"Start! Start!"
Without any hesitation, Zhou Qing immediately chose to start the simulation.
He had lived in the Purple Bamboo Forest for over four months, watching the low-level Qi Refining cultivators squabble like pecking chicks the entire time.
All to wait for this exact moment.
Buzz—the very instant Zhou Qing chose to start the simulation, the illusory text rapidly began to shift.
[Year 1: You are seventeen. You have already mastered multiple Tier Two skills, with your alchemy and talisman crafting reaching Tier Two High-Grade. In your cultivation, you have similarly reached Foundation Establishment Perfection.]
[You are full of ambition. The beginning of every simulation is when your innate aptitude is at its highest.]
[You summon Li Yan.]
[ "Master..." ]
[After spending over four months together, even without the Demonic Seed Art, Li Yan has developed an indescribable trust in and reliance on you.]
[You pull Li Yan into your arms, and your lips meet.]
[Her red lips are very soft. As you enjoy the beauty's embrace, the demonic seed mark woven by your divine sense quietly takes shape.]
[In the simulation, with its allowance for trial and error, you begin casting the Demonic Seed Art on Li Yan.]
[With almost no resistance, you plant the demonic seed mark condensed from your divine sense deep within Li Yan's soul.]
[ "It's done..." ]
[You look at Li Yan—whose eyes are lightly closed, still immersed in the moment—and a realization rises in your mind.]
[Because of the past four months you spent together, Li Yan trusts you implicitly. You progress extremely smoothly through the most difficult seed-planting stage.]
[Next comes the slow, meticulous work.]
[As time passes, the demonic seed mark you planted will continuously influence Li Yan until she can never betray you for all eternity.]
[ "This secret art... its limitations are far too great." ]
[You make this evaluation. Even as a dignified cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection, casting it on an early-stage Qi Refining low-level cultivator drained this much energy.]
[And this was only because you had fairly purchased the Purple Bamboo Forest, ensuring Li Yan never harbored any feelings of rejection or resentment in her heart.]
[It is only because Li Yan possesses the yin-essence physique, making her immensely valuable to you, that you are willing to go to such lengths.]
[If it were any other low-level cultivator, you could have just controlled them with the threat of life and death.]
[ "Master..." ]
[Only a few breaths later, Li Yan opens her beautiful eyes and looks at you with immense shyness.]
[ "Yan'er..." ]
[You look at Li Yan and tell her the truth about her possessing the yin-essence physique.]
[Since you are currently in the simulation and the demonic seed has already been planted, you feel completely at ease with her.]
[In the future, when you harvest Li Yan's first wisp of yin-essence qi, you will also need her to know and cooperate.]
[ "So that's how it is. No wonder I always felt..." ]
[Li Yan nestles in your arms, the rosy flush still lingering on her charming face, beautiful beyond compare.]
[ "Right, Yan'er, from now on you can practice these cultivation methods. They will speed up the awakening of your physique..." ]
[You take out a few Jade Slips as you speak.]
[These cultivation methods were all collected during your third simulation, perfectly suited for cultivating the yin-essence physique.]
[ "Thank you, Master..." ]
[Li Yan looks moved. Not only did you tell her the truth about her physique, but you are also willing to provide her with cultivation methods. This unselfish behavior deepens her trust in you.]
[ "Please rest assured, Master. Yan'er will only have you in this lifetime, and my yin-essence qi will be saved solely for you..." ]
[Li Yan says softly.]
[ "Mhm." ]
[You give a slight nod and then say, "I will be leaving for a while. Until I return, stay in the Purple Bamboo Forest and cultivate."]
[ "Furthermore, no matter what happens while I am gone, wait until I come back to deal with it. Even if the Li Family Patriarch comes looking for you, do not see him." ]
[You instruct.]
[At the same time, you release six puppets to patrol the Purple Bamboo Forest.]
[Of the six puppets, one is comparable to a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, and the other five are on par with late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.]
[In this area swarming with low-level cultivators, it is a crushing advantage.]
[Not to mention the protection of a Tier Two defensive grand array.]
[ "Yan'er understands." ]
[Li Yan nods, offering no resistance to your instructions.]
[Next, you leave behind some cultivation resources.]
[Under your nurturing, with the cultivation speed of the yin-essence physique, it won't take long for her to reach the peak of Qi Refining.]
[As long as Li Yan steps into the Foundation Establishment Realm, the first wisp of yin-essence qi she nurtures will provide massive assistance when you attempt to break through to Core Formation.]
[If she reaches the Core Formation Realm, that first wisp of yin-essence qi would even be of some benefit for a breakthrough to Nascent Soul.]
[Having arranged everything, you shoot into the sky and hurry through the clouds toward Youshan.]
[ "I can't just enter the Youshan Inner Realm directly like this." ]
[You think to yourself.]
[During the previous simulation, you successfully entered the Youshan Inner Realm one or two hundred years later, and only because Dachun led you.]
[But now you lack those conditions. Not only is the timing wrong, but you are also all alone.]
[What if other unexpected variables arise? For example, what if now isn't the right time to enter Youshan, and you are directly obliterated?]
[Although you are currently in a simulation and dying wouldn't affect your actual body in reality, you naturally prefer not to die if you can avoid it.]
[Every simulation requires waiting a cooldown period of several months.]
[ "I still need to force a low-level cultivator to go in first and scout the way..." ]
[You make your decision.]
[Of course, forcing a low-level cultivator this time is different from other occasions.]
[You have to ensure that the low-level cultivator you compel has absolutely no ability to pass the aptitude test after entering the Youshan Inner Realm.]
[If they are like Dachun—passing the aptitude test, starting the trial, and stepping into the Core Formation Realm decades or centuries later...]
[Not only would you fail to get specific intelligence about the Youshan Inner Realm, but you might also create a new enemy out of thin air.]
[You would never engage in such an act of aiding the enemy, even in a simulation.]
[You begin to calculate, using divination techniques to select a suitable low-level cultivator.]
[A few days later, you arrive safely at Youshan.]
[Even though you are already at Foundation Establishment Perfection, looking at this dark, gloomy mountain range again still makes your heart palpitate slightly.]
[Winding for tens of thousands of li, Youshan looks like a giant, crouching dragon.]
[ "Spare my life, Senior... spare my life, Senior..." ]
[A figure standing behind you immediately drops to his knees, begging incessantly for mercy.]
[This figure is, naturally, the low-level cultivator you selected to enter Youshan first to test the waters.]
[He is also a bandit cultivator from around the Purple Bamboo Forest.]
[Based on your experiences in the Youshan Inner Realm from the previous simulation, it isn't hard to figure out the rules.]
[To smoothly proceed with the trial inside Youshan, one must pass the aptitude test.]
[And the aptitude test is comprehensive. It simultaneously evaluates your talent in spell cultivation, body cultivation, ghost cultivation, and so on.]
[But regardless of the aptitude, the prerequisite is that one must have normal potential and sufficient lifespan.]
[Even a cultivator with a Heavenly Spirit Root would be of no value if they were only at the early stage of Qi Refining, their potential completely burned out, with only a few days of lifespan left.]
[The bandit cultivator you just captured fits these exact traits. He possesses only a Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivation base, has used forbidden arts over a dozen times, and burned away all his potential long ago. Furthermore, he is over a hundred years old and doesn't have many years of lifespan remaining.]
[No matter how you look at it, even if he truly possessed some hidden talent, it would be impossible for him to pass the aptitude test.]
[ "After entering Youshan, circulate this secret art." ]
[You glance at the terrified old bandit cultivator and secretly plant several tracking spells inside his body.]
[You also plant a few wisps of Mountain and Sea magic power in his heart meridians.]
[If he doesn't return to you within a certain amount of time, those wisps of Mountain and Sea magic power will detonate.]
[This is just a casual precaution to prevent any extreme scenarios.]
[For instance, if the old bandit cultivator doesn't appear back in Youshan after being expelled, but is instead randomly teleported hundreds or thousands of li away.]
[ "Alright..." ]
[The old bandit cultivator gulps and hurriedly nods in agreement.]
[As a bandit cultivator, the old man always thought he might die at the hands of other bandit cultivators.]
[But he never expected it to be a Foundation Establishment expert.]
[No, that's not right. The old bandit cultivator has seen Foundation Establishment cultivators from afar before.]
[But the aura they emitted and the oppressive feeling they brought were far inferior to yours.]
[ 'How bitter...' The old bandit cultivator feels miserable in his heart. Under your watchful gaze, he bites the bullet and walks into Youshan. ]
[Then, inside Youshan, he circulates the secret art you gave him.]
[Whoosh—]
[The old bandit cultivator vanishes.]
[And your connection to him becomes hazy and indistinct.]
[ "He went in?" ]
[You wait silently.]
[Time passes.]
[Less than half a shichen later.]
[The old bandit cultivator reappears in Youshan.]
[However, compared to his expression when he first entered, the old man's face is now filled with utter shock.]
[Clearly, his experience inside Youshan left him in disbelief.]
[Even though he is merely a Qi Refining cultivator, the old man realizes that the Youshan Inner Realm is an unprecedented, massive opportunity.]
[ "Come out." ]
[You stand outside Youshan, yet your voice rings directly in the old bandit cultivator's ears.]
[This is also due to one of the tracking spells you left on him. Within tens of li, you can not only sense his precise location but also send targeted voice transmissions.]
[ "Sen... Senior..." ]
[Startled, the old bandit cultivator hesitates for a moment but still hurries toward your position.]
[This is mainly because your location is not far from his.]
[Furthermore, the fact that your voice echoed directly in his ears clearly shows you possess extraordinary methods.]
[Even without considering the hidden methods you cast on him...]
[Just based on the visible distance alone...]
[...the old bandit cultivator couldn't run away even if he wanted to.]
[ "Senior, just now I entered..." ]
[The old bandit cultivator's eyes flicker. He isn't sure whether to recount his experience truthfully or selectively share details to use as a bargaining chip for benefits.]
[The next moment.]
[You press your right hand onto the old man's forehead and directly search his soul.]
[A cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection soul-searching a Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator—there is no possibility of missing anything.]
[Very quickly, you see all of the old bandit cultivator's experiences after entering the Youshan Inner Realm.]
[Upon meeting the puppet Guardian Deity, the old man followed your instructions and stated his desire to participate in the trial.]
[Then, the puppet Guardian Deity began the aptitude test.]
[The result, naturally, was that the old bandit cultivator failed the test and was expelled.]
[You also learn his exact test results: whether for body cultivation, spell cultivation, or other paths like ghost and soul cultivation, he possesses no talent whatsoever.]
[ "It really is a puppet with no sentience. It didn't harbor any suspicions... about how he managed to enter." ]
[You think to yourself.]
[In the third simulation, you were only able to enter because Dachun taught you the secret art.]
[But in this simulation, there is no Dachun. For a cultivator to suddenly be able to enter... is obviously very strange, yet the puppet Guardian Deity didn't react at all.]
[It appears exceptionally mechanical.]
[This is the difference between a puppet and a living being.]
[Yet, it is precisely because of this mechanical nature that the puppet doesn't have to worry about lifespan and can exist forever.]
[Any existence, once it develops sentience, will face the limits of lifespan.]
[Even the artifact spirits of legendary Dharma treasures will eventually see their sentience dissipate, though it would take a very, very long time.]
[ "Since that's the case, it's my turn..." ]
[You casually dispose of the old bandit cultivator and slowly walk into Youshan.]
[The mist is heavy inside Youshan. After entering, you directly circulate the secret art Dachun taught you.]
[Instantly, your aura becomes infinitely close to that of Youshan, as if you have merged with the surrounding environment.]
[At the same time, you feel heaven and earth flip upside down, and your senses become incredibly blurred.]
[By the time they recover, you have already arrived in the Youshan Inner Realm.]
[You are still in that vast expanse, with ancient structures faintly visible in the distance.]
[Your divine sense is suppressed, only able to cover a few dozen meters around you.]
[Likewise, there is a high white jade platform in the distance, bordered by tier upon tier of stairs.]
[You observe your surroundings.]
[During the previous simulation, when you entered this place, you were old and decrepit, your potential exhausted, with little lifespan left.]
[But now? You are at your absolute peak. Not only are you just seventeen years old, but your potential, condition, and everything else are at their utmost prime.]
[You stride forward, arriving beneath the white jade platform. Following the stairs along the edge, you finally step onto the high platform once again.]
[The gaze of the armor-clad Guardian Deity turns toward you.]
[Since it had just expelled the old bandit cultivator, the armored Guardian Deity hasn't had the time to return to its slumber yet.]
[You walk up to the armored Guardian Deity and, directly following the procedure from the previous simulation, say, "I want to participate in the trial."]
[The armored Guardian Deity's tone is calm. "Any living being that enters this place holds the qualifications to participate in the trial."]
[ "But the prerequisite is passing the aptitude test." ]
[ "After passing the test, rewards will be granted based on the level of your aptitude, and then the trial will begin..." ]
[The armored Guardian Deity looks at you, speaking without the slightest fluctuation in its voice, "Do you accept?" ]
[You notice that compared to when you entered with Dachun, the armored Guardian Deity right now—whether in tone or attitude—is far colder and more indifferent.]
[ "Can I see what the rewards are?" ]
[You ask tentatively.]
[ "Do you accept?" The armored Guardian Deity's tone is cold, ignoring your question.]
[You can't help but feel surprised. During the previous simulation, when you made this request, the Guardian Deity had agreed.]
[ 'Could it be because Dachun was nearby?' ]
[You silently guess. As a trial participant, Dachun's status was definitely higher than yours, since you hadn't even taken the aptitude test yet.]
[Since Dachun brought you in, perhaps you were viewed as his 'subordinate,' allowing you to get some sort of response?]
[ "I accept." ]
[You don't hesitate, nodding as you speak.]
[Buzz—]
[Faint red light begins to surge in the eyes of the armored Guardian Deity.]
[An inexplicable fluctuation emerges, washing over you to shroud your body.]
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