Staging a Fall

"I see----"

Lu Xiu sighed, touched her ponytail, reflected for a moment, and then said, "It seems that next time Constructed Instance and design some mechanics, we need to consider the other players a little more—"

"No."

Yan Fushou decisively interrupted her and shook his head vigorously.

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Xiu's clear eyes. "Huh? Why? Didn't you all think it was too difficult just now?"

"We find it difficult because we're not strong enough, not because there's anything wrong with your instance."

Yan Fushou said seriously, "What you just said makes sense. Just because the special event is over, you think Prison Rock isn't strong? Don't be so extreme. Putting aside whether Prison Rock is really that weak, even if they are, they will definitely be matched with higher-rated areas in the future. What will we do then?"

"If you compromise on everything, will there still be top-tier dungeons left?!"

"Lu Xiu, don't try to be backward compatible!"

"What you've created is the pinnacle of dungeons! The pinnacle of all unofficial dungeons! The goal of every other Architect."

"If you broaden the judgment and lower the difficulty, it will indeed become a highly praised and excellent dungeon that allows everyone to easily obtain some Survival Points."

"But in that case, it would become just another ordinary item, and players in Nine Provinces would lose the chance to obtain such a miraculous item as skill evolution."

"Geniuses should do what geniuses do! The main thing now is to make other players clearly understand that you're working on the highest-level dungeons, not those A, B, C, D, E, F dungeons. They're S, SS, maybe even SSS dungeons. These dungeons require a huge amount of effort to clear."

"Shen Nian is like this, Jiang Qiu is like this, and even Jian Li has come this far step by step."

"No one can clear a high-difficulty dungeon without putting in any effort."

"And those easier copies."

Yan Fushou turned to look at Li Shengkai and Sun Yi: "Let the other Architect work hard. There needs to be a complete ecosystem and a ladder that is compatible with lower-level systems."

"If you don't do the lower-level dungeons, others can try, and there are also system dungeons, but if you don't do the top-level dungeons—maybe no one can do them."

Lu Xiu seemed to be deep in thought, and after a long while, she nodded gently.

Yan Fushou smiled gently when he saw her like this.

really.

Even at their most mature, they're still much like troubled teenagers, always plagued by inexplicable worries, unsure if they're even geniuses.

If she's not a genius, then what are the others?

Paramecium?

As for having Lu Xiu do easier dungeons—to be honest, Yan Fushou was tempted.

After all, it was foreseeable.

With so many ingenious ideas from Lu Xiu, even if the dungeon is a bit easier, the rewards shouldn't be too bad.

But in the end, he rejected the idea.

Because this is simply a waste of Lu Xiu's talent!

Because the first four instances of Lu Xiu's story—the Frontline—have been much easier than before!

There's really no need to mortgage your future.

And most importantly, Queenie mentioned the Apostle—

Thinking of this...

Yan Fushou shook his head, dismissing the thought from his mind.

Let's not think that far ahead.

Otherwise, I feel even more pressured.

He then asked, "By the way, Lu Xiu —you were just cursing—cough, when you were talking to Guild Leader Jiang Qiu, you mentioned that the Sifu's Dungeon really has rewards that can evolve skills below S-rank?"

Lu Xiu snapped out of her reverie and nodded, "Yes, as long as we can clear the level—"

She hadn't finished speaking.

A soft sound suddenly came from beside me.

Jian Li, who had been standing quietly half a step away, seemed to want to take a step forward and listen carefully.

But this usually quiet and composed girl, perhaps distracted by the reward, suddenly stumbled, lost her balance without warning, and fell straight towards Lu Xiu.

"Why?"

Lu Xiu was startled. Her body reacted instinctively, faster than her brain, and she caught the falling girl steadily.

A faint, delicate fragrance wafts through the air.

Jian Li's body possessed an astonishing suppleness and lightness.

Lu Xiu blinked, then helped her up by the shoulders. "You also have low-level skills you want to evolve? Why are you so excited?"

Jian Li nodded calmly, "Yes, so I tripped by accident."

Others:

The atmosphere was subtle.

Yan Fushou struggled greatly to barely suppress the urge to sigh.

I take back what I just said.

Lu Xiu was indeed much more mature than the others.

no.

The signs of this staged accident are a little too obvious, aren't they?!

Yan Fushou took a deep breath and forcibly swallowed back the speechless words that were about to spill from the corner of his mouth.

"That copy—"

Yan Fushou looked at Lu Xiu again, changing the subject to ask about the details of the dungeon.

After all, if possible, he still wanted the frontline soldiers to be able to pass the test as well.

But the words were barely out of his mouth when he abruptly stopped.

He rubbed his temples.

---- The Goddess Intervention.

Lu Xiu couldn't reveal this.

Lu Xiu's excitement just now seemed to have been interrupted and Suppress Presence; it's best not to take any more risks.

Thinking of this...

Yan Fushou abruptly changed the subject, asking instead, "----Never mind, I won't ask about the specifics of the dungeon. I'm just a little curious----why did you suddenly decide to make a purely hand-to-hand combat dungeon? When you became my Sifu, I hadn't yet sent you the framework for the Prison Rock dungeon, had I?"

"Huh? This? ----"

Lu Xiu blinked, her gaze unconsciously drifting to Shen Nian, the girl with glasses standing on the other side.

"At the beginning----"

Lu Xiu opened her luscious red lips and uttered just two words.

Shen Nian's scalp tingled, and her beautiful eyes immediately widened.

Not good!

If he claims this was his own idea, he might end up in mortal danger.

Shen Nian didn't have time to think; her body's survival instinct took over.

"Oops!"

She took a step forward, looking like she wanted to listen carefully, then her left foot ridiculously tripped over her right foot, and she fell straight towards Lu Xiu!

"Why?!"

Before Lu Xiu could recover from Jian Li's fall, she saw another dark figure hurtling towards her.

The body's instincts kicked in again.

She quickly stopped talking and reached out to catch Shen Nian.

Others:

On the other side.

After catching Shen Nian, Lu Xiu was stunned for a moment. She first looked down at the ground in disbelief, then suddenly turned to Yan Fushou: "Director Yan! Is there some kind of curse or something on the ground in your Coordination Bureau?!"

Yan Fushou:

His eyes twitched violently as he looked at Lu Xiu, who was now completely bewildered and helpless after being repeatedly framed.

I just couldn't hold back anymore.

He simply looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh.

He suddenly realized that letting the Strategy Group members grow unchecked wasn't a good thing; the Strategy Group needed to clean up its internal atmosphere!

On the other side.

Shen Nian faced Jian Li's deathly gaze, tears welling up in her eyes.

But she still held on.

After all, Jian Li's threat was only a death threat; if Lu Xiu actually said it, she would really die.

At the same time.

Longsword Guild Headquarters.

Jiang Qiu returned to the floor where her office was located. Her secretary, who had been anxiously waiting outside, immediately ran to greet her.

She carefully observed her chairman's expression.

There was no furious rage, nor any triumphant smugness.

He asked anxiously, "Chairman, were you kicked out by the Coordination Bureau?"

Jiang Qiu: "----"