Chu Ningyan nodded. She had indeed heard that some people, during their breakthroughs, suddenly gain insights into something profound.

One could only say that although Bai Feng's cultivation talent was average, his comprehension was exceptional.

"Even a single move can lead to enlightenment; the sword path is not so easily traversed," Chu Ningyan encouraged with a smile. "From now on, you must come here every week to learn sword techniques. Don’t waste your talent in the sword path."

"Yes, Master."

Bai Feng nodded in response.

In the past, he might have found this daunting, but now, after acquiring fragments of the sword path, his understanding of sword techniques felt as if he had opened up the meridians, making learning incredibly easy.

And having an extra means of self-defense was certainly a good thing!

Then, as if struck by a thought, he turned to the illusion array he had set up. "Has Senior Sister Su not come out yet?"

Liu Meng shook her head, worry etched on her face. "No, at first she was moving around a bit, but then she fell silent."

"…Should I go and dispel the illusion array?"

Bai Feng thought to himself that this was bad; he had indeed predicted it. With Su Lanshan's mindset, she was simply not suited to break through an illusion array.

He couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Su Lanshan had seen that had trapped her so deeply within the illusion.

Although Bai Feng was the one who set up the illusion array, its operational logic was constructed based on the subconscious of the challenger, which also reduced the chances of being discovered.

After all, it was like dreaming versus playing a game; no matter how absurd the former might be, it’s hard to realize it’s fake, while the latter, no matter how realistic, is still recognized as a game, not reality.

"Alright, I appreciate it."

Liu Meng nodded, not refusing.

Even if Su Lanshan's heart was slightly damaged, it didn’t matter. If this continued, she might truly become trapped and never wake up.

…

Inside the illusion array.

Su Lanshan stood in a bustling square, the dark clouds above her head mirrored her turbulent emotions—oppressive, painful, on the brink of collapse.

She had indeed lost…

She had successfully broken through two illusion arrays. In the first one, she found herself back at home, seeing her parents and childhood friends.

Though it seemed very real, she vaguely remembered she was in a competition, so when she opened her spiritual eyes, the first illusion shattered.

Then she found herself in the competition square, surrounded by disciples cheering for her, while her greatest rival, Bai Feng, was trapped in the Five Elements formation, unable to escape.

She had won! She had finally won! She had successfully protected her pride!

Su Lanshan looked at the admiration in the eyes of the crowd, at her master’s praise, and even Bai Yumo came forward to lavish her with compliments.

Meanwhile, the defeated Bai Feng stood alone, ignored by everyone. She watched him turn away in despair.

Yet, instead of feeling exhilarated, doubt crept into her heart—had she really won?

Was the illusion array he set up really that simple? Was his skill truly so low?

Had she really won so easily?

Could she… really win?

Su Lanshan gazed at the smiles of the crowd, at the smile on her master’s face, and in that moment, everything felt so false.

Crack—

The scene before her shattered like broken glass, splintering until it completely collapsed.

Drip…

A few raindrops fell on her face. She numbly looked at Bai Feng, who had broken the array before her. He was now basking in the crowd's cheers, enjoying her master’s praise.

And she felt like the Bai Feng in the illusion, ignored and isolated by everyone, not even a glance from her master.

If her mindset had been normal, she would have noticed the incongruity—no matter how much she lost, her master would never ignore her or abandon her.

But her heart was already filled with the words "I lost."

She watched from a distance as the person she had once mocked finally crumbled, unable to hold on any longer, kneeling on the ground, unsure if it was rain or tears sliding down her face.

The rain poured down harder, soaking her hair and clothes.

She watched as her master held an umbrella for Bai Feng, laughing and chatting, while no one cared for her, not even the passersby who avoided her.

She had never felt rain so cold, chilling her to the bone, causing her heart to ache.

Her confidence, her pride, gradually washed away by the rain. She could no longer maintain her composure and collapsed to the ground, crying uncontrollably.

At that moment, she suddenly felt the rain stop. She looked up to see a face she despised.

Bai Feng squatted in front of her, holding an umbrella, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

He reached out with his other hand, lifting her chin, his long fingers slowly sliding up to wipe away her tears from the corners of her eyes. "The so-called genius who keeps calling others a fraud, is this how you end up? Or are you planning to use this method to expose me?"

"…"

Su Lanshan turned her head away in silence, but Bai Feng used his fingers to force her face back to him.

Under her shame-filled gaze, she saw Bai Feng suddenly take on an expression reminiscent of a character from a play she had once watched—three parts pride, three parts arrogance, three parts mockery, and one part excitement:

"You do have some talent. How about becoming my personal maid? Who knows, I might throw you a bit of formation knowledge in return for your hard work."

Su Lanshan pressed her lips together, remaining silent.

"Hahaha, I suggest you agree. Your master has already abandoned you; what do you have left now?"

A dark aura began to emanate from Bai Feng, but Su Lanshan was completely oblivious.

Her face was filled with despair as she slowly closed her eyes. "I…"

"Whoa! What the hell is this?"

A sudden voice shattered the tense atmosphere.

Bai Feng looked at the pitch-black 'version' of himself, his lips twitching—was this how he appeared in Su Lanshan's mind?

What, an outer-world demon?

Then he saw the dark 'him' lift its head, crimson eyes fixed on him. "You, why can you come in?"

"I built the illusion array; why can't I enter?"

Bai Feng rubbed his chin, puzzled. How could the version of himself in this illusion communicate with him?

Could it be… a heart demon?

He glanced at the curled-up Su Lanshan, who also looked bewildered, seemingly unable to comprehend why there were two Bai Fengs.

What kind of Bai Feng hell was this?

"Die!!"

At that moment, the heart demon Bai Feng lunged at him, but the next second, its body disintegrated into black mist.

Bai Feng's eyes flickered with black and white, and a surge of consciousness struck, directly shattering the heart demon.

But the next second, the heart demon reformed, this time taking on the appearance of Su Lanshan—still a black version.

"Useless, she is me, and I am her. As long as she harbors fear, I will never disappear!"

---

Chapter 48: Gossip… Can gossip be called spreading rumors?

"I don’t care whether you disappear or not!"

Bai Feng once again turned the heart demon into mist, then he turned to the still-dazed Su Lanshan, squatting down to flick her forehead with his finger. "Stop staring; this is an illusion. Get back to reality!"

Su Lanshan felt a sharp pain in her forehead. She instinctively covered it with her hand, and suddenly her vision became clear, her mind no longer foggy, and the scenery around her began to shatter.

In the next moment, she regained her senses, and the first thing she saw was Bai Feng sitting cross-legged across from her. Her eyes still held a hint of confusion, as if she hadn’t immediately awakened from the illusion.

She instinctively looked around, spotting the elders of the Tianjian Sect discussing something, and her master Liu Meng, who wore a worried expression beside her. At that moment, she understood what had happened.

"I'm sorry…" she lowered her head, the dry ground beneath her dampened by her fallen tears. She sniffled softly, "Master, I lost."

"It’s alright, it’s alright. Winning and losing are part of the game; just work harder next time."

Liu Meng quickly wrapped her arms around Su Lanshan, gently comforting her.

At the same time, she turned to Bai Feng, who was getting up from the ground, and expressed her gratitude with a look.

Bai Feng waved his hand. After satisfying his curiosity, he chose not to disturb the master-disciple duo any further and turned to leave.

The reason he had entered Su Lanshan's illusion was simple: after acquiring the Illusion Techniques from the Divine Forging Method, he could influence others' illusions. Plus, he was a bit curious.

Previously, after he dispelled the illusion array, he found that Su Lanshan still hadn’t woken up, and he knew something was wrong.

This was a perfect opportunity to test the techniques from the Illusion section and see what she had experienced that kept her from waking up.

He just hadn’t expected to encounter Su Lanshan's heart demon as well.

‘The Divine Forging Method is even stronger than I imagined!’