The First Simulation

"Hello, host. The Myriad Heavens Simulator is at your service."

An electronic voice rang out in Ning Yue's mind. He remained perfectly calm, unlike the protagonists in the novels he used to read, who were either panic-stricken or at a complete loss.

"The Myriad Heavens Simulator? Introduce yourself. Do I need spirit stones or gold coins to start a simulation?" Ning Yue asked, calm but curious.

Basic moves, no need to be impressed. It was all in the books. Living in the twenty-first century, who hadn't read a novel?

As for spirit stones and gold coins, he had neither.

"Hello, host. The simulator can be activated once per day. Unused activations do not accumulate. Each simulation costs ten thousand yuan."

Ning Yue frowned slightly. With only a hundred thousand yuan a month in spending money, he seemed to have enough for only ten days of simulations.

"System, let's make a deal. One hundred yuan per simulation."

"Say something. If that won't do, two hundred is fine too."

"Don't hide in there without making a sound. I know you're home. How about a thousand yuan per simulation?"

The system remained silent throughout, leaving Ning Yue helpless. It was a stupid system, impossible to communicate with.

He thought to himself, I'll just have to sign up for a few more tutoring classes and see if I can get some money out of my parents.

Ning Yue was his parents' only son. Their money would be his someday anyway, so he could consider it an advance.

That was right. After transmigrating, Ning Yue had discovered that he had parents, and they were doing quite well. They owned a pill company with assets worth over a hundred million yuan. What was more, he had no siblings to fight over power and wealth with; he was an only child.

In his previous life, he'd had the protagonist's script: orphaned at birth and still alone after growing up. He was already twenty-five and had never had a girlfriend. He was Dugu Qiubai through and through.

This life was so much better. He had parents and money, and he could live as a rice worm until he died.

Thank heavens for transmigration!

Still, one thing bothered him: he wasn't as handsome as those reader friends of his. This... he couldn't accept it.

Yet he had no choice. Heaven was vast and earth was vast, but the readers were the greatest.

"Myriad Heavens Simulator, start."

"Ten thousand yuan deducted. Myriad heavens world selected: Heavenly Origin Realm (wuxia)."

"Age 0: You were born into a noble household."

"Age 1: Your parents discovered that you had a congenital defect and regarded you as a disgrace. In their kindness, they did not drown you, but sent you into the palace instead."

"Age 3: You became one of the little princess's playmates, named Quan'er. Before your childhood had even begun, you were assigned various chores."

...

"Age 5: You gained some understanding of the world. It was called the Heavenly Origin Realm, and the dynasty you lived in was called Great Qian."

"Age 6: Because of your excellence, the chief steward sent you to school and had you begin martial cultivation.

You did not know that behind it all, your mother had given the chief steward ten thousand taels of silver to secure this opportunity for you."

"Age 7: You studied, practiced martial arts, and did chores."

"Age 10: Your talent was extraordinary. You broke through to the Houtian Realm, putting you on par with the unranked experts of the jianghu."

"Age 15: You broke through to Houtian Peak and became a third-rate expert. At this point, you were selected by the Martial Preparations Hall to focus on martial arts, and no longer took part in the palace chores."

"Age 18: After three years of tempering, you had a sudden enlightenment and entered the Xiantian Realm, becoming a second-rate expert. At the same time, you joined the imperial guard and received a new name: Chen Shi."

"Age 20: You took part in suppressing the sects of the jianghu and broke through to mid Xiantian."

"Age 23: You had fought a hundred battles and made a name for yourself. You had killed countless sect members, and could no longer remember exactly how many."

"Age 26: You broke through to late Xiantian. You no longer needed to take part in suppressing the sects and returned to the imperial palace, where you became a battalion commander in the Palace Guard Battalion."

"Age 30: At Xiantian Peak, your fists shattered the void, sending blasts of force a hundred meters away, but you were no match for an assassin in the Grandmaster Realm."

You died.

"This simulation has ended. The host may choose one of the following rewards: 1. Life memories; 2. Jade Blood Saber Technique; 3. Quan'er's personal belongings."

Ning Yue watched the events unfold on the panel, somewhat surprised.

"I didn't die right after being born?"

That went against the usual plot.

Next, he looked at the three rewards he could choose from. The life memories could broaden his experience, and they included the combat experience of someone who had fought a hundred battles. If he obtained those memories, he would be better able to handle himself in real combat in the future.

If he chose the Jade Blood Saber Technique, it should give Ning Yue an offensive martial skill.

"So, I choose three."

His analysis was fierce as a tiger, but his move defied the usual formula.

Ning Yue had his own reasoning. He wouldn't consider the life experience. He was only eighteen and had just transmigrated; if he rashly accepted thirty years of a eunuch's memories, leaving everything else aside, his personality was bound to change.

As for the Jade Blood Saber Technique, it wasn't what Ning Yue needed most at the moment. He needed items that could strengthen him and bolster his qi and blood.

In the end, the items were more practical.

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Sunflower Manual, thirty taels of silver, one Jade Blood Saber, one bottle of True Qi Pills, countless silver notes...]

"The system has automatically stored the items in the inventory. Please check them yourself."

"Ring, ring, ring!"

The bell rang for the end of class. Before Ning Yue could check, his body had already turned and run out of the classroom.

Just after running out the back door, he froze. Wasn't a cultural studies teacher still teaching?

He turned to look. The teacher hadn't even looked up when he ran out of the classroom, and was silently gathering the textbooks in preparation to leave.

Clearly, the teacher was already accustomed to this sort of thing.

"It was all my predecessor's doing. I'm someone who loves studying."

With that, he left school with a clear conscience.

South Bank Residential Complex, Xinyuan City.

After the resurgence of spiritual qi, Blue Star's surface area had expanded a hundredfold. With humanity also facing frequent dangers, its population had decreased rather than grown over three hundred years. From six or seven billion people three centuries ago, it had fallen to just over three billion.

Even so, some locations in the safer cities were worth their weight in gold.

The South Bank Residential Complex was one such place. Close to the city lord's manor, it was one of the safest residential complexes around. Its residents were either wealthy or influential, its martial experts were too numerous to count, and a dedicated guard force protected it day and night.

Ning Yue's family lived there. Although they owned a small three-story villa, they were only in the lower-middle tier within the complex.

"Dad, Mom, I'm home."

No one answered.

"Nobody's home? That's a relief."

Ning Yue opened the door. The house was empty, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Having only just transmigrated, he still had mixed feelings about his parents. Meeting them a little later put him more at ease.

The reasoning was simple: it was like a couple in love. No matter how deep their feelings for each other, they would still be a little nervous about meeting each other's parents.