Chapter 1: I am still in the Simulator listening to music at the Pleasure House
Great Abyssal Kingdom.
Green Hills City, Jiang Family Mansion.
"Ding, Life Simulator binding in progress..."
Jiang Yifeng, who was lying in the arms of a maid enjoying a massage, suddenly heard an electronic voice in his mind.
"WHAT?"
Jiang Yifeng was shocked, waving the maid away.
At the same time, lines of text appeared in his mind.
[Life Simulator lv1]
[Host: Jiang Yifeng]
[Age: 20]
[Simulation Attempts: 3]
[Energy Value: 0]
(Note: Everything has energy. The host can convert items into energy value upon contact; silently reciting in your mind will show the energy value of all items.)
[Function 1: You can simulate life once a week, with attempts that can be stored up to a maximum of 3.]
[Function 2: After each simulation, you can spend energy value to exchange for part of the rewards.]
[Tip: As this is the host's first time obtaining the simulator, 3 simulation attempts are gifted!]
[Do you want to start the simulation?]
[Yes] [No]
Looking at the system panel in his mind, Jiang Yifeng excitedly exclaimed.
"Five years! Golden Finger, you finally arrived!
Do you know how I've lived these years?
Every day I could only listen to music and drink, wasting my life in luxury!
I, a model youth of the 21st century, have been living such a decadent life. Do you know how painful it is?"
That's right, Jiang Yifeng is a transmigrator.
Five years ago, he inexplicably transmigrated from Earth to this different world, becoming the young master of the Jiang Clan Firm in the Great Abyssal Kingdom.
The Jiang Clan Firm is a renowned large firm in the Great Abyssal Kingdom, with endless wealth.
After transmigrating into this young master's body, Jiang Yifeng began a life of drunken revelry, becoming the number one playboy in Green Hills City.
Jiang Yifeng didn't want this either; he wanted to strive for something, but he was good at nothing.
The most crucial thing was that the beauties and fine wines were just too hard to resist!
From the original host's memories, Jiang Yifeng learned that this world was similar to ancient times in his previous life.
There were several dynasties, and everyone was ruled by these dynasties.
There were also some martial artists who knew martial arts.
But most of these martial artists' skills were just flashy moves; practicing them only made one slightly stronger than ordinary people.
Because of this, Jiang Yifeng thought that being a playboy and living a life of luxury was not bad.
After all, with the scale and power of the Jiang Clan Firm, it was enough to protect him for a lifetime of debauchery.
But now, the Golden Finger had arrived.
Jiang Yifeng felt that he could experience different lives through the simulation.
Without hesitation, he silently recited.
"Start simulation!"
[Consuming 1 simulation attempt, remaining attempts 2]
[Detected that the host has no energy value, randomly drawing from free white talents.]
Jiang Yifeng exclaimed, "I was careless," having forgotten to exchange for energy value.
But it was too late now, so Jiang Yifeng could only comfort himself.
"Forget it, remember to exchange next time. Let's continue watching!"
[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the white talent: Three-Minute Enthusiasm.]
[Three-Minute Enthusiasm]: You have three minutes each day of being particularly enthusiastic and firm.
"What the hell?"
Jiang Yifeng looked at this talent, feeling something was off.
"Only three minutes of firmness each day? Who are you looking down on?"
After complaining a bit, Jiang Yifeng continued to look at the simulator.
***
[First Simulation Start]
[Jiang Family Mansion, after obtaining the Golden Finger, you decided to turn over a new leaf and shed the title of playboy.]
[That day, you visited the most famous martial arts school in Green Hills City, the Wu Family Martial Arts School, expressing your desire to learn martial arts.]
[Although you thought the martial arts in this world were not advanced, you now had the Golden Finger and might create miracles.]
[Wu Youdao, the head of the Wu Family Martial Arts School, thought you couldn't endure the hardships of martial arts, but under your financial persuasion, he accepted you as a disciple.]
[In the morning, you did martial-art squats for an hour.]
[In the afternoon, you did martial-art squats for half an hour.]
[In the evening, after a day of hard work, you felt it was time to relax, so you invited some rascally friends to the Spring Blossom Pavilion to listen to music.]
[That night, you fought for three minutes before surrendering.]
[It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that you recovered, staggering out of the Spring Blossom Pavilion.]
[You felt you overexerted yourself last night and decided to rest at home, planning to train harder the next day.]
***
In reality, Jiang Yifeng's face turned black.
"Damn it, fought for three minutes and surrendered.
And then rested until the afternoon of the next day, overexerted?
This damn thing, you call it a talent?"
***
[On the third day, your friend Liang Zhilei invited you to drink and compose poetry. You refused, but he said Qiu Zhixuan, the top courtesan of the Spring Blossom Pavilion, would be there; you replied that training could wait until tomorrow.]
[Another day of drunken revelry, and that night you fought for three minutes again.]
[On the fourth day, you listened to music at the pleasure house, firm for three minutes that night.]
[On the fifth day, drinking and having fun...]
[A year passed, you practiced martial arts for an hour and a half, listened to music at the pleasure house for 364 days, and stayed firm for three minutes every night.]
***
Seeing this, Jiang Yifeng's face twisted in pain, tears welling up in his heart.
"Am I really this kind of person?
Only three minutes every time? And every day?
How could I be like this? There must be a mistake.
Can't I work hard to practice martial arts, strengthen myself, and experience the world of martial artists? That would be pretty good too!
Show some backbone!"
Jiang Yifeng shouted in his heart, looking at the simulation panel again.
***
[On a certain day in the second year, you felt you shouldn't continue to be so decadent, starting to refuse your rascally friends' invitations to the pleasure house, and worked hard to practice martial arts.]
[On the first day, you practiced martial arts for half a day, then collapsed from exhaustion.]
[On the second day, you practiced martial arts for 2 hours, then collapsed for the rest of the time.]
[On the third day, you practiced martial arts for 1 hour.]
[On the fourth day, unable to resist temptation, you went to the pleasure house to listen to music again.]
[Ten years passed without you realizing it.]
[You shouted slogans of hard work again and again, but the actual progress was almost zero.]
[During these ten years, under the efforts of your father Jiang Fushan, the Jiang Clan Firm grew bigger and bigger.]
[Now, the Jiang Clan Firm is the number one firm in the Great Abyssal Kingdom, and it's not an exaggeration to say it's as wealthy as a nation.]
[In the eleventh year, the Jiang Clan Firm received a big business deal, and your father Jiang Fushan went on a business trip to the neighboring Liang Kingdom.]
[In the twelfth year, you noticed that your father often seemed restless, as if he had something on his mind.]
[In the thirteenth year, you saw a shadowy figure arriving with the wind, standing in the void outside your mansion.]
[The shadowy figure said nothing, directly striking forward, a huge palm shadow descending.]
[Your mansion collapsed instantly, and you were crushed to death.]
[In an instant, you died at the age of 33!]
[This simulation ends.]
[You can choose one reward from this simulation: Three-Minute Enthusiasm (Talent), Martial Arts Experience (8.5 hours), Pleasure House Listening to Music (10 years of experience)]
[Three-Minute Enthusiasm (Talent)]: Price 100 energy value.
[Martial Arts Experience (8.5 hours)]: Price 0 energy value.
[Pleasure House Listening to Music (about 13 years of experience)]: Price 0 energy value.
Looking at the words on the simulator.
Jiang Yifeng's eyes widened, and he blurted out.
"W T F!"
Arriving with the wind, standing in the void? One palm destroyed the entire Jiang Family Mansion!
What was that?
A cultivator? Jiang Yifeng suddenly felt a bit scared!
Originally, he just planned to treat the simulator as a game, but he didn't expect such a huge change.
He had been in this world for over five years, always thinking it was just an ancient society with divided dynasties.
But thirteen years later, a cultivator appeared, and even targeted his family.
From the simulator's description, that shadowy figure's palm shadow crushed the entire Jiang Family Mansion.
If this happened in reality, wouldn't the Jiang Family be doomed?
At this moment, he was immensely grateful for obtaining the simulator, knowing what would happen thirteen years later.
This way, he still had a chance to change everything.
Chapter 2: Is talent used like this?
Jiang Yifeng couldn't understand why he had never heard of cultivators before.
And why did that black-clad cultivator attack the Jiang family?
Jiang Yifeng muttered to himself, "Looks like I need to find a way to understand this world anew."
He didn't want to die inexplicably.
Before, without any crises, he could loaf around and listen to music at the pleasure house.
But now, knowing the dangers ahead, Jiang Yifeng felt he really needed to change.
Suddenly, Jiang Yifeng recalled the twelfth year of the simulation. It seemed his father had started to become restless around that time. Could it be that he knew something?
He noted down this clue.
After some analysis, Jiang Yifeng glanced at the simulation rewards.
He couldn't bear to look!
The "Three-Minute Enthusiasm" (Talent) was definitely not an option.
As for the "Pleasure House Listening to Music Experience" (about 13 years) and the "Martial Arts Experience" (8 and a half hours).
The simulator didn't even bother to collect energy value for these rewards, which showed their "value."
Shaking his head, Jiang Yifeng could only choose the "Martial Arts Experience" (8 and a half hours).
[Ding, Martial Arts Experience (8 and a half hours), consumed 0 energy value, remaining energy value 0.]
The first simulation reward settlement was complete.
Jiang Yifeng didn't feel any improvement.
He secretly pondered whether to simulate again.
After a moment of thought, Jiang Yifeng muttered to himself.
"Indeed, I need to simulate again. Even if I don't get any rewards, I need to understand the true nature of this world and investigate what cultivators are all about."
Only by understanding these things could he better save himself and protect his family.
With a clear plan in mind, Jiang Yifeng casually exchanged some items in his room for energy.
"Detected one silver ingot, successfully absorbed, gained 10 energy points."
"Detected one gold ring, successfully absorbed, gained 50 energy points."
"Detected one night pearl, successfully absorbed, gained 200 energy points."
***
This time, he didn't want those useless free talents.
So he promptly exchanged some energy points for backup.
After everything was done, Jiang Yifeng kept reminding himself, "No pleasure house listening to music, investigate cultivators, improve myself."
Then he silently recited,
"Start simulation."
[Consumed 1 simulation attempt, remaining attempts 1]
[Host privileges allow drawing white talent or green talent!]
[Drawing white talent does not consume energy, green talent consumes 1000 energy points, draw?]
"1000 energy points, that's just a few ordinary night pearls, not expensive."
Jiang Yifeng mumbled to himself.
This amount of energy was a piece of cake for Jiang Yifeng, the young master of the Jiang Clan Firm, the top firm in the Great Abyssal Kingdom.
Since that's the case, why hesitate?
"Draw green talent."
[Ding, deducted 1000 energy points, remaining energy points 5260, drawing green talent.]
[Congratulations on obtaining green talent: Passerby A.]
[Passerby A]: As a passerby, you can always hear information that most people don't know; Note: Limited to mortals.
Seeing this talent description, Jiang Yifeng's eyes lit up.
Sure enough, spending money made a difference.
This information-type talent came just in time, as he wanted to investigate the truth of this world.
Without further thought, Jiang Yifeng turned his gaze to the simulation panel.
[Second simulation begins.]
[Due to the outcome of the first simulation, you realized this world is not as simple as you thought.]
[This made you feel a sense of urgency; you wanted to save yourself and also wanted to cultivate.]
[You thought that your father, Jiang Fushan, might know something.]
[So you hurried to ask your father if there were cultivators in this world.]
***
Seeing this, Jiang Yifeng smiled knowingly.
His anxious heart finally relaxed a bit.
It turned out that his actions outside the simulator could influence the simulation process; his previous psychological hints worked.
However, with the unreliable experience from the first simulation, Jiang Yifeng didn't dare to be careless.
He kept reminding himself, "No pleasure house listening to music, investigate cultivators."
Then he continued to watch the simulation.
***
[Your father laughed when he heard you ask if there were cultivators in this world, telling you to read fewer storybooks.]
[You didn't know if your father was deliberately not telling you or if he really didn't know.]
[In the end, you could only give up on getting clues from him.]
[The next day, you scoured Green Hills City for information about cultivators.]
[Most commoners said there were immortals, but when you asked where the immortals were, who they were, and if they had seen them, the answer was always no.]
[You instantly understood that the immortals they spoke of were different from the cultivators you were looking for.]
[They were talking about fantasy immortals, while you were searching for real cultivators.]
[On the third day, you learned that the head of the Wu Family Martial Arts School, Wu Youdao, had traveled extensively, and you thought he might know something.]
[So you visited the Wu Family Martial Arts School to ask Wu Youdao about cultivators.]
[Unfortunately, Wu Youdao said he had only heard about cultivators in storybooks and had never seen them in reality.]
[Despite this, Wu Youdao said that if martial arts were practiced to the extreme, one could split mountains and cut through the earth; he asked if you were willing to learn from him for a tuition fee of a thousand taels of silver per year.]
[Wu Youdao's words inspired you; you thought that perhaps you should not only investigate cultivators but also martial arts masters.]
[Those martial arts masters might also be able to fly and escape, or kill with sword qi.]
[So you asked Wu Youdao to demonstrate. If he could do it, you were willing to pay ten thousand taels of gold per year to become his disciple.]
[Wu Youdao's face darkened, and he kicked you out.]
[On the fourth day, you continued to gather information, to no avail.]
[On the fifth day, Passerby A (Talent) was triggered. As you walked on the west side of the city, you suddenly heard someone talking about Old Wang the butcher from the east side of the city having an affair with Widow Liu next door.]
[This made you a bit stunned. The voice in your ear sounded familiar, like Aunt Li who sold tofu on the east side.]
[But this was too exaggerated. Someone talking on the east side, and you heard it on the west side. Could this be the talent's ability?]
***
In reality, Jiang Yifeng was also shocked by the power of this talent.
But he was also quite speechless. Who told you to use the talent like this?
I wanted to know more useful information!
"Sigh." Jiang Yifeng sighed helplessly.
Although this information was useless, it at least helped him understand the Passerby A (Talent) better.
This talent triggered randomly, and when it did, it transmitted conversations from other places directly into his ears.
Whether the information was useful or not might depend on luck.
Jiang Yifeng smiled wryly and continued to look at the simulation panel.
Chapter 3: A distant view of a small Taoist Temple
[You shook your head, disappointed that this gossip wasn't what you were looking for, and you automatically ignored it.]
[On the sixth day, you gathered information, but to no avail.]
[A year passed, and you had asked more than half the residents of Green Hills City, but you didn't get any useful information about cultivators.]
[Instead, thanks to Passerby A (Talent), you learned a lot about the everyday lives of the people in Green Hills City.]
[That same year, your obsession with seeking immortals became widely known, and rumors started spreading that the young master of the Jiang Clan Firm, which is you, had gone mad.]
[When your father, Jiang Fushan, learned about your situation, he repeatedly advised you to stop reading storybooks and to give up on seeking cultivation.]
[You couldn't reveal the existence of the simulator, nor could you explain your reasons for seeking cultivators, so you just nodded in agreement.]
[However, you didn't give up on gathering information; you just did it more discreetly.]
[In the second year, you realized that individual efforts were limited, so you spent a large sum of money to hire a group of people to secretly search for information about cultivators.]
[Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and you felt that you had exhausted all leads in Green Hills City. Perhaps it was time to search further afield.]
[So, you took four guards and a large sum of money and left Green Hills City.]
[Two months later, you encountered mountain bandits. All four guards were killed, and your money was stolen.]
[Fortunately, you revealed your identity in time, claiming that keeping you alive could bring them more money, thus temporarily saving your life.]
[A month later, your father, Jiang Fushan, ransomed you back with a large sum of money, and you returned to Green Hills City.]
***
Seeing this, Jiang Yifeng frowned and muttered to himself.
"Mountain bandits?" who would have thought that after just two months out of Green Hills City, he would encounter danger?
It seemed that he had been too naive, thinking the outside world was as simple as his life of indulgence in Green Hills City.
From now on, he needed to be more cautious in reality.
Jiang Yifeng reminded himself and continued to look at the simulation panel.
***
[After returning to Green Hills City, you felt that your previous preparations were inadequate, so you started spending a lot of money to hire guards skilled in martial arts.]
[In the third year, you regrouped and left Green Hills City once again.]
[This time, you brought dozens of guards, all of whom were martial practitioners.]
[Under your financial influence, even Master Wu became the head of your guards.]
[That year, you passed through several towns and cities, but still found no useful information about cultivation.]
[In the fourth year, you encountered mountain bandits twice, but with the protection of Wu Youdao and others, you remained safe.]
[This made you realize that martial arts might not be as useless as you had thought.]
[Especially Wu Youdao, who could handle dozens of mountain bandits single-handedly.]
[On a certain day in the fifth year, your Passerby A (Talent) triggered, and you overheard someone mentioning an anomaly in the Evergreen Mountain Range, possibly indicating the presence of an immortal.]
[Although the truth of this information was still unknown, you were extremely excited.]
[After all, this was information obtained through your talent, and you believed it had a high probability of being true.]
[So, you immediately set off for the Evergreen Mountain Range with your men.]
[In the sixth year, you had been exploring the Evergreen Mountain Range for over a year.]
[But the area was too vast; you hadn't seen any sign of cultivators, nor even another person besides your group.]
[In the seventh year, you continued to search for information about cultivators in the Evergreen Mountain Range, but to no avail.]
[In the eighth year, you saw a small Taoist temple in the distance.]
[Just as you were about to lead your men towards it, a cold voice sounded from behind: "Seeking immortals without permission, die!"]
[You instinctively turned around and saw a shadowy figure flying towards you on a sword.]
[Without a word, the shadowy figure slashed at you with a sword light.]
[Wu Youdao tried to save you, but it was in vain.]
[You died at the age of 28!]
[This simulation has ended.]
[You may choose one reward from this simulation: Passerby A (Talent), Heavenly Profound Temple Coordinates (Map)]
[Passerby A (Talent)]: Price 1000 Energy Value
[Heavenly Profound Temple Coordinates (Map)]: Price 10000 Energy Value; the coordinates of a small Taoist temple in the Evergreen Mountain Range.
***
Jiang Yifeng stared at the simulation panel, silent and in thought.
What was going on?
Another shadowy figure.
But it seemed like it wasn't the same person.
The first shadowy figure used palm techniques, while this one used a sword.
Judging by the simulator's text, the phrase "Seeking immortals without permission, die" clearly indicated that this shadowy figure was targeting him.
It was because he was seeking information about cultivators that he was deliberately killed.
At this moment, Jiang Yifeng finally understood why he had never heard of cultivators in reality.
Even after searching for so long in the simulator, he couldn't find any information about cultivators.
It turned out that these shadowy figures, using swords, were preventing others from learning about cultivators.
Most likely, those who knew about cultivators had already been silenced!
As for the information he obtained through his Passerby A talent, Jiang Yifeng thought it was just a rare exception.
It was highly likely that the person who shared this information had just learned it themselves.
That person might have even been silenced before him.
Of course, this was all Jiang Yifeng's speculation.
But he believed this speculation was highly probable.
However, even if he guessed correctly, what could he do?
Give up on seeking cultivators?
Jiang Yifeng shook his head with a bitter smile.
No, he couldn't. There was still the threat of a cultivator thirteen years later.
If he gave up on seeking cultivation, how could he improve his strength, save himself, and protect his family?
Fortunately, he had the simulator.
Jiang Yifeng decided that any investigation into cultivators would only be done discreetly within the simulator.
He must never mention anything about cultivators in reality.
Jiang Yifeng had a rough idea of the situation from this simulation.
He turned his attention to the simulation rewards.
This time, there were only two rewards.
But they were much better than the first time.
Jiang Yifeng kept calculating in his mind which would be the better choice.
Passerby A (Talent) mostly provided trivial gossip, but sometimes it could be very useful.
The Heavenly Profound Temple Coordinates (Map) clearly marked the location of the small Taoist temple seen in the simulation.
Jiang Yifeng also thought it was quite important.
If he didn't choose the map this time, he felt that he might not be able to find that location again in the Evergreen Mountain Range.
Jiang Yifeng had heard of the Evergreen Mountain Range; it was the largest mountain range in the Great Abyssal Kingdom and was said to even connect to other countries.
Of course, this was all hearsay, as he had never left Green Hills City and didn't know where other countries were.
The Great Abyssal Kingdom was vast.
But regardless, the Evergreen Mountain Range was definitely large, and finding a Taoist temple within it wouldn't be easy.
Moreover, Jiang Yifeng had a subconscious feeling that the Heavenly Profound Temple was indeed related to cultivators.
After all, who would build a Taoist temple in the largely uninhabited Evergreen Mountain Range?
Jiang Yifeng had made his decision and silently uttered.
"I choose the Heavenly Profound Temple Coordinates (Map)."
This choice wasn't just based on a feeling.
From the simulator's performance, Jiang Yifeng saw that Passerby A (Talent) required someone to genuinely know and discuss information for him to randomly overhear it.
With shadowy figures deliberately killing those who sought information about cultivators, there wouldn't be many people who knew. The fact that he overheard some information this time was purely due to luck.
Relying on this talent to investigate was too unreliable; the known Taoist temple had a better chance of providing some information about cultivation.
As soon as Jiang Yifeng made his choice, an electronic voice sounded in his mind.
"Ding, insufficient energy value detected. Please exchange for energy value promptly. Simulation rewards can be retained until the next simulation begins."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yifeng understood.
Energy value, huh.
He hadn't noticed it was insufficient earlier.
Without hesitation, he exchanged all the miscellaneous items in his room for energy value.
Chapter 4: Where is the Heavenly Profound Temple? Why is it a ruin?
"Detected Golden Silkwood chair and bench, exchanged for 500 Energy Value."
"Detected Jade Wish-Fulfilling Scepter, exchanged for 600 Energy Value."
"Detected several Silk Brocade Clothes, exchanged for 500 Energy Value."
***
As for the Silver Notes, he had observed that they basically had no Energy Value, even the largest denominations were worth only 1 point of energy.
Jiang Yifeng thought that the simulator exchanged energy based on the inherent energy of the items themselves, not the value defined by people.
After a series of operations, Jiang Yifeng's previously luxurious and elegant room was completely emptied, and the energy value in the simulator had increased.
It wasn't as much as he had imagined, but it was enough for now.
Jiang Yifeng directly exchanged for the coordinates (map) of the Heavenly Profound Temple, and there was still some energy left.
Looking at the map in his hand, Jiang Yifeng roughly checked it.
The Heavenly Profound Temple, located in the Evergreen Mountain Range, was several thousand kilometers away from Green Hills City. Even if he knew the exact coordinates, it would take several months to travel there by carriage in reality.
Riding a horse would be faster, but he didn't know how.
Thinking about the mountain bandits that appeared in the simulation, Jiang Yifeng felt that it was safer to stay in Green Hills City in reality and use the simulation as much as possible.
By then, he should be able to see the information he wanted in the simulator.
Looking at the last simulation opportunity, Jiang Yifeng made a plan in his heart.
This time, he couldn't openly investigate the cultivators.
First, he would secretly go to the Heavenly Profound Temple to see if he could find any information.
It would be best if he could step onto the path of cultivation.
If he couldn't get any information about cultivation, he would start learning martial arts.
Currently, he was too weak, and hiring bodyguards every time was too inconvenient.
Without improving himself, he couldn't make any progress, even in the simulation.
After confirming his goal, Jiang Yifeng silently chanted.
"Start simulation."
[Consume 1 simulation opportunity, remaining opportunities 0.]
[Drawing White Talent does not consume Energy Value, Green Talent consumes 1000 Energy Value, draw?]
"Draw Green Talent."
Without any hesitation, Jiang Yifeng silently chanted.
[Ding, 1000 Energy Value deducted, remaining Energy Value, drawing Green Talent.]
[Congratulations, you have obtained the talent: Fitness Expert.]
[Fitness Expert (Talent): Your exercise improvements are significantly better than ordinary people.]
Seeing this talent, Jiang Yifeng's eyes lit up.
Is the simulator giving him a cheat? He had just thought about improving his strength, and now he got a talent to enhance his physical fitness.
Not bad, not bad!
***
[Third simulation begins.]
[After the first two simulations, you realized the dangers of this world and are determined to improve yourself this time.]
[But you still plan to go to the Evergreen Mountain Range first to check out the small Taoist temple.]
[That day, you went to the Wu Family Martial Arts School and asked Wu Youdao to accompany you to the Evergreen Mountain Range.]
[Perhaps because you only invited him this time, Wu Youdao did not immediately agree.]
[Instead, he explained that he was the head of the martial arts school, not a bodyguard.]
[So you directly threw out a silver note worth one million taels, Wu Youdao's expression changed, and he said he was just a bodyguard, being the head of the martial arts school was just a side job.]
[You just smiled slightly, agreed to set off early the next morning, and sighed in your heart that money power is indeed effective.]
[The next day, at dawn, you arrived at the Wu Family Martial Arts School.]
[You took out the prepared bamboo hat and mask, handed them to Wu Youdao, and signaled him to hide his identity.]
[Wu Youdao felt that your actions were a bit unnecessary.]
[But with your previous simulation experience, you felt it was more reliable to be discreet and insisted repeatedly.]
[In the end, you and Wu Youdao left Green Hills City stealthily, wearing bamboo hats and masks.]
[A day passed, and in the evening, you and Wu Youdao found a clearing to camp for the night, having walked 20 kilometers that day.]
[Seeing you collapsed on the ground, Wu Youdao suggested buying a carriage at the next town.]
[You were about to agree, but then remembered dying twice in the simulation, and shook your head, reminding yourself not to slack off and to seize every moment to improve your strength.]
[Although the day's walk was exhausting, you felt a significant improvement in your physical condition.]
[Normally, someone who hasn't exercised for a long time would have swollen and painful calves after walking a day like this, but you only felt tired without any discomfort.]
[You knew this was probably the effect of the Fitness Expert (Talent), which strengthened your resolve to train hard.]
[On the third day, nothing special happened, and you walked 23 kilometers with difficulty.]
[On the fourth day, you walked 25 kilometers with difficulty.]
[On the fifth day, you walked 27 kilometers with difficulty.]
[On the sixtieth day, you easily walked 90 kilometers.]
***
In reality, Jiang Yifeng was shocked to see this.
Is the Fitness Expert (Talent) really this strong?
In just two months, he had improved from a weakling who collapsed after walking 20 kilometers a day to someone who could easily walk 90 kilometers a day.
With these stats, excluding time for eating and sleeping, he had already surpassed the level of hiking experts and even athletes from his previous life.
With a soft exclamation of "Awesome," Jiang Yifeng turned his gaze back to the simulation panel.
***
[Wu Youdao had been observing your changes during this time.]
[He exclaimed that you were a martial arts prodigy and asked if you were willing to learn martial arts from him, charging only nine hundred taels of silver for a year's tuition.]
[Hearing this, you knew Wu Youdao truly cherished talent.]
[As far as you knew, the Wu Family Martial Arts School always followed a high-end route; there was never any discount, and it always cost a thousand taels of silver a year.]
[Even though there were few students each year, he never lowered the price.]
[This was why everyone said Wu Youdao was greedy for money, and now he was offering you a discount, which was indeed rare.]
[However, you politely declined, saying you would consider it after returning to Green Hills City.]
[Currently, you still had many questions in your heart and wanted to find the Heavenly Profound Temple first.]
[Who knows, you might find immortal fate there!]
[If you obtained immortal fate, who would still practice martial arts?]
[Wu Youdao did not insist, and you continued your journey.]
[In the third month, you and Wu Youdao officially entered the Evergreen Mountain Range.]
[At the same time, you encountered mountain bandits again, and Wu Youdao fought against a hundred enemies without falling behind.]
[As for you, although your physical fitness had improved significantly and you were much stronger than the mountain bandits, your fighting skills were still lacking, and you could only flee in embarrassment.]
[After half a day of fighting, Wu Youdao finally drove the mountain bandits away, and you, relying on your stronger physical fitness, ran faster and were only a bit disheveled, without any injuries.]
[In the fourth month, you finally arrived at the coordinates marked on the map for the Heavenly Profound Temple.]
[However, seeing the scene before you, you were puzzled.]
[You remembered that the last simulation showed a small Taoist temple.]
[But now, it was a ruin.]
[You were very confused.]
***
In reality, Jiang Yifeng was also puzzled by this.
Why were there two different scenes when he came twice?
Logically, the coordinates given by the simulator shouldn't be wrong.
Could it be that the timing was off?
"That's right, the timing is different!" Jiang Yifeng immediately thought of a possibility.
Now, the simulated version of himself had arrived at the coordinates of the Heavenly Profound Temple in the fourth month, while the last simulation was in the eighth year.
It was possible that at this time, the coordinates were still ruins.
It might be that in the following years, someone built the Heavenly Profound Temple on these ruins.
Thinking of this possibility, Jiang Yifeng turned his gaze back to the simulator.
***
[You thought that perhaps the timing was off, and this time you arrived several years earlier than last time.]
[Maybe the Heavenly Profound Temple hadn't been built yet.]
[Thinking of this, you felt a bit disappointed. Did you really come all this way for nothing?]
[The ruins didn't look small, but they weren't very large either, covering about a few hundred acres.]
[You couldn't imagine what this place was originally used for.]
[You thought that if it were a sect, it seemed too small, and if it were a mansion, who would build it in the deep mountains?]
[Looking at the ruins before you, you decided to explore a bit since you were already here.]
Chapter 5: The pinnacle of martial arts can also create worlds
[Month Five: You have been searching through these ruins for over a month.]
[Aside from countless skeletal remains, you haven't found any useful information yet.]
[As someone from the 21st century, you couldn't bear to see these skeletons exposed to the elements, so you invited Wu Youdao to help you build graves for them.]
[Month Six: The ruins remain, but a graveyard has now appeared around them.]
[You look at the last skeleton in the distance, thinking that once it's buried, it will be time to leave.]
[You can basically confirm that these ruins were once a very small cultivation sect, given the skeletal remains and broken weapons.]
[Unfortunately, even if this was once a cultivation sect, it doesn't seem to be of any practical use to you now.]
[As you lift the last skeleton, your eyes light up. There are two books beneath it.]
[This discovery brings a flicker of hope to your otherwise disheartened mood.]
[After burying the skeleton, you start to examine the two books with a mix of excitement and anxiety, hoping to glean some information about cultivation.]
[Upon examination, one of the books is titled "Heavenly Profound Art," and it turns out to be a cultivation technique.]
[Seeing a cultivation technique makes you incredibly excited, and you can't help but think that good deeds are indeed rewarded.]
[If you hadn't decided to bury these skeletons, you might have missed this entirely.]
[The book "Heavenly Profound Art" is written in archaic language, making it difficult for you to understand at the moment.]
[You decide to keep it safe and plan to study it slowly once you return to Green Hills City.]
[The other book, titled "Cultivation Notes," is unfortunately quite damaged.]
[Despite this, you manage to extract some information from it.]
[The first page records that this world is called the Nine Mystic Realm, but the rest is too blurred to read.]
[Flipping through a few more pages, you find a record of the cultivation levels.]
[You learn that cultivation is divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Body Integration, Great Ascension, and Tribulation Crossing... and then it becomes blurred again.]
[Further on, there are some scattered words, but they are too fragmented to piece together into coherent sentences, so you stop your research.]
[These discoveries already make you ecstatic.]
[After all, the "Heavenly Profound Art" is well-preserved, and you feel hopeful about your path to immortality.]
***
"Huh? I actually found a cultivation technique?" In reality, Jiang Yifeng is also somewhat excited.
Suppressing his excitement, he continues to watch the simulator's progress.
***
[You are pleased with your findings in the ruins, but also a bit conflicted.]
[You had originally planned to visit the Heavenly Profound Temple again in a few years, but now that you have obtained a cultivation technique, you wonder if it's still necessary.]
[You don't have an immediate answer and decide to think about it later.]
[Meanwhile, you notice that Wu Youdao has been observing your discoveries.]
[To ensure your safety, you agree to let him copy the technique.]
[Wu Youdao just chuckles and says he only wants to practice martial arts; even if there is a path to immortality, he has no interest in it.]
[You are filled with respect for him.]
[Month Seven: You set off on your journey back.]
[Month Nine: Thanks to your improved physical condition, it takes only two months for you and Wu Youdao to return to Green Hills City.]
[Back in Green Hills City, you spend every day studying the "Heavenly Profound Art."]
[Year One: You can now understand and smoothly read the "Heavenly Profound Art."]
[Year Two: You attempt to practice the "Heavenly Profound Art" but achieve nothing; you can't draw Qi into your body.]
[Year Three: You still achieve nothing.]
[Year Four: You think perhaps your physical strength is insufficient, so you start training daily.]
[Year Five: Your physical strength has increased significantly; you can now lift five to six hundred pounds with one hand, but you still can't draw Qi into your body.]
***
In reality, Jiang Yifeng furrows his brow.
Is there a problem with the technique? Or do I lack the talent for cultivation?
This won't do.
According to the previous simulation, a shadowy figure will appear in the thirteenth year.
With the current progress in the simulator, there's no way to resist.
"If it doesn't work out, I'll practice martial arts. With stronger skills, I can leave Green Hills City and avoid the shadowy figure, extending the simulation time to improve further."
Jiang Yifeng shouts in his mind.
Hoping to influence his simulated self.
***
[Year Six: You still make no progress with the "Heavenly Profound Art," and you start to feel disheartened, wondering if you lack the talent for cultivation.]
[After all, you've read many novels in your previous life and know that cultivation requires various talents.]
[So you stop obsessing over the "Heavenly Profound Art."]
[This year, you start learning martial arts from Wu Youdao at the Wu Family Martial Arts School.]
***
"Haha." Seeing this, Jiang Yifeng can't help but laugh out loud in reality.
He understands the simulator even better now.
As expected, even in the middle of a simulation, his real self can influence it.
Just as he thought about practicing martial arts, the simulator immediately followed suit.
***
[Year Seven: After a year of training with Wu Youdao, your combat skills have improved significantly.]
[Your physical strength has increased astonishingly; you can now easily lift over a thousand pounds with one hand.]
[Year Eight: Your strength doesn't increase further, as if you've reached a limit.]
[However, your martial arts techniques have improved greatly, and with your strength, you can now spar evenly with Wu Youdao.]
[Year Nine: Wu Youdao is no longer your match. He says he has nothing more to teach you.]
[However, he mentions an ancestral martial arts manual and asks if you are willing to learn it.]
[Now you understand that as long as it can enhance your strength, it doesn't matter what it is.]
[So you agree without hesitation and even hand over a stack of silver notes as tuition.]
[But the usually money-loving Wu Youdao shakes his head and doesn't accept them.]
[Afterward, Wu Youdao solemnly hands you an old, yellowed manual.]
[Wu Youdao says this manual is a treasured heirloom.]
[He explains that his ancestors claimed that mastering this manual could lead to ascending to immortality through martial arts.]
[Unfortunately, he lacks the talent to meet the training standards.]
[He hopes this manual can shine in your hands and revive the glory of martial arts.]
[Hearing Wu Youdao's words, you can't help but feel curious.]
[But when you take the yellowed manual and see it doesn't even have a title, you instantly think less of it.]
[Casually flipping through it, the words inside make your heart skip a beat.]
[In the beginning, humans had no techniques. They used martial arts to break the heavens, slay demons, exterminate devils, move mountains, and fill seas; they guarded the human realm for countless eras.]
[Just reading one line makes your blood boil.]
[You can't help but wonder if you were wrong. Is martial arts in this world not as simple as you thought?]
[You continue reading.]
[The pinnacle of martial arts can also create worlds, but it requires breaking through human limits and enduring countless crises.]
Chapter 6: Practicing the Unnamed Manual, encountering a Bottleneck again
[After continuously studying the Unnamed Manual, you gained some new insights into it.]
[If the records are true, this Unnamed Manual can hardly be considered martial arts. It might be more accurate to describe it as Martial Dao or body cultivation.]
[The manual contains only a set of strange movements, said to be used for body cultivation.]
[The rest of it details the divisions of Martial Dao realms and some theoretical knowledge.]
[It explains how to break through limits and continue to increase one's strength.]
[After reading it, you think this might indeed be a good thing.]
[So you take out a stack of silver notes and hand them to Wu Youdao. Before he can refuse, you thank him and leave with the manual.]
[If what the manual says is true, then its appearance couldn't have come at a better time.]
[According to the Unnamed Manual, the beginning of Martial Dao is body tempering, making the body continuously stronger, hence the Body Tempering Realm.]
[Body Tempering is divided into nine layers, each three layers forming a stage, respectively called the Skin Refinement Realm, Flesh Refinement Realm, and Bone Refinement Realm.]
[Each stage has a bottleneck at its limit.]
[To break through the bottleneck and advance further, one needs either special opportunities or certain methods.]
[Without these, just ordinary training can only push a mortal to the third layer of the Body Tempering Realm, the limit of the Skin Refinement Realm.]
[You realize that even the talent of a fitness expert can no longer increase your current strength, which should be the limit of the Skin Refinement Realm as mentioned in the Unnamed Manual.]
[Originally, you had no method and were blindly training, possibly never able to break through.]
[But now you have the Unnamed Manual, and the set of strange movements in it is said to be the orthodox method of Martial Dao cultivation, capable of breaking the limit of the Skin Refinement Realm.]
[In other words, Wu Youdao's Unnamed Manual is like a timely aid in a snowstorm.]
[In the same year, you begin practicing the strange movements described in the Unnamed Manual.]
[However, those seemingly strange movements make you suffer greatly.]
[With your current physical condition, you can barely complete the set once.]
[Afterwards, you are utterly exhausted, lying on the ground like a dead dog.]
[You instantly understand why Wu Youdao said he never practiced it.]
[With such difficulty, ordinary people really can't practice it.]
[You feel that if it weren't for your fitness expert talent, which has made your physical condition several times better than ordinary people, you wouldn't be able to complete the set of movements either.]
[The good news is that after practicing this set of movements a few times, your strength begins to increase again.]
***
In reality, Jiang Yifeng's expression changes as he reads this.
Indeed, the Martial Dao of this world is extraordinary.
The limit that he couldn't surpass in the simulation was easily broken after practicing the Unnamed Manual.
But clearly, not everyone can do this, just as Wu Youdao said he couldn't practice it.
Jiang Yifeng guesses that Wu Youdao couldn't complete the set of movements, so he couldn't use the Unnamed Manual to improve.
Jiang Yifeng becomes more curious about this world.
There is Martial Dao and there are cultivators, so where have these people gone?
Why has he never heard anyone talk about them?
With curiosity in his heart, Jiang Yifeng continues to look at the simulation panel.
***
[You find that your strength increases again, and in the following days, you train even harder.]
[At the same time, you notice that every time you practice the movements from the Unnamed Manual, your appetite increases dramatically.]
[You also become more and more fond of eating meat, feeling like you could eat an entire cow in a day.]
[And as you continue to train, your appetite grows even larger.]
[Fortunately, you are not short of money.]
[But your father, Jiang Fushan, becomes worried about your health when he sees you gorging yourself after each training session.]
[He repeatedly seeks out famous doctors to examine you.]
[You have no choice but to cooperate obediently.]
[Until all the doctors say you are fine, just consuming too much energy from martial arts training, causing your appetite to increase, your father Jiang Fushan finally relaxes.]
[In the tenth year, thanks to your father Jiang Fushan's efforts, the Jiang Clan Firm becomes the top firm in the Great Abyssal Kingdom.]
[In the eleventh year, the Jiang Clan Firm receives a major business deal, and your father travels to the neighboring Liang Kingdom for business.]
[In the twelfth year, you know that the shadowy cultivator who uses palm techniques will come to attack the Jiang Family next year. You think it's time to leave Green Hills City.]
[However, before you can leave, your father Jiang Fushan finds you.]
[He tells you to leave Green Hills City and go on a journey for a while.]
[You realize something is wrong and think that perhaps your father really knows about the Jiang Family's crisis.]
[You quickly ask him why he wants you to leave.]
[But your father Jiang Fushan insists that he just wants you to gain some experience.]
[With no other choice, you eventually leave Green Hills City alone.]
***
In reality, Jiang Yifeng sees this.
He can now be certain that his father knows something.
But he is puzzled as to why this time is different from the first simulation.
In the first simulation, although his father was restless this year, he didn't tell him to leave Green Hills City.
What did he do differently? What changed his father?
Jiang Yifeng compares the first simulation with this one.
He has some guesses in his heart.
He thinks it is highly likely that his martial arts training in this simulation is the reason.
His father might think that as a martial arts expert, he has a better chance of escaping if he leaves early.
Soon, Jiang Yifeng shakes his head, denying his guess.
Normally, if his father knew there was a crisis at home, he would have told him to escape, even if he wasn't a martial arts expert, and perhaps the whole family would have fled together.
The correct explanation should be that his father knows there is danger, but there is also a chance of survival in the danger.
So in the first simulation, he didn't tell him to run away. Running away as a weakling might be more dangerous than staying with the Jiang Family.
After all, from the simulations, leaving Green Hills City led to many encounters with mountain bandits, indicating that the outside world is not safe.
In this simulation, because he has martial arts skills, the risk of being alone outside is low, making staying with the Jiang Family more dangerous.
"Sigh!" Jiang Yifeng sighs.
The key is his father, who is so stubborn.
Why won't he explain the reason?
If he doesn't say, how can he find a way to solve it?
Jiang Yifeng helplessly continues to look at the simulator.
***
[After leaving Green Hills City, you hide in the deep mountains to train hard.]
[In the thirteenth year, your strength increases significantly, but without testing, you don't know the exact progress.]
[In the fourteenth year, your physical strength continues to improve well.]
[In the fifteenth year, your strength increases noticeably slower.]
[In fact, the last bit of improvement is hard to perceive, as if you have reached another bottleneck.]
[You know this is the limit of the sixth layer of the Body Tempering Realm, the peak of the Flesh Refinement Realm.]
[According to the Unnamed Manual, after this, it is best to use a medicine called the Bone Tempering Pill to assist in training.]
[Otherwise, using the slow method might take a long time to break through.]
[Unfortunately, you don't know what the Bone Tempering Pill is or where to get it.]
[This makes you anxious, feeling that relying on this slow training, you don't know when you will reach the strength to match that shadowy figure.]
[So you don't give up and turn to study the "Heavenly Profound Art," hoping to cultivate, but unfortunately, you make no progress and waste a year.]
Chapter 7: Black clothes, not festive
[Year Sixteen, you suddenly think that perhaps now is the time to find the Heavenly Profound Temple.]
[The place you found before was a ruin, but the first simulation showed a Taoist temple, clearly built later by someone.]
[Based on your guess, there is a cultivation technique in those ruins, definitely belonging to a cultivation sect.]
[Whoever built the Taoist temple on the ruins is very likely a descendant of that sect.]
[You believe that if you can find the person who built the temple, you might be able to figure out whether the cultivation technique is flawed or if you simply lack the talent.]
[So you prepare to set off for the Evergreen Mountain Range.]
[But just as you emerge from your hiding place in the deep mountains, you encounter a shadowy figure.]
[He sees you and sneers, "Jiang Clan remnant, die."]
[Then a palm strike comes at you.]
[Facing the overwhelming force of the strike, you turn and run, trying to escape.]
[You hear the shadowy figure's disdainful laugh, "Hah, a mere Body Tempering Realm martial artist trying to struggle."]
[In an instant, you die; at the age of 36!]
[This simulation ends.]
[You can choose one reward from this simulation: Fitness Expert (Talent), Unnamed Manual (Martial Dao Technique), Heavenly Profound Art (Cultivation Method), Martial Dao Cultivation.]
[Fitness Expert (Talent)] Price: 1000 Energy Value.
[Unnamed Manual (Martial Dao Technique)] Price: 10 million Energy Value; a fragment of a mysterious martial art.
[Heavenly Profound Art (Cultivation Method)] Price: 10 million Energy Value; a fairly good cultivation method.
[Martial Dao Cultivation (Sixth Layer of Body Tempering Realm)] Price: 60,000 Energy Value.
***
Jiang Yifeng looked at the simulation panel, feeling the urge to curse.
The shadowy figure from the first simulation appeared again, calling him a Jiang Clan remnant.
Clearly, in this simulation, the Jiang Clan still couldn't escape disaster, and his early departure only allowed him to live a few more years.
The shadowy figure hadn't let him go, even deliberately hunting him down.
Jiang Yifeng found it hard to understand and repeatedly recalled the contents displayed by the simulator.
At first, he wondered if the shadowy figure was after wealth.
After all, both the first and third simulations showed that in the tenth year, the Jiang Clan Firm became the number one firm in the Great Abyssal Kingdom.
Moreover, his father, knowing the inside story, didn't let him escape the first time, indicating there was a chance of survival, fitting the scenario of being targeted for wealth.
But now it seemed his guess was wrong.
If it were for wealth, there was no need to deliberately hunt him down when he wasn't home.
There must be another reason, but Jiang Yifeng couldn't figure it out for the moment.
He really wanted to rush over and ask his father.
But based on his father's behavior in the simulator, Jiang Yifeng felt that even if he asked in reality, he wouldn't get an answer.
So he stopped dwelling on it.
The real issue was his lack of strength. Only with greater power could everything be resolved.
All the secrets would naturally be revealed then.
Jiang Yifeng turned his attention to the rewards from this simulation.
This time, the rewards seemed much richer than the previous two simulations.
Judging by the energy value required for exchange, they were all good things.
For a moment, Jiang Yifeng found it hard to choose.
He wanted them all.
First, the Fitness Expert (Talent).
This talent was good; it allowed him to surpass Wu Youdao in a short time of martial arts training.
But it lacked potential and couldn't break through the bottleneck, so he temporarily excluded it.
Second, the Unnamed Manual, valued at 10 million energy value.
Jiang Yifeng didn't think it was overpriced, given its performance in the simulator.
Although the simulator showed that his progress slowed later on.
But that wasn't the manual's fault.
It was just missing the auxiliary Bone Tempering Pill.
Even so, he could still slowly improve using the training moves from the Unnamed Manual.
A very good thing.
The key was that according to the simulator, it was a fragment of a mysterious martial art, clearly of significant origin.
Just a fragment was so strong; if complete, its effect would be extraordinary.
Jiang Yifeng was determined to get this manual.
But he couldn't believe such a thing was in the hands of a martial arts school master.
Maybe Wu Youdao's ancestors were remarkable figures too!
However, he didn't need to exchange for the Unnamed Manual; Wu Youdao's home was in Green Hills City.
He could find a way to get it in reality.
So he excluded this option as well.
Finally, he was left with the Heavenly Profound Art (Cultivation Method) and Martial Dao Cultivation (Sixth Layer of Body Tempering Realm); he had to choose one.
The Heavenly Profound Art was the most expensive of all the rewards.
And the simulator said it was a good cultivation method, clearly a valuable item.
But he couldn't start cultivating yet.
And he had the coordinates of the Heavenly Profound Temple; he could improve his strength first and get it in the next simulation, so he excluded it.
Jiang Yifeng silently made his choice.
"I choose Martial Dao Cultivation (Sixth Layer of Body Tempering Realm)."
[Ding, Martial Dao Cultivation (Sixth Layer of Body Tempering Realm) extracted successfully, 60,000 energy value deducted, remaining energy value:]
As soon as the simulator's electronic voice fell.
Jiang Yifeng felt his blood boiling, his physical fitness constantly improving.
In just a few seconds, Jiang Yifeng clenched his fists, feeling as if he had endless strength.
He walked out of the room and punched a decorative tree in the yard.
In an instant, the tree, as thick as a bowl, fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Jiang Yifeng exclaimed.
"Is this my current strength?"
Although the tree wasn't big, breaking it with a punch without any sharp tools showed how much force he had.
Jiang Yifeng felt a bit elated.
Couldn't he now kill an ordinary person with a single punch?
Just then, a team of black-clad guards walked past the yard.
Seeing the black clothes, Jiang Yifeng thought of the shadowy figure from the simulation, and his excitement instantly cooled.
"I can't get carried away, can't get carried away. With my current strength, I can't even take half a move from the shadowy figure in the simulation, what's there to be excited about."
Jiang Yifeng kept reminding himself to stay calm.
But why did he find those black-clad guards so annoying now?
"Little Peach, go call Uncle Dafu."
Jiang Yifeng shouted to the maid who had just walked out of the room.
Little Peach was the maid serving Jiang Yifeng, living in the adjacent room in his courtyard.
She had naturally heard the sound of Jiang Yifeng breaking the tree and came out to check.
Although she didn't know what had happened, Little Peach went to call Uncle Dafu as instructed.
***
Soon, the maid Little Peach returned with a slightly chubby middle-aged man.
"Young Master, what can this old servant do for you?"
The slightly chubby man bowed and asked Jiang Yifeng.
This man was Uncle Dafu, whom Jiang Yifeng had asked Little Peach to find.
His name was Jiang Dafu, the steward of the Jiang Family Mansion.
"Uncle Dafu, I think the guards' uniforms are old, let's change them. Don't buy black clothes anymore, they're not festive."
Jiang Yifeng said seriously.
He wouldn't admit that he now had a phobia of black clothes and got agitated just seeing them.
Chapter 8: Simulator Upgrade 2.0
Jiang Dafu listened to Jiang Yifeng's words and frowned slightly, wondering if the guards' uniforms hadn't just been replaced.
Nevertheless, he nodded and replied, "Alright, Young Master, do you have any other instructions?"
Since the Young Master said to change them, then change them. The guards' uniforms weren't worth much anyway.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Yifeng continued, "Also, purchase a large amount of gold, silver, jewels, and other precious items. The more, the better.
Once you've acquired them, deliver them to me immediately!"
Since he had already sought out the steward Jiang Dafu, he decided to entrust him with the task of collecting energy as well.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Jiang Dafu didn't ask any further questions. As long as Jiang Yifeng gave the order, he would carry it out. Asking was pointless; everyone knew that in the Jiang Family, as long as Jiang Yifeng spoke, even the most outrageous things had to be done.
The head of the family, Jiang Fushan, was known throughout Green Hills City for his doting on Jiang Yifeng.
After giving all the instructions, Jiang Yifeng dismissed the steward and the maid.
***
He then began to summarize the experiences from his three simulations.
Having first encountered the simulator, Jiang Yifeng felt that he hadn't used it effectively.
In three consecutive simulations, he had done many pointless things.
For instance, he had gone back and forth, only to end up practicing martial arts.
Would it have been better if he had started practicing martial arts from the beginning?
But on second thought, he realized that wasn't the case.
The unnamed manual from Wu Youdao was obtained because, in the last simulation, he had demonstrated impressive Martial Dao cultivation and talent.
Even if he had spent money to learn martial arts from Wu Youdao earlier, he wouldn't have taken it out.
In the end, Jiang Yifeng shook his head, no longer pondering whether he had used the simulator effectively.
Everything was the best arrangement.
He wasn't afraid of taking the wrong path; with the simulator, if he took the wrong path, he could just walk it a few more times and eventually choose the right one.
The simulation attempts were now used up, and the next simulation would be available in seven days.
Jiang Yifeng planned to use this time to go to the Wu Family Martial Arts School and obtain the unnamed manual.
***
In the following days, Jiang Yifeng visited the Wu Family Martial Arts School and met Wu Youdao.
At first, Jiang Yifeng pretended to have heard that the Wu Family Martial Arts School had a powerful manual and expressed his desire to buy it.
But Wu Youdao kept playing dumb, pretending not to understand what he was talking about.
Jiang Yifeng, helpless, had to show a bit of his Martial Dao prowess.
With one punch, he shattered their training post.
Wu Youdao was shocked and exclaimed, "Young Master Jiang is truly a martial arts prodigy."
He then solemnly presented the unnamed manual to Jiang Yifeng.
Wu Youdao stated that he hoped Jiang Yifeng could master this manual and restore the glory of Martial Dao.
Jiang Yifeng had somewhat anticipated this situation.
After all, in the simulator, Wu Youdao had also taken out the unnamed manual because he saw Jiang Yifeng's impressive Martial Dao talent and didn't charge him initially.
No one would have guessed that beneath Wu Youdao's greedy exterior lay a heart dedicated to reviving Martial Dao.
But regardless, Jiang Yifeng had achieved his goal.
However, revealing his strength made him feel uneasy, so he repeatedly instructed Wu Youdao not to spread the word about his abilities.
Wu Youdao didn't understand but still nodded in agreement.
After obtaining the unnamed manual, Jiang Yifeng studied it.
He understood the difference between Martial Dao and martial arts.
The martial arts practiced by ordinary people were essentially just flashy moves.
Martial Dao, however, was different; it emphasized entering the Dao through martial arts, ultimately reaching heights comparable to the Immortal Dao.
But compared to the Immortal Dao, Martial Dao was harder to practice.
All Martial Dao cultivation aimed to push one's physical limits.
By constantly breaking one's limits, one could achieve the power to overcome all techniques.
The special body-strengthening movements were a unique method summarized by predecessors.
However, practicing it wasn't easy; one had to reach the physical limits of an ordinary person through effort before mastering the movements.
In the previous simulation, Wu Youdao said he couldn't master it, clearly indicating that his physical strength didn't reach the ordinary person's limit.
Jiang Yifeng, on the other hand, had forcibly met this requirement due to his talent as a fitness expert, allowing him to practice the special movements.
Additionally, there were other extreme training methods, each more brutal than the last.
For example, some involved using thunder to temper the body or ground fire to refine it, burning away impurities.
In essence, they utilized various dangerous places in the world to break and rebuild the body.
But these methods were only for those who had reached a certain level in Martial Dao; he couldn't practice them now even if he wanted to.
With his current frail body, using these extreme methods would be a death sentence.
Jiang Yifeng hadn't planned to train rigorously in reality anyway, so it didn't matter.
In the days that followed, he continued as before, spending his time listening to music at the Pleasure House.
Outsiders couldn't see any change in Jiang Yifeng.
This was, of course, intentional.
He wasn't sure if the appearance of the shadowy figure thirteen years later was a coincidence or a premeditated plan.
With the simulator, he didn't lack the time to train in reality.
So maintaining his playboy image was safer.
***
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Jiang Yifeng received a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels from the steward Jiang Dafu.
Jiang Yifeng placed his hand on the boxes and silently said, "Convert to energy."
[Detected a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels, gained 7.5 million energy value.]
[Detected a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels, gained 6 million energy value.]
[Detected a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels, gained 8.2 million energy value.]
***
After converting all the boxes of gold, silver, and jewels, Jiang Yifeng's energy value reached an astonishing nearly 200 million.
And this was just from the gold, silver, and jewels collected in Green Hills City. Jiang Dafu said there were still large amounts being transported from other cities.
"Heh, being rich is great!" Jiang Yifeng sighed.
He thought of those simulator novels from his previous life, where the protagonists had to risk their lives for a bit of simulation energy.
How could they compare to his ease? He just had to give an order and wait for the energy value to pour in.
So, whether for his family or his future simulations, he had to protect his family in reality.
Just then, Jiang Yifeng heard an electronic voice.
[Ding, detected that the host's energy value exceeds 100 million, meeting the upgrade conditions for the simulator. Do you wish to spend 100 million energy value to upgrade?]
"Huh? Upgrade the simulator?" Jiang Yifeng was stunned.
So sudden?
Spending 100 million energy value was a bit expensive.
But it didn't matter; there was plenty of energy value on its way to Green Hills City.
"Upgrade!"
Without much hesitation, Jiang Yifeng made his choice.
[Ding, simulator upgraded to version 2.0, deducting 100 million energy value from the host, remaining energy value.]
[Settings modified: White talent extraction canceled, blue talent extraction enabled, reward selection after each simulation increased to two items.]
Seeing the upgrade details, Jiang Yifeng was very satisfied.
Not only could he extract blue talents now, but the reward selection after each simulation had also increased to two items.
Jiang Yifeng now regretted not knowing that the upgrade was based on energy value; he should have stored more energy value sooner.
But it wasn't too late now. From now on, he would pay attention and convert all acquired gold, silver, and jewels to energy value immediately.
He aimed to upgrade the simulator as soon as possible, hoping for more features.
Chapter 9: Lost, mistakenly entered the desert
At this moment, the simulator had already completed its upgrade, and the simulation count had refreshed.
Jiang Yifeng didn't think much about it and silently chanted, "Start simulation!"
[Consuming 1 simulation count, remaining count: 0]
[Extracting Green Talent costs 1,000 Energy Value, Blue Talent costs 100,000 Energy Value. Please choose!]
The increase was significant, but to Jiang Yifeng, it was a piece of cake.
"Extract Blue Talent."
[Ding, 100,000 Energy Value deducted, remaining Energy Value: ; Blue Talent extraction in progress.]
[Congratulations, you have obtained Blue Talent: Five Elements Fake Spiritual Root]
[Five Elements Fake Spiritual Root: A defective spiritual root with attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It can be cultivated, but the speed is extremely slow. (Note: Among fake spiritual roots, it is the worst!)]
Seeing this, Jiang Yifeng was delighted.
A cultivation talent had arrived.
Even though it was described as the worst talent, he didn't mind much.
Regardless, having a spiritual root was better than having none.
Without further thought, Jiang Yifeng eagerly looked at the simulation panel.
[Fourth simulation begins.]
[You realize you are already in the simulation.]
[After thinking for a moment, you feel that your progress in Martial Dao is difficult.]
[Now that you have a spiritual root, you should first obtain the Heavenly Profound Art and then try cultivation.]
[So you set off immediately, preparing to head to the Evergreen Mountain Range.]
[As soon as you step out of the door, you encounter your father, Jiang Fushan.]
[He asks you what has been going on lately and why you have been buying gold, silver, and jewels in large quantities.]
[You are momentarily speechless; you can't directly say you need energy. So you lie and say you've developed a new hobby.]
[Your father, Jiang Fushan, hearing this, doesn't press further and just asks if you have enough money.]
[You touch the few million silver notes left on you, nod, and say you are indeed short of money.]
[Hearing this, your father, Jiang Fushan, smiles and hands you a key.]
[He says it's the key to his study, and you can take money from there if you need it.]
[You feel touched and tearfully say, "Alright, I'll definitely take it."]
[After your father leaves, you quickly depart from Green Hills City.]
[You still choose to run this time.]
[It's not because you want to train; running no longer enhances your strength.]
[It's just because you still don't know how to ride a horse.]
[On the first day, even though you set off at noon, by evening, you are already two hundred miles away from Green Hills City.]
[This is all because you now have a Martial Dao cultivation at the sixth level of body tempering.]
[If you run at full speed, your speed is comparable to an average fast horse.]
[On the second day, you quicken your pace and continue on your journey without any special incidents.]
[On the third day, you travel all day and spend the night in an unknown dilapidated temple.]
[On the fourth day, you continue at full speed, and nothing happens.]
[On the fifth day, during a break, you encounter mountain bandits.]
[Seeing the group of bandits, you not only don't panic but even feel a bit excited.]
[You shout, "Eliminate evil for the people," and charge forward.]
[These ordinary bandits, even if there are hundreds of them, are no match for you.]
[In just a few minutes, most of the bandits are dead, with only the bandit leader escaping on a good horse.]
[But you don't let it go and chase after him, determined to root them out completely.]
[While shouting to eliminate evil for the people, you are actually thinking about how these bandits had robbed you several times in previous simulations.]
[Now that you have the strength, you must take revenge.]
[The bandit leader flees on horseback, and you chase after him on foot, both of you moving at equal speeds.]
[Two hours later, after running at full speed, you are out of breath.]
[Although your speed is comparable to a fast horse, your endurance is clearly lacking.]
[But thinking about the bandits' previous robberies, you refuse to give up the chase.]
[A day later, you run the bandit leader's horse to death, and he dies under your fists.]
[Feeling avenged for the robberies in the simulator, you laugh heartily.]
[After laughing, you collapse, lying on the ground, exhausted and in pain.]
[A whole day of running at full speed has left you utterly exhausted.]
[Once you lie down, you quickly fall asleep, completely ignoring the fact that you are in the wild.]
***
Jiang Yifeng felt speechless seeing this.
Was he really that petty?
Was it necessary to kill the bandit leader's horse just to avenge a couple of simulated robberies?
One of which didn't even succeed?
Moreover, it wasn't clear if these bandits were the same group.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Jiang Yifeng thought that the simulated version of himself must have been thinking about eliminating evil for the people.
***
[Fortunately, your luck was good. The next day, you woke up unharmed, without encountering any wild beasts.]
[Waking up, you look around, feeling a bit lost.]
[You realize that you have deviated from your planned route.]
[Suddenly, you remember that you chased the bandit leader at full speed for an entire day, possibly covering nearly a thousand kilometers.]
[Deviating from the route was normal.]
[You quickly take out the Heavenly Profound Temple's coordinate map for comparison.]
[After a few minutes, you stand there, dazed, with only three words in your mind: Where am I?]
[The coordinate map of the Heavenly Profound Temple only shows the route from Green Hills City to the temple.]
[But your current location is beyond the map, and you have no idea where you are.]
[You think about retracing your steps from the previous day's chase, but you can't remember the route.]
[Feeling lost for a while, you look towards the largest mountain range in the distance and head in that direction.]
[You remember that the Evergreen Mountain Range spans several countries.]
[You think that heading towards the largest mountain range should be the right choice.]
[A day later, you have traveled several hundred kilometers without encountering a single person, and the surroundings become increasingly desolate.]
[The large mountain range you saw earlier is still far away.]
[At this moment, you realize you are completely lost.]
[Another two days pass, and you still haven't encountered anyone. You have no idea where you are!]
[Logically, even in the most remote areas, after traveling one or two thousand kilometers, you should have encountered a few villages.]
[Now, looking at your dwindling rations, you start to panic.]
[Three more days pass, and you lie in the desert, your eyes vacant, having lost hope in life.]
[Not only are you lost in an unknown desert, but you also haven't had food or water for two days.]
[You feel you might starve to death here.]
Chapter 10: Simulation has ended, aged 63
When Jiang Yifeng saw this in reality, his face turned quite grim.
Lost and on the brink of starvation.
How humiliating would it be to tell others about this?
Jiang Yifeng kept shouting in his heart.
"Get up, don't give up!"
***
["No," the lying-down you suddenly let out a roar.]
[You feel you can't give up like this; you must survive.]
[You think about how you still need to save yourself and the Jiang Family.]
[Compared to facing cultivators 13 years from now, what is this minor difficulty?]
[You struggle to get up from the desert.]
[You continuously check your surroundings, looking for any signs of animal life.]
[As the saying goes, hard work pays off. You eventually find a few sand snakes, barely staving off starvation.]
[Days pass by, and you gradually get used to life in the desert, managing to find some desert animals to eat each day.]
[A year later, you no longer resemble a wealthy young master, looking more like a primitive man.]
[The largest mountain range you see is still far away, even after a year of walking.]
[By now, you understand that the largest mountain range you see might not be the Evergreen Mountain Range.]
[Perhaps the Evergreen Mountain Range is the largest in the Great Abyssal Kingdom, but from an open area, what you see could be mountains outside the kingdom.]
[After realizing you are completely lost, you no longer deliberately search for the Evergreen Mountain Range, but instead, you pick a direction and keep moving.]
[With your survival now assured, you start practicing the Unnamed Manual daily.]
[In the second year, your Martial Dao cultivation shows slight improvement.]
[In the third year, still not out of the desert, your Martial Dao cultivation improves a bit more.]
[In the fifth year, your Martial Dao cultivation progresses, but you still haven't broken through to the sixth level of body tempering.]
[In the tenth year, you are still in the desert.]
[After so many years, you feel you haven't strayed off course, always moving in one direction.]
[But you can't fathom why the desert is so vast.]
[In the thirteenth year, you continue diligently practicing the Unnamed Manual.]
[You keep wondering if the Jiang Family has fallen victim to misfortune again.]
[In the fifteenth year, your persistent cultivation of the Unnamed Manual finally pays off, and your Martial Dao cultivation breaks through to the seventh level of body tempering.]
[In the twentieth year, you feel like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, finding a way to survive. After all these years, the shadowy figure hasn't come to kill you.]
[In the fortieth year, you are in your sixties but still trapped in the desert.]
[The good news is, this year your Martial Dao cultivation finally breaks through to the eighth level of body tempering.]
[In the forty-third year, you feel the desert ground starting to churn.]
[You see something flying out of the desert.]
[Suddenly, you see a giant shadow cast over the desert.]
[You know that whatever just flew out is now in the air. As you look up to see what it is, you are instantly swallowed whole.]
[You died at the age of 63!]
[Simulation ended.]
[You can choose two rewards from this simulation: Five Elements Fake Spiritual Root (Talent), Martial Dao Cultivation (Eighth Layer of Body Tempering Realm), Desert of Death Map (Incomplete).]
[Five Elements Fake Spiritual Root (Talent)]: Price 100,000 Energy Value.
[Martial Dao Cultivation (Eighth Layer of Body Tempering Realm)]: Price 800,000 Energy Value.
[Desert of Death Map (Incomplete)]: Price 1 million Energy Value; a map of the routes you traveled in the desert during the simulation.
This simulation completely deviated from the initial plan.
Originally, with the talent for cultivation, the plan was to go to the Evergreen Mountain Range to obtain a cultivation technique and start cultivating.
But due to chasing bandits and getting lost, you ended up spending your entire life in the desert.
Whether the outcome is good or bad is hard to say.
Although you didn't start cultivating, you did live a long time this time.
Even if you hadn't been swallowed by that giant shadow in the end, you might have died of old age soon anyway.
Jiang Yifeng thought this could be considered as avoiding the shadowy cultivator.
Perhaps this was also a way to live by hiding.
As for the giant shadow that appeared at the end?
You couldn't even see its face before it killed you, clearly something extraordinary.
Jiang Yifeng couldn't figure out what it was and didn't dwell on it.
For now, he just kept it in mind since it posed no immediate threat to his real self.
Jiang Yifeng was quite interested in all three simulation rewards this time.
[Five Elements Fake Spiritual Root (Talent)] is a must-have for cultivation, no doubt about it. Even if it's described as the worst spiritual root, it's still the foundation for cultivation.
Although Martial Dao is confirmed to be strong, this simulation showed that Martial Dao is really hard to improve.
It took forty years to advance just two minor realms.
And that's just the beginning. If you reach higher levels, it will take even more time.
So Jiang Yifeng felt that cultivation was still necessary.
Even if cultivation is difficult, it can extend your lifespan.
A longer lifespan means more time in the simulator to practice.
The second reward, [Martial Dao Cultivation (Eighth Layer of Body Tempering Realm)], was also hard to give up. It took forty years to achieve.
Not taking it would be wasting one or even multiple simulation attempts.
As for the [Desert of Death Map (Incomplete)], its other uses are currently unknown.
But from this simulation, it's clear that this map can help avoid the shadowy cultivator, allowing for a longer survival time.
If you take this map, in future simulations, you can use it to hide and practice in the Desert of Death.
The longer you survive in each simulation, the more your strength will naturally increase.
In the long run, this choice is more cost-effective than directly choosing Martial Dao cultivation.
After all, it's better to have consistent meals than just one feast, and Jiang Yifeng understood this well.
After much thought, Jiang Yifeng made his choice.
"I choose the Five Elements Fake Spiritual Root and the Desert of Death Map."
Besides the must-have cultivation talent.
[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the Five Elements Fake Spiritual Root, deducting 100,000 Energy Value, remaining Energy Value:85,065,000]
[Ding, obtained the Desert of Death Map (Incomplete)], deducting 1 million Energy Value, remaining Energy Value:84,065,000]
As soon as the simulator's electronic voice finished, an incomplete map appeared in Jiang Yifeng's hand.
As for the Five Elements Fake Spiritual Root, Jiang Yifeng didn't feel anything.
Maybe it will only be noticeable once he starts cultivating.
Jiang Yifeng glanced at his Energy Value again. He hadn't spent much; there was still plenty left, more than he could use.
Since that was the case, there was no need to rush Jiang Dafu to speed up the acquisition of gold and silver treasures!
***
Knock, knock, knock!
"Feng'er, are you there?"
Just as Jiang Yifeng was still staring at the Desert of Death Map, a knock and a call came from outside the door.
Hearing the voice, Jiang Yifeng knew it was his father, Jiang Fushan.
"My old man is here to give me money."
Jiang Yifeng muttered to himself.
It seemed like this had happened in the simulator before, where he ran into his father on his way out.
Then his father asked why he was acquiring gold and silver treasures and eventually gave him the key to the study where the silver notes were kept.
Without hesitation, Jiang Yifeng casually put away the Desert of Death Map and cheerfully went to open the door for Jiang Fushan.