The next day.
Linxian Peak, Law Enforcement Hall.
"How did things go yesterday?"
The moment Qian Yutang appeared, Ding Mingcang immediately grabbed him and asked.
"Bad news... After the disciples cleared the previous stage, there’s a new one."
Qian Yutang feigned seriousness, but as soon as he saw Ding Mingcang’s face darken, he quickly waved his hand and added:
"Don’t panic, Elder! The good news is, the new stage is extremely simple. I heard the disciples cleared it with ease."
"Really?"
Ding Mingcang’s furrowed brows instantly relaxed.
"Absolutely true!" Qian Yutang nodded emphatically. "Apparently, that kid worked overnight to design the new stage, completely unprepared for how quickly the disciples would clear it!"
Hearing this, Ding Mingcang felt much more at ease.
"If it was rushed, it must be shoddy work. It probably won’t win any favor later."
"But letting him keep exploiting loopholes to refine the stages is no good. Go to the Artifact Refining Pavilion and warn him—no more changes to the illusion realm!"
"And one more thing..."
"Visit Danqing Peak and the Sword Inquiry Peak. Coordinate with their stewards to expedite the addition of new courses. It must be done quickly!"
"Seeing swordplay and spiritual herbs being disgraced by some ordinary disciple must have infuriated them."
"Once academic pressure increases, the disciples will naturally have no time to waste on illusions..."
……
……
Thunder Lord Peak, Qingyun Pavilion.
"DAMN IT!!!!!"
A violent shockwave erupted within Qingyun Pavilion as Zhong Yi’s roar echoed.
The surrounding barrier trembled violently, on the verge of collapse.
[The zombies ate your brains...]
Staring at the floating words in the air, Zhong Yi was furious.
Even if the stage was labeled "Hard Mode," this difficulty was downright absurd!
The first three stages were manageable—just slightly stronger zombies than the normal version.
But after the third stage, the sheer number of enemies was on a whole other level!
Annoying ice chariot zombies and acrobat zombies kept harassing him.
The spawn rate and frequency of enemies had multiplied.
By the fifth stage, there were even barbarian zombies with boss-level strength!
In just a short while, his brains had been eaten over a dozen times!
Where did that leave the dignity of a [Genius Cultivator] like him?
Zhong Yi was seething.
He opened the forum, only to find it flooded with despair.
[This Survival Mode is insane! Has anyone cleared it yet?]
[Barbarian zombies in the daytime stage? I dread to imagine what comes next...]
[Feels like fighting a Nascent Soul monster right after reaching Foundation Establishment.]
[Wasn’t Survival Mode supposed to be fun? Only a saint could enjoy this!]
[Lu Ze must be doing this on purpose!!]
[Calling the Genius Cultivator—only he can save us now!]
……
Zhong Yi, who had been on the verge of losing it, saw how highly he was regarded on the forum and instantly reignited with fighting spirit.
"Fellow disciples, wait for me to conquer this challenge and return to aid you all!!"
……
……
Late at night.
[Evil Path Value +1.2]
[Evil Path Value +10]
[Evil Path Value +1.2]
[Evil Path Value +10]
……
The endless stream of system notifications was music to his ears.
Lu Ze lay in bed, thoroughly pleased.
"This master-disciple duo is truly a gift!"
Now, advancing from early to mid Foundation Establishment required a whopping 50,000 Evil Path Value.
Without the contributions from this treasure pair, reaching that point would’ve taken ages.
The forum post rallying disciples to call for the "Genius Cultivator," declaring only he could save them, was actually Lu Ze’s alt account.
All to provoke Zhong Yi into obsession.
If he didn’t get obsessed, how else would Lu Ze level up?
The original Hard Mode wasn’t nearly this brutal.
Lu Ze had redesigned it based on Endless Mode’s difficulty.
All to ensure disciples died repeatedly, feeding him Evil Path Value.
As for whether some might quit from frustration...
Lu Ze wasn’t worried.
First, cultivators in this world had never seen anything so entertaining—once hooked, they wouldn’t leave even if driven away.
Second, his difficulty balancing was precise.
Brutally hard, utterly sadistic, but never impossible.
So even after countless failures, players would stubbornly persist.
And once they finally cleared Hard Mode...
They’d discover Endless Mode waiting for them.
That was the real trap.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
