Chapter 53: Simulating the Late Stage of the Third Transformation
"You handle it!"
"I'm not interested in the Medicine Pavilion."
Li Changsheng shook his head.
He could have subdued the Medicine Pavilion by force, but since he had just crippled Song Xuan, even if he forcibly suppressed the others, they would only submit outwardly while harboring resentment in their hearts. It would be meaningless to spend time trying to win over these first and second-tier alchemists.
"Alright!"
Su Qingyu nodded. While the Medicine Pavilion was of little use to Li Changsheng, it still held some value for the Su family. Now that Li Changsheng had crippled Song Xuan, she would have the family send someone to take over the Medicine Pavilion directly.
Su Qingyu took out a message talisman and sent a message to her family.
The two stayed at the Medicine Pavilion for three days before returning to the Su family's ancestral land.
As for Su Zhengdao, he was taken back by Su Zhenghai. Li Changsheng didn't know the specifics of how he was dealt with, but after returning to the Su family's ancestral land, Su Zhengdao didn't cause any trouble for him.
...
Inside the cave dwelling.
Li Changsheng sat cross-legged, holding a purple pill—the fourth-tier Emerald Water Pill.
"In the simulation, after taking the Emerald Water Pill, my aptitude improved slightly. Let's see how much of a boost this improvement will bring to my cultivation!"
Li Changsheng tossed the Emerald Water Pill into his mouth.
Boom!
A warm current quickly spread throughout his body. Contrary to his expectations, it wasn't a violent process but rather a gentle, almost imperceptible enhancement of his aptitude.
It wasn't until three hours later that the warm current slowly dissipated.
"Huh!"
As soon as he opened his eyes, Li Changsheng smelled a foul odor—coming from his own body.
"It does have some marrow-cleansing effects, but for someone like me with a mixed spiritual root rather than a pure water root, it's barely better than nothing."
Li Changsheng circulated the spiritual energy within his body and found it indeed flowed more smoothly. His cultivation speed had increased by nearly ten percent.
However, it didn't meet his expectations.
"Whew!"
Li Changsheng let out a long breath, used a cleansing technique to wash himself, changed into clean clothes, and then took out the storage pouches of Song Xuan and the others.
Three storage pouches lay before him.
"Alchemists really are rich!"
After examining the contents of the four storage pouches, Li Changsheng sighed.
The two Golden Core rogue cultivators' storage pouches didn't contain much—only a little over two hundred thousand spirit stones combined. Adding in the materials, the total was roughly five hundred thousand spirit stones.
But Song Xuan's storage pouch alone contained over two million seven hundred thousand spirit stones, not to mention the countless materials. Li Changsheng even spotted several spiritual herbs that were thousands of years old, including a few used for refining fifth-tier pills. Each of these would cost at least tens of thousands of spirit stones on the market.
"Other alchemists are so wealthy. Here I am, a fifth-tier alchemist, and I'm so poor!"
"Well, at least all these things are mine now!"
Li Changsheng shook his head slightly and muttered:
"Recharge!"
[Recharge successful. Current balance: 2,490,000 money.]
[Would you like to use the Cultivation Simulator immediately? Each use costs 100,000 money.]
"Use it!"
[Starting simulation!]
[At 21 years old, you returned to the Su family's ancestral land with Su Qingyu, severely injured the Su family's third elder Su Zhengdao, and crippled Pill King Song Xuan. You successfully refined the Emerald Water Pill for Su Qingyu and took one yourself, improving your aptitude.]
[A month later, you chose to leave the Su family's ancestral land but were ambushed by the Medicine King Sect's Nascent Soul cultivator and Su Wuxu. You revealed your late-stage Nascent Soul strength and killed both with a single sword strike.]
[Half a month later, you returned to the Vajra Sect's secret realm and displayed the cultivation level of the third transformation of the Divine Demon Nine Transformations, demanding the subsequent technique from Elder Su.]
[Elder Su, suspicious of your rapid progress, believed you possessed a great opportunity and attacked you. You resisted with your life but were suppressed with a single palm strike.]
[Elder Su tortured you for information, but you refused to speak. He eventually killed you.]
[You have died!]
Li Changsheng frowned slightly.
Su Wuxu was Su Zhengdao's eldest son, a Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator. During this time, Li Changsheng had learned from Su Qingyu about the current state of the Su family. The most powerful faction was the one Su Qingyu belonged to.
Su Qingyu's grandfather was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and her father, the Su family's patriarch, was a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.
Su Zhengdao's son was also a Nascent Soul cultivator, and the second elder's faction had one as well.
However, to the current Li Changsheng, Nascent Soul cultivators no longer posed a threat.
The real dangers were Elder Su and the mysterious young man in the Vajra Sect's secret realm!
In this simulation, he had directly revealed the third transformation of the Divine Demon Nine Transformations, which raised Elder Su's suspicions due to his rapid progress.
Fortunately, he already had the cultivation methods for the first six transformations of the Divine Demon Nine Transformations, so he still had something to practice for now.
"If I can't get the techniques, at least I can still get something out of the simulations!"
Li Changsheng gritted his teeth.
"Again!"
[Starting simulation!]
[At 21 years old, you left the Su family's ancestral land and arrived at the Vajra Sect's secret realm. After greeting Elder Su, you focused on cultivating the Divine Demon Nine Transformations in the secret realm.]
...
[At 130 years old, Elder Su left the secret realm. You seized the opportunity to steal all the valuable spiritual herbs in the realm, fled, and hid in the outskirts of the Endless Forest.]
[With the help of the spiritual herbs, you reached the mid-stage of the third transformation of the Divine Demon Nine Transformations.]
[Three months later, the mysterious young man appeared before you and killed you with a single sword strike.]
[You have died!]
"He could still find me?"
Li Changsheng wasn't too surprised by the outcome. Both Elder Su and the mysterious young man were no weaker than the external experts who would descend over a hundred years later. If the Medicine King Sect could find him, it was natural for Elder Su and the mysterious young man to do so as well.
What he didn't expect was that even after hiding in the Endless Forest, he was still found.
But at least he had reached the mid-stage of the third transformation of the Divine Demon Nine Transformations!
"Choose option two."
As Li Changsheng made his choice, a surge of vital energy flooded his body, increasing his physical strength by a hundred thousand jin.
...
"Again!"
[...At 130 years old, Elder Su and the mysterious young man left the secret realm. You stole the spiritual herbs and fled to the depths of the Starry Sea, focusing on cultivating the Divine Demon Nine Transformations!]
[Progress was slow.]
[Two months later, the mysterious young man found you and killed you with a single sword strike.]
"No improvement this time!"
Li Changsheng frowned slightly. He had stolen the spiritual herbs again, but this time the Divine Demon Nine Transformations didn't improve. He had thought that by simulating a few more times, he could at least push the transformation to the peak of the third stage. Now, he realized he had been too naive.
"Choose option two!"
Still, Li Changsheng chose the second option. Although the increase in physical strength wasn't significant, he could clearly feel that his strength had grown by several thousand jin—a result of a hundred years of hard work in the simulator.
...
"Again!"
[...At 130 years old, you were killed by the mysterious young man with a single sword strike.]
...
[...At 140 years old, when the Medicine King Sect's experts breached the secret realm, you defected and revealed the existence of the mysterious young man Cui Zai. The young man killed you in front of the Medicine King Sect's experts.]
...
[...At 115 years old, after focusing on cultivating the Divine Demon Nine Transformations, you finally reached the late stage of the third transformation!]
The late stage of the third transformation was achieved!