12: Fifth level of Qi Refining and Cloud Riding

He found a quiet corner in his Immortal Cave, lay down comfortably, and began the Simulation. Cultivation was important, but enjoyment was very important too.

[Congratulations Host on starting the eighth Simulation. Beginning talent Draw.]

[White talent: Scale Reinforcement; White talent: Swiftness; Purple talent: Soaring on Clouds and Riding the Mist.]

He rubbed his eyes with his tail. My goodness, this was actually a Purple talent. But wasn't Soaring on Clouds and Riding the Mist just a flight Divine Ability? Why was its grade so high? Forget it, he couldn't figure it out, so he chose it directly. No one would choose a White talent over a Purple one. Humming a little tune, he happily continued the Simulation.

[Host has selected Purple talent: Soaring on Clouds and Riding the Mist. Simulation beginning.]

[Day 1: You headed to Yunxi Palace and met Great King Hui She. You tearfully told him that the Crab General died at the hands of the Monkey Spirit, and that the monkeys had people from the Beast Taming Sect backing them. Great King Hui She was shocked and ordered others to settle you in well while he went to handle the matter.]

[Day 2: You stayed at Yunxi Palace eating delicacies, drinking fine wine, and watching beautiful Clam Maidens. Having nothing to do, you even had a Clam Maiden sing a little tune for you. You were quite happy.]

[Day 3: You cultivated continuously in Yunxi Palace. You discovered that the Spiritual Qi here was extremely abundant, and your cultivation speed increased significantly, which made you very happy.]

[Day 4: You wanted to go home, but Lord Black Snake personally came to reassure you and told you to stay here. You understood that with such a major event, not letting you leave was the best way to prevent information leaks. You could understand, but you still felt uncomfortable. Your desire for power grew even deeper.]

[Day 5: Great King Hui She summoned you and rewarded you with two treasures: a Spirit Gathering Formation and a Medium Grade Magical Artifact, the Profound Jade Plaque. He said the matter you reported had been confirmed and the Yao Race higher-ups took it very seriously. 'Let's go,' he said, 'we are going to exterminate the traitors of the Yao Race.']

[Day 6: You followed countless members of the Water Tribe ashore and began attacking the Monkey Forest. Great King Hui She displayed great Divine Might, killing countless Monkey Spirits. Even the Monkey King was no match for him. Until all the monkeys were dead, the Human Race Cultivators did not appear. Yunxi River won a complete victory.]

[Day 7: Great King Hui She rewarded you with ten Red Cloud Fruits. You took the reward and happily returned to your Immortal Cave to begin cultivating. The Brocade Carp was very happy to see you return; he thought you had died. You kicked him with your tail and went to cultivate.]

[Day 8: You consumed a Red Cloud Fruit and began cultivating. With the advancement of your Bloodline and the effects of the Red Cloud Fruit, your cultivation progressed steadily.]

[Day 9: You continued to cultivate steadily.]

...[Day 26: You successfully advanced to the Fifth Level of Qi Refining. Your strength is now significantly greater than the former Crab General's. Finally, you can be considered a rare expert in this Yunxi River.]

[Day 27: Just as you stepped out the door, a sword light pierced through you. Faintly, you heard a voice: 'What kind of thing dares to ruin the good plans of my Beast Taming Sect? You deserve to die.']

[Simulation ended. Survival time: 27 days. Cultivation: Fifth Level of Qi Refining. Achievement Unlocked: Playing Big with Small Stakes. Evaluation: A Yao Beast with some strength but who underestimates the heroes of the world. Reward: 285 divine dragon points. (Breakdown: 135 points for 27 days of survival, 100 points for the achievement, 50 points for cultivation advancement).]

No way! He angrily slapped the ground with his tail. Were the people of the Beast Taming Sect so petty? Waiting outside his Immortal Cave for so long? And Great King Hui She, your Yunxi Palace doesn't seem very safe either; at the very least, someone found out that he was the one who delivered the message. His triangular pupils were so angry they were about to turn round. Indeed, he still needed to be more careful.

[Rewards available for exchange from this Simulation: Purple talent: Soaring on Clouds and Riding the Mist (150 divine dragon points), Fifth Level of Qi Refining Cultivation (50 divine dragon points), Spirit Gathering Formation (50 divine dragon points), Profound Jade Plaque (100 divine dragon points). Do you wish to exchange?]

He was a bit troubled now. The gains this time were the greatest he had ever had since starting the Simulations. Unfortunately, he didn't have that many divine dragon points. He wished he could drag the simulator out and force it to give him some money. Looking at the good items in the simulator, he didn't want to give up a single one; these were all his precious treasures, and he couldn't bear to be parted from them.

But the simulator was already prompting him, so he could only make a choice. He exchanged for Soaring on Clouds and Riding the Mist, the Fifth Level of Qi Refining, and the Spirit Gathering Formation. As for the Profound Jade Plaque, since his Divine Ability Green Scale Armor was also defensive, a defensive Magical Artifact wasn't an absolute necessity for now.

He adjusted his emotions, said goodbye to the Profound Jade Plaque that had slipped through his fingers, and began to review the situation.

First were the gains. He had already placed the Spirit Gathering Formation in the Immortal Cave. It could indeed increase cultivation speed and was a very useful and practical Formation. Next was his cultivation; as the core of a Cultivator, its advancement must always be the top priority. Finally, there was the Soaring on Clouds and Riding the Mist talent. Although he only knew it allowed flight and couldn't feel anything miraculous yet, based on its Purple grade, he believed this was the biggest gain of this Simulation.

He began to think about his next move. Although he had still died at the hands of a human this time, at the very least he knew one thing: reporting to Great King Hui She could indeed temporarily solve the problem. That was enough. As long as he could live peacefully, he could cultivate peacefully.

What he needed to do now was find out who the person sending messages to the Human Race was. Who could it be? He recalled his experiences in the simulator bit by bit. He had only seen three spirits in Yunxi Palace: the Clam Maiden, Lord Black Snake, and the Shrimp Soldier. But as for which of the three was the traitor, he didn't know. From the known information, he couldn't rule out anyone.

But looking at his remaining Simulation attempts, there was only one left. If he used it to find the traitor, he might not be able to simulate for a while. This was clearly a distressing prospect. He was unwilling to use it, especially since he had three candidates; one Simulation might not even be enough. For a moment, he couldn't make a decision. Just then, the voice of the Brocade Carp sounded from outside the Immortal Cave.

"Fellow Daoist Green Snake, are you home? I found some fresh sea grapes, they're delicious. I've brought some for you."

It was the silly Brocade Carp. After all, whether in reality or in the simulator, the Brocade Carp had helped him and shown him much goodwill. He should be nice to him, otherwise wouldn't he be an ungrateful white-eyed wolf?

He opened the boundary and let the Brocade Carp in.

The Brocade Carp looked at him somewhat cautiously. "Does Fellow Daoist Green Snake have something on his mind? Why not tell me? Although I'm not good at fighting, I am lucky. Maybe I can solve the problem for you?"