I Have a Cultivation Simulator

The illusory text rapidly shifted.

It finally stopped on a single line: [This Simulation Has Ended].

Zhou Qing looked dazed, his mind still immersed in the lifetime he had just lived through in the fourth simulation.

In this simulation, he had lived to be three hundred and fifty years old. He had witnessed several major events unfold across the Taiyuan Region and the surrounding domains.

He had learned the detailed trajectory of the Two Regions War.

He also saw the rise and fall of the True Spirit Bloodline beast king from the Myriad Beast Mountain Range—from its rampage across the Taiyuan Region to its eventual death at the hands of True Monarch Chongtian from the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty.

He lived through the reconstruction of the Taiyuan Region, and just before attempting his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage, he heard that Taiyuan Palace had produced a new Nascent Soul True Monarch.

'It's a pity I never managed to dig up any concrete information about that new Nascent Soul True Monarch's past,' Zhou Qing thought.

Taiyuan Palace's new Nascent Soul True Monarch was incredibly mysterious. Even within the sect, only a handful of cultivators knew their identity.

This prevented rival factions from targeting and assassinating them before they could mature.

'It doesn't matter. In the next simulation, I'll live even longer. Once that new true lord takes the helm of the sect, he'll naturally make his past experiences public...'

Zhou Qing calmed his mind. The true lords of every Nascent Soul faction deliberately publicized certain parts of their past to boost their personal influence.

They would boast about their innate talent, their cultivation speed, or how long it took them to reach the Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages.

Details like True Monarch Zixu possessing a heavenly spiritual root and a treasure body were only announced to the public on his own orders, right after he took over as the Palace Master of Taiyuan Palace.

If Zhou Qing had managed to live another hundred years in this simulation, outlasting True Monarch Zixu and witnessing the succession of the new true lord, he could have easily obtained the new leader's background information.

'A True Spirit Bloodline beast king... True Monarch Chongtian... Did True Monarch Chongtian leave the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty and travel all the way to the distant Taiyuan Region specifically to hunt a beast king with a True Spirit Bloodline? Did he kill it to refine a Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill?'

Zhou Qing's thoughts churned as he made his deductions.

He had never discovered the exact reason behind True Monarch Chongtian's appearance in the Taiyuan Region. Likely, only the few Nascent Soul True Monarchs who were present at the time knew the truth.

But for a true lord at the peak of the mid Nascent Soul Stage, time was incredibly precious. Unless it directly concerned his own path of cultivation, why would he leave the resource-rich Dazhou Immortal Dynasty just to visit the backwater Taiyuan Region?

The only treasure involving a True Spirit Bloodline that Zhou Qing knew of was the Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill. It was an elixir that could provide a sliver of assistance to a mid Nascent Soul cultivator trying to break through to the late stage.

One couldn't look down on a mere sliver of assistance. At the Nascent Soul level, taking even a single step forward was as difficult as scaling the heavens—let alone overcoming the massive bottleneck between the mid and late stages.

Late Nascent Soul true lords were honored as Great Cultivators. Even in the ancient era, such figures were dazzling legends who dominated their entire region.

Now, in the present age, the world's resources had dwindled, making Great Cultivators even rarer.

'I wonder how many of the main and auxiliary ingredients for the Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill True Monarch Chongtian managed to collect...'

Zhou Qing's heart stirred. If he could smoothly cultivate to the peak of the mid Nascent Soul Stage in his future simulations, he could also refine a Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill to aid his own breakthrough to the late stage.

The hardest main ingredients to gather for the Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill were the cores of five beast kings that had awakened their True Spirit Bloodlines.

At the very least, Zhou Qing already knew the location of one such beast.

Reining in his wandering thoughts, Zhou Qing's expression turned solemn as he began to review his greatest harvest from the fourth simulation.

The complete experience of failing to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Having a complete experience of failure sounded like a paradox. It shouldn't even exist.

After all, to have a complete breakthrough attempt, a cultivator had to reach the Heart Demon Tribulation. But failing the Heart Demon Tribulation meant certain death, rendering any gained experience completely useless to the dead.

Yet, through the simulation, Zhou Qing had achieved the impossible. He possessed the complete memories of his failed breakthrough.

'In this simulation, shattering the core to form the nascent soul and enduring the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation posed no difficulty for me...'

Zhou Qing reviewed the process. The backlash he suffered while shattering his core to form his nascent soul only caused minor injuries. With his late Tier 3 physical body, he had fully recovered in just a few dozen breaths.

As for the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, the first eight of the nine lightning bolts posed absolutely no threat to him. Only the ninth bolt forced him to get serious. By activating his body cultivation divine ability Eruption, he safely weathered the strike.

'But the Heart Demon Tribulation...'

Zhou Qing's eyes darkened. Every Great True Person at the Core Formation Perfection Stage experienced a different Heart Demon Tribulation. The illusion morphed according to a person's unique life experiences.

But without exception, every tribulation stemmed from the deepest desires buried in the cultivator's heart... or rather, their greatest yearnings.

Once a cultivator was pulled into the illusion, everything they experienced was exactly what they wanted most. With every wish instantly fulfilled, breaking free was nearly impossible.

'My state of mind... is still too weak.'

Zhou Qing sighed, reflecting on his failure.

True Monarch seeds possessing heavenly spiritual roots or Flawless Gold Cores most often perished during the Heart Demon Tribulation.

Even for these so-called elite seeds, their chances of successfully stepping into the Nascent Soul Stage were barely thirty to forty percent.

These True Monarch seeds were cultivated with the full might of their Nascent Soul factions. They had actual Nascent Soul True Monarchs guiding them personally. Naturally, their chances of a successful breakthrough were vastly superior to Zhou Qing's.

It was true that Venerable Xuan stood behind Zhou Qing in the simulation.

But Venerable Xuan was a Tier 4 beast king. Demonic beasts breaking through to Tier 4 faced a completely different path than human cultivators.

The greatest obstacle for a demonic beast was the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. The lightning they faced was vastly stronger than anything a human endured.

Conversely, a demonic beast's Heart Demon Tribulation was far simpler.

Because of this, Venerable Xuan couldn't offer Zhou Qing any useful advice on the matter.

'The true horror of the Heart Demon Tribulation lies in its flawless immersion. There's not a single sense of incongruity to alert you. That's why so many Core Formation Perfection Stage Great True Persons sink into the illusion and never wake up...'

Zhou Qing pondered his next move. In the next simulation, he could focus on this exact problem and build his resistance ahead of time.

Unlike other seeds, Zhou Qing had actually experienced the Heart Demon Tribulation firsthand. He knew exactly how that terrifying immersion felt.

Other seeds might have true lords guiding them step-by-step, but a true lord could only describe their own experience. And the Heart Demon Tribulation was different for every single cultivator.

'I've heard the Wujian Region has a mysterious place called the Wujian Purgatory Forest. It's filled with countless illusions that trap cultivators. In the next simulation, I can go test it out and see if I can replicate the feeling of my Heart Demon Tribulation...'

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up with the sudden thought.

The Wujian Region was a super-domain, home to multiple entrenched Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

The neighboring Zixiao Domain had a long-distance teleportation array that connected directly to the Wujian Region.

In fact, traveling to the Wujian Region to condense his Nascent Soul had always been one of his backup plans.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, the illusory text that had paused suddenly began to shift once more.

[Please choose one of the following rewards to inherit:]

[1. All cultivation bases, realms, techniques, cultivation methods, and memories from the simulation.]

[2. One treasure that belonged to you during the simulation.]

'The inheritance options...'

Zhou Qing didn't immediately select the first option.

In the fourth simulation, his final state had been the phase of shattering the core to form the nascent soul.

Because he failed the Heart Demon Tribulation, he couldn't control the nascent power of a true lord. Ultimately, his prototype Nascent Soul had collapsed.

This made him wonder—if he chose the first option, exactly which state would he inherit?

The collapsed prototype Nascent Soul?

Or his original Golden Core magic power?

If it was the former, what would be the consequences of having a collapsed prototype inside him?

Zhou Qing focused his gaze on the first option. Instantly, a wave of information flooded his mind.

'So what I'll inherit is a Golden Core that re-condensed from the ruined prototype after the breakthrough failed?'

Realization dawned on his face.

The system ensured that the cultivation he inherited after every simulation was absolutely safe, stable, and free of any hidden dangers.

'Excellent...'

A smile spread across Zhou Qing's face.

During the simulation, he had actually anticipated the risk of a failed breakthrough causing hidden flaws in his inherited cultivation. As a backup, he had specifically held onto a low-grade Tier 4 talisman.

If the inherited cultivation carried any risks, he would simply choose the second option and take the Tier 4 talisman. That way, the simulation wouldn't be a total loss.

'I choose the first option!'

He made his choice without hesitation. Unless he had somehow stumbled upon a legendary Profound Heaven Supreme Treasure, no external item could match the value of raw cultivation.

Furthermore, the first option wasn't just magic power. It encompassed everything he had gained during the simulation—his skills, his realm insight, his memories, and more.

Rumble—

In an instant, the one hundred and thirty-three drops of liquid magic power within Zhou Qing's body surged together, rapidly condensing into a perfectly round Golden Core.

Early Core Formation Stage.

Mid Core Formation Stage.

Late Core Formation Stage.

Core Formation Perfection Stage.

Simultaneously, his physical body underwent a massive surge of enhancement. In just a few breaths, he blasted straight into the late Tier 3 stage.

Because the physical cultivation he was inheriting had already undergone the baptism of the body-refining heavenly tribulation during the simulation, he didn't need to face the lightning again in reality.

Zhou Qing took a soft breath.

With his current level of cultivation, a casual flex of his strength would be enough to completely tear apart the Tier 2 array protecting the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Fortunately, inheriting cultivation wasn't the same as manually breaking through. He didn't need time to adjust and familiarize himself with the power. The moment the inheritance finished, he had the exact same perfect control over it as he did at the end of the simulation.

'So this is what it feels like to be at the Core Formation Perfection Stage and late Tier 3...'

Zhou Qing slowly unfurled his divine sense. Like spilling moonlight, it washed over a radius of two hundred li.

During the simulation, stepping into the Late Golden Core Stage had expanded his divine sense to cover a hundred and fifty li.

Once he pushed further to the Core Formation Perfection Stage, its range expanded again to two hundred li.

This range completely shattered the divine sense limit of any normal Core Formation Perfection Stage Great True Person.

'Right now, in the entire Taiyuan Region, no one but True Monarch Zixu is my match.'

Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with absolute confidence. Not even a cultivator with a perfected Flawless Gold Core could stand against him.

After all, he possessed an array of trump cards that those cultivators lacked.

His monstrous physical body, his body cultivation divine abilities...

After fully reveling in the peak power he had achieved in the fourth simulation, Zhou Qing rapidly pulled back his divine sense and restrained the fluctuations of his magic power.

'It's best to stay low-key...'

Zhou Qing thought to himself.

Reality was his true foundation. He couldn't allow a single mishap here.

If he wanted to act recklessly, he could do it safely inside a simulation.

He had to ensure that reality remained as stable as possible, avoiding any chaotic variables that might ripple out and ruin the timeline of his future simulations.

'Huh! My Golden Core...'

Peering inward at his dantian, Zhou Qing immediately noticed an anomaly.

The perfectly round Golden Core sat in his dantian, rotating lazily. Complex, mysterious patterns of the Great Dao were etched across its surface.

Yet now, aside from those intricate patterns, the core radiated an ancient, boundless aura. It felt as though it had survived an apocalyptic tribulation and been reborn from the ashes.

An unprecedented, vibrant aura of new life pulsed from its surface.

'This is...'

Zhou Qing's face turned serious. The Golden Core sitting in his dantian was fundamentally different from the one he had possessed in the simulation.

Having inherited the memories of that lifetime, he obviously knew exactly what his Golden Core was supposed to look like.

'Is it because the breakthrough failed? The prototype Nascent Soul shattered and reverted back into a Golden Core, forcing it through a cycle of total destruction and rebirth...'

That was the only logical explanation Zhou Qing could come up with.

'The magic power of my Golden Core... it's fifty to eighty percent stronger than it was at the end of the simulation...'

Astonishment washed over him.

Improving even a fraction of an inch after hitting the absolute peak was incredibly difficult.

Let alone a massive fifty to eighty percent jump in power!

Zhou Qing had been certain he had reached the absolute limits of the Core Formation Stage. Even those legendary True Monarch seeds couldn't possibly push further than he had.

But now, his magic power had increased by another fifty to eighty percent. What did this mean? It meant that Zhou Qing could crush any Core Formation Perfection Stage Great True Person who possessed a Flawless Gold Core using magic power alone.

'If I fail the breakthrough again in my next simulation... and the core shatters and reforms again... won't this power stack? Could there come a day when my Golden Core magic power actually rivals a Nascent Soul True Monarch—or even surpasses one?'

Zhou Qing realized he had just discovered a brand-new path of cultivation. A path that belonged to him and him alone.

'It's just that this method will burn through my simulation attempts...'

Zhou Qing winced. Based on the fifty to eighty percent boost from a single failure, it would take at least seven or eight simulations for his magic power to rival the nascent power of a true lord.

Seven or eight simulations? He was confident he could successfully break through to the Nascent Soul Stage in his very next attempt! If he ran seven or eight simulations as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he was confident he could reach the late stage, maybe even catch a glimpse of the Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch realm.

'Regardless, it's still a viable path...'

Pushing the thought aside, Zhou Qing continued to examine the changes in his Golden Core.

'My current strength completely eclipses the Core Formation Perfection Stage, but still falls short of a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Could I be considered a quasi-true lord?'

Zhou Qing thought as he circulated his Golden Core magic power through his body.

The Nascent Soul Stage wasn't like the Golden Core Stage. The Golden Core Stage had the intermediary rank of False Core True Person.

But there was no such thing as a "Quasi-Nascent Soul." Zhou Qing's current state was so uniquely bizarre that it had likely only happened a handful of times since the ancient era.

Buzz. The illusory text shifted once more.

[Settling the rewards for your simulation experience...]

Zhou Qing's eyes locked onto the glowing text, a look of deep anticipation on his face.

Alongside inheriting the cultivation and memories from his past life, the talent settlement was always the part of the simulation he looked forward to the most.

Based on his previous three simulations, he knew that the talent he received was directly tied to the actions he took during his simulated life.

A powerful talent would drastically alter the trajectory of all his future simulations.

Pill Toxin Bane was merely a white-grade talent, yet it had remained incredibly useful all the way into the Core Formation Stage.

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