First Steps Into the Mirror Realm

Bai Luoxia’s gaze suddenly drifted to the silver-haired youth munching popcorn in the corner.

Her lips curled ever so slightly.

Within her cerulean eyes shimmered a light like moonlight.

It seemed like anticipation.

Or perhaps… something else.

That single glance startled Sui Ming so badly, he dropped a few kernels.

Cold sweat beaded on his brow.

“Eh? Brother Sui Ming, I think Her Highness just looked your way,” Ral said.

“Don’t say it… I know.”

Feeling the predatory stares of those around him, Sui Ming knew his days of peace were officially over.

“Everyone, step forward.”

“I hope you all obtain the results you seek.”

With that, Anna raised her hand and swept it gently through the air.

The surrounding scenery began to twist and distort—

As though everything were being flipped inside a mirror.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

In a burst of chaos, over a hundred people vanished without a trace—

As if they’d never been there to begin with.

“Looks like the quality of this batch is quite decent.”

“Wouldn’t you agree, Your Majesty Bai Yunqing?”

“No need for formalities, Anna.”

“We’ve known each other far too long for that.”

“Fair enough, haha.”

The blonde woman chuckled and leaned lazily on the armrest of the throne.

“I noticed your granddaughter joined this year’s selection as well.”

“That girl… sigh—”

Bai Yunqing’s expression suddenly turned troubled.

“Still hung up on what happened three years ago?” Anna asked, surprised.

Bai Yunqing nodded slightly—confirming it.

“It’s understandable.”

“Hist’s passing hit her far too hard… especially since it was…”

“A tragic entanglement, truly.”

“If I’d known things would turn out this way, I never would’ve agreed to that damn Xi’s request.”

At the mention of “Xi,” Bai Yunqing’s expression grew complicated.

Both she and Anna wore visible distaste on their faces.

“That bastard—seriously.”

“How could Yue have married such scum!? Aaargh!”

Anna raged with helpless fury.

“That aside… I thought I sensed a familiar presence just now, but I can’t quite place it.”

“Even you can’t tell?”

“Maybe it’s some relic that conceals identity?”

“How should I know?”

Meanwhile, perched atop the palace dome, a raven was leisurely sipping on a cup of milk tea—

Its manner so human it was hard to believe it wasn’t some spirit creature in disguise.

“Please—like you people could sniff out his identity.”

“What kind of daylight fantasy are you dreaming?”

“Even that old codger from Rhine wouldn’t be certain.”

“Let alone you lot. Tsk tsk tsk.”

With a flick of its wing, a dark rift tore open in the sky.

“If I’m not allowed to enter legally…”

“Then I’ll just smuggle myself in.”

“Not my fault, is it?”

“Waaahhh! Brother Sui! Brother Sui, save me! Aaaahhhh!”

“…Honestly. Can you just look down for once?”

Sui Ming stared, deadpan, at the black-haired boy flailing as he clung to a tree branch.

“O-oh, I’m fine now.”

“Where… are we?”

“This should be the outskirts of Mingxi City.”

“According to what Examiner Anna said, the mirrored world should be a one-to-one replica.”

“The only difference is that the original inhabitants have been replaced with point-giving magical beasts.”

“S-so that means… we might…”

“Yup, that’s what it means, but—”

“ROOOOAAARRRR!”

Before he could finish, a brown bear burst forth with a deafening roar.

Standing upright, it towered over two meters high, blocking out a portion of the sunlight.

“You know…”

“I really hate being interrupted.”

“Totally ruins the mood.”

“Life is fun—why rush to die?”

A brilliant gleam, like a rising sun, flashed past.

There wasn’t a single drop of blood on the pristine blade.

Only a golden line trickled down the bear’s throat.

The technique was flawless—

Lethal precision that avoided every non-vital point.

For a true assassin, one strike was all it took.

The massive body collapsed.

A pale blue soul essence emerged and floated into Sui Ming’s golden point card.

It was only then that Ral noticed something strange about the card.

“B-Brother Sui… y-your card… it’s gold!?”

“What, is that weird?”

“Brother Sui, do you know what a gold card means!?”

Ral was practically shouting in disbelief.

“Only candidates recognized by someone at the [True Manifestation] level could possibly receive one!”

“Even Her Highness Bai Luoxia only got a gold one!”

“Cerulean cards—that’s a whole other level. You’d need an [Immortal]-tier figure to endorse you for that.”

“In this competition, a cerulean card is worth five golds!”

“…Wait, this thing is valuable?”

Didn’t feel more precious than his bank card, honestly.

“My older brother studied at Rhine Academy.”

“He said his biggest regret was not earning the gold identity card that marks an official academy member.”

“Oh, so it’s a VIP card.”

“That’s worth keeping, then.”

“So is there a way to upgrade it to cerulean?”

“Easy!”

At that moment, Sui Ming had a very bad feeling.

The last time Crow said that, it tried to trick him into becoming the public enemy of an entire nation.

“Hold up.”

“Don’t tell me it’s something like ‘eliminate all the other contestants’?”

“Of course not, Brother Sui.”

“You just have to take down four other gold card holders. That’s all!”

Turns out, not everyone in this world was as black-hearted as Crow.

There was still some innocence left.

“Only four?”

“That’s it?”

Sui Ming was genuinely skeptical.

“Uh… Brother Sui, those are all at least [Gold Vein] tier…”

“Relax.”

“Stick with me, and I’ll carry us to victory.”

After witnessing Sui Ming’s earlier performance, Ral realized—

He had just latched onto a golden thigh.

Sui Ming scanned their surroundings, mentally confirming their location.

“If I’m right, we’re about five kilometers outside Mingxi City.”

“Looks like we dropped into one of the farthest zones—almost on the outer edge.”

“No worries, Brother Sui!”

“You just focus on the fighting—leave everything else to me!”

“Oh?”

“And you are…?”

“Don’t forget—I’m an alchemist.”

“Alchemist? What kind of profession is that?”

“What’s so great about refining gold?”

“Brother Sui, you really don’t know?”

“I’m a genius alchemist, okay?”

“Got my Grandmaster Certification from the [Ivory Tower] at just eighteen!”

“Do I even need to explain how prestigious that is?”

‘What the heck… another one of those fancy titles?’