You Haven't Practiced Enough!

Three hours passed.

The first batch of Outer Disciples' Temporary Tokens reached their time limit.

Everyone who returned to the Training Hall had rosy cheeks and bright eyes.

"This Illusion Realm training really lives up to its reputation!"

"Not only does it work well, it's great fun too!"

"I'm so jealous of the Inner Disciples. They get to enjoy this every day!"

"Too bad we only have five days to train here."

"Right! And our tokens only last three hours a day..."

"I'm just a few Spirit Stones short of buying a Golden Core Stage Mount! Damn it!"

"If only I had a small Illusion Tower..."

"Those things cost 100 Spirit Stones each. They're way too expensive!"

The Outer Disciples whispered among themselves, gazing at the large Illusion Tower in the center with eyes full of reluctance.

The Training Hall's large Illusion Tower could admit ten thousand people into the Illusion Realm at once, making it convenient to train and instruct them together.

Small Illusion Towers were also sold within the sect.

But at 100 Spirit Stones each, they cost an astronomical sum for an ordinary Outer Disciple.

Lu Ze, standing on the raised platform, heard them and cleared his throat.

"Fellow disciples, I happen to have a batch of Temporary Tokens with no time limit for five days. They only grant access to Demonic Path Escape, though, and cost just one Spirit Stone each."

Lu Ze leisurely raised one finger.

The Outer Disciples below stared, their eyes nearly popping out.

If they hadn't been short on funds, they would have fought to buy a small Illusion Tower even if someone offered one for 100 Spirit Stones on the spot.

They were still riding the excitement, and Lu Ze had just told them one Spirit Stone would let them play as much as they wanted for five days. What was there to think about?

"I'll buy one!"

"Me too!"

"Does anyone have a spare Spirit Stone? Lend me one first, and I'll pay you back when I return."

"Senior Brother Lu, I'm going back to get a Spirit Stone... Could you save me a token?"

Their eyes shone. At that moment, Lu Ze looked like a saintly benefactor to them.

"No trouble at all. I have plenty of Temporary Tokens. Just come back after you've fetched your stones."

Lu Ze waved a hand.

He had anticipated this.

The Outer Disciples' tokens only allowed them three hours a day.

That wouldn't do. His task required them to neglect their proper duties for five whole days. How could he let them leave after three hours?

For the past three days, whenever Lu Ze wasn't making the game, he had worked day and night making Temporary Tokens for this very moment.

For the next five days, not a single one of them was leaving!

Seeing the way everyone in the Training Hall looked at him as though he were a Saint, Lu Ze knew he had succeeded.

"Bullshit! What kind of lousy training is this? It's nothing like what the Inner Disciples get. Do you look down on us Outer Disciples and give us the worst stuff on purpose?"

Wang Ba, who had been wearing a dark expression in the crowd, suddenly picked a fight.

Among all the delighted Outer Disciples, he was the only one who looked unhappy.

The reason was simple: he had ranked second from last in Demonic Path Escape.

A poor result would have been bad enough, but the Illusion Realm had publicly displayed the Leaderboard, letting everyone laugh at him.

A few days earlier, Wang Ba had used his elder brother's connections to try the basic movement-technique training Illusion Realm.

It was nothing like the current Demonic Path Escape!

He refused to accept his result.

He was convinced that if they had used the Inner Disciples' training Illusion Realm instead, he would have taken first place!

Wang Ba's words immediately drew the displeasure of the disciples around him.

"What's wrong with Demonic Path Escape?"

"Call me ignorant if you like, but I gained a great deal from today's training!"

"I've heard Inner Disciple seniors talk about Illusion Realm Trials. None sounded nearly as thrilling as what we did today!"

"Brother Wang, you're not just saying that because you did badly, are you?"

Voices rose from every side, arguing Wang Ba's face red.

"Wild boars can't appreciate fine bran. I won't waste my breath on frogs at the bottom of a well."

Wang Ba gritted his teeth.

Lu Ze narrowed his eyes at the loudly arguing Wang Ba.

Not everyone had a talent for games.

But with a result like Wang Ba's, he likely lacked more than gaming talent. His foundation in the Cultivation Method was probably shaky too.

The other Outer Disciples near the bottom of the rankings were animatedly discussing the game with those around them. None reacted like Wang Ba.

Judging by his gait and the rhythm of his breathing, Wang Ba's cultivation had probably been piled up with Heavenly Treasures. It was hollow through and through.

"If you have time to question Demonic Path Escape, you'd be better off practicing the Cloud Shattering Art more."

Lu Ze looked at Wang Ba with a half smile.

Wang Ba only grew angrier, veins bulging on his forehead. "You're only at the Third Floor of Qi Refining! Don't think getting lucky and becoming an Outer Disciple puts you above me! Once I enter the inner sect, I'll make you regret this!"

Lu Ze's gaze remained calm. "Get into the inner sect first."

"You..."

Wang Ba was furious.

If a genuine Inner Disciple had said that, he wouldn't have dared reply.

But Lu Ze was merely an Outer Disciple, with the title but none of the substance.

Besides, he was only at the Third Floor of Qi Refining.

Where did he get the nerve to speak to Wang Ba like that?

Wang Ba pointed at Lu Ze's nose and roared, "What gives you the right to say I haven't practiced the Cloud Shattering Art enough? This lousy Illusion Realm has nothing to do with the Cloud Shattering Art!"

Lu Ze narrowed his eyes slightly.

The next instant, he activated the Cloud Shattering Art and appeared behind Wang Ba in a flash.

"Because if you're bad, you need to practice more."

Lu Ze's voice was cold.

He had moved so fast that scarcely anyone among the Outer Disciples present had seen him clearly.

"No way! Has he mastered the Cloud Shattering Art?"

"Sure enough, no one gets into the inner sect without being exceptional."

"That's strange... I've known Brother Lu for a while, but I never heard he was skilled in movement techniques."

"We're both at Qi Refining, but the gap is enormous!"

Humiliated like that, Wang Ba's face shifted from green to red.

He hurriedly turned and left. "Hmph! We'll see about this!"

Watching Wang Ba walk away, Lu Ze found it rather laughable.

With talent like that and such an impatient, success-hungry temperament, there was no way he would get into the inner sect.

Lu Ze made up his mind.

If that fellow came back for the Trial, Lu Ze would design a set of stages just for him and make sure he held the last-place spot firmly.

People came and went across the Spirit Cloud Sect's Sect Plaza.

The Outer Disciples who had just left the Artifact Forging Hall's Training Hall walked along in a hurry.

Unlike Inner Disciples, most Outer Disciples had no Storage Rings.

And how many people carried Spirit Stones with them when they came to the peak to study?

So they could only return to the outer sect for Spirit Stones, then go back to buy Lu Ze's Temporary Tokens.

Along the way, the Outer Disciples eagerly discussed their experiences in Demonic Path Escape to tide themselves over.

"This Trial is really hard. I wonder when I'll make it past five hundred steps!"

"I heard Senior Brother Zhang Ming say there are loads of Formation traps after two thousand steps. It gets even harder!"

"Two thousand steps... I never knew Senior Brother Zhang Ming was so talented!"

"If we work hard enough, we can definitely break a thousand steps too."

"That's what I think! If I pick up enough Spirit Stones and buy a superior Spirit Beast, I'll definitely run much farther!"

"I think Artifacts are more useful. Having an extra life is always a good thing."

"...I meant working hard to practice the Cloud Shattering Art!"

"I really envy the Inner Disciples. They get to enjoy Illusion Realm Trials like this every day!"

Quite a few Inner Disciples were in the plaza.

Xiao Hongzhi was among them.

He was sipping tea and discussing the Dao with a senior fellow disciple when a group of Outer Disciples suddenly strode past, the wind beneath their feet.

True Inner Disciples had reached high cultivation stages, and their hearing and sight naturally far surpassed those of Outer Disciples.

The group's chatter came clearly to their ears.

The junior disciple beside him looked utterly puzzled.

"Illusion Realm Trial? Demonic Path Escape? Senior Brother Xiao, have you heard of this Trial?"