Inferior to AI

When Lu Ze designed the AI mode for the game, he created two versions.

The first version was the beginner-level AI, intended to help players familiarize themselves with the gameplay. As such, its difficulty wasn’t overly punishing.

The reason was simple:

Ninety-nine percent of the "Demonic Energy" he harvested from the MOBA game came from player-versus-player kills, not from defeating AI opponents.

No matter how efficiently the AI slaughtered players, the rate of Demonic Energy gain couldn’t compare to that of real player competition.

On the contrary, if the AI was too oppressive, it might drive away potential players, resulting in a net loss.

Of course, this beginner-friendly AI would only appear in a player’s first three matches against bots.

After that, the second version would take over—

The high-difficulty AI.

The rationale behind the second version was equally straightforward.

In his past life’s League of Legends, there were plenty of players who exclusively played against bots.

Why? Because it was easy!

And stress-relieving.

There were also those like Zhong Yi, who wanted to practice mechanics or simply indulge in a slaughterfest.

But Lu Ze wasn’t fond of this behavior.

If everyone just bullied bots, who would provide him with Demonic Energy?

Thus, the second version of the AI was, at this stage, an intensely challenging experience…

Mechanically, it wasn’t too extreme—roughly equivalent to the Silver rank in his past life.

But in this world, that was practically an unbeatable level.

The most oppressive aspect was the AI’s gold income.

At fixed intervals, they would complete high-tier items, enforcing sheer economic dominance.

In short, most players at this stage would enter these matches only to suffer.

Take Zhong Yi, for example.

At this very moment, he was being relentlessly chased down by an AI Yasuo, the Unforgotten.

After an afternoon of streaming, Zhong Yi’s channel had gathered quite a few cultivators as viewers.

In just 10 minutes, he had died seven times.

The streamer sat in silence while the chat erupted in laughter.

[Is that AI the real Unforgotten?]

[Brother Zhong feels easier to farm than a minion…]

[At this rate, he’ll be worth less than a cannon minion soon.]

[Is the illusion’s color palette bugged? Why is everything in grayscale? Did the Illusion Tower break?]

[The AI Yasuo even hit a full combo and then flute-taunted. Meanwhile, our streamer missed a Steel Tempest on a minion…]

[Why isn’t the streamer laughing? Is it not funny?]

……

Of course, Zhong Yi wasn’t the only one suffering.

The other four players in the match were also getting steamrolled by the AI, their frustration nearing critical levels.

In less than 15 minutes, the five novices had their Nexus obliterated by the hyper-aggressive bots.

Zhong Yi exited the illusion and sat in his room, questioning his life choices.

After this match, he unlocked an achievement: [Worse Than Bots].

The unlock condition? Dying eight or more times within 15 minutes in a bot match and losing the game.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yue, upon hearing the news, cheerfully sent him a message:

"Well, well, if it isn’t Old Zhong? How long has it been since we last met? Can’t even handle bots now, huh? Hahaha…"

Unfazed by the mockery, Zhong Yi calmly replied with four words: "You try, then."

"Fine!"

Zhou Yue confidently queued up for a bot match.

Twenty minutes later, the Lingxiao Sect gained another pitiful soul bearing the [Worse Than Bots] title.

……

The carnage inflicted by the AI quickly spread like wildfire across the major sects.

What made these bots especially infuriating was their behavior.

They didn’t just kill you—they danced and struck poses on your corpse.

The most rage-inducing was Teemo, who spammed giggles and laughter, making cultivators in PvP matches instantly target any Teemo they saw.

Instead of quitting, these hardened cultivators doubled down, grinding their skills in PvP matches to one day reclaim their dignity against the bots.

In the world of cultivation, the situation was the exact opposite of Lu Ze’s past life.

Players trained relentlessly in PvP, all for the sake of eventually redeeming themselves in bot matches…

……

……

Immortal-Demon Conflict spread faster than any other illusion game.

A major factor was its visuals, which finally broke free from the limitations of small-scale, low-quality designs.

The Immortal-Demon Canyon was crafted on a grand scale, several times larger than its predecessor in Lu Ze’s past life.

Naturally, movement speed and other mechanics were adjusted proportionally.

The skills and outfits of the champions were also reskinned with a cultivation-themed aesthetic.

While the numerical balance remained largely unchanged, the visual presentation was a massive upgrade.

Lu Ze went all out on spell effects, painstakingly crafting particle animations with high-tier talismans.

Some ultra-high-tier effects required him to purchase astronomically expensive artifacts to record and replicate divine techniques.

Take Kennen’s ultimate, Heavenly Thunderstorm, for example.

For this one ability alone, Lu Ze infused a fraction of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder from the legendary cultivator Zhao Wendao, costing him hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

The result was spectacular.

Upon activation, a hundred-meter radius would be engulfed in terrifying violet lightning.

The other abilities were no less impressive.

Lu Ze’s extensive "borrowing" of techniques from countless cultivators paid off handsomely in the visual department.

With explosive visuals, innovative gameplay, and the ability for cultivators to showcase their own techniques, the player base grew at an astonishing rate.

Within just a week of launch, the concurrent player count reached 500,000.

While this number paled in comparison to the millions in his past life, in the world of cultivation, it was nothing short of a phenomenon.

Of course, the bulk of these players came from the vast market of rogue cultivators, most of whom were at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages.

Lu Ze’s ultimate goal was to draw in as many sect-affiliated cultivators as possible.

"With this many players, maybe it’s time for the first monetization wave…"

Stroking his chin, Lu Ze muttered to himself as he observed the player count on the backend.

Developing Immortal-Demon Conflict had consumed a staggering amount of spirit stones.

Even with the massive profits from his previous illusions, the expenditure had left a significant dent.

"Let’s start with some six-spirit-stone skins…"