The main hall of the Skysoul Sect.
“Elder Zhao, I heard you were looking for me?”
Lu Ze arrived shortly afterward. Zhao Wendao and Nangong Yuan had already been waiting for some time.
“What do you think? Is it reliable to comprehend the Sword Dao through an illusionary realm? Recently, the Limitless Sword—”
“Not reliable!”
Zhao Wendao had only gotten halfway through his sentence when Lu Ze shook his head with absolute certainty.
“You insolent disciple…”
Nangong Yuan’s mouth twitched furiously.
They had been master and disciple for many years, so he could tell at a glance that Lu Ze was dismissing the Limitless Sword Sect because it had no reward worth his attention. He had no intention of doing unpaid labor.
“Why do you say that? I’ve noticed that True Disciple Li has experienced epiphany after epiphany in your Palworld…”
Zhao Wendao asked curiously.
“Senior Sister Li is Senior Sister Li. She’s a genius. Even without my illusionary realm, she would have comprehended it sooner or later.”
Lu Ze shook his head and explained with a perfectly serious expression.
“You insolent disciple! Elder Zhao isn’t trying to send you to participate in the competition. The Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins are held once every ten years, and the Limitless Sword Sect has actually decided, for the first time ever, to use an illusionary realm as the arena. He merely wanted to ask you about it!”
Nangong Yuan reminded him with a dark expression.
“Exactly. I’m simply very curious… The Limitless Sword Sect has never been skilled in the Dao of Illusionary Realms, so why would they suddenly use one to host this year’s Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins? I can’t shake the feeling that they’re targeting you.”
Zhao Wendao stroked his beard, his brows slightly furrowed.
The Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins were the Limitless Sword Sect’s signature event. If someone from outside the sect stole the limelight, the entire Limitless Sword Sect would lose face.
Everyone under heaven knew that Lu Ze’s attainments in the Dao of Illusionary Realms had already surpassed everyone else’s.
Using an illusionary realm to host the Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins was practically like inviting Lu Ze to humiliate them. Under normal circumstances, it should have been unthinkable.
As the saying went, unusual circumstances were bound to conceal something sinister. Zhao Wendao always felt that there had to be a trap involved.
“Perhaps it has something to do with the Illusion Alliance… Those people are practically obsessed with making a name for themselves.”
Lu Ze spread his hands, completely unconcerned.
The Illusion Alliance seemed unusually fixated on pursuing fame.
They desperately wanted to defeat him and use that victory to establish their reputation.
Lu Ze himself had no interest in fame.
After all, given his sordid history, no matter how many competitions he won, he would never be able to shake the title of “Old Demon Lu”…
“By the way! What’s the reward for the Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins?”
At the mention of the Illusion Alliance, Lu Ze suddenly perked up.
As his defeated opponent and foremost sucker, the Illusion Alliance might not have many other talents, but its wealth was undeniably substantial.
Lu Ze was currently worried about where he could find his third Voidheaven Soul Crystal, and immediately thought of this particularly gullible opponent.
As long as the price was right, he didn’t mind stepping into a trap even if he knew it was one.
“The same as always: the right to choose any one Innate Sword Embryo.”
“Elder Zhao, you know me. I don’t understand the first thing about the Sword Dao!”
“…”
Faced with Lu Ze’s lightning-fast change of attitude, Zhao Wendao and Nangong Yuan exchanged helpless glances, speechless for a moment.
“Don’t worry. Even if you gain some insight, the Skysoul Sect has no intention of sending you.”
Zhao Wendao smiled as he dispelled Lu Ze’s concern.
“If you win, it will be what you deserve, and what True Disciple Li deserves as well.”
“If you lose, however, the momentum of fortune you’ve accumulated over the years will be severed… It wouldn’t be worth it.”
Zhao Wendao was quite open-minded about the matter.
Compared with blindly pursuing victory, protecting Lu Ze—the Skysoul Sect’s future bearer of immense fortune—was clearly more important.
“All these years, the Skysoul Sect has excelled in every field. We can afford to miss out on first place this time…”
“Besides, True Disciple Li may not be unable to win.”
Zhao Wendao slowly stroked his beard, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Lu Ze was the Skysoul Sect’s foremost figure in the Literary Dao, while Li Moran was its foremost figure in the Martial Dao.
Even without Lu Ze taking action, Li Moran’s talent in the Sword Dao alone would be enough to win the Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins once.
“Senior Sister Li is participating?”
Lu Ze raised his brows, and his heart settled somewhat.
Those three words carried enough weight in the Sword Dao to put anyone at ease.
“That’s right. She’ll be setting off this afternoon.”
…
…
Although Lu Ze did not travel with the group to the Limitless Sword Sect, he still made inquiries about the situation at the Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins.
The Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins were a grand sword-discussion event passed down by the Limitless Sword Sect since ancient times.
The Sword Ruins of the Limitless Sword Sect gathered sword intent left behind by generations of renowned Sword Immortals and Sword Saints. They were among the most precious treasures in the entire Sword Dao lineage.
During the Limitless Sword Sect’s heyday, the sect’s Sword Ruins served as the venue for inviting sword cultivators from across the world to discuss the Sword Dao and seek enlightenment. It was an event countless sword cultivators dreamed of attending.
Over the past thousand years, the Limitless Sword Sect had fallen far from its former glory. The Sword Ruins had gradually been replaced by various sect secret realms and forbidden grounds, yet the opportunities and treasures hidden within remained immensely alluring to sword cultivators.
This year’s Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins, however, were different.
Those taking part would no longer be limited to sword cultivators.
That was because, in addition to a contest of swordsmanship, there would also be a competition involving illusionary realms.
This time, the Limitless Sword Sect would no longer provide the “Sword Ruins.” Instead, realm cultivators would create “Sword Ruins” in the form of illusionary realms. The merits of each illusionary realm would be judged according to the heavenly opportunities comprehended by the sword cultivators within them.
It sounded utterly insane, but the storm surrounding Palworld’s descent of countless opportunities had yet to die down. Cultivators were genuinely eager to embrace this sort of thing!
Thus, rather than discouraging sword cultivators from participating, the bizarre new rules for the Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins had attracted a large number of realm cultivators as well.
“But wouldn’t it be incredibly awkward if not a single person found an opportunity in the illusionary realms?”
Lu Ze blinked, unable to stop himself from wondering.
How could the Limitless Sword Sect and the Illusion Alliance be so certain that their illusionary realms would attract heavenly opportunities?
Even he wouldn’t dare make such a guarantee.
That was because, aside from the quality of the illusionary realm itself, the cultivator’s personal fortune was equally important.
Even in Lu Ze’s illusionary realms, there were plenty of cases where no heavenly opportunity appeared.
“Forget it, forget it. It has nothing to do with me…”
Lu Ze spread his hands and couldn’t be bothered to investigate the matter any further.
Compared with such empty fame, he was far more concerned with how to harvest more Demonic Dao Points…
…
…
Three days later.
The night before the Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins began.
Lu Ze had just left the main server world when he saw that Li Moran was still online in his friends list.
Still in Palworld.
Lu Ze checked the system’s backend.
Good grief. Li Moran had spent three entire days in the game without providing a single Demonic Dao Point.
Clearly, she had trained her combat skills to the utmost limit. Aside from the Withered Star Dragon and Zenara, which could not be defeated alone, none of the other creatures in Palworld could give her any trouble…
Lu Ze immediately grew anxious.
How could such a plump lamb escape just like that?
He couldn’t help regretting that, for the sake of short-term profit, he had tricked her into challenging the Pals alone…
If Palworld had simply been a pet-catching game, Li Moran probably would not have lingered after clearing it.
Other players might die less often, but they killed plenty of Pals!
Li Moran, on the other hand, merely used the various great demons as training targets. Her Demonic Dao Point income was pitifully low…
A business that lost money from start to finish!
“How about you go practice your shooting in the Abyssal Continent?”
Lu Ze hurriedly appeared beside Li Moran and offered the suggestion with feigned sincerity.
“?”
Li Moran gave him a puzzled look, then shook her head.
“This style of fighting suits me better… Though it’d be even better if my opponent were a little stronger.”
“Heh heh, is that so…”
Lu Ze forced a smile, secretly beginning to scheme.
You like clashing blades, huh?
You want stronger opponents, huh?
Fine!
Next time, I’ll arrange a soul-traveling experience and let you have a proper fight!
“Why didn’t you take part in the illusion of the Sword Ruins of Enlightenment?”
Li Moran hesitated for a moment before finally asking.
“Senior Sister Li, please let me off the hook… That illusion tests one’s understanding of the sword dao. How could I possibly understand something like that?”
Lu Ze helplessly spread his hands.
“Oh? Is that so?”
Li Moran blinked, her eyes seemingly filled with glittering stars.
“What a pity… I feel that tomorrow’s illusion probably won’t offer any opportunities for enlightenment. And…”
Li Moran let out a sigh, then looked up at Lu Ze with a smile.
“Thank you. My swordsmanship… seems to have improved yet again.”
“???”
Lu Ze was dumbfounded.
It was one thing for everyone else to pick up a few opportunities in the illusion.
But the person standing before him could actually comprehend the sword dao!
Just then,
a system notification rang in Lu Ze’s ears.
[Detected: The emergence of a generation-defining Sword Immortal is imminent…]
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."
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!
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
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.
