“My Lingxiao Sect’s true disciple was humiliated for no reason in your Wuji Sword Sect. I can’t simply pretend I didn’t see it.”
Lu Ze looked at Chen Yuan with a half-smile.
How could he not know that Li Moran receiving a basic sword art was something the Illusion Alliance and the Wuji Sword Sect had deliberately arranged?
On the one hand, it promoted the fairness of the illusion realm, claiming that anyone could obtain opportunities within it. On the other, it was using rumors and gossip to damage Li Moran’s Dao heart.
Fortunately, Li Moran was wholly devoted to the Dao and didn’t care in the slightest. She hadn’t even felt angry.
But Lu Ze couldn’t do the same.
When it came to pettiness, he and the remnant spirit of the Heavenly Dao were rather alike.
Especially since he knew full well that this matter was connected to him, in one way or another.
“This was indeed an oversight on the part of my Wuji Sword Sect. What kind of compensation would True Disciple Lu like? So long as it lies within this old man’s capabilities, I guarantee that I will satisfy the Lingxiao Sect!”
Seeing that the Illusion Alliance had taken the initiative to step forward and shoulder the blame, and that the remnant spirit of the Heavenly Dao had not appeared to cause trouble, Chen Yuan relaxed considerably. He rose to his feet as he spoke.
“Heh. Senior Sister Li has no interest in the Three Tribulations Sword Art, but I do.”
Lu Ze made no attempt to be polite.
His words left the surrounding cultivators dumbfounded.
Seriously? You actually want it?
That was an ancient sword art—a red-grade opportunity!
It could cost you your life!
Chen Yuan’s expression darkened, and the veins at his temples bulged violently.
Considering that the Sect Master had instructed him to avoid clashing with Lu Ze unless absolutely necessary, he still forced himself to suppress his fury.
“True Disciple Lu, don’t joke around. You don’t even cultivate the sword path. What use could the Three Tribulations Sword Art possibly be to you? Why don’t you—”
“Who says I don’t understand the sword path? I recently gained some insight into it, so I specially created an illusion realm and traveled thousands of miles to add some luster to the Sword Ruins of Seeking the Dao.”
Lu Ze cut him off with a cold laugh.
“You? The sword path?”
Chen Yuan froze. It took him a moment to recover, after which he couldn’t help asking with a mocking laugh.
“Yes. I comprehended it on the spur of the moment. I’m sure all of you should be able to learn something from it.”
Seeing the other man’s attitude, Lu Ze felt even more at ease.
Provoking Chen Yuan wasn’t merely about venting his anger on Li Moran’s behalf. It was also for the sake of his system mission.
After all, given how torturous Sekiro was, what if the cultivators simply gave up?
Or what if the other side resorted to some underhanded methods and made everyone deliberately shun his illusion realm?
Now that he had enraged Chen Yuan and lured him into the trap, everything was proceeding exactly as Lu Ze had hoped.
The illusion realm that even the Wuji Sword Sect’s Great Elder couldn’t clear would certainly attract no shortage of challengers.
By then, he wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of players.
Just as Lu Ze had expected, Chen Yuan took the bait.
“True Disciple Lu, are you saying that the sword-path insights you gained on the spur of the moment can allow us to… gain insight as well?”
By the time he reached the end of the sentence, Chen Yuan felt his lips trembling.
He was trembling with rage!
A Soul Formation cultivator and illusion master whose primary focus was illusion realms actually dared to claim that others could learn something from his illusion realm?
He was far too arrogant! Far too presumptuous!
At this moment, it wasn’t only Chen Yuan. Quite a few renowned sword cultivators nearby also wore displeased expressions.
Lu Ze’s words were essentially saying:
Everyone here is trash. I could teach all of you a thing or two.
Sword cultivators were naturally proud and arrogant to begin with. A number of them immediately revealed murderous glints in their eyes, while the murmurs from the crowd grew completely undisguised.
“Does True Disciple Lu mean to say that he understands the sword path better than all of us?”
“Heh. That’s quite a boast.”
“True Disciple Lu, if we were discussing the Dao of illusion, we would naturally acknowledge your superiority… But don’t forget, what we’re discussing here is the sword path!”
“What a joke… An illusion cultivator wants to teach us the sword path? How about we teach you how to create illusion realms!?”
…
“Lu Ze.”
Chen Yuan’s expression was frighteningly gloomy.
“In terms of the sword path, even your senior sister has no chance of surpassing this old man within a hundred years…”
“Is that so? Judging by the exchange just now, I think Senior Sister Li will have a chance of defeating you within ten years.”
Lu Ze smiled faintly, his expression calm.
“If she enters my illusion realm… I’m afraid it might happen even sooner.”
“You!?”
Chen Yuan’s eyes turned bloodshot as he gnashed his teeth.
“If Elder Chen doesn’t believe me, why don’t we make a wager?”
The angrier his opponent became, the more reassured Lu Ze felt.
He raised one hand slightly, and a pale golden illusion-realm crystal appeared above his palm.
“Within five days, if Elder Chen can clear my illusion realm, I will present you with a Heavenly Dao opportunity of the same grade as the Three Tribulations Sword Art.”
“But if Elder Chen fails to clear it… then the Three Tribulations Sword Art will be considered compensation from the Wuji Sword Sect to my Lingxiao Sect. How does that sound?”
As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Yuan’s brows knitted sharply.
Something was wrong.
Very, very wrong.
These words…
Why did they sound so familiar?
Years ago, at the gathering between the five major sects, Lu Ze had seemingly said something similar to an elder from the Azure Mountain Sect.
Recalling the bizarre mechanisms in If You’re a Cultivator, Descend One Hundred Floors, Chen Yuan suddenly felt a chill run down his back.
He was certain that Lu Ze was up to no good!
Yet when he thought of how winning would earn him an opportunity of the same grade as the Three Tribulations Sword Art, Chen Yuan found himself caught in a dilemma.
“Who knows what sort of things are in your illusion realm? If it’s all unrelated to the sword path, then not even the Wuji Ancestor could necessarily clear it, let alone this old man!”
Chen Yuan shouted sternly.
“Oh? So that’s what Elder Chen is worried about.”
Lu Ze smiled faintly and lifted his chin slightly.
“Rest assured. My illusion realm contains only swords and battles… There will be absolutely no other distractions.”
“Then… What if you seal away our cultivation and arrange an opponent that is completely impossible to defeat? Wouldn’t this old man be doomed to lose?”
Chen Yuan still hesitated.
“My realm will indeed be sealed, but the enemy will not be impossible to defeat… I give you my word.”
Lu Ze spoke unhurriedly.
“Your cultivation will be sealed again?”
Chen Yuan immediately furrowed his brows and looked at Lu Ze in confusion.
The requirement for the illusion realms at the Sword Ruins of Seeking the Dao was to help cultivators comprehend the sword path.
As for the Illusion Alliance’s Sword-Slaying Stars, it had spared no expense to distribute resources to the cultivators. The illusion realm itself had also been constructed with extraordinary care.
The elder, Crane, had turned out to be a hidden sword-path expert whose strength was in no way inferior to Chen Yuan’s.
No one knew what price the Heart Demon had paid to convince Crane to willingly make his precious insights into the sword path public within the illusion realm, allowing cultivators from every direction to study and contemplate them.
It was no exaggeration to say that any sword cultivator below the Void Refinement Realm would certainly make progress in the sword path after entering Sword-Slaying Stars.
The effect was even more pronounced for cultivators at the Nascent Soul Realm and below!
By contrast, Lu Ze’s illusion realm was, in essence, merely something made for fun.
Under a challenge whose condition was gaining enlightenment, what could an illusion realm that isolated cultivation, created by an illusion master who mainly studied entertainment, possibly accomplish?
The answer was: absolutely nothing!
If the competition were about whose illusion realm was more fun or more captivating, Chen Yuan would choose Lu Ze’s without hesitation.
But if the question was which illusion realm could assist cultivators in their practice…
It definitely wouldn’t be Lu Ze’s!
Especially not an illusion realm concerning the sword path—a path Lu Ze understood nothing about!
“Lu Zhenchuan, you seem to have forgotten… What we’re testing here isn’t the illusion itself, but the Dao of the sword.”
With that thought, Chen Yuan’s mood immediately eased. He looked at Lu Ze with a confident air.
“Any illusion used in the Dao-Seeking Sword Ruins must help cultivators advance their swordsmanship… Otherwise, it doesn’t count!”
“Lu’s illusion will naturally help everyone improve their swordsmanship.”
“Are you certain an illusion that seals one’s cultivation can help us advance our swordsmanship?”
“Certain.”
“Are you certain there are no opponents in the illusion whom we cannot defeat?”
“None.”
“And if… no one benefits from your illusion?”
“Then I’ll concede the wager.”
Lu Ze smiled with effortless calm. To him, Chen Yuan’s ever-changing expression looked exactly like that of a fish that had taken the bait.
“Elder Chen, surely you aren’t worried that you won’t even be able to pass a junior’s swordsmanship illusion?”
Chen Yuan was instantly embarrassed.
After asking so many questions, if he now lacked the courage to challenge even a junior’s swordsmanship illusion, he would lose all face as an elder of the Wuji Sword Sect.
If this truly depended solely on swordsmanship, then even with his cultivation sealed, Chen Yuan was confident that his experience and comprehension would enable him to handle all kinds of challenges.
But if Lu Ze resorted to some underhanded trick—like that nerve-racking trap called If You’re a Cultivator, Descend One Hundred Floors—then no one would be able to comprehend the Dao of the sword.
Once the conditions weren’t met, Lu Ze had agreed to concede.
Judging from the situation, his chances of winning were…
Extremely high!
After making up his mind, Chen Yuan gritted his teeth and decided to take the gamble.
“Fine! It’s a deal. Bring out your illusion!”
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."
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
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.
