76: Chapter 76 Entry Upgrade

[Fourth simulation ended. Next simulation cooldown: one month.]

Chu Sheng leaned back in his chair, looking at the countdown on the simulator interface and letting out a long sigh of relief.

One month; it wasn't too long, but it wasn't short either.

It was enough for him to do many things.

He first glanced at his status bar.

[Cultivation: Early Stage of True Condensation Realm]

[Skills: Sixteen Swords of Yan Yun (low-grade mystic artifact, Small Success), Tier 2 Mid-grade Alchemy...]

[Natal Dharma Treasure: demon refining pot (low-grade earth artifact, intact)]

[Special Item: crown princes token (Yan Kingdom)]

[Simulation Point Balance: 3,472 points]

Holding over three thousand simulation points in his hand felt like holding a hot potato.

"I need to figure out how to spend these."

He muttered.

He opened the shop interface and first looked at the trait upgrade options.

He hadn't noticed before, but looking closely now, there were quite a few intricacies.

[Duobao Heavenly Venerable (Red)]

[Upgrade Condition: Special (specific achievement required), Estimated Cost: 10,000+ simulation points]

Chu Sheng's mouth twitched.

"Ten thousand points? And that's just an estimate?"

He shook his head. "Forget it, this thing is already heaven-defying enough. There's no need to upgrade it."

He scrolled down and saw the upgrade options for other traits.

[Pill Dao Physique (Purple) → Heaven Refining (Gold)]

[Upgrade Cost: 1,500 simulation points]

[Effect Preview: Alchemy success rate significantly increased; can refine pills beyond one's level; aided by the Will of Heaven.]

Chu Sheng's eyes lit up.

Heaven Refining?

That name was domineering enough.

If he upgraded this, alchemy would be like child's play in the future.

[Strong Luck (Purple) → Good Fortune Descends (Gold)]

[Upgrade Cost: 2,000 simulation points]

[Effect Preview: Daily luck significantly increased; a stroke of good luck is guaranteed to trigger at critical moments; certain probability of turning misfortune into a blessing.]

Chu Sheng swallowed hard.

Good Fortune Descends...

If he had brought this along in this simulation, he might have been able to escape from Xia Nihuang.

Luck was a versatile trait, so it was understandable that it was expensive.

[Sword Saint (Purple) → Green Lotus Sword Immortal (Gold)]

[Upgrade Cost: 1,000 simulation points]

[Effect Preview: Sword Dao talent reaches the peak of perfection; sword learning speed increases fivefold; sword technique power increases threefold; certain probability of comprehending the legendary 'Azure Lotus Sword Intent'.]

Chu Sheng was stunned.

Green Lotus Sword Immortal?

His daughter in the simulation, Chu Qinglian, possessed the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal Body.

If he upgraded this trait himself, wouldn't he be in the same line of work as his daughter?

"This..."

His mouth twitched. "Does this count as father and daughter being of one heart?"

Finally, he saw the very last one.

[Trash (Black) (Locked) → Mediocrity (White) (Locked)]

[Upgrade Cost: 500 simulation points]

[Effect Preview: Removes the negative effects of the Trash trait; cultivation speed returns to the level of an ordinary Mortal. Can be further upgraded after unlocking.]

Chu Sheng stared at this entry and remained silent for a long time.

The Trash trait had been locked onto him since his first simulation and had never changed.

He had long since grown accustomed to its existence.

Anyway, with the simulator, the feedback, and the demon refining pot, whether he was a Trash or not didn't matter much.

But now, it could be unlocked.

Five hundred points to turn "Trash" into "Mediocrity".

Although a Mediocrity wasn't great either, at least it was a normal person.

Furthermore, it could be upgraded further.

"Five hundred points..."

He muttered, "Should I do it?"

He thought about his current method of cultivation.

The Early Stage of True Condensation Realm relied on the feedback from "Many Children, Many Blessings".

In the future, he could also rely on "Many Children, Many Blessings" and the demon refining pot to refine demon beasts.

"Forget it, there's still a month left."

He shook his head. "I won't upgrade it for now."

If cultivation were compared to currency from his past life.

An ordinary person cultivating honestly was like an average office worker earning a fixed salary.

Saving a bit each month, saving a bit each year—saving for a lifetime would only get you so far.

Those geniuses with Heavenly Spiritual Roots or Earthly Spiritual Roots were like investors.

They made huge profits from small investments; one day of their cultivation was worth a year of yours.

And what about him?

He had essentially started up a money-printing machine.

The "Many Children, Many Blessings" trait, with the cultivation feedback from his children, was equivalent to a money-printing machine spitting out cash.

The demon refining pot refining demon beasts was equivalent to directly snatching other people's money to spend.

So what if he was a Trash?

With the money-printing machine running, who would care about that bit of fixed salary?

"Mediocrity won't have much of an effect on me."

He concluded, "I'll keep the five hundred points; maybe I can use them for something else."

He looked at the other traits again.

Upgrading Pill Dao Physique to Heaven Refining cost fifteen hundred.

Upgrading Strong Luck to Good Fortune Descends cost two thousand.

Upgrading Sword Saint to Green Lotus Sword Immortal cost one thousand.

All three were good things, but he couldn't have them all.

"I have to choose one."

He stroked his chin. "What's the focus for the next simulation?"

Should he continue with alchemy and follow the Pill Dao path?

Should he strengthen his luck to ensure he doesn't die?

Or should he take the Sword Dao path and become a colleague of his daughter?

He thought for a long time but had no answer.

"I'll save them for now."

He finally decided, "There's still a month anyway, I can think about it slowly."

Over three thousand four hundred points looked like a lot, but they would be spent quickly.

A single trait upgrade was one or two thousand; it might not even be enough.

Besides, who knew what he would encounter this month? It was always right to keep some emergency funds.

"Furthermore..."

He glanced out the window. "In a place like Qingshi Town, the highest combat power is only at the Half-step Condensing True Essence stage."

With his Early Stage of True Condensation Realm, plus the demon refining pot and his small success in the Sixteen Swords of Yan Yun, he could practically walk sideways in this place.

No rush.

Take it slow.

Moonlight spilled in through the window lattice, falling upon the small bronze pot on the table.

Chu Sheng reached out and touched it; the body of the pot was warm.

"Old partner," he muttered, "let's cooperate well in the next simulation."

The body of the pot vibrated slightly, as if in response.

He remembered how the demon refining pot had finally shattered into pieces in the fourth simulation, and a wave of emotion washed over him.

"It won't happen this time."

He said softly, "Together, we'll bring my daughter back."

Outside, the night grew deeper.

A few dog barks drifted from the distance; it was an ordinary night in Qingshi Town.

Chu Sheng stretched and lay back on the bed.

The simulator interface was still lit, the countdown ticking away.

[Time until the fifth simulation begins: 29 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes...]

He closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips.

In thirty days, he'd be a hero once again.