Chapter 18: Save File Load Failed!
“Wang Erma, Li Sanshui, and Wang Chunjiang, you three will be responsible for the Sky Star Grass.”
“Zhou Yike, Xu Hu, you two will handle the Lanzhi Leaf.”
“As for the two medicinal fields belonging to the Deacon, I will tend to those myself.”
“...”
Inside the Medicine Hall, Old Huang held a register and assigned the medicinal fields one by one.
The Medicine Hall’s main seedlings these days were the Sky Star Grass and Lanzhi Leaf. Whether they would pass the five-year assessment depended entirely on the yield of these two herbs…
As for Lu Qingyang, he had already returned to his own courtyard.
“There are still five years until the Medicine Hall’s next harvest.”
“Each time, the Medicine Hall must hand in at least a hundred mature first-rank spiritual herbs to qualify.”
“But the Peak Selection Gathering is only a year away. I must participate in it within this year before I can even talk about anything else!”
Lu Qingyang sat cross-legged on his bed, thinking.
Compared to the Menial Court, the Outer Gate courtyard was no longer a dirt kang.
Instead, a soft beast-hide bed had been laid out.
I still have three Stainless Pills on hand. Breaking through to the fifth layer of Qi Refining should be no problem.
But after that, it will be difficult to say.
Fortunately, there are only about ten days left until the next Simulation.
Thinking of this, Lu Qingyang no longer hesitated.
He directly swallowed a Stainless Pill, closed his eyes, and began refining the medicinal properties within his body.
Time passed in a hurry.
In the blink of an eye, fourteen days had gone by.
During these days, relying on the remaining Stainless Pills, Lu Qingyang had finally just barely stepped into the fifth layer of Qi Refining.
It could be considered as meeting his expectations.
During the days he had been in secluded cultivation, Yang Yu had come looking for him once.
When the two met again, Yang Yu had actually already been promoted to the Outer Gate.
But the other party only hurriedly greeted Lu Qingyang before leaving the sect again.
It was said he had specifically taken on the mission to investigate Zhaijia Fortress.
And the Foundation Establishment True Person leading this expedition was a cultivator who had come down from the Three Peaks.
This person was not only a cultivator of the Three Peaks, but also a late-stage Foundation Establishment great cultivator.
It seemed the matter of Zhaijia Fortress had thoroughly caught the Chaotian Sect’s attention.
Before departing, Yang Yu had specifically warned Lu Qingyang.
He said the sect did not seem peaceful.
For some reason, the Nine Bureaus had suddenly become particularly hostile toward each other.
Even the people from the Sect Master Bureau had come out.
And they had begun strictly investigating the identity jade tokens of the sect’s disciples.
All of this seemed to be connected to Zhaijia Fortress.
Yang Yu did not know the detailed reasons behind it.
He only told Lu Qingyang to be careful in all things, and if he encountered danger, absolutely not to fight head-on.
“Hah… It seems this thousand-year-unchanged deep water of the Chaotian Sect is about to stir up waves.”
Lu Qingyang sighed.
Then he stopped his random thoughts and focused his attention on the system notification sound that was about to ring in his ears.
Sure enough, as half an hour slowly passed.
In the dead of night, a crisp system notification sound rang in Lu Qingyang’s ears.
【Ding! Simulation cooldown complete】
【Yes/No: Begin Simulation?】
“It’s here!”
Hearing the sound, Lu Qingyang’s spirit lifted, and his eyes snapped open.
He had waited half a month bitterly for this very moment.
“Yes!”
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Qingyang immediately chose to confirm.
But as his words fell, the familiar scene did not appear before his eyes.
Instead, another crisp system notification sound rang out!
【Ding! Simulation archived: Loading save】
【Loading, please wait…】
【Load failed】
【Ding! Load failed: Limit reached】
【Yes/No: Reset Simulation?】
It seems that without breaking through in realm, I really can only start over from zero again.
Lu Qingyang’s gaze flickered, and he felt considerable regret in his heart.
But regret was useless. At this moment, there was only the reset option left to choose.
“Reset.”
Lu Qingyang spoke softly.
【Ding! Reset successful: Beginning Simulation】
The system notification sound was still crisp and pleasant.
But accompanied by the system notification sound, no scene appeared before his eyes.
Only a pitch-black void.
There was nothing there, a dead silence.
“Hm?”
“No, this is different from the usual start of a Simulation!”
Lu Qingyang’s brow furrowed, his gaze solemn.
Just as Lu Qingyang was puzzled, several suddenly appearing option panels were reflected in his line of sight!
【Age 0: You have been reborn, carrying the memories of your past life. You may choose not to or to retain them.】
【Do Not Retain】【Retain】
“This… this is, I… I can interfere with the Simulation’s progress!”
“So resetting the Simulation does not mean starting from zero. It means the me inside the Simulation has been reborn!?”
Lu Qingyang was thunderstruck, and every hair on his body stood on end at this moment!
He had never imagined that the thing he had been hoping for these past two days would actually appear with the Simulation reset.
He could actually influence the Simulation’s outcome!
It seems only after a reset can I influence the life inside the Simulation. In other words, I should try my best to play through the entire run each time.
No matter what, this time I absolutely must grasp this opportunity!
Lu Qingyang’s eyes showed determination as he stared fixedly at the two options.
Without question, he chose Retain!
【Age 1: In your past life, you spent half your years with blade and sword before finally comprehending the Dao in middle age. In this life, you have returned reborn and must ascend as an immortal and become an ancestor.】
【Age 2: With your ruthless, seasoned character, you are different from ordinary people. You never cry or fuss, and your family believes you have been possessed by evil spirits.】
【Age 3: Your parents, who are rich farmers, invite a spirit medium to exorcise the evil. You see through her as a fraud.】
【Expose】【Do Not Expose】
The options once again appeared before his eyes.
After a slight hesitation, Lu Qingyang clicked 【Expose】.
【Age 4: Last year, you exposed the spirit medium’s tricks. Unexpectedly, she truly had some skill, and you were cursed.】
“...”
“Didn’t I already say she was a fraud? How did she still have a trick hidden?”
Lu Qingyang looked at the result of his choice, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, his heart full of exasperation.
But there was no helping it. The Simulation continued…
【Age 5: In your youth, you suffered greatly from the curse. Fortunately, you have the memories of your past life’s cultivation.】
【Age 6: Forging your bones and muscles day and night, you grow far more robust than others your age.】
【Age 7: Your parents are somewhat afraid of your muscular body. You pay them no mind. At this point, you are comparable to a mortal Grandmaster.】
【Age 8: You begin hunting in the mountains and gathering herbs, tempering yourself. You sense that you are about to comprehend the Dao.】
【...】
【Age 18: Body Refining, second layer. Though you only have a four-attribute Spirit Root, you have already recovered the cultivation of your past life.】
【Age 19: The dangerous wilds outside the village have been picked clean and dug dry by you. Your cultivation has made no progress at all.】
【Age 20: You finally leave home and begin to wander the world.】
【Age 21: You encounter a fellow Daoist by chance, and the other party invites you to explore a ruins.】
【Go】【Do Not Go】
“Here it comes, here it comes again.”
Looking at the Simulation options that had appeared once more, Lu Qingyang was clearly much more cautious this time.
According to the Simulation’s progress, if I don’t go, I likely won’t encounter any more fortuitous opportunities later. I might not even reach the limit.
But if I go… forget it. This is only a Simulation. Even if I die, it’s just starting over.
Nothing to agonize over.
In the end, Lu Qingyang nodded and chose “Go.”
The moment he clicked it, the Simulation panel rapidly advanced.
【Age 22: You and your companion explore the ruins for a year, obtaining nothing.】
【Age 23: The two of you suffer an unknown attack within the ruins and both perish.】
【Age 24: Dazed and confused, you seem to still have consciousness. You understand that you seem to have become a “ghost.”】
【Age 25: You drift unconsciously within the ruins. Something here seems to protect you, preventing you from dissipating.】
【Age 26: You wander the cave year after year.】
【Age 27...】
【...】
【Age 50: After wandering the ruins all day, you finally find the source protecting you. It is the fragment of a scroll on your corpse...】
【Ding! Simulation ended: Simulation limit reached】