Chapter 102 - 47: Mirage Mirror: Three Thousand Realms

Chapter 102: Chapter 47: Mirage Mirror: Three Thousand Realms

Jiang Xuan had considered using his advancement to Qi Cultivator to solve the difficult problem of finding his acupoints.

However, his Qi Cultivator Professional Level was currently 3 out of 4, not the 4 out of 4 needed for Perfection, so Jiang Xuan temporarily put the matter aside.

While Jiang Xuan was lost in thought, he arrived at the Sect’s Martial Arts Arena.

As a Northern Major Sect, the Shenxiao Sect naturally had more than one Martial Arts Arena.

The one Jiang Xuan had come to was located near the Four Seasons Valley.

However, upon arriving, Jiang Xuan stopped in his tracks.

To his astonishment, he discovered this place was nothing like what he’d imagined—he had expected a massive open space divided into a hundred-odd fighting rings where hundreds, if not thousands, of disciples dueled with swords.

What greeted his eyes was a lake.

A lake as smooth as a mirror appeared before him, its waters suffused with an iridescent, dreamlike glow.

Along the shore, hundreds of pavilions were scattered about. Within each pavilion stood an Ancient Mirror, and before it, a Cultivator sat cross-legged with eyes closed.

"What is this?"

As Jiang Xuan was filled with confusion, a gentle voice suddenly spoke beside him. "This way to register, sir."

He turned toward the voice and saw a young woman in a simple dress.

Seeing his bewildered expression, the young woman gave a light chuckle. As she began processing his registration, she explained patiently, "You must be one of the new disciples, sir. You’re in the right place. This is the Shenxiao Sect’s Martial Arts Arena."

As the young woman continued to register him and explain, Jiang Xuan slowly began to understand why the Sect’s Martial Arts Arena looked this way.

"’Martial Arts Arenas like that—just a large, open field divided into hundreds of smaller rings—did exist a thousand years ago.’"

"’But that type of arena had far too many drawbacks. Blades are indiscriminate, and without supervision, a moment of carelessness in a Magical Battle could lead to serious injury, or even death.’"

"’The Shenxiao Sect is a Renowned and Righteous Sect, not like those villains from the Demon Sects who have no regard for life. Besides, this is a Martial Arts Arena, not a life-or-death dueling ground. The Sect would never permit so many senseless deaths.’"

"’But we couldn’t just get rid of the Martial Arts Arena, either. Real combat experience is essential for our disciples.’"

"’To solve this, the Sect tried various methods, like having seniors act as referees or refining Protective Talismans that would activate upon a fatal blow. But the cost was simply staggering.’"

"’Ultimately, a thousand years ago, the Sect Leader of Shenxiao Hall spearheaded a project. Many Dharma Veins pooled their efforts and jointly created a grand Illusion Array: the Mirage Mirror: Three Thousand Realms. Rumor has it that to complete this Array, the Sect even collaborated with the Celestial Sea Business Alliance... That lake is a reflection of the Mirage Mirror and the very hub of this Martial Arts Arena. The mirrors in the lakeside pavilions are the nodes that connect to the Illusion Array.’"

"’You just have to sit in a pavilion and gaze into the mirror, and your Heart Spirit will be drawn into the Mirage Mirror. Inside, there are countless illusory worlds where you can fight without restraint. Even if you ’die’ in battle, it will only cost you a bit of spiritual energy.’"

After hearing Mo Yu’s explanation, Jiang Xuan immediately understood why Granny Lan had said he could hone his killing intent at the Martial Arts Arena. Inside the Illusion Realm, his opponents wouldn’t actually die, allowing him to cut loose and kill at will.

’The resources of a Major Sect are truly extraordinary.’

As he marveled inwardly, Jiang Xuan discreetly glanced at the young woman.

From the way she addressed him as "sir" and the subtle reverence she showed for the Celestial Sea Business Alliance, Jiang Xuan had a guess: this Maid, Mo Yu, was likely not a disciple of the Shenxiao Sect, but someone from the Celestial Sea Business Alliance.

He noted it with a glance but wasn’t overly concerned.

Unlike the Immortal Dynasty, Major Sects, or the Holy Race, the Celestial Sea Business Alliance was a commercial federation spanning multiple State Domains. Because their main business was trade across these domains and they did not vie for power, they had always maintained cooperative relationships with the various Major Sects.

It was perfectly normal for them to be involved in the creation of the Mirage Mirror: Three Thousand Realms. The fact that they had people within the Shenxiao Sect was even less of his concern.

’That’s something for the Sect’s leadership to worry about. All I need to do now is focus on improving my own strength as much as possible.’

With that thought, Jiang Xuan decided not to dwell on it any further.

But a few moments later, another thought occurred to him: ’Don’t tell me the Sect only provided the design and made the Celestial Sea Business Alliance pay for all the materials and labor?’

It was no wonder Jiang Xuan thought so. Just after he finished registering, the Maid, Mo Yu, suddenly explained that the Array’s construction, activation, and upkeep all required resources. Furthermore, the Sect had to station personnel there to maintain order, handle registration, and so on.

Therefore, to enter the Mirage Mirror: Three Thousand Realms and fight others, one had to pay Spirit Stones.

"..."

Her words made too much sense to argue with. Jiang Xuan could only take out his Spirit Stones and purchase three uses.

That was all he could afford. He had spent most of the Spirit Stones he’d earned on Dao Scriptures and didn’t have much left.

The one thing that brought him some relief was that geniuses enjoyed privileges everywhere. Here, there were two ways to use the Mirage Mirror: Three Thousand Realms. One was to pay by time: three Spirit Stones for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

The other was to pay per death.

If he chose the latter, he could keep using it indefinitely, as long as he didn’t die in a fight.

Upon hearing this rule, Jiang Xuan’s eyes immediately lit up.

"I’ll choose that one."

Seeing Jiang Xuan choose the second payment method without a hint of hesitation, Mo Yu paused for a moment but couldn’t stop herself from offering a piece of advice.

"Sir, I’d still recommend you choose the first option. The Mirage Mirror does group users by Cultivation, so you new disciples will only fight others from your year, but your current condition... is really not good."

Jiang Xuan’s condition was worse than "not good." His face was pale, his frame was frail, and he coughed from time to time.

He looked so sickly, it seemed a gust of wind could knock him over—he had rushed to the Martial Arts Arena without waiting for the chill in his body to fade.

But Jiang Xuan was fully aware of his own condition. If he dared to come in this state, it was because he had an ace up his sleeve.

So, upon hearing Mo Yu’s advice, Jiang Xuan simply said quietly, "Thank you for the warning, but my current condition isn’t a weakness. It’s an enhancement."

This was no empty boast.

The Frosty Winter Cold Qi in his body did indeed make his limbs stiff and his movements sluggish, but Jiang Xuan could also channel that endless cold to enhance the power of his winter-series Techniques.

To put it in game terms, his current status was:

[You are being eroded by the Frosty Winter Cold]

[Reaction Speed: -42%, Max Health: -33%, Strength: -50%, Movement Speed: -42%]

[Winter-type Technique Power: +300%]

"..." Jiang Xuan’s insistence made Mo Yu open her mouth to speak, but in the end, she said nothing more.

After all, they had only just met. She had done her duty by warning him, and that was enough.

After leading Jiang Xuan to an empty pavilion and explaining how to activate the Array, she turned and left.

After she departed, Jiang Xuan immediately activated the Array and sat before the mirror.

His heart pounded with excitement and anticipation. "Let’s see just how far I can get in the Mirage Mirror: Three Thousand Realms with my current strength!"