The second simulation, birthplace: the Sun Moon Empire (two-in-one)

Because the flow of time in the Simulation Device is completely different from that in the real world, decades in the simulator are at most equivalent to one night in reality. Therefore, Lu Cheng's promise to Tang Ya to visit her deceased parents' sect in Heaven Dou City "a few days" later is not considered a broken promise.

Inside the wooden house.

Lu Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, with a screen of light in front of him.

The text above is scrolling.

[Second Simulation charging complete, about to begin]

[Please select talent points to allocate]

[Talent, family background, appearance, luck (25+)]

It's the same familiar panel.

Lu Cheng hesitated for a moment.

Talent goes without saying; a talent score of ten is a minimum. In any Simulation, strength is an indispensable part, appearance accounts for seven parts, luck for seven parts, and family background for one part...

Last time was really unlucky, and it wasn't anything good.

Conversely, Lu's family background, which accounts for seven-tenths of his birth, is mediocre in the Simulation Device. Not to mention that the Lu Clan, which was wiped out by the Holy Spirit Cult within a few years of its appearance, is as useless as an NPC. As long as he has enough talent and can awaken his Martial Soul, he is enough to be recruited by other forces. Shrek is not out of the question either. Although he had a falling out with Yan Shaozhe and others in reality, it does not mean that their relationship will be strained in the Simulation Device.

His ability to be flexible and adaptable is one of Lu Cheng's strengths.

Besides, at worst, one can simply join the Holy Spirit Cult and become a Holy Son; it doesn't matter where one becomes a Holy Son.

What does the trouble I caused in the Simulation Device have to do with my real life?

Taking a deep breath, and having made up my mind, I slowly closed my eyes.

The Simulation Device, now powered up with sufficient energy, began to spin again.

[You were born in a small town near Mingdu in the Sun Moon Empire. Your parents were ordinary, loving residents who had high hopes for your birth.]

[At six years old, you benefited from the Sun Moon Empire's system of awakening Martial Soul, successfully awakening Twin Martial Souls, Blood Pupils and Seraphim, becoming famous throughout the region. Your parents were overjoyed and loved you even more. You also successfully entered the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy, becoming a student.]

Sun Moon Empire?

Lu Cheng stirred slightly. In the original work, the Sun Moon Empire had quite a few beauties, such Ye Guyi, Meng Hongchen, and Ju Zi. Based on the experience of the last Simulation, the system did not lock onto any particular target. As long as you encountered them, experienced them, and became their white moonlight, the system would recognize you.

Therefore, one fish can be prepared in multiple ways.

After all, the "cost" of this Simulation could be described as extravagant. If he hadn't obtained some Gold of Life from the Star Luo Empire Auction House, he probably wouldn't have been able to conduct the second Simulation.

However, this Seraphim Martial Soul... there's probably some truth to it.

Lu Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly and continued reading.

[Your outstanding performance at the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy not only showcased an exaggeratedly dominant talent in your Martial Soul among your peers, but you also excelled in Soul Tool. Your Blood Pupils's expertise in the mental system made you seem blessed when inscribing soul arrays; even the Illustrious Virtue Hall Kong Deming, personally received you, smiling and patting your shoulder, promising that you could Illustrious Virtue Hall at any time if you wished.]

"The Illustrious Virtue Hall... Kong Deming?!"

A look of surprise flashed across Lu Cheng's eyes. Where the hell did this come from? The previous head of the Illustrious Virtue Hall was indeed Kong Deming, but this meant that the timeline was probably before the original story. However, he couldn't be sure exactly how much the timeline differed. His eyes twitched, but he continued reading anyway.

[You were flattered and chose to join Kong Deming's ranks, becoming his last disciple. At the age of twelve, you advanced to the Soul Ancestor Master level. Under Kong Deming's full tutelage, you became the fastest student in the Illustrious Virtue Hall's history to advance to the Level 5 Soul Engineer. And here, you also met your senior brother... Jing Hongchen.]

The scene changes.

Lu Cheng looked around blankly.

Metal walls, the air thick with the acrid smell of metal shavings, and the occasional harsh screeching of grinding and cutting machines—it was a classic Sun Moon Empire laboratory, the one he had experienced in his previous Simulation Device.

"Smack~"

A large hand patted Lu Cheng's shoulder, and a familiar yet irritating voice rang in his ear. "Junior Brother, there's a banquet at my residence tonight. Want to come? Grandmaster will introduce you to a pretty girl."

Lu Cheng turned around, but saw no one.

Looking around, Lu Cheng saw a short, stout old man dressed in the standard red and black Illustrious Virtue Hall researcher's uniform of the Sun Moon Empire. He looked down at him with his beard bristling and eyes wide open, as if he was about to jump up and headbutt Lu Cheng in the stomach.

"You little brat, looking for a beating again?"

Jing Hongchen roared angrily.

"Senior brother, I'm sorry, I didn't see it just now..." Lu Cheng apologized sincerely.

Jing Hongchen: "..."

This apology was completely unnecessary.

He raised his head and looked up at his junior brother, who was already 1.75 meters tall at the age of twelve, with a straight and upright figure, and his face twitched.

He's handsome and exceptionally talented, no wonder his master favors him so much. However, he's over a hundred years old now, and his son is already married, so he's clearly past the age of comparing himself to others.

The status of teachers in the Sun Moon Empire is self-evident; they are the Sea God. Whether it is a prince or the emperor, they must bow and address him as "Master Kong" when they meet him. His status is so high that the number of people in the Sun Moon Empire who want to become his disciples could circle the Mingdu twice.

However, the teacher always preferred tranquility, so apart from him and his junior brother, he only had two or three fellow disciples, who were either researchers in the Illustrious Virtue Hall or joined the army, becoming leaders of a Soul Guidance Corps.

Therefore, as the eldest Grandmaster, he also showed great favoritism towards his junior disciple, much like a master would.

If anyone else dared to do that, they would probably have been slapped to pieces by him long ago.

What is Senior Brother planning to do with this banquet?

Lu Cheng asked with great interest.

"Naturally, it's a 100-day celebration for my two grandsons. My Hongchen Clan has only had one son per generation for many years, and now that we have two outstanding talents, we naturally have to make a grand spectacle of it. This banquet... will gather almost half of the empire's elites. Even His Majesty has heard about it and plans to come and see for himself. It's said that every family with a daughter of marriageable age is inquiring about you."

A hundred-day celebration for Xiao Hongchen Meng Hongchen?!

Lu Cheng's eye twitched. No wonder...

This is at least twelve or thirteen years ago on the timeline. Why bring him here so early? Whose unattainable ideal is he meant to become?

Could it be... Meng Hongchen?

That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?

Moreover, in the original novel, He Caitou was the previous crown prince. According to his heartfelt description with Huo Gua, the palace coup only happened six years ago, which means... it was around the time when Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were about ten years old.

There are still ten years until the palace coup, and the emperor is that...

At the mention of her grandchildren, Jing Hongchen's eyebrows danced with joy, her face beaming with smiles. At the end, she nudged Lu Cheng with a wink, saying, "Junior Brother, if you find someone you like, hurry up! Childhood sweethearts, innocent and pure, would definitely be a beautiful story in the empire."

"The smaller the better?" Lu Cheng was pulled out of his thoughts, his expression somewhat strange.

"Hehe, that's natural." Jing Hongchen said with a grin without even thinking, "You're the youngest disciple under our master, and the only one among us who isn't married. Our Grandmaster must be worried about you."

Clearly, Jing Hongchen doesn't seem to realize the seriousness of the problem.

She kept introducing Lu Cheng Lu Cheng the imperial court's leading ladies who were younger than him: one was beautiful, another was exceptionally talented, and yet another was a royal princess.

"Alright, Grandmaster, I'm still young..."

Lu Cheng said helplessly.

"Alright, remember to come to the banquet." Jing Hongchen smiled, patted her stomach, and turned to leave.

Lu Cheng was left standing there, lost in thought.

According to his memory, Jing Hongchen is now the deputy head of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. After some time, Kong Deming will most likely relinquish power and go into seclusion, handing over the responsibility of the Illustrious Virtue Hall to Jing Hongchen.

Neither his age nor his combat strength were up to the level of a hall master, so he had no desire to compete. Jing Hongchen was quite kind to those he considered his own, so there was no need for him to compete.

But the thought of seeing two tiny figures, Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen, at this banquet gave Lu Cheng a strange feeling.

never mind.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of distracting thoughts.

Since that's the case, let's make the most of it. There are advantages to having an earlier timeline. Having Simulation Device doesn't mean he'll actually experience that much time.

He recalled the experiment he had just conducted... His gaze fell on the core array of a level six Milk Bottle in front of him. He had started experimenting with level six arrays at the age of twelve, which would be astonishing to outsiders, but for him, it was nothing new.

After returning to the dormitory of the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy, washing up and changing clothes, I took a soul-guided vehicle to the residence of this Grandmaster.

Outside, the streets were bustling with traffic and guests arriving in an endless stream.

A quick glance reveals several princes, and even a powerful border commander, indicating that Jing Hongchen is indeed doing quite well and is rising in status. He is considered a rising star in the Sun Moon Empire. Moreover, his ability to protect himself amidst the dark and treacherous royal infighting suggests that besides having the powerful Kong Deming backing him, he is also quite astute and resourceful.

Lu Cheng underestimated his current status in the Sun Moon Empire.

After he appeared, he was the subject of many gazes. Xu Jiangliu, the Royal Soul Engineer Corps held considerable power and prestige within the royal family, managed a forced smile when he saw Lu Cheng: "It's Xiao Cheng, your Grandmaster is looking for you..."

The young man beside him looked at Lu Cheng with a hint of envy in his eyes. After all, who in the entire empire did not know that this young man was the last disciple of Master Kong and the junior brother of the host of this banquet?

The young man did not disappoint Kong Deming. In recent years, he has broken almost all the records of the former Soul Engineer, making him a once-in-a-millennium prodigy and the strongest Soul Master genius.

In other words, with two great Buddhas protecting him, even the current emperor would show him some favor.

Lu Cheng was very courteous and greeted them politely before being pulled away by the hurried Jing Hongchen, who led him straight into the mansion and into a small courtyard.

Lu Cheng then saw the two twins being embraced by servants.

"Come... and see the prodigy of my Hongchen Clan."

Jing Hongchen smiled, stroked his beard, and couldn't hide his pride.

The boy had a rather heroic air about him, his eyes fixed on Lu Cheng, neither crying nor making a fuss.

The girl's eyes lit up the moment she saw Lu Cheng. She reached out and jumped from the servant's arms into Lu Cheng's, grabbing his arm and refusing to let go.

Lu Cheng's eye twitched.

Goodness, this girl's infatuation... seems to be innate.

In this life, his Blood Pupils have Second Awakening, so his looks have soared from a seven out of ten to a nine out of ten, making him ridiculously handsome.

"Hahaha, it seems Meng really likes you." Jing Hongchen was clearly unaware of the seriousness of the situation and continued to laugh heartily.

Lu Cheng's eyes softened as he patted the girl's head.

The latter lay obediently in my arms, motionless, her long eyelashes fluttering, looking extremely cute.

The nanny, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. The young lady was exceptionally mischievous, even more lively than the young master, but in this man's arms, she was unusually quiet... How strange.

"Oh, right, junior brother, the emperor is here tonight too."

Jing Hongchen waved his hand, dismissing the servants, and whispered in Lu Cheng's ear.

"Oh?" Lu Cheng's expression remained calm.

"And the Seventh Princess, that girl is the same age as you this year..." Jing Hongchen said in a low voice.

"..."

Lu Cheng frowned slightly. He had just seen the princess, but he didn't like her willful and capricious nature. Not to mention... the bloody massacre caused by the change of the throne ten years later, all seven of the emperor's daughters were on the death list, only He Caitou escaped.

"My senior brother probably declined for me."

Lu Cheng shook his head.

"I don't like it."

"Hey, you're really stubborn... That's the Seventh Princess, His Majesty's most beloved girl. If you can marry her, you'll be a much more prestigious husband than your Grandmaster," Jing Hongchen said with a grin.

"If you like her, then marry her," Lu Cheng said with a light laugh.

"Well..."

Jing Hongchen's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare say such a thing."

"Fine, since you don't like it, I'll decline it for you."

This would naturally displease the emperor, but what could he do when his junior brother was favored by their teacher?