A Soldier emerged from the black portal in the barracks and hurried toward the three lanes.
Li Moran, Zhong Yi, and Zhou Yue were intently studying their respective skills.
Mu Yawen cheerfully swung the axe in his hand, reveling in the strength of his muscles.
Meanwhile, Zhou Qiaoling kept summoning a spirit called Teemo, giggling and cackling mischievously at Zhou Yue.
"I'm a wind-element sword cultivator? Interesting, interesting..."
After reading Yasuo's skills, Zhong Yi's mind was already flooded with visions of flashy plays.
"Tsk, this 'Marksman' isn't great—just long-range attacks, no real thrill!"
Zhou Yue glanced at the floating artifact hovering near his wrist, feeling a bit unaccustomed.
The spirit of the Marksman was a humanoid artifact forged by an immortal artificer.
Its attack method involved channeling spiritual energy into ammunition and firing it through the artifact.
"Hey, Zhou, wanna make a bet? First blood—whoever gets it first, deal?"
Zhong Yi proposed with overflowing confidence.
"Sure! If you lose, buy me the most expensive mod pack in Minecraft!"
"Deal!"
No sooner had the words left their mouths—
[The Crimson Treant has slain "Exercise Brings Progress" (Berserker)!]
Zhong Yi: "???"
Zhou Yue: "???"
"Who the hell is the Crimson Treant?! …Dammit, Junior Mu got killed by a jungle creep!"
Zhou Yue glanced at the spot where Mu Yawen's corpse lay, torn between laughter and exasperation.
"Damn it, Senior Brother! That red tree monster is insane—I stood no chance!"
Mu Yawen whined with a crestfallen expression.
"Pfft… Junior Mu, you didn’t buy any gear! Get some items before fighting jungle creeps!"
Zhou Yue scanned Mu Yawen’s status and immediately spotted the problem, quickly warning him.
Mu Yawen stared at the dazzling array of equipment in the shop, then at his pitifully empty wallet.
"A sturdy body is the real deal!"
Muttering to himself, he bought a Vitality Crystal that boosted his health and marched back toward the Crimson Treant.
"Where’s Zhong Yi? Why’s he so quiet?"
Zhou Yue couldn’t help but wonder.
Usually, Zhong Yi would be lecturing them with theories at a time like this.
This time, however, he remained uncharacteristically silent.
"Shh, I’m focusing on my lane!"
Zhong Yi’s voice was unusually tense.
"This opponent…"
"Is strong!"
The one Zhong Yi was laning against was called [Annie].
She looked like an adorable, pink-haired girl, but in reality, she was a master of supreme fire-element cultivation!
Every time Zhong Yi tried to last-hit minions, she poked him relentlessly.
"So… that’s why you’ve got zero minion kills?"
Zhou Yue couldn’t resist teasing.
"Short range vs. long range—what can I do?! Shh! Quiet, I’m about to make a play!"
Seeing his experience bar hit Level 2, Zhong Yi’s voice rose with excitement.
He had already studied all three of his skills.
[Steel Tempest] was his core ability—stacking it three times unleashed a tornado-like sword slash!
Before, he had been helpless, forced to eat damage due to his short range.
But at Level 2, things changed.
[Sweeping Blade] was a dash that let him close the gap using enemy units as stepping stones!
Right now, the minions were his best tools.
Without hesitation, Zhong Yi used [Sweeping Blade] on a minion.
"Whoa, why does this feel so exhilarating…"
He muttered to himself as his body shot forward at blinding speed.
After dashing, he paused awkwardly for a split second—just long enough for [Annie] to smack him with another fireball.
"Again!"
Chuckling, Zhong Yi used [Sweeping Blade] once more, his movements stiff as he weaved through minions, arriving right in front of [Annie].
Another pause.
Lost in euphoria, Zhong Yi didn’t even notice anything amiss.
"Hah, finally in your face…"
He drew his rusty sword from his waist.
"Die already!"
He swung.
The moment his blade was about to strike [Annie], Zhong Yi frantically tried to use [Steel Tempest].
The attack animation canceled instantly, replaced by a thrust of [Steel Tempest]…
[-49!]
A red number popped up above a minion’s head.
"Damn, this opponent’s insane! Dodged all my damage!!!"
Zhong Yi gasped in shock.
After that entire combo, [Annie] hadn’t lost a single drop of health!
The AI was terrifyingly skilled!
His brain screamed at him—
Basic attacks and [Steel Tempest] had missed, and his cooldowns were punishingly long…
He needed to retreat.
But his hands refused to listen.
Because [Sweeping Blade] was still available.
With another dash, dopamine flooded his system, sending tingles down his spine.
Zhong Yi had been right on top of [Annie], but this [Sweeping Blade] sent him flying absurdly far—straight into the enemy tower’s range.
"Whoa! Why’d I dash into the tower?!"
"CRAP—I’M DEAD!!!"
[First Blood!]
[Annie (AI) has slain "Genius Cultivator" (Yasuo)!]
Zhou Yue witnessed Zhong Yi’s masterpiece of a play.
"HAHAHA!!! Zhong Yi, that was the most abstract thing I’ve ever seen!! I’m freaking starving from watching that!"
"Stop laughing, man! The AI’s gonna wreck me!!"
…
When Lu Ze designed the AI difficulty, he set it at a delicate balance.
It wouldn’t let players mindlessly stomp it, nor would it overwhelm them with unfair advantages.
The core of MOBA was player-versus-player combat.
If the AI were too oppressive, new players might get discouraged and quit—a net loss.
Of course, fresh beginners would still get bullied by the AI for a while.
Like Zhong Yi right now.
At Level 4, he had already died twice to [Annie].
The pink-haired loli stood atop his corpse, sticking out her tongue and taunting:
"You’re so fierce, yet lost to a little girl~ Shame, shame!"
The humiliation was unbearable.
The other lanes weren’t faring much better.
Zhou Qiaoling sat invisibly in a bush the whole time.
Zhou Yue was stuck in a 1v2, and for some reason, the enemy AI played like hyper-aggressive psychopaths, focusing him ruthlessly.
Mu Yawen had it the worst.
His score was 0-3, and he was still Level 1.
He had developed a vendetta against the Crimson Treant, dying to it over and over.
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
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!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
