Leisurely Cloud Manor, Floating Tower Pavilion.
“Alliance Leader, this move… brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”
White Crane was full of praise for the inspiration behind the second task.
Only now did he understand why the exchange had three tasks in total, yet Heart Demon had only revealed the first one for them to prepare in advance.
Heart Demon had planned it all from the very beginning.
If they still couldn’t defeat Lu Ze with illusions even after fully restricting illusion types, then continuing to focus on illusions would be pointless.
Secret realm and illusion realm seemed like just a one-word difference, but in reality, they were worlds apart.
For one, Lu Ze’s wildly imaginative settings in illusions—like characters with flesh and blood, or bizarre and fantastical worlds—could not be easily replicated in a secret realm.
Second, Lu Ze’s greatest asset, the remnants of the Heavenly Dao, would have no way to interfere with matters in the secret realm.
And the reasoning was perfectly logical:
The question-setter was not a cultivator, but an ordinary person.
An ordinary person couldn’t enter an illusion realm, so it was only reasonable to require a secret realm, right?
“Elder Blood Crow… how are the arrangements for the auction going?”
Heart Demon showed no reaction to White Crane’s flattery, instead turning to look at another elder.
“Rest assured, Alliance Leader. Boss Qian is an old friend of mine… Matters in the Great Qian Dynasty were all settled last night.”
Blood Crow replied with utmost respect.
He couldn’t help but admire Heart Demon’s plan.
Shifting the task to a secret realm was already a masterstroke, a stroke of genius.
But Heart Demon had an even more ruthless follow-up.
Only allowing those within the Great Qian Dynasty to participate!
Even if the Spirit Cloud Sect wanted to help, covering the costs to join the auction, they couldn’t reach that far.
And even if they managed to, they could never rival Qian Wancai’s connections and reach!
The most brilliant part was that the Flying Cloud Trading Company’s prized treasure would be sold off by them first.
That single item alone was worth a full thirty percent of the total warehouse value!
Add in some other scattered treasures…
With one big push, they could sell off nearly half the warehouse’s value.
That meant, unless Lu Ze could sell off every remaining item in the warehouse, he couldn’t win this task!
And let’s be honest, the warehouse was mostly filled with cheap, shoddy goods.
Who at the auction would possibly be interested in that?
Blood Crow truly didn’t believe anyone in this world could sell off an entire warehouse of junk!
“In that case, let’s all get to work on the secret realm.”
Heart Demon lifted his head, his gaze deep and piercing as he looked into the distance through the window.
For some reason, a lingering unease still gnawed at his heart.
He then added a final instruction:
“Keep a close watch on the Spirit Cloud Sect’s movements…”
“The moment they try to reach into the Great Qian Dynasty for help, catch them in the act.”
“We cannot afford to lose this time.”
...
...
By the bank of Leisurely Cloud Lake.
With the announcement of the second task, the cultivators were a mix of excitement and concern, buzzing with discussion.
“Didn’t they say it was an illusion exchange? Why the sudden switch to a secret realm?”
“Boss Qian is an ordinary man; he can’t enter an illusion realm, so of course he can’t judge its quality.”
“Strange, then why pick an ordinary person to set the question?”
“Because he’s the sponsor of the exchange… Personally, I think that’s total nonsense—the real reason is to target Brother Lu.”
“And shouldn’t they? Otherwise, he’d scoop up everything, and we’d be left with nothing!”
“This is supposed to be an exchange of ideas, everyone competing on their own merits. Such underhanded tactics are simply too low.”
“I thought the Illusion Alliance was so generous they must be decent people… But with behavior like this, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass!”
“You can’t say that—secret realms and illusion realms are basically the same at their core. Before the age of illusions came, weren’t we all masters of secret realms? Now it’s back to our roots, so let’s show Lu Ze what we’ve got!”
“What’s there to make out of an auction venue?”
“Yeah, there’s nothing fresh about it… So Lu Ze’s specialty of clever tricks won’t work either; this is a fair competition for everyone.”
“Agreed! Since it’s fair, it tests our skills and foundation…”
“Ha! A secret realm means it’s far from fair… With my level of skill, competing with a junior is hardly equitable.”
“If I can’t beat a junior in a secret realm, then I’ve wasted my hundreds of years of life!”
…
The switch from illusion realm to secret realm drew mixed reactions among the landscape masters.
Many righteous cultivators who found the Illusion Alliance’s methods disgraceful chose to withdraw and leave. In an instant, the number of masters by Leisurely Cloud Lake dwindled further.
Zhong Yi was furious about it.
“Junior Brother Lu, don’t stop me—they’ve gone too far!”
Zhong Yi gritted his teeth; if not for Lu Ze holding him back, he would already be demanding an explanation from Rakshasa.
“Switching from illusion realm to secret realm with such opaque rules… it’s blatantly targeting you!”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Lu Ze shook his head calmly.
He had been prepared for this even before coming to the exchange.
“This is their turf, so they have the right to set the rules.”
Lu Ze looked up with a faint, knowing smile, meeting Rakshasa’s smug gaze without flinching.
“But when we get to the illusion realm… that’s my turf.”
“Huh??”
Zhong Yi stared at Lu Ze in disbelief, wondering if he’d heard correctly.
“But… isn’t this round supposed to be decided by the secret realm?”
“It’s a secret realm, sure…”
Lu Ze winked, the corners of his mouth curling into a confident grin.
“But in some cases, secret realms and illusion realms aren’t that different.”
Lu Ze understood Heart Demon’s intentions better than anyone.
Shifting the battlefield to a secret realm would impose heavy restrictions.
Things like the basic mechanic of dying and resurrecting, or wild, freewheeling concepts and designs, or grand world views with richly detailed NPCs…
But what if the illusion realm wasn’t built on anything especially unrealistic?
What if every design in the illusion realm could be achieved in reality through magical techniques?
Then the line between illusion realm and secret realm would almost vanish.
“They finally found the right direction to target me, but…”
Lu Ze smiled slightly.
“They picked the wrong topic.”
Because when it came to the theme of an auction, Lu Ze knew a game that could be perfectly replicated in a secret realm—
Bidding King.
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
