On the projection, Duan Yiwei's image appeared.
Yun Jin's brows drew together instinctively.
The scene was deeply unsettling.
In the first trial, Duan Yiwei had built a massive martial alliance. Under the guise of seeking revenge, he nearly bathed the entire jianghu in blood.
The current image showed his twisted expression as he led his subordinates, mercilessly slaughtering the innocent.
Yun Jin wasn't surprised by Duan Yiwei's nature. That much was already clear to her.
What puzzled her was why he would allow it to be exposed like this.
Curious, Yun Jin turned to the Heart Testing Mirror and asked directly.
An Tong beamed with a smug smile. "Young Master, did you really think that everyone in the illusionary realms could remain as clear-headed as you? Your soul is exceptionally strong, so you probably realized from the beginning that those worlds were only trials, right?"
Yun Jin nodded.
An Tong chuckled. "But for the others, that's not the case. The moment they entered the illusion, their memories and cultivation were sealed. To them, that world felt real. Their reactions came purely from instinct. Under the Heart Testing Mirror, if they could still hide their true nature, then I'd be completely useless."
Now Yun Jin understood.
So she was the anomaly—clear-headed from start to finish. Most others, once inside, became fully immersed, trapped in the illusion as if it were real life.
That explained a lot: why Cheng Su and Ye Liuqin acted so subtly, how Jin Yu got played, why Duan Yiwei let his true colors show.
If they'd entered the trial with full awareness, their actions would have been very different, given their experience as cultivators.
Soon, everyone passed the first trial.
An Tong gave a summary. "Judging from this first stage, the companions you brought all have fairly decent temperament. From Kunlun Sword Sect, Jin Yu and that swordswoman Ling Lan aren't bad. But the others... they have issues. The disciples from the Beastmaster Sect and Xuandan Gate, even with their memories sealed, carried an innate arrogance in their bones. If they can't shed that pride, I fear they won't be suited to learning the Dao of Wushuang Sect. As for those from Qingxiao Pavilion... their problems are even worse. Aside from arrogance, they act recklessly, without the slightest care. In the second trial, they'll likely become even more inflated."
Yun Jin nodded in agreement.
Though the scripts for each trial might differ, the core challenge remained the same—how one behaves when given overwhelming power and placed above others.
She sighed, a faint sense of foreboding settling in her chest.
A thousand years ago, when Wushuang Sect faced calamity, the four Holy Lands had rushed to aid them without hesitation. Even if they didn't arrive in time, their intention had been genuine.
But after the crisis passed, and without Wushuang Sect looming above them, each Holy Land had started inflating with self-importance.
The Kunlun Sword Sect under Master Ji was slightly better. Many among them were still true swordsmen, sincerely devoted to the path of the sword. But judging by the proportions, there were many who had long since strayed from their original hearts.
The other three Holy Lands were all the same—aloof and arrogant. The Beastmaster Sect and Xuandan Gate were marginally better. At least they didn't go out of their way to slaughter the innocent. But Qingxiao Pavilion... they weren't much different from the demon race.
Was this what they meant by rot at the top spreading to the bottom?
First there was Li Heng, then Duan Yiwei, and now Lin Xiao as sect master... Qingxiao Pavilion seemed rotten through and through.
The Four Holy Lands...
Yun Jin had a growing feeling.
One day, when Wushuang Sect had truly risen, she would have to face off against the Four Holy Lands head-on.
And when that day came—
How could she protect her masters from heartbreak?
Yun Jin felt conflicted.
The problems inside the Four Holy Lands ran deep. For now, because of her masters, they were willing to help her.
But once they realized that Wushuang Sect wasn't going to follow their lead, they could easily turn on her.
If that happened, her masters would be caught in the middle.
The thought made her chuckle softly.
Why was she worrying about this so early?
It would still be a long time before Wushuang Sect grew strong enough to pose a threat to the Four Holy Lands. If she told her masters about these concerns now, they'd probably just pat her head and say she was overthinking. Still, it was better to prepare early—find a way to coexist, avoid forcing anyone into impossible choices.
But that was only for the other three.
To Yun Jin, Qingxiao Pavilion was beyond saving.
In the book, Lin Xiao repeatedly protected Yang Yun, allowing that Demon Sovereign to grow unchecked until the very end.
Qingxiao Pavilion rose to prominence alongside the male and female leads, as if basking in their reflected glory.
That sect clearly had a problem.
If, in the future, Qingxiao Pavilion still entangled itself with the demon race, it would be best to root it out completely.
An Tong, watching Yun Jin's expression, suddenly asked with a hint of curiosity, "Young Master, in your final trial, you seemed to hate the demon race with every fiber of your being."
Yun Jin let out a cold laugh. "Why shouldn't I?"
A scene flashed in her mind.
She had crossed countless worlds. That memory should have been long buried by now.
Yet recalling it still made her heart ache so deeply she could hardly breathe.
The Yun family had lived in Yuan City of the Canglan Kingdom. It was a small city, poor in resources, with not even a single cultivation clan. Cultivators were a rare sight—some people lived their whole lives without ever meeting one.
The Yun family was among the wealthiest in town.
From birth, Yun Jin had been showered with love. She knew cultivators existed, but she'd never dreamed of joining their ranks.
Her wish in life had been simple: to grow up with her parents, her relatives, and back then, even Ye Danxia.
She only wanted to spend her days in happiness with them, nothing more.
As for cultivation, immortality, or great power... those things were so distant they felt like myths.
Back then, all she wished for was an ordinary life.
But even that wish, in this world, was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
It had been an ordinary day. She and Ye Danxia had gone for an outing beyond the city. That morning, her parents had seen them off with smiles, reminding them to bring more servants and to stay safe.
She never imagined that would be the last time.
When they returned that evening, the Yun estate was soaked in blood. The courtyard was strewn with corpses—family and servants alike.
Yun Jin had rushed in like a madwoman. Among them all, only her grandfather still clung to life. He handed her the ancestral ring and told her to seek her cultivation path. But she hadn't cared about cultivation at that moment. She sobbed and asked what had happened.
The reason was absurd.
She had never sought the path of cultivation, but her family thought differently. By chance, they discovered she had a spiritual root—though they didn't know its type. And having a spiritual root meant she could cultivate.
So her grandfather and parents, without telling her, sold off everything they owned to buy a batch of five-hundred-year-old herbs. They wanted her to take it and find a master who could guide her.
But how could mere mortals hide anything from cultivators?
During the purchase, someone caught wind of the herbs.
And then—
The Yun family suffered its sudden, senseless calamity.