Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Luo Ji stood below the stage, eyes like torches, intensely focused on the bronze mirror in his hand.

The mirror surface shimmered faintly with a cold light, reflecting a violently entangled man and woman on the stage.

His lips moved slightly, silently counting down in his heart:

"Five, four, three, two, one!"

In the mirror, the man and woman were fiercely clashing, the shadows of fists and legs intertwining, blond hair and red lines slicing through the air, the two nearly skirting the edge of the stage as if they might fall from the height at any moment.

Luo Ji twisted his wrist gently, keeping the mirror surface steadily aimed at the golden figure—Qian Duoyu.

Yes, Luo Ji’s target was, from the beginning, Qian Duoyu.

Though Feng Yuhuai’s performance was equally dazzling, even pushing Qian Duoyu back with aggressive force like an unstoppable frenzy.

Her talent and potential would make anyone’s heart race, but Luo Ji’s focus remained unshaken.

"Feng Yuhuai is indeed formidable, uniquely talented, with endless potential... but in this era, financial power is the strongest perk."

What Luo Ji truly longed for, what he wanted to steal, was precisely Qian Duoyu’s "unscrupulous" life chart.

In the mirror, Qian Duoyu’s figure grew increasingly radiant, as if the mirror surface itself was dyed in gold.

The next moment, the golden figure in the mirror suddenly shattered, turning into tiny specks of light, dissipating into nothingness.

The first "life-stealing" attempt of the Life-Stealing Calamity Mirror... failed?

The mirror surface trembled slightly, a cold stream of information surged into Luo Ji’s mind.

His face instantly turned grim, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

The Life-Stealing Calamity Mirror’s feedback was undeniable—Qian Duoyu did not meet the "genius" standard.

In other words, the Life-Stealing Calamity Mirror regarded money as dirt, utterly disregarding the "financial power" life chart displayed by Qian Duoyu.

"Mirror, you’re too narrow-minded, your thinking is outdated!"

Luo Ji’s heart was full of unwillingness, but he couldn’t explain the underlying principle to a mirror.

Life-Stealing Calamity Mirror: "...." Blame me for being an antique, huh?

Luo Ji’s gaze remained locked on the mirror surface, though feeling unsatisfied, he quickly adjusted his mindset.

Since Qian Duoyu could not be his target, he would seek another path.

He skillfully turned his wrist, the mirror surface quietly shifted, suddenly aligning with Feng Yuhuai.

In the mirror, Feng Yuhuai’s face gradually came into focus, but unlike Qian Duoyu’s 16k ultra-clear image, her features seemed somewhat hazy and distorted.

The edges of her face were blurry, like an undeveloped photo, particularly her eyes, roughly sketched like charcoal circles, presenting a bizarre spiral effect.

This oddity lasted only a second, and Feng Yuhuai’s features and eyes returned to normal.

Though surprised, Luo Ji had just obtained this mirror recently and didn’t fully understand its mysteries.

He could only guess that perhaps different life charts represented with varied images in the mirror.

At that moment, the mirror surface trembled slightly, a line of words slowly emerged above Feng Yuhuai’s head—[Shield of the Curtain]

Luo Ji frowned, feeling a hint of perplexity.

Unlike Qian Duoyu’s straightforward life chart—[Unscrupulous], Feng Yuhuai’s life chart—[Shield of the Curtain] appeared mysterious and obscure.

[Shield of the Curtain]?

What does this mean?

Luo Ji stared at the [life chart] displayed on the mirror, trying to decipher something, but his mind was blank, completely clueless.

"Forget it, since financial power isn’t an option, I’ll go with this one. After all, not understanding it just shows its strength."

Luo Ji muttered to himself, convincing himself.

He took a deep breath, casting aside all distractions, focusing all his attention back on the mirror, and once again counted silently:

"Five, four, three, two..."

However, just as he was about to utter "one" and finish the countdown, a sudden change occurred!

Bristling blood splashed on his face, immediately reddening Luo Ji’s vision and the bronze mirror in his hand.

Luo Ji turned his head in horror, pupils contracting sharply, witnessing the student standing next to him, a moment ago alive and well.

Their once intact head now bore a large indentation, shaped like a shattered porcelain bowl, with jagged edges shockingly eye-catching.

Inside the bowl, white brain matter mixed with red blood sprayed outward like a sprinkler.

The air was thick with the strong scent of iron, mixed with a nauseating sweetness.

In an instant, Luo Ji’s thoughts drifted back to that White Bone Palace deep within the Hidden Sect—pale bone walls, twisted statues, and those shadows whispering in the dark.

His stomach cramped, cold sweat slid down his spine.

"This is a school, so why... is there a monster here?!"

His mind was in turmoil, a buzzing in his ears as if a multitude of tiny bugs were gnawing at his nerves.

A full second later, Luo Ji stiffly raised his head, staring dumbfounded at the monster leaping onto the stage.

He dared not gaze directly at the monster, his experience within the Hidden Sect taught him that many people died because they lingered on the creatures for too long.

Or to put it another way, when facing monsters, it’s not enough just to run faster than others, one must also remember not to make eye contact.

Luo Ji took a deep breath, shifting his gaze slowly to the screen, where the monster’s "glamour shot" was displayed.

The monster’s body was huge and grotesque, its skin covered with writhing scales, with a tattered piece of clothing draped over them.

At this moment, the monster was posing for the cameras, making faces, its mouth stretching to its ears, revealing sharp teeth.

The scene was both terrifying and slightly absurd.

If Luo Ji didn’t see it wrong, the monster seemed to be posing for the camera?

Luo Ji swallowed hard: "It seems like it’s posing for a photo?"

Luo Ji’s hand shook violently, nearly dropping the blood-stained mirror, the surface tilting slightly, capturing the image of that hideous monster.

However, the eerie thing was, the reflection in the mirror was entirely different from the screen—the mirror did not show the twisted terrifying monster, it instead reflected a beautiful woman’s face.

Her eyes were crescent-shaped, lips curving in a slight upturn, making playful faces, looking pure and mischievous, full of vitality.

Luo Ji was taken aback, his pupils shrinking slightly, the mirror in his hand felt scorching.

A line of text slowly appeared—[Beautiful and Terrifying!]

Luo Ji’s gaze flickered between the screen and the mirror, a wave of indescribable chill engulfing his heart.

The woman in the mirror continued to smile innocently and playfully, yet now her smile seemed to carry a certain soul-stirring power, making one shiver.

"Beautiful and Terrifying... Beautiful and Terrifying... Beautiful?? Terrifying!!!"

Luo Ji repeated these words softly, suddenly enlightened, understanding the meaning of this life chart.

His hand jerked as if scalded, quickly stowing the mirror away in his pocket.

The mirror’s surface felt warm, seemingly mocking his panic.

Then, the mirror seemed to come alive, slowly merging back into his palm, fusing with his flesh and blood.

"What a joke... who dares covet such a [life chart]?"

Beads of sweat continued to emerge from Luo Ji’s forehead, his heart pounding like a drum, never ceasing.

Even given a thousand boldness, he dared not entertain any thought of coveting or stealing the monster’s life chart.

He only wished to steal from humans, as for monsters... better leave them alone.