I Have a Cultivation Simulator

'The Central Continent truly lives up to its reputation!'

Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing's mind stirred slightly.

Information about a Heavenly Monarch's passing—something he couldn't uncover no matter how hard he tried in the Wujian Region—had surfaced the moment he arrived in the Central Continent.

He didn't know how accurate the information sold by that Nascent Soul True Monarch actually was.

But in this fifth simulation, it was the first time Zhou Qing had found any clues regarding a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch's passing.

'However, if even a newcomer like me knows about it, the Nascent Soul True Monarchs with any sort of status in the Central Continent must have heard the news...'

Zhou Qing sank into brief thought.

In truth, this news held little value for early and mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Even knowing it, they would find it nearly impossible to step into the Late Nascent Soul Stage within a hundred years and cultivate to its absolute peak.

But theory was just theory. In reality, it was exactly like how almost no Late Core Formation Stage cultivator would immediately attempt a Nascent Soul breakthrough.

Without reaching the absolute peak of the Nascent Soul realm, the already slim hopes of breaking through to Deity Transformation shrank to zero.

The passing of an older Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch was merely a prerequisite for attempting the breakthrough.

If their own foundation proved insufficient, they couldn't step into the Deity Transformation Stage even if every Heavenly Monarch in the Human Realm died.

'My luck isn't bad.'

Zhou Qing was in a good mood.

He suspected the Nascent Soul True Monarch selling the information might be slightly off regarding the exact time of Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue's passing.

However, there had to be some basis to the claim that Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue was nearing his end.

And for Zhou Qing, that was enough.

His greatest fear had been that no Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch would pass away before his own lifespan ran out.

Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs could live for two to three thousand years, double or triple the lifespan of a normal Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Over half of all Nascent Soul True Monarchs would never encounter the death of a Heavenly Monarch in their entire lives.

If that were truly the case, based on the laws of the simulation, no matter if he ran it a thousand or ten thousand more times...

...as long as Zhou Qing remained at the Nascent Soul Stage, the result would be the same.

In that scenario, if he still wanted to reach the Deity Transformation Stage, he would have to actively orchestrate the fall of a Heavenly Monarch.

He would have to clear a spot for his own breakthrough.

Yet, how difficult would it be for a mere Nascent Soul True Monarch to force the death of a Heavenly Monarch?

Fortunately, this worst-case scenario hadn't come to pass.

Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue's impending demise provided Zhou Qing with the most straightforward opportunity to attempt his breakthrough.

[You stayed in Sunset Immortal City for two months before setting out again, heading toward the heart of the Central Continent.]

[Upon entering the Central Continent, you found that not only was the providence of heaven and earth rich, but the ambient spiritual energy was also far denser than in the Eastern Continent.]

[In the Eastern Wilderness, there were spiritually barren lands where energy was incredibly thin, as well as savage regions where the spiritual energy was violent and chaotic.]

[But in the Central Continent? There was no such concept as a spiritually barren land. All the spiritual energy leaned toward being gentle and docile, perfectly suited for the cultivation of Qi Refining Stage cultivators.]

['The fate and mysteries of heaven...']

[Your gaze grew profound, as if stars revolved within your eyes. The karmic fate of the Central Continent was far more complex than that of the Eastern Wilderness. The karma here was so heavy that even a Divination Grandmaster had to tread lightly and divine with the utmost caution.]

[Take the Ghost Realm Trial Field, for example. In the Central Continent, the greatest fortunes lay within the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.]

[The opportunities hidden within the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens were in no way inferior to those of the Ghost Realm Trial Field.]

['I fear only a legendary Tier-5 Divination Heavenly Master could divine freely and uncover all its secrets...']

[You sighed inwardly. A Tier-5 Divination Heavenly Master? Even in the ancient era, such figures were the stuff of legend, far rarer than Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs.]

[In the modern era, there had been no mention whatsoever of a Tier-5 Divination Heavenly Master's existence.]

[One year later, inside a large immortal city in the Central Continent.]

[You went on a massive purchasing spree. Aside from your daily cultivation, you planned to devote the majority of your time to the Dao of Alchemy. Your goal was to reach the Fourth Tier High Grade as soon as possible so you could refine the Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill.]

[Inviting another Fourth Tier High Grade alchemist to refine this pill for you was a last resort.]

[The Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill directly aided in breaking through to the Late Nascent Soul Stage. Its value was immeasurable, and having someone else refine it carried immense risk.]

[The safest method, naturally, was to refine it yourself.]

[However, progressing in the Dao of Alchemy required a steady supply of refinement materials and alchemical inheritances.]

[In this regard, the Central Continent was vastly superior to the Eastern Wilderness.]

[Pill King Mountain, one of the Five Unorthodox Sects of the Central Continent, possessed inheritances passed down from ancient alchemists who sought the Dao through pills.]

[They could be considered the wellspring of the Dao of Alchemy in the modern era.]

[That night, you attended a small trade gathering exclusive to True Monarchs.]

[Such gatherings were restricted to True Monarchs, and transactions were primarily conducted through bartering.]

[You traded away some of the Rank 4 Middle Grade talismans you had refined in exchange for specific cultivation resources.]

["Fellow Daoist, you don't appear to be a local cultivator of the Central Continent, do you?"]

[Just then, a handsome man walked over, wearing a thoughtful expression as he looked at you.]

[The handsome man was at the Peak Early Nascent Soul Stage. He possessed an extraordinary aura, and his gaze was warm.]

["That's right."]

[You admitted it frankly. The Central Continent was the heart of the Human Realm; it was perfectly normal for Nascent Soul True Monarchs from other domains to travel here.]

[You glanced at the handsome man. Within your dantian, the fifty dharma talismans orbiting your two Nascent Soul spirit bodies faintly emanated a strange fluctuation.]

['Dharma talismans... Could this person be a talisman cultivator?']

[This reaction from the dharma talismans in your dantian gave you a clue about the handsome man's identity.]

[The art of dharma talismans originated from ancient talisman cultivators. When two such practitioners came into close proximity, a certain degree of resonance would occur.]

[Naturally, you weren't surprised that your dharma talismans had been sensed.]

[At the Core Formation level, the art of dharma talismans might be considered a hidden trump card.]

[But at the Nascent Soul level, anyone with some skill in the Dao of Talismans generally knew the method for refining dharma talismans.]

[However, other Nascent Soul True Monarchs lacked your exceptional conditions for nourishing them. Another cultivator might spend seven or eight hundred years just to barely nourish a Rank 4 Middle Grade dharma talisman.]

[As for an early Nascent Soul True Monarch? They might not even manage to nourish a Rank 4 Middle Grade dharma talisman before their lifespan ran out.]

["My surname is Wen, and I hail from the Heavenly Talisman Sect. Since you've come from another domain, fellow Daoist, if you are in need of a place to stay, you might consider our sect..."]

[The handsome man smiled freely, directly stating his background.]

[The Heavenly Talisman Sect was one of the Five Unorthodox Sects of the Central Continent—a top-tier faction. There was no need for him to keep a low profile and hide his identity.]

['A talisman cultivator from the Heavenly Talisman Sect, just as I thought...']

[You were now certain that he had approached you solely because he sensed the dharma talismans in your dantian.]

[Although not everyone who nourished dharma talismans was a talisman cultivator, they were undeniably talisman masters, making them kindred spirits with the Heavenly Talisman Sect.]

["Thank you, True Monarch Wen. I will consider it."]

[You looked at the handsome man and replied.]

[While a talisman cultivator could sense dharma talismans being nourished, it was merely a vague sensation.]

[He had no way of knowing exactly what level the dharma talismans you were nourishing had reached.]

[This fact was clearly recorded in the art of dharma talismans, which you had obtained from the Shanhai Inheritance.]

[Furthermore, this resonance wasn't impossible to sever; it simply required cultivating a specific secret art.]

[Before coming to the Central Continent, you hadn't even met a single talisman cultivator, so you naturally hadn't wasted time cultivating that isolation art.]

[But now... you planned to put the cultivation of that secret art on your immediate agenda.]

[When the small trade gathering ended, the handsome man gazed at your retreating back from a distance.]

["Young Master, even if this person is nourishing dharma talismans, is there really a need to go out of your way to recruit him?"]

[A hunchbacked old man appeared beside him and spoke in a low voice.]

["What do you know?"]

[The handsome man unfurled a folding fan and said with deep meaning, "My spirit talisman tells me that this person is far from simple. He's nothing like an ordinary early-stage True Monarch."]

[The cultivation base you outwardly displayed was only at the Early Nascent Soul Stage.]

[In the vast lands of the Central Continent, an early Nascent Soul cultivator had enough power to protect themselves and wouldn't be easily overlooked or despised, yet they also wouldn't draw as much attention as a mid-stage True Monarch.]

['The situation in the Central Continent is far more complicated than I imagined...']

[Inside your flying ship, you wore a pensive expression.]

[Before you knew it, a year or two had passed since you entered the Central Continent, and you had gained a general understanding of the region.]

[Your first impression was that the undercurrents in the Central Continent were far too treacherous.]

[And these hidden depths weren't limited to the fifteen top-tier factions on the surface.]

[At the Nascent Soul Stage, particularly in the mid and late stages, there were only so many resources and opportunities that could actually be of use, and every single one was accounted for.]

[Therefore, if mid and late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs wanted to progress any further, their only option was to fight for them.]

[However, the True Monarchs capable of reaching the mid and late stages essentially all possessed formidable backgrounds and hailed from the fifteen top factions.]

[If they openly tore away all pretenses to fight, it would easily implicate the powers behind them.]

[Thus, hiding their identities before making a move became an unspoken rule among the mid and late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Central Continent.]

[Of the top ten strongest bandit cultivators in the Central Continent that you knew of, the top six all possessed Late Nascent Soul Stage cultivation.]

[Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators? There were only so many of them in the entire Central Continent. For six of them to be bandit cultivators meant their public identities had to be incredibly illustrious.]

[The greatest opportunities in the Central Continent lay within the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.]

[However, these paradises were essentially monopolized by six great factions: 'One Peak, Two Bodies, Three Dharmas.']

[As for the 'Four Associations' and 'Five Unorthodox Sects' that followed, they could barely scrounge up the scraps.]

[Even among the top factions, there was a strict hierarchy. The 'One Peak' was undeniably supreme, originating from the Sword Lord. The 'Two Bodies' and 'Three Dharmas' also traced their lineages back to the ancient eras of body cultivation and dharma cultivation, respectively.]

[These six factions were the true rulers of the Central Continent.]

[The 'Four Associations' and 'Five Unorthodox Sects' were weaker by more than just a single tier.]

[It was said that the top six Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators on the list of the strongest bandit cultivators hailed from the Four Associations and the Five Unorthodox Sects.]

[The Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators from these nine factions were unwilling to openly clash with the One Peak, Two Bodies, and Three Dharmas. Instead, they took on the guise of bandit cultivators in the dark, frequently plundering crucial resources from the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.]

[A Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivator stood at the pinnacle of the Human Realm. If they wanted to leave, very few methods could ever hope to stop them.]

['Cultivating in the Mid and Late Nascent Soul Stages...']

[You sighed internally. In the modern era, the status of the Human Realm had fallen and resources were scarce. To advance even a single step, mid and late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs had no choice but to cast aside their pride and secretly become bandit cultivators to fight for critical resources.]

[In truth, without the opportunities from the Ghost Realm Trial Field and your harvest from the battle at the Sky Rift Grand Canyon, your own cultivation in the Mid Nascent Soul Stage would have been incredibly difficult. It would even be uncertain whether you could have reached the Mid Nascent Soul Stage at all.]

['The list of the top ten bandit cultivators...']

[Your expression turned somewhat solemn. On that list, the top six were Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators, while the bottom four were Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivators capable of retreating completely unscathed from the attacks of ordinary Great Cultivators.]

[Every single one of these True Monarchs carried a powerful heavenly secret wondrous item to shroud their karmic fate, preventing Divination Grandmasters from divining their true identities.]

['The Central Continent is truly full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons...']

[You marveled inwardly. Setting aside the Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators, there were actually four mid-stage True Monarchs capable of escaping unscathed from an ordinary Great Cultivator's hands?]

[And those four were only the ones on the list. The true number of mid-stage True Monarchs with that level of strength was absolutely greater than four.]

[The true combat power of a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch of that caliber was likely fast approaching your own.]

['My Nascent Soul spirit body is enhanced by the Nine-Star Ancient Soul Fruit and the Divine Origin Void Crossing Great Art. But the "Three Dharmas" inherit the legacy of top-tier ancient dharma cultivation. It isn't impossible for them to have a mid-stage True Monarch whose spirit body can rival my own.']

['And my physical body... I am not a pure body cultivator. I fear I still can't match the strongest mid-stage True Monarchs from the "Two Bodies"...']

[You examined yourself. Your greatest advantage was that you cultivated both dharma and body simultaneously. This was the result of your accumulation across multiple simulations. A normal cultivator would never have the time or energy to push both of these paths to heaven to such heights at the same time.]

[After pondering for a moment, you began to consider your future destination.]

[If you wanted to continue your Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, or even break through to the late stage, you would undoubtedly need a Fourth Tier High Grade spirit vein cave dwelling.]

[And in the Central Continent, the only places capable of providing Fourth Tier High Grade spirit vein cave dwellings were the fifteen top factions.]

['One Peak, Two Bodies, Three Dharmas, Four Associations, Five Unorthodox Sects...']

[You stroked your chin, immediately ruling out the One Peak, Two Bodies, and Three Dharmas.]

[The foundations of those five great factions were unfathomably deep, and it was suspected that they had Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs presiding over them.]

[You were reluctant to stay right under the nose of a Heavenly Monarch.]

[Furthermore, those five factions had extremely strict vetting processes for any True Monarch seeking to join.]

[If you wanted to integrate into one of those five factions, they would likely dig out every last one of your secrets.]

['The Four Associations and Five Unorthodox Sects...']

[You wanted to elevate your alchemical skills to the Fourth Tier High Grade. Pill King Mountain, one of the Five Unorthodox Sects, seemed like a good choice.]

[Pill King Mountain inherited the legacy of ancient alchemists, seeking the Dao through pills. It had the best atmosphere for alchemy.]

[However, after only a brief moment of thought, you abandoned the idea of joining Pill King Mountain.]

[To join Pill King Mountain smoothly, you would have to reveal your identity as a Tier 4 alchemist grandmaster.]

[A True Monarch who wasn't an alchemist would have to undergo rigorous layers of screening to join.]

[A Nascent Soul True Monarch who was also a Tier 4 alchemist grandmaster... Your identity as True Monarch Qingyuan would be far too easily exposed.]

[In the entire Human Realm, there were a certain number of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and a certain number of Tier 4 alchemist grandmasters.]

[But the pool of people who possessed both a Nascent Soul cultivation base and the skills of a Tier 4 alchemist grandmaster was exceedingly small.]

[Once your identity as True Monarch Qingyuan was exposed, it might draw the attention of Great Cultivator Fulong from the Zhou Immortal Dynasty.]

[One of your main reasons for coming to the Central Continent was to avoid Great Cultivator Fulong. Naturally, you wouldn't risk such a massive disaster over a small gain.]

[Your alchemical skill was at the Rank 4 Middle Grade. To break through to the Fourth Tier High Grade, outside help was essentially useless. Even if you joined Pill King Mountain, it would provide negligible assistance to your alchemical skills.]

[Moreover, you suspected that Great Cultivator Fulong of the Zhou Immortal Dynasty was currently keeping a very close eye on any new Nascent Soul True Monarchs joining Pill King Mountain.]

[Your alias as True Monarch Qingyuan was famous precisely for the Dao of Alchemy.]

[If you entered the Central Continent, there was a high probability that you would choose to join Pill King Mountain.]

['Excluding Pill King Mountain... it will be you.']

[The remaining eight top factions flashed through your mind, and you instantly came to a decision.]

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