(A beautiful picture of Qian Renxue)
Lin Jiang's eyes lit up.
"Really?!"
He took the brocade pouch and turned it over in his hands.
Living things?
Couldn't he pack up the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and take them with him?
Seeing how interested he was, Dugu Bo stroked his beard and smiled. "You can transplant the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well into it and carry them around with you."
Lin Jiang immediately put the pouch away.
"Old Poison, then I'll accept it without standing on ceremony!"
Dugu Bo waved a hand. "Why be so polite with us? If you want anything, just ask!"
Dugu Yan pouted beside them.
The ring she'd given him was really nice too!
And yet her grandfather had outdone her!
Dugu Bo ignored her and looked at Lin Jiang. "What are your plans now?"
Lin Jiang thought for a moment.
Dugu Yan leaned closer too, gazing at him with sparkling eyes.
"Hmm..." Lin Jiang began slowly. "My Soul Power has risen too quickly, and my foundation isn't stable. For the next while, I need to strengthen it and make my Soul Power more refined."
Dugu Bo froze for a moment, then nodded in approval.
"Good for you!"
He'd assumed the boy would keep increasing his strength at breakneck speed. He hadn't expected him to know when to consolidate his foundation.
That kind of temperament was even rarer than his talent.
Dugu Bo furtively shot Dugu Yan a look—Yan Yan, make the most of this.
Dugu Yan answered with a look that said, Got it.
Lin Jiang didn't notice the little exchange between the grandfather and granddaughter. He continued, "We can't just take the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well without planting anything in return. Old Poison, I'll leave the tending and planting to you."
Dugu Bo nodded solemnly.
This boy really did think ahead.
Night fell.
Dugu Manor grew quiet.
Dugu Yan had indeed been tired these past few days. For once, she didn't stick to Lin Jiang, and went back to her room early to sleep.
Lying on his bed, Lin Jiang finally had time to open the system panel.
[Current simulations available for distribution: 1] [Current Subversion Points remaining: 90]
Lin Jiang stared at the panel, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He'd already decided what he wanted to focus on in this simulation—
Qian Renxue.
The Angel God's successor, the young mistress of Spirit Hall, and the Crown Prince "Xue Qinghe," who had been lying low in the Heaven Dou Empire for years.
Her fortune value had to be off the charts.
"Begin distribution."
--
Meanwhile.
Heaven Dou City, the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.
The bedchamber was brightly lit.
Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue—waved for all the maids to leave.
The doors closed.
She was alone in the hall.
She walked to the bed and sat down wearily.
Pretending to be a man every day, maneuvering through official circles and dealing with the probing and scheming of those old foxes, was utterly exhausting.
She raised a hand and undid her crown.
Her golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
A flash of light passed, and the face belonging to "Xue Qinghe" vanished, replaced by a peerlessly beautiful one—
Golden eyes, skin fair as snow, a straight nose, and slender phoenix eyes that held a hint of imposing authority.
Qian Renxue.
She collapsed onto the bed and closed her eyes.
At last, she could relax for a while—
[Beep! Congratulations, host. You have been bound to the Life Simulator! Use the simulator to obtain rewards from simulated lives!]
Qian Renxue's eyes flew open!
"Who's there?!"
She sprang up at once. A flash of light passed, and she returned to Xue Qinghe's appearance!
A wave of Soul Power swept out, scanning the entire bedchamber—
There was no one.
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes and warily surveyed her surroundings.
"Who is it? How dare you break into the East Palace at night?"
Silence.
Only the rustle of leaves in the wind outside the window could be heard.
[Current simulations available: 1] [Would the host like to begin a simulation?]
Qian Renxue froze.
That voice... had come from deep within her mind?
It wasn't telepathy or a Soul Skill. It had sounded directly inside her consciousness?
She swept the entire bedchamber with her Soul Power again.
There truly wasn't anyone else there.
Qian Renxue slowly lowered her guard.
Could it be...
A Divine Oracle?
Was the Angel God giving her guidance?
She took a deep breath and silently thought:
"Begin the simulation."
A flash of light passed. She returned to her original appearance and sat cross-legged on the bed, her expression devout.
[Simulation begins—] Qian Renxue watched in silence. [Age 0: You were born in Spirit Hall.] [Your father was the current Pope, Qian Xunji, and your mother was Holy Maiden Bibi Dong.]
Qian Renxue's gaze flickered.
The fact that her mother was Bibi Dong... hardly anyone on the entire continent knew.
This simulator really was no ordinary thing.
[That same year, Golden Crocodile Douluo returned from an outing with an abandoned infant in his arms.] ["This child was abandoned in the wilderness, yet golden light coils around him, and my Martial Soul, the Golden Crocodile King, even trembled at his presence! This child is surely extraordinary!"] [In the swaddling clothes he carried, there was only a wooden name tag, with the two characters Lin Jiang carved on it.]
Qian Renxue raised her brows slightly.
Lin Jiang?
It was hard not to be curious.
[Age 3.] [You played alone in the Spirit Hall plaza. You had no playmates, only a flock of white doves to keep you company.] [Day after day, you grew terribly bored.] [Until that day—] [A little boy walked up to you.] [He was very handsome, with delicate features. When he smiled, he was like sunshine.] ["Are you by yourself?"] [You blinked your big, watery eyes and nodded.] [The little boy held out his hand. A piece of candy rested in his palm.] ["Here, have some candy."] [You tilted your head. "Candy?"] ["Dried Tangerine Peel Candy!" The little boy blinked. "You've never had any?"] [You shook your head.] [He carefully peeled off the wrapper and held the candy to your lips.] [The sweet-and-sour taste melted across your tongue.] [You froze.] [It was so sweet.] [The little boy looked at you and smiled. "Let's play together!"] [At last, you smiled too.] ["Okay."]
The corners of Qian Renxue's mouth lifted slightly.
Dried Tangerine Peel Candy...
She couldn't remember clearly, but she seemed to have eaten a very sweet piece of candy when she was little.
So he had given it to her?
[From then on, you became the best of friends.] [Your name was Qian Renxue, and his was Lin Jiang.] [You were inseparable every day, innocent and close.] [He joined you in feeding the doves, and you joined him in climbing the rockeries. You snuck into the kitchen to eat pastries together, and were caught by Qian Daoliu and made to stand as punishment. Then, while standing there, you secretly exchanged glances and smiled.] [Those were the happiest days of your childhood.] [Age 6: The day of your Martial Soul Awakening had arrived.] [You began to worry.] [You knew your bloodline—the Six-Winged Angel, the most sacred inheritance of Spirit Hall. After your awakening, you would surely have to shoulder the burden of the Angel lineage, cultivating hard every day with no time to spare.] [But what about Lin Jiang?] [If his Martial Soul was ordinary, or if he didn't have a Martial Soul at all...] [Then you were destined to walk different paths.]
Qian Renxue's fingers clenched slightly.
So she had thought about this when she was six?
[The Martial Soul Awakening ceremony was presided over by Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu himself.] [You and Lin Jiang stood together, your palms slick with sweat.] [Light flashed—] [The phantom of the Six-Winged Angel appeared behind you! Divine golden light illuminated the entire hall!] [Innate Level 20 Soul Power!] [Qian Daoliu wept tears of joy and knelt to bow his head. "Heaven blesses our Angel lineage!"] [Everyone cheered and bowed in worship.] [But you couldn't spare a thought for any of it.] [You turned to look at Lin Jiang beside you.]
Qian Renxue's heart tightened too.
Lin Jiang...
What kind of Martial Soul would he awaken?
Before you continue