Wait, aren't we here to practice swordsmanship

Zhong Yi's Illusionary Realm.

At this moment, Zhong Yi found it hard to describe the excitement bubbling within him.

After unlocking the true gameplay of "Spiritual Plants vs. Zombies," it felt as though he had stepped into a whole new world.

Slicing fruits in the sky was merely one way to act.

The real core of the game lay in the spiritual field beneath his feet!

After clearing the first level, he obtained a new spiritual plant—a sunflower that could increase the rate of spiritual energy production.

Zhong Yi, being exceptionally sharp-witted, immediately grasped the strategy: first, plant sunflowers to ensure a steady supply of spiritual energy, then use that energy to cultivate more Peashooters for defense.

The second level was a breeze for him.

Then came the third, the fourth…

Each level left him utterly astonished.

The variety of spiritual plants he acquired grew, and so did the types of zombies—stronger and more formidable with each stage.

He couldn’t help but marvel at Lu Ze’s creativity and ingenuity.

Peashooters that fired peas like arrows, mutated Ice-shooters that slowed enemies with their frosty projectiles, and even Wall-nuts that could serve as shields…

Zhong Yi even began to wonder if these plants could actually be cultivated in a real spiritual herb garden.

As for the zombies, they were just as diverse.

The one that particularly gave him a headache was the pole-vaulting zombie, which could leap right over the Wall-nuts, costing him several precious spiritual plants.

Yet, the more challenging it became, the more engrossed he grew, constantly devising new strategies to outmaneuver the undead hordes.

Just as he was lost in the thrill of it, a voice suddenly echoed through his spiritual senses—Mu Yawen’s desperate cry: "Senior Brother Zhong, why is this illusionary realm so difficult?!"

At first, Zhong Yi ignored him.

But Mu Yawen kept bombarding him with messages.

Reluctantly, he withdrew from the illusionary realm. "What’s the problem?"

Mu Yawen wore a pained expression. "Senior Brother Zhong, why is this realm so hard? Every time, it tells me, 'The zombies ate your brains!'"

"...How exactly are you fighting the zombies?"

Zhong Yi’s lips twitched slightly, as if he had already guessed the absurd answer.

"I’m using my sword to slash them!"

Mu Yawen mimed swinging a sword.

"But the illusionary realm restricts my power, and my sword energy is too short..."

"You can still unleash sword energy?!"

Zhong Yi was stunned.

In a way, Mu Yawen was truly one of a kind.

"Of course! But the zombies were out of range, so I threw my sword down to smash them... Didn’t kill them, though, and since I’m stuck floating in the air... Eventually, the zombies broke through my defenses..."

Mu Yawen sighed as he recounted the ordeal.

Zhong Yi clenched his fists in frustration.

Did you even read the rules of the illusionary realm?!

Since Mu Yawen was still his sworn brother, Zhong Yi patiently explained how to plant spiritual plants, their functions, and the proper strategy...

"Oh! I get it now! I’ll go try it right away!"

Mu Yawen’s eyes lit up with realization.

Though he was a little disappointed he couldn’t fight the zombies directly, Zhong Yi’s vivid descriptions had piqued his interest.

Zhong Yi closed his eyes and returned to his own illusionary realm.

But before he could make much progress, Mu Yawen’s plea for help came again: "Senior Brother Zhong! Why are these spiritual plants so weak? They’re no match for the zombies!"

"How is that possible?"

Puzzled, Zhong Yi exited once more.

"Project the illusionary realm’s scene outside. Let me see what’s happening."

"Alright!"

Mu Yawen re-entered the realm and projected the scene for Zhong Yi to observe his gameplay.

Watching Mu Yawen’s imposing momentum as he swung his sword, cleanly slicing through all the fruits while precisely leaving a single pea pod intact, Zhong Yi couldn’t help but silently admire, "What a masterful swordsmanship."

The next moment, Mu Yawen hurled the pea pod straight to the front lines, where it engaged in close combat with the zombies.

"Look, Senior Brother Zhong! This spirit plant is too weak!"

"……"

Zhong Yi rubbed his forehead, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Junior Brother Mu, why… why not place the Peashooter further back?"

"A true man fears no death! Victory favors the bold when paths cross!"

"……"

Zhong Yi was momentarily at a loss for words.

He suspected his junior brother’s brain had been addled from too much body tempering…

"Thinking back, I was just as weak once. Perhaps dying a few times will help."

Mu Yawen suddenly had an epiphany, his fighting spirit instantly reignited.

"No, no, no… You need to place it in the back. It’s, uh… a spellcaster cultivator, specializing only in long-range attacks."

Zhong Yi did his best to explain.

"Tch, no wonder it’s so useless."

After much persuasion from Zhong Yi—along with mentioning the existence of the Wall-nut Taoist, a dedicated body temperer who could tank zombies with his bare flesh—Mu Yawen finally re-entered the illusion realm with a mix of skepticism and curiosity.

……

……

Though the concept of tower defense games was far too advanced for the people of this world, they were, after all, cultivators—not exactly slow-witted.

After numerous failures, the disciples gradually began to grasp the mysteries of this illusion realm.

The inner disciples’ telepathic communication channel was buzzing with activity.

"Why is this illusion so difficult? My Peashooters are completely insufficient! There’s not enough spiritual energy!"

"Fellow Daoist, don’t tell me you didn’t plant any Sunflowers?"

"That bucket-headed zombie is ridiculously tough! A single Peashooter’s firepower can only knock off his bucket!"

"How bizarre. What grudge does Junior Brother Lu Ze have against buckets…?"

"Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist. Once you unlock the Wall-nut, you can block the bucket-head zombie."

"Hahaha! I just unlocked the Snow Pea! This spirit plant is born with an innate ice spiritual root—its peas carry frost energy! The slowing effect is so satisfying!"

"Snow Pea? Brilliant, simply brilliant!"

"Wait… weren’t we here to practice swordsmanship?"

"Ahem, Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand! Look, have our swords ever stopped moving?"

"That’s a fair point!"

"If we’d had this illusion realm sooner, I could’ve swung my sword thirty thousand times a day without complaint!"