"Fifth Sister Xinghuang! Come on, I want to see the gap between us!"
"Seventh Brother Xingluo, I've already broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Are you sure you still want to compete?"
"Of course!"
"Fine then. Seventh Brother, brace yourself. Your Fifth Sister Xinghuang won't go easy on you!"
The two each made their moves, fists and palms colliding. The result was only to be expected—Mu Xinghuang defeated Mu Xingluo with ease in just two moves.
This result naturally did not exceed Mu Xingqi's expectations.
Right now, Seventh Brother Mu Xingluo's cultivation should only have been around the Fifth Level Qi Refining. It would not be until two years later that his seventh brother broke through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.
And Fifth Sister Mu Xinghuang had already broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. The gap between the two was simply too great. If Mu Xinghuang had wanted to, she might not even have needed two moves—one move would have been enough to take Mu Xingluo down.
This was the gap in cultivation, like an insurmountable chasm!
As Mu Xingqi quietly approached, he saw Mu Xinghuang raise a hand and brush away the loose strands by her cheek. Beneath her smooth, rounded forehead, her long lashes trembled lightly like two little fans, revealing those deep rose-red eyes.
That color looked exactly like the omamori enshrined in a shrine—clear enough to reflect a curtain of rain, yet veiled by a layer of innocent mist, as though she had yet to clearly see the shape of this world.
A faint flush tinged her cheeks, while her lips curved into a soft line, like jelly freshly taken from the refrigerator, carrying a cool sweetness.
Mu Xingqi discovered in surprise that his fifth sister looked somewhat like an old acquaintance from his previous life.
Uesugi Erii!
"No way?" Mu Xingqi was somewhat stunned, because she truly looked far too similar.
The same soft, smooth dark-red hair cascaded naturally down to her knees like clear-water noodles, and that rare hair color made her especially eye-catching among a crowd.
The same rounded forehead, paired with long eyelashes, and those deep rose-red eyes sparkling like gemstones.
If she were dressed in a red-and-white shrine maiden outfit, she would practically be Uesugi Erii herself!
However, his fifth sister wore a plain white robe, making her temperament seem more sunny and pure.
"You are?" Mu Xinghuang had also noticed the young man standing before her and staring at her foolishly.
"I'm Mu Xingqi. Greetings, Fifth Sister! And greetings to Seventh Brother as well!" Mu Xingqi greeted the two of them in turn.
"Ninth Brother?" Seventh Brother Mu Xingluo was the first to react. In his impression, there indeed seemed to be such a ninth brother, one who had apparently only recently awakened his Spirit Root.
He had simply never had the chance to meet him.
Mu Xinghuang was still somewhat dazed. Since when had she gained another ninth brother?
However, she often went out traveling, so it was normal that she did not know about this ninth brother. He must have only recently awakened his Spirit Root.
Smiling as well, she reached out and patted Mu Xingqi on the shoulder. "You're Ninth Brother Xingqi, right?"
"Your Fifth Sister often goes out traveling, so I didn't even know the lineage had gained another ninth brother..."
Mu Xinghuang's blunt and straightforward personality differed somewhat from the Uesugi Erii Mu Xingqi had imagined.
After the three chatted for a while, they went their separate ways.
Mu Xingqi's relationship with Seventh Brother Mu Xingluo and Fifth Sister Mu Xinghuang became much more familiar.
Soon afterward, Mu Xingqi went to the Finance Hall and exchanged the Yellow Grade Mid Rank Qi Gathering Pills for Spirit Stones.
He received twenty-one Spirit Stones. There were three pills in total, each worth seven Spirit Stones.
Returning to his room, Mu Xingqi could not help but summon the Simulator.
"Simulator, activate!"
It had been nearly two months since his last simulation, and he could hardly wait any longer.
He could not afford to wait. Whether it was the Wang Family's attack in the third year or the Eerie Blood Palm that appeared afterward, both were like a sword hanging over his head.
They did not allow him even the slightest moment of relaxation.
As he charged ten Spirit Stones into the Simulator.
[Simulation Points: 20]
"Only enough for one simulation." Mu Xingqi felt somewhat regretful.
"Begin the simulation!"
[Simulator activating] [Detected that the Simulation Talent from the previous simulation has not been saved. Would you like to move the Simulation Talent "Simulated Memory (Blue)" into a Talent Slot?] [Remaining Talent Slots: 0]
"Yes!"
Simulated Memory was practically a cheat that let him be reborn. It was the key to breaking the deadlock.
[Detected that the remaining Talent Slots are 0. Would you like to delete "Spiritual Energy Affinity (Green)"?]
"Yes!"
[Deletion successful!] [Talent Slot: Simulated Memory] [Remaining Talent Slots: 0] [Simulation activating] [Deducting 30 Simulation Points] [Insufficient remaining Simulation Points] [Simulation terminated]
"?"
"Damn!"
"Didn't it used to cost 20 Simulation Points? Why had it become 30 Simulation Points now?"
"You damn system, are you raising the price on the spot?"
Though speechless, Mu Xingqi could only take out another ten Spirit Stones to make up the difference. Fortunately, he had received twenty-one Spirit Stones from selling the pills earlier.
Together with the ten Simulation Points he had left before, he barely managed to scrape together thirty Simulation Points.
But he had no choice. After all, he could only rely on the system to break the deadlock now.
[Deducting 30 Simulation Points] [Simulator activating] [Randomly drawing Simulation Talent...] [Simulation Talent drawn: Brave Advance.] [Congratulations, you have obtained the White Simulation Talent: Brave Advance] [Brave Advance (White): You do not regard the difficulties on the road ahead as worthy of notice. Fearless and unwavering, you press onward without being intimidated by obstacles.]
"As expected, another white talent..."
That previous Blue Simulation Talent was like triggering a guaranteed reward mechanism. With how stingy his system was, he had only seen a Green Simulation Talent once, let alone a Blue Simulation Talent.
Unless smoke rose from his ancestors' graves.
"Forget it, white it is. At least this Brave Advance isn't a negative talent. It's much better than things like Love for the Male and Timid as a Mouse..." Mu Xingqi consoled himself helplessly.
He turned back to look at the Simulation Panel.
``` [At dawn, you sprang out of bed!]
[You had a nightmare last night.]
[You dreamed of your own future!]
[And that the Lineage would be destroyed three years later by an Eerie Blood Palm!]
[That Eerie Blood Palm tore through your Family Grand Array as easily as crushing an eggshell!]
[You witnessed your grandfather being effortlessly slapped into a mist of blood by the Blood Palm!]
[Your parents followed right after.]
[And Fourth Brother, Seventh Brother, Mu Xinger...]
[Then, you died!]
[You forcibly suppressed the shock in your heart, repeatedly muttering, "This isn't real... This is impossible..."]
[An inexplicable courage within you gradually calmed you down.]
[You began to analyze the causes and consequences.]
[But regarding that Eerie Blood Palm, you still had no clue.]
[You gradually accepted the truth, but you had no intention of yielding to fate.]
["Whether I'm demon or immortal is for me to decide. My fate is in my hands, not Heaven's!" You did not know why you had said such an embarrassingly childish line.]
[But it truly gave you some courage.]
[The next day, you went to the Pill Hall and met your mother and Mu Xinger.]
[With memories from three years later, you and Mu Xinger got along very well, and your relationship became familiar.]
[But your purpose in coming to the Pill Hall was not to flirt with girls. You had come to see your mother.]
[You cautiously asked your mother about the Eerie Blood Palm, attempting to find a breakthrough.]
[Unfortunately, your mother did not know either.]
[You returned empty-handed.]
[The following day, you went to find your father again.]
[The result...]
Before you continue