Should I Yell for You

After what felt like countless hours had passed...

"Hold on, junior sister!"

"Come on, little sis, we're counting on you!!"

"Senior Brother Zhong, stop pulling my foot!!"

...And so, the classic scene played out once more.

The three of them dangled mid-air, relying entirely on Zhou Qiaoling’s desperate efforts to haul them up.

"If we fall again, I’m charging spirit stones!!"

Zhou Qiaoling screamed in frustration, mustering every ounce of strength to finally pull Mu Yawen up.

Once everyone was safely back on solid ground, they collapsed onto the rocks, panting heavily.

"Good thing we had Qiaoling to save the day!" Zhou Yue laughed heartily.

"Well, maybe think about who caused the mess in the first place..."

Zhou Qiaoling shot him a glare.

"Uh, heh heh..."

Zhou Yue awkwardly rubbed his nose.

For some reason, this map was riddled with little traps—suddenly protruding stones, vanishing platforms, surprise pitfalls...

None were particularly dangerous or deadly.

But losing balance at the wrong moment often triggered a chain reaction.

The other three encountered them occasionally.

But Zhou Yue? He ran into them constantly.

It was downright bizarre.

These minor mishaps seemed to target him specifically.

Zhong Yi even considered carrying him just to avoid stepping on anything strange again.

But the game mechanics wouldn’t allow it.

Any movement beyond normal running drained stamina rapidly.

So they had no choice but to suffer alongside Zhou Yue, step by painful step.

By now, they had reached a height of 1,800 chi—equivalent to 600 meters in their previous lives.

Below them, molten lava roared with flames. Ahead, a narrow path bristled with deadly light-beam traps.

"Everyone, stay put and wait for my signal!"

Zhong Yi took the lead, leaping onto the platform. The others followed, positioning themselves at the edges with practiced ease, awaiting his command.

This time, the beams moved back and forth in a set rhythm.

Timing was everything.

"Three, two—wait, hold on!"

The three nearly jumped prematurely, glaring at Zhong Yi in unison.

"Ahem, mistimed it. Let’s try again..."

Zhong Yi’s face flushed as he scrambled to explain.

All four fixed their eyes on the shifting beams, completely unaware that the floating path was slightly tilted—causing them to slide downward inch by inch...

"Three, two—WHAT THE—?!"

Before Zhong Yi could finish counting, an immense force yanked him backward.

He hadn’t noticed his feet slipping off the edge until it was too late.

"WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS?!"

"No no no!"

"Grab on!! I’ve got you!!"

Zhou Yue shouted.

Luck might not be on his side, but his reflexes were sharp.

As he fell, he barely managed to clutch the platform’s edge.

With a grunt, he hauled himself back up.

"Don’t panic! The savior is here to rescue you!!"

Zhou Yue laughed wildly, straining to pull Zhong Yi up with the chain.

Then—

The bricks beneath his feet trembled faintly.

And vanished.

"......?"

Zhou Yue’s breath hitched.

Down he went, plummeting gracefully.

The searing red lava reflected off his face, painting it crimson.

"OH NO!!"

"OH NOOOOO!!"

"Back to square one!!"

"NOT AGAIN!!!"

......

Meanwhile, in the control room, Lu Ze nearly choked on his snacks while watching the quartet’s "live broadcast."

He had programmed some randomly triggered traps into the illusion realm.

After all, cultivators moving through the environment wasn’t the same as pressing WASD and spacebar in a game.

To recreate the "oops" and "slipped-up" moments from his past life, Lu Ze had added these traps after the 300-chi mark.

As the creator, he knew the exact trigger rates.

Zhong Yi and the others? Perfectly normal.

But this Zhou Yue guy...

Was anything but normal!!

His trigger rate was practically ten times higher than anyone else’s!

After double-checking the illusion crystal’s backend, Lu Ze confirmed the values and logic were flawless.

He couldn’t help muttering under his breath:

"Talk about cursed luck..."

......

At Thunderclap Peak’s council hall...

The elders were engaged in their usual idle chatter.

"Why are there so many Artifact Refining Pavilion disciples today? Is that troublemaker’s new illusion realm that entertaining?"

Nangong Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Even during the peak hype of Immortal World Domination, the crowds hadn’t been this massive.

Lin Qingxuan snorted.

"Don’t even ask. Lu Ze designed a team-based trial, but these useless disciples keep failing—even Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue couldn’t clear it! Then Elder Zhao threw a fit and ordered the entire sect to pass it before they’re allowed to leave. Hence this mess."

"I see..."

Nangong Yuan nodded thoughtfully, though skepticism lingered.

"But if even Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue failed... Could the trial itself be too difficult?"

"Impossible. Elder Zhao and I tested it personally. The trial’s barely challenging—the problem lies entirely with the disciples themselves!"

Lin Qingxuan glared at Nangong Yuan, dismissing his idea outright.

"Hah, if Elder Nangong doesn’t believe it, why not call Elder Yun over? The four of us can go in and experience it firsthand," Zhao Wendao suggested, noticing Nangong Yuan’s lingering doubts.

The proposal was instantly met with approval from the other two elders.

"Brilliant idea! With our teamwork, clearing a group illusion realm should be a breeze!"

"I’ll go fetch Elder Yun right now! Might as well set an example for the disciples and shake up the sect’s lazy habits!"

……

At the summit of Thunderclap Peak, the roar of thunder echoed relentlessly through the night.

……

……

That night, the disciples didn’t fare much better either.

The forum section for "Four Must Suffer" was flooded with despair.

["Four Must Suffer"? More like "Four Must Perish"!!!]

["I’ve cycled through 10 teams already, and I’m still stuck at the starting point…"]

["Any skilled fellow cultivators willing to carry me? I can pay in spirit stones!!"]

["Is this how Junior Brother Lu tests teamwork? What kind of team could possibly survive this torture?!"]

["Little Junior Sister asked me to partner up once. By the time we finished, even our Twinborn Communication Jade Talisman shattered… Junior Brother Lu, look what you’ve done!!!"]

["I just want to know—how did Junior Brother Lu come up with such a sadistic design?!"]

["He’s treating us like we’re demonic cultivators!!!"]

["I saw four disciples from the Sky Profound Sect try the new illusion realm. They arrived on one flying vessel… and left on four separate ones…"]

……

……

That night, Lu Ze slept soundly.

When he woke up, he glanced at the substantial spike in his "Demonic Path Value" and cheerfully headed to the canteen for a celebratory meal.

Most cultivators relied on fasting pills for sustenance, so the spirit cuisine sold in the canteen, while not exactly rare delicacies, still cost a pretty penny for the average disciple.

The moment Lu Ze stepped inside, he spotted four familiar faces—

Elder Zhao Wendao, his master Nangong Yuan, Danqing Peak’s Elder Lin Qingxuan, and Beast Taming Peak’s Elder Yun Zhu.

All four sat stiffly at separate tables, eating in silence, not a word exchanged between them.

The sight nearly made Lu Ze burst out laughing.

Now he understood why Thunderclap Peak had been lit up with lightning all night.

Ah, his four generous benefactors, contributing so lavishly to his Demonic Path Value!

"Master, enjoying your meal?" Lu Ze strode over cheerfully, greeting Nangong Yuan.

At the sight of Lu Ze, the four elders felt their blood pressure spike.

Visions of last night’s torment flashed through their minds once more.

"Hmph!"

Nangong Yuan responded with a dark glare, barely managing a curt nod.

"Need me to count down ‘three, two, one, eat’ for you?"

Lu Ze twisted the knife further.

"#$%…&@#￥"