What puzzled Jiang Yifeng was why he had never heard of cultivators before. And why did that black-clad cultivator target the Jiang family? Jiang Yifeng looked down and muttered to himself, "Looks like I need to figure out this world all over again." He definitely didn't want to die for no reason later on.
Before, when there were no real dangers, he could indulge in fun, or go to brothels and listen to music. But now, knowing the threats ahead, Jiang Yifeng felt it was time to change.
Suddenly, he remembered the twelfth year in the simulation. That was when his father began acting restless. Could it be that his father had known something all along? He made a note of this clue.
After some analysis, Jiang Yifeng glanced at the simulation rewards. They were ridiculous! The "Three-Minute Enthusiasm" talent was definitely a no-go. As for the "Brothel Music Experience" (around 13 years) and "Martial Arts Experience" (8.5 hours), the simulator didn't even bother giving energy points for them, so their value was obvious. Shaking his head, Jiang Yifeng chose the martial arts experience (8.5 hours).
[Ding! Martial Arts Experience (8.5 hours) consumed 0 energy points. Remaining energy: 0.]
The first simulation's rewards were settled, but Jiang Yifeng didn't feel any improvement. He quietly debated whether to run the simulation again. After a moment of thought, he muttered to himself:
"Yeah, I should run it again. Even if I don't get any rewards, at least I can learn the true nature of this world and investigate these cultivators."
Understanding these things was the first step to saving himself and protecting his family. With that decided, Jiang Yifeng casually converted some items in his room into energy:
"Detected a silver ingot. Absorbed successfully, gained 10 energy points.""Detected a gold ring. Absorbed successfully, gained 50 energy points.""Detected a luminous pearl. Absorbed successfully, gained 200 energy points."
…This time, he wasn't going to waste time on a useless free talent, so he made sure to stock up some energy.
After finishing, Jiang Yifeng kept reminding himself: "No brothel music. Investigate the cultivators. Improve myself." Then he silently said: "Start simulation."
[Simulation attempt 1 consumed. Remaining attempts: 1][Host can draw White or Green talent!][White talent draws cost no energy. Green talent draws cost 1000 energy points. Draw?]
"One thousand energy? That's just a few ordinary luminous pearls. Not expensive at all," Jiang Yifeng muttered. For the young master of Jiang Trading Company, the top merchant in Great You Kingdom, this amount of energy was trivial. No hesitation—he chose:
"Draw Green Talent."
[Ding! 1000 energy consumed. Remaining energy: 5260. Drawing Green Talent…][Congratulations! You obtained Green Talent: Bystander A]
[Bystander A]: As an ordinary bystander, you can overhear information most people don't know. Note: Only works on mortals.
Seeing this talent, Jiang Yifeng's eyes lit up. Spending money really was different. This information-type talent came just in time—perfect for investigating the truth of the world. Without overthinking, he turned his gaze to the simulation panel.
[Second simulation begins][Because of your first simulation outcome, you know this world is not as simple as you thought.][This gives you a sense of urgency. You want to save yourself and pursue cultivation.][You suspect your father, Jiang Fushan, might know something.][You hurry to ask him if there are cultivators in this world.]
Jiang Yifeng smiled knowingly. His anxious heart relaxed a bit. So the real-world Jiang Yifeng could influence the simulation too. His previous self-suggestions had worked.
But armed with the unreliable experience from the first simulation, Jiang Yifeng remained cautious, constantly reminding himself: "No brothel music. Investigate the cultivators."
Then he continued observing the simulation:
[Your father hears you ask about cultivators and chuckles, telling you to stop reading so many stories.][You can't tell if he's purposely hiding information or truly doesn't know.][In the end, you gain no clues from him.][The next day, you go around Qingshan City inquiring about cultivators.][Most ordinary people say immortals exist. But when you ask specifically who and where, no one knows.][You quickly realize these so-called immortals are different from the cultivators you're looking for.][They speak of legendary figures, but you're seeking real cultivators.][On the third day, you learn that Master Wu of Wu Family Martial Arts School traveled extensively and might know something.][You visit Master Wu, Wu Youdao, asking about cultivators.][Unfortunately, Wu Youdao says he only heard of cultivators in stories and has never seen them in reality.][However, he mentions that mastering martial arts to the extreme allows one to split mountains and strike down with sword energy, and offers to teach you for 1,000 taels of silver per year.]
Wu Youdao's words inspire Jiang Yifeng. Perhaps he shouldn't only investigate cultivators—martial arts masters might also hold secrets. Masters might even fly, disappear, or kill with sword energy at the peak of their craft.
He asks Wu Youdao to demonstrate. If Wu could really do it, he'd pay 10,000 taels of gold to study for a year. Wu Youdao frowns and kicks him out.
[Fourth day: your inquiries yield nothing.][Fifth day: Bystander A talent activates. Walking in the west of the city, you suddenly overhear someone talking about butcher Lao Wang in the east having an affair with Widow Liu next door.]
Jiang Yifeng is stunned. The voice sounds familiar—like Madam Li, the tofu seller from the east.
But that's absurd. Speaking in the east, hearing it in the west? Could this really be the talent's power?
In reality, Jiang Yifeng was both shocked and slightly annoyed. This isn't the kind of information I wanted!
"Ah," he sighed helplessly. Even if the information wasn't useful, it helped him understand the Bystander A talent better. It triggered randomly and transmitted conversations from other places into his ears. Whether it would help him depended on luck.
Jiang Yifeng smiled wryly and turned back to the simulation panel.