[Over these ten years, Mo Chen had continually urged you to break through to Foundation Establishment, but you had never been able to do so. Gradually, he began to feel somewhat disappointed in you.] [In the following years, Mo Chen no longer provided you with Spiritual Herbs and rarely came to see you again.] [Twenty-first year: Ever since you found that feeling last time, you had never found it again. At this point, you realized that your Spiritual Root was simply too poor.] [Twenty-second year: This year, you frantically gathered Spiritual Herbs that restored Soul Power, attempting to trigger a qualitative change through sheer quantity.] [Twenty-third year: This year, you made every possible preparation and took out the Foundation Establishment Pill for one final charge.] [The Foundation Establishment Pill entered your stomach, and a wave of heat swiftly spread throughout your body.] [After years of accumulation, you quickly broke through to Foundation Establishment. Once you did, you did not dare relax in the slightest, focusing wholeheartedly on detecting the changes in your body.] [Very soon, you sensed a strange surge of spiritual power in your abdomen rushing into your sea of consciousness, lunging straight for your soul.] [Having made every possible preparation, you immediately stuffed the Spiritual Herbs he had prepared into his mouth, then used Soul Power to resist the Sinister Worm's gnawing.] [However, this Sinister Worm was absurdly powerful. Without even the slightest ability to fight back, you were completely devoured.] [You fell unconscious...] [In the instant before you lost consciousness, you heard a familiar voice.] ["Trash, I told you long ago to break through to Foundation Establishment. What was the point of resisting for so many years? Why do you think I gave you those Spiritual Herbs? Wasn't it to keep you from successfully awakening?"] [You died...] [Talent activated: Soul Return. On the first day after your death, your soul returned to the Azure Cloud Sect.] [You saw your own familiar face, as well as someone you had never expected—Ye Chuxue!] [Ye Chuxue had been crippled and captured. She glared at you and roared.] ["I knew it. How could someone in the Qi Refining Stage possibly awaken? There has never been such a precedent since ancient times. I regret telling you all this. I should have killed you with one palm strike back then. At least I wouldn't have ended up like this."] [Your time for Soul Return had ended. You left the Azure Cloud Sect!] [Ding! Simulation complete. Choose one of the following rewards.] [1: Great Perfection of Qi Refining Tenth Layer cultivation.] [2: Second-grade Alchemist at Great Perfection.] [3: All remaining spirit stones from this simulation.] [4: All genuine insights from this simulation.] [5: The Soul Return talent from this simulation!]
Su Ming did not hesitate in the slightest and chose the reward of a Second-grade Alchemist at Great Perfection.
"Looks like that old fox Mo Chen had never had good intentions."
From the final simulation, he had obtained several highly useful pieces of information.
First, when he broke through to Foundation Establishment in the simulation, the Sinister Worm he faced had been so powerful. There was a high chance that Mo Chen had been behind it. The Spiritual Herbs Mo Chen had given him definitely had a problem.
Second, after he failed to break through and the Sinister Worm took over his body, it was clear that the Sinister Worm possessed the ability to read memories.
After learning Ye Chuxue's identity, it had immediately sent people to capture her.
The final point was also the most important: for him, the only way to break through to Foundation Establishment at present was to reach the Extreme Realm of Qi Refining.
His failure this time was not because this path would not work, but because his Spiritual Root was too poor. On top of that, he had not drawn any good talents.
On the Simulator's settlement screen just now, he had noticed a slight change.
Previously, the cultivation reward had always been Great Perfection of Qi Refining, but this time it was Great Perfection of Qi Refining Tenth Layer.
"Interesting!"
At that thought, the corners of Su Ming's lips curled upward slightly.
He did not plan to rush into another simulation. He intended to first stabilize his cultivation and familiarize himself with the Soul Power of a Second-grade Alchemist.
The next day, when he emerged from seclusion, he discovered someone shouting outside the Cave Mansion.
"Su Ming! Su Ming, you piece of trash, get out here!"
Hearing this, Su Ming frowned and walked outside. The moment he saw that it was Wang Hao, he understood.
"You really were here. You piece of trash, why didn't you go work today?"
When Wang Hao saw Su Ming come out, he stepped forward and tried to slap him.
But Su Ming was no longer the Su Ming from before. Without hesitation, he slapped Wang Hao to the ground.
Su Ming walked over and crouched beside Wang Hao, looking at the other man's blood-filled mouth. He could not help shaking his head.
Wang Hao, lying on the ground, was completely dumbfounded. When he felt the powerful pressure of Qi Refining Tenth Layer emanating from Su Ming, he began begging for mercy.
"Su... Su Ming, I was wrong. I'm sorry. P-please... please spare me, okay?"
"Oh? You were wrong? Then where were you wrong?"
Su Ming wore a wicked smile as he looked at Wang Hao.
But in Wang Hao's eyes, that smile was nothing less than a demon's.
"I understand, I understand!"
Very quickly, Wang Hao handed Su Ming a ring.
"These are all the spirit stones I took from you over the years. I'm returning every last one today."
"Please spare me, okay? It was all because I failed to recognize Mount Tai before my eyes!"
Su Yuan snatched the ring away and said coldly.
"Not enough!"
"W-what? Not enough?"
Wang Hao stared wide-eyed into Su Ming's icy gaze, then gritted his teeth.
"This is my Storage Ring. It contains all of my spirit stones. I'll give them all to you. Please spare me, okay?"
Wang Hao deeply regretted coming to find Su Ming today. At the same time, he viciously marked Su Ming down in his heart.
Once he returned and found his older brother, he would definitely be able to kill Su Yuan and take back the spirit stones.
"That's more like it!"
After accepting the ring, Su Ming slowly rose to his feet.
Seeing this, Wang Hao breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
Thank goodness! Thank goodness! My life is saved. Su Ming, just wait!
Though he harbored resentment toward Su Ming, his face wore a fawning expression.
"Junior Brother Su, I've given you all my spirit stones. Can I leave now?"
Watching Wang Hao's ingratiating expression, Su Ming's lips curved upward slightly.
"You can. Go."
"Alright, Junior Brother Su. I definitely won't trouble you again in the future."
With that, Wang Hao fled Su Ming's Cave Mansion without looking back.
However, just as he reached the entrance to the Cave Mansion, a cold flash swept past. Wang Hao only felt a chill at his neck, and the entire world began to spin upside down.
"Huh? That looks like my body. What happened to me?"
His head separated from his body. Su Ming walked over to Wang Hao's corpse.
"I said I would let you leave, but I never said I would spare you."
After disposing of Wang Hao's corpse, Su Ming knew that Wang Hao had an older brother. However, he was only a Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivator and posed no pressure to him.
What mattered most now was finding a way to break through to Foundation Establishment as quickly as possible.
After tidying everything up, Su Ming opened the Simulator once more.
[Simulation begins!] [Drawing a random talent!] [Congratulations, you have obtained the Red Talent: Young Supreme Being!] [Young Supreme Being: You become a peerless prodigy rarely seen in a thousand ages. Even if you are a mortal, you will be able to become a Great Emperor in the future. Once you reach middle age, you will begin encountering all manner of calamities...]
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