Old Zhou, Your Hairstyle

"Damn it!! Tricked again!!"

Zhong Yi's lips twitched as he read the system notification.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out why every tutorial level designed by Lu Ze had to kill players in the most bizarre ways possible.

Returning to the lobby, Zhong Yi saw that Mu Yawen and Zhou Yue had also finished the tutorial. He quickly sent them an invite.

Taking one look at their frustrated expressions as they appeared in the room, Zhong Yi immediately guessed what they'd been through.

The cunning Lu Ze had a way of equally screwing over every new player.

Despite their irritation, the trio's excitement for the game only grew stronger.

Even in those few short minutes of the tutorial, they could already glimpse the uniqueness of this fantasy realm.

"Chosen Ones, Endless Trials..."

Zhong Yi studied the two game modes displayed before him.

The description for "Chosen Ones" wasn't very detailed—just that countless teams would battle across a vast area, with the last surviving team emerging victorious.

"Endless Trials," on the other hand, was simpler: respawn infinitely after death, and the first player to reach the required kill score wins.

"Chosen Ones" offered three modes: solo, duo, and trio.

"Endless Trials," however, was strictly solo.

The choice was obvious.

"So... we're basically those cultivators fighting for the Immortal Mask in the opening story?" Zhong Yi mused aloud.

"Sure seems like it... Alright, enough talking, let's start already!" Zhou Yue urged, his enthusiasm for combat-focused fantasy realms undeniable.

"What's the rush? We might just get our butts kicked again..." Zhong Yi chuckled, glancing at Zhou Yue.

"No way!" Zhou Yue shook his head with absolute certainty.

"What could possibly hold me back in a combat fantasy? There's no way this thing has a crit mechanic, right? If it does, I'm out!"

Zhong Yi leisurely selected the trio mode for "Chosen Ones."

"Naraka: Bladepoint" had generated massive hype.

The slogan from its trailer half a month ago—"Boundless Body, Infinite Path"—had been incredibly eye-catching.

Now that it was live, countless cultivators flooded in, and matchmaking was nearly instantaneous.

"Haha, Yue Shan, here I come!"

"Haha, Ji Canghai, here I come!"

Without hesitation, Mu Yawen and Zhou Yue picked Yue Shan and Ji Canghai, gleefully shadowboxing on the preparation island.

"Hey, Zhong? Why aren't you in yet?" Zhou Yue asked curiously.

"I'm checking out the skills... You guys didn't even look?" Zhong Yi replied, exasperated.

"Oh... so there are skills."

Mu Yawen scratched his head before finally opening his panel to check.

"Whoa, I can transform into a Divine General!!"

Even though Mu Yawen had no idea what the Divine General actually did, the mere idea of transforming was enough to hype him up.

"My basic skill is... getting hit? And my ultimate ignites my meridians with fire energy? There are skill variants too?"

Zhou Yue had dug a little deeper.

Each character had two skills: a basic ability and an ultimate.

Each skill also had three different variants.

For example, his Ji Canghai.

The basic skill "Blazing Fist" had two alternate versions besides the default: "Counterforce" and "Inferno."

Compared to just standing there and taking hits, he much preferred the "Inferno" version, which let him actively shoot fireballs.

Unfortunately, the variants had to be unlocked by leveling up the character's proficiency.

"This... feels really interesting!"

The more Zhong Yi studied it, the more he appreciated the depth of Lu Ze's latest creation.

Aside from researching his preferred Master Tianhai, he also skimmed through other characters' skills.

Sharp as he was, Zhong Yi quickly categorized each character in his mind.

Offense, defense, support, utility...

Each had a distinct role, and with the added flexibility of skill variants, the gameplay possibilities were thrilling.

"Zhong, hurry up! Ten seconds left!" Zhou Yue urged.

With no time to study more characters, Zhong Yi hastily selected Master Tianhai.

Since "Immortal Demon War," Lu Ze had only refined his approach to "role-playing."

Every character came with one to three fixed accessories, plus several optional ones.

Each accessory had male and female versions, letting players customize freely.

Players with a flair for the dramatic could deck themselves out in full regalia for a proper "cosplay" experience.

Those who preferred simplicity could stick to the classic accessories.

Like Ning Hongye's blindfold or Cui Sanniang's eyepatch.

As for cross-dressing enthusiasts...

Well, that was an option too—purely a matter of personal taste.

Players could also fully transform into their chosen character.

Zhong Yi opted to equip all of Master Tianhai's gear before entering.

His flowing long hair instantly shortened into a buzz cut.

Dressed in a plain white T-shirt, he appeared on the preparation island.

With his naturally handsome features and the sharp, golden Zen-like intensity in his eyes, he looked strikingly similar to Master Tianhai himself.

"Hahaha! Zhong with short hair... never seen that before!"

Mu Yawen laughed goofily.

He wore a brown chestplate, his hair tied back in a topknot, with a scruffy beard that gave him a rugged, dependable look.

"Man, Lu Ze's transformation mechanics keep getting better!"

Zhong Yi admired his own appearance, then glanced at the others around him—each with their own unique style—and couldn't help but praise it.

But when he turned to Zhou Yue, he nearly lost it.

Ji Canghai was supposed to be a carefree, roguish wanderer.

The wild, unkempt long hair paired with Zhou Yue's thick eyebrows, wide eyes, and slightly goofy expression made for a hilarious mismatch.

"Pffft—HAHAHA!"

"HAHAHA!"

"Zhou, that hairstyle on you... HAHAHA!!"

...

Amid the laughter, the countdown ended.

The trio materialized on a massive, high-speed airship.

"What's this about?"

Zhong Yi leaned over the edge, gazing at the sprawling continent below.

Only then did he realize something—

This fantasy realm...

Was absurdly huge!

Even from thousands of feet in the air, the view was breathtaking.

If Lu Ze wasn't using some kind of illusion, the map had to be at least several miles across!

As a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Zhong Yi's spiritual perception was among the best in his tier.

Frankly, if he were to create a fantasy realm, even pushing himself to the limit, he'd barely manage 4,000 meters in visual scale.

And yet Lu Ze had just broken through to the Golden Core stage!

Only four words came to mind:

Absolutely terrifying!

While everyone else marveled at the map's sheer size, the deck beneath their feet suddenly turned transparent.

At the same time, an option appeared before them:

[Drop].

In the original version from Lu Ze's past life, "Naraka: Bladepoint" players simply selected a spawn point on the map.

But Lu Ze felt that a battle royale without the iconic skydiving sequence just wasn't complete.

So he incorporated skydiving into this illusionary realm.

"Oh! I get it now... We’re jumping off the airship and choosing our own starting drop point!"

Zhong Yi immediately grasped the meaning and shouted excitedly.

Hearing this, the surrounding players quickly caught on, pulling out maps to study.

"Zhong Yi, you really... Why blurt out such info so loudly?"

Zhou Yue muttered under his breath.

"Ah, no harm done. A true man shouldn’t just look out for himself, right?"

Zhong Yi chuckled and waved it off.

He also unfolded his map, scanning the marked locations.

He had already reviewed this map—named "Gathering Ruins Continent"—several times, memorizing its general terrain.

But now, connecting it to the airship’s descent, he finally understood what the "high-value loot zones" indicated.

"Seems like... there’s plenty of treasure here!"

Zhong Yi’s eyes burned with anticipation as he studied the map.

His finger landed on a place called "Celestial City."