Linxia was running for his life. His breath came in ragged gasps as he sprinted through a desolate, twisted landscape, the sky above an unnatural shade of crimson. The monstrous entity behind him shrieked, its many eyes glistening with hunger as it gained on him. It moved like a shadow, its form warping and stretching unnaturally.
Linxia gritted his teeth. Damn it, this is it.
The thing lunged—jaws opening wide, revealing rows of jagged, interlocking teeth. Just as it was about to swallow him whole, a deep heat bubbled in Linxia's chest. Instinctively, he opened his mouth—
FWOOOSH!
A torrent of fire erupted from his throat, engulfing the monstrosity in roaring golden flames. The creature let out a distorted wail before vanishing into ashes, leaving behind only the scent of scorched air.
Then, just as suddenly—
[Immersion Realm Ending…]
Linxia blinked. The apocalyptic wasteland melted away, replaced by the familiar sight of his writing studio. His heart was still pounding, but a flat, robotic voice broke his moment of victory.
"Test concluded. Immersion effectiveness: 37%. Story cohesion: 19%. Execution viability: 12%."
Linxia sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Nice work, Miss D. So… how was it?"
A holographic interface flickered into existence, and Miss Deadline—his evolved AI editor—manifested in front of him. Her expressionless yet somehow smug avatar adjusted her virtual glasses.
"Multiple errors detected. Shall I list them?"
"...Just give me the highlights."
"Your fire breath ability lacks originality. The protagonist's struggle was predictable, and the immersion was broken by excessive narration. Also, the scene reads like an overused cultivation trope."
Linxia groaned. "So… fire breath is canceled?"
"Correct. Which means we move on to the next concept."
Linxia pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right. What's next, Miss D?"
"You've already tested 'Death Touch,' 'Paralysis Voice,' 'Blackhole Mouth,' and now 'Fire Breath.' The next ability to explore is 'Bloodline Thief.'"
He exhaled loudly. "This sucks. I don't even know what to write anymore. I'm out of ideas."
Miss D tilted her head slightly, her synthesized voice unchanging. "I cannot say I fully understand the depths of human creativity. However, as your editor, I recommend taking a look at the Points Mall. There may be something there to inspire you."
Linxia paused. The Points Mall. He had barely explored it after the last system upgrade, too caught up in finishing Sightless Path.
Now that he was shifting genres, maybe it was time to see what else the system had to offer.
A spark of curiosity flickered in his mind.
"...Alright, open the Points Mall."
With that command, his screen shifted, and a vast catalog of items, abilities, and enhancements appeared before him.
[Welcome to the Points Mall.]
[Available Items Based on Your Level:]
Linxia's eyes flicked through the options, his fingers hovering over the choices. There was more here than he had expected.
Maybe… just maybe… he'd find his next big idea in here.