[Day 99: An inspector from the Yin Corpse Sect came to collect taxes. Gao Teng welcomed him warmly and handed over a large sum of spirit stones. Before leaving, the inspector glanced at you and praised your talent. Gao Teng looked delighted, but watched you with an icy gaze behind your back.] [Day 100: Feeling threatened, Gao Teng began secretly monitoring your every move, hoping to discover why you could cultivate so quickly. You had already erased the evidence, and Gao Teng found nothing.] [Day 108: You vaguely sensed the change in Gao Teng's attitude and began guarding against this bully.] [Day 113: Although you had remained on guard against Gao Teng, you failed to outwit this wily old bully. Someone poisoned you without your knowledge. You died!]
"Dead again. I fucking died again!
"So I die no matter what I choose, is that it?!"
Xu Changxing reeled for a moment before gritting his teeth. "Gao Teng, it's you or me. This won't end until one of us is dead!"
Before he could vent any further, the system's voice rang out again.
[Simulation ended] [Evaluation: You chose a path of patience and restraint, but underestimated the treachery of the Yin Corpse Sect's Outer Sect disciples. Thus, you died once again.] [Based on the simulation results, you may choose one of the following rewards.] [1. View footage of your simulated life from a first-person perspective.] [2. Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation.]
Xu Changxing chose "2" again.
Another warm current poured into his dantian.
This time, it lasted a full three times as long as before.
When the warmth dissipated, his cultivation had reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.
Xu Changxing pressed two fingers together and murmured, "Go!"
A blade of Gang Qi materialized out of thin air, cutting a notch two inches deep into the wooden post before him.
This spell was called Condense Qi into Gang, one of the few rudimentary spells Xu Changxing knew.
Previously, the qi blades he formed could only leave shallow cuts in the post. Their power had been quite limited.
But with his cultivation at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, the Spell Arts' power soared. He could now use it in actual combat.
Besides the surge in his true essence, he felt it nourishing his flesh as well, making his body far stronger than before.
By his rough estimate, his current cultivation was enough to defeat most ordinary martial artists.
With advance preparation and a few rudimentary talismans, even martial artists with some renown in the mortal world would probably be no match for him.
Feeling the power brimming within his body, Xu Changxing's eyes filled with wild delight.
His excitement did not last long, however, for he faced another choice.
Now that he had reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, the cost of a simulation had quadrupled to eight points.
After two simulations, he had only seventeen spirit stones left.
In other words, if he chose to run another simulation, he would have only one path left to take.
This time, however, he made his decision without much hesitation.
Xu Changxing drew a deep breath, clasped eight low-grade spirit stones in his hand, and murmured, "Top up!"
Moments later, all the spirit stones in his hand crumbled to powder, and eight points appeared in the system.
With barely a pause, he began his third simulation.
[Day 1: Taking your nine remaining spirit stones, you prepared to leave the market. Having anticipated Gao Teng's attempt to intercept you, you avoided the main road and instead picked your way cautiously through the dense forest. Four hours later, you finally left the area.] [Day 2: You found somewhere safe and continued cultivating with your remaining spirit stones.] [Day 5: You exhausted your remaining spirit stones, but failed to achieve another breakthrough. Knowing all too well the hardships of a rogue cultivator's life, you chose not to seek a living at another market and instead tried your luck at the Yin Corpse Sect.] [Day 8: With your Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation, you easily joined the Yin Corpse Sect as an Outer Sect disciple. You were overjoyed.] [Day 9: You discovered that the Yin Corpse Sect had an enormous number of Outer Sect disciples, and apparently had no intention of caring whether you lived or died. Not only did you receive no spirit stones from the Yin Corpse Sect, you had to pay monthly dues to the sect.] [Day 11: Just as you were at a complete loss, a sixth-level Qi Refining disciple named Sha Tai approached you and demanded that you join his gang. Intimidated by his menacing demeanor, you dared not object and could only agree.] [Day 14: Sha Tai told you and his two other Qi Refining subordinates that he wanted somewhere to establish a foothold. An idea struck you, and you said Kettle Bell Town would be a good choice. You could seize its market as long as you eliminated Gao Teng, who was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. Sha Tai was tempted.] [Day 16: Sha Tai accompanied you to Kettle Bell Town. After a fierce battle, Sha Tai shattered Gao Teng's heart meridians. Gao Teng died with his eyes wide open. Standing before Gao Teng's corpse, you felt an inexplicable rush of satisfaction.] [Day 17: Sha Tai smoothly took Gao Teng's place as the manager of Kettle Bell Town's market. Brimming with confidence, Sha Tai declared that as long as he had a bite to eat, he would never let his brothers go hungry. You were quite moved.] [Day 38: An inspector from the Yin Corpse Sect arrived for an inspection, showing little concern over the change in the market's management. He merely looked Sha Tai over before collecting the usual management fee. After collecting the fee, he extorted an additional sum from you on the grounds that you had murdered the market's manager. Once the inspector had left, Sha Tai unleashed a torrent of curses.] [Day 39: Sha Tai summoned all of you. After another tirade against the inspector, he demanded ten low-grade spirit stones from each of you to make up for the loss, and reduced your shares of the profits.] [Day 69: The Yin Corpse Sect's inspector appeared again and fleeced Sha Tai of another large sum of spirit stones. After seeing the inspector off, Sha Tai unleashed another torrent of curses, just as before. But the inspector returned and caught him in the act, and Sha Tai was turned into a Corpse Yin. The inspector casually promoted you to manager of Kettle Bell Town.] [Day 71: You took Sha Tai's place as manager of Kettle Bell Town's market and unexpectedly discovered that the work came quite naturally to you.] [Day 76: Your cultivation broke through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.] [Day 99: The inspector made his monthly appearance right on time. You respectfully presented the monthly dues and prepared an additional gift for him. The inspector glanced at your gift, then berated you with a dark expression. You had no choice but to produce your last thirty low-grade spirit stones before you could finally see him off. You wanted to unleash a torrent of curses, but remembering Sha Tai's fate, you forced yourself to swallow them.] [Day 223: Your cultivation finally broke through again, reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining. However, the inspector's ruthless extortion slowed your progress more and more. Your resentment toward the inspector grew ever deeper, but there was nothing you could do.] [Day 536: You painstakingly squeezed the stallholders dry and spent every spirit stone you saved on cultivation. At last, you achieved another breakthrough and became a Seventh Qi Refining Level cultivator.] [Day 579: The inspector who had always come to fleece you failed to appear. In his place came a sinister young man. Just as you were about to ask what had happened, the young man waved his hand and swatted you dead.]
Before you continue