Chapter Summaries

Key events

• The Eight Directions Venerables, backed by the wealthy Illusion Alliance, takes second place. Lu Ze’s Immortal Abyss Continent Operation wins first, despite the Venerables’ huge player base and costly reward campaign.
• The results expose Lu Ze’s disguise: the red pillar of light marking the winner lands beside the golden pillar for second place, where Lu Ze has been posing as the masked Illusion Alliance member Lu Guan.
• Lu Ze removes the mask and openly taunts Blood Crow and Rakshasa, whose elaborate scheme and spending have left them with little to show for it.
• Rakshasa accuses Lu Ze of cheating and publicly questions the Heavenly Dao’s judging. He argues that the Venerables had hundreds of thousands of players spending long hours in the game.
• The live-stream comments split between those who suspect unfairness and players who defend Lu Ze’s game, citing its appeal and the possibility of playing both realms. As the debate grows bolder, Lu Ze notices the Heavenly Dao’s light darkening and fears it may retaliate.
• To prevent matters from escalating, Lu Ze prepares to explain exactly why the Venerables lost.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains calm and playful while his deception is exposed. He needles Blood Crow about losing his fortune and Rakshasa about daring to challenge the Heavenly Dao, but also recognizes that the argument could provoke dangerous consequences.
• Blood Crow is devastated by the loss: his investment has failed, and Lu Ze’s Sage Manifestation makes the contrast especially painful. His anger nearly overwhelms him.
• Rakshasa shifts from disbelief and fury to an attempted public challenge, arguing that the results contradict the player-count and playtime figures. He stops short of directly accusing the Heavenly Dao once he senses its threatening attention.
• The viewers become an active, divided chorus: some support the Venerables and question the result, while others defend Lu Ze’s game and challenge Rakshasa’s assumptions.

Significant themes

• Appearances and deception: Lu Ze’s disguise lets him infiltrate the Alliance, while the public ranking reveals who he really is.
• Fairness versus perception: A result can appear impossible when people focus on familiar measures—money spent, player totals, and rewards—rather than the full judging criteria.
• Power and consequences: Questioning the Heavenly Dao may be dangerous, and Lu Ze must weigh exposing the truth against provoking its wrath.
• Gaming appeal: Immersion and addictive gameplay can matter as much as official incentives in determining a game’s success.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Ze reveals the Immortal Abyss Continent Operation’s player data: it drew a daily peak of at least 500,000 players for a week, reaching 660,000, and kept players online longer on average than the Illusion Alliance’s Eight Directions Venerables.
• Rakshasa challenges the figures. Lu Ze explains that players could now enter both Illusion Realms, and that a Treasure Map event offering red-tier items helped attract players.
• Lu Ze mocks the Alliance’s design choices, especially its decision to make rare-item drops common, which devalued the rewards. The audience’s sky-filling comments ridicule the Alliance’s strategy.
• Blood Crow, furious over the loss of his savings, blames Rakshasa and leaves, threatening to meet him in Luofeng Continent.
• Rakshasa, the weakest of the Alliance’s four Elders, turns his anger on Lu Ze. He reveals himself to be a Refining Void Realm cultivator and unleashes overwhelming Spiritual Sense pressure, driving weaker spectators out of the Illusion Realm.
• Lu Ze remains unfazed, cuts through the pressure with Sword Qi, and declares that his Illusion Realm “stands above” Rakshasa’s. The strike shatters Rakshasa’s Azure Ghost Mask.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze confidently defends his operation’s success, exposing the Alliance’s poor decisions while concealing the full role of his own promotional events. His composure under Rakshasa’s pressure reinforces his control within the Illusion Realm.
• Rakshasa shifts from disputing the data to an angry show of force after the Alliance’s defeat. His weaker standing among the Elders leaves him vulnerable to Blood Crow’s retaliation.
• Blood Crow turns on Rakshasa after losing his fortune, making the Alliance’s internal conflict explicit.
• The audience alternates between mocking the Alliance and worrying that Rakshasa’s pressure will harm Lu Ze, then watches Lu Ze overturn expectations.

Significant themes

• Competition and strategy: The Alliance’s own design choices—especially undermining the value of rare rewards—contribute to its defeat.
• Power versus expertise: Rakshasa’s higher cultivation does not give him an advantage in the Illusion Realm, where Lu Ze’s mastery of its rules prevails.
• Public spectacle and reputation: The live audience’s comments amplify the rivals’ humiliation and turn their conflict into entertainment.

Key plot points

• Lu Ze shatters the mask of Rakshasa, revealing him to be Wei Chengqing, an Elder of the Azure Peak Sect and the Illusion Alliance. The live-stream audience is stunned: Lu’s slash has affected Wei’s Spiritual Sense at its source, a feat far beyond what his apparent Nascent Soul cultivation should allow.
• Wei concludes that Lu must be drawing power from the Heavenly Dao Illusion Realm. Before he can finish protesting, the Heavenly Dao Fragment manifests as a shadowy face and crushes him out of the realm.
• Back at the Illusion Alliance base, Wei is injured and his mask is destroyed. Fearing Blood Crow, who is far stronger and furious, he tries to flee—but Blood Crow appears and demands a “talk.”
• Lu receives the Illusion Realm’s grand-prize reward: a method or artifact from a rare pool. Certain the prize will be the Dao Transformation Art he wants, he opens the chest and instead gets the Cross True Art. He accuses the Heavenly Dao Fragment of secretly switching the reward.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze demonstrates extraordinary control over the Illusion Realm and remains confident and irreverent even as the audience marvels at his abilities. He takes pleasure in exposing Wei, but the Heavenly Dao Fragment beats him to the final blow.
• Wei Chengqing shifts from arrogance and disbelief to panic. His attempt to explain Lu’s power provokes the Heavenly Dao Fragment, and his weakened state leaves him vulnerable to Blood Crow.
• The Heavenly Dao Fragment acts with whimsical authority, abruptly eliminating Wei and then denying it tampered with Lu’s reward. Its evasive behavior only fuels Lu’s suspicion.
• Blood Crow appears at the end to confront the injured Wei, setting up a likely reckoning between the two.
• The live-stream audience reacts with astonishment and jokes about Lu’s reach and temper, emphasizing his growing notoriety.

Significant themes

• Power and perception: Lu’s apparent cultivation rank fails to explain what he can do in the Illusion Realm, where Spiritual Sense and its connection to the realm matter.
• The Illusion Realm’s growing influence: Its power can reach beyond projections and affect cultivators’ Spiritual Senses, making it an object of competition and fear.
• Humor and irreverence: The chapter undercuts dramatic confrontations with Lu’s casual remarks and turns the reward reveal into a comedic dispute over whether the Heavenly Dao cheats.

Key plot points and events

• After the Illusion Realm rankings ended, players abandoned the Eight Directions Venerables once its online-play rewards stopped. The Illusion Alliance tried to revive interest with better rare-drop odds and loot-run bonuses, but the game’s popularity continued to fall.
• Blood Crow nearly killed Rakshasa in a battle on Luofeng Continent before Heart Demon intervened. Rakshasa was left badly injured and is recovering with the Illusion Alliance.
• The cultivation world condemned Wei Chengqing for using his strength as a Refining Void cultivator against a junior who had just manifested a sacred sign. The Azure Peak Sect expelled him and compensated the Spirit Cloud Sect, though tensions between the sects remain.
• Lu Ze receives his system and Heavenly Dao rewards but is disappointed not to get the Dao Transformation Art. He has little interest in cultivating the powerful Cross True Art and jokingly considers making Zhong Yi train it for him.
• Li Moran invites Lu Ze into the Illusion Realm to practice gunfighting. Lu Ze sells her ammunition and equipment at inflated prices, then watches her matches and coaches her after she dies.
• Li Moran steadily improves. After one match, she explains that she has begun viewing bullets as “wild Sword Qi,” using her sword understanding to master firearms. She then asks whether Lu Ze has entered the Heavenly Dao’s upcoming tournament.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains lazy and profit-minded: he avoids cultivation, charges Li Moran for gear, and plans to keep her interested in the Illusion Realm because she brings him Demonic Value. Still, he helps her improve by analyzing her gameplay.
• Li Moran shows rapid growth and a new way of understanding combat. Her sword-centered insight lets her adapt to guns, and she treats Lu Ze as both a supplier and a coach.
• Rakshasa and Wei Chengqing face the consequences of their conflict: Rakshasa is injured and unable to return to the Azure Peak Sect, while Wei is expelled.
• The Azure Peak and Spirit Cloud Sects settle the immediate dispute through compensation, but their relationship has worsened.

Significant themes

• The cost of short-term incentives: The Eight Directions Venerables cannot retain players once its rewards lose their appeal.
• Accountability and power: Wei Chengqing’s abuse of superior cultivation draws broad condemnation and forces his sect to act.
• Insight through reinterpretation: Li Moran turns an unfamiliar skill—gunplay—into something she understands through the sword, showing how mastery can emerge from a new perspective.
• Lu Ze’s pragmatic opportunism: He combines useful coaching with self-interest, turning Li Moran’s training into both a service and a way to sustain his own gains.

Plot points and events

• Lu Ze declines to enter the Heavenly Dao’s Peak Tournament. He helped design its format but sees no worthwhile prizes and believes he would overwhelm the other contestants.
• Li Moran is disappointed that she cannot spar with him in the tournament and challenges him to meet her at Sword Inquiry Peak, where she intends to “stomp noobs.”
• Lu Ze presents the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao with a two-stage tournament format inspired by competitive games. The first stage runs for fifteen days: players receive daily spirit-stone allowances, queue with random teammates, and compete to extract valuable supplies. Top performers advance.
• The tournament becomes a major livestream attraction. Viewers can switch between battlefield-wide and player perspectives, and watch replays.
• Zhong Yi joins the first stage as a knife-runner. He accidentally queues with teammates, but perseveres through their complaints and makes a successful million-value extraction. His cumulative assets put him around the middle of the rankings, giving him a chance to qualify.
• When contestants’ combined assets reach two billion, the tournament system announces that all rewards have been upgraded. Lu Ze realizes the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao has found a way to make him regret skipping the event.
• A system mission then appears: an Elder Secret Treasure has surfaced in the Demon Path Secret Realm, drawing righteous cultivators. Lu Ze must kill one hundred of them and use Demon Path methods to challenge their understanding of what a “sage” is.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains confident and uninterested in ordinary tournament rewards, though the upgraded prize pool briefly makes him question his decision. His new mission gives him a reason to act.
• Li Moran reveals her eagerness to test herself against Lu Ze, turning his refusal into a personal challenge.
• The Fragment of the Heavenly Dao playfully warns Lu Ze not to regret his choice, then upgrades the prizes once the tournament reaches its asset threshold.
• Zhong Yi stays committed to knife-running despite being matched with angry teammates. His patience and accumulated skill let him succeed and rank respectably.
• Tournament contestants’ playstyles—experts, aggressive squads, bridge campers, and knife-runners—create both conflict and entertainment for spectators.

Significant themes

• Competition and spectacle: The tournament’s random teams, varied strategies, and flexible viewing options make unpredictability part of its appeal.
• Skill versus luck: The first stage highlights individual ability while random matchmaking and extraction outcomes introduce uncertainty.
• Playful rivalry and regret: Lu Ze’s confidence is tested by the Heavenly Dao’s teasing reward upgrade.
• Identity and reputation: The new mission centers on overturning the righteous path’s assumptions about sages through Demon Path conduct.

• Plot: Lu Ze accepts a system mission requiring him to slaughter righteous cultivators, seize an Elder Secret Treasure, and use Demon Path methods to ruin the public’s view of the “Saint.” Although he has only just improved his reputation, he decides to enter the Illusion Realm competition under his real name rather than his alternate identity, White Curtain. He notices that the rewards have been upgraded—including the long-desired Dao Transformation Art—and resolves to catch up despite having just five days left.
• Public reaction: Lu Ze’s entry appears at the bottom of the rankings with zero assets, setting off a frenzy on the Forum. Cultivators see a rare chance to confront him in the open preliminary stage; many sign up specifically to target him, and some offer rewards for his dog tag.
• Character developments and interactions: Lu Ze reluctantly accepts that the system will keep pushing him toward Demon Path behavior, then embraces the challenge with confidence. Li Moran hears he has entered and looks forward to testing herself against him. Zhang Yuxian interprets Lu Ze’s participation as a threat to the Spirit Cloud Sect and calls for rival sects to join forces against it. Meanwhile, the Illusion Alliance Leader views Lu Ze’s arrival as ideal timing: the Ten Directions Spirit-Descending Formation is complete, and the leader intends to challenge the Heavenly Dao’s authority.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts reputation with reality: Lu Ze has been improving his public image, yet his notorious past makes his appearance a spectacle—and the system now demands he destroy that image. It also emphasizes competition, revenge, and escalating power struggles, as Lu Ze’s entry draws both personal challengers and organized opposition.

Key plot points and events

• On the eleventh day of the competition, Lu Ze is set to enter his first match that evening. His friends Zhou Yue, Zhong Yi, Mu Yawen, and Zhou Qiaoling visit him beforehand.
• Zhou Yue and Zhong Yi are eager to face Lu Ze, while Zhong Yi jokes about teaming up or signaling to help him. Lu Ze refuses: official matches must remain fair, and his role as the “Demon Path” competitor would make him betray any allies anyway.
• Zhong Yi reveals that many disciples and elders plan to skip some matches to watch Lu Ze. Lu Ze is embarrassed and worries they will miss ranking rewards, but they insist he is a source of pride for their sect.
• More than 100,000 spectators gather in the Heavenly Dao livestream room before the evening matches, an unprecedented turnout. Viewers debate whether Lu Ze is genuinely skilled or merely clever, since his past Illusion Realm achievements mostly involved strategy rather than direct combat.
• As the matches begin, spectators fill a dedicated livestream room for Lu Ze. The screen remains dark until, just as viewers suspect he may not appear, the image finally lights up.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze is uncomfortable with the attention and conscious of the competition’s rules. His refusal to accept help also reflects his commitment to keeping his participation independent—and his awareness that he may act ruthlessly in character.
• Zhou Yue and Zhong Yi show their enthusiasm and confidence in Lu Ze, hoping to compete alongside him.
• Mu Yawen is there mainly for entertainment, while Zhou Qiaoling jokingly voices suspicion that Lu Ze would betray any signal.
• The Spirit Cloud Sect’s friends and elders rally around Lu Ze, treating him as a source of sect pride.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and reputation: Lu Ze’s real combat ability is unclear despite his seemingly undefeated record; past success may reflect intelligence rather than fighting skill.
• Fair play and performance: Lu Ze must follow official rules and embody his assigned Demon Path role, even when friends offer help.
• Public spectacle and pressure: The huge audience and sect support turn his debut into a major event, increasing expectations before he has even appeared.

Chapter Summary: “I’m the Founder of Flower Incoming?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ze enters the Illusion Realm late, initially logging into the wrong account before switching to his main account, [Realm Master Lu Ze].
• As a new contestant, he receives only 500,000 spirit stones in starting funds. Since contestants must manage their money carefully to avoid bankruptcy, Lu Ze decides to multiply his limited resources.
• The day’s map is the dam, and the featured character is Red Wolf, whose newly released skin is [Gold-Eroding Rose]. Lu Ze sees the combination as perfect for his plan and purchases the skin, even needing to rely on the guarantee system.
• He equips the handgun [Rat·18], modeled after the G18, and notices that flesh rounds are unusually cheap.
• Lu Ze realizes that the powerful “foot-shot” or body-snatching strategy—using high-damage flesh rounds against unarmored enemies—has not yet been discovered in this world.
• Checking the game’s backend confirms that the Easter egg connected to the strategy has never been triggered. Lu Ze concludes that he is about to become the founder of the “Flower Incoming” playstyle.
• His matchmaking begins, and seventeen contestants appear in the lobby. Spectators assume that, because of his low funds, Lu Ze will be forced to perform a knife run rather than buy equipment.
• The livestream audience, including many members of the Spirit Cloud Sect, gathers excitedly to watch Lu Ze. The sect’s elders praise him, believing his presence may bring further rewards and fortune.
• Elder Nangong proudly claims Lu Ze as his disciple, though he also acknowledges that Lu Ze belongs to the entire Spirit Cloud Sect.

Character Developments

• Lu Ze: Demonstrates his strategic thinking, adaptability, and mischievous confidence. Rather than being discouraged by his low starting funds, he identifies an unexplored economic and combat opportunity. He also discovers that he may become the originator of a dominant new tactic.
• Nangong Yuan: Has grown accustomed to the admiration surrounding Lu Ze and now accepts praise with greater composure. Nevertheless, his pride in Lu Ze remains obvious, especially when he calls him his disciple.
• Spirit Cloud Sect members: Their respect and enthusiasm for Lu Ze continue to grow. He has become a symbol of the sect’s prestige and potential prosperity.
• Spectators: They remain eager to see Lu Ze fail or create chaos, with many expecting him to go bankrupt quickly because of his lack of funds.

Significant Themes

• Innovation and asymmetrical knowledge: Lu Ze’s knowledge from his previous life allows him to discover tactics that the current world has not yet developed.
• Turning weakness into strength: His tiny starting budget appears to be a disadvantage, but Lu Ze sees it as an opportunity to exploit cheap flesh rounds and create a high-risk, high-reward strategy.
• Reputation and collective pride: Lu Ze’s achievements have elevated him from an individual contestant to a source of honor and hope for the Spirit Cloud Sect.
• Fate and coincidence: The matching of the dam map, Red Wolf’s new skin, and cheap flesh rounds makes Lu Ze feel that destiny—or the Heavenly Dao—is deliberately guiding him.
• Entertainment and spectacle: The competition functions not only as a contest but also as a public performance, with viewers, danmu comments, and sect members eagerly anticipating Lu Ze’s next move.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ze and the Heavenly Dao/system: Lu Ze jokingly suspects that the Heavenly Dao Fragment is targeting him, especially after he is forced to rely on the skin guarantee.
• Lu Ze and the game audience: Viewers underestimate him, assuming his limited funds will force him into a knife run and hoping he will be eliminated quickly.
• Lu Ze and the Spirit Cloud Sect: The sect treats him as its representative and future source of rewards, gathering in large numbers to support him.
• Nangong Yuan and the elders: The elders congratulate Nangong Yuan for raising such a remarkable disciple. Nangong responds proudly, first claiming Lu Ze as his own and then emphasizing that Lu Ze belongs to the entire sect.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Ze enters a formal match in the Illusion Realm with a budget of only 500,000 Spirit Stones. While spectators speculate that he will fight with a knife or use a powerful rifle, he appears with almost no protection or storage—only an attachment-heavy Rat·18 handgun and cheap medicine.
• Li Moran, Spirit Cloud Sect’s highest-ranked competitor, skips her own chance to compete so she can watch Lu Ze. She predicts he will enter without armor and rely on a strong weapon, trusting his skill despite the risk.
• Lu Ze is named a Star Cultivator, making his dog tag especially valuable and granting a bonus if he evacuates with loot.
• Two other Star Cultivators, Qinghe and Shanhepo, are unexpectedly matched with him. Zhong Yi discovers they deliberately lost assets to enter Lu Ze’s matchmaking pool, apparently intending to target him.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Moran reveals both her admiration for Lu Ze’s abilities and her eagerness to see him fight seriously. Her confidence contrasts with the other spectators’ disbelief.
• Zhong Yi analyzes Lu Ze’s equipment and the matchmaking system, but becomes alarmed when he realizes the match may have been engineered against Lu Ze.
• Zhou Yue shares the crowd’s confusion about Lu Ze’s apparent lack of preparation.
• The Spirit Cloud Sect spectators and elders debate Lu Ze’s strategy, moving from amusement at his unusual loadout to concern over the threat posed by his opponents.

Significant themes

• Skill versus equipment: Lu Ze’s minimal gear seems reckless, but Li Moran’s memories of his exceptional ability suggest he may overcome the disadvantage through skill.
• Strategy and risk: His handgun-only entry is mysterious, while his Star Cultivator status raises both the potential reward and the danger.
• Fairness and manipulation: Qinghe and Shanhepo’s deliberate asset losses expose how competitors can exploit matchmaking to set up a targeted confrontation.

Plot points and events

• Lu Ze enters the match with only a pistol, while Qinghe and Shanhepo arrive heavily equipped and eager to hunt him for the prestige of killing him.
• Lu Ze runs past valuable loot and hides in a shipping container beside a medical crate and an Ascension Crate, using the loot as bait for an ambush.
• Viewers and Spirit Cloud Sect spectators watch in disbelief as Lu Ze lies motionless. Zhong Yi tries to portray the tactic as clever rather than cowardly, though he doubts Lu Ze can survive Qinghe’s team.
• After Qinghe’s team wins a fight in the Administrative Palace, they check the fallen opponents’ dog tags and realize Lu Ze was not among them. Assuming he has fled, Qinghe and Shanhepo split up to loot nearby areas.
• As Lu Ze passes the time playing another game, he hears footsteps approaching his hiding place and eagerly prepares to ambush the newcomer.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains calm and opportunistic, relying on an unconventional trap rather than confronting stronger opponents directly. His boredom while waiting highlights his casual attitude.
• Qinghe and Shanhepo are revealed to have deliberately pursued Lu Ze for status, but they underestimate him when they assume he has escaped. They cooperate in combat, then split up to loot.
• Zhong Yi shifts from anxious play-by-play commentary to defending Lu Ze’s tactics before the sect, despite privately expecting him to lose.
• The spectators and sect disciples react with surprise and amusement, while the disciples rally behind Zhong Yi’s optimistic explanation.

Significant themes

• Cunning over strength: Lu Ze uses patience and positioning to counter superior equipment.
• Reputation and ambition: Qinghe and Shanhepo value the prestige of defeating Lu Ze more than advancing in the match.
• Public image versus reality: Zhong Yi reframes Lu Ze’s suspiciously passive behavior as strategic ingenuity, while viewers recognize the likely ambush.

Plot points and events

• Lu Ze ambushes Qinghe in the container yard, knocking him down with a burst of tier-three ammunition despite Qinghe’s intact tier-six armor.
• In seconds, Lu Ze finishes Qinghe and strips off his helmet, armor, weapon, chest rig, and backpack. This triggers a hidden Easter egg in his Gilded Rose skin: activating its ultimate plays a song associated with a famous “body-snatching” moment from Lu Ze’s past life.
• With Qinghe’s teammates nearby, Lu Ze throws smoke and sprints away rather than fighting. He reaches an extraction point, then leaves it and hides in the grass to camp it.
• Meanwhile, Shanhepo revives Qinghe. Qinghe is left with severe status ailments and only a vehicle first-aid kit; his crooked neck and drooling face become a source of amusement for Shanhepo and the spectators.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze displays frighteningly fast looting skills and a ruthless, opportunistic play style. Despite spectators expecting him to make a bold stand, he prioritizes survival and ambush tactics, confirming his reputation for “beastly” behavior.
• Li Moran is swept up by the music and briefly imagines Lu Ze heroically breaking through his enemies. Seeing him flee instead, she quietly abandons that romanticized interpretation.
• Zhong Yi persistently interprets Lu Ze’s actions as evidence of clever tactics and courage, only to be forced to admit Lu Ze is “refusing to be human” when he runs for extraction and then camps nearby.
• Shanhepo is initially frustrated by Qinghe’s failure to check for enemies, but laughs when he sees Qinghe’s comical condition after the revival.
• Qinghe goes from a fully equipped fighter to a helpless, stripped-down figure, becoming the punchline of both his teammate and the livestream audience.

Significant themes

• Legend versus reality: The song inspires a heroic image of Lu Ze, but his actual behavior is practical, evasive, and shameless.
• Adaptation and instinct: Lu Ze’s old habits from another life remain ingrained, shaping his swift looting and survival-first choices.
• Humor and spectacle: The dramatic music, Qinghe’s humiliating appearance, and the spectators’ running commentary turn the combat into comedy as well as competition.

Plot and events

• After Lu Ze’s bizarre first match, Spirit Cloud Sect disciple Zhong Yi reassures the spectators that Lu Ze’s behavior was understandable—and predicts that, now equipped with money and gear, he will finally show his skill.
• Lu Ze’s second match begins. He chooses Urururu and brings a fully equipped Heaven-Suppressing · Twenty-Five, a rifle Zhong Yi recognizes as useful for ambushes. Zhong Yi briefly fears Lu Ze will repeat his infamous bridge-blocking antics, then relaxes when he confirms the map has no similar terrain.
• Lu Ze avoids the nearby buildings, takes a zipline to the top of the Dam, and lies in wait overlooking the container area. He is deliberately testing whether a different kind of “bastardly” tactic will increase his match-reputation mission bar, which rose after his previous stunt.
• Meanwhile, Flowing Sand and his teammates—who deliberately queued to hunt Lu Ze—try to bait him at the eastern containers using the same “Flower Arrival” tactic he used before. They kill another player, Rat · Twelve, who has copied Lu Ze’s style, but don’t find their intended target.
• While looting, Flowing Sand is suddenly struck by two Golden Spirit Bullets. The system announces that Lu Ze has knocked him down, revealing that Lu Ze was nearby after all.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains an inventive, mischievous player. He treats irritating tactics as experiments, while also demonstrating patience and precision as a sniper.
• Zhong Yi tries to defend Lu Ze’s reputation to the sect, interpreting his choices as signs of confidence and strategic intent—even when he repeatedly fears Lu Ze is about to behave outrageously again.
• Flowing Sand is eager to gain the distinction of defeating Lu Ze, but his plan is thrown off when Lu Ze avoids the expected trap and turns the tables.
• Rat · Twelve shows how Lu Ze’s earlier tactic has spread: other players are beginning to imitate it.

Significant themes

• Reputation and spectacle: Lu Ze’s antics have become a public sensation, shaping how spectators and opponents approach him.
• Imitation and adaptation: Players copy his tactics, while Lu Ze keeps experimenting with new ones.
• Expectation versus reality: Zhong Yi and the hunters repeatedly guess what Lu Ze will do, only to discover that his actual plan is different.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Ze’s suppressed sniper rifle lets him ambush teams from the Dam, killing eight cultivators without revealing his position. Though effective, he finds the tactic less profitable—and less impressive to the audience as a Demon-path stunt—than his earlier “flower delivery” scheme.
• In the next match, he chooses Wyvern rather than Urururu, briefly reassuring his sect. He then turns the map into a catalogue of ambush tricks: hiding in a tree, lying in factory rafters, disguising himself as an Asara grunt, and concealing himself above a doorway after leaving a playing card at a keycard reader.
• His behavior becomes so outrageous that the Spirit Cloud Sect’s embarrassed disciples and elders gradually abandon their spectator section for the Rogue Cultivator section.
• There, Heart Demon and his masked allies dismiss Lu Ze as a threat, assuming his success comes from map knowledge rather than strength. Heart Demon is more concerned about the absent Rogue Cultivator expert White Curtain, whom he sees as the main obstacle to winning the championship.
• The Heavenly Dao audience, meanwhile, celebrates Lu Ze as a shameless, monster-like talent and jokes that the Spirit Cloud Sect may have produced a Demon Lord.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains unapologetically tactical, repeatedly exploiting terrain, disguises, and surprise. He judges his strategies by both their rewards and how much “Demon Path approval” they earn.
• Zhong Yi, his devoted fan and commentator, keeps trying to defend him, but each new stunt overwhelms his explanations and leaves him increasingly distressed.
• The Spirit Cloud Sect’s disciples and elders shift from disbelief to embarrassment, eventually fleeing their own section. Their reaction contrasts with the enthusiastic public audience.
• Heart Demon grows confident after seeing Lu Ze’s tactics, but remains wary of White Curtain. His allies reinforce his belief that Lu Ze is not truly dangerous.

Significant themes

• Cunning over convention: Lu Ze’s success comes from exploiting overlooked positions and opponents’ expectations rather than fighting fairly or openly.
• Reputation and perspective: The sect sees his tactics as disgraceful, while viewers find them entertaining and perfectly suited to a Demon-path persona.
• Overconfidence and misjudgment: Heart Demon’s dismissal of Lu Ze sets up a contrast between his confidence and Lu Ze’s increasingly unpredictable play.

Key plot points and events

• After a day of ambushes in the Illusion Realm, Lu Ze has amassed sixteen million in assets, but he is more concerned with the system’s Demon Path rating. His progress reaches 30%, slower than he expected.
• On the Forum, he finds that players have decoded and copied his “Flower, come” strategy: use the cheap, automatic-firing [Rat·18] with flesh-damage rounds, then rely on Red Wolf’s smoke and ultimate to escape. The Gold-Eroding Rose’s music effect has also been identified.
• The tactic causes chaos across the game, especially at Zero Dam, and the Gold-Eroding Rose becomes highly sought after. Players both condemn Lu Ze and enthusiastically imitate him—including victims who decide to join in.
• The copycats call themselves the First Saint Sect and proclaim Lu Ze their founding patriarch. The system rewards the spread of his influence, raising his Demon Path progress by 10%.
• On day twelve, Lu Ze’s livestream draws an even larger audience. The Spirit Cloud Sect’s viewing section, however, is much smaller, as other sects have begun looking down on them because of Lu Ze’s antics.
• The new match begins on the Baksh map. Zhong Yi notices Lu Ze has been matched with “Exercise Makes Progress,” and recognizes the name as Junior Brother Mu.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze is amused and surprised that his followers’ behavior advances his mission more than his own efforts. He accepts that he must keep promoting the “First Saint” style.
• Zhong Yi continues analyzing Lu Ze’s tactics and eagerly watches his matches, but is also embarrassed by the damage Lu Ze’s reputation has done to the sect.
• Zhou Yue is puzzled by the smaller audience until Zhong Yi explains the sect’s worsening image. Zhou then recalls losing five million after repeatedly encountering “Flower, come” imitators.
• Lu Ze’s victims and admirers become part of a growing community that turns his strategy into a shared identity.

Significant themes

• Imitation and unintended consequences: Lu Ze’s personal tactic becomes a widespread trend with effects beyond his control.
• Moral contagion and irony: The system rewards Lu Ze for inspiring righteous cultivators to adopt behavior associated with the Demon Path.
• Reputation and community: Lu Ze’s notoriety both attracts spectators and damages his sect’s standing, while his followers transform a playstyle into a cult-like group identity.
• Victims becoming perpetrators: Some players respond to being ambushed by joining the same practice themselves.

Plot points and events

• Mu Yawen treats the competition casually, focusing on helping teammates rather than collecting rewards. Her combat skills—especially with the Deep Blue shield—have improved, and she has accumulated nearly thirty million in assets without being greedy.
• Mu’s match places her against Lu Ze, prompting the Spirit Cloud Sect spectators to joke that the sect’s “Supreme Good” is facing its “Supreme Evil.” Zhong Yi worries Mu will be outmaneuvered, but their separate spawn points mean they are unlikely to meet.
• Lu Ze, playing Red Wolf, avoids crowded fights because either a spectacular win or a defeat could hurt his “nascent saint” mission progress. He instead hides in the Grand Bathhouse and ambushes Mai Xiaowen, then moves to the Hidden Treasure Pavilion area and conceals himself in the grass.
• Meanwhile, Mu’s team fights through Babel Tower. Their strong lineup, including a star cultivator, wins an early clash, but another squad follows them, setting up a larger battle between star cultivators.
• Lu Ze spots a squad leaving the Hidden Treasure Pavilion and considers how the remaining teams may converge on Babel Tower. Rather than openly wiping out the three-person squad, he holds back to protect his reputation and mission progress—then appears to realize why he chose Red Wolf and came to Babel Tower.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yawen remains generous and unassuming, even as her skill and wealth grow. Zhong Yi admires her sincerity and quietly lets her believe her teammates need the loot more.
• Lu Ze shows calculated restraint: he uses ambushes and positioning, but avoids conspicuous victories that might undermine his public image or mission.
• Zhong Yi tries to manage the broadcast, praising Mu’s shield play while minimizing Lu’s increasingly absurd ambushes. Elder Nangong privately asks him to show more of Mu and less of Lu, suggesting Lu’s antics have become embarrassing.
• Zhou Qiaoling and Zhou Yue tease the contrast between Mu and Lu; Zhou Yue particularly worries that Mu would be vulnerable to Lu’s mind games.
• Mu’s squad and the pursuing squad engage in a high-stakes tower battle, while Lu’s hidden actions unfold in parallel, amusing the spectators.

Significant themes

• Goodness versus cunning: Mu’s sincere generosity contrasts with Lu’s opportunistic, tactical style.
• Reputation and self-control: Lu deliberately limits his performance because success or failure can shape how others judge him and affect his progress.
• Public image and spectacle: The broadcast turns the match into entertainment, while Zhong Yi and Elder Nangong try to control which parts of the action receive attention.
• Competition as teamwork and strategy: Mu’s squad relies on coordinated strength, while Lu succeeds through patience, concealment, and selective engagement.

Plot points and events

• Mu Yawen’s squad battles the Trailing Team inside the Babel Tower. Her skill and Mu’s defensive shield draw cheers from the Spirit Cloud Sect spectators.
• A well-equipped team from the Hidden Treasure Pavilion arrives, turning the fight into a three-way standoff. The Trailing Team is caught between its opponents and loses a member.
• Lu Ze enters the tower alone, prompting speculation that he will join the battle. Instead, he opens access to the roof, reaches its special extraction point, and turns in two Identity Cards to claim its single Flying Squirrel Extraction slot.
• Lu Ze then leaves the tower without fighting or looting. Since another team has activated the bathhouse extraction point and Lu has claimed the rooftop slot, he reasons that the surviving teams will be forced to extract at the point in front of the tower. He plans to bomb that extraction point.

Character developments

• Lu Ze remains an unconventional, opportunistic strategist. Rather than taking on stronger teams directly, he manipulates the extraction rules to create a trap. His plan reveals that his apparent retreat is part of a larger scheme.
• Zhong Yi shifts from excitedly narrating the battle to fixating on Lu’s mysterious movements. His assumptions about Lu’s flank attack collapse when he realizes Lu is simply claiming an extraction slot.
• Li Moran suspects Lu may finally be preparing to fight seriously, showing that she understands his usual tendency to avoid multi-team battles.
• Mu Yawen is portrayed as a capable star cultivator whose pressure helps her recovering squad hold its own.

Character interactions

• Spectators praise Mu Yawen’s combat skill, Mu’s shield, and his teammates’ coordination, while Zhong Yi’s commentary builds excitement around the battle.
• The Hidden Treasure Pavilion team’s arrival disrupts the balance, forcing Mu’s squad and the Trailing Team to reconsider their tactics.
• Lu has no direct confrontation with the other teams; instead, his actions influence their options indirectly by claiming the rooftop extraction slot.

Significant themes

• Strategy over direct combat: Lu uses the rules and geography of the battlefield rather than fighting for dominance.
• Misleading appearances: What looks like cowardice or aimless wandering is revealed as a calculated setup.
• Spectacle and misjudgment: The commentators and audience focus on the dramatic battle, while Lu quietly prepares a plan that could decide its outcome.

Plot points and events

• After Mu Yawen’s team wins a hard-fought battle inside Babel Tower, Lu Ze remains hidden in a shipping container. Spectators suspect he is waiting to ambush looters, but Zhong Yi cannot work out his plan.
• Mu Yawen’s teammates are wary of Lu Ze, whose reputation for dirty tricks has made even choosing certain characters feel risky. Mu, however, openly calls him a clever fellow disciple and defends the Spirit Cloud Sect’s reputation.
• Near the end of the match, Mu’s team reaches the extraction point. A surviving enemy, Red Wolf, signals from a distance. Mu persuades his teammates to let the poorly equipped knife-runner approach, then uses a grappling hook to pull him into the extraction zone just in time.
• The spectators interpret Mu’s rescue as a heroic act of kindness. The Spirit Cloud Sect’s reputation improves, and its previously absent disciples return to its viewing section.
• At the same moment, Lu Ze fires several explosive shots from afar. The blasts knock down four players and wipe out multiple teams. Lu Ze is surprised to learn that the progress bar has increased by 20%—and that one of the teams belonged to Mu’s group.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yawen displays genuine trust and generosity, defending Lu despite his reputation and rescuing an enemy. His teammates’ suspicion contrasts with his calm, friendly approach.
• Lu Ze remains inscrutable: his hiding and timed attack suggest a calculated plan, though the chapter ends before its purpose is clear.
• Zhong Yi moves from confusion to admiration, enthusiastically presenting Mu as a model of the Spirit Cloud Sect’s virtue. He does not realize Lu’s attack is happening as he praises Mu.
• Azure Sky Rat-Catching Team is deeply wary of Lu but ultimately follows Mu’s lead in sparing Red Wolf.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts kindness and treachery, showing Mu’s compassion alongside Lu’s explosive ambush.
• It satirizes reputation and public perception: Mu’s rescue transforms the sect’s image, while Lu’s past exploits make everyone expect the worst.
• The comic dramatic irony comes from spectators celebrating the rescue as Lu’s attack lands elsewhere—turning a moment of moral triumph into an unexpected setback.

Plot points and events

• During a livestreamed match in Baksh, Mu Yawen uses a grappling hook to help another player escape, moving viewers with the selfless act.
• Lu Ze’s fireballs then strike the extraction point and explode on impact, catching Mu Yawen and the rescuers in the blast. Viewers condemn him as a monster, and Spirit Cloud Sect disciples quickly abandon their viewing area.
• Zhong Yi deduces that Lu Ze timed the fireballs to explode at their maximum range of about eighty-eight meters.
• Lu Ze spends the night trying to bomb extraction points from different positions. Though his first attempt boosts his mission progress by 20%, later attempts are less effective, and his overall progress rises only to 30%. Opponents learn to avoid extraction points when he is in a match.
• The next morning, Zhong Yi explains why that first bombing earned so much progress: Lu Ze’s attack had followed Mu Yawen’s moving act of kindness, making the contrast especially shocking.
• Lu Ze concludes that his “First Sage” mission rewards novelty and the audience’s reaction. Repeating stunts brings diminishing returns, while unusually dramatic incidents bring extra progress. He is now at 60%, but completing the mission within five days will be difficult.
• Lu Ze apologizes to Mu Yawen. She is impressed by his fireball technique and asks to learn from him. She then requests a demonstration of his Deep Blue shield-cultivator style in that night’s competition, and Lu Ze agrees.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains cheerfully opportunistic, initially viewing extraction-point bombing as an efficient way to earn mission progress. After learning why the first attempt paid off, he recognizes that he must keep inventing new and shocking tactics.
• Mu Yawen shows no resentment over being caught in the blast. She admires Lu Ze’s skill and eagerly asks him to teach her, including his shield-cultivator techniques.
• Zhong Yi balances exasperation with admiration: he condemns Lu Ze’s timing as reputationally disastrous, but also analyzes the fireball mechanics and explains the mission’s audience-driven rewards.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts selfless heroism with ruthless opportunism, using the collision of Mu Yawen’s rescue and Lu Ze’s attack for dark comedy.
• Reputation and public perception shape both social consequences and Lu Ze’s mission progress: the same act becomes more powerful when it shocks viewers or overturns their expectations.
• Repetition dulls impact, pushing Lu Ze toward increasingly novel—and potentially more outrageous—methods.

Chapter Summary: “Shield Cultivator? Shield Dog!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On the thirteenth day of the competition, Lu Ze’s popularity continues to grow. Although viewers constantly criticize his “dirty” tactics, tens of thousands of First Saint Sect disciples watch specifically to study his new techniques.
• The Heavenly Dao live stream approaches 200,000 viewers, with spectators eagerly anticipating Lu Ze’s next unconventional strategy.
• The day’s map is Ascension Base, a dangerous battlefield featuring pits and water that instantly kill players. Viewers predict Lu Ze will camp advantageous terrain.
• Lu Ze unexpectedly chooses Deep Blue, a Shield Cultivator, honoring his promise to Mu Yawen. This surprises spectators, who associate him with aggressive First Saint strategies rather than defensive shield play.
• In the Spirit Cloud Sect’s viewing area, Zhong Yi confidently believes Lu Ze is trying to restore the sect’s reputation and prove that he can play fairly. Li Moran remains skeptical, understanding that Lu Ze is likely to exploit the Shield Cultivator’s abilities in an unusual way.
• Lu Ze spawns at Central Control and immediately ignores nearby resources, taking a zipline into the Core Zone. He heads to Buoyancy Hall and deliberately jumps into its deep central pit, an area known as the “Last Meal” because players who enter are usually trapped and killed.
• Rather than hiding in the pit, Lu Ze stands openly at its edge with his shield raised, even jumping to attract attention.
• When a Wyvern approaches and fires at him, Lu Ze blocks the bullets with his shield, uses a grappling hook to pull Wyvern down, and finishes the attack with an elbow strike.
• The elbow knocks Wyvern into the deep pit, where he falls to his death, demonstrating that Lu Ze has transformed the Shield Cultivator into another form of aggressive ambush strategy.

Character Developments

• Lu Ze: Continues to demonstrate creativity and tactical unpredictability. Although he promises to play a Shield Cultivator, he does not abandon his “dirty” style; instead, he adapts it to Deep Blue’s shield, grappling hook, and elbow attacks. His willingness to use terrain and bait opponents highlights his confidence and ingenuity.
• Zhong Yi: Remains Lu Ze’s enthusiastic supporter and commentator. He believes Lu Ze is attempting to redeem the Spirit Cloud Sect’s reputation, but his confidence quickly turns to confusion when Lu Ze jumps into the supposedly fatal pit.
• Li Moran: Becomes increasingly cautious and analytical. She has stopped competing temporarily to study Lu Ze’s methods, regarding him as the only meaningful threat to her position. Her respect for his potential is growing, even though she remains ahead of him in rank.
• Mu Yawen: Is pleased that Lu Ze kept his promise to use the Shield Cultivator, interpreting this as evidence that he values his word and may be adopting a more constructive approach.
• The spectators and First Saint disciples: Their fascination with Lu Ze grows as they continue recording and studying his techniques. Even his enemies and critics recognize that every match may reveal a new strategy.

Significant Themes

• Innovation through unconventional play: Lu Ze proves that a seemingly defensive character can be used aggressively when combined with clever positioning and timing.
• Reputation versus reality: Others expect Lu Ze either to reform or to repeat his previous tactics, but he does neither exactly. He keeps his ruthless style while presenting it through a new character class.
• Adaptability and mastery: Lu Ze’s strength lies less in a fixed fighting style than in his ability to reinterpret skills, terrain, and enemy expectations.
• Spectacle and celebrity: His controversial reputation draws enormous attention, turning each match into both a competition and a public performance.
• Competition and calculated patience: Li Moran’s decision to observe rather than immediately compete emphasizes that understanding an opponent can be more important than maintaining a temporary ranking.

Character Interactions

• Zhong Yi assures the Spirit Cloud Sect disciples that Lu Ze is not a villain and will represent them honorably.
• Li Moran challenges Zhong Yi’s optimistic assumptions by implying that Lu Ze’s past behavior makes a complete change unlikely.
• Mu Yawen praises Lu Ze for keeping his promise, while Zhong Yi interprets the choice as proof that Lu Ze is changing.
• Lu Ze interacts indirectly with the spectators by deliberately making his movements obvious, baiting the approaching Wyvern.
• His confrontation with Wyvern showcases his new “Shield Dog” style: blocking incoming fire, hooking the enemy, and using an elbow strike to force him into the fatal pit.

Plot points and events

• Lu Ze defeats a squad at Fuli by exploiting the deep pit: he hooks opponents into it, then uses the zipline to outmaneuver the survivors. Rather than looting everything, he carries one enemy’s crate away.
• He places the crate beneath a bridge as bait, then hides behind an iron-plated railing above the water. When a greedy player approaches, Lu Ze hooks and elbows him into the water, then reuses the player’s crate as bait.
• Lu Ze avoids extracting or being killed. He believes that continuing his cruel playstyle without suffering consequences will make Righteous cultivators view him as more of a “Beast Saint,” advancing his mission.
• He moves on to new ambush spots and playstyles, producing increasingly strange matches. The chapter closes with commentary on several of his tactics, from sneaking loot to disguises and leaving opponents elaborate “family portraits.”

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze shows himself to be a patient, calculating tactician. He adapts his methods to different terrain, carefully balancing the need to seem villainous with the need to survive and avoid revealing his real strength.
• Zhong Yi, commentating for the Spirit Cloud Sect, becomes increasingly exasperated and horrified by Lu Ze’s behavior. He recognizes the familiar “Beast Saint” quality in Lu’s tactics but struggles to describe them professionally.
• Mu Yawen is stunned to see Deep Blue—the player she admires—acting this way. The other Spirit Cloud Sect viewers likewise react with alarm, especially when Lu targets Shield Cultivator players.
• The livestream audience turns Lu’s antics into a running joke, praising him as a “Beast Saint Patriarch” and suggesting that everyone becomes a Beast Saint in his hands.

Significant themes

• Cunning over direct combat: Lu Ze wins through traps, terrain, bait, and timing rather than straightforward fights.
• Reputation and perception: His mission depends on how others judge his conduct, so avoiding punishment matters as much as committing outrageous acts.
• Comic villainy: The gap between Lu Ze’s calculated reasoning and the commentators’ horrified reactions drives the chapter’s humor.
• Adaptation and escalation: Lu Ze keeps expanding his tactics and character choices, making each match more unpredictable.