Chapter 337 – The Simulator Flexes? What Level of Treasure Is This?!

Chapter 337 – The simulator Flexes? What Level of Treasure Is This?!

【Over these fifty years, the number of Spirit-Gathering Flowers in your possession surged once more. Within the spirit field grotto-heaven, the count reached over three hundred thousand!】

【With such a quantity of Spirit-Gathering Flowers spread across the spirit field grotto-heaven, if not for the hundredfold expansion in area after the upgrade, it would have been nearly impossible to plant so many.】

“Three hundred thousand Spirit-Gathering Flowers… converted to origin energy, that’s a mere thirty thousand points!”

“But the value that Spirit-Gathering Flowers can bring… is far more than just that!”

A glint of brilliance flashed in Su Xing’s eyes. He was already experimenting with methods to rapidly acquire energy after entering the Three Thousand Worlds!

Su Xing’s idea was to use Spirit-Gathering Flowers as his breakthrough point, making a fortune in a short time and obtaining enough origin energy!

“A single Spirit-Gathering Flower, though worth only 0.1 points of origin energy in the simulator, can sell for at least a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones in the Three Thousand Worlds!”

“And a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, even using the stupidest method of having the simulator recycle them, would convert to at least 10 points of origin energy!”

“The round-trip profit… is a full hundredfold price difference!”

Su Xing closed his eyes slightly. He naturally knew that exchanging Spirit-Gathering Flowers for spirit stones, then converting those to energy, was a rather foolish approach…

The reason Spirit-Gathering Flowers were so expensive was because of their scarcity…

In Su Xing’s view, the best approach would be to trade Spirit-Gathering Flowers directly for other resources — resources brimming with energy.

Only then could he ensure the fastest possible acquisition of origin energy.

“But before all that, the first priority is to accumulate enough Spirit-Gathering Flowers… the more the better!”

Su Xing thought to himself, then turned his gaze back to the simulation panel.

【Year 310. This year, your body cultivation finally advanced another step!】

【The Great Shaman Body Forging Art successfully crossed into the Third Layer mid-stage! At this moment, your combat Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation stands nearly three thousand zhang (9.99 km) tall, like a mountain demon god…】

【The enormous increase in size also caused your physical strength to multiply several times over when deploying the Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation.】

【The Great Shaman Body Forging Art successfully reaching the Third Layer Minor Mastery was something you had long anticipated.】

【With sufficient Star Stones at your disposal, the Third Layer breakthrough was not difficult.】

【You continued cultivating diligently as always, planting even more Spirit-Gathering Flowers…】

【In the blink of an eye, another forty years passed.】

【Year 350. During these forty years, you gained nearly forty thousand more Spirit-Gathering Flowers, bringing your total to three hundred and fifty thousand!】

【And you knew well that the four-hundred-year deadline was drawing ever closer…】

【This time, you decided not to remain in the Azure Cloud Sect, but to set out for the distant Endless Sea.】

In the Real World, Su Xing nodded slightly at this.

“The final fifty years… indeed worth making an attempt!”

“Though four hundred years of simulation is enough for now… once my cultivation reaches higher levels, that time will become woefully insufficient!”

Su Xing sighed. Qingyunzi remained an unpredictable variable.

Back when Su Xing had not yet obtained the Luotian inheritance, Qingyunzi’s evil corpse had already set its sights on him.

Now that Su Xing had truly inherited the Luotian Mirror, once Qingyunzi was consumed by the evil corpse, the likelihood of coming after Su Xing would only increase.

“The Luotian Sect has probably become a deep-seated inner demon for Qingyunzi, hasn’t it? Perhaps back then… there was more to the story between Qingyunzi and the Luotian Sect’s founding patriarch?”

Su Xing furrowed his brow slightly. He always felt that the connection between Qingyunzi and the Luotian Sect went beyond just a single Ruyi Visualization Method…

“Well then, for the remaining time, let’s continue exploring… and search for the treasures the Luotian Sect scattered across various worlds…”

In Su Xing’s mind, there were hundreds of Luotian Sect legacy sites scattered about, containing hidden wealth of staggering proportions. Setting everything else aside, even collecting just half would be enough to sustain his cultivation for a very long time.

He could even choose to convert some of those legacies into origin energy!

“And I need to keep collecting Spirit-Gathering Flowers too!”

Su Xing already had a plan in mind. His gaze returned to the simulation panel.

【Year 351. While Qingyunzi had not yet completely lost control, you formally prepared to leave the Azure Cloud Sect.】

【You piloted the Flowing Cloud Golden Light Vessel northward. In just over ten years, you traversed more than two hundred void nodes, passing through over thirty lesser chiliocosms.】

【After reaching the True Immortal realm, the void’s erosion of your power diminished noticeably. You could linger in the void far longer, allowing for extended periods of travel…】

【During these ten years, you sought out four Luotian Sect treasure caches scattered across various lesser chiliocosms, and successfully located two of them.】

【You successfully obtained tens of millions of drops of high-grade spirit liquid, tens of millions of spirit stones… along with numerous cultivation techniques, supernatural arts, and magical treasures…】

【The Endless Sea lay far from the Azure Cloud Realm, so you continued northward, pressing onward toward the Endless Sea…】

【In the blink of an eye, another forty years passed.】

【Year 400. Though you spent the journey traveling, you did not neglect improving your cultivation.】

【Through daily absorption of spirit liquid, your cultivation this year advanced to the True Immortal Realm, Third Layer…】

【That same year, the number of Spirit-Gathering Flowers in your spirit field grotto-heaven approached over four hundred thousand.】

【But what shocked you was the sheer distance to the Endless Sea… Setting out from the Azure Cloud Realm and traveling for over fifty years, you were still nowhere close to reaching it.】

【On the bright side, the farther you were from the Azure Cloud Sect, the greater your sense of security. At such a distance, you believed that even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal would have difficulty finding you.】

In the Real World, Su Xing frowned slightly at this.

“Legend has it that the Endless Sea separates the Azure Origin Domain from the Heavenly Secrets Domain… its expanse is boundless!”

“And the Azure Cloud Realm sits at the heart of the Azure Origin Domain… still far from the Endless Sea! Rumor has it that an ordinary True Immortal realm cultivator, traveling at full speed day and night without rest, would need a thousand years to cross the entire Azure Origin Domain!”

Su Xing realized he had still underestimated the vast distances within the Three Thousand Worlds and the sheer breadth of the Azure Origin Domain.

“Perhaps it’s precisely because different domains are so impossibly far apart… that cultivators can never send reinforcements in time, and are thus divided and conquered by the foreign races?”

Su Xing pondered silently.

He believed that when foreign races invaded and other worlds failed to send timely aid, part of the reason was surely the mentality of “the emperor is far away” — a reluctance to intervene in distant affairs.

But what they failed to realize was that the foreign races’ target was never a single world, but the entirety of the Three Thousand Worlds — the entire cultivation world!

“The Azure Cloud Realm sits at the very center of the Azure Origin Domain, so the distance to the Endless Sea should be about half the diameter of the entire domain…”

Su Xing did some rough calculations.

An ordinary True Immortal realm cultivator could travel over five million li (2,500,000 km) per day…

And though Su Xing’s speed was several times that of a True Immortal realm cultivator, to reach the edge of the Endless Sea from the Azure Cloud Realm — even with the aid of void nodes — would likely take around two hundred years!

“It seems… reaching the edge of the Endless Sea and exploring the rest of the Three Thousand Worlds… is beyond my current cultivation level.”

Su Xing’s brow furrowed, then relaxed again.

If it couldn’t be done for now, so be it. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

The most pressing matter was establishing the connection between Earth and the Three Thousand Worlds…

“I wonder how long before Qingyunzi finds me? Before then… I should plant more Spirit-Gathering Flowers!”

Su Xing murmured to himself, then turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【After learning of the Endless Sea’s immense distance, you continued your travels through various lesser worlds as before, learning about the customs and cultures of the cultivation world.】

【At the same time, you slowly drew closer toward the Endless Sea…】

【In the blink of an eye, another twenty years passed.】

【With the aid of the Luotian Mirror and your daily commitment to planting Spirit-Gathering Flowers, your total count reached an astonishing four hundred and fifty thousand…】

【Year 420. One day, your Blessed by Fortune talent sent a warning.】

【With your current strength, few things in the Three Thousand Worlds could threaten you, and this time you were not on the Advent Cult’s assassination list.】

【Therefore, you knew that Qingyunzi had discovered your whereabouts…】

【As expected, several days later, Qingyunzi found you.】

【You died…】

【Ding! This simulation has ended!】

After the simulation ended, Su Xing gazed at the text before him and murmured:

“This simulation… lasted four hundred and twenty years? Not bad at all…”

Four hundred and twenty years of simulation was enough for Su Xing to accomplish a great many things.

The only regret was that Qingyunzi would still come looking for trouble…

“Afterward, I should search through the Luotian Sect’s records for a way to deal with Qingyunzi!”

“If there isn’t one… I’ll have no choice but to seek help from that person!”

Su Xing frowned slightly. Unless absolutely necessary, he truly did not want to meet with that individual…

“But for now, let’s first choose this simulation’s rewards!”

Excitement gleamed in Su Xing’s eyes as he eagerly looked at the reward list.

【A Very Fast Man】: Gold talent, priced at 10 origin energy points.

【Great Shaman Body Forging Scripture, Third Layer (Minor Accomplishment)】: A body-tempering art inherited from the ancient Wu Clan, cultivated to the Third Layer mid-stage. Grants physical strength comparable to a mid-stage Celestial Immortal realm cultivator. Enables the Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation and the Heavenly Spirit supernatural art Myriad Stars Thunder Attraction. Priced at 300,000 origin energy points.

【True Immortal Realm, Third Layer】: Having weathered the Three Calamities of Immortals, you have achieved True Immortal status. The Great Dao beckons, with a lifespan spanning one cosmic cycle! Priced at 600,000 origin energy points!

【Spirit-Gathering Flowers x450,000】: Priced at 45,000 origin energy points.

“The Spirit-Gathering Flowers are absolutely essential to bring out… they’ll be needed for trade after I reach the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm!”

“That leaves only the Great Shaman Body Forging Art cultivation progress and the True Immortal Realm Third Layer!”

Su Xing deliberated. His current reserves of origin energy were not yet abundant. Six hundred thousand origin energy points was nearly half his total wealth — he didn’t dare spend that much all at once.

Moreover, at the True Immortal realm, a mere one or two layers of improvement would no longer significantly boost his combat ability.

Body cultivation, on the other hand, was something Su Xing would need to advance sooner or later…

With that in mind, Su Xing silently declared:

“I choose to bring out the Great Shaman Body Forging Art Third Layer Minor Mastery… and Spirit-Gathering Flowers x450,000!”

【Congratulations on successfully bringing out the Great Shaman Body Forging Art Third Layer Minor Mastery. Cost: 300,000 origin energy points. Remaining origin energy: 945,931 points…】

【Congratulations on successfully bringing out Spirit-Gathering Flowers x450,000. Cost: 45,000 origin energy points. Remaining origin energy: 900,931 points…】

As the notification faded, a stream of mysterious energy surged into Su Xing’s body.

Immediately after, his physical strength began to skyrocket!

Previously, Su Xing’s body cultivation had been stuck at only the introductory level of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art’s Third Layer…

Though the baptism of the Wind Calamity had already tempered his body to a level comparable to a late-stage Celestial Immortal realm cultivator,

the current advancement of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art was still nothing to scoff at!

With just the Third Layer Minor Mastery alone… Su Xing’s physical body was now comparable to a peak Celestial Immortal realm cultivator!

Su Xing closed his eyes tightly, carefully savoring the changes in his body.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and exhaled deeply:

“My body cultivation… needs to catch up as quickly as possible! Otherwise, a weak body… would be a fatal flaw among higher-realm cultivators!”

Su Xing planned to advance the Great Shaman Body Forging Art to the Fourth Layer as soon as possible before reaching the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm!

By then, with a True Immortal realm body combined with True Immortal realm Qi cultivation… his combat ability would improve even further!

“But wait… all four hundred and fifty thousand Spirit-Gathering Flowers were brought out too?”

No new storage ring had appeared in Su Xing’s hands.

But when he surveyed his surroundings, his eyes went wide.

Within the spirit field grotto-heaven, spanning a thousand zhang (3.33 km) in every direction, white flowers blanketed the hills and fields as far as the eye could see, continuously breathing out spiritual energy.

Su Xing could even sense that the grade of this spirit field grotto-heaven was rapidly transforming!

In less than a month, this spirit field grotto-heaven would fully ascend to the apex tier!

“Tsk tsk, not only did it bring out the Spirit-Gathering Flowers, it even thoughtfully planted them all?”

Su Xing nodded in satisfaction. These Spirit-Gathering Flowers would be his guarantee for earning his first fortune after reaching the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm!

……

“Now then… it’s time to prepare for the journey to the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm…”

“But before that, there are a few things I need to take care of!”

Su Xing glanced at the time. It was February 3rd, still five days before his agreed monthly meeting with Luo Shuying on the 8th.

And during these few days, Su Xing had even more important matters to attend to!

First and foremost — to avoid complications from delay — Su Xing needed to go to the Luotian Instance and bind the Luotian Mirror to himself as its master…

With that thought, Su Xing’s figure flickered and vanished instantly from the spirit field grotto-heaven.

Then, taking several steps that covered hundreds of li, he arrived at the entrance to the Luotian Assembly instance.

At this moment, there were still Class Users queuing at the instance entrance, along with official staff members specifically assigned to manage the instance.

After disguising himself and concealing his aura, Su Xing headed directly to the closest position near the entrance.

“Hey brother… you need to make an appointment in advance to enter this instance! And because of the instance’s special nature… each person can only enter once per year!”

Before the instance administrator could finish speaking, Su Xing swept his sleeve and briefly cast a spell, smoothly entering the Luotian Sect instance.

“Tch tch, what a joke—wait a whole year? Sometimes… rules are meant to be broken!”

“From this point forward, the Luotian Instance will completely disappear from Earth!”

Su Xing thought to himself, and in the next instant his figure shifted as he appeared inside the Luotian Instance…

The familiar scene before his eyes—Su Xing had already experienced it over a hundred times.

But in the Real World, this was his first time coming here.

“Perhaps… this should be the last time I go through this task sequence?”

Su Xing felt a twinge of emotion. He had discovered the Luotian Instance back when he was still a low-level cultivator and had begun exploring it then.

It was only now, after Su Xing had become a True Immortal realm cultivator, that he had truly unlocked the secrets hidden within!

Just as Su Xing was lost in thought, a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Xiaochuan, go to the rear mountain and invite your junior brother Shennong over…”

Su Xing nodded slightly upon hearing this, then skillfully headed toward the rear mountain, going through this task he had completed hundreds of times before once more.

After bringing Shennong Youtian to the great hall, Su Xing did not choose to immediately head to the Luotian Assembly grounds to end this instance.

Instead, he first made a trip to the Scripture Pavilion.

There was still a promise Su Xing owed, and if he didn’t fulfill it now, he might never have another chance.

……

Arriving at the Scripture Pavilion, Su Xing began methodically browsing through jade slips and ancient texts.

Before long, a weathered voice came from behind him.

“Young man… are you looking for something?”

Su Xing turned around, and sure enough, Ghost Granny was standing right behind him.

Su Xing paused for a moment, then bowed respectfully and said:

“This junior has come bearing a commission. I was looking precisely for you!”

Ghost Granny’s expression turned puzzled. Su Xing then channeled his power, using immortal power to manifest the contents he had heard from the jade slip in the Spirit Clan ancestral grounds.

When the final line—”Bing’er still wants to hear you hum that lullaby”—faded away, Ghost Granny’s face was already streaked with tears.

Seeing Ghost Granny in such sorrow, Su Xing didn’t know how to comfort her.

He could imagine that after hundreds of thousands of years, Ghost Granny had finally learned the fate of her beloved disciple, only to face the agony of an elder outliving the young.

The beloved disciple she had raised from childhood was dead. The once-prosperous Luotian Sect had withered. Even Ghost Granny herself had been reduced to a living corpse, forever trapped within the Luotian Mirror.

After a moment of silence, Su Xing spoke:

“Senior Sister Bing’er, though she was unable to complete her mission… she ensured the Luo clan’s bloodline continued to this day. Though they could not cultivate spiritual energy, they became spirit cultivators who focused on the divine soul… That should count as not having failed your teachings!”

Hearing Su Xing’s words, Ghost Granny’s grief deepened.

Two lines of clear tears slowly traced down her cheeks. After a moment, Ghost Granny spoke in a hoarse voice:

“Good child… you’ve fulfilled a wish I’ve carried for so many years…”

“This old woman, in her current state, cannot do much to help you… All I have is my comprehension of the Dao of Puppetry, which is passable at best…”

With that, Ghost Granny extended a finger and touched Su Xing’s forehead. A flood of memories poured into his mind.

So vast were they that even Su Xing’s Celestial Unity Realm divine sense momentarily struggled to bear the load…

These memories were Ghost Granny’s lifetime of insights and comprehension of the Dao of Puppetry!

In mere breaths, Su Xing felt his understanding of the Dao of Puppetry surge rapidly upward.

Without the slightest obstacle, he leapt from Puppetry Grandmaster to become a Grand Puppetry Master!

As if he were a great cultivator who had been immersed in the Dao of Puppetry for hundreds of thousands of years…

And clearly, this method of direct enlightenment was not without its price!

Ghost Granny’s figure gradually became ethereal… and finally, slowly faded away within the Scripture Pavilion…

At this moment, Su Xing finally understood Ghost Granny’s true identity!

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, she had been a Golden Immortal cultivator who dominated the Luotian Realm and even the entire Three Thousand Worlds!

A second-generation direct disciple of the Luotian Sect… a mighty powerhouse renowned throughout all the Three Thousand Worlds!

What’s more, through her mastery of the Dao of Puppetry alone, Ghost Granny could contend with Supreme Unity Golden Immortals for short periods!

Across the entire Three Thousand Worlds, in terms of attainment in the Dao of Puppetry… Ghost Granny ranked among the top three!

“So, this was your final choice?”

Su Xing sighed deeply. Ghost Granny had ultimately passed on her lifetime of comprehension to him, causing her already feeble soul to grow even more fragmented…

Su Xing wasn’t even sure whether, someday in the future, he would be able to resurrect Ghost Granny.

“Sigh, looking back on these past few years… having entered this Luotian Instance hundreds of times, I’ve interacted with Ghost Granny the most…”

“And Ghost Granny has helped me the most!”

Thinking this, Su Xing took a deep breath, a glint of determination in his eyes.

“Rest assured—the Luotian legacy… will see the light of day, one way or another!”

Su Xing glanced at the now-empty Scripture Pavilion… then stepped forward, arriving outside the Luotian Assembly grounds…

The moment he reached the Luotian Assembly grounds, Su Xing spotted Luo Qingniu, who had been waiting for quite some time.

Luo Qingniu gave Su Xing a long, deep look and said:

“You’ve finally appeared… Fortunately, it’s not too late!”

“I ask you—are you willing to become the successor of our Luotian Sect… and carry out the great mission of restoring our Luotian Sect!?”

Su Xing glanced at Luo Qingniu and nodded slightly:

“I am willing!”

“Becoming the Sect Master of the Luotian Sect has many benefits…” Luo Qingniu was about to launch into his persuasion, but seeing Su Xing agree so readily left him completely thrown off!

After a long moment of silence, Luo Qingniu pointed toward the Luotian Mirror hovering above the arena and said:

“This mirror is the supreme treasure of our Luotian Sect… the Luotian Mirror!”

“As long as you can gain its recognition…”

Before Luo Qingniu could finish, Su Xing stepped forward and arrived beneath the Luotian Mirror, then began channeling his power into it.

“So this is the Luotian Mirror… truly extraordinary!”

Su Xing’s heart stirred as Five Elements power flowed endlessly into the mirror.

At first, Su Xing could still ensure that his power was being actively and voluntarily channeled in…

But the further it went, the less control he had, until he couldn’t even stop the flow of power!

The Luotian Mirror continuously absorbed Su Xing’s power, and only after draining a full eighty percent did it finally slow to a stop.

“Tch tch, if not for this young master’s deep reserves… I really might have fallen in cultivation level!”

Su Xing estimated that powering the Luotian Mirror would require at least an ordinary Golden Immortal to do so with relative ease.

If a cultivator at the early True Immortal realm had their power drained like that, there was over a ninety percent chance they would drop back to the Celestial Immortal realm…

It was only because Su Xing had endured seven or eight hundred years of Wind Calamity, had a thoroughly consolidated Dao foundation, and had received the spirit dragon’s blessing that he could barely withstand it.

“Tch tch… it seems that even after obtaining the Luotian Mirror, I won’t be able to use it freely for the time being!”

Su Xing could feel the weakness within his body. Fortunately, simply maintaining the Luotian Mirror without letting it deteriorate only required infusing power once every three months.

With Su Xing’s reserves, he could handle that much…

But if he wanted to actually use the Luotian Mirror, the cost would be far greater!

“In the Real World, before reaching the Mystic Immortal realm… I should avoid using the Luotian Mirror as much as possible!”

Su Xing thought to himself.

The next second, the ancient little mirror above his head erupted with unprecedented brilliance, drawing Su Xing into a mysterious space.

……

“Master recognition authorization check in progress…”

“Physical body age: under one hundred years. Soul age: under three thousand years. Cultivation level: True Immortal realm, First Layer!”

“……”

The familiar inspection process played out once more.

Su Xing waited quietly until the final announcement came:

“Initial master recognition comprehensive evaluation… Supreme Grade!”

“Authorized to grant target the sole supreme-level access!”

When this announcement rang out, Su Xing’s heart clenched, because based on how things had gone in his simulations, a flash of light would come next…

And after that, Su Xing would fall unconscious.

Sure enough, the very next second, a beam of light struck Su Xing.

The ancient little mirror seemed to be trying to enter the depths of Su Xing’s sea of consciousness…

Just as Su Xing was about to lose consciousness… something unexpected happened!

The mysteriously profound ancient mirror, upon entering the depths of Su Xing’s sea of consciousness, actually began to tremble ever so slightly!

That trembling… seemed to be fear!

“Hm? What did the Luotian Mirror see?”

Su Xing frowned slightly. After turning his divine sense inward to examine his sea of consciousness, there was clearly nothing there!

And yet, the Luotian Mirror—which should have established itself at the very center of his sea of consciousness—behaved as though it had encountered some great lord. It meekly yielded its position and hid away in a remote corner of his consciousness.

Su Xing could even sense that the Luotian Mirror was radiating an emotion that could only be described as “almost fawning”!

“Strange… what exactly did the Luotian Mirror see? And why didn’t I fall unconscious this time!?”

Su Xing’s eyes went wide. The scene before him was completely different from what had happened in his simulations!

“So what exactly is different between this time and the simulations!?”

Su Xing furrowed his brow deeply, carefully recalling each of his steps. While they weren’t identical, most of the major steps had been the same…

“Could it be… Ghost Granny?”

“No! A supreme treasure like the Luotian Mirror must hold an extremely high rank! Even at the height of her power, Ghost Granny was merely a Golden Immortal cultivator!”

Su Xing meticulously reviewed his steps through this simulation but could find no discrepancy…

“So… the issue isn’t with the steps I took!”

“Rather, the current me is different from the me in the simulations!”

Su Xing murmured to himself,

“And if I had to name the greatest difference between the real me and the simulated me, it would be—”

“The simulator!”

Su Xing’s heart shook!

In the simulations, he didn’t have the simulator as a cheat!

Otherwise, with unlimited nested simulations, Su Xing would have long since become invincible!

Therefore, in the simulations, Su Xing’s strength grew at a steady pace…

But in the Real World, Su Xing’s growth was inconceivable—beyond all logic!

“So… the only explanation is that the Luotian Mirror detected my simulator!?”

Su Xing pondered with furrowed brows.

He had already been over ninety percent certain that the simulator he possessed was a treasure of terrifying caliber!

After all, an ability that could traverse between reality and simulation, commanding both the present and the future… was truly fearsome!

But Su Xing had never had direct proof…

Yet now, Su Xing finally had concrete evidence—

The Luotian Mirror’s reaction to him!

“So… the simulator is a treasure that surpasses even the level of a primordial chaos treasure!?”

Su Xing’s eyes went wide, his heart filled with even deeper confusion.

“Why would a treasure of such caliber appear within me?”