I saved the entire sect by playing idly by letting things fall apart.

Ye Qiao was the last one to be pulled in. When she opened her eyes, her thoughts were in a daze, her mind was blank, and she was in a state of "who am I and where am I".

It felt very mysterious; she couldn't even remember her own name the moment she stepped in.

This illusion shares a similar aesthetic with the landscape painting.

It immediately began reading Ye Qiao's memories, and was somewhat bewildered by the jumbled thoughts. Generally speaking, a cultivator's memories wouldn't be this chaotic, but Ye Qiao's style was very strange, and the memories in his mind were from many places it had never seen before.

This illusion is somewhat similar to the landscape painting, and it immediately began to create a scene for Ye Qiao to go to work.

To be honest, as a corporate slave, the most annoying thing in my life is dealing with demanding clients. In the fantasy, I was being scolded mercilessly and having to revise all sorts of design drafts. Ye Qiao was in a daze, but she suddenly snapped out of it when she was scolded for the first time.

"What is this?"

"What a strange scene."

"No, doesn't she have anyone she dislikes?" Illusions can amplify the malice in a person's heart a thousand times over.

Mingxuan hated those close disciples who looked down on him, as well as the direct descendants of his family who mocked him.

The illusion is very good at prescribing the right medicine.

The cultivators outside the arena were also quite curious: what did Ye Qiao hate the most? This kind of illusion was the best way to peek into the deepest malice, fear, and selfish desires in people's hearts.

They were all happy to see their true selves in the illusion, and also to get a glimpse of what kind of people they really were.

Ye Qiao was the most eye-catching, and her personality was the most unpredictable. I thought I could use the illusion to see what she was afraid of, but what I found was this strange scene.

What is a design draft? And who is the client?

"Huh? Ye Qiao is actually afraid of this kind of thing? What's there to be afraid of? Hit him, Ye Qiao!"

"Why should he point fingers at you? He's not worthy! Quickly, give him a sword strike and let him know who's in charge in the cultivation world!"

A group of monks were filled with righteous indignation.

Ye Qiao was brought back to her senses by the scolding. She wiped her face, realized that this illusion was idiotic, and shattered the scene before her with a merciless punch, coldly saying, "Get lost."

The break was sudden and unexpected.

Fortunately, thanks to the warnings from the previous people, it knew that these might not be easy targets either, and it was not discouraged even though it was forced into the first illusion.

Another scene was quickly constructed.

Ye Qiao looked up and saw that the illusion gradually transformed into her own appearance, wearing the exact same personal robes.

The other person, with their face clearly visible, spoke softly, word by word, "Ye Qiao."

They all sound the same.

Ye Qiao admitted that for a moment, she got goosebumps.

It felt so real, like talking to myself, that it even gave Ye Qiao a disorienting feeling of "Who am I?" Watching Ye Qiao's reaction, the illusion continued with a smile, "I know who you are, and I know what you want to do."

Ye Qiao calmly looked at herself and asked, "Do you know what I want to do?"

"Yes," the illusion said softly. "You've been trying to save them, haven't you? Trying to change something, but what can you change, Ye Qiao? You're only at the Foundation Establishment stage. By then, you might not even be able to save yourself, will you?"

"They" refers to the senior brothers in the original work.

Ye Qiao realized that he had really underestimated the illusion. It was far more advanced than the Mountain and River Map. It was a spiritual artifact, and an illusion that had actually existed in a secret realm for thousands of years. He even knew these things.

In the process of reading memories, the illusion can only read the other person's deepest desires, fears, or even the deepest malice. Some thoughts are the purest and truest, and the most difficult to deal with.

This Ye Qiao is easier to deal with than the previous ones.

Her memories are too fragmented, which means that, unlike those direct disciples who are free from distractions and single-minded in their pursuit of the Dao, the possibility of keeping her is greatly increased.

The illusion slowly curved its lips into a smile, continuing its persuasive explanation, "You're simply incapable of doing anything right, aren't you?"

"Stay here," it said gently. "Everyone instinctively follows the light. Stay here, and I will guide you. Don't you want to save them?"

Ye Qiao paused for a while. When she shattered the illusion with her punch, the cultivators thought it was over, but to their surprise, it wasn't. The illusion was still being constructed. Clearly, Ye Qiao hesitated this time.

The bewildered cultivator muttered, "Who is she trying to save?"

"This illusion is very dangerous," a cultivator who had traveled all over the country said in a deep voice. "Don't be fooled by its repeated failures like a fool. That's because the others are more focused and harder to conquer. Once it brainwashes you, you'll get lost inside and become nourishment."

"Let's see. I don't think Ye Qiao would be easily swayed."

"Not necessarily, she was clearly hesitant."

Ye Qiao did hesitate, but what surprised her was that this illusion knew so much, and could even conjure up various images; it was truly amazing.

Seeing that she remained silent, the illusion asked softly, "Can you feel the light?"

"I felt it."

It chuckled softly, having finally brainwashed its protégé: "So we are all—"

Ye Qiao: "A person who believes in the light."

The girl looked up as if she had suddenly found a kindred spirit, and excitedly shook hands with it, looking like she was meeting with a leader.

"You like Ultraman too? That's great!"

"?" What is Ultraman?

Are you sick?

Ye Qiao's excited expression seemed genuine; it was clear she truly loved Ultraman.

The illusory face twisted for a moment, and then it made the most foolish decision.

It tentatively transformed into the form she had imagined in her mind.

"..."

Then he took a step closer to her.

Ye Qiao looked at the Ultraman, a subtle smile playing on her lips. She was pretty sure it really could conjure anything in her mind; that was truly...

Very good!

The two people, one in a dream world, were like leaders meeting, and they began shaking hands frantically.

That's not right.

The illusion calmly reflected.

Things shouldn't have turned out this way; it had already successfully brainwashed her about halfway.

The illusion decided to persevere, its voice soft, "Do you have faith?"

Everyone has it.

Like that sword cultivator named Ye Qinghan from before.

Which sword cultivator in the world doesn't aspire to be the number one swordsman, the patriarch who opened up peace with a single sword strike? And coincidentally, in my memory, the girl in front of me is also a sword cultivator.

"Yes, I do." Ye Qiao looked like she had found a kindred spirit.

Its eyes lit up, and it was about to conjure up the image of the founder of swordsmanship for her.

Then Ye Qiao calmly and sincerely said, "I am a follower of Jack Ma."

"?" It was stunned for a few seconds.

Who is that?

The illusion doesn't understand; this involves the illusion's blind spots. It doesn't even know who Jack Ma is.

Having lived for thousands of years and devoured countless geniuses from various sects, this was the first time it had encountered such a formidable opponent. In order to cover up its lack of culture and its ignorance of the person "Jack Ma," it decided to change the subject.

"Besides that, what do you deep down desire?"

Ye Qiao heard these words.

She smiled slowly.

She had been testing it before, wondering if it wanted to keep her there. Now she knew it was intentionally trying, so it would be a waste not to make the most of it. Ye Qiao nodded and smiled. The girl lowered her eyes, looking embarrassed. "My swordsmanship has never been good."

"I wonder if you could demonstrate the third move of the Gentle Breeze Technique?"

"Before I could learn it, the Sword Inquiry Sect members all laughed at me," Ye Qiao said softly. "I know I lack talent, but I will work hard."

The girl looked somewhat forlorn and extremely sad, a mood that the illusion was delighted to see.

Having emotions is a good thing, but what's scary is encountering a stubborn sword cultivator like Ye Qinghan, who remains unmoved no matter what form he takes.

Ye Qiao wasn't lying; her performance just now was a genuine expression of her feelings. Each move of the Changming Sect's Qingfeng Technique is different, and she couldn't even grasp the third move, nor could Mu Chongxi.

The two were reprimanded by Elder Duan for this, but fortunately, Ye Qiao, who had a natural sword bone, hadn't learned it either, so she wasn't beaten up by Elder Duan alone.

She took a deep breath. "This is my lifelong dream."

The illusion didn't doubt her words; sword cultivators were all sword fanatics, so wanting to see sword techniques was nothing unusual.

"Don't move from here," it said. "I'll go and learn something first."

It has pulled too many cultivators into the illusion, and the amount of information is enormous. It needs to sort out its thoughts. Once it has completely brainwashed this disciple, devouring her will be a piece of cake.

Ye Qiao whispered "Okay".

She waited a moment, and the illusion reappeared. It really came with the Qingfeng Technique, and it was in the starting stance of the third move, with Ye Qiao's face on its head.

The image that was conjured was also that of Ye Qiao, and the habits that were imitated were naturally those of Ye Qiao herself.

Seeing the illusionary realm use its own appearance to imitate the Qingfeng Technique one-on-one, wouldn't that be more effective than her learning it little by little?

If there's anything wrong, you can compare it and make adjustments.

"I've learned a lot." Ye Qiao cupped her hands in greeting and continued, "I'd also like to see one of the four great formations, the Floating Life Formation."

"???" Aren't you a sword cultivator?

"You might not believe it if I told you," she continued, her expression unchanged. "I'm a sword cultivator with dreams, and I also want to learn about talisman cultivation and formations to broaden my horizons."

A fleeting dream, the Moon Purity Sect's famous illusion array.

"That Ye Qiao!!" Elder Yueqing Sect couldn't sit still any longer: "She's shameless!"

What's the logic behind this? Learning formations from an illusion.

"She didn't learn it from your disciple, why are you in such a hurry?" Qin Fanfan sneered. "It's just an illusion."

"..." Yue Qingzong almost fainted from anger.

She's never been this unethical before, ripping off people in their illusions.

*

Are these really her obsessions? The illusion on the other side is also questioning the meaning of life.

"..."

"Finished training." It panted, then smiled finally. "Have you considered staying?"

Ye Qiao saw that it hadn't been easy for it either; the Illusion Realm had worked so hard to achieve its sales targets. She started clapping: "Awesome! Awesome!"

The illusion, twisted with anger, dissipated for a few seconds before quickly coalescing again: "..." This was not what it wanted to hear.

It wanted to hear her say she was willing to stay and become its nourishment, not praise it for being awesome!

"Ye Qiao, don't you hate her?" The illusion took a deep breath, leaned closer to her, and transformed into her appearance again. It chuckled softly, its voice low, and whispered repeatedly in her ear, "Yueqing Sect, those who look down on you, don't you yearn to one day trample them under your feet?"

It was difficult to discern any change in Ye Qiao's expression.

As expected, the illusion was guided in several steps. First, it transformed into her appearance, trying to make her doubt herself. When that didn't work, it tried to tempt her with the obsession in her memories.

After two failures, he tried to provoke her with the original owner's terrible memories.

"I hate it." To keep her composure, Ye Qiao lowered her eyes and clenched her fist: "But I can't fight them. You know, I'm just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I can't even save myself."

A smile appeared on the illusion's face. "Then you can ask me for help..."

"So," Ye Qiao said, her face full of dissatisfaction and sadness. She raised her eyes and said slowly in the most innocent tone, "I also want to see what the top-grade pills and spiritual plants look like."

"When I was young, I lived in the Yueqing Sect and had never seen the world."

"..."

The illusion instantly turned into a ferocious expression, vowing to devour her today.

This disciple was the one with the purest spiritual energy it had ever seen; it would not be at peace even if it died without eating it.

Ye Qiao stared at the illusion before her that was exactly the same as herself. The uncontrollable expression on its face made her click her tongue silently. Like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, it seemed that it really wanted to devour her.

……

They waited outside for a long time but didn't see Ye Qiao come out. A whole night had passed since Ye Qiao went in.

"Is she trapped in this situation because of her own malice?" Su Zhuo asked.

In the realm of illusion, anyone who gets caught up in it will have some degree of malice. Who can guarantee that they are the purest?

Others were also curious about what she had seen that had kept her trapped inside for so long.

The sooner you emerge from the illusion, the purer your mind is.

People with simple minds generally go further on the path of cultivation, while those with inner demons who are trapped and unable to break free are basically doomed.

The great path is clear; if you cannot overcome your inner demons and abandon distracting thoughts, what's the point of cultivating the Tao? You might as well go home and feed pigs.

Chu Xingzhi was also puzzled, "What is Ye Qiao doing in there?"

They were all waiting for Ye Qiao to come out and discuss the cooperation. The atmosphere was unusually harmonious, but the person in question remained inside without making a sound.

Could I really be trapped by myself?

Some of the illusions inside also caused them to lose their composure.

It usually manifests as the obsession in the other person's mind, revealing their true self, being bewitched by themselves, questioning themselves, and constantly doubting themselves until they are completely brainwashed.

But this mentor didn't follow the usual path.

After it conjured her up, Ye Qiao actually smiled slightly, then took a step back and began to make a wish: "I want to see the sword techniques of Chengfeng Sect, Yueqing Sect, and Wenjian Sect."

Please grant my request.

"This is my only obsession."

"...???" Well, you've got quite a few obsessions, huh?

Ye Qiao felt that as the saying goes, "know yourself and know your enemy and you will win every battle." The team competition and the individual competition were too close together. Basically, as soon as the fifth match ended, the individual competition would begin.

Since that's the case, then she should wait until she has figured out the sword techniques and styles of the disciples of the major sects before discussing going out.

Driven to near madness by her torment, the illusion shifted and changed under her control, finally demanding in a hateful voice, "Are you leaving or not?"

"Unfortunately," Ye Qiao said, "I'm planning to settle down here before I learn how to do it."

Sword skills are nothing more than practice makes perfect, but those who fought her before were either more skilled than her or had been learning swordsmanship for longer. Elder Duan had also given her some pointers, but the effect was not significant.

But when you fight against yourself, you can analyze your weaknesses while sparring and make constant adjustments. From being a novice to now wielding the sword with ease, you can see your growth clearly.

"Your disciple has made quite rapid progress."

In two days, she used illusions to create countless versions of herself.

The illusion was divided into six parts, and Ye Qiao was dragged along to train. Her mental fortitude was quite abnormal; she remained remarkably calm while training with so many versions of herself.

This long-awaited, gradually improving practice allowed Ye Qiao to rediscover the meditative state she had when she first studied the sword manual.

The illusion had been driven mad by the torment. Despite fighting Ye Qiao for so long, it had not been brainwashed; instead, it had become even more ferocious in battle.

Ye Qiao conjured six versions of herself in a row. After being ambushed and kicked away again, she slightly stopped and then suddenly retreated instead of advancing. She abruptly pressed closer and activated the third move of the Qingfeng Technique, blasting it open unexpectedly.

The person before me vanished in an instant.

The third move of the Qingfeng Technique is so subtle and undetectable that it can be detonated if someone gets close. It is an essential sword technique for ambushes and counterattacks.

"...Awesome."

"Ye Qiao is awesome."

"What a twisted person."

As time dragged on, Ye Qiao showed no sign of stopping, and the illusion became numb.

It has been dragging this out for so long just because it wants to eat her. Such a pure spiritual root is a rare find, even once in a thousand years. And after wasting so much time, it won't be satisfied if it doesn't eat her.

Now, it has gradually come to terms with reality.

This person never took it seriously.

Instead, they treated it like a training ground!

After kicking away the illusion once again, Ye Qiao landed lightly on the ground. Just as she was about to try again, the world spun before her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, the ground had changed.

The illusion dissipated, and Ye Qiao was released.

Her feelings were slightly complicated, and then she shamelessly said, "Its heart is so fragile."

The cultivators who witnessed her actions couldn't help but criticize her, saying, "Have some decency, Ye Qiao!!"

The senior students who were guarding the area exchanged glances and perked up.

They were finally released.

Xue Yu grabbed her, examined her for a long time, and asked, "What did it do to you?"

For two whole days, they almost thought she was completely lost in it.

Ye Qiao was still a little dazed after coming out. She composed herself and said slowly, "Did it give me a demonstration of its Hundred Transformations Sword Technique?"

"Hmm?" Everyone thought she was trapped by herself, but from what she said, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Chu Xingzhi and the others were already getting impatient. "Why did it take you so long to come out?"

"Long?" Ye Qiao blinked. She was a little disoriented in the illusion, scratching her head and clicking her tongue softly. "I want to go in again."

Ye Qiao was a little disappointed that she was kicked out halfway through, just when she was about to get the hang of it.

The voice just fell.

The illusion shattered.

In a true sense, it shattered. The once ethereal illusion in the void was silently torn in two, rushing out like madmen! "Ahhh!"

"Ye Qiao," Xue Yu changed his address, his tone strange, "What did you do to it?"

Ye Qiao: "..."

*

Five thousand words, consider this an extra chapter.