If You Don't Get Addicted, How Can I Level Up

The next day.

Linxian Peak, Law Enforcement Hall.

"How did things go yesterday?"

The moment Qian Yutang appeared, Ding Mingcang immediately grabbed him and asked.

"Bad news... After the disciples cleared the previous stage, there’s a new one."

Qian Yutang feigned seriousness, but as soon as he saw Ding Mingcang’s face darken, he quickly waved his hand and added:

"Don’t panic, Elder! The good news is, the new stage is extremely simple. I heard the disciples cleared it with ease."

"Really?"

Ding Mingcang’s furrowed brows instantly relaxed.

"Absolutely true!" Qian Yutang nodded emphatically. "Apparently, that kid worked overnight to design the new stage, completely unprepared for how quickly the disciples would clear it!"

Hearing this, Ding Mingcang felt much more at ease.

"If it was rushed, it must be shoddy work. It probably won’t win any favor later."

"But letting him keep exploiting loopholes to refine the stages is no good. Go to the Artifact Refining Pavilion and warn him—no more changes to the illusion realm!"

"And one more thing..."

"Visit Danqing Peak and the Sword Inquiry Peak. Coordinate with their stewards to expedite the addition of new courses. It must be done quickly!"

"Seeing swordplay and spiritual herbs being disgraced by some ordinary disciple must have infuriated them."

"Once academic pressure increases, the disciples will naturally have no time to waste on illusions..."

……

……

Thunder Lord Peak, Qingyun Pavilion.

"DAMN IT!!!!!"

A violent shockwave erupted within Qingyun Pavilion as Zhong Yi’s roar echoed.

The surrounding barrier trembled violently, on the verge of collapse.

[The zombies ate your brains...]

Staring at the floating words in the air, Zhong Yi was furious.

Even if the stage was labeled "Hard Mode," this difficulty was downright absurd!

The first three stages were manageable—just slightly stronger zombies than the normal version.

But after the third stage, the sheer number of enemies was on a whole other level!

Annoying ice chariot zombies and acrobat zombies kept harassing him.

The spawn rate and frequency of enemies had multiplied.

By the fifth stage, there were even barbarian zombies with boss-level strength!

In just a short while, his brains had been eaten over a dozen times!

Where did that leave the dignity of a [Genius Cultivator] like him?

Zhong Yi was seething.

He opened the forum, only to find it flooded with despair.

[This Survival Mode is insane! Has anyone cleared it yet?]

[Barbarian zombies in the daytime stage? I dread to imagine what comes next...]

[Feels like fighting a Nascent Soul monster right after reaching Foundation Establishment.]

[Wasn’t Survival Mode supposed to be fun? Only a saint could enjoy this!]

[Lu Ze must be doing this on purpose!!]

[Calling the Genius Cultivator—only he can save us now!]

……

Zhong Yi, who had been on the verge of losing it, saw how highly he was regarded on the forum and instantly reignited with fighting spirit.

"Fellow disciples, wait for me to conquer this challenge and return to aid you all!!"

……

……

Late at night.

[Evil Path Value +1.2]

[Evil Path Value +10]

[Evil Path Value +1.2]

[Evil Path Value +10]

……

The endless stream of system notifications was music to his ears.

Lu Ze lay in bed, thoroughly pleased.

"This master-disciple duo is truly a gift!"

Now, advancing from early to mid Foundation Establishment required a whopping 50,000 Evil Path Value.

Without the contributions from this treasure pair, reaching that point would’ve taken ages.

The forum post rallying disciples to call for the "Genius Cultivator," declaring only he could save them, was actually Lu Ze’s alt account.

All to provoke Zhong Yi into obsession.

If he didn’t get obsessed, how else would Lu Ze level up?

The original Hard Mode wasn’t nearly this brutal.

Lu Ze had redesigned it based on Endless Mode’s difficulty.

All to ensure disciples died repeatedly, feeding him Evil Path Value.

As for whether some might quit from frustration...

Lu Ze wasn’t worried.

First, cultivators in this world had never seen anything so entertaining—once hooked, they wouldn’t leave even if driven away.

Second, his difficulty balancing was precise.

Brutally hard, utterly sadistic, but never impossible.

So even after countless failures, players would stubbornly persist.

And once they finally cleared Hard Mode...

They’d discover Endless Mode waiting for them.

That was the real trap.

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