Junior Brother Lu Has No Conscience

This common gacha pity system, if seen by players of Three Kingdoms Kill from his past life, would surely make them shout two words:

"Generous!"

Not that Lu Ze didn’t want to scam money.

The spending power of cultivators was limited, and the value of spirit stones was higher than in his previous life.

If he squeezed dry like the greedy devs of his past life, ignoring the plight of casual players and relying solely on a few elders and core disciples to fund the game, it would die out faster.

So Lu Ze lowered the difficulty of acquiring generals.

Even Qi Refining cultivators could obtain a divine-tier card in two months just by relying on monthly passes and quests.

Not to mention, Lu Ze also introduced weekly free generals—pure player-friendly design.

He placed all his profit hopes on skins.

"Spending 1,000 spirit stones for one divine-tier card? A bit expensive..."

Zhou Yue frowned.

Though he was a core disciple with a decent monthly stipend,

and earned a fair amount from sect missions,

his humble origins made him far more cautious with money than other core disciples.

"Pfft, what’s there to worry about? The rules say it’s guaranteed within 100 pulls—it’s not like you’ll actually need all 100, right? Hahaha... haha... uh..."

Zhong Yi’s laughter trailed off as he suddenly realized something and covered his mouth.

At that moment, a notification appeared in the bottom-left corner:

[Congratulations to "Swift Little Zhou" for recruiting the divine-tier general "Divine Zhuge Liang"!]

Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue immediately turned to Zhou Qiaoling beside them, their eyes nearly popping out.

"You... how much did you spend?"

"Just one tap, and it came out."

"A 10-pull?"

"Single pull."

As she spoke, the phantom of Divine Zhuge Liang materialized behind Zhou Qiaoling.

In the idle interface, players could preview generals and their effects.

Seven dazzling stars hovered above Divine Zhuge Liang’s palm, shifting formations endlessly.

Zhong Yi, staring at the majestic Divine Zhuge Liang, could no longer control his hands and immediately opened the top-up menu.

"Damn, 648 spirit stones for this much ingots? What a steal! But why 648...?"

Before he could figure it out, his hands had already completed the transaction.

He eagerly started pulling.

First 10-pull—nothing.

Second—still nothing.

Third—Divine Lü Meng appeared.

"See? The rates aren’t bad! Junior Brother Lu isn’t that heartless..."

Zhong Yi clicked his tongue in admiration.

Divine Lü Meng manifested behind him, bathed in a faint golden glow with an air of divine mystique.

"I’m joining in too!!"

Mu Yawen, swayed by the spectacle, also topped up and pulled.

On his 42nd pull, Divine Guan Yu arrived.

"Hahaha! Guan Yunchang truly has a bond with me!!!"

Mu Yawen cheered as he summoned Guan Yu.

The black-and-red Guan Yu, shrouded in killing intent, instantly locked onto Zhong Yi’s Divine Lü Meng upon appearing.

The blood-stained Red Hare beneath him let out a furious neigh, sending a wave of crimson-black energy toward Lü Meng.

The golden halo behind Divine Lü Meng shimmered as he raised a hand, effortlessly blocking the assault.

The spectacle was breathtaking.

"No way..."

This display made Zhou Yue’s fingers itch.

648 spirit stones weren’t much to him, but his frugal mindset held him back.

After much hesitation, the allure of the others’ divine generals proved too strong, and he finally caved.

648 spirit stones → ingots → 80 pulls.

Predictably, nothing.

Zhou Yue felt he should quit.

Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t.

Unaware of the concept of sunk cost, he instinctively reasoned that spending another 200 spirit stones for a divine-tier card wasn’t unreasonable.

He topped up another 198 and finally pulled Divine Lü Bu on his 98th attempt.

"Not bad... Lü Bu should be strong."

Zhou Yue exhaled heavily, his chest tight.

Then, three notifications popped up in quick succession:

[Congratulations to "Swift Little Zhou" for recruiting the divine-tier general "Divine Sima Yi"!]

[Congratulations to "Genius Cultivator" for recruiting the divine-tier general "Divine Cao Cao"!]

[Congratulations to "Battle Junkie Who Fights Hard" for recruiting the divine-tier general "Divine Zhao Yun"!]

Zhou Yue: "...What are you all doing?"

"Had spare ingots lying around, so figured I’d pull a few more," Zhong Yi explained. Mu Yawen nodded in agreement.

"The rates are really that good?"

Zhou Yue’s fingers itched again.

The other three exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

From their experience, the rates seemed fair—not a scam.

But saying so out loud felt like aiding Lu Ze’s money-grubbing schemes...

"Whatever, my sect points are just sitting there anyway... One more try!"

Zhou Yue, now a seasoned gamer, had mastered the art of self-persuasion.

This time, he improved—Divine Lü Bu arrived on his 94th pull.

[Congratulations to "No Risk No Reward" for recruiting the divine-tier general "Divine Lü Bu"!]

[You already own "Divine Lü Bu." This general has been converted into 2,000 Hero Souls.]

"SCREW YOU, JUNIOR BROTHER LU! YOU HAVE NO CONSCIENCE!!!"

......

For most players, the general recruitment system was fairly forgiving.

After all, a guaranteed divine-tier within 100 pulls wasn’t bad, and spending 10 spirit stones for a chance at a powerful heaven- or earth-tier general was decent value.

But the other gacha feature, [Treasure Summon], was clearly not meant for casual cultivators.

One pull cost ingots, and the pool contained no generals—only items.

Unlucky pulls yielded common shop items like General Selection Cards, Luck Cards, or Role Cards.

Luckier ones got random skin or effect loot boxes.

As for pity?

Nonexistent.

Lu Ze’s targets were the wealthy disciples—their pockets would subsidize the casual players.

The grand prize was the most sought-after skin: Zhuge Liang’s "Starborn Crane Sage."

In his past life, Three Kingdoms Kill lacked standout Zhuge Liang skins, so Lu Ze designed one himself.

He borrowed concepts from other skins and went all-out on effects.

Other generals’ skins and effects were equally top-tier.

But since they were gacha-exclusive, obtaining your favorite skin meant suffering...

......

Within two hours of the update, the Three Kingdoms Kill forums exploded.

[I take back calling Junior Brother Lu generous.]

[Three pity Divine Lü Bu pulls in a row—who understands my pain?]

[Brother, are you Senior Brother Zhou?]

[I think it’s fine—got two divine-tier cards in one 10-pull.]

[The real scam is Treasure Summon. 1,000 spirit stones for three General Selection Cards?]

[I got 10 eggs...]

[If not for the free skin trial card after pulling a general, no one would touch Treasure Summon...]

[It’s expensive AND time-limited to 40 days?!]

[JUNIOR BROTHER LU IS TOO SHADY!!!]

......

In just one night,

Lu Ze’s sect contribution points soared by 100,000.

All thanks to a sneaky little trick:

When players exited the general recruitment screen, they received a 3-day limited skin trial—

a showcase for the prestige of skins.

Lu Ze had poured immense effort into skin and effect designs.

Take the elders' favorite Zhuge Liang as an example.

Even without a skin, just unlocking his skill animation is enough—when Zhuge Liang activates his [Stargazing] ability, the surrounding scenery transforms into a celestial chessboard woven from constellations.

Standing amidst the stars, he commands the cosmos like pieces on a board, exuding an air of grandeur.

Impressive?

Extremely.

Worth pulling for?

There will always be deep-pocketed old fools who’ll go for it.

Judging by his earnings, such fools aren’t in short supply…

...

"If this keeps up, I’m starting to worry the sect’s spirit stones won’t be enough for me to exchange anymore…"

Lu Ze counted his newly acquired spirit stones, muttering to himself.

Using sect contribution points as a trading medium didn’t seem sustainable in the long run.

"Unfilial disciple!"

Nangong Yuan’s voice abruptly cut through his thoughts.

"Hey, Master, let’s get one thing straight—all cultivators are equal in my eyes!"

Lu Ze rose solemnly, already poised to wave his hands in refusal.

"..."

Nangong Yuan was momentarily speechless.

The words he’d been about to say—asking if he could discreetly get a skin as a favor—stuck in his throat.

"The elders of the Tianxuan Sect wish to see you. I’ll take you there."

[P.S. This chapter was condensed for pacing—otherwise, it’d drag on too long. The Three Kingdoms Kill segment ends here. The upcoming Tianxuan Sect arc will gradually unveil the true server, and the game through which Lu Ze obtains it will be something worth anticipating!]