A Week of Battles

A week had passed since Ling Tian fully immersed himself in his routine. His reputation in the underground ring spread quickly after his frequent victories, earning him the attention of both spectators and opponents alike. During this time, he encountered another opponent who bore a striking resemblance to the strange emotionless man from his previous battle. Although this opponent was a little stronger, Ling Tian managed to defeat him with some effort, thanks to the tempering he had undergone through numerous battles.

However, these encounters left Ling Tian uneasy. The emotionless men he faced were not ordinary opponents—they seemed almost mechanical in their movements, devoid of fear or pain. Despite his growing concern, he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on himself.

Ling Tian was also aware that he was being followed after leaving the underground ring on several occasions. Each time, he successfully evaded his pursuers, knowing that killing them would most likely only attract more proficient and dangerous individuals which would give him a headache.

Meanwhile, with the help of his weapon refining, he managed to amass more than 1000 low-tier Spiritual Stones earning him quite a considerable sum.

Sitting cross-legged in his residence, Ling Tian decided to do a paid simulation.

[Ding, discovered 1584 low-tier spiritual stones in the host's possession. Do you want to pay 512 low-tier spiritual stones for one paid simulation?]

Ling Tian replied, "Pay."

[Ding, Simulation starting...]

The familiar screen appeared before him, showing a refreshed talent pool.

[Ding, Talent Refresh Successful, congratulations to the host for refreshing two Talents.]

[Iron Stomach (White): Able to consume low-grade pills and herbs with fewer side effects.]

[Light Sleeper (White): Need less sleep to recover energy.]

Ling Tian looked through the options carefully and selected 'Iron Stomach'.

[Ding, the Talent 'Iron Stomach (White)' was selected. Simulation Starting …]

[Year 1: At 16, you are at the Integration Stage of the Innate Realm and an Advanced Refiner. You are dedicating your life to weapon refining, cultivation, and honing your combat and sword skills.]

[Year 2: At 17, you are getting many pursuers after exiting the underground ring each time. You hesitate for a while and think about quitting the underground ring, but after some thought, you suppress this idea and reduce the number of times of you visit the ring.]

[Year 3: At 18, you are progressing steadily in your cultivation.]

[Year 4: At 19, your talent 'Intermediate Martial Arts Prodigy' activates and you break through to the Kindling Stage of the Blood Ignition Realm.]

[Year 5: At 20, your cultivation increases steadily with the help of 'Iron Stomach' allowing you to consume low-grade pills and herbs regularly with fewer side effects. You refine weapons regularly for your clan, which becomes more prosperous. You are still at the Advanced Refiner Level.]

[One day after returning to your residence, you get surrounded by three people. After observing them closely, you realize that they are similar to the strange opponents you previously encountered having dull eyes and cold faces. You engage in a battle with them fiercely and gain the upper hand. Suddenly, your vision blurs and you realize something is wrong. Just as you are about to escape, you lose focus and get knocked out on the head. Before closing your eyes, you see someone marching towards in a calm manner while the three men step aside. You are dead.]

[Simulation Complete.]

[Evaluation: You were progressing steadily in your cultivation and combat skills but you attracted the attention of a strongman and was poisoned while fighting against his subordinates leading to you demise.]

[Ding, Simulation ended. Generating rewards…. Please select one reward from the following options:]

- [Iron Stomach (White).]

- [Martial Arts Cultivation at the Kindling Stage of the Blood Ignition Realm.]

Ling Tian sat silently, contemplating the events that had transpired in this simulation. This time, he died as a result of his attracting some attention through his fights in the underground ring. However, he was puzzled and couldn't shake the feeling that something was off as he wasn't the only one fighting and winning frequently there. In addition, he has never heard of anyone being followed due to his fights and success in the ring. Could it be that someone was able to discern his true age which attracted some attention? This seemed the only plausible explanation till now. Also, it seems that during his fight with the three men, he got poisoned without knowing which made him lose focus during his battle. Ling Tian pondered for a while before pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind.

After that, he went on to see the panel and focused on the simulation rewards. He carefully weighed the options and chose the white talent since it could provide some help when consuming pills, even if albeit a little. As he selected his reward, a black strand of energy emerged from the system panel and pierced through his body until it reached his stomach where it settled there and integrated itself quickly.

Two hours later, the integration process finished allowing Ling Tian to gain one more White Talent. Now with 'Iron Stomach', Ling Tian would able to consume pills and herbs while eliminating some side effects that can possibly hinder his cultivation later on. Ling Tian continued his routine after finishing the simulation and got to his work.

The next day, Ling Tian woke up feeling refreshed. After sobering up, he started practicing with the sword, trying to grasp its true meaning to generate Sword Intent Strands. After a few hours of intense practice, he managed to generate two Sword Intent Strands that were directly integrated into his Sword Seed allowing it to grow slightly.

After resting for a while, Ling Tian summoned the system and decided to perform a paid simulation.

[Ding, discovered 1076 low-tier spiritual stones in the host's possession. Do you want to pay 1024 low-tier spiritual stones for one paid simulation?]

Ling Tian couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "It seems this simulation will leave me penniless again," he thought as he replied, "Pay."

[Ding, Simulation starting...]

A new screen appeared, showing a refreshed talent pool.

[Ding, Talent Refresh Successful, congratulations to the host for refreshing two Talents.]

[Open Meridians (Green): Improved Qi circulation through the meridians.]

[Quick Reflexes (Green): Quicker reaction time in combat.]