[Jin Congxue hesitated for a moment before telling you that the Demon-Subduing Pass was the lifeblood of the Human Race. The Human Race had extremely powerful enemies. Currently, the situation at Demon-Subduing Pass was not optimistic.]
[You wanted to inquire further, but Jin Congxue refused to continue speaking.]
[The next day, you escorted Jin Congxue to Demon-Subduing Pass.]
[A month later, you attended Jin Congxue's funeral. You felt neither joy nor sorrow, only a fierce resolve to strengthen yourself.]
[You decided to liquidate all your assets, amassing over fifty billion in cash.]
[You spent this money on buying a massive amount of body-refinement tools. You aimed to break through to the second level of Body Refinement: Bone Forging Realm.]
[Three years passed, and your Body Refinement cultivation constantly improved, but you always felt a subtle gap from reaching Bone Forging Realm. No matter the reason, you couldn't achieve the breakthrough.]
[Finally, the day you remembered arrived.]
[A colossal beast, covering the sky, appeared in the skies above the Great Xia Country.]
[Countless citizens of the Great Xia Country were terrified. Several golden figures soared into the sky to confront the beast!]
[They failed. The colossal beast devoured the entire Great Xia Country in one bite.]
[Just before being swallowed, you opened your eyes wide and gave the beast the middle finger as it fed from the sky.]
[You died at the age of thirty-six!]
[You activated your talent, "Unyielding Spirit"!]
[Inside the stomach of the beast, you realized not everyone died instantly.]
[The belly of the beast was cavernous, like an entire world.]
[The ground started to tremble incessantly, and a mysterious energy began to corrode all life and matter around it...]
[Your eyes were digested into part of the beast, and your "Unyielding Spirit" talent ceased to work!]
[Ding, the simulation ended this time!]
[You can choose one of the following rewards: "I Got Bald But Not Stronger" (Talent), Half-step Bone Forging Realm (Cultivation Level), Qi Refining Realm Second Layer (Cultivation Level), Two and a Half Spirit Stones (Item).]
Here it comes! I successfully brought out the Spirit Stones!
Su Xing suppressed his inner excitement and checked the cost of the rewards.
["I Got Bald But Not Stronger"]: White Talent, costs 1000 energy points.
[Half-step Bone Forging Realm]: Cultivation Level, costs 500 energy points.
[Qi Refining Realm Second Layer]: Cultivation Level, costs 100 energy points.
[Two and a Half Spirit Stones]: Item, costs 2500 energy points.
Su Xing rubbed his thick hair and didn't even look at the unfortunate talent.
Instead, the Half-step Bone Forging Realm cultivation caught Su Xing's eye.
From the simulator's description, it seemed he genuinely was just a step away from breaking through to Bone Forging Realm during the simulation but couldn't manage it.
Perhaps it was due to his inadequate aptitude, or maybe he lacked body-refinement secrets or the right body-refinement herbs?
Su Xing couldn't be sure, but at this moment, the Spirit Stones he desired were right in front of him.
"Surprisingly cheap..."
Su Xing arched an eyebrow, understanding that these Spirit Stones might not be particularly precious, just exceedingly rare in the real world.
"Redeem two and a half Spirit Stones!"
[Ding, you chose to bring back Spirit Stones from the simulation, costing 2500 energy points, leaving you with 18940 energy points.]
Three thumb-sized Spirit Stones appeared in Su Xing's hand.
The Spirit Stones were crystal clear and jade-like, merely approaching them made one feel refreshed.
Two of the stones were as big as thumbs, and one was only the size of a pinky, likely partially digested in the simulation.
"So, one Spirit Stone is roughly worth one thousand energy points..."
Su Xing began studying the Spirit Stones in his hand.
He first asked the simulator for the recycling price of the Spirit Stones.
[Ding, detected one low-grade Spirit Stone, recycling price 100 energy points, recycle?]
Su Xing: ???
What the hell!
It took one thousand energy points to bring them out, yet the recycling price was just 100 energy points. This simulator was downright black-hearted!
"Damn, may there never be profiteering second-hand recyclers in the world!"
Su Xing grumbled.
Then Su Xing clenched the half Spirit Stone in his palm, sat cross-legged, and began to operate the Changchun Technique.
A gentle stream of energy flowed from the Spirit Stone through Su Xing's palm, spreading into his limbs and bones, making him feel revived and entirely comfortable.
"Hiss~ Is this the feeling of absorbing Spiritual Energy?"
Su Xing's eyes widened. Once the Spiritual Energy entered his body, he distinctly felt subtle changes occurring within him.
Su Xing trained for an entire hour before his body's meridians could no longer absorb any more Spiritual Energy.
Meanwhile, the Spirit Stone in his hand shrunk by approximately one-twentieth.
"Indeed, this one Spirit Stone could last me half a month of cultivation, right?"
Su Xing's eyes held desire, but he didn't continue absorbing.
Because these few Spirit Stones in his hand had even greater uses!
In the following week, Su Xing continued his usual routine of practicing, gathering equipment, and within a mere week, he accumulated over fifty thousand again.
During this period, Su Xing didn't opt to continue absorbing the Spirit Stones for cultivation.
One day, Su Xing's simulator cooled down again.
Su Xing took a deep breath, holding the Spirit Stones in his hand, ready to validate a thought of his.
"Begin simulation!"
[The simulation cost 600 energy points, leaving 18340 energy points; remaining simulations: unlimited.]
[Simulation starts!]
[Drawing white talent costs 100 energy points, green talent costs 1000 energy points. Draw?]
"Draw white talent!"
[Ding, congratulations on acquiring white talent: Fitness Enthusiast]
[Fitness Enthusiast]: You have more talent in body refinement than ordinary people.
Su Xing was momentarily stunned by the talent before murmuring:
"Could it be... this Fitness Enthusiast is a body-refinement talent?"
This sudden talent disrupted Su Xing's plans, yet he decided to run the simulation first.
[You sat in the dormitory, staring absentmindedly at the two and a half Spirit Stones in your hand.]
[You began to absorb the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Stones, and with Spiritual Energy entering your body, your Qi Refining cultivation slightly improved.]
[Over the next month, you guided freshmen through dungeons to earn money, absorbing Spirit Stones' energy in your free time, converting it into cultivation.]
[Because of good Qi Refining techniques and adequate Spirit Stones, your Qi Refining cultivation swiftly progressed.]
[In merely a month, your cultivation reached the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm.]
[In the year 2023 of the New Era, on November 10, you left Kyoto Technical University and bought a high-speed rail ticket to Jinling City.]
[The next evening, you arrived in Jinling City.]
[You spent a week searching outside the west of Jinling City, hoping to find the dungeon Jin Congxue once mentioned.]
[But you found nothing; you did not find the dungeon named "Qingyun Spirit Field."]
[You did not give up and continued searching.]
[A few days later, you encountered a woman outside the west of Jinling City. The woman was extraordinarily beautiful but seemed very aloof.]
[Your intuition told you that this woman was likely Jin Congxue!]