The Sovereign Can't Keep Up with the Times

Huang Xiao, the Sect Master of the Lingxiao Sect, was a mid-stage Soul Integration realm cultivator.

He had secluded himself in the sect's forbidden grounds for thirty years, searching for an opportunity to break through to the late stage.

The hidden Heavenly Dao opportunity within the illusionary realm gave him hope.

No matter how unreliable the pop-up message seemed, he was determined to give it a try.

"Combat-type illusion?"

Huang Xiao, who had just entered the tutorial, was slightly surprised by the nature of Naraka: Bladepoint.

In his memory, the disciple named Lu Ze usually designed bizarre and unconventional illusions.

It was rare for him to create a proper combat-oriented one.

Confident in his unrivaled prowess in such illusions, Huang Xiao breezed through the tutorial in no time.

"Hmph, I thought it’d be harder… but it’s nothing special," he muttered arrogantly, sheathing his sword.

The last time his divine sense emerged from seclusion, Zhao Wendao had warned him that Lu Ze’s illusions were torturous.

But now, it didn’t seem difficult at all.

He couldn’t understand how the disciples of the Lingxiao Sect had struggled so much in these illusions.

Just as he was about to step into the teleportation array, a perfectly timed ambush struck—an arrow pierced straight through his head.

"???"

……

Lihuo Peak, Lingyu Pavilion.

[+40 Demon Path Points]

"!"

Lu Ze jolted in excitement.

Well, well—the big fish had taken the bait!

The targeted pop-up he’d arranged for the Lingxiao Sect’s Sect Master had successfully lured him in!

In Minecraft, the guy had holed up in his house, leaving Lu Ze with no way to deal with him.

But now that he was in Naraka: Bladepoint, things were different!

……

……

Huang Xiao was currently in a foul mood.

He had assumed that a combat-focused illusion would be child’s play for him.

But reality was far from his expectations.

Naraka: Bladepoint maintained Lu Ze’s signature style—sealing off cultivation levels and imposing additional combat rules:

Basic attacks, charged strikes, and blade parrying.

Moreover, the physical and constitution attributes of cultivators in the illusion had no bearing on their in-game abilities.

This was why even elite disciples and sect elders became mediocre—or outright terrible—inside the illusion.

No matter how powerful you were in reality, you had to play by Lu Ze’s rules here.

Huang Xiao wasn’t bad in terms of movement and mechanics—his in-game "skill" was decent.

But after three matches, he still hadn’t won a single one.

The tactics employed by other cultivators were unlike anything he’d ever seen or heard of.

Some would bait him by placing high-tier loot in small rooms.

Others lurked in obscure corners, waiting to ambush him.

Some even camped at the edge of the storm, waiting for him to stumble in and die.

In just three matches, he had tasted the bitterness of the mortal world.

These underhanded methods were straight out of the demonic path’s playbook from millennia ago.

Huang Xiao couldn’t help but wonder—what on earth had happened in the outside world during his thirty years of seclusion?

How had righteous disciples turned into… this?

Huang Xiao blamed it on the server.

Popular illusions like Immortal-Demon War and Naraka: Bladepoint had well-segregated servers.

There was a global server open to all, as well as private servers for each of the five major sects.

"It must be because the global server is filled with rogue cultivators who have no honor!"

Huang Xiao consoled himself before switching to the [Lingxiao Sect] server.

"My Lingxiao Sect disciples are righteous and pure—such disgraceful behavior would never happen here!"

With that thought, he queued up for another solo match.

Like all new players, Huang Xiao dropped into Tianren City.

The familiar Tianren Bridge, the familiar blade clashes, the familiar moment when his weapon got parried.

It was to be expected.

Newcomers to Naraka: Bladepoint always started with the same three-hit combo.

In his past life, it was called the "peasant combo." Here, it was known as the "rogue cultivator combo."

Due to the game’s attack mechanics, the third hit in a basic attack chain became a charged strike.

This made newbies’ attacks the easiest to parry.

One parry, and they were done for.

‘As expected of my sect’s disciples… their timing is impeccable!’

Huang Xiao, now knocked back from the parry, scrambled to his feet, inwardly impressed.

"Strange, why aren’t they following up with an execution? Hah, the discipline of our Lingxiao Sect truly—"

Before he could finish his thought, he saw his opponent turning away… to pick up the weapon he had just dropped.

Or rather, fight over it.

Because the moment Huang Xiao’s purple-tier Tang Blade hit the ground, nearby players rushed to claim it.

"……"

Huang Xiao’s lips twitched.

At this moment, he really wanted to shout, "Who is corrupting my Lingxiao Sect?!"

His precious Tang Blade was snatched by one of the cultivators. The three who had converged didn’t fight among themselves—instead, they moved in perfect unison toward Huang Xiao.

Huang Xiao immediately realized—

Oh great, these three are premade.

They’re cheating!

"You… which peak do you belong to?!"

Furious, Huang Xiao demanded an answer.

He had just been praising the Lingxiao Sect’s honorable conduct, and now this?!

The three exchanged glances. The player named "Meatbun Immortal" shot back, "We should be asking you that! How are you this bad?!"

"???"

Huang Xiao’s beard bristled in anger.

He had always kept a low profile, so his in-game appearance was disguised, and his username was randomly generated.

No one knew he was the Sect Master.

Seeing the three closing in on him with ill intent, Huang Xiao scoffed.

"Do you even know who I am? How dare you pull such tricks?"

"Oho, who are you trying to scare?" Meatbun Immortal grinned.

"I—"

Huang Xiao hesitated.

He didn’t want to reveal his identity—news of the Sect Master getting beaten up by disciples would be humiliating.

"I am the Lingxiao Sect’s Grand Elder! I advise you to think twice!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the three froze—then burst into laughter.

"HAHAHAHA!!"

"How many ‘Grand Elders’ have we met today?"

"Oh no, divine lightning’s gonna strike us any second now…"

They clutched their stomachs, laughing uncontrollably.

"Buddy, if you’re gonna lie, at least go all out," Meatbun Immortal wheezed. "Why not claim you’re the Sect Master?"

"You’re the eighth ‘Grand Elder’ we’ve run into today. Now die!"

……

Huang Xiao returned to the lobby once again.

This time, he was questioning his life choices.

After thirty years in seclusion, he felt… outdated.

"No, I have to ask Zhao Wendao how he’s been teaching these disciples!"

Fuming, Huang Xiao opened his friends list.

He had a few sect elders added, including Zhao Wendao.

At the moment, Zhao Wendao was in a solo queue.

But soon, his match ended.

Huang Xiao immediately pulled him into the lobby.

Zhao Wendao stormed in, cursing under his breath:

"Damn those little brats…"

"They actually said I was the ninth person to claim I’m the Grand Elder?!"

"Who has the audacity to impersonate me?!"

Huang Xiao: "……"