Martial Peak: Life Simulator

The golden words flickered before Yan Xiu's eyes, forming a familiar yet thrilling sight.

[You have 51.99 Years of Life Simulation Time...]

[Simulation Initiating...]

A surge of anticipation welled up inside him as the text shifted.

[Simulating Life: Yan Xiu]

[Cultivation: 7th Tempered Body Stage]

[Status: Trial Disciple of High Heaven Pavilion]

[Secret Art: Flowing Tide Technique]

[Special Physique: Purified Body]

Yan Xiu's eyes widened in confusion. "Special Physique: Purified Body?"

"When did I get this?" he muttered, his fingers twitching slightly. His mind raced back to the Dragon Transformating Water—the mystical water that had surged through his body, refining his meridians and granting him a breakthrough.

"Is this the Dragon Transformating Water doing?" he wondered aloud, his gaze darkening in thought. The water had definitely done something beyond just a simple breakthrough… but a Special Physique? That was on a completely different level.

For a moment, he was tempted to stop the simulation and examine himself. But he took a deep breath, suppressing his curiosity.

"Well… I'll leave this matter for later," he decided, shifting his focus back to the golden words as they continued forming before him.

[Year 1: A month passed in relentless training. Every day, Yan Xiu swung his sword thousands of times, engraving the Flowing Sword Art into his very bones. He failed countless times, but he persevered, refining every detail, every movement, until—finally—it clicked.

A single swing.

It was as if his sword had become weightless, formless like water, as if the current itself guided his strikes. The technique flowed seamlessly, a dance of precision and adaptability. He had finally recreated the technique he had previously given birth to in a previous simulation.

At that moment, a surge of energy erupted within him, and his cultivation instantly advanced.

Yan Xiu broke through to the 3rd Initial Element Stage.

Yan Xiu exhaled sharply, feeling the newfound strength coursing through his veins. He clenched his fists, satisfied with his progress. But he didn't stop.

Another month passed.

Refining the Flowing Sword Art became his sole focus. He wanted to perfect it—to push it beyond its limits. But just as he felt he was on the verge of something greater, the world itself seemed to tremble.

A phenomenon unlike anything he had ever witnessed unfolded before his eyes.

From the direction of the Blood Battle Group's territory, a dragon and a phoenix, each made of pure energy, erupted from the ground. The dragon, a majestic beast of golden energy, coiled through the sky, while the phoenix, a magnificent bird of blue, crystal clear ice, spread its wings, letting out a silent yet overwhelming cry.

The two divine creatures intertwined, circling each other as if inseparable—opposing forces in perfect harmony.

Yan Xiu's heart pounded violently in his chest.

"This…!" His breath hitched as realization struck.

He knew this sight. He had seen it before.

The Inheritance Cave has opened.

A mysterious cave filled with unimaginable treasures. Yan Xiu had heard about it from the disciples who had entered it in the past simulations, the countless rumors of its boundless fortune.

But in his past simulations, he had never been able to set foot inside.

He had always been too weak in the past simulations. Before, he had still been in the Tempered Body Realm when it opened, and the sect hadn't permitted him enter because he hadn't reached the Initial Element yet. They wanted to let the most talented disciples get this opportunity.

But this time?

This time, he was more than eligible.

Yan Xiu wasted no time. He sheathed his sword and sprinted toward the Inheritance Cave's location, his feet barely touching the ground as he rushed forward with everything he had.

As he arrived, his breath caught at the sight before him—disciples from all three major sects, High Heaven Pavilion, Blood Battle Group, and Storm Manor, had already gathered.

Even the great elders of each sect, beings who had long since surpassed the Initial Element Realm, stood frozen, their gazes sharp and unreadable. They were delivering speeches, saying that only those under the Immortal Ascension Realm and younger than the age of thirty could enter. Those were the only absolute rules set by the Inheritance Cave.

As the speech continued, Yan Xiu's gaze instinctively drifted across the gathering.

And then—he saw him.

That guy.

For a split second, a strange sensation flickered within him—an echo of something gone. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared. His hatred for him had vanished. And for the first time, Yan Xiu could look at him without feeling like his very existence was being torn apart.

Yan Xiu exhaled slowly. If this had happened before, if he had still harbored that burning resentment, would he have lost his mind and attacked him on the spot?

But that wasn't important now.

Right now, only one thing mattered.

The Inheritance Cave was open.

And Yan Xiu was finally going inside.

As the elders' speeches concluded, the gathered disciples remained still, their gazes locked onto the golden-glowing hole in the earth. The massive chasm, formed by the dragon and phoenix before they vanished inside of it, pulsed with an otherworldly light. It wasn't just a hole—it was an entrance to the unknown, radiating an ancient energy that made even the most fearless cultivators pause.

The air around it shimmered, as if reality itself was bending, twisting, shifting. It was clear to everyone—this was no ordinary cave.

The first to move were the elite disciples from each sect. With unwavering confidence, they stepped forward, their eyes filled with ambition and resolve. Without hesitation, they leaped into the glowing abyss, their bodies swallowed by the golden radiance before vanishing completely.

One by one, more followed. Some with excitement, others with steeled determination. The weaker-willed hesitated, feeling the immense pressure emanating from the hole, but the allure of the Inheritance Cave was too strong to resist.

Yan Xiu watched silently, his heart pounding in his chest.

"This is it."

He tightened his grip around his sword before taking a deep breath. His entire being was focused, ready. Without wasting another moment, he bent his knees and launched himself into the hole.

The instant he passed through the golden light, the world around him shifted.

Gravity ceased to exist.

A pull far stronger than gravity seized his body. His senses blurred—he couldn't tell if he was falling, floating, or being devoured by the golden abyss.

Then—

A blinding radiance consumed him.

To be continued...

***

***

How was this chapter? Liked it?

I had a bit of trouble writing this because I had to go check the original work a lot to be coherent with the descriptions and the Inheritance Cave. Hope you liked it.

Be sure to check out my original novel Hyperborea!