The Silent Profundity Floating Ruins took complete shape the instant his consciousness returned. Qin Yu felt no solid ground beneath his feet, yet he stood firmly, as if his very existence was an "anchor point." There was no concept of heaven and earth here; up, down, left, and right constantly flipped and folded in his perception, only to return to stillness in the next instant, with illusion and reality alternating repeatedly in the same breath. In the distance was not emptiness, but a "phantom dome" pieced together from countless broken mirrors. The mirrors varied in size, their edges sharp as blades, yet they floated extremely quietly, as if frozen in some forgotten time fracture.
Qin Yu's gaze swept across his surroundings, a sudden realization dawning on him as he finally understood the true nature of his surroundings. The ancient will of the Shadow-Devouring Forest of No Return wasn't trying to annihilate him, but rather to guide him into a far more ancient and purer structural core—the true trial grounds of the Asura Immortal Hall. He murmured to himself, his voice stretching infinitely through the space, then echoing and transforming into layers of illusory shadows, "I never imagined the Asura Immortal Hall's trial grounds would be hidden within the Shadow-Devouring Forest of No Return."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Silent Profundity Floating Ruins suddenly trembled. The suspended mirror lit up simultaneously, and the scene in the mirror was not the outside world, but a series of "slices of memory" that had been forcibly awakened. Scenes of his cultivation during the Void Emanation Realm period unfolded like a torrent—the supernatural powers he had once attained repeatedly evolved in the mirror, the runes flowing, their power as strong as ever; the powerful enemies he had once slain stood up again in the mirror, their faces clear, their auras imposing; and those unfulfilled wishes and paths yet to be trodden were compressed into blurry but dazzling images, suspended deep within the mirror, as if waiting to be chosen again.
A faint, mysterious light permeated the world, not dazzling, but possessing an extremely strong "sticky" quality. When a wisp of this light brushed past Qin Yu's clothes, the surrounding mirrors trembled slightly, and several mirror images, like startled prey, rushed towards him. Illusory lines extended from the mirror images, entwining and attracting him, attempting to pull his presence into one of the mirrors. The more he tried to shake them off with force, the denser the lines became, as if the struggle itself was a response to his "obsession."
At that very moment, all the mirrors flipped simultaneously, and a figure slowly coalesced in the center of the space. It was an existence exactly like Qin Yu, identical in form, aura, and Fate Soul fluctuations, even perfectly replicating the unique calmness and sharpness deep within his sea of consciousness. It stood in mid-air, its feet shifting between reality and illusion, sometimes translucent like a phantom, sometimes solid as a mountain. With each change in state, the surrounding mystic light would collapse or explode, displaying the Ultimate form of the Void Emanation Realm's "fusion of illusion and reality."
The Void Evolution Obsession Shadow raised its head, meeting Qin Yu's gaze. There was no hostility, no emotion in its eyes, only a chillingly calm "self-affirmation"—it was not an external enemy, but rather the aggregate of all illusory and real obsessions, the inevitable result of every choice and every hesitation on the path of cultivation. Its aura began to circulate, perfectly synchronized with Qin Yu's, and supernatural patterns appeared on its surface, as if with a single thought, it could launch an attack on Qin Yu in the same way and with the same intensity.
The Profound Shadow Illusory Ruins completely sealed off at that moment, erasing all escape routes the instant the mirrors closed, leaving only this one person and one shadow standing facing each other in the gap between illusion and reality. Qin Yu felt the almost perfectly overlapping echoes of their Fate Soul, but instead of retreating, he slowly exhaled, his expression returning to Ultimate calm. He raised his head, his gaze sharp as a blade, and spoke softly, his voice amplifying throughout the entire floating ruins:
"Since we're here, let's fight." "Let's see what kind of logic this Asura Immortal Hall's trial follows."
The Void Evolution Obsession Shadow stirred.
Without any warning, its form instantly shifted between reality and illusion. One moment, it was a semi-transparent phantom, its outline seemingly composed of countless overlapping images; the next, its entire body suddenly solidified, as if forcibly "nailed into reality." Cracks appeared in the space Does Not Exist its feet, and the mirrored dome trembled, emitting a piercing resonance. Supernatural Power—"Virtual-Real Transformation"
The moment reality arrived, it unleashed a punch, without any flashy effects, only the purest compression of power. Before the fist even touched Qin Yu, the space in front of him was already compressed into a visible depression. The shattered mirror was caught in the punch's force and shot out like a bullet, leaving long streaks of light along its path. The entire illusory ruins seemed to have been forcefully tilted off its axis by this punch.
Qin Yu did not retreat.
As that force, powerful enough to withstand a full-force attack, approached, the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel within his body simultaneously spun, but instead of releasing their power, they were all contained within. His back sank slightly, and his feet trod into nothingness, yet it was as if he were stepping on an invisible load-bearing structure. His bones emitted a deep and continuous hum, and the muscle texture clearly emerged beneath his skin, like a rearranged mechanical diagram.
The fist struck. Boom!
There was no explosion, no intense light, only a dull, almost unrealistic thud. Qin Yu was propelled dozens of feet sideways by the force of the punch, leaving a straight crack in the void along his path. The edges of the crack shimmered with dark silver ripples, like the "boundary of reality" torn apart by violence.
However, his body did not disintegrate. Instead, during the slide, he made an extremely subtle adjustment—the force points of his shoulders, elbows, waist, and hips were instantly split and recombined, dispersing the straight impact of that punch into dozens of swirling force streams, which were forcibly guided along the tendons and bones.
Just as the Void Evolution Obsession Shadow was about to launch its second attack, its form suddenly became ethereal.
The real state is dissolved, and the virtual state arrives.
At that moment, it was as if half of its existence had been erased. The fist passed directly through Qin Yu's chest without leaving any mark, and the air itself was not even disturbed. Its body turned into a blurry phantom, passing by Qin Yu's side, as if this attack did not belong to reality.
However, just as it was fully illusory and preparing to solidify again from behind Qin Yu's action caused the entire Illusionary Ruins to suddenly freeze.
He neither turned around nor gave chase.
Qin Yu simply took a slow, deep breath.
It went so deep it seemed to have absorbed the entire void of the Silent Profundity Floating Ruins into his body. The next instant, his chest cavity suddenly expanded, the veins beneath his skin illuminating like a chart of meridians. The rotation speed of the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel within his body abruptly changed, no longer pursuing power output.
Instead, it completely took over his physical senses. His senses were compressed to the Ultimate; hearing, touch, and even his soul consciousness all sank down, not to capture attacks, but—the instant of switching.
The Virtual-Real Transformation and illusion is not Wuhen.
At the instant when the virtual state and the real state alternate, existence must pass through an extremely brief "boundary point". It is neither a substance nor nothingness, but a gap where the two overlap.
Qin Yu caught it.
Just before the Void Evolution Obsession Shadow was about to return to its physical state, Qin Yu's body moved.
He didn't use any external supernatural powers; he simply compressed all his strength into his right leg and then took a step forward.
This seemingly ordinary step caused the entire mirror surface of the Illusionary Ruins to emit a series of subtle cracking sounds.
He wasn't stepping on space, but rather on that fleeting boundary between reality and illusion.
Click--
The figure of the Void Evolution Obsession Shadow suddenly stopped. It was on the Threshold of falling back to the real state, and this kick forcibly "stuck" it between the two existences. Its body showed an extremely unnatural double image, half solid and half transparent, and the mysterious light around it was violently disordered, as if the switching process had been forcibly interrupted.
Qin Yu finally turned around.
His gaze was calm to the point of being ruthless, and his right fist was already extended as he turned. This punch still lacked any magical effects, but it carried an extremely terrifying "certainty," as if it existed specifically to strike at this very moment.
Bang--!
The fist landed, striking the core area where the illusion and reality overlapped.
This attack was not immune to.
The Void Evolution Obsession Shadow was blasted away, its body leaving a twisted trail in mid-air, shattering mirrors along its path into a rain of flying fragments. It regained its footing in the distance, its illusory form flickering violently, clearly indicating that Qin Yu had precisely torn a rift in their first encounter.
Qin Yu stood still, slowly retracting his fist, his breathing returning to normal, his gaze firmly fixed on his opponent.
He had grasped the essence of this trial. It wasn't about who was stronger, but about who understood "the switching itself" better.
The Void Evolution Obsession Shadow gave Qin Yu no further room to breathe.
Its form suddenly split into dozens of overlapping images, each rapidly switching between illusory and real. In its illusory state, they were like shadowy figures Does Not Exist in reality, moving around Qin Yu; the moment they materialized, they transformed into incredibly heavy entities, each step causing the entire Illusionary Ruins to tremble. At this moment, illusion and reality were no longer two separate states, but were forcibly woven into a continuously vibrating suppressive domain. The entire Profound Shadow Illusory Ruins seemed to transform into a wildly running engine, the mirrored sky constantly refracting and recombining, forming layers upon layers of spatial corridors, trapping Qin Yu within.
Immediately following, the second supernatural power descended: "Obsession Resonance".
A deep echo reverberated from the depths of the Illusionary Ruins, like an invisible heartbeat, resonating with Qin Yu's soul frequency. Countless mirrors lit up simultaneously, no longer showing afterimages of battle, but rather scenes deliberately magnified—figures who had fought side by side but perished, companions he couldn't protect, beings caught in the vortex of cause and effect, and those choices he knew he couldn't turn back from, yet he never truly let go of.
These images, though not offensive, were more corrosive than any supernatural power. They swirled slowly within the illusory ruins, like a gentle yet cruel tide, inching closer and closer to Qin Yu's mind. The voice of the Void Evolution Obsession Shadow came from all directions, overlapping, deep, and almost merging with Qin Yu's own thoughts—if he were to lose focus even for a moment, if he hesitated even for a second, a fatal blow would follow.
The suppression area began to shrink.
The rapidly shifting images of reality and illusion flashed around Qin Yu, each brush past forcing him to instinctively "judge" whether the moment was real or fake, illusory or real. Making a judgment meant that his obsession remained.
Qin Yu stopped.
He no longer dodged, nor did he try to catch the gap between reality and illusion. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes.
Just as the Void Evolution Obsession Shadow was about to launch its encirclement, the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel within Qin Yu's body suddenly slowed down simultaneously, and finally—came to a complete stop.
It wasn't that it was suppressed, but that he deliberately stopped it. All the operational logic used for analysis, judgment, and differentiation was extinguished by his own hand.
Then, an extremely low, almost inaudible declaration resounded within the illusory ruins.
He unfolded the "Void Evolution Jiwu".
At this moment, no domain unfolded, no flames erupted. Qin Yu simply stood there, and his aura began to undergo an indescribable change—his presence was rapidly fading, but not disappearing; rather, he no longer participated in the opposition between the illusory and the real. His body remained in place, yet it was as if he had been detached from the "defined existence," belonging neither to the illusory nor the real.
The mirror surface of the Illusionary Ruins began to tremble violently.
For the first time, the rapidly shifting suppression domain became chaotic. Those afterimages that relied on the opposition between the illusory and the real, upon approaching Qin Yu, seemed to lose their reference point, their movements becoming sluggish and disordered. They were unable to lock onto their target because Qin Yu no longer responded to either the "illusory" or the "real".
"Obsession Resonance" is still in operation.
The images in the mirror grew clearer and clearer, even beginning to speak, trying to pull him back to his obsessions of "choice," "regret," and "protection." However, Qin Yu neither denied nor responded. He simply let the images pass by him, as if watching an old dream that had nothing to do with him.
His consciousness completely subsided at that moment, no longer projecting outwards nor tracing inwards.
Wu Xiang. Just as the Void Evolution Obsession Shadow realized something was wrong, it launched its final killing move.
Profound Shadow Devouring
Three real, overlapping images manifested simultaneously, carrying a devouring power powerful enough to drag cultivators into the mirror world, striking Qin Yu from three directions at once. If this attack hit, the three overlapping judgments would directly complete the pull, trapping him in the Illusionary Ruins forever.
However, their attack passed right through.
It wasn't that it was blocked, nor that it was immune; rather, it lost its meaning. Qin Yu's existence, in that instant, seemed no longer to be an object "that could be hit." The attack landed, but no causal point of "hit" was formed.
The next moment, the body of the Void Evolution Obsession Shadow suddenly stiffened. It began to disintegrate.
It was not destroyed from the outside, but lost its support from within. The logic of switching between reality and illusion, and the foundation of its Obsession Resonance, which constituted it, crumbled one by one under the influence of "The Void Evolution Jiwu". It tried to switch forms again, but found that "illusion" and "reality" could no longer be defined - because the opponent was no longer involved in this confrontation.
The mirror image began to shatter, turning into silent, dissipating dust.
Before its disintegration, the Void Evolution Obsession Shadow took one last look at Qin Yu. In that look, there was no resentment, only a blankness akin to liberation. Then, its form completely disintegrated, turning into countless fragments of mysterious light, which were absorbed by the Illusory Ruins itself.
Heaven and earth fell silent.
The Profound Shadow Illusory Ruins receded like the tide, and the world, a tapestry of illusion and reality, collapsed layer by layer, leaving only a clear Emptiness.
Qin Yu reopened his eyes, his aura slowly returning, but it was more restrained and stable than before he entered the trial, indicating that the first trial had ended.