"Hello, Newcomer." Perhaps to avoid misunderstandings, the Newcomer did not approach rashly but politely introduced herself: "I am here from the Guardian Alliance to guide you. My code name in the Inner World is Mirror Immortal. You may address me as such."
Mirror Immortal immediately cautioned, "The Inner World is a reflection of the Outer World, and also its other half. You must never speak your name from the Outer World aloud in the Inner World. Doing so could attract the attention of high-level Void Spirits attuned to fate within the Inner World, which could then affect you."
"As for the Inner World, it is where you currently find yourself. It has many names—Void Realm, Spirit Realm, Illusory Realm, Dharma Realm..."
"I generally call it the Inner World, while the Material World is the Outer World."
As she spoke, Mirror Immortal released her spiritual aura, allowing the Newcomer to perceive her goodwill more clearly.
She had been a Newcomer once too. In fact, her era had been even more challenging. She naturally understood what one might be thinking at this stage and how best to earn their trust.
Ji Jinnian indeed sensed this goodwill. After a moment's thought, he asked, "What are Void Spirits? Those monsters?"
"Yes, but not entirely." Mirror Immortal nodded, then shook her head. "These 'monsters' you speak of are born from the collective thoughts and emotions of all living beings in the Outer World."
"Some even speculate that the very birth of the Inner World is inextricably linked to these collective thoughts."
"As for these monsters, they are endless in number and varied in kind, hence the many names: monsters, Corrupted Beasts, Void Spirits, Thought-devourers, Nightmare Demons... Call them whatever you like. People use all sorts of names. As long as you know what entity is being referred to, it's fine. I generally refer to them collectively as Void Spirits."
Ji Jinnian nodded in understanding. The other party's organization seemed to have a relatively comprehensive understanding and knowledge of these monsters, but the lack of absolute uniformity in terminology suggested the organization wasn't coercive.
This was likely due to the organization being relatively loose-knit, or perhaps it was still in its early stages? Thus, a complete system hadn't yet formed...
Thinking this, he immediately posed his second question: "You mentioned earlier that you're from the Guardian Alliance. What kind of organization is that?"
Just from the fact that she had come to Qingyun Mountain, Ji Jinnian had realized several things.
Primarily, her organization possessed large-scale monitoring capabilities. Secondly, she or her organization had methods for long-distance movement. Lastly, her own strength was formidable.
Precisely because of this, after she had shown sufficient goodwill, Ji Jinnian promptly displayed the respect he felt was appropriate.
Mirror Immortal was no fool either. She waved her hand. "No need for such formality. Everyone in the Alliance is equal."
"The Guardian Alliance is a very loose and free organization. As long as you don't engage in anti-human actions or attempt to incite turmoil between the two worlds, there won't be any restrictions placed on you."
"The Alliance's sole purpose, or rather, the shared understanding of all Guardians, is to safeguard the safety and balance of the two realms, to clear and suppress catastrophic outbreaks of Void Spirits, and, additionally but not mandatorily, to protect and conquer the Dream Realm as much as possible. Though within the Alliance, we often call it the Secret Realm or instance, and the activity itself is jokingly referred to as 'running a dungeon' or something similar."
Ji Jinnian raised an eyebrow. Another new concept.
But he wasn't in a hurry to speak, as Mirror Immortal didn't seem finished yet.
"The Alliance's power is great, but it's not that the Alliance itself is powerful. It's the Alliance formed through everyone's concerted efforts that is powerful."
"Within the Alliance, there are also many smaller groups formed based on compatible abilities. Some come together because their combined efforts yield greater power, while others might simply... get along well."
"And outside the Alliance, there roam some anti-social Fallen Ones, or Destroyers, Madmen? Anyway, they go by many names. These individuals are another enemy besides the Void Spirits. You need to be wary if you encounter them accidentally. Of course, if you have the ability, eliminating them is for the best."
After waiting two seconds and receiving a look indicating she was done, Ji Jinnian spoke again: "What is the Dream Realm?"
Mirror Immortal: "If we crudely consider the Inner World as the energetic dimension of consciousness, then the Dream Realm is a higher concentration, a crystallization of that."
"They are manifestations derived within the Inner World from works in the Outer World that evoke strong resonance among the masses. This includes, but is not limited to, films, novels, comics, games... Of course, the vast majority are various films or literary works with a clear beginning, end, and complete storylines."
"These worlds are self-contained based on the content and storyline of the derivative work. Normally, they develop following the original story's plot and settings. However, if forcibly interfered with by external power, they can go berserk. The thought aggregates within, or rather, the characters, will face two outcomes. First, they perish along with the current Dream Realm and then restart. Second, they find a way to survive the Dream Realm's destruction and subsequently ascend to the Inner World."
"But generally, only the Fallen Ones engage in such methods. In a sense, the beings within the Dream Realm are also real. So, for humanitarian reasons, we do not and do not wish to use such methods."
"Every Dream Realm with a suitable power level is a sustainable source of wealth and treasure. Violent exploitation is completely killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."
"Moreover, if you change the predetermined fate of a character within by acting in their role and gain that character's recognition, you can obtain an Incarnation of the character you portrayed."
"Such an Incarnation is not merely about having an independent clone. It's a life."
"If you possess an Incarnation and meet an untimely death, you can be resurrected by sacrificing that Incarnation."
"You could say, for every Incarnation you have, you have one 'revival coin.' Furthermore, every Incarnation that grows up possesses a mature power system and intelligence, becoming a powerful asset in your growth and battles against enemies."
"However, as beneficial as Incarnations are, obtaining them is not easy. The details will be explained to you by someone specifically when you attempt your first Dream Realm adventure."
Ji Jinnian nodded, gaining a preliminary, general understanding of the so-called Dream Realm. "It does sound very much like instances and secret realms in various games."
No wonder it was jokingly called running a dungeon.
Mirror Immortal smiled, seeing that this young man seemed to understand and accept things well. Unconsciously, she offered some advice: "Within the Inner World, facing the endless Void Spirits, you need to enhance your own strength as much as possible."
"Although the overall situation in the Inner World isn't at an absolute disadvantage currently, it's far from being worry-free. If possible, mastering power yourself is certainly more reliable than seeking protection from others."
Listening from beginning to end, Ji Jinnian not only gained a general understanding of his current situation but also began to form preliminary plans and adjustments for the future.
"Thank you for the explanation, Senior. But I'm curious about one thing." He paused. "Assuming we have an Incarnation, if we die while 'running a dungeon' in the Dream Realm, separated from our Incarnation, can we still resurrect?"
"And if we die in the Outer World, can we resurrect there too?"
Mirror Immortal stated plainly: "The connection between us and our Incarnation is the most intimate and absolute. Even across the Dream Realm and the Inner World, that connection cannot be severed."
"However, in some high-risk Dream Realms with excessively high power levels, you need to be extra careful. The high-dimensional beings existing within those Dream Realms could potentially kill both you and your Incarnation through that invisible connection."
"So, when your power level is insufficient, you must never attempt those high-risk Dream Realms. Understand that even having a resurrection-capable Incarnation is not entirely safe."
"As for dying in the Outer World, generally, that possibility is small, but not absolute. In the Alliance's records, there have indeed been Guardians who met with accidents. In such cases, resurrection via Incarnation is also possible."
"But if death is caused by objective factors like aging and lifespan exhaustion, the moment your life ends, your Incarnation will die along with you."
"However, among the awakened who have received the inheritance, whether Guardians or Fallen Ones, there have been deaths due to various reasons so far, but not a single one from aging and lifespan exhaustion—not even those who have used life-shortening forbidden arts."
"Once your power level reaches a certain threshold, you can very easily attain a considerable, even theoretically endless, lifespan."
"The flow of time within Dream Realms varies—sometimes fast, sometimes slow—but that time is truly experienced. Some Guardians who enter worlds not using the role-playing method but a substitution method also consume their real lifespan. If we didn't possess such abilities and long lifespans, sometimes we might not even be able to leave a Dream Realm."
Through Mirror Immortal's explanations, Ji Jinnian resolved many doubts. But for a Newbie in the supernatural world, doubts don't decrease; they only multiply.
However, he knew when to stop. "One last question. If one has no Incarnation, or has exhausted all Incarnations, and dies completely, can they still be resurrected, or rather, be resurrected by others?"
Hearing this, Mirror Immortal did not answer immediately. She fell silent for a long moment before saying, "That is true death."
Her tone lowered slightly. "True death cannot be reversed, because the spirituality within the body—you can understand it as the soul or similar existence—has already dissipated."
"Perhaps you've heard the saying: 'The world allows consciousness to find a new vessel, but does not allow a vessel to gather dissipated consciousness.'"
Mirror Immortal murmured these last two sentences unconsciously, then quickly composed herself and continued educating the Newbie: "Once true death occurs, the body will ascend from the Inner World and appear in the corresponding area of the Outer World."
"However, with the Celestial Secrets Pavilion providing intelligence and timely handling, it doesn't cause any impact in the Outer World."
After all, with billions of people in the Great Xia Nation, the number of normal deaths in a single day is enormous. An extra death or two of inheritors is hardly noticeable.
At this point, Mirror Immortal advised: "You cannot use supernatural abilities in the Outer World. The moment you employ supernatural power, your entire being will descend into the Inner World."
"In the eyes of people in the Outer World, you would simply vanish."
"So, unless under special circumstances, when you enter the Inner World in the future, try to be discreet and avoid being detected by large numbers of people. Otherwise, we'd have to ask other Guardians to erase and blur their memories."
"Of course, if conditions permit, it's best to have a fixed location for entering the Inner World, such as some public locations everyone uses. That's safer and more secure."
Otherwise, situations like Ji Jinnian's current one could occur: arriving in the Inner World and, because you're in the 'wilderness,' getting surrounded by Void Spirits.
If you encounter multiple high-level Void Spirits, there's a high chance of falling into a death crisis.
Ji Jinnian: "I understand."
"You said upon meeting that you are my guide. Are you planning to take me to the Alliance headquarters now to join the Guardian Alliance? Do I need to complete any assessments or tasks?"
Mirror Immortal nodded. "You do need to register at the headquarters. Otherwise, leaving you completely adrift makes you an easy target for those Fallen Ones or susceptible to being led astray."
"But there are no assessments or anything like that. After all, as I said, the Alliance is a very loose and free organization. It won't restrict your freedom."
Mirror Immortal waved her hand. An oval bronze mirror, taller than a person, materialized and stood upright beside them. "Let's go. Passing through this mirror will take us to the Alliance."
With Mirror Immortal leading and having made his decision, Ji Jinnian no longer hesitated. He followed quite calmly.
He displayed a composure rare for his age. "Will it take too long? I'm worried if I return too late, my teacher and classmates might worry."
Mirror Immortal explained: "Don't worry. The conventional time flow ratio between the Outer and Inner Worlds is 1:1. Also, when I came, I already performed hypnotic suggestion on the people in the Outer World. They're all asleep now."
Ji Jinnian was somewhat surprised. "So, while you can't use supernatural power in the Outer World, it doesn't mean supernatural power can't affect the Outer World, right?"
Mirror Immortal affirmed his deduction. "You'll be able to do it too in the future."
As long as one's own power level increases, directly affecting the Outer World from within the Inner World isn't particularly difficult.
It's like frosted glass. Those with weak vision see only blur, while those with strong vision, though affected, can still make out some outlines.
And Mirror Immortal, long-established and famous, was clearly one with rather good vision.