Li Ke Continues His Journey

Li Ke felt somewhat dazed, and then he saw the final line of information.

Based on this simulation, you have received the following rewards. Please choose one to claim:

1. Maximum Health slowly increases by 10; Vitality increases by 40 points.

2. Rare materials obtained from a Spirit Beast.

3. Cause foxes in the real world to form an impression of you and randomly dream of experiences from the simulated life.

Without hesitation, he chose the first option, and Li Ke felt power surging from the Void... no, or rather, from that hollow space.

His body began to ache again, followed by a warm sensation; it was clear that his choice of reward had triggered a change. He glanced at his health points, noting they hadn't increased by ten directly, but had risen by one.

That must be the "slow increase" effect mentioned in the description.

Li Ke could understand this; after all, while it was a system, it was essentially his own ability, and even if the effect was chosen, it required time to digest.

However...

"To think it can interfere with others, making them dream of my interactions within the simulator—this thing is truly not simple. And it can even obtain rare materials..."

Li Ke recalled the final option, growing increasingly suspicious that his simulations were actually one transmigration after another. He lacked further evidence to prove it, and his current strength was nowhere near enough to investigate whether things were as he suspected.

It was just a pity that every simulation resulted in his death. If he could survive within a simulation, perhaps he would know exactly what was going on.

"But... after blurring the memories, there really isn't any memory of spending time with that fox."

Li Ke felt a bit regretful. He was genuinely curious about how he had gotten the other party to help him cultivate. He didn't mean anything else by it; he only thought this way because he wanted to become strong quickly.

Really.

"But as for foxes, I remember the most famous one in Ionia is Ahri, right? If it's Ahri, then... hmm, no problem? I remember she is a kind soul, so how exactly did I die? Damn it... if only I hadn't blurred the memories!"

Li Ke leaned on his sword and moved forward slowly, feeling an urge to stomp his feet and beat his chest. But if he had to choose again, he would absolutely not be reckless enough to choose to retain memories during a rapid simulation.

The impact on him personally was simply too great. The first time he received the memories, his sword-holding posture and combat style were influenced by them. The second life in CrossFire had even caused his personality—which had been altered by Ionia—to regress, restoring some of the cheerfulness of a modern person.

Or rather, frivolity.

With his remaining mental and vital energy insufficient to start another simulation, Li Ke quickly headed toward the small town on his map. He did not intend to change the path from the simulator; he planned to recuperate in that town before taking a carriage to Shon-Xan.

Because this route was viable—as long as he didn't go looking for that fox, the probability of him dying was very low.

Safety first!

He could earn money once his injuries were healed!

With this kind of ability, he didn't need to rush.

It was just...

"It's so far!"

Looking at the road on the map that required crossing a massive mountain, Li Ke shouted out into the mountain forest, startling a flock of birds. In the light of the slowly rising red sun, it seemed so desolate.

Bian Ka was a tavern apprentice, sent here by his father to work as a handyman. At first, he was tasked with pouring drinks at the counter, but he couldn't handle the job.

The people who drank in this town were mostly lumberjacks or long-term laborers. These men were extremely shrewd; whenever he poured drinks, they would stare at him intently to ensure he didn't sneakily water them down, so the manager had considered firing him.

However, since he had been introduced by the owner, he couldn't be dismissed.

So, he was assigned to be a waiter. As long as he could remember what the guests ordered and remained sharp and loud-voiced, he could scrape by.

Fortunately, he was indeed quick-witted and knew who not to provoke, so he hadn't made any major mistakes thus far.

But today, just as he thought no one else would come and was wondering when he could go home, a resentful voice that sounded like it came from hell drifted in from the street.

"Warm a pot of wine, and bring a plate of star anise beans."

Bian Ka's body shuddered violently. He subconsciously thought the ants he had scalded with boiling water had come for revenge, but he immediately realized that ants couldn't speak human language, so he looked toward the street.

He saw a disheveled, blood-stained, and destitute swordsman leaning on a sword, slowly walking toward him. Judging by the grass and fallen leaves stuck to the man, as well as the blood on his tattered clothes, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had crawled out of hell.

Yet, the sword he carried, though stained with grime, appeared to be a top-tier blade. Looking at the man's sharp gaze and blood-soaked body, he was likely a first-class swordsman!

Being sharp, he knew this was someone he couldn't afford to offend, so he immediately shouted out loud and went to greet Li Ke.

"Coming right up! A pot of warm wine and a plate of star anise beans! Please, come in, sir!"

Li Ke stepped into the tavern with a slight tremor, sat on a stool while leaning on his sword, and finally let out a long, deep breath. Looking at the waiter who seemed afraid of him and the busy manager, a feeling of wanting to cry welled up in his heart.

Admittedly, he had reached the tavern safely in the simulated life, but!

He hadn't gotten lost in the simulation!

Having exhausted his mental and vital energy, he was not only more than a third slower than his simulated self, but because of the excessive mental drain, he had gotten lost!

It wasn't entirely his fault; his injuries and the depletion of his vitality had slowed him down, causing night to fall. Then, because he was injured, his mental recovery speed slowed, and he failed to recognize the correct path.

Thus, the tragedy occurred.

Lost, he spent ages finding the right way, but along the path, he fell into pits, stumbled into ponds, had his clothes torn, and encountered every bit of bad luck he had never faced before. By the time he reached the target town, his stomach was already painfully hungry.

Feeling his coin pouch to ensure it hadn't been lost, Li Ke placed eight large coins on the table while asking the manager who had brought him the beans and wine.

"Manager, what kind of good food do you have here?"

The shopkeeper smiled slightly and pointed toward the counter.

"In answer to your question, traveler, our most famous dishes are our noodles."

"And what kind of noodles do you have?"

The shopkeeper's smile grew even more amiable.

"Broadsword Noodles and Wonton Noodles."

Li Ke was taken aback.

This wasn't Jiangxin, either!