Lu Ze stared at the system notification and sucked in a sharp breath. "Holy shit! That's incredible!"
According to the description, as long as he could make someone genuinely admire his game, he could randomly gain one attribute from that person's status panel.
"So he improved his movement technique while playing?"
Lu Ze was a little surprised.
He remembered this player named Zhang Ming.
Zhang Ming had picked up the game quickly, so Lu Ze had watched him a little longer.
As the game's designer, Lu Ze could easily judge a player's movement technique from the way he played.
If a player had only reached the beginner level of the Cloud Shattering Art, he would probably stumble as he ran.
At minor mastery, he could basically play without trouble.
Players at major mastery or above moved a little faster.
But the Demonic Monster behind them also moved a little faster, always staying close enough to pose a threat.
The upside was that running for the same amount of time took them farther and earned them a higher score.
It couldn't be helped. He had made the game under the guise of a lesson, so he had to keep up appearances.
At first, Zhang Ming's movement technique had only reached minor mastery. Lu Ze hadn't expected him to reach major mastery already.
"Could it really work?"
Lu Ze rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.
This was an unexpected bonus.
For his future career in game development, it was good news.
Back in his previous life, even the video game industry had called its early products "learning machines" and the like.
Better than having everyone denounce him from the start and ruin his reputation.
"If I could get the elders to play my game and make them genuinely admire it..."
Just imagining it sent a shiver through Lu Ze.
Maybe he really could become the greatest cultivator of the Righteous Path by making games.
Bah.
Lu Ze had forgotten again that he was now a member of the Demon Path.
Somewhere in the Illusion Realm of Demonic Path Escape,
Zhang Ming was running without end.
Behind him, the hideous black monster pursued him just as relentlessly.
"Whoever designed this Trial must have an unfathomable cultivation level... No! Maybe this is a Secret Realm passed down from ancient times!"
Even as he fled, Zhang Ming couldn't help marveling.
He could clearly feel how much his movement technique had improved. It had likely reached major mastery.
According to the teacher who had taught him the Cloud Shattering Art, advancing from minor to major mastery took at least two months.
Yet after just one and a half hours in this Illusion Realm, he had somehow broken through.
The reason had to lie in some marvel the Grandmaster who created the Illusion Realm had left within it!
The more Zhang Ming thought about it, the more incredible he found that person.
Zhang Ming glanced at the upper right corner. He had traveled more than two thousand steps.
For him, it was a new record.
As the distance grew, the scenery changed and the stages became increasingly difficult.
After two thousand steps, Zhang Ming sometimes entered a Demon Cult Barrier, where mist blinded him and made it hard to find his way;
Sometimes a rain of arrows fell from the sky. He had to keep running while dodging left and right, without straying off the road, or the Barriers on either side would kill him instantly;
Other times, he stepped on some earth-element Talisman, and the ground shook like mountains collapsing, making every step a struggle...
Of course, it wasn't all difficulty.
Some stretches were rich in spiritual energy, which he could absorb as he passed through.
Once his character's spiritual energy gauge was full, he could use a speed-boosting Skill.
And after a thousand steps, he could collect Artifacts and items in addition to Spirit Stones.
There were Artifacts that disabled nearby traps, Talismans that automatically drew in nearby coins and spiritual energy, and pills that made him immune to all damage for a short time...
In short, playing... no, practicing felt fantastic.
After a dizzying barrage of traps, Zhang Ming finally reached his limit and was caught by the Demonic Monster behind him.
Trial over!
Score: 5336
Distance fled: 2407 steps
Current rank: 1
Seeing himself in first place put Zhang Ming in a wonderful mood.
He had actually taken first place half an hour ago.
But his score and distance now were clearly beyond the reach of the other Outer Disciples.
"Huh? There's a Leaderboard too?"
Only then did Zhang Ming notice that, besides his results, the screen offered a Leaderboard and an option to return to the Home Page.
He checked the Leaderboard.
Sure enough, his score was twice that of second place. The sight left him deeply satisfied.
Seeing that the arrogant, overbearing Wang Ba from earlier ranked fourth from last made him feel even better.
"Return to Home Page? What's that?"
Curious again, he hurriedly tapped it.
An image of a Chibi Male Cultivator appeared before him, bearing some resemblance to him.
"Artifacts? Mounts? Cultivation Methods? What are all these?"
Zhang Ming was utterly baffled.
He had never heard of anything like them.
Below the character, he saw two gray boxes labeled "Artifacts" and "Mounts." Both were completely empty.
Another box was labeled "Cultivation Methods," and this one contained a little book.
When Zhang Ming opened it, he found the words "Rocket Art" written on it.
Whoever had named it had hardly put any thought into it.
But after opening it and taking a look, he understood.
A Cultivation Method was a Skill he could use after filling his spiritual energy gauge in the game. Rocket Art was the speed boost he had used earlier.
"So there are other abilities too? What do Mounts and Artifacts do?"
Zhang Ming grew even more interested.
These features were so far beyond anything he knew that he couldn't make sense of them at all.
But he soon found the answer in the Shop.
The Spirit Stones earned in the game could be used to buy items in the Shop.
Artifacts, Mounts, and Cultivation Methods could all be bought there.
Simply put, they gave players more attributes and Skills.
In Lu Ze's previous life, features like these had been everywhere. Every pay-to-win mobile game had them.
Lu Ze had brought them over not to earn Spirit Stones, but to keep players coming back.
If the disciples had nothing to work toward, they would play once and leave. Where would that leave his reputation as a man of the Demon Path?
Lu Ze had to give the players a goal!
Hadn't had enough running?
Buy an Immortal Beast to run alongside you!
Were the later stages too hard?
Buy a Protective Artifact and get another life!
Was the starting speed-boost Skill too weak?
Come on, buy a better one and you could fly!
Lu Ze had created the Shop to keep players coming back.
Every purchase used in-game Spirit Stones rather than real ones, so it was essentially free.
The prices were absurdly high, though, practically forcing players to grind themselves into the ground.
The attribute boosts weren't too outrageous either, so they wouldn't wreck the game's balance and make everyone quit.
After browsing every item in the Shop, Zhang Ming stared at his Spirit Stone total in dismay.
"How strange. I clearly picked up more than ten thousand Spirit Stones. Why do I have fewer than a thousand now?"
Zhang Ming muttered to himself in confusion.
He had never looked closely enough to notice that what he picked up in the game was called "Spirit Stone Fragments" and "Spirit Stone Dust."
People of the ancient world who had never been burned by Pinduoduo were so innocent.
"Never mind. That Golden Horned Immortal Beast only costs 1,000 Spirit Stones. I'll be able to buy it soon."
Simple-minded as he was, Zhang Ming quickly reassured himself.
The Golden Horned Immortal Beast was a purple-rarity Mount at the Spirit Transformation Stage. Its effects increased movement speed by 10% and Spirit Stone gains by 20%.
Zhang Ming figured that once he bought the Golden Horned Immortal Beast, he could gather Spirit Stones faster and buy other items sooner.
Above Spirit Transformation were gold-rarity Mounts at the Refining Void Stage.
Their effects were even more outrageous.
"Another few hours, and I'll have 1,000 Spirit Stones..."
Zhang Ming was patient, but he wasn't very observant.
The Spirit Stones in his Backpack had gray borders. They were called Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
The Spirit Stones needed to buy the Golden Horned Immortal Beast had purple borders. They were High-Grade Spirit Stones.
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