Chapter 29 - 28: Advancement in the Realm of Swordsmanship
The gap between people can sometimes be greater than the gap between a person and a dog.
This was a realization that suddenly dawned on Pei Xuanjing.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the rewards. [Simulation has ended, you can choose to retain one of the following rewards.]
[The first, the combat experience of a Fifth Rank Martial Artist.]
[The second, the “Water Swordsmanship” fused with the understanding of Realm.]
[The third, five years of True Qi accumulation.]
After a brief thought, he chose the second option. Despite having little combat experience apart from his experience of fighting against Fifth grade martial artists of the Liu and Shen families, alongside elite troops under the command of the mansion lord.
However, over the past six months, he had greatly improved his understanding of Fifth-grade Martial Artists’ skills through continued skirmishes with the elite troops under the command of the mansion lord.
A medium grade martial arts like the “Water Swordsmanship” that was fully integrated into the
Realm, was bound to play a much bigger role in improving his strength than the other two options.
After making his choice, not only was the incomplete part of the “Water Swordsmanship” filled in his mind, but he also gained familiarity with some of the sword moves that were previously unfamiliar, thereby acquiring a firm grasp over a medium-grade martial arts technique.
In the following days, he rested a bit to regain the spirit energy used during the life simulation and once restored to his initial state, he initiated the next round of the life simulation.
[Taoyun Points: 23775.]
[Would you like to use the Life Simulation module? Using it once will consume 5000 Taoyun points.] This time, Pei Xuanjing decisively chose ‘Yes.’
[From the Fifty Great Taos, fortune reveals forty-nine, leaving one concealed! Hence, every creature in the world has a single thread of life!]
At the age of twenty: The Forbidden Place of the Blessed Land opened and you entered the Forbidden Place of the Blessed Land…You successfully snatched a unique item from the Forbidden Place of the Blessed Land.
At the age of twenty-one: The mansion lord offered the unique item and got a promotion opportunity, then he invited you to leave with him, which you gladly accepted.
At the age of twenty-five: Half a month later, under the presiding of the governor, Northwest Dao held a martial arts competition. You made it into the top ten, thus making a name for yourself in the Northwest Dao.
However, in your first match after entering the top ten, you encountered a true genius – the heir of the Tie Sect, a Fifth-grade Martial Artist of twenty years old, your regrettable loss didn’t discourage you.
At the age of twenty-eight: Northwest Dao experienced an uprising. The mansion lord was ordered to quell it, and you followed him as an associate.
In the early days of the suppression, you all had an easy victory. But the true instigator behind the uprising responded by dispatching experts for precision strikes. You fought to protect Gu Ji and both of you narrowly escaped with your lives.
At the age of twenty-nine: Although you and Gu Ji preserved your lives, you were held accountable by the imperial court for the failure to suppress the rebellion. Gu Ji was demoted to Yunzhou. As you were only an associate and Gu Ji had taken all the blame upon himself, you were spared punishment. To repay Gu Ji, you accompanied him to Yunzhou.
At the age of thirty: You served as a guest official in Gu Ji’s administration in Yunzhou, where you spent your days studying and practicing martial arts.
At the age of thirty-two: You practiced “Water Swordsmanship” to reach the realm of spiritual comprehension.
At the age of thirty-three: You attempted to break through to the Fourth-grade realm but failed. Your martial prowess regressed, and although your life was spared, there would be no more opportunities for advancement.
At this point, the new Emperor ascended the throne and granted amnesty to all. Gu Ji was reinstated. He invited you to leave with him, but you, feeling despondent, declined his offer.
At the age of thirty-five: You established Everlasting Observance in Yunzhou and adopted a few children, intending to train them as your successors.
At the age of fifty: All your disciples became Ninth-grade Martial Artists, and the exceptional ones even broke through to the Eighth grade.
At the age of fifty-one: Gu Ji retired from his position and visited you in Yunzhou before returning to his hometown.
At the age of sixty: Upon hearing news of Gu Ji’s critical illness, you disregarded the long journey and rushed to see him. After your last meeting, Gu Ji passed away.
On your journey back, your internal injury flared up, and knowing that the end was near, you contemplated passing on your position as the leader. Fortunately, by then, one of your disciples had become a Seventh-grade Martial artist who was well-equipped to take over Everlasting Observance.
A month later, your disciple took over as the leader. You retreated within the observance to record your lifetime experiences and to reorganise your learning.
At the age of sixty-seven: Seven years was spent in the successful compilation of your books. On that same night, you passed away with a smile.
Three days later, your disciples held a grand funeral for you, and the book you compiled was published and preserved.
[This simulation is over.]
Pei Xuanjing reflected on this life simulation. It was his first natural death in the life simulations, marking a historical breakthrough.
Unexpectedly, he felt very calm about the outcome of this life simulation. He was happy for the friendship he had with Gu Ji in the simulation, which stood the test of time and lasted till the end. This was indeed a priceless treasure.
After smiling to himself, he turned his attention to the rewards of this life simulation. [Simulation has ended, you can choose to retain one of the following rewards.] [The first, twenty years of True Qi accumulation.] [The second, “Water Swordsmanship” fused with the understanding of Realm.]
[The third, a compiled book of life experiences.]
Firstly, he ruled out the third option. As for the first and second rewards, Pei Xuanjing was somewhat torn between the two.
Twenty years of True Qi accumulation was significant for him at this stage. It could save him the twenty years of True Qi accumulation required to break through the Fifth Rank Martial Artist Realm, offering a chance to leap into the Fourth-grade Realm in a short span of time.
However, a sudden gain of twenty years of True Qi might not lead to an advancement in his skill level; if he failed to breakthrough to the Fourth-grade, it could reduce his strength and martial prowess.
Since the increased True Qi would require more time to master and apply, which would be time-consuming.
Gritting his teeth, he chose the second reward – to elevate his “Water Swordsmanship” to the Realm of Spiritual Comprehension, as it would give him the most significant boost in power.
Of course, another reason for his choice was that he still had opportunities to trigger the life simulation. He might breakthrough in the life simulation that was to come, so there was no need for him to gamble on the first reward now. It was best to secure the second reward first.
After making his choice, his comprehension of “Water Swordsmanship” deepened. More importantly, he felt a sense of something that was so elusive he could not describe it..