I Have a Cultivation Simulator

Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing's gaze was calm.

Taking the initiative to reveal his identity as an immortal cultivator before bringing up the Fourth Prince's treason would make his words much more convincing.

Doing so wouldn't require any effort on his part, either. As long as Emperor Gan wasn't an idiot, knowing about the Fourth Prince's treason this far in advance... even a pig would know what to do, right?

If they could nip the Fourth Prince in the bud and ensure the First Prince pacified the northern barbarians, returning to smoothly inherit the throne, the Zhou Family wouldn't end up wiped out.

Zhou Qing continued to look at the illusory text.

[You reveal your fireball spell, shocking your parents and brothers.]

["An immortal cultivator? A'Qing, you're an immortal cultivator?" Zhou Shizhong's pupils constrict as he asks in disbelief.]

[From Zhou Shizhong's tone, you can tell he is definitely aware of the existence of immortal cultivators.]

[You aren't surprised by this. The Qi Guiding Art you obtained came from the Lin family in the capital.]

[Furthermore, during the first simulation, when your mother, Madam Zhou, and your eldest and second brothers were escorted to Caishikou to be beheaded, you vaguely sensed fluctuations of spiritual qi. You are certain the Fourth Prince has immortal cultivators under his command.]

["I see. So during the time you disappeared, A'Qing, you went off to cultivate immortality..."]

[Zhou Shizhong connects the dots in his head, his face revealing pleasant surprise. "Hahahaha, to think that my Zhou Family could also produce an immortal cultivator."]

[The Zhou Family already stands at the pinnacle of secular power. Zhou Qing becoming an immortal cultivator makes up for the family's final regret.]

["Third Brother, they say immortal cultivators can fly through the skies and burrow through the earth. Can you fly too?" your second brother, Zhou Wu, asks, unable to hold back.]

["I can't," you reply truthfully, your mouth twitching.]

[Only Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators can achieve physical flight.]

[Qi Refining Realm cultivators? They can fly by relying on flying dharma artifacts, but the spirit stone consumption is too great, and the artifacts themselves are extremely expensive. You currently do not own one.]

["Right, there is something I need to tell you all."]

[Your expression turns solemn as you get down to business.]

["I learned from some fellow Daoists that the Fourth Prince of the Gan Kingdom plans to rebel and seize the throne while the First Prince is away pacifying the northern barbarians."]

[You look at Zhou Shizhong and speak in a deep voice.]

["The Fourth Prince? Rebelling and seizing the throne?"]

[Zhou Shizhong blanks out for a moment before shaking his head repeatedly. "Even if the Fourth Prince harbors treasonous intentions, he lacks the means to rebel."]

[Because of Zhou Qing's identity as an immortal cultivator, Zhou Shizhong patiently explains, "The Fourth Prince has no foundation. If he dares to try such a thing, it is impossible for him to succeed."]

["What if he colludes with the northern barbarians?"]

[You voice your speculation.]

[In the first simulation, the Fourth Prince's rebellion occurred exactly when the First Prince headed to the Northern Border.]

[If the Fourth Prince truly relied on external forces, the barbarians would be his only option.]

["Colluding with the barbarians?"]

[Zhou Shizhong furrows his brow tightly and glances at Zhou Qing a few more times.]

[If this matter came from anyone else's mouth, Zhou Shizhong would absolutely never believe it.]

["Then should I go speak with His Majesty?"]

[Zhou Shizhong is hesitant, but since it involves treason, even if the possibility is incredibly low, Emperor Gan must be informed.]

["Yes."]

[You nod. This is exactly your goal.]

[You want to borrow Emperor Gan's power to deal with the Fourth Prince.]

["Alright."]

[Zhou Shizhong sets out immediately.]

[You return to your room in the Zhou Estate and quietly wait for the results.]

[In the blink of an eye, night falls.]

[Zhou Shizhong still hasn't returned.]

[Although you are confused, you can understand why.]

[After all, the Fourth Prince's rebellion is a royal scandal. Even for Zhou Shizhong, rashly reporting it would have repercussions. He will definitely be detained until the matter is settled.]

[In the dead of night, you sit cross-legged, consume an alchemical pill, and cultivate.]

[Right at this moment, with your perception as an immortal cultivator, you vaguely sense a massive number of auras approaching the Zhou Estate.]

[This is immediately followed by the sound of fierce clashes.]

[Then come the sounds of slaughter.]

[Finally, a deep voice echoes through the air:]

["Zhou Shizhong has colluded with the enemy and committed treason! Leave no one in the Zhou Estate alive!"]

["How is this possible?" Your heart trembles in disbelief.]

[You experienced this exact scene during the last simulation.]

[However, that had happened over a year later.]

["The auras of immortal cultivators?"]

[Compared to the last simulation, you can sense far more this time. You can faintly detect several immortal cultivators' auras rapidly approaching.]

[In a split second, you make an immediate decision.]

[Run.]

[You must flee immediately before those immortal cultivators can surround the Zhou Estate.]

[You successfully escape the Zhou Estate.]

[You remain entirely undetected along the way.]

[Inside another 'secret base,' you frown, pondering the cause of the scene that just unfolded.]

[Could the Fourth Prince's reach truly be this vast?]

[Zhou Shizhong had just told the Emperor about the Fourth Prince's treason, and the Fourth Prince immediately took control of the imperial palace in the next instant? And even ordered the extermination of the Zhou Family?]

[No. If the Fourth Prince truly had this much power, why would he wait over a year to make his move in the last simulation?]

Seeing this, Zhou Qing's gaze grew profound, and a speculation surfaced in his mind.

Zhou Qing had always been certain that there had to be a faction supporting the Fourth Prince. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for the man to purge the imperial court so easily and ascend the throne without a hitch.

Originally, Zhou Qing thought this faction was the northern barbarians.

But now...

It was the Emperor.

The Emperor of the Gan Kingdom was the one supporting the Fourth Prince.

Aside from Emperor Gan, Zhou Qing simply couldn't think of any other faction capable of going to such lengths.

To blatantly smash a prestigious noble house like the Zhou Family into the dust right inside the Gan Kingdom's capital.

"Emperor Gan..."

Once he pinned the Emperor as the mastermind behind the scenes, many questions that Zhou Qing previously couldn't figure out were finally answered.

During the first treason, the Fourth Prince had taken control of the court far too quickly, and the First Prince's faction had been purged far too easily.

"A weak father and a strong son..."

Zhou Qing sighed inwardly, vaguely understanding why Emperor Gan had done this.

The First Prince's prestige was too high—so high that everyone in the government and the public believed he was destined for the throne.

Many ministers had even begun picking sides in advance, choosing to follow the First Prince's orders whenever his opinions clashed with the Emperor's.

How could Emperor Gan accept that?

If the First Prince went to the Northern Border this time, pacified the barbarians, and returned with even greater prestige, wouldn't it force Emperor Gan into an early abdication?

And so, Emperor Gan developed murderous intent toward his eldest son.

Things like this had happened many times on Blue Star before Zhou Qing transmigrated.

Like Qin Shi Huang and Fusu.

Or Emperor Wu of Han and Liu Ju.

The so-called heir apparent, the Crown Prince—the higher their prestige, the faster they died.

...

[You stay in the 'secret base' for several days and discover that this time, your mother Madam Zhou, your eldest and second brothers, and the rest of the Zhou Family are not escorted to Caishikou to be beheaded.]

[You deduce that Emperor Gan must have learned of your existence as an immortal cultivator and is thus holding back out of fear of the consequences.]

[Perhaps Emperor Gan is waiting for you to infiltrate the prison to save your parents and brothers.]

[You do not do so.]

[Instead, you leave the capital directly and return to Wushan Market.]

[As long as you never appear or show your face, your parents and brothers will stay alive. They will merely be locked up and stripped of their freedom.]

[But the moment you show up to save them, you risk walking into a trap and falling completely into Emperor Gan's hands.]

[Year 2. You are seventeen. Alchemist Yun visits again, wishing to continue discussing the art of alchemy. You gladly agree.]

[Year 3. You are eighteen. With your help, Alchemist Yun breaks into the realm of a High-Grade Alchemist. This is a full three to four years earlier than he achieved it in the first simulation.]

[Alchemist Yun is incredibly grateful to you. He invites you to become a partner in the Yun Family Alchemy Shop and promises you twenty percent of its profits.]

[You do not agree, knowing this is just Alchemist Yun repaying a favor. This is not your goal.]

[Year 4. You are nineteen. You subtly express to Alchemist Yun your desire to become a High-Grade Alchemist. Alchemist Yun ponders for a while and begins searching for a suitable alchemical inheritance for you.]

[Year 5. You are twenty. Alchemist Yun procures several high-grade alchemical inheritances for you. You gain a great deal from them.]

[Year 6. You are twenty-one. After a brief period of secluded cultivation, you vaguely sense that you have already progressed halfway through the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.]

[In roughly another six or seven years, you will reach the Qi Refining Fifth Layer Peak and make a push for the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.]

[A dozen years from just entering the Qi Refining Fifth Layer to reaching the Qi Refining Fifth Layer Peak? This cultivation speed is already faster than that of an ordinary Mid-Grade Spirit Root.]

[You are able to achieve this primarily by consuming alchemical pills at a high frequency.]

[You have the Pill Toxin Nemesis talent, and combined with your status as an alchemist, you can consume several Qi Nourishing Pills every day.]

[To prevent pill toxicity accumulation, an ordinary Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivator would usually only consume one pill every five or six days.]

[Year 7. You are twenty-two. You still spend most of your time cultivating and studying the Dao of Alchemy.]

[Year 8. You are twenty-three. You feel you have hit a bottleneck in the path of alchemy.]

[Year 9. You are twenty-four. Your attainments in alchemy reach the peak mid-grade level.]

[Year 10. You are twenty-five. While passing by the Yun Family Alchemy Shop, you spot a familiar figure.]

[It is none other than Ye Feng.]

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