98: Nine times ended

[True Man Ziyang was also extremely frustrated and had no choice but to take action.]

[Naturally, he was no match for the Holy Land Second Elder; whether it was in Realm or Magic Treasure, they were not on the same level.]

[After all, since Ziyang Palace declined, its foundation was practically stolen away, and talented Disciples would no longer join.]

[His Aptitude was merely the best among the mediocre; how could he possibly compare to a Holy Land Elder?]

[But having someone barge in and attack, Ziyang Palace couldn't just lose Face, could it? They couldn't possibly disgrace the Old Ancestor.]

[If this were in the past, who would dare bully Ziyang Palace like this?]

[Unfortunately, after just three moves, True Man Ziyang was subdued.]

[In the end, you were captured by the Second Elder and brought back to the Holy Land Elder Hall.]

[In the hall, the eighteen Elders looked at you kneeling below, their gazes complex, finally turning into a sigh and a cold declaration:]

["After Cultivating for three hundred years, you only reached the Supernatural Power Realm. Your Heart-Nature is restless, you are cunning and rebellious, you steal and deceive, and you attack fellow Disciples... you are truly the number one piece of trash in the Cultivation World!"]

[However, the Grand Elder changed his tone, carrying a hint of anger at your failure to meet expectations, or perhaps having other considerations:]

["But even if you are trash, you cannot look down on yourself!"]

["The path you have chosen nowstubborn self-will and betraying your sectis a road to self-destruction!"]

["Effective immediately, this Old Ancestor will publicly declare that you are expelled from the Holy Land, thereby cutting off all Karma with our Holy Land. Whether you fall into depravity or rise up after realizing your shame, you must decide your own fate!"]

[This move was not out of goodwill; it was almost a punitive "severing of ties."]

[You immediately kowtowed to the Elders: "Thank you for the Holy Land's kindness in taking me in and nurturing me. Upon this departure, we shall never meet again."]

[Only later did you understand why the Holy Land did not kill youit turned out the Holy Land had an iron rule: no infighting or fratricide; the most severe punishment was merely expulsion from the Holy Land.]

[But once expelled, you were no longer related to the Holy Land.]

[In this way, not only could people from the Holy Land kill you, but other forces could also kill you without any scruples, and without incurring Karma.]

[Seeing the result shown in the scene, the Elders fell silent.]

[The Second Elder was the first to speak: "I said long ago that this child should not be accepted, otherwise wouldn't our Holy Land become a laughingstock later on?"]

["Forget it, forget it. I abstain. You all decide," Eighth Elder sighed and shook his head.]

[Seventh Elder looked at you and shook his head: "What a pity, what a pity..."]

["This child's subsequent Cultivation difficulties must be due to the Heart Demon acting up. Why not let him go to the Enlightenment Pond for some insight? Maybe he can turn over a new leaf and become a better person?" Sixth Elder suddenly suggested.]

[The Second Elder glared at Sixth Elder: "Old Six, are you only satisfied if our Holy Land's reputation is damaged?"]

[Sixth Elder sighed deeply and remained silent.]

[Next, the eighteen Elders began to vote on your punishment—]

[In the end, six votes were in favor of killing you, nine abstained, and three opposed.]

[You looked at the three Elders who cast opposing votesThird Elder, Sixth Elder, and Seventh Elderand smiled, nodding in thanks:]

["Thank you for the tolerance of the three Elders. I know my Aptitude is poor, my sins are deep, and my heart is obstructed by demons. I fear I will make no progress in this life."]

["However, if the Holy Land kills me personally, wouldn't it needlessly stain itself with evil blood and Karma? Why not allow me to choose self-destruction?" you said loudly.]

[The Second Elder frowned and said indifferently: "A dying man dares to threaten us?"]

[You smiled: "No, it's not a threat. I want to negotiate a conditionif I commit suicide, can I trade it for one item from the Holy Land? To fulfill my lifelong obsession, so I can die without regret."]

[Grand Elder said plainly: "Tell us!"]

["I want a portion of the enlightenment fruit. I hope the Elders will grant my wish," you shouted excitedly.]

["Audacious! Stubborn and incorrigible, still coveting the Holy Land's enlightenment fruit even at death's door!" the Second Elder shouted angrily.]

["Alas," Sixth Elder sighed heavily and casually tossed over a qiankun ring, "I see you have an obsession. May these two items allow you to rest in peace."]

[You took the qiankun ring, swept it with your Divine Sense, and a hot tear immediately slid down your cheek.]

[You cupped your hands toward Sixth Elder: "Thank you, Sixth Elder! If there is a next life, I shall surely repay your great kindness!"]

[It turned out that he had discovered your future need for the Pill Formula for the "heavenly spirit pill" and the enlightenment fruit, so he gave you a portion of his treasured enlightenment fruit and the Pill Formula.]

[You instantly understoodthe Sixth Elder in that future scene already knew you were tricking him for the Pill Formula, and he deliberately pretended to be fooled!]

[After putting away the qiankun ring, you looked at Sacred Land Saint Son next to you and said: "Please remove my Restriction."]

[Sacred Land Saint Son sighed, frowned, and stepped closer: "I hope in your next life you can join our Holy Land, so that I may witness your true brilliance."]

[After speaking, he struck out a Rune and injected it into your body, and the Restriction sealing your power instantly dissipated.]

[You felt your power return, as if regaining your confidence.]

[You looked at Sacred Land Saint Son, nodded, and smiled.]

[Sacred Land Saint Son looked serious, slowly backed away, and watched you helplessly.]

[You did not hesitate, circulating the power within your body—]

[In an instant, the Golden Core in your Dantian cracked, bursting forth with golden light!]

[Immediately afterward, your skin cracked inch by inch, and streaks of golden light shot out from your body surface!]

[Seeing this, Grand Elder raised his hand, and a massive force surrounded you.]

[Immediately after—]

["Boom!"]

[With a roar, your body exploded!]

[Your Divine Soul was destroyed, and your Physical Body dissipated.]

[You died.]

[Ding! The ninth simulation has ended. Please choose your reward:]

[One: Personal Strength: Heavenly Human Realm Perfection, Golden Core Second Layer.]

[Two: External Objects: Two qiankun rings, twenty thousand Spirit Stones, void flower, demon kings inner core, enlightenment fruit, incomplete heavenly craft tablet (repaired), Blood Origin Art, one thousand bottles of ningyuan pill, the Pill Formula for the "heavenly spirit pill."]

[Three: Special Rewards: Cultivation insights, combat experience, detailed memories.]

After reading the simulation content, Qin Chen chose Reward Two without hesitation.

[Ding, reward successfully issued, temporarily stored in System Space.]

After seeing the resources in the System Space, he temporarily had no mind to inventory them.

He thought about the situation of this Cultivation and couldn't help but start worrying: "As the Realm increases, the resources needed become increasingly exaggerated."

"I didn't expect that even in a place like the Holy Land, where Immortal Spiritual Qi is abundant, my Cultivation is still so slow."

Looking at the night sky and the stars, he suddenly remembered that Liu Ruyan was living next door, and his heart immediately tightened.

This isn't a simulation; this is reality.

If he's slightly careless, he could truly perish and be completely finished.

"In the simulation, I tried courting death, and I could only live for a few hundred years at most, constantly being suppressed, with my Cultivation Base making no progress... this path is too risky."

"Why not wait and see first? If she really intends to act, it won't be too late for me to expose my strength to save my life, right?"

Thinking of this, Qin Chen made up his mind: in reality, he would use stillness to counter movement and do nothing.

However, he dared not sleep.

He remained seated properly in the elegant seat on the balcony, staring blankly at the sparse stars.

Just then, he suddenly noticed something strange—

Among the rewards was an "incomplete heavenly craft tablet (repaired)."

So he asked the System mentally: "System, what does 'repaired' mean?"

[Ding, Host, the original heavenly craft tablet was incomplete, but this System has already helped you repair it completely, restoring it to its original state!]