I Have a Cultivation Simulator

"Greetings, Senior Ye." You paused for a moment before immediately bowing.

Ye Feng was younger than you, and decades ago, he had been your lackey, waiting on you hand and foot.

However, the cultivation world respected the strong. You were currently only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, while he had already reached the Qi Refining Late Stage—at least the Qi Refining Seventh Layer or higher.

Furthermore, Ye Feng showed no signs of reminiscing about the old days.

Naturally, you knew exactly what to do and quickly made your subordinate status clear.

You were nearly sixty years old, long past the age of a hotheaded youth. Even if you felt any indignation, you wouldn't show it on your face.

"Mm..."

Ye Feng looked satisfied.

He then chatted with you for a bit.

His tone carried an obvious hint of smugness.

Although it had been nine deaths and one life, he had ultimately survived and reaped a massive opportunity from within, achieving his current Qi Refining Late Stage strength.

You listened carefully. However, Ye Feng talked for quite a while without ever bringing up the fifty spirit stones.

You realized he probably had no intention of returning those fifty spirit stones.

You felt rather helpless. Back then, you had only lent him those fifty spirit stones out of consideration for your past relationship.

Because of that, you hadn't set up a Spirit Contract or any other binding agreement.

In reality, even if you had set up a Spirit Contract, it wouldn't have been of much use.

An ordinary Spirit Contract could only bind early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

To bind a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator, you would need a High-Quality Spirit Contract at the very least.

And High-Quality Spirit Contracts cost hundreds of spirit stones.

Spending hundreds of spirit stones on a contract just to lend out fifty?

No one would do such a thing.

Even ordinary Spirit Contracts were worth dozens to a hundred spirit stones.

When Alchemist Yun asked Ye Feng for a hundred spirit stones to dissolve his Spirit Contract back then, it had simply been to recoup his costs.

Looking at it from that perspective, Alchemist Yun's character was actually quite decent.

"If I had known the mystic realm held such a great opportunity, I should have explored it with you back then, Senior Ye..." you cautiously probed.

"You?"

Ye Feng cast a sidelong, disdainful glance at you.

"Even I had to pay the price of severe injuries just to barely make it out alive. If you had explored it at the Qi Refining Second Layer? You wouldn't have even known how you died," Ye Feng said dismissively.

You caught a hidden piece of information.

When Ye Feng left that mystic realm back then, he had been severely injured.

"Alright, you may leave."

Ye Feng waved you off. He had come to Wushan Market in person to see Alchemist Yun, naturally because he had important business to attend to.

You immediately withdrew from the hall.

That very night, Ye Feng left Wushan Market.

Alchemist Yun sought you out.

"Did Ye Feng return your spirit stones?" Alchemist Yun asked.

Alchemist Yun knew that Ye Feng had borrowed spirit stones from everywhere back then to break free from his Spirit Contract.

"This..."

You didn't answer rashly, opting instead to observe Alchemist Yun's reaction.

If he showed even the slightest hint of favoritism toward Ye Feng, you would immediately say they had been returned.

After all, you didn't know the current state of their relationship. Ye Feng was a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator now; no matter how you looked at it, he was far more important than you.

"He didn't return them, did he?"

Alchemist Yun sneered. "That Ye Feng, relying on his Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivation, doesn't even show me an ounce of respect."

Clearly, Alchemist Yun also had a major problem with Ye Feng.

It suddenly dawned on you.

Judging by the attitude Ye Feng had shown you, he was a deeply arrogant person.

He thought he was the center of the universe and that everything should revolve around him.

You had originally assumed his arrogance was selective—that he would act high and mighty toward a weak Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator like you, but would rein it in around a fellow Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator who was also a High-Grade Alchemist.

Now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Looking at the sneer on Alchemist Yun's lips, you felt a bit better for some reason.

At least Ye Feng was 'fair.' His arrogance applied equally to everyone.

Of course, just because you felt better didn't mean you would let Ye Feng off the hook.

You remembered Ye Feng. Even if you couldn't get your revenge in this simulation, you would naturally pay him back in the next one, or the one after that.

"Heh, to think he wanted to use me to secure an audience with Master Zhao so he could refine a Foundation Establishment Pill..." Alchemist Yun sneered repeatedly.

The Master Zhao he mentioned was his own master in the Dao of Alchemy, a Tier Two Mid-Grade alchemist.

Master Zhao wasn't in Wushan Market; he permanently resided in a much more prosperous immortal city.

You listened obediently, keeping your thoughts to yourself.

However, you could draw one conclusion from Alchemist Yun's tone.

Ye Feng wouldn't be meeting Master Zhao anytime soon.

"Zhou Qing..."

Alchemist Yun looked at you. "I'm old. The burden of the Yun Family Alchemy Shop will have to rest on your shoulders. If Shu'er ever does anything wrong, you must bring it up immediately."

Alchemist Yun was over a hundred years old, which was considered quite long-lived for a Qi Refining cultivator.

By the same token, he was also nearing the end of his lifespan and would soon pass away in meditation.

Decades ago, he had attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment once, but he had failed.

The 'Shu'er' he mentioned was his chosen successor, Yun Shu. He was currently forty years old and a Mid-Grade Alchemist.

Although you were only a low-grade alchemist, you had followed Alchemist Yun for decades without ever showing any disloyalty. He trusted you implicitly.

There were a few Mid-Grade Alchemists in the shop, but Alchemist Yun kept his guard up against all of them.

This trust was evident from the fact that he directly revealed his attitude toward Ye Feng right in front of you.

"These are my alchemy insights from over the years. Take them and study them carefully."

Before leaving, Alchemist Yun solemnly left behind a Jade Slip.

You stood up and thanked him.

Alchemist Yun waved his hand. After decades of companionship, you were practically as close as father and son.

Year 44. You were fifty-nine years old. You noticed that the market had recently become rather unstable.

You knew exactly why.

The master of Wushan Market was a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Ouyang Shen.

It was precisely because a Foundation Establishment cultivator stood guard here that Wushan Market could serve as a gathering place for so many cultivators in the area.

However, over the last few decades, several of Ouyang Shen's descendants had failed in their attempts to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Seeing Ouyang Shen nearing the end of his lifespan without having cultivated a single Foundation Establishment junior, rumors naturally began to spread throughout the market.

You secretly observed the shifting dynamics within the market, preparing for the next simulation.

Year 45. You were sixty years old. Alchemist Yun passed away in meditation.

His successor, Yun Shu, held your hands and promised, "Uncle Zhou, our future development in the market will still rely on you."

Because of Alchemist Yun's dying instructions, Yun Shu also placed immense trust in you.

Year 46. You were sixty-one years old. After confirming that Yun Shu could hold his own, you began to delegate your authority.

Year 47. You were sixty-two years old. Market Master Ouyang Shen still hadn't cultivated a Foundation Establishment junior. Traces of bandit cultivators began to appear near the market.

Year 48. You were sixty-three years old. Yun Shu invited you and several other shop elders to discuss the future of the alchemy shop.

You understood Yun Shu's line of thinking. Because Wushan Market currently lacked a successor, various unexpected variables could arise in the future. They needed to plan ahead.

You didn't offer any opinions of your own; you merely voiced your agreement when Yun Shu laid out his ideas.

Yun Shu began transferring the shop's assets, relocating to another market known as Tingyu Market.

Year 49. You were sixty-four years old. Market Master Ouyang Shen still hadn't cultivated a Foundation Establishment successor.

Year 50. You were sixty-five years old. Traces of bandit cultivators around Wushan Market grew increasingly frequent.

Year 51. You were sixty-six years old. Most of the personnel from the Yun Family Alchemy Shop transferred to Tingyu Market, but you stayed behind.

Year 52. You were sixty-seven years old. After years of comprehending the alchemy insights Alchemist Yun had left behind, you finally refined your first batch of mid-grade pills, officially becoming a Mid-Grade Alchemist.

Yun Shu made a special trip back from Tingyu Market to congratulate you.

Year 53. You were sixty-eight years old. Shortly after becoming a Mid-Grade Alchemist, you cultivated to the peak of the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Spending the spirit stones you had hoarded over the years, you purchased numerous breakthrough resources and initiated your advancement.

You successfully broke through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

Year 54. You were sixty-nine years old. You watched with a detached eye as Wushan Market descended further into chaos.

Year 55. You were seventy years old.

In a daze, you realized that your vitality and blood had begun to decline.

You realized that you had entered your twilight years.

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