First Simulation, Escaping the Coffin Lid

"Son of Niu Dali! The Natural Ox Strength talent, that's the one!"

Su Yang's eyes lit up. This was much more suitable than the second option.

Although it was only a pure white identity, not as high-level as the first two.

The most crucial part was the "Natural Ox Strength" talent.

Upon reaching adulthood, one would possess the strength of one ox.

In this world, 16 years old was considered adulthood, and he had just turned 16 this month.

As long as he chose this talent and simulated it.

Then, after redeeming it with the beginner's gift pack, he would possess the strength of an ox.

Even the most ordinary ox, when enraged, could not be restrained by twenty people.

With such strength, breaking open a coffin lid would surely not be a problem.

That meant there was hope for escape.

With this thought, Su Yang said solemnly, "System, choose the third identity!"

[You have selected Identity Three]

[Loading current world...]

[Loading selected identity...]

[Simulation begins]

[At 16 years old, you wake up to find yourself trapped inside a nailed-shut coffin.]

[You bang on the coffin lid, and the sound tells you the outside is solid, covered by thick layers of earth. Clearly, you have been buried.]

[You recall that you only remember being kicked by a disciple of the cultivation sect, Huaye Sect, and then you died.]

[You are filled with hatred and vow to avenge this wrong, but your most immediate priority is to escape the coffin.]

[With a sinister smile, you think that anyone else trapped here would surely die. However, you have possessed immense strength since childhood, so breaking open the coffin lid is no challenge for you.]

Immediately, a scene appeared before Su Yang's eyes.

In the scene, it was him, punching the coffin lid with all his might inside the pitch-black coffin.

After a few blows, a large hole was broken in the coffin lid.

He climbed out of the hole, pushed open the thick layer of earth, and saw the sky again.

[After your efforts, you have successfully escaped.]

"Good."

Su Yang felt a surge of relief.

With the simulator's endorsement, if he could escape in the simulation, he would definitely be able to escape in reality.

It was too difficult, and he no longer had to worry about dying immediately after transmigrating.

[After coming out, it was dark all around, but through your extensive experience in identifying and navigating medicinal herb gathering routes, you determined that you were on the outskirts of Yellow Wind Ridge.]

[This is a wild area tens of kilometers from Qingye Market. Due to the presence of spiritual energy nodes, not only are there fierce beasts comparable to mortal martial artists, but occasionally even graded Yao Beasts appear.]

[You cautiously leave the area and return to Qingye Market.]

[Fortunately, you did not encounter any fierce beasts or Yao Beasts on the way.]

"I have really good luck!" Su Yang exclaimed.

Su Yang was not afraid of encountering ordinary wild beasts in the wilderness, but if he encountered fierce beasts or Yao Beasts, he would be scared.

Even with the strength of one ox, in front of some powerful fierce beasts, an ox was merely a meal.

As for Yao Beasts, that was even more out of the question; only cultivators could resist them.

Continue simulation.

[You returned to the rented room you occupied and found it ransacked. All your food and money were gone.]

[This was within your expectations. You glanced towards the back door, intending to dig out the Spirit Stones hidden under the second date tree behind the house. At this moment, you faintly heard breathing.]

[Please choose...]

[1. Follow the sound of breathing to investigate and find the person hiding in your room. [2. Pretend not to see anything, dig up the Spirit Stones, and leave quickly. [3. Pretend to leave, but secretly observe from nearby.

"Choices? It seems the simulator doesn't offer zero room for independent operation!

But... which of these three options should I choose?"

Su Yang thought for a moment and decided to choose three.

If this were reality, he certainly wouldn't take such a risk, and wouldn't even bother digging for Spirit Stones before leaving quickly.

After all, there were thousands of choices, but only one life.

However, if it's a simulation, choosing is fine. After all, a large part of the simulation's purpose is to explore more information and try out different approaches in reality.

More importantly, this option isn't a guaranteed death sentence.

Otherwise, Su Yang wouldn't have chosen it, even if it were just a simulation.

[You pretend to leave in a hurry, but in reality, you hide outside and wait quietly.]

[Half an hour later, someone indeed crept out of your house.]

[You realize you know this person; it's Old Wang, who brought you into the herb-gathering team back in Qingye Market.]

"What is he doing at my place?"

"Could he have heard about my death and come to ransack my house!"

"In the simulation, when I checked the door, he should have realized I was back and not dead!"

With too little information, Su Yang couldn't analyze much.

But... there was no need to analyze; he could just keep watching.

[Old Wang left in a hurry, and you quietly followed him.]

[In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, he arrived at a small, single-entrance courtyard.]

[You recognize this place. It's the gathering spot for the herb-gathering team you used to be in, and also the residence of Li Mingchang, one of the three Qi Cultivation cultivators in the team.]

[You linger outside, not daring to get close. You're not confident you can eavesdrop under the nose of a Qi Cultivation cultivator.]

[But you don't leave either.]

[After a long while, Old Wang reappeared. You continue to follow him. Not long after, he arrived at a secluded spot. You think this is a good place to make a move.]

[You choose...]

[1. Attack directly, capture Old Wang, and torture him for information]

[2. Continue following to see his next destination]

[3. Quietly leave without a trace]

"Another choice?"

Su Yang frowned slightly, recalling the memories in his mind.

"The secluded spot in the simulation is not far from Li Mingchang's residence. That should be Wooden Man Alley!"

"That's one of the three routes Old Wang takes home, so is he going home?"

"No, he isn't."

"Although Old Wang can go home via that route, it's neither the closest nor the safest!"

"So, he's either going somewhere else through Wooden Man Alley, or... he's luring me out here. He already knows I'm following him."

"Wooden Man Alley is very secluded, suitable for me to attack him, and equally suitable for him to attack me!"

Su Yang's mind suddenly cleared. He felt his guess was pretty much spot on.

In Qingye Market, whether it's the commercial area or the residential area, attacking openly is forbidden.

Unless you are a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator or a member of the powers that govern Qingye Market.

The one who attacked the original Su Yang was an outer disciple of the Huaye Sect.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

And Qingye Market was established by the Huaye Sect itself, with a few other powers investing later.

"Choose three."

After figuring things out, Su Yang naturally wouldn't take the risk.

The lives of simulation characters are also lives, and their survival also affects the acquisition of simulation points.

Although he had a simulation point voucher worth 1000 points.

He didn't want to use it to offset the current simulation's "white" identity.

Su Yang estimated that the value of the "white" identity was definitely far less than 1000 simulation points.

[You quietly leave. But what you don't know is that not long after you departed, a martial artist and Old Wang secretly met up.]

[You narrowly escaped.]

"As expected!"

Su Yang's heart skipped a beat.

Fortunately, he had thought carefully. Otherwise, this simulation might have ended here.

[It was another midnight. Old Wang was engaged in vigorous activity with his neighbor Old Li's wife when he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening.]

[Old Wang was filled with fear and surprise, thinking Old Li had returned. He quickly jumped out the window.]

[Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a knife was placed at his throat.]

[You were behind the knife.]

You interrogated Old Wang, finally understanding the whole story.

It turned out that ever since you arrived at Qingye Market, you had fallen into the Medicine Gang's scheme.

The Medicine Gang's public face was recruiting a large number of peripheral members. They would take these peripheral members to the wilderness to gather herbs and clear out nearby Yao Beasts and fierce beasts, making money by taking a cut of the harvested herbs from these members.

In reality, this wasn't their main source of income.

Most mortals who came to Qingye Market had their own goals. Some wanted to earn Spirit Stones like you, to participate in a spiritual root test and join a cultivator force, ascending to become a cultivator in one leap.

Others wanted to earn some Spirit Stones, exchange them for a large amount of mundane currency, and return to their hometowns to become local lords, happily enjoying the rest of their lives.

They would generally stop or leave once they earned a set amount of Spirit Stones.

What the Medicine Gang did was to find out their targets and, before the peripheral members reached their goals, squeeze all their Spirit Stones out of them. As for the people themselves, they would naturally just disappear without a trace.

You were still some distance from your goal, not enough for the Medicine Gang to make a move. However, the spirit herb you dug up was too valuable, instantly enough to complete your objective.

To earn a significant sum of Spirit Stones, they had no choice but to act urgently, using an outer disciple of Qingye Market to kill you.

Afterward, to promote the Medicine Gang's reputation, they even gave you a proper burial!

"So that's how it is."

Su Yang understood the whole story, and everything suddenly connected.

The original host was just an ordinary kid who wanted to defy fate. In reality, he didn't have the potential to defy fate and was just a fool who was constantly being played.

It wasn't just the original host; most mortals in Qingye Market were the same.

Organizations like the Medicine Gang were just insignificant members of Qingye Market.

If nothing unexpected happened, this model would continue for a long time at the bottom of Qingye Market.

They used a large number of mortals to exploit the surrounding cultivation resources, yet gave almost nothing to the mortals.

To keep this model running, mortals were kept in the dark, and those who became useless would simply disappear.

"However, running into me and trying to scheme against me is your bad luck." Su Yang's eyes turned cold.

Logically speaking, the Medicine Gang killed Su Yang's predecessor, and it had nothing to do with him now.

But if the Medicine Gang hadn't buried him, how would he have wasted a simulation to choose a pure white identity?

He would have chosen a green identity and joined a cultivation sect, or gone to the capital of Tianyun Kingdom to enjoy himself.

Recalling his thoughts, Su Yang knew that the most important thing now was to continue the simulation.

You learned everything you wanted to know and killed Old Wang with a single strike.

You returned to your lodging and dug out the 40 Spirit Stones from under the jujube tree.

You wanted revenge, but you knew that you were no match for the Medicine Gang. If they discovered you, it would put you in great danger. You decided to leave Qingye Market.

Two days later, you chose a merchant caravan and set off for a small market town called Niúmǎ Market. You settled down there.

At eighteen, you gathered the hundred Spirit Stones needed to participate in the spiritual root test. You successfully tested your spiritual root and possessed a low-quality Earth spiritual root.

Several Qi Refining families came to recruit you. After careful consideration, you joined the Sun Family.

As agreed, the Sun Family would provide you with cultivation techniques and a certain amount of compensation. You would need to serve the Sun Family for 10 years after becoming a cultivator, or gain your freedom after marrying a mortal woman from the Sun Family and having her give birth to at least three descendants with spiritual roots.

To this, you naturally chose "I want it all."

At your strong insistence, you married three mortal women from the Sun Family. While their appearances weren't the most stunning, each of them had at least one Qi Refining cultivator from the Sun Family standing behind them.

"Good, good, good! Truly worthy of me! So steady!" Su Yang nodded with satisfaction.

What good were beautiful women? When the lights were off, they were all the same.

The key was to make women a help in cultivation.

Women, I want you to help me cultivate.

At 28, you officially became a cultivator at the first level of Qi Refining. With the help of your several mothers-in-law, you became one of the managers of the Sun Family's spirit fields.

You learned the Minor Rain Spell, Growth Spell, and Sharp Metal Spell.

You were assigned a magic tool hoe, a magic tool sickle, and spirit grain seeds.

"Not bad, not bad. The choice I made back then is indeed paying off. Not only was I assigned safe work, but I also learned several spells. This is a huge profit," Su Yang said with a laugh.

One should know that the situation for cultivators who joined small Qi Refining families wasn't good.

They either followed hunting teams to hunt Yao Beasts or fought and risked their lives with other cultivators to snatch resources.

Their lives were precarious.

Otherwise, the Sun Family wouldn't have treated those with spiritual roots who joined them so well.

They provided cultivation techniques, Spirit Stones, and even assigned wives, only requiring 10 years of service for freedom.

At 30, all your spells had reached the introductory level.

At 33, your first descendant with spiritual roots was born. He possessed a substandard Water spiritual root and a poor-quality Earth spiritual root. The Sun Family rewarded you with a Qi Boosting Pill.

At 38, the time agreed upon with the Sun Family had arrived, but you did not choose to leave. You had adapted to your current life and no longer thought about revenge, because you knew that with your talent, revenge was hopeless for a lifetime.

At 42, you broke through to the second level of Qi Refining.

[Age 45, your descendant began cultivating. It took only 5 years for their cultivation to reach Qi Refining Layer 3. Only then did you realize the vast difference a spiritual root makes.]

"5 years to break through to Qi Refining Layer 3? How long did it take to reach Qi Refining Layer 2, three years or two? How long did it take in my simulation!" Su Yang clicked his tongue.

After a quick calculation, he knew the answer.

He started cultivating at 18 and only broke through at 42, taking a full 24 years.

Although the cultivation conditions were probably not as good as his simulated descendant's, the difference in cultivation speed between the two was at least more than fivefold!

This was only with a spiritual root difference of one grade.

If the difference were greater, the gap in cultivation speed would be unimaginable.

Su Yang decided that in future simulations, he must get a good spiritual root for himself.

He continued to read.

[Age 52, a terrifying earthquake occurred in Niúmǎ Market. Various forces suffered heavy losses, and the Sun Family was no exception. Fortunately, the spiritual field area you were in was open and flat, so the losses were relatively small.]

[Age 57, your Minor Rain Spell broke through to minor accomplishment.]

[Age 68, you finally broke through to Qi Refining Layer 3. By this time, your descendant had already reached Qi Refining Layer 6 and held a position in the Sun Family. Your living conditions improved.]

[Age 70, no matter how you cultivated, you couldn't make the slightest progress. You began to enjoy life, taking several beautiful concubines. Life on Earth was only occasionally remembered in dreams.]

[Age 118, you quietly passed away in your dreams...]

[Simulation ended.]

[Generating evaluation.]

[Settling simulation points.]

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time!