Judging objectively, this man from the neighboring world was indeed handsome. Initially viewing him with appreciative eyes, Xiang Haikui had given him high marks.

Now she just wanted to spit in his face.

Xiang Haikui pursed her lips, but when the cold wind blew, causing her to shiver, she suddenly realized something was amiss.

Could it be that only she could hear these two people talking?

She withdrew her gaze from the bottom of the Ice Spring and saw that the golden light surrounding Bai Xingxian had become extremely brilliant and dazzling.

Taking a breath of the cold, clear air, she noticed that the stench from Lu Xiqiao seemed to have disappeared.

She estimated they had been meditating for a long time, and those two were close to achieving success. If they were in a deep meditative state, it was possible they couldn’t hear anything.

But why hadn’t Yin Changli reacted?

Could he have fallen into hibernation?

She quickly loosened her connected sleeves, raised her arm, and looked inside the sleeve.

The small black snake was coiled around her arm in an upward spiral; she could only see the snake’s tail. “Senior?”

No response.

She was alarmed. She extended her other hand into the sleeve and tugged at his tail.

The tip of the tail curled for a moment. “Hmm?”

Xiang Haikui sighed in relief. “I thought you had hibernated.”

“No.” He was just frozen to the point where his consciousness had become sluggish, making his response slower. “What’s wrong?”

Xiang Haikui asked, “Couldn’t you hear it?”

Yin Changli looked puzzled. He was about to ask, “Hear what?” when something occurred to him. He released her arm, turned his snake head, and emerged from the sleeve to look at the bottom of the small Ice Spring.

After scrutinizing it for a while, he asked, “You’ve seen that man again? And you heard his movements?”

From his tone, Xiang Haikui’s heart sank. She pointed to the bottom, where the refined young man was still waving his small knife. “You… can’t see?”

Yin Changli didn’t answer, but the answer was obvious.

An eerie feeling arose. Xiang Haikui couldn’t help but swallow. “Originally, I could only see them but couldn’t hear anything. It was when that young man ‘cut’ through space, hitting something unknown, that the sound suddenly came through.”

Yin Changli: “Are they still talking now?”

Xiang Haikui nodded. “Yes.”

Yin Changli, who had only exposed half of his snake body, now completely emerged from her sleeve. His tail whipped out like a lash, striking the golden-glowing Bai Xingxian.

Xiang Haikui couldn’t stop him in time. Seeing Bai Xingxian’s pained expression, waking up and spitting out blood, she couldn’t help thinking: no wonder people often complain that when taking care of children, if there’s no external danger, the father is the biggest danger to the child.

Yin Changli was essentially Bai Xingxian’s “father.”

“Uncle?” Bai Xingxian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

“Why didn’t you dodge?” Yin Changli demanded.

Bai Xingxian was aggrieved. “I was in deep meditation. You struck so suddenly; how could I dodge?”

Yin Changli made an “Oh?” sound. “You couldn’t dodge me, yet you had time to withdraw the golden spiritual light into your body?”

Xiang Haikui was slightly startled. Indeed, when Jing Ran’s golden light had been this dazzling, it could automatically counterattack. Jing Ran didn’t need to act himself; the golden light’s backlash alone could kill many highly skilled assassins.

Xiao Bai could already control his spiritual golden light with such proficiency.

She asked suspiciously, “Senior, how long have we been meditating?”

Yin Changli: “More than two months.”

He flicked his tongue and continued, “The speed of Xiao Bai’s integration with the golden light matches my estimation perfectly. However, the rate at which his cunning has grown exceeds my expectations.”

Bai Xingxian’s face suddenly paled, then quickly turned red. “Uncle, I was just afraid of hurting you.”

Yin Changli said calmly, “Then why lie?”

Bai Xingxian lowered his head, knowing that his uncle had already figured out his psychological activity.

When his uncle’s tail had lashed out, the golden light had sensed it, and he had awakened immediately.

His first reaction was not to dodge—when his uncle struck him, he should take it.

But then he thought, his uncle’s sudden strike was probably to see if he would dodge.

In his youth, when his uncle taught him the principle that “one should never be without caution,” he had given him a bright pearl and thrown him into a human black market, telling him not to sell it to anyone, no matter who came to buy.

As long as he remained in place with the pearl still in hand by sunset on the third day, he would pass the test.

Unexpectedly, on the first day, his pearl was already tricked away from him.

His uncle gave him another chance. This time, he was smarter and didn’t speak to anyone. As long as he didn’t engage with them, he wouldn’t be tricked.

Finally, after three days, with the pearl still in his hand, his uncle came to pick him up. He happily handed the pearl to his uncle.

But his uncle pointed to the sunset: “The sun hasn’t set yet. You’ve failed.”

Then his uncle gave him a third chance.

This time, he not only avoided speaking to people but also constantly watched the sun. However, on the second day, his uncle suddenly appeared, saying pursuers had arrived.

In his panic, he transformed back to his original form and ran away, pulling his little black ball.

After running out of the black market, his uncle called for him to stop, and only then did he realize he had been tricked again.

He was young then and still had a child’s temperament. He immediately gave up, saying, “I’ll never win this test. You’re the person I trust most, and you’re tricking me. How could I guard against you?”

His uncle had smiled. “When you learn to guard against me, you’ll have truly grown up.”

Thinking of this, Bai Xingxian also considered dodging, telling his uncle he had indeed grown up, could shoulder responsibilities, and could share his uncle’s burdens.

But then he remembered a question he had asked his uncle: “Does Uncle want me to guard against you?”

He remembered his uncle had been silent for a long time before answering: “My feelings would probably be quite complex.”

Recalling these words, Bai Xingxian no longer wanted to dodge.

And when his uncle questioned him, he didn’t want to explain his complex inner thoughts, because explaining would be the same as “dodging.”

After integrating with his spiritual sense, he seemed to have grown up overnight.

Initially, Yin Changli and Xiang Haikui had been whispering through voice transmission. Now that the three of them were talking, Lu Xiqiao was naturally awakened.

He opened his eyes, sensed the atmosphere wasn’t quite right, and promptly closed them again.

Bai Xingxian was currently being lectured.

This was the future Emperor of the Heavenly Race.

It didn’t matter now, but once he became Emperor, if he remembered that Lu Xiqiao had witnessed his embarrassment today, that wouldn’t be good.

“Uncle…”

“Enough. Look at the bottom of the Ice Spring,” Yin Changli used his tail to point at Lu Xiqiao. “Stop pretending. Look together.”

Lu Xiqiao smiled awkwardly and looked at the Ice Spring. “What are we looking at?”

Yin Changli asked, “Little Kui, are they still there?”

Xiang Haikui: “Yes, they are.”

Not only were they there, but they were still talking.

…

The refined young man seemed tired from cutting and grumbled, complainingly, “Even if someone is using spatial techniques to spy on you, it’s not affecting you. This is just a borrowed cave, not your home. Why be so aggressive? They might have arrived here before you did.”

The heroic man didn’t respond to him.

The refined young man muttered softly, “Perhaps they saw you drooling in your sleep?”

The heroic man’s eyebrows shot up. “Get back to cutting. Bringing you all this way, you’ve been completely useless. I truly doubt if you can find the exit. If you can’t even catch this woman, let’s part ways later!”

The refined young man seemed frightened. His knife-wielding hand trembled, and he hurriedly resumed cutting.

…

“Who’s there?” Lu Xiqiao stared at the water puddle for a long time, seeing only their reflections.

“Is there someone at the bottom of the water?” Bai Xingxian looked toward Xiang Haikui.

Since his uncle had called them to look, he clearly couldn’t see either and wanted them to experiment.

This was bad. Xiang Haikui rubbed her temples. “I might be hallucinating.”

If a mirage had formed between two worlds, it was impossible that only she could see it.

Yin Changli swam around the pool once. “Not necessarily. Didn’t you say your father could see it too?”

Xiang Haikui couldn’t understand. “But I couldn’t see it before.”

Yin Changli said, “Your father couldn’t see it initially either.”

Xiang Haikui pondered, “But my father could only see, not hear. How can I even hear them?”

Yin Changli didn’t understand either. He thought he needed to meet Xiang Heng. “Your father might possess some talent, and you inherited it, even surpassing him.”

Being able to see scenes from another world—what kind of talent was that?

While Xiang Haikui was at a loss for words, she suddenly heard an unfamiliar term mentioned from the bottom of the Ice Spring.

…

“There’s no spatial barrier here.” The young man was distressed and pleaded pitifully, “Stop giving me a hard time.”

“Let’s part ways,” the heroic man said coldly. “I seriously doubt that even if you found the exit, you could open it.”

The young man was truly helpless. “Brother, this isn’t the real world; it’s the Mirage World. The Mirage World is inherently mysterious. You’re pointing at a mass of air, claiming there’s a pair of eyes, and demanding I dig them out from the air. I really can’t do it!”

…

His tone had a remarkable similarity to “Your Majesty, this servant cannot do it.” While Xiang Haikui listened attentively, she asked doubtfully, “Senior Yin, what is the Mirage World? Isn’t the neighbor the Nineteen Continents?”

These two people seemed to be trapped in the Mirage World.

The world was quite dangerous, forcing the two to team up out of necessity.

The weak young man had technical skills but poor self-protection abilities, requiring the heroic man’s protection.

Bai Xingxian and Lu Xiqiao also looked at each other, unfamiliar with the term.

“Mirage? A phantasmal world created by a Shen Yao?” Yin Changli searched through his consciousness, not entirely certain.

Xiang Haikui furrowed her brow and slowly extended her hand, intending to reach into the Ice Spring water to try touching the young man’s raised hand, curious about the sensation.

“Wait, the Ice Spring water will freeze-burn you.” Yin Changli knew what she wanted to do but didn’t stop her. “Xiao Bai, gloves…”

“Not necessary,” Xiang Haikui refused. Without even thinking, she knew these gloves would block water spiritual energy, which might prevent her from contacting the other side.

As she spoke, her hand had already entered the water.

Instantly, she trembled all over from the cold.

Her arm crackled as a thick layer of ice formed on it.

She gritted her teeth and endured, reaching out to grab the small knife the young man was waving in the water.

The knife passed through her hand without any hindrance.

However, whenever she made contact with the other side, the pool water created a ripple that continuously expanded, radiating downward like an electric wave.

She gradually saw the full picture of the opposite world—just an ordinary cave with a night-illuminating pearl embedded in the stone wall by someone’s magic power, used for lighting.

To the young man on the other side, this ripple appeared as a watery fluctuation in the air. He exclaimed, “I hear water!”

Xiang Haikui tried, “Can you hear me speaking?”

From the expressions of the young man and the heroic man, Xiang Haikui confirmed they had heard her.

“Who are you?” she spoke again, but judging from their reactions, they couldn’t hear her anymore.

Yin Changli said, “Probably only when you make contact with them can the sound be transmitted.”

Xiang Haikui nodded and, with her hand in the water, kept trying to grasp the young man’s arm like someone trying to catch the moon in a pond. “Who are you?”

“Who are you?” the heroic man coolly countered. “Why have you been secretly watching me?”

Xiang Haikui had been annoyed with him for a while. “Who are you? What’s there about you worth watching?”

The heroic man: “Me? Extraordinary Master.”

Xiang Haikui:?

Was his chuunibyou this severe?

“Miss, you misunderstand.” Probably having been misunderstood many times, the young man explained awkwardly, “He’s from Seven Star Flower Island. His family name is ‘Extraordinary,’ and ‘Master’ is his given name.”

Xiang Haikui:?

The surname “Extraordinary” made naming too easy, though it probably led to beatings when introducing oneself.

The young man continued, “As for me, I’m called… Amu.”

Seeing that the young man was about to withdraw his knife-holding hand, Xiang Haikui quickly said, “Don’t move!”

Amu immediately stopped, not asking why.

The Extraordinary Master kept questioning, “Do you dare deny you’ve been spying on me?”

“It’s not spying. I’m at Ice Spring Mountain in the Cloud Dream Realm. While meditating, I accidentally saw you…”

Not until her previous conversation with Yin Changli about the neighboring Three Thousand Realms did she learn that this world she had crossed into also had a name: “Cloud Dream.”

Xiang Haikui spoke quickly, having no time for idle talk. Her arm was nearly frozen solid by the Ice Spring, and the cold had entered her body. A thick layer of frost hung on her eyebrows.

Yin Changli, who had previously relied on her for warmth, transformed into human form, moved behind her, and pressed his palm against her back, sending true energy to prevent the cold from damaging her meridians.

“Uncle…” Bai Xingxian, seeing that his condition wasn’t much better either, wanted to substitute for him but was glared at and quickly retreated.

After she finished speaking, Extraordinary Master looked at Amu, seemingly doubtful of her explanation. “Is this possible? We’re in the Mirage World, not the Nineteen Continents. How can she see us?”

Amu’s brows locked in deep thought. After consideration, he said, “Perhaps the physical body of this mirage is near the Nineteen Continents. The overlapping spaces have exposed us? After all, we both entered from the Nineteen Continents.”

Xiang Haikui didn’t understand. “What does ‘Mirage World’ mean?”

Amu: “It’s…”

He gave an explanation that left Xiang Haikui completely puzzled. She relayed everything to Yin Changli.

With his knowledge repository, Yin Changli naturally understood immediately. “Little Kui, among the Three Sword Masters of the Human Realm, besides Jing Wenxiu, who cultivates the battle sword, there’s another who cultivates the dream sword. Do you remember?”

Xiang Haikui certainly knew the three most powerful Tribulation Period masters in the human world.

The Sword Master who cultivated the dream sword was called Blood Asura.

Despite his bloody name, he rarely engaged in sword duels with others. Most of his time was spent sleeping, entering others’ dreams to cultivate.

According to the theory that every flower represents a world, dreams also form worlds.

But when the flower withers, the world disappears.

When a person wakes from a dream, the dream world collapses.

“Normally, people can’t control what dreams they have. But the neighboring Three Thousand Realms have mastered a method to use external forces to create the dreams they want, shaping a dream world as desired.” Yin Changli’s hand never stopped supplying energy. His eyelashes, like Xiang Haikui’s, were covered with a thick layer of frost. “This method requires extracting Shen Yao’s core as a catalyst, hence it’s also called the Mirage World…”

Xiang Haikui was so frozen that she had lost sensation. She couldn’t even turn her head to check Yin Changli’s condition. “But what’s the use of creating a dream world? If one isn’t content in reality, does one want to reign supreme in dreams?”

From what he’d said, only powerful figures could create dreams.

Moreover, the power of the Mirage World was directly proportional to the creator’s cultivation level.

These two people trapped in the Mirage World appeared to have considerable cultivation.

The dream creator’s cultivation must be even higher. In reality, they could already dominate, so why seek validation in dreams?

Besides, a normal person’s body relaxes while dreaming, but a dream creator continuously expends their essence, energy, and spirit, causing their cultivation to regress. What was the point?

The two people beneath the ice layer could hear her questions.

Extraordinary Master said coldly, “I’d like to know why too. Someone from my clan disappeared. I left the mountain to track them and entered this mirage…”

Amu added, “I’m more wronged. I entered inexplicably. We’ve been here for decades. Extraordinary Brother has challenged every contemporary hero, but can’t identify which one is the Mirage Master. We can only walk along the border, looking for an exit. However, the border has harsh weather. Outside, it’s raining fire, so we took shelter in this cave…”

As they spoke, Xiang Haikui translated simultaneously for Yin Changli.

After they finished, she couldn’t help asking, “Do either of you know about Earth? It’s also part of your Three Thousand Realms…”

Amu was slightly startled. “Never heard of it.”

He turned to look at Extraordinary Master, who also shook his head.

But Extraordinary Master said, “Three Thousand is just a figurative number. There are countless large and small worlds on our side. It’s impossible to know them all.”

Xiang Haikui thought the same. Yin Changli was 90% confident that Earth was within the Three Thousand Realms, and with his caution, he was unlikely to be wrong.

Amu pleaded, “Miss, since you can see us, do you have a way to help us leave? Or could you go to Seven Star Flower Island and deliver a message for Extraordinary Brother…”

Xiang Haikui’s eyes showed helplessness. “It’s not that I won’t help, but there’s a barrier between our worlds. I can’t cross over.”

“Little Kui…”

Yin Changli, who had been silent for a while, suddenly called her.

“Yes?”

“Going from here to the Three Thousand Realms is difficult, but since the Mirage has appeared here, entering the Mirage could be worth trying.” Yin Changli spoke hesitantly, afraid that if it didn’t work, her hopes would be dashed. “The Mirage Master is in the neighboring Three Thousand Realms. If the Mirage shatters and we’re expelled from the dream, we should end up next door…”

Xiang Haikui’s heart immediately blazed with hope. This meant using the Mirage as a transfer station.

But he said “we”?

Yin Changli: “If I can visit the neighboring world and study its spiritual energy structure, bringing you back and forth between the two worlds in the future shouldn’t be a problem.”

Xiang Haikui felt as if more oil had been poured on the fire in her heart. Though she wanted to return home, she knew it wasn’t the right time. She still had many things to do in this world.

If Yin Changli could truly achieve free travel between worlds, it would be incredibly wonderful.

“Tell them to stay in the cave and not leave, or we might lose contact later.” Yin Changli instructed her while withdrawing his energy, transforming back into snake form, and slipping into her sleeve. “You can withdraw your hand now. We’ll leave Ice Spring Mountain.”

After Xiang Haikui did as told and stood up, she asked, “Where are we going?”

“I can’t even see them. How can I research a way to enter the Mirage? Let’s find your father first and see what’s going on with you two.” The small black snake coiled around her arm again. “And find a helper along the way.”

“Helper?”

“Blood Asura.”

Xiang Haikui vaguely guessed that this Sword Master, who cultivated the dream sword, should be quite knowledgeable about dreams.

She picked up her sword case and slung it over her back. “Come to think of it, the cultivation method of the dream sword is somewhat similar to our twelve divine swords.”

Both took unconventional paths.

Yin Changli smiled. “They were forged by the same person, so of course they’re similar.”

Xiang Haikui was startled. “Was it also brought by that poverty-relief expert from the neighboring Three Thousand Realms?”

“Yes, he said the Sword Sect Ancestor was a sword-forging maniac. The original plan wasn’t to forge twelve divine swords but sixteen. However, four swords were eliminated and weren’t named with the character ‘Tian’ (Heaven). They were named Intoxication, Life, Dream, and Death.”

The “Dream” sword was now in Blood Asura’s hands.

As for why these swords were excluded from the “Tian” series of divine swords, it was probably because they weren’t treacherous enough.

But they weren’t easy to cultivate either.

For instance, the cultivation method of the Dream Sword required continuously absorbing nightmare energy, which meant the sword master spent most of his life living in others’ dreams, witnessing various beautiful dreams, erotic dreams, nightmares, and so on.

Xiang Haikui immediately felt a sense of kinship. “Speaking of which, Senior Blood Asura is also half my fellow disciple. But with just this minor discipline connection, will he help?”

Yin Changli: “The Mirage is a higher form of dreamscape. He’ll want to try it.”

Xiang Haikui had one more question. “But he’s known for being elusive. Where can we find him?”

Yin Changli: “Easily. I just need to reveal my location and say I want to see him. He’ll come to me.”

Xiang Haikui was puzzled. “Has he also been indebted to you?”

Yin Changli paused before saying, “I gave him his sword. He’s wanted to kill me for a long time.”