Chapter 15: Mysteries of Time

Yan Xiu's grin widened. "Okay, let's test this out..."

His excitement was palpable as he took a deep breath, his heart pounding with anticipation. If his hypothesis was correct, then the limits of the Life Simulator weren't as rigid as they initially seemed.

"Life Simulator, use more Temporal Energy to retrieve all three of those rewards!"

The golden text flickered, as if processing his request, before responding immediately.

[Doing so will require another month and three weeks of Life Simulation Time. Would you like to proceed anyway?]

Yan Xiu's grin widened even further. His hypothesis had been right.

"Hehe… so does that mean I can retrieve even the other martial skills even if they weren't listed as rewards?"

A gleam of excitement flickered in his eyes as he made his next move.

"Life Simulator, expend additional Temporal Energy to retrieve all the martial skills I copied in the simulation!"

The golden text shimmered, processing his bold request before responding:

[Executing request…]

[Retrieving all recorded Martial Skills will require an additional four months of Life Simulation Time. Including the month and three weeks already allocated for retrieving the selected rewards, plus the one month of standard Life Simulation Time consumed, the total cost will be roughly seven months of Life Simulation Time.]

[Would you like to proceed anyway?]

Yan Xiu's brows furrowed as he immediately noticed something odd.

"Four months for… nine martial skills?" His fingers tapped against his arm as he analyzed the numbers. "It asked me a month and three weeks for just three before…"

His eyes narrowed as his mind quickly worked through the calculations.

"Mmh… if it were a fixed cost per skill, then retrieving nine should cost three times what it took for the first three… but that's not the case. The price difference isn't proportional."

A realization dawned on him.

"The cost of retrieving martial skills… changes depending on something else." His gaze flickered with understanding. "Could it be based on their rank?"

Yan Xiu immediately started pondering.

"But why should it be based on their rank?" His brows furrowed deeper as he thought it through. "If they're all just techniques I copied onto paper, then the Life Simulator should be recreating them as… well, just as piles of papers. There shouldn't be such a big difference in cost..."

He tapped his fingers against his arm, deep in thought. The logic didn't quite add up. If the Life Simulator only retrieved what he had physically written down, then why did higher-ranked martial skills cost more to retrieve? Paper was always paper, no matter what was written on it.

"Unless…" His thoughts trailed off before he could reach a conclusion.

After several moments of silent contemplation, Yan Xiu let out an exasperated sigh. "Ahh, fuck it! I'll figure it out later."

There were too many unknowns right now. What mattered most was maximizing his gains while he still had the Temporal Energy to spare.

He straightened his posture, his expression firm.

"Life Simulator, retrieve all the martial skills!"

[Seven months of Life Simulation Time are being used up...]

[Life Simulation Time remaining: 50.1 years]

As soon as the Life Simulator confirmed his request, the golden text shimmered intensely. The words twisted and intertwined, forming intricate patterns of light.

Then, in an instant, the golden glow surged outward, coalescing into twelve distinct books. Each tome radiated a faint aura, signifying the martial skill contained within.

Yan Xiu's eyes narrowed as he watched the golden light wove itself into twelve books, each radiating a faint glow.

"Books? So, my simulated self wrote the martial skills down on books?"

His fingers reached out, brushing against the covers.

Yan Xiu let out a small chuckle as he flipped through the pages of the first book.

"Seven months for these martial skills… that's quite some time," he mused, his fingers gliding across the delicate pages. "But… I have plenty of Life Simulation Time, so it's manageable."

His gaze flickered as his grin widened even more.

"The real issue is…" His eyes swept over the twelve books in front of him. "It would take quite some time to master all of these techniques, but fortunately…"

His smirk deepened.

"I have the Life Simulator."

His voice carried a tinge of excitement as he commanded, "Life Simulator, initiate a simulation where I master one of these techniques. Then, use the necessary Life Simulation Time to bring the comprehension and muscle memory back to me."

A short pause, then he added, "And repeat this process for each martial skill."

[Two years of Life Simulation Time are being used…]

[Life Simulation Time remaining: 48.1 years]

The golden text shone brilliantly before dissolving into motes of light. In the next instant, an immense surge of knowledge flooded Yan Xiu's mind.

His eyes widened as wave after wave of comprehension crashed into his consciousness. Every stance, every movement, every intricacy of the twelve martial skills unraveled before him, as if he had spent years practicing them himself. The sensation was surreal—his muscles instinctively tensed and relaxed as if they had already committed the techniques to muscle memory.

Yan Xiu clenched his fists, feeling a newfound familiarity with the skills. He had gained not just the knowledge but the experience of mastering them.

He let out a slow breath, his lips curling into a smirk.

"This… this is beyond amazing."

Yan Xiu exhaled slowly, his smirk fading as his thoughts drifted to a deeper question. He stared at the golden text hovering before him, his fingers clenching slightly.

"This Life Simulator… why do I have this power? Who gave it to me?"

No matter how much he had understood it until now, the fundamental mysteries surrounding it still remained unanswered.

Was it truly a gift, or was there a greater purpose behind it?

He took a deep breath, determination burning in his gaze.

By using the Life Simulator, by pushing its limits, by understanding its rules, he would uncover the truth.

No matter how long it would take.

Yan Xiu stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders as his muscles loosened up.

"Well…" he muttered, flexing his fingers. "Before continuing to simulate, why don't I test these new martial skills of mine?"

"I just happen to know the right person..."

To be continued...

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Also, sorry for being late with this chapter, I just had a lot of troubles writing it.

Be sure to check out my original novel Hyperborea!