บท 17: Thunder Steel

Ling Tian sat silently, contemplating the events that had transpired in his latest simulation. As he reviewed the information, he couldn't help but acknowledge the inherent risks and rewards of venturing in the continent. The world outside his city was vast and filled with both opportunities and dangers, often intertwined. One of his previous simulations had led him to a secret realm, an enticing opportunity for any cultivator and worth the risk. However, it turned out to be the lair of a demonic cultivator, a place designed to attract and devour those who entered. He had died in the simulation at that time.

This time, his journey led him into a cave world filled with rich resources, but it also presented its own dangers. He had been schemed against by three cultivators who, in their greed, stole the eggs of a purple snake's couple at the Purple Mansion Realm. When they encountered him, they shattered one of the eggs on his head, drawing the wrath of the snake couple upon him. Despite his strength, he eventually perished under the unexpected attack of one of the snakes that blew itself along with him.

Ling Tian exhaled slowly, closing the system interface. These experiences were harsh reminders that luck often played a crucial role in a cultivator's journey. He rose from his meditation and went to bed.

The next morning, Ling Tian woke early and resumed his daily routine. His Dantian, already containing a significant amount of Spiritual Energy, still had room to store more. The vastness of his Dantian, a result of his Nine Heavens Primordial Body, allowed him to store much more energy than most cultivators. He could feel the energy flowing smoothly through his meridians, as he absorbed the inborn Spiritual Energy.

After several hours of refining weapons and cultivating, Ling Tian moved on to his sword practice. He focused intently on his movements, channeling his energy into each strike. The air around him seemed to hum with power as he moved with precision. By the time he finished, a third Sword Intent Strand had formed, adding to the two he had already generated.

Satisfied with his progress, Ling Tian sat cross-legged, allowing his body to rest while his mind remained active. He infused the three Sword Intent Strands into his Sword Law Seed, watching as the seed pulsed with new energy and grew slightly in size. The feeling of progress was always enjoyable to Ling Tian.

While observing the changes within the Law Seed, he decided to do a paid simulation.

[Ding, discovered 576 low-tier spiritual stones in the host's possession. Do you want to pay 256 low-tier spiritual stones for one paid simulation?]

Ling Tian replied, "Pay."

[Ding, Simulation starting...]

A new screen appeared, showing a refreshed talent pool.

[Ding, Talent Refresh Successful, congratulations to the host for refreshing one Talent.]

[Stable Spiritual Energy Flow (Green): Spiritual Energy (Qi) flow is more stable, reducing the chances of cultivation deviation by 10%.]

[Ding, the Talent 'Stable Spiritual Energy Flow' was automatically selected. Simulation Starting …]

[Year 1: At 16, you are at the Integration Stage of the Innate Realm and an Advanced Refiner. Your clan hails you as a genius; the entire city knows your name. The clan provides you with abundant resources. You start studying the basics of the Sword Way.]

[Year 2: At 17, with your talent "Resilient Body" and ample resources, you are integrating Spiritual Energy into your Dantian. You practice with the sword diligently, dedicating most of your time to it. You hear that the Zhao Clan is searching for the killer of Zhao Yun, but you do not heed them, knowing you erased all your traces.]

[Year 3: At 18, you begin searching for martial arts techniques and buy them. You start practicing the Martial Arts Path and focus on mastering the sword.]

[Year 4: At 19, your talent 'Intermediate Martial Arts Prodigy' activates. You learn to ignite your Blood Qi, enhancing your strength and endurance. You break through to the Kindling Stage of the Blood Ignition Realm, resulting in enhanced physical strength and basic control over Blood Qi.]

[Year 5: At 20, your cultivation increases steadily. You refine weapons regularly for your clan, which becomes more prosperous. You are still at the Advanced Refiner Level and estimate that you will stay a long time in this level as advancing beyond this level requires lots of knowledge and experience.]

[Year 6: At 21, your younger brother reaches the Awakening Stage of the Innate Realm. You and your brother are called the Twin Stars of the Ling Clan.]

[Year 7: At 22, your clan opens a store for selling the weapons you refine and accumulates many resources. Your name becomes renowned within the city. With the help of your talent, you remove blockages and enhance your body's ability to channel Blood Qi. You advance to the Blaze Stage of the Blood Ignition Realm, improving the flow of Blood Qi through the meridians.]

[Year 9: At 24, many clan members achieve breakthroughs in their cultivation because of the increased resources provided by your weapon refining. Your father gets promoted to the Integration Stage of the Innate Realm. You steadily increase your cultivation.]

[Year 11: At 26, your Dantian is filled with purified spiritual energy, and you reach the peak of the Innate Realm. You also reach the peak of the Blaze Stage of the Blood Ignition Realm. You focus on solidifying your breakthrough and restraining your aura before coming out of seclusion. While strolling in the marketplace, you search for the black ore you encountered in the previous simulation and successfully buy it, obtaining the little token.]

[Year 14: At 29, you compress and condense half of your Blood Qi into a denser, more potent form and break through to the Inferno Stage of the Blood Ignition Realm.]

[Year 15: At 30, you know that disciples from the Fiery Fire Sect will arrive in the city to recruit new members and that your killing of Zhao Yun will be exposed. So, you decide to leave early to avoid trouble.]

[Year 16: At 31, you are wandering through the continent alone, and at the same selling your weapons time, and generating Sword Intent Stands to feed your law seed.]

[Year 18: At 33, you compress and condense your other half of Blood Qi into a denser, more potent form and break through to the Peak of the Inferno Stage of the Blood Ignition Realm.]

[Year 19: At 34, you managed to buy a cultivation technique with your savings and advance to the Initial Stage of the Spiritual Realm.]

[Year 21: At 36, while traveling around, you see a white beam piercing through the sky near you so you decide to check the place out. After arriving, you see a crowd of people gathering at the place of the beam. You find out that someone accidentally triggered the formation of a cultivator's cave and now the entrance of the cave is gradually revealing itself.]

[After a few days, the entrance fully reveals itself. You hesitate for a few breaths, then you steel yourself and enter the cave. You get teleported to a small forest. You observe your surroundings after getting out of the forest. You find that this cave is a huge world filled with many forests and mountain ranges.]

[Year 22: At 38, you are traveling slowly in the cave world because of the many dangers. You find many herbs that help in cultivation and consume them accelerating your cultivation. You also discover that the lightning spiritual energy is dominant in this cave world. Your Law Seed is also increasing slowly in size after infusing the Sword Intent Strands that you are generating. Also your talent 'Stable Spiritual Energy Flow' has helped in your meditation after many battles by regulating your chaotic Spiritual Energy flow resulting from many fierce battles.]

[Year 23: At 39, you hear loud sounds coming from in front of you. This time you know what will happen next and you wait. After a few breaths, you find three cultivators at the Advanced Stage of the Spiritual Realm running frantically in your direction. When they arrive near you, you erupt with your full strength and severely injure them. After you snatch the two eggs from them, you leave them quickly behind letting them bear the wrath of the two purple snakes. Later on, you hear many cries and screams.]

[Year 24: At 40, you come across a large platform with a tall steel flickering with lightning currents from time to time. You see some people sitting cross-legged on the platform in front of them the steel, appearing in deep meditation while others outside the platform are watching them. After asking around, you find out that the people on the platform are undergoing a trial that will give them rewards according to their scores. After one sits on the platform, his consciousness gets pulled into the steel where he will face the trial. You decide to wait and observe]

[After two days, all the people on the platform woke up disappointed as most of them got things not too valuable due to their low scores. You decide to undergo the trial and head to the platform accompanied by many others. You sit down cross-legged on the platform and your consciousness slowly gets absorbed by the thunder steel.]

[After your mind enters the steel, you find yourself on a large thunderous plain with a dark sky and occasional storms that roam across the land. Suddenly, a tall man with a naked upper body that contrasted with his muscles appears in front. He had long lightning-purple hair, a purple rune flickered across his forehead, and had a long spear in his hand. His aura suggested that he was at the Initial Stage of the Spiritual Realm. You receive a message from the thunder steel stating that the first trial is to defeat the man in front of you.]