Recaps

After Lu Ze finally activated his system, he learned it was the Demonic Son System and required him to kill Righteous cultivators to grow stronger. When a Demon-Seeking Compass pointed at him, the system assigned him a mission to disrupt Spirit Cloud Sect’s cultivation, leaving him at risk of exposure.

• Lu Ze activated the system after his tragic stories earned enough Emotion Points, only to discover it labeled him a Demon Path prodigy and could not be unbound.
• The system told Lu Ze he could gain Demonic Value by killing Righteous cultivators, despite his weak cultivation and inability to defeat them.
• An Inner Disciple described how Righteous cultivators had slaughtered Demon Path cultivators and asked Lu Ze to repair his Demon-Seeking Compass.
• Lu Ze sent spiritual energy into the compass, which pointed at him, but the Inner Disciple dismissed it as broken and left.
• The system assigned Lu Ze a mission to make more than thirty percent of Spirit Cloud Sect’s disciples unable to cultivate peacefully for five days.

Lu Ze decided to use his game-design experience to keep Spirit Cloud Sect disciples from cultivating peacefully by creating a parkour game in the Illusion Tower. Three days later, the Outer Disciples entered his new Illusion Realm and were stunned by its name, “Demonic Path Escape.”

• Lu Ze decided to build a video game to fulfill his system mission and chose a parkour game for movement-technique training.
• Wang Tai told Lu Ze to find the Illusion Crystal Stone himself, so Lu Ze bought an Imagery Instrument and began creating the game.
• Wang Ming and Wang Ba arrived at the training ground, where Wang Ba boasted that he would take first place in the trial.
• Lu Ze installed the Illusion Realm core and told the Outer Disciples to enter using their tokens.
• Zhang Ming activated his token and found himself facing the title “Demonic Path Escape.”

Zhang Ming played Lu Ze’s Demonic Path Escape, ran from a monster, and died after colliding with a wall of fire, but immediately wanted another round. Lu Ze discovered that player deaths in the game could earn him Demonic Value and received Zhang Ming’s mastered Cloud Shattering Art as a reward.

• Zhang Ming used the Cloud Shattering Art to flee a pursuing monster and learned that collecting Spirit Stones raised his score.
• Zhang Ming died after trying to jump over Firestarter Talismans and, frustrated by his rank, started another round.
• Lu Ze watched the disciples become hooked on Demonic Path Escape and received 0.01 Demonic Value.
• Lu Ze reasoned that repeated deaths in a game could provide Demonic Value more sustainably than killing cultivators.
• The system awarded Lu Ze the Cloud Shattering Art (Mastery) after Zhang Ming admired his skill.

Lu Ze discovered that players who genuinely admired his game could grant him an attribute, while Zhang Ming’s hours in the Illusion Realm improved his movement technique and put him atop the leaderboard. Zhang Ming explored the game’s shop and set his sights on a mount, unaware that the Spirit Stones he had collected were the wrong grade.

• Lu Ze saw that Zhang Ming’s admiration for the game had earned him an attribute, and learned that Zhang Ming’s Cloud Shattering Art had advanced to major mastery.
• Zhang Ming ran through increasingly difficult traps and barriers, reached 2,407 steps, and finished first on the leaderboard.
• Zhang Ming explored the Home Page and Shop, learning that mounts, artifacts, and cultivation methods could be bought with in-game Spirit Stones.
• Zhang Ming planned to grind for the Golden Horned Immortal Beast, not realizing his Low-Grade Spirit Stones could not buy it with the High-Grade Spirit Stones the mount required.

Lu Ze sold Outer Disciples unlimited five-day tokens for Demonic Path Escape, rebuked Wang Ba, and showed off his Cloud Shattering Art. The chapter ended with Xiao Hongzhi overhearing the Outer Disciples discussing the Trial and wondering what it was.

• After the Outer Disciples’ three-hour tokens expired, Lu Ze offered them five-day tokens for one Spirit Stone each, and they eagerly went to fetch money.
• Wang Ba complained that Demonic Path Escape was inferior to Inner Disciple training, but the other disciples defended the Trial.
• Lu Ze criticized Wang Ba’s Cloud Shattering Art, then used it to move behind him and humiliate him with his speed.
• Wang Ba stormed off, and Lu Ze decided he would create special Trial stages to keep Wang Ba in last place if he returned.
• Xiao Hongzhi overheard Outer Disciples discussing Demonic Path Escape in the Sect Plaza, and a junior disciple asked whether he knew about the Trial.

Xiao Hongzhi and Yang Zhuo investigated an Illusion Realm Trial after seeing Outer Disciples excitedly return from it, only to discover that the game had suppressed their cultivation and they performed worse than the Outer Disciples. News of Xiao Hongzhi’s defeat drew more Inner Disciples into Demonic Path Escape, where Zhang Ming’s growing lead spurred them to band together and reclaim their pride.

• Xiao Hongzhi and Yang Zhuo wondered why Outer Disciples were so enthusiastic about the Illusion Realm Trials and decided to try one themselves.
• Xiao Hongzhi and Yang Zhuo played Demonic Path Escape, but Xiao Hongzhi’s three hundred steps failed to place in the top hundred, far behind Zhang Ming’s score.
• Xiao Hongzhi explained that the Trial had restricted everyone to the Qi Refining Stage, then vowed to challenge it again and take back the top spot.
• Word spread that Xiao Hongzhi had lost, and Inner Disciples flocked to the Artifact Forging Hall to try Demonic Path Escape.
• As Zhang Ming approached three thousand steps, Inner Disciples urged one another to assemble and bring him down to save face for their ranks.

Lu Ze gained demonic value from the Inner Disciples playing "Demonic Path Escape" and used it to advance to the fourth level of Qi Refining. After encouraging Zhang Ming to keep playing for spirit stones, Lu Ze offered Crystal Replicas of the trial for sale, leaving his gaming enterprise poised to expand.

• More Inner Disciples tried "Demonic Path Escape," raising Lu Ze's demonic value to 13.
• Lu Ze spent 10 demonic value to advance from the third to the fourth level of Qi Refining.
• Zhang Ming complained that Spirit Transformation Stage spirit beasts cost high-grade spirit stones while the trial paid out low-grade ones, and Lu Ze encouraged him to keep earning and save for a Golden Core Stage mount.
• Lu Ze heard disciples discuss the trial's difficulty and cultivation methods as they wished they could take it back to their rooms.
• Lu Ze offered Inner Disciples Crystal Replicas of "Demonic Path Escape" for ten spirit stones each.

Lu Ze added player battles and a Forum to “Demonic Path Escape,” drawing the Spirit Cloud Sect’s disciples into days of intense play. As his task neared completion and his cultivation reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, he found Xiao Hongzhi’s diary and learned how deeply the game had consumed him.

• Xiao Hongzhi played “Demonic Path Escape” through the night, trying to beat Zhang Ming’s record, then attended Chao Wendao’s class exhausted.
• Lu Ze upgraded the game with face-to-face battles, teams, combat items, and a Forum, sparking fierce competition in the Training Hall.
• Xiao Hongzhi heard about the battle feature during class and eagerly planned to challenge other disciples after updating his Illusion Crystal Stone.
• Over the next few days, disciples skipped classes and Outer Disciples took on paid tasks to fund their gaming, while Lu Ze’s demonic value and cultivation rose.
• Lu Ze found Xiao Hongzhi’s diary in the Training Hall and saw entries showing that Xiao Hongzhi had been repeatedly fleeing into the game.

Lu Ze received the Myriad Manifestations Xuan Demon Immortal Physique and researched its abilities, then discovered that his Foundation Establishment breakthrough would require ten times more Demonic Value. He left planning to increase the difficulty of his games so his fellow disciples would provide more resources.

• Lu Ze received the red-quality Myriad Manifestations Xuan Demon Immortal Physique reward and went to the Scripture Repository to learn about it.
• Lin SuSu lent Lu Ze her token to access records about the lost Immortal Body and kept his identity as a novelist secret.
• Lu Ze learned that the physique granted compatibility with every Dao and art and allowed its aura to shift between righteous and demonic.
• Lu Ze returned to his residence, tested the physique with the Demon-Seeking Compass, and found he could release his aura without detection.
• Lu Ze discovered that Foundation Establishment now required 2,000 Demonic Value instead of 200 and decided to raise the difficulty of his games.

Ding Mingcang investigated the popular Illusion Realm Trial “Demonic Path Escape” and traced its replicas to Lu Ze, while Chao Wendao assigned the matter to him. As Lu Ze worried about slow Demonic Value gains, Zhong Yi, Mu Yawen, and Li Moran set out to assess the trial.

• Ding Mingcang warned Chao Wendao that disciples were neglecting cultivation to play “Demonic Path Escape,” and Chao Wendao examined a replica before leaving the investigation to Ding Mingcang.
• Ding Mingcang learned that Lu Ze had sold the Illusion Crystal Stones and ordered his attendant to investigate Lu Ze and find the person who created the trial.
• Zhong Yi told Mu Yawen about “Demonic Path Escape,” and Mu Yawen eagerly agreed to try it.
• Li Moran arrived at Severed Thought Cliff and said the Fifth Elder had tasked her and the other True Disciples with assessing the suspicious trial, so she joined Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen.
• At the quieter Illusion Training Hall, Lu Ze reasoned that he had done nothing wrong but realized he needed more players to increase his Demonic Value; the system then awarded him 10 Demonic Value.

Lu Ze watched three True Disciples play Demonic Path Escape and realized that Li Moran was skilled enough to dominate the rankings. Worried she would lose interest and stop providing Demonic Value, he decided he needed to give her a goal.

• Lu Ze received repeated Demonic Value drops from a powerful player and suspected an Elder was playing, then welcomed Zhong Yi, Li Moran, and Mu Yawen to the training area.
• Mu Yawen misread the rules, charged at the Demonic Beast instead of fleeing, and quickly died, earning Lu Ze Demonic Value.
• Zhong Yi repeatedly died to traps but stayed cheerful and learned from each failure, providing Lu Ze with Demonic Value.
• Li Moran dodged traps with remarkable skill and passed 2,000 steps without dying, while Lu Ze feared she would soon take first place by a wide margin.
• Lu Ze worried that Li Moran's dominance would leave other players without a goal, so he resolved to give her one.

Mu Yawen, Zhong Yi, and Li Moran tested Demonic Path Escape, where Li Moran set a new high score and Zhong Yi discovered he could hide his name. Lu Ze watched them play, pleased by the demonic value they generated, then received a reward for winning over Zhong Yi.

• Mu Yawen told Zhong Yi she had scored 503 steps in Demonic Path Escape, while Zhong Yi had nearly reached 500.
• Li Moran exited the trial with a score of 5,300 steps and took first place on the leaderboard.
• A player called Nameless surpassed Li Moran with a score of 5,600 steps, prompting Li Moran to start another game and Zhong Yi to decide to change his trial name.
• Lu Ze watched the three disciples play and noted that Zhong Yi died most often and contributed the most demonic value.
• The system rewarded Lu Ze with ten years of martial arts experience after he won over Zhong Yi and inspired his admiration.

Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen discovered battle mode in Lu Ze’s Illusion Realm and became engrossed in competing against each other. As Lu Ze watched their match, Li Moran sent him a battle request.

• Zhong Yi praised the Illusion Realm’s design and sound effects, then chose Mu Yawen’s name for himself.
• Mu Yawen tried to use her bloodline to fight a demon beast, triggering the realm’s restriction and ejecting her.
• Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen realized they had each borrowed the other’s name, so Lu Ze renamed them Clumsy Escapist Genius and Battle Maniac Who Dared to Go Head-to-Head.
• Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen battled using an expanding variety of items, with Mu Yawen learning to counter Zhong Yi’s tricks.
• Lu Ze watched their match, pleased by its potential to earn him Demonic Value, when Li Moran sent him a battle request.

Lu Ze defeated Li Moran in Demonic Path Escape using unexpected item combinations and tricks, earning her Ice Breath Technique as a reward. Li Moran bought a copy of the game afterward, while Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen resolved to keep dueling.

• Lu Ze accepted Li Moran’s challenge and entered the Illusion Realm under the disguised name “Nameless.”
• Lu Ze used Talismans, a spittoon, and a trick to steal an item across the lane barrier to defeat Li Moran.
• Lu Ze received the Ice Breath Technique, a skill that concealed its user from Divine Sense Probes below the Integration Realm.
• Li Moran switched to single-player mode to hone her skills, and Lu Ze considered but rejected provoking senior disciples into real fights.
• Zhong Yi bought two Crystal Replicas from Lu Ze, and Li Moran surprised him by buying one as well.
• Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen concluded that the game might contain a cultivation method and agreed to keep dueling.

Lu Ze used two thousand Demonic Value to achieve Foundation Establishment, but his Myriad Manifestations Xuan Demon Immortal Physique triggered an enormous heavenly phenomenon that drew the sect Elders’ attention. He mastered Li Moran’s Ice Breath Technique just in time to hide his aura from their Spiritual Sense.

• Lu Ze left the dormitory, set up Qi Concealment Arrays in the Back Mountain, and spent two thousand Demonic Value to achieve Foundation Establishment.
• Lu Ze discovered that his spiritual lake was vast as a sea, then watched spiritual energy surge toward him and his array stones begin to shatter.
• A heavenly phenomenon appeared above Glazed Fire Peak, astonishing Ding Mingcang and drawing the attention of Elders across the sect.
• Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen observed the strange phantoms, while Li Moran suspected the breakthrough belonged to the cultivator she had fought that afternoon and vowed to defeat him.
• Lu Ze used his ten years of martial insight to master the Ice Breath Technique and concealed his aura as the Elders’ Spiritual Sense searched the Back Mountain.

Lu Ze heard disciples speculate about the strange phantoms and the True Disciples’ Demonic Path Escape scores, then returned to cultivating at the Artifact Forging Hall. Wang Tai confronted him about the Illusion Realm he had made, revealing that the Second Elder suspected its creator was a skilled Demon Path cultivator.

• Lu Ze overheard disciples credit the sky’s phantoms to a breakthrough or lingering Spiritual Energy and discuss Senior Sister Li’s record-setting Demonic Path Escape score.
• Lu Ze realized the phantoms might have come from disciples who died in the trial, while Zhong Yi’s steady Demonic Value notifications suggested he was still playing it.
• Lu Ze returned to his repair station and began cultivating with the Basic Cultivation Method, hoping to obtain a higher-level method.
• Wang Tai interrupted Lu Ze’s cultivation, mocked his poor aptitude, and asked who had given him the Illusion Crystal Stone for the movement-technique trial.
• Lu Ze told Wang Tai that he had made Demonic Path Escape himself, and Wang Tai revealed that the Second Elder suspected its creator was a spell expert and possibly a Demon Path cultivator.

Wang Tai took Lu Ze and the Illusion Crystal Stone to the Enforcement Hall, believing he had caught the creator of “Demonic Path Escape.” A server announcement then summoned disciples across the Spirit Cloud Sect to meet the Illusion Realm’s creator, and several prominent disciples set out for the hall.

• Wang Tai revealed that his Recording Orb had captured Lu Ze’s admission and said he would bring him before the Second Elder at the Enforcement Hall.
• Lu Ze offered to check the Illusion Crystal Stone, then Wang Tai put it in his Storage Ring and took Lu Ze to the Enforcement Hall.
• A server announcement in “Demonic Path Escape” declared that its creator was visiting the Enforcement Hall and welcomed fellow cultivators to exchange ideas.
• Zhang Ming quit the game and spread the announcement among the Outer Disciples, while Inner Disciples shared the news through Spiritual Sense messages.
• Zhong Yi told Mu Yawen that the creator was at the Enforcement Hall, and she decided to go with him.
• Li Moran received the news at Severed Thought Cliff and rode her Silver Longsword toward the Enforcement Hall.

Lu Ze faced an interrogation by Ding Mingcang, who accused him of creating Demonic Path Escape to disrupt the sect and demanded to know who was behind it. As disciples defended the game’s benefits, Lu Ze claimed he could reproduce every aspect of cultivation, leaving Ding Mingcang stunned.

• Wang Tai brought Lu Ze before Ding Mingcang, who accused him of making Demonic Path Escape and harming the sect’s disciples.
• Ding Mingcang raised the Enforcement Hall so the sect could hear the public interrogation, while Lu Ze said the game had been designed to help Outer Disciples cultivate the Cloud Shattering Art.
• Outer Disciples shouted that playing the game had improved their Cloud Shattering Art, and Lu Ze smiled at their testimony.
• Ding Mingcang accused the game of distracting Inner Disciples, but Xiao Hongzhi and other Inner Disciples defended Lu Ze and said the game had improved their movement techniques.
• Ding Mingcang challenged Lu Ze to reproduce every aspect of cultivation through the game, and Lu Ze confidently agreed.

Ding Mingcang prepared to cripple Lu Ze and expel him from the sect, but Zhong Yi, Mu Yawen, and Li Moran arrived to plead for the creator of Demonic Path Escape. After revealing Lu Ze’s identity, Ding Mingcang refused to believe he had made the illusion realm and pressured him to name its supposed true creator.

• Ding Mingcang sentenced Lu Ze to have his cultivation crippled and be expelled from the sect.
• Zhong Yi, Mu Yawen, and Li Moran arrived at the Enforcement Hall, and Zhong Yi vouched for Demonic Path Escape and asked Ding Mingcang to show leniency.
• Ding Mingcang removed the Enforcement Hall’s walls and revealed Lu Ze as the person accused of creating Demonic Path Escape.
• The disciples and true disciples were stunned to learn that Lu Ze was the supposed creator, and Zhong Yi suggested there might be a misunderstanding.
• Ding Mingcang accused Lu Ze of wrongdoing and demanded that he name the real creator, threatening to spare his life if he confessed.

Lu Ze defended his claim that he created the Illusion Realm “Demonic Path Escape,” answering Ding Mingcang’s technical challenges until Grand Elder Chao Wendao arrived and intervened. Ding Mingcang still refused to believe him and demanded that Lu Ze create another Illusion Realm in front of everyone.

• Li Moran supported Lu Ze, explaining that the Illusion Realm’s spells were simple but applied with great ingenuity.
• Lu Ze explained how he linked three small spaces into an apparently endless world and answered Ding Mingcang’s questions about the music and cultivation restrictions.
• Chao Wendao arrived, eased Ding Mingcang’s pressure on Lu Ze, and praised Lu Ze’s insight.
• Ding Mingcang argued that someone else could have taught Lu Ze and demanded that he make another Illusion Realm before the crowd.

Lu Ze accepted Ding Mingcang’s challenge to create another illusion realm within a month and negotiated a binding sect covenant with him. The challenge was set: Lu Ze had to design a cultivation realm for basic sword swings without combat functions.

• A system quest prompted Lu Ze to accept Ding Mingcang’s challenge and win while inflicting as much damage on him as possible.
• Ding Mingcang demanded that Lu Ze remain inside the Artifact Forging Hall under supervision for a month, and Lu Ze agreed while demanding punishment for Ding Mingcang and protection from future interference with his illusion realms.
• Ding Mingcang agreed to spend a month in Repentance Valley if Lu Ze succeeded, while threatening to cripple and expel him if he failed.
• Lu Ze asked Chao Wendao to establish a sect covenant, and Chao Wendao created one that Lu Ze and Ding Mingcang signed.
• Ding Mingcang tasked Lu Ze with creating an illusion realm for practicing basic sword swings, without combat functions.

Ding Mingcang restricted Lu Ze to creating a single-player sword-practice illusion without battle-related gameplay, confident that existing sword trials could not be surpassed. After studying the sect’s illusions, Lu Ze began searching for an unconventional approach, while Li Moran wondered whether he could make even swinging a sword ingenious.

• Ding Mingcang told Qian Yutang that Lu Ze had already lost by accepting his challenge, since sword practice inevitably involved combat and Lu Ze was forbidden from designing battle-related functions.
• Nangong Yuan contacted Lu Ze through a jade slip, offered him the sect’s sword-practice illusions to study, and agreed to make him an Immortal Artifact if he won their bet.
• Lu Ze spent the day trying the sword-practice illusions and realized his limited spiritual sense and Ding Mingcang’s restrictions sharply narrowed his options.
• Zhong Yi told Li Moran and Mu Yawen that Lu Ze would struggle to create a sword-themed illusion that could rival Demonic Path Escape.
• Li Moran stopped practicing and wondered whether Lu Ze could make even swinging a sword something ingenious.

Lu Ze struggled to adapt Fruit Ninja for cultivators, since sword-swinging felt too much like ordinary combat training. He found a new direction by making missed targets grow into plants, leaving him ready to develop the idea further.

• Lu Ze tested a Fruit Ninja illusion but found that slicing fruit lacked impact and resembled the sect's sword-training trials.
• He concluded that his game needed a reason to swing a sword that was not combat.
• After accidentally letting an apple fall and vanish, Lu Ze imagined that fallen objects could grow from the ground.
• Lu Ze changed the illusion so fruits fell onto soil and spared a sunflower, which sprouted into a smiling plant.

Lu Ze completed a cultivation-themed adaptation of Plants vs. Zombies and arrived at Lingxiao Plaza to present his new Illusion Realm to the sect. The chapter ended with the crowd watching him approach the elders and the enormous Illusion Tower.

• The Spirit Cloud Sect’s disciples secretly continued playing Demonic Path Escape while speculating about Lu Ze’s wager with Ding Mingcang.
• Lu Ze spent half a month creating a full story mode, minigames, and Survival Mode for his new Illusion Realm, adapting the game’s plants and zombies to the cultivation world.
• Ding Mingcang announced that the sect would examine Lu Ze’s new Illusion Realm at Lingxiao Plaza, drawing a huge crowd and six elders.
• Lu Ze arrived at the plaza escorted by two Enforcement Hall disciples and calmly walked toward the center as the crowd stared.

Lu Ze accepted Ding Mingcang’s challenge to create a sword-practice Illusion Realm that met strict usage requirements, while securing a weeklong halt to the Enforcement Hall’s confiscations. He activated the realm before the assembled disciples, revealing its name as Plants vs. Zombies.

• The elders discussed Lu Ze’s chances and doubted he could create an Illusion Realm that met Ding Mingcang’s challenge.
• Ding Mingcang required the new sword-practice realm to be original, keep disciples playing an average of at least two hours daily, and demand at least three thousand sword swings per day within a week.
• Lu Ze agreed and asked Ding Mingcang to prevent the Enforcement Hall from confiscating Illusion Tower artifacts and related items for a week; Ding Mingcang promised he would not confiscate them.
• Lu Ze placed an Illusion Crystal Stone into the Illusion Tower as the disciples entered the new realm, where the words “Plants vs. Zombies” appeared.