

Meanwhile, back in Saisei City, the jubilant atmosphere still hasn't faded, and the competition is far from over.

In the arena, the crowd roars as the last rays of sunlight vanish and the arena's light-crystals blaze to life overhead.

Cui Ying is locked in a brutal fight against Takeda Shin, and the crowd cheers wildly, convinced that Cui Ying's defeat is only a matter of time.

Takeda Shin, disciple of the Diamond Sect's leader, is famous for his sect's speciality: forging mana into unbreakable diamond.

Even Cui Ying's sharpest wind attacks can't scratch the gleaming diamond shield surrounding Takeda.

When Cui Ying tried to close the distance with his wolf-claw morph, it only left faint scuffs across the shield.

Worse, Takeda's combat skill far outmatches Cui Ying's.

Blow after brutal blow hammers into him, and Cui Ying staggers back, blood spilling from his mouth as he clutches his aching belly.

He draws a ragged breath, circulating his blood-colored mana into his wounds to dull the pain. Even with his enhanced senses, his injuries feel like fire.

He looks up to see Takeda already preparing another strike, and the crowd's chants of Takeda's name ring in his ears like a taunt.

Cui Ying grits his teeth.

He knows that silencing them — and proving that a half-yao can rise to become a true spiritualist — depends on this moment.

And that moment is now.

Blue lines unfurl beneath Cui Ying's feet, weaving into a glowing circular array. Takeda's eyes widen — too shocked to stop him — as Cui Ying shouts, "Wind Wolf Spirit Formation Diagram, open!"

The arena falls into a hushed awe as natural energy surges into the array.

Even the watching Spiritual Masters lean forward, exchanging glances and looking toward Merin's box with astonishment.

They understand instantly: Dragon Master has succeeded once more, and now even a half-yao can become a spiritualist.

Massive wind wolves condense from swirling elemental energy, lunging at Takeda from every direction.

They slash and bite relentlessly, though they leave only shallow wounds as Takeda smashes them back into raw wind energy.

Each wolf falls, but more surge forward, consuming Cui Ying's mana faster than he can sustain them.

Cui Ying can feel himself approaching his limit, and Takeda still stands, battered but unyielding.

Gritting his teeth, Cui Ying releases his law and begins a final incantation.

"Hurricane Spell."

A pseudo-second-level spell — one of the most dangerous he can muster — and at his command, the arena explodes with raging wind.

The summoned wolves burst into pure elemental energy, feeding a towering hurricane that howls across the arena.

Spectators gasp as the cyclone engulfs Takeda in a blur of debris and elemental fury.

Then a deafening burst shakes the protective barriers, filling the arena with dust and silence.

When it settles, Cui Ying lies unconscious on the floor while Takeda staggers to his feet, seriously injured.

The judges declare Takeda the winner — but this time the crowd doesn't boo.

Instead, they erupt into respectful applause as Cui Ying is carried off by the healers.

As the next competitors' names are called, Merin frowns, sensing a strange shift in the world's fire law.

Its energy is jubilant, stirring the heat in the arena.

The same fiery celebration he felt when the Blood Rule embraced the Purification Rule.