"No spiritual root. Next."
The indifferent voice of the elder echoed across the square.
The young man standing before the crystal ball lowered his head in disappointment before silently walking away.
Another boy immediately stepped forward.
He placed his hand on the crystal ball.
Buzz!
A bright light suddenly erupted from the crystal.
The surrounding crowd gasped in surprise.
The elder's indifferent expression finally showed a hint of approval.
"Tier 8 Spiritual Root."
The boy's eyes widened with excitement.
"Go to the side and register yourself with the sect."
"Yes, Elder!"
The boy hurried away, unable to hide the joy on his face.
Although a Tier 8 Spiritual Root was only a low-grade spiritual root, just one level above the weakest Tier 9, it still gave him the qualification to embark on the path of cultivation.
With enough opportunities, he could even reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Next."
Another person stepped forward.
The same process repeated.
Some people awakened spiritual roots and left with expressions of excitement.
Others failed the test and walked away with pale faces.
The atmosphere of the square continuously shifted between joy and disappointment.
At the very end of the line stood a young man.
Sweat covered his forehead.
Yet beneath his nervousness was a faint trace of excitement.
His fists were tightly clenched.
His name was Su Ming.
He had once been an ordinary college student on Earth.
But a month ago, everything had changed.
He had transmigrated.
And, unfortunately, the reason was as ridiculous as the countless novels he had read.
Truck-kun.
After arriving in this unfamiliar world, Su Ming spent an entire month sorting through the memories of his predecessor and understanding his new surroundings.
This was a world of cultivation.
Here, cultivators could move mountains, cross oceans, fly through the heavens, and wield enough power to split the earth.
Mortals could only look up to them.
The body he had transmigrated into had just turned eighteen.
Every year, cultivation sects would send people to various towns and villages to conduct spiritual-root testing ceremonies.
The chances of a mortal possessing a spiritual root were extremely low.
But they were not nonexistent.
And today...
It was his turn.
Su Ming looked at the people who had already been tested.
Most had awakened nothing.
Those who succeeded generally possessed Tier 9 Spiritual Roots, while only a few had awakened Tier 8 Spiritual Roots.
No one had awakened anything higher.
That wasn't surprising.
Qinghe Town was merely a small town within the vast Azure Cloud Province.
For a place like this, even a Tier 8 Spiritual Root was already considered a rare talent.
Su Ming swallowed nervously.
He couldn't help clenching his fists tighter.
He had been given a second life.
He didn't want to waste it.
If he could awaken a spiritual root, he would have the opportunity to step onto the path of cultivation.
He would be able to see the wider world.
He would be able to fly through the sky.
He might even one day become an existence capable of moving mountains and splitting oceans.
Most importantly...
He didn't want to live an ordinary life again.
"Next."
The elder's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Su Ming's heart jumped.
He looked ahead.
Only a few people remained.
One after another, they stepped forward.
"No spiritual root."
"Tier 9 Spiritual Root."
"Tier 9 Spiritual Root."
"Tier 8 Spiritual Root."
The number of people in front of Su Ming rapidly decreased.
Finally—
The elder raised his head.
His eyes landed on Su Ming.
"Next."
Su Ming took a deep breath.
He stepped forward and stood before the crystal ball.
Slowly, he placed his hand against its smooth surface.
A warm energy suddenly flowed into his body.
Su Ming's eyes widened.
Spiritual energy!
For a brief moment, excitement surged through his heart.
Could it be that he actually had a spiritual root?
But before he could celebrate—
The warm energy suddenly vanished.
The crystal ball remained completely dark.
The excitement on Su Ming's face slowly disappeared.
The elder glanced at the crystal ball and announced without emotion:
"No spiritual root."
Su Ming stood frozen.
The elder continued speaking.
"This concludes the ceremony. Those who awakened spiritual roots are to gather here after one hour and prepare to depart for the sect."
"Finish whatever matters you have in town before then."
"Anyone who is late will be left behind."
The elder waved his hand.
"Dismissed."
Su Ming slowly removed his hand from the crystal ball.
His fingers curled into a fist.
"Dammit..."
He lowered his head.
"I can't believe I didn't even awaken the lowest-ranked spiritual root."
Around him, the crowd began dispersing.
Those who had awakened spiritual roots gathered together excitedly, discussing their future at the sect.
Some parents hugged their children.
Some relatives offered congratulations.
Some people looked at the successful candidates with envy.
Su Ming simply turned around.
He walked away alone.
His footsteps were heavy.
Qinghe Town wasn't large.
It didn't take long for Su Ming to return home.
He pushed open the wooden door and entered the small house.
There was no one waiting for him.
No parents.
No siblings.
No relatives.
This body was an orphan.
He had lived alone in this small house for years.
Su Ming closed the door behind him and walked toward the bed.
Then he collapsed onto it.
He stared blankly at the ceiling.
For a long time, he didn't speak.
Finally, he muttered:
"Am I really destined to live as a mortal?"
He clenched his fists.
"Work odd jobs..."
"Marry a wife..."
"Have children..."
"And eventually die of old age?"
He had been given a second chance at life.
Yet the moment he arrived in this world, fate had already decided that he could only remain at the bottom.
Su Ming laughed bitterly.
"After finally getting the chance to live in a cultivation world..."
"I can't even cultivate."
He closed his eyes.
Perhaps this was simply his fate.
Perhaps he should accept it.
Just as Su Ming was about to sink into despair—
Ding!
A strange mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
Su Ming's eyes snapped open.
[Infinite Simulator has detected the host.]
He froze.
"What?"
Another notification appeared.
[Binding Infinite Simulator...]
[1%... 10%... 50%... 100%]
[Infinite Simulator successfully bound.]
Su Ming immediately sat upright on the bed.
His eyes widened.
A translucent panel appeared before him.
[Infinite Simulator]
[Host: Su Ming]
[Age: 18]
[Simulation Opportunities: ∞]
[Golden Fingers: None]
[Cultivation: None]
Su Ming stared at the panel in disbelief.
"Is this my cheat?"
Suddenly, a stream of information entered his mind.
Su Ming quickly understood the basic functions of the Infinite Simulator.
The Infinite Simulator could simulate his own future from his current state.
At the beginning of every simulation, the simulator would generate a random Golden Finger.
Once the simulation ended, Su Ming could choose one of three rewards.
Cultivation.
Golden Finger.
Memories.
If he chose Cultivation, he would obtain the cultivation he had achieved during the simulation.
If he chose Memories, he would obtain all the memories of his simulated life.
And if he chose the Golden Finger...
He would obtain the actual Golden Finger generated during the simulation.
A hint of excitement appeared in Su Ming's eyes.
In other words...
He could use the simulator to obtain powerful Golden Fingers.
"Ding!"
A notification appeared before him.
[Would you like to begin your first simulation?]
[Yes / No]
Su Ming didn't hesitate.
He decisively selected Yes.
[Simulation Beginning...]
[Simulation starting point confirmed.]
[Host: Su Ming]
[Age: 18]
[Location: Qinghe Town]
[Spiritual Root: None]
[Cultivation: None]
Su Ming stared at the screen.
A moment later—
[Generating random Golden Finger...]
[Golden Finger generated successfully.]
[You have obtained the Golden Finger: Tenfold Ascension.]
[Effect: Whenever the host breaks through a major realm, every aspect of the host is multiplied by 10×.]
Su Ming's eyes widened.
"Tenfold?"
Before he could fully process the effect, another notification appeared.
[Starting simulation...]
[Simulation has begun.]