Chapter 74 – Protector Shadow’s Test: Can They Form an Alliance?
by spirapiraChapter 74 – Protector Shadow’s Test: Can They Form an Alliance?
After a preliminary discussion about the acquisition matters, Su Xing delegated the entire affair to Jin Congxue.
After returning to school, Su Xing waited until no one was around, then entered the Blessed Spirit Field.
First, he converted the newly obtained 300,000 pieces of white-quality equipment into energy. Adding the remaining 1.3 million energy from before, Su Xing’s simulation energy instantly reached an unprecedented abundance of 3 million points!
Watching the mountain of equipment before him rapidly vanish, Su Xing murmured:
“At this stage, white-quality equipment offers the best energy conversion ratio. But white equipment is limited too. As my energy demands keep growing, there might come a day when even white-quality equipment won’t be enough!”
“Perhaps I’ll need to find other materials to substitute for white equipment when the time comes.”
Su Xing had tried converting other things into energy before. Potions could be converted—a single ordinary potion yielded a few hundred energy points—but the problem was they were too expensive and couldn’t be purchased in bulk.
Skill scrolls were even worse. The energy they contained was less than equipment.
As for converting green and blue-quality equipment into energy, Su Xing had tried that too, only to find that white-quality equipment still offered the most energy per cost—generous quantities at a great value.
“Forget it, no point worrying about this now. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Better to just focus on simulating!”
Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulator. With a thought, he silently recited:
“Begin simulation!”
On February 11th, 2024 of the New Era, Su Xing began his twenty-third simulation.
【Ding! This simulation costs 2,300 energy points. Remaining energy: 3,016,666 points. Remaining simulations: unlimited.】
【Simulation begins!】
【Drawing a white talent costs 100 energy points, a green talent costs 1,000 energy points, and a blue talent costs 10,000 energy points. Would you like to draw?】
“Draw a blue-quality talent!”
【Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the blue talent: Plant Affinity!】
【Plant Affinity】: You were born to work the soil. All manner of plants thrive effortlessly under your care, and plants you personally cultivate will grow at an accelerated rate.
Su Xing’s eyes lit up when he saw this talent. Plant Affinity—this was a perfect match for his Blessed Spirit Field!
“It can make plants grow faster… what is this, a druid? The only question is whether it works on spirit plants…”
Su Xing muttered while rubbing his chin.
Currently, Su Xing had already planted several thousand spirit plants in the Blessed Spirit Field. The faster-growing ones, nourished by spiritual energy, might be ready for use in alchemy within a year or so.
But the vast majority of spirit plants needed over ten years of growth before their medicinal properties could manifest. Some even required a hundred years of cultivation before their full efficacy could be realized.
Su Xing naturally couldn’t wait that long. Fortunately, he had the simulator, though even in simulations he could only harvest a small portion of the herbs.
Now with the Plant Affinity talent, Su Xing’s spirit plant cultivation speed would definitely increase dramatically!
“This talent is absolutely perfect for me. Looks like it’s a must-pick in this simulation!”
Su Xing thought to himself, then turned his gaze to the simulation interface.
【In the Blessed Spirit Field, you realize you are in a simulation.】
【You decide to test your newly obtained talent. You plant several spirit plants and carefully tend to the ones already growing.】
【One month passes. Over this month, you spend two hours each day planting spirit plants and use the rest of your time for alchemy.】
【You are amazed to discover that the spirit plants you planted are growing rapidly. In just one month, they have nearly caught up with plants that previously took three months to reach the same stage. Pleasantly surprised, you clear several new plots of land.】
【One day, Jin Congxue comes to find you. She tells you the initial acquisition of the Lingyun Merchant Association is complete, and the remaining payments need to be made over the next six months.】
【You nod in agreement and provide Jin Congxue with pills on a weekly schedule. Although the Tarot Trading Company isn’t of much use to you in the simulation, you want to see how the trading company develops going forward.】
【Soon, half a year flies by. One day, Wang Qingxuan comes to find you.】
【She tells you about the mysterious organization. Through Wang Qingxuan, you successfully join the Advent Cult.】
【Having just entered the Advent Cult, you maintain your usual cautious approach to earn the trust of the cult’s members.】
【In the second year, you reveal your talent for alchemy. Protector Shadow takes great interest in you. She requests that you produce pills for the Advent Cult and states that you could be promoted to Elder-level member within a year.】
【You agree. Each day you refine subpar pills to submit for tasks, while secretly keeping all the carefully refined pills for your own cultivation.】
【Several more months pass. You deliberately leave subtle clues in front of Protector Shadow, allowing her to vaguely guess your true identity. Afterward, Protector Shadow comes to test you multiple times, but she never proposes having you privately refine pills for her.】
【In the third year, thanks to your outstanding performance over the past year, you are successfully promoted to the eighteenth Elder of the Advent Cult. What excites you even more is that the day after you become an Elder, Protector Shadow seeks you out.】
【She expresses her hope that you will refine a batch of pills for her—approximately five thousand pills.】
【You frown and pretend to refuse, asking her why she needs such an enormous batch of pills.】
【Protector Shadow states that this is a private matter. You only need to complete the task on time, and you will be well compensated.】
【From Protector Shadow’s tone, you detect a hint of displeasure. You know that haste makes waste, so you tell Protector Shadow that you will deliver the entire batch within six months.】
【Protector Shadow looks somewhat surprised, because based on the alchemy speed you had previously demonstrated, five thousand pills would take at least one to two years to produce. You give her a meaningful smile and say nothing.】
【And so, another half year passes. During this time, you spend eight hours each day refining pills. With the Advent Cult’s abundant supply of herbs, you have secretly stockpiled over ten thousand pills.】
【Beyond that, you also ensure eight hours of daily cultivation. Your cultivation base advances steadily with each passing day, and you feel that breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage within a few years won’t be difficult.】
【One day, Protector Shadow comes to find you. You hand over all five thousand pills you prepared in advance. After verifying their efficacy, a look of astonishment crosses her face—this batch of pills is several times higher in quality than the ones you had been submitting to the cult.】
【Protector Shadow perceives the deeper meaning behind your actions and launches one final test: she asks you what your purpose is for joining the Advent Cult.】
The moment Su Xing read this, his whole body tensed up. He muttered:
“Here it comes! It’s finally here. Protector Shadow really is a cautious person by nature. After more than three years together and multiple deliberate hints, she’s only barely come to trust me. Is she finally going to ask about my purpose for joining the Advent Cult?”
Su Xing knew this couldn’t be rushed. The reason he provided Protector Shadow with five thousand Essence Nurturing Pills within six months during the simulation was precisely to demonstrate his value.
Only by showing Protector Shadow hope would she open up to him.
Su Xing continued the simulation.
【Faced with Protector Shadow’s question, you simply smile and say: My purpose is the same as yours—to save this broken, crumbling world!】