Others Level Up, but I Pursue Cultivation!

In the real world, Su Xing's heart was on edge.

When he said those words in the simulator, it meant revealing his identity. If the Shadow Protector wasn't a spy or traitor, he would be doomed.

That would mean Su Xing wasted a precious simulation opportunity.

But if the Shadow Protector truly was a traitor, it would save Su Xing a lot of effort in future simulations.

Everything hinged on a single thought.

Su Xing swallowed hard and continued the simulation.

[The Shadow Protector's expression changed slightly after hearing your words. She stated she didn't understand what you were talking about, and that she had been with the Descending Sect for decades, always following the master's footsteps.]

[Hearing the Shadow Protector's response, you felt relieved. If she was truly loyal to the Descending Sect, she should have killed you by now.]

[You closed your eyes and let the Shadow Protector kill you directly. The Shadow Protector fell silent at your words.]

[After a long while, the Shadow Protector let out a bitter laugh and said, "Pathetic. Compared to those colossal entities, our world is destined for destruction! In their eyes, our world is merely insignificant dust..."]

[At this moment, the Shadow Protector finally confided in you. You seized the opportunity and said that as long as there was a glimmer of hope, one should make a thousandfold effort. Just like the Shadow Protector requesting you to refine elixirs. Even knowing it was a futile resistance, she still fought.]

[The Shadow Protector seemed to be persuaded by your words. She asked about your plan to resist the foreign invasion. You took out an elixir, stating you could concoct elixirs as long as enough strong individuals could be created. One day, they would be able to expel the foreign race.]

[The Shadow Protector bitterly remarked that even if the strength of the Human Race improved overall, they would still be small and insignificant against the beasts.]

[The Shadow Protector asked how many elixirs you could provide on your own.]

[You were filled with hope and, after a moment of thought, stated you could provide a thousand Essence-Nourishing Pills a month and asked if that would be enough.]

[The Shadow Protector paused in surprise. A thousand Essence-Nourishing Pills a month could create two hundred Grandmaster Level experts, nearly three thousand a year. If that many strong individuals could emerge every year, perhaps the foreign invasion could indeed be significantly delayed!]

Su Xing chuckled softly at this.

At Su Xing's alchemy speed, he could make over two thousand Essence-Nourishing Pills a month if he focused solely on alchemy.

But Su Xing also needed to train. He needed to cultivate to the Nascent Soul Stage in this simulation. Thus, without affecting his cultivation speed, he could only spend four hours a day making elixirs.

"In this simulation, it seems I will have to form an alliance with the Shadow Protector. I wonder how long this will delay the apocalypse?"

Su Xing raised an eyebrow and continued the simulation.

[In the end, the Shadow Protector agreed to ally with you, stating she would do her best to cover for you and conceal your identity. You would need to provide her with over five hundred Essence-Nourishing Pills each month.]

[You took the opportunity to request the Yellow Immortal Essence, the main ingredient for refining the Organ Refining Pill. The Shadow Protector agreed to your request.]

[In the fourth year, you maintained four hours of alchemy daily, spending more time ensuring your cultivation. You felt you were getting closer to the Nascent Soul Stage.]

[In one year, you had refined over ten thousand elixirs, giving nearly half to the Shadow Protector. You used the rest to sustain your cultivation and accumulated thousands of Organ Refining Pills, waiting for the right moment to use them.]

[In the fifth year, you continued to take Essence-Nourishing Pills and Spirit-Nourishing Pills daily to boost your cultivation. You felt subtle changes in the Golden Core within you.]

[This forced you to spend more time stabilizing your cultivation. Breaking through from the Golden Core Stage to the Nascent Soul Stage was slightly more challenging than you had anticipated.]

[That year, the number of Organ Refining Pills you accumulated reached ten thousand, still far from enough.]

[In the sixth year, you methodically continued to refine elixirs. Beyond your cultivation, your free time was spent tending to spirit plants in the Spirit Field Blessed Land.]

[You noticed that many of the spirit medicines you planted had matured, with qualities surpassing even those in the Descending Sect's Treasure Vault.]

[You thought about trying to refine new elixirs. However, you understood the goal of this simulation was to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, so you gave up on that idea.]

[In the seventh year, you continued your diligent cultivation. You felt like a thin layer of paper was all that stood between you and the Nascent Soul Stage. You knew you had hit a bottleneck.]

[You understood that forcing a breakthrough could backfire. Sometimes, it is better to let things happen naturally. Perhaps then, you would break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.]

In the real world, Su Xing nodded slightly.

Given his True Spiritual Root aptitude, breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage shouldn't present a significant bottleneck.

For cultivators, remaining stuck at a major realm for decades or even centuries was common. This occurred because of insufficient aptitude.

Su Xing's issue was his mind state. He only needed a trigger, and he might break through painlessly.

With this thought, Su Xing continued to look at the simulation panel.

[You no longer pursued hard training daily. You spent half an hour each morning lightly cultivating to maintain your inspiration, leaving you more time for alchemy.]

[That year, you spent ten hours a day refining elixirs. Since you had preserved ample spiritual medicine beforehand, you were never short of ingredients.]

[Over the course of a year, you refined over thirty thousand Essence-Nourishing Pills, knowing they would come in handy soon.]

[You clearly remembered that in a previous simulation, the Shadow Protector stopped needing elixirs in the eighth year. Possibly some sudden change in her original world made her stop needing them.]

[Thus, you sought out the Shadow Protector, planning to give her the Essence-Nourishing Pills a year in advance.]

[The Shadow Protector was shocked to receive over thirty thousand Essence-Nourishing Pills from you but still accepted them. You told her to distribute the elixirs as quickly as possible.]

[The Shadow Protector nodded, and you didn't see her again in the following days.]

[After resting for a few days, you resumed your alchemy routine. In one year's time, you accumulated another tens of thousands of elixirs.]

[In the ninth year, it was an ordinary day for you. You continued your daily routine of alchemy and cultivation.]

[On this day, the Shadow Protector found you. She looked visibly fatigued. You hadn't seen her for months and hurriedly asked about her condition.]

[The Shadow Protector was silent for a long time before she uttered a few words, "Give up, give up this futile resistance."]

[Your heart jumped. You thought that perhaps the Shadow Protector's world ultimately perished. You quickly asked how they lost and how the world was destroyed.]

[The Shadow Protector seemed unwilling to elaborate, only speaking briefly about gigantic beasts descending and the apocalypse...]

[You remained silent. The Shadow Protector had bought her world an extra year. Following the original timeline, her world would have been destroyed in the eighth year. It lasted one more year.]

[What shook you was the mention of gigantic beasts descending, which was almost identical to the cause of your world's destruction. You dared not delve further into the reason.]

[Looking at the sorrowful Shadow Protector, you seemed to have been influenced by her emotions, unsure of how to comfort her.]

[Click. In the strong wave of emotions, your long-stagnant realm finally broke through. You successfully became a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator!]