In the original work "The Trickster's Tavern" from his previous life, one naturally couldn't actively flip cards, either keeping them face down on the table or shuffling them.
But in the illusory realm, there was no need to be bound by such rules.
The interactivity between players would also increase.
Lu Ze's move of proactively flipping one of the [Heaven] cards thoroughly shocked the other three.
"Brother Lu, what a move! I never thought it could be played like this..."
Xu Hao was stunned, and he couldn't help but start pondering as well.
"It seems the 'Demon Lu' still went easy on me!"
The moment the words "Demon Lu" slipped out, Chen Yiyun hurriedly covered her mouth.
If Lu Ze had been flipping cards while deceiving her back then, she didn’t even dare imagine how badly she would have been tricked.
Wang Tianjing stared at the revealed [Heaven] card, his expression growing even more solemn.
Flipping a [Heaven] card?
What did this mean?
Was it intimidation? Or was he just stirring the pot?
Wang Tianjing felt his head was about to split open.
Whether it was because he was already on the brink of life and death or because there were too many elements of truth and deception at play, his analysis of every possible outcome had become uncertain.
'Calm down, stay calm...'
Wang Tianjing silently repeated to himself, steadying his breathing first.
'Why did he suddenly flip a [Heaven] card?'
'Even if he didn’t flip it, I already knew he had four [Heaven] cards in his hand!'
'Why, why...'
'Wait a minute!'
The moment a possibility flashed through his mind, his eyes snapped open in realization.
His earlier analysis had been based on Lu Ze holding four [Heaven] cards.
But if he only had three, there was a low-probability strategy—using one real and two fakes to deceive everyone, then playing two real cards to win outright!
That must be why he suddenly flipped a [Heaven] card!
Lu Ze didn’t have four [Heaven] cards—he only had three!
Having deduced this, Wang Tianjing’s expression brightened.
In his eyes now, the odds of calling a bluff were far higher than letting it slide.
Just then, the corners of Lu Ze’s lips curled up once more.
Without a word, he flipped a second card.
Another [Heaven]!
Wang Tianjing was dumbfounded.
All the conclusions he had just drawn were instantly overturned!
How many real cards did Lu Ze actually have—three or four?
If it was three, this was a trap meant to bait him into calling a bluff and walking to his doom.
If it was four, the last one had to be fake!
'Which one is it?'
Wang Tianjing’s frown deepened.
He retraced the entire sequence of events from the beginning...
Why had Lu Ze flipped a second [Heaven] card after the first one?
After the first flip, the number of real cards in his hand—three or four—was already uncertain.
Flipping a second one only seemed excessive, drastically reducing the likelihood of him holding three real cards...
Wait!
Could it be...
He was doing it on purpose?
Wang Tianjing thought carefully.
When had Lu Ze flipped the second [Heaven] card?
Right after he had deduced that Lu Ze might have three real cards and was about to call his bluff.
At that moment, he had "accidentally" let slip a pleased expression.
But in reality, it was something he had deliberately shown Lu Ze.
In other words—
Lu Ze had guessed his thoughts and immediately flipped a second card to counter him?
So...
Lu Ze didn’t want to be challenged?
Just as Wang Tianjing was hesitating, Lu Ze suddenly chuckled.
"Brother Wang seems to be struggling."
Wang Tianjing looked up just in time to see Lu Ze rubbing his nose.
His eyes lit up.
As an astute card player, he knew everyone had certain tells.
Lu Ze was no exception.
Every time he lied, he would subconsciously touch his nose.
He recalled another detail—
When Lu Ze had played three [Heaven] cards earlier, his hand had started to move toward his nose but then stopped, as if deliberately hiding the habit!
But now, Lu Ze must have felt so confident that he carelessly revealed his tell!
Combining this with his earlier analysis, Wang Tianjing quickly reached a conclusion—
Lu Ze was lying!
He had played two real cards and one fake, planning to escape in the second round!
It was a high-risk, high-reward tactic...
But he had slipped up at the last moment!
"Brother Lu, Brother Lu... you must not have noticed that you can’t help but rub your nose when you lie, right?"
Wang Tianjing, now certain of victory, smirked confidently and slammed the table.
"I call your bluff!"
"Oh?"
Lu Ze raised an eyebrow, his amusement deepening.
"What if I told you... I did that on purpose?"
The cards were flipped—all three were [Heaven]!
"What!?"
Wang Tianjing’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He remembered the first round, when Lu Ze had rubbed his nose while playing three fake cards.
He never would have guessed that Lu Ze had been deceiving him from the very beginning.
"I concede defeat!"
Wang Tianjing picked up the hand crossbow beside him without hesitation.
The moment he pulled the trigger, his head exploded.
The game ended.
Lu Ze secured ownership of the secret treasure and completed the "Eliminate a Righteous Cultivator" mission requirement.
[Mission Complete!]
[Host, leading the demonic faction, successfully eliminated a righteous disciple and seized the secret treasure of the secret realm.]
[Reward obtained: Soul-Refining Jade Nectar (enhances the strength of refined souls)]
Lu Ze glanced at the reward.
Well, he had no use for it himself, but it would be perfect for Zhong Yi’s cybernetic soul.
Another upgrade for his top-tier workhorse.
"Now that the treasure is mine, shall we head out?"
Lu Ze yawned.
"Wait! Let’s play a few more rounds!"
Wang Tianjing grabbed Lu Ze’s arm, refusing to let him leave.
"Yeah, yeah! This illusory realm is way too fun—let’s keep playing!"
Xu Hao and Chen Yiyun chimed in as well.
"Senior Brother outside is probably getting impatient."
Lu Ze shrugged.
He really didn’t feel like bullying amateurs.
Especially since these guys were only at the Golden Core stage—the demonic faction rewards were too meager.
"Brother Lu, if it’s about the stakes, no problem! I can offer a magic treasure from my own collection!"
"I can contribute a rare spiritual herb!"
"I don’t have much on me, but I can put up some spirit stones!"
......
At the entrance of the secret realm—
"BOOM—!!"
A deafening explosion echoed.
The cultivation restriction of the secret realm was shattered by the combined efforts of countless elders.
A rift, just large enough for a person, appeared.
"Zhong Yi, hurry! Go find them!!"
Zhao Wendao clutched his chest, shouting weakly.
"Yes!!"
Before Zhao Wendao could finish, Zhong Yi and the other two had already rushed into the secret realm.
The illusion crystal they carried transmitted Elder Chi’s voice intermittently.
"Another... another one’s dead!!"
Hearing this, everyone’s hearts clenched.
Out of four, three had already perished—only one remained.
"Junior Brother Lu... you have to stay alive..."
Zhong Yi muttered anxiously.
The next moment, Chi Shengtian’s update plunged everyone into despair.
"It’s over, it’s over!! Another headshot—they’re all dead!!!"
In that instant, an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy erupted from the three.
Li Moran’s aura was the most terrifying—
The entire secret realm was instantly blanketed in ice and snow.
"Kill... kill every last one of these demonic bastards!"
Zhong Yi’s eyes burned with bloodlust.
However, in the next moment, Elder Chi muttered in confusion:
"What's going on? Another... another one died?"
Instantly, the three of them froze.
Elder Chi's divination was only meant for the four disciples who had entered.
Now, five deaths in a row—what did that mean?
Before they could process it, Elder Chi continued with a strange expression:
"And another one... What in the world is happening?"
Though bewildered, the trio quickened their pace.
Soon, the entrance to the treasure site came into view.
"Senior Brother, I see them!!" Mu Yawen exclaimed excitedly.
Zhong Yi looked up and saw the four of them sitting in a circle, perfectly unharmed, each holding an Illusion Tower.
Around them, bound demonic cultivators lay scattered in disarray.
At the center, a projection of the illusion played out.
Xu Hao's head was pierced by a crossbow bolt, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.
The four of them were playing with unbridled enthusiasm.
In that instant, the three of them realized—
So the divination had been predicting events inside the illusion all along!!
Zhong Yi was dumbstruck, turning to the other two with a dazed expression:
"Hey..."
"Should we join in for a round?"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
