Illusionist

"Calm down, stay calm, there must be a way!" Lu Yan'an felt a sense of panic rising within him; this failure penalty was simply too absurd.

In the universe, aside from raw strength, what powerhouses care about most is their reputation. A situation as ridiculous as "incontinence" is something no one with a shred of dignity could accept, let alone Lu Yan'an, who had already half-stepped into the threshold of being a powerhouse!

Furthermore, as a Star Level "powerhouse," Lu Yan'an couldn't even remember the last time he had eaten or drank. One must know that once a martial artist breaks through to the Planetary Level, their body can survive solely on cosmic origin energy, completely eliminating the need for daily food and water intake to maintain bodily functions.

He truly couldn't imagine how such a condition could manifest in a Star Level body. Of course, he didn't really want to know either, especially since such a penalty might actually fall upon him.

After some intense psychological preparation, Lu Yan'an managed to maintain his composure and began to think of a way to break the deadlock.

This illusion was designed flawlessly; at least from Lu Yan'an's perspective, there were no flaws or rough edges. Moreover, it was constructed entirely based on the "victim's" subconscious memories, making it impossible for one to feel detached from the experience. Lu Yan'an tried to break it using the methods recorded in the secret manuals of the Illusion Martial Artist, only to discover that he couldn't access his spiritual power at all. This godforsaken place even suppressed spiritual power!

Lu Yan'an was left speechless; without spiritual power, there was no way to forcibly shatter any illusion! He would have to fulfill the requirements within it for the illusion to dissipate automatically. He looked up again at the requirements for breaking the illusion floating in the air: "Resolve the current predicament; within one year, bring harmony to the family and possess ten million in assets."

Faced with this situation, Lu Yan'an could only shake his head helplessly; he couldn't think of any way to achieve this.

Take it one step at a time! With his spiritual power suppressed, Lu Yan'an had no choice but to let the illusion's plot unfold. First, he and his wife pooled their money together to go to the hospital to understand the situation. After choosing conservative treatment, the costs of dialysis and maintenance became a bottomless pit, costing hundreds every day! This put such immense pressure on Xu Yuan and his wife that they could barely breathe.

His wife also learned that he had lost his job. Lu Yan'an tried to find work, but it was difficult to find a new position in such a short time, so his wife had to work alone.

Between medical bills, the pressure of daily life, and the expenses for their children's education, his wife's stress grew, and her temper became increasingly volatile. Finally, when his wife learned that the bank manager had absconded with their money and that there was no hope of recovering it, she could no longer hold back. She broke down and demanded a divorce. As she proposed the divorce, the entire illusion dissipated! Lu Yan'an's consciousness returned to his own body.

In front of the Stairs of Sinking.

Lord Shen waited with a smile on its face. When it saw Lu Yan'an's consciousness recover, the curve of its mouth widened to its maximum. It pulled out a tiny camera and began snapping photos of Lu Yan'an frantically!

When Lu Yan'an's consciousness returned to the outside world, he felt that something was wrong with his body! Even though he was in the Virtual Universe, his pants felt wet, and it seemed as if some foreign object had appeared on his buttocks...

He turned around and saw Lord Shen holding a tiny camera, continuously taking pictures of him. Lu Yan'an's face darkened—whether from shame or anger, he couldn't tell—and he immediately logged off...

Qiu Long Planet, inside a hotel suite.

Lu Yan'an and Lord Shen sat facing each other. He discovered that the debuff from the virtual world had not been carried over to the real world, which made him heave a long sigh of relief. Opposite him, Lord Shen looked at him with a mischievous grin, saying nothing, just watching him.

After a long while, Lu Yan'an could no longer endure the awkward atmosphere and began to complain:

"Lord Shen, why didn't you tell me earlier that there was such a penalty if I didn't pass?" Lu Yan'an was extremely speechless; he simply couldn't accept such an absurd penalty as incontinence. If others found out, what would happen to his reputation? If he had a choice, he would rather fight a Domain Lord to the death with dignity than suffer such an anonymous social death! It was just too humiliating!

Lord Shen didn't mind Lu Yan'an's angry, embarrassed questioning. It simply waved its hand and lectured:

"Only in this way can you remember it deeply! It's not like I just want to satisfy my own twisted sense of humor."

"I think that's exactly what you're doing!" Lu Yan'an began to rage helplessly in his own mind.

Seeing that Lu Yan'an had been driven into a state of self-seclusion, and having obtained the dark history it wanted, Lord Shen stopped teasing him. It turned to start introducing the trials of the Stairs of Sinking.

"Each level of the Stairs of Sinking corresponds to a life predicament, and what you need to do is resolve these predicaments," Lord Shen said seriously.

"Although there are some harmless little penalties if you fail a breakthrough, they won't affect your spirit. It's just that you'd better not go on the virtual network while under the penalty."

"You call this a little penalty?" Lu Yan'an expressed that he could not accept this.

"The cultivation of an Illusionist doesn't rely solely on secret techniques; it is a very great path. The trials on the Stairs of Sinking are meant to make you quickly find ways to solve problems when facing life's predicaments. What it brings you is an attitude of never giving up when facing difficulties or even desperate situations; this is cultivation of the mind!"

Lord Shen stared intently at Lu Yan'an, the playfulness on its face completely gone, replaced by a firm expression.

"You must know that so-called 'Illusionists' who rely solely on secret techniques to bully others are not orthodox 'Illusionists'; they can only be called users of illusions. Every 'Illusionist' is a master of the mind; they are not only able to wield the power of illusions but are also experts at solving problems. If you can walk this path, you might even be able to reach the peak and become immune to enslavement techniques!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan'an's eyes lit up. Immunity to enslavement techniques was incredibly valuable, greatly guaranteeing his own safety. Powerhouses in the universe would rather die than be enslaved! After falling in battle, there is still a chance to be resurrected by a Lord of the Universe, but if one is enslaved, then everything is over. Thus, he immediately promised:

"Lord Shen, I will definitely take this seriously."

Seeing Lu Yan'an's attitude, Lord Shen nodded in satisfaction, then, as if thinking of something, it spoke:

"What you need right now is not to blindly rush through the levels, but to read books!"

"Read books?" Lu Yan'an looked puzzled.

"Resolving life's predicaments belongs to a branch of cosmic humanities, and naturally, there is knowledge regarding this! What you need now is to learn this knowledge and then apply it flexibly during the trials. Otherwise, with your current knowledge base, you could rush the Stairs of Sinking until you die and still never pass!"

In the cosmic forest that follows the law of the jungle, while power is certainly the most important factor, knowledge of the humanities is by no means just for show; powerhouses with nothing but strength are basically just thugs. Especially the "power-is-supreme" philosophy among the strong in the universe has created batches of "giant babies" who have no state of mind to match their power, and their weaknesses are extremely obvious. Any master of the humanities, as long as they have enough resources, could play such "fake powerhouses" to death in a minute.

"Then what books should I read?" Lu Yan'an asked, unable to wait.

Lord Shen operated the light brain in its hand and then said to Lu Yan's:

"These are the seven books I think are most worth reading for you right now, and they have already been sent to your light brain. Read these seven books first! Once you've finished reading them, I will send you to the corresponding study room in the Virtual Universe for half a month of study. Relying on your Star Level brain, you will learn these things very quickly!"

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

"In this way, your theoretical foundation will be about enough. After half a month of theoretical study, it's time for practice! Practice is the only criterion for testing truth! Many people are just armchair strategists; when they really encounter life's predicaments, they still freeze on the spot. However, how much you can truly learn and comprehend still depends on whether you will think seriously and solve problems."

"Alright, I understand what you mean." Lu Yan'an nodded, then sat down and immediately began reading the seven books, starting his foundational entry into the humanities.

Seeing Lu Yan'an's diligent study, Lord Shen nodded silently. At least for now, it was extremely satisfied with Lu Yan'an as a disciple. Perhaps in the near future, this tender little flower, Lu Yan'an, would also be able to bloom with its own unique charm in the universe!