The morning sun rose, and the thin mist broke at dawn.
A youth in blue-green robes practiced swordsmanship in the courtyard. Yet the sword in his hand was a Rusty Sword!
The youth was Mu Xingqi.
A month had passed since his last simulation.
It was already May.
"This Rusty Sword truly is extraordinary." Mu Xingqi sheathed the Rusty Sword in a scabbard he had specially commissioned.
The Rusty Sword he spoke of was the reward he had ultimately chosen from his last simulation, obtained from the Eerie Palace.
"I specifically asked Father to inspect it. Even corroded with rust to this extent, this Rusty Sword still possesses the power of a Spirit Tier Low Grade weapon. It must have been remarkable in its original state!"
Mu Xingqi gazed at the Rusty Sword in his hand and sighed.
"Keep practicing!"
With that, Mu Xingqi drew his sword and stood ready, lifting the blade for a light tap.
This was a sword art he had specifically sought out from the Scripture Pavilion, called the Nan Sword Art, a Yellow Grade High Rank wood-attribute offensive technique.
It was unquestionably the Mu Family's strongest sword art, passed down by the Founding Ancestor.
Nan, camphor, catalpa, and densewood were known as the "Four Great Imperial Woods." Among them, nan wood was praised as the "King of Hundred Woods." The Nan Sword Art had been created with nan wood as its inspiration.
After a month of practice, though he had yet to reach Entry Level, it had still deepened his understanding of swordsmanship.
Entering the door later would be much easier.
The next day, Mu Xingqi went to the Pill Hall and met his mother, Lin Qinghua.
Naturally, he also saw Mu Xinger.
Mu Xinger wore an emerald silk dress embroidered with curling medicinal vines. The Jade Token at her waist held three tiny pill pendants, which chimed with every step, livelier than the wind chimes beneath the eaves.
She was strikingly beautiful. When her brows tilted upward, she carried a touch of careless charm, while faint dimples adorned the corners of her eyes. When she smiled, even the medicinal mist rising from the pill furnace seemed warmed by her presence. Her unbound black hair was loosely pinned up with a jade hairpin, several stray locks falling by her cheeks, making her youthful, sweet, and radiant face all the more captivating.
You were somewhat amazed. The Mu Xinger before you was indeed as beautiful and moving as she had been described in the simulation.
Especially those bright, lovely eyes of hers. The light sparkling within them truly seemed as though stars lived there.
You found it difficult to look away.
Mu Xingqi greeted her somewhat stiffly, making Mu Xinger feel a little awkward as well.
Fortunately, your mother was beside you. Otherwise, you felt this scene would have embarrassed you to death.
After all, this was also his first time meeting Mu Xinger in reality, and he found himself flustered for a moment.
You and Mu Xinger got along well. For some reason, you always felt that the Mu Xinger before you was like your own little sister, and you instinctively wanted to protect her.
Seeing that the two of you unexpectedly got along so well, your mother smiled with great relief.
After several days together, your relationship with Mu Xinger became even more harmonious. Mu Xinger began calling you "Brother Xingqi," which made you very happy.
A feeling of fulfillment rose in your heart, as though you had truly become an older brother.
Another month passed. After Mu Xingqi learned from his father that he could take clan assignments and exchange contribution points for resources, he spent the entire month busy completing all kinds of tasks.
Although he had already broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, his parents deliberately concealed it for his protection, telling others only that he had recently reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.
As a result, he could only accept simple assignments.
Either teaching disciples or guarding family businesses.
To be honest, it was quite boring.
At the end of the month, he finally gathered the thirty Spirit Stones needed for his next simulation.
Arriving at the Finance Hall, he exchanged all his contribution points for Spirit Stones.
His actions left the disciple responsible for exchanging contributions utterly baffled.
Exchanging contribution points for Spirit Stones was a huge loss. Would it not be better to trade them for resources like Spirit Pills and Medicines that could improve one's cultivation?
Though the disciple handling the exchange was puzzled, he did not ask any questions.
What if the man simply had a special fondness for Spirit Stones? What if he had some peculiar hobby?
That was what the disciple in charge of exchanges thought, though Mu Xingqi naturally had no idea.
He was currently clutching his newly acquired Spirit Stones, returning to his room with a foolish grin plastered across his face.
It had to be said that Mu Xingqi now looked truly lecherous, like some besotted creep.
"Finally, I can start simulating again. Simulator, activate!" Mu Xingqi roared.
[Simulator activating] [The Simulation Talent from the previous simulation has not been saved. Would you like to move the Simulation Talent "Brave Advance (White)" into a Talent Slot?] [Remaining Talent Slots: 0]
"No!"
Simulated Memory was a cheat as good as rebirth. It was the key to breaking his current predicament, worth an entire lifetime of that white talent, Brave Advance.
[Talent Slot: Simulated Memory] [Remaining Talent Slots: 0] [Simulation starting] [30 Simulation Points deducted] [Simulator activating] [Randomly drawing Simulation Talent...] [Simulation Talent drawn: Sword Mastery.] [Congratulations, you have obtained the Green Simulation Talent: Sword Mastery] [Sword Mastery (Green): You are extremely passionate about the sword. You can practice swordsmanship day and night for several days without rest, and your cultivation speed in swordsmanship is far beyond that of ordinary people. You learn sword techniques at more than twice the speed of normal people, and your comprehension speed for sword arts below the Profound Grade is also extremely fast.]
"Oh? A rare green draw."
"I've just started cultivating a sword art. The heavens are truly helping me!"
Mu Xingqi clenched his fist excitedly.
Turning back to the Simulation Panel, he began to look forward to this simulation.
[You sprang up from the bed, an uncontrollable sense of panic rising in your heart.] [You had a nightmare.] [You dreamed that three years later, you and Fifth Sister Mu Xinghuang entered a secret realm together to explore.] [Inside a palace within the secret realm, you and Fifth Sister joined hands and entered the third floor, only to be killed by the suddenly appearing "Fire Cloud Evil God"!] [Your Fifth Sister even died directly in your arms. Until her death, she remained guilty for bringing you to this secret realm.] [You flew into a rage in the end, but were still instantly killed by a single strike from the "Fire Cloud Evil God"!] [Your face was filled with shock. You could not believe any of this was real.] [But when you turned around, you actually discovered a Rusty Sword standing beside your bed.] [You felt that this Rusty Sword was familiar, yet no matter how hard you tried, you could not remember how it had appeared in your room.]
"Will the Simulator erase my memories of the rewards I obtained from simulations?" Mu Xingqi asked in confusion.
The Qi Gathering Pill from one of his previous simulations had been the same. Within the simulation, he had not even known how he obtained it.
"Or, more precisely, all memories related to the Simulator will be erased—including the Simulator itself!" After thinking it over, Mu Xingqi boldly came to that conclusion.
[You picked up the Rusty Sword and discovered that this was not the Elegant Sword that you and Fifth Sister had obtained on the second floor of the palace in the secret realm?] [But how had it appeared in your room?] [In the end, you believed that this Rusty Sword had brought you back to life.] [You firmly believed that you had been reborn. Otherwise, how could you have dreamed of a nightmare from three years in the future?] [You raised your sword and suddenly felt a surge of...]
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