Outside the simulation, Chen Yi could hardly contain his excitement.

"I thought I'd be stuck until I was seventy or eighty before breaking through, but I actually broke through at forty-seven! If I can escape from the Shen Family, this simulation might even let me ascend another major realm!"

Calculating based on the theoretical lifespan of one hundred years for those below the Martial King Realm.

If nothing unexpected happens in this simulation, I still have fifty-three years to live.

With the Ten Thousand Souls Banner's feedback, the Nine Provinces Cauldron's pills, and the Sword Lord's immortal peaches.

Using the remaining time to break through another major realm is not impossible!

[After glancing at the panel, undoubtedly, your strength has stepped onto a new level, becoming even stronger!]

[Next, you must face the true nature of the Shen Family.]

["Little Wan, Da Chun, prepare..."]

[With a sweeping glance, you see the Shen Family Patriarch Shen Yue, the Shen Family Elder Council led by Shen Wanquan, and the Shen Family Star Martial Corps.]

[Whether it's the Elder Council or the Star Martial Corps, every member is at the Martial King Realm!]

[They stand in the air, forming a circle around you.]

[Everyone's gaze is icy cold, as if looking at a corpse.]

[Ten Thousand Souls Banner: "Prepare what?"]

[You: "Prepare for nothing."]

[You are not someone who accepts fate; you are willing to fight in any desperate situation.]

[But the other side clearly sees through your little thoughts.]

[If you raise your hand right now, you will definitely die instantly.]

[If you want to fight desperately, you shouldn't choose a time when the enemy is fully prepared.]

["Shen Yi... go with the Patriarch and the others."]

[You hear Shen Linfeng's voice, carrying a hint of pity within it.]

[You stand up, bow your fists towards him, and smile.]

["Thank you, Elder Linfeng, for bringing me to the Starry Domains and bestowing this great opportunity upon me."]

[Shen Linfeng's face shows shame, and he turns his head away.]

[Shen Yufeng, who has been standing guard at your courtyard gate for nearly ten years, also turns her face away, not daring to look at you.]

[You walk down from the formation platform with great composure.]

["Everyone, shall we go then? I wonder what exactly I, as the next Mirror Wielder, am supposed to do?"]

[An invisible force rises from beneath your feet, lifting you up and carrying you away from this small star where you have lived for ten years.]

[A group of Martial King Realm experts surrounds you on all sides, blocking every direction so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.]

[As you pass over some stars, you notice that the previously pleasure-seeking Shen Family disciples are gone.]

[Some are practicing martial arts and sparring, some are reading books and reciting poetry, and others are delving into skills like alchemy, the Art of Talismans, and formation arrays.]

[So, what you saw when you first arrived was all an act performed by the Shen Family disciples in cooperation with the family.]

[Including what Shen Linfeng, Shen Yue, and others mentioned about Shen Family disciples losing their fighting spirit and being lazy about training.]

[It was all lies.]

[It was to make you Dust Lineage disciples believe that the Mirror Wielder position truly couldn't be filled without you, so you would willingly follow their arrangements.]

"The Shen Family went to such great lengths, putting on a performance with the entire clan, just to deceive a group of ground-level martial artists with no background and no strength? What exactly is worth all this effort and planning?"

Chen Yi thinks that if he were the Shen Family Patriarch and wanted to use ground-level Dust Lineage disciples, wouldn't it be simple?

Start with some temptation to lure them up, and once they're on your turf, wouldn't you be able to manipulate them however you want?

He wonders if the Shen Family has any old villainous objects similar to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner; using some kind of bewitchment or hypnosis should work too, right?

"Speaking of which, for those who failed the competition, the Shen Family first didn't kill them, and second didn't demand a return on the resources invested. Instead, they sent them back to the ground. Last simulation, Third Brother-in-law didn't come back. Could it be that he won the competition?"

Chen Yi stares intently at the simulator, wanting to see what exactly this Shen Family 'competition' is.

[You are brought to a certain location in the Starry Domains.]

[In the void ahead, there is a massive, rotating circular vortex.]

[The space inside is distorted, emitting ripples of spatial energy.]

["What is this place?"]

[Shen Yue says lightly.]

["The entrance to the Star Force Mystic Realm."]

["What is the Star Force Mystic Realm for?"]

[Shen Yue doesn't explain. Instead, he takes out the Qiankun Mirror from his storage ring.]

["Take the Qiankun Mirror and go in."]

[You look at the Qiankun Mirror being handed to you.]

[Even though it's only half, it's still a Great Dao Immortal Artifact!]

[And they're just giving it to me?]

[The Shen Family is truly generous!]

[You can't suppress the corner of your mouth.]

["Alright, alright, alright... But, wasn't it said that candidates were being selected? Is the previous Mirror Wielder no longer here? Why are you directly letting me wield the mirror?"]

["You can understand it as 'no longer here'."]

["Who will teach me how to use this thing? Do I have to figure it out myself?"]

["Once you go in, someone will naturally teach you."]

[You know it's impossible for you not to go in.]

[Everyone is being civil, which is why they aren't using violence.]

[Normally, they would have long since thrown you in, why waste words with you?]

["How do I come out after going in?"]

["Once you go in, you don't need to come out. We will open the gate of the Star Force Mystic Realm in ten years to bring you out. Now hurry up and go in!"]

[They're no longer being civil.]

[You feel a force pushing you, and your body floats uncontrollably into the gate of the Star Force Mystic Realm.]

[Between fighting desperately to the death and going in to take a look, you hesitate for a moment.]

[In the end, you choose to go in and take a look.]

[It's just that with this bunch of Martial King Realm experts outside, it's practically equivalent to having their fingers on the trigger. You really can't find an opportunity.]

[The figures of Shen Yue and the others gradually recede and blur in your vision. Their final gaze seems to shift from icy coldness to something resembling awe.]

["Hum—"]

[With the sudden disappearance of senses like sight and hearing, you feel as if you have fallen into an abyss.]

[You can't tell if you're falling or rising; all sensation loses meaning.]

[You don't know how much time has passed when you feel yourself hitting the ground.]

[Getting up, you see a grassy meadow with lush green grass.]

[Not far away, there is a willow tree.]

[Under the willow tree, an old man with white hair and a youthful face is playing chess by himself.]

[The old man glances at you and reveals a kind smile.]

["Here? Sit, play a game with me."]

[You are confused.]

["Hello, old sir. I am the new Mirror Wielder selected by the Shen Family. They told me to come in and..."]

[The old man smiles and shakes his head, interrupting you.]

["Haha, what 'Mirror Wielder'? If you feel that needing you to hold the Qiankun Mirror makes you the 'Mirror Wielder,' you can call yourself that. Come, play chess."]

[Under the old man's invitation, you sit opposite him, playing chess while chatting about everyday matters.]

[In the later stages of the game, the old man praises you.]

["Your chess skills are quite good."]

["I just memorized your every move, analyzed your playing style, predicted your subsequent moves, then responded accordingly and set traps."]

["I see. A pity, but I still win this game."]