"Escape from the Demon Sect" What Kind of Trial is This

【You are a low-level Qi Refining cultivator who accidentally stumbled into a secret Demonic Sect outpost and are now being hunted by a demonic beast raised by the sect.】

【Bad news: The demonic beast chasing you is incredibly powerful—if it catches you, you’re dead.】

【Good news: You seem to be just a tiny bit faster than it.】

【In this illusionary realm, you must abide by the following rules:】

【1. No techniques other than "Cloud-Shattering Steps" will work.】

【2. You can only move forward by using "Cloud-Shattering Steps."】

【3. The sides of the path are lined with Demonic Sect barriers—touch them, and you die.】

【4. The escape route is littered with traps—touch them, and you die.】

【5. Behind you is a terrifying Demonic Sect monster—let it catch you, and you die.】

……

【Escape begins!】

The words vanished, leaving Zhang Ming rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

He recognized every single character, so why did the whole thing make no sense when put together?

Demonic Sect? Hunted? Touch-and-die???

Wasn’t he supposed to be here to train in the "Cloud-Shattering Steps"?

Where the hell had he ended up??

As Zhang Ming stood there bewildered, a furious roar erupted behind him.

He turned just in time to see a pitch-black, blood-soaked demonic beast charging at him, jaws wide open.

Its massive frame, the overwhelming stench of blood, the earth-shaking stomps, its grotesque appearance…

This monster, crafted by Lu Ze himself, was packed with terrifying realism and top-tier special effects.

Zhang Ming had never witnessed anything so horrifying. Only one thought filled his mind:

Run!

But when he tried to turn, his legs felt like they were weighed down with lead—no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t move an inch.

"What’s going on…?"

Zhang Ming was stunned.

The demonic beast was closing in.

At the brink of life and death, he suddenly remembered the rules from earlier—

"Only by using 'Cloud-Shattering Steps' can you move forward."

"Cloud-Shattering Steps" was the Lingxiao Sect’s basic movement technique, the core of this trial.

With no time to think, Zhang Ming immediately activated it.

The moment he did, his legs unlocked!

Wind surged beneath his feet as he sprinted for his life.

The monster followed close behind.

Just a few steps in, a sharp turn appeared ahead. Zhang Ming nearly crashed into it, barely stopping in time.

"What the—what kind of trial is this?!"

Right now, Zhang Ming was equal parts terrified and exhilarated.

Though the monster behind him was horrifying, this sensation…

It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced!

"What’s this? Spirit stones? What happens if I grab them?"

Along the escape path, glowing spirit stones floated in the air.

Every time he collided with one, a crisp "ding" echoed, filling him with inexplicable joy.

The shattered stones dissolved into streams of light, merging into his body.

In the upper right corner of his vision, two numbers appeared.

One was a score, the other a distance counter.

"Collecting spirit stones increases my score, and running increases the distance?"

This time, Zhang Ming understood quickly.

"ROOOAR—!!"

Another deafening howl from behind sent a jolt down his spine.

His footwork and technique hadn’t synced perfectly during the turn, costing him half a step—now the monster was almost upon him.

With danger breathing down his neck, Zhang Ming pushed "Cloud-Shattering Steps" to its limit.

"Holy—why are there fire talismans here?!"

Just as he was getting the hang of things, twin fire talismans erupted on either side, catching him off guard.

A towering pillar of flames blocked his path.

His first instinct? Jump over it.

In the real world, he could easily leap that high.

But this wasn’t reality.

In an instant, the flames reduced him to charcoal.

【Trial Over!】

【Score: 68】

【Escape Distance: 21 Steps】

【Current Rank: 18th】

Staring at the results screen, Zhang Ming gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Damn it! Only 18th place?!"

"If I’d just ducked under it, I could’ve gone further! Again!!"

His competitive spirit flared.

Zhang Ming eagerly started the next round.

……

……

Illusionary Training Hall, Control Room.

Lu Ze lounged in his chair, a faint smirk on his lips.

From the main hub of "Demonic Escape," he watched the players’ screens with amusement.

During the planning phase, Lu Ze had debated between two options but ultimately chose not to adapt the more popular "Temple Run" from his past life.

Instead, he went with "Demonic Escape"—its premise was far easier to tailor to the cultivation world.

The level design also lent itself well to localization.

Most importantly, "Demonic Escape" worked better in first-person.

Many of the thrills in "Temple Run" relied on its original visuals.

Switching to first-person just didn’t deliver the same immersion.

Of course, Lu Ze borrowed useful elements from "Temple Run" too.

The coin-collecting sound effects, the dynamic skill animations…

Combining these with his past development experience, he was confident in this localized version of "Demonic Escape."

And just as he’d predicted—

Nearly every disciple was hooked, restarting eagerly despite constant failures.

"Seems like a success…"

Lu Ze mused to himself.

Even if the inner sect disciples didn’t spread the word, the sheer number of outer sect disciples alone would be enough—

Completing his mission would be a breeze.

Just as he was reveling in his triumph, a system notification chimed in his ear.

【Demonic Path Value +0.01】

Lu Ze’s eyes widened.

He hurriedly pulled up the system panel.

The increase was minuscule, but it was undeniably there.

"Demonic Path Value is only supposed to come from killing Righteous Path Cultivators… Unless…"

A surge of excitement rushed through him.

"If a Righteous Path Cultivator dies in my game, does that count as me killing them???"

The moment this thought took root, Lu Ze could barely contain his glee.

So the system wants me to torture people with games?

Now I’m wide awake.

A list of game titles flashed through his mind, and for a second, Lu Ze genuinely felt like a villain.

"Alright, calm down. There’s plenty of time for that later."

Shaking his head, he dismissed the darker ideas.

Turning his attention back to the screens, he noticed something—

Not every player death generated Demonic Path Value.

"0.01 is way too low, and players die dozens of times before it triggers… Probably because the outer sect disciples’ cultivation is too weak."

"Even so, the value shouldn’t be this negligible."

"Most likely, the game’s Demonic Path Value yield is a fraction of actual kills."

Lu Ze analyzed quietly.

To test his first theory, he needed higher-level disciples to play "Demonic Escape."

As for the second theory—

If he could farm Demonic Path Value at all, why complain?

Even if the game’s returns were just 1% of a real kill, all he needed was over a hundred deaths per player.

And in many games, deaths could easily exceed that.

This yields far greater benefits than actually killing a Righteous Path Cultivator!

Most importantly,

the higher the cultivation realm, the fewer the cultivators.

Kill one, and there’s one less.

But in the game, death is an endlessly recyclable resource!

Suddenly,

Lu Ze realized that creating games was the true purpose of this system.

After all, sustainability matters most.

Just then, a system notification arrived:

[Host has impressed Righteous Path Cultivator Zhang Ming with his strength, earning the latter’s admiration. Randomly acquiring one of the target’s abilities.]

[Reward obtained: "Cloud-Shattering Art (Mastered)"]