GA: Chapter 176 – The Simulator; Staking Their Fate on This World
[This simulation: you have successfully advanced to intermediate Simulator.]
[You receive base rewards: ten Spirit Fields, one simulation life access.]
[Settlement rewards…]
[Because you altered the original fate of this world, causing the orthodox sects' purge of the Holy Cult to occur ahead of schedule—with all of them dying at Dongfang Bubai's hands—simulation evaluation significantly increased.]
[Simulation Points earned this session: 30,000.]
[Because your cultivation was absorbed by Dongfang Bubai, granting her the Minor Formless Skill, the Life-Death Talisman, the Tianshan Branch-Breaking Hand, and other lost martial arts of that world—simulation evaluation slightly increased.]
[You receive one simulation life access.]
[Defying Heaven and Changing Fate: You altered Linghu Chong's original fate trajectory, causing him to die at Dongfang Bubai's hands earlier than he would have—simulation evaluation slightly increased.]
[You receive three Spirit Fields.]
[Simulation evaluation for this session: B-rank.]
[Additional reward: one B-rank talent.]
[This simulation has concluded.]
[Your appearance merely accelerated this world's existing trajectory—hastening the war between the orthodox sects and the Sun Moon Holy Cult, thereby guiding the martial world down a new path sooner, while providing it with some martial arts already lost in the original world.]
The Simulator's cold voice sounded in Lin Chen's ear. A B-rank evaluation—nothing exceptional—but at least the advancement had succeeded. From now on, he was a true intermediate Simulator.
It should have been cause for great joy.
But something was wrong. Very wrong.
From the evaluation the Simulator displayed, he understood that Dongfang Bubai was not a Simulator as he had assumed—she was a native of that world.
But how could that be possible?
The Star-Absorbing Technique wasn't from that world.
And that sword of light that had pierced his chest—that was something no martial art could produce. At least not in a low-tier simulation world.
Lin Chen replayed Dongfang Bai's words in his mind.
"You may have misunderstood something. I never said I was a Simulator."
"Also—inner force is not particularly important to me."
At the time he hadn't had a moment to think before the Star-Absorbing Technique stripped him of everything. If not for the fact that death in a simulation world wasn't real, he wouldn't even have this time to reflect now.
If what Dongfang Bai said was true—
No. She seemed to have no reason to lie.
And the Simulator had confirmed her as a native of the simulated world.
So she genuinely wasn't a Simulator.
In that case—where had she obtained the Star-Absorbing Technique? And that sword of light—
Wait. When he'd speculated aloud that she was a Simulator, she hadn't shown any confusion at the word. And when he'd said her technique wasn't the Star-Absorbing Art but the Star-Absorbing Technique, she hadn't expressed any surprise either.
Was that because Dongfang Bai simply didn't show her reactions—or was it because she knew something, and so hearing the word Simulator and the name Star-Absorbing Technique didn't surprise her?
Lin Chen's gaze shifted with unease. Either way, he had no means of proving it.
But he had a feeling. Dongfang Bai had a secret.
"Simulator—lock this world for me. No other Simulators permitted to enter."
"Three hundred thousand Simulation Points. Confirm payment?"
The Simulator's voice rang in his ear. Lin Chen didn't hesitate for a single moment.
"Yes."
A low-tier simulation world normally cost around a hundred thousand points. Three hundred thousand was close to the absolute ceiling for a low-tier world.
Simulation Points were extremely valuable. Fortunately he'd accumulated enough over the years—otherwise he couldn't have covered it.
But this also meant he had staked a portion of his fate on this world.
After a few more simulations—with greater strength, knowledge, and talent—he would enter this world again. He would dig out Dongfang Bai's secret.
In the chat group, barely one shichen had passed since Dongfang Bubai went offline.
Dongfang Bubai: "It's already finished."
Ordinary Group Owner: "That fast?"
Ordinary Group Owner: "How strong was that Simulator?"
Su Yunqing was momentarily surprised—but then again, the opponents were ultimately a group of wuxia masters with no golden fingers. With the Glint-Glint Fruit, Dongfang Bai could probably kick dozens of them to death in a single sweep.
Anything less than fast would be strange.
Dongfang Bubai: "Not bad—quite capable."
Dongfang Bubai: "If it had been the me before joining the chat group, I likely would not have been his match."
Dongfang Bubai: "Though when I used the Star-Absorbing Technique to take his vital essence, a portion of it suddenly disappeared."
Dongfang Bubai: "That should have been his [Rule-Level Item] at work."
Though she had obtained the Simulator's inner force and martial cultivation, the vital essence itself hadn't been absorbed in great quantity.
Dongfang Bai wasn't bothered by this. Between the great and small sects today, she had absorbed from countless people—even if it all needed to be purified and compressed, the total volume was immense.
He might have been a Simulator, but from his muttering about advancing to intermediate Simulator, he was evidently still at the low tier. How much vital essence could a low-tier Simulator really have?
Ordinary Group Owner: "This Simulator system prevents actual death?"
Ordinary Group Owner: "Simulating other worlds, gaining things from different power systems, with no risk of dying?"
Ordinary Group Owner: "Ugh, I'm so jealous!"
Su Yunqing found herself wanting one of those Simulators too.
It wasn't exclusive to any one person, but the effects sounded powerful. If he could simulate the Smiling Proud Wanderer world, he could certainly simulate other worlds too.
If she could cross into that simulation world and simulate someone with her foreknowledge—she'd gain considerably.
Wait—did he even know the plot?
Ordinary Group Owner: "Does this Simulator know the story?"
Dongfang Bubai: "He doesn't appear to. Though he did recognize my Star-Absorbing Technique."
Ordinary Group Owner: "So some Simulator must have simulated someone from the Number One Under Heaven world at some point."
Ordinary Group Owner: "Shame you didn't livestream it. A battle between a Simulator and a chat group member—I feel like it would have been spectacular."
Su Yunqing said it with a trace of regret.
Dongfang Bubai: "…"
Dongfang Bubai: "If the Group Owner wants to see, I can send a memory copy."
Dongfang Bubai: "But this wasn't a performance or a drama. It was a genuine life-and-death battle."
Dongfang Bubai: "Every person I killed was a real life. The vast majority of them were not, strictly speaking, villains…"
Dongfang Bubai: "They died here simply because they wanted to kill me."
Dongfang Bubai: "And my identity is the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult—what they call the Demon Cult. Among those who wanted me dead, yes, some stood to benefit materially from my death—but more than a few genuinely believed they were upholding righteousness."
Dongfang Bubai: "Even so—does the Group Owner still want to see it?"
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