Simulation

"System?"

Hearing the mechanical voice in his mind, Yang Wu froze.

He had been in this world for three years and was just about to give up trying to get ahead. And now a system had appeared...

"Brother Yang?"

Luo Feng's voice rang out, and Yang Wu finally snapped back to his senses.

"Heh heh, Yang Wu, you didn't get so happy you went stupid, did you?" Tong Guan shouted in his booming voice from nearby.

Tong Guan's shout drew everyone in the hall's attention to Yang Wu.

Naturally, that meant Yang Wu couldn't immediately investigate the system that had appeared in his mind.

"Haha, I just passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment. I'm a little too happy!" Yang Wu said with a laugh.

At the same time, he silently pondered the matter.

"Loading complete? It's been exactly three years since I came to this world. Could this so-called 'Time Simulator' have loaded based on the passage of time?"

Jiang Nian, an instructor at the Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District, walked over with a smile. "Yang Wu, don't get too excited just yet. The Martial Artist Combat Assessment is on August 1. You'll have to go outside the human Base Cities to hunt monsters. Only after passing the combat assessment will you become a true martial artist!"

Though Jiang Nian spoke that way, he was already certain that Yang Wu would pass the Quasi-Warrior Assessment.

That was because two senior trainees from Yi'an District had passed this time: Yang Wu and Luo Feng.

When the combat assessment came around on August 1, the two of them could form a team. If they still couldn't pass together, they'd have to be pretty weak.

"I understand!" Yang Wu nodded.

"All right. Three people passed this Quasi-Warrior Assessment: Yang Wu, Luo Feng, and Bai Yang."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong smiled from the side. "Next, you'll sign the combat assessment agreement. I have something to take care of, so Jiang Nian and Yan Gan, please handle it."

"Yes, Chief Instructor," Jiang Nian and the other chubby, elderly man replied respectfully.

After Chief Instructor Wu Tong and a silver-haired man in a black robe left, Jiang Nian and the others led the three of them through the signing of an agreement.

The agreement was simple. It mainly stated that if they were killed or injured during the Martial Artist Combat Assessment, Extreme Martial Arts Hall would bear no responsibility.

After the three of them signed, Jiang Nian said with a smile, "There's still a month before the combat assessment. Time is short, so you should prepare well. If all else fails, you can team up with martial artists you know during the assessment. That'll be safer, too!"

Jiang Nian was really saying this to Yang Wu and Luo Feng. Whether those two became full-fledged martial artists affected his Contribution Points.

"And there's this!" Jiang Nian walked over to the computer keyboard and quickly pressed a few keys. An article soon appeared on the large screen: Genetic Energy Cultivation Method.

"The Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method is the only way to cultivate Genetic Origin Energy anywhere on Earth. You can try practicing it over the next month. If you succeed, your strength will improve considerably!"

"Yes!" Yang Wu and the other two hurriedly read and memorized the article.

After a while, Jiang Nian said, "All right, today's Quasi-Warrior Assessment is over. You three can head home. Just don't forget the combat assessment on August 1. If you do, you'll have to wait until February next year to take it again!"

"Yes, Instructor!" Yang Wu and the other two turned and left the Martial Arts Hall together.

"My name is Bai Yang. I'm from Jiangnan First Military Academy!" At the entrance to Mingyue Residential Quarter, Bai Yang shook hands with Yang Wu and Luo Feng in turn. "It's a pleasure to meet you both!"

Luo Feng smiled as well. "I'm Luo Feng, and this is Yang Wu. We're both from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District."

"Brother Luo Feng, you became a martial artist at just eighteen. You're sure to have a bright future." Bai Yang beamed. "It's fate that the three of us passed the assessment together today. Why don't we celebrate at a restaurant?"

Yang Wu was eager to investigate his golden finger. How could he possibly feel like going out to eat?

So he apologized, "Sorry, I have something to take care of. I really don't have time today. How about we get together another day?"

"All right, then! What about you, Brother Luo Feng?" Bai Yang asked, looking at Luo Feng expectantly.

Bai Yang didn't think much of Yang Wu. The one he really wanted to befriend was Luo Feng, the genius who had become a martial artist at eighteen!

"Brother Bai, I promised my family I'd come straight home and tell them after the assessment," Luo Feng said, turning him down as well.

"Okay, then. We'll get together another time!"

Bai Yang wasn't too disappointed that he hadn't been able to get anyone to join him. The martial artist's path depended mainly on oneself; everything else was secondary.

And so, Yang Wu and Luo Feng said goodbye to Bai Yang and returned to Yi'an District together, then headed home separately.

When Yang Wu got home, he told his family that he'd passed the assessment. After celebrating with them, he returned to his room.

"System?" Yang Wu called out in his mind.

"Host detected as having officially become a martial artist. Activate the Time Simulator?" the mechanical voice sounded again.

"Activate!" Yang Wu sat on his bed, took a deep breath, and chose to activate the simulator.

As soon as it activated, a virtual panel appeared in front of Yang Wu.

"Time Simulator activated. Current simulations remaining: 1. Begin simulating a life now?"

"Simulate a life?" Yang Wu wondered what his golden finger could do.

After thinking it over, he got up and left his room. He told his family he wanted to focus on cultivation, then returned to his room.

Once everything was ready, Yang Wu eagerly selected yes.

"Yes!"

A line of text appeared on the panel in front of Yang Wu.

"The characters in the simulated life are created by the simulator itself, and their memories differ from the host's. Please proceed with caution."

"Choose the simulated character's personality."

"1. Cautious; 2. Brave; 3. Passionate."

"Their memories differ? Proceed with caution?" Yang Wu studied the text before him, hesitated for a moment, and finally chose a cautious personality.

Next, lines of text began appearing on the panel in front of Yang Wu.

[At 24, you passed the Quasi-Warrior Combat Assessment and became a true martial artist. After becoming a martial artist, you chose not to enter the Wilderness Area out of caution. Instead, you decided to join the Wang Family, where your employer, Wang Zijin, worked.]

[At 25, relying on the Wang Family's influence, you successfully cultivated to the second apprentice level. Meanwhile, because your friend Luo Feng had suddenly become an Inspector of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Jiangnan Base City, your standing in the Wang Family rose considerably.]

[At 26, you cultivated diligently and advanced to the third apprentice level. However, your friend Luo Feng was suspected to have died, and your standing in the Wang Family plummeted. Still, you were cautious and never offended anyone, so you remained safe. It was just that your cultivation resources were greatly reduced, and you also had to carry out all kinds of tasks assigned by the Wang Family.]

[At 27, your friend Luo Feng suddenly returned and became an Inspector of Extreme Martial Arts Hall. With his help, you successfully left the Wang Family and became an instructor at Extreme Martial Arts Hall.]

[At 28, a terrifying monster appeared on Earth. Humanity's strongest fighters were helpless against it. When the monster attacked Jiangnan Base City, you were on the streets helping the military maintain order. In the end, a beam of golden light it casually fired tore you to pieces.]

...

That was it?

After reading it, Yang Wu felt a little speechless.

What happened to the promised path to eternity?

Everything had been going well at first. How had he ended up dying just like that?

So without his golden finger, he'd be killed by the Golden Horned Beast four years from now?

Yang Wu knew exactly what the terrifying monster at the end of the simulation was. He just hadn't expected to die at its hands.

[Simulation ended. You may choose one of the following rewards.]

[1. Your martial cultivation at age 28.]

[2. Your martial insights at age 28.]

[3. Your life experiences from the simulation.]