(You suddenly die and reincarnate again.)
(You are born into a merchant family and named Duan Zhixing.)
(You find in your memory the Lotus Visualisation Technique, Blood Mark Meditation, Nine Spells, and memories of spear and combat skills.)
(You feel confused—you don't remember Earth, only faint impressions of a visualisation technique and spear combat.)
(You assume this is your golden finger.)
(From birth, you practice the Lotus Visualisation Technique, which only improves memory.)
(You also try the Blood Mark Meditation, but within minutes, you grow sleepy and fall asleep.)
(Your parents grow worried and call a doctor.)
(To avoid alarming them, you continue the practice only at night.)
(You can't enter your sea of consciousness to verify progress.)
(But the exhaustion afterwards and the clarity in thought convince you it's working.)
(At three, you begin training with a spear.)
(The family guard captain notices your talent and accepts you as a disciple.)
(He teaches you martial arts, and only then do you realise this is a cultivation world.)
(The martial path has the lower four realms, the middle three, and the upper three.)
(Your teacher is a ninth-level martial artist who only knows the lower four realms and the first middle realm's name.)
(The lower four realms are: Sensing, Forging, Hammering, and Refining.)
(To enter the Sensing Realm, one must train the body and will to sense physical energy.)
(Your teacher teaches you the Iron Body Technique.)
(After two months, you reach the Sensing Realm, gathering energy into your dantian.)
(Your father rejoices—he has wealth but lacks strength.)
(Seeing your potential, he begins investing resources into you.)
(At six, you enter the Forging Realm, tempering muscle and skin with Qi.)
(Your father gifts you a quasi middle-rank technique—Willow Spear.)
(You find the technique familiar and perfect it within minutes.)
(Using your memories, you evolve it into a true middle-rank technique.)
(You awaken Spear Qi but hide it, knowing such talent would make you a monster in others' eyes.)
(Your strong spirit gives you advanced control over Qi.)
(At nine, you reach the Hammering Realm and keep it secret.)
(At thirteen, you enter the Refining Realm but claim only to be in Hammering.)
(You join the family caravan.)
(At fourteen, you learn the names of the middle three realms: Outer, Inner, and Vision.)
(You seek a true middle-rank technique but can't buy one.)
(The only paths are the army, noble families, or martial sects.)
(You decide to join the army.)
(Your parents disagree, you're the only son.)
(You reveal your true realm.)
(Your mother hesitates, your father agrees.)
(But he demands you marry first and leave a child behind.)
(The legal age in Dawu Kingdom is sixteen—you must wait.)
(Memories of Earth make you uncomfortable, but years here mature your mind.)
(You remind yourself this is not Earth.)
(You agree, understanding your father's worry.)
(The news spreads, and inquiries come.)
(All withdraw once they learn you'll leave months after marriage.)
(But then comes a letter from a scholar's family.)
(Both families meet, and the girl expresses a desire to marry you.)
(You grow suspicious and confront her.)
(She confesses she wants to be free to study.)
(Her stepmother pushes for marriage; once you leave, she'll be left alone.)
(You warn her that your parents expect grandchildren.)
(She says she'll study while pregnant and take the exam two or three years later.)
(You agree.)
(At sixteen, you marry; when she turns sixteen, the marriage is held.)
(A few months later, she becomes pregnant.)
(You stay three more months and reach the peak of the Refining Realm.)
(To advance, you need a middle-rank technique.)
(You bid farewell and leave.)
(At seventeen, you join the Northwest Army against the Bolish Horde.)
(Due to your strength, you become a centurion.)
(Your feats gain attention.)
(You receive news—your daughter is born.)
(Your father names her Duan Yuzhi.)
(At eighteen, you are promoted to a minor general.)
(With merit, you obtain a middle-rank technique—Six Pole Technique.)
(To enter the Outer Realm, you must sense spiritual energy and form a field.)
(At nineteen, you reach the Outer Field Realm.)
(You retire—your merits allow it.)
(At twenty, you return home.)
(You spend time with your daughter.)
(Six months later, you die.)
Virgil stares, shocked, trying to understand how he died this time.
Last time, it was a temple—he could accept a sneak attack—but this time, he died at home.
The simulation panel should tell him the cause, but even if it does, what difference does it make?
The simulation always starts with his Earth memories and the techniques, spells, and skills he has learned.
He checks the reward.
He is rated C and receives the Six Pole Technique.
The memory flows into him.
The technique's six poles—Fire Yang, Yang, Water Yang, Water Yin, Yin, Fire Yin—must be understood and merged to form Chaotic Fire-Water energy and break into the Innate Rank.
He wonders if he can safely cultivate it in this world.
And if he does, what if something goes wrong?
Then he remembers the simulation panel.
Since he already unlocked the technique there, he can wait, let the panel run the cultivation, and gain a perfect understanding later.
But for now, he doesn't cancel the Life Sword cultivation already running in the panel.
He decides to wait a few more months before activating the Six Pole Technique.
Later, while sleeping on his bed, Virgil feels someone shaking him and calling his name.
His body is heavy—he has used all his physical energy to accelerate the simulation panel.
He opens his eyes and sees Vincent.
Vincent whispers, "What?" and signals for him to come outside.
Still confused, Virgil follows him out of the house and finds Mira and Lola waiting.
Virgil asks, "What's going on?"
Mira says, "Lola says she has some news to share with just us three."
Virgil looks at Lola. "What?"
Lola says, "Not here. Follow me."
They exchange glances, and by now, they know each other well enough to read the silence.
Mira nods. "Let's go."
Virgil follows behind Lola as she tiptoes through the quiet village.
She leads them to the village's right fence and shows a small hole in the wall—big enough to crawl through.
For them, it's crawling.
For Lola, she simply walks out.
Mira goes first, then Vincent, then Virgil.
Lola signals them to keep following and leads them to a hidden clearing with a house in its centre.
They enter the house and find a black bunny humanoid chained to a bed against the wall.
Mira asks, "What is this?"
Lola says, "The chief has five years left to live. So, he plans to sacrifice this Black Rabbit woman and half the village to the God of Death, Myrkul, to extend his life."
Vincent says coolly, "What does that have to do with us?"
Lola looks around, guilty, and doesn't answer.
A light flashes in Virgil's mind.
"We were exchanged—to be sacrificed instead of the villagers."
Mira screams, "What?"
She looks at Lola in disbelief. "I thought we were friends."
Lola keeps her head down. "The villagers are my family."
Silence falls.
Virgil asks, "Why are you telling us this?"
Lola looks at him. "You alone killed a rank-5 dark bear."
Virgil understands what she's implying. "I can't fight a rank-6."
Ranks 1 to 5 are one stage; cross-stage battles are possible within it.
A rank-3 can kill a rank-5, but a rank-6 belongs to the next stage.
The gap is massive.
Even injuring a rank-6 as a rank-5 is nearly impossible.
Lola says, "The Chief is a rank-6 Alchemist—and he's old. A surprise attack could injure him badly, and then he can be subdued."
Virgil doesn't reply, and his eyes shift to the chained black rabbit.
Lola says, "Miss Lila will help. She's a rank-5 Wanderer."
Virgil sees that the rabbit woman has opened her eyes.
She speaks, "Little Lola… you brought friends. And humans, too."
Lola says, "Miss Lila, they will help you subdue the Chief."
Vincent cuts in, "We never agreed. We can leave with our group at dawn."
Lola shakes her head. "The Chief has blocked all exits. Fungus guards stand at every passage. No one below rank-6 can leave."
Virgil wonders—if they succeed in subduing the Chief, would it count as an event?
Could he simulate again?
Mira and Vincent look at him.
He is the strongest.
If anyone is going to face Chief Polo, it will be him.
Virgil says, "Yes."
He is greedy for the simulation opportunity.