[In the third year, Bai Ruoxue arrived.]
[This time, you did not pretend to be a disciple of Tianxuan Temple.]
[Instead, you directly explained that you had accidentally obtained the immortal cultivation method here and had buried the bones out of gratitude.]
[This was a decision you made after reflecting on the events of the last simulation.]
[After all, you knew that while pretending to be a disciple of Tianxuan Temple could earn Bai Ruoxue's favor, it was far too risky given your current talent. Such deception would be easily discovered.]
[It was better to reveal the truth and avoid the tragic death in the infinite illusion you experienced last time.]
[After hearing your explanation, Bai Ruoxue did not take immediate action. Instead, she conducted a series of tests to confirm that you were not an immortal slave.]
[While examining you, Bai Ruoxue noticed you were in the process of forming a golden elixir.]
[After verifying that you were not one of those immortal slaves who made her unhappy, she advised you not to rush into breaking through the elixir stage.]
[You were confused, so you humbly asked for guidance.]
[Bai Ruoxue did not provide a direct explanation. Instead, she posed a question: What is the true purpose of the golden elixir?]
[You explained your understanding: the golden elixir is the form of spiritual energy compressed into a solid state, allowing for more space in the sea of qi to store spiritual energy.]
[Although you sensed that Bai Ruoxue's question implied there was more to it, you could only share what you knew, as your knowledge was limited to a single cultivation book.]
[Bai Ruoxue smiled and acknowledged that when the foundation is perfected, the golden elixir is indeed just compressed spiritual energy. Besides creating space in the sea of qi, it serves no other function.]
[However, she added that once spiritual energy is used to connect the golden elixir with the meridians, forming a bridge between heaven and earth to break through the elixir stage, the golden elixir gains additional functions.]
[At that stage, the spiritual energy you absorb will pass through the golden elixir before reaching the sea of qi.]
[The golden elixir acts as an instrument for purifying spiritual energy. The higher its quality, the purer the energy that reaches the sea of qi, leading to stronger combat power and a higher potential for immortal cultivation.]
[Bai Ruoxue explained that those who break through to the golden elixir stage without enhancing its quality produce the weakest golden elixirs.]
[Upon hearing this, you were relieved that your slow progress during the last simulation had prevented you from hastily breaking through to the golden elixir stage, avoiding wasted effort.]
[You eagerly asked Bai Ruoxue how to improve the quality of the golden elixir.]
[She smiled and explained that improving the golden elixir's quality was simple: it requires using spiritual energy to wash and polish the condensed elixir continuously.]
[With persistent polishing, lines will begin to appear on the golden elixir, with each line representing an increase in quality by one grade.]
[She further explained that the golden elixir's quality is divided into ten grades, with one grade for each level.]
[A true genius, she said, would spend considerable time polishing their golden elixir to enhance its quality.]
[After hearing Bai Ruoxue's advice, you were immensely grateful and thanked her repeatedly.]
[Following this, Bai Ruoxue took the initiative to share why this place was called the Forbidden Land and the history of the immortal slaves.]
[Although you already knew this information, you listened intently.]
[With your experience from the last simulation, you understood Bai Ruoxue's true intentions.]
[Whether she was teaching you cultivation techniques or sharing secrets, her goal was to create enemies for the immortal slaves.]
[Thus, you feigned outrage, declaring your intent to fight the immortal slaves to the death.]
[Hearing this, Bai Ruoxue smiled faintly and handed you a storage ring, remarking that it was a small gesture of support and expressing her hope that you could bring some chaos to the immortal slaves.]
[Upon returning to your cabin, you opened the storage ring and discovered that Bai Ruoxue had given you even more spiritual stones this time—a total of 50,000.]
[Faced with so many spiritual stones, you found yourself in a dilemma, wondering whether to use them to immediately improve your strength or save them for when you left the simulator.]
[In reality, Jiang Yifeng also began to think deeply.]
[He pondered why the number of spiritual stones Bai Ruoxue gave varied each time.]
[It was easy to understand the amount provided by the Tianxuan Temple disciple in the previous simulation—it had been sufficient for his lifetime cultivation at the time, given his limited talent.]
[So, what was different between last time and this time?]
[Jiang Yifeng considered two factors: first, that this time he had openly admitted not being a disciple of Tianxuan Temple, unlike last time when he was exposed. The second was his differing cultivation levels between the two instances.]
[Ultimately, Jiang Yifeng concluded that the main reason must be the second factor—his higher cultivation level this time.]
[After all, Bai Ruoxue's purpose was clear to him: she wanted to create trouble for the immortal slaves. The stronger he was, the greater the chaos he could bring, and the more support she was willing to provide.]
[With this realization, Jiang Yifeng couldn't help but smirk.]
[In that case, it made sense to cultivate immediately. The more strength he gained now, the more resources he could consume in future simulations.]
[Jiang Yifeng began mentally repeating to himself, "Practice with spirit stones!"]
[He had used similar psychological suggestions in previous simulations, knowing that they could subtly influence his simulated judgment.]
[While focusing on his suggestion, Jiang Yifeng continued observing the simulator.]
[You deliberated for a long time and realized that endlessly hoarding resources wasn't a sustainable strategy. You needed to improve your strength.]
[You reasoned that becoming stronger might lead to even greater resources in the future.]
[With renewed determination, you started cultivating without hesitation.]
[Three days later, Bai Ruoxue departed.]
[Shortly after her departure, you also left the area.]
[In the same year, you condensed the liquid spiritual energy in your sea of qi into a pill. However, remembering Bai Ruoxue's advice, you refrained from breaking through to the golden elixir stage, opting to polish it instead.]
[In the fourth year, a single line appeared on the golden elixir in your sea of qi, signifying the formation of a first-grade golden elixir.]
[In the fifth year, two lines appeared, raising the elixir to the second grade.]
[In the sixth year, after three years of cultivation and traveling, you finally reached the green oasis in the Death Desert.]
[That same year, a third line appeared on the golden elixir in your sea of qi, making it a third-grade elixir.]
[In the seventh year, free from the distractions of travel, you devoted yourself entirely to cultivation.]
[Despite your focus, it took you an entire year to raise the grade of your golden elixir by one level, reaching the fourth-grade elixir.]
[You understood that this was due to the increasing difficulty of advancing as the grade improved.]
[In the eighth year, you achieved a fifth-grade golden elixir.]
[By the tenth year, your supply of spiritual stones was depleted, leaving your golden elixir at the sixth grade.]
[In the twentieth year, you finally reached the seventh grade after spending ten arduous years on this upgrade.]
[You realized there were several reasons for the prolonged effort: the increased difficulty of advancing higher grades and the lack of resources.]
[Even polishing the golden elixir required spiritual energy, and without resources, the process naturally slowed.]
[By the fortieth year, you spent a full twenty years adding another line to your golden elixir, achieving the eighth grade.]
[At this point, you began to wonder if it was time to break through.]