Hengsheng opened his eyes, which were different from the usual. No, it was not Lan Hengsheng; Samuel Barlow opened his eyes!
He was silent and observed the surrounding area. The demon beasts lay around snoring lightly and the grey cat, with various colors of fur, was on his lap.
Then he laughed softly, tears welling up in his eyes. "Hahaha... It's a good thing my life isn't real... It's a good thing it's not real, so I can let go without regret."
After his words ended, his eyes changed once more. This time, it was Lan Hengsheng. His eyes were wide with fear; he had completely lost himself! he takes a deep breath before trying to gather his senses.
If not for Samuel's persona; let him go. He had definitely been overwritten. The effect of this simulator was terrifying. He did not expect Samuel to reach that height in just 100 years on newly planet that just awakened spiritual Qi and had no cultivation legacy at all. Even here, on the golden pillar continent, the most talented young individuals with divine-grade cores could only reach the True Body realm in such a short time.
Hengsheng exhaled slowly, his mind drifting back to the simulation of Samuel Barlow's life—his experiences, his knowledge, the bonds he had forged with others. All of it was now embedded in his thoughts. And yet, despite its presence, he no longer felt any deep attachment to it. Not after Samuel was gone.
It took him some time to completely assimilate Samuel's memories and experiences, after which he felt that his mind and spirit had become much stronger.
"What a wonderful experience," Hengsheng murmured, his tone surprisingly calm.
"Well, I'll count it as a success, then."
He allowed himself a quiet sense of satisfaction. He had come close to being overwritten, but by some stroke of luck, he had made Samuel's personality traits similar to his they do not harm anyone without a good enough reason, despite his actions of later years seems a bit extreme to him but it was understandable he might do the same if it was him.
If he had been careless and chosen to make Samuel an evil character, he would have been consumed and erased from existence.
At first, when he created this simulation, he only wanted to know how people of The Earth would react if spiritual qi suddenly appeared on Earth, and whether they could cultivate it even without a spirit core. But he didn't want to be too cruel and give humans a special sense of spiritual qi perception in the form of spiritual qi affinity.
Hengsheng recalled Samuel's cultivation—a method that defied everything he had known. He had never imagined Spiritual Qi could be cultivated in a way other than what he understood. Samuel's approach was radical, targeting human DNA itself—a form of cultivation aimed at altering the very essence of the race, not simply a bloodline. It was a breathtaking concept for Hengsheng, one that stretched the boundaries of his imagination.
He had heard of powerful bloodlines among certain clans, but they were still human at their core. Samuel's method, on the other hand, was like rewriting evolution itself—rewiring the foundation of humanity.
Yet, for all its wonders, it wasn't without flaws. The lack of diversity in spiritual Qi usage was one such drawback. Everything was focused on strengthening the body and unlocking superhuman abilities at the genetic level, the last drawback people decided not to become metahuman because they will not be able to have or have difficulty having children with normal humans.
Hengsheng wanted to keep Samuel's cultivation method for himself. He believed it could make him stand out from others of his generation—perhaps even grant him the strength to fight across cultivation realms. However, due to the constraints of cause and effect, he couldn't recall the method's details.
Without hesitation, he activated the Life Simulation System, ready to claim his reward. he noticed that only 10 minutes passed after he entered life simulation mode.
Ding!
[Simulation Result: SSS-Rank]
[Due to your exceptional performance, you may select 3 out of 5 A-Rank rewards.]
[Path of Genetic Evolution Cultivation Method (Incomplete)]
[Ten Drops of Enlightenment Dew]
[Samuel Barlow's Complete Knowledge and Insight in a Professional Field]
[The Sun Gaze Genetic Trait]
[Hollow Earth Legacy Insight]
Hengsheng's eyes flickered with excitement. A-Rank was the highest-tier reward available in Life Simulation Mode at the moment, and he had been incredibly lucky this time. Normally, the system only allowed him to choose one out of five options, but thanks to Samuel's outstanding performance, he was granted three choices.
Each option was exceptional—any one of them was worthy of being a top-tier reward.
Without hesitation, Hengsheng selected [Path of Genetic Evolution Cultivation Method (Incomplete)] and [The Sun Gaze Genetic Trait]. The first one was an absolute must, but the second had truly caught his attention.
He vividly remembered the feeling when Samuel unleashed his superpower—it was overwhelmingly strong, and even at the first awakening it was comparable even to top-tier Earth-Grade Qi techniques. Based on his knowledge, humans typically had only one superpower, which would continue strengthening as they ranked up. However, there were rare exceptions—human chimeras. These were individuals with two sets of DNA, an abnormality that granted them the potential to possess two distinct superpowers.
Even in the metahuman community, such cases are exceedingly rare. Only 100 documented instances exist on Earth.
If he claimed this reward, he would be able to inherit Samuel's superpower. Later, through the cultivation of his race, he could awaken his own unique ability. That meant he would possess two superpowers—both of which would grow stronger alongside him! Growth-type powers were rare and highly sought after, making this an incredible opportunity.
Suppressing his excitement, Hengsheng took a deep breath and focused. He still had one more reward to choose.
The first option, [Ten Drops of Enlightenment Dew], was a Dao treasure that Samuel had discovered within the ruins of Hollow Earth. It was one of the key reasons why Samuel had advanced so quickly in cultivation—it had propelled him into the enlightenment stage and greatly enhanced his Dao comprehension. Even in the Golden Pillar Continent, such a treasure was priceless. A powerhouse at the Lan Clan Patriarch's level would fight tooth and nail for even a single drop.
But for Hengsheng? Right now, this treasure would be wasted on him. He lacked the foundation to unleash its full potential. It was best used on someone who had already formed a Dao Seed, so he decided to pass on it.
Next was [Hollow Earth Legacy Insight]—a literal Immortal Realm cultivator's inheritance. Any other cultivator would have taken it in a heartbeat. This wasn't just a first-rate sect's legacy—it was something on par with, or even superior to, the overlords of the golden pillar continent.
This was no ordinary inheritance. The one who left it behind had cut through the constraints of cultivation realms and forged an entirely new planet—a feat even a True Immortal could not achieve easily.
Yet, Hengsheng barely hesitated before shaking his head.
He didn't need it.
He had confidence in his own cultivation path. He had confidence in his system. With it, he believed he could reach immortality without relying on someone else's legacy.
That left only one choice.
For Hengsheng, the most valuable reward wasn't a treasure, nor an Immortal's inheritance. In this cultivation world, there was no such thing as scientific or physical knowledge.
Treasures? He would find plenty along his journey. True Immortal inheritances? This continent had dozens of them.
But true knowledge? That was rare.
With his mind made up, he selected his final reward.
Ding!
[You have obtained the selected rewards.]
A moment later, a sharp pain shot through Hengsheng's body.
"Ah!" he cried out, gritting his teeth.
Arlert Yunsu, who had been curled up on his lap, perked up in alarm.
"Meow?"
Hengsheng forced a smile through the pain. "I'm okay, sweetie."
"Meowww…" Yunsu let out a long, doubtful cry, clearly not believing him. She began licking his arm, as if trying to comfort him, worried he was still hurt from skinning himself earlier.
Hengsheng, however, had a good guess as to why he was in pain—The Sun Gaze Trait was integrating into his body!
Soon, the pain gradually subsided, and his body began to recover. As the discomfort faded, Hengsheng noticed two new pieces of knowledge had appeared in his mind—the complete knowledge of Samuel Barlow.
Curious, he skimmed through it.
It was incredible.
For someone who had never studied deep scientific fields in his previous life, this was a goldmine. Samuel had held multiple Ph. D.s, and now, all of that expertise was his. This knowledge significantly broadened his way of thinking, giving him insights he never would have imagined before.
Excited, Hengsheng quickly opened his main system interface to check if his new trait had successfully registered.
Ding!
Special Traits: Mind Space, Super Spirit Body, Vast Meridian {512/512}, The Sun Gaze Genetic
Bingo!
Hengsheng almost jumped in excitement. He really wanted to test it out right away, but he forced himself to calm down—he didn't want to disrupt the peaceful demon beasts around him.
Now that everything was settled and his system was back online, it was time to return to his Lan Clan base to prepare for his breakthrough.
...But not before taking revenge on that damn monster that ate his foot!