Chapter 1: The Simulation System Awakens

Xie Yunfeng was an outer disciple of the Qingyun Sect. Eighteen years old, of mediocre talent, he had cultivated for three years and still hadn’t broken through the third layer of Qi Refining. In the sect, they called him “trash.” The other disciples pushed him around all day, and Senior Brother Han Zhuoran openly seized his monthly share of cultivation pills.

Tonight, after Han Zhuoran beat him for daring to object, Yunfeng lay in a deserted cave behind the mountain, so humiliated he cried. Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice rang out in his head:

“Host with special potential detected: Dao Rhyme Memory. Heaven-Defying Simulation System officially activated.”

A transparent screen appeared before his eyes, visible only to him:

[Simulation System]
Function: Simulates a period of cultivation or combat in the imagination. Part of the results and experience gained will be converted into real strength.
Simulations remaining today: 1
Available simulation items: Technique “Qingyun Heart Art” (owned)

Yunfeng was stunned. He had heard elders tell tales of outlandish fortunes in legend, but he never imagined he would encounter one himself. Half believing, half doubting, he silently recited: “Begin simulation.”

The world before him blurred, and he found himself standing in a simulated space of consciousness, practicing the Qingyun Heart Art without rest for “ten years,” all within an instant of real time. Every acupoint in his phantom body opened, and the spiritual energy flowing through his meridians grew more and more fluid.

When the simulation ended, the system announced:

Simulation complete.
Result: Mastery of the third layer of Qi Refining. Insight gained into a flaw in the heart art.
Strength converted: +15% real cultivation progress, +1 Comprehension point.

Yunfeng opened his eyes and clearly felt the spiritual energy in his dantian, far more abundant than before. He couldn’t believe it. He tried circulating the technique, and sure enough, his spiritual energy flowed twice as fast as it had that morning.

“So… this is my fortune.” Yunfeng clenched his fists, his eyes turning from gloomy to resolute. “From today on, no one will look down on me again.”