[Cultivation, unnatural restlessness, the [Spacetime Token]'s master-protection function, Chen Qingyan returns]

[Age 31]: [During a lull in your tedious cultivation, you could not help recalling Chen Qingyan when the Chen Family was wiped out in the Fourth Simulation.]

[When you observed him through the [Eye of Illusion] back then, he had clearly reached the end of his rope.]

[Judging by the [Supreme Limitless Dharma Seal]'s [Rewind] ability, he had most likely exhausted all his rewinds by that point.]

[This time, however, he had only one rewind remaining to begin with,]

[and bringing along a "deadweight" like you had cost him another use, leaving him to face a situation that was probably far more dangerous and complicated than in the [Fourth Simulation].]

[The thought weighed a little more heavily on your heart.]

[Still, time had not rewound again. At least that meant Chen Qingyan had yet to encounter mortal danger, which offered you some comfort.]

[All you could do was suppress your distracting thoughts and continue your tedious cultivation, day after day.]

[Age 32]: [By this year of cultivation, you were finding it truly difficult to endure the desolate monotony of this near-total isolation from the world.]

[Unwilling to give up, you had carefully searched every corner of this secret realm several times,]

[hoping to find some overlooked opportunity, but every search, without exception, had yielded nothing.]

[The verdict of "no fortune" had truly come to pass!]

[You had truly had enough of the suffering this "no fortune" brought!]

[At that moment, you wished you could immediately obtain a talent of the [Child of Fortune] type.]

[In this real world of immortal cultivation, trying to climb higher without fortune or backing meant struggling with every step.]

[Looking back, only the [Embryonic Breath Realm] had been relatively easy, yet even that had taken you three full lifetimes (simulations) of cultivation to reach perfection.]

[And although the [Qi Refining Realm] granted a long lifespan, without fortune to bolster you, taking even a single step forward was just as difficult.]

[Age 39]: [You cultivated. Tedious.]

[Age 58]: [You cultivated. Tedious and dull.]

[Age 72]: [You continued cultivating, but an indescribable restlessness deep within you grew ever stronger, spreading like weeds until it nearly broke through your reason.]

[A thought surfaced uncontrollably: "Why not... go outside and take a look?"]

[The thought was immensely tempting, but every time it appeared, you forcibly suppressed it.]

[You remembered Chen Qingyan's repeated warnings and knew full well that many True Lords had their eyes on you.]

[Even if they had been forced into seclusion because [the Supreme Fruit Position no longer existed],]

[the [Golden Core Powerhouses] under their command could still act. Failing that, even a few Foundation Establishment True Persons would be enough to give you a bitter cup to swallow.]

[Once again, you forcibly suppressed that restless urge to act.]

[Age 80]: [You had not stopped cultivating for even a moment.]

[Thanks to some of the cultivation reserves accumulated in your previous simulations, along with the doubled efficiency of the [Twice the Results with Half the Effort] talent,]

[you estimated that your current accumulated Dao Attainment amounted to over two hundred years, nearly half of the five hundred years of Dao Attainment required for your first Limit-Breaking.]

[Progress was slow, but it advanced steadily.]

[Age 81]: [Chen Qingyan still had not returned.]

[By this year, you felt you could no longer endure it!]

[The restlessness suppressed for decades erupted like a volcano, flooding your entire body and eroding your soul.]

[You could not think calmly. Only one thought screamed madly through your mind:]

[Get out! You had to get out immediately! Get out at any cost!]

[Just as this inexplicable restlessness was about to devour your reason completely, and you prepared to charge out of the Secret Realm regardless of the consequences—]

[the [Damaged Spacetime Token] tucked against your chest gave a faint tremor without warning,]

[a cool ripple of ancient, boundless power quietly spread outward, like a clear spring flowing over a burning wasteland.]

[In an instant, the restlessness that had tormented you without cease and nearly driven you out of control melted like ice and snow beneath the sun, vanishing like smoke into thin air!]

[You abruptly came to your senses. Cold sweat had soaked your back, and fine beads of sweat covered your forehead.]

["Was this... some mighty being influencing my mind?!" Horror gripped your heart.]

[But then confusion followed. Chen Qingyan had chosen this secret realm carefully, and he had said that only those with a specific karmic connection could find it.]

[By rights, beings outside should not have been able to directly influence you in the depths of the Secret Realm.]

[Moreover, you possessed the [Heavenly Secret Creation Jade Butterfly], a supreme treasure capable of concealing heavenly secrets. In theory, even a Nascent Soul True Lord would struggle to spy on or influence you directly.]

["Surely it couldn't have been one of the legendary [Spirit Transformation Dao Masters]?"]

[You immediately dismissed that absurd thought. If it truly were such a being, why would dealing with you require so much trouble?]

[For the moment, you could not determine the source of this strange influence. However, you had unexpectedly discovered that the [Spacetime Token] also possessed a "master-protection" function!]

[Had it not activated in time and warded off this calamity for you, you would probably have already left the Secret Realm and met with disaster.]

[Still shaken, you immediately used the [Eye of Illusion] to inspect the [Spacetime Token].]

[In its information, the "charging progress" entry had dropped from over seventy percent to forty-five percent!]

["It seems activating this function to repel malign external influences and protect the mind consumes a great deal of energy." Understanding dawned on you, leaving you all the more grateful.]

[This seemingly broken token had once again saved you at a critical moment.]

[Age 85]: [After the [Spacetime Token] resolved that strange crisis of the mind, you settled down and devoted yourself to cultivation again.]

[In the Ages that followed, the restlessness that had threatened to drive you out of control never returned, as though it had merely been a brief storm.]

[Age 90]: [Your cultivation steadily accumulated, finally reaching the equivalent of three hundred years.]

[This meant you had completed more than half of the five hundred years of Dao Attainment required for your first Limit-Breaking.]

[At your current pace, you would need no more than another hundred years to take that crucial first step.]

[Age 100]: [Cultivation. The Ages flowed by in silence, and your perception of time had blurred. Only the ever-deepening Dao Attainment within your body remained as a measure.]

[Age 105]: [You keenly noticed that the Secret Realm's once-depleted source energy had recovered somewhat after nearly a century of slow replenishment.]

[By your rough estimate, after another thirty years or so, it would have accumulated enough energy for you to absorb it again,]

[and perhaps even replenish some of the [Spacetime Token]'s energy. You might then be able to try activating it again.]

[Age 110]: [An unexpected little surprise appeared.]

[In a crack between rocks in an inconspicuous corner of the Secret Realm, you discovered several [Ancient Relics] bearing faint traces of the passage of Ages.]

[Though the energy they contained was minuscule, a mere cup of water against a blazing cartload of firewood when it came to cultivation or recharging,]

[this was the first thing you had found during your long, desolate century of secluded cultivation that could be called an "opportunity."]

[It stirred a tiny ripple in your numbed state of mind.]

[Age 120]: [Just as you were preparing to continue your next decade of cultivation, following your usual routine,]

[The space at the Secret Realm's entrance, dormant for nearly a century, finally stirred with familiar ripples once more.]

[A figure stepped inside, his aura unfathomably deep and utterly different from what you remembered.]

[It was Chen Qingyan! He had returned!]

[Moreover, his cultivation had actually recovered to the [Foundation Establishment] realm!]