372: Chapter 372 Like a Dream, Rising from the Ground

Chu Sheng opened his eyes.

Blue bricks and grey tiles, wooden windows pasted with paper. On the windowsill sat a coarse porcelain bowl, holding half a bowl of cold tea.

He lay on the bed, staring at the beam above his head for a long time. There was a crack on the beam.

It was winding, like a dried-up river.

He raised his hand and looked at his palm.

It was clean—no blood, no wounds. He could still feel the Qi flowing through his Meridians, but the texture of that flow was completely wrong.

It was too light, too thin, as if a rushing river had devolved into a trickling stream.

Divine Ability. He had just been using a Divine Ability.

Sea Opening. He was only at the Sea Opening stage now.

Chu Sheng sat up, bracing himself against the edge of the bed, feeling a wave of dizziness.

The disparity was too great. It was like stepping off a hundred-foot high tower and falling into a shallow well. His body was still there, but all sense of weight had changed.

The door was pushed open. Xiao Huan walked in carrying a bowl of hot porridge. Seeing Chu Sheng sitting on the edge of the bed, she froze for a moment.

Then, she walked over quickly, placed the porridge on the table, and reached out to touch his forehead.

"Sir, you're awake..."

She stopped halfway, her voice cutting off abruptly, because Chu Sheng was looking at her.

His gaze was different from usual. She couldn't say what was different, but it made her back feel cold.

"Sir?" she called out cautiously.

Chu Sheng did not answer.

He looked at Xiao Huan, looking at those contours on her face that were familiar beyond familiarity.

He remembered the sword light on the Cloud Platform in the Central Region, the image of Yue Jianli being swallowed by golden light, and the suffocating feeling when those four people attacked simultaneously, crushing even the air.

Then he reached out, pulled Xiao Huan over, and lowered his head to kiss her.

Xiao Huan froze completely, like a cat held by the scruff of its neck. Her mouth still held the cool freshness of her morning wash, but her face had instantly turned red to the tips of her ears.

She wanted to speak, but her mouth was blocked. She wanted to push him away, but her hands had no strength.

In the end, she could only stare with wide, round eyes, like a frightened rabbit.

Chu Sheng let her go, looked at her flushed face, and suddenly laughed.

"I'm fine."

He said, "I just had a very long dream."

Xiao Huan was stunned for a long time before stammering out: "Then... are you still going to drink the porridge?"

"Yes."

He took the bowl of porridge and took a sip. The porridge was warm, the rice grains cooked until soft and mushy, with a faint sweetness.

The voice he had been waiting for for quite a while rang in his ears.

[Simulation settlement for this session begins.]

Chu Sheng's hand holding the porridge bowl did not stop; he continued to drink, but his ears were perked up.

[Review of history: Sixth simulation. Host departed from Qingshi Town, traveled through Fengxian Secret Realm, Wendao Palace, Demon Realm Reverse Demon Tower, Tianmo Mountain, the Western Region Heavenly Lake birthday banquet, and the Central Region Martial Arts Tournament of the World.]

[Cultivation broke through from Sea Opening to Early Stage of Profound Passage, killed the Obsession of Greed, clashed with Pride multiple times, infiltrated Wendao Palace, and grew rapidly by borrowing the "Many Children, Many Blessings" trait.]

[In the Western Region, you maneuvered among the Phoenix Clan, Fox Clan, and Dragon Clan at the Peak of Dao Completion, successfully obtaining dead wood springs to life, and broke through to Divine Ability in a desperate situation.]

[In the Central Region decisive battle, you fought four veteran Divine Ability experts at the Early Stage of Profound Passage, dying of exhaustion.]

[Duration: Approximately forty years. Realm span: Sea Opening → Palace Building → Spirit Nurturing → Dao Completion → Profound Passage.]

[Final Realm: Early Stage of Profound Passage.]

[Rating: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu... A-Plus.]

Chu Sheng's chewing action paused. A-Plus?

His previous highest was only A-Plus, but didn't it feel like it should be more this time?

The voice seemed to sense his doubt, paused for a breath, and then continued.

[Detected that the host's performance in this simulation far exceeded the conventional improvement limits for the same stage, and demonstrated a Breakthrough at the Law level in a guaranteed death scenario, rating automatically adjusted upwards.]

[Congratulations to the host, hidden rating unlocked—Saint-Grade. Mid-Saint.]

The chopsticks in Chu Sheng's hand almost slipped.

Saint-Grade?

There's a rating of this level?

He had never even heard of it before. Saint-Grade, and it was actually Mid-Saint; this was who knows how many levels higher than A-Plus.

He subconsciously gripped his chopsticks tightly. The discomfort he had been holding in since waking up was finally washed away a bit by a surge of ecstasy.

[Settlement rewards—]

[Comprehensive reward: 37,000 simulation points.]

Chu Sheng slammed the porridge bowl down.

Thirty-seven thousand?

How long had he saved up to get eight thousand before?

After the last simulation ended, he only had twenty-something points left, and after spending most of them, he only had a few hundred. Now, he had gained thirty-seven thousand in one go.

It was equivalent to a beggar begging on the street suddenly becoming a wealthy landlord sitting on a gold mine overnight.

His fingers tapped on his knees twice, his heart beating a few beats faster.

This feeling of an unexpected windfall made countless ways to spend it flash through his mind instantly.

But it wasn't over yet.

[Cultivation reward: Late Stage of Sea Opening Realm → Early Stage of Profound Passage.]

[Realm span: Palace Building, Spirit Nurturing, Dao Completion, Profound Passage. Four Realms broken through in succession.]

Chu Sheng closed his eyes, feeling a massive force pouring from the Void Realm into his Dantian.

That feeling was too familiar. In the simulation, he had broken through countless times, but those were cultivation gains within the simulation, separated by a layer of gauze.

But this time, it was real and solid, belonging to himself in reality.

His Dantian was expanding, his Qi was surging, and his Meridians were being stretched and reconstructed, like a dried-up riverbed being instantly filled by a flood.

That force came fiercely and rapidly, but it was controlled perfectly by the simulator, without damaging his Foundation, only making his whole body tremble.

Late Stage of Sea Opening Realm — Palace Building stage — Spirit Nurturing — Dao Completion — Early Stage of Profound Passage.

A full four major Realms, poured through in one breath.

Chu Sheng clenched his fists, feeling the heavy Qi in his palms, which was countless times thicker than it was during the Sea Opening stage. It was like feeling the difference between a wisp of grass and steel.

He used to think Sea Opening was already pretty good, but looking back now, it was like standing on the ground looking at a hundred-foot high tower, unable to even see the roof.

No wonder those veteran Divine Ability experts looked at him like they were looking at an ant.

"Below the Profound Passage are all ants." He had heard this sentence countless times before, but only at this moment did he truly understand its weight.

Even if he didn't intentionally circulate his Qi, just standing in place was enough to cause subtle distortions in the surrounding air.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Xiao Huan stood to the side, watching the expression on Chu Sheng's face that changed repeatedly.

From dazed to ecstatic, to clenching his fist, to letting out a long sigh, the stone hanging in her heart finally dropped halfway.

"Sir..." she said cautiously, "Are you okay?"

Chu Sheng turned his head and looked at Xiao Huan: "Gasp!! I've hit the jackpot!?"

Chu Sheng nodded, picked up the porridge bowl again, finished it in a few gulps, and then handed the empty bowl back to her: "Another bowl."

Xiao Huan took the bowl, turned, and walked toward the kitchen, muttering softly.

"Could Sir have gone crazy? Maybe I should call a doctor..."

When she reached the door, she looked back at Chu Sheng's profile again. She always felt he seemed a bit different.

Before, although he was like a mountain, at least she could see the Peak wrapped in distant clouds.

But now, it was like there was no end; she couldn't even see the mountainside no matter how hard she tried.

She couldn't say what was different, she just felt that when he sat there, the surrounding air was trembling slightly.

Chu Sheng did not notice her gaze.

He was quickly calculating in his mind how to spend the 37,000 simulation points.

Upgrading the prize pool, opening more slots, bottom-of-the-box traits, and all those things he had been eyeing but couldn't afford—the Early Stage of Profound Passage was just the starting point; he still had a long way to go.

He looked down at his palm. Qi condensed into a faint glow at his fingertips, then slowly dissipated.

He couldn't help but smile, then quickly composed his expression, pretending nothing had just happened.

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right. The eaves of Qingshi Town were still the same eaves, but the person standing in the room was no longer the same one as before.