The Qiankun Mirror, given to me

Outside the simulation, Chen Yi could hardly conceal his excitement.

"I thought I would be stuck until my seventies or eighties before breaking through, but I actually broke through at forty-seven! If I can escape from the Shen family, I might even advance another major realm in this simulation!"

Calculating based on the theoretical lifespan of a hundred years for those below the Martial King Realm.

Barring any accidents in this simulation, he still had fifty-three good years to live.

With the nourishment from the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, the pills from the Nine Provinces Cauldron, and the Sword Master's immortal peaches.

It wasn't impossible to break through another major realm with the remaining time!

[Glancing at the interface, there is no doubt that your strength has stepped onto a new level. You are even stronger!]

[Next, you must directly face the true colors of the Shen family.]

["Xiao Wan, Da Chun, get ready..."]

[Sweeping your gaze around, you see the Shen family patriarch, Shen Yue, along with the Shen family's Council of Elders led by Shen Wanquan, and the Shen family's Star Martial Group.]

[Whether it is the Council of Elders or the Star Martial Group, every single member is in the Martial King Realm!]

[They stand suspended in the air, forming a circle around you.]

[Everyone's gaze is ice-cold, as if looking at a corpse.]

[Ten Thousand Soul Banner: "Ready for what?"]

[You: "Ready for nothing."]

[You are someone who doesn't accept fate; no matter the desperate situation, you are willing to fight with all your might.]

[But the other party has clearly seen through your little schemes.]

[Right now, if you so much as raise your hand, you will definitely be instantly killed.]

[Even if you want to risk your life, you can't choose a time when the enemy is fully prepared.]

["Shen Yi... just go with the patriarch and the others."]

[You hear Shen Linfeng's voice, carrying a hint of pity.]

[You stand up, cup your fists toward him, and smile.]

["Thank you, Elder Linfeng, for bringing me to the Star Domain and bestowing this great opportunity upon me."]

[Shen Linfeng looks ashamed and turns his head away.]

[Shen Yufeng, who has stood guard in front of your courtyard gate for nearly ten years, also turns his face away, not daring to look at you.]

[You step down from the formation in a calm and dignified manner.]

["Everyone, shall we go then? I wonder what exactly I, the next Mirror Wielder, am supposed to do?"]

[An invisible force rises from beneath your feet, lifting you up and taking you away from this small star where you have lived for ten years.]

[A group of Martial King Realm experts surrounds you, blocking off every direction airtight.]

[As you pass over some stars, you notice that the previously pleasure-seeking Shen family disciples are gone.]

[Some of them are practicing martial arts and sparring, some are reading and reciting poetry, and others are delving into the arts of alchemy, talismans, and formations.]

[So, everything you saw when you first arrived was just an act put on by the Shen family disciples in coordination with the family.]

[Including what Shen Linfeng, Shen Yue, and others mentioned about the Shen family disciples losing their bloodlust, being lazy, and not practicing martial arts.]

[It was all a lie.]

[It was to make you Mortal Branch disciples believe that the Mirror Wielder truly had to be one of you, so that you would willingly follow their arrangements.]

"The Shen family went through such a huge loop, putting on a performance with the entire family, just to deceive a group of ground-level martial artists with no background and no strength? What exactly is it that's worth them going through so much trouble to plot?"

Chen Yi felt that if he were the Shen family patriarch, wouldn't it be easy to use the Mortal Branch disciples from the ground?

Just lure them up with some bait at the start, and once they are on your own turf, you can manipulate them however you want.

He wondered if the Shen family had any classic villain items like the Ten Thousand Soul Banner; using some bewitchment or hypnosis should work too, right?

"Speaking of which, for those who failed the competition, the Shen family neither killed them nor demanded a return on the invested resources, but sent them back to the ground. In the last simulation, my third brother-in-law didn't return. Did he win it all?"

Chen Yi stared intently at the simulator, wanting to see what exactly this Shen family's "chicken" was.

[You are brought to a certain location in the Star Domain.]

[In the void ahead, there is a massive, spinning circular vortex.]

[The space inside is distorted, emitting ripples of spatial energy.]

["What is this place?"]

[Shen Yue says indifferently.]

["The entrance to the Star Power Profound Realm."]

["What is the Star Power Profound Realm for?"]

[Shen Yue doesn't explain. Instead, he takes the Qiankun Mirror out of his storage ring.]

["Take the Qiankun Mirror and go in."]

[You look at the Qiankun Mirror handed to you.]

[Even though it's only half, it's still a Great Dao Immortal Artifact!]

[Just giving it to me like this?]

[The Shen family is truly generous!]

[It's hard to suppress the corners of your mouth from rising.]

["Alright, alright... But didn't you say you were selecting candidates? Is the previous Mirror Wielder already gone? Why am I directly wielding the mirror?"]

["You can understand it as him being gone."]

["Who will teach me how to use this thing? Do I comprehend it myself?"]

["After you go in, someone will naturally teach you."]

[You know that not going in is impossible.]

[Everyone is being civil, which is why violence hasn't been used yet.]

[Under normal circumstances, they would have thrown you in ages ago instead of wasting words on you.]

["How do I come out after I go in?"]

["You don't need to come out after you go in. Ten years from now, we will open the gates of the Star Power Profound Realm to pick you up. Hurry up and go in!"]

[Things are getting uncivil after all.]

[You feel a force pushing you, and your body uncontrollably floats into the gates of the Star Power Profound Realm.]

[Between fighting to the death and going in to take a look, you hesitated for a moment.]

[In the end, you still choose to go in and take a look.]

[The reality is that this bunch of Martial King Realm experts outside are practically holding their fingers on the trigger; you truly can't find an opportunity.]

[The figures of Shen Yue and the others gradually recede and blur in your eyes. Their final gazes seem to shift from icy coldness to a hint of reverence.]

["Buzz—"]

[Accompanied by the sudden disappearance of your vision, hearing, and other senses, you feel as if you have plunged into an abyss.]

[Unable to tell whether you are falling or ascending, all sensations lose their meaning.]

[An unknown amount of time passes before you feel yourself crash onto the ground.]

[Getting up and taking a look, you see a lush, grassy meadow.]

[Not far away, there is a willow tree.]

[Under the willow tree, an old man with white hair and a youthful face is playing Chinese chess by himself.]

[The old man glances at you, revealing a kind smile.]

["You're here? Sit, play a game with me."]

[You are confused.]

["Hello, old gentleman. I am the new Mirror Wielder chosen by the Shen family. They told me to come in..."]

[The old man smiles and shakes his head, interrupting your words.]

["Haha, there is no such thing as a 'Mirror Wielder.' If you feel that holding the Qiankun Mirror makes you a 'Mirror Wielder,' you can call yourself that. Come, let's play chess."]

[At the old man's invitation, you sit opposite him, chatting about everyday matters while playing chess.]

[In the late stages of the game, the old man offers a word of praise.]

["Your chess skills are quite good, sir."]

["I just memorized your every move, analyzed your playing style, deduced your subsequent trends, and then countered each move while setting up traps."]

["So that's how it is. What a pity, I still won this game."]