Self-Destruction

Ling Tian sat cross-legged in his room, reviewing the information he had gathered from the simulation. He was pleasantly surprised to discover his innate talent in weapon refining, as well as the knowledge that his clan possessed an inheritance up to the Expert Refiner level. It made sense now, considering his clan's past fame and once-prominent status within their domain. Despite the decline, remnants of their glory days and inheritances still lingered.

What truly shocked him was the combined assault on the Fiery Fire Sect by two first-rate forces. The Azure Continent's first-rate forces rarely clashed directly, typically seeking to maintain balance and harmony among themselves. This alliance hinted at something far deeper.

Ling Tian halted his racing thoughts and realized it was already night. Deciding to seek advice, he headed to his father's office. After announcing his arrival, he was granted permission to enter. His father, engrossed in paperwork, glanced up. The man looked around 40, with a resolute face and sword-like eyebrows, bearing a 70% resemblance to Ling Tian.

His father's eyes widened in disbelief upon seeing him. "Tian'er, you... you broke through to the Innate Realm? How is that possible?! Weren't you at the Skin Tempering Realm?"

Ling Tian wasn't surprised by his father's keen perception, having just broken through and unable to completely suppress his aura. "Father, I was hiding my cultivation progress to avoid attention."

His father laughed heartily. "As expected of my son! How could you have mediocre talent? Our Ling Clan has hope for greater heights now. Since you're revealing your cultivation level now, you must have a request. What is it?"

Ling Tian replied, "Father, I need Spiritual Stones and a way to obtain a steady income of them."

Hesitation flickered across his father's face, but after a moment, he retrieved a bag of spiritual stones and a book from his locker, handing them to Ling Tian. "These are my savings, 40 low-tier Spiritual Stones, and this book is our clan's inheritance from an Expert Refiner centuries ago. Use them well. I feared using the book because our clan's stability rested on my shoulders alone, but with you now in the Innate Realm, the clan will be much more stable."

Ling Tian nodded. "Don't worry, father."

Ling Tian returned to his residence stealthily, avoiding the patrol teams. He spent hours flipping through the book, absorbing the knowledge before finally heading to bed.

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the window, waking Ling Tian. He quickly dressed and headed to his training ground. After exercising, he sat cross-legged and started expanding his Dantian. Hours passed, and his Dantian expanded considerably. Satisfied, he decided to attempt a paid simulation. Holding the bag of spiritual stones, he spoke inwardly, "Simulator, I want to do a paid simulation."

The simulator responded with a familiar chime:

[Ding, discovered 42 low-tier spiritual stones in the host's possession. Do you want to pay 4 low-tier spiritual stones for one paid simulation?]

Ling Tian took a deep breath and replied, "Pay."

[Ding, Simulation starting...]

A new screen appeared, showing a refreshed talent pool.

[Ding, Talent Refresh Successful, congratulations to the host for refreshing three Talents. You can choose two of them.]

[Steady Hands (White): Your hands are steady, aiding in precise tasks.]

[Craftsman (Green): Your ability to create weapons and tools is above average.]

[Adaptable (White): You can adjust to new environments and situations with relative ease.]

It turned out that after White Talents comes Green Talents. Ling Tian weighed the pros and cons of each talent. After a moment, he chose "Steady Hands" and "Craftsman."

[Ding, the Talents 'Steady Hands (White)' and 'Craftsman (Green)' were selected. Simulation Starting …]

[Year 1: At 16, you are at the Awakening Stage of the Innate Realm. Your clan hails you as a genius, and the entire city knows your name. The clan provides you with abundant resources. You start studying the weapon refining inheritance of the Expert Refiner. The weapon refiner profession, like the path of a cultivator, has distinct levels. As weapon refiners advance, they gain the ability to craft increasingly powerful and intricate weapons that correspond to the needs and strengths of cultivators at different stages. There exist seven levels of Weapon refiners; Novice Refiner, Apprentice Refiner, Intermediate Refiner, Advanced Refiner, Expert Refiner, Master Refiner, and Grandmaster Refiner. Meanwhile, weapons are classified into 7 tiers with Tier 7 Weapons being the highest and strongest weapons in the Azure Continent. Each tier corresponds to a specific cultivation realm. You purchase many materials and begin your weapon refining journey.]

[Year 2: At 17, with your talent "Resilient Body" and resources, you push yourself and your body harder and continue to expand your Dantian. You are studying the Weapon Refining book.]

[Year 3: At 18, you continue practicing the Nine Heavens Primordial Refinement Technique, steadily increasing your cultivation and expanding your Dantian. Your talents 'Craftsman' and 'Steady hands' activate, increasing your weapon refinement talent and control and precision of your hands. You get promoted to the Novice Refiner Level.]

[Year 5: At 20, your cultivation increases steadily. You are refining Tier 1 Weapons steadily for your clan and your name becomes renowned within the city.]

[Year 7: At 22, with the help of the talent "Resilient Body," you push yourself in cultivation beyond your limits and your Dantian reaches its limit. You advance to the peak of the Awakening Stage of the Innate Realm. Your younger brother reaches the Awakening Stage of the Innate Realm.]

[Year 9: At 24, you begin opening and clearing your first meridian, advancing to the Connection Stage of the Innate Realm.]

[Year 11: At 26, you continue improving your cultivation, advancing steadily in the seventh layer of the Nine Heavens Primordial Refinement Technique. You are still accumulating experience at the Novice Refiner Level.]

[Year 13: At 28, you clear all your body's meridians, establishing a stable connection between your Dantian and them. This allows for a smooth flow of spiritual energy throughout your body, and you advance to the Integration Stage of the Innate Realm.]

[Year 15: At 30, disciples from the Fiery Fire Sect arrive in the city to recruit new members. You qualify to enter the sect with your brother as outer disciples. You decide to go with him.]

[After days of travel, you reach the Fiery Fire Sect, a first-rate sect with powerhouses in the Divine Transformation Realm. You register as an outer disciple and choose a residence.]

[Year 17: At 32, you advance to the Apprentice Refiner Level and start selling Tier 2 weapons and accumulate resources. You reach the peak of the seventh layer of the technique, further enhancing your talent and accelerating your cultivation progress.]

[Year 19: At 35, your Dantian is filled with purified spiritual energy, and you reach the peak of the Innate Realm.]

[Year 22: At 38, you perfect your Innate Realm to the extreme. You stay in the sect and accumulate countless experiences in refining weapons and at the same time accumulate Spiritual Stones to purchase a cultivation technique. Your talents activate and you inch steadily toward the Intermediate Refiner Level]

[Year 24: At 40, you are refining Tier 2 Weapons in huge amounts gaining a little fame within the inner sect.]

[Year 27: At 43, you purchase the Mystic Spirit Flame Technique, capable of refining spiritual energy and harnessing spiritual flames instead of a liquid form for increased power. This technique can be cultivated till the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm. You find that you have many remaining Spiritual Stones so after thinking for a moment, you choose to buy a body cultivation technique since the talent "Resilient Body" can facilitate the process of body refining. You use some of the remaining Spiritual Stones and choose the technique Flame Sovereign Physique, a body cultivation technique that imbues the cultivator with the power and attributes of a sovereign of flames. While practicing this technique, the practitioner will integrate fire into his body enduring immense pain and possibly forming injuries, this is the reason why most would not choose this technique as it could be self-harming. This cultivation technique emphasizes control and mastery over fire, transforming the body into a conduit of pure fire energy that when cultivated to the peak can make a cultivator capable of combating Purple Mansion Realm Experts. You read the Spiritual Realm chapter of the Mystic Spirit Flame Technique and begin the process of condensing spiritual energy into a spiritual fire.]

[Year 34: At 46, 1/3 of the spiritual energy in your Dantian turns into a red spiritual fire, increasing its potency, and you advance to the Initial Stage of the Spiritual Realm. You get promoted to the inner sect. You are accumulating progress in the Apprentice Refiner Level.]

[Year 35: At 47, you begin practicing the first stage of the Flame Sovereign Physique technique, Fire Veins Integration. You integrate fire elemental energy into your meridians, enhancing the flow of spiritual energy which increases agility and reaction speed, with a minor boost to fire resistance.]

[Year 37: At 49, your younger brother reaches the peak of the Innate Realm. You give him lots of spiritual stones to purchase a good technique. You are refining Tier 2 Weapons and selling them.]

[Year 39: At 51, you continue the liquefaction process, converting more spiritual energy into spiritual fire.]

[Year 42: At 54, with the help of your talent, you reach the peak of the Fire Veins Integration Stage. Your veins and meridians glow with a fiery hue, improving energy circulation and physical performance.]

[Year 44: At 56, 2/3 of the spiritual energy in your Dantian is now converted into the spiritual fire, allowing for more powerful fire control, and you advance to the Intermediate Stage of the Spiritual Realm. You start with the second stage of the Flame Sovereign Physique, Blazing Muscles. You undergo intense training while enveloped in fire, strengthening your muscles and tendons. You feel immense and exhilarating pain during the process and accumulate many injuries but your talent "Resilient Body" alleviates them slowly. During the second stage of the technique, you substantially increase physical strength and fire resistance.]

[Year 48: At 60, you reach the eighth layer of the Nine Heavens Primordial Refinement Technique enhancing your talent and cultivation. You also advance to the Intermediate Refiner Level with the help of your talents.]

[Year 53: At 65, you fully convert all the spiritual energy within your Dantian into the spiritual fire. You break through to the Advanced Stage of the Spiritual Realm. The Dantian now contains a huge spiritual fire hovering in the middle, providing a vast reservoir of fire spiritual energy for you to draw upon. You also feel your connection with fire spiritual energy deepen, increasing your cultivation speed.]

[Year 57: At 69, you reach the peak of the Blazing Muscles Stage. Your muscles gain a robust, fiery texture, enabling them to withstand extreme heat and exert immense power. At the same time, you are advancing in the eighth layer of the Nine Heavens Primordial Refinement Technique.]

[Year 60: At 72, your brother advances to the Initial Stage of the Spiritual Realm, gets promoted to the inner sect, and extends his lifespan to 500 years.]

[Year 63: At 75, you perfect your Spiritual Realm to the extreme. The spiritual fire in your Dantian becomes purer and more powerful, capable of refining spiritual energy at a high speed and higher quality. You start practicing the Scorching Bones Stage of the Sovereign Flames Physique. You refine your bones with concentrated fire energy, making them as strong as tempered steel which enhances the structural integrity and overall durability of the body. You are refining Tier 3 Weapons and accumulating resources.]

[Year 66: At 78, the inner sect competition starts. You do not participate in the competition and focus on refining Tier 3 Weapons.]

[Year 68: At 80, you have reached the peak of the eighth layer of the Nine Heavens Primordial Refinement Technique and you advance to the peak of the Scorching Bones Stage. Your bones emit a subtle, fiery glow, and your skeletal structure becomes nearly indestructible.]

[Year 70: At 82, you are ready to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm. You begin studying the Purple Mansion Chapter of the Mystic Spirit Flame Technique. The Purple Mansion Realm focuses on establishing a personal cultivation space within the Dantian, known as the Purple Mansion, where spiritual energy is stored and refined.]

[Year 73: At 85, with the help of the Mystic Spirit Flame Technique, you establish the initial foundation of the Fire Spiritual Purple Mansion within the Dantian, a stable space where more spiritual energy can be gathered, and advance to the Formation Stage of the Purple Mansion Realm, extending your lifespan to 1000 years. Your Spiritual Fire engraves many symbols on the Purple Mansion in the Dantian, forming a vermillion bird image on it, and then settles in the center of it. The spiritual fire starts absorbing the spiritual energy in your surroundings and creates a massive vortex above your head, absorbing vast amounts of spiritual energy. Once the spiritual fire is saturated, it separates a strand from its own body and begins pouring the remaining spiritual energy absorbed from the surroundings into it, causing it to increase slightly in size and form a second spiritual fire. Finally, the vortex above you dissipates. You feel your power increase many times, along with your flame control, the destructive power of your flames, and your control over spiritual energy, thus allowing for more precise and powerful techniques. Your Fire Spiritual Purple Mansion can now store vast amounts of spiritual energy within the Dantian, allowing for prolonged battles and extended cultivation sessions. The Fire Spiritual Purple Mansion slowly and constantly absorbs the spiritual energy in the surroundings and refines it, making it purer and more potent for use in techniques and spells, and also for the absorption of the spiritual energy by the spiritual fires. Your advancement alerts many disciples, and you get promoted to the core sect.]

[Year 76: At 88, you start practicing the Sovereign Flame Core Stage, the last stage of the technique. You start forming a second heart of pure fire energy within your body, serving as a source of a fire-based bloodline that courses through the body at all times and grants the ability to unleash devastating fire-based attacks and significantly boosts regeneration and stamina.]

[Year 78: At 90, you reach the peak of the Sovereign Flame Core Stage. You finish the formation of your second heart. At this moment, you have perfected the Flame Sovereign Physique Technique and your body alone is capable of withstanding attacks from Purple Mansion Realm Experts. Your body radiates an intense, sovereign flame aura, symbolizing your mastery over fire and your strong physical strength. Also, you are strengthening your initial Fire Spiritual Purple Mansion and advancing steadily in your cultivation. Your Dantian emits a faint purple light, and your spiritual energy becomes more concentrated and pure.]

[Year 84: At 96, you have a flash of inspiration when you were refining a peak Tier 3 Weapon and you get promoted to an Advanced Refiner. Your name becomes renowned within the sect. At the same time, you begin refining Tier 4 Weapons.]

[Year 86: At 98, you finish strengthening your Purple Mansion and obtain a stable, nascent Purple Mansion, allowing for the initial storage of spiritual energy and enhancing energy manipulation capabilities. You advance to the Expansion Stage of the Purple Mansion Realm. The second small Spiritual Fire starts absorbing the spiritual energy in your surroundings and creates a massive vortex above your head, absorbing vast amounts of spiritual energy. Once the spiritual fire is saturated, it separates a strand from its own body and begins pouring the remaining spiritual energy absorbed from the surroundings into it, causing it to increase slightly in size and form a third spiritual fire. Finally, the vortex above you dissipates. The Vermillion bird image becomes more pronounced and you feel your power increase many times.]

[Year 90: At 102, you reach the final ninth layer of the Nine Heavens Primordial Refinement Technique. Your body ushers in a destruction and rebirth process accompanied by immense bursts of pain. Your Dantian expands, your bones become denser, and your meridians widen greatly. You persist through the process and finally acquire the Nine Heavens Primordial Body increasing your strength by countless times. You estimate your strength and find that you can fight head-to-toe with Peak Purple Mansion Realm Experts. You began expanding the size and capacity of the Purple Mansion to store more spiritual energy.]

[Year 108: At 120, you continuously nourish the Fire Spiritual Purple Mansion with spiritual energy, causing it to grow larger and more stable.]

[Year 120: At 132, you are refining Tier 4 Weapons in large quantities and selling them accumulating huge amounts of resources. At the same time, you are advancing steadily in your cultivation, the purple light within the Dantian becomes more intense, and your spiritual energy reserves increase significantly.]

[Year 125: At 137, your Fire Spiritual Mansion was expanded to the extreme. You obtain an expanded Purple Mansion capable of storing larger quantities of spiritual energy, greatly increasing your prowess. You advance to the Perfection Stage of the Purple Mansion Realm. The third small Spiritual Fire starts absorbing the spiritual energy in your surroundings and creates a massive vortex above your head, absorbing vast amounts of spiritual energy. Once the spiritual fire is saturated, the vortex above you dissipates. The Vermillion bird image becomes more lifelike and you feel your power increase many times. Now, in your Purple Mansion, there exist three huge Red Spiritual Fires circling each other.]

[Year 126: At 138, you know that the Blood Demon Sect and the Devil Fang Temple, two first-rate forces, will team up and invade your sect. So you decide to leave the sect and escape with your brother.]

[Year 130: You are being chased by the disciples of the Blood Demon Sect and the Devil Fang Temple. You get injured many times along the way to protect your brother.]

[Year 132: At 144, you encounter a Nascent Soul Elder of the Devil Fang Temple, you tell your brother to escape while you stall the opponent. You battle fiercely with the elder without regard to your injury. After making sure that your brother got away, you self-destruct yourself along with your three Red Spiritual Fires inflicting on the opponent to suffer many serious injuries. You are dead.]

[Simulation Complete.]

[Evaluation: You were able to become a glorious Advanced Refiner and acquired the Nine Heavens Primordial Body making you one of the most talented cultivators on the Azure Continent. However, you couldn't escape from the attack of the first-rate forces on your sect and had to self-destruct when you encountered a Nascent Soul Realm Elder to let your brother escape.]

[Ding, Simulation ended. Generating rewards…. Please select two rewards from the following options:]

- [Craftsman (Green): Your ability to create weapons and tools is above average.]

- [A Tier 4 Sword Weapon.]

- [Comprehension and experience of the Nine Heavens Primordial Refinement Technique (Perfection).]