[In the 10th year of simulation, a month later, you successfully completed the mission and returned to the Beast Taming Palace.]
[Upon returning, in addition to submitting the mission details, you also fabricated a story for the death of your pet beast, requesting them to grant you another one.]
[Which they did and assigned you another pet egg to nourish and hatch.]
[Why a pet egg instead of a fully grown pet? It is because after being nurtured by someone, when the egg hatches, the pet within will recognize the one feeding it as its mother.]
[You have no plans to place this egg within the Pet Space and so, you begin to nourish it.]
[In these past days, you have inherited your position as task manager and have also begun to keep an eye on your target, Han Ming.]
[Though there are some Tribulation Realm cultivators within the sect who might be able to see through your disguise, once having been one of them, you are well aware of their habits.]
[They all close their Divine Sense while they are in seclusion, breaking their connection with the outside world and only occasionally troubling themselves to keep an eye on the outside world.]
[So unless they intervene, which is almost impossible, no one could see through your disguise and you can initiate your plan easily.]
[In these days, you have also gathered quite a bit of information on Han Ming and found that his qualifications don't seem to be that special, only breaking through to the God-Transformation Realm after a thousand years of painstaking effort.]
[You don't know if it's a mask or if there's something more to it. After all, with his current qualifications of a Top Grade Spirit Root—which is what appears on the surface—it is impossible for him to break through to the Transcending Tribulation Realm and ascend within just the next two thousand years, unless he finds great opportunities one after another.]
[This thought left you in a great dilemma. Should you let Han Ming go for now or keep an eye on him until he finds another suspected opportunity for you?]
[After some time, after estimating the pros and cons, you decided to let him live for a decade at most or until he finds the presumed opportunity for you because both of you would be living under the same roof.]
[And in the end, his cultivation couldn't be faster than yours, someone who has accumulated thousands of years of cultivation experience, could it?]
[It was decided then.]
[The year after next, in the 12th year of simulation, you received a letter whose contents were from an Immortal City that demanded the help of the Beast Taming Palace to quell a beast tide.]
[Upon receiving the letter, as one of the representatives of the Holy Land, you naturally assigned some people to quell the beast invasion. But by the time they arrived, it was already too late—the entire city had been flattened.]
[From the confessions of the survivors, you learned that the reason they survived was because their City Lord sacrificed himself to buy a glimmer of hope for them.]
[While mentioning the City Lord, they deliberately used such titles as 'Kind Lord', 'Benevolent Man', 'Benefactor', and so on.]
[You don't know that decades later, when these survivors become old and fragile, the one to get cursed by their descendants along with them would be none other than this benevolent Lord. And for what? For saving their lives? Making them beasts of burden on others?]
[Some children of already elderly people had already begun to curse the City Lord underhandedly while still wearing fawning smiles and showing love on the outside.]
[But there's also a bright side to it. Among these survivors, if someone achieves great accomplishments in the future, they and their bloodline would always be grateful for the sacrifice this City Lord made.]
[That is why: You should always follow your heart, no matter what the world says.]
[You, far away in the Beast Taming Palace, had no idea of the thoughts of these people.]
[Upon hearing of this incident, it again reminded you of the saying infamous in the cultivation world: 'It doesn't matter how kind you are, this world only bows to the strong.']
[If you're not strong, you can die an uncertain death at any time.]
[But, in the end, this incident, just like many others, was recorded in a slip and put away to gather dust—just like millions of others.]
[Such things are commonplace in this world.]
[In these past years, during your time living and impersonating someone in the Beast Taming Palace, you didn't slack off even once and had already broken through to the second level of the Nascent Soul Stage.]
[Considering how busy you were with your duties while spying on Han Ming, it is already a great feat for you to cross this threshold in just a pitiful two years.]
[Which could largely be attributed to the atmosphere of the Palace and the resources you possess.]
[During this time, you have also met Han Ming quite a few times and felt a strong pull towards him. You can be sure that he possessed a treasure, but sadly, the pull only occurred once, meaning he still didn't have your presumed opportunity on him.]
[Time flowed like a floating river.]
[Six years later, in the 18th year of simulation.]
[One day, just when you were cultivating in seclusion, you felt a strong pull from the direction where Han Ming lived. It was strong, but this feeling didn't last long and disappeared very quickly.]
[Not long after, you received news of Han Ming's disappearance into an unknown space from the puppets you had deployed to surveil him.]
[Upon receiving the news, you arrived at the place—which was not far away from Han Ming's dojo—in no time, only to find that the portal leading to the unknown space had closed long ago.]
[Upon finding that there was no way in, you decided to return and ordered your puppets to keep a close eye on him from now on, observing even the tiniest details—and so you deployed more puppets.]
[The reason why you decided to keep an eye on him instead of silencing him upon his return is because you were concerned—concerned that you might awaken those in seclusion.]
[Well, well... before returning, you took care of someone in the shadows who was playing hide-and-seek with you—you tampered with his memory without alerting anyone.]
[You had long known that there was someone else who was also eyeing Han Ming.]
[And you are well aware of his identity, but he is too weak to concern you.]
[Almost like nobody.]
[Soon, you returned to your abode and spent your time according to your usual routine of cultivating and managing the affairs of the Mission Hall—while your puppets in the mortal world were slacking off because, so far, there had been no major events that could catch your eye or were worth informing you about.]
[Time passed like fleeting sand through one's hands.]
[Two years passed just like that, and your self-imposed decade-long contract to lurk within the Beast Taming Palace was about to come to an end.]
[In the 20th year, your registration office received a guest with whom you were very familiar—Han Ming.]
[In the past year, you learned that Han Ming had made it out of that unknown space, and you began to manipulate his trajectory from the shadows—trying to have him willingly withdraw or be forcibly thrown out of the Beast Taming Palace.]
[But the surname 'Han' wasn't for nothing, and this guy was as steady as an old dog, ultimately making you wait two years for this day.]
[It seems that day is today.]
[After talking with him, you found that it was indeed the case. And without much thought, you directly approved his withdrawal—disregarding the dissatisfaction the elders would have upon learning the news.]
[But that's none of your concern—you're running away too.]
[After these eight years of cultivation, your cultivation had broken through to the fifth stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.]
[The next day, as Han Ming left after giving a final farewell to you, you also withdrew all your puppets from the Beast Taming Palace—who had disguised themselves and replaced the original owners just like you—and left the place.]
[In these past two years, with the help of your puppets, you had already assessed his strength—which was not particularly outstanding compared to the other Children of Destiny you had met.]
[It was merely the strength of the God-Transformation Realm, which could easily be toyed with by a fifth-grade Divine Puppet, corresponding to the God-Transformation Realm of cultivators.]
[Well... it could be possible that he was hiding his strength because he had not yet been forced into a life-and-death battle.]
[And because of this, instead of killing him yourself, you set traps for him at a distant location, and now you were simply going to check whether he had fallen into them and met his demise or successfully escaped.]
[Now you didn't have to visit all the traps one by one as you had already questioned him about where he was heading, and you moved toward the trap along that route.]
[In the name of traps, all you did was deploy groups of seventh-grade Divine Puppets along with a few sixth-grade and a dozen fifth-grade puppets at each different route.]
[Earlier, you had asked Han Ming where he was heading and which route he was going to take and received a very clear answer from him.]
[So now, instead of wandering around, you decided to check the trap on that route first and see whether he had fallen into it or not.]
[Not long after, you arrived at the place and found the lifeless body of Han Ming. Surrounding it were some puppets—unharmed.]
[He didn't lie to you. He really took this route.]
[Today, for the first time, you felt how Mo Tianxuan and Su Ming might have felt when betraying you. The feeling... it was filled with melancholy. But did you regret it? Not at all.]
[After asking the puppets, you were assured that his strength was not much different from what he had shown—merely the Void-Refining Realm without a Supreme Foundation.]
[Today you understood that even among the Children of Destiny, forming the Supreme Foundation is not common—especially for a shut-in protagonist among the group.]
[Soon, you searched his body, changed your appearance, cleaned up the scene, collected all your puppets, and left.]
[Along the way, you also collected all the puppets deployed to hunt Han Ming from forty-seven other locations and hid in a small mortal town in the Western Wasteland.]
[Finally! Upon guaranteeing your safety, you opened the storage ring found on Han Ming's body.]
[Within the ring, among all the things inside, only two caught your attention.]
[First, a small bottle emitting a green light which seemed to resemble the aura of the Source of Life—the Green Jade Bottle.]
[Second, you took out a small pot emitting a foul and bloody stench, directly triggering your Maniac talent upon contact and increasing both your cultivation speed and comprehension.]
[The treasure was named the Beast Refining Pot.]
[Although, at the moment, you don't know what their abilities are or what grade they belong to, reading their names has already given you an idea. But before implementing anything, you looked at the pet storage bag you found on Han Ming.]
[The beast within, though already dead because of the Blood Pact, had four red horns on its head and looked extremely strange. It was something you had never seen before.]
[You extracted a bit of its blood using the Blood-Devouring Demonic Technique and found that it somehow resembled a few high-grade, along with many low-grade, beast bloodlines within your body.]
[You were sure this thing was a mixture of many beasts, but how it became like this was still a mystery to you.]
[For a moment, you regretted not approaching Han Ming during the hunt because of your fear of the unknown. That way, you would have searched his soul and become aware of how he was able to do so.]
[At the moment, just as these thoughts surfaced in your mind, you quickly brushed them off, thinking: 'The deed has been done and it can't be undone. Overthinking it would only push me deeper into this abyss of dilemma.']
[Thinking this through, you directly put the corpse of Han Ming's pet into the storage space to research it in the future.]
[After that, you turned your gaze to the pet storage bag hanging on your waist. You summoned your pet beast, and it was an eagle with two blue horns on its head.]
[In this past decade, the egg you obtained had already hatched, and the beast within had already been cultivated by you to the 2nd level of Beast Cultivation, which is comparable to the Foundation Establishment Realm among human cultivators.]
[But if you were to be honest, it could neither help you in battle nor did you have any affection for it—ultimately rendering it useless.]
[And you, knowing the principle of:]
['Even humans and dogs could become couples if enough time is spent together.']
[{~'Probably,' said by a wise man, Dao Friend.}]
[Didn't want to babysit it until the end.]
[And today, even if you let it go out of kindness, it couldn't give you anything in return and might even create some unforeseen circumstances.]
[So..., after considering all the pros and cons, you directly put your pet beast into the Beast Refining Pot.]
[You, from outside, observed as its body instantly turned into a pile of blood while its flesh evaporated at a visible speed and its bones turned into bone powder that could be used as fertilizer to nourish the land.]
[At the moment, after witnessing the scene, your action was not to jump into the Beast Refining Pot and use the blood within to trigger the Maniac talent, but to go out and kill a few mortals and throw them inside.]
[After doing so, and not noticing a visible change for some time, you shifted your attention toward the second treasure, the Green Jade Bottle.]
[You know, this thing was a very famous cheat of 'Han Laomo' in your past life, but because you hadn't read the book Mortal's Journey to Immortality, you were clueless about its abilities.]
[At the moment, as you were troubled by this, you remembered that you actually had a phone that had stored all the public data available on Earth up until the moment you died in your past life.]
[And so, you began to read the book Mortal's Journey to Immortality.]
[Though you could finish it quickly, you didn't do so, and whenever you came across one of its abilities, you would conduct thorough research and see if yours could do the same or not.]
[A year later, in the 21st year of simulation, you finally finished reading the book and were done with all your research.]
[The results of this year disappointed you greatly because, except for the first two experiments, all the others turned out to be false.]
[The Green Jade Bottle in your hand could only absorb moonlight and turn it into a liquid that could be used to nourish herbs and increase their growth speed, nothing else.]
[Though there remained many special conditions that you were not currently eligible to fulfill, after so many failed attempts, you didn't think the results could be any better.]
[Thinking it over, you shifted your attention toward the Beast Refining Pot and found that, except for the foul odor, the situation was entirely similar to corpses buried underground.]
[How could you be so sure? Well... that is because you had buried quite a few people back in the graveyard on the same day they were thrown into the pot.]
[All that, just for future reference.]
[You had even thrown a living human inside who was completely safe during the first half, but later died of shock and hunger after imagining his body being turned into minced meat from hitting something while falling for so long.]
[At the moment, after finding that the atmosphere inside was safe for humans, you left the mortal city after giving a proper burial to all the mortals you had killed or placed in the pot and headed for the outermost part of the Southern Deep Forest, where you hunted countless poisonous monsters and put them inside the Beast Refining Pot to be refined and have their blood extracted.]
[Just like that, a year passed by and after a year of relentless killing and hunting, you finally entered the Beast Refining Pot and arrived above a small blood pond within its interior—which triggered your Maniac talent—directly increasing both your cultivation and comprehension speed by twelve times, and began practicing.]
[After the hunt ended, you found out that some of the residual blood within the pot had evaporated, slightly affecting the gains. So, you decided that whenever you went hunting from now on, you would store all the monster corpses within the Storage Space—preserving their properties—and sacrifice them all at once to the Beast Refining Pot for cultivation.]
[Just like that, half a year passed by and your cultivation rose from the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm to the late-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.]
[The benefits of this cultivation session were obvious to all. It had increased your cultivation to an extent that would have taken you years to reach.]
[Upon witnessing the results, for the following years, you began to put more effort into your hunts and started slaughtering all the monsters you came across—increasing your cultivation at rocket-like speed.]
[During the hunt, in the outermost area, except for a few youngsters—with their undisguised hatred for the creatures residing in the Southern Deep Forest and their fighting spirit reaching the heavens—you didn't come across many people, and your cultivation progressed very smoothly.]
[It can be said that the Southern Deep Forest is truly vast.]
[In the 29th year of simulation, you finally reached the God-Transformation Realm, but you didn't have the heart to stop just yet and continued following the same routine of killing and cultivating.]
[Just like that, time slipped by and finally it was the 8th month of the 31st year of simulation.]
[On the 8th day, the Pet Space finally consumed the one billion Spirit Stones and upgraded to Level 2.]
[At the second level, you can speed up the flow of time inside the Pet Space by five times upon consuming ten Spirit Stones per second.]
[You know, it's much more expensive compared to before, but money holds no ground when compared to time. So, you were okay with this expenditure.]
[The condition to upgrade to the 3rd level is for the Pet Space to consume a complete one trillion Spirit Stones.]
[You don't think you'll be able to meet this criterion by the end of this simulation, especially with a sword named 'Deadlock' held by that young man and pointed at your own throat.]
[Thinking it over, you began questioning whether your future plan was foolproof and well-executed or not.]
[But after a bit, you sidelined this thought rather quickly with the idea that you could always retry.]
[With this thought, you continued your onslaught against the creatures of the Southern Deep Forest.]
[But there's a strange thing you've noticed over these years. You haven't come across any new kind of poisonous creature recently. It seems you would have to head deeper if you also wanted to continue cultivating the Myriad Poisons Art and form the Myriad Poison Body.]
[But you don't think you possess enough strength to deal with something that made even a Transcending Tribulation Realm cultivator's return impossible, at least for the time being.]
[Just like that, two decades slipped away and finally it was time for the Blood Demon Secret Realm to appear in the world.]
[But to everyone's relief, you were not interested in playing with cubs and initiating a massacre. And so, you avoided the Blood Demon Secret Realm completely.]
[In these past years, in addition to your cultivation reaching the late-stage of the God-Transformation Realm, you had also taken the Ghost Gathering Jade Box from the Baihua Chamber of Commerce into your possession.]
['Why only the late stage?']
[Well, that is because you had your eyes on the Nine Netherworld Mysterious Flame, which might forcefully increase your cultivation to the Peak of the God-Transformation Realm.]
[And there might have been a chance to reach the Void-Refining Realm upon consuming the flame if you truly reached the God-Transformation Realm before intercepting it. That would really be a major problem, and you wouldn't be able to continue with your plans. So, to avoid unforeseen circumstances, you put your cultivation on hold and instead focused on your comprehension.]
[In these years, with the help of the Maniac talent and after consuming a leaf of the Tree of Enlightenment, you successfully comprehended the Frost Domain to the Major Stage.]
[While the mastery of your Sword Domain also deepened slightly.]
[Just like that, twelve years passed and finally the Nine Netherworld Mysterious Flame made its appearance.]
[And as expected, on the battlefield, you met none other than Feng Chen, your renowned opponent from the past. But now? He was no longer considered an opponent by you. Fortunately for him, the opponent wasn't you but Liehuo.]
[Yes, you had disguised yourself as Liehuo, the Holy Son of the Fengyun Holy Land.]
[The battle started soon enough, and after just a few moves, a figure was seen running away in embarrassment. The figure was none other than Feng Chen.]
[But you didn't chase after him and instead watched him run away with a well-endowed mocking smile on your face—or should one say, on Liehuo's face.]
[The reason for you doing so was very clear. You were curious to know what happens when two destined protagonists fight against each other. Who does Heaven actually favor?]
[But, upon being reminded of your plans, you sighed and murmured, "I really can't."]
Outside the Simulation,
Watching his villainous act of shifting blame onto the protagonist, Lin Chen wondered, 'How good would it really have been if I had a Villain System?'
Within the Simulation,
[In fact, the reason why you let him go isn't because you were interested in seeing the undercurrents between protagonists, but because, if you remember correctly, after entering the Southern Deep Forest during the Four Regional Hunting Competition, Feng Chen never came out of it until the moment of your death—which happened in the 303rd year of the simulation.]
[To see if Feng Chen could bring any surprises to you.]
[And this is also the reason you didn't deploy your puppets, because they are simply too ruthless with their opponents.]
[As for the fear of the old man probing your real appearance and informing Feng Chen that you were shifting the blame onto someone else, you weren't worried at all. Because, according to your calculations, the old man was currently far too weak to be able to probe your real appearance.]
[After that, you returned once again and resumed living your barbaric life.]
[Fortunately, the sheer number of monsters in the Southern Deep Forest was so vast that none of the higher-ups had noticed anything unusual yet.]
[For the following decades, after refining the Nine Netherworld Mysterious Flame, you did nothing but kill and kill and kill the monsters residing in the Southern Deep Forest and dump them into your Storage Space—not using them for cultivation at all.]
[Just like that, the time came for the Ancient Ruins to make an appearance.]
[Upon learning of its appearance, the first thing you did was return to the mortal town—where you had conducted your research—and retrieve the Little Green Jade Bottle, which had been absorbing moonlight and forming Green Liquid for the past few decades, after breaking the formation you had set up.]
[It can be said that you were reckless and could only hope that a truly strong person capable of seeing through your formation would never appear in this mortal town.]
[But you had your own reasons for doing so. You did this because there is no moonlight within the Ancient Ruins, rendering the Green Jade Bottle completely useless once its stored liquid is exhausted. Therefore, it made no difference whether you had it or not inside the ruins if it was empty.]
[Well... in the end, the gamble turned out to be safe, and it once again returned to your possession.]
[After retrieving the Green Jade Bottle, you headed toward the place where the Ancient Ruins had appeared.]
[You could say that the major forces of the Xuantian Realm are quite generous toward rogue cultivators, not bullying the weak and allowing them to vie for their destined opportunities.]
[In the 133rd year of simulation, you slipped into the Ancient Ruins along with a huge crowd of rogue cultivators.]
[Upon entering, the first thing you did was travel along the outskirts of the Immortal's Grave.]
[In the 134th year, while traveling through the outskirts, you stumbled upon something. An inheritance! And one belonging to a formation master.]
[Your information was correct once again.]
[You had now made up your mind to hire those underlings again in your next simulation.]
[Soon, you broke the formation outside and entered.]
[It seemed the formation outside had been created to safeguard himself from that immortal, but sadly, he was unable to survive that catastrophe and fell alongside most of his peers.]
[Soon, with your exceptional talent for formations, you were recognized by the spirit of the inheritance and finally obtained it.]
[After obtaining the inheritance, you began flipping through it and found an extremely ruthless formation method named the Blood Bead Formation. It was a seventh-grade formation.]
[Looks like this guy wasn't a good person either. Which is a good thing, because this method was a timely help to you. It could assist you in completing your auxiliary task of practicing the Blood-Devouring Demonic Technique to Minor Proficiency.]
[Thinking of it, you threw some monster corpses into the Beast Refining Pot, triggered the Maniac talent, and began practicing the formation method.]
[It was the very first formation method you had ever practiced throughout your journey.]
[The Path of Formation is divided into countless branches, but among them, there is one major factor that must be noted, while all others remain secondary.]
[Runes.]
[The explanation is quite simple.]
[Runes are the foundation of a formation master, determining their strength. The deeper one's understanding of them, the stronger and better the formation will be when compared to a formation master of the same level.]
[All formation methods have their own special rune-forming methods, and a formation consists of countless runes with either the same or different rune patterns.]
[There even exist some formations that require the support of special items to form, but those are matters for later. For now, you should only focus on your current situation.]
[A year later, you successfully mastered the formation and became proficient in deploying, withdrawing, and breaking it.]
[Now, you could finally complete the auxiliary task more quickly.]
[In the 136th year of simulation, while the competition within the Ancient Ruins was at its fiercest, a beam of light shot into the sky. It was witnessed by countless people, who headed toward the place where it appeared, some even settling their grudges along the way.]
[It didn't take long for many to arrive at the place of opportunity and begin searching the surroundings. Unbeknownst to them, there was an eye observing all their movements from the shadows and sweeping across the crowd of millions, searching for two figures named Xia Ruo Bing and Shen Mo.]
[After a long while, upon finding that neither of the figures he sought was among the crowd, he revealed his true colors and activated a formation, isolating the space from the outside world.]
[As the space closed in, a horrifying sound rang out among the crowd, and with it appeared the chilling sight of a man turning into blood mist.]
[Only his skeleton was left behind. His flesh and blood evaporated as though forcibly extracted by a hidden force.]
[Upon witnessing this scene, the crowd began to panic.]
[They understood. They had fallen into a trap. But who had done it? They had no idea. It could be anyone among them, or perhaps the person controlling it was outside.]
[Just as everyone was panicking, a hand pierced the chest of a cultivator standing nearby, mercilessly pulling his heart out. The attacker was a middle-aged man who looked quite shrewd by nature.]
[As soon as the heart was torn out, the victim also turned into blood mist, and his blood gathered at an unknown location.]
[Seeing the victim turn into blood mist, the middle-aged man roared, "THIS FORMATION WANTS BLOOD! IT WANTS BLOOD! IF WE WANT TO LIVE, WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE PROVIDE ENOUGH! ONLY THEN DO WE HAVE A CHANCE TO LEAVE SAFELY!"]
[When he said these words, the others clearly understood his implication and looked at one another with caution. They knew it was merely speculation, but if what he said turned out to be true, then they'd rather fight for survival. They wanted to rely on their own strength instead of waiting for an uncertain death dependent on fate.]
[Soon, the battle began.]
[Blood splattered, dyeing the ground red, but it disappeared just as quickly, as though the land had never been stained.]
[You, from the shadows, witnessed this entire scene.]
[Honestly, it wouldn't have made much difference even if they fought each other because, in the end, they would all fall here today.]
[But you didn't mind. They were merely making things easier for your formation by killing one another, sparing the formation from having to extract their essence at a snail's pace.]
[Just like that, with every passing second, the number of survivors dropped drastically.]
[From millions... to two million... five hundred thousand... one hundred thousand... ten thousand... one thousand... and finally to a mere hundred people.]
[At the moment the number dropped to one hundred survivors, the formation suddenly halted.]
[Witnessing this, all one hundred survivors rejoiced. But their joy did not last long. Suddenly, a voice sounded in their ears, pouring cold water over their hopes.]
["Sigh... It seems my comprehension isn't deep enough."]
[As soon as they heard it, they turned toward the source of the voice. But before they could even see the speaker's face, a head flew through the air from the side. It belonged to one of their acquaintances.]
[Soon, they turned toward the direction from which the head had flown, only to see a massive army of mechanical puppets swarming them. What followed was nothing short of a massacre.]
[Among these hundred survivors, there were two people you recognized—Ling Yujian and the prince of the Barbarian Tribe.]
[But so what? That was all in the past now, and they were here.]
[So without a doubt, both of them were going to die today.]
[Not long after, all the puppets successfully slaughtered the survivors, including both of your old acquaintances.]
[Once all the survivors had been killed, you entered the core of the formation, collected the blood beads formed from their gathered blood, and left this land of doom in search of a safe place.]
[The formation you deployed covered millions of miles in radius, directly flattening the surrounding area.]
[However, much of the destruction could be attributed to the battle between millions of people, making the area appear no different from a true land of doom.]
[Not long after, you arrived at a safe place and began refining the blood beads, converting them into vitality and sacrificing that vitality to the Blood-Devouring Demonic Technique while refining them.]
[It could be said that the Blood-Devouring Demonic Technique's requirements for cultivation were truly enormous. You felt that even sacrificing the blood of millions of people would not have been enough to reach Minor Proficiency if not for your Two Times the Resources talent, which doubled the amount of vitality available.]
[Soon, the refinement was complete and went very smoothly. You finally achieved Minor Proficiency in the Blood-Devouring Demonic Technique.]
[Upon reaching this stage, you felt that the blood flowing through your veins had become countless times purer than before, indirectly doubling your strength.]
[Two times may sound simple, but at your current level, it was already a tremendous leap in power.]
[At the moment, after carefully examining your body, you finally realized what was happening.]
[The Blood-Devouring Demonic Technique wasn't cultivating the different bloodlines within your body individually. Instead, it was refining all of them together.]
[And considering how many different bloodlines you had absorbed by now, it was only logical for it to require such a vast amount of vitality to advance itself. But did that mean you would stop absorbing new bloodlines?]
[Of course... not.]
[For the following year, after causing such a huge commotion, you decided to play it safe and began seeking opportunities like any normal person within this secret realm.]
[And this life continued until the 166th year of simulation, when a sudden shockwave shook the entire Ancient Ruins.]
[Now that you had become stronger, you could clearly sense the force of the collision. It was not something you could deal with at your current strength.]
[Today, you truly understood just how vast the gap was between yourself and those white-robed and phoenix-robed figures. This time, you did not spread out your consciousness out of curiosity and instead avoided it completely, continuing to wander around the outskirts of the Ancient Ruins.]
[You didn't plan to leave the Ancient Ruins. Yes, this had been your plan all along—to remain under the protection of the Heavenly Dao itself.]
[It might sound foolish, as you still had the chance to ascend to the Upper Realm just like Han Ming, but what would your strength be at that time? Would it be comparable to the Heavenly Dao?]
[The answer was obvious. It would not.]
[And ascending to the Upper Realm would be no different from delivering yourself into a tiger's den.]
[Furthermore, by now, you had most likely become wanted by all the major forces. To be precise, the wanted person was not you, but Han Ming.]
[And as for the fact that the Ancient Ruins would only reopen after a hundred thousand years? Come on, you possessed millions of years of lifespan. You weren't going to die anytime soon.]
[A year later, in the 168th year of simulation, the battle finally subsided, and you found that you could no longer find a single person within the secret realm. It seemed everyone had already withdrawn from the Ancient Ruins.]
[And upon finally finding peace after so long, you decided to practice the Marrow-Cleansing Technique, the most mysterious technique you possessed, and complete its first level.]
[This seclusion would only end after you had completed the First Level of the Marrow-Cleansing Technique.]
[And surprisingly, your seclusion went very smoothly. In the 676th year of simulation, you successfully completed the first level of the Marrow-Cleansing Technique.]
[At the moment you completed the first level of the Marrow-Cleansing Technique, you felt a sudden change occur within your body.]
[Your Treasure Hunting Instinct sharpened significantly. Now, you could sense treasures from far away and even evaluate the danger associated with them beforehand.]
[The improvement wasn't limited to your instincts. The most obvious enhancement was to your aptitude.]
[At the moment, after only a brief period of cultivation, you felt your cultivation standing on the verge of breaking through to the Void-Refining Realm. Horrified by this realization, you immediately halted your cultivation and began investigating the other changes it had brought.]
[Soon, after a period of examination, you came to understand the other terrifying improvements it had granted you.]
[Compared to before, your comprehension speed had increased by a thousand times. Methods such as the Purple Thunder Sutra, which would previously have taken decades to comprehend, could now be comprehended to the Origin Level in a mere eighteen days.]
[If this was only the effect of completing the first level of this technique, you couldn't imagine what it would be like after completing the second level.]
[Thinking of this, you shifted your attention toward the Proficiency Panel and saw that the requirements had increased drastically.]
[Previously, only one hundred experience points were needed to reach the first level of the Marrow-Cleansing Technique. Now, ten thousand experience points were required to reach the second level.]
[After a quick calculation, you determined that it would take approximately seventy-six thousand years at your current pace.]
[You obviously didn't have that much time.]
[Though, you still practiced the technique for another year to see whether the increase in your aptitude would affect its progress, but the result was exactly as you had anticipated.]
Outside the Simulation,
Reading the contents of the simulation, Lin Chen turned toward the system and said, "System, once this simulation ends, you've got some explaining to do. Are you ready?"
[Always, Host.] Upon hearing his call, the system responded positively.
"Hmm..." Receiving a satisfactory answer, Lin Chen hummed softly.
He was quite looking forward to the system's explanation.
Within the Simulation,
[It seemed the current surprises were not enough, because after entering the Beast Refining Pot, sacrificing a large number of beasts, and triggering the Maniac talent, you discovered that your cultivation speed had increased dramatically.]
[If the previous improvement had increased your aptitude by a thousand times, your current cultivation speed could be considered ten thousand times greater than before—compared to your original aptitude, of course.]
[Within the Beast Refining Pot, in less than six months, you finally mastered your Sword Domain and gained perfect control over it.]
[The next stage on the path of comprehension, after achieving perfect control over your domain, is domain expansion—while maintaining perfect control throughout the process.]
[Once you falter in controlling the domain or recklessly expand it while neglecting your foundation, the consequences would be extremely severe and might even damage your future potential.]
[And as a cautious person, you naturally had no intention of taking such risks. Thus, you decided to proceed one step at a time.]
[However, the problem was that expanding your domain required not only high comprehension to maintain perfect control but also a vast supply of resources. Unfortunately, you did not possess the resources necessary for domain expansion.]
[It wasn't that you lacked money. Rather, cultivators capable of maintaining perfect control over their domains in the lower realm were exceedingly rare.]
[As a result, the ability to maintain perfect control over one's domain was generally considered an immortal-level achievement, making resources related to domain expansion exceptionally scarce within the lower realm.]
[Soon, after understanding your situation and realizing that further progress in Sword Dao was currently impossible, you decided to cultivate all the methods, Daos, and spells you possessed to their pinnacle.]
[Thus, for the following thousands of years, from the Desolation Sutra to the Frost Domain, you devoted yourself to mastering every technique you possessed.]
[Just like that, two thousand years passed, and the day for which you had prepared so diligently was finally approaching.]
[Within the Immortal's Tomb, also known as the Ancient Ruins, a mortal figure carrying a basket could be seen collecting ripe fruits and placing them inside.]
[If one calculated the time, thousands of years had passed since the Ancient Ruins had closed. For a mortal to survive for such a long period was impossible.]
[But what nobody knew was that something was continuously nourishing the life force of this mortal, allowing him to live for so long despite the natural limitations of a mortal lifespan.]
[At the moment, just after you finished collecting the fruits, a puppet approached and handed you a stone as cold as an ice cellar, which you quickly placed into your Storage Space.]
[It was the Origin Stone that you had left within the Frozen Land during your younger years, all in preparation for exploiting the system's mechanisms in the future.]
[After placing the Origin Stone into the Storage Space, you took a step forward and began humming a tune that synchronized with the Heaven's Speaker, resonating only within your surroundings.]
[Over the years, you had become familiar with the Heaven's Speaker and could freely control the range within which its sound resonated.]
[During these thousands of years, aside from the Void Creation Destructive Rewrite—which you had yet to begin comprehending—you had comprehended every technique you possessed to the Origin Level.]
[And after reaching the Origin Level, you began searching for the inheritances left behind by fallen experts within the Ancient Ruins while simultaneously studying auxiliary paths such as Alchemy, Puppetry, Talismans, and Formations.]
[It could be said that due to insufficient strength, most of your knowledge in these auxiliary professions remained theoretical. Converting that knowledge into practical mastery would still require time.]
[However, even with only theoretical knowledge, you could already outperform ninety percent of the masters of these paths at the same level.]
[On this day, while pondering these matters, you suddenly heard a thunderous roar from outside the Ancient Ruins.]
["Fairy Spirit, do you really think you're capable of stopping me?"]
[Hearing this, you immediately became vigilant.]
[The moment of truth had arrived.]
[And it was also the moment that would determine whether all your previous efforts would be rewarded—or whether they had all been in vain.]
[The person outside continued, "At first, I didn't want to destroy this small place of yours, but it is true that some people's enthusiasm knows no bounds."]
[At the moment, just as those words fell, the young man took a small step forward and uttered a single word.]
["PERISH!"]
[As his command descended, the entire Xuantian Realm, along with the Ancient Ruins, began to shake violently and collapse with each passing moment.]
[But you weren't even able to witness the collapse of Xuantian Realm, as that young man had already arrived in front of you.]
[The moment his gaze fell upon you, your entire body turned to dust, rendering the Nirvana Flame residing within your body completely useless.]
[But it wasn't over yet. You had prepared a plan for this day long ago.]
[At a distant location within the Ancient Ruins.]
[After an unknown amount of time had passed following your death, the consciousness you had marked onto your Nascent Soul finally awakened, while the consciousness marked onto your Golden Elixir remained dormant.]
[In the past, after numerous experiments and enduring an indescribably painful process, you had finally managed to separate both your Nascent Soul and Golden Elixir from your body, imprinting them with your consciousness in pursuit of a chance at revival.]
[After all, you couldn't rely entirely on others, could you? If you wanted to survive, you had to do your utmost.]
[But if you were being honest, you had never expected this method of revival to actually work.]
[At the moment, just when you thought you were safe, a voice drifted into your consciousness.]
["I was always wondering why you remained a mortal for so long."]
["So you've resorted to such petty tricks, huh?"]
[As those words fell, you felt your connection with the Golden Elixir hidden far away abruptly sever.]
["I wonder why you made so many plans."]
["It's not like you knew I was going to come beforehand, did you?"]
[You knew what he intended to do. He was going to search your soul, and in your current state, you were far too vulnerable to resist.]
[Soon, the soul search was completed.]
[But he found nothing of value.]
[At the moment, just as your consciousness began drifting away and you stood on the verge of death, a voice echoed through the void and entered your fading awareness.]
["Huh? Why are the memories before the age of sixteen locked?"]
[You're dead.]
[Because of your death, this simulation ends.]
—————
4 Quadrillion Years Ago.
In the Era of Creation.
The scene was dark and extremely blurry, though not completely obscured.
Not long afterward, before the vision fully recovered, a Heavenly Voice resounded throughout the Myriad Realms.
Play Montagem Ritmada.
At the moment the voice faded, the vision became crystal clear, and the scene began changing rapidly.
The viewpoint rushed directly into the cave before it, completely ignoring the spectacular battle between the beasts outside, whose appearances resembled an Ancient Bull and a Rhino.
The interior of the cave looked like a crime scene.
A knife stained with human blood lay on the ground, beside the corpse of a human.
Adam.
The only human of the Creation Era had died.
Soon, the scene shifted toward the right side of the cave wall.
There, text could be seen.
The text itself felt like a flaw within the Laws of Existence. Sometimes it existed, sometimes it did not, until it vanished completely, never to be seen again.
The text read:
'I am already dead, so who are they?'