I Have a Cultivation Simulator

'Forty-eight years old, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!'

Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing was in a good mood.

In terms of age and cultivation alone, Zhou Qing was on par with a Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator.

Of course, Heavenly Spirit Root cultivators had more momentum later on. Reaching the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage at forty-eight meant hitting the Foundation Establishment Late Stage in their fifties, allowing them to attempt Core Formation around eighty.

'In this simulation, without the threat of True Person Blood Sea, my Foundation Establishment lifespan will let me live to at least two hundred years old.'

'Combined with the Shanhai Art delaying the onset of old age, I can slowly grind my way to the peak of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. By then, I'll have at least a chance at attempting to reach the Core Formation Realm,'

Zhou Qing thought.

For an ordinary cultivator with a Mid-Grade Spirit Root, reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was a pipe dream. They would get stuck at the bottlenecks between the early and middle stages, or the middle and late stages.

But Zhou Qing was relying on the power of pills, which was nothing more than burning some of his own potential.

Zhou Qing sighed. He had only earned the right to attempt Core Formation in this simulation by relying on the foundation built during his past two runs. One could only imagine the sheer despair ordinary cultivators felt when facing this path.

[You didn't hide your Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation, and the news quickly spread.]

[Over thirty years ago, when you arrived at the immortal city and joined the Alchemy Hall, you were already at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.]

[Now, over thirty years later, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage was perfectly normal.]

[A few cultivators you normally got along with came over to celebrate.]

[On the third floor of the Alchemy Pavilion, you sat across from Alchemist Zhao Kan and a female cultivator in a white dress.]

[Alchemist Zhao Kan went without saying; thanks to your deliberate efforts to befriend him over the years, the two of you naturally shared a good relationship.]

[The woman in the white dress was Shen Lingxiu, a Tier Two array master and a member of the immortal city's Array Hall. Over a decade ago, she had come to you seeking pills, and after interacting a few times, the two of you had grown familiar.]

[You frequently sought her advice to resolve your questions regarding array formations.]

["Congratulations on breaking into the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage."]

[Alchemist Zhao Kan and Shen Lingxiu offered their congratulations while bringing out gifts.]

["I used a Stage-Breaking Pill, so it's not worth celebrating," you said with a smile.]

[Stage-Breaking Pills consumed a cultivator's potential. Those with ambitions of reaching Core Formation generally wouldn't allow themselves to take such pills.]

["So what if you used a Stage-Breaking Pill? Among all those cultivators who cherish their potential, how many actually succeed in Core Formation?" Alchemist Zhao Kan said dismissively.]

[Even a genius cultivator with an Earth Spiritual Root couldn't guarantee a successful Core Formation. So-called potential was meaningless if it wasn't converted into actual strength.]

["True." Shen Lingxiu nodded, pursing her lips.]

["By the way, Brother Zhao, I heard you've been trying to refine Foundation Establishment Pills recently?"]

[You looked at Alchemist Zhao Kan and asked.]

["Ugh, don't mention it. I've failed several batches..." Zhao Kan's face immediately fell.]

[Although the Alchemy Hall's channels provided a chance to buy the main and auxiliary ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills, they were incredibly expensive.]

[Failing several batches in a row was enough to make even a wealthy alchemist wince.]

[The worst part was that there was no end in sight to this investment; it was highly likely to all go down the drain.]

["What does a little failure matter?"]

[You shook your head slightly. "As it happens, I've gathered the main and auxiliary ingredients for a few batches of Foundation Establishment Pills. Take them to practice, Brother Zhao. If you succeed, the pills are mine. If you fail, we'll forget about it."]

[Because of your first simulation, you had specifically looked into Alchemist Zhao Kan's history during your second simulation.]

[He had successfully refined his very first batch of Foundation Establishment Pills right around this time.]

[From then on, Alchemist Zhao Kan's status in the Alchemy Hall had risen by quite a margin.]

[A Tier Two Alchemist capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills held a much higher position than a standard Tier Two Alchemist.]

[You had harvested a significant amount of Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients in the Shanhai Secret Realm. Put together, they were enough to refine a few batches.]

["Brother Wang, you..."]

[Zhao Kan was visibly moved when he saw you actually hand over a Storage Bag.]

[After all, he was currently only a Tier Two Mid-Grade Alchemist. The odds of him successfully refining a Tier Two High-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill were simply too low.]

[In Zhao Kan's eyes, you pulling out these ingredients right now meant you probably didn't expect a successful refinement at all.]

[You were doing this purely to support him.]

["Why are you spacing out? Just take them."]

[You said with a smile.]

[In truth, you only brought out the ingredients because you knew Alchemist Zhao Kan would soon succeed in refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.]

[As long as he successfully refined a single batch from these sets, you would turn a profit.]

[Even if every single batch failed, it would still leave Alchemist Zhao Kan owing you a massive favor. Earning a favor from an alchemist capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills was a guaranteed win no matter what.]

[After more than thirty years of acquaintance, you had a good grasp of Alchemist Zhao Kan's character; he was the type who hated owing people favors.]

[That was why you made this "investment."]

[After the incident with Ye Feng in your first simulation, you had become extremely cautious about "investments."]

["In that case, I'll accept them!"]

[Alchemist Zhao Kan's expression turned solemn. "Brother Wang, I will definitely repay this favor in the future!"]

[While Tier Two Alchemists were relatively wealthy, it was impossible to endlessly purchase Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients, even when relying on the Alchemy Hall's channels.]

[For Alchemist Zhao Kan, your offer of several sets of ingredients right now was a timely godsend.]

["You're a man of true character, Fellow Daoist Wang," Shen Lingxiu said from the side, staring at you with bright eyes.]

[In today's cultivation world, most cultivators were entirely selfish. They would keep their guard up even against their closest relatives. Someone like you, willing to sacrifice so much for a friend, was exceedingly rare.]

[You continued chatting with Zhao Kan and Shen Lingxiu for a while before seeing them out.]

[Before leaving, Shen Lingxiu paused in the courtyard, her gaze falling upon a large black eagle.]

["I can tell your spirit pet's bloodline isn't simple," Shen Lingxiu said, stepping forward to stroke the black eagle's feathers.]

["Xiao Hei" didn't reject her touch; it even proactively nudged against her hand.]

["Is that so? Isn't it just a Black Wind Eagle?" you asked, showing a timely hint of surprise.]

["Definitely not," Shen Lingxiu said, rolling her eyes. "To know its exact species, you'd better find a specialized beast tamer to appraise it a few times."]

["Alright." You nodded.]

[You often left "Xiao Hei" out in the courtyard for visiting cultivators to see. Your goal was precisely to normalize the bird's origins so you could eventually sell it for a good price.]

...

[Year 33. You were forty-nine years old. With your assistance, Ye Feng's water-spirit physique fully awakened.]

[You had taken Ye Feng out of Biyue Immortal City half a year in advance. Then, half a year later, you left the city yourself under the guise of going out to purchase spiritual materials.]

[Ten days later, you re-entered the immortal city disguised as a burly, muscular man.]

[Your disguise technique came from the Shanhai Sect's legacy and was incredibly exquisite. Unless a Master personally and meticulously examined you with their spiritual sense, they wouldn't be able to spot a thing.]

[But in reality, even if they did spot a flaw, it wouldn't matter. Even if they saw right through to your true face, it would have no impact on you whatsoever.]

[Your true identity hadn't committed any crimes in the cultivation world, so it wouldn't expose any secrets.]

[Your biggest secret was your true age. However, determining a cultivator's actual age required incredibly complex methods.]

[Even a core formation master couldn't see through a cultivator's true age at a single glance.]

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