An overwhelming pressure coiled around Lu Ze like a giant serpent, tightening its grip.
Were it not for the protection of his Ten Thousand Phantoms Demonic Immortal Physique, even with an iron will, Lu Ze would have surely been forced to yield.
"Ask me ten thousand times—the answer remains the same. This illusion was my creation!"
The young man's tone was unshakable.
He knew that if he faltered now, he was dead.
For some reason, Ding Mingcang was determined to crush him.
He had to make the inner sect—no, the true disciples—believe him.
"You dare spout such nonsense?!"
Ding Mingcang, furious, prepared to intensify the pressure.
Just then, an icy-cold woman's voice drifted through the air.
"What he says may not be false."
Every disciple present turned in surprise to look at Li Moran.
Zhong Yi’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
His junior sister, due to the nature of her cultivation physique, was usually indifferent to emotions and desires.
When had she ever spoken up for someone else?
This was truly unprecedented!
"Explain yourself," Ding Mingcang said, retracting some of his aura as he narrowed his eyes at Li Moran.
Li Moran gave a slight nod and replied calmly,
"Last night, I attempted to analyze the illusion’s construction. While its design was intricate, the techniques used were not advanced—even a Qi Refinement cultivator could accomplish it. The execution, however, was masterful."
Murmurs broke out among the disciples below.
"Is that true? Any disciples from the Artifact Forging Pavilion know about this?"
"I’m from the Artifact Forging Pavilion… I was too busy messing around to analyze this stuff!"
"Senior Sister Li isn’t wrong. Advanced techniques have long been replaced by artifacts crafted by great experts—just pour in spiritual energy and they work."
"I heard Junior Brother Lu was accepted as a probationary disciple precisely because of his clever ideas in artifact forging."
"Could it really be… Lu Ze?"
"I believe it. I’d believe anything Senior Sister Li says."
"How is this possible? A mere Qi Refinement cultivator—what qualifications does he have…?"
"Even if Senior Sister Li says so, I don’t buy it."
"Senior Sister Li’s words are purely theoretical."
Zhong Yi frowned, deep in thought.
He had studied the same thing Li Moran mentioned and knew her words held weight.
But…
No matter what, he couldn’t reconcile the revered master he admired with the young man standing before him.
The gap in their cultivation realms was simply too vast!
"Him? Hah, absolutely impossible!"
Ding Mingcang barely spared Lu Ze a glance before dismissing the idea outright.
"Why not? If I can prove this illusion was my work, will this matter be settled?" Lu Ze challenged.
Ding Mingcang sneered. "You? How do you plan to prove it?"
"Ask me anything about Demon Sect Escape. I’ll answer everything."
"Fine! Then tell me this—the size of an illusionary trial space is tied to the creator’s spiritual sense."
Ding Mingcang cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"How could a mere Qi Refinement cultivator create a near-endless space? That would require at least a Nascent Soul or higher cultivation!"
Lu Ze didn’t hesitate. "Simple."
"Demon Sect Escape’s actual space is only a hundred meters in radius."
"All I did was prepare several identical yet distinct spaces and set up randomly combined scenarios within them."
The size of the game's space was limited by the cultivator's cultivation level.
However, when creating "Escape from the Demon Sect," Lu Ze employed a clever workaround.
He crafted three identical spaces.
Then, using arcane techniques, he stitched these three spaces together in an endless loop.
To the eye, it appeared as an infinitely vast world.
As soon as he explained this, Zhong Yi in the sky paled, then looked at Lu Ze with overwhelming delight.
Beside him, Li Moran's brows also flickered with astonishment.
Ding Mingcang, who was not well-versed in illusionary techniques, couldn't grasp it.
But seeing the reactions of Li Moran and Zhong Yi, his heart sank heavily.
It seemed this kid had actually hit the mark.
"Elder Ding, don’t tell me you didn’t understand? Should I explain it more clearly?"
Lu Ze asked with a smile.
Ding Mingcang knew he had suffered a silent defeat and ignored Lu Ze’s words, pressing on instead:
"Then let me ask you—how did you compose the musical score in just three days? Don’t tell me you’re also skilled in instruments?"
"This disciple once purchased a manifestation device from the market. The music was created through imagination. If Elder Ding requires proof, I can retrieve the purchase record."
"And what about the cultivation restriction?"
"...The technique to restrict cultivation was developed by our predecessors. This disciple merely needed to introduce it using a tool."
"But—"
...
Ding Mingcang fired question after question, and Lu Ze answered each one flawlessly.
By the end, Ding Mingcang had run out of things to ask, left standing there with his mouth agape.
The disciples below were utterly stunned.
"This... Could 'Escape from the Demon Sect' really be Junior Brother Lu’s work?"
"No wonder Elder Nangong made an exception to take him as a nominal disciple!"
"To achieve so much at the Qi Refining stage... Given time, it’s unimaginable!"
"Nothing’s unimaginable. Junior Brother Lu’s cultivation aptitude is poor. Rumor has it he’s been stuck at Qi Refining for three years."
"This is what they call 'expertise in a specialized field'!"
...
"Does Elder Ding have any further questions?"
Lu Ze remained composed as he looked at Ding Mingcang.
Ding Mingcang shook his head.
He refused to believe Lu Ze was the one who had crafted this illusion.
He was convinced there had to be someone behind the scenes—
The true mastermind threatening his interests!
"No... This illusion couldn’t possibly be your doing! There must be someone guiding you! Hand that person over, or else—"
Before Ding Mingcang could finish, an aged voice suddenly echoed from the horizon:
"Elder Ding, calm yourself."
The voice carried a serene yet authoritative Daoist power, instantly easing the pressure Ding Mingcang had placed on Lu Ze.
"Grand Elder!"
Ding Mingcang’s expression changed drastically, and he immediately rose from his seat.
Zhao Wendao’s figure materialized, his stern gaze sweeping over the crowd.
The three true disciples in the air and the inner and outer sect disciples on the ground all bowed in respect.
"I’ve heard everything that transpired just now."
Zhao Wendao waved his hand, showing no airs.
He looked at Lu Ze and suddenly smiled. "When did our Lingxiao Sect gain such an insightful disciple? Elder Nangong never mentioned this to me."
Earlier, while observing in secret, he had listened to Lu Ze’s debate.
The theories and techniques behind the illusion’s design had struck him like a revelation.
Especially the method of using a single space to create the illusion of infinity—it was nothing short of brilliance.
"Elder Zhao, you flatter me. It’s all thanks to my master’s diligent teachings."
Lu Ze replied with a smile.
In his heart, he speculated that the Zhao Wendao before him was likely the mighty figure who had been consistently providing him with 10 Demon Path points.
Beside them, Ding Mingcang’s expression shifted unpredictably.
From Zhao Wendao’s tone, it seemed he was inclined to favor Lu Ze.
If Lu Ze were to accept Zhao Wendao’s goodwill, it would become even harder to interfere with the matter of selling the illusion realm in the future.
And most importantly—
Right now, a crowd of disciples was watching.
As a dignified elder of the sect, how could he tolerate being publicly humiliated by a mere Foundation Establishment disciple?
He had to expose Lu Ze’s lies!
"Elder Zhao, we cannot draw conclusions so hastily!"
Ding Mingcang remained unconvinced.
"If someone else had coached him on the theory, wouldn’t his flawless answers just now be expected?"
"And what do you propose?"
Zhao Wendao frowned slightly.
He didn’t approve of Ding Mingcang’s approach.
No matter what, it was far too harsh on an ordinary disciple.
"I believe that since Lu Ze possesses such skill, he should prove it by crafting another illusion right here, in front of everyone. Only then will I be convinced!"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
