Chapter 350 – Five Hundred Years of Simulation, Su Xing’s Realm Falls?

In the Real World, Su Xing saw this and gave a slight nod.

“Next up is collecting Strange Voidbeast calculi and comprehending various Great Daos!”

“The focus of this simulation is on advancing my body tempering cultivation… I need to push my body tempering to the Peak of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Fourth Layer within three simulation attempts!”

After a brief pause, Su Xing continued:

“And refining immortal treasures needs to be put on the agenda too!”

“A half-step supreme post-celestial treasure is decent… but it no longer holds any advantage in the Mystic Immortal realm. If I can refine a true supreme post-celestial treasure in one go, that will be more than enough!”

The reason Su Xing had chosen the Blood Sacrifice Forging talent was naturally because he wanted to re-refine the Blackice sword.

With Su Xing’s current skill level, if he could find the right materials, it was entirely possible to elevate the Blackice sword to the supreme post-celestial treasure level.

When that time came, Su Xing’s combat power would rise even further!

“But before all that, I should first collect treasures in the Nine Heavens!”

Su Xing felt a surge of anticipation. Last time, the Heaven-Sent Fortune talent had helped him find quite a few supreme treasures — he hoped this time wouldn’t disappoint!

With that thought, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【After making brief preparations, you spent two and a half years reaching the Third Heaven of the Nine Heavens!】

【Previously, you had obtained numerous treasures in this heaven, including Strange Voidbeast calculi, as well as Mount Buzhou Stones and Azure Luan Tail Feathers.】

【You had carefully noted down the locations of each one. Upon arriving at the Third Heaven this time, you immediately headed for those Secret Realms.】

【In merely ten years, you collected every last one of those treasures.】

【Over a hundred Strange Voidbeast calculi… along with Mount Buzhou Stones and Azure Luan Tail Feathers!】

【In the eighteenth year, you continued exploring Secret Realms within the Third Heaven. Thanks to your Heaven-Sent Fortune talent, you made discoveries roughly every year or year and a half.】

【Sometimes you found a Strange Voidbeast nest, other times an impressive ancient treasure — the harvest was abundant.】

【In the blink of an eye, another thirty-two years passed…】

【In the fiftieth year, after more than thirty years of exploration, you had discovered another twenty to thirty Secret Realms and collected numerous Dao essence magical treasures, among which were quite a few materials suitable for artifact refinement.】

【But to your mild frustration, the upper limit of treasures in the Third Heaven was not particularly high, and you hadn’t found anything that truly excited you.】

【As for finding materials suitable for re-refining the Blackice sword, the grade of available materials was too low to forge a true supreme post-celestial treasure.】

【And so, after much deliberation, you decided to venture into the Fourth Heaven to explore.】

In the Real World, Su Xing saw this and gave a slight nod.

“The Fourth Heaven is still the domain of Mystic Immortal realm cultivators and some Mystic Immortal realm demon beasts…”

“But those who can enter the Fourth Heaven are considerably more formidable… one needs at least mid-to-late Mystic Immortal realm strength just to barely survive there!”

Su Xing recalled the intelligence he had on the Nine Heavens.

The First, Second, and Third Heavens were known as the Lower Three Heavens, and were relatively safe.

But stepping into the Fourth Heaven meant entering the Middle Three Heavens!

Unlike the Lower Three Heavens, the Middle Three Heavens had void astral winds!

Void astral winds were a phenomenon far more terrifying than void turbulence…

Only those who had been immersed in the Mystic Immortal realm for a long time and possessed a formidable physical body could step into the Fourth Heaven.

And with Su Xing’s current cultivation, he could absolutely meet those requirements!

“Well then, let’s go explore the Fourth Heaven… perhaps I’ll find the materials needed to refine the Blackice sword!”

With that thought, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【You raised your Protective Sword Aura, shielding yourself firmly, then took a single step forward and appeared a thousand li (500 km) away, heading toward the Fourth Heaven.】

【You unleashed the supernatural art Earthshrink Golden Light, transforming into a streak of golden light. In just a few months, you reached the border between the Third and Fourth Heavens.】

【Here, there existed the void astral winds that struck terror into the hearts of immortals!】

【These astral winds could corrode both flesh and divine soul, rapidly draining primordial energy. Those without sufficiently deep foundations and lacking mid-Mystic Immortal realm strength or above could never hope to cross through.】

【Though your cultivation was only at the True Immortal realm, your physical body was extraordinarily powerful. Under the protection of your Protective Sword Aura, you could barely withstand the void astral winds.】

【Countless blade-like astral winds slammed furiously against your Protective Sword Aura. With nearly every impact, several layers of the Protective Sword Aura shattered.】

【Seeing this, you couldn’t help but feel your heart leap into your throat. Without the Protective Sword Aura, even your body tempered to the Fourth Layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art probably couldn’t hold out for long…】

【Fortunately, you ultimately crossed through the void astral winds without incident and safely arrived at the Fourth Heaven!】

【The moment you stepped into the Fourth Heaven, you clearly sensed that the Dao essence here was far more abundant, and the surroundings were filled with even greater dangers!】

【Unpredictable void astral winds swept past just ten meters ahead of you.】

【You furrowed your brow slightly. In the Fourth Heaven, aside from dealing with demon beasts, Strange Voidbeasts, and fog within the Secret Realms… these terrifying void astral winds were yet another major threat!】

【Though your strength was considerable, you still needed to act cautiously in the Fourth Heaven, exercising as much prudence as possible.】

【In the blink of an eye, five years passed. You spent those five years gradually familiarizing yourself with the dangers of the Fourth Heaven and identified the locations of several Secret Realms.】

【After making thorough preparations, you began attempting to explore the Secret Realms…】

【You entered the first Secret Realm. The moment you stepped inside, a piercing pain shot through the center of your brow.】

【Sure enough, your divine sense detected a Strange Voidbeast within this Secret Realm with power comparable to a mid-Mystic Immortal realm cultivator!】

【Though it was troublesome, you weren’t necessarily without the strength to fight it…】

【But battles between Mystic Immortal realm entities could easily last a year or more, and in the dangerous Fourth Heaven, that didn’t serve your interests.】

【Therefore, you decided to hold off for now. Even if you defeated this Strange Voidbeast, it would likely come at a considerable cost.】

【Taking advantage of the Strange Voidbeast’s nap, you began searching for treasures within the Secret Realm…】

【Over the next ten-plus years, you explored several Secret Realms, and the harvest exceeded all expectations!】

【What excited you most was finding a Sword Mark Stone!】

【The Sword Mark Stone was a supreme post-celestial treasure that could be used to forge a supreme post-celestial treasure-grade immortal sword!】

【With this Sword Mark Stone, you were confident you could successfully elevate the Blackice sword to the supreme post-celestial treasure level!】

【After obtaining the Sword Mark Stone, you continued exploring the Fourth Heaven as before, acquiring several more supreme treasures in succession.】

【In the blink of an eye, another ten-plus years passed.】

【In the seventy-seventh year, you found a relatively safe Secret Realm and decided to enter secluded cultivation there to attempt a breakthrough.】

In the Real World, Su Xing saw this and a smile spread across his face.

“My luck really is something! I even managed to find a treasure like the Sword Mark Stone!”

“As expected, though the Nine Heavens are fraught with danger… the higher you go, the more numerous and precious the supreme treasures and Secret Realms become!”

Su Xing was essentially treating the Nine Heavens like a dungeon for farming items and treasures…

And the reason he could do this was naturally because of the Heaven-Sent Fortune talent!

For an ordinary cultivator, even a Mystic Immortal or Golden Immortal, if their fortune was lacking, all that awaited them in the Nine Heavens was endless danger!

“Very nice — I’ve also found the Sword Mark Stone for refining the Blackice sword… This time I’m fully confident the Blackice sword can advance to the supreme post-celestial treasure level!”

“Perhaps… with the Blood Sacrifice Forging talent, there’s even a slight chance of reaching mid-grade supreme post-celestial treasure?”

Su Xing pondered for a moment.

“But for now, I should continue deepening my Dao comprehension!”

A thought stirred in Su Xing’s mind, and he silently intoned:

“Activate immersive simulation, duration sixty-three years!”

【Ding! You have successfully activated immersive simulation. Origin energy cost: 22,995 points. Remaining origin energy: 3,991,402 points!】

As the simulation notification faded, Su Xing entered the simulated world.

In a Secret Realm within the Fourth Heaven, Su Xing carved out a cave dwelling, laid down layers of protective arrays, and began comprehending the Great Dao.

“This simulation, the primary focus remains on comprehending the spatial Dao!”

“But at the same time, the Dao of Speed also needs further advancement! Ideally, I can push it another step forward!”

For Su Xing at this stage, beyond raw strength, what mattered most was improving his mobility!

Advancing the spatial Dao and the Dao of Speed would grant Su Xing even greater escape velocity.

This would allow him to reach more distant worlds, vastly reducing travel time and gathering more energy!

For Su Xing, time and energy were everything!

With that thought, Su Xing took out his teapot and began brewing tea.

Moments later, the first cup of Dao-Enlightenment Tea finished steeping.

Su Xing took a sip, held several Strange Voidbeast calculi in his hand, and began comprehending the spatial Dao.

…

In cultivation, years pass unnoticed. Eighteen years flew by in the blink of an eye, and the first cup of Dao-Enlightenment Tea was exhausted.

Su Xing emerged from his state of comprehension, a look of satisfaction on his face.

“Not bad — the spatial Dao is getting closer and closer to the fourth realm!”

“Then let’s continue comprehending the spatial Dao!”

Su Xing had already decided to go all-in on comprehending the spatial Dao with every last cup of Dao-Enlightenment Tea!

Going all-in — that was a kind of wisdom!

…

And so, thirty-six years passed.

Arriving at the 131st year of the simulation, Su Xing once again emerged from his state of enlightenment. After assessing the progress of his spatial Dao comprehension, he nodded and said:

“A full fifty-four years, three cups of Dao-Enlightenment Tea consumed… equivalent to several thousand years of comprehension!”

“But there’s still some distance to go before the fourth realm of the spatial Dao!”

Su Xing sighed inwardly at the sheer difficulty of reaching the fourth realm of a Great Dao.

Forget about ordinary Mystic Immortal realm cultivators — even those at peak Mystic Immortal realm would find it extraordinarily difficult to step into the fourth realm.

After all, the fourth realm of the Great Dao — Thorough Mastery — was a capability that only Golden Immortal powerhouses could possess!

“Tsk tsk, though it’s taking quite a bit of time… if the spatial Dao reaches the fourth realm, I’ll have means comparable to a Golden Immortal powerhouse!”

“While it won’t directly boost my combat power by much, the benefits it brings are truly endless…”

Su Xing estimated that by the next immersive simulation at the latest, his comprehension of the spatial Dao would successfully reach the fourth realm!

“But right now, I still have Dao-Hearing Pills that haven’t been consumed!”

Su Xing didn’t hesitate and began refining Dao Comprehension Pills.

As Su Xing’s refining memories grew increasingly practiced, although he still couldn’t produce supreme-quality Dao Comprehension Pills, his success rate had already reached over ninety percent, all of normal quality.

In this immersive simulation, Su Xing refined a total of nine Dao-Hearing Pills. After using one, eight remained.

Su Xing looked at the eight Dao-Hearing Pills in his hand and murmured:

“These eight pills will all go toward comprehending the Great Dao of Speed. Hopefully I can successfully reach the second realm of the Great Dao!”

With that, Su Xing took out an Azure Luan Tail Feather and, with the aid of this Dao essence treasure, began comprehending the Great Dao of Speed!

In the blink of an eye, eight months passed.

Under the enhancement of the Dao-Hearing Pills, eight months of comprehension was equivalent to eight hundred years of study!

And the Great Dao of Speed was not some profoundly esoteric Great Dao law. Su Xing smoothly advanced to the second realm of the Great Dao — Initial Glimpse.

…

The immersive simulation ended quickly, and Su Xing returned to the Real World.

Activating his memory supernatural art, Su Xing’s dormant memories began to unseal.

After a moment, Su Xing nodded with satisfaction:

“Not bad — the Dao of Speed has successfully advanced to the second realm! My flight speed has improved even further!”

“With my current speed, if I travel at full power, leveraging both the spatial Dao and the Dao of Speed, perhaps I could cover fifty million li (25,000,000 km) in a single day?”

This meant that Su Xing’s own travel speed was already comparable to a supreme post-celestial treasure like the Star-Moon Shuttle!

To call it unrivaled in the True Immortal realm, or on par with a late-stage Mystic Immortal, would be no exaggeration!

But voyaging through the void was fundamentally different from traveling within the Greater World.

If Su Xing recklessly pushed his flight speed to the limit in the void, he likely couldn’t sustain it for long. Once his magical power was depleted too much, the losses would outweigh the gains!

For long-distance voyages lasting years or even decades, an immortal vessel was far more reliable.

“The Earthshrink Golden Light supernatural art is still far from Perfection… Perhaps only when both the spatial Dao and the Dao of Speed reach the fourth realm can it be fully unleashed!”

Su Xing mulled it over. With his current flight speed, under the enhancement of the Dao of Speed and spatial Dao, piloting the Star-Moon Shuttle back to Earth from the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm would probably take only five or six days?

“Not bad. Once my speed improves further, perhaps I can go explore some other worlds too!”

Su Xing thought as much, his gaze turning to the simulation panel.

【Year 140: Your Dao comprehension session concluded with abundant gains.】

【But this time, you did not intend to leave the Nine Heavens Domain. Instead, you prepared to cultivate right where you were!】

【You took out the Sky-Mending Flowers that Shennong Youtian had long since cultivated for you, and began practicing the Great Shaman Body Forging Art.】

【Cultivation knows no seasons — in the blink of an eye, a full sixty-year cycle passed!】

【Year 200: Although you spent only one double-hour per day on Qi Refinement, under the effects of the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art, your cultivation still advanced to the peak of the third layer of True Immortal.】

【Your greater progress, however, was in Body Tempering!】

【Nourished by the Sky-Mending Flowers, your qi and blood grew ever more abundant…】

【That terrifyingly potent regenerative power gradually spread from your outer limbs inward toward your five organs…】

【This meant that not only was your physical defense unmatched, capable of swiftly healing surface wounds, but even internal organ damage could now be rapidly restored…】

【Yet the Fourth Layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art was grueling and difficult to cultivate. Though you consumed a Sky-Mending Flower every few years, reaching Minor Mastery of the Fourth Layer remained a distant goal.】

【Fortunately, in the Fourth Heaven of the Nine Heavens Domain, cultivators were few, and a peculiar energy seemed capable of Shielding Heavenly Secrets.】

【You decided to continue cultivating here, wanting to test whether the Nine Heavens Domain could block Qingyunzi’s prying eyes…】

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

【Year 230: You successfully broke through to the fourth layer of True Immortal, becoming a mid-stage True Immortal!】

【The magical power within you grew ever more vast and inexhaustible, surging like rivers and seas…】

【Year 300: This year, your Body Tempering cultivation ascended another level, drawing ever closer to Minor Mastery of the Fourth Layer.】

【That same year, aside from maintaining your Body Tempering practice, you devoted more time to collecting materials for refining the Blackice sword!】

【And so, another fifty years passed…】

【Year 350: Your Great Shaman Body Forging Art officially reached Minor Mastery of the Fourth Layer!】

【With your current regenerative power, even if all four limbs were severed, you could fully recover within a mere three days.】

【That same year, you formally began the refinement of the Blackice sword!】

In the Real World, Su Xing gave a slight nod upon seeing this.

“Minor Mastery of the Fourth Layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art — the first milestone has been reached…”

“Now all that remains is the forging of the Blackice sword!”

Su Xing’s conservative goal was to refine the Blackice sword into a low-grade supreme post-celestial treasure.

His gaze returned to the simulation panel.

【Year 351: You fired up the furnace to re-refine the Blackice sword.】

【With your current artifact refinement mastery, you were fully capable of forging supreme post-celestial treasures, but since this was your first attempt, you were exceptionally cautious.】

【The recasting of the Blackice sword alone took you a full three years!】

【Afterward, you spent another three years smelting materials such as Sword Mark Stone and incorporating them into the Blackice sword.】

【In the blink of an eye, several years passed…】

【Year 360: You finally completed the first step of refining the Blackice sword. With the addition of Sword Mark Stone and other precious materials, the Blackice sword’s composition had clearly advanced another step, reaching the level of a supreme post-celestial treasure.】

【However, the subsequent steps of polishing, grinding, and nurturing the sword still required considerable time.】

【And so, you spent another three years polishing and grinding the Blackice sword…】

【At this point, the Blackice sword’s recasting was complete, capable of unleashing the power of a supreme post-celestial treasure!】

【But one final step remained — the most critical step of all! Nurturing the sword!】

【Only by nurturing the sword with your own vital essence, sword intent, and primordial energy could it unleash its full power and bring the Blackice sword to its sharpest edge.】

【Nurturing the sword was also the most time-consuming step.】

【Each day, you nurtured the Blackice sword with your vital essence, primordial energy, and magical power. A full sixty-year cycle passed…】

【Year 420: The Blackice sword’s refinement was fully complete. Among low-grade supreme post-celestial treasures, it was already quite remarkable!】

【But at this moment, you still had one final step remaining!】

【blood sacrifice to the sword!】

【You took a deep breath, drew out your essence blood, and sent it flowing toward the Blackice sword as an offering…】

【As your essence blood made contact with the Blackice sword, the blade emitted a series of soft hums…】

【This was the Blood Sacrifice Forging talent taking effect!】

【As the essence blood poured in, you could clearly feel the Blackice sword undergoing a sublimation…】

【But you also discovered that you had underestimated the side effects of losing so much essence blood!】

【For cultivators of any realm, essence blood was extremely precious.】

【Losing essence blood could, at best, damage one’s vital essence and require lengthy recuperation… at worst, it could cause one’s cultivation to plummet or even harm one’s foundation!】

【And the amount of essence blood required for the blood sacrifice to the sword clearly exceeded your expectations…】

【Your Qi Refinement cultivation plummeted from the peak of the fourth layer of True Immortal, falling to mid fourth layer… before ultimately dropping back to the peak of the third layer of True Immortal!】

【Just as you were about to reach your limit, the Blackice sword let out a soft, clear cry!】

【Simultaneously, the Blackice sword’s quality leapt up an entire grade!】

【Congratulations — you have successfully forged a mid-grade supreme post-celestial treasure!】

In the Real World, Su Xing let out a long breath of relief upon seeing this.

“Decades of effort — it wasn’t in vain after all!”

“A mid-grade supreme post-celestial treasure… a treasure of this caliber is probably something only a Golden Immortal would be qualified to possess, right?”

Su Xing reckoned that with the Blackice sword, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage in terms of weapons at least until reaching the Supreme Unity Golden Immortal level…

But then Su Xing let out a sigh.

“The side effects of Blood Sacrifice Forging are just too severe!”

“It actually dropped me an entire major level — from mid-stage True Immortal all the way back to early-stage True Immortal…”

Su Xing smacked his lips. Fortunately, he hadn’t planned to extract his Qi Refinement cultivation from this simulation anyway — he only wanted to bring out the Blackice sword.

Rounding things off… it was essentially getting a supreme post-celestial treasure for free!

“Besides that, all the way up to year 420, Qingyunzi still hadn’t come looking for me. It seems the Nine Heavens Domain really does have the ability to Shield Heavenly Secrets…”

Su Xing fell into thought.

The Nine Heavens Domain’s origins were mysterious. Its highest two levels were places that even Grand Luo Golden Immortals wouldn’t dare tread lightly.

“It seems that going forward, I could try hiding in the Nine Heavens Domain — perhaps that would also let me evade Qingyunzi’s pursuit…”

With this thought, Su Xing murmured:

“Once I’m stronger, I should go take a look at the Fifth Heaven…”

“Besides heading to the Heavenly Secrets Domain, the Nine Heavens could be another excellent hiding spot… It’s just that the Nine Heavens Domain is fraught with danger. One moment of carelessness, and I might die to the hazards within.”

After a pause, Su Xing felt he was overthinking things and said:

“But for now, the most important thing is to see what rewards this simulation has to offer!”

Su Xing turned his gaze to the reward list for this simulation.

【Blood Sacrifice Forging】: Gold talent. Price: 10 origin energy.

【Great Shaman Body Forging Scripture, Fourth Layer (Minor Accomplishment)】: An ancient Wu Clan body tempering method. At the Fourth Layer, one can regenerate severed limbs, possess inexhaustible qi and blood, and gain vastly enhanced endurance. Minor Mastery of the Fourth Layer is comparable to mid-stage True Immortal realm cultivation. Price: 600,000 origin energy.

【True Immortal Realm, Fourth Layer】: Having survived the Three Calamities of Immortals and achieved True Immortal status, the Great Dao lies within reach, with a lifespan lasting one full cosmic cycle! Price: 300,000 origin energy!

【Mount Buzhou Stone】: Stone from the ancient divine Mount Buzhou. A single stone weighs as much as mountains and rivers. It is an ideal material for forging the Heaven-Overturning Seal, and also an excellent Dao essence treasure for comprehending the Great Dao of Strength and the Great Dao of Earth. Price: 200,000 origin energy.

【Blackice Sword】: A natal artifact forged by the cultivator Su Xing. After multiple recastings, it is comparable to a mid-grade supreme post-celestial treasure and already possesses the potential to challenge the Treasure Rankings. Price: 500,000 origin energy.