I Have a Cultivation Simulator

[After overcoming countless hardships, you stepped into the Late Nascent Soul Stage, ranking among Great Cultivators and standing at the pinnacle of the Human Realm.]

[Yet upon reaching this level, you discovered that even among Great Cultivators, there remained a disparity in strength.]

[Ninety percent of Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators would never meet the standard of a top-tier Great Cultivator, even if they cultivated to the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak.]

[Legendary Great Cultivators existed only in myths.]

[Even exhausting your entire foundation, you only had the confidence to step over the threshold of a top-tier Great Cultivator after reaching the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak.]

[Though disappointed, you accepted this reality.]

[With so many geniuses in the world, you were not the most dazzling among them.]

The lines of illusory text continued to shift.

Finally, they all dissipated, condensing once more into new text.

'Hm? Another golden talent?'

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up. His fourth simulation had also yielded a golden talent.

But that talent could only be used after three more simulations.

This meant that, until now, Zhou Qing had yet to experience the taste of a golden talent.

He knew they were powerful, far surpassing purple talents.

But he didn't fully understand just how strong they were.

The golden talent Legend of a Generation was still gray, so it couldn't let him feel its true power.

'I hope it's a golden talent I can use right away,' Zhou Qing thought.

Only a golden talent that could quickly convert into actual strength suited his current situation.

The illusory text continued to shift.

The wisps of gold grew increasingly intense, becoming almost tangible.

[You have obtained a golden talent—]

[Surpassing Oneself by Half a Piece]

[Surpassing Oneself by Half a Piece: Your true combat strength will be one minor realm higher than your current cultivation level.]

[This talent can stack with any secret art that increases strength.]

[This is a passive talent and does not require active use.]

The introduction for this newly settled golden talent was brief, summarized in just a few sentences.

However, Zhou Qing's pupils contracted sharply.

'Surpassing Oneself by Half a Piece...' Zhou Qing immediately realized the terrifying nature of this golden talent.

What did it mean for his combat strength to be one minor realm higher than his actual cultivation?

If he was at the Peak Early Nascent Soul Stage, his combat strength would automatically be boosted to the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.

If he was at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage Peak, his true combat strength would automatically rise to the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

The Late Nascent Soul Stage represented a qualitative leap compared to the early and mid stages. This was why true lords at the Late Nascent Soul Stage were also called Great Cultivators.

A true lord at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage Peak essentially had no power to resist a Late Stage Great Cultivator; not fleeing meant certain death.

Even if they fought for their lives to escape and managed to survive by a fluke, they would inevitably pay a disastrous price, such as losing their physical body and forcing their Nascent Soul spirit body to flee.

This was the suppressive power of a single minor realm.

Countless true lords at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage Peak exhausted endless resources just to take that single step forward and enter the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

But with the boost from the 'Surpassing Oneself by Half a Piece' talent, Zhou Qing would simply bypass that gap entirely.

His Nascent Soul Middle Stage Peak cultivation would be equivalent to a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator.

What if he reached the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak, or even became a top-tier Great Cultivator?

With the boost of this talent, what level would his true combat strength reach?

A sudden thought surfaced in Zhou Qing's mind.

Legendary Great Cultivator.

He didn't know what methods those Legendary Great Cultivators of the ancient era had relied on to master power beyond their limits.

But by relying on this golden talent, as long as he cultivated to the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak and stepped into the domain of top-tier Great Cultivators, the combat strength he could unleash would very likely be at the Legendary Great Cultivator level.

'A Legendary Great Cultivator? Can I become one too?'

Zhou Qing was pleasantly surprised.

Being a Legendary Great Cultivator was not just about an increase in strength.

More importantly, it would increase his chances of breaking through to the Deity Transformation Stage.

Mastering methods that surpassed the limits of the Nascent Soul Stage would be immensely beneficial for surviving the Nirvana Tribulation, one of the three hurdles of Deity Transformation.

Zhou Qing steadied his mind and continued to ponder the other aspects of this golden talent.

First, it was a passive talent that remained active at all times. This made it far better than active talents, especially those with cooldown periods.

Second, this talent could stack with other secret arts and forbidden techniques that boosted strength.

Simply put, the power increase gained from this talent would be integrated into his base combat strength.

Most importantly, this talent was not limited to the Nascent Soul Stage.

If he stepped into the Deity Transformation Stage or Void Return Stage in the future... he would still receive this talent's boost, raising his combat strength by one minor realm.

'It's absolutely monstrous...'

Zhou Qing shook his head to himself. This golden talent allowed him to fight across minor realms.

If both were at the early or mid stage, but his combat strength was an entire minor realm higher, what peer could possibly be his match?

During the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, there were occasional instances of someone at the early stage fighting someone at the mid stage, or someone at the mid stage fighting someone at the late stage.

But once one reached the Core Formation Stage, cultivation level became an almost ironclad rule for determining strength.

A true person at the Mid Core Formation Stage was definitely stronger than an early stage true person. Unless they relied on external forces, it was extremely difficult to fight across minor realms purely on their own.

This was even more true at the Nascent Soul Stage. The disparity between minor realms wasn't just a difference in the quality and quantity of magic power; massive gaps would also open up in divine sense and soul strength.

The higher the cultivation, the greater the gap between minor realms.

'This talent is like a massively enhanced version of Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators.'

Zhou Qing suddenly recalled that Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators could increase his offensive power by fifty to a hundred percent, and his defensive capabilities by thirty to fifty percent.

But the prerequisite was that the enemy had to be a demonic cultivator.

'Surpassing Oneself by Half a Piece', however, had no prerequisites; it purely elevated his combat strength.

Furthermore, raising his combat strength by a minor realm wasn't limited to just offense and defense—it was an all-encompassing enhancement.

'With both of these talents stacked, if I face a demonic cultivator or demonic creature, wouldn't my strength jump by two whole minor realms above my current level...'

Zhou Qing's expression grew strange. 'If I cultivate to the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak and face monsters from the Demon Abyss Realm, what realm would I be equivalent to? One minor realm stronger than a Legendary Great Cultivator? The Deity Transformation Stage? Or would it be considered an incomplete Deity Transformation Stage?'

His thoughts raced. Even in ancient times, the Human Realm couldn't produce Void Return Stage Venerables; this was dictated by the realm's intrinsic limits.

'What a massive boost...'

Zhou Qing reined in his thoughts, his eyes shining brightly.

Even right now, under the boost of this golden talent, he could feel his magic power, divine soul, and every other aspect growing significantly stronger.

Even without having cultivated to the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak, Zhou Qing's true combat strength had completely entered the ranks of top-tier Great Cultivators. He was no weaker than the Purple-Eyed True Monarch from his fifth simulation right before stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage.

The Purple-Eyed True Monarch was a top-tier Great Cultivator ranked first among the Central Continent Top Ten Bandit Cultivators, practically making him the strongest cultivator beneath the Deity Transformation Stage.

Zhou Qing collected himself and continued looking at the illusory text at the bottom of his vision.

After finalizing the golden talent, the illusory text returned to normal, condensing into his latest character panel.

[Name: Zhou Qing]

[Race: Human]

[Dharma Cultivation Level: Late Nascent Soul Stage]

[Body Cultivation Level: Rank 4 Mid Stage]

[Skills: Fourth Tier High Grade alchemist, Fourth Tier High Grade talisman maker, Rank 4 Middle Grade puppet master, Rank 4 Middle Grade diviner, Rank 4 Middle Grade array master, Rank 4 Lower Grade poison master, Rank 4 Lower Grade artifact forger...]

[Age: 18]

[Divine Abilities (Body Cultivation): Eruption, Qi and Blood, Transformation]

[Talents: Pill Toxin Bane, Indomitable Will, Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators, Legend of a Generation (Gray), Surpassing Oneself by Half a Piece]

[Simulations Remaining: 0]

Over the thousand years in his fifth simulation, besides his cultivation reaching the Late Nascent Soul Stage, Zhou Qing had also made leaps and bounds in his secondary skills.

He had mastered two Fourth Tier High Grade skills and three Rank 4 Middle Grade skills, including a niche and unpopular art like Divination.

A Rank 4 Middle Grade Divination skill was even harder to break through than ordinary Fourth Tier High Grade skills. Across several simulations, Zhou Qing had invested nearly five hundred years of his lifespan into it.

In addition to the five middle and high-grade skills mentioned above, Zhou Qing had also mastered twelve Rank 4 Lower Grade skills, including the poison path and artifact forging.

In other words, combining all the fourth-tier skills he had mastered, the total was nearly twenty.

If the third-tier skills were included, his repertoire truly could be considered all-encompassing.

'Unfortunately, my talent in the path of artifact forging is truly lacking...'

Zhou Qing shook his head privately. During his thousand-year life as a Nascent Soul true lord, he had indeed tried to comprehend the path of artifact forging.

Yet, even after spending immense effort and energy, and utilizing the soul strength of a Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivator to approach it from an elevated perspective, he had barely managed to push his artifact forging skill to the Rank 4 Lower Grade.

After that, he hadn't forced the issue.

'To have such achievements at seventeen—dharma cultivation, body cultivation, and so many fourth and third-tier skills—looking back since the dawn of the Human Realm, probably no living being could compare to me.'

A smile spread across his face. If age weren't a factor, certain Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs of the ancient era, who had comprehended the natural evolution of heaven and earth, had mastered numerous high-level skills.

They might have been able to match him.

But factoring in the age limit? Zhou Qing believed he was truly unprecedented in the past and unmatched in the future.

What could most do at seventeen?

Even those with top-tier spirit bodies and dao bodies would merely be lingering in the Foundation Establishment Stage at seventeen.

At seventeen, Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs had likely only reached the Core Formation Stage at most.

Zhou Qing glanced down at the illusory text for his remaining simulation counts.

The latest cooldown timer instantly appeared.

'There are still three months and two days until the next simulation refresh?'

Zhou Qing shook his head to himself. This cooldown time was based on the environment of his current spiritual vein.

His current spiritual vein was located in the wilderness, possessing a peak Tier 3 quality.

'It's still too long.'

Given his Late Nascent Soul Stage strength, a peak Tier 3 spiritual vein was clearly insufficient, he thought.

With his current methods, even if he quietly moved into Taiyuan Palace, it would be enough to ensure that True Monarch Zixu wouldn't notice anything amiss.

He could even silently seize control of True Monarch Zixu.

As a Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivator boosted by the golden talent 'Surpassing Oneself by Half a Piece', dealing with an early stage true lord like Zixu would be effortless.

However, Zhou Qing had no interest in Taiyuan Palace's fourth-tier spiritual vein dao ground.

Their spiritual vein had only just stepped into the Rank 4 Lower Grade.

It was still beneath his notice.

'The wilderness...'

He looked deeper into the wilderness.

That was where True Person Biyue had discovered a fourth-tier spiritual vein after entering the Nascent Soul Stage in his third simulation, subsequently using it as the foundation to establish the Moon Demon Domain.

In his fifth simulation, Zhou Qing had deliberately passed by that vein and found it to be a peak Rank 4 Lower Grade dao ground. With his skills in the array path, a casual setup could elevate its grade to the Rank 4 Middle Grade.

A Rank 4 Middle Grade spiritual vein dao ground was his current goal.

As for a higher Fourth Tier High Grade dao ground, it wasn't that he couldn't acquire one, but spiritual veins of that quality were numbered across the entire Human Realm and were essentially all occupied by major factions.

It would be difficult for him to seize one silently without causing a commotion.

In reality, Zhou Qing's code of conduct was to keep as low a profile as possible and avoid impacting the Human Realm, preventing any butterfly effect from ruining his subsequent simulations.

'That will be the place...'

He repeatedly deduced the situation using his Rank 4 Middle Grade Divination skill for a while, confirming that the dao ground would be safe during this time period.

In truth, it was merely a casual calculation. Given his current strength, there were few places left in the entire Human Realm that could threaten him.

He had visited that dao ground in the simulation and was certain it was currently occupied by only a few Third-Tier Great Monsters.

"Time to move."

Zhou Qing didn't hesitate. He stood up immediately and informed Li Yan of his plan to move.

"Ah? We're moving again..."

Li Yan was visibly reluctant. Although Zhou Qing had lived through a thousand years in his simulation, in reality, it had only been a little over three months since they had moved here.

For these three months, she had worked diligently day and night to improve and decorate the cave dwelling. Now that she was finally seeing results, she was naturally a bit sad to leave.

Zhou Qing glanced at her, instantly knowing what she was thinking.

Having spent a thousand years together in the simulation, he understood the possessor of the Primordial Yin Treasure Physique completely, even if the current Li Yan had yet to mature to her simulated heights.

"Master, Yan'er will go pack up."

Despite her reluctance, Zhou Qing's orders were paramount in her heart. Naturally, she had no thoughts of resisting.

Outside the cave dwelling, a flying boat hovered in the air.

Zhou Qing had already placed a large amount of spiritual vein origin energy inside the vessel, enough to sustain the spiritual energy consumption for the journey into the depths of the wilderness to the fourth-tier dao ground.

"Yan'er, go on up first."

Zhou Qing signaled for her to board.

She obediently entered the flying boat.

A moment later, Zhou Qing walked in as well.

"Master," Li Yan immediately called out, preparing to brew tea.

"Yan'er, this is for you."

Zhou Qing smiled faintly, extending his right hand.

Li Yan was originally curious about what it could be, but when she got a clear look at the object resting on his palm, her eyes widened in shock.

Above his palm, an object smaller than a fist was slowly rotating. Looking closely, the object was identical to the three-hundred-li-wide cave dwelling below, only shrunk down countless times.

The three-hundred-li-wide spiritual vein cave dwelling had been completely refined by Zhou Qing and compressed to the size of a fist, held in his hand like a mere toy.

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