[You furrowed your brows. After several days of observation, you couldn't even grasp the basic meaning conveyed by the silver seal script, let alone truly comprehend it.]
[You glanced at the armored Guardian Deity standing beside you and asked calmly, "How long did it take the twelve geniuses ranked ahead of me to master the secret technique on the stone wall?"]
[The armored Guardian Deity looked at you and replied, "One took eleven months. The remaining eleven took anywhere from two to eight years."]
["I see..."]
[You nodded slightly, but sighed inwardly.]
[It seemed your newly acquired title of genius was about to fall from grace before you could even warm it up.]
[Because you realized you couldn't read a single word of the tadpole-like silver seal script on the wall.]
[Under these circumstances, let alone mastering it within a year, you wouldn't have the slightest confidence even if given decades or a century.]
['But it doesn't matter. If I can't comprehend and master it this time, I'll just come back next time.']
[At the same time, you looked at the broken stone wall again.]
[This time, you didn't seek to comprehend or master it.]
[Your goal was simply to memorize it.]
[The silver script wasn't static. You needed to memorize the intertwining and shifting trajectories of every tadpole-like character.]
[It took you two full months to barely memorize all the silver script on the wall.]
[To you, this single wall of script was hundreds, even thousands of times more complex than any secret inheritance you had memorized during your third simulation.]
[You closed your eyes, and the shifting, intertwining tadpole characters flashed through your mind.]
[Your heart immediately settled.]
[So what if you couldn't comprehend and master it in a short time?]
[As long as you could master it during this simulation, then in the next one, you would be the first peerless genius since the near-ancient era to master it at a single glance!]
[When that time came, you would have even more resources and treasures to choose from.]
[And in this current simulation... even if you failed to reach Core Formation, you still had over two hundred years of lifespan. If you did succeed, you would have nearly five hundred years.]
[With the accumulated experience of your previous three simulations...]
[...you were ninety-nine percent certain you could reach Core Formation. The only question was whether you would form a Flawless Golden Core.]
[With five hundred long years, even if you had to grind it out, you could eventually comprehend and master the technique!]
["Guardian Deity, I need to leave for a while."]
[You looked at the armored Guardian Deity and spoke.]
[Since you couldn't comprehend and master it quickly, there was no need to waste time here.]
["Alright."]
[The armored Guardian Deity waved his hand, bringing you back to the white jade platform.]
[You gave him a glance before immediately reversing the circulation of the secret art.]
[In an instant, you left the white jade platform and returned to Youshan.]
['The Youshan Trial Grounds...']
[You pondered for a moment before flying back into the clouds, heading toward the Zhou Family.]
[At this point in time, the Zhou Family had just relocated near Youshan. Since you were in the area, it only made sense to drop by and visit.]
[When you returned, your parents, eldest brother, and second brother were overjoyed. You also noticed that your father, Zhou Shizhong, was in much better health.]
[Freed from the constraints of the Gan Kingdom's royal court, your father had completely relaxed. This was one of the reasons why, in the third simulation, he managed to live past a hundred before dying of old age.]
[After seeing your family, you went to see Dachun.]
["Young Master."]
[Dachun looked at you with his usual simple, honest smile.]
["Dachun, give me a little bit of your blood."]
[You requested directly.]
[During the third simulation, you learned that Dachun possessed the ancient saint bloodline.]
[However, at that time, he had already awakened it, and his blood could heal most injuries.]
[You wanted to see if his currently unawakened blood held any extraordinary properties.]
["Alright, Young Master."]
[Without asking why, Dachun immediately sliced a large gash into his arm.]
[Hot blood continually spilled out.]
[You hurriedly took out a jade bowl to catch it.]
['It looks no different from normal blood.']
[After observing it carefully and continuously probing it with your magic power and divine sense, you came to a conclusion.]
[The unawakened ancient saint bloodline was completely ordinary.]
['Never mind...']
[You shook your head silently. You had originally intended to study the ancient saint bloodline, but it seemed you could only wait until Dachun broke through to the third tier to do so.]
["Dachun, I'm taking you somewhere nice."]
[You looked at him and said.]
[You planned to bring Dachun into the Youshan Trial Grounds ahead of schedule.]
[In the third simulation, Dachun got lost in Youshan ten years later. This accidentally stimulated his ancient saint bloodline, causing the Youshan Trial Grounds to pull him in.]
[But now that you were here, naturally, you wouldn't let him enter so late.]
[Entering earlier meant he could complete the first phase of the trial earlier. By the time he came out, you would have a subordinate comparable to an ordinary Core Formation Middle Stage Master.]
[And if Dachun could pass the second phase, his combat strength would soar even higher, likely rivaling a Core Formation Completion Master.]
[In the third simulation, Dachun had only emerged when you were nearing the end of your lifespan.]
[By then, you had already sold off all your properties. Even with a subordinate comparable to a mid-stage Master, you couldn't make full use of him.]
[But this simulation would be different.]
[A moment later, you brought Dachun back to Youshan.]
[You directly handed him the secret technique and led him into the Youshan Trial Grounds.]
[On the white jade platform, after the aptitude test, the armored Guardian Deity confirmed that the concentration of Dachun's ancient saint bloodline had reached the minimum threshold for awakening, barely putting him in the ranks of top-tier aptitudes.]
[Afterward, Dachun was allowed to select his rewards.]
[You took a glance from the side and found that the treasure rewards Dachun could see were far inferior to yours, mostly consisting of Tier 3 and Tier Two resources.]
[Under the armored Guardian Deity's suggestion, Dachun chose a resource that could slowly enhance the concentration of his ancient saint bloodline.]
[After watching Dachun enter the first phase of the body cultivation trial...]
[...you exited the Youshan Trial Grounds once again.]
['The matters at Youshan are finished for now.']
[Taking one last look at the mountain, you set off directly toward the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.]
[In this simulation, your primary goal was to break through to the Core Formation stage.]
[And to attempt Core Formation, aside from the Golden Core Condensation Pill and Li Yan's first wisp of yin-essence qi, you naturally needed to prepare other Core Formation Spiritual Items.]
[Your journey to the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range was specifically to retrieve a Core Formation Spiritual Item located there: the Fire Essence Jujube.]
[During the third simulation, you had learned from True Person Blood Sea that a Fire Essence Jujube Tree grew somewhere in this mountain range.]
[Later on, you had also successfully plucked the Fire Essence Jujubes from it.]
[A month later, you smoothly arrived at the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.]
['The Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range?']
[You gazed at the mountains, listening to the faint, low roars of demonic beasts echoing from within, your expression solemn.]
[In the previous simulation, you had learned that during a certain period, a beast riot would erupt deep within the mountain range, driving a Tier 3 Great Demon to the outer edges.]
[Although it was eventually suppressed and driven back into the depths by several Masters joining forces, the incident caused a significant impact at the time. Many Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators lost their lives to that Tier 3 Great Demon.]
[You sneaked into the mountain range and arrived at the valley where the Fire Essence Jujube Tree grew.]
[An illusion array had long since been casually set up around the valley by True Person Blood Sea, making it incredibly difficult for anyone but a Master to detect.]
[But you were different. Not only did you possess Tier Two attainments in the Dao of Formations, but you also clearly understood the array's operating principles and how to break it—the latter of which True Person Blood Sea had personally told you.]
[After repeatedly testing it in the third simulation, you knew it inside and out.]
[Arriving deep within the valley, you saw the Fire Essence Jujube Tree.]
[Among its branches and leaves, two crimson fruits swayed gently.]
[The larger Fire Essence Jujube was clearly ripe, while the smaller one was still immature, its skin showing a hint of unripe green.]
['Makes sense. In the last simulation, I came decades later... so the smaller one had barely ripened. But now? Only one Fire Essence Jujube is mature.']
[You weren't surprised. It just meant waiting a few more decades.]
[Besides, the effects of identical Core Formation Spiritual Items couldn't stack. To attempt Core Formation, a single Fire Essence Jujube was enough.]
[You stepped forward and plucked the ripe fruit.]
[In the third simulation, you had ultimately sold the location of this tree to Beast Taming Mountain.]
[In exchange, you received an important beast-taming inheritance and various resources.]
[The Fire Essence Jujube Tree was right in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, and Beast Taming Mountain was situated right next to it. Even without transplanting it, they could guard it perfectly well.]
[Before leaving, you casually reinforced the illusion array around the valley.]
[Half a month later, Wushan Market.]
[You strolled casually among the shops.]
[Compared to the previous simulations, you were incredibly relaxed this time, finally daring to enter Wushan Market with your true body.]
[After all, with your current strength and methods, even if the Foundation Establishment Market Lord activated the market's grand array to suppress you, you could easily break out.]
[At the end of the third simulation, you had been able to block the attacks of a False Core Master using array talismans, let alone now.]
[In your eyes, the current Wushan Market was no different from a beginner's village.]
['You Rou...']
[You arrived near You Rou.]
[At this point in time, You Rou had not yet become the Vice Alliance Leader of the Alchemy Alliance.]
[She was merely a Mid-Grade Alchemist.]
[Your purpose in coming here was to recruit her as your subordinate once again to help manage your faction.]
[In the last simulation, you had tasted the benefits of having a faction serve you, which kept you from wasting your energy on trivial matters. This time, you wanted to repeat that setup.]
["Fellow Daoist..."]
[Seeing you appear before her, You Rou asked politely.]
["Follow me..."]
[You turned and left.]
[You Rou froze, looking bewildered. But a moment later, she found her body involuntarily following behind you.]
[A soul-shaking spiritual pressure had blanketed her mind.]
['This is...']
[Her face paled in terror, but she couldn't make a single sound.]
[Not long after.]
[The two of you arrived in a private room at a restaurant.]
[You released your control over her and smiled warmly at this old acquaintance from your past simulations.]
["Greetings, Senior..."]
[You Rou immediately dropped to her knees. Even if she was slow to react, she now realized that your strength vastly exceeded hers; killing her would take no effort at all.]
['Foundation Establishment Late Stage? Or...']
[She trembled inwardly. She had seen Foundation Establishment cultivators from afar, but none could compare to you.]
["I intend to establish a merchant guild. How about you manage it for me?"]
[You looked at her, speaking in a casual tone.]
[In the third simulation, you had grown accustomed to employing You Rou and knew her capabilities.]
[You couldn't be bothered to recruit other cultivators to manage the guild.]
[Mainly, while she was managing the guild for you, she always remembered her place, knew the boundaries, and never questioned your orders. A subordinate like that was very reassuring to rely on.]
[Even if her strength was a bit lacking, it wasn't a problem.]
[Besides, for a Tier Two High-Grade alchemist like yourself, whatever slipped through the cracks of your fingers would be more than enough to benefit her immensely.]
["You want me to manage it..."]
[You Rou felt dizzy. She never imagined such a massive stroke of luck would fall right into her lap.]
[Managing a faction for a great cultivator who was at least at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage? Could she really stumble into something this good?]
["I pledge my life in service to Senior!"]
[Only stunned for a brief moment, You Rou immediately swore with a solemn expression.]
["Mm."]
[You nodded slightly, then instructed her to start preparing for the guild's establishment, following the exact same procedure as the last simulation.]
["Guild Master..."]
[Finally, looking hesitant, she gave in to her curiosity and asked, "Why did you choose me?"]
[This was a genuine doubt for her. With so many cultivators in Wushan Market, why pick her of all people?]
["I just found you pleasing to the eye."]
[You chuckled, handed her a way to contact you, and stood up to leave.]
['This is...']
[Opening the Storage Bag you left behind, she found various pills, spiritual materials, and spirit stones. This was the startup capital you had provided her to establish the merchant guild.]
['The Guild Master trusts me so much...']
[Deeply moved, You Rou couldn't even find the words to describe such absolute trust. A whole Storage Bag of resources, just handed over like that.]
[She could only silently resolve to do everything in her power to serve you.]
[Before leaving Wushan Market, you glanced toward the Ouyang family's residence.]
[At this point in time, Xiao Hei hadn't been born yet, so you didn't linger.]
[Xiao Hei was another eagle you absolutely had to obtain in this simulation. During the third simulation, it had displayed the potential to advance into a Tier 3 Great Demon.]
[A spiritual pet at the Tier 3 Great Demon level—and a flying one that excelled at preserving one's life, no less—was something even Core Formation Masters desperately coveted.]
[The second year. You were eighteen years old.]
[Hundreds of li away from the Purple Bamboo Forest lay a desolate area, so remote that even passing Qi Refining cultivators were exceedingly rare.]
[You sat cross-legged on a massive boulder. From within your physical body, a faint rumbling echoed like surging mountains and seas, while an invisible force field of blood qi slowly expanded in all directions.]
[Any ordinary Qi Refining cultivator who stepped within a hundred meters of you would tremble uncontrollably from the sheer oppressive weight of your physical vitality.]
[You stared grimly at the sky above. At the same time, the Shanhai body tempering art continuously circulating within your body instantly broke through to the sixth level.]
[The sixth level of the Shanhai body tempering art corresponded to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. This meant that relying solely on your physical body, you could match a great cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.]
[Yet, your expression didn't relax in the slightest.]
[The very moment the Shanhai body tempering art broke through to the sixth level, the once-azure sky was instantly swallowed by rolling black clouds.]
[The Body Refining Heavenly Tribulation had arrived.]
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