Recaps

Sikong Che and Rakshasa announced strict rules for the Tower Climbing Illusion Realm challenge, while Lu Ze’s rivals tried to block his path by filling the combat categories first. Lu Ze finally chose Board Games, leaving Heart Demon uneasy about what he planned to make.

• Sikong Che announced limits on category entries, scoring penalties for late choices, and a size cap for Illusion Realms.
• Rakshasa ordered contestants to select categories in registration-number order, leaving Lu Ze last; Lu Ze reassured Zhong Yi that he had nine ways to solve the problem.
• White Crane and Yun Tian praised Heart Demon’s plan to steer contestants into combat categories and restrict Lu Ze’s options.
• The first hundred contestants all chose combat Illusion Realms, while later contestants lamented their reduced choices and mocked Lu Ze for being last.
• Lu Ze teased Rakshasa before writing Board Games as his Illusion Realm category.

Lu Ze chose the Board Games type for the Tower Climbing challenge, while the Illusion Alliance elders believed their restrictions had secured their victory. After inspecting his Illusion Tower and finding no tampering, Lu Ze helped Zhong Yi realize that a Tower Climbing challenge could center on combat without presenting combat directly.

• Lu Ze's choice of Board Games surprised the cultivators and pleased the Illusion Alliance elders, who thought they had blocked his stronger options.
• Chao Wendao and Nangong Yuan challenged the Illusion Alliance to guarantee that its Illusion Towers would not malfunction, and [Rakshasa] promised competitors could switch equipment if one did.
• Lu Ze inspected Illusion Tower No. 749, found it unusually well made, and wondered what the Illusion Alliance was planning.
• Zhong Yi told Lu Ze he had chosen Strategy and planned to build a Tower Climbing challenge based on puzzles and escaping mechanisms.
• Lu Ze explained to Zhong Yi that combat was only an outward form and could be conveyed through plants, troop types, words, numbers, or Board Games, prompting Zhong Yi to grasp a new approach.

Lu Ze tested Zhong Yi’s polished, Magic Tower-style illusion, “Brave the Demon-Locking Tower,” and gave him advice on how to develop its combat systems. He then began creating his own competition entry, “Slay the Immortal Spire.”

• Nangong Yuan and Chao Wendao played chess while Lu Ze waited to give Zhong Yi time to develop his illusion.
• Several other Illusion Crafters released tower-defense and real-time strategy illusions during the first round.
• Zhong Yi emerged on the fifth day with “Brave the Demon-Locking Tower,” an eighteen-floor rescue adventure built around numerical combat and collectible Artifacts.
• Lu Ze praised Zhong Yi’s design and explained how skills and combat progress bars could make its battles more varied.
• Lu Ze entered Illusion Tower 749 and named his illusion “Slay the Immortal Spire.”

Lu Ze began building “Slay the Immortal Spire,” an illusion realm based on an early version of “Slay the Spire 2,” while cultivators discussed the other competition entries and speculated about his board game. On the eighth day, Zhong Yi reported that his illusion realm had drawn eighteen thousand players before someone mocked his results.

• Lu Ze chose an early version of “Slay the Spire 2” as the template for “Slay the Immortal Spire” and began constructing its world.
• Cultivators on the forum debated the new illusion realms, compared them with Lu Ze’s work, and guessed that he had chosen a board game.
• Nangong Yuan worried that Lu Ze’s unfinished illusion realm showed no activity, while Zhong Yi confidently predicted that it would win.
• Zhong Yi said “Brave the Demon-Locking Tower” had drawn eighteen thousand players and agreed with Lu Ze’s prediction that its appeal would fade after players finished it.
• An unidentified cultivator mocked Zhong Yi for being satisfied with fewer than twenty thousand players.

Lu Ze confronted Han Xian, who mocked the Spirit Cloud Sect’s Illusion Realm entry and challenged its chances in the competition. Lu Ze arranged a wager with Han Xian and had him sign a Spirit Contract, leaving the elders worried about what Lu Ze was planning.

• An Azure Peak Sect Elder and Han Xian taunted the Spirit Cloud Sect, and Chao Wendao’s warning with Purple Divine Thunder frightened Han Xian.
• Han Xian displayed the Exquisite Tower Wonderrealm’s figures, boasting that it had attracted one hundred thousand cultivators in three days.
• Lu Ze emerged from Illusion Tower No. 749, told Han Xian to get lost, and heard Han Xian warn him not to promote his entry using outside resources.
• Lu Ze proposed that the competition loser take a strike from the winner, and Han Xian agreed after consulting an Azure Peak Sect Elder.
• Lu Ze gave Han Xian a Spirit Contract to sign, leaving Nangong Yuan, Chao Wendao, and Zhong Yi dumbfounded and worried.

Lu Ze released “Slay the Immortal Spire,” and Zhong Yi eagerly entered it to explore its card-based tower climb. Zhong Yi studied the branching map and chose the middle route.

• Lu Ze finished polishing “Slay the Immortal Spire” and waited for it to pass review without contacting the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao.
• Zhong Yi worried that Lu Ze’s illusion realm had not appeared, and Lu Ze reassured him that Han Xian’s “Exquisite Tower Wonderrealm” was inferior to Zhong Yi’s game.
• When “Slay the Immortal Spire” went live, Zhong Yi started a livestream and entered its single-player mode.
• Zhong Yi selected the Iron Armor Sect Cultivator and examined the tower map’s branching paths and room types.
• Zhong Yi weighed the routes and room rewards before choosing the middle route.

Zhong Yi explored Lu Ze’s card-based Illusion Realm, learning its combat and deck-building mechanics as he fought monsters. After entering a random event, he repeatedly paid health to protect valuable cards and left furious at the room.

• Zhong Yi entered the Illusion Realm as a spirit observer and learned to control the Iron Armor Sect Cultivator by playing cards.
• He defeated the Little Gnaw Beast and added [Prepared Strike] to his deck, then beat three Slime Demons and chose the blue [Combustion] card.
• Zhong Yi defeated a Shrinking Beetle without taking damage and added the blue [Flame Barrier] card to his deck.
• He skipped a shop to enter a random room, where a slippery bridge threatened to remove one of his cards.
• Zhong Yi repeatedly lost health to reroll the card at risk, eventually losing 18 health and swearing never to enter the random room again.

Zhong Yi lost his first run against the Olden Statue after underestimating the elite monster, then started a second run to prove he could win. He discovered that the Spire’s map, monster rewards, and card choices changed with every run.

• Zhong Yi entered the Olden Statue’s room with 60 health and dealt 44 damage while it slept, but the statue awakened and struck back for 25 damage.
• Zhong Yi failed to deal enough damage before the Olden Statue killed him, then returned to the starting screen and unlocked the Silent Hunter.
• Zhong Yi rejected the viewers’ suggestion to try the Silent Hunter and restarted as the Iron Armor Sect Cultivator, convinced his earlier choices had caused his loss.
• Mother of Rebirth appeared and offered Zhong Yi three Artifacts, so he chose the Orange Incense Box and upgraded a Strike.
• Zhong Yi found that the map and available cards had changed, realizing that each run through the Spire was different.

Zhong Yi began a second climb through the tower, adapting his route as he discovered a valuable artifact and grew confident in his deck. He entered an elite fight against Ghost Eels, while Lu Ze watched his livestream and feared the enemies would punish his choices.

• Zhong Yi mapped a route through the Dark Harbor, but its tougher monsters cost him 14 health despite his [Golden Crow Bloodline].
• Zhong Yi chose the Sword in the Stone from the Sunken Statue event and revised his route to include more elite fights so he could unlock its seal.
• Zhong Yi grew confident after collecting several Vulnerable cards and entered an elite room to fight four Ghost Eels.
• Zhong Yi tried to kill a Ghost Eel with [Heavy Strike] and [Disassemble], but it gained 6 armor and survived with one point of effective health remaining.
• Lu Ze watched Zhong Yi's livestream, recognized the Ghost Eels as dangerous newbie killers, and remarked that the Crow's Mouth Spiritual Root was worth its weight in gold.

Zhong Yi lost his run in "Slay the Immortal Spire" but became eager to try again, while the illusion realm drew thousands of players and sparked heated discussion. [Rakshasa] believed Lu Ze’s poor reviews would make his own realm win, and [Heart Demon] saw the contest as a chance to eliminate Lu Ze.

• Zhong Yi defeated the Ghost Eels, gained the [Vajra Pestle] and [Demon Form], then chose a regular monster room over a Campfire and died to the [Fossil Tracker].
• Zhong Yi eagerly began another run despite his defeat and the rewards he had not yet used or unlocked.
• More than ten thousand cultivators tried "Slay the Immortal Spire," and Forum users complained about its difficulty and debated the characters.
• [Rakshasa] celebrated the poor reviews for Lu Ze’s illusion realm and claimed that his "Exquisite Tower Wonderrealm" had the advantage.
• [Rakshasa] told [Heart Demon] that Lu Ze had agreed to take one attack from Han Xian if he lost, and [Heart Demon] resolved that they must win.

Zhong Yi defeated the first-floor Boss and chose the powerful Hellraiser card, then entered the second floor and upgraded his bloodline for stronger healing. He planned his route through the floor as viewers watched and offered advice.

• Zhong Yi used Uppercut, Disassemble, and Bully to defeat the Endtime Deer and received three golden card choices.
• Zhong Yi chose Hellraiser, which automatically played Strike cards he drew, and resolved to collect more Strike cards.
• Zhong Yi met Living Rainbow on the second floor and chose Touch of Rainbow to upgrade his golden crow bloodline to nirvana bloodline.
• Zhong Yi studied the second-floor map, planned a route favoring Campfires and question-mark rooms, and set off as viewers commented on his play.

Zhong Yi built an oversized deck around Vulnerable and Strike cards, then entered the second-floor Boss room convinced he was invincible. The Great Demon’s repeated choices and his missing combo cards left him frustrated and in danger.

• Zhong Yi collected Strike cards and showed off his growing deck to his Live Streaming audience.
• Four Exoskeleton Bugs limited each hit to nine damage, cost Zhong Yi twenty-two health, and taught him to seek area attacks and defensive cards.
• Zhong Yi gained sixty-three Spirit Stones, bought several cards at the shop, and left with a deck of more than thirty cards.
• At the Campfire, Zhong Yi upgraded Perfect Strike instead of resting, then entered the Boss room with a little over fifty health.
• The Great Demon forced Zhong Yi to choose between losing health and drawing fewer cards, while [Hellraiser] appeared late and three [Perfect Strikes] disrupted his plan.

Lu Ze reassured Nangong Yuan that Slay the Immortal Spire’s approachable difficulty would keep players coming back despite their losses. He left the story mocking the “good-for-nothing rats” near the Floating Pavilion.

• Nangong Yuan gave Lu Ze a secret art that could transfer damage and suggested they use it if Lu Ze lost the competition.
• Nangong Yuan pointed out that players were struggling with Slay the Immortal Spire while Han Xian’s Exquisite Tower Wonderrealm had reached one hundred thousand players.
• Lu Ze explained that Slay the Immortal Spire’s challenge came from learning its monsters and cards, making players feel they could win on another run.
• Lu Ze pointed to Zhong Yi, who kept smiling despite repeated defeats, and said players would keep playing because they felt victory was within reach.
• Lu Ze glanced toward the Floating Pavilion and mocked certain people as good-for-nothing rats.

Zhong Yi cleared the Third Floor of Slay the Immortal Spire with a powerful Shiv Hunter deck, then discovered that the Architect was an unbeatable embodiment of the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao. Believing his damage total meant he had cleared the game, he joined Zhou Yue’s stream and urged him to pick Accuracy.

• Zhong Yi’s Silent Hunter deck assembled a strong Shiv build, letting him defeat the Banshee and her minion on the Third Floor.
• Zhong Yi used Blade Trap to unleash his stored daggers and finish the Banshee in a spectacular attack.
• Zhong Yi entered the Silent Hunter’s body and attacked the Architect, who revealed himself and killed Zhong Yi with a single blow.
• Zhong Yi saw that challengers had dealt the Architect a total of 1240 damage and celebrated, assuming he was the first to clear the game.
• Zhong Yi entered Zhou Yue’s livestream and told him to pick Accuracy, then revealed he had just cleared the game with an Accuracy-based Shiv Hunter build.

Zhou Yue’s unusually strong Silent Hunter run ended when the Swarm Cultivator filled his deck with Dazed cards, while other cultivators began clearing the tower and exploring its characters. Zhong Yi discovered Lu Ze’s Soul Rewind feature, which killed and reconstructed him before undoing a move, and Lu Ze quietly collected demonic value from the process.

• Zhong Yi guided Zhou Yue through a powerful Shiv deck, but Zhou Yue kicked open an elite room and was countered by the Swarm Cultivator’s Dazed cards.
• As more cultivators cleared the tower, the Forum filled with debates about character builds and their strengths.
• Zhong Yi tried the Regent and struggled to use the character’s Royal Family cards and Starlight mechanic.
• Lu Ze told Zhong Yi to try Soul Rewind, and Zhong Yi’s spirit body shattered before he was reconstructed with his move undone.
• Lu Ze explained to himself that he had made rewinding cost players a death so he could collect demonic value.

Lu Ze’s save-and-load feature made “Slay the Immortal Spire” easier to clear while increasing players’ playtime, worrying the Illusion Alliance that its popularity might fade once players finished it. Zhong Yi began a difficulty-eight co-op climb with Zhou Yue, Mu Yawen, and Zhou Qiaoling, and immediately doubted he could carry them.

• Cultivators used the rewind feature to improve their runs, raising the clear rate and earning Lu Ze more demonic value from their repeated deaths.
• Rakshasa told Heart Demon that many players had cleared “Slay the Immortal Spire,” and Heart Demon argued that the Illusion Alliance’s endless tower structure would keep players climbing longer.
• Zhong Yi reviewed deck-building strategies on his livestream and prepared to show off the deck he had developed overnight.
• Zhou Yue invited Zhong Yi to climb the Immortal Tower with her, Mu Yawen, and Zhou Qiaoling.
• Zhong Yi joined the party, recognized his teammates’ troublesome habits, and remarked that the team would be hard to carry.

Lu Ze’s friends played Slay the Spire 2’s team mode, where their clashing strategies left the group nearly defeated despite Zhong Yi carrying them through the second floor. On the final floor, the map revealed that Zhou Qiaoling had secretly chosen a route converging on a treasure chest, prompting Zhou Yue to call her greedy.

• Mu Yawen, Zhong Yi, Zhou Qiaoling, and Zhou Yue chose characters and began a team run, with Zhong Yi planning to show Zhou Yue a new strategy.
• Zhou Yue played cards before Zhong Yi could apply Vulnerable, Mu Yawen used Fight Me to strengthen a multihit monster, and Zhou Qiaoling delayed attacks to use Hand of Greed.
• After resting at a Campfire, Zhong Yi found his teammates nearly out of health and complained that he could not carry them.
• Zhong Yi’s strong cards helped the team defeat the second-floor Great Demon, and he won the gold card Add Fuel from its reward.
• On the final floor, Zhong Yi saw that every route led to a treasure chest and accused Zhou Qiaoling of choosing the Treasure Map event.

Zhong Yi led Zhou Qiaoling, Zhou Yue, and Mu Yawen through the dangerous Immortal Tower, then prepared the group for the final boss. The chapter ended with the others secretly choosing to upgrade their cards instead of resting as Zhong Yi had ordered.

• Zhong Yi and the others cleared the second-floor Treasure Map room, and Zhou Qiaoling claimed its 600 spirit stones.
• The group reached the third-floor Great Demon, the Test Subject, and Zhou Yue looked forward to using its long fights to build up his magical orbs.
• Zhong Yi took the group to the final shop, removed cards from his deck, and told everyone to spend their spirit stones before the boss fight.
• Zhou Qiaoling bought several gold and discounted cards, including cards that also benefited her teammates.
• At the Campfire, Zhong Yi called for everyone to rest, but Mu Yawen rested while the other three secretly chose to upgrade their cards.

In the Great Demon's room, Zhong Yi completed an Infinite Loop build by thinning his deck to six cards and cycling [Resentment] repeatedly. He kept chipping away at the Test Subject while Zhou Yue and the others waited impatiently for their turns.

• Zhong Yi used [Add Fuel] and [Brand] to burn cards, aiming to thin his deck enough to complete his build.
• Zhou Qiaoling played [Hammer Time] and [Generous Donation], adding cards to Zhong Yi's hand and delaying his plan.
• Zhou Yue celebrated his Malfunctioning Spirit Puppet build as the Test Subject entered its defensive phase with Intangible and 900 health.
• Zhong Yi revealed that his deck held only six cards and used [Crimson Mantle] to trigger [Resentment]'s draw effect every turn.
• Zhong Yi repeatedly cycled [Resentment], dealing one damage at a time while Zhou Yue, Zhou Qiaoling, and Mu Yawen begged him to stop.

Zhong Yi’s Infinite Loop guide reignited interest in Slay the Immortal Spire, boosting player numbers and playtime. Players also began seeking out the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao in the Illusion Realm, and the Tower Climbing competition deadline arrived.

• Lu Ze promoted Zhong Yi’s livestream, where Zhong Yi used an Infinite Loop build to play nine hundred cards and defeat an incorporeal Great Demon.
• Zhong Yi posted Infinite Loop deck guides for all five classes, drawing players to the builds and driving up the game’s concurrent players and average playtime.
• Lu Ze chose to keep Infinite Loop builds powerful because their high ceiling encouraged players to keep playing.
• Cultivators began seeking out the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao in the Illusion Realm, treating encounters with it as an honor and sharing screenshots on the Forum.
• The Tower Climbing competition deadline arrived on the eighth day after Slay the Immortal Spire’s release.

Lu Ze arrived at the Illusion Alliance gathering as cultivators debated which illusion realm would win the tower-climbing contest. After Han Xian and Zhang Yuxian publicized their dangerous wager, Lu Ze remained confident as the results were about to be announced.

• Lu Ze appeared among the gathered cultivators and muted Wang Qingfan, who had mocked him, on the forum for a month.
• Nangong Yuan worried that Lu Ze's illusion realm would lose, while Zhong Yi assured him it was excellent.
• Zhang Yuxian announced Han Xian and Lu Ze's wager: the loser would take an unprotected blow from the winner.
• Lu Ze told Nangong Yuan that Han Xian was trash who could not beat him, and Han Xian argued that Lu Ze had released his illusion realm too late to catch up.
• Han Xian and Lu Ze agreed to leave life and death to fate as Rakshasa and a Myriad Dao Sect elder appeared to announce the results.

Lu Ze won the first challenge when “Slay the Immortal Spire” far surpassed Han Xian’s Illusion Realm in player count and playtime, then crippled Han Xian with a single strike during their wager. [Heart Demon] and the Elders planned to block the Heavenly Dao in the next challenge, believing that would guarantee their victory.

• Han Xian revealed “Exquisite Tower Wonderrealm”’s results, which initially led the spectators to expect him to beat Lu Ze.
• Lu Ze revealed that “Slay the Immortal Spire” had nearly eight million two-hour periods of playtime, surpassing every other Illusion Realm and winning the challenge.
• Han Xian tried to question the results, but [Rakshasa] silenced him and confirmed Lu Ze as the winner.
• Lu Ze reminded Han Xian that their Wager required no Artifacts and no holding back, then struck him so hard that his Divine Soul was severely damaged.
• [Rakshasa] raged over Han Xian’s injuries, while [Heart Demon] urged the Elders to shut out the Heavenly Dao in the next challenge.

Heart Demon proposed turning the Illusion Realm challenge into a Secret Realm to blunt Lu Ze’s advantage. The Illusion Alliance then announced its second challenge: competitors had seven days to run an auction Secret Realm for the Great Qian Dynasty and earn as much profit as possible.

• Heart Demon told White Crane to shift the challenge from illusion to reality by turning an Illusion Realm into a Secret Realm.
• Cultivators gathered at Leisure Cloud Lake and discussed Lu Ze’s defeat of Han Xian, while the Azure Peak Sect endured the public ridicule.
• Lu Ze arrived and spoke with Zhong Yi, who praised his speed and mentioned Li Moran’s assessment of his talent.
• Rakshasa introduced Qian Wancai, owner of the Flying Cloud Trading House, as the sponsor setting the second challenge.
• Rakshasa announced that competitors had seven days to create a Secret Realm auction open only to people of the Great Qian Dynasty, with scores based on profit.

The Illusion Alliance changed the second challenge from illusion realms to secret realms and arranged an auction restricted to the Great Qian Dynasty, hoping to prevent Lu Ze from winning. Lu Ze accepted the rules and revealed that he could adapt his auction-themed game, “King of Auctions,” to a secret realm.

• [Heart Demon] told the elders to prepare secret realms and have Qian Wancai arrange an auction in the Great Qian Dynasty, where valuable treasures could be sold to disadvantage Lu Ze.
• Cultivators at Leisure Cloud Lake argued over the change, and many Illusion Crafters withdrew in protest.
• Zhong Yi wanted to confront [Rakshasa], but Lu Ze calmly accepted the challenge and said the Illusion Alliance could set the rules on its own territory.
• Lu Ze explained that a secret realm could work like an illusion realm if its setting stayed close to reality and its designs could be created with spells.
• Lu Ze announced that “King of Auctions” could be recreated entirely within a secret realm.

Lu Ze planned to win the auction challenge by selling the warehouse’s remaining goods instead of competing over the Heaven-Piercing Talisman. After Blood Crow sold the talisman and other treasures at inflated prices, Lu Ze launched King of Auctions as a new mode in Immortal Abyss Continent Operation to attract buyers.

• Lu Ze inspected the Flying Cloud Trading House warehouse with Zhong Yi and claimed he had a plan to sell the Heaven-Piercing Talisman, though he later admitted he had lied.
• Lu Ze explained to Zhong Yi that the Illusion Alliance would likely arrange a buyer for the talisman, so he planned to sell the other seventy percent of the warehouse’s goods.
• Heart Demon ordered Blood Crow to prepare the Secret Realm and hold the auction the next day after learning Lu Ze seemed to have a plan.
• Lu Ze created the King of Auctions Illusion Realm to build momentum, but Zhong Yi arrived with news that the Heaven-Piercing Talisman had been sold.
• Blood Crow arranged for prominent clans to bid up the Heaven-Piercing Talisman and several other treasures, spending his own money to raise their total proceeds.
• Lu Ze launched King of Auctions as a new mode in Immortal Abyss Continent Operation, whose concurrent player count was approaching eight hundred thousand.