The Gap Between True Disciples Is Greater Than That Between Humans and Dogs

"Senior Brother Zhong, there is something wrong with this trial."

Having just exited the Illusion Realm, Mu Yawen wore a troubled expression, his tone grave.

"How so?"

Zhong Yi, by contrast, looked as though he were still craving more.

Had Mu Yawen not called out to him, he would have been ready to continue the trial.

After dying a dozen times, he felt he had finally grasped a few tricks.

If he were allowed to run again, he suspected that breaking the five-hundred-step mark would be no issue at all.

"The Demonic Beast inside... I cannot kill it!"

"..."

Zhong Yi felt a headache coming on.

"Is there a possibility that it isn't meant to be killed..."

"I am a member of a righteous sect! How can there be any reason not to slay a Demonic Beast when I see one!"

Mu Yawen retorted with righteous indignation.

"..."

Zhong Yi was momentarily speechless.

"Junior Brother, this trial was tailor-made for Outer Disciples to hone their survival skills."

"I see! Because Outer Disciples cannot possibly defeat a beast of this level, they have no choice but to flee!"

"Exactly, that is the logic."

"Then why not have them go to Quenching Gold Peak first to temper their physical bodies? A hard fist is the only truth!"

"...Forget I said anything."

"Still, this trial is quite uniquely crafted. The process of fleeing is rather interesting; no wonder it is so popular."

"Oh? So Junior Brother Mu has tried fleeing as well? How far did you get?"

Zhong Yi raised an eyebrow, a hint of smugness in his heart.

Just as he was about to boast that he had nearly reached the five-hundred-step milestone, Mu Yawen suddenly replied:

"I ran five hundred and three steps."

"..."

"What about you, Senior Brother?"

"By the way, why hasn't Junior Sister Li come out of the Illusion Realm yet? Could she have encountered some trouble?"

Zhong Yi hurriedly changed the subject.

At that moment, Li Moran, standing to the side, had her willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed, as if she had run into a difficulty.

"It seems Junior Sister Li's escape journey isn't going smoothly either!"

Zhong Yi felt his heart settle.

Usually, no matter how bitter or difficult a test was, he had never seen his Junior Sister's expression change in the slightest.

Yet now, she was frowning at "Demonic Path Escape"?

As expected, even a genius had areas where they were not proficient.

So, his loss to Junior Brother Mu was excusable.

Fellow sufferers in this vast world, Zhong Yi suddenly felt a sense of comfort.

Just then, Li Moran opened her eyes.

Clearly, she had just emerged from the Illusion Realm.

"Junior Sister, how was it?"

Zhong Yi asked with a cheerful, concerned tone.

"This illusion did not reveal any traces of the Demonic Path; it should be the work of some expert."

Li Moran nodded faintly.

"I saw your expression was a bit uncomfortable just now. Did you encounter any trouble during the trial?"

"It wasn't exactly trouble."

Li Moran did not hide anything, answering calmly:

"It was just that after passing three thousand steps, the path began to change at a very rapid pace... Later, forks appeared without any hints. Choosing the wrong one meant death; I was merely feeling a bit puzzled by it."

"...You said how many? You ran three thousand steps???"

Zhong Yi thought he had misheard.

He felt like a badass for running five hundred steps, yet his own Junior Sister had run three thousand?

The gap between True Disciples is greater than that between humans and dogs!

"If you are asking for my final score... it was five thousand three hundred steps."

There was not a hint of showing off on Li Moran's face as she answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Senior Brother, I remember the first place on the Leaderboard is only four thousand steps."

Mu Yawen reminded him.

Zhong Yi had exited in such a rush earlier that he hadn't noticed the existence of a Leaderboard.

Opening it, he saw that the first place was now occupied by Li Moran's name.

The second place was an Inner Disciple he happened to know—a Golden Core Stage cultivator—with a score of over three thousand nine hundred steps.

The third place was an Outer Disciple he didn't recognize, but since Outer Disciples could not exceed the Foundation Establishment stage, their score of over three thousand eight hundred steps was shocking.

Fourth place, fifth place...

The more Zhong Yi looked, the more he felt like a Jester for having been so smug earlier.

In the past, it was rare to find any task where an Outer Disciple could surpass an Inner Disciple.

Let alone surpassing a True Disciple.

Yet now, "Demonic Path Escape" had achieved it.

Moreover,

Whether Inner or Outer, even he himself had been deeply captivated by "Demonic Path Escape."

He was itching to play another round!

"Among any three people, there must be one who can be my teacher! It seems that even as a True Disciple, one is not necessarily superior in all things!"

Zhong Yi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"Senior Brother, Junior Sister is indeed superior in all things..."

Mu Yawen reminded him.

"..."

Zhong Yi glared at Mu Yawen, regretting having brought this guy along, while the latter had no idea what he had done wrong.

"Senior Brother, look! The Leaderboard moved!"

Prompted by Mu Yawen, Zhong Yi and Li Moran opened the Leaderboard in unison.

The first place had actually changed to a player named "Nameless," with a score as high as five thousand six hundred steps!

"Damn, there's another expert! The sect truly is full of hidden talents!"

Zhong Yi couldn't help but exclaim.

Li Moran stared at the top score, her gaze shifting.

She had never liked being beneath others, not even in a game.

She had originally intended to end this task and return to Sword Inquiry Peak to continue practicing her Swordsmanship.

But now, she didn't want to leave so soon.

"Say, is it possible to use a name other than one's real name in this trial..."

Looking at the list where, aside from this player named Nameless, everyone else used their own names, Zhong Yi fell into deep thought.

Tomorrow.

The event of True Disciple Li Moran breaking five thousand steps on her first trial would surely become hot news within the sect.

If it were discovered then that he, also a True Disciple, had only run five hundred steps...

"Hiss..."

Zhong Yi drew a sharp breath.

"No, I have to change my name too!"

"?" Mu Yawen wore a puzzled expression: "Why does Senior Brother want to change his name?"

"I mean the name in the trial... 'Zhong Yi' isn't imposing enough."

Zhong Yi made up an excuse on the spot.

"Then I shall change mine as well."

"Suit yourself."

Lu Ze sat in the control room, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Seeing Li Moran re-enter the game, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

That was close!

The fat sheep almost got away!!

He had intentionally entered the game just now to set a score slightly higher than Li Moran's.

As the designer of the game, he naturally knew the correct way to clear it.

Although the illusion isolated all abilities brought by cultivation and innate talent, the most basic physical aptitude remained.

The Myriad Manifestations Xuan Demon Immortal Physique granted him an extremely high base talent, and combined with his experience from his past life, achieving this level was not difficult.

As long as he gave Li Moran a little stimulation from time to time to maintain her daily online rate, his grand cause of cultivation would surely progress a step faster.

He watched the three players' screens with great interest.

Li Moran went without saying.

In his past life, she would have been a bona fide e-sports genius girl; without the Myriad Manifestations Xuan Demon Immortal Physique, Lu Ze wouldn't even have been confident in beating her.

Mu Yawen, while lacking a bit of spiritual flair, made up for it with focus and was having a blast.

As for Zhong Yi.

Among the three, he was the one who loved playing "Demonic Path Escape" the most, but he was also the worst at it.

Every time this guy died, he would talk to himself in the game, analyzing his mistakes and the ingenuity of the level design...

A total chatterbox.

Every time these three died, they contributed varying amounts of Demonic Value.

Mu Yawen contributed the least, Zhong Yi the most.

Accumulated, this number was absolutely terrifying.

Among them, Lu Ze was most optimistic about Zhong Yi.

Given this guy's trait of being both terrible and obsessed with playing, he alone could contribute several hundred points of Demonic Value a day...

Just as he was secretly feeling smug, a system notification suddenly rang in his ear:

The host has conquered the Righteous cultivator Zhong Yi with strength, causing the other party to feel admiration, and will randomly obtain one of the other party's abilities.

Reward obtained: Ten years of martial arts experience