Chapter 407: Eerie Mirror Image

Lei En stood up onto the ground, his soul force surged, activating the Key of Doors Element on the World Tree.

After a breath, a dim, profound door appeared before his eyes.

He could not describe the door: ancient, distant, as if emerging from endless void, from the source of time, about three meters tall, unadorned, its unstable frame seemed formed by countless translucent tendrils and worms entwined, constantly writhing, and a close look made his scalp tingle.

The Key of Doors in his soul flickered.

Lei En gently pushed with his hand, and the door thundered open to both sides, emitting a terrifying aura that made him shiver.

In that instant, Lei En vaguely saw countless bubble-like spherical light clusters overlapping, radiating billions of glimmers; his eyes burned, as if he beheld an unseeable presence, his mind went blank, flooded with incomprehensible information, nearly exploding.

He subconsciously closed his eyes.

A strange, mysterious beam of light shot from the door, entering Lei En's forehead; the door immediately closed, sinking back into the void until it vanished.

"Fortunately there is Truth Willpower; otherwise the soul would surely be wounded and take a long time to recover."

Lei En exhaled.

He then noticed that on his World Tree, the branch formed by luminous bubble demon souls had sprouted a new leaf, with a complex rune shining brightly on it.

After careful observation, he confirmed that this Element was the "Mirror Image technique".

"Truly impressive!"

Lei En praised greatly; during the process of choosing Arcane, he uttered not a single word, nor any mental cue, yet obtained the desired Mirror Image Element.

The terrifying light sphere behind the door seemed omniscient and omnipotent.

He looked at Ao Xiliya and asked, "When you chose Arcane, was it the same?"

"Yes." Ao Xiliya, having experience, had closed her eyes in advance when Lei En summoned that strange door, opening them only then; with a cautious expression she said, "The one behind the door may be a greater existence, more terrifying than a deity; with our current strength, it is best not to investigate."

"Even with ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare!" Lei En chuckled wryly.

Just a glance can drive one mad; who would dare probe such a terrifying thing? That's courting death!

He sensed the Mirror Image Element; this Arcane's nature is very unique.

The casting speed of the Mirror Image technique is extremely fast, under one second; with more practice it should be instant, difficulty is low, which is rare among the Five Rings spells, but its cooldown is long, requiring an hour before it can be used again.

The created Mirror Image clones can exist for up to ten minutes.

When the ten minutes elapse, the clone disappears regardless of whether it has been destroyed.

The clone not only possesses half of the original's spell damage and half of its force defense, but also replicates its wielded weapons, each with only half the weight and power.

As the ring count rises, the Mirror Image's duration and attributes gradually increase, yet it can never persist without gaps, nor ever match the original's strength, since it is merely a temporary clone.

Nevertheless, this Arcane is sufficiently powerful.

Lei En's mind shifted, his figure blurred briefly, light flickered, and instantly five identical clones appeared in the bedroom, while the multi-core crystal in his brain activated simultaneously.

"Hello." one clone greeted.

"Who are you?" the second clone replied.

"I am Ryan Augustus." "Call me Earl of Glamorgan." "I am Shi Jingchui!" the other three clones answered simultaneously.

Each Mirror Image clone's expression was vivid, their movements markedly different, possessing independent thoughts and distinct personalities. If they didn't look identical and wore different clothes, they'd almost be a group of real people conversing.

Lei En himself felt very novel.

It felt like a split mind, yet remained highly synchronized, with no hint of confusion or conflict in his brain.

"Lei En, your Mirror Image clones…"

Ao Xiliya immediately sensed the anomaly; she also knows Mirror Image, and the clones she creates act in perfect unison—one casts, the other also casts, even the spells are similar, appearing somewhat stiff, like looking into a mirror, which is the meaning of this Arcane's name.

She can at most control a clone to act differently, luring enemies to attack.

However, each of Lei En's clones behaves like the original—agile, versatile, even chatting with each other—so she can hardly tell them apart.

"Hehehe!"

The five Mirror Image clones plus Lei En himself simultaneously let out a smug laugh.

They all turned their heads toward Ao Xiliya on the bed, their gazes oddly strange, because Lei En was originally unclothed, so each clone was completely naked.

Six robust naked men surrounded the bedside, their faces twisted in a bizarre grin, a sight that sent Ao Xiliya shivering.

"Ah!"

She rolled over, triggering the rainbow dragon's innate "Teleportation technique", slipping away naked, even discarding the nightgown left on the floor.

Lei En's original self froze for a moment, muttering, "I was just joking…"

He glared at the number-one clone opposite him, the fastest of them, his hand nearly reaching Ao Xiliya's thigh, and scolded, "You're too fast, too impatient."

"What does it have to do with me? Clearly you also have thoughts…" the other retorted.

Nearby, the second clone said, "Stop arguing, who doesn't know what's in your heads?"

"Did you not think?" the third clone behind sneered, asking back.

"I'm not, I didn't, stop talking nonsense." the front second clone waved his hand to deny the three, shaking his head like a rattle, but lacking confidence, his voice grew quieter.

"You've watched too many island‑nation movies in past lives, huh? Now you've scared her away, right?" the fourth clone expressed strong displeasure.

"Hahaha…" the fifth clone crossed his arms, watching the scene, emitting an incomprehensible laugh.

"Everyone be quiet!"

Lei En gave a light shout, terminating the Mirror Image, and the five clones instantly dissipated like smoke.

"Interesting!" he stroked his chin, gazing at the empty room, re‑examining his condition; the Mirror Image's soul‑force consumption was high, his energy dropped five bars, higher than any of his spells, yet it can only be used once per hour, which is normal.

After a dozen minutes, Ao Xiliya finally returned.

She was now fully dressed, her demeanor slightly wary as she looked at Lei En, chiding, "What was that just now?"

That scene truly frightened her; she only dared return after the Mirror Image's maximum duration elapsed.

"Xiliya, I was just joking, don't be angry." Lei En said with an embarrassed face.

"Hmph, I won't let it happen again."

Ao Xiliya was dissatisfied with the explanation but did not press further, half‑lying on the sofa.

Lei En could only go over, hug her and try his best to coax her, changing the subject.

The sky brightened quickly, Ao Xiliya got up and returned to Fu Kong Cheng. According to her routine, she would meditate in the morning, study at the Weizelan Library in the afternoon, then practice spells.

Lei En also meditated for two hours, handled half a day's official duties, and went to Fu Kong Cheng at noon.

"Teacher."

In the room of the Weizelan tower, Anxiwodasi seemed as if he had never left, sitting behind a desk, buried in his studies.

He looked up at Lei En, his expression slightly startled, "Did you ascend to legendary?"

"Yes, teacher," Lei En replied with a smile.

Anxiwodasi stroked his snow‑white beard, not looking particularly surprised; the last time he discussed this with Lei En was three months ago, and with Lei En's talent, a breakthrough was due.

"Well done, I knew you could break the Kaierstone record," Anxiwodasi said with a satisfied smile, very pleased. After a moment's thought he added, "Hmm… you are now a legendary Wizard; it's time to choose a tower in Fu Kong Cheng."

He waved his hand, and before them appeared a phantom of Fu Kong Cheng, with towering Wu Shi Ta rising from the ground.

"Which one do you want?"

After last year's calamity, the number of legendary Wizards in Weizelan sharply declined; the already cramped Wu Shi Ta now have three vacant towers awaiting new owners.

In Weizelan, only legendary Wizards are qualified to occupy a Wu Shi Ta.

This is both a right and a duty.

A Wu Shi Ta can amplify meditation, accelerate soul‑energy growth, enable more complex magical research and experiments; one's power surges while inside, so the benefits are many, but acquiring a tower requires contribution to Fu Kong Cheng.

A legendary Wizard who owns a tower must recruit students and train the next generation of Wizards.

Besides Lei En, the only other legendary Wizard who hasn't chosen a tower is Ao Xiliya; she doesn't want to take disciples, isn't good at teaching magic, and prefers to forgo the tower's benefits, using a focus on cultivation as an excuse to delay.

In fact, Lei En also doesn't want to take students; the Wu Shi Ta is somewhat superfluous for him.

He rarely conducts magical research, his soul‑energy growth doesn't rely on meditation, and he has no patience to teach others; he often only half‑understands, casts spells via auto‑scripts, fights with a reckless hammer swing, and is not the scholarly type of Wizard.

When Lei En becomes the Speaker, he will be able to own a Wu Shi Ta, and he can openly refuse on the grounds that he hasn't reached legendary yet.

"Teacher, may I give up the tower? Fu Kong Cheng doesn't have to allocate resources to me," he asked tentatively.

"No, this isn't a matter of resources."

Anxiwodasi's expression turned serious, "This is Weizelan's rule; no one is exempt. If every legendary Wizard shirks responsibility with excuses and doesn't train new Wizards, talent will be cut off, and Weizelan will inevitably decline."

He stared at Lei En, saying gravely, "Don't think that as long as I'm here, Weizelan will be safe."

"You know my situation well; I alone cannot support the whole Fu Kong Cheng. It requires all of you Speakers, the legendary Wizards, and every Wizard below legendary to work together, so that Fu Kong Cheng can operate normally and be passed down through generations."

Anxiwodasi's tone was heavy; Lei En had never seen this side of his teacher before.

But the teacher's words made sense.

A strong organization must have the ability to generate its own talent, otherwise it cannot endure.

"Teacher, I understand," Lei En agreed.

"As long as you understand, that's fine," Anxiwodasi's eyebrows relaxed, and he added, "Ao Xiliya has advanced to legendary Mid-stage; I won't let her lag any longer. Last week I already chose a tower for her, and she will soon recruit students."

He pointed to a Wu Shi Ta in the image, located at the edge of Fu Kong Cheng.

"Then I'll take the adjacent tower," Lei En said, pointing to a vacant Wu Shi Ta next to Ao Xiliya's, like twin towers.

"Alright, move in as soon as possible."

Anxiwodasi nodded, tapped his fingers a few times, and transferred the control permission of that Wu Shi Ta to Lei En, making him the new owner.

Then he produced a thick tome, smiling, "Although you are already a legendary Wizard, the lessons still need to be taken. Let's begin."

(End of chapter.)