Why Are They So Skilled

"‘If You're a Cultivator, Descend 100 Floors…’"

Chen Yiyun involuntarily took a step back, her eyes flickering uneasily. It was as if some particularly unpleasant memories had resurfaced.

"Why would this appear here?"

Xu Hao, who usually feared nothing, uncharacteristically refrained from charging forward recklessly. Instead, he cautiously circled the traps, observing them carefully.

"This should be… a scenario from the second trial? I’ve encountered it many times…"

Wang Tianjing closed his eyes, straining to recall the details of this stage.

"Oh? You all remember it quite well?"

Lu Ze raised an eyebrow, amused. It seemed he wouldn’t even need to intervene—they could handle this on their own.

The three of them spoke in unison, "What do you think!?"

"Our Cloud Immortal Palace is renowned for its movement techniques, but ever since your so-called ‘illusion realm’ became famous, this became a mandatory training exercise for us…"

Chen Yiyun covered her forehead, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I heard from my senior brother that the Lingxiao Sect’s illusion realms were quite entertaining, so I wanted to try one… Little did I know, the first one I bought was ‘If You're a Cultivator, Descend 100 Floors’…"

Xu Hao’s fists trembled.

After that, he never touched an illusion tower again.

"Ah, I thought divining a hexagram before entering would solve everything…"

Wang Tianjing sighed.

"Who knew the hexagram would just be covered in the word ‘DANGER’…"

After exchanging their grievances, the three of them turned their deeply resentful gazes toward the culprit.

"Why are you looking at me? It was that Old Yang from the Qingshan Sect who made me do it!"

Lu Ze retorted shamelessly.

"Hmph, but right now, we should still thank Brother Lu for tormenting us with his illusion realm…"

Wang Tianjing glanced at the traps ahead and smirked confidently.

"How about a race? Let’s see who can clear the traps first and claim the treasure?"

Xu Hao suggested.

The three of them brimmed with confidence, ready to take on the challenge.

……

……

At the same time.

Deep within the treasure grounds.

"Boss! The little lambs have taken the bait!!!"

A sharp-faced subordinate jumped up in excitement.

"Tch, just a bunch of brats with cultivation but no real combat experience."

Liu Dumu sneered.

The lethality of these traps—others might not understand, but he knew all too well.

Devious. Extremely devious!

Even he, a prodigy of the demonic path whose ruthlessness earned the admiration of his peers, had to admit he was outmatched.

This trap manual had to be the work of some ancient demonic grandmaster!

Liu Dumu had already planned it out—completing this mission by capturing these Golden Core disciples, then presenting the ancient manual to the higher-ups.

With two major contributions like this, he was guaranteed access to core resources, paving his way to greater heights!

Just as he was lost in his grand ambitions, his subordinate suddenly frowned and muttered in confusion:

"What’s going on? Why are they… so skilled??"

Liu Dumu snapped to attention and looked—his expression instantly darkened.

The three young disciples at the front were actually dancing along the edges of the traps, testing them with precise movements!

"Impossible!"

Liu Dumu slammed his fist onto the table.

The solid gold tea table shattered into dust under the force.

"No way… The merchant swore this was an ancient manual, one of a kind…"

The subordinate muttered in disbelief.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

Even if the manual wasn’t unique, why would righteous cultivators care about trap-making?

And even if they knew how, how could they all be so proficient?

The scene before them was nothing short of bizarre.

It was almost as if… they had practiced dismantling these exact traps before!

"Archers, ready!"

Seeing the situation turning sour, the subordinate acted decisively.

They were stationed at the deepest part of the treasure grounds—the very location of the secret realm’s treasure.

When setting up the traps, they had already planned a series of ruthless follow-up attacks.

For example, launching hidden projectiles when the targets were mid-air and defenseless.

At the command, the waiting demonic cultivators hurled their daggers and concealed weapons toward the trio.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"

"Clang—clang—clang—"

What happened next was even more unbelievable—

The disciples’ swords moved as if they had eyes, slicing every incoming projectile out of the air in an instant!

"Tsk…"

Liu Dumu sucked in a sharp breath.

He knew disciples of righteous sects were strong and relentless, but this was downright monstrous!

Meanwhile, the three crossing the traps also noticed something amiss.

"Did something just fly past?"

"Must’ve been reflexes from playing too much ‘Plants vs. Zombies’…"

"Wait, no—those were hidden weapons!"

"Hah, so these traps were definitely set up by scoundrels!"

After a quick exchange, their expressions turned serious.

"They even resorted to hidden weapons…"

Lu Ze’s gaze turned icy.

If they kept playing dirty, these three might actually get hurt.

For the sake of his gaming empire’s stable development, he couldn’t let that happen.

He had to ensure these three walked out of the secret realm completely unharmed.

Having made up his mind, Lu Ze dashed forward with wind beneath his feet, charging straight toward the trap...

...

Deep within the treasure grounds.

"That tall, burly one is probably the strongest fighter... but he’s no match for Sect Leader Liu."

"The one behind him looks like he’s from the Tianxuan Sect—their disciples are cunning schemers. We absolutely can’t let him team up with that powerhouse!"

(To be continued. Click next page for more exciting content!)

"That pretty little thing must be from the Yunxian Palace... Yunxian disciples excel at fleeing, but she won’t expect two guardians waiting for her outside the secret realm. Hehehe..."

"As for the last one..."

The strategizing confidant glanced at the motionless youth at the rear, curling his lips into a disdainful smirk.

"Tch, too scared to even move at the sight of a trap—must be the weakest of the bunch!"

No sooner had he spoken than the boy at the back of the group—moved.

With blinding speed and overwhelming momentum.

Unlike the other three, who cautiously tested their surroundings, he moved as if returning home—every step precise, not a single wasted motion!

"How is this possible?!"

The confidant was stunned.

Even if he had studied the trap beforehand, he’d still fumble for hours trying to navigate it even with the ancient manual in hand.

How could this black-haired youth traverse it so effortlessly, as if flowing water?

"It seems we’ve been discovered..."

Seated on his golden dragon throne, Liu Dumu’s expression darkened, a sinister smile curling at his lips.

"Then let’s kill them all!"

At his command, every demonic cultivator present drew their weapons, charging forward with wicked grins.

...

"Brother Lu, how can you run so fast...?"

Wang Tianjing marveled at Lu Ze’s retreating figure.

"As expected of the trap’s creator... Wait! Someone’s coming out!"

Spotting seven or eight black-robed cultivators emerging abruptly, Chen Yiyun sensed imminent danger.

"Demonic cultivators!"

Lu Ze’s brow arched.

Though his spiritual sense was suppressed by the treasure grounds’ restrictions, at such close range, he could still gauge their strength.

"Four at early Golden Core, three at mid-stage, one at late-stage... These guys shouldn’t be a match for them."

Lu Ze mused silently, his gaze fixed straight ahead at the dark cave they had emerged from.

The demonic energy radiating from within carried a far more dangerous aura than the rest!

Without hesitation, Lu Ze sprinted toward the cave.

To his surprise, the foremost cultivators seemed utterly indifferent to him, even clearing a path as he charged straight in.

The moment he stepped inside—

A black barrier sealed the cave entrance behind him.

"Don’t even think about leaving. Once you’re in here, the only way out is if one of us dies."

A voice dripping with malice echoed from the depths of the cave.

Liu Dumu rose with a savage grin, hefting a massive cleaver half a man’s height, advancing step by step toward Lu Ze.

"Pity... No one outside will hear your screams or witness your miserable death..."

Hearing this, Lu Ze’s eyes lit up with delight.

"You mean... no one outside can hear or see what happens here?"

Lu Ze smiled, raising both hands.

In one palm, violet lightning flickered intermittently.

In the other, his sword pulsed with glacial sword qi.

"There are two things I’ve always been curious about..."

"Just how powerful are Elder Zhao and Senior Sister Li’s techniques..."

"And,"

"Whether you demonic types will grant me demonic merit points."