Chapter 2505: I Can Find the True Form of the Mirage

After grouping into pairs in the assembly hall, the rules for winning and losing were established, and the fierce competition resumed.

Mirage's luck was indeed rather ordinary; in less than half a day, it and Phantom Butterfly had already lost a hundred years. Lu Ye's spirits were greatly lifted. He cast an encouraging glance at Fan Wu, urging him to keep up the good work. Fan Wu lived up to his expectations; in the next half-day, he single-handedly crushed Mirage and Phantom Butterfly, leaving them utterly defeated.

"I demand a substitution!" Mirage clearly sensed something was amiss. If this continued, 1600 years wouldn't be nearly enough for it to keep losing; once its stakes were depleted, it would have to let Lu Ye and the others leave, which was something it desperately wanted to avoid. Therefore, it wanted to replace its ineffectual teammate, as Phantom Butterfly's luck was simply too terrible.

"Senior, that's no fun," Lu Ye naturally disagreed. Fan Wu was currently on a roll, and if someone were replaced, there was no guarantee his momentum would continue.

"It doesn't break the rules; you can also make a substitution!"

"But I don't want to make a substitution."

"That's your business!"

"I refuse!" Lu Ye stood his ground.

"It's no use, no use! I'll change if I want to!" Mirage clearly didn't want to get entangled in this argument with Lu Ye. It pointed a finger at Phantom Butterfly and declared, "You're out!"

Phantom Butterfly turned to look at Lu Ye. Lu Ye, feeling helpless and knowing he couldn't win against Mirage, conceded a point: "Then, Senior, let's both take a step back. If you want a substitution, I'll designate the replacement!"

"Agreed!" Mirage nodded without hesitation.

Lu Ye turned and scanned the crowd, who had been watching the game all day, then pointed at Fu Wei, who was sitting on the edge of the corner: "You're up!"

Fu Wei's luck had always been poor. Lu Ye particularly remembered how unlucky he had been in that wonder, and after leaving it, he was even captured by a Dao Integration realm cultivator. If Lu Ye hadn't had Kun Li intervene at the last moment, Fu Wei might have already been taken to some Dao Integration city as a slave.

Fu Wei took his seat. Lu Ye immediately realized something was wrong! Fan Wu's momentum was halted, and the flow of the game on the table began to shift, favoring Mirage, who had previously experienced only ordinary luck. This led to Mirage winning repeatedly and becoming visibly delighted. Conversely, their side's luck became even worse than before. After another half-day, they had lost all the time they had previously won back.

Lu Ye abruptly stood up. "I also want a substitution!" He wasn't suited to sit at this table. Fortunately, after watching the game for so long, everyone was already familiar with the rules, so anyone could step in and play.

"Fine!" Mirage chuckled merrily. It merely wanted someone to keep it entertained; who it was didn't matter. It looked around and randomly picked a slave to take Lu Ye's place. Lu Ye stood to the side, watching, and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. This slave's luck was rather good; although there were no major victories, at least the situation was stabilized.

Time passed, and the four players at the table rotated in and out, but only Mirage remained steadily seated, endlessly enjoying itself.

Lu Ye grew impatient waiting. Yuan Xi still hadn't returned, and he had no idea what she was doing. He planned to teach Mirage another game in a few days, which would allow them to reduce the time by another hundred years. Given his previous experiences, he knew it was unrealistic to escape into the Union Realm with a Dao Integration Orb. Other than that, Mirage hadn't placed many restrictions on the city's cultivators.

Unwilling to waste time in the assembly hall, Lu Ye simply returned to his Grand Commander's residence. While he was cultivating, the protective barrier was triggered, undoubtedly indicating someone was looking for him. Lu Ye checked briefly and felt a slight surprise. He slightly eased the barrier, and a figure pushed the door open and entered. The figure was tall and slender with striking looks, yet her face held a profound, deathlike stillness.

Lu Ye hadn't expected Phantom Azure to be the one seeking him out. Ever since he brought her back from the Golden Stamen Pavilion that day, she had always seemed completely indifferent to the outside world, and he had never had any private contact with her. Therefore, he had no idea why this woman had come to him.

"Is something wrong?" Lu Ye asked.

Phantom Azure remained silent. She sat down in front of Lu Ye, raised her eyes, and fixed her gaze on him. Her red lips parted slightly, but no sound emerged. Lu Ye understood implicitly and activated his Grand Commander's residence's protective barrier to its maximum extent.

Phantom Azure's divine sense surged: "I can find Mirage's true form!"

Lu Ye's pupils contracted. His first reaction was that Mirage was teasing him again, just as it had made him mistakenly believe he had entered the Union Realm before. But on second thought, that didn't seem right. He was merely cultivating diligently here and hadn't offended Mirage. Furthermore, Mirage should currently be engrossed in its new game in the assembly hall, unable to extricate itself, so there was no reason for it to come and tease him again. But if this wasn't Mirage's doing, how could Phantom Azure be so confident? If she truly possessed this ability, why hadn't she mentioned it sooner?

As if seeing through Lu Ye's thoughts, Phantom Azure conveyed: "Sir, you needn't worry. To prove my worth, there must be a process. Proof without a process is meaningless."

"A process?" Lu Ye frowned.

"Please recall, Sir," she continued, "in the first game Mirage played with us, wasn't its luck a little *too* good? Didn't you notice anything amiss?"

Lu Ye had long felt something was amiss but could never pinpoint the problem. The most likely explanation was that Mirage had secretly manipulated things, allowing it to win four consecutive rounds in such a simple game of pure luck! Yet, this was also the least likely explanation. Mirage's very nature was to play and amuse itself; if it secretly manipulated the game, it would lose the fun of the experience, which was something it absolutely could not tolerate.

"The problem lies with you?" Lu Ye frowned. Phantom Azure wouldn't say such a thing without reason; since she had, there must be an underlying cause.

"Not entirely, but partly. I merely gave it a push," Phantom Azure admitted without evasion. "Please recall again, Sir: of the four matches, my faction differed from yours in two. What were the outcomes when I participated?"

Lu Ye naturally remembered. In the first match, he was the final player, going head-to-head. After winning two consecutive rounds, he was unfortunately defeated by Phantom Azure. In the second match, Phantom Azure was on his side but was easily defeated by the opponents without contributing anything. The third match followed the same pattern. In the fourth match, Phantom Azure was on the opposing side and won three consecutive rounds! She lost when on his side and won when on the opposing side. Lu Ye carefully recalled the situations of the other players and realized that only Phantom Azure behaved this way! While it was possible it was a coincidence, the probability was low.

"How did you do that?" Lu Ye asked.

Phantom Azure replied, "I can see through Mirage's illusions!"

"So you've always known where Mirage's true form is?" Lu Ye asked.

"I have a general idea."

"Why did you do this!" Lu Ye was somewhat angry. If Phantom Azure had always known where Mirage's true form was, she could have explained it much earlier. Then she and Phantom Butterfly could have teamed up, found Mirage's true form, and naturally escaped their predicament, instead of being trapped here as they were now.

Yuan Xi had mentioned that Mirage's actual strength wasn't formidable; any Dao Integration realm cultivator could easily defeat it if they could find its true form. What was truly intractable was its divine ability domain—a bizarre power capable of trapping even a Cosmos-grade Dao Integration city.

"As I said," Phantom Azure replied with a calm expression, "if I am to prove my worth, there must be a process."

Lu Ye understood: "You have something you desire!"

She needed to prove her worth because she had something she desired. From the standpoint of obligation, Phantom Azure had no ties with anyone in Yuan Xi City; she had simply been sent out by the Golden Stamen Pavilion's owner and had no inherent reason to assist Yuan Xi City. She didn't even consider herself a part of Yuan Xi City!

His mind calmed down, and Lu Ye asked, "What do you want?"

"That jade token!" Phantom Azure replied concisely.

Lu Ye understood: "You want freedom!"

When Lotus sent Phantom Azure out, she gave Lu Ye a jade token, which allowed him to easily control Phantom Azure's life and death. Therefore, she needed that jade token to break free from her restraints.

He had actually considered whether to give the jade token to Phantom Azure before, but he hesitated. Given that Phantom Azure had only recently arrived at Yuan Xi City and hadn't truly pledged her loyalty, combined with her seemingly cold and unfeeling nature, he feared that without a means to restrain her, she might not be willing to stay. Yuan Xi City was currently short-staffed, especially concerning Dao Integration realm cultivators; one more or one less would significantly impact the city. Therefore, Lu Ye had planned to return the jade token only after Phantom Azure acknowledged Yuan Xi City as her home and was willing to stay.

However, plans often change. If Phantom Azure could genuinely resolve the current predicament, what harm was there in granting her freedom? Lu Ye couldn't help but recall a remark Fu Wei had made earlier in the Golden Stamen Pavilion: he said that Phantom Azure shared a karmic connection with Lu Ye. Could this be where that connection came into play? That kid Fu Wei truly had real ability!

"Yes, I can help you find and deal with Mirage's true form, on the condition that you give me that jade token!"

"Deal!" Lu Ye nodded. As he spoke, he suddenly realized something else: "In your plan, you would have waited a while longer before telling me this, wouldn't you?"

Phantom Azure remained silent. Lu Ye knew he had guessed correctly: "You wanted us to first experience how intractable Mirage's methods were, and only then would you negotiate with me to get what you wanted. However, the introduction of mahjong made you feel somewhat threatened, which is why you approached me so quickly!"

"You could say that," Phantom Azure nodded. "Please forgive my self-interest, Sir. I have simply experienced a great deal, and sometimes one must be more thorough when considering matters."

Lu Ye neither confirmed nor denied. He could understand Phantom Azure, but ultimately, he was the one who had suffered this time. If Phantom Azure had made this request from the very beginning, he would certainly have agreed. Instead, it had now become troublesome and arduous.

"Do we need to swear an oath?" Lu Ye asked, gazing at Phantom Azure expressionlessly.

"No need."

"Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?" Lu Ye asked, his expression teasing.