As the Gravity Bridge faded into the mist, the 500 remaining participants were led to a circular hall. In the center stood a massive, obsidian mirror that stretched ten meters high. Its surface wasn't reflective; it looked like a swirling whirlpool of silver liquid.
"The Mirror of Truth does not look at your face," the white-bearded Elder announced, his eyes lingering on Akash for a second longer than the others. "It looks at your heart, your past, and your secrets. If your mind is weak or your intentions are evil, the mirror will shatter your soul."
[SYSTEM WARNING: EXTERNAL PROBE DETECTED]
[ANALYZING MIRROR... TYPE: SOUL-PEEKING ARTIFACT]
[STATUS: DANGEROUS]
Akash felt a chill. If the mirror looked into his past, would it see his life as a student in 2026? Would it see the Sovereign System?
"Next! Feng!" the examiner shouted.
Feng, still trembling from his earlier defeat, walked up to the mirror. The silver liquid swirled and showed a vision of Feng bullying younger disciples. The mirror turned a dark grey.
"Feng. Talent: Average. Heart: Narrow. You pass, but only as a Labor Disciple," the examiner said coldly. Feng slumped his shoulders, his dreams of being an Inner Disciple crushed.
One by one, the youths went up. Some screamed and fainted when the mirror showed their deepest fears. Finally, it was Akash's turn.
"Akash of Stone Village. Step forward," the Elder commanded.
The square went silent. Everyone wanted to see what kind of 'Genius' or 'Monster' was hiding behind that calm face. Akash walked up, his boots clicking on the jade floor. He stood before the silver whirlpool.
[SOVEREIGN CORE: STEALTH MODE ACTIVATED]
[CREATING ILLUSIONARY HEART-CORE...]
As Akash looked into the mirror, the silver liquid didn't show his past. Instead, it showed a vast, golden throne sitting above the clouds, surrounded by nine dragons made of stars. A figure sat on the throne, its face hidden, but the aura was so powerful that the entire hall began to shake.
The mirror didn't turn grey. It didn't turn white. It turned a brilliant, blinding GOLD.
CRACK... CRACK...
Small fissures began to appear on the surface of the obsidian frame. The Elders jumped up from their seats, their faces filled with terror.
"The Mirror... it's breaking! It can't contain his destiny!" one Elder shouted.
Suddenly, a cold, dark energy shot out from the high balcony—the same energy that had tampered with the bridge. It struck the mirror, trying to force it to show a dark vision, to frame Akash as a demon.
The golden vision flickered, and for a second, a dark, blood-red shadow appeared on the mirror's surface.
"A Demon?!" someone in the crowd gasped. "He's a spy from the Dark Sects!"
Akash's eyes turned cold. He saw the person on the balcony—a middle-aged man in black robes with a vulture emblem. Elder Gu's brother.
[SYSTEM ALERT: SOUL-ATTACK DETECTED]
[COUNTER-MEASURE: SOVEREIGN'S ROAR] The hall erupted in whispers and shouts. The red shadow in the mirror was growing, feeding on the dark energy being sent from the balcony. Meera's face went pale; she knew that if Akash were branded a demon, even she couldn't save him.
"Seize him!" shouted Elder Mo, the man with the vulture emblem. He descended from the balcony like a dark bird of prey. "The Mirror of Truth never lies! This boy is a vessel for a Great Demon!"
The guards moved forward, their spears glowing with Qi. But Akash didn't move. He closed his eyes, and his mind entered the System Interface.
[COUNTER-MEASURE: SOVEREIGN'S ROAR ACTIVATED]
[TARGET: ELDER MO]
[OUTPUT: SOUL-REVERBERATION]
"You talk of truth," Akash's voice suddenly echoed, but it wasn't his usual voice. It was deep, ancient, and vibrated with the power of the Nine Heavens. "But you hide behind a mask of shadows."
BOOM!
A wave of golden energy exploded from Akash's forehead. It didn't hit the guards; instead, it struck the Mirror of Truth. The golden light washed away the fake red shadow, revealing the thin, black thread of dark Qi connecting the mirror to Elder Mo's sleeve.
"Look!" Meera shouted, pointing at the glowing thread. "The mirror was being manipulated!"
The white-bearded Elder, Elder Wang, moved like a flash. He grabbed the thread and followed the energy back to Elder Mo. "Elder Mo! How dare you interfere with the Holy Trial of our Sect?"
Elder Mo's face turned from arrogance to pure terror. "I... I was only... I thought—"
"You thought you could avenge your brother, Elder Gu," Akash said, his eyes glowing with that same molten gold. "But you forgot that the Mirror of Truth reflects the attacker as well."
As the golden energy reached its peak, the mirror didn't just show Akash's throne anymore. It showed Elder Mo's true heart—a rotting, black core filled with the souls of disciples he had secretly murdered to prolong his own life.
The hall went silent. This was the real scandal.
SHATTER!
The Mirror of Truth couldn't take the pressure of Akash's soul and Elder Mo's corruption at the same time. It exploded into a million silver shards.
[MISSION COMPLETED: EXPOSE THE TRAITOR]
[REWARD: 500 SYSTEM POINTS]
[NEW TITLE: SHATTERER OF TRUTH (PASSIVE: 10% CHANCE TO SEE THROUGH ANY ILLUSION)]
Elder Wang looked at the wreckage of the mirror, then at the trembling Elder Mo. "Guards! Take Elder Mo to the Soul-Execution Tower. His crimes will be judged by the Sect Leader himself."
As the guards dragged a screaming Elder Mo away, Elder Wang turned to Akash. There was no longer any doubt in his eyes—only awe.
"Akash... you have destroyed an artifact that has stood for three thousand years," the Elder said, a small smile appearing on his face. "In most cases, I would punish you. But today, you have saved this Sect from a cancer."
He looked at the remaining 500 candidates. "The second stage is over. Akash of Stone Village... for your performance, you are granted the rank of Elite Outer Disciple immediately. You do not need to take the third stage."
The crowd gasped. To jump straight to Elite rank was unheard of. Even Meera had to fight for months to get that title.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: RANK UP!]
[YOU ARE NOW AN ELITE OUTER DISCIPLE]
[NEW RESIDENCE UNLOCKED: THE GOLDEN PEAK LODGE]
Akash nodded respectfully, but his mind was already on the next problem. "Thank you, Elder. But if I don't take the third stage, how will I find the person who truly wants me dead?"