Li Yuan held the key as he reached the Phantom Array. First he tossed it aside and paced a full circle, senses open. All he saw was the same dry, airless brick floor that filled every other corner of the sub-basement.0

Then he picked up the key and stepped forward.0

A ripple swallowed him; the bricks melted into a moonlit pond, and a small stone hut appeared on the far bank. The water should have been stagnant, yet it pulsed with life—silver fish darted beneath the surface. Overhead, dusk had fled and a sky full of stars glimmered. Either the chamber sat somewhere above ground, hidden by the illusion, or even the roof of this underground palace was part of the mirage.1

Clearly...0