Joining the Battle of Magic

The popularity of the [Heaven's Path Cup] tournament far exceeded Lu Ze's expectations.

"Clash of Immortals and Demons" had become a frequent topic of discussion among cultivators during their leisure time.

For instance, Li Jiujian, an elder of the Endless Sword Sect, had played a thousand matches as the Endless Sword Saint and seemed to have attained enlightenment, creating a new breathing technique.

Then there was Zhao Wendao, the grand elder of the Lingxiao Sect, who led a team of elders on a western campaign. Their much-hyped "Don't Underestimate the Old and Poor" squad was utterly crushed in the first round of qualifiers by an unknown group of rogue cultivators.

And then there was the "Slay Immortals to Prove the Dao" team, whose strength was terrifying—their five members possessed bottomless reserves of hero spirits...

On the forums, alongside posts predicting champions and analyzing team strengths, one topic stood out prominently:

Where had all the high-ranking rogue cultivators from the ladder gone?

Every now and then, someone claiming to be a friend of a certain rogue cultivator would mention that the person had intended to participate but had since vanished without a trace.

Upon closer inspection, the number of missing individuals exceeded thirty.

What’s more, they all shared one common trait—

None had a cultivation level higher than Foundation Establishment, and some were even at Qi Refining.

Under normal circumstances, such low-level cultivators wouldn’t attract much attention.

But with the topic trending relentlessly on the Illusory Realm forums, the five great sects quietly launched their own investigations...

Meanwhile, the tournament raged on.

Sixteen teams battled fiercely for a spot in the finals.

For the competition format, Lu Ze directly borrowed the well-established system from his past life.

Its flawless and logical structure left Zhong Yi in awe, praising Lu Ze as a genius.

The Lingxiao Sect team, fresh from a grueling match, had an unexpectedly smooth run in the first week of group stages.

Liu Mo fought with relentless effort, showing not a single hint of throwing the game.

Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue, who had initially been suspicious of him, gradually let their guard down. The team’s coordination seemed to be improving.

On the final day of the group stage, the Lingxiao Sect team lived up to expectations, sweeping through with a flawless 6-0 record and advancing to the quarterfinals.

Half a month later,

The highly anticipated quarterfinal match—Lingxiao Sect versus Endless Sword Sect—drew massive crowds.

The best-of-five format only heightened the excitement.

The cheers for both sects shook the heavens, as if they were competing in a battle of prestige.

From time to time, mighty figures would shower the live stream with extravagant gifts.

In the end, the Lingxiao Sect emerged victorious, winning 3-1 and securing a spot in the semifinals.

In this battle, Li Moran made a name for herself with her ghostly mastery of the Night Hunter.

At the same time, Zhong Yi’s innovative "split-push" strategy also earned him widespread acclaim.

"Old Zhong, I have to say, your mouth is truly something else!"

After defeating the Endless Sword Sect, Zhou Yue clapped Zhong Yi on the shoulder in exhilaration.

It had been an exhilarating match—both sides were top-tier players, and the intensity of the battle left Zhou Yue thoroughly satisfied.

Especially Zhong Yi’s bans, picks, and tactical adjustments, which gave the Lingxiao Sect team a clear edge.

Other teams’ coaches were mere decorations in comparison.

Zhong Yi was practically the sixth player on their team!

"Heh, how was that split-push? I’ve got even better tricks up my sleeve—enough to catch them completely off guard..."

Zhong Yi chuckled mysteriously.

"Really? Our next opponent is that 'Slay Immortals to Prove the Dao' team..."

Zhou Qiaoling voiced her concerns.

In terms of skill, Zhou Qiaoling was rather average—even a little lacking.

But at this stage, the difference in the support role was minimal.

Most importantly, Li Moran had insisted on having Zhou Qiaoling, as the two had grown accustomed to playing the bottom lane together.

Yet she had heard that every member of the "Slay Immortals to Prove the Dao" team had an ocean of hero spirits, and their support often played hook-based heroes—her worst nightmare...

"It’s a shame Brother Bai refused to play... With him, we wouldn’t have to fear any team."

Mu Yawen sighed regretfully.

Ever since they advanced from the group stage, Bai Mu had seemingly vanished without a trace.

According to him, he just wanted to ride on their coattails for fame and had no intention of actually competing.

No one could understand why someone of Bai Mu’s skill wouldn’t seize the chance to make a name for himself.

"What’s there to fear? Brother Bai taught us so many techniques—how could we possibly lose to some edgy-named team?"

Zhou Yue cracked his knuckles, while Zhong Yi grinned confidently beside him.

"Don’t worry, everyone... I’ve devised a new strategy that will undoubtedly catch them off guard..."

......

Lihuo Peak, Spirit Jade Pavilion.

"If it’s not demonic cultivation... then what could it be?"

Lu Ze stroked his chin, muttering to himself.

Determining whether someone practiced demonic cultivation was simple—

All one had to do was check if their demonic affinity increased upon death in the Illusory Realm.

Of course, this only applied to high-level cultivators.

For low-level Qi Refining cultivators like Liu Mo, it would take dozens, if not hundreds, of deaths to see even a 0.01 increase in demonic affinity.

After tracking Liu Mo’s account for a long time, Lu Ze finally concluded that the man was indeed a righteous cultivator.

"And yet... it’s still too suspicious."

Lu Ze rubbed his temples.

Liu Mo was holding back.

This was something he had noticed during last month's training matches.

At first, he thought it was just the outer disciples protecting themselves.

But by the final round of the qualifiers, his deliberate concession made Lu Ze realize something was wrong.

Because among their opponents... there was a demonic cultivator!

Liu Mo, who had intentionally held back...

The demonic cultivator taking advantage of the chaos...

The continuous disappearances of top fighters...

Lu Ze had a vague sense that these events were connected.

There was a high chance it was tied to the demonic path.

With that thought, Lu Ze rose from his seat in the Spirit Jade Pavilion and headed to the Lingxiao Sect team’s training grounds to congratulate them.

......

......

The Great Zhou Dynasty.

A remote border town in the west.

"Has the result come out? Who’s our next opponent?"

A gloomy man reclined on a divan, casually biting into a blood-red spirit fruit as he spoke.

"Hall Master Guo, it’s the Lingxiao Sect team," replied a black-robed attendant.

"Hah, so it really is them."

Guo Tianyin sneered, his expression brimming with confidence.

"What a bunch of fools... to leave such a treasure up for grabs in an illusionary realm..."

His lips curled as his eyes burned with greed.

A fragment of an ancient mighty one’s lost technique!

Just a trace of its power might be enough to break through to the next realm!

This prize... he would claim it without fail!

"Hall Master, these righteous path cultivators are quite skilled in illusions. Not long ago, Hall Master Han—"

"Don’t compare me to that idiot!"

Guo Tianyin’s face darkened before he glanced behind him.

There, an enormous soul-devouring array sprawled across the ground.

At its center, thirty to forty rogue cultivators were bound, their eyes glazed white.

Guo Tianyin’s purple lips split open, revealing uneven yellowed teeth as he let out a chilling laugh:

"Keh keh keh..."

"This treasure... belongs to me!"