A gentle hum thrummed through the air as an ethereal gate shimmered before Hei Long and Lin Fan, adorned with glowing runes and carved celestial beasts.
A disembodied voice echoed from the heavens:
"Step forth, trial-takers. The Mirror of the Self awaits."
The gate slowly opened, revealing an endless battlefield made of floating platforms suspended in the sky. The wind howled. Clouds twisted in strange directions. It wasn't just a battlefield — it was a memory maze, an illusion warzone, a place meant to shatter weak minds and test even the firmest wills.
Lin Fan gulped. "This… this looks dangerous…"
Hei Long strolled in without hesitation.
Stage One: The Battlefield of Doubt
The moment they entered, the sky rippled — and from the mist ahead, doppelgängers formed.
Hei Long stared at a version of himself — arrogant, cruel, manipulative.
"Is that supposed to intimidate me?" Hei Long muttered.
His double smirked. "You'll betray everyone. You're no different than me."
