Then, as Elder Ruan had instructed, everyone split up to act.
Ye Yunfei instinctively picked one of the streets and strode over, quickly entering this bustling thoroughfare.
Together, Ye Yunfei, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, Huang Shang, Hu Miao, Hun Lao, and the others began observing every single living creature on this street.
Ye Yunfei even attempted to use Mind Reading Art to read the thoughts and intentions of those beings, but he soon discovered his art seemed to have no effect.
After all, Mind Reading Art was also a type of Soul Power-based martial technique, and within this city, it was equally suppressed.
"I wonder if Mental Force Energy is effective inside this city?"
Ye Yunfei began activating his Mental Force Energy, extending his perception towards the surrounding creatures.
Not long ago, Ye Yunfei had not only received a massive infusion of Mental Force Energy but had also obtained some relatively advanced ancient inheritances from the Heart Gate. He had been using several Soul Force planets to comprehend and cultivate these legacies ever since. As a result, his Mental Force Energy level had been steadily rising during this period, and he had also mastered several new Mental Force-based martial techniques.
Ye Yunfei consecutively used several Mental Force techniques, continuously sensing the aura of all living beings around him.
However, he soon discovered that Mental Force Energy also seemed ineffective within this city, similarly restricted.
"I feel we can only rely on our physical eyes to observe these beings here. It's a really bad feeling," said the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, who had also been using his own methods to sense every creature on this street. Like Ye Yunfei, he couldn't sense anything either, and couldn't help but complain.
"Indeed, it seems we can only use our eyes to observe everything around us," Hun Lao said with a bitter smile.
"No need to rush. Take it slowly," Ye Yunfei said. "Tianmu Shenjun's Pupil Technique is so precious; it won't be obtained easily. So, it's only normal that the trials Tianmu Shenjun set within this city are this difficult."
Although Soul Force Energy and Mental Force Energy were restricted within this city, Ye Yunfei was, after all, a being who possessed two Soul Bodies and dozens of Soul Force planets. His observation ability, thinking power, comprehension capacity, and deduction skills were among the top-tier in the world.
Ye Yunfei meticulously observed every creature around him, even every object and every detail.
Simultaneously, his two Soul Bodies and dozens of Soul Force planets all focused their attention on observing, identifying, contemplating, and deducing every living being he could see, trying to find some basis for judgment.
Before long, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, Huang Shang, Hu Miao, and the others also quieted down. Each of them began observing every creature, every object, every detail around them with a calm heart, even studying the smallest, most inconspicuous things.
At first, they discovered nothing.
"Remember, every single creature we see might be an illusion," Ye Yunfei said. "The number of real living beings in this city is very, very few. I estimate there are only a handful."
Soon after, Ye Yunfei finished walking down this street with no discoveries. He then entered another street and began repeating his previous observation, identification, contemplation, and deduction.
Ye Yunfei simultaneously activated several Divination Art techniques. The number of Divination Arts he had obtained was increasing, and any technique that caught Ye Yunfei's eye and which he cultivated was naturally not simple.
"For some reason, I feel Divination Arts seem much more useful than Soul Force Energy and Mental Force Energy," Ye Yunfei suddenly had this thought and immediately told the others.
"That's right. Hearing you say that, I also feel Divination Arts seem more effective. Could it be the method of trial in this city is actually a test of deduction ability?"
Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm immediately activated his race's unique Divination Art to perform deductions.
Immediately, his understanding of the various situations around him seemed to become clearer, no longer like the previous feeling of blind men trying to describe an elephant.
"I've deduced it! Those few fellows are indeed illusions! My Divination Art deduction is quite explicit," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed happily soon after.
Subsequently, Ye Yunfei and the others also began utilizing Divination Arts.
However, after a while, Ye Yunfei discovered that while Divination Arts within this city could occasionally deduce a few beings as illusory, their effectiveness wasn't as great as imagined.
Moreover, the number of creatures in this city was truly immense. Every street was bustling with people coming and going.
Trying to deduce every single creature in this city using Divination Arts would not only require unimaginable amounts of time, but it also wasn't guaranteed to successfully deduce which beings were false every time.
"After such a long time deducing, I've only deduced that ten of the creatures are illusory. The rest all look incredibly real; I simply can't deduce anything about them," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said somewhat discouraged after deducing for a moment.
Ye Yunfei continued walking through the city, street by street, meticulously observing and deducing in each one.
Unconsciously, Ye Yunfei found he had already walked through over a dozen streets but still hadn't managed to identify which, if any, creatures were real.
Or perhaps, so far, Ye Yunfei felt as though most of the creatures seemed real.
During this process, Ye Yunfei occasionally encountered experts from other factions. However, everyone now knew that fighting was impossible within this city, so those experts merely glared at Ye Yunfei and did not attack.
Ye Yunfei just gave a cold sneer in return and ignored them.
In one of the streets, Ye Yunfei encountered the Blade Realm expert who had previously ambushed him.
"Kid, I suggest you stop wasting your time here.
A puny ant like you, dreaming of obtaining Tianmu Shenjun's Pupil Technique inheritance? That's sheer wishful thinking!
Never mind that you lack the ability to find the living creatures in this city. Even if you somehow got lucky, found them, and snatched Tianmu Shenjun's Pupil Technique before others, you still wouldn't leave this place alive," the Blade Realm expert said coldly, his gaze fixed on Ye Yunfei.
"Old man, don't be too quick with your big talk. Perhaps the one who won't leave alive is you," Ye Yunfei retorted coldly.
"Kid, keep up your arrogance!
Just you wait. I will definitely kill you.
Opposing our Blade Realm has already sealed your fate," the Blade Realm expert said with a severe gaze.
"Old dog, empty boasts are useless. We shall see," Ye Yunfei countered tit-for-tat.
This guy had been trying to kill him all along, so Ye Yunfei naturally felt no need to be courteous.
The Blade Realm expert shot Ye Yunfei a look brimming with killing intent, said nothing more, and then departed.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei entered another street. The situation here was similar, bustling with crowds and lined with shops on both sides.
"We know these beings are illusions, yet they appear so convincingly real.
Look at those two fellows over there. They seem to be arguing heatedly over a bunch of leafy greens, red-faced and going at each other's throats.
I can't see even a hint of falsehood about them. They are incredibly difficult to discern," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm observed, watching a vegetable vendor and an old man buying groceries arguing fiercely, with a small crowd watching the spectacle.
"Let's go take a look."
Ye Yunfei knew that the vast majority of these people before him were illusions, but they certainly appeared very real.
He simply walked over and stood next to the vegetable vendor and the old man, listening to their dispute.
After listening for a moment, Ye Yunfei figured out what was happening.
It turned out the old man buying vegetables felt the vendor's scales were inaccurate and insisted on returning a bunch of greens that had already been weighed.
But the vegetable vendor stubbornly refused to accept the return, insisting his scales were absolutely accurate.
Their argument grew increasingly heated. Soon, they even rolled up their sleeves, nearly coming to blows.
"Both of you, step back a little. I'll buy this bunch of greens."
After listening for a while, Ye Yunfei stepped forward, directly produced a silver ingot, handed it to the vegetable vendor, and reached out to take the bundled greens.
"No, your silver ingot far exceeds the price of these greens.
If I sold them to you at that price, before long everyone would gossip behind my back.
They'd say I'm greedy for wealth, even suggest I might be a shady vendor who shorts people on their measures. I cannot bear that black mark.
One copper coin is all I need for these greens."
Upon seeing the silver ingot in Ye Yunfei's hand, the vegetable vendor was first stunned for a moment, then surprisingly declined, speaking.
"One copper coin?"
Hearing the vendor's words, Ye Yunfei immediately felt somewhat stumped.
At Ye Yunfei's level of strength, he typically didn't carry mundane items like silver.
This silver ingot of his was something left over from a very, very long time ago, tucked away in a corner of the Illusionary Shadow Tower. Ye Yunfei had to quickly search within the Tower just now to find it.
Everything in Ye Yunfei's possession was comprised of incredibly precious cultivation resources, the vast majority being Deity-level cultivation resources. Finding a single silver ingot was already difficult, let alone a single copper coin.
"It's no matter. Consider this silver ingot a gift from me," Ye Yunfei said, pushing the ingot towards the vegetable vendor.
"No, I am absolutely not a greedy person.
For these greens, I will only accept one copper coin. Not a single coin more will I sell them for."
The vegetable vendor, who had just been arguing fiercely with the old man for a long time, was in an agitated state. He forcefully pushed Ye Yunfei's silver ingot back.
"What exactly is this guy doing? He doesn't want all that silver, but insists on one copper coin? Is he out of his mind?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm remarked, somewhat dumbfounded.
"Even though we know these beings are illusions, we can still interact and blend in with them. How about we simply try to integrate ourselves into these creatures within the city, mingle with them? We might find some clues that way," Hun Lao suggested to Ye Yunfei.
"Alright, let's attempt to blend into these beings from now on," Ye Yunfei nodded, the idea stirring something within him.
"Everyone, I don't have any change on me at the moment. Can anyone break this silver ingot for me? I'm willing to take an 80% deal on it—no, a 70% deal," Ye Yunfei said clearly, holding the silver ingot high.
Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the surrounding people immediately turned their gazes towards the silver ingot in his hand, their eyes gleaming with avarice.
The silver ingot in Ye Yunfei's hand was quite heavy.