Chapter 45: Nascent Soul
"A scapegoat."
"A young man."
Li Changsheng's gaze sharpened. After so many simulations, he had a rough understanding. Elder Su's purpose in passing down his legacy to him was likely to shield the mysterious young man who killed him in the simulation. The Medicine King Sect would mistakenly believe he was the true heir of the Vajra Sect, diverting attention away from the real target.
"At least there's no danger before the age of one hundred and forty."
Li Changsheng's expression remained calm. Since Elder Su's goal was to use him as a decoy for the mysterious young man, he wanted to see if that young man would still be a match for him over a century later.
He might not even need to wait for the powerful beings to descend. Once he was strong enough, he could storm into the secret realm and eliminate the threat himself!
"Again!"
"Let's focus on reaching the fifth-tier in alchemy first!"
Li Changsheng murmured.
[... At one hundred and forty, you were killed!]
[... At one hundred and five, your alchemy reached the mid-stage of the fourth tier.]
Finally, mid-stage fourth tier.
Li Changsheng's expression wasn't great. It had taken seven simulation opportunities just to improve his alchemy by one small stage. Progressing beyond the fourth tier was proving to be extremely difficult!
Fortunately, he still had over thirty simulation opportunities left.
"Again!"
[... At one hundred and forty, you died!]
[... At ninety-seven, your alchemy advanced to the late-stage of the fourth tier.]
Another seven simulations, and his alchemy improved by one more small stage.
[... At sixty-six, your alchemy reached the peak of the fourth tier.]
[... At ninety-nine, your alchemy advanced to the fifth tier.]
"Option two!"
Without hesitation, Li Changsheng chose the second option.
Decades of alchemy experience flooded into his mind. It took half an hour before Li Changsheng opened his eyes again.
"I've finally reached the fifth-tier alchemist level!"
It had taken a total of twenty-nine simulations to advance his alchemy from the late-stage fourth tier to the early-stage fifth tier.
[...]
"Still six opportunities left. It's time to break through to the Nascent Soul stage!"
"Again!"
[Simulation begins.]
[At twenty-one, you returned to the Su family with Su Qingyu. You successfully refined Aqua Essence Pills, producing three. Su Qingyu gave you one, and your aptitude improved.]
[With the Su family's resources, you gathered materials to refine Nascent Soul Pills.]
[At thirty, you successfully refined a batch of Nascent Soul Pills, producing three, all of exceptional quality.]
[Three months later, after adjusting your condition, you went into seclusion to prepare for your breakthrough.]
[Three months after that, you successfully reached the Nascent Soul stage.]
[At thirty-one, you accompanied Su Qingyu to seek opportunities, fending off experts from two other major factions but ultimately gaining nothing.]
[After returning to the Su family, you entered seclusion, but your progress was slow.]
[At seventy, Su Qingyu reached the Nascent Soul stage.]
[At one hundred, Su Qingyu reached the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, while your progress remained slow.]
[At one hundred and thirty, Su Qingyu reached the late-stage Nascent Soul realm, while your progress was still slow.]
[...]
[At one hundred and forty, you successfully joined the Medicine King Sect.]
[Three months later, you were killed by a single sword strike from a mysterious young man.]
Li Changsheng frowned.
What cultivation level was this mysterious young man at? Even after reaching Nascent Soul, he couldn't withstand a single sword strike from him?
[You have died.]
[Simulation ended. You can retain one of the following.]
[Option one: The cultivation level at the age of one hundred and forty.]
[Option two: The combat experience at the age of one hundred and forty.]
"Option one!"
Boom!
As Li Changsheng made his choice, a terrifying aura began to condense around him.
[...]
In a tavern, Su Qingyu opened her eyes, suspiciously glancing in the direction of the spiritual eye. While in seclusion, she had suddenly felt a sense of unease, as if someone was breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.
"Could that guy have broken through to Nascent Soul?"
Su Qingyu frowned.
A few days ago, when she had seen Li Changsheng, she had vaguely sensed that he seemed to have made a breakthrough. Now, even without being near him, she felt the same sensation again.
"Impossible!"
"Someone reaching the Golden Core stage at such a young age would already be considered a top-tier genius even among the major sects. How could anyone reach the Nascent Soul stage at twenty-one?"
Su Qingyu shook her head, dispelling the thought from her mind.
[...]
"Whew!"
Li Changsheng looked at the miniaturized version of himself sitting cross-legged in his dantian, a smile appearing in his eyes.
"Finally, the Nascent Soul stage!"
"But the cost of each simulation has increased tenfold."
Looking at the insufficient balance on the simulator, Li Changsheng shook his head.
"With my aptitude, even if I were given ten million spirit stones, I couldn't reach the Soul Transformation stage through normal cultivation. I still need to find a way to improve my aptitude first."
Li Changsheng sighed.
"I can refine Su Qingyu's Profound Water Flower into Aqua Essence Pills. With my current alchemy level, I can refine Nascent Soul Pills into exceptional quality, so refining Aqua Essence Pills, which are simpler, shouldn't be a problem."
"However, Aqua Essence Pills provide only a minor boost to someone with a four-element spiritual root like me. It's better than nothing, but it's not enough."
"I still need to refine fifth-tier Marrow Cleansing Pills!"
The spiritual herbs required to refine Marrow Cleansing Pills were extremely rare. Li Changsheng doubted that even the Su family could gather enough of them.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Once I reach the Su family and obtain that one million spirit stones, I'll try a few more simulations to see if I can find the materials for Marrow Cleansing Pills."
Improving his aptitude was an urgent priority!
[...]
One month later.
Li Changsheng and Su Qingyu sat in the luxurious carriage compartment, with Lu He serving them, heading toward the Su family's ancestral land.
The Su family's ancestral land was not within Qi State but in Nan Zhao State to the south. The journey was long, and even a Golden Core cultivator flying on a sword would take several days to reach it.
Sitting in the carriage, Li Changsheng finally experienced the difference between a carriage pulled by nightmare horses with beast bloodlines and an ordinary mortal carriage.
Whether crossing mountains or rivers, there wasn't the slightest sense of bumpiness.
Moreover, the speed of the carriage wasn't much slower than traveling at full speed as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
After draining a cup of spiritual tea, Li Changsheng looked at Su Qingyu and asked,
"Miss Su, have you heard of the Vajra Sect?"
Su Qingyu was surprised. "Are you a descendant of the ancient Vajra Sect?"
Then, she frowned slightly. "You mustn't let anyone know you're a descendant of the Vajra Sect. Both the Medicine King Sect and the Long family are searching for Vajra Sect descendants."
"When I was young, I came across a historical book that recorded how, many years ago, the Vajra Sect was one of the top sects in the outside world. Later, it was destroyed by the Star River Sect, which allied with over a dozen major factions. The Medicine King Sect and the Long family were two of those factions."
"According to the book, the Star River Sect wanted something from the Vajra Sect—though it didn't specify what. Even now, the Medicine King Sect and the Long family are still searching for Vajra Sect descendants."
"You mustn't let the Medicine King Sect or the Long family know your identity. Even my Su family wouldn't be able to protect you."