"Saint Lu, there seems to be movement from the Illusion Alliance again!"

Zhong Yi arrived at the Lingyu Pavilion with a solemn expression.

"Senior Brother Zhong, please don't call me that... it feels quite awkward to hear."

For some reason, being called'Saint' by a peerlessly good person like Zhong Yi made Lu Ze feel a bit cringey, his toes practically curling in his boots.

"Then... Lu the First-Saint?"

"...Senior Brother Zhong, ever since the Qi of Xuanhuang entered my body, I've had some epiphanies. Perhaps I'll be able to Breakthrough soon."

"Haha, just a joke!"

Zhong Yi let out a dry laugh.

Zhou Qiaoling had mentioned last time that Lu Ze could already withstand Li Moran's sword Moves;

once he reached Soul Transformation, even Zhong Yi wouldn't be his match...

"Let's get to business. eight directions venerable has launched a new map and a new mode... it's clearly aimed at operation xianyuan continent!"

Zhong Yi said seriously.

"Oh? They haven't given up yet?"

Lu Ze blinked.

He hadn't expected the people of the Illusion Alliance to be so persistent.

Even though his operation xianyuan continent was already incredibly popular, and he had even triggered a Sacred Phenomenon yesterday, they {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} still hadn't given up.

As it turns out, people really are patient when they're up to no good.

"Junior Brother Lu, I'm worried they'll affect your path to sainthood!"

Zhong Yi emphasized with a worried look.

"Are you really not going in to take a look?"

Lu Ze nodded helplessly: "Alright, then I'll go in with you and have a look..."

Hearing this, Zhong Yi breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Lu Ze's path in the Illusion Realm had been too smooth; he was worried Lu Ze might trip up due to arrogance.

'It seems Junior Brother Lu isn't as arrogant as everyone thinks...'

Zhong Yi thought to himself.

"...To see just how mediocre other people's Illusion Realms are."

Lu Ze stretched and continued.

Zhong Yi: "..."

...

...

Half an hour later.

Lu Ze and Zhong Yi exited the Illusion Realm together.

The former looked bored, while the latter was deep in thought.

"Senior Brother Zhong, what do you think of the Looting mode in eight directions venerable?"

Lu Ze asked with a yawn.

"Although it's not as good as operation xianyuan continent... it's an opponent that cannot be underestimated! Junior Brother Lu, you must be careful!"

Zhong Yi replied with a serious expression.

Lu Ze grew interested: "Oh? Why do you think so?"

Zhong Yi briefly organized his thoughts and replied:

"Junior Brother Lu's gunfight design is excellent, but the Cultivation Technique and Move contests in eight directions venerable are easier for Cultivators to accept... regardless of which is superior, contests of techniques and Moves will inevitably attract a significant portion of the audience."

"Plus, their Looting mode is an imitation of operation xianyuan continent, so the foundation is already there... it won't be too bad no matter what."

"And... the quality of their maps is quite high!"

After listening to Zhong Yi's analysis, Lu Ze nodded with some approval.

"Yes, that last point makes some sense... their maps were a bit beyond my expectations."

Lu Ze said.

Map design is a profound discipline.

A single excellent map design can often make a mode famous.

For example, DUST2 in CS from his previous life could be considered a timeless classic in competitive FPS.

Lu Ze had originally thought that with the Cultivators' shallow understanding of games, the map production would be very crude.

But the maps in eight directions venerable actually had some commendable aspects.

One could see many shadows of the core designs from Dam Zero and Ascension Base.

The gap between this and the Illusion Realm maps previously released by the Illusion Alliance was too large; Lu Ze even suspected these guys had used some secret technique to deduce them.

However, while the map design was decent, it was still some distance away from the level of Dam Zero and Ascension Base.

"Junior Brother Lu only thinks the maps are decent? The rest are...?"

Zhong Yi was suddenly puzzled.

In his view, the maps were actually the weakest of the three advantages eight directions venerable possessed.

But in Lu Ze's eyes, neither the technique battles nor the essence of Looting seemed to be worth mentioning.

"Then I'll give you a bit of guidance..."

Lu Ze rubbed his chin. Suddenly feeling that Zhong Yi had the potential to be a game designer, he patiently began to explain.

When creating operation xianyuan continent, Lu Ze had deliberately chosen not to use Cultivation Techniques and Moves as the combat gameplay like Naraka: Bladepoint.

The reason was simple:

The core of Looting's popularity is a diverse player culture.

In a contest of techniques and Moves, if it's just a matter of cultivation level where one Move ends the fight, the fun of the game is lost;

If it were made like Naraka: Bladepoint, with Move-by-Move psychological games, then ratty players, campers, and even CS players would lose a significant amount of survival space.

With such a design, the addition of 'Looting' would make the Illusion Realm feel more like exploring a Secret Realm, thereby losing the fun of a game.

As for the plagiarism of Looting elements...

Lu Ze wanted to laugh even more.

The Cultivators who made eight directions venerable always viewed issues through the lens of a Cultivator's values.

What is most valuable in a Cultivator's eyes?

High-rank Cultivation Techniques, Supreme sacred relics, Heaven And Earth Treasures...

So the 'red items' in eight directions venerable were all these things.

Even the models were made according to the real objects.

The problem is, setting aside their effects and uses, how are these things different from ordinary books, grass, or wood?

In an Illusion Realm, which gives a player more of a sense of achievement: picking up a Heaven Rank technique that sounds amazing in its description but cannot be practiced, or picking up a dazzling, light-flashing Star of Africa?

The 'big reds' Lu Ze created were all flashy, even slightly sci-fi in design.

Cultivators didn't need to understand them at all, nor did they need to know what they were for.

Even if it was just a doll, just by looking at its appearance, a Cultivator would know it was a red item, and finding it felt great!

Not to mention the Looting mechanics where item size is represented by grid squares, and the rarer the item, the longer it takes to search.

When a player sees a 3x3 or 3x4 grid, they'll subconsciously tremble; the thrill comes naturally.

So, while eight directions venerable copied it, they didn't copy the essence.

Lu Ze wasn't afraid at all.

Following Lu Ze's guidance, Zhong Yi also gradually understood the gap.

"I see... so many details are hidden behind a single Illusion Realm. No wonder you could attain the Dao through Illusion Realms! As expected of Junior Brother Lu!"

Zhong Yi sighed with sincere emotion.

"However... there is one thing they did very right."

Lu Ze said frankly.

"Oh? There's actually something Junior Brother Lu thinks is good?"

Zhong Yi was surprised.

Lu Ze looked at the announcement in the Illusion Realm, which had a simple interface but generous rewards.

"The Spirit Stone rewards they're giving out... are just too damn much!"

"These people are way too rich!!!"

...

...

Luofeng Continent, Illusion Alliance Base.

As Elders, 'Blood Crow' and 'Rakshasa' kept their eyes fixed on the status of eight directions venerable.

The two of them were the main force behind creating eight directions venerable, so they were naturally extra concerned.

At this point, eight directions venerable had been online for three days.

From the surprise of the first day to the loneliness of the third, the two of them were completely baffled.

There were many players on the first day, five times more than the previous player count for eight directions venerable!

This was enough to show the attraction of the Looting mode!

But by the second day, it had dropped significantly.

By the third day, most players were just logging in for the play rewards, leaving as soon as they collected their Spirit Stones.

Now, there were only four days left until the announcement of the Illusion Realm reward rankings.

The two of them racked their brains, still unable to understand what exactly was wrong with the Looting mode in eight directions venerable.