Over the next three days,
the curriculum at the Lingxiao Sect suddenly became much more demanding than before.
Disciples, already exhausted from a day of cultivation, returned to their dormitories only to face the relentless torment of the survival mode’s brutal difficulty.
Yet, under this double-layered suffering, instead of breaking down, the disciples grew increasingly exhilarated.
New cards required them to grind spirit stones to unlock.
Different zombie combinations demanded unique strategies.
Plants, once casually arranged, now required careful consideration of spiritual energy, combat power, and defensive resource allocation…
…
The more they suffered, the more addicted they became—and the stronger they grew.
Many disciples, pressed for time, even mastered the art of splitting their focus while walking to operate the Illusion Tower.
Across the sect, the overall proficiency in divine sense manipulation advanced at a staggering pace.
……
……
Ding Mingcang’s mood had stabilized considerably lately.
According to intelligence gathered by Qian Yutang, the trial stage Lu Ze recently introduced was impossibly difficult.
So difficult that the forums were flooded with complaints, all lamenting how clearing it was outright impossible.
A stark contrast to the cheerful discussions of days past.
Ding Mingcang thought—
This was it!
In his mind, why had Lu Ze’s "Escape from the Demon Sect" succeeded?
Precisely because it was lighthearted and entertaining.
Now, by adopting a polar opposite approach of extreme difficulty to block disciples from clearing it, Lu Ze was doomed to fail.
On top of that, the major spiritual peaks had all ramped up their teaching intensity, leaving disciples far less idle than before.
Busy from dawn till dusk, only to return and face the grueling trials of the Illusion Tower?
Even if the Lingxiao Sect disciples were known for their relentless drive, surely this would be too much!
With this thought, Ding Mingcang’s spirits lifted, and he decided to personally inspect the sect’s atmosphere, eager to witness the return of serene academic discipline.
His first stop was the Sword Inquiry Peak.
Back then, the peak’s elder had vehemently opposed "Plants vs. Zombies,"
claiming that practicing swordplay by slicing fruit was a disgrace to the way of the sword.
True to his expectations, the Sword Inquiry Peak had swiftly complied, drastically increasing disciples’ workload.
From afar, Ding Mingcang saw the lecture hall packed with students, all attentively listening to the instructor’s teachings.
"Excellent… This is the Lingxiao Sect I know,"
he mused inwardly, thoroughly pleased.
Inside, every disciple was diligently taking notes.
At particularly riveting moments, many even mimicked the motions, utterly engrossed.
But as he drew closer, his brow furrowed.
The projection displayed in the air by the instructor…
was a sky filled with fruit and scattered plants??
Listening carefully,
the lesson was actually about how to plant the right spiritual flora in the designated spots in the shortest time possible??
From the sword swing needed to cleave useless fruit mid-air to the subtle adjustments of the blade’s flat to reposition plants—each movement was meticulously broken down to teach disciples the fundamentals of swordplay.
According to the instructor,
what seemed like a simple slash actually required flawless precision and speed to plant the required flora in an instant.
Some disciples even speculated that Lu Ze’s mastery of the sword must be profound, bordering on unfathomable.
Otherwise, how could he have designed something so ingeniously demanding…?
……
Ding Mingcang listened on, his scalp tingling with disbelief, yet he could hardly voice any objections.
After all, this wasn’t his territory, and while the lecture content did have some connection to Plants vs. Zombies, it was actually useful material.
He left straight away, turning instead toward Danqing Peak.
Upon arriving at Danqing Peak, the scene at the Lecture Hall made him want to spit blood.
Danqing Peak was also holding a class, with the lecture topic floating prominently in midair, visible from afar—
[Using the Snow Pea as an Example: How to Cultivate an Excellent Mutant Ice-Type Spirit Plant]
The lecturer, shockingly, was none other than Danqing Peak’s Third Elder, Lin Qingxuan, who was enthusiastically explaining his ambition to cultivate all the spirit plants from Plants vs. Zombies within the sect…
“Tsk—!”
Ding Mingcang took a deep breath.
His headache grew worse!
He changed direction again, heading for the notoriously strict body-tempering disciples of Cuijin Peak.
In the Body-Tempering Valley, Mu Yawen, his skin bronzed from training, was leading a group of junior disciples in punching the massive brown boulders before them.
Their fists cut through the air with force, striking the brown rocks in front of them with a rhythmic, dull thud.
Ding Mingcang recognized those rocks—they were the specialized Body-Tempering Stones used by Cuijin Peak disciples to refine their physiques, known for their extraordinary hardness.
“Finally, something reliable…”
Ding Mingcang sighed in relief.
It made sense.
Mu Yawen was the most straightforward and earnest of them all, while Plants vs. Zombies required a great deal of strategic thinking.
He remembered that day in the square when Mu Yawen had died countless times even in the beginner levels.
It was only natural he wouldn’t like it.
With such a senior brother leading them, the training atmosphere at Cuijin Peak was something Ding Mingcang could trust.
“Wait… these Body-Tempering Stones look a bit strange…”
Ding Mingcang frowned, scrutinizing them closely.
The brown rocks were all carved with round, beady little eyes—exactly like the Tall-Nut from Plants vs. Zombies!
From below came a chorus of passionate shouts:
“Keep pushing, everyone! Hone your bodies to protect your comrades, just like the Tall-Nut Daoist!”
“If the Tall-Nut Daoist can do it, how can we fall behind?”
“Yesterday, my strength was lacking, and I lost eight Tall-Nut brothers! Today, I’ll punish myself by smashing eight Body-Tempering Stones with my bare hands!”
…
Ding Mingcang was dumbfounded.
How could even these hardcore body-tempering disciples get sucked into this madness???
…
Ding Mingcang wandered through several more peaks, his expression growing darker by the minute.
Within Lingxiao Sect, the number of classes had skyrocketed, and disciples were more eager than ever to attend.
But without fail, the course content always circled back to Plants vs. Zombies.
If this continued,
Wouldn’t Lu Ze’s reputation only grow stronger?
A sense of foreboding settled in Ding Mingcang’s heart.
In a foul mood, he returned to Linxian Peak.
On his way back, he noticed that even the sect’s central square had someone giving a lecture.
The square was an open, unregulated space—clearly, some disciple had spontaneously set up an impromptu private lesson.
Ding Mingcang narrowed his eyes and spotted the topic floating in the air—
[Using Survival Mode as an Example: Key Principles of Formation Arrangement]
Already irritated, the sight of yet another class framed around Plants vs. Zombies sent him into a rage.
What’s more, formation studies were Linxian Peak’s specialty—someone teaching formations here was nothing short of a slap in his face!
“Who dares hold an unauthorized private lecture in the sect square?! And on Linxian Peak’s formation studies, no less!”
Ding Mingcang bellowed, leaping down from the sky.
Upon recognizing the face before him, Ding Mingcang froze instantly.
The one giving the lecture was none other than Elder Zhao Wendao.
"What, is the sect square no longer a place for teaching now?"
Zhao Wendao, his mood soured by the interruption, scowled darkly.
"No, no, of course not..."
"Then do you think my lecturing on formations is an amateur's folly?"
"I wouldn’t dare..."
……
……
Returning to Linxian Peak, Ding Mingcang sensed the gravity of the situation.
The elders, who had previously shown disdain for "Spiritual Plants vs. Zombies," now seemed to adopt ambiguous stances.
Ding Mingcang’s heart pounded with panic.
He had no desire to face the walls of Reflection Valley.
In the history of the Lingxiao Sect, no elder had ever been confined there for losing a bet to a disciple.
"This won’t do. I must find a way..."
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
