The Cangyuan Realm

To conduct a simulation, Zhou Yu needed one of his clones to actively initiate it. Having initiated the previous two in the Desolate Era World, he decided to simply start this one in the Swallowed Star World.

[Do you wish to begin drawing a simulation world?]

A line of text appeared before Zhou Yu once again, and as he chose to draw, more lines of text emerged.

[Drawing world.]

[Draw successful. The simulation world for this session is the Cangyuan Realm!]

"The Cangyuan Realm?"

Zhou Yu paused. This world was indeed not quite to his liking; after all, achieving "eternal life" in this world was too difficult, and the lifespans of living beings were absurdly short. Even if the simulation were successful, there was a risk that his clone would die of old age shortly after he acquired it.

However, since he had already drawn it, he might as well simulate. A successful simulation would grant a talent, which wasn't bad either.

[Drawing initial talent--]

[Draw successful. Please choose from the following three talents.]

[1. Focused Mind--Easier to fall into a state of epiphany when focused.]

[2. Cultivation Genius--Possess extremely high talent in all aspects from birth.]

[3. True Spirit Immortal--After death, the True Spirit remains intact, retaining memories and reincarnating randomly (limited to one use).]

Zhou Yu quickly scanned the three talents and fell into deep thought.

He had made a mistake when choosing talents last time: he had focused too much on how the talent would help him in reality, while ignoring its utility for his simulated self.

One had to realize that if the simulation failed, the talent could not be manifested, making the choice effectively useless.

But then again, if it had little effect on him in reality, it wasn't worth it either.

"Talent three is the most useful to me. If I had this, I could have gone straight to reincarnation in the Desolate Era World," Zhou Yu sighed inwardly. He really wanted to choose this, but he feared that if the simulation failed, everything would be for nothing.

After all, if the talent wasn't sufficient, he might reincarnate eight or ten times to no avail, not to mention that this talent could only be used once.

"Talent two it is. Thinking about it carefully, the effect of this talent is the most likely to lead to a successful simulation. Only with a successful simulation does the choice have meaning." Zhou Yu quickly made his decision.

Once Zhou Yu made his choice, the simulation objectives soon appeared.

[Please choose one of the following simulation objectives.]

[1. Become a King-level God and Devil or equivalent lifeform--Upon completion, obtain a King-level God and Devil or equivalent lifeform clone and the talent 'Enlightenment Genius' at 50% effect.]

[2. Become a Creation Venerable or equivalent lifeform--Upon completion, obtain a Creation Venerable or equivalent lifeform clone and the full talent 'Enlightenment Genius'.]

[3. Become an Emperor Monarch--Upon completion, obtain an Emperor Monarch clone and triple the 'Enlightenment Genius' effect.]

Zhou Yu thought for a moment and chose objective two.

At this moment, time around his clone froze, lines of text began to appear, and the simulation commenced.

[You are born.]

[The unfamiliar environment makes you realize that you have transmigrated to another world. As a mere infant, you can only observe everything silently and learn the local language.]

[At age three, you have a fairly deep understanding of this world. You gradually realize that you seem to have transmigrated to the Cangyuan Realm, only this world lacks the demons from your memories. You guess that you might have transmigrated to the era before the demons descended.]

[You are lucky; you have transmigrated into a God and Devil family within the Great Zhou Dynasty as a direct descendant.]

[At age six, you begin learning martial arts under the family's arrangements. After careful consideration, you choose to practice swordsmanship.]

[Your talent feels unbelievable even to yourself. After three months of sword practice, your sword technique has already reached the Unity Realm, where body, mind, and technique are one.]

[At this time, you choose: 1. Hide your cultivation level. 2. Proactively reveal your talent.]

"Is this the value of 'Cultivation Genius'? Reaching this stage in three months?" Zhou Yu sighed inwardly. It seemed his reasoning was correct; choosing this talent was the most likely way to help him succeed in the simulation.

"Choose two."

Zhou Yu thought about it and still chose the second option. The identity he had been born into this time was quite good; revealing his talent should be fine.

As Zhou Yu made his choice, a flood of memories emerged, and the simulation continued.

[Your talent quickly alarms the family's God and Devil ancestor. He strictly orders everyone who knows about this to keep it secret and personally takes you to his side for cultivation.]

[At seven and a half, you comprehend Sword Momentum.]

[At nine, you master Sword Intent.]

[At twelve, you step into the Sword Soul Realm.]

[By now, the God and Devil ancestor of your family is completely stunned. He states bluntly that he can no longer teach you and wants to send you to his sect, Yuanchu Mountain, for careful cultivation. At this time, you choose: 1. Continue to consolidate your foundation within the family. 2. Agree to enter Yuanchu Mountain.]

"Two." Zhou Yu chose two directly.

[After you are brought to Yuanchu Mountain, the entire sect is soon shaken. The contemporary Creation Venerable, Li Guan, personally comes forward to take you as his disciple.]

[At 15, under the cultivation of Yuanchu Mountain, you break through to become a God and Devil by practicing the Thirteen Sword Sha God-Devil Body.]

[In the same year, you reach the Dao Realm. You question your original heart through the sword path and reach the first level of the Primordial Spirit.]

[At 16, your master tells you that he is going to take you to a mysterious place.]

[You quickly understand that the place you are going to is likely the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven left behind by Patriarch Cangyuan, which contains many treasures and inheritances that the Patriarch brought back from outside the territory; it is the most valuable existence in the entire Cangyuan Realm.]

[You enter the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven. In a daze, you obtain a strange treasure that merges into your Primordial Spirit. After a period of experimentation, you gradually understand the function of this treasure: it allows you to see the changes in the laws of heaven and earth more clearly, and in battle, it enables you to pinpoint an enemy's weaknesses with greater precision. You name it the 'Eye of True Sight.']

[Soon, you become a Dark Star Realm God and Devil. At this moment, you choose: One, remain at Yuanchu Mountain to consolidate your foundation; Two, leave Yuanchu Mountain to gain experience.]

Given the exaggerated talent I have displayed in the simulation, I could likely reach the Wujian Realm by continuing to cultivate alone. However, considering the future, it is better to go out and gain experience. Zhou Yu made his decision.

In the true essence cultivation system of the Cangyuan Realm, the great realm of God and Devil is divided into five levels in total. The Dark Star Realm is already the fourth level, also known in the Cangyuan Realm as a Marquis-level God and Devil.

To reach this stage at sixteen by simply burying one's head in hard training is indeed quite exaggerated.

But Zhou Yu also understands that the cultivation talent provided by "Cultivation Genius" is almost fixed; it is fast in the early stages, but not necessarily so in the later ones. To achieve great success, one must still undergo tempering.

PS: For those who haven't read Cangyuan Map or have forgotten it, the Cangyuan Map is divided into the great realms of Mortal, God and Devil, Venerable, Emperor Monarch, Tribulation Realm, and Eternal Realm. Breakthroughs below the Tribulation Realm have requirements for both technique realm and Primordial Spirit realm. For example, a Marquis-level God and Devil requires the Dao Realm in technique and the first level of the Primordial Spirit; a King-level God and Devil requires the Domain Realm and the third level of the Primordial Spirit; a Creation Venerable requires the Grotto-Heaven Realm and the fifth level of the Primordial Spirit; and an Emperor Monarch requires the Heaven and Earth Realm and the seventh level of the Primordial Spirit.