Chapter 3 Treasure Hunt

Li Changsheng returned home with the twenty-seven taels of silver he had taken from under Leopard Lord's bed.

With Leopard Lord dead, the Sanshui Ferry market would undoubtedly face an investigation by the Canal Gang. However, they would never suspect a small-time fisherman like him.

Moreover, he planned to leave the Sanshui Ferry market after finding the Bone Tempering Grass.

The Sanshui Ferry market was too small. Even Leopard Lord, who had controlled the market for eight years, had only managed to save a little over twenty taels of silver. If he wanted to rapidly increase his strength, this small market could never provide enough resources.

"Recharge twenty-five taels of silver!"

[Recharge successful. Balance: 20 credits.][Would you like to use the Immortal Cultivation Simulator now? One use costs 10 credits.]

"Use it!"

[At eighteen, you kill Leopard Lord, the small-time boss of the Canal Gang in the Sanshui Ferry market. The entire market becomes tense. The Canal Gang sends two Houtian-level warriors to investigate, but they find no leads and hastily close the case.][On the ninth day, you travel to a small island near Moon Bay and find three Bone Tempering Grass plants.][You consume the Bone Tempering Grass, and your strength improves slightly.][A month later, you arrive in Witch Mountain City and become the captain of the Chen family's guard, earning a monthly salary of five taels of silver.][At thirty, you focus on rigorous training in Witch Mountain City.][At forty-five, the third generation of the Chen family kills the grandson of Shen Wanshan, a peak Houtian-level warrior. Shen Wanshan storms the Chen estate, killing everyone in sight. You're discovered at the back gate and slain by Shen Wanshan with a single strike!][You are dead!][Simulation ended. You may retain one of the following:][Option one: Cultivation level at age forty-five.][Option two: Cultivation combat experience at age forty-five.]

'Even trying to cultivate in peace isn't safe!'

Li Changsheng frowned slightly. Such was the nature of the martial world. Sometimes, even if you didn't go looking for trouble, trouble would come looking for you!

"Choose option one!"

As Li Changsheng made his choice, a surge of energy flowed into his dantian, rapidly circulating through his body. The internal energy within him thickened noticeably.

"Hu…"

"As expected, even without breaking through to a new level, choosing option one still improves my strength."

Li Changsheng murmured to himself:

"Every bit counts. As long as I have enough money, I can reach the pinnacle of this martial world. After that, I'll begin my search for the traces of immortals!"

"Martial arts, no matter how strong, are not my dream. Immortality is what I seek!"

Having been reborn in a world with immortals, how could he be content to turn into a handful of dust after a few decades?

"Again!"

[Simulation begins!][...][Three months later, you become an instructor at the prestigious Wei Zhen Martial Arts School, earning a monthly salary of eight taels.][At thirty-nine, you successfully break through to the mid-Houtian stage, and your monthly salary at the Wei Zhen Martial Arts School rises to twenty taels.][At forty-three, rumors spread of an inheritance from an innate-level expert on a small, desolate island in the southern bay of Silver Moon Lake. Martial artists from all over flock to the island in search of the inheritance. You also go seeking your fortune but are severely injured by Cao Xun, the leader of the Canal Gang, and forced to flee!][You return to Witch Mountain City, fearing retribution from the Canal Gang, and flee overnight.][At sixty-five, the hidden injuries in your body flare up, and you fall seriously ill.][At sixty-eight, you die!][Simulation ended. You may retain one of the following:][Option one: Cultivation level at age sixty-eight.][Option two: Cultivation combat experience at age sixty-eight.]

'So there's an inheritance from an innate-level expert in Silver Moon Lake. I wonder if it's still there now.'

'And this Mountain Splitting Fist has problems!'

Li Changsheng couldn't help but frown. The first time he simulated learning the Mountain Splitting Fist, he suffered from chronic illness in his later years. This time was no different, although the hidden injuries didn't flare up until his sixties.

"Still, I've successfully reached the mid-Houtian stage."

"I choose option one!"

As Li Changsheng's words fell, a powerful surge of energy flowed into his body. His meridians were forcibly expanded, becoming thicker and more robust. The internal energy within him tripled in volume.

"Finally, the mid-Houtian stage! I wonder how I stack up against the martial artists in Witch Mountain City now."

Li Changsheng murmured to himself.

But then he glanced at his shattered bamboo bed and smiled wryly. He found a wooden plank, placed it on two overturned chairs, spread out his bedding, and lay down.

The next day.

Two thugs who hadn't attended the drinking session the previous day arrived at Leopard Lord's house and were greeted by a gruesome scene.

"Oh my god!"

"Leopard Lord is dead!"

"Leopard Lord is dead!"

As soon as they opened the door and saw the corpses strewn across the floor, they were scared out of their wits. It wasn't until they fled to the Sanshui Ferry market that they regained their senses.

"Leopard Lord is dead, Leopard Lord is dead!"

"Quick!"

"Report this to the Canal Gang's experts!"

The two thugs snapped out of it and rushed toward the Canal Gang's headquarters.

By now, the Sanshui Ferry market was bustling with activity. Many people had overheard the thugs' shouts.

"Leopard Lord is dead?"

Someone said skeptically.

"Today's the day to pay the fishing tax. What if…?"

"It's no use. Even if Leopard Lord is dead, the Canal Gang will send someone else to manage the market. The tax… is unavoidable!" An old fisherman, puffing on a pipe, spoke with a bitter expression.

He had been fishing in Silver Moon Lake since he was a teenager, for nearly thirty years now. For thirty years, he had been paying taxes to the Canal Gang every month.

The other fishermen and merchants fell into silence.

As the two thugs left, it wasn't long before two Canal Gang experts arrived on horseback, galloping straight to Leopard Lord's residence.

The two dismounted and entered the courtyard.

"All the killings were done with a single strike. Only Leopard Lord suffered some torture," one of them said gravely.

"The killer is at least a Houtian-level warrior. It doesn't seem like they're targeting the Canal Gang," the other, a middle-aged martial artist, observed after scanning the courtyard. "Leopard Lord was insignificant within the gang. If someone were targeting us, they wouldn't have started with him. This was probably a personal grudge."

"Leopard Lord was a small fry. There's no need to offend an unknown Houtian-level warrior over him."

"Let's assign someone else to manage the market. If something else happens, we'll send more experts to handle it."

"Agreed."

With that, the two men concluded the matter, mounted their horses, and rode off.

A new small-time boss was assigned to the Sanshui Ferry market.

Early in the morning, Li Changsheng sailed his small boat to the southern bay of Silver Moon Lake.

Silver Moon Lake stretched over a thousand miles, with dozens of small islands scattered around the southern bay. These were desolate islands, rarely visited by anyone.

"I'll have to search them one by one. If I don't find anything before the thunderstorm in seven days, I'll leave."

Li Changsheng lightly stepped off his fishing boat and landed on a desolate island.

For three days, Li Changsheng tirelessly searched over a dozen islands but found no trace of the innate-level expert's inheritance.

Finally, on the fourth day, in a hidden cave on the southern side of a small, desolate island, he found a skeleton emitting a faint golden glow. Beside the skeleton lay a package.

A look of joy flashed in Li Changsheng's eyes as he murmured:

"Finally, I've found it!"