Chapter 55: The Power of Illusion

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Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the entire low peak trembled violently.

The inner courtyard disciples, deep in their cultivation, were startled awake by the sudden shaking. Startled, they abandoned their practice and rushed outside.

“What’s going on? Who’s fighting?”

“That was a huge noise—could someone have broken through?”

“Senior Brother Zhang! Senior Brother Wang! Do you know what’s happening?”

“…”

At the mountain’s base, the disciples were bewildered, scanning their surroundings in confusion.

But those living midway up the mountain were already looking upward, necks craned and eyes wide with astonishment.

At the summit.

Xiu Luo stood amidst the collapsed debris, shaking off her missed punch. She surveyed her surroundings.

Then she spotted Yu Zhao not far behind her, her face etched with disdain.

Xiu Luo’s simmering fury ignited once more. She spun around, and a brilliant yellow light flared as her speed abruptly increased.

“Hah!”

Another punch crashed down.

An invisible shockwave swept outward from Xiu Luo’s center.

The air resounded with endless sonic booms.

Xiu Luo, her focus locked on Yu Zhao, paid no attention to the faint, peculiar scent drifting through the air.

Whoosh—

Another miss.

A flicker of disbelief and frustration crossed Xiu Luo’s face.

Just a moment ago, Yu Zhao had been within her attack range. In the blink of an eye, she had vanished.

She hadn’t even seen how Yu Zhao disappeared.

“Hmph. With your skill level, you dream of becoming Master Qing Yan’s disciple? Delusional!”

A voice dripping with mockery rang out behind her.

Xiu Luo bit her lip in humiliation, her eyes bloodshot.

“With your talent, you’ve already peaked as an inner courtyard disciple. Don’t crave what isn’t yours.”

Yu Zhao’s words, sharp as daggers, pierced straight to Xiu Luo’s deepest insecurities.

“Ahhh!”

Xiu Luo roared, launching herself at Yu Zhao.

Her fists roared through the air, each strike faster and fiercer than the last.

She had lost all reason. Her only thought was to kill Yu Zhao.

By now, all the disciples, whether from the mountain’s base or midway, had traced the source of the commotion and swarmed to the summit.

And every single one of them stood there slack-jawed, their expressions frozen in bewildered disbelief.

“Her fundamentals are solid.”

Elder Hou’s expression twitched uncontrollably as he overheard Yu Zhao’s serious-sounding evaluation.

Glancing at Xiu Luo, who was locked in an intense battle with empty air, and then at the gathered disciples, Elder Hou couldn’t help but sigh.

What a pity.

This was an utter embarrassment.

After hesitating a moment, Elder Hou’s curiosity overtook his concern for dignity, and he whispered, “Weren’t you studying the Bright Moon Over the Sea Technique under Master Qing Yan? Since when did you switch to illusion techniques?”

Yu Zhao gave him a puzzled look. “I am no longer Master Qing Yan’s disciple. Naturally, I couldn’t continue practicing the Bright Moon Over the Sea Technique.”

Elder Hou was momentarily speechless.

Yu Zhao spoke as if switching cultivation techniques was a trivial matter, but Elder Hou knew better. Changing techniques was no easy feat.

Judging from Yu Zhao’s performance today, she had adapted remarkably well. Xiu Luo, of equal cultivation level, had been thoroughly ensnared in Yu Zhao’s illusions without even realizing it.

Elder Hou studied Yu Zhao’s composed and relaxed demeanor, his feelings mixed.

The Yu Zhao he saw was nothing like the one in the rumors.

Where was the supposed arrogance, recklessness, and hot temper?

Elder Hou found none of it.

Instead, he saw a calm, intelligent, and slightly mischievous genius.

Yes, a genius—he had no doubt about it. With her uncanny illusions, she was unbeatable below the Golden Core stage.

So why, then, had Master Qing Yan expelled Yu Zhao from her tutelage?

Elder Hou grew increasingly uncomfortable, his heart itching with curiosity like a restless cat.

Meanwhile…

After their prolonged shock, the inner courtyard disciples finally regained their composure.

Someone couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

And then, the laughter spread like wildfire.

It was a joyous celebration!

Finally, someone had put Xiu Luo, the notorious bully, in her place!

Heavens knew how much suffering they had endured under Xiu Luo’s fists.

To take a punch from her was no joke—immediately, you’d drop into a deep, peaceful sleep. And when you woke up the next day, every bone in your body would feel like it had been ground to dust, leaving you sore all over.

The most haunting memory was when Xiu Luo hit a bottleneck in her cultivation. It was as though she had gone mad, challenging every inner courtyard disciple one by one.

During that period, the entire inner courtyard was filled with wails of despair. No one felt safe.

Who would have thought they’d ever see the day when Xiu Luo got embarrassed?

The disciples were overjoyed, their spirits soaring.

Of course, not everyone was delighted to see Xiu Luo humiliated. At the front of the crowd, four individuals stood with solemn expressions. Their gazes were not on Xiu Luo but discreetly studied the unfamiliar girl standing beside Elder Hou.

Before they arrived at the summit, only Xiu Luo, Elder Hou, and this unknown girl had been present.

It was clear—the girl was the one who had caused Xiu Luo to act so bizarrely.

The four quickly calculated: if they were to face this girl, what were their chances of victory?

The answers they came to only darkened their expressions.

The inner courtyard now had another formidable disciple, threatening the existing rankings.

As the discussions atop the summit grew louder, Elder Hou finally decided he had seen enough and discerned Yu Zhao’s methods. This trial had reached its conclusion.

“Yu Zhao, let her wake up,” Elder Hou said, casting a sympathetic glance at Xiu Luo.

The poor girl—she was practically drained of spiritual energy from sheer exhaustion.

Yu Zhao’s expression remained indifferent as she formed a quick hand seal with her right hand and pointed decisively.

Xiu Luo staggered as though struck by a heavy blow to the head. Her consciousness wavered, and her movements froze.

When she regained her senses, the first thing she saw was a sea of people staring at her.

“Hahaha!”

“Ahahaha, this is killing me! So dumb!”

“Ahahahaha, if it were me, I’d dig a hole to crawl into right now. So embarrassing!”

“…”

Xiu Luo looked utterly confused.

What were they talking about?

Why couldn’t she understand?

Wasn’t she in the middle of fighting Yu Zhao? Why had she suddenly stopped?

Instinctively, Xiu Luo scanned the crowd, searching for Yu Zhao.

After a moment, she spotted her by Elder Hou’s side.

In stark contrast to her own sweat-drenched and breathless state, Yu Zhao looked pristine and composed. Her face wasn’t flushed, her breathing was steady, and her spiritual energy fluctuations were calm. She didn’t look like someone who had just fought a fierce battle.

Xiu Luo’s pupils contracted.

All the strange details she had unconsciously ignored during the fight came rushing back at once.

For instance, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t even graze Yu Zhao’s clothing.

For instance, Yu Zhao had effortlessly revealed her most deeply hidden insecurities.

And for instance, the faint peculiar scent she’d caught during the battle.

Finally, Xiu Luo realized that from the very beginning, she had fallen into Yu Zhao’s trap.

What she believed was an all-out battle to defend her dream had been nothing more than a pitiful solo performance.

At that moment…

An overwhelming sense of despair engulfed Xiu Luo.

She stood motionless, her eyes devoid of light.

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