Such a mediocre opponent can't defeat me.

Before noon had even arrived, the shores of Xianyun Lake were already packed with cultivators.

The recruitment and talent exchange conference held by the Illusion Alliance had drawn an enormous crowd.

Many cultivators gathered near the Great Qian Kingdom had taken time out of their schedules to come and watch the spectacle.

The cultivators clustered in small groups, buzzing with discussion.

"Who do you reckon will take first place in this opening round?"

"Is there even a question? It's got to be Han Xian of Green Mountain Sect... his ‘Bell Tower Illusory Realm’ had ten thousand cultivators exploring it by the third day."

"Zhong Yi from Spirit Cloud Sect has a shot too, you know? I got pretty hooked on his ‘Storming the Demon Sealing Tower’..."

"'Storming the Demon Sealing Tower’ was decent, just not much replay value... when it comes to time spent, the endless variety of ‘The Legend of Bell Tower’ is clearly the one to beat."

"Why's no one mentioning Old Demon Lu? He's the top illusionary realm master of this era!"

"Old Demon Lu is way too arrogant... he actually let others have a three-day head start. Sure, ‘Bell Tower Illusory Realm’ has good quality, plus an extra three days... Old Demon Lu might not win this."

"I hear everyone saying ‘Slaughter Immortal Tower’ is way too hard... I wouldn't dare try it myself. Last time, I was tortured by ‘Getting Over It’ and didn't step into an illusionary realm for a whole year."

"Aren't you all a bit too brazen calling him Old Demon Lu to his face... aren't you afraid he'll retaliate?"

"Hah, what's there to be afraid of? In the illusionary realm, I might fear him a bit, but in the real world, if he sees me, he still has to respectfully call me Senior!"

"Such a formidable senior, dare I ask which hero you are?"

"Hmph, I am Wang Qingfan, elder of the Ten Thousand Dao Sect."

"Alright there, ‘Setting Sail Toward the Azure Sky,’ I'll give you a three-day ban in a little while."

"What the hell!? Old Demon Lu?!"

"???"

...

Seeing Lu Ze, who had somehow blended into the crowd, everyone scattered in shock and uncertainty, while the elderly surnamed Wang fled with a darkened face.

"Just kidding, why would I actually give a three-day ban..."

Lu Ze shook his head with a smile, even as he dove into the illusionary realm in the blink of an eye and muted ‘Setting Sail Toward the Azure Sky’ on the forums for a month.

"You rebellious disciple, weren't you saying there was no problem?"

Nangong Yuan's heart was pounding with panic at that moment.

He wasn't particularly sensitive to data within the illusionary realms and had only calmed down earlier because Lu Ze had assured him everything was fine.

Now, with so many illusionary realm masters present believing that ‘Bell Tower Illusory Realm’ was superior to ‘Slaughter Immortal Tower,’ he immediately became tense.

"Relax, Elder Nangong. Junior Lu's illusionary realm is absolutely incredible! If he loses, I'll chop off my head and... uh, why are you staring at me like that..."

Zhong Yi, speaking mid-sentence, caught sight of Nangong Yuan's nearly murderous glare and couldn't help stepping back a couple paces.

"Disciple, that ancient manual I gave you last time—have you been practicing it? When the time comes, we'll synchronize our spells. Feel free to divert all his attacks onto me..."

"Elder Nangong, you don't suppose you plan to rely on magical techniques to block a single strike from me on Lu Zhenchuan's behalf, do you?"

Before Nangong Yuan could finish speaking, a voice rang out from behind him. The newcomer was none other than Zhang Yuxian, elder of Green Mountain Sect.

By Zhang Yuxian's side stood Han Xian, wearing a smug, triumphant expression.

Originally, another elder from Green Mountain Sect had accompanied Han Xian to Xianyun Manor.

After learning that Han Xian was all but guaranteed victory and had made a wager with Lu Ze, Zhang Yuxian—who had been handling affairs back at Green Mountain Sect—rushed over without a moment's delay.

After being thoroughly humiliated by Lu Ze at the last Demon Extermination Assembly, Zhang Yuxian had no intention of missing the glorious moment when Han Xian would cripple Lu Ze with a single move.

Fellow Daoists, there was once a small sparring match between the true disciple of my Green Mountain Sect and that of the Spirit Cloud Sect...

Seeing this, Zhang Yuxian quickly raised his voice, loudly publicizing the matter among the crowd of cultivators.

"Today's theme is ‘Tower Climbing.’ The loser must endure one full-power strike from the victor... without wearing any protective treasures."

"Lu Zhenchuan's prowess in illusionary realms is renowned throughout the world. My Green Mountain Sect has long wished to test it... even being hit by a single blow would be worth it!"

"I ask all fellow Daoists here to serve as witnesses. Young friend Lu, feel free to unleash your full strength—we disciples of Green Mountain Sect are eager to learn!"

As these words rang out, the expressions of Nangong Yuan and Zhao Wendao instantly darkened.

Zhang Yuxian was clearly trying to escalate things, forcing Lu Ze and Spirit Cloud Sect into a corner with no graceful way out!

After all, anyone with eyes could see that

if Lu Ze won, Han Xian would take the strike and come away completely unharmed.

But if Lu Ze lost...

without a protective treasure to shield him, a full-force blow from an incarnation-stage cultivator would at best leave him crippled!

For Green Mountain Sect, this was a no-lose situation!

Lu Ze, however, couldn't care less.

First, there was absolutely no way he would lose.

Second, even someone like Li Moran sword strike he could withstand, so a mere mediocre true disciple like Han Xian didn't amount to anything.

Suddenly, he heard Nangong Yuan's voice transmission in his ear:

"Rebellious disciple, don't panic. If anything goes wrong, I'll abandon the sect's honor if I must, but I will see you safely away."

Lu Ze let out a light chuckle, then patted Nangong Yuan on the shoulder, speaking loudly enough for all to hear:

"Don't worry, Master. A character like him can't beat me."

Han Xian, upon hearing this, struggled to suppress the fury in his heart: "Lu Ze, go ahead and act tough while you still can! Don't think I don't know—‘Slaughter Immortal Tower’ only picked up steam in the last three days... I'm telling you, it's too late!"

As a pawn of the Illusion Alliance, Han Xian had access to plenty of inside information.

The Illusion Alliance constantly recorded the number of forum discussions related to ‘Slaughter Immortal Tower’ and used that data to estimate the illusionary realm's active user count.

For the first three days, the number of people discussing ‘Slaughter Immortal Tower’ wasn't particularly high.

It wasn't until two days after Zhong Yi's infinite flow strategy caught on that the number exploded.

In other words, ‘Slaughter Immortal Tower’ only truly gained momentum starting in the last three days.

If Lu Ze had released his illusionary realm early, the outcome might still have had some uncertainty.

But Lu Ze was far too arrogant, waiting five full days before starting to craft his realm. That gap of nearly a full week was simply impossible to make up!

This was exactly why Han Xian and Zhang Yuxian were so confident.

"Oh? Is that so? Then when we fight, please don't hold back either, Brother Han."

Lu Ze raised an eyebrow slightly. From Han Xian's words, he immediately deduced that the Illusion Alliance's estimation of his data was based on forum activity.

But they had no idea that the forums were quiet for the first few days because—

the initial days of trying a roguelike card game were the most addictive.

Cultivators simply had no time to post!

It was only later, once everyone had gotten the hang of it, that discussions began pouring in.

And the most terrifying part...

during those first few days of playing the roguelike card game, the playtime was absolutely monstrous—almost everyone clocked in at least ten hours a day!

The only way to beat that kind of data would be to cheat.

And if anyone dared to tamper with the data inside the illusionary realm...

well, the remnants of Heavenly Dao would come knocking at their door uninvited.

"Holding back, huh? Fine! Then let life and death be decided by fate!"

Han Xian let out a cold laugh.

"Indeed. Life and death by fate."

Lu Ze's smile grew even wider.

Just then, midday arrived. Above Xianyun Lake, the floating platform reappeared in the sky.

Illusion Alliance Elder Rakshasa and an elder of the Ten Thousand Dao Sect appeared together on the platform.

"Time is up..."

"Announce the results!"