CHAPTER 530: CHAPTER 530: BROKEN ILLUSION

The scene faded again.

This time, she stood before a swirling mass of darkness. A giant wave of fear hit her. Her knees shook.

The illusion broke apart.

Qin Feng gave a half-smile. "Even my body’s confused if I won or not."

Qin Feng’s eyes snapped open wide.

"No..."

Su Jiyai’s lip twitched. "0.0001?! That’s literally the time it takes to blink!"

One showed her running away from the horde of zombies in panic.

A voice said:

"I... I can’t... ugh..."

THUMP.

"I’m not perfect. I mess up. But I never gave up!"

Their legs trembled.

Qin Feng was still stone-faced, but a drop of sweat ran down his temple.

Then—DING!

She dropped to her knees.

"No... not her... anyone but her..."

"That’s me."

At 1 hour and 20 minutes, Su Jiyai’s legs started to shake violently.

Every wall shimmered with her reflection, showing different versions of herself—happy, angry, crying, shouting, smiling like nothing was wrong.

......................

This time, their eyes were clearer. Hearts steadier.

Xi Ping just stared, eyes wide. "That was the most dramatic win I’ve ever seen..."

[Every version of you that failed. Can you still stand above them?]

Bodies were everywhere.

Fifteen.

Xi Ping stood tall.

But the noise grew louder.

The three of them reappeared in the glowing void again.

DING!

At 20 minutes, her hands started slipping.

Xi Ping covered her ears. "Stop it! I didn’t abandon him!"

WHOOSH!

Qin Feng opened his eyes. Still shaking.

That one whispered, "I’m scared, but I keep going."

She escaped eventually, found a new home, new parents... but something always felt missing.

...........................

"Loser!"

They landed in three separate places, far from each other.

.............................

Without waiting, the three of them stepped forward and pressed their hands on the stone-cold surface of the crystal monster.

Qin Feng cried.

A powerful pressure exploded from the crystal beast and rushed into their bodies. It was like getting punched in the chest over and over again—but with invisible fists.

Their backs burned.

[Second trial completed. Final trial begins now: Team Heart.]

"I’m not perfect. But I’m still standing."

Then forty.

"Probably that we were too awesome for the illusion," Su Jiyai said, forcing a smirk.

"We’re still standing."

All different. All her.

"This is fine," she muttered. "I’m fine. Totally fine..."

This was the day she was kidnapped. The cold walls. The scary voices. The crying.

Another was crying in the mud.

"Unexpected reason?" Xi Ping mumbled, wiping her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"No... I won’t lose..."

Xi Ping landed in the middle of a stadium.

At 30 minutes—

He grabbed the scarf someone handed him. It still smelled like Su Jiyai.

And there, in front of her, was a body.

Breathing heavily. Faces pale.

THUD!

"I made mistakes," he said calmly. "But I won’t run from them."

He smirked to himself. "I’ll finally tell her how I feel..."

Now, both Su Jiyai and Qin Feng were starting to feel it.

[Participant Xi Ping eliminated.]

Su Jiyai gritted her teeth. "Shut up!"

[Trial passed.]

Another one showed her trapping the intruders who tried to enter her base.

"You were never strong enough. We gave you everything, yet you killed us!"

She stopped in front of one mirror—the version of herself with tearful eyes and a tiny smile.

"You’re a monster."

But alive.

"You enjoy being the center of attention."

Qin Feng collapsed too.

"You abandoned your brother!"

The monster made of silver crystal stood like a mountain, its glowing red eyes staring down at them.

"What did you just say?" he snapped.

[Trial passed.]

"No!" Xi Ping shouted, tears in her eyes. "I tried my best!"

Time passed.

Then—darkness.

An hour.

But just as she was about to give up—

His heart froze.

The illusion broke.

"Seriously?" she whispered. "They still look... fine?!"

Meanwhile, Su Jiyai’s face was calm, but her muscles were tense. Her breathing had become slower, more focused.

Suddenly, the bodies faded into white light.

DING!

Her heart felt like it was breaking.

"Gate 19," someone whispered. "There was an accident."

1 hour and 10 minutes.

[Winner: Qin Feng by 0.0001 seconds.]

Qin Feng returned from the mission, which was almost impossible to complete.

"Waaaah!" Xi Ping screamed as they all fell through the glowing void.

CRACK!

Then her younger self appeared.

Finally, she reached a quiet graveyard.

Xi Ping: "..."

Sweat rolled down Xi Ping’s forehead. Her arms were shaking.

Su Jiyai stared.

"No... no... NOOOO!!" Xi Ping screamed and fell to her knees. "You said you’d protect me!!"

Thousands of people were booing her.

She gasped and opened her eyes.

Tiny Xi Ping looked up at her. "Then show them."

Cold. Lifeless.

Then the voice echoed again:

...................................

A voice echoed again.

He fell to his knees.

Xi Ping gave a tired thumbs-up. "Barely."

"You’re weak."

The crowd faded. The voices stopped.

In this illusion, she saw herself grown up, searching again.

..............................

Ten minutes.

His whole world turned grey.

Her brother’s.

Qin Feng narrowed his eyes. Maybe I should just let her win. She’s worked hard... she deserves it...

The minutes dragged on.

A loud DING rang out:

But deep down, her heart still ached a little. That vision of her real parents... it felt too real to forget.

"A girl... with blue hair, blue eyes... She’s gone. She had walked out of the safe zone and walked toward a herd of zombies."

[Trial passed.]

But they were exhausted.

Before she could move, the fear almost made her want to fall to her knees and cry.

Tears flowed down her face.

But slowly...

"No... I can hold... a bit more..."

At first, they all stood strong.

Su Jiyai gritted her teeth and growled, "Qin Feng, if you dare to give up now, I’m not talking to you ever again! I’ll find another man!"

He walked through them, looking each one in the eye.

Su Jiyai blinked and looked around.

But right then—

But she was scared of it.

At the same exact second—

And realized...

The scene shattered.

Before they could say anything else, the floor beneath them vanished.

Qin Feng stood in the middle of a battlefield.

[First trial completed: Mental Demon Stage passed. Illusions were destroyed due to an unexpected reason. The second round will be conducted.]

THUMP.

Another one showed her crying silently under a blanket.

He knelt by the broken-sword version and touched his hand.

She reached out, and the mirror shattered.

1 hour and 15.

Xi Ping fell to her knees, gasping.

All three of them stood in the glowing void again.

It was like falling into jelly, squishy, glowing jelly that stretched around their bodies and slowed them down. Then... POP!

DING!

Xi Ping opened her eyes to a dark basement.

From the side, Xi Ping blinked. "Huh? Another man? Why is this kid talking like a grown-up? Why is Qin Feng looking like he’s gonna explode?"

[Place your hand on the beast and try to endure its pressure that will surge to your body.]

She didn’t know what this thing was.

But her legs wobbled. The pressure felt like a mountain was sitting on her back.

A spotlight hit her, and everything vanished.

Qin Feng clenched his jaw and glared at the statue.

Qin Feng stayed silent.

But the pain still lingered.

At 25 minutes, her knees started bending.

He had just returned from a long mission, holding something behind his back, a gift for Su Jiyai.

One more was begging for mercy.

She saw herself being dragged away, screaming for help. Her big brother, fighting off the kidnappers, yelling her name.

She watched them silently. Then muttered in her heart, Geniuses are really hard to compare with.

For the first time in forever...

.................................

Qin Feng dropped the gift.

Su Jiyai, Xi Ping, and Qin Feng stood shoulder to shoulder, hearts pounding.

"Dang it," she mumbled and sat back, wiping her face with her sleeve. She looked at Su Jiyai and Qin Feng, who were still standing firm.

"I’m NOT giving up," he said, fighting the pressure harder.

Su Jiyai looked at them and smiled.

One Qin Feng lay with a broken sword.

She was inside a giant glass maze.

But then he arrived at the gate.

Then— FLASH!

"You’re just pretending to be strong."

All versions of himself.

He clenched his fists, shaking. "Why didn’t I tell her sooner... why..."

It wasn’t real.

Her vision blurred.

"Fake hero!"

[Trial 2: Mirror Maze. Face your different selves. Only one is the real you. Find it, and move forward.]

"What the heck?" Su Jiyai muttered.

Five minutes passed.

She wandered through alleyways. Forests. Cities.

But suddenly—

She walked down a hallway, and each mirror she passed spoke to her.

Her old adoptive parents appeared.

Her knees bent.

"I don’t want to see this! I DON’T WANT TO CONTINUE!"

Thirty-five minutes passed.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

Qin Feng blinked. "Wait—what?"

A long silence followed.

Su Jiyai: "..."

A voice spoke:

She was tied up—again.

"What accident?" he asked.

They both panted, drenched in sweat.

Chains clinked.

...............

But neither of them gave in.

Suddenly—WHOOSH!