I Don't Believe There Are Truly Endless Levels

After a full day of trial and error, enduring countless failures,

Zhong Yi was just one step away from clearing Survival Mode.

At this moment, he stood on the final wave of the Hard Rooftop stage, facing hordes of zombies with unwavering focus.

He took a deep breath and paused the game.

Switching to the forum section, he continued his text-based "livestream."

[Progress update! Currently on Wave 10 of Hard Rooftop—the last zombie wave! I’m about to clear it!!]

In the world of cultivation, the concept of "livestreaming" didn’t exist yet.

But the disciples were utterly captivated by this behavior.

Countless followers flooded the comments:

"As expected of a genius cultivator! We bow in admiration!"

"Which peak do you belong to, fellow Daoist? Don’t you need to cultivate? How are you always sharing strategies?"

"Quick, share your tips! I’m stuck on Pool Stage, Wave 3!"

"Keep it up, fellow Daoist! You’re an inspiration to us all!"

......

For the past two days, Zhong Yi had been obsessed with Survival Mode.

Beyond Wave 5 in Hard difficulty, Survival Mode became brutally challenging.

A single misstep, and the Jester Zombies or Zombonis would wreck his defenses, leading to a total collapse.

As for cultivation...

What a joke—did he even need to cultivate?

He was a personal disciple of an elder.

His master, Zhao Wendao, outright forbade him from cultivating, instead urging him to write guides so he could brag to the other elders.

Rumor had it that Zhao Wendao even held a public lecture at Lingxiao Plaza yesterday, teaching disciples how to strategize their defenses.

Even if Zhong Yi wanted to cultivate, he couldn’t...

Over these two days, Zhong Yi had refined his strategies.

His understanding of the plants had also undergone a dramatic shift compared to his earlier Adventure Mode playthrough.

For instance, the Jalapeño and Cherry Bomb, which he used to hoard, turned out to be absolute lifesavers against zombie hordes.

Or the Starfruit, which he once dismissed as useless—when planted en masse in Pool Stages, it unexpectedly became a powerhouse.

Then there were the upgraded plants, like the Gatling Pea and Cob Cannon—existences capable of annihilating all in their path.

Though he had no idea what "Gatling" or "Cannon" meant, he couldn’t help but wonder if the "Jia" clan was some ancient, legendary cultivation family...

......

"Fellow Daoists, yesterday I was on the verge of ascension when a horde of Savage Zombies ambushed me, forcing me to retreat in defeat..."

"But now, with the aid of the Cob Cannon Daoist, today I shall overcome this trial!"

Before the final battle, Zhong Yi shared his insights with the disciples.

Yesterday, on the Rooftop stage, he had suffered immensely.

He initially thought encountering Savage Zombies in Survival Mode was the ultimate challenge.

Little did he know, an even greater ordeal awaited—waves of Savage Zombies attacking simultaneously.

The Rooftop Survival Mode had such a calamity.

He experimented with countless solutions.

Even with an entire row of Gatling Peas and Torchwoods, the sheer firepower came at a heavy cost.

Finally, after purchasing the [Cob Cannon] from the shop, everything changed.

The Cob Cannon, formed by combining two Kernel-pults, was a Savage Zombie’s worst nightmare!

One shot, and they were reduced to ashes.

The only downside was its long reload time.

But thankfully, Savage Zombies didn’t spawn indefinitely.

In Zhong Yi’s view, no matter how hard the game was, it couldn’t possibly throw endless Savage Zombies at him, right?

That would just be cruel.

He refused to believe Lu Ze was that sadistic.

Hearing Zhong Yi’s words, the disciples erupted with curiosity.

"What? Savage Zombies can attack in waves?!"

"Such difficulty... truly befitting the final stage!"

"Cob Cannon? Why do all these spirit plants have 'Jia' in their names? Is there some hidden meaning?"

"The shop cards are too expensive! I haven’t even unlocked all my slots yet!"

"Fellow Daoist Genius Cultivator, your perseverance is truly awe-inspiring!"

"Ah, text alone isn’t enough—if only there were pictures..."

"Pictures wouldn’t cut it either. Real-time visuals would be the dream!"

......

"Fellow Daoists, I embark on my final trial now. Meet me at the summit!"

With those parting words, Zhong Yi returned to Survival Mode and unpaused the game.

One, two, three...

Five Savage Zombies charged at once!

Five lanes of Savage Zombies.

A configuration only seen in Endless Mode in his past life was now served to him on a platter.

This wasn’t Zhong Yi’s first rodeo.

Calm and practiced, he toyed with a kernel in his hand.

The Cob Cannon required manual control.

Just like planting spirit plants, the player had to use their sword to launch the kernel to a designated spot.

Zhong Yi’s technique was flawless.

His blade sliced through the air, the flat of his sword gently flicking three kernels into the gaps between the five Savage Zombies.

A devastating explosion followed, reducing the zombies to dust and resolving the crisis.

Then came the next wave...

Jester Zombies, Gargantuars, Zombonis... one after another.

......

Zhong Yi’s earlier advantages had snowballed.

With spiritual energy to spare,

he rained down endless Cherry Bombs and Jalapeños until the last zombie was obliterated.

Watching the trophy symbolizing his victory fly into his hands, Zhong Yi returned to the main menu, exhilarated.

Just as he was about to share the good news with his fellow forum disciples,

he noticed a small red exclamation mark hovering over Survival Mode.

"What’s this?"

Curious, he re-entered Survival Mode.

Beneath the five cleared Hard Survival stages, five new stages had appeared.

Labeled: [Endless Mode]

"Endless Mode?"

Zhong Yi rubbed his hands together, excitement bubbling within him.

He had just started lamenting the lack of challenge after clearing the game—now, Endless Mode was the perfect remedy.

"Surely it can’t actually be endless... right?"

He muttered skeptically to himself.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

Just like pills or magical artifacts with grandiose names like "Ascension" or "Demon-Slaying,"

it was probably just hype.

Did anyone actually ascend just by eating a pill?

There were even unlucky fools who failed to reach Foundation Establishment despite consuming Foundation Establishment Pills!

Similarly, Zhong Yi refused to believe in a truly "endless" stage.

After all, Lu Ze’s cultivation level was known—he couldn’t possibly create something beyond reason.

Fresh off his Hard Survival victory, Zhong Yi brimmed with confidence:

"Just you wait, Junior Brother Lu Ze—I’ll find the end of this so-called 'Endless Mode' myself!"