The second trial arena was colder—shrouded in mist and shadows, the stage bordered by glowing glyphs and runes that shimmered like foxfire. A crescent moon hung overhead, and the silence felt too deliberate, like a predator waiting just outside the line of vision.
Su Chen stepped forward, robes crisp, his eyes steady.
Across from him stood Ren Yujin, heir to the Moon-Fox Bloodline.
He wasn't tall. He didn't wear armor. But his presence sent a chill down Su Chen's spine. Yujin's white hair fell loosely over one shoulder, and a silver-furred fox coiled lazily around his neck like a scarf that might bite.
Yujin smiled. "You're not what I expected."
Su Chen narrowed his eyes. "Neither are you."
The barrier shimmered closed around them. The arena grew deathly quiet.
> [System Notice: Reset Checkpoint Established – Trial: 2 of 3]
Opponent Attributes: Moon-Fox Bloodline (Illusion-Type), Dual-Core Cultivator, Domain Potential: High.
*System Energy: 68%. Use reset with caution.
Yujin didn't charge.
He didn't posture, or draw a weapon.
He just looked at Su Chen, eyes half-lidded, voice soft like silk soaked in poison.
"Tell me something, Su Chen. When you reset—does it still hurt?"
Su Chen stepped into a defensive stance, ignoring the bait.
Yujin tilted his head. "Ah. So it does. You're not invincible. Just stubborn."
Suddenly the world tilted—subtle.
Su Chen blinked—and the arena was… different.
The mist thickened. The crowd was gone. The ground beneath him rippled like water.
> [Alert: Illusion Domain Detected – Moon-Fox Phase Layer]
Mental Resistance: Activating… Success: 61%
Yujin vanished.
Su Chen spun, expecting an attack from behind—but it never came.
Instead, a voice whispered from the fog.
"Do you know what illusions really are, Su Chen? They're not lies. They're just truths you don't want to face."
From the mist emerged a different figure—a man wearing imperial robes, face twisted in betrayal.
Su Chen's breath caught.
Jiang Tianyu.
The old betrayer. The first blade in his back.
Su Chen stepped back instinctively—then caught himself.
"No. You're dead. This isn't real."
But the illusion smiled. "You still remember how I killed you, don't you?"
The memory flashed—pain, blood, divine lightning falling like rain.
Su Chen clenched his fists.
Yujin's voice echoed all around him. "Reset all you want. But memories don't die. They fester."
Su Chen growled. "If this is a memory trial, you'll need to do better."
He circulated his Qi and slammed his palm into the illusion's chest.
The fake Jiang Tianyu dissolved into ash.
A crack appeared in the illusion layer.
> [Moon-Fox Illusion Disrupted – 13% collapse rate]
Yujin's real form appeared above, standing midair like a phantom, arms spread wide.
"You're no fun. You don't even flinch. But how about this—?"
The mist warped again. This time, Yue Ling appeared.
She was bound, eyes wide with fear. Her Qi core flickered erratically, like it was being devoured from the inside.
"Help me, Su Chen!" she screamed. "Please, it's burning—"
Su Chen's control wavered. Just for a second.
Enough.
Yujin struck.
A tendril of silver Qi lashed forward from the illusion and struck Su Chen in the chest, forcing him to one knee.
Pain flared, sharp and sudden.
> [Status: Internal Disruption – Minor Damage to Meridian Web]
Yujin descended, walking toward him slowly. "You think you're a god just because you can redo your mistakes. But some wounds stay. Some illusions don't fade."
He crouched beside Su Chen and whispered, "Want to see her die again? And again? Reset all you like—I'll break you with memory alone."
Su Chen's hand trembled.
Then he smiled.
"Thanks for the lesson."
Yujin froze.
"You talk too much," Su Chen said—and then activated his core.
> [Mental Flame Technique: Mirror Burn – Activated]
The mist flared.
Yujin's illusion cracked. Light bled in.
His smirk twisted into surprise. "Wait, you've trained in—?!"
Su Chen punched upward with a fist wrapped in blazing spiritual fire. It collided with Yujin's stomach, sending him crashing back through his own illusion.
The mist shattered like glass.
They were back in the real arena now.
The crowd cheered, barely aware of what had transpired within the illusion.
Yujin staggered to his feet, blood at the corner of his lips.
"You used illusion defense techniques…?"
Su Chen rose, expression flat. "Your illusions almost worked. But you made one mistake."
Yujin spat. "What mistake?"
"You thought I was afraid of pain."
Su Chen blurred forward—and delivered a spinning kick to Yujin's ribs, followed by a palm strike to the neck.
The silver fox on Yujin's shoulders leapt away, hissing.
Yujin fell.
> [Trial 2 Result: Victory – Illusion Broken, Opponent Defeated]
System Energy: -19%
Reputation: Unpredictable (High Watch Interest)
Outside the barrier, Yue Ling watched in stunned silence. She didn't speak until the arena lights dimmed.
"That wasn't just a win," she said. "You broke a Moon-Fox illusion. In public."
Su Chen walked past her, his steps slow but confident.
"I don't need to win with power," he said. "I just need to survive until the final trial."
She caught up. "You're bleeding inside, aren't you?"
He didn't answer.
But his silence said everything.