At the very moment Li Chang'an left, a shadowy figure also vanished without a trace.
Outside the Great Spirit Arena, apart from a few spectators who hadn't managed to buy tickets and some scalpers loitering nearby, the place was relatively quiet.
The road back to the academy was not too far. After all, the arena was located near the central district of Heaven Dou City. Still, there was a stretch of rather secluded path one had to take.
It was still morning. The sun shone brightly overhead, and its warm rays wrapped the body in a gentle comfort.
Though Li Chang'an walked slowly, his steps carried an effortless rhythm. Ever since he had grasped the true essence of the Yin-Yang Taiji Soul Core, each of his movements exuded an otherworldly aura, as though he were gliding like an immortal.
But as he continued forward, an unease stirred within him.
This road felt… strangely long today.
The sunlight still fell upon him, yet its warmth had vanished. Instead, a faint chill seemed to seep silently from all directions.
The surroundings grew unnaturally quiet. The usual noises of the street had disappeared without a trace.
The scene before his eyes blurred, as though veiled in a thin layer of mist, rendering everything indistinct.
Then, about ten meters ahead, a hazy figure gradually took shape.
"No wonder you are the youth I once feared—your vigilance truly lives up to your reputation. Unfortunately, you realized it too late."
It was an elderly man in white robes. Li Chang'an had seen him once before—or at least had some impression of him. He was Shi Nian, the instructor of Blue Sunshine Academy, a seventy-second rank Spirit Saint.
A suitable carrier for Rongrong's spirit bone, Li Chang'an instantly labeled him.
Fixing his cold gaze on Shi Nian, Li Chang'an asked with a faint sneer:
"So it's Blue Sunshine Academy's teacher. May I ask why you've blocked my path?"
Shi Nian chuckled lightly. "No advice to give. I simply need you to disappear."
Li Chang'an's eyes chilled. "This is for the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, isn't it?"
Shi Nian nodded, a trace of coldness at the corner of his lips.
"I've been searching for a chance these past few days, but you were always surrounded by your fellow academy students, leaving me no opening. Today, however, you gave me one. Such a pity… if only you weren't from Crimson Rose Academy."
Li Chang'an frowned. "You think killing me will allow your Academy to triumph over us?"
Shi Nian's expression darkened. "If killing one isn't enough, I'll kill more—until it is enough. Perhaps my next target will be that girl, Zhu Zhuqing."
Li Chang'an's eyes turned icy. He casually brushed his ear, already condemning this man to death.
Yet Shi Nian continued to laugh to himself. The wrinkles on his face twisted grotesquely, his vulture-like eyes gleaming with malice.
"Do not worry. Since I've decided to strike, I have already made every preparation. Do you hope your elders will avenge you? Rest assured, I will leave behind no evidence. Look closely—do you truly still stand upon Heaven Dou City's streets?"
The blurry scenery abruptly sharpened. Li Chang'an realized he now stood in a remote wilderness, with Heaven Dou City's distant walls barely visible in the background. This was a small forest outside the city.
'Interesting illusion. Let's test it first, shall we?'
He struck out casually, sending a palm imbued with soul power toward Shi Nian. It was just an ordinary attack.
As expected, when it struck, Shi Nian showed no reaction—no injuries, not even a drop of blood.
Instead, Li Chang'an's system suddenly chimed:
[Ding! Detected that you are within another's illusion. The system can assist in fusing and modifying this illusion. Cost: 1,000,000 points]
A million points—for a system-upgraded illusion. Worth it?
Illusions could not directly kill, but used well, they were deadlier than ordinary attacks, catching foes completely off guard.
'Exchange!'
Without hesitation, Li Chang'an made his choice. To Shinian, however, it looked as though Li Chang'an had been struck dumb with fear.
Shi Nian's smile relaxed, his tone full of disdain.
"Among your peers, you are indeed formidable. I have never seen such a brilliant young Spirit Master. Unfortunately, the gap between us cannot be bridged with mere talent."
"Your attacks may be fierce, but sadly, what you see, what you feel—all are nothing but fragments of my dreamscape."
"Even the 'reality' I showed you just now remains part of my illusion. Here, in my Remnant Dream, I am the sole master. Forget you, a mere two-ring Spirit Master—even those equal to my rank cannot break free."
"Do you know my greatest joy in life?" Shi Nian's grin twisted strangely, almost perverse.
"What?" Li Chang'an asked casually, glancing at his system's progress. Almost done.
Shi Nian's eyes gleamed. "Watching my enemies lose themselves in my Remnant Dream—descending into madness, until death claims them. Soon, I'll witness a so-called genius youth crumble into insanity. Already, I feel the thrill."
"So you must kill me? No room for compromise?" Li Chang'an asked with feigned calm.
Shi Nian's expression contorted with ferocity. "Since I've revealed myself, how could I let you live? Don't bother struggling. To you, it is meaningless. Next year, on this very day, will be your death anniversary. If souls truly exist, then watch—watch as Blue Sunshine Academy cuts its way through the preliminaries into the next round!"
Li Chang'an sighed faintly, as though reciting a philosopher's wisdom:
"Why go so far? Have you never heard—'Those who commit too many injustices will only bring about their own demise'?"
In an instant, his aura transformed. A vast, unfathomable spiritual power erupted, severing Shi Nian's attempt to bind him in illusion.
"This… divine? No—impossible! Who are you? How can your spiritual power be this overwhelming?" For the first time, Shi Nian panicked. He had never encountered someone whose spiritual strength eclipsed his so utterly.
His illusions relied upon spiritual power combined with his soul bone to drag opponents into their deepest fears. Yet Li Chang'an's immense spiritual force not only resisted but threatened to rebound upon him!
Li Chang'an smiled faintly.
"Who am I? A good child, a model Youth League member, a 21st-century programmer… and a heartbreaker…"
He rattled off identities until the system finally chimed: Fusion and modification complete.
At that moment, Shi Nian's face drained of color.
"My… my Dream illusion—it's gone? Impossible! This is impossible! Who… who are you really?"
He could feel his power being stripped away by some mysterious force.
"Now then, why don't you try my illusion?" Li Chang'an's tone sharpened. Rainbow light shimmered in his hand, and in an instant, Shi Nian's eyes glazed over, his mind slipping into emptiness.
Not even a minute later, fear twisted across Shi Nian's face. His body curled in on itself, trembling, while he muttered:
"No… don't kill me… it wasn't me who slaughtered your people…"
Li Chang'an needed no explanation—Shi Nian was trapped in a nightmare of his old enemies' revenge. Compared to Shi Nian's crude illusions, Li Chang'an's version was seamless, deadly silent, and infinitely more real. With his colossal spiritual power, he could even intrude into and reshape others' illusions.
Products of the system—always top quality. Too bad they're just so expensive, Li Chang'an thought dryly.
As he glanced at his account, all the points he had painstakingly earned from the first preliminary match were gone, leaving him feeling that leveling up was once again a distant dream.
Without hesitation, Shi Nian, consumed by terror and illusion, raised a hand—then struck his own head.
Thus ended the life of a cunning schemer—defeated, ultimately, within his own illusion.
_____
T/N:
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