The Invading Enemy

Ding, Life Simulation begins.

March 1, 480 Great Xia Calendar. Under Chi Hu's guidance, you cultivate the Essence Solidifying Body Tempering Art. The training is excruciating—you nearly give up. But Chi Hu's taunts sting your pride, and for the sake of a man's dignity, you grit your teeth and push through.

March 2. You continue training. This time, it's much easier.

March 3. You continue training.

June 5. Through relentless effort, supplemented by the nourishment of Demon Beast Meat, you successfully step into the Flesh Training Initial Stage. You're overjoyed.

June 12. You train even harder, aiming to advance further. But at dusk, only one member of the Hunting Team returns—badly wounded. Everyone else is dead. The news strikes like a thunderbolt, nearly sending the people of Chi Village into a faint.

Through questioning, you learn the full story. The Chi Village Hunting Team had gone out and discovered two Essence Nurturing Grasses—herbs that fortify the foundation and enhance cultivation aptitude.

Overjoyed, the team gathered all their squads to battle the guardian Sixth-Level Demon Beast, the Gale Leopard. But they hadn't expected a second Gale Leopard to appear.

In the end, the Hunting Team was nearly wiped out under the claws and fangs of the two beasts.

The Village Chief is devastated after learning the truth, aging visibly. The village's old, weak, women, and children are also drowned in grief. Having long known the villagers, the deaths of Chi Hu and the others weigh heavily on you.

After the funeral, the village holds a council to discuss Chi Village's survival. Some Clan Elders argue that the village can no longer survive in Blackwind Forest and must relocate outside.

But the Village Chief vetoes the proposal. They fled into Blackwind Forest to escape their enemies. Moving out risks discovery—and the consequences would be unthinkable.

After heated debate, the Village Chief decides to split the village's remaining protectors in half, forming a new Hunting Team to hunt demon beasts on the outer fringes and sustain the village.

August 15. Your cultivation remains stuck at the Flesh Training Initial Stage, unable to break through to the Flesh Refinement Realm. The Village Chief approaches you, suggesting an arranged marriage—to have more children and strengthen Chi Village.

You're thrilled. You've already had your eye on Chi Ling'er from the village. In the end, with the villagers' blessings, you two are wed.

August 20. You continue training hard. But a self-proclaimed Innate Realm powerhouse named Li Huai finds Chi Village and begins slaughtering its people. You're furious but powerless. The Village Chief and the Clan Elders step up to fight, but age and frailty leave them no match—they're all killed.

He doesn't touch the children, though. Only the adult men die.

Your death ends this simulation.

"This..."

Wang Ping stares at the simulation results, falling silent.

This world is far more dangerous than he imagined.

He'd already resigned himself to lying low for life.

And yet, it still wasn't enough.

The Chi Village Hunting Team meets a disaster, nearly wiped out.

Then a strongman comes to invade.

But Wang Ping is puzzled—why didn't he kill the children and women?

"Still, this simulation seems to have completely ignored the Chat Group's existence."

Another thought strikes him, and he's startled.

Soon, he figures it out.

After all, the simulator is just a subsystem of the Chat Group. How could it simulate the Chat Group's future?

In other words, the simulator predicts the future without the Golden Finger.

"Thank goodness for the simulator. Otherwise, even with a growth-type Golden Finger, I'd probably still end up dead."

Coming back to his senses, Wang Ping feels immense relief.

After all, even if his Golden Finger is growth-oriented, there's no way he could reach the top tier of the Innate Realm in just a hundred and fifty days.

When that time comes, facing Li Huai—the brute who wiped out Chi Village—he'd still die.

"I need to tell the villagers about this."

Wang Ping thinks to himself.

If the Hunting Team hadn't been wiped out by the Sixth-Level Demon Beast Gale Leopard, maybe they could have fought Li Huai.

After all, the Hunting Team was made up of strong, young fighters, including several Innate Realm experts—formidable combat power.

"But I can't just blurt it out. I'll wait. There's still plenty of time before the disaster. I can simulate again tomorrow, see how things play out, and find the best way to handle it."

After a moment's thought, he makes his decision.

"Brother Wang, let's head to the Training Field to practice."

Half an hour later, Chi Feng withdraws his fist and says to Wang Ping.

"Sure!"

Wang Ping nods and follows Chi Feng out.

Soon, they arrive at the Training Field.

A crowd of children has already gathered there.

Some are under ten, like Chi Feng; others are older.

But none are over fourteen.

Because once you turn fourteen, you join the Hunting Team and become a proud hunter.

Wang Ping's arrival was a great novelty for the children.

After all, it was the first time an adult had joined them in training.

"Good. No one's late today. Let's begin."

At the front, Chi Hu looked at Wang Ping and the children, nodded in satisfaction, and started teaching them cultivation.

The children already knew the Essence Solidifying Body Tempering Art, so Chi Hu had them practice on their own while he came over to Wang Ping to personally instruct him on each movement and key point.

Wang Ping listened attentively.

But every time he struck a wrong pose and Chi Hu corrected him, there would be a series of sharp cracks, making his face twist in pain.

And that was just the beginning. The training that followed was exhausting and agonizing, nearly unbearable.

Wang Ping could only force a bitter smile.

He had known from the simulations how hard and painful cultivation would be, and he had mentally prepared himself, but it still nearly broke him.

Still, in front of a bunch of kids, he wasn't about to lose face as an adult. So Wang Ping clenched his teeth and endured without a word.

"Not bad. I thought you might give up halfway. Seems you've got some willpower after all."

When the day's training ended, Chi Hu praised Wang Ping and handed him a bundle of herbs.

"Soak these in hot water and bathe with them when you get back. Tomorrow, we train hard again."

"I'm not the type to quit halfway." Wang Ping took the herb bundle and said.

"Good. You're literate, sharp-minded, and have decent willpower. You've got the makings of a martial artist. Pity you're too old—started too late, and your body's too weak. Hard to achieve much. Basically no hope of reaching the Houtian Realm."

Chi Hu nodded and spoke.

"Maybe." Wang Ping smiled, undeterred.

With the simulator and the chat group, as long as he played it safe and developed steadily, reaching not just the Houtian Realm but even beyond the Innate Realm was definitely possible.

He then glanced at the other children, still training earnestly with boundless energy, lamented his own weakness, and headed back to his courtyard to soak in the herbal bath.

If he didn't, he could already imagine the misery—his whole body aching so badly he wouldn't even be able to move the next day.

The next day, Wang Ping got up early as usual. While watching Chi Feng practice his punches, he started a new simulation.