The Houtian Realm, Inner Force, Escape!

"This place? Could it be the legendary Dantian Sea of Qi? And that mass of power inside it..."

In the death cell, Zheng Qian sensed the mass of power that had appeared in his lower abdomen and muttered in confusion.

But in the blink of an eye, he guessed what it was: inner force!!!

A transcendent power that had only appeared in the martial arts novels, movies, and television dramas of his previous life!

And now, Zheng Qian had never expected that he would actually possess this legendary power as well!

But soon, his expression turned solemn.

In his final simulation, it was precisely because he had acquired inner force that the World Will had thrown him out of the world.

Yet now, despite possessing inner force as well, he was still safely staying in the prison.

What did this mean?

It meant that the unknown otherworld he was currently in could contain him. It also meant that there were definitely others in this world who possessed inner force like him, and they were most likely stronger than he was.

If he had been somewhere else, he would not have cared. So what if he had it? What did that have to do with him?

But now he was inside a death cell and was preparing to escape. If any of the guards outside possessed inner force like him, he would be in serious trouble...

After all, although his realm had reached the early Houtian Realm, he did not possess a single cultivation technique or martial art that matched it.

As a result, being able to bring out half of his full strength was already considered good.

As for the Huo Family Fist and Flying Swallow Skill he knew, no matter how exquisite they were, they were ultimately only martial arts of the Body Tempering Realm. Before the inner force of the Houtian Realm, they were nothing.

"Alas... What a pity. There was too little time. I simply couldn't obtain more Simulation Points in time. Otherwise..."

Inside the death cell, Zheng Qian sighed regretfully after letting his imagination run wild for a long while.

Then, with merely a thought, his latest attributes appeared before his eyes:

[Myriad Worlds Simulator]

Host: Zheng Qian

Realm: Early Houtian Realm

Talents: Eating is a Blessing (White); Strength Multiplier (White);

Simulation Points: 0 (Recovery Rate: 3 days/1 point)

Storage Space: 1,000 cubic meters (+)

"Hm? The recovery rate actually increased by more than double?"

Looking at the panel, Zheng Qian muttered in surprise when he saw that the self-recovery rate of his [Simulation Points] had increased from 7 days per point to 3 days per point.

But immediately afterward, he shook his head helplessly.

Because whether it was seven days or three days, even if it became one day, what difference would it make?

He had already broken through to the Houtian Realm. That meant his next simulation would take him into a Low Martial World.

Entering a Low Martial World required at least 10 Simulation Points. At three days per point, that would take a full month. He had less than seven days before his beheading. How could he wait around slowly?

"Looks like I can only take a gamble. So be it! Life and death are fated, wealth and honor are decreed by Heaven! I'm going all in!"

After remaining silent for a long time, a chilling ruthlessness appeared in Zheng Qian's eyes.

It was an expression that had never appeared on his face before.

The reason he had become like this was that he had inherited combat experience from the simulations twice in a row, perfectly integrating it into himself.

However, he himself had never fought an actual battle. Naturally, his temperament had been influenced by this combat experience. Whenever he encountered danger, he became ruthless, merciless, and decisive in killing...

It was as if combat had become instinctive.

Late at night five days later, Zheng Qian, having made all his preparations, officially began his escape from prison.

The reason it had taken so long was, first, that he needed to stabilize his realm. After all, the simulation had ended just after he broke through.

Second, he needed to gather information from the other prisoners.

Those who could be imprisoned alongside him were naturally all death-row inmates, and all of them were scheduled to be executed after autumn.

They could be considered "brothers in life and death" who did not ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but only wished to die on the same day, month, and year.

Therefore, when Zheng Qian made his indirect inquiries, these people did not think much of it. They told him whatever they knew, treating it all as a way to pass the time.

Of course, the only people he could talk to were the two inmates in the death cells to his immediate left and right.

But neither of them had a simple background. One was a notorious rapist who roamed the region, calling himself Young Master Hundred Flowers. He was a half-step Innate Realm expert, but unfortunately, not only had his martial arts been crippled, the tendons in his hands and feet had also been severed. He had been reduced to a complete cripple.

The other was the fellow prisoner who had warned Zheng Qian not to struggle at the beginning. His name was Liu Haiping, a murderer who had killed his wife's entire family.

However, he was merely an ordinary person without any martial arts. As for why he had killed his wife's entire family, or how he had done it, Zheng Qian had asked out of curiosity, but he had received no answer.

From the two of them, he also learned a great deal of useful information.

First was his exact location. He was in Tongyang County, under Xishan Commandery, one of the five commanderies of the Xingyang Dynasty.

The death cell holding him was underground, directly to the left of the County Yamen.

He also received an answer to the question he cared about most: the strength of the guards.

The strongest person in all of Tongyang County was the county commandant, Song Mingyi, a half-step Innate Realm expert. Young Master Hundred Flowers had been captured by him and his men.

However, as county commandant, Song Mingyi's duty was to defend the county from external enemies. Internal security and guarding the death cells were not under his jurisdiction. Those duties belonged to the constables of the County Yamen.

If Young Master Hundred Flowers had not been so arrogant as to set his sights on the county magistrate's daughter, the county magistrate would not have asked Song Mingyi to help capture him.

The strongest among the constables was the chief constable, Liu Yidao, whose strength was at the late Houtian Realm. Under him were another mid-Houtian Realm expert, two early-Houtian Realm experts, more than a dozen Body Tempering Realm martial artists, and over thirty ordinary people.

The opponents Zheng Qian had to face now were the group of constables and prison guards led by Chief Constable Liu Yidao.

The good news was that he would not have to face Liu Yidao himself. The bad news was that the three Houtian martial artists under Liu Yidao would take turns guarding the death cells.

The moment he escaped, he would inevitably run into one of them.

With his strength, he could not defeat any of them, no matter which one he encountered.

Fortunately, his goal was not to kill them, only to escape. That made things much, much easier.

For that reason, during these five days, apart from gathering information and stabilizing his realm, he spent all his remaining time perfecting his Flying Goose Skill.

He did not know whether the Flying Goose Skill had already reached the limit of the Body Tempering Realm, whether he was truly a genius, or whether the threat of death drawing ever closer had caused his adrenaline to surge.

In only four days, he had initially worked out how to use inner force to enhance the effects of the Flying Goose Skill.

He had secretly tested it in the middle of the night yesterday, and his speed had increased by a full fifty percent!

Now, he had no time left. Therefore, whether he succeeded or not, he had to escape from prison tonight!

And now, the time had come.

"Click, click..."

In the dim death cell, several faint sounds of metal snapping rang out as the chains around Zheng Qian's hands and feet fell away one after another.

Then, he quietly and carefully made his way to the ironwood cell door and extended his hand toward a tiny gap in the lock that he had already broken most of the way through.