I Have a Cultivation Simulator

[Beast taming was also one of the myriad arts of cultivation.]

[By commanding spirit pets and demonic beasts, beast tamers gained formidable combat strength.]

[After all, if a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm commanded a Tier Two spirit pet, their combined forces would effectively turn any battle into a two-on-one fight. Cultivators in the same realm would naturally find it difficult to resist.]

[Tens of thousands of li away from Wushan Market, there was a faction known as Beast Taming Mountain. They were the hegemons of the surrounding hundred-thousand-li region.]

[Beast Taming Mountain was, unsurprisingly, famous for its beast taming.]

["That auction from twenty-eight years ago..."]

[You fell into deep thought. You planned to wait until the next simulation to intercept the egg containing the Dark Magic Eagle bloodline.]

[Spirit beasts with an earth-grade bloodline were far too rare. They could effortlessly break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Even you found yourself quite tempted.]

[Even if you didn't need it yourself, simply selling it would easily net you tens of thousands—if not a hundred thousand—spirit stones.]

["What's the matter? Is Alchemist Wang also interested in this Black Wind Eagle Egg?"]

[You Rou asked with a beaming smile.]

["Nurturing a spirit pet takes far too much time and energy. I'm just looking."]

[You shook your head as you spoke.]

[You were indeed interested in a Black Wind Eagle Egg.]

[Just not the one currently up for auction.]

[Instead, you were interested in the one from twenty-eight years ago—the Black Wind Eagle Egg that carried the bloodline of a Dark Magic Eagle.]

[However, that was a matter for the next simulation.]

["Alright, the starting price is three hundred spirit stones. Each subsequent bid must increase the price by no less than ten spirit stones."]

[Ouyang De announced, his gaze sweeping over the crowd of cultivators.]

["Three hundred and ten spirit stones!"]

["Three hundred and twenty!"]

["Three hundred and fifty!"]

...

[Ultimately, the price of this Black Wind Eagle Egg stopped at five hundred spirit stones. No other cultivator was willing to bid higher.]

[Although the Black Wind Eagle possessed a mid-grade bloodline and had the potential to reach the late stage of Tier One, that was only assuming it could be raised smoothly.]

[The immense amount of time and resources required to nurture it would be more than enough to cultivate a cultivator at the Qi Refining Late Stage.]

[The Black Wind Eagle's only real advantage was its absolute loyalty once it acknowledged a master.]

[Five hundred spirit stones was the absolute limit for this egg. That price already accounted for the exceedingly slim chance that the hatched eagle might harbor an earth-grade bloodline.]

[Without that faint hope, the price of an ordinary Tier One mid-grade spirit pet egg would never exceed four hundred and fifty spirit stones.]

[Following the sale of the Black Wind Eagle Egg, the atmosphere of the auction immediately rose to another level.]

[Treasure after treasure was brought out, prompting wave after wave of frenzied bidding from the cultivators.]

[You took advantage of the momentum and made a few bids yourself, purchasing some spirit herbs and special resources.]

[You bought these special resources specifically to practice the Shanhai Body Tempering Art.]

["I didn't expect Alchemist Wang to dabble in body tempering as well?"]

[You Rou, sitting beside you, cast a sideways glance. Her leaning posture exuded a subtle, enchanting charm.]

["Just a little light practice."]

[Your tone was calm. The early stages of the Shanhai Body Tempering Art were virtually indistinguishable from ordinary body tempering methods.]

[And as for body tempering... the vast majority of cultivators would give it a try when their cultivation hit a bottleneck. After all, it could boost their combat strength to some extent. It wasn't anything strange, so there was no need to hide it.]

["Does Alliance Leader You happen to know what the grand finale item of this auction will be?"]

[You asked in a low voice.]

["It should be a Tier Two pill," You Rou replied with a sweet smile.]

["A Tier Two pill?" Your heart stirred slightly. "Could it be a Foundation Establishment Pill?"]

["How could it be a Foundation Establishment Pill?" You Rou rolled her eyes at you. "Even if Market Head Ouyang had one, he wouldn't bear to bring it out for auction. I'm guessing it's a Tier Two Mid-Grade Realm-Breaking Pill."]

[A Realm-Breaking Pill was an elixir specifically used to shatter cultivation bottlenecks. They were generally consumed when breaking through from the early stage to the middle stage, or from the middle stage to the late stage.]

[A Tier Two Mid-Grade Realm-Breaking Pill was used for breaking through from the Foundation Establishment early stage to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.]

[Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, the auction entered its final phase.]

[Just as expected, the finale item was a Tier Two Mid-Grade Realm-Breaking Pill.]

[Compared to the Qi Refining Realm, cultivation in the Foundation Establishment Realm was far more arduous.]

[In the Qi Refining Realm, someone with a High-Grade Spirit Root was considered a chosen genius, capable of making tremendous leaps and bounds all the way to Qi Refining Perfection.]

[But once they stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm, even a cultivator with a High-Grade Spirit Root would find their progress slowing to a crawl, or even stagnating entirely.]

[The vast majority of cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm possessed a High-Grade Spirit Root or better.]

[Therefore, at this stage, a Realm-Breaking Pill was absolutely crucial. It could increase a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator's chances of overcoming a bottleneck.]

[In the end, this Realm-Breaking Pill was won by a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator wearing a black bamboo hat.]

[This Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator exuded a terrifying aura, enough to strike fear into the hearts of any Qi Refining Realm cultivator.]

[After the auction concluded, you parted ways with You Rou and returned to your cave dwelling.]

[You began preparing to refine high-grade pills, aiming to break through and become a High-Grade Alchemist.]

[In the thirty-second year, at forty-seven years of age, you finally refined a successful batch of high-grade pills, elevating yourself to the ranks of High-Grade Alchemists.]

"A High-Grade Alchemist!"

Outside the simulation, a smile surfaced on Zhou Qing's face.

After two simulations and nearly a century of time, you had finally become a High-Grade Alchemist.

Compared to the status of a great cultivator at the Qi Refining Late Stage, a High-Grade Alchemist held far more weight.

After all, if a great cultivator at the Qi Refining Late Stage wanted to progress, they had to rely on high-grade pills. And those high-grade pills could only be refined by High-Grade Alchemists or those of an even higher tier.

Relying solely on one's own cultivation? Breathing in and out the spiritual energy of heaven and earth? Unless they possessed an Earth Spiritual Root, their progress would be agonizingly slow.

"I've achieved my baseline goal for the second simulation,"

Zhou Qing thought to himself.

Before the simulation even began, he had set a series of phased goals for it.

The baseline goal, naturally, was to break through to the Qi Refining Late Stage and become a High-Grade Alchemist.

As for his follow-up goals... those were to attempt Foundation Establishment, and eventually become a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm and a Tier Two Alchemist.

[After becoming a High-Grade Alchemist, you began to steadily accept assignments from the Alchemy Alliance to refine high-grade pills.]

[Missions at this tier offered much higher rewards and served as a symbol of your status as a High-Grade Alchemist.]

[You had been stuck as a Mid-Grade Alchemist for many years, so it was completely natural for you to finally step up to the high-grade ranks.]

[Vice Alliance Leader You Rou came to visit your cave dwelling that very night.]

[Inside the cave dwelling, you and Vice Alliance Leader You Rou sat facing each other.]

["I knew Alchemist Wang wasn't far from becoming a High-Grade Alchemist..."]

[With eyes as clear as water, Vice Alliance Leader You Rou pursed her lips into a smile.]

["By the way, now that Fellow Daoist Wang has become a High-Grade Alchemist, your cave dwelling naturally needs an upgrade. I've already selected a top-tier cave dwelling for you..."]

[Vice Alliance Leader You Rou tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and spoke with a smile.]

[This was standard treatment for High-Grade Alchemists within the Alchemy Alliance.]

[Anyone capable of becoming a High-Grade Alchemist could strike out on their own at any time—at least within Wushan Market—without needing to rely on the Alchemy Alliance's charity.]

[This was exactly why Vice Alliance Leader You Rou had been showing you so much goodwill lately.]

["Thank you."]

[You replied.]

["What are you thanking me for? If Alchemist Wang needs anything at all, you can just tell me..."]

[Vice Alliance Leader You Rou let out a soft giggle.]

["Since you mention it, there actually is one matter I need to ask of Alliance Leader You..."]

[Your heart stirred, and you suddenly spoke up.]

["I'd like to ask Alliance Leader You to help me look into any information regarding the Shanhai Secret Realm..."]

[You looked at You Rou as you spoke.]

[It had already been over ten years since the Shanhai Secret Realm first appeared. At this point, gathering information about it shouldn't be too difficult.]

[Your reason for seeking out this intelligence was, naturally, to prepare for future simulations.]

[In this current simulation, restricted by your Qi Refining Middle Stage strength, you could only set your sights on Ye Feng. But in future simulations, your strength would continuously rise—to Qi Refining Perfection? Or perhaps even the Foundation Establishment Realm?]

[When that time came, your target would naturally no longer be just Ye Feng, but the entire Shanhai Secret Realm.]

[The Shanhai Secret Realm had only been open for three or four years, yet you had already earned tens of thousands of spirit stones just by selling low-grade and mid-grade pills. The total value of the entire secret realm was entirely self-evident.]

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