You felt like Tang Monk—your flesh, coveted by demons and ghosts alike, always drew them to you, each eager to take a bite and claim something for themselves...
「 Among them were the mastermind scheming for your bones, and Liu Yue, who was dead set on claiming the true scripture. 」
「 The only difference was that you, this so-called Tang Monk, weren't destined for a long life. You were dying, and the only thing you could do was strike a deal with Liu Yue to secure a way out for Su Mei. 」
「 But the Liu Yue who'd been so easy to talk to just moments ago wasted no time showing her true colors. 」
「 Smack! 」
「 So you're the Monkey King now, huh? Had your fun making a fool out of me earlier, did you? 」
「 Guys lining up to court me stretch from Modu all the way to the Imperial Capital, and you had the nerve to ignore me like I was invisible! 」
「 I've got the looks, I've got the figure—yet you go chasing after a blind girl? You must've lost your damn mind! 」
「 Who the hell do you think you are, you bastard!!! 」
「 ... 」
「 Having been played for a fool not once but twice, and treated like air to boot, the woman named Liu Yue held a serious grudge—she wanted nothing more than to beat you within an inch of your life... 」
「 Shocking! Three-hundred-year-old geezer gets pummeled by Modu's campus beauty. Is this a lapse in morality, or... 」
「 As you endured the beating, you realized this seemingly cold and arrogant woman was actually quite petty—she wouldn't even spare an old man... 」
「 Through the throes of the assault, you faintly heard Su Mei's broken sobs outside, screaming your name at the top of her lungs after she'd woken up... 」
"That woman's got such a petty, vindictive streak."
Sun Qian's eyes flickered. He shot a glance at Liu Yue, who was pretending to be asleep under the covers behind him, silently mourning his simulator self's fate.
Feeling the weight of his stare, Liu Yue suddenly threw off the blanket, glared back at him fiercely, then huffed and burrowed right back under the covers.
At this moment, she still harbored a healthy dose of wariness toward the drastically changed Sun Qian standing before her.
「 Hours later, Liu Yue—having obtained the true scripture—was clearly in a much better mood. She knocked Su Mei out once more, ready to take her away. 」
「 Before leaving, she seemed to remember something. Perhaps out of pity for your impending death, she decided to let slip a few tidbits of information. 」
「 "Taking out that Ghost Doctor caused quite a stir in the Qianyuan Capital. It scared a lot of people, but it also prompted some folks to step in and protect you..." 」
「 "A certain powerful noble lady put in a word..." 」
「 "That bastard who came after you got put in his place. Paid a hefty price for it, too—he's been keeping a low profile ever since." 」
「 "That's why he hasn't dared to come near you for the past six months..." 」
「 A powerful noble lady?! 」
「 She actually managed to take down the mastermind pulling the strings? 」
「 A flicker of shock crossed your cloudy eyes. Your lips moved, but not a single sound escaped them. 」
「 You were astounded that someone of that caliber would go out of their way to protect you. 」
「 That powerful noble lady—she must be part of the imperial family, right? Otherwise, there's no way she could've reined in a prince like the mastermind... 」
「 But it was all too little, too late. You were already on the verge of death. Why didn't she step in sooner... 」
「 Perhaps the noble lady only chose to act because you were about to die—to punish the mastermind as a token of respect to those who'd been shielding you from the shadows? 」
「 "A case of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—each willing, huh..." 」
「 A bitter, sardonic smile tugged at the corner of your lips. Your heart, already beating sluggishly, gradually stopped altogether... 」
「 Liu Yue fell silent. She simply picked up the unconscious Su Mei, held her in her arms, and left without a word. 」
「 When it came to power struggles at this level, even someone like her was nothing more than a pawn—with no control over her own fate. 」
「 She was gone. 」
「 In your final moments, you seemed to spot a shadowy figure emerging not long after Liu Yue's departure, striding toward you with a black blade clutched in his hand... 」
「 He'd clearly been waiting for this moment—impatient to strike. 」
「 "The master's orders," the black-cloaked man muttered to himself. "Besides the Imperial Bone, we must also seize that secret technique capable of boosting one's cultivation realm by leaps and bounds." 」
「 Your corpse was subjected to a soul search... 」
「 The Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps etched in your mind possessed a unique property—it couldn't be plundered or read by external means... 」
「 The Villain Simulator's special mechanism has been activated. Your soul is protected. This soul search has failed... 」
「 You are dead. Simulation complete. 」
"Another new clue—the powerful noble lady."
"On the surface, she helped me, but what was her real agenda?"
"Giving a dying man some closure?"
Sun Qian stared at the simulator's game-over screen, his brows furrowing tightly before slowly relaxing.
She seemed loyal and benevolent, but there was a hint of treachery beneath the surface—she was no friend.
Any ordinary person would've been fooled by her facade.
Moreover, the black-cloaked man had appeared so eagerly right after Liu Yue left, desperate to dig out your bones and ransack your soul...
Chances were, he was working for that noble lady.
"So the Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps have caught the attention of quite a few big shots, huh."
"A Fourth Realm divine technique that allowed its user to slay an Eighth Realm Heavenly Being—even with external help, that's still nothing short of astounding."
"If they could get their hands on it and have their death squads master it, it'd definitely give them a major edge."
"Still, it's surprising that the Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps can't be obtained via soul search. It has a unique trait that prevents it from being spread..."
You were genuinely surprised by the Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps' special nature.
At the same time, the Villain Simulator's special protective mechanism made you realize your soul was safe from harm.
Tactics like soul searches would be completely useless against you.
That meant your identity as a transmigrator was safe from exposure.
He'd also figured out something else about Liu Yue—the mysterious Heavenly Being who'd seemed so cold and arrogant at first, with her sharp tongue, vindictive streak, and petty ways, was actually a good person at heart.
She'd not only come to his rescue at critical junctures and been reasonable to negotiate with, but she'd also given him plenty of valuable insider information...
Even in what seemed like his final moments, she'd bought him some time, making his death quicker and less painful, while also helping to cover up some of his secrets...
She'd never expected, though, that the black-cloaked man who'd appeared last would possess the ability to perform a soul search on a corpse...
"Sharp tongue, soft heart, huh."
Sun Qian leaned against the window, glancing at the lump under the blanket on the carpet. He raised an eyebrow, genuinely caught off guard by this side of her.
It seemed the Villain Simulator didn't just show him future timelines—it also let him gauge the attitudes of the various forces toward him.
A handy way to tell friends from foes early on.
「 Fourth simulation complete. Final settlement initiated. 」
Boom!
A River of Time materialized before your eyes in an instant, sealing off everything and freezing it in place—as if time itself had come to a standstill.
Fragments of the River of Time replayed the events of the simulation over and over again.
Whoosh!
The figure of an elderly man—his face weathered, his hair white as snow, yet still bearing traces of his once-handsome features—slowly materialized before you.
Sun Qian raised an eyebrow, staring at the old man who bore an uncanny resemblance to himself, clearly surprised by what he was seeing.
This was nothing like the endings of his previous simulations.
Could it be that things changed once the official simulations began?
Boom!
At that moment, glowing orbs of different hues began to emanate from the old man's body, coalescing into six Dao Fruits...
「 Host may select three options from the six below. 」
「 Option 1: Heaven-Stepping Nine Steps (Incomplete Version) 」
「 Option 2: Heavenly Being's Legacy (Ghost Doctor the Venerable) 」
「 Option 3: Solidify Purple Talent: Talisman Dao Seed 」
「 Option 4: Nine Dragons Incinerate the Heavens (Mutated Talisman Technique) 」
「 Option 5: Yin-Yang Boundless Pill (Fifth-Rank Elixir) 」
「 Option 6: Mastery of the Vast Tyrant Dragon Fist 」