I Have a Cultivation Simulator

At the very end of his third simulation, Zhou Qing had also attempted to break through to Core Formation.

He hadn't harbored much hope for that attempt, however.

After all, his spirit root aptitude at the time had only been mid-grade.

He had also taken Stage-Breaking Pills twice, burning through a significant amount of his potential.

Even his Core Formation Spiritual Items hadn't been top-tier.

The main reason he'd attempted the breakthrough was simply to gather experience.

It was all preparation for trying again in the next simulation.

But this simulation was different.

Zhou Qing had poured immense effort into it.

His aptitude had been raised to a High-Grade Spirit Root.

His physical body had crossed into late Tier Two.

On top of that, his potential remained intact, and he had numerous Core Formation Spiritual Items at his disposal, including a Golden Core Condensation Pill and a strand of yin-essence qi.

It was safe to say he had done everything possible.

When it came to Core Formation Spiritual Items, more wasn't necessarily better.

The medicinal effects of many items naturally overlapped.

The Heavenly Pure Water, Seven-Glow Lotus Seed, and Fire Essence Jujube that Zhou Qing had chosen covered the vast majority of those effects. Combined with the Golden Core Condensation Pill and the strand of yin-essence qi...

He suspected that even True Monarch Zixu of Taiyuan Palace hadn't enjoyed such perfect conditions when breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation.

True Monarch Zixu possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root. From the moment he joined Taiyuan Palace, the previous True Monarch had spared no effort in nurturing him.

Even so, Zhou Qing doubted the man could have gotten his hands on a Golden Core Condensation Pill.

At best, he would have had a top-quality Crystal Condensation Pill.

With so much preparation, Zhou Qing was fifty percent confident he could forge a Flawless Golden Core.

Even if he performed poorly, an Upper-Grade Golden Core was his absolute baseline.

That was already on par with the standard of a Heavenly Spirit Root.

'If I only manage an Upper-Grade Golden Core, I'll try the core dissolving secret art... or...' Zhou Qing's thoughts churned.

He had already considered all the potential outcomes.

The core dissolving secret art was prepared precisely for this contingency.

But beyond the core dissolving secret art, Zhou Qing had one more trump card.

The 'Initial Anchor' simulation.

The Initial Anchor meant setting the simulation's starting point to the exact moment he had first crossed over into this world.

In other words, once he chose an Initial Anchor simulation, he would start completely over within the simulation. Aside from his skills and memories, everything else would reset to the beginning.

That would give him another chance to attempt Core Formation.

The Initial Anchor simulation was meant for situations where he took the wrong path and couldn't turn back.

If even the core dissolving secret art couldn't elevate his Golden Core's quality to the flawless tier, Zhou Qing would choose the Initial Anchor option at the start of his next simulation.

An Initial Anchor simulation carried far more risk than a normal one. After all, he would be starting with absolutely nothing.

But for the hope of eventually joining the ranks of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Zhou Qing was willing to endure the extra trouble.

The Core Formation stage was a critical period in a cultivator's life. It was one of the few major turning points where someone could overtake those ahead of them.

If a cultivator lacking innate aptitude managed to forge a Middle-Grade Golden Core or even an Upper-Grade Golden Core, their future path of cultivation would become vastly easier, even granting them a slim chance at condensing a Nascent Soul.

Conversely, if a cultivator with high innate aptitude forged a poor-quality Golden Core, the advantages they'd enjoyed during Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment would vanish, potentially reducing them to mediocrity.

Historically, there had once been a Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator who, due to external interference, had only managed to form a Lower-Grade Golden Core and ultimately faded into obscurity.

"Let's keep going."

Zhou Qing settled his mind and returned his focus to the shifting illusory text.

[You elevated your physical and mental state to their absolute peak, then summoned Li Yan.]

[Before attempting Core Formation, you absolutely had to extract the first strand of yin-essence qi nurtured within this yin-essence physique.]

[This strand of yin-essence qi provided unimaginable assistance when breaking through major realms and supreme bottlenecks.]

[Naturally, this was limited to male cultivators.]

[If a female cultivator attempted it, they would be unable to harmonize yin and yang, rendering the yin-essence qi useless.]

["Master, please be gentle with me..."]

[Li Yan's eyes rippled with a bewitching charm. Under your cultivation, her yin-essence physique had awakened years ago. Right now, every move she made carried a fatal temptation for any male cultivator.]

[Ripples stirred in your mind, but you quickly calmed yourself. With the utmost speed, you extracted Li Yan's strand of yin-essence qi.]

[This was no time for pleasure. For you, breaking through to Core Formation was the only thing that mattered right now.]

[After the yin-essence qi was extracted, Li Yan fell into a faint. Although you were very quick, Li Yan had only just entered Foundation Establishment; even with her special physique, she could not withstand your conquest.]

[You had the Tier Two puppet, which had been waiting to the side, carry Li Yan down to the cave abode's underground chamber.]

["So this is yin-essence qi?"]

[You sat cross-legged, feeling that wisp of icy breath floating within your dantian.]

[This icy breath was incomparably pure, resembling a physical manifestation of the Great Dao of heaven and earth. It made a deep craving well up within your heart.]

[Devour it!]

[Devour it!]

[Devour it!]

[You suppressed the urges in your mind.]

[Now was not the time to use the yin-essence qi.]

[Once separated from its host physique, the strand of yin-essence qi could survive for up to half a year.]

[During these six months, you could draw upon it at any moment.]

["Let's begin."]

[You exhaled softly, took out the pure gold Golden Core Condensation Pill, and swallowed it.]

[Compared to the Crystal Condensation Pill you had taken previously, the Golden Core Condensation Pill instantly melted in your mouth, turning into surging waves of scorching heat that gathered within your dantian.]

[One hundred and thirty-three drops of liquid Mountain Sea mana rapidly converged toward the center of your dantian, as if drawn by an irresistible gravity.]

["The effects of the Golden Core Condensation Pill are extraordinary indeed."]

[You sensed the changes inside your dantian and nodded to yourself.]

[Compared to the Crystal Condensation Pill used in your third simulation, the condensation speed of your liquid mana right now was more than twice as fast.]

[You began to carefully control the gathering liquid mana, pushing it through the process of transitioning into a solid crystalline state.]

[Armed with prior experience in attempting Core Formation, you executed this process flawlessly.]

[Before breaking through to Core Formation, sect cultivators always studied the insights and experiences of their predecessors.]

[But how could reading any amount of recorded insight compare to personally experiencing the breakthrough yourself?]

[Furthermore, someone else's experience was always just that—someone else's. Because everyone possessed different opportunities, physiques, and circumstances, the situations they encountered would differ. Another person's experience could only ever serve as a reference.]

[But you were different. You had lived through a complete attempt at Core Formation; you knew exactly what you would face next.]

[For almost all Foundation Establishment cultivators, there was only one chance to attempt Core Formation.]

[If they failed, the resulting backlash on all fronts meant that even if they fully recovered their strength and forced a second attempt, they were doomed to fail again.]

[But for you, that failure belonged to your last simulation.]

[The detriments, hidden dangers, and backlash were all borne by your past self in that previous run.]

[In this simulation, you were still in peak condition, and you possessed Core Formation experience that perfectly suited you.]

[Whoosh—]

[Just as your liquid Mountain Sea mana continuously transformed toward a solid crystalline state...]

[...a massive amount of spiritual energy gathered in the sky above your Purple Bamboo Forest Cave Abode, forming a gigantic spiritual energy funnel.]

[The phenomenon of Core Formation!]

[Every cultivator attempting Core Formation would swallow spiritual energy on such a massive scale that it triggered this celestial phenomenon.]

[In truth, breaking through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment also manifested a phenomenon, but it was negligible compared to this.]

[Even in its earliest stages, a Core Formation phenomenon could cover a two- to three-li radius. As time passed, its area of effect would expand even further.]

[If the process ultimately resulted in a false core, the phenomenon would stop at a five-li radius.]

[If a true Golden Core was formed, the phenomenon would shroud a ten-li radius.]

[As for whether there was a difference between the phenomena generated by Lower-Grade, Middle-Grade, Upper-Grade, and Flawless Golden Cores?]

[There was barely any difference at all.]

[The essence of the Core Formation phenomenon was simply the external manifestation of a cultivator absorbing massive amounts of spiritual energy during their breakthrough.]

[The cores of False Core Masters were below standard quality, so they absorbed far less environmental spiritual energy. That was why their phenomenon stalled at five li.]

[But Golden Core Masters? Whether their core was Lower-Grade, Middle-Grade, Upper-Grade, or Flawless, they were all fundamentally Golden Cores. The amount of ambient spiritual energy they absorbed was actually roughly the same.]

[What dictated whether a forged Golden Core became Lower-Grade, Middle-Grade, Upper-Grade, or Flawless was the cultivator's own foundation and potential.]

[It had little to do with how much spiritual energy they absorbed from the outside world.]

[This was also why you dared to attempt Core Formation right out in the open.]

[Aside from yourself, no one knew that your goal was a Flawless Golden Core, or an Upper-Grade Golden Core at the absolute worst.]

[Rumble—]

[As the Core Formation phenomenon expanded further, the Qi Refining cultivators in the vicinity of the Purple Bamboo Forest finally sensed it.]

[A spiritual pressure akin to the radiant wrath of the heavens radiated in all directions from the sky above the bamboo forest, leaving cultivators within a dozen li drenched in cold sweat.]

["What is that?"]

["Is someone breaking through to Foundation Establishment?"]

["Impossible. I've seen the phenomenon for Foundation Establishment before, and it couldn't even begin to compare to this..."]

[Many Qi Refining cultivators trembled in fear, yet they couldn't stop themselves from discussing it.]

["It's Core Formation! A Foundation Establishment senior is breaking through to Core Formation!"]

[A cultivator in the Qi Refining Late Stage spoke, his voice trembling.]

[There were officially no high-grade spiritual veins anywhere near the Purple Bamboo Forest. It was rare to even see a Foundation Establishment cultivator here, let alone a Core Formation Master.]

[A Foundation Establishment senior attempting Core Formation? It was simply unbelievable.]

[As time trickled by, the phenomenon slowly expanded. More and more Qi Refining cultivators felt its mighty, overwhelming pressure.]

[However, not a single one of them dared to approach the epicenter.]

[Are you joking? Anyone attempting Core Formation had to be at least at Foundation Establishment Perfection.]

[Such an existence could reduce them to ash with a casual spell. Who would dare approach?]

["That's... the Purple Bamboo Forest?"]

[The Li Family Patriarch's eyes went wide, his mind turning to mush.]

[He knew his family's former estate very well. They had sold it to a cultivator in the Qi Refining Late Stage.]

[But now? This vast, mighty Core Formation phenomenon was radiating from their old territory?]

["This is... this is..."]

[The Li Family Patriarch was shaken to his core, his thoughts a tangled mess.]

[Inside the Purple Bamboo Forest Cave Abode.]

[After consuming the Golden Core Condensation Pill, you took the Fire Essence Jujube, the Seven-Glow Lotus Seed, and the Heavenly Pure Water in quick succession.]

[Combined with a spirit root aptitude that surpassed your third simulation, as well as a late Tier Two physical body...]

[Attempting Core Formation tested a cultivator's comprehensive foundation: their mana, their physical body, their spirit root, their state of mind, their potential, and more.]

[Your conditions for breaking through this time were indescribably better than in your third simulation. Naturally, the process was also incredibly smooth.]

[Even though your High-Grade Spirit Root still held you back slightly, the assistance of so many Core Formation Spiritual Items—especially the Golden Core Condensation Pill—allowed you to smoothly reach the late stage of core condensation.]

[An embryonic, perfectly round, sky-blue Golden Core rapidly took shape within your dantian, and an unfathomable spiritual pressure slowly began to diffuse.]

["An Upper-Grade Golden Core!"]

[Looking at this perfectly round embryonic core, joy bloomed in your heart.]

[From the very beginning up until this moment, your breakthrough had been completed in one smooth breath. You hadn't encountered a single obstacle.]

["My comprehensive foundation for Core Formation should be stronger than an Earth Spiritual Root cultivator's, but not quite up to par with a Heavenly Spirit Root..."]

[You thought to yourself. The vast majority of Earth Spiritual Root cultivators could never form an Upper-Grade Golden Core this smoothly.]

["The yin-essence qi!"]

[You weren't satisfied with merely an Upper-Grade Golden Core, and you still hadn't used the most crucial resource: the yin-essence qi.]

[Under your control, that icy wisp of breath inside your dantian flooded into the embryonic Golden Core!]

[Thrum—]

[Upon absorbing the strand of yin-essence qi, the perfectly round sky-blue embryonic core seemed to undergo a qualitative change. The spiritual pressure that had been diffusing instantly retracted.]

[A thousand li away from the Purple Bamboo Forest.]

[A shadow traveling above the clouds suddenly skidded to a halt.]

[Its flight light faded, revealing a broad-shouldered middle-aged man standing on the back of a massive, quasi-Tier Three giant turtle over ten zhang wide. His gaze suddenly snapped toward the Purple Bamboo Forest.]

["A Core Formation phenomenon? Someone is actually attempting Core Formation out here? Is there an undiscovered Tier Three Spiritual Vein?"]

[This broad-bodied middle-aged man was known as Master Xuangui, a false core patriarch from Beast Taming Mountain.]

["Interesting..."]

[Master Xuangui pondered for a moment before immediately ordering the giant turtle beneath his feet to hurry toward the Purple Bamboo Forest.]

[It was rare to stumble across a cultivator attempting Core Formation. If they succeeded, they would be a False Core Master just like him, at the very least. Congratulating them afterward would be a good way to build a connection.]

[Before long.]

[Riding his quasi-Tier Three giant turtle, Master Xuangui entered within a hundred li of the Purple Bamboo Forest.]

["A Core Formation phenomenon spanning an eight-li radius... are they on track to form a true Golden Core?"]

[Master Xuangui's pupils quaked. He knew all too well exactly how difficult it was for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to forge a true Golden Core.]

["Which sect's true legacy disciple is this? Why would they choose to form their core here?"]

[Master Xuangui didn't get any closer to the bamboo forest. From the looks of it, this cultivator's chances of ascending to become a true Master were extremely high.]

[Approaching rashly? That would be tantamount to declaring enmity, and Master Xuangui wasn't that stupid.]

[As for interfering from the shadows?]

[That offered no benefit to him whatsoever.]

[With the phenomenon having reached this stage, all their Core Formation Spiritual Items had definitely been used up already. If he disrupted the breakthrough, he wouldn't gain a single thing, even if he succeeded.]

[Conversely, if he failed to stop them, it would forge a blood feud that would only end in death.]

[In the Taiyuan Region, those at the Master level—even just False Core Masters—rarely went out of their way to make enemies.]

[Time flowed by. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.]

[Inside the Purple Bamboo Forest Cave Abode, you held your breath, staring at the perfectly round, sky-blue Golden Core within your dantian.]

[Faint, pure gold patterns spread across the core's surface, looking like the engraved seals of the Great Dao itself. Just looking at them was enough to draw you into a trance.]

["A Flawless Golden Core!"]

[You gazed at this incomparably perfect, utterly flawless, gold-patterned Golden Core, and a tidal wave of emotion surged through your heart.]

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!