82 – Cruel

“Seven Star Archipelago, Seven Star Palace, Profound Elixir Realm, Heavenly Sword Holy Land”

Wang Ping looked at the content in the Life Simulator, his heart was filled with waves of emotions, unable to calm down.

Leaving the Profound Turtle Continent, he could finally see a broader sky.

It’s just that Wang Ping really didn’t expect that he and Cai Yonglong were truly in the same world.

In that case, Qin Tian and Ye Xiaofan might also be from the same world.

After all, they all traveled to the world of cultivating immortality.

“Besides, this world is probably even more terrifying than I imagined. A Seven Star Archipelago far from the Eastern Wilderness actually has a powerhouse at the half-step Profound Elixir Realm sitting there, which is really surprising.”

Wang Ping thought of the half-step Profound Elixir Realm ancestor of the Seven Star Palace again, quite shocked.

The Great Transcendence already has three realms. Each realm is a new height, making it unimaginable how powerful the half-step Profound Elixir Realm and Profound Elixir Realm truly are.

Yet, such a powerhouse actually appears on an archipelago, which easily leads one to imagine…

How strong are the powerhouses of the Eastern Wilderness?

How astonishing is the cultivation of the powerhouses of Heavenly Sword Holy Land?

“Thinking too much… Currently, I am just an ordinary Spirit Sea Realm cultivator who has just left the beginner’s village in the Life Simulator…”

Wang Ping shook his head, discarding the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind, and continued to stare at the screen.

On the screen, the text appropriately reappeared again.

【After you joined the Seven Star Palace, you diligently studied alchemy. Because of your demonstrated alchemy talent, you were favored by Palace Master Qin Lan, one of the three deputy palace masters. As a seventh-grade alchemist, she took you as a disciple and personally instructed you in alchemy.】

【You were very happy about this and followed Palace Master Qin Lan to improve your alchemy skills as quickly as possible.】

【Time flies, twenty years have passed. During these twenty years, you have become a fifth-grade alchemist, your status more esteemed. At the same time, your cultivation also broke through to the mid Spirit Sea Realm. Although not as fast as cultivating dark arts, it is undoubtedly ten times faster than spending two hundred years to break through a minor realm on the Profound Turtle Continent.】

【On this day, the Seven Star Palace gathered many elders to discuss important matters. As an inner sect elder, you naturally participated in the meeting. It turned out that the largest secret realm on the Seven Star Archipelago, which opens once every two hundred years, was about to commence. It contains opportunities that even Transcendent Realm cultivators go mad for.】

【Therefore, this meeting was to discuss who would stay behind to guard the Seven Star Palace and who would go to the Seven Star Secret Realm to seek opportunities.】

【After hearing the content of the meeting, you were quite excited. Having lived in the Seven Star Palace for twenty years, you not only learned many secret techniques of the Seven Star Palace but also knew that although there are numerous Spirit Sea Realm cultivators on the Seven Star Archipelago, amounting to thousands, Spirit Embryo Realm cultivators are very few. On the surface, there are only fifty. Even in a force like the Seven Star Palace, there are only ten strong Spirit Embryo Realm cultivators.】

【Some Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses have the talent to break through to the Spirit Embryo Realm, but breaking through to the Spirit Embryo Realm not only requires talent but also corresponding secret techniques and the required heaven and earth spiritual materials. And the grade of the spiritual material must be sixth-grade.】

【Sixth-grade spiritual materials are already rare, and they are even more precious on the Seven Star Archipelago, let alone matching one’s own attributes, making it even harder to find. Because of this, countless geniuses have been stuck at the Spirit Sea Realm, unable to take that step to form their spirits.】

【Therefore, you have also been troubled over spiritual materials for years. Now that the Seven Star Secret Realm is opening, it is undoubtedly an opportunity. The probability of finding sixth-grade fire-attribute spiritual materials in the Seven Star Secret Realm is the highest.】

【Although every time the Seven Star Secret Realm opens, many Transcendent Realm cultivators fall, many cultivators also seize the opportunity and soar to the sky.】
“However, considering that you are still young and your cultivation is too low, there is no need to risk your life. After all, the Seventh Star Secret Realm opens once every two hundred years. You have enough time to improve your cultivation. As long as you wait another two hundred years, next time the secret realm opens, your chances of survival and obtaining opportunities will be greater.”

“Moreover, if you work hard on your alchemy skills, you might be able to exchange for a Six-Grade Spirit Item in the future, so you suppress the impulse to enter.”

Ultimately, you choose not to go in. Your master Qin Lan praises your decision, satisfied that you did not let greed cloud your judgment.”

Afterwards, many cultivators on the Seven Star Archipelago head to the entrance of the Seventh Star Secret Realm, waiting for it to open. You follow along, but you have no intention of entering, only wanting to see the excitement and check out what the entrance looks like.”

As you arrive, you notice some Spirit Origin Realm experts also waiting, marveling at their fearlessness. Meanwhile, you spot an acquaintance—Ye Chen.

To your surprise, Ye Chen’s cultivation has already reached the Spirit Sea Realm. His rapid progress is truly astonishing, as expected of someone with the fortune of ‘Ring Grandpa’.

Ye Chen also notices you. Seeing your cultivation, he shows a slight hint of surprise, not expecting that someone who reached the Spirit Sea Realm twenty years ago is now only at the mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm.

In the end, Ye Chen merely nods politely and doesn’t pay further attention to you.

You don’t mind, either. As the secret realm opens and cultivators fly in, you leave as well. The Seventh Star Secret Realm remains open for a month. You’ll return here in a month to see the aftermath.

You know that major events like the opening of a secret realm are most lively when it closes, as conflicts arise over opportunities and treasures. This will let you identify those who obtained fortunes and what treasures the secret realm holds, which might be helpful later.

A month passes in the blink of an eye, and you are already waiting at sea. You aren’t the only one; many other major factions’ representatives are waiting too.

Soon, people start emerging one after another, most bearing various injuries. Some are elated, some are calm, while others are furious, hateful, and frustrated, each reacting differently.

What surprises you is that despite their hostility, no one argues or accuses openly. You realize these cultivators won’t start conflicts in front of so many factions, fearing others would take advantage.

You guess those with grudges will find another chance to settle scores later. Understanding this, you can’t help but appreciate the wisdom of the older generation.

Soon, members of the Seven Star Palace also come out. Among them is your master Qin Lan, who, although slightly injured, is otherwise fine and has had substantial gains.

Next, you notice many have died, particularly Spirit Origin Realm cultivators—only one in ten survived. Even those who did survive, without powerful backers, would be mercilessly accused, killed, and their storage rings searched by shameless factions.

Witnessing this, you can only sigh that having no background means even if you enter the secret realm and barely survive, you can hardly preserve your life. Such is the cruelty of the cultivation world.

Then, you see Ye Chen leaving the secret realm and stealthily following others back to the Seven Star Palace. Curious, you inquire about major events that happened in the Seventh Star Secret Realm, and your master Qin Lan answers.

This time, many great opportunities appeared in the Seventh Star Secret Realm. Several Six-Grade Spirit Items were found, as well as five Seven-Grade Spirit Items, triggering many fierce battles. The largest chaos, however, was due to the discovery of a Heavenly-Level Technique.

The Heavenly-Level Technique’s appearance almost caused mutual destruction among all sides. Ultimately, the rogue cultivator who obtained the technique knew he was doomed and ruthlessly destroyed it.

Hearing this, you are shocked. A Heavenly-Level Technique, superior to Earth-Level Techniques, is absent even in a powerful faction like the Seven Star Palace. For that person to destroy it is indeed wasteful.

However, considering his inevitable death, breaking the Heavenly-Level Technique to frustrate everyone was his only means of revenge.

In the end, you feel very fortunate not to have entered the Seventh Star Secret Realm. This time’s secret realm expedition caused excessive casualties. Over two hundred Spirit Sea Realm experts perished, and several Spirit Embryo Realm experts also died. Only top-tier Spirit Nurturing Realm experts like Qin Lan managed to retreat unscathed.

Of course, if not for that rogue cultivator destroying the Heavenly-Level Technique, even Spirit Nurturing Realm experts might have fallen. After all, a Heavenly-Level Technique is fatally enticing to Transcendent Realm cultivators.

In the following months, you hear of many conflicts on the Seven Star Archipelago, with some even escalating into wars. You know these are aftereffects of the secret realm’s reopening but choose to ignore them.

After all, as an Inner Sect Elder of the Seven Star Palace, as long as you remain in the palace, you will be safe as long as the Seven Star Palace stands.
In the blink of an eye, another fifty years passed. Your cultivation progressed steadily, reaching the late period of the Spirit Sea Realm. During these fifty years, your alchemy skills also advanced to the sixth grade.

As a sixth-grade alchemist, you have made a name for yourself, not only in the Seven Star Palace but across the entire Seven Star Archipelago, becoming a revered figure. Even cultivators in the Spirit Nurturing Realm would not dare to slight you.

You did not become arrogant or complacent due to your achievements; instead, you continued to cultivate steadily.

Another seventy years passed, and your cultivation reached the pinnacle of the Spirit Sea Realm, just one step away from the Spirit Embryo Realm. Now, you just need to obtain a sixth-grade fire-element spiritual item to step into the Spirit Embryo Realm and become a true powerhouse in the Seven Star Archipelago.

After reaching the pinnacle of the Spirit Sea Realm, you realized that your cultivation would not progress for a long time. You began to study secret methods and swordsmanship diligently, aiming to raise your Sword Intent to 80%.

Unfortunately, after the Sword Intent is fully formed, each additional percentage becomes exceedingly difficult. After many years, without any special opportunities, you found it hard to make that leap to enhance your Sword Intent to 80%.

However, you still had reason to be proud. In the Seven Star Archipelago, there are few who can comprehend 70% of their intentions. You realized that although reaching the Transcendent Realm signifies innate talent, not everyone possessed the extraordinary insight like you and Bai Tianhong.

“The speed of normal cultivation is indeed slow… It can’t compare to demonic cultivation. However, cultivating demonic techniques on the Profound Turtle Continent might be acceptable, but doing it here on the Seven Star Archipelago would be courting death.”

Wang Ping sighed while reading the simulated content.

“Speaking of which, where has Ye Chen disappeared to after experiencing the Seven Star Secret Realm? Where has that guy gone now…”

Wang Ping immediately thought of Ye Chen.

Ye Chen was undoubtedly favored by fortune; he shouldn’t have vanished.

According to the usual trope, shouldn’t this guy have offended some major power in the Seven Star Archipelago and then worked hard to overturn that power after several decades?

Yet now, there wasn’t a single piece of news about him. In the Life Simulator, fifty, seventy years had passed without any mention of him.

“Or perhaps, just like on the Profound Turtle Continent, did Ye Chen’s master think that the Seven Star Archipelago was too small for his development, so after obtaining the greatest opportunity in the Seven Star Secret Realm, they simply fled to the Eastern Wilderness?”

Wang Ping rubbed his chin, thinking this was very likely.

After all, Ye Chen, with the Ring Grandpa supporting him, couldn’t possibly stay long in the relatively lesser ‘instance’ of the Seven Star Archipelago.

His competitors couldn’t be these ‘old relics’ who achieved their cultivation by sheer age but rather the geniuses from major sects in the Eastern Wilderness. They were the only ones worthy to compete with him, to become his stepping stones.

“Tsk, Son of Fortune indeed, it’s truly enviable. If I had such strong fortune, I wouldn’t have faced various tragedies in the Life Simulator.”

Wang Ping clicked his tongue in envy.

So what if you were a transmigrator, so what if you had a Golden Finger, ultimately having great fortune was more useful.

Whether it was the Waste Heaven Emperor, Ye Heaven Emperor, or Chu Heaven Emperor, none of them were levels that an ordinary transmigrator with a Golden Finger could reach.

Rather, the real question was whether their Golden Fingers were supplied by some top-tier powerhouse.

Wang Ping constantly pondered about the terrifying existence behind the chatting group that mass-produced transmigrator Golden Fingers.

“Forget it, no point in overthinking. Just take it one step at a time.”

With that, Wang Ping calmed his mind and once again focused on the screen. Words continued to appear.

While you were awaiting the appearance of a sixth-grade fire-element spiritual item or the reopening of the Seven Star Secret Realm, a major event happened that shook the entire Seven Star Archipelago! The patriarch-level figures of many powers in the Seven Star Archipelago were all alarmed!”