I Have a Cultivation Simulator

["Young Master, I have cultivated the Iron Cloth Shirt to perfection. Ordinary weapons can't kill me."]

[Dachun explained earnestly.]

["I see." You also noticed that beneath his tattered clothes, Dachun's exposed skin had taken on a resilient bronze hue.]

[The Iron Cloth Shirt was a top-tier external martial art in the martial world. Cultivated to perfection, it rendered the body nearly impervious to blades.]

[Of course, this invulnerability was only relative. It wasn't a truly indestructible physique. If surrounded and worn down by an army of thousands, he would still die.]

["How did you find this place?"]

[you asked.]

[This was the secret base you had prepared in private. No one in the Zhou Estate knew about it, not even your closest confidant, Dachun.]

["Young Master, I can remember your scent."]

[Dachun actually had the unique ability to track targets by their scent.]

[Finding this place was the result of him tracking the scent you had left behind.]

[You looked Dachun up and down.]

[This guy really was remarkably gifted.]

["Young Master, what exactly happened at the estate?"]

[Worry filled Dachun's normally simple mind—a rare sight.]

[While covering your retreat earlier, Dachun had felt dozens of terrifying auras.]

[The masters of those terrifying auras had been occupied with the true experts of the Zhou Estate.]

[Because of that, Dachun had managed to hold off the dozens of armored figures long enough to escape the estate.]

["We won't know until later..."]

[You sighed.]

[Though you didn't know the exact details, you already had a theory.]

[The Zhou Family had been prominent for generations. In the capital, the only person who could move against the Zhou Family was the Emperor.]

[But under normal circumstances, the old Emperor never would have done so.]

[In other words, someone had forged the old Emperor's orders to attack the Zhou Family.]

[This person's true goal was the throne.]

[The Zhou Family wielded massive influence in the capital. The family head, Zhou Shizhong, was the Commander of the Imperial Guard, holding direct military power.]

[Now that the First Prince was far away at the Northern Border, if any member of the royal family coveted the throne, the first obstacle they needed to eliminate was Zhou Shizhong—which meant destroying the Zhou Family.]

["The Master won't let them get away with this!"]

[Dachun blurted out.]

["The Master?"]

[Your face remained expressionless.]

[Since they dared to attack the Zhou Estate so brazenly,]

[it meant Zhou Shizhong was already finished. Even if he wasn't dead, he had completely lost the ability to resist.]

Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing looked grim.

He had worried about this exact scenario ever since he heard the First Prince planned to head to the Northern Border.

He just hadn't expected those fears to become reality.

"Who could it be?"

Zhou Qing furrowed his brow.

Although his fears had come true, the good news was that all of this was only happening in the simulation.

In reality, he still had plenty of time to avoid it.

What puzzled Zhou Qing was which member of the royal family could pull off a scheme of this magnitude.

Since the First Prince dared to travel so far to the Northern Border, he definitely had enough confidence to ensure the capital wouldn't slip out of his control.

And that was the truth.

Deeply favored by the old Emperor and groomed as the crown prince from a young age, the First Prince was the undisputed future emperor in the eyes of the entire Gan Kingdom.

To shake his position and seize his throne...

there would have to be outside interference.

"The barbarians?"

Zhou Qing looked thoughtful.

"Let's continue the simulation."

He composed himself and returned his focus to the illusory text.

No matter how much he guessed right now, it was still just a guess. It was better to just see the simulation's results.

[For the next half month, you and Dachun remained hidden in the secret base.]

[Because you had prepared forged identification documents well in advance, you smoothly survived several searches during that time.]

[A month later, you finally received the relevant news.]

[The Zhou Family had supposedly conspired with the Lie Kingdom in an attempt to rebel.]

[Fortunately, the Fourth Prince had discovered the plot in time, turning the tide and immediately detaining Zhou Shizhong.]

[Now that the matter was thoroughly investigated, the Emperor had issued a decree: all 106 members of the Zhou Family were to be sent to Caishikou for immediate execution.]

["The Fourth Prince?"]

[Your heart turned cold. The mastermind had finally surfaced.]

[As for the Zhou Family attempting a rebellion? It was an absolute joke. The Zhou Family had already reached the pinnacle of power as subjects; why would they ever rebel?]

[You thought for a moment before immediately taking Dachun out. You went to the Qiuyue Brothel and booked a private room on the third floor.]

[The Qiuyue Brothel was located on Vermilion Bird Road. It was a famous brothel in the capital, and Vermilion Bird Road was the mandatory route leading to Caishikou.]

[That night, you and Dachun stayed in that third-floor room.]

[The next day, you went to the window and looked down at Vermilion Bird Road in the distance.]

[By now, the sides of the street were packed with the commoners of the capital. Prisoner carts rolled past one by one, escorting the Zhou Family to Caishikou.]

[You saw your mother, your eldest brother Zhou Wen, your second brother Zhou Wu, and many other family members. Their eyes were glazed and numb; they had clearly suffered inhumane torture.]

["Madam! Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master!"]

[Dachun's eyes nearly split open in fury. He had grown up in the Zhou Estate and had been nurtured by the family. He had long considered himself a true member of the Zhou Family. Now, seeing Madam and the young masters subjected to such humiliation, how could he possibly endure it?]

["Young Master, I'm going to save Madam!"]

[Dachun looked at you, his tone frantic.]

[You were equally enraged, but your remaining rationality stopped you from acting rashly.]

As he watched, lines of illusory text continued to form.

[Please make a choice:]

[1: Immediately have Dachun intervene to save your mother and two brothers, then follow your pre-planned route out of the capital.]

[2: Watch coldly from the sidelines.]

[3: Unable to bear watching your mother and brothers beheaded, immediately leave with Dachun.]

The Zhou Qing inside the simulation would naturally be swayed by his emotions. After all, within the simulation, two whole years had passed before this event occurred.

Spending two years living with his mother and brothers had naturally fostered some emotional attachment.

But outside the simulation, Zhou Qing remained perfectly rational.

"Choice 2."

Zhou Qing thought for only a moment before making his selection.

First off, Choice 1 was completely out of the question.

Since over a hundred members of the Zhou Family were being so brazenly paraded out for execution, how could the mastermind possibly not have prepared an ambush?

This whole spectacle was likely just bait to lure out any hidden Zhou Family survivors.

As for Choice 3? Since it was a trap, everyone currently in the vicinity was likely under strict surveillance.

If he and Dachun suddenly left right now, they would definitely attract attention.

Thus, watching coldly from the sidelines was the smartest move.

[You stopped Dachun's urge to intervene.]

[Although Dachun was furious, he remained obedient to you.]

[Soon, the over one hundred members of the Zhou Family were brought to Caishikou.]

[Right before the beheadings, dozens of figures suddenly leapt out from the crowd.]

["Madam, Young Masters, don't be afraid!"]

[The man leading them let out a furious roar, a scorching aura sweeping out from him.]

[But in the next second, a hail of arrows rained down. More than half of the dozens of people who had charged out were instantly killed.]

[The survivors were immediately surrounded and swiftly dispatched.]

["It really was a trap?"]

[You sighed inwardly as you watched the one-sided massacre at Caishikou.]

["Moreover, there was a fluctuation of 'qi'... did an immortal cultivator make a move?"]

[You fell deep into thought.]

[Having cultivated the Qi Guiding Art for two years, even if you hadn't condensed a complete strand of qi in your body, you were still quite sensitive to it.]

[Just now, you vaguely felt a fluctuation of qi flash by.]

[You couldn't help but feel a surge of relief. Thankfully, you hadn't let Dachun intervene earlier, or else your fate would have been no different from the group that had just charged out.]

[You stayed in the Qiuyue Brothel for three days. Once you were absolutely certain it was safe, you finally left with Dachun.]

["Young Master, where are we going now?"]

[Dachun asked quietly as he followed you out of the capital.]

["Let's just find a place." You took one last look at the capital before leaving without looking back.]

[You and Dachun found a small town far from the capital and settled into seclusion.]

[As for your goal... naturally, it was to cultivate the Qi Guiding Art. Only by mastering it and becoming an immortal cultivator could you avenge your parents and brothers.]

[In the third year, you were eighteen. You received news that the old Emperor was gravely ill. The Fourth Prince had taken control of the government and issued a decree ordering the First Prince, who was far away at the Northern Border, to return.]

"..." Seeing this, Zhou Qing fell silent.

With such a massive incident occurring in the capital, Zhou Qing didn't believe the First Prince was completely unaware.

But even if he had noticed, what could he do? Now, he was facing a direct decree from the acting ruler.

Would he return, or not?

[The First Prince did not return. Instead, under the banner of 'purging the Emperor's side,' he launched an uprising at the Northern Border and marched his army south.]

[In the fourth year, you were nineteen. The Fourth Prince mobilized the nation's elite troops to encircle and suppress the First Prince.]

[The barbarians seized the opportunity to deploy their troops, catching the First Prince in a pincer attack alongside the Gan Kingdom's elite forces. The First Prince was besieged on all sides.]

[In the fifth year, you were twenty. The First Prince was defeated and committed suicide.]

[In the sixth year, you were twenty-one. You continued to bitterly cultivate the Qi Guiding Art. That same year, you learned that the old Emperor had passed away and the Fourth Prince had inherited the throne of the Gan Kingdom.]

[In the seventh year, you were twenty-two. You continuously drew in the ethereal qi between heaven and earth, gathering it into your dantian. Faintly, a complete strand of qi gradually began to take shape.]

[In the eighth year, you were twenty-three. You continued your bitter cultivation of the Qi Guiding Art.]

[In the ninth year, you were twenty-four. You felt the qi inside your dantian becoming more and more complete.]

[In the tenth year, you were twenty-five. You successfully condensed a complete strand of qi in your dantian, crossing into the Qi Refining Realm.]

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