Three thousand sword swings a day Is that all you ask

"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."