Volume One: The Path Begins Chapter 116: Confronting the Phantom

After everyone had gathered outside the rooms, they all stopped to look around, but no one thought to enter first. As the crowd assembled, Leifan slowly approached from behind.

Upon his arrival, everyone greeted him warmly. Leifan nodded and looked at the group, saying, “Alright, what are you all doing standing here? What’s so interesting? Follow my instructions—each of you pick a room and go inside.”

Hearing this, recalling the rules Leifan had mentioned earlier, no one spoke further, and they dispersed to choose their rooms. Each person selected a room and stepped inside, including Ye Junze and the others who had arrived later.

The moment they fully stepped into their rooms, the doors, which had been wide open moments before, slammed shut with a thunderous noise.

Leifan watched as everyone entered their rooms, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He nodded with satisfaction.

In a low voice, he said, “Now, enjoy this practical lesson.”

...

After Ye Junze chose a room and entered, he found himself facing an empty space and fell into deep thought.

His gaze roamed the room continuously, surveying every corner.

Then Ye Junze lowered his head and murmured, “There’s nothing here at all. How is this practical lesson going to work?”

But no sooner had the words left his lips than it was as if something within the room had heard him. Suddenly, the entire space began to radiate with waves of light emanating from the ceiling, the floor, and the surrounding walls.

Ye Junze widened his eyes, fixated on the unfolding spectacle.

After a short time, these beams of light began to converge right before him.

As the light gathered, Ye Junze felt something sweep over him, as if all his strength was being thoroughly scrutinized, leaving nothing concealed. Yet, despite this sensation, he did not feel alarmed—he knew that his Void Illusion Realm and Dream Essence had long ago installed numerous safeguards to hide some secrets he was not yet ready to reveal.

While observing the convergence of the lights, he thought to himself, “Could this be the formation that creates my phantom? It’s somewhat reminiscent of the techniques Dream Essence used before.”

The gathering of the lights was swift—within mere blinks, all the radiance in the room pooled before Ye Junze.

Then a new transformation began: the ball of light suddenly spread over Ye Junze’s hands, then gradually flowed across his entire body, swirling softly on his skin.

This process lasted for a while until the strange glow slowly faded from Ye Junze’s body. As the light receded, strange forms began to emerge on the ground before him, seemingly linked to the light that had enveloped him.

Once the luminous glow completely vanished, the shapes on the floor began to twist and shift continually.

As these shapes morphed, Ye Junze sensed a faint pattern emerging—the form before him gradually took on the shape of a human figure.

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The silhouette grew clearer with every moment, and even the facial features became increasingly distinct.

As the humanoid phantom solidified, its transformation ceased, coming to a complete stillness as if everything that had just occurred was an illusion.

Yet, this clear apparition before Ye Junze’s eyes was proof that what he had witnessed was real, not a mere trick of the mind.

He shook his head with a helpless smile and began to scrutinize the phantom carefully.

As expected, the apparition bore the same face as Ye Junze, with identical white long hair and dressed in the same attire. This phantom, created by Ye Junze himself, quietly locked eyes with him, silent—not because it chose to remain mute, but because it simply could not speak.

Looking at this phantom, Ye Junze felt an odd familiarity as if recalling the terror he once endured under Dream Essence’s control.

He shook his head again, suppressing the thought, and muttered to himself, “Now that this phantom has been created, how do I begin?”

Suddenly, an idea struck him. “Could it be the same as before?”

“Only one way to find out,” he said, raising his hand to strike the phantom’s shoulder.

The moment his palm landed, the once motionless, lifeless phantom sprang to life instantly.

It raised its hand to block Ye Junze’s strike and then launched an attack of its own, showing no hesitation.

Ye Junze calmly defended, smiling inwardly and thinking, “In this regard, it’s no different from the phantom Dream Essence created.”

The phantom pressed on relentlessly, as if tireless.

Feeling the familiar combat style, Ye Junze’s sense of recognition grew even stronger.

Just as Ye Junze assumed the phantom would continue with ordinary punches and kicks, it seemed to read his thoughts. Suddenly, arcs of purple electricity flickered from its hands—undeniably the lightning path that Ye Junze mastered.

Surprised, Ye Junze quickly understood. After all, Leifan had said the phantom possessed all of his powers; seeing the lightning technique in use was not so shocking.

With a smile, Ye Junze activated the lightning symbol in his dantian and engaged the phantom in battle.

Both their hands crackled with purple electricity as they exchanged blows and evasive maneuvers.

Ye Junze watched his phantom mirror his movements, feeling a bit helpless but unable to gain the upper hand immediately. He settled his mind and focused entirely on the fight.

Their techniques were endless, yet all familiar to Ye Junze, so he did not struggle excessively in countering them.

He was not in a hurry to defeat the phantom, harboring a private motive. Through this fight, he aimed to discover his own weaknesses by confronting a version of himself that wielded all his current abilities, allowing him to better address his shortcomings.

This mindset aligned well with the purpose of the practical combat lesson. The Daoist magic system designed this stage to encourage students to identify and remedy their flaws through self-conflict, striving toward perfection.

As Ye Junze pondered these things, the phantom’s moves shifted again.

It executed a motion very familiar to Ye Junze—the method of operating the “Intent Guidance.”

“Could it be the Little Cauldron…” Ye Junze thought.

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Sure enough, a faint golden cauldron suddenly appeared in the phantom’s hand.

Ye Junze rubbed his forehead but did not worry too much.

“In that case, I’ll return the favor,” he said, summoning a golden cauldron in his own palm.

“Go, Little Cauldron!” he whispered.

No sooner had he spoken than the cauldron floated upward, hurtling toward the phantom.

The phantom also brandished its cauldron, and the two collided midair, parting only to clash again, entwined in fierce combat.

However, the phantom’s summoned cauldron seemed lacking in some way, evidently inferior to Ye Junze’s. Although disadvantaged, it was not entirely overwhelmed.

Ye Junze glanced at the clashing cauldrons before withdrawing his gaze to the phantom.

After this prolonged fight, Ye Junze felt a wave of fatigue, but the phantom, seemingly supported by the room’s formation, showed no signs of exhaustion.

Ye Junze thought to himself, “This isn’t good. I have no support like that.”

“But since I’ve identified some weaknesses, it’s time for a swift conclusion.”

He suddenly surged forward and launched an aggressive assault on the phantom, which met his charge head-on.

As their relentless exchanges continued, purple arcs of electricity flickered around them.

Watching his phantom, tireless and seemingly inexhaustible, Ye Junze’s eyes gleamed with thought.

Then, with a flash of determination, he spoke as if to himself and the phantom, “Fine, let’s see which of us is stronger.”

He summoned all his spiritual power into his hands, releasing a powerful surge. Brilliant purple light blossomed on his palms as he struck directly at the phantom.

The phantom raised its hands to block, but Ye Junze’s full-strength blow was overwhelming. No matter how it defended, the phantom was forced to retreat.

In the blink of an eye, the phantom began to dissipate.

Eventually, the entire room was left with Ye Junze alone.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ye Junze clapped his hands together.