I Have a Cultivation Simulator

The Golden Sword Sect walked the path of sword cultivation, excelling primarily in offense and slaughter.

Once the Golden Sword Sect produced a Late-Stage Great True Person sword cultivator, that individual would practically become the most powerful true person in the Taiyuan Region. Only a Late-Stage Great True Person with a Flawless Gold Core could rival them.

The path of sword cultivation was highly unique, tracing its origins back to the ancient era.

Yet throughout the early, middle, and late periods of the ancient era, it had never been a dominant path, falling far short of the prominent paths walked by top-tier dharma cultivation and body cultivation experts.

That all changed at the end of the ancient era, when an unprecedented Zenith of the Human Realm emerged and forcefully elevated the path of sword cultivation by several tiers.

At the end of the ancient era, the Demon Abyss Realm invaded, flooding the Human Realm with endless hordes of demonic monsters. Had that Zenith of the Human Realm not turned the tide, severing the realm passage with a peerless sword strike, the Human Realm would have long since been reduced to a vassal of the Demon Abyss Realm.

The end of the ancient era was directly tied to this invasion and that final, earth-shattering battle.

...

Bits and pieces of hidden information regarding the path of sword cultivation and the ancient era surfaced in your mind.

While extremely detailed records were out of reach, acquiring a general overview was well within your means.

"Zenith of the Human Realm..."

You stroked your chin. Intelligence on this Zenith of the Human Realm was extremely scarce. You only knew that their talent in the Sword Dao was incomprehensible, that they were deeply passionate about slaughtering demonic monsters, and that they possessed an equally unimaginable ability to suppress them.

'I wonder if my talent, Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators, would work against demonic monsters...'

You pondered this thought.

Fundamentally, Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators could suppress all demonic cultivators in the world. However, you had never tested whether the demonic monsters originating from the Demon Abyss Realm fell under the category of demonic cultivators.

There were no traces of demonic monsters in the Taiyuan Region or the surrounding domains. Even if you wanted to test it, you simply didn't have the opportunity.

Reeling in your thoughts, you looked at a jade slip before you.

Within this jade slip was recorded a legacy of the Golden Sword Sect—the Five Elements Sword Scripture.

You were quite interested in the legacies of the sword cultivation path. This particular manual was your reward for helping the Golden Sword Sect's cultivator seeds establish a secure foothold on Profound King Island.

To be precise, the Five Elements Sword Scripture held by the Golden Sword Sect was only a fragment. It contained the Metal Element Sword Scripture, while the volumes for the other four elements were entirely missing.

Otherwise, the Golden Sword Sect would have been known as the Five Elements Sword Sect.

As you carefully studied this remnant of the Five Elements Sword Scripture, your understanding of the sword cultivation path deepened.

The path of sword cultivation likely originated from dharma cultivation. It was similarly divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul...

However, starting from the Core Formation Stage, what sword cultivators formed was a Sword Dao Golden Core, rather than the perfectly round Golden Core of traditional dharma cultivation.

The same was true for the Nascent Soul Stage. They condensed a Sword Dao Nascent Soul, which was vastly different from the standard Nascent Soul of traditional dharma cultivators.

Since your path was already firmly established, it would be difficult to switch to another route—let alone one as extreme as sword cultivation.

However, just because you couldn't do it in this simulation didn't mean you couldn't do it in future ones.

Every time you simulated, you had two options: an initial simulation or a current simulation.

If you chose an initial simulation, it would begin from the exact moment you first crossed over into this world.

You would be starting completely from scratch. All traces of your previous cultivation would be washed away, allowing you to choose whatever path you desired.

If you ever reached a dead end on the path of dharma cultivation in the future, unable to advance even a single inch, you wouldn't mind using an initial simulation to pivot to sword cultivation.

Judging by the performance of that Zenith of the Human Realm at the end of the ancient era, this path was certainly no weaker than dharma cultivation or body cultivation.

What did it mean to be the Zenith of the Human Realm? It meant standing as the highest mountain in the Human Realm, looking down upon the myriad paths with absolute supremacy.

The ancient era was completely different from the recent era, where Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs had vanished without a trace.

Back then, there were explicit records of Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs taking action.

Year 230. You were 246 years old.

In the Taiyuan Region, a plump, middle-aged traveling merchant Daoist traversed the lands.

This merchant was naturally the puppet you had possessed, specifically deployed to gather the latest intelligence across the Taiyuan Region.

You had long since cultivated to the Core Formation Perfection Stage. The reason you hadn't attempted to break through to the Nascent Soul realm was twofold. First, you wanted to wait until your physical body reached the late stage of Tier 3, which would give you a much higher chance of surviving the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. Additionally, you were preparing to collect more Nascent Soul condensation spiritual items.

Breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm wasn't merely a matter of reaching the required cultivation level. The more external aids you possessed, the greater your certainty of success.

The second reason was to gather as much intelligence as possible to prepare for future simulations.

For instance, regarding the threat posed by the True Spirit Bloodline beast king in the Myriad Beast Mountain Range, you wanted to observe the exact progression of events and their final outcome.

"The Myriad Beast Mountain Range..."

Controlling your puppet, you gazed off into the distance toward the Myriad Beast Mountain Range.

Several years ago, the True Spirit Bloodline beast king residing in the deepest depths of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range had rallied countless demonic beasts and surged outward.

Aside from the True Spirit Bloodline beast king, there was another avian beast king in those depths—the Eagle King, whom Venerable Xuan loathed.

With two Tier 4 beast kings at the helm and nearly a hundred Third-Tier Great Monsters running amok, a fifth of the Taiyuan Region's territory fell in just a few months, transformed into a backyard playground for demonic beasts.

The Taiyuan Palace rallied the many cultivators within the region, barely managing to establish a defensive line to fend off the countless demonic beasts.

True Monarch Zixu even invited a true lord from the Zixiao Domain to join forces and confront the two beast kings together.

The Zixiao Domain bordered the Taiyuan Region. If the Taiyuan Region completely collapsed, the Zixiao Domain would be the next target. Because of this, the true lord from the Zixiao Domain readily accepted True Monarch Zixu's invitation.

'A fifth of the territory...'

You sighed inwardly. The Taiyuan Region had engaged in a bitter, century-long war against the Jiuyou Region, yet the territory they lost back then didn't even come close to a fifth of their lands.

The Taiyuan Region collapsed so quickly primarily because the Myriad Beast Mountain Range was located right in their own backyard, making it exceedingly difficult to mount an effective defense. Furthermore, True Monarch Zixu's return with severe injuries had struck a devastating blow to the region's morale.

'True Monarch Shangxiao of the Zixiao Domain has been renowned for four to five hundred years and shares a good relationship with True Monarch Zixu. Before they broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage, the two of them even traveled through the surrounding domains together...'

Your thoughts churned as you silently calculated the odds of victory for the two true lords fighting side by side.

You ultimately concluded that regardless of whether they won or lost, the Taiyuan Region would be utterly crippled by the fallout.

However, as long as True Monarch Zixu lived, the Taiyuan Palace would endure. They would simply need many years to recover...

'True Monarch Zixu should only have around two hundred years of his lifespan left...'

You thought to yourself that True Monarch Zixu possessed a heavenly spiritual root aptitude, along with some kind of dao body talent.

He achieved Core Formation at sixty-five and condensed his Nascent Soul at one hundred and fifty. By now, he had to be close to eight hundred years old.

Measured against the typical thousand-year lifespan of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, he had little more than two hundred years remaining. Even factoring in life-extending methods, he wouldn't live past three hundred more.

'As for the Taiyuan Palace's Nascent Soul seeds...'

Several names surfaced in your mind, all of whom were core true disciples of the Taiyuan Palace.

As for which of them had managed to form a Flawless Gold Core, such secrets were rarely revealed before a cultivator successfully broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

Only after smoothly advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage and taking their place as a true lord would they proactively disclose their true aptitude and experiences to build their prestige.

For instance, True Person Zixu's heavenly spiritual root and dao body talent were only publicized after he became a true lord.

Publicizing such exceptional talent before reaching the Nascent Soul realm easily invited an early assassination.

The assassins could come from hostile factions, or even from one's own sect.

Year 234. You were 250 years old.

You learned that Jiang Jixue was about to attempt her breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage.

Back when you first settled on Profound King Island, Jiang Jixue had already reached the Late Golden Core Stage. After all these years of cultivation, she had finally stepped into the Core Formation Perfection Stage.

Jiang Jixue was over a hundred years older than you, meaning she was now well past four hundred years of age. She was just about ready to attempt the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.

You attempted a divination for Jiang Jixue to foresee the result, only to find you couldn't obtain any useful hexagrams.

A cultivator breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm involved a heavenly tribulation, which severely interfered with the final divination results.

On the day before Jiang Jixue's breakthrough, you went to the Jiang Family and conversed deeply with her all night.

"Alchemist Wang, if I perish beneath the heavenly thunder just as my grandfather did, will you remember me?" Jiang Jixue asked, her voice uncharacteristically somber.

"I will remember you."

You nodded in response. The more than a century spent on Profound King Island had been a relatively comfortable period for you.

The next day.

Jiang Jixue began her breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.

As the former matriarch of the Jiang Family, she had naturally made ample preparations. While she didn't possess top-tier treasures like the Heavenly Infant Fruit, she had still managed to secure several standard Nascent Soul condensation spiritual items.

Hum—

You walked out of your cave dwelling and gazed toward the heart of the Jiang Family estate.

A massive celestial phenomenon of condensing a Nascent Soul spanned the sky, blanketing a hundred-li radius as endless spiritual qi converged.

More than half a month later, the continuously converging celestial phenomenon collapsed.

'She failed?'

You sighed inwardly.

Immediately after, a strange expression appeared on your face.

Although Jiang Jixue had failed her breakthrough, she hadn't died.

Jiang Jixue had failed at the stage of shattering the core to form the nascent soul. Ultimately, she failed to shatter her Golden Core, which allowed for the possibility of survival.

If she had passed the phase of shattering the core to form the nascent soul and her Golden Core was already shattered, entering the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation and Heart Demon Tribulation, it truly would have been a matter of either success or death.

In a certain sense, the higher one's talent and the deeper one's foundation, the higher the mortality rate during a Nascent Soul breakthrough.

Conversely, those Core Formation Perfection Stage cultivators with lower talent who didn't pass the phase of shattering the core to form the nascent soul actually had a higher chance of surviving.

Of course, no Great True Person capable of cultivating to the Core Formation Perfection Stage had poor aptitude. It was merely relative; those with shallower foundations simply had a higher chance of surviving.

Deep within the Jiang Family's innermost cave dwelling.

"Alchemist Wang, I still failed in the end..."

Jiang Jixue's beautiful face was deathly pale, and she looked incredibly weak.

Failing a Nascent Soul breakthrough meant severe damage to one's vitality, even if they managed to survive.

There was basically no chance for a second attempt.

"Jixue, you ultimately survived. You've already fared better than most Great True Persons. I've heard that many Great True Persons with heavenly spiritual roots and Flawless Gold Cores died while attempting their Nascent Soul breakthroughs..."

You spoke up to comfort her.

"That is true."

A faint smile couldn't help but surface on Jiang Jixue's bloodless face. "You really know how to comfort people, Alchemist Wang..."

To be able to survive attempting a Nascent Soul breakthrough already left Jiang Jixue very satisfied. Her grandfather had died precisely under the Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

Seeing that Jiang Jixue had recovered a bit, you inwardly recalled the scene of her attempting her Nascent Soul breakthrough just now.

In truth... based on your deductions, even if Jiang Jixue had passed the phase of shattering the core to form the nascent soul, her hope of surviving the final Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation was slim.

With Jiang Jixue's foundation, even if she forcibly shattered her core, she would suffer a heavy backlash. Combined with her frail physical body and the lack of many thunder-dissipating items...

There was a very high probability she would have died beneath the heavenly thunder anyway.

Year 236. You were 252 years old.

In the outer courtyard of your cave dwelling, a dark shadow flashed through the air, landing with pinpoint precision right in front of you.

It was none other than Xiao Hei.

At this moment, Xiao Hei was no larger than the palm of your hand. His pitch-black feathers radiated an incredibly sharp, piercing aura.

Ever since he advanced to the mid-stage of Tier 3, you had fed him True Person Biyue's Golden Core. Now, nearly a century later, Xiao Hei had smoothly cultivated to the peak of the mid-stage of Tier 3.

True Person Biyue's cultivation had been at the Late Core Formation Stage.

However, devouring a Late Golden Core didn't mean Xiao Hei could advance to the Late Core Formation Stage. Whether for human cultivators or demonic beasts, absorbing an external item could never reach a perfect one hundred percent. There would be a significant loss.

Moreover, Xiao Hei was a demonic beast and True Person Biyue had been a human cultivator; the two sides had different standards for external energy when advancing to the late stage.

"The late stage of Tier 3..."

You stared at Xiao Hei.

Although Xiao Hei had already reached the peak of the mid-stage of Tier 3, you held little hope that he would advance to the late stage of Tier 3 in a short time.

The quality of his demonic core was merely mid-grade, roughly equivalent to a Mid-Grade Golden Core in human cultivators.

Theoretically, there was hope for him to advance to the late stage, but without failing three or four times first, it was out of the question.

Failing three or four times, with each failure requiring decades of recuperation, would easily take over a hundred years.

Your expectation for Xiao Hei was for him to advance to the late stage of Tier 3 within the next hundred and fifty years.

'I can start advertising him early, though... I can't really wait until Xiao Hei reaches the late stage of Tier 3 to do it. That would waste too much time...'

You looked at Xiao Hei.

In this simulation, Xiao Hei's greatest use to you was to be exchanged for a Nascent Soul condensation spiritual item.

A peak mid-stage Third-Tier Great Monster with hope of advancing to the late stage of Tier 3 was worth a Nascent Soul condensation spiritual item.

Of course, being worth it was one thing; whether any cultivator or faction would actually buy him was another matter.

That was why you needed to advertise him in advance.

You first contacted the true persons of the Hundred Flowers Valley in the Taiyuan Region.

In your previous simulation, they had been the ones to buy Xiao Hei.

However, the sect leader of the Hundred Flowers Valley stated that a Nascent Soul condensation spiritual item was too precious, and asked if it could be exchanged for something else.

The sect leader seductively hinted that the valley had several exquisitely charming female true persons for you to choose from. If you agreed, one of them would be at your command for the next century.

Upon learning the Hundred Flowers Valley's conditions, you decisively refused.

'The female cultivators outside are far too devious. They actually want to use a female true person to get my black eagle for free?'

You shook your head inwardly, thinking that the sect leader of the Hundred Flowers Valley was dreaming.

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