A moment later, Xu Changxing could make out the scene inside the ruined temple.
The hunter had already butchered the dead deer into chunks of meat.
Beside the meat lay a pool of blood held in the deer's hide.
The blood, which should have been dark red, seemed to have been stimulated by something and was an unusually vivid scarlet.
The hunter was dipping the dead deer's tongue in its blood and tracing bizarre symbols on the ground.
With every stroke he made, a pungent stench of blood spread outward.
Xu Changxing sniffed carefully and found that the stench was extremely similar to the one in the simulation. Both smelled of old blood.
A glint flashed in his eyes as he began to suspect what the hunter was doing.
If his guess was right, some unknown demon was probably sealed beneath this ruined temple.
The hunter had most likely fallen prey to the demon's temptation and was using the most primitive method to corrupt the temple's sealing wards.
This discovery made Xu Changxing's eyes light up.
Over his dozen-odd years running a stall in the market, he had heard plenty of rumors.
As far as he knew, demon-suppressing artifacts or Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures capable of restraining evil beings were often left near sealed demons.
These Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were usually placed there by whoever had sealed the demon, to keep it suppressed.
If someone who came later could eliminate the sealed demon, they could take the artifact used to seal it.
Besides, the demon itself would also make excellent material.
The Yin Corpse Sect, for instance, had methods for refining demonic corpses from demons' bodies.
The more Xu Changxing thought about it, the more tempted he became, but he did not dare act rashly.
Demons powerful enough to warrant sealing were usually far from weak. Otherwise, there would have been no need to seal them.
Demons like this one, which could let some of their power seep out, were especially difficult to deal with.
Even if the seal had weakened such a demon, it was probably still beyond an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator's ability to handle.
After a brief struggle with himself, Xu Changxing finally decided to run a simulation first.
He retreated several miles, found a safe spot, exchanged sixty-four low-grade spirit stones for points, and said quietly:
"Start simulation!"
[Day one: You secretly observe the ruined temple from outside for an hour. You feel that this demon is beyond your current abilities, so you swiftly flee far away.]
As Xu Changxing read the text that had just appeared, the corners of his mouth twitched.
He had actually intended to use the simulation to see what his chances of winning would be if he forced his way into a fight.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected his cowardly self to run away!
Still, this made Xu Changxing realize that the simulation followed the path he was most likely to take, rather than the one he wanted to try.
Before he could ponder it further, several more lines of text appeared in his sea of consciousness.
He could only turn his attention back to the text.
[Day two: You continue fleeing south. This time, you learn from your previous failure and do not rashly head to the Setting Sun Sect.] [Day eight: After wandering around the area for several days, you decide to settle in Red Sparrow Town. You rent a courtyard near Red Sparrow Town's market, intending to cultivate here for a while. Having observed your cultivation in the previous simulation and gained experience cultivating with pills, you cultivate more smoothly with Spirit-Gathering Pills this time.] [Day sixteen: After consuming twelve Spirit-Gathering Pills, you break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining. Delighted to have saved over a dozen low-grade spirit stones, you stroll around the market. A Qi Refining cultivator named Xia Shanyang notices your impressive bearing and approaches you to strike up a conversation. After chatting with him for a while, you find him quite knowledgeable and invite him to your residence for tea.] [Day twenty-three: Xia Shanyang comes to chat with you again. During your conversation, he voluntarily reveals his identity. He is actually an Outer Sect disciple of the Setting Sun Sect stationed here. He approached you earlier only to determine whether you had come with malicious intentions. You merely smile and say you had already guessed. You take the opportunity to tell him about your hardships as a rogue cultivator and openly express your desire to join the Setting Sun Sect. That day, you chat with Xia Shanyang late into the night, but even when he leaves, he says nothing about recommending you.] [Day thirty-six: Xia Shanyang prepares to return to the sect to report on his duties. Thinking well of you, he asks you to help watch over Red Sparrow Town for a while. You gladly agree.] [Day fifty: Looking at the bustling cultivation market, you keep wanting to collect protection money there. However, you suppress these dubious thoughts and devote yourself to maintaining order in the market. Whenever someone causes trouble in the market, you drive them out.] [Day fifty-one: Xia Shanyang finally returns from the Setting Sun Sect. He seems to have already learned of your performance. He praises you repeatedly and gives you a bottle of pills as thanks. As you gladly accept, you realize that you may have passed a test.] [Day ninety-three: You exhaust your spirit stones and pills, but your cultivation still has not broken through. You seek out Xia Shanyang, hoping to find a job that will earn you spirit stones. By now, Xia Shanyang knows you quite well. After only a little thought, he volunteers to recommend you. If all goes well, you can become an Outer Sect disciple of the Setting Sun Sect, just like him.] [Day ninety-four: You arrive at the Setting Sun Sect with Xia Shanyang's letter of recommendation. After undergoing a series of tests, you successfully become an Outer Sect disciple of the Setting Sun Sect.] [Day one hundred thirty-five: In the month or so since joining the sect, you have earned a modest number of spirit stones by taking on simple tasks. Though the amount is small, the work is steady and leisurely. For the first time, you experience the joy of cultivating toward immortality.] [Day three hundred: You continue cultivating, living a leisurely and comfortable life.] [Year two, February: You have been in the Setting Sun Sect for a full year, and your fellow disciples think well of you. However, your talent is unremarkable, and your chances of becoming an inner disciple are slim.] [Year two, September: With the spirit stones earned from Outer Sect tasks, you finally raise your cultivation to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement. After stabilizing your cultivation, you venture out for experience again, preparing to work toward Foundation Establishment.] [Year two, October: After traveling around the area, you arrive before a ruined temple. You feel that this ruined temple looks somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, you suddenly remember that this is the ruined temple you passed while fleeing the Yin Corpse Sect's territory. Now that you have reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement and possess several dozen combat talismans, you feel considerably more confident and enter the ruined temple to investigate. The moment you enter the ruined temple, a bloody light envelops you. To your horror, you discover that although the demon is still suppressed, even the power seeping out of it is extraordinarily terrifying. You resist with all your strength and finally escape the ruined temple, but your cultivation foundation is damaged. Unless you encounter some extraordinary opportunity, you will probably have no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment for the rest of your life.] [Year two, November: You return to the Setting Sun Sect in a daze.] [Year three, January: Unable to accept that you can no longer reach Foundation Establishment, you choose to leave the Setting Sun Sect. After traveling for a while, you encounter your friend Xia Shanyang. At his urging, you settle in Red Sparrow Town.] [Year three, September: After nearly a year of despondency, you pull yourself together again and prepare to seek a way to heal your damaged dantian.] [Year four, June: After spending over half a year traveling far and wide, you finally find hope of repairing your cultivation foundation in a black market. There is a secret realm where a Spirit Transformation senior once passed away in meditation. It is said that, during his lifetime, this senior helped other cultivators heal their damaged cultivation foundations. After his death, countless demonized plants entwined his cave abode. Danger lurks at every step, but the legacy of a Spirit Transformation senior also lies hidden there. Many Foundation Establishment and even Core Formation cultivators have gone to explore it, but most perished inside, including elders from some major sects. After weighing your options repeatedly, you ultimately refuse to spend your entire life as a cripple and decide to stake your life on one desperate attempt.] [Year four, August: After an exploration in which you narrowly escape death again and again, you discover a cultivation art left by an unknown person on a stone wall. This cultivation art is called the "Spring Renewal Art." After reading through the entire art, you are beside yourself with joy. But before you can begin practicing it, you discover to your horror that countless demonized vines have already enveloped the area. Only then do you realize that this place is a trap. The cultivation art on the stone wall is bait on a fishing hook. A moment later, the vines effortlessly crush you into pulp.] [You died!]
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