I Have a Cultivation Simulator

"My twilight years?" Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing sighed.

Whether they were Qi Refining cultivators, Foundation Establishment experts, or even Core Formation Masters, all of them eventually faced their twilight years.

Once they entered their twilight years, their vitality would decline. Let alone breaking through, even maintaining their existing strength would be no easy task.

The absolute limit of a Qi Refining cultivator's lifespan was one hundred and twenty years.

Most Qi Refining cultivators only lived into their nineties, burdened by hidden injuries left from the battles of their youth.

Alchemist Yun had lived past a hundred before passing away; he was truly considered long-lived.

For a Qi Refining cultivator, the threshold for their twilight years was generally seventy.

Once past seventy, their vitality would decline.

Therefore, if a Qi Refining cultivator wanted to attempt the Foundation Establishment Realm, they needed to reach Qi Refining Ninth Layer Completion before the age of sixty.

Once past seventy, the hope of reaching Foundation Establishment became infinitely slim.

[You realized you had entered your twilight years. Suddenly, waves of agonizing pain radiated from your internal organs.]

[In your youth, you swallowed many waste pills to accelerate your cultivation, accumulating a great deal of pill toxicity in your body.]

[During your prime, this pill toxicity was entirely suppressed. Now, in your twilight years, your vitality had declined, and the toxicity gradually invaded your internal organs.]

[With the pill toxicity seeping into your organs, you suffered unparalleled torment.]

[Under these circumstances, you were certain you would not live past eighty.]

Seeing this, Zhou Qing fell silent.

Consuming the waste pills had been his own decision.

After all, under those circumstances, given his Low-Grade Spirit Root and with most of his energy dedicated to tending spirit plants, if he hadn't relied on waste pills, he wouldn't have even reached the Qi Refining Fifth Layer before his twilight years. He would likely still be hovering in the early stages of Qi Refining.

One slow step meant every step would be slow.

Alchemist Yun hadn't taken in apprentices to nurture them, but to put them to work.

They were only allowed to cultivate in their spare time.

Therefore, Zhou Qing did not regret his decision.

Pushing these thoughts aside, he continued to read the illusory text of the ongoing simulation.

[Entering your twilight years, your vitality declined, and your cultivation could no longer progress.]

[The pill toxicity flared up, invading your organs. Your mind suffered constant torment, and you could no longer refine pills for extended periods.]

[You decided to leave the market and take a walk outside.]

[Although bandit cultivators prowled the outskirts of Wushan Market, Market Head Ouyang Shen—a Foundation Establishment expert—was not dead yet.]

[Those bandit cultivators didn't dare go too far.]

[Year 56: At seventy-one, you secretly left the market.]

[Upon reaching the foot of Wushan, you noticed smoke curling from a chimney in the distance.]

[This piqued your curiosity. You remembered that when you first arrived at Wushan Market, no mortals lived at the base of the mountain.]

[You approached the smoke and found a solitary house standing there.]

[You stealthily cast a detection spell. Only after confirming it wasn't a trap did you walk over.]

[A sturdy child was playing with a wooden sword by the door.]

[You walked over and asked gently, "What's your name?"]

[The sturdy child looked to be about eleven or twelve. Seeing that you were a white-haired old man, he wasn't afraid and answered, "I'm Dahu."]

["Dahu?"]

[You smiled. "And your family name?"]

[You only asked casually, but the child replied, "My family name is Zhou. I'm Zhou Dahu."]

["Zhou?"]

[You froze for a moment.]

[At the same time, you began to examine the child closely.]

[Looking at his features, you felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.]

["Who named you?" you asked.]

["My grandpa. His name was Zhou Dachun, so he named me Zhou Dahu," the child said with a hint of fear, picking up on the shift in your tone.]

["Zhou Dachun?"]

[You fell silent.]

[Forty-three years ago, you brought Dachun to Wushan, intending to enter Wushan Market.]

[But Dachun was merely a Mortal and couldn't enter the market. So, you had him settle at the foot of the mountain.]

[At the time, you planned to come back down after a while to make further arrangements for Dachun. You just never expected that after becoming Alchemist Yun's apprentice, all your energy would be consumed by tending spirit plants and cultivating.]

[As time passed, you completely forgot to arrange things for Dachun.]

[In your mind, although Dachun wasn't a cultivator, his strength was not weak. You assumed he would have left on his own.]

["Where is your grandpa now?" you continued to ask.]

["My grandpa died when I was very little," the child whispered.]

["Why... why didn't your grandpa leave this place?" you asked.]

["Grandpa said he had to wait for the Young Master here... The Young Master never told him to leave, so he wouldn't go..." the child replied, watching you cautiously.]

"Dachun..." Zhou Qing sighed.

He glanced out the door.

Unlike in the simulation, the real Dachun was currently guarding the door outside, protecting his safety.

Though he had always known Dachun was exceptionally loyal, to think the man had waited at the foot of Wushan for an entire lifetime simply because of a single word... Zhou Qing couldn't help but be moved.

"Dachun," Zhou Qing suddenly called out.

"Young Master." Dachun immediately pushed the door open and walked in, answering with his usual honest demeanor.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to see you," Zhou Qing said, shaking his head. "You can head back out."

"All right." Dachun scratched his head. His simple mind didn't overthink it.

...

[You met Zhou Dahu's parents. After casually demonstrating a few spells, you proposed taking Dahu away with you.]

[You had discovered that Zhou Dahu also possessed spirit root aptitude. Though it was only a Low-Grade Spirit Root, stepping into the Qi Refining Realm would be no problem for him.]

[Zhou Dahu's parents naturally had no objections. They were deeply grateful to you.]

[You took Zhou Dahu and didn't return to Wushan Market. Instead, you headed for the capital of the Gan Kingdom.]

[Unknowingly, you had been gone from the capital for fifty years. The Fourth Prince who had massacred the Zhou Estate was long dead. The currently reigning Gan Emperor was his son.]

[Leading Dahu, you walked down the bustling streets.]

[Everything seemed completely unchanged from fifty years ago.]

[You arrived before what used to be the Zhou Estate.]

[It was no longer called the Zhou Estate; it was now the Lu Estate.]

[The Zhou Family, an illustrious household for generations, had long been forgotten over the past fifty years.]

[Back then, the Zhou Family not only held immense power in the royal court, but they were also known for their philanthropy, frequently providing relief to the common people.]

[But now, not a single person remembered the Zhou Family.]

[You cast one last glance toward the imperial palace.]

[You had no intention of storming the palace for revenge.]

[First, you couldn't do it. As an elderly Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivator who didn't even excel at combat, you held no great advantage against mortal martial experts and vast armies.]

[Furthermore, there were also cultivators garrisoned within the palace.]

[Second, you had more important things to do.]

[Year 57: At seventy-two, you returned to Wushan Market with Dahu.]

[You met with Yun Shu and entrusted Dahu to his care.]

[This was the first request you had made in decades. Yun Shu solemnly promised that as long as the Yun Family Alchemy Shop existed, Dahu would have a place there.]

[Year 58: At seventy-three, Wushan Market became increasingly chaotic. Ordinary cultivators recognized the looming crisis of the market lacking a successor, and they began selling off their assets to flee.]

[Year 59: At seventy-four, rumors spread through the market that Market Head Ouyang Shen had passed away. The cultivators who had been holding out immediately began liquidating their properties at rock-bottom prices.]

[Year 60: At seventy-five, Wushan Market rapidly spiraled into depression. More than half the shops shut down and were put up for sale at incredibly low prices, but not a single cultivator dared to take them over.]

[Anyone with eyes could see that Wushan Market wouldn't survive. Without a Foundation Establishment cultivator holding down the fort, who would dare gather and trade here?]

[Year 61: At seventy-six, your vitality deteriorated further. The pill toxicity flared up with increasing frequency. You realized you only had a few years left to live.]

[Year 62: At seventy-seven, you lay in bed, your time drawing near.]

[Yun Shu and the upper management of the alchemy shop gathered around your bed to see you.]

[For decades, you had devoted yourself entirely to the alchemy shop. Everyone recognized your sacrifices.]

["Uncle Zhou..."]

[Yun Shu's gaze carried deep grief as he looked at you.]

[This was a genuine display of emotion. Before Alchemist Yun passed, he had told Yun Shu that you were someone he could trust completely.]

[In the cultivation world, there were very few people worthy of absolute trust. Your death meant Yun Shu was losing one of his only true confidants.]

["Is there... any news on what I asked you to watch out for?" you asked, forcing your eyes open to look at Yun Shu.]

["No. Market Head Ouyang Shen hasn't shown himself in years..." Yun Shu quickly replied.]

["Is that so..." You slowly closed your eyes, your breathing growing weaker by the second.]

[Seeing this, Yun Shu knew you were on the verge of passing and sighed inwardly.]

[Just then, a figure sprinted into the room in a panic.]

["I said, no matter what happens, no one is to disturb Uncle Zhou..." Yun Shu frowned, about to scold the intruder.]

["It's Market Head Ouyang..." the cultivator blurted out.]

["Even if it's Market Head Ouyang..." Yun Shu's brow furrowed tightly.]

["Let him speak..." Your consciousness had been slipping into darkness, but upon hearing 'Market Head Ouyang', you shot up from your deathbed.]

["Market Head Ouyang has appeared in the market! He brought a newly advanced female Foundation Establishment cultivator, and they're purging the bandit cultivators around the perimeter!"]

[Carrying this crucial piece of information, you finally closed your eyes and passed away peacefully.]

[You died.]

[The simulation has ended.]

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