Save Face for the Inner Disciples!

Xiao Hongzhi was dumbfounded too.

An Illusion Realm Trial?

Demonic Path Escape?

I have no idea either!

As a veteran Inner Disciple, he had never even heard the name.

Inner Disciples could enter and leave the Training Ground freely and use the Illusion Tower whenever they liked.

But it would be a stretch to call the thing miraculous, much less popular.

Illusion Realm Trials were merely practical.

Disciples with no combat experience, for instance, could fight illusions of demonic beasts inside, build experience, and avoid dropping dead the moment they ventured out.

Some courses also held their assessments there, setting up challenges to keep students from getting hurt.

And the handful of battle maniacs who loved a fight could challenge a sliver of will left behind by a Grandmaster...

Practical, certainly, but hardly popular.

The truly worthwhile Illusion Realms were the ones where you could challenge illusions of Great Demons or Grandmasters.

But unlocking those cost a fortune in Spirit Stones, putting them beyond the reach of ordinary Outer Disciples.

Normally, the area for Illusion Realm training was deserted. It was rare to see anyone come or go.

Yet these Outer Disciples had come out beaming and chattering, still hungry for more.

From what they were saying, they meant to go back for Spirit Stones, buy Temporary Tokens, then return to continue the Trial?

They even planned to keep at it all night?

"Have the Outer Disciples seen too little of the world... or are they just that hardworking?"

Xiao Hongzhi looked at his junior brother, equally baffled.

However little they had seen, an Illusion Realm Trial should not have left them this awestruck.

Especially not a beginner's Trial for practicing the Cloud Shattering Art.

He had heard of this Illusion Realm. Supposedly, it was the work of a disciple from the Artifact Forging Hall who had only just learned to build Secret Realms.

It made sense. What Grandmaster would go to all that trouble to create a Secret Realm for a rudimentary movement technique?

The quality of a disciple's practice project was easy to imagine.

Supposedly, all you did was leap back and forth between two mountains to get used to the movement technique. That was it.

The more Xiao Hongzhi thought about it, the less it added up.

Even Outer Disciples could not possibly hail a work like that as a marvel, could they?

Unless...

They really were that hardworking?

Hiss!

Xiao Hongzhi sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly feeling immense pressure.

The disciples of the Spirit Cloud Sect pushed themselves relentlessly.

Now that he knew even the Outer Disciples were neglecting food and sleep to train, Xiao Hongzhi felt guilty standing there sipping tea.

"But they were talking about Spirit Stones, Spirit Beasts, Artifacts, and even fleeing pursuit by the Demon Cult?"

The confusion in his junior brother's eyes deepened.

"Senior Brother Xiao, have you ever heard of an Illusion Realm Trial like that?"

"How about... we go take a look?"

Xiao Hongzhi made the suggestion.

"Exactly what I was thinking."

Half an hour later.

The two had just exited Demonic Path Escape and were staring at each other.

"Senior Brother, how far did you run?"

"Only three hundred steps... You?"

"A little worse than you. Just over two hundred."

Xiao Hongzhi looked at the eager Outer Disciples around them, his expression conflicted.

Before leaving, he had checked the Leaderboard.

He had been rather pleased with his three hundred steps, only to discover he had not even made the top hundred!

The disciple in first place, a man named Zhang Ming, had reached a heaven-defying two thousand steps.

But the problem was...

The Outer Disciples were all at the Qi Refining Stage.

And he was at the Golden Core Stage!

A dignified Golden Core Stage Inner Disciple had lost to Outer Disciples in a Trial?

And by such a huge margin?

How was he supposed to show his face again!?

"Senior Brother, is there something wrong with this Illusion Realm Trial...?"

Yang Zhuo sounded utterly dejected.

"Not necessarily."

Xiao Hongzhi shook his head.

He did have more experience, after all.

"We didn't enter with our real bodies. An Illusion Realm Trial can restrict cultivation stages... I'm afraid the Grandmaster who built this Illusion Realm altered the rules here."

Xiao Hongzhi was right.

That was exactly what Lu Ze had done.

The moment players entered the game, their cultivation was suppressed to the Qi Refining Stage.

The many abilities granted by their Root Bones and cultivation could not take effect.

Otherwise, whoever had the higher cultivation would be better at the game, and the players certainly would not stick around.

Why play a game at all?

They might as well go train outside and raise their cultivation.

Lu Ze needed to draw in as many players as possible.

Whether they were Grandmasters who could soar through the heavens and burrow into the earth or unremarkable Qi Refining cultivators, he wanted them all.

With his own cultivation only at the Qi Refining Stage, he naturally could not suppress someone at the Golden Core Stage.

Fortunately, the Grandmasters who had developed Illusion Realm Trials had long since perfected the relevant Spells. Lu Ze only had to use them.

"So that's it. No wonder."

His junior brother understood at last.

"No!"

Xiao Hongzhi shook his head firmly, picked up his token, and poured Spiritual Energy into it again.

"If word gets out that we Inner Disciples lost to Outer Disciples, we'll be a laughingstock."

"I'm taking back that top spot!"

"Have you heard? The Artifact Forging Hall has a new Illusion Realm Trial. They say the Inner Disciples got ground into the dirt by Outer Disciples!"

"No way! The gap between Inner and Outer Disciples is enormous."

"Why would I make it up? Even Xiao Hongzhi from Qingfeng Mountain lost! I heard it was a crushing defeat, and he's furious about it."

"Even Xiao Hongzhi lost? Golden Core beaten by Qi Refining?"

"How embarrassing! Watch me go win back the Inner Disciples' pride."

News that Xiao Hongzhi had lost to Outer Disciples in an Illusion Realm Trial spread like wildfire.

More and more Inner Disciples came to the Artifact Forging Hall to try Demonic Path Escape.

Not one disciple who went in managed to walk back out the door.

Inner Disciples had more ways to communicate, after all.

The Spiritual Sense transmission channel dissolved into chaos.

"Damn, this Trial has hidden depths! Disciples of Ten Thousand Beasts Peak, assemble at once!"

"Hiss... This year's Outer Disciples are that strong?"

"This is fun, this is fun! This Trial is incredible."

"Fun? Aren't you fighting?"

"Hahaha! I finally broke two thousand steps! First place will be mine any day now!!"

"Two thousand steps? First place is almost at three thousand!"

"Zhang Ming, a monster among Outer Disciples, has covered three thousand steps at the Qi Refining Stage. A hundred Inner Disciples have fallen... Everyone, come quickly! Let's bring him down together and save face for the Inner Disciples!"

"Zhang Ming? Why have I never heard that name before?"

"What's all this about three thousand steps? I don't understand a word of it."

"Stop talking. You'll understand when you get here!"