I Have a Cultivation Simulator

Before heading to the Purple Bamboo Forest, Zhou Qing casually performed a divination for himself.

After all, he possessed a Tier Two divination skill. It would be a waste not to use it.

A normal divination did not cost any lifespan.

"No danger whatsoever..."

Looking at the hexagram, Zhou Qing was not surprised in the least.

The Purple Bamboo Forest was merely a first-tier spiritual vein dojo, frequented only by Qi Refining cultivators.

As a grand cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection, it would be absurd for him to face any danger in such a place.

Had he not learned from the simulation that the depths of the Purple Bamboo Forest connected to a Tier Three Spiritual Vein, Zhou Qing would never have bothered going there.

Over ten days later.

The Purple Bamboo Forest was controlled by the cultivating Li Family. Their strongest member was the Li Family Patriarch, who possessed the strength of the Qi Refining Late Stage.

Zhou Qing visited the Li Family Patriarch and expressed his intention to purchase the Purple Bamboo Forest.

The Purple Bamboo Forest connected to a Tier Three Spiritual Vein underground. With a few modifications, it could become a Tier Three Spiritual Vein dojo.

However, no one else knew this yet. Buying the forest would be wildly profitable for Zhou Qing, whether in reality or in the simulation.

Even if he did not need it later, he could sell it to other Masters in the simulation.

"Fellow Daoist, you plan to buy the Purple Bamboo Forest?"

The Li Family Patriarch was secretly thrilled.

Although the Purple Bamboo Forest possessed a First-Rank High-Grade spiritual vein's density, its location was too remote.

The Li Family had long wanted to sell it and purchase a new spiritual vein dojo.

However, just as the Li Family recognized the forest's drawbacks, so did other cultivators.

No one wanted it, so it had remained unsold until now.

That is, until Zhou Qing's arrival.

"Correct. I prefer quiet places," Zhou Qing said casually.

"Quiet is good."

The Li Family Patriarch did not suspect a thing.

If it was just for a solitary cultivator's residence, quieter was naturally better.

But as a cultivating family, the Li Family could not survive on peace and quiet alone. They needed to be closer to a cultivator gathering hub.

That would make it easier to purchase cultivation resources for their members and greatly benefit the family's future development.

Next came the haggling.

Although Zhou Qing was not short on spirit stones—having casually wiped out a group of bandit cultivators on his way here—he still had to bargain.

No matter how small the mosquito, it was still meat.

The amount of spirit stones he had in reality determined his starting point in future simulations.

After agreeing on a price and signing a Spirit Contract, Zhou Qing and the Li Family Patriarch transferred control of the Purple Bamboo Forest dojo.

A First-Rank High-Grade defensive grand array surrounded the forest, which was included in the purchase price. Now, Zhou Qing was its master.

Zhou Qing glanced at the grand array and shook his head inwardly.

His formation attainments had reached Tier Two. He could set up a far better defensive array with his eyes closed.

However, the fact that such an array had successfully protected the forest for so many years meant the surrounding area was genuinely safe. At the very least, it had not caught the eye of any Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you are a straightforward man. Let me show you around the Purple Bamboo Forest."

With the transaction complete, the Li Family Patriarch breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took Zhou Qing on a tour.

The forest was not large, filled with pale purple bamboo.

They swayed gently in the breeze, presenting quite a beautiful sight.

The Purple Bamboo Forest was famous for this very scenery.

"These are the cave dwellings. They connect to the spiritual vein. There are thirteen in total. If you are living alone, Fellow Daoist Wang, you can connect all thirteen to create one massive cave dwelling..." the Li Family Patriarch explained.

Just then, the door of a house next to the thirteen cave dwellings pushed open, and a frail young girl in a pale purple gauze dress walked out.

"Patriarch..." The frail girl bowed slightly in greeting upon seeing the Li Family Patriarch.

"Ah, Yan'er..." The Li Family Patriarch hesitated for a moment before waving his hand. "Go back and rest for now, Yan'er. Fellow Daoist Wang and I are discussing business."

"Understood..."

Seeming to realize something, the frail girl cast a nervous glance at Zhou Qing before respectfully withdrawing.

Zhou Qing remained calm.

The frail girl was merely an early Qi Refining cultivator, and she likely suffered from some hidden ailment.

The Li Family Patriarch continued the tour. Once he had covered most of the grounds, he asked tentatively, "Do you plan to live here alone, Fellow Daoist Wang?"

"More or less," Zhou Qing nodded slightly.

"Given your strength, Fellow Daoist Wang, if you are living alone, you must be in need of a personal maid to serve you, no?" The Li Family Patriarch probed, "That girl just now is named Li Yan. I found her as an abandoned infant near the Purple Bamboo Forest. Taking pity on her, I brought her into the Li Family and named her Li Yan..."

"Although Li Yan is only at early Qi Refining, she is meticulous. She should have no problem attending to your daily needs."

Pausing for a moment, the Patriarch continued, "This child suffers from a hidden ailment. She cannot leave the Purple Bamboo Forest for too long, or she will fall into a coma and her aura will severely weaken..."

He let out a sigh. "Now that the Purple Bamboo Forest is yours, Fellow Daoist Wang, if Li Yan relocates to another spiritual vein dojo with us, I do not know if she will survive..."

"Oh?"

Zhou Qing had originally intended to refuse.

With his personality, even if he wanted a maid, he would find one himself.

But upon hearing that Li Yan would fall into a coma if she wandered too far from the Purple Bamboo Forest, he frowned slightly.

He knew very well that a Tier Three Spiritual Vein connected beneath the forest.

The fact that Li Yan could not leave this specific place inevitably made him suspect a connection.

"Have you not sought out any medical cultivators to treat her?" Zhou Qing looked at the Li Family Patriarch, his gaze deepening.

Just as the Li Family Patriarch opened his mouth to reply, his consciousness suddenly went black.

Zhou Qing stared at him, directly executing a covert soul-search.

As a mere Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator, the Li Family Patriarch could not even detect Zhou Qing's soul-search, let alone resist it.

A moment later, Zhou Qing ended the technique.

The Patriarch had not lied.

Li Yan's origins were exactly as stated; she was an infant found near the Purple Bamboo Forest.

"Huh? Just now..." The Li Family Patriarch snapped back to his senses. He rubbed his head and continued, "I have consulted several medical cultivators, but none of them could figure out why Yan'er is like this..."

"I see." Zhou Qing gave a slight nod.

He naturally already knew all this from the soul-search.

"It just so happens that I have studied the medical Dao. Why don't you let me take a look?" Zhou Qing offered.

"I did not expect you to be so erudite, Fellow Daoist Wang." The Li Family Patriarch had no objections.

A short while later, the Li Family Patriarch brought Zhou Qing before Li Yan.

Li Yan looked timid, clearly aware of the fate that awaited her.

"Yan'er, hurry up and greet Senior Wang," the Li Family Patriarch scolded from the side.

"Greetings, Senior Wang." Li Yan hastily bowed, keeping her head down, too afraid to meet his eyes.

"Don't be afraid. Relax..." Zhou Qing stepped forward and gently pressed his hand against her head.

Traces of Mountain and Sea magic power flowed into Li Yan's body.

The medical Dao was also one of the hundred immortal cultivation arts, and Zhou Qing's attainments in it had reached First-Rank High-Grade.

Of course, his current examination relied entirely on his powerful magic power, which allowed him to observe every minute detail within her flesh.

'Why is the Yin energy so heavy?'

As soon as his magic power entered her body, he detected threads of Yin energy.

This Yin energy circulated throughout her flesh and blood.

'Her body must have been invaded and eroded by Yin energy since childhood. But what does that have to do with her inability to leave the Purple Bamboo Forest?'

Zhou Qing wondered to himself as he conducted an even more meticulous examination.

As the check deepened, his vast divine sense carefully swept back and forth.

'This is...'

Zhou Qing's expression subtly changed. Under the full observation of his divine sense, he faintly detected threads of extremely pure spiritual energy slowly flowing into Li Yan's body from deep underground.

However, these threads were so minuscule and originated from so deep underground that they were incredibly difficult to notice.

'Such pure spiritual energy? Is it coming from the Tier Three Spiritual Vein below?'

Zhou Qing's expression turned solemn.

He knew the Tier Three Spiritual Vein existed, but how was Li Yan absorbing it so directly?

No.

Drawing the pure spiritual energy from the underground Tier Three Spiritual Vein must have been an instinctual behavior.

Li Yan herself had no idea she was doing it.

'Instinct?'

Zhou Qing examined her physical body once more.

'Yin energy...'

'Could this girl possess a yin-essence physique?'

The thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

A yin-essence physique harbored massive amounts of Yin energy.

Furthermore, during its awakening phase, its demand for spiritual energy far exceeded that of other treasure bodies.

If other treasure or Dao bodies lacked spiritual energy during their awakening, the process would simply stall.

But once a yin-essence physique began to awaken, the host would die without pure spiritual energy to absorb.

For this exact reason, a yin-essence physique possessed an unimaginable capacity to absorb pure spiritual energy.

Take the current situation, for example. The Tier Three Spiritual Vein was buried deep underground, yet her yin-essence physique had managed to latch onto it and slowly siphon its energy.

Li Yan's yin-essence physique must be in the midst of its awakening, which was why she could not leave the forest.

Leaving the Purple Bamboo Forest meant moving away from the underground Tier Three Spiritual Vein, cutting off her supply of pure spiritual energy. Naturally, she would suffer from symptoms like falling into a coma.

If she went too long without absorbing pure spiritual energy, her very life would be in danger.

The "pure spiritual energy" required did not refer to quantity, but quality.

A yin-essence physique needed the pure spiritual energy of at least a Tier Three Spiritual Vein to assist its awakening.

Zhou Qing retracted his right hand and secretly began to deduce Li Yan's fate using his divination arts.

But the result was a complete blank.

'It is said that those with innate talents like treasure bodies, Dao bodies, and Heavenly Spirit Roots naturally possess a degree of ability to shield heavenly secrets...'

Zhou Qing looked at Li Yan, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, what are the results?" Patriarch Li asked in a low voice from the side.

"She will do. Let her stay as my maid," Zhou Qing said in a calm tone.

With a yin-essence physique practically delivered to his doorstep, Zhou Qing certainly was not going to refuse.

Compared to other treasure and Dao bodies, the yin-essence physique possessed an altruistic nature.

Once the yin-essence physique awakened, it would begin nurturing a wisp of yin-essence qi within the host's body.

Yin-essence qi was the ultimate Yin energy. For male cultivators, it provided inconceivable benefits.

For instance, if a male cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection plucked this wisp of yin-essence qi while attempting to break through to Core Formation, the effects would far surpass that of a Crystal Condensation Pill, rivaling even the ancient Golden Core Condensation Pills.

Moreover, the effects of yin-essence qi did not overlap with pills.

In fact, if the wisp of yin-essence qi was nurtured for long enough, it could even provide significant assistance to a Core Formation male cultivator aiming for the Nascent Soul stage.

The harmony of Yin and Yang was, after all, a Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Furthermore, even after the nurtured yin-essence qi was plucked, dual cultivation with a female cultivator possessing a yin-essence physique would yield results far superior to those with other female cultivators.

'Although she can barely draw the pure spiritual energy from the underground Tier Three Spiritual Vein, the efficiency is far too low. At this rate, it will probably take decades for her to awaken...'

'Decades...'

Zhou Qing's heart suddenly stirred.

He remembered that decades from now, a Golden Core Master would discover the underground Tier Three Spiritual Vein and spend a fortune to buy it.

Looking back, there were many inexplicable aspects to that piece of intelligence.

Why would a Golden Core Master spend heavily to buy a Tier Three Spiritual Vein from a mere Qi Refining-tier faction?

And the Li Family had not even been the ones to discover it?

Zhou Qing originally thought that Golden Core Master had simply been benevolent. But now it was clear—the man had not been buying the Tier Three Spiritual Vein at all. He had been buying Li Yan and her yin-essence physique.

Plucking the nurtured yin-essence qi from a female cultivator with a yin-essence physique required her genuine, heartfelt consent.

That was why the Golden Core Master chose to appease the Li Family. After all, the Li Family had raised Li Yan for years, and Zhou Qing could tell that they shared a deep emotional bond.

'So that's how it is.'

Zhou Qing suddenly understood everything.

Several days later.

The Li Family had long since evacuated the Purple Bamboo Forest.

"Master."

Li Yan stood respectfully behind Zhou Qing. Her frail aura made one naturally want to pull her into a protective embrace.

"Thank you, Master, for lending a helping hand..." Li Yan mustered her courage and spoke.

"Oh? A helping hand?" Zhou Qing glanced at her.

"I feel much better..." she said softly.

Zhou Qing knew exactly why she felt better.

Over the past few days, he had been secretly drawing on the Tier Three Spiritual Vein deep underground in order to set up a Tier Three Spiritual Vein cave dwelling.

Other cultivators could not detect the shifts in the spiritual vein, but Li Yan's yin-essence physique possessed an instinctual awareness.

At the very least, she was absorbing a far greater quantity of pure spiritual energy, rather than just the minuscule threads from before.

"As long as you feel better."

Zhou Qing carefully scrutinized Li Yan for a moment.

This made her cheeks flush red. She lowered her head to stare at her toes, her breathing growing slightly hurried.

At the same time, Li Yan recalled the instructions the Li Family Patriarch had given her before he left.

He had told her that as a maid, she needed to serve her master well—including, but not limited to, serving him physically.

The Patriarch had been worried she would not understand, which was why he had been so explicit.

Zhou Qing was not the Li Family. The Patriarch's affection for her was entirely that of an elder doting on a junior.

But Zhou Qing?

Now, the entire Purple Bamboo Forest belonged to him. If Li Yan, who could not leave the forest, dared to disobey him, the consequences were obvious.

That very night.

While attending to him, Li Yan proactively pressed her body against his. With flushed cheeks, she said, "Master..."

Zhou Qing naturally knew what she was thinking. She intended to offer her body in exchange for his future protection.

To this, Zhou Qing naturally and decisively refused.

Firstly, Li Yan was only at the Qi Refining stage. Her physical body was too fragile. She would not be able to withstand his conquest at all.

Secondly, for Zhou Qing, the optimal way to enjoy her yin-essence physique was inside the simulation.

That most precious wisp of yin-essence qi could only be plucked once in reality. In the simulation, however, he could pluck it countless times.

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