Lucas cursed himself the moment he read the system reminder, realizing his grave mistake of displaying his fears in front of the royal ancestor.
The incident had exposed him too much, but before he could dwell on his blunder, a rush of invincible power surged through his veins. The newfound strength from reaching the 1st layer of the Soul Embryo Realm, along with the 86 years of cultivation insights gathered from the simulation, left him feeling euphoric.
He marveled at the system's ability to directly promote his cultivation without needing any spiritual energy from the outside world, nor causing the usual disturbances that accompany breakthroughs.
It was this subtle, undetectable promotion that inspired Lucas with a new idea on how to better conceal his cultivation in the future.
With newfound confidence and strength, Lucas wasted no time.
He immediately commanded the system to begin his 2nd simulation.
"Start 2nd simulation," he ordered.
The system responded in its usual calm tone.
[Starting 2nd simulation.]
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1...]
--------------------
Year 30,334: Lucas Veloria, at the age of 20, stood at the 1st layer of the Soul Embryo Realm. Armed with the knowledge of the future, he knew he was safe for the next 26 years.
Without hesitation, he devoted himself entirely to closed-door cultivation, emerging only for important royal events that he knew would not affect the future.
The Nine Simulation System had gifted him the perfect balance of foresight and power.
Year 30,360: As predicted, on New Year's Eve, the Ashura Demonic Cult launched their infamous attack.
Just as in the previous simulation, they assaulted the royal castles of all nine kingdoms, including the capital city Veridonia of the Human Empire.
The bloodline of many royals was cut off during this catastrophe. In response, the Human Emperor, enraged by the losses, decreed that all kingdoms must form an alliance to pursue the cultists to the borders of the Demon Empire.
In the fierce battles that ensued, two Spirit Fusion Realm demons fell, which finally soothed the emperor's anger, leading to the withdrawal of the alliance.
Despite knowing these events would unfold, Lucas made the strategic decision to not intervene.
His caution was driven by his desire to preserve the timeline and avoid disrupting the natural flow of events.
While chaos ensued outside, Lucas quietly focused on his cultivation, progressing to the 5th layer of the Soul Embryo Realm.
Year 30,399: By now, Lucas had silently reached the 9th layer of the Soul Embryo Realm.
Having reached this peak, he began the delicate process of polishing his foundation in preparation for his breakthrough to the Spirit Fusion Realm.
However, before attempting the breakthrough, he used the Heaven's Secrets Technique to perform a divination.
The results were dire—whether inside or outside the royal castle, the divination predicted great misfortune if he were to attempt the breakthrough.
Faced with this grim foresight, Lucas knew that waiting forever wasn't an option.
The longer he delayed, the more risk he took with his cultivation foundation weakening over time.
In a bold decision, he chose to take the risk and attempt the breakthrough within the castle, despite the divination's warning.
The breakthrough was successful, and Lucas advanced to the 1st layer of the Spirit Fusion Realm.
His power surged to unimaginable heights, but just as he was celebrating, a familiar figure appeared before him—the royal ancestor.
The ancestor, having sensed the massive energy fluctuation, arrived with a cold, probing gaze.
The sheer power Lucas was now exuding had triggered an alarm within the ancestral array.
Suspicious of Lucas' rapid rise in cultivation, the ancestor demanded answers.
"How have you cultivated so fast?"
the ancestor asked, his voice laden with suspicion.
Lucas remained silent, knowing that revealing the truth about the Nine Simulation System would only lead to disaster.
His lack of response, however, further infuriated the ancestor.
Deciding to take matters into his own hands, the ancestor made a move to suppress Lucas, using his overwhelming power at the 5th layer of the Spirit Fusion Realm.
But to the ancestor's shock, Lucas was not so easily subdued.
His combat prowess, refined through the insights and experiences gained in the simulations, allowed him to hold his ground. The ancestor's attacks had no effect, and it was Lucas who began to push back, suppressing the ancestor instead.
This unexpected turn of events sent alarm bells ringing within the royal family. Realizing that Lucas was far more powerful than anticipated, the ancestor acted swiftly.
He activated the royal family's array, a powerful formation designed to obliterate any threat to the royal bloodline.
Before Lucas could react, the array descended upon him.
A torrent of overwhelming energy crushed him, reducing his body to ashes in mere moments.
[You are dead.]
The system's notification appeared in Lucas' mind once again, this time with a somber tone.
[Peak cultivation: 1st layer of Spirit Fusion Realm.]
[66 years of cultivation insights.]
[Extracting cultivation and insights to reality.]
--------------------
[Ding!!!]
Lucas' consciousness returned to reality, along with the cultivation progress and insights from his second simulation.
Though he had once again met a tragic end, the system had ensured that his progress would not be lost.
Now, with the strength of a 1st layer Spirit Fusion Realm cultivator, Lucas was more powerful than ever before.
But this time, Lucas realized something important: while his cultivation had reached unprecedented heights, he could not overestimate his strength against the forces protecting the royal family.
The array, though dormant, was a tool of absolute destruction, and he would need a better plan to confront the next challenge.
With two simulations behind him, Lucas knew his journey was far from over, and the future battles would only become more intense.