I Have a Cultivation Simulator

In the end, Alchemist Yun purchased all fourteen Qi Nourishing Pills on behalf of the Alchemy Alliance for five hundred and twenty spirit stones.

An ordinary-quality Qi Nourishing Pill fetched anywhere from fifteen to twenty spirit stones.

An authentic-quality Qi Nourishing Pill commanded a price fifty percent higher.

The bulk of the five hundred and twenty spirit stones Alchemist Yun spent went toward that single superior-quality pill.

Superior-quality pills were the sort of treasure one could only hope to come across by luck, especially when it came to currying favor with senior cultivators.

Offering a superior-quality mid-grade pill to a senior cultivator was far more useful than gifting an authentic-quality high-grade one.

Five hundred and twenty spirit stones...

A wave of relief settled over Zhou Qing.

This was a welcome surprise.

That amount would have barely been enough to get by.

Now, taking in five hundred and twenty spirit stones completely satisfied his short-term needs.

"This is the First-Rank Mid-Grade cave dwelling allocated to you, Fellow Daoist," Alchemist Yun said, leading Zhou Qing up to the entrance. "Among First-Rank Mid-Grade cave dwellings, this one is considered quite good."

Mid-Grade Alchemists of the Alchemy Alliance could reside in First-Rank Mid-Grade cave dwellings free of charge, while High-Grade Alchemists were entitled to First-Rank High-Grade ones.

Wushan Market was built atop a Tier Two spirit vein, so theoretically, it could provide Tier Two cave dwellings as well.

However, cave dwellings of that tier were generally only affordable for cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Many thanks," Zhou Qing said.

"No need for thanks," Alchemist Yun replied, waving his hand. "Your pill-refining techniques struck me as remarkably profound, Fellow Daoist. When you have the time, we should exchange pointers."

"All right."

Zhou Qing gave Alchemist Yun an extra glance.

At this point in time, Alchemist Yun was still at the peak of the Mid-Grade Alchemist rank.

He was still several years away from stepping into the ranks of High-Grade Alchemists.

...

After Alchemist Yun departed, Zhou Qing entered the cave dwelling.

Whoosh—

Spiritual energy significantly denser than the outside air permeated the interior.

Zhou Qing immediately looked at the illusory characters hovering at the bottom of his vision.

[09:23:11:34:55]

Nine months and twenty-three days of cooldown...

Looking at the shortened countdown, Zhou Qing's mind settled.

Back at the Zhou Estate in the Mortal Gan Kingdom, the cooldown time had been over two years and six months.

Upon entering Wushan Market, he had casually checked the timer again; at that time, it had read a bit over one year and ten months.

Now, standing inside a First-Rank Mid-Grade cave dwelling, the cooldown had dropped to under ten months.

In that case, there's no rush to grab the Zhou Family and flee... Zhou Qing thought.

Two years from now, the Zhou Family would face a purge.

With his current cooldown rate, he had more than enough time to run two simulations.

After two simulations, even if he couldn't reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would at least achieve Qi Refining Perfection.

When that time came, he would have far more confidence facing the Fourth Prince's purge than he did right now.

...

Half a day later, Zhou Qing brought Dachun from the foot of the mountain into the cave dwelling.

In principle, Mortals were not permitted inside Wushan Market.

But principles were just principles, and Zhou Qing was no longer a rogue cultivator without any backing.

As a Mid-Grade Alchemist and a member of the Alchemy Alliance, bringing in a single Mortal like Dachun naturally wouldn't prompt any guard to stop him.

"Young Master, where is this...?" Dachun's eyes went wide as he stared around in wonder.

Not long ago, Zhou Qing had brought him to the foot of Wushan, intending to head into the market alone.

At first, Dachun had refused, wanting to stay by Zhou Qing's side at all times to protect him.

So Zhou Qing had casually cast a few spells, leaving Dachun completely stunned.

Now, he had even brought Dachun into this First-Rank Mid-Grade cave dwelling.

Even though Dachun couldn't sense spiritual energy directly, his body still felt an unusual sense of comfort here.

"This is where we'll be living from now on," Zhou Qing said with a smile.

The cave dwelling assigned to him by the Alchemy Alliance was less than a hundred square meters.

It was more than enough room for him and Dachun to settle in.

"All right..."

With his simple mind, Dachun didn't ask any more questions.

As far as he was concerned, he would do whatever the Young Master told him to do.

As long as the Young Master was safe, that was all that mattered.

"Don't move..."

Zhou Qing raised a hand and pressed it onto Dachun's head, letting his magical power seep through his palm and into Dachun's body.

No spiritual root aptitude... Zhou Qing retracted his hand and thought to himself.

In the simulation, decades later, Dachun's grandson, Zhou Dahu, would turn out to possess spiritual root aptitude.

...

Once Dachun was settled, Zhou Qing visited a shop in the market.

He intended to purchase a Pill Furnace.

As a member of the Alchemy Alliance, while enjoying numerous benefits, he also had to fulfill certain obligations.

Every member of the Alliance was required to accept three alchemy commissions each month.

Of course, these alchemy tasks could be accumulated.

If one lacked the time for a few months, the quota would simply roll over to the following months.

After smoothly purchasing a satisfactory Pill Furnace at the best possible price, Zhou Qing shifted his plans. Instead of returning to his cave dwelling, he walked into an inn within the market.

The inn was similar to the cave dwellings, offering cultivators a superior cultivation environment.

"I'd like to look at a First-Rank High-Grade room," Zhou Qing said casually.

A short while later, Zhou Qing stepped into a First-Rank High-Grade guest room.

[08:17:21:33:23]

Eight months and seventeen days of cooldown...

Zhou Qing glanced at the countdown.

In the First-Rank Mid-Grade spiritual energy environment, the cooldown had been over nine months and twenty-three days.

Here, in a First-Rank High-Grade spiritual energy environment, it was over eight months and seventeen days.

That was a reduction of more than an entire month.

A First-Rank High-Grade inn room costs five hundred and eighty spirit stones for a month's stay.

With my current alchemy skill, I could actually afford it... Zhou Qing thought.

In the end, however, he discarded the idea.

With a Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivation and the status of a Mid-Grade Alchemist, residing in a First-Rank Mid-Grade cave dwelling was the most appropriate choice.

First-Rank High-Grade? That would look a bit too unusual.

First-Rank High-Grade cave dwellings and inns were generally occupied by Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators.

A Qi Refining Mid-Stage Cultivator living in a First-Rank High-Grade cave dwelling wouldn't gain much of a boost in cultivation speed anyway.

If Zhou Qing stubbornly chose to rent a First-Rank High-Grade cave dwelling, there was a high chance it would draw unwanted attention from certain cultivators.

After all, aside from his ability to run simulations, his greatest trump card was knowing every event that would unfold in Wushan Market over the next few decades.

If his own abnormal behavior triggered a butterfly effect... causing unpredictable changes in the future, that would be the last thing he wanted to see.

So far, his behavior since entering Wushan Market had been entirely conventional and ordinary.

To Wushan Market as a whole, an extra Qi Refining Mid-Stage Cultivator who happened to be a Mid-Grade Alchemist wouldn't make the slightest wave.

Refining a superior-quality Qi Nourishing Pill could be chalked up to luck, as long as he didn't produce multiple superior-quality pills in a row.

...

Returning to his cave dwelling from the inn, Zhou Qing occasionally took on the Alliance's alchemy commissions, but otherwise, he hardly ever stepped outside.

His presence was kept to the absolute minimum.

Across the entire Alchemy Alliance, aside from Alchemist Yun and a few others, no one even realized the Alliance had gained such a low-key Mid-Grade Alchemist.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, nearly ten months had passed.

Inside the cave dwelling, Zhou Qing sat cross-legged.

His gaze fell upon the illusory countdown hovering at the bottom of his vision.

[00:00:00:00:34]

Thirty-four seconds slipped away in an instant.

The countdown hit zero.

"Finally... I can simulate again."

Zhou Qing took a deep breath, his expression filled with anticipation.

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