Chapter Summaries

Summary

• A system quest instructs Lu Ze to build the Demon Path’s Treasure Land so that greedy Righteous cultivators fight over its riches and kill one another. Each such death permanently grants him an extra 10 Demonic Value while he is inside the Treasure Land.
• Lu calculates that this reward effectively makes every death worth as much as that of Chao Wendao, a top Refining Void Realm powerhouse—a huge boost compared with the reduced Demonic Value normally earned in the Illusion Realm. Excited by the permanent benefit, he abandons his plans for the larger Grand Battlefield mode and starts considering which Firefight Mode map to create first: Zero Dam or Ascension Base.
• At Spirit Cloud Sect, Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen wonder why Lu Ze has disappeared and lament the lack of a new Illusion Realm. Zhong Yi recounts how one of Lu’s creations made Li break through in anger, after which she attacked him at Glazed Fire Peak with a barrage of ice swords. Mu agrees Lu deserved it, though she worries that his injuries might affect his ability to make more realms. Zhong Yi suspects he suffered only minor wounds.
• Zhou Yue then arrives in a fury with news that the Illusion Alliance has copied another of Lu’s Illusion Realms—and this time received a reward from the Heavenly Dao.

Character developments and interactions

Lu’s focus shifts from ambitious battlefield design to maximizing the quest’s unusually lucrative, lasting reward. Zhong Yi and Mu’s teasing conversation shows their familiarity with Lu and their dependence on his Illusion Realms for entertainment; Mu’s concern also reveals some affection beneath her mockery. Zhou Yue’s angry entrance sets up a new conflict over the Illusion Alliance’s copying of Lu’s work.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes the system’s ruthless, game-like incentives: greed and death become tools for accumulating power. It also develops the tension between Lu’s creative success and the Illusion Alliance’s imitation, while using the sect’s playful banter to contrast with the deadly scheme he is planning.

Plot points

• The Illusion Alliance releases “Eight Directions Venerables,” an Illusion Realm that closely replicates Naraka: Bladepoint: players scavenge for gear, escape a shrinking poison zone, and fight to be the last team standing.
• Its main twist is a cast of characters divided among eight factions—including the Five Great Sects, the Royal Family, Rogue Cultivators, and Demon Cultivators. Their abilities are based on familiar Naraka mechanics, adapted to the setting.
• Zhong Yi tests the game and recognizes it as a polished imitation, built by mapping Naraka characters and abilities onto the cultivation world, with a few less successful original characters added.
• The game is already popular, and Zhou Yue explains why: players can earn Spirit Stones simply by spending time inside it.
• Zhong Yi worries that the financial incentive could draw players away from Naraka and threaten Junior Brother Lu’s success. Zhou Yue and Mu Yawen instead take his concern as evidence that Lu is likely to have a new Illusion Realm ready.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi is discerning about the imitation’s borrowed mechanics, but quickly becomes anxious about its popularity and the danger it poses to Lu.
• Zhou Yue is openly disgusted by the Alliance’s Spirit Stone reward scheme and teases Zhong Yi for sounding as if he expects Lu to have everything under control.
• Mu Yawen follows the others into the Illusion Realm and cheerfully shares Zhou Yue’s confidence in Lu.
• Their exchange ends on a comic note: Zhong Yi is left speechless by how readily his worry is interpreted as confidence in Lu.

Significant themes

• Imitation and originality: The Alliance repackages Naraka’s successful design, adapting its systems to the cultivation setting.
• Competition through incentives: Spirit Stone rewards show how platforms can attract and retain players through material benefits, not just quality.
• Confidence in Lu: Zhong Yi’s doubts contrast with his companions’ near-automatic faith that Lu has another solution ready.

Plot points and events

• At the Illusion Alliance’s base, leader Heart Demon reveals a mysterious Heavenly Dao blessing: after a month, it will produce a reward determined by the quality of its recipient’s illusion world.
• Rewards come in three tiers, from ordinary items to rare treasures and a single first-tier ancient treasure. The gathered members assume Heart Demon will win the top prize and flatter him.
• Despite his confidence, Heart Demon remains uneasy and asks whether the Spirit Cloud Sect’s Lu Ze has made any moves. He is told Lu Ze has been recuperating. Heart Demon declares that the top prize belongs to the Illusion Alliance.
• At the Spirit Cloud Sect, Lu Ze shows the Heavenly Dao fragment his transformed illusion world, now featuring torrents pouring through a damaged dam and a connected two-story building he calls its “work area.”
• Lu Ze gives the fragment a black cloak and red mask as its work uniform. The fragment then sends a ball of light into Lu Ze’s forehead, explaining that its own reward system was inspired by the rules in his illusion world.

Character developments and interactions

• Heart Demon enjoys public praise and presents himself as the likely winner, but his lingering concern about Lu Ze reveals insecurity and rivalry.
• Lu Ze has substantially developed his illusion world and continues treating the Heavenly Dao fragment in a casual, playful manner.
• The Heavenly Dao fragment shows that Lu Ze’s previous illusion world influenced its thinking. It accepts the unusual uniform and gives Lu Ze a chance to earn a reward.

Significant themes

• Competition and ambition: Heart Demon stakes the Illusion Alliance’s claim to the highest reward, while Lu Ze may still be a rival.
• Influence and reciprocity: Lu Ze’s creative rules inspire the Heavenly Dao fragment, which responds by offering him a reward.
• Appearances versus uncertainty: Heart Demon’s allies presume he will win, but the actual rewards—and the eventual winner—remain unknown.

Plot points

• Lu Ze discovers that the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao has divided the Illusion Competition’s rewards into prize tiers. The top prize is the Dao Transformation Art, a technique that lets its user become the Dao of a space they created and control everything within it.
• The Art resembles a Spell Lu Ze once devised by making himself the Heavenly Dao of an Illusion Realm. He realizes the technique could let him shape entire worlds, stories, and characters, and becomes determined to win first place.
• After spending half a month completing a detailed Delta Force Illusion Realm, Lu Ze emerges from seclusion. His Cyber Souls helped finish the project, though Zhou Qiaoling appears to have spent some of her time stealing a Night-Shining Pearl.
• Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue tell Lu Ze that the Illusion Alliance has created a Naraka: Bladepoint-inspired Illusion Realm and received a reward from the Heavenly Dao. They suspect a powerful figure is backing the Alliance.
• Lu Ze dismisses the threat, confident that changing trends will make the rival concept fade. He declares the Dao Transformation Art will be his.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze shifts from indifference about the competition’s rewards to fierce ambition after learning about the Dao Transformation Art. He remains confident and dismissive of the Illusion Alliance.
• Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue are exhausted from waiting outside Lu Ze’s sealed pavilion and are concerned by the Alliance’s success. They jokingly acknowledge their habit of jumping to conclusions while emphasizing that the rival Illusion Realm is genuinely impressive.
• Zhou Qiaoling’s Cyber Soul is shown sneaking a valuable pearl, suggesting the Cyber Souls are increasingly behaving like their original selves.
• Lu Ze thanks his Cyber Souls for their hard work and considers buying them rewards, but also catches Zhou Qiaoling’s mischief.

Significant themes

• Creativity and mastery: Lu Ze’s ability to build Illusion Realms makes the Dao Transformation Art especially valuable to him.
• Ambition and competition: The Heavenly Dao’s reward turns the contest into a personal goal for Lu Ze.
• Changing trends: Lu Ze believes even popular formats can be overtaken, so he sees the Alliance’s success as temporary.
• Blurring of creator and creation: Lu Ze’s earlier Spell—and the Cyber Souls’ growing resemblance to their originals—suggests that Illusion Realms and their inhabitants can take on a life of their own.

Key plot points

• Lu Ze announces a new Illusion Realm, Immortal Abyss Continent Operation, and gives Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue crystal copies.
• The Realm lets up to three cultivators choose their own equipment, enter a Secret Realm, and compete for resources. Lu Ze explains that, unlike real expeditions, its illusory stakes encourage players to weigh gear, risk, and potential losses—creating a distinctive loot-and-extract experience.
• Lu Ze declines to join Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue. Their usual companions are unavailable, so they decide to invite Zhou Qiaoling, making Lu Ze visibly uneasy because of her past habit of hiding valuable loot.
• Lu Ze promotes the launch through the Forum. Thousands of cultivators quickly enter the new Realm.
• When their crystal activates, Zhong Yi, Zhou Yue, and a reluctant Zhou Qiaoling enter together. An animated opening sequence begins.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze shows confidence in his new design and understands that its appeal lies not just in combat, but in equipment choices, resource management, and player behavior. He also reacts nervously to the prospect of Qiaoling joining.
• Zhong Yi is immediately enthusiastic, eagerly studying the crystal and urging Zhou Yue to enter.
• Zhou Yue is curious but initially sees little difference between the game and ordinary Secret Realm expeditions.
• Zhou Qiaoling dismisses the Realm as unoriginal and lacks interest in fighting for its own sake, but joins the others anyway. Her earlier secretive looting helps explain Lu Ze’s concern.

Significant themes

• Risk and reward: Illusory consequences change how cultivators approach equipment and danger compared with real-life expeditions.
• Economics and strategy in games: Lu Ze sees resource allocation, loot decisions, and varied player behavior—not combat alone—as the Realm’s core appeal.
• The influence of promotion and community: The linked Forum rapidly draws thousands of players into the launch.

Plot and events

• Lu Ze creates an animated introduction for Immortal Abyss Continent Operation, setting it in an era when spiritual energy and traditional Spells are fading and cultivators depend on Spirit Artifacts.
• Zhong Yi is quickly drawn into the setting, especially its three factions: the Evil Havoc Syndicate, Asara Rogue Cultivators, and the Righteous Alliance. He enters the Illusion Realm as Genius Cultivator and starts a multiplayer tutorial with Zhou Yue and Zhou Qiaoling.
• The trio choose character classes. Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue both pick Red Wolf, a Vanguard, while Zhou Yue teases Zhong Yi that he should have chosen the Hive Medic. Qiaoling, unimpressed by the characters and the premise, urges them to get on with it.
• The tutorial begins with weapon use. Zhong Yi recognizes the strange devices as Guns, having paid attention to the introduction. Zhou Yue, who missed the explanation, mistakes his weapon for something to strike with and hits an approaching enemy with its stock.
• The enemy is unharmed, becomes hostile, and fires back. Zhou Yue is left questioning the weapon’s usefulness and complains that the Artifact is poorly made.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi is enthusiastic, curious, and eager to act as squad leader; he understands the setting and tries to explain the weapons, but is cut off by Zhou Yue.
• Zhou Yue is excitable and impulsive, rushing into action before understanding the controls or the Gun.
• Zhou Qiaoling is skeptical and impatient, treating the tutorial as dull while her companions bicker.
• The familiar teasing between Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue establishes their easygoing camaraderie, while Qiaoling plays the exasperated voice of reason.

Significant themes

• The chapter introduces a world where technological-seeming Spirit Artifacts—especially Guns—compensate for the decline of magic.
• It contrasts careful attention to the story with careless assumptions: Zhong Yi understands the weapon because he watched the introduction, while Zhou Yue’s misunderstanding creates the tutorial’s comic mishap.
• The cliffhanger sets up the challenge of learning unfamiliar tools and mechanics in the Illusion Realm.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Yue struggles with his new firearm, the [Mingju-15], until Zhong Yi explains that spirit bullets work like talismans being launched from an artifact.
• Zhong Yi demonstrates—but fires wide, leaving the Asara rogue cultivator unharmed. Zhou Yue then handles the weapon correctly, killing the enemy with two headshots.
• The two cultivators enthusiastically test the weapons and abilities in the tutorial barracks, ignoring prompts to move on. Zhou Qiaoling, unimpressed, leaves to follow the quest marker.
• At the marker, she finds a small green box identified as the Immortal Master’s Secret Cache. Her breathing quickens and her eyes light up.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi enjoys teaching Zhou Yue, though his own demonstration ends in an embarrassing miss.
• Zhou Yue quickly grasps the firearm’s operation and becomes fascinated by the new weapons and their unusual combat abilities.
• Zhou Qiaoling remains dismissive of the game’s low-level equipment and dislikes the tutorial, viewing it as dull cultivation training. The cache, however, sparks an unexpected reaction.
• Zhong Yi and Zhou Yue joke and banter as they explore the weapons; Zhou Qiaoling’s frustration contrasts with their excitement.

Significant themes

• Variety and player choice: Lu Ze’s design aims to support different play styles and kinds of players, rather than letting only highly skilled specialists dominate.
• Short time-to-kill and accessibility: Firearms make ambushes and modest gear more consequential, unlike long melee fights where experts can often recover and win.
• Novelty and immersion: Blending modern-style guns with cultivation artifacts makes unfamiliar FPS mechanics feel natural within the fantasy setting.
• Loot as motivation: Zhou Qiaoling’s sudden interest in the cache hints that rewards may appeal even to someone who finds the combat uninteresting.

Key events

• Zhou Qiaoling searches an Immortal Master’s Secret Cache using Spiritual Sense. Items appear one at a time, building suspense; she finds blue, purple, and gold loot, including a valuable Formation Blueprint.
• She rushes to open every nearby container, leaving Zhou Yue and Zhong Yi to discover the new loot system for themselves. Zhong Yi enjoys the random rewards, while Zhou Yue gets only two low-value green face towels.
• The group learns that high-value items can be stored in a two-slot Reincarnation Seal and kept even if they fail to evacuate. Zhou Qiaoling immediately complains that two slots are far too few.
• After a brief Skill lesson, the trio reaches the extraction point and defeats an AI opponent. Its body turns into a loot box containing valuable gear.
• Zhou Qiaoling swiftly takes the best items—including Zhou Yue’s prized Heavenly Soldier Type IV—before he can collect them. The group successfully evacuates, and the results screen lists the value each player extracted.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Qiaoling reveals her overwhelming enthusiasm for loot, quickly reverting to her acquisitive habits after previously calling the Illusion Realm boring. She secretly enjoys finding a revealing dudou and teases that she will tell Senior Sister Li about Lu Ze’s supposed tastes.
• Zhou Yue is frustrated by his sister’s looting and poor haul, but regains confidence in combat. His excitement over a powerful gun turns to fury when Qiaoling steals it.
• Zhong Yi appreciates the mechanics and recognizes how random container contents and limited inventory slots create strategic choices. He sees strong potential in the game, though he is puzzled by the results screen’s “value extracted” tally.
• The trio’s party chat and shared discoveries turn the tutorial into a mix of learning, friendly competition, and sibling squabbling.

Significant themes

• Suspense and reward: Revealing loot gradually makes each search feel like a gamble.
• Strategy and scarcity: Random rewards, limited storage, and the Reincarnation Seal encourage decisions about what to keep.
• Immersion through explanation: Game mechanics are framed as natural uses of Spiritual Sense and artifacts, so cultivators readily accept them.
• Playful rivalry: Qiaoling’s opportunistic looting contrasts with Zhou Yue’s combat pride and Zhong Yi’s analytical curiosity.

Plot points and events

• After the match, Zhong Yi, Zhou Yue, and Zhou Qiaoling are sent to the Special Operations Office, a large base with facilities for healing, crafting, training, missions, auctions, and intelligence.
• Zhong Yi works out that the office is each player’s personal base and that teammates can teleport between it and their shared team space. Lu Ze, the realm’s creator, hadn’t planned that explanation—but makes it true by adding teleportation arrays.
• The group discovers that many base services require departmental reputation. They then choose a mission: only Zero Dam and its normal mode are available.
• Zhong Yi realizes that this game has a persistent economy: extracted supplies can fund better equipment for later matches. Zhou Yue is excited by the chance to improve his odds through preparation.
• Rather than risk their own belongings, the trio redeem standard Menial Disciple equipment vouchers and enter their first match with basic gear.
• They arrive by spirit boat, rappel down into the map, and hear the game’s motto: “Fight, search, get it done and extract!” Zhou Qiaoling jokingly misinterprets “get it done” as extortion.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi proves perceptive and strategic, quickly understanding both the base’s teleportation system and the game’s long-term economy. He teases Zhou Yue about how little wealth he has.
• Zhou Yue is eager to loot and make money, and quickly grasps why persistent equipment progression suits him.
• Zhou Qiaoling shares the group’s enthusiasm and brings a playful, mischievous tone to their first deployment.
• Lu Ze observes from the Main World, amused by Zhong Yi’s explanations. He has deliberately carried over frustrating mission mechanics from other games, hoping players’ frustration will generate emotional points.

Significant themes

• Progression and risk: Extracted loot can strengthen future runs, linking matches through a persistent economy.
• Preparation versus skill: Better equipment may help, though Lu Ze hints that losing gear and going bankrupt will reveal the system’s real challenge.
• Playful creator–player dynamic: Lu Ze adapts the world around Zhong Yi’s interpretations while secretly designing systems to provoke players.
• Shared adventure: The trio’s teamwork, jokes, and differing reactions establish a lighthearted start to the new game mode.

Key plot points

• Zhou Qiaoling, Zhou Yue, and Zhong Yi reach the eastern side of Zero Dam’s Administrative Palace. Qiaoling races ahead and quickly loots the nearby buildings.
• They encounter an Asara machine-gun cultivator whose weapon resembles the Plants vs. Zombies Gatling Shooter. Zhou Yue and Zhong Yi speculate that Lu Ze may have been foreshadowing firearms in his designs.
• The soldier’s weapon fires a torrent of spirit bullets. They inexplicably target Zhou Yue while leaving Zhong Yi unharmed, reinforcing the joke that Zhou Yue has terrible luck.
• After defeating the soldier, Zhou Yue finds almost no loot. Qiaoling teases him over his poor drops, and the others accept his misfortune as familiar.
• Qiaoling clears the Administrative Palace’s first floor before the men catch up, then opens a spiritual-sense-locked coffer in the Steward Hall. She obtains a gold-tier goblet and, after a longer spin, a red-tier gold bar.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Qiaoling is unusually capable at navigating the Illusion Realm despite her usual tendency to get lost. Her sharp eye for treasure and fast looting let her repeatedly outpace Zhou Yue and Zhong Yi.
• Zhou Yue is competitive and eager to claim valuable loot, but his bad luck turns the fight and its rewards into comic setbacks. He denies that luck is to blame.
• Zhong Yi is more observant and cautious: he notices the unusual building design and studies the palace interior, while also sharing in the group’s speculation about Lu Ze’s intentions.
• The siblings’ playful rivalry is clear: Zhou Yue tries to hurry and fight for the loot, while Qiaoling beats him to it and laughs at his misfortune. Zhong Yi gently consoles him.

Significant themes

• The chapter blends cultivation-world elements with game-like mechanics: loot boxes, rarity tiers, inventories, health bars, and puzzle-locked treasure.
• Lu Ze’s worldbuilding seems to hint at later technological developments, prompting the characters to wonder whether the gun-like weapon was planned all along.
• Luck and treasure-hunting drive the humor, especially through the contrast between Qiaoling’s success and Zhou Yue’s consistently poor results.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Qiaoling shows Zhong Yi several items she has found, including unusually large, valuable-looking objects. Zhong Yi deduces that an item’s Backpack slots correspond to its physical size—and that larger items are generally more valuable.
• After defeating an Asara Shield Cultivator, Zhou Yue finds a six-slot item and expects a fortune. It turns out to be a blue Bag of Corn, worth less per slot than ordinary blue items and so heavy that it drags him down. He angrily throws it away, only for it to land on his toes and cost him health.
• The group prepares to search the Administrative Palace’s west building after hearing rapid gunfire there. Zhou Yue charges toward the fight, while Zhou Qiaoling claims she will support him but actually heads downstairs to keep searching for loot.
• Zhong Yi checks the map and spots a Boss Activity Area warning. Before he can get Zhou Yue to safety, the boss—Evil Venerable Yide—ambushes him in the corridor. Yide fires an impossibly fast burst of purple-flamed spirit bullets, killing Zhou Yue almost instantly.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi displays sharp observational and analytical skills, interpreting the relationship between item size, Backpack slots, and value. He also recognizes the danger on the map and tries to warn Zhou Yue.
• Zhou Qiaoling is greedy and playful: she has already eaten all the loot nearby, laughs at Zhou Yue’s bad fortune, and uses a fake offer of support to slip away and search for more.
• Zhou Yue swings between excitement and frustration. He clings to the apparent promise of a six-slot treasure, then lashes out when the corn proves disappointing. Eager to redeem his bad luck through combat, he underestimates the boss and is killed before he can fire.
• The siblings tease and provoke each other, while Zhong Yi acts as the practical voice of caution. Zhou Yue’s confidence contrasts sharply with the boss’s overwhelming speed and firepower.

Significant themes

• Appearances can mislead: A large item is not automatically valuable; the Bag of Corn is bulky, heavy, and comparatively cheap.
• Greed and impulsiveness carry risks: The characters’ hunger for loot and Zhou Yue’s eagerness for a fight distract them from danger.
• Power can be brutally unequal: Zhou Yue’s confidence is no match for Yide, whose speed and firepower reveal how deadly the boss encounter is.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Yue is killed almost instantly by Evil Venerable Yide (Said), but survives as a soul inside Zhong Yi’s Return-Soul Bottle, where he can watch events.
• Zhou Qiaoling, desperate to protect her valuable loot, tries to sneak away. She opens a weapon crate, alerting a nearby rogue cultivator and drawing Said’s attention.
• Said swiftly kills Zhou Qiaoling with a rocket. She, too, becomes a soul in Zhong Yi’s bottle and mourns the gold and rare loot she can no longer recover.
• Said’s footsteps approach Zhong Yi. Zhou Yue urges him to retreat, while Zhou Qiaoling pressures him to stay—partly because she wants her loot back. Their bickering deepens Zhong Yi’s indecision.
• When Said appears, Zhong Yi steels himself for a fight and declares he will face death with dignity. Unexpectedly, Said ignores him and walks away.

Character developments

• Zhong Yi struggles between self-preservation and loyalty to his fellow disciples. Though anxious and inexperienced, he finds the resolve to stand his ground.
• Zhou Yue remains pragmatic, recognizing Said’s overwhelming strength and advising Zhong Yi to escape.
• Zhou Qiaoling is driven by greed and fear of losing her loot. Even after death, she tries to persuade Zhong Yi to risk himself so they can retrieve it.
• Said / Evil Venerable Yide is shown as a terrifying, efficient killer, though his inexplicable decision to ignore Zhong Yi creates a comic twist.

Significant themes

• Courage versus survival: Zhong Yi must choose between fleeing and facing a seemingly unbeatable enemy.
• Greed and its consequences: Zhou Qiaoling’s fixation on loot leads her to expose herself and get killed.
• Comic contrast: Dramatic, ominous buildup is undercut by the absurdity of the characters’ gaming concerns and Said’s sudden indifference.
• Death as temporary: The Return-Soul Bottles turn defeat into spectating, preserving the characters’ banter even after they are killed.

Character interactions

• Zhou Yue and Zhou Qiaoling bicker as souls, with Zhou Yue mocking her greed and Zhou Qiaoling insisting Zhong Yi should stay.
• Their conflicting advice leaves Zhong Yi even more confused as Said approaches.
• Zhong Yi’s bold declaration contrasts with the other characters’ expectation of his imminent death—and with Said’s casual choice to walk away.

Key plot points and events

• After Zhou Yue’s death, Zhong Yi sees a rare chance to surprise Evil Venerable Yide. He sneaks up and fires, but misses every shot because he can’t control the Mingju-15’s recoil.
• Yide turns toward him, forcing Zhong Yi to face the fight. The two exchange volleys at close range, yet both miss so badly that bullets pepper the walls behind them. They end up reloading without either being hurt.
• In the Illusion Realm’s Main Space, Lu Ze explains his “dynamic difficulty” rule to the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao: NPCs should match their strength to each player’s skill, both to keep casual players engaged and to create exciting challenges for stronger ones.
• The Fragment protests that Zhong Yi’s skill rating is only [5]—far below the lowest defined tier—and asks how he is supposed to fight such a weak player. Lu Ze jokingly advises him to miss too. Reluctant to break the rule, the Fragment withdraws and lets another NPC take over Yide.

Character developments

• Zhong Yi is determined and courageous, but his confidence and dramatic bravado exceed his shooting ability. When cornered, he still charges into the fight rather than fleeing.
• Zhou Yue, now a soul, coaches Zhong Yi and reacts with exasperated disbelief when he misses.
• Zhou Qiaoling urges Zhong Yi on, but her thoughts are partly fixed on protecting the loot in her Backpack.
• The Fragment of the Heavenly Dao reluctantly accepts the difficulty-balancing rule, though Zhong Yi’s extraordinarily low skill rating leaves him baffled and irritated.
• Lu Ze remains amused and unapologetic about using a system he once criticized, seeing it as both player protection and a source of emotional rewards.

Significant themes

• Dynamic difficulty and fairness: The realm adjusts NPC performance to a player’s ability, balancing challenge with accessibility.
• Comedy through incompetence: Zhong Yi’s solemn declarations clash with his inability to control his weapon, while even Yide’s shots become equally ineffective.
• Rules versus power: The Fragment can dominate players, but Lu Ze’s rules constrain how it may act.
• Courage despite weakness: Zhong Yi’s lack of skill does not prevent him from standing his ground.

Character interactions

• Zhou Yue and Zhou Qiaoling encourage Zhong Yi, though Zhou Yue’s support quickly turns into exasperation.
• Lu Ze explains and defends the rules to the Fragment, teasing it about the consequences of breaking them.
• In the final standoff, Zhong Yi and Yide unintentionally mirror each other, each firing wildly and reloading as the others look on in disbelief.

Plot points and events

• Zhong Yi defeats Evil Venerable Yide after a long fight, killing him with a dagger while the enemy reloads. He revives Zhou Yue with the Soul-Returning Bottle.
• The group discovers that revival reduces maximum health and appears to be possible only once; recovering fully will require returning to the Special Operations Office.
• Zhou Qiaoling eagerly inspects Yide’s loot. The trio divide the spoils, including valuable ammunition and equipment, though the gold Flame Hand Crossbow cannot be used.
• Zhou Yue hears approaching footsteps, allowing the group to evade an ambush and defeat a squad at the Administrative Palace. They loot the area and head toward extraction.
• Near the exit, Zhou Qiaoling rushes ahead with loot worth 1.3 million spirit stones and is immediately shot by three enemies camping the extraction point. The chapter ends with Zhou Yue and Zhong Yi realizing they have been ambushed.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi is proud of defeating Yide and boasts that he can protect the others. Zhou Yue teases him about his poor gameplay and terrible aim; Zhong Yi’s careless confidence also earns him the blame when his earlier comment about being safe proves ironic.
• Zhou Yue remains alert and perceptive, detecting footsteps and leading the group through a successful counterattack. He also keeps a close eye on the game’s mechanics.
• Zhou Qiaoling shows her enthusiasm for looting, carefully respecting Zhong Yi’s claim to Yide’s spoils while still enjoying the process. Her greed and excitement lead her to run ahead—and lose her hard-won haul when she is shot.

Significant themes

• The chapter plays with the contrast between cultivation-world expectations and shooter-game mechanics, treating loot, ammunition, footsteps, extraction, and revival as tactical systems.
• Comedy comes from mismatched competence and confidence: Zhong Yi’s swagger contrasts with his poor aim, while the group’s good fortune in combat gives way to a classic extraction-point ambush.
• The ending underlines the fragility of victory and accumulated loot: after surviving fights and collecting valuable items, the group can still lose everything in an instant.

Key events

• After being ambushed and robbed in their previous match, Zhou Yue, Zhou Qiaoling, and Zhong Yi decide to try the same tactic themselves: wait near an extraction point and ambush anyone carrying loot.
• Zhou Yue resists on moral and reputational grounds, but Zhou Qiaoling argues that the rewards are worth it, and the group agrees. He insists Zhong Yi must not kill anyone; Zhong Yi’s fame as the “Genius Cultivator” would make him easy to recognize.
• The trio enter another match and, by coincidence, spawn beside the extraction point where they were ambushed last time. They hide and wait for other players to arrive.
• After twenty minutes with no one showing up, Zhong Yi checks the map and discovers they have been waiting at the wrong extraction point. Extraction locations are on opposite sides depending on where players spawn, and theirs is across the map.
• With less than three minutes left, they scramble to reach it. Zhou Qiaoling laments that she has found a valuable item she cannot fit into her Reincarnation Seal.
• Meanwhile, the Illusion Alliance learns that Lu Ze has released another new Illusion Realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Yue condemns the ambush as dishonorable and worries about his reputation, but eventually yields to the group vote. He hides rather than take part and later jokes about the possibility that Evil Venerable Yide killed everyone.
• Zhou Qiaoling is eager to rob other players, drawing on her enjoyment of looting in Minecraft. She also admires Lu Ze’s strength, especially after hearing Li Moran admit she could not defeat him.
• Zhong Yi recognizes that ambushing loaded players is an effective strategy and confidently reassures the others—though he overlooks the crucial map detail. Zhou Yue teases his poor marksmanship, and Zhou Qiaoling takes offense when Zhong Yi calls her “little.”
• The group’s banter mixes rivalry, embarrassment, and growing complicity in the very tactics they had condemned.

Significant themes

• Changing moral standards: Zhou Yue’s outrage at underhanded tactics gives way to participation when the potential rewards become tempting.
• Strategy and unintended consequences: The ambush plan seems clever, but their assumption about the extraction point makes it pointless.
• Reputation and celebrity: Zhong Yi’s fame affects how he can act, while Zhou Yue fears the damage to his standing.
• Lu Ze’s influence: His innovations have shifted how cultivators behave in Illusion Realms, and his latest release promises another change.

Key events and plot points

• Heart Demon and the Illusion Alliance assess Lu Ze’s new game, “Immortal Abyss Continent Operation.” Several elders dismiss it as a stale secret-realm exploration game, criticize its reliance on guns and spirit bullets, and assume Lu Ze lacks experience designing such content.
• Heart Demon remains cautious despite sharing their doubts. He orders the Alliance to keep monitoring the game and summons the elders to Luofeng Continent to activate the Heaven and Earth Four Symbols formation.
• The formation uses the soul of someone with a primordial heavenly spirit body as its core and can probe illusion realms for hidden truths. It helped the Alliance improve “Eight Directions Venerables,” but its findings are incomplete, in part because of Heavenly Dao interference and suspected encryption by Lu Ze. The Alliance has also failed to uncover the secrets of “This Demonic Cultivator Is Not Too Cold.”
• The elders agree to assist, enticed by Heart Demon’s rewards. He declares that the Alliance will take first place this time.
• Meanwhile, Zhong Yi and his two companions have played nearly ten matches of Lu Ze’s game and are deeply absorbed in it. Zhong Yi finds it more engaging than “Naraka: Bladepoint” because players pursue different goals and use different extraction points, keeping the match unpredictable throughout.
• After five matches, players can unlock the new cultivator Wyvern. Zhong Yi chooses Wyvern, despite Zhou Yue teasing him and recommending his usual character, Hive Medic. With only one enemy left—a Wyvern—the match is poised for a Wyvern-versus-Wyvern showdown.

Character developments and interactions

• Heart Demon sets aside his initial skepticism and acts prudently, keeping watch on Lu Ze’s game while preparing the Alliance’s investigative formation. His confidence in the Alliance’s prospects remains high.
• The elders are dismissive of the new game but comply with Heart Demon’s summons because the potential rewards are attractive.
• Zhong Yi becomes an enthusiastic and confident player, convinced he has mastered Wyvern despite his friends’ doubts.
• Zhou Yue teases Zhong Yi while continuing to play effectively, highlighting the contrast between Zhong Yi’s bravado and his friends’ skepticism.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and varied player choice: The game’s appeal comes from players pursuing different objectives, making outcomes unpredictable from start to finish.
• Underestimating innovation: The Alliance judges the game by familiar conventions, while the players’ experience suggests Lu Ze’s design may be more compelling than they realize.
• Competition and adaptation: The Alliance prepares to investigate and outperform Lu Ze, while Zhong Yi and his companions learn new strategies through repeated play.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Yue and Zhong Yi continue fighting in Immortal Abyss Continent Operation. Confident in a one-on-one fight, Zhong Yi explains that he has been testing his Crouching Tiger Cannon and believes he can bounce its shell off walls so it explodes before an enemy can dodge.
• His carefully planned shot clips a crate, ricochets unpredictably, and returns to him, knocking him down. Zhou Yue covers him as the enemy throws Spirit-Draining Bombs.
• Zhong Yi activates his jet Spell before realizing the bombs are stuck beneath him. The jets send him flying into Zhou Yue; Zhou Qiaoling arrives carrying valuable loot just as the bombs explode, killing all three and destroying her prize. Zhou Yue scolds Zhong Yi for using Wyvern, while Zhong Yi vows to keep practicing.
• The trio burn through their generous launch-event supplies through repeated defeats. Zhou Yue still enjoys the combat and racks up many kills, despite his reckless pushes and frequent deaths to ambushes and mines.
• With their vouchers gone, the group considers buying equipment. Zhou Qiaoling is eager to keep treasure-hunting, and buys a Divine Mechanism Token for its larger Reincarnation Seal and supplies—an unusually extravagant purchase for her. Zhong Yi buys one too, thrilled by its fully equipped Heavenly Soldier package.
• Just as Zhong Yi prepares to return to the dam, he sees lightning and hears thunder in the lobby. The others see nothing, and Chao Wendao’s voice reveals the interruption: class is about to begin.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi is inventive and self-assured, but his ambitious plan and poor awareness turn into slapstick disaster. He remains undeterred and insists he can master the cannon.
• Zhou Yue is the team’s capable, loyal backup: he protects Zhong Yi even while mocking his recklessness. His confidence in Zhong Yi briefly rises, then collapses when the shot goes wrong.
• Zhou Qiaoling shows how much she loves the game’s loot-hunting mechanics. Her excitement over treasure leads her to make a rare in-game purchase, only for her prized loot to be lost in the team wipe.
• The trio’s banter—Zhou Yue’s exasperation, Zhong Yi’s defenses, and Qiaoling’s lament—keeps their friendship and comic chemistry central.

Significant themes

• Comic failure and camaraderie: The team repeatedly loses, but their shared enthusiasm and teasing keep them playing together.
• Risk, reward, and game appeal: Combat thrills Zhou Yue, while discovery and collecting motivate Qiaoling; the game offers each player a different pleasure.
• Confidence versus competence: Zhong Yi’s clever theory sounds promising, but unpredictable physics and hurried reactions undermine it.
• Immersion crossing into reality: Zhong Yi experiences effects others cannot see, setting up the abrupt return to the real-world obligation of class.

Key plot points and events

• After spending an entire night playing “Immortal Abyss Continent Operation,” Zhong Yi is caught by Grand Elder Chao Wendao just as dawn breaks. He had mistaken the sunrise for proof that it was still the previous evening, though his lesson begins in two hours.
• Chao initially scolds him for neglecting his responsibilities, but notices that Zhong Yi’s cultivation has advanced and his long-standing bottleneck may soon break. He concludes that Lu Ze’s illusions can benefit cultivators and advises Zhong Yi to spend more time in them.
• Zhong Yi teaches a packed class on Secret Realm expeditions. Distracted by the game, he answers practical questions with advice drawn from its mechanics—such as learning the map, avoiding valuable equipment, and watching for ambushes near teleportation arrays.
• Chao, secretly attending, is outraged by Zhong Yi’s bizarre answers. Though Zhong Yi’s teaching is otherwise sound, Chao sends him to Thunder Peak to reflect beneath divine lightning. Zhong Yi continues playing in the Illusion Tower while enduring the punishment.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi is a capable, knowledgeable teacher, but his gaming has consumed his attention and warped his answers. He is also surprised to discover that time in the illusion has coincided with progress in his cultivation.
• Chao Wendao shifts from anger to admiration when he sees Zhong Yi’s improvement, then back to discipline after the lecture. His punishment does not stop Zhong Yi from returning to the game.
• Their relationship is affectionate but strict: Chao scolds and punishes Zhong Yi, yet recognizes the value of his progress and does not confiscate his Illusion Tower.
• Zhong Yi’s students receive a chaotic mix of useful instruction and advice that only makes sense in the game.

Significant themes

• Illusions as tools for cultivation: The benefits of Lu Ze’s creations have grown from nourishing Spiritual Sense to inspiring insights and encouraging breakthroughs.
• The pull of entertainment versus responsibility: Zhong Yi’s enthusiasm for the game undermines his teaching, even as the illusion unexpectedly helps his cultivation.
• Time and immersion: Zhong Yi loses track of an entire night, showing how completely the virtual world absorbs him.
• Changing wisdom: Advice that seems absurd in a conventional lesson can be practical in the game’s dangerous, competitive setting.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Zhong Yi enjoys his supposed punishment on Thunder Peak, spending his days playing Immortal Abyss Continent Operation with Zhou Yue. The divine lightning occasionally disrupts the game, but he has grown used to it.
• Zhou Yue wants to return to Longbow Valley and asks Zhong Yi for a more powerful weapon to deal with its snipers. Zhong Yi recommends the high-recoil Heavenly Soldier Type XIV, confident in his expertise as a gun modifier.
• Chao Wendao suddenly summons Zhong Yi and ends his punishment. Zhong Yi is so comfortable gaming that he briefly asks to remain under punishment, but Chao refuses and tells him he will instead be rewarded.
• Chao explains that Zhong Yi’s advice about investigating before using a Teleportation Array saved thirty-four Spirit Cloud Sect disciples. Demon Path cultivators had infiltrated several sects and set a trap at a Secret Realm’s exit.
• Seven days after the game’s launch, Lu Ze checks its progress and sees that nearly seventy percent of his task is complete. The game’s popularity is surging, with players reaching new maps and sharing complaints, strategies, and stories on the Forum.
• Curious about the players’ use of the term “Old Six,” Lu Ze asks where it came from. Forum users explain that it refers to him, since he is known for setting traps and ambushing players. Lu Ze responds by muting several critics for “improper use of punctuation.”

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi is revealed to be highly skilled at weapon modification and popular for creating powerful, easy-to-use builds. Though his advice saves lives, he is awkward about being praised and gives a wry explanation of his lesson: righteous cultivators are not always as righteous as they appear.
• Zhou Yue is frustrated by snipers and weak ammunition, while Zhou Qiaoling complains that players hide throughout the maps. Their exchange highlights how game tactics are shaping their habits and vocabulary.
• Chao Wendao shifts from stern mentor to relieved and proud supporter, recognizing the real value of Zhong Yi’s unconventional lesson.
• Lu Ze enjoys the game’s success but remains petty when criticized, using his authority to silence players who mock him.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: The Righteous Path’s ideals do not prevent deception or tactical caution, and Zhong Yi’s “unrighteous” advice proves lifesaving.
• Unintended consequences: A lesson drawn from practical experience helps avert a major tragedy, even though it seemed unorthodox.
• Gaming culture and community: The game quickly develops its own slang, rivalries, strategies, and shared complaints among cultivators.
• Power and pettiness: Lu Ze’s playful public persona contrasts with his ability to punish critics through the Forum.

Key plot points and events

• On the Luofeng Continent, Illusion Alliance Leader Heart Demon uses the Four Symbols of Heaven and Earth formation to investigate the unexpectedly popular Immortal Abyss Continent Operation.
• The complex divination, powered by a Heavenly Spirit Body’s soul, breaks the formation but yields only fragmented information. Heart Demon believes the Heavenly Dao’s influence—and the difficulty of Lu Ze’s hidden encryption—makes the Illusion Realm unusually hard to decipher.
• The deduction identifies two core elements: match-specific currency and treasure hunting. Heart Demon suspects guns are another element, while the fourth remains unknown.
• Heart Demon and the four Elders decide to develop a competing mode for Eight Directions Venerables, borrowing the currency and treasure-hunting ideas but avoiding direct imitation of distinctive features. They reject guns and opt to use their own weapons and Skill System.
• Heart Demon thanks the Elders and declares that he and they will now take charge of Immortal Fate.

Character developments and interactions

• Heart Demon shifts from anxious investigation to confident planning. He is cautious about acting against the Spirit Cloud Sect and wary of provoking the Heavenly Dao through blatant copying.
• Rakshasa proposes targeting the Mother Crystal Stone, but Heart Demon cuts him off, signaling his preference for a less confrontational approach.
• The four Elders collaborate enthusiastically, offering ideas and criticizing the original game’s use of mundane treasures. Their discussion reveals both their expertise and their competitive desire to improve their own product.

Significant themes

• Competition and adaptation: The Alliance responds to a rival’s success by studying its design and developing a counteroffer.
• Innovation versus imitation: They want to borrow broad concepts while avoiding obvious copying that could invite punishment.
• Changing times: The characters recognize that Illusion Realms—and the Heavenly Dao’s role in them—have changed beyond what they once expected.