Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Chapter 421 - 405: Right on the Stage...

Luo Ji slowly lowered his head, focusing his gaze on the ancient bronze mirror lying quietly in his palm.

The mirror’s surface was like a weathered, tattered mask, crisscrossed with cobweb-like cracks; those cracks were intricate, seemingly deep imprints left by the passage of time.

What was eerie was that from each crack, dark red liquid seemed to ooze out faintly.

The liquid meandered across the mirror’s surface, slowly wriggling through the twisted cracks as if retaining some consciousness, yearning to break free and flow out.

Looking at the frame, it was carved with a hollow human face.

This face seemed like an existence forgotten by time, its skin decayed like sun-dried and wind-beaten bark, coarse and ancient.

Amidst the folds, one could faintly see intricate runes flickering.

These runes seemed like some invisible threads, tightly binding the broken face, preventing it from completely falling apart.

The most bizarre part was that the face had no features, only a smooth indentation, bottomless, as if quietly waiting for someone’s face to fill it.

In his heart, Luo Ji called out the mirror’s name while recollecting the various pieces of information about the mirror in his mind.

This information seemed forcibly implanted into his brain, and after repeated understanding, he summarized them into a few simple rules:

Ability: Steal the life chart of a genius.

Trigger conditions:

Step one: Bind a genius, just reflecting them in the mirror for 5 seconds will do.

Step two: Steal. When the target moves towards misfortune or death, their life chart will be absorbed by the mirror.

Method of theft:

Active: Create misfortune or directly kill the target, achieving a significant effect.

Passive: Wait for the target to naturally meet misfortune or death, achieving a weaker effect.

Effect:

Gain the most prominent talent or ability of the target, and randomly inherit one of the target’s flaws.

Upgrade:

Initial: Can only steal the life chart of one genius.

After upgrade: Can steal the life charts of up to five geniuses, eventually merging them into one’s own unique life chart.

Side effects:

The fused life chart will permanently change one’s personality, potentially leading to a split personality.

After the genius whose life chart was stolen dies, part of their soul is absorbed by the mirror, and their features gradually appear on the mirror’s surface. Once the features become completely clear, a "surprise" will be triggered.

Regarding the "surprise," the information does not provide details, as if erased by the cracks on the mirror’s surface.

Yet, Luo Ji did not need to think hard to know that it would not be anything good.

He stared at the mirror, the dark red liquid within the cracks seemingly responded to his gaze, sparkling with a black, ghostly light.

The faceless face seemed to silently mock, welcoming the arrival of the first "tenant"!!!

After leaving the Hidden Sect with the mirror and thoroughly understanding its abilities, Luo Ji rushed to visit the Eighth Academy, eager to witness the extraordinary presence of the geniuses in the martial arts tournament firsthand.

Watching them demonstrate outstanding skill in the arena, drawing immense cheers and applause from the crowd, Luo Ji was truly thrilled.

It’s no exaggeration to say Luo Ji was more excited than the geniuses standing on the stage.

After a few days of observations, Luo Ji identified several targets; rather, it wasn’t just him choosing them, the martial arts tournament helped him select them.

All cumbersome preparatory work was done by the martial arts tournament, all he needed to do was point the mirror and enjoy the reward effortlessly.

In short, Luo Ji’s current mood can be summed up in two words - gratitude!

Luo Ji took a deep breath, turned his wrist slightly, and aimed the mirror at the nearest arena.

Beep—

The referee’s whistle sounded.

The sharp whistle brought a moment of clarity to Feng Yuhuai’s mind.

She realized with horror that amidst the chaos, an eerie voice seemed to loop continuously, pushing her to the brink of madness.

"Who? Where is this voice coming from? Who is provoking me?"

Feng Yuhuai stood still, suddenly lifted her head, looking at Qian Duoyu, enveloped in golden light, her voice turning hoarse,

"Is this your trick?"

The moment the whistle ended, Qian Duoyu did not rush to attack but first posed a defensive stance.

Then, he slightly parted his lips, revealing glowing letters "X-7 Combat Stimulant" engraved on his tongue.

The next moment, he bit down hard on his tongue, and instantly, his entire body visibly surged with electric currents, his blood roaring violently through his veins, his momentum skyrocketing.

His originally chubby, slightly plump body quickly shrunk and collapsed, turning into a lean and muscular figure full of strength in an instant.

Next, he twitched his right hand, breaking his little finger, from which a stream of liquid flowed out.

Silver-glowing metallic liquid spread down his fingers, rapidly covering his entire body with a thin protective layer in the blink of an eye.

Then, Qian Duoyu tossed his head abruptly, his golden long hair fluttering spontaneously.

It wasn’t ordinary hair but a man-made "neural wig" - each strand crafted from 24K gold, embedded with nano-scale neural chips.

These strands could receive his brain wave signals, acting like flexible tentacles, and even harden instantly into deadly weapons.

At this moment, his wig traced golden arcs in the air, emitting a high-frequency buzzing sound, brightening his entire figure with dazzling, splendid golden light.

Qian Duoyu twisted his muscular neck, a sneer spreading on his drastically changed face:

"How can this be called a trick? Reasonable development and utilization of the body are the strengths money has given me. You doubt it only because poverty has limited your imagination."

Clearly misunderstood, what Feng Yuhuai wanted to ask was not about this trick.

However, Qian Duoyu’s radical transformation on stage indeed astonished Feng Yuhuai.

Standing in the arena, the professional referee scanned Qian Duoyu sharply and then sternly stated to Feng Yuhuai:

"Your opponent has not violated any rules. In the world of martial arts, the pursuit of the ultimate in developing and utilizing one’s body and strength is the goal every martial artist strives for and the philosophy advocated by martial arts.

Therefore, the match continues!"

And Qian Duoyu’s answer reached Feng Yuhuai’s ears, naturally misconstrued as a public confession that the eerie, stimulating voice in her head originated from Qian Duoyu’s "trick."

"You deserve to die!"

Feng Yuhuai’s eyes widened, her eyeballs on the verge of splitting, as if blood was seeping continuously from the corners.

Her body convulsed uncontrollably, the dread within had surged like a dam-burst flood, with overwhelming force, flooding back into her mind.

Moreover, this time, the dread accompanied by fear and madness was more rampant and terrifying than ever, seemingly intent on devouring her sanity completely.

Feng Yuhuai’s eyes gleamed with undisguised ferocity, her red hair whipping wildly behind her, with a light tap of her heel, she lunged viciously toward Qian Duoyu, riding the wicked wind.

At this moment, the entire world seemed to fade away in her eyes, leaving only the continuously repeating voice in her mind, rustling like a beast gnawing, or nails frantically scratching at her brain.

A red mist clouded her vision, as audience, referees, everything else vanished, leaving only the arena underfoot and the gleaming golden... food ahead.

"Devour him!!!"

"Devour him right on the stage!"

The hysterical, maddening roar surged from within Feng Yuhuai’s soul.