"Game, incense burner... game, incense burner..."
Li Xiang stared at the computer screen, dumbfounded, his mind racing!
This world was already a world of cultivation, where anything was possible. Besides, he was a transmigrator—he had already seen far too many strange things.
He understood at once that this was no longer just a game.
This computer had been unearthed from an Ancient Tomb.
In other words, it was entirely possible that the game on this computer had been a cheat all along, and it had simply ended up in his hands by accident.
And the two options, [Sacrificial Offering] and [Bestowal], were ways for this cheat to bring him benefits.
Through [Bestowal].
The descendants in the game would grow stronger, allowing them to obtain precious items in the game world and send them back to him.
He could then obtain [Sacrificial Offerings] through the incense burner.
"So right now, I have to do everything I can to help Li Dalong grow!"
In the room, beneath the familiar music, Li Xiang could even hear his own heartbeat.
Even so,
Li Xiang remained calm. He had always been the sort of person with a terrifying degree of composure. His uncles and aunties at Jixian Manor had even suspected that if the whole planet exploded, this kid Li Xiang wouldn't so much as panic.
He looked at the time displayed in the game.
[Please place your Bestowal in the incense burner.]
[3:45]
Time was slipping away. If the countdown reached zero before he rewarded Li Dalong, he would have to wait ten years for the next ancestor-worship ceremony. Li Dalong was already twenty. Without some way to protect himself, he might starve to death!
Li Xiang sprang to his feet, turning over every useful detail in his mind as he scanned the room.
"So what should I give him? Food? No. He was born a slave, and since he managed to escape, he should be able to find a way to fill his stomach in the short term."
"Spirit Stones? No good. Li Dalong is just an ordinary person. A man's innocence is no protection when he carries a priceless treasure!"
"A cultivation method, yes! He has to strengthen himself to survive and build up the family over these ten years!"
Li Xiang hurriedly searched the room.
At last, he found a pitch-black stone. With trembling hands, he carefully placed it inside when there was just 1:00 left on the [Bestowal] timer!
At that moment, the game system appeared on the screen again.
[Detecting the Bestowal you have placed—]
[Qi Refiner Cultivation Manual]
[Would you like to send it?]
Li Xiang clicked 'Yes' without the slightest hesitation!
This Qi Refiner Cultivation Manual had been added to a discarded Spirit Stone using modern technology.
It combined the teachings of many Huaxia cultivators, distilling a thousand years' worth of cultivation knowledge from the Qi Refining stage. It was also the "kindergarten-level" cultivation textbook used by every cultivation academy in Huaxia!
There was no doubt about it.
This was the best thing for Li Dalong to study. Only by mastering power could he improve his chances of surviving in the game world—and lay a solid foundation for the family's future!
"This is..."
On the screen, Li Dalong held the [Bestowal] in both hands, seeming to understand at once. He kowtowed before the altar in gratitude. "This unfilial descendant thanks the Ancestor for the reward. I will not fail your expectations!"
"Glug, glug..."
Li Xiang propped his legs up on his gaming chair and took a big gulp of his drink. "You'd better not fail my expectations. Hurry the hell up and survive, then have a ton of kids and make our clan prosper!"
Then he cranked the game's time-speed slider all the way up!
Soon, the altar in the game disappeared, leaving only a dilapidated little hut.
But as Li Xiang watched intently, the surroundings where Li Dalong lived gradually began to change.
A plot of farmland slowly appeared beside the hut.
The original wooden shack was gradually rebuilt with stone.
A rack for drying strips of meat stood outside the house.
More trees appeared all around.
A whole hour passed.
It was like he was peering into someone's life. The whole thing felt incredibly surreal to Li Xiang.
[Your descendant, Li Dalong, has grown accustomed to living alone in the mountains. After diligently studying the Qi Refiner Cultivation Manual, he has finally become a Qi Refining cultivator!]
"Bless us, Ancestors!"
Li Xiang once again saw Li Dalong kneeling before the altar.
[Incense +2]
"He finally broke through!"
Li Xiang was just as delighted. He checked Li Dalong's information.
Amid a long list of data, he found the key detail.
[Trait: Strive for Greatness]
[Though his aptitude is poor, he works harder than anyone]
"No wonder he's my descendant. He faces life with the same drive I do!"
Li Xiang praised him.
Then he returned the game's time speed to match real time. It was about time for dinner.
He went to the dining room. A meal of two dishes and a soup had already been laid out on the table.
He poured himself a bowl of soup and took a sip, then served the food into his bowl. As he did, he asked Yuexian, who was looking at him in confusion, "Did you get in touch with Old Ghost? What did he say?"
Yuexian replied, "I contacted everyone. Old Ghost didn't respond, and neither did anyone else from the Li Family."
"Hm?"
Li Xiang paused, frowning. "Even if they're deliberately trying to delay my allowance, they wouldn't dare ignore me. All right, go to No. 8 Cave Abode in person and leave a message. Uncle Qin goes out every day. Ask him to inquire about it when he heads out."
"Yes, Master."
After giving the order, Li Xiang hurried back to his room to continue playing the game.
An allowance was just an allowance. But now Li Xiang knew full well that a huge opportunity lay right in front of him. Taking the [Cultivation Family Simulator] seriously was what mattered most. Everything else could wait!
At the doorway, Li Xiang stopped. He glanced at Yuexian, who was about to clear the table. "Oh, pack up this food too."
Yuexian had already prepared the takeaway containers.
"Understood, Master. Same as before, I'll take it to Old Man Chen at the gate."
"Right."
When he returned to his room, Li Xiang set the game's time speed to match the real world, then clicked Li Dalong in the family tree.
The game screen began shifting to a place outside the clan's settlement.
In the top-right corner, [Map—Wild Boar Forest] appeared.
The scene showed a forest, where Li Dalong's animated character appeared along with several wild boars.
The notes about the members' actions, which filled much of the bottom-right corner, also recorded what Li Dalong had done.
[Several wild boars have repeatedly destroyed the vegetable garden. Li Dalong has mastered his skills and vows to avenge himself.]
Li Xiang immediately sped up time a little, but soon slowed it down again.
[Special Event: Your descendant, Li Dalong, encountered the Wild Boar King while fighting the wild boars and suffered minor injuries. Would you like to use 'Ancestral Blessing'?]
[Ancestral Blessing]
[1. Love from the Ancestor]
[2. Charge My Children]
[3...]
[15. Resurrect My Descendant]
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
Li Xiang scratched his head and quickly clicked to inspect the options. It seemed that whenever a descendant encountered an enemy, he, as their ancestor, could spend 'Incense' to use these abilities.
At the moment, the only one he could use was [Love from the Ancestor]. It cost 2 Incense and could heal his descendant's injuries a little.
As for [Resurrect My Descendant], it required a ridiculous amount of Incense.
Without hesitation, Li Xiang spent the Incense to heal his only descendant.
"The Ancestor has revealed himself again!"
Li Dalong's little game character bowed in gratitude.
Not long afterward, after Li Xiang sped up time, he soon saw Li Dalong kowtowing before the altar again.
[Li Dalong is deeply grateful for the Ancestor's blessing.]
[Incense +2]
Li Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. Li Dalong was his only descendant. If he died, it would be Game Over.
"Is this what it feels like to be an ancestor? Afraid your bloodline won't continue? My grandfather was just like this. I'd only just started high school, and he was already telling me to be the school's little punk and find a wife as soon as possible..."
Thinking of that, Li Xiang couldn't help laughing. Then a pang of melancholy struck him. "I wonder if my family in the other world is doing all right?"
He quickly shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
Then, as he switched to a flat stool and sat down to cultivate with a high-grade Spirit Stone, he kept his eyes on the game.
Time in the game trickled by.
Li Dalong's shabby little hut became a stone house. The vegetable garden outside began to sprout, and perhaps because he could hunt in the mountains now, the pile of dried meat grew larger and larger. Li Dalong even started raising more than a dozen pigs.
In the third year, Li Dalong successfully broke through to the second level of Qi Refining.
During that time, Li Xiang had gained another 4 Incense.
That wasn't slow at all. Li Xiang had checked the kid's stats. Li Dalong had begun cultivating as an ordinary mortal, starting from nothing. His aptitude was poor, and he had no resources. This was already the very best result hard work could achieve.
Just then,
Li Xiang suddenly opened his eyes as he meditated, his gaze brightening.
[Li Dalong has entered the city to sell animal hides, hoping to earn some silver to buy pills that can aid his cultivation. On the way, he meets a young woman from a farming family, and the two develop feelings for each other.]
"You've finally come around, huh? Forget just having feelings—go straight to the bridal chamber!"
Li Xiang no longer cared whether the woman was a farmer's daughter or a rich young lady. As long as Li Dalong had a happy marriage, that was enough. Better yet, he could turn into a baby-making machine on the spot and carry on the Li Family's incense!
The scene soon changed.
On the screen, Li Dalong was already holding a young woman's hand as he returned to the altar in the courtyard of his home.
A man and a woman stood dressed in red wedding clothes.
"This unfilial descendant, Li Dalong, is marrying Xu Cuihua of Xu Family Village today. I humbly beg the Ancestor for your blessing!"
Bless him, bless him good!
Li Xiang was overjoyed. He immediately found [Ancestral Blessing] in the interface, spent 2 Incense, and used [Love from the Ancestor]!
"The Ancestor has revealed himself again!"
"Thank you, Ancestor, for granting us your blessing!"
As Li Dalong kowtowed in thanks, the scene turned to night in the blink of an eye. The Li Family's only descendant had taken his bride into the bridal chamber right then and there.
[Today, Li Dalong was married.]
[Incense +4]
The house had been decorated with the character for joy. It was clearly going to be a sleepless night.
Watching the screen, Li Xiang was even more excited than if he were the one entering the bridal chamber.
"Make babies, my child! Make babies like crazy and show this world the mighty prowess of our Li Family!"
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