The next day—inside the illusion.
Lin Chen sat stiffly at the dining table, posture straight, eyes forward, like a disciple facing sect punishment.
Across from him, Bai Yuexin was in high spirits.
She picked up a piece of spirit-infused food with her chopsticks and leaned closer, eyes soft and bright.
"Dear, open your mouth. Ah~"
Lin Chen obeyed on instinct. "Ah."
The food went in. It tasted… disturbingly good.
Inside his head, panic reigned.
'Aiva,' he asked silently, 'what's the probability Bai Yuexin kills me the moment she wakes up from this illusion?'
[Approximately ninety-nine percent.]
Lin Chen's hand trembled slightly.
'And the remaining one percent?'
[That is the scenario where the illusion's memories are sealed or fade completely.]
He swallowed. Hard.
'Then I sincerely hope the heavens are merciful.'
Bai Yuexin smiled happily, completely absorbed in her role. She poured him tea next, her movements gentle and practiced—far too practiced.
"Eat slowly," she said softly. "No one is competing with you."
Lin Chen nodded stiffly. "Right… no competition…"
'Last night was already bad enough,' he thought grimly. If she remembers even half of it…
He didn't dare finish the sentence.
"Dear," Bai Yuexin said suddenly, tilting her head with a thoughtful smile, "what do you think our children's names should be?"
Pff—!
Lin Chen sprayed the mouthful of food he had just eaten across the table and immediately broke into a fit of coughing.
"Cough—cough—what?!"
His mind went completely blank.
Children?
Names?
Why did this illusion escalate faster than a cultivation breakthrough under heavenly tribulation?!
Bai Yuexin hurriedly stood up, gently patting his back, concern written all over her face. "Slow down, slow down. Why are you reacting like that? I was just asking."
Just asking?! Lin Chen screamed internally.
[Recalculating…]
[Probability of death upon illusion termination: increased to ninety-nine point nine percent.]
Lin Chen's soul nearly left his body.
"I—I think," he said carefully, forcing a stiff smile, "that… this topic might be a little… early?"
"Early?" Bai Yuexin blinked, genuinely puzzled. "We're already married. Isn't this something couples think about?"
Lin Chen opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Then gave up and drank his tea in one gulp, staring straight ahead like a man contemplating the Dao of Escape.
Heavens above, he prayed silently, please let her forget everything when this ends. I swear I'll burn incense. Daily.
"I mean… there's no need to rush," he said, waving his hand lightly. "We should first enjoy married life. Travel a bit. See the world. Children can come later."
Bai Yuexin blinked, then nodded seriously—as if he'd just spoken profound wisdom.
"You're right," she said. "There's still so much we haven't done together."
She leaned in, kissed him on the cheek without the slightest hesitation, then turned and walked toward the kitchen, humming softly as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Lin Chen watched her back for a long moment.
"…Sigh. If she were really like this in the real world…" he muttered, then shook his head. "But this is just an illusion. She's confused. None of this is real."
The warmth lingering on his cheek made that thought harder than it should've been.
[A cruel illusion,] Aiva said calmly. [Unlike battles or pain, it shows you a peaceful life—something that feels complete.]
"Yeah," Lin Chen replied quietly. "I can see that. That's what makes it dangerous."
He leaned back in his chair, gaze drifting toward the doorway she'd disappeared through.
"An illusion is still an illusion," he said, more to himself than to Aiva. "At the end of the day, you have to wake up. Even if reality isn't this gentle… it's still reality."
Like that, three full days passed within the illusion.
Time flowed gently here—too gently.
Bai Yuexin behaved exactly like a devoted wife should. She cooked, spoke softly, smiled often, and never raised her voice. There was no sharp tongue, no cold glare, no hostility—only warmth and familiarity, as if this life had been lived for years rather than days.
"This thing messes with the heart more than the mind," he muttered one night.
Still, Lin Chen was not idle.
While playing the role of a gentle husband, he quietly observed everything—the flow of Essence Qi in the room, the subtle fluctuations in space, the faint distortions that appeared whenever the illusion "reset" minor details. Slowly, a pattern emerged.
Like all formations, this illusion had a core.
And once he noticed it, he almost laughed.
The core… was directly beneath the bed.
Whoever had set up this trial clearly enjoyed their sense of humor. Hide the key beneath the place most cultivators would never think to destroy—especially after being lulled into a false life of comfort.
Lin Chen exhaled softly, glancing toward the doorway where Bai Yuexin had just stepped out moments ago.
"…Then it's time to wake up," he said, his expression steady.
The moment the formation core shattered, the world around them cracked apart like fragile glass.
The illusion collapsed.
Light scattered, space twisted—and the next instant, Lin Chen found himself standing back in the forest. Cool air, dense trees, familiar Spirit Qi. Reality had returned.
Bai Yuexin was standing right beside him.
Lin Chen's body reacted faster than his brain. He subtly took a step back, putting a bit of distance between them.
"…Umm," he said carefully. "Do you… remember anything?"
Bai Yuexin turned to look at him, brows knitting slightly. "Remember what?" she asked. "After that mist appeared, we were separated, right? Then suddenly we were here. The second trial must've ended like that."
Lin Chen froze for half a second.
Whooh…
'It seems she didn't remember anything from the illusion. I'm saved.'
He let out a quiet breath of relief he hadn't realized he was holding.
But what Lin Chen didn't know—what he would never guess from her calm expression—was that Bai Yuexin remembered everything.
Every moment.
Every word.
Every utterly humiliating thing she had done while trapped in that illusion.
Her ears burned just thinking about it.
She was simply… hiding it.
Because admitting that she had fallen for the illusion, lost control, and behaved like that in front of him?
She would rather die.
So she straightened her posture, masked her emotions perfectly, and decided something on the spot:
That illusion never happened.
And if Lin Chen ever dared to bring it up—
She would make sure he regretted being born.
{Trial of Endurance — Reach the End of the Stairway to Advance}
The forest vanished without warning.
In its place, a stairway appeared—stone steps stretching upward, piercing straight into the clouds. The higher steps were completely hidden, as if the sky itself refused to reveal where it ended.
Lin Chen lifted his head and stared for a moment.
"…Wow. There's really no end to this thing."
Bai Yuexin didn't respond.
She stepped onto the stairs.
The instant her foot landed, her body dipped slightly, as if an unseen weight pressed down on her. She climbed another step, then another, her movements steady and silent.
After the second step, she paused and glanced back.
"Aren't you coming?" she asked.
Lin Chen looked at the endless stairway again, then smiled faintly.
"Since it's already here… not climbing would be a waste."
He stepped forward and followed.
As he climbed, Lin Chen subconsciously glanced down at his own body. There were no marks. No changes. No lingering traces of what had happened in the illusion.
It was as if nothing had ever occurred.
"…So it only affected the mind," he muttered.
The illusion hadn't touched the body at all—only memories, emotions, and perception. Everything that had felt so vivid before had vanished the moment it shattered, leaving behind nothing but an uneasy aftertaste.
*****
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