Foundation Establishment Late Stage

As Xu Changxing watched the successive lines of text appear in his consciousness, the corner of his eye twitched violently.

He had already realized that this simulation would probably end badly again.

Before long, his suspicions were confirmed.

[In November of the ninth year, Shi Haoyan returned to the Setting Sun Sect gravely injured.

According to him, the revived Old Devil had awakened ahead of schedule, so his strength was not actually at its peak.

Even so, his cultivation far surpassed that of ordinary Spirit Transformation patriarchs.

Together with the Corpse Yin he had gathered from who knew where, his power was terrifying.

After a brief discussion, Shi Haoyan decided to disperse the Setting Sun Sect's core disciples to preserve the sect's strength.

Though unwilling, you had no choice but to leave with a group of cultivators.

You had barely flown a hundred li when a powerful divine sense locked onto you.

You suddenly realized that you would not escape this time.

Things unfolded exactly as you expected. The revived Old Devil of the Yin Corpse Sect bluntly stated that your talent was too terrifying, and that he had long since locked onto your aura.

With a bitter laugh, you turned to face him.

Though your sword intent was unmatched, you were still no match for the terrifying, revived Old Devil.

In a single exchange, your sword light was forcibly shattered.]

[You died!]

Xu Changxing was left speechless as he looked at the results of this simulation.

He truly had not expected that, even with the experience of his previous attempt, this one would end even worse.

Last time, Shi Haoyan had at least managed to perish together with the revived Old Devil.

This time, however, his opponent had led him around by the nose.

The reason was obvious: he had wasted too much time joining forces with the other sects, giving the Yin Corpse Sect a chance to retreat.

As Xu Changxing racked his brains, the system's voice sounded in his consciousness again.

[Simulation complete]

[Evaluation: Sometimes, having more people not only fails to help, but actually makes matters worse.]

[Based on the simulation results, you may select one of the following rewards]

[1. Experience the simulated life from a first-person perspective]

[2. Foundation Establishment late stage cultivation]

Looking at the two rewards, Xu Changxing shook his head slightly.

Sure enough, this attempt had not earned a high evaluation.

Between watching his failed experience and gaining cultivation, Xu Changxing gave it a little thought before choosing cultivation.

He had actually done quite well in the simulation.

The only problem was that the Yin Corpse Sect's Old Devil, who was about to revive, was simply too powerful.

Once that Old Devil fully awakened, even several Spirit Transformation patriarchs working together might not be able to contain him.

Xu Changxing would have to rely on exquisitely precise planning and heaven-defying luck to bridge the gap in strength.

Even if he managed to eliminate the Old Devil before his revival in some simulation, he might not be able to reproduce that success in reality.

The simplest way to resolve this crisis reliably was to raise his cultivation as much as possible.

If he possessed the strength to crush the Old Devil when he revived, that catastrophe would naturally cease to exist.

For an ordinary cultivator, reaching Spirit Transformation within ten years was nothing but a fool's dream.

But Xu Changxing was different.

As long as he kept running simulations with the Life Simulation System, he could rapidly improve his strength.

"Spirit Transformation in ten years, that's all. With the system backing me, I refuse to believe I can't do it!"

Xu Changxing murmured to himself, then sank his consciousness into the system again.

After his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment late stage, the cost of a simulation had risen straight to four thousand points.

Yet just as Xu Changxing was about to continue simulating, he suddenly hesitated.

It was not that he had run out of spirit stones.

During the earlier tournament, he had won nine thousand low-grade spirit stones in total, on top of the three thousand he already had and the three thousand Liu Chenyu had brought him.

He had possessed fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones altogether. The previous two simulations had used up four thousand, leaving him with eleven thousand-enough for another two simulations.

Xu Changxing hesitated because Shi Haoyan would be coming in a few days.

Advancing from Foundation Establishment middle stage to Foundation Establishment late stage was already an astonishing pace of cultivation.

If he reached Core Formation through a simulation, he would have a hard time explaining it to Shi Haoyan.

Moreover, once he reached Core Formation, the spirit stones required for a simulation would surely skyrocket again.

If he encountered danger while away, he would no longer be able to avoid it through simulations.

After some thought, Xu Changxing decided to stop simulating for now and leave four thousand points in the system for emergencies.

Over the next few days, he first refined the defensive robe, then began adjusting to his soaring cultivation while waiting for Shi Haoyan to arrive.

Early on the fifth morning, Shi Haoyan and Liu Chenyu appeared before him, just as expected.

Xu Changxing hurried out of the courtyard and bowed. "Greetings, Patriarch. Greetings, Master!"

"No need for such courtesy. You... hmm?"

Liu Chenyu had only gotten halfway through his sentence when he suddenly froze.

Then, with disbelief written all over his face, he asked, "Why has your aura grown so much stronger? Have you broken through again?"

Xu Changxing scratched his head and said somewhat sheepishly:

"After sparring with more than a dozen fellow disciples, I gained some insights.

While cultivating a few days ago, my cultivation suddenly surged, and I accidentally broke through to Foundation Establishment late stage."

Liu Chenyu: "..."

Liu Chenyu was not the only one left speechless. Even Shi Haoyan was briefly taken aback.

He strode up to Xu Changxing and pressed two fingers against his shoulder.

A moment later, Shi Haoyan clicked his tongue in admiration:

"Good, very good. Though your cultivation has only just surged, your foundation is quite solid.

As expected of a genius who condensed nine cloud patterns."

"As long as his cultivation is stable, that's good. Stable..." Liu Chenyu had barely begun his remark when his eyes suddenly widened. "Granduncle-Master, what did you say?"

"I said his cultivation is stable, as expected of..." At this point, Shi Haoyan also paused in surprise. "Don't tell me you didn't know your disciple condensed nine cloud patterns?"

"Uh..."

The corners of Liu Chenyu's mouth twitched violently. "Well, I... I forgot to ask."

He had actually wondered whether Xu Changxing had condensed multiple cloud patterns without his knowledge.

But Xu Changxing had reached Foundation Establishment so quickly that he had thought it unlikely.

Then Xu Changxing had offered up the Spring Renewal Art, drawing Liu Chenyu's attention to that unusual cultivation technique, so he had not pursued the matter of the cloud patterns.

Only today did Liu Chenyu learn that Xu Changxing had actually condensed nine cloud patterns.

He was utterly dumbfounded.

Shi Haoyan looked at the stunned Liu Chenyu, then at the somewhat embarrassed Xu Changxing, and a trace of puzzlement appeared on his face.

Still, he did not delve into it.

His examination had shown that Xu Changxing's foundation was solid and that he practiced a pure wood-element cultivation technique. There was nothing wrong.

It was hardly something to make a fuss over when a cultivator blessed with abundant fortune encountered opportunities.

Throughout his journey to Spirit Transformation, Shi Haoyan had encountered plenty of fortuitous opportunities himself, several of which had caused his cultivation to soar.

He waved a hand. "You can discuss his cultivation later. Let's head to that Secret Realm first."