[2nd Year: After half a year of steady accumulation, you finally chose to break through to the Bone-Strengthening Realm.]
[After reaching the Bone-Strengthening Realm, Gang Leader Xu Raoshen personally held a celebratory banquet in your honor. At the end of the feast, he appointed you as the Fourth Main Elder of the Black Cloud Gang.]
[Just a few days later, Gang Leader Xu Raoshen summoned all the main elders for a meeting.]
[You entered the main hall, only to see a young man dressed in lavish robes seated in the Gang Leader's position. Xu Raoshen himself sat to the side, in the right-hand row, bowing his head in silence.]
[You and the other elders took your seats in confusion. Suddenly, the young man opened his eyes and locked his gaze onto you.]
["What is your name?" he asked.]
[You hesitated briefly, then answered truthfully. "Lin Chen."]
["So, you're a remnant of the Lin Family from Qingcheng City," he said coldly.]
[Alarm bells rang in your heart. Something felt terribly wrong. You tried to cover it up, hurriedly replying, "Senior, you must be mistaken—"]
[But he didn't let you finish. A terrifying pressure crushed down on you. Your body crumbled under the force before you could even react. With a casual gesture, he snatched the pendant from around your neck.]
[As your consciousness faded, his voice echoed in your ears: "So it was you who had the pendant… You must be the newly born young master of the Lin Family who escaped our clutches. I didn't expect such an unexpected gain on this trip."]
[You died. This simulation has ended.]
---
Outside World — Yongcheng City, a Small House
Lin Chen opened his eyes slowly, his breathing calm. He sat in silence, digesting the outcome of the simulation.
"So I met an enemy on a narrow road, huh…" he murmured, his fingers brushing the pendant on his chest. "That pendant… It must be the root cause of my family's extermination."
He fell into thought. "From what I saw in the simulation, my cultivation aptitude isn't bad — possibly even above average. Could it be the result of my bloodline? My father was the Patriarch of the Lin Family, after all. He must have possessed outstanding talent among his generation. I might have inherited that."
Suddenly, the familiar mechanical voice of the system echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Reward settlement complete. Host may now choose one of the following rewards:]
[White Talent: Esport Wizard]
[Bone-Strengthening Realm Cultivation (Internal Energy only)]
[Experience: Martial technique proficiency, combat experience, muscle memory, etc.]
[Resources: 13,238 silver coins, 85 gold, cultivation materials, etc.]
[Life Experience: Full memory of this simulation]
Lin Chen's eyes paused on the fourth option.
"Resources?" His voice was filled with surprise. "The system usually consumes these for simulations… and yet it's giving them back?"
Originally, he had expected to grind for silver to afford another simulation or even upgrade the system. But now, the problem was solved before it even began.
This reward allowed him to stick to his low-key philosophy — let the simulated self pave the way, while the real self stays out of the spotlight.
Without hesitation, Lin Chen chose the fourth option: Resources.
[Ding! Distributing reward. Please check your system space.]
Lin Chen immediately opened his system space. What greeted him was a mountain of silver coins, piles of gold, training resources, neatly folded robes, and… several leather-bound manuals.
"These must be the martial techniques I acquired in the simulation," Lin Chen thought. "So anything I gained in the simulation — even items — can be converted into 'resources'?"
As if reading his mind, the system responded.
[Ding! Host has guessed correctly. However, it's not limited to cultivation resources or items acquired through peaceful means. Even if the simulated self dies in battle, any item in their possession at the moment of death — regardless of ownership — can be counted as 'resources.' Host is encouraged to remember this.]
Lin Chen's lips curled into a subtle smile.
"Now that's interesting," he mused. "If there's ever a treasure worth dying for… I can have my simulated self grab it and self-destruct. As long as it's in his possession when he dies, I can retrieve it in reality. Very useful."
A thought came to him. "System, open my panel."
[Analyzing data… Analysis complete.]
A translucent screen appeared in front of him.
---
[Host: Lin Chen]
[Cultivation: None]
[Kung Fu: None]
[Martial Arts: None]
[Spells: None]
[Talents:]
Extraordinary Bone (Blue): In lower martial worlds, you are recognized as a genius.
Top-Grade Earth Spiritual Root (Green): Increased cultivation speed for Earth-element techniques and superior defense compared to peers.
Traveler (???): Your origin cannot be tracked. There is no cause or effect tied to your existence in the real world. (This talent is heavily suppressed in simulations.)
Luck (???): You possess a mysterious level of fortune. While suppressed in simulations, it still enhances your performance compared to normal people.
[Items:]
13,238 silver coins, 85 gold
Standard clothing
Training resources
Martial arts manuals, etc.
[System Level: 0]
---
After reviewing the panel, Lin Chen's heart settled.
"Even without the system," he whispered, "my talents alone would be enough to live a decent life. That's a relief for my simulated selves — they don't have to start at the very bottom. And when these talents reach their limit… I'll just draw better ones through the system."
As for the Traveler and Luck talents…
"Well, 'Traveler' is likely standard for all transmigrators," Lin Chen concluded. "And Luck? Hmph. I've never believed in something so vague."
Shifting his focus, he asked, "System, how many times can you be upgraded?"
[Ding! This system can be upgraded a total of two times.]
[Would the host like to upgrade now?]
"Yes," Lin Chen said without hesitation. "Upgrade to Level 2 and introduce the new features."
[Ding! Upgrade complete. System is now Level 2.]
[New features unlocked…]