Junior Brother Lu Has Become Conscientious

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.]