Sweeping Through First-Rate

[Now you are 27 years old, with a Foundation Amplification of 258%. You feel you might even have a shot at Great Grandmaster.]

[Vital Energy Infused into Bone is nearly eighty percent complete. With the support of various conditions, you are already among the most elite First-rate Martial Artists within the three kingdoms. He Yi naturally stands no chance against you.]

[You then proceeded to challenge other First-rate Martial Artists in East Forest City, such as the head of a Martial Arts School. He had begun infusing Vital Energy into Bone, but his progress was far behind yours.]

[There were also two Renowned Figures who had roamed the martial world for many years, now settled down to establish their families and calmly teach disciples within the city. One was over fifty, the other an old man, both well past their prime.]

[You sparred and exchanged techniques with them in a spirit of friendly exchange, and afterward kindly guided their younger disciples. The atmosphere was very harmonious.]

[Upon learning that you were the second-place winner of that "Hundred Stone Forest" grand competition, worthy of being called the "Second Young Hero" of that generation's martial youth, the gazes around you immediately filled with admiration...]

[But one of the Renowned Figures secretly badmouthed you in front of his own disciples.]

["See that? That's a Rogue Martial Artist for you! With his heaven-defying talent, he should have already become a Martial Master by this age, renowned across an entire prefecture! But now? He's still stuck at the First-rate level, just like years ago!"]

["Why? Because he has no Martial Dao Resources, no senior guidance! His excellent foundation is being wasted, and many who were once inferior to him have now caught up!"]

[You did not hear this Renowned Figure named Zhao Yuan gossiping about you behind your back.]

Yun? Petty? Shou: "I saw it."

"Next time, I'll beat you until you cry in front of your own juniors!"

He really liked this Simulator's narration setting.

He planned that after this simulation, once he had done everything he needed to do, he would buy a special little notebook to record all the grudges and debts that occurred during the simulation. Otherwise, with such long simulation times, he would forget.

[Over a month later, the City Lord finally realized something was wrong. He became aware that a band of bandits had arrived outside the city, specifically robbing and killing passersby and merchant caravans, severely impacting East Forest City's development.]

[He mustered a military force of four hundred soldiers, who marched into the forest with high morale.]

[If these were soldiers of the Wu Kingdom, their baseline would be Third-rate Martial Artists, with some squad leaders and Centurions reaching the Second-rate Martial Artist level. They might have had a chance to capture these bandits.]

[But the Qing Kingdom's army... even their Centurions are usually only at the Third-rate level.]

[During this period, after challenging all the First-rate experts, you had been peacefully training in martial arts. When you learned of the bandits' arrival, it was also the moment the City Lord came knocking at your door.]

[This time, the City Lord of East Forest City appeared very humble (although, without inherited memories, you didn't know his attitude last time; anyway, this time he was very humble).]

[One reason for his humility was that you two weren't acquainted; another was that you were simply too strong. In the month since arriving in East Forest City, you had defeated every expert in the city!]

[Even the martial Renowned Figures you had defeated, whom he had to placate with smiles, he couldn't even invite. So how could he dare to presume with you, who was even stronger?]

[This time, the team composition was the same as last time: still two First-rate experts, one of whom was He Yi, then over a dozen Second-rate, and more than thirty Third-rate Martial Artists.]

[It was just unknown whether the specific individuals had changed compared to last time due to some butterfly effect.]

[You entered the forest. This time, you warned everyone in advance to be wary of bandit ambushes. As a result, when you rounded a hillside, you were the first to spot over twenty bandits walking through the woods.]

[You picked up a few pebbles from the ground, wrapping them in Vital Energy that shimmered like sunlight. With a flick of your finger, the wind howled, and these patrolling bandits couldn't react at all.]

[Five pebbles directly killed three people, while the other two were also injured. Battle erupted instantly, and you achieved an overwhelming victory, taking two prisoners.]

[...After interrogation, you headed straight for the bandit stronghold. This time, you left the other bandits to He Yi and the others, while you single-handedly fought the Bandit Chief!]

[(Although you knew the Bandit Chief's identity was a disciple of some sect, too much time had passed. You had long forgotten the information from the previous simulation. His impression on you was too faint to trace, so you could only continue calling him Bandit Chief.)]

Yun Shou sighed at how the Simulator worked intermittently.

[Unlike the "Flowing River Technique," which mainly strengthens Vital Energy, allowing it to become versatile and changeable, the Grandmaster-level martial art "Sunday Art" primarily strengthens the body's toughness and resistance (to poison, heat, and cold). As for Vital Energy? It just adds a layer of glowing visual effect.]

[Your strikes were heavy and forceful, each one making the Bandit Chief miserable. In this fight, you held nothing back. Every clash of your blades nearly sent the Bandit Chief's greatsword flying from his hands.]

[Clang! Clang! Clang!]

[Under your relentless slashes, the Bandit Chief's blade chipped after only twenty collisions. His tiger's mouth split and bled, yet he did not flee—he knew he couldn't escape!]

[Hum—with a vibrating ring, the Bandit Chief's greatsword fell to the ground. You swung your blade upward, a radiant blade-light grazing his right shoulder. With a crack, you withdrew your blade, and the Bandit Chief's right arm was rendered useless.]

[The bones of a martial artist in the Vital Energy Infused into Bone stage are truly hard, you mused. Even for you, nearly invincible among First-rate fighters, you could only shatter his shoulder bone with one strike, not sever his entire arm.]

[In fear, the Bandit Chief began to beg for mercy, laced with a hint of threat: "Don't kill me, I am—"]

[You swung your blade again, grazing his throat. Blood gushed out, and gurgling bubbles choked off his words. His eyes widened as he fell to the ground in unwilling death.]

["Nothing special," you thought, feeling only unsatisfied. But on second thought, perhaps your standards were too high.]

[Da Qing 283, you returned to Qingcheng. You knew war was about to break out, and you were not yet qualified to change any of it. You sent Uncle Ji and other acquaintances to towns deeper within the Qing Kingdom, giving them some relocation funds to keep them far from the flames of war.]

[But then again, you were just a nobody in a war involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers across two kingdoms. However, you remembered the war started because a Qing Kingdom village was massacred by the Wu Kingdom. Perhaps you could go there and see the truth of the matter.]

[Previously, you always thought the Qing Kingdom had provoked the war, and the village attack was just a facade—because of the later Grandmaster Assembly incident. But what if, just what if, it was an accident or some other situation?]

[You recalled the Alien Demon descending in a previous simulation. If there were no great war between the two kingdoms, the vast resources saved and the people who survived could all become a force to fight against the Demon Country!]

[...Probably, right?]

[You didn't think you were courting death. You had some confidence in your own level. In two years, your Martial Cultivation would definitely reach the First-rate limit. With luck, if you had an epiphany or something, you might even become a Martial Master!]

[If it was an army massacring the village, they definitely couldn't stop you from escaping. And if it was martial artists doing the deed, such a small matter as wiping out a few villages—how could they dispatch a Martial Master-level figure?]

[Going to investigate the truth? That's a solid plan!]