Illusionist

"Stay calm, stay calm. There has to be a way out!" Lu Yan'an was starting to panic. The penalty for failure was absurd.

In the universe, aside from strength, what the powerful cared about most was their dignity. No one with any self-respect could accept something as outrageous as "losing control of their bowels and bladder," let alone Lu Yan'an, who had one foot over the threshold of the powerful!

Besides, as a "powerful" Star Level warrior, Lu Yan'an couldn't even remember how long it had been since he'd eaten or drunk anything. Once a warrior broke through to Planetary Level, their body could survive on Cosmic Origin Energy alone. They no longer needed to maintain their bodies through everyday food and drink.

He couldn't imagine how a Star Level body could possibly end up losing control of its bowels and bladder. Of course, he didn't particularly want to find out—especially since the penalty might happen to him.

After some strenuous mental preparation, Lu Yan'an managed to stay calm and began thinking of a way out.

The illusion had been crafted flawlessly. At least from Lu Yan'an's perspective, there was no sign of a flaw or anything crude. It was also built entirely from the "victim's" subconscious memories, so nothing felt out of place. Lu Yan'an tried to break it using the methods recorded in the Illusion Martial Artist's secret teachings, only to find that he couldn't access his mental strength at all. This wretched place had sealed his mental power, too!

Lu Yan'an was speechless. Without mental power, there was no way to forcibly break any illusion! It would only dissipate automatically after he met its requirements. He looked up again at the conditions for breaking it, written in the air: "Resolve the predicament you currently face. Within one year, restore harmony to your family and acquire ten million in assets."

In this situation, Lu Yan'an could only shake his head helplessly. He couldn't think of a solution.

He'd have to take things as they came! With his mental power sealed, Lu Yan'an could only let the illusion's events play out. First, he and his wife pooled their money to find out what was wrong at the hospital. After they chose conservative treatment, the costs of dialysis and care became a bottomless pit—hundreds every day! The pressure left Xu Yuan and her husband struggling to breathe.

His wife also found out that he'd lost his job. Lu Yan'an tried to find another one, but it was difficult to get a new job quickly, so his wife had to work alone.

Medical bills, living expenses, and the children's education costs piled up. His wife came under more and more pressure, and her temper grew worse. Finally, when she learned that the bank manager had absconded with the money and that there was no end in sight to the efforts to recover it, she couldn't take it anymore. She broke down and asked for a divorce. The moment she did, the entire illusion vanished! Lu Yan'an's consciousness returned to his body.

Before the Stairs of Sinking.

Lord Shen waited with a broad smile. When he saw Lu Yan'an regain consciousness, the corners of his mouth curled up as far as they could. He pulled out a tiny camera and snapped a flurry of pictures of Lu Yan'an!

As soon as Lu Yan'an's consciousness returned to the outside, he felt something was wrong with his body! Although he was in the Virtual Universe, his pants seemed wet, and there seemed to be something in his backside...

He turned around and saw Lord Shen holding a tiny camera and taking picture after picture of him. Lu Yan'an's face darkened. Whether from embarrassment or anger, he immediately logged off...

Qiu Long Planet, inside a hotel suite.

Lu Yan'an sat facing Lord Shen. He found that the debuff from the virtual world hadn't carried over into reality, and he let out a long sigh of relief. Across from him, Lord Shen watched with a mischievous grin, saying nothing as he kept staring.

After a long while, Lu Yan'an could no longer stand the awkward atmosphere and finally complained:

"Lord Shen, why didn't you tell me there'd be a penalty like that if I failed?" Lu Yan'an was utterly speechless. There was no way he could accept a ridiculous penalty like losing control of his bowels and bladder. If anyone found out, how could he ever show his face again? If he had a choice, he, Lu Yan'an, would rather fight a Domain Lord and die an honorable death than suffer such a humiliating disgrace in obscurity! It was just too shameful!

Lord Shen didn't mind Lu Yan'an's indignant question. He merely waved a hand and lectured him:

"Only that way will it make a lasting impression! It's not as if I just wanted to indulge in my own twisted amusement."

That's exactly what you wanted! Lu Yan'an fumed helplessly to himself.

Seeing that Lu Yan'an had been driven into despair, and that he'd already gotten the embarrassing photos he wanted, Lord Shen stopped teasing him. He turned to explain the test on the Stairs of Sinking.

"Each level of the Stairs of Sinking corresponds to a predicament in life. Your task is to resolve those predicaments," Lord Shen said seriously.

"Although failing to break through brings a few harmless little penalties, they won't affect your mind. Still, you'd better stay off the virtual network while you're being punished."

"You call that a little penalty?" Lu Yan'an couldn't accept it.

"An Illusionist's cultivation isn't based on secret arts alone. It's a great path. The tests on the Stairs of Sinking make you find solutions quickly when facing life's difficulties. They teach you never to give up in the face of hardship, even desperation. This is a form of spiritual cultivation!"

Lord Shen looked at Lu Yan'an earnestly. The teasing had vanished from his face, replaced by a resolute expression.

"You should know that those so-called 'Illusionists' who rely on secret arts to dominate aren't true Illusionists. They're merely users of illusions. Every Illusionist is a master of the mind. They can not only wield the power of illusion but are also experts at solving problems. If you can embark on this path and reach its peak, you may even become immune to enslavement secret arts!"

Hearing this, Lu Yan'an's eyes lit up. Immunity to enslavement secret arts was incredibly appealing; it would greatly improve his safety. The powerful of the universe would rather die than be enslaved! After falling, they might still have a chance to be resurrected by a Universe Master. But if they were enslaved, all would be lost. So he immediately promised:

"Lord Shen, I'll take this seriously."

Seeing Lu Yan'an's attitude, Lord Shen nodded in satisfaction. Then, as if he'd just thought of something, he said:

"What you need now isn't to blindly tackle the tests. You need to read!"

"Read?" Lu Yan'an looked confused.

"Solving life's predicaments is a branch of the humanities in the universe, so naturally there's knowledge about it! What you need now is to study that knowledge, then apply it flexibly during the tests. With the knowledge you have now, you could tackle the Stairs of Sinking until you died and still never make it through!"

In the law-of-the-jungle universe, strength was certainly of paramount importance, but knowledge of the humanities wasn't just for show, either. Powerful people who had nothing but strength were little more than enforcers. The idea that the powerful came first had produced one "coddled baby" after another. They had none of the mental resilience to match their strength, and their weaknesses were glaring. Any humanities expert with enough resources could destroy such "paper tigers" in minutes.

"Then what books should I read?" Lu Yan'an asked eagerly.

Lord Shen tapped away at the Light Brain in his hand, then said to Lu Yan'an:

"These are the seven books I think are most worth reading at your current stage. I've sent them to your Light Brain. Read all seven first! When you're done, I'll send you to the corresponding study room in the Virtual Universe for half a month of study. With your Star Level brain, you'll learn this stuff quickly!"

Lord Shen smiled at Lu Yan'an, paused, then continued.

"That should give you enough theory. Half a month of theoretical study, then practice! Practice is the sole test of truth! Plenty of people can talk a good game on paper, but when they actually face a predicament in life, they still freeze on the spot. How much you truly learn and understand will depend on whether you think seriously and work through the problems."

"All right, I understand," Lu Yan'an said with a nod. He sat down and immediately began reading the seven books, laying the foundations for his study of the humanities.

Lord Shen watched Lu Yan'an studying diligently and nodded to himself. For now, at least, he was extremely satisfied with Lu Yan'an, his disciple. Perhaps before long, this tender little flower would bloom across the universe with a style all his own!