Spiraling Forward

Inside the pure white Construction Space.

Lu Xiu had just finished a round of intense suffering and was sitting cross-legged on the ground, adjusting her breathing.

Although physical fatigue dissipates quickly in role-playing mode.

However, the intense mental tension doesn't dissipate so quickly.

There were quite a few scenes of dungeon sieges, especially.

Lu Xiu had hardly ever had a proper one-on-one fight.

But at least she persevered.

She is indeed growing—at least she hasn't died of old age yet.

Just as she was preparing to adjust the structure of some scenes to make it easier for her to perform.

bite.

A communication window popped up.

Yan Fushou sent her a message.

[Yan Fushou: This is information from a player-run instance on the Prison Rock server. Take a look and see if you're interested.]

"A copy of Prison Rock?"

Lu Xiu saw the message from Yan Fushou and was a little curious, so she casually opened the file that was sent along with it.

She was already very familiar with the unofficial dungeons in Nine Provinces.

But she had never actually encountered a dungeon in another world.

What will be different about this?

She skimmed through the text descriptions on the document.

"Abandon weapons—pure violence—hand-to-hand combat that hits like a brick wall?"

Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise appearing on her exquisite face.

This sounds like it clashes with the core mechanics of the dungeon I'm currently building.

The game that served as the blueprint for the instance, the original Sifu, allowed players to attack using various items scattered on the ground.

That's like a weapon.

But Lu Xiu deleted it.

Don't become Jackie Chan!

Her main concern was that she might do something reckless when she finished the game, like skipping class by using weapons.

She's here to learn unarmed combat techniques!

Moreover, she was fed up with the system's sarcastic remarks! It made it seem like she couldn't complete the dungeons normally!

This time, she was determined to show the system that she could clear the game quickly without resorting to any tricks! She wanted to leave the system speechless!

so.

Did the Architect of this other world also realize this?

Is it dangerous to face High Sequence players unarmed?

So you've created similar instances before? And gained certain abilities from them?

A hint of excitement at finding a fellow traveler flickered in Lu Xiu's eyes as she continued reading.

But as the gaze continued downwards...

The expectation in Lu Xiu's eyes quickly turned into disinterest.

"It's not even Roleplay Instance! Players can use all sorts of random skills, you can't learn anything, what's the point? The rewards are mediocre too—"

Lu Xiu gently shook her head.

The Prison Rock instance described in the document, although it also involves hand-to-hand combat, has a rather crude underlying logic. It lacks the strategic gameplay of Posture Bar, the ability to dodge attacks from different heights, and any kind of Neutralize.

"These are completely different things and have no reference value whatsoever."

Lu Xiu decisively closed the file, completely forgetting about this extremely valuable intelligence that Yan Fushou regarded.

If it has any reference value.

She definitely needs to study it carefully.

But if you don't have it, fine. You'd be better off getting beaten up a few more times.

She stood up, dusted off imaginary dust, then summoned the System Panel and re-entered the dungeon scene.

"Bring it on."

Lu Xiu took a deep breath, and after modifying the office building scene in the dungeon, she once again assumed a fighting stance as the enemies swarmed towards her.

At this moment, she did indeed display the unwavering demeanor of a grandmaster.

time.

Time slowly passed amidst countless life-or-death battles and resets.

After an unknown amount of time, when Lu Xiu was finally able to stroll leisurely through the office building, the fatigue from the intense concentration washed over her like a tidal wave.

That's all for today.

Overall, her movements are becoming increasingly fluid.

Continuing in a fatigued state can easily lead to distorted movements; haste makes waste.

Thinking of this...

Lu Xiu summoned the System Panel again, and then, accompanied by a soft Bai Guang, she left the Construction Space.

In the living room of the apartment.

It was already dark outside the window.

The dazzling neon lights of Chen Capital faintly shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lu Xiu landed lightly, then reached out and gently patted her cheeks.

She assumed that since she had been in the Construction Space for so long, the two guests would have long since gotten bored and left.

However.

Her movements paused slightly as her gaze swept across the living room.

On the wide sofa.

Jian Li remained sitting quietly and upright, a brand new wafer biscuit now in her hand, which she was nibbling on slowly.

On a single sofa chair a full two meters away from Jian Li, Shen Nian sat upright, motionless, her long, beautiful legs, encased in thin black stockings, pressed together.

Her gentle and lovely face was stiff with a look of utter despair, as if she had just endured a long and agonizing ordeal.

They heard Lu Xiu appear.

Their eyes turned towards him almost simultaneously.

Lu Xiu blinked. "You guys... have been sitting here all this time?"

How much time has passed?

I heard Lu Xiu's voice.

Shen Nian breathed a long sigh of relief as if she had seen a savior, and immediately stood up.

But perhaps it was because he had been sitting for too long, or perhaps it was because he had been surrounded by Jian Li's murderous intent all afternoon.

She stood up and stumbled—but thankfully she managed to regain her balance.

She walked briskly to Lu Xiu in her high heels, and then said very seriously, "Lu Xiu, I will wear the maid outfit, so please let Jian Li and me stay here from now on."

"Ha?"

Lu Xiu was stunned for a moment, but the fatigue from Constructed Instance for so long was dispelled by those words.

"Wait, I was just joking. And why are there suddenly so many people? Didn't you say you were the only one without a place to stay? Besides, I said I'm not used to it—"

"Just one day! Just let us stay for one day, otherwise I feel like this won't end!"

Shen Nian pressed on Lu Xiu's small shoulders and said, "I'll go and pick out some styles carefully, and I'll come over once I'm mentally prepared."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the entrance without waiting for Lu Xiu to refuse.

But after walking a few steps, she stopped and turned to look at Jian Li.

"Miss Jian Li."

Jian Li sat on the sofa and slightly raised her head to glance at her.

Upon noticing Shen Nian's suggestive gaze, which implied "I'll help you," the silver-haired girl, who had remained expressionless throughout, obediently stood up.

However—before going out with Shen Nian.

Jian Li deliberately walked around to Lu Xiu's side, lowered her head slightly, and silently handed Lu Xiu a wafer biscuit that she had been holding in her hand.

After Lu Xiu took it...

She then left the apartment with Shen Nian.

Bang.

The door was closed gently.

The living room returned to silence.

Only Lu Xiu remained standing there, bewildered.

"----What is all this nonsense? What can't be resolved? Why would staying here solve everything?"

Lu Xiu looked at the tightly closed door. "If you want to be mentally prepared, then don't wear it, okay? Besides, I didn't agree to it!"

She made a comment.

Then he tore open the cookie in his hand and stuffed it into his mouth.

I don't understand.

She put the two girls' strange behavior out of her mind, then raised her slender white fingers, went around the back of her head, and casually untied the hair tie that held her high ponytail.

Her long, flowing black hair was instantly freed from its restraints, sliding smoothly down her fair, slender swan neck and cascading like silk over her graceful shoulders and back.

Then Lu Xiu raised her hand and took off the loose, thin sweatshirt that was already damp with sweat. She casually draped it over the kitchen island, revealing her exceptionally full and proud figure outlined by the matching sports vest. She prepared to take a shower first.

at the same time.

On the forum.

As planned, Yan Fushou directly posted the framework of the civilian dungeon of Prison Rock and related information on the forum.

The forum was already bustling with activity due to the aftermath of the special event.

It got even more lively.

The topic of discussion also shifted accordingly.

Although most players don't need this, it's still good to learn about otherworldly dungeons from a distance.

[Is it really that wild? Completely abandoning all weapons and then throwing the player into a harsh environment to fight enemies—and these enemies are actually quite interesting.]

[To be honest, I don't think this dungeon framework is very technical; it's just pure combat with no special mechanics.]

[Compared to Lu Xiu's inhuman behavior, that really lacks any real strategy----]

[Actually, it seems the Otherworld Architect did put in a lot of effort to limit player skills. For example, with the first monster, the final victory depended on who was more ruthless.]

[It's mainly because it's entirely unarmed; we don't have any similar instances here—it's a completely different design concept, and it's not as hellish as Lu Xiu's Outlast.]

Why post this?

[Didn't I say at the end? Let other Architect take this into consideration—simply put, let the other Architect step up their game and prevent a repeat of the situation seen during special events. Lu Xiu's influence is unparalleled; Prison Rock doesn't even need to divide his forces.]

[Don't even mention it. I felt ashamed for the Construction Club back then. The number one in influence had over 20,000, and the number two had only a few hundred. It was utterly disgraceful. If you didn't commit suicide on the spot after seeing that, you'd be incredibly stupid.]

[This instance framework is really interesting—I'd like to try making it.]

[Go ahead and do it. Focusing solely on Lu Xiu's dungeons is pointless—her Roleplay Instance demand extremely high levels of process control. You can't start from scratch, and imitating her dungeons results in something neither fish nor fowl. So try the Prison Rock dungeon instead.]

[----]

It's obvious.

Most players feel this is a good opportunity for other Architect.

They also wanted to try out this kind of instance.

And that goes without saying for the Architect.

The copy of Lu Xiu has proven that imitating her is a dead end.

The system has clear rewards and penalties for copying, not to mention...

Because of the nature of the Roleplay Instance, all of the player's skills and attributes are unusable—making it impossible to even have fun.

But starting from scratch to imitate Lu Xiu and construct Roleplay Instance, as there's no clear beginning.

As for modifying a normal copy—that's too difficult.

In short, all roads were blocked.

But Lu Xiu is just too dazzling—starting from Resident Evil, every instance has been redefining the upper limit of players' imagination of instances.

In this situation, most Architect will subconsciously lean towards her style, feeling that only by creating something like that can a dungeon be considered good.

Unable to learn, unable to fix, and unable to let go, I'm stuck in the same place.

It's stuck in an infinite loop.

The Prison Rock instance framework, in a way, provides another path.

This isn't the path Lu Xiu has walked; there's no need to compare myself to her.

A completely different direction!

This is our opportunity.

A privately Construction Space, the inner attic of a Bell Tower.

Jin Yi, the leader of the Spirit Pivot Construction Group, showed the other five people the information about the Prison Rock dungeon released by the Coordination Bureau on the forum.

Don't even mention any opportunities.

The only woman among the six rubbed her temples, looking at the group of insects with a pained expression, and said, "Last time you said it was a rare opportunity, but what happened in the end? Do you remember how badly the players criticized those Resident Evil -themed dungeons?"

We went the wrong way that time.

66

Jin Yi did not refute, but directly admitted. "That proves that imitating Lu Xiu is indeed a dead end, but this time is different. This framework is from Prison Rock's side. There is no punishment for imitation. It is a new approach that can be used."

"A new approach."

Another leader of the Construction Club spoke with a tone that was hard to decipher, "Jin Yi, have you ever thought about why the Coordination Bureau would release this?"

Jin Yi paused for a moment. "I know, they just want us to use us, to do it, to fill the gap left by Lu Xiu— "

Let us become her replacement.

The only woman among the six spoke directly, "No need for such euphemisms! Just say it straight: the Coordination Bureau thinks we can't do anything, so they've laid out the framework right in front of us, telling us to copy it and not to bother with anything."

Upon hearing this, the others fell silent.

There's no need to be so direct.

"----This really feels like an insult."

Jin Yi's lips twitched, but he still raised his head and looked around at everyone present. "But are you willing to accept this?"

These words were spoken.

The air in the attic seemed to freeze instantly.

The faces of the leaders of the Construction Club present all stiffened, and they all looked away at each other.

"You all saw the influence rankings released during the last special event."

Jin Yi disregarded everything and ruthlessly tore away the fig leaf in everyone's hearts. "That was an unforgettable and utterly shameful humiliation. We became the laughingstock of all the players online, and were relentlessly attacked."

"But are you content with this? I am not."

Jin Yi braced his hands on the table, gritting his teeth as he said, "Even if the Coordination Bureau's release of this intelligence is essentially a handout and exploitation of us good-for-nothings, I'll accept it! I'll still do it!"

"I absolutely never want to go through that again! Absolutely!"

His words resonated deeply.

The attic was quiet.

Much later.

The only female leader of the Construction Club sighed and put down her hand that was rubbing her temples, "Since you've put it that way—then let's do it. It's not a big deal to be given a framework as charity; it's shameful to fail at it."

"Right."

So what are your thoughts?

"Think about it yourselves."

Jin Yi shook his head. "Let's avoid another car crash—but I can offer a word of advice."

"Many advantages of the Lu Xiu copy can be referenced; complete imitation is not feasible, but some ideas can certainly be incorporated into this framework."

For example, this dungeon, while somewhat interesting, is too rough around the edges. We could take inspiration from Outlast and add a patrolling killer who can't be easily killed. Players would not only have to fight monsters of the same level but also constantly be on guard against pursuit from higher-level forces! Wouldn't that immediately increase the tension?

Upon hearing this...

Two of them immediately lit up.

"This approach—it seems like it might actually work!"

"Furthermore, since it's not Roleplay Instance, the player's basic attributes remain, so the sense of frustration won't be as intense----"

"Yes! That's one approach! Now you know why I said this is a rare opportunity, right?"

Jin Yi immediately said, "This is a type of dungeon that Lu Xiu has never done before. We can also make a name for ourselves!"

"Since you put it that way, I also have an idea----"

A heated discussion quickly broke out in the attic.

These Architect, who had once reached a dead end, grasped at a straw like drowning people, and began to pour their hearts and souls into this new direction, desperately trying to wash away their shame.

At the same time.

The Coordination Bureau like an underground prison.

Queenie looked at the forum discussions about the Prison Rock instance and felt somewhat annoyed.

I was truly possessed back then!

Why use the Prison Rock instance as an example?

It's all Lu Xiu's fault!

And that bald guy! He kept agreeing with her, saying that Lu Xiu's copybook wasn't for people to play, while subtly flattering her.

She just blurted out her grievances, revealing the contents of her own instance.

"It's nothing, it's nothing----"

Frustration as it may be.

But Queenie took a couple of deep breaths and quickly calmed herself down. "It's just one of the representative civilian dungeons of Prison Rock. Even if those people from Nine Provinces really get the framework, so what? It's just a unique item; it won't affect the overall situation between the two regions."

not to mention.

Adapting a completely different style of copy to a local context is no easy task.

As it turns out...

Queenie underestimated the experience of the desperate amateur Architect in Nine Provinces in this regard.

There is also Lu Xiu's influence on the entire group of Architect.

The key point where quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

All that's missing is a pusher.

The instance of Prison Rock is the one that pushed things along.

In the following days.

Architect throughout Nine Provinces sprang into action.

The framework for the Prison Rock instance released by the Coordination Bureau was like a liberation of thought.

Many Architect immediately abandoned imitating Lu Xiu's dungeons, thinking that since they couldn't create dungeons as exquisite as Lu Xiu's —then they should completely abandon Roleplay Instance! They should just create dungeons that Lu Xiu hadn't done before! They should create normal dungeons!

Inside a privately Construction Space.

The core members of the Spirit Pivot Construction Group, looking at the scene before them, suddenly erupted with undisguised fervor and excitement in their bloodshot eyes, which were filled with tears from several consecutive nights of staying up late.

"Hahaha! I did it!"

He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I know how to do the dungeon! This time—it'll definitely work!"

At the same time.

Chen Capital, Maple Leaf Avenue.

Lu Xiu also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally done."