Bringing You Some Local Specialties

"FUCK!!!"

A thunderous roar erupted from a room in Fengyue Pavilion.

Guo Yunwen withdrew from the game "Cultivator Descends 100 Floors," drenched in sweat.

Earlier, at the Hall of Nurtured Spirits, he had learned from a Lingxiao Sect disciple that the Artifact Refining Pavilion sold miniature illusion towers and spirit stones. After purchasing a set, he returned to his quarters for some peace and quiet.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he struggled to steady his breathing.

The cultivation methods of the Tianxuan Sect were notoriously rigorous, with an emphasis on mental fortitude above all else. Disciples of the sect were known to possess far greater composure than those of lesser sects.

Guo Yunwen was a true disciple—one of the elite. His mental resilience was supposed to be peerless.

Yet, against all expectations, he had been broken by an illusion tower—one crafted by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, no less.

"Why the hell does that tree move?! Damn it!!!"

Gritting his teeth, his face twisted in frustration, Guo Yunwen seethed.

He had died over a hundred times and still couldn’t fathom the twisted mind of the game’s creator, Lu Ze.

At every turn, in the most unexpected places, the game would throw some insane trap at him, leaving him drenched in cold sweat.

That morning, watching Yang Zhengxin struggle through the challenges in the Hall of Nurtured Spirits, he had found it amusing.

He had even thought to himself, "If it were me, I wouldn’t embarrass myself like that."

Now he knew better.

Anyone who could endure this illusion tower without breaking down had to be a god.

It took a long while for Guo Yunwen’s breathing to finally settle.

Just then, his communication jade slip buzzed with a message.

It was from a senior brother back in the Tianxuan Sect.

Guo Yunwen activated the jade slip, and the senior brother’s image materialized in the air before him.

"Junior Brother Guo, how’s it going? Give my regards to Zhong Yi and the others—Wait, what the hell?! Why do you look so pale?!"

"It’s nothing, nothing… Just had a rough time with today’s trial."

Guo Yunwen waved it off.

"Hah! Junior Brother, you’re really slacking. Back in my day, I aced every challenge!"

The senior brother’s teasing only deepened Guo Yunwen’s frustration.

What kind of training did your generation even go through?

Have you seen what we’re dealing with?!

Even the elders of the Qingshan Sect are getting wrecked!

He was about to explain when a sudden thought made him grin instead.

"Senior Brother, when I return to the sect, I’ll bring you some local specialties from the Lingxiao Sect."

"Local specialties? Hah! I’ve traveled to all five great sects—what could possibly impress me?"

"Oh, trust me… you’ve never seen anything like this."

Guo Yunwen laughed.

He laughed so hard his complexion even improved.

Tomorrow, he decided, he would buy a whole stack of these "local specialties" from the Artifact Refining Pavilion.

……

……

The night passed.

At the Hall of Nurtured Spirits on Thunderpeak, Nangong Yuan emerged from the elders’ resting quarters with a grim expression.

The night had been nothing short of humiliating.

He needed fresh air—and time to reflect on why he had been foolish enough to touch "Cultivator Descends 100 Floors."

As soon as he stepped out, he spotted Zhao Wendao exiting another room.

"Elder Zhao? Your eyes…"

Nangong Yuan pointed at his own face in shock.

Dark circles hung heavily under Zhao Wendao’s eyes.

As one of the sect’s most powerful figures, second only to the sect master, Zhao Wendao’s cultivation was such that even a month without sleep shouldn’t have left a mark.

"My eyes? Ah… just a little accident."

Zhao Wendao brushed it off absentmindedly.

Last night, after much deliberation, he had succumbed to temptation and started playing "Cultivator Descends 100 Floors."

One particular level, with its sadistic combination of spike traps, had nearly made him cough up blood in rage.

Several times, his fury had overwhelmed the illusion tower’s suppression, forcing him out.

In the end, so incensed he couldn’t stand it, he had punched himself in frustration—hence the current state of his face.

Originally, he had planned to conquer the game, flaunt his high ranking in front of the other elders, and maybe rub it in Yang Zhengxin’s face.

But reality had other plans.

Just when he thought it couldn’t get worse, the game proved him wrong.

There were moments he wanted to crack open Lu Ze’s skull and see what kind of twisted mind lay inside.

How could anyone come up with something so diabolical?!

If not for Lu Ze’s unmistakable aura of righteous energy, Zhao Wendao might have suspected the boy was a demonic cultivator.

His ideas were just too cruel, too evil!

"Elder Nangong…"

Zhao Wendao sighed and patted Nangong Yuan’s shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Didn’t you say your disciple was pure-hearted and simple-minded? Then why…"

He trailed off, unable to continue.

He recalled yesterday’s argument between Nangong Yuan and Yang Zhengxin, where Nangong Yuan had insisted Lu Ze was "pure-hearted and simple-minded," claiming that designing traps would be too difficult for him.

Now, it was clear the boy hadn’t been struggling at all—he had been enjoying himself.

Nangong Yuan’s eyes widened. "What? My disciple? What disciple?"

"…"