This young lad is actually quite a good person.

Yang Zhengxin was utterly defeated.

Those spiked traps seemed to have divine foresight,

piercing through every possible escape route he could take.

Was there even a way to survive this?

"You shameless brat! Are you toying with me!?"

Yang Zhengxin exited the illusionary realm and glared at Lu Ze, shouting furiously.

"It’s all a misunderstanding, Elder Yang. Perhaps you missed something…?"

Lu Ze wore an innocent expression as he offered a "kind" reminder.

"Absolutely impossible!"

Yang Zhengxin’s reply was resolute.

"No, no, no…"

Lu Ze hastily waved his hands, pointing to a narrow gap in the middle of the second layer on the left. With a "helpful" tone, he added,

"Elder Yang, look—couldn’t you have dodged there?"

Following Lu Ze’s guidance, Yang Zhengxin cautiously reconsidered, wary of being tricked again.

Recalling the path of the falling spikes,

that narrow gap in the middle did seem like the only solution.

Yang Zhengxin fell silent, his gaze darkening as he stared at the nearly burnt-out incense stick at the center of the Hall of Spiritual Resonance.

Not long ago, he had boasted that

he could dismantle all the traps within the time it took for one incense stick to burn.

Now, the time was almost up, and he…

Lu Ze instantly read Yang Zhengxin’s thoughts.

He quickly suggested,

"Elder Yang, clearing a hundred floors in one incense stick’s time is impossible. Don’t worry—it was my fault for setting such an unreasonable condition!"

Lu Ze could tell Yang Zhengxin was on the verge of backing out.

To keep this "demon path value farm" around, he had to make a small sacrifice—

whether by dropping hints or offering an easy way out.

After all, there were plenty of traps left to exploit.

"How about this: one incense stick’s time per floor?"

Despite Lu Ze’s "generous" offer, Yang Zhengxin still hesitated.

The difficulty was undeniable.

Even one floor per incense stick seemed unrealistic.

But if he refused?

He’d lose face entirely.

Did Lu Ze not understand Yang Zhengxin’s dilemma?

Of course he did.

The moment Yang Zhengxin had been tormented by the traps, Lu Ze had already prepared his next move.

Rummaging through his storage ring, Lu Ze pulled out an incense stick thicker than his own torso.

Yang Zhengxin’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

An incense stick THAT big?!

Was there even any room left for him to retreat?!

"One incense stick, one floor. Does that seem fair, Elder Yang?"

Lu Ze asked cheerfully.

The onlookers were stunned into silence.

"That… that incense stick would take at least four hours to burn…"

"When did Junior Brother Lu even make something like this…?"

"This young man knows his limits. He’s considerate and reasonable."

"Hmph! A disciple of our Lingxiao Sect naturally has impeccable character!"

"Three hours per floor shouldn’t be too hard, right?"

"For Elder Yang, it should be a breeze."

"Lu Ze is sensible. He knows not to push others too far—just proving his capability is enough."

The crowd of disciples and elders swiftly sided with Lu Ze.

Yang Zhengxin listened, his heart bitter.

With such a colossal incense stick in plain view, refusing now would only make him look cowardly.

"Hmph! By the time this incense burns out, I’ll clear at least ten floors!"

Yang Zhengxin snorted and plunged his consciousness back into the illusion.

Back to the starting point.

Closing his eyes, Yang Zhengxin meticulously studied the minimap.

First… then… and after that…

He rehearsed the escape route over and over, engraving it into his mind.

When he opened his eyes, he took a deep breath and sprinted forward.

Yang Zhengxin’s movements were nothing short of agile—

leaping lightly, flipping midair.

Thicker spikes, protruding metal blocks, overhead barriers…

Nothing could slow him down.

In mere moments, he reached the cliff at the top.

Without hesitation, he jumped.

Yang Zhengxin had already memorized his next moves.

"First, bait out the spikes!"

He double-jumped above the spikes, twisting his body midair to adjust his trajectory.

The spikes shot upward.

"Then land on the left… second layer!"

Thanks to his pre-adjusted posture, Yang Zhengxin descended even faster than the spikes!

He landed smoothly on the second layer.

"And then—charge into the gap!!"

The instant his feet touched the ground, he accelerated forward, bolting straight for the narrow space.

Above him,

the spikes hurtled down at terrifying speed…

The Qingshan Sect disciples watched with bated breath, cheering wildly.

"Elder Yang’s footwork… so nimble!"

"The spikes are fast too!"

"No!! Elder Yang is faster!!!"

"He made it inside… he made it!!"

"Elder Yang did it!!"

The moment Yang Zhengxin dashed into the gap,

the spikes grazed his scalp with a gust of violent wind before plummeting downward.

Lu Ze watched, speechless.

In the illusion, the player’s movement speed was capped.

This old man’s dramatic poses made it seem like he’d sped up…

If he’d skipped the unnecessary theatrics, he might’ve been even slightly faster…

Crouched in the gap, Yang Zhengxin finally exhaled in relief as the spikes fell away.

"Hmph! A cunning trap, but nothing more!"

He straightened his back, declaring with pride.

Ahead, the path was smooth and unobstructed.

The deadliest trap had been overcome.

The rest of the journey would be smooth sailing!

Filled with determination, Yang Zhengxin strode to the edge and leaped—

Just then, the "divine beast" cat suddenly pounced from the upper-left rocks.

Moving at an imperceptible speed, it zigzagged midair

and smashed Yang Zhengxin into pieces.

"???"

Yang Zhengxin’s breath froze.

"WHAT THE @#$%^&!!"