"Is this Lu Ze that Elder Ding keeps talking about?"
"Tsk, the boy's spirit is commendable. If you ask me, we might as well let him off this once."
"Let him off? The sect contract has already been signed. If we spare him... Elder Ding will have to go into seclusion in Reflection Valley!"
"A youngster like this, with such modest cultivation... can he really create an illusion of that caliber?"
"I don’t believe it either. Let’s wait and see today."
...
The elders whispered among themselves, discussing the matter.
When the topic of Ding Mingcang facing confinement in Reflection Valley came up, a few elders grew animated, even showing a hint of anticipation.
But deep down, they knew such an outcome was impossible.
Thus, their gazes toward Lu Ze carried traces of pity and sympathy.
"Disciple Lu Ze greets the elders."
Lu Ze smiled faintly and clasped his hands in salute.
"Enough talk. Let’s begin at once!"
Elder Ding scowled, his tone impatient.
Lu Ze, however, unhurriedly interrupted him. "Before we begin, perhaps we should first establish the evaluation criteria. What does Elder Ding think?"
Last time, when Elder Ding had set "swordplay" as the theme, Lu Ze had assumed it was just an offhand remark.
Only when he began crafting the illusion did he realize how difficult it was.
So, Elder Ding wasn’t as simple-minded as he appeared.
If they didn’t clarify the rules beforehand, Lu Ze feared he might be at a disadvantage later. Hence, he decided to play it safe.
Elder Ding glanced at the other elders and nodded. "Very well. Then I’ll state my requirements first."
"First, the illusion you create must demonstrate ingenuity unlike any existing illusions, just like 'Escape from the Demon Sect.'"
"Second, since the theme is sword practice, the disciples entering the illusion must do nothing but swing their swords."
"Third, while the sect has no shortage of sword-training illusions, disciples seldom use them. Since you claim to be the creator of 'Escape from the Demon Sect,' your new illusion must also captivate the disciples..."
"Within a week, the average daily time disciples spend in the new illusion must not be less than two hours!"
"And their daily sword swings must not fall below three thousand!"
These were the conditions he had prepared long ago.
Under the premise of "sword practice," it had to showcase creativity while keeping the disciples swinging their swords relentlessly...
That was the first challenge.
Ensuring the disciples spent at least two hours daily in the illusion and swung their swords no fewer than three thousand times was the second.
Even if one, two, or even a hundred die-hard fans of 'Escape from the Demon Sect' logged in every day to boost Lu Ze’s numbers,
it still wouldn’t be enough to influence the entire sect’s average usage time.
Ordinary disciples had little interest in illusion trials.
Even the ancient illusions left behind by legendary cultivators failed to attract disciples to train daily.
Even if Lu Ze truly was the designer of 'Escape from the Demon Sect,' Elder Ding doubted he could pull this off.
Elder Ding looked at Lu Ze with a smug expression.
To his surprise, the latter replied with utter calm:
"That’s all?"
Elder Ding paused. "That’s all."
He briefly considered adding more,
but couldn’t think of anything else on the spot.
Lu Ze wasn’t trying to show off—he genuinely found the conditions too easy.
Given the intensity of the new illusion, three thousand sword swings a day was trivial. Even ten thousand wouldn’t be impossible.
"I have one condition too," Lu Ze said. "For this week, the Enforcement Hall must not confiscate any illusion tower-related artifacts or tools."
"Hah, that’s simple enough. I’m not so petty as to resort to such tricks."
At Elder Ding’s words, the surrounding disciples nearly lost their minds with excitement.
The inner disciples’ miniature illusion towers were confiscated by the hundreds daily, to the point that the market selling them was running low on stock and raising prices.
According to Elder Ding’s promise,
did this mean they could indulge in illusion trials freely for a whole week?
Heavenly!
Even if the new illusion wasn’t fun, just playing 'Escape from the Demon Sect' would be enough.
"With Elder Ding’s assurance, this disciple is at ease."
Lu Ze nodded with a smile.
"Then let us begin."
With that, he stepped up to the illusion tower and inserted the prepared illusion crystal.
All the disciples present had already donned the tokens distributed earlier.
As spiritual energy surged into the tower, the disciples were pulled into the new illusion world.
A bold title flashed across the illusion space—
"Plants vs. Zombies."
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."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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.
