Rewards and Upgrades

As his chaotic consciousness gradually cleared, he instinctively raised a hand and flexed it.

The response from his frail body finally brought Su Mingyue fully back to his senses.

"Fifty years!" His unfocused gaze sharpened, and Su Mingyue sighed in a still somewhat childish voice.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Master, your current reincarnation simulation has ended.]

[Simulation rating: Perfect! Congratulations again, Master~]

Only then did he notice the results panel floating in front of him. He raised an eyebrow.

"...Childhood betrothed? Philosopher? One sword for every God King Tang? What on earth are these achievement results?"

He swiped away the achievements column with a thoroughly speechless look, and the evaluation results came into view.

[Simulation rating: Perfect (You even perfectly completed the impossible first main objective. I have to admire your ruthlessness and wild imagination in the simulation, so this Simulator has decided to give Master a chance to choose a reward!)]

[Reward 1: Keep two of the three talents selected before the simulation as permanent talents! (Note: Deliverance Form will be a reward and, together with Innate Full Soul Power, will become one of Master's Martial Souls!)

You will also receive 10 talent draws! (Note: These draws are guaranteed to yield at least 1 red and 1 gold!) And 10,000 talent points.]

[Reward 2: Keep two of the three talents selected before the simulation as permanent talents! (Note: Deliverance Form will be a reward and, together with Innate Full Soul Power, will become one of Master's Martial Souls!)

Also retain all the experimental data and resources you stored in Void Archives during the simulation! (Note: There's also a little surprise~) And 10,000 talent points.]

"Simulator, come out." His gaze shifted indecisively between the two reward options, and Su Mingyue instinctively called for backup.

'Ding! Please give your orders, Master~'

The sweet, childish voice rang out, and only then did Su Mingyue realize it wasn't the usual electronic voice anymore.

Setting that mystery aside for the moment, he pointed at the reward options before him. "Can you be more specific about the little surprise in Reward 2?"

'Ding! I can't, meow~ A surprise is a surprise. Master will have to discover it for yourself~'

He couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hint of amusement in her voice. Su Mingyue furrowed his brows slightly.

"I see. What happened to your voice? Wasn't it just an electronic voice before?"

'Ding! Master achieved a Perfect rating on his very first simulation, so I got quite the upgrade too, meow~'

"...All right, then I choose Reward 2. I'll keep 'Void Archives' and 'Great Inventor.'" For now, he decided to ignore the so-called little surprise.

After all, the treasures he'd stashed in Void Archives during the simulation were already piled high.

Not to mention all those precious records and data. Compared to the guaranteed red-grade talent in Reward 1, his old companions were still the better choice.

[Ding! Master's reward selection is complete. Distributing rewards now...!]

That familiar warmth surfaced, along with the sensation of a string snapping—the same feeling he'd had when his talents first awakened in the simulation. Su Mingyue let out a low groan.

[Ding! Reward distribution is complete!]

A moment later, as the Simulator's announcement sounded again, Su Mingyue instinctively snapped his fingers.

In a familiar flash of golden light, Void Archives appeared, floating silently before him.

"..."

He silently ran a hand over it, lost in thought for a long while.

'Ding! Master, since your first simulation was so perfect, the Simulator will be undergoing an update in addition to distributing your simulation rewards!'

'Once the update is complete, the Talent Exchange Shop will open, and Master will receive one random discount draw. (Note: The discount will be at least 30% off~)'

The Simulator's sweet, childish voice rang in his ears once more, and a prompt panel appeared in front of Su Mingyue.

"How long will the upgrade take?" He put away Void Archives and raised an eyebrow.

'Ding! It'll take a little while, meow~ In any case, once the Simulator's upgrade is complete, Master's simulation attempts will have cooled down too, and there'll be some new changes to the simulations~'

"...I see. Understood." Su Mingyue nodded thoughtfully, then chose to exit the Simulator's inner space.

His vision blurred again, and the familiar ceiling of his room came back into view.

He blinked, then sprang upright from the bed in one swift motion and eagerly summoned Void Archives. "Xiao Ya!"

His gaze softened as he called to her in a gentle voice.

Soon, a golden gleam flashed across Void Archives, and Xiao Ya appeared before him.

"Mm—has it ended?" She opened her beautiful eyes in a daze and asked instinctively.

"Yes, it's over." Su Mingyue leaned closer to her face, his voice still carrying a trace of childishness.

"...!? Ming... Ming Yue?" She followed the sound and immediately widened her beautiful eyes. "N-no, wait, how did you end up like this?"

"And... Honkai!? Why can't I sense even a trace of Honkai Energy in this world?"

This was probably the most expressive she'd ever been. Xiao Ya fired off a string of questions, staring straight at Ming Yue.

"Ah, it's a little complicated to explain. In short, it went like this, then like that, and so...that's what happened."

He gave her a rough explanation of the Simulator, then quickly summarized everything.

"I see. No wonder I..." She narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly. "Master, you really are something else!"

Xiao Ya suddenly smiled.

"You got that right." He smiled and poked her cheek, then changed the subject.

"Now, scan my body and list the Immortal Herbs and pills best suited to improve my physical condition."

The Spirit Pagoda would be conducting its Martial Soul Awakenings soon. Though Su Mingyue already had Void Archives,

to comply with the rules of this world, he still needed to awaken Deliverance Form as a Martial Soul.

Besides, Su Mingyue had no intention of hiding his talents.

After all, he'd been the Spirit Pagoda Master for so many years. Compared to Shrek, he was certainly more partial to the Spirit Pagoda.

"Understood. I'll take care of it for Ming Yue." As she spoke, her figure vanished, and Xiao Ya brought Ming Yue with her into the Knowledge Space inside Void Archives.

The room fell quiet once more. The only difference was that a regular octahedron now floated above the bed.