The Sims: I Open the Immortal Path for All Beings Chapter 2 - 1: Simulation of Life

[100 points of Wisdom accumulated, Life Simulator initiated.]

[Would you like to begin a Life Simulation? Reminder: This requires 100 points of Wisdom.]

Inside a silent and desolate Taoist Temple, a young Taoist possessing an elegant and handsome countenance sat upon a meditation cushion, a look of astonishment crossing his features.

The youth’s name is Pei Xuanjing, though he goes by the Taoist moniker Longevity. He serves as the head of a Taoist Temple known as Everlasting Observance.

He was once a common soul from Earth Star, but having transitioned to this realm, there is little point in dwelling on his former life.

While this world bears a striking resemblance to the ancient era of his previous home, a significant distinction exists: the reality of Martial Arts.

To walk the path of Martial Arts, one must first cultivate Inner Qi. This is followed by the external refinement of muscle and bone, and the internal tempering of organs and marrow. Should a practitioner advance further into the realms of blood replacement and rebirth, feats like "easily defeating an army" or being "invincible to all" cease to be mere myths.

Martial Artists of such caliber can effortlessly crush an unprotected battalion. A single, focused strike can span hundreds of feet, and shattering mountains or cleaving boulders is well within their power.

At present, he is merely a low-tier martial artist who has just commenced the cultivation of Inner Qi and is preparing to begin the external training of his muscles and bones.

Upon his arrival in this world, Pei Xuanjing felt a surge of joy. After all, who doesn't harbor the dream of wandering freely with a blade at their side, singing while intoxicated, and living a life of bold passion and vengeance?

However, the harshness of reality set in by the time he reached the age of six.

To begin with, he lacked the abysmal talent often seen in transmigrating protagonists, yet he was certainly no once-in-a-millennium genius. He was simply an average individual, destined to be the background noise in someone else’s story.

Given his mediocre aptitude, even though he inherited the Taoist Temple, he was destined to remain trapped within its crumbling walls without any Cultivation resources. Ultimately, he would likely follow in his master’s footsteps: achieving nothing in his twilight years and dying in a state of melancholy.

After nearly sixteen years in this world, he never imagined he would finally obtain a cheat code.

According to the interface, this functioned similarly to a game from his past life. However, the currency for this simulator was not gold or silver, but something called 'Wisdom'.

Wisdom represents the insights gained through one’s personal Cultivation or the knowledge gathered by studying the realizations left behind by others.

Throughout his sixteen years in this world, he has lived as a simple Taoist boy at Everlasting Observance. From the moment he learned to read and write to his training in martial arts and Inner Qi—and even through his study of the notes left by his predecessors—he has been steadily gathering Wisdom.

Yet, due to his meager strength, his progress was initially sluggish. It was only today that he finally amassed enough Wisdom to fully trigger the simulator.

At this thought, Pei Xuanjing’s eyes flickered with a contemplative light.

Since such a chance had presented itself, why shouldn't he take the risk and gamble for a different destiny?

"Start!"

As he spoke, the world around Pei Xuanjing fell into an absolute hush, as if time itself had frozen.

His consciousness seemed to be swallowed by Chaos until a thunderous roar erupted, cleaving Heaven and Earth apart.

He lost all sense of time; it felt like a mere heartbeat, yet also as if a millennium had slipped away.

A beam of light pierced the darkness, followed by a torrent of images that flickered past like a cinematic reel.

[There are fifty paths to the Great Dao, Forty-Nine Heavenly Paths emerge from them, leaving one elusive! Therefore, all the things in the world, all have a thread of life!]

Sixteen years old: Your master passed away, leaving you to inherit Everlasting Observance. However, with your master’s protection gone, the Taoist Temple was targeted by rival forces, and your income plummeted.

Faced with this harassment, you chose to endure the humiliation. You focused entirely on practicing your Sect's technique, the "Yi Wood Skill," hoping to break through to the ninth grade and become a true martial artist.

Seventeen years old: Lacking any steady income, you were left destitute. You were forced to sell off the Taoist Temple's belongings for gold and silver, desperate to acquire more Cultivation resources.

Twenty-five years old: Having consumed a vast amount of resources, you finally mastered the first level of the "Yi Wood Skill." Your skin became as hard as bone, and you successfully reached the ninth grade.

You spent nearly a decade waiting for the right moment to reclaim what was yours. Your goal wasn't to prove your own greatness, but to validate your master’s faith in you. Determined to restore the reputation of Everlasting Observance, you set out to take back what you had lost.

Twenty-six years old: You successfully reclaimed everything belonging to Everlasting Observance and became the most prominent figure in this small city.

Twenty-eight: Despite two years of rigorous training, your Cultivation remained stagnant. You decided to travel beyond the temple's borders. Shortly after your departure, you encountered a band of brigands. Attempting to act the hero, you intervened, only to be slain by the bandits.

[End of life]

This...

Pei Xuanjing was momentarily speechless. Was this the story of a young man failing miserably during his very first attempt to make a name for himself?

He hadn't anticipated that it would take him fifteen years—from the age of ten when he first cultivated Inner Qi until he was twenty-five—just to reach the ninth grade.

It is worth noting that in this era, the Immortal Path was in decline while Martial Arts thrived.

Because the Cultivation methods of the Tao, Brahma, Demon, Confucian, and other Sects differ, there is no standardized naming convention for the various realms.

Six centuries ago, during the chaotic fall of the previous dynasty, many heroes and legendary figures emerged.

The Emperor of Great Ming rose from humble beginnings. Using a three-foot sword, he performed miraculous deeds, drove out the barbarians, unified the Divine Continent, and established his reign.

He was the one who instituted the nine-grade classification for Cultivation:

The external training of muscle, bone, and skin comprises the lower three grades; the internal refinement of organs and marrow makes up the middle three grades; and the stages of blood replacement and rebirth constitute the upper three grades.

This nine-grade system was used to select officials for the Great Ming empire.

The current Great Ming has endured for over six hundred years, and this nine-grade hierarchy has long been universally accepted by various Sects.

Taking fifteen years to reach the ninth grade meant his talent was indeed remarkably mediocre.

[The simulation has ended. You may select one of the following rewards.]

[One: Your Cultivation level at the age of twenty-eight.]

[Two: Your Cultivation experience with the "Yi Wood Skill".]

Seeing these options, a smile finally touched Pei Xuanjing’s lips.

With such rewards, it seemed he hadn't actually lost anything in the end.

As for his choice?

Without a moment's hesitation, Pei Xuanjing picked the first option: the Cultivation level he possessed at age twenty-eight.

For him, power was the most urgent necessity. If he could obtain the strength of a ninth-grade martial artist now, he could solve his problems at their source and fundamentally alter his future.

In an instant, he felt Inner Qi surging through his body. His muscles filled out, and his skin began to vibrate with a distinct, rhythmic frequency. He picked up a small blade and dragged it across his arm; it left only a faint white scratch.

His skin had become as tough as a drum, impervious to the blade—the unmistakable mark of a ninth-grade martial artist.

"So this is the ninth grade?" Pei Xuanjing whispered to himself.

He knew at that moment that his life had changed. He would not end up like his master, who spent his life practicing in vain only to die in obscurity.

He turned his attention back to the simulator and noticed that as his power grew, the Wisdom requirement had also increased.

[Would you like to use the Life Simulator? It requires 200 points of Wisdom.]

Does the Wisdom cost double with every increase in strength?