Others Level Up, but I Pursue Cultivation!

Su Xing clearly remembered that in a previous simulation, he had come across some intelligence reports.

Unfortunately, at that time, the Luo Tian Meeting Instance had already closed.

But in the real world, there were still less than three years before the Luo Tian Meeting Instance would close, which meant that Su Xing had enough time to explore it.

As for the Apocalyptic Era Instance, Su Xing indeed wanted to explore it too, but there were certain risks involved.

Given Su Xing's cautious nature, he preferred to wait until his strength was greater before exploring it.

"Perhaps, it would be safer to explore it once I cultivated to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Stage or the peak of the Origin Martial Realm? After all, the resources within the Descending Sect are already sufficient to increase my strength..."

With this in mind, Su Xing continued with the simulation.

[In the sixteenth year, you didn't step out of your dwelling. Every day, you practiced the Li Fire Technique, advancing rapidly in its cultivation.]

[In the seventeenth year, you made significant progress in increasing the power of the Li Fire Technique. You felt gratified, believing that reaching the Minor Achievement Level in this technique was not far off.]

[In the eighteenth year, you advanced further. Your mastery of the Li Fire Technique felt as natural as an extension of your own body. Even items made of pure gold would melt into liquid under the burning of the Li Fire in no time. However, you understood that there was still a considerable distance between the current power and the ability to incinerate all mundane things.]

[In the nineteenth year, the power of the Li Fire Technique had reached a level that even startled you. A gold brick the size of a palm would melt in the blink of an eye when exposed to the Li Fire. Even tungsten, a metal with an extremely high melting point, would melt within seconds under the Li Fire Technique.]

[In the twentieth year, you placed a first-grade alien metal under the burning of the Li Fire. Within just a few dozen seconds, the first-grade alien metal melted into liquid.]

[You knew in your heart that as of today, your mastery of the Li Fire Technique had finally reached the Minor Achievement Level.]

[In the twenty-first year, the apocalypse had not yet arrived, and the gigantic beasts had not yet descended. However, the situation at the Demon-Subduing Pass had become increasingly dire.]

[Over the years, facing endless demonic beasts, tens of thousands of Grandmaster Level profession users had died at the Demon-Subduing Pass, and more than half of the Heavenly King Level strong practitioners had perished as well. You understood that the Human Race could not hold out for many more years.]

[You decided to make the most of the remaining time to try something.]

[In the twenty-second year, you began refining Soul Condensing Pills. Because your proficiency in the Li Fire Technique had reached the Minor Achievement Level, refining middle-grade elixirs was not as difficult as before.]

[You spent a year refining over a hundred furnaces of Soul Condensing Pills, nearly a hundred of which formed into pills, and only a few dozen were defective pills. You understood that you had finally grasped the basics of refining Soul Condensing Pills.]

[You consumed a few normal-quality Soul Condensing Pills, and within a few days, your Divine Sense expanded by ten zhang. You marveled at the potency of the Soul Condensing Pills, with only one regret: the effects of such elixirs would gradually diminish with repeated consumption, making it impossible for Divine Sense to grow indefinitely.]

[In the twenty-third year, several extremely powerful foreign beasts banded together and attacked the Demon-Subduing Pass. In a short time, the Demon-Subduing Pass suffered heavy losses, with hundreds of thousands of compatriots brutally killed. The pass was breached within a day, with only a few Martial Emperor Level strong practitioners escaping with their lives.]

[With the breach of the Demon-Subduing Pass, you realized that the extinction of the Human Race was only a few days away. Thus, you prepared to start taking Origin Martial Pills to see if you could advance to the Origin Martial Realm.]

[Twenty years ago, you had already broken through to the peak of the Organ Refining Realm. However, the past years had been spent mainly on alchemy and improving the Li Fire Technique, neglecting the enhancement of your physical strength. You were uncertain if you could successfully advance to the Origin Martial Realm.]

[You took out an Origin Martial Pill with slightly weaker medicinal properties and, after a moment of hesitation, consumed it.]

[Once the Origin Martial Pill entered your stomach, it formed a warm current within your body, constantly releasing energy and nourishing your physical body. You felt your physical body growing stronger as if it was about to break through a limit, filling you with joy.]

[Just when you thought you were finally about to break through to the Origin Martial Realm, that warm current inside your body suddenly went out of balance, causing the energy to expand rapidly. The overwhelming energy was too much for your physical body to withstand, and you were struck by a familiar premonition.]

[Your body began to turn scorching hot and red, and blood started flowing from your seven orifices. With a loud bang, you exploded into a mass of blood and flesh in mid-air.]

[Ding, you died!]

[Your "Refusal to Die in Peace" talent activated, leaving your eyeballs staring at the blood and flesh on the ground.]

[Ding, this simulation ends!]

Su Xing saw this and felt utterly exasperated, complaining madly:

"Gosh, again? Will it never end... As an alchemist, I sure keep dying from consuming my own elixirs!"

"Really going from literary pursuits, three years failed; then martial training, hitting the gong official, and being chased out; finally studying medicine, making a good prescription, and boom, dead from taking it myself?"

A black line appeared on Su Xing's forehead. He had a bit of confidence in breaking through to the Origin Martial Realm. After all, this time he had the talents of Innate Divine Strength and Gluttonous King. His physical strength should be far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators at the peak of the Organ Refining Realm. Why did he still end up exploding?

"So, is the gap between the Origin Martial Realm and the Organ Refining Realm really so vast? Is the Origin Martial Pill meant for Origin Martial Realm cultivators to enhance their cultivation? Is it still too much for Organ Refining Realm cultivators?"

Su Xing pondered for a while and muttered,

"Currently, the Spiritual Energy in the Blessed Land is insufficient to achieve the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Stage or even the Divinity Transformation Stage in a short time... To continue getting stronger, enhancing Divine Sense and Body Refinement Cultivation Level is the best choice."

"This time, exploding from consuming the Origin Martial Pill does not mean it will happen every time... After all, too much time was spent on the Li Fire Technique in this simulation. Given the Gluttonous King talent, maybe next time I can further enhance my physical strength?"

Su Xing mused, knowing that in practical combat, the capabilities of Body Cultivation were even stronger than those of Qi Refinement.

"This time, the hour of the apocalypse was postponed by three years, which is quite a pleasant surprise. According to this, I would have over twenty years to cultivate in each subsequent simulation, effectively doubling my efficiency..."

"The ability to delay the arrival of the gigantic beasts by three years might not only be due to the increase in the Human Race's strength but also to the eradication of the Descending Sect. After all, the Descending Sect is considered the minions of the foreign race, so eradicating the Descending Sect indirectly weakens the foreign race's influence on the real world."

Su Xing summarized this simulation to perform better in future ones.

"Lastly, the exploration of cultivation-themed instances must also be prioritized. Perhaps once I break through to the Origin Martial Realm, I can give it a try."

After ensuring that he had not overlooked anything, Su Xing directed his attention to the rewards of this simulation.

[Gluttonous King]: Blue talent, priced at 100,000 energy points.

[Great Perfection of the Organ Refining Realm]: Body Refinement Cultivation Level, priced at 100,000 energy points.

[Twenty-three years of Alchemy Experience]: Alchemy insights, including the Minor Achievement of refining Origin Martial Pills, priced at 500,000 energy points.

[Divine Sense of eighty zhang (Five Sense Realm)]: At this realm, the Divine Sense functions like the five senses, sensing everything within eighty zhang. Priced at 300,000 simulated energy points.

[Li Fire Technique (Minor Achievement Level)]: A divine technique created by powerful beings after observing the divine beast Vermilion Bird. It can be used to burn rivers, boil seas, and refine elixirs. It is a rare divine technique in the cultivation world. Minor Achievement Level comprehension, priced at 1,000,000 energy points.

Seeing the rewards, Su Xing fell into contemplation.

"The Gluttonous King talent is a must-have. It effectively enhances my body's capacity, making it an invaluable talent."

"As for the alchemy experience and the Minor Achievement Level of the Li Fire Technique..."

Without much hesitation, Su Xing thought silently,

"I choose the Gluttonous King talent and the Minor Achievement Level Li Fire Technique!"

Ultimately, it was a matter of cost-effectiveness. It took Su Xing nearly twenty years of practice to achieve the Minor Achievement Level of the Li Fire Technique in this simulation. If he did not choose it this time, he would have to waste time on it again in the next simulation. It was better to take it directly.

Moreover, having the Minor Achievement Level of the Li Fire Technique would make it easier for Su Xing to learn new elixirs.

The simulator's prompt sounded in Su Xing's ears.

[Your talent slots are full. You can spend 10,000 energy points to expand an additional talent slot or spend 100,000 energy points to replace a specific talent!]

What nonsense, expanding a talent slot only costs 10,000 energy points, while replacing a specific talent costs 100,000? Isn't the choice obvious?

Su Xing rolled his eyes and muttered,

"I choose to expand an additional talent slot!"

[ Congratulations, you have obtained an additional talent slot. Consuming 10,000 energy points, remaining simulated energy points: 1,491,888.]

[ You selected the blue talent Gluttonous King, consuming 100,000 energy points, remaining energy: 1,391,888. ]

[ You selected the Li Fire Technique (Minor Achievement Level), consuming 1,000,000 energy points, remaining energy: 391,888. ]

The simulator's prompt sounded in Su Xing's ears, and at the same time, two mysterious energies entered Su Xing's body.

Su Xing first felt the addition of numerous memories about practicing the Li Fire Technique in his mind, scenes of himself diligently practicing the Li Fire Technique day after day for twenty years in the simulation.

After digesting the memories, Su Xing felt a mystical change in his own Li Fire Technique.

Filled with a thought, a palm-sized flame appeared in Su Xing's hand. Compared to the previously pale red Li Fire, the Minor Achievement Level Li Fire Technique looked more profound and vibrant, emanating an intimidatingly high temperature.

From his storage ring, Su Xing retrieved a blue-quality piece of equipment. Blue-quality equipment was known for its sturdiness, difficult to destroy even for typical gold-tier profession users.

With a thought, the Li Fire touched the blue-quality equipment. Within mere seconds, the blue-quality chest plate melted into liquid.

"Hiss, the power of this Li Fire surpasses my expectations by a margin..."

Su Xing was thrilled, realizing that using the Li Fire Technique as an attack method could potentially kill even master-level professionals instantly. Grandmaster-level practitioners would also be unable to withstand it.

"Tsk, finally got an attack method worth showing off!"

Su Xing rejoiced. Although the Li Fire Technique currently couldn't be considered a divine technique yet, it was definitely a formidable offensive method, akin to an S-level skill for profession users.

Mastering the Li Fire Technique meant that Su Xing, having just entered the Nascent Soul Stage, was virtually unbeatable among Grandmaster-level practitioners. If his Body Refinement Cultivation Level advanced to the Origin Martial Realm, even ordinary Heavenly King Level professionals might not be Su Xing's match, despite the significant gap between Grandmaster and Heavenly King Levels.

"This blue-quality equipment can't go to waste, it's all energy!"

Su Xing muttered to himself, adhering to the principle of never wasting a thing, and absorbed the melted blue-quality equipment into energy, adding four hundred simulation energy points.

Su Xing looked at the Li Fire in his palm, attempting to touch the flame with his other hand. He felt a gentle touch at his fingertips, without any pain.

"Tsk, truly a magical flame, possessing such great power but causing no harm to its master."

Su Xing marveled, like a child with a new toy, playing with the Li Fire for a while before reluctantly putting it away.

"However, this Minor Achievement Level Li Fire consumes a considerable amount of spiritual power. It's only been half an hour, and it's already consumed a tenth of my spiritual power... And this is without fully exerting the Li Fire Technique. If I did, the spiritual power consumption probably wouldn't last!"

Su Xing sighed. For common spells, even a full day's use wouldn't drain his spiritual power, but the mighty origin and power of the Li Fire Technique naturally demanded more.

"But it's worth it. With the Li Fire Technique, I can defend myself and refine higher-level elixirs in simulations."

Only then did Su Xing feel the hunger in his stomach, which had been persistently protesting.

"Tsk, this Gluttonous King is truly an eating talent! If it weren't for a few acres of farmland at home, I'd be unable to afford food!"