Chapter 21: Simulation In The Past
Golden words began etching themselves across the new pages in elegant, flowing script. Diagrams soon followed—intricate outlines of the human body, meridian charts, posture illustrations, and movement flows, all drawn in radiant lines of gold. The light pulsed gently, as if alive, illuminating the hut in a soft hue.
Tempered Body Record
A foundational body refinement method tailored for the bearer of the Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
'So, its name is Unyielding Golden Skeleton, huh?"
Yan Xiu leaned in as he read the ancient text:
The bearer must train the flesh through ceaseless pain and pressure, merging sinew and bone until both sing in unison. As the body refines, it will cease to reject the unyielding skeleton and instead become its rightful vessel.
The first diagram showed slow, painful movements meant to align the skeleton with the body's natural structure, forcing it to adapt. Other pages showed standing postures, bone-tightening breathing exercises, and meditative poses for endurance.
Yan Xiu furrowed his brows, flipping ahead with a growing sense of unease.
Each step, each movement, was clearly designed for someone with a weaker foundation. The instructions emphasized building toughness in the muscles and resilience in the skin, using the natural Qi of the body to gradually harmonize the skeleton and body.
But Yan Xiu… he had already passed all of this. He was no longer in the Tempered Body Realm.
"I am in the Initial Element realm now... my physique has already affirmed... so I don't think my body would adapt to the Unyielding Golden Skeleton even if I practiced this like it would have done if I still was in the Tempered Body, where the physique is much more malleable..."
His face paled.
"Shit…" he muttered, slamming the book shut halfway, then gripping its edges tightly. "Does this mean that my body will always be unstable because of this golden skeleton?"
He sat frozen, staring blankly at the black cover, the diagrams still burned into his mind. The skeleton was already fused to him, already empowering him—but without proper refinement during the foundational stage, the skeleton and his body might never fully align.
"Eventually…" he whispered, "it could start breaking me down from the inside."
Yan Xiu gritted his teeth, staring at the shut black book.
The realization that his body and the Unyielding Golden Skeleton might never truly harmonize clawed at the edges of his mind. It was like staring at an unbreakable wall after already having crossed the river—it was supposed to be too late.
He began to think. Hard.
"There has to be a way..." he murmured, his thoughts churning. "If the issue is that my body skipped the foundational harmonization, then... maybe I can go back..."
He froze.
His eyes widened, a spark of hope flaring to life.
"Life Simulator!" he called.
Golden letters shimmered into existence before him, the familiar interface blooming open in the air.
His voice came out breathless, rushed, but determined. "Simulate myself to when I had just started cultivating. Use the Tempered Body Record as the foundation and then—bring the results of the training back to me and fuse them with my body."
The glow of the Life Simulator pulsed gently, as if considering his command.
Yan Xiu stared at it, heart pounding.
In truth, he had no idea if this would work.
He wasn't even sure the simulator could recreate himself in the past. And even if it could… could the results of training really be fused with his current self?
He had only ever brought back martial skills, and items from simulations. Never anything that altered his body on a fundamental level. Not directly.
But...
His thoughts drifted back to the very first simulation—one of the rewards had been a minor Water Qi Affinity.
Affinity was tied to the body. It was the body. And if the system could give him that, then...
Then maybe—just maybe—it could give him this too.
Golden letters formed once again before his eyes.
[Simulating something in the past requires half the Temporal Energy...]
Yan Xiu blinked. "Half?" he echoed, confused. "Why?"
"Well... I guess that makes sense," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "After all, simulating something that's already happened... it should be easier than simulating something completely new."
More lines of golden text appeared.
[Simulating a specific action will require triple the amount of Temporal Energy...]
[Total required: 3 years of Life Simulation Time. Would you like to proceed?]
Yan Xiu's body trembled with excitement.
"It can do it?" he whispered, a grin forming on his lips, eyes glowing with renewed fire.
"Yes!"
The moment he confirmed the simulation—
Agony struck.
Yan Xiu's body convulsed as an invisible force surged into him, his breath stolen by the sudden, unrelenting pain.
It was as if his body was being torn apart and rebuilt a thousand times over—simultaneously.
He let out a strangled gasp as every fiber of his being screamed.
His muscles twisted, pulled, and shifted—reshaping themselves to align with the Unyielding Golden Skeleton. They weren't just adapting—they were submitting, synchronizing. The skeleton no longer sat like a foreign core within him. It was becoming his core.
His spine cracked audibly, his posture straightening unnaturally. His eyes realigned, sliding perfectly into the deep sockets of the golden skeleton, as if they had always belonged there.
His jaw clenched, sharp pain slicing across his face as his skin stretched and adhered to a sharper, more angular bone structure. His jawline refined itself—cut clean and severe.
His ribs tightened.
His arms extended ever so slightly.
His body, his entire frame, was restructuring.
Even his Qi flowed differently now—richer, smoother, surging through a network that had expanded and refined on its own. If before his meridians had been enhanced by the skeleton's presence—then now, they were reborn, optimized, attuned to the power that lay in his golden core.
He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. Every part of him was undergoing forced enlightenment through pain.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun—
It stopped.
Yan Xiu collapsed forward, supporting himself with trembling arms on the bed, sweat pouring from his body as he gasped for breath.
The golden interface of the Life Simulator shimmered into view.
[You have now 0.0003 years of Life Simulation Time remaining...]
"Pant… pant…" Yan Xiu trembled, each breath laced with the phantom of the pain that had passed.
And yet—
His entire body felt alive.
Energized. Whole.
He looked down at his hands, flexing them. They responded like blades unsheathed. Power surged through his new limbs, no longer wild or uncontrolled—refined, honed, perfectly bound to him.
He clenched his fist, slowly raising it as a grin tugged at his lips.
"Yeah… this is it... this is power."
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, I have noticed something about this fic... there's no plot whatsoever... yes, I hinted at Yan Xiu being just a Temporal Clone and his main body... but until now there has only been Yan Xiu getting stronger and not facing any threats... so I am thinking of starting a little arc soon, what do you think?
Be sure to check out my original novel Hyperborea!