Beware of Liu Mo

In the end, Zhou Yue agreed to Bai Mu's request to join the team.

A substitute spot—eliminating the biggest threat to their championship journey—was simply too tempting to refuse.

Moreover, Bai Mu's second condition was equally enticing.

As everyone knew, Bai Mu's ranked match schedule was unpredictable.

Among the highest-ranked players on the ladder, who wouldn’t want to snipe him and test their skills against him?

Having a top-tier expert as their sparring partner was an opportunity too good to pass up.

After learning that Zhong Yi’s substitute spot had been taken by Bai Mu, Lu Ze temporarily opened up a "coach" position.

If they won the championship, every member of the team would receive custom champion skins!

For these gaming-obsessed youths who adored the Illusion Realm, this reward was the highest form of recognition.

……

……

Lu Ze’s idea of "sparring" was him leading four AI-controlled teammates against Zhou Yue’s squad in a 5v5.

It sounded insulting at first, but no matter how hard Zhou Yue’s team tried, they kept losing…

Zhong Yi, acting as coach, observed from a god’s-eye view, analyzing their plays and providing post-match breakdowns.

Admittedly, this method worked wonders.

Especially for Mu Yawen and Zhou Yue, whose skills improved rapidly.

“Heh, so this is what ‘kiting’ in the top lane means… Brother Bai is truly a master!”

Mu Yawen scratched his head sheepishly while studying the notes Zhong Yi had compiled on Bai Mu’s micro-plays during the laning phase.

“Damn it! Does Brother Bai have some kind of divine vision? How does he always know where I am??”

Zhou Yue, freshly humiliated, was fuming.

He had been playing jungle Xin Zhao, only to get repeatedly ambushed by Bai Mu’s Lee Sin.

By the time his support hit level 6, he was still stuck at level 5.

To add insult to injury, Bai Mu even pulled off a "Zhong-style Insec kick" right in front of everyone—much to Zhong Yi’s excitement.

“Zhou, your jungle pathing is too predictable. Against a master like Bai Mu, you can’t just stick to the ‘square jungle’ strategy I taught you before…”

……

Days passed like this.

The Lingxiao Sect team improved at an astonishing rate, dominating the qualifiers without breaking a sweat.

Of course, they weren’t the only favorites to win.

On the ranked ladder, the five great sects all had their share of top-tier players—none of whom were pushovers.

Skill in the Illusion Realm wasn’t determined by cultivation level. Talent here seemed to be something else entirely.

Even ordinary disciples like Liu Mo, who were only at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Condensation stages, could become powerhouses within the game. Every sect had such hidden talents.

The scattered but vast community of rogue cultivators also boasted plenty of experts.

Among the current favorites, the Lingxiao Sect and the Infinite Sword Sect had the most hype. The remaining three teams were composed of rogue cultivators and minor sects.

In the era before the Great Illusion, cultivators wouldn’t have dared imagine something like this.

A grand event of this scale, one that even involved the Heavenly Dao—how could ordinary cultivators ever participate?

But now?

Even a mighty Void Refinement expert might just be an average player inside the Illusion Realm…

No wonder rogue cultivators were so enthusiastic about it.

Discussions about the [Heavenly Dao Cup: Immortal-Demon Conflict—Celestial Series] were heating up on the forums.

[Fellow Daoists, who do you think will win?]

[Probably the Slaying Immortals Righteous Path team… Their name sucks, but they’re strong.]

[I’ve watched them play—it’s weird. None of their members appear on the ranked ladder!]

[Lingxiao Sect, obviously. With Bai Mu out of the tournament, no one can match Elder Sister Li’s swordsmanship!]

[Elder Sister Li switched to ADC. Shame we won’t see her top lane plays.]

[She’s a prodigy. Her ADC is even scarier than her top lane…]

[Speaking of which, why isn’t Bai Mu competing?]

[Rogue cultivators are free spirits. Maybe he just doesn’t care about the treasures.]

[It’s strange. Why aren’t any of the top-ranked rogue cultivators joining?]

[Not just not joining—they haven’t even logged in lately…]

……

……

A month flew by.

After a grueling battle, the Lingxiao Sect team emerged victorious from the qualifiers, securing their spot in the finals.

That very midnight, Lu Ze’s Illusion Tower received an invitation to a custom match.

“Again…”

Lu Ze chuckled and accepted.

Ever since he began training the Lingxiao Sect team under the guise of Bai Mu, Li Moran had sent him a solo duel request every night at midnight.

With rewards like Demon Path points and chances to gain enlightenment insights, Lu Ze had no reason to refuse.

……

Five minutes later.

Li Moran’s health bar hit zero, her character collapsing beneath the enemy turret.

Lu Ze, with only a sliver of HP left, recalled in the brush.

“You win.”

Li Moran calmly typed those words.

Her mind replayed the lightning-fast exchange that decided the match.

Top lane was all about spacing and precision.

In the end, she had been outplayed—Lu Ze’s last-second feint had tricked her into overextending.

But she wasn’t discouraged.

Every day, she felt herself inching closer to the shadow she chased.

On the other side, Lu Ze wiped sweat from his brow.

“This woman is terrifying!”

Staring at his single-digit HP, he shuddered.

She had almost turned the tables on him!

“Guess I can’t afford to go easy on her anymore…”

He muttered to himself before recalling something else. Slowly, he typed four words in chat:

“Beware of Liu Mo.”

The Lingxiao Sect’s match today had been a struggle—largely due to Liu Mo’s underperformance.

While others hadn’t paid close attention to the mid lane, Lu Ze had seen everything.

Something was off about the kid’s plays.

Even in practice matches, inconsistencies were obvious.

Liu Mo’s true skill far surpassed what he showed in training.

He was holding back!

“No matter.”

Li Moran’s reply was brief, but the faintest smile curled at the corner of her lips.

She, too, had noticed Liu Mo’s odd behavior—yet she hadn’t called him out.

Perhaps she believed she could handle it.

Or perhaps…

Because even if she couldn’t—

Lu Ze was there as backup.