Thunderpeak Mountain, Lingyu Pavilion.
Zhong Yi was currently on the Illusion Forum, passionately arguing with a bunch of lackeys from the Illusion Alliance.
It wasn’t until Zhou Yue and Mu Yawen paid him a visit that he was dragged back to reality.
"Those dogs must’ve been bribed—how can they spout such nonsense with a straight face?"
Zhong Yi grumbled angrily.
He had just spent hundreds of posts in a heated debate with them, with no resolution in sight.
The other side kept harping on the scope of the illusionary realms.
Among Lu Ze’s illusions, aside from the specially crafted Minecraft, none were particularly large.
The most expansive one, Immortal-Demon War, barely spanned a kilometer.
But what about the Illusion Alliance’s Heavenly Dao Secret Realm?
After Jiang Lingfeng’s enhancements, it now covered a staggering eight kilometers.
In terms of sheer scale, it was undeniably superior.
Rumor had it that Heavenly Dao Secret Realm had expanded to accommodate 15 teams of four, making for a chaotic 60-player free-for-all—an absolute spectacle.
No wonder player numbers had been bouncing back lately.
"Old Zhong, stop grumbling… Junior Brother Lu’s new illusion is finally here. Let’s hurry up and check it out!"
Zhou Yue eagerly clapped Zhong Yi on the shoulder.
"It’s already live? That fast?"
Zhong Yi smacked his forehead.
He’d been so caught up in the argument that he’d completely missed the update.
He quickly opened the Illusion Tower and, sure enough, found Naraka: Bladepoint’s trailer being promoted across all illusionary realms.
A click revealed a high-quality trailer blending ink-wash aesthetics with 3D animation.
Vast forests teeming with life, sprawling imperial palaces, ancient temples blanketed in withered leaves…
Scene after scene flashed by.
Interspersed were descriptions of items like [Soulbloom], [Mask of Immortality], and [Yin Extremity Energy].
For cultivators, this kind of worldbuilding was second nature—immersion came instantly.
"So… we’re fighting for the Mask of Immortality on this island called ‘Morus’ Isle’? Classic Junior Brother Lu. Now I’m curious."
Zhong Yi immediately grasped the premise and nodded with interest.
He mused to himself that just the fact each illusion had its own unique backstory was something the Illusion Alliance’s hacks could spend years trying to replicate.
"Basically… it’s a lower-tier world," Zhou Yue mused.
"Low-powered is fine too… a little combat practice never hurts," Zhong Yi said with a laugh.
Compared to Lu Ze’s previous illusions—
Like "no cultivation, just double jumps," or "slashing fruit with swords while defending against zombies with spirit plants," or "pure roulette life-or-death gambling"—
A low-powered setting was plenty exciting.
At least they could finally get some real hands-on action.
"This ‘Yue Shan’ guy… looks like a total powerhouse! Perfect for us body refiners!"
Mu Yawen cracked his knuckles, recalling the character from the trailer.
"Master Tianhai seems great too… so refined and reasonable, just like me."
"Ha! Ji Canghai’s awesome! Dude’s literally on fire… Hah, maybe Junior Brother Lu modeled him after me?"
"Zhou Yue, get a grip… By that logic, is Gu Qinghan supposed to be modeled after Junior Sister Li?"
…
While the illusion crystal updated its data runes, the trio kept bantering about the trailer.
Once Naraka: Bladepoint finished updating, they eagerly logged in.
As usual, there was a tutorial to clear first.
"Hey, is Junior Brother Lu about to teach me how to wield a weapon?" Zhong Yi joked.
According to Mu Yawen, Lu Ze had recently asked him for advice on martial techniques involving various weapons.
Clearly, this illusion would focus heavily on combat mechanics.
Lu Ze’s tutorial wasn’t the same as the ones from his past life.
Basics like walking, crawling, and sprinting didn’t need explaining to cultivators.
The focus was on the action system and core mechanics.
"Huh? Supply piles drop gear and items… Souljades? Boost stats and skills? Interesting…"
"Dodging? This mechanic seems super useful…"
"Basic attacks? Charged strikes? Parrying?"
"Rock-paper-scissors counterplay? Seriously?"
"Weapons lose durability? Need repair kits? Armor requires powder?"
"Purple zones are the ‘Dark Tide’—enter and you take damage?"
"Damn, this is all new…"
…
Guided by the tutorial, Zhong Yi quickly grasped the basics.
[You’ve now mastered survival on Morus’ Isle.]
[Time to face your first opponent!]
Seeing Master Tianhai suddenly appear before him, Zhong Yi froze.
A flood of memories rushed back—he fully expected to get demolished…
To his surprise, Master Tianhai was far weaker than anticipated.
Almost as if the fight was designed to familiarize him with basic attacks, charged strikes, and parries.
Zhong Yi made quick work of him.
"Hahaha! Junior Brother Lu’s finally gone soft on us!!"
Zhong Yi strode toward the mission’s designated target point, laughing heartily.
Suddenly—
From the purple thicket beside him, a long-hidden arrow shot out, piercing straight through his skull.
[You died!]
[Stay alert to your surroundings—watch out for sneaky ambushes!]
[P.S. Well, some bad news: the book trial failed. Just a bit short of luck, honestly feeling a bit discouraged. Can’t seem to summon any fresh inspiration these days, so I’ll just take it one step at a time.]
[As for Naraka: Bladepoint, I only played during the beta and right after launch, then dropped it. If you’ve got any fun experiences or memes, feel free to share them in the comments.]
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
