Chapter 8: The Dual Path and the Treacherous Bloom
The phantom agony of a hundred years, of stagnation and a crushing, meaningless death, still lingered in Ren's soul. But a new fire now burned within him. He was no longer just a survivor; he was a nascent predator, armed with a chilling understanding of power and the newfound A-grade Demonic Innate Talent coursing through his core. Peak Nascent Soul. A legend. But if such realms exist, then so does a path to them. I will find it. I must.
The first change was immediate and profound. With the Demonic Innate Talent, Ren's body, once a pathetic vessel limited by his five-element roots, now resonated with a subtle, dark vitality. His cultivation, which had stubbornly clung to Qi Refinement Stage 2, surged. He didn't need to practice for days; the ambient Qi seemed to gather around him, drawn by the talent. In a single, intense night of meditation, he broke through. Qi Refinement Stage 6. The breakthrough wasn't just in raw power; his senses sharpened, his physical body grew subtly stronger, and he felt a primal connection to the darker energies of the world, a wellspring of potential.
With his increased cultivation and sharpened senses, finding spirit stones became significantly easier. He still avoided official shops, but his efficiency in scavenging, hunting, and discreet bartering skyrocketed. The Instinctive Danger Sense he'd gained from the 100-year simulation, though not an active System talent in the real world, was now deeply ingrained in his instincts, guiding him away from trouble and towards opportunity. He moved like a whisper in the wind, a shadow flitting through the edges of society, always accumulating. Within a mere two weeks, he had amassed over 150 low-grade spirit stones, a staggering sum.
He paid for a full week in a secluded inn room, a true luxury. He needed to rest, to solidify his newfound strength, and most importantly, to access the System again. He settled into a meditative pose, the spirit stones forming a small pile beside him.
The System shimmered.
System Update Detected!
Talent Slots Increased! Host may now select two talents for simulation.
New Talent Tiers Unlocked! Higher grade talents (A+, S) now have a chance to appear.
Ren's eyes widened. Two talents. A+ and S grades. This was a game-changer. His heart pounded with a mix of excitement and trepidation. The System evolves with my strength. This means more variables, more chances for unforeseen events. But also, more power. He decided to try a different path this time, to confirm his growing cynicism about the 'righteous' path. He would play a long game.
Simulation Cost: 3 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Choose Influence:
[Righteous Influence]
[Demonic Influence]
Choose Starting Identity (Affects available talents):
[Pleb (F-C Grade Talents)]
[Outer Sect Disciple (D-B Grade Talents)]
[Manager's Illegitimate Child (C-A Grade Talents)]
[Hidden Family Young Master (A-A+ Grade Talents)]
[Inner Sect Genius (B-S Grade Talents)]
[Monarch Child (S Grade Talents)]
Choose Talent Type (A+ and S-Grade talents are extremely rare):
[Righteous Innate Talent]
[Righteous Normal Talent]
[Demonic Innate Talent]
[Demonic Normal Talent]
Ren chose Righteous Influence. He needed to understand their hypocrisy from the inside. For identity, he scrolled, his eyes catching on a new option. Hidden Family Young Master. Protected by Nascent Souls. This is the backing I never had. A perfect cover. He chose Hidden Family Young Master. This automatically restricted his talent choices to A-A+. Then, he selected Righteous Innate Talent.
Random Talents Generated for Righteous Innate Talent (A-A+):
[A] Heart of Serenity: Innate calm, increased resistance to mental interference.
[A+] Pure Yang Physique: Exceptionally pure Yang elemental affinity, rapid cultivation in Yang-aligned techniques, attracts positive karma.
[A] Cultivation Aptitude (Water): High affinity for Water-elemental cultivation techniques.
An A+ talent! Pure Yang Physique! This was incredible luck. My actual roots are trash, but in this simulation, I can be a genius. A pure, righteous genius. He then used his second talent slot, considering his choices. He needed something to help him navigate the treacherous waters of a righteous sect, something that would give him an edge when his true nature, or his true talent, needed to be hidden.
Second Talent Slot (Choose from generated list):
[D] Minor Illusion Affinity: Basic talent for creating simple illusions.
[C] Resourceful Mind: Increased ability to improvise solutions with available materials.
[A] Shadow Walker: Enhanced stealth and ability to blend into shadows.
Shadow Walker. Perfect. To observe, to scheme, to escape. To be both brilliant and invisible. He chose Pure Yang Physique (A+) and Shadow Walker (A). The three spirit stones vanished. The room dissolved into blocks of shimmering text.
SIMULATION LOG: ATTEMPT 8
YEAR 1: A Golden Cradle. Ren is reborn into the opulent estate of the Azure Serpent Family, a hidden cultivation clan with deep ties to the Cloud Blossom Sect, a prominent righteous sect protected by Nascent Soul Patriarchs. He is a Young Master, pampered and provided for, his [Pure Yang Physique] ensuring rapid cultivation progress from infancy. His status is undisputed, his future secure. He quickly reaches Qi Refinement Stage 6 by the age of 5, a pace that would be legendary for his real self. He learns to feign foolishness, to appear friendly and harmless, observing the subtle power dynamics within his family, the polite smiles that hide sharp daggers.
YEAR 10: Sect Life and Hidden Venom. Ren enters the Cloud Blossom Sect, his status as a Young Master of a major affiliated family ensuring his smooth entry. His [Pure Yang Physique] makes him a cultivation prodigy, quickly surpassing his peers. He uses his [Shadow Walker] talent to observe the sect's inner workings. He sees the "law-enforcement elders" accepting bribes, the "righteous" disciples backstabbing each other for resources, the open favoritism. He realizes that while the demonic path is overtly cruel, the righteous path is subtly, hypocritically so. Here, smiles conceal betrayal, and justice is bought. He learns all he can, pretending to be a naive genius.
YEAR 20: Ascendant Progress and Petty Conflicts. Ren reaches Foundation Establishment Stage 1 at the age of 18, astonishing the sect. His progress is phenomenal. He encounters conflicts – jealous disciples, arrogant elders – but always manages to survive, his talents carrying him. He develops a close friendship with a talented female disciple, Sister Ling, who is similarly gifted but lacks his background. He comes to trust her, or at least, to believe her sincerity in this world of polite lies.
YEAR 30: The Secret Realm. Ren, due to his immense luck (amplified by the A+ talent's subtle influence), stumbles upon a map leading to an ancient secret realm, hidden deep within the sect's protected territory. The realm is immensely powerful, clearly beyond his current ability to break into. It radiates an ancient, pure Qi. He cannot crack it open alone. This is it. A major treasure. Too big to hide. He makes a fateful decision. Driven by a desire for power, and a flicker of trust, he shares the secret with Sister Ling, proposing they cooperate.
YEAR 31: The Serpent's Embrace. Sister Ling, feigning excitement, betrays him. She reports him to the sect elders, accusing him of discovering a "demonic secret realm" and attempting to collude with dark forces. She paints him as an infiltrator. Ren's [Instinctive Danger Sense] (a faint echo of his real self's mastery) flares too late. The sect elders, notorious for their ruthless pragmatism disguised as righteousness, confront him. They see his talent, his connection to a hidden family, and the convenient opportunity to seize the realm's treasures for themselves while eliminating a potential threat. They accuse him of being a demonic spy, pointing to his "unusual talent" (his A-grade Demonic Innate Talent, which he subconsciously revealed when under extreme stress).
YEAR 31, Continued: The Righteous Smite. An Elder in the Golden Core Realm strikes him down, intending to capture him alive for interrogation and soul-searching. The blow is immense, designed to cripple a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Ren, gravely wounded, his Pure Yang Physique shattering, activates his [Shadow Walker] talent in a desperate, instinctual attempt to flee. He bleeds profusely, barely escaping the initial pursuit, his vision blurring. His cultivation, pushed to the brink of collapse, desperately seeks stability. In a flash of agonizing pain and a surge of unwanted, chaotic Qi, he breaks through, reaching Foundation Establishment Stage 1 again, his meridians barely holding together.
YEAR 32: The Labyrinth of Despair. Ren, near death, manages to stumble away from the sect, his mind a whirlwind of pain and betrayal. He wanders aimlessly, trying to escape the endless intrigues of the immortal world, but everywhere he goes, he finds more cultivators, more schemes, more power struggles. The righteous world, he realizes, is just as dangerous, just as prone to betrayal as the demonic, only cloaked in smiles and false virtue. He seeks refuge in a desolate, forgotten corner of the cultivation world, a place of ancient, decaying forests and swirling mists. His [Instinctive Danger Sense] screams, but he is too weak, too lost. He stumbles into a realm of pure, cold spiritual energy, a place of whispering shadows and spectral figures – a Ghostly Realm, a void of corrupted souls and lost spirits. He dies instantly, his body disintegrating, his soul left adrift in the terrifying, ethereal abyss.
SIMULATION ENDED.
YEARS LIVED: 32 YEARS.
SURVIVAL POINTS GAINED: 1800 (For achieving Foundation Establishment, navigating complex sect politics, and discovering a new realm type).
ACHIEVEMENTS: Righteous Prodigy. Foundation Establishment Achieved. Secret Realm Discoverer. Betrayal Survivor. Ghostly Realm Unlocked.
NEGATIVES: Betrayed and Hunted. Exposed Demonic Talent. Died to Unknown Ghostly Energy. Cultivation Damage.
SIMULATION EXPERIENCE EXTRACTION AVAILABLE. Cost: 200 Survival Points.
TALENT EXTRACTION AVAILABLE: [A+ Pure Yang Physique]. Cost: 150 Survival Points.
TALENT EXTRACTION AVAILABLE: [A Shadow Walker]. Cost: 100 Survival Points.
NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: GHOSTLY PATH SIMULATION!
Allows exploration of soul cultivation and post-mortal realm environments. Warning: High risk of soul corruption and madness.
SYSTEM UPDATE DETECTED!Potent Talent Extraction Mechanism Unlocked! (For higher-grade talents).Direct Text Control Mechanism Unlocked! (For limited influence on simulation events).
Ren gasped, bolting upright in his inn room, the pristine comfort a jarring contrast to the ghostly void he'd just experienced. His breath hitched, a phantom pain in his chest where the Elder's blow had landed. Betrayal. Again. From the "righteous." He laughed, a raw, cynical sound devoid of humor. Hypocrites. They're all the same. The demonic cut you down in honest rage. The righteous smile, then stab you in the back for profit. And my A-grade Demonic Talent, my core being, revealed itself at the worst possible moment.
He accessed the System. 1800 Survival Points. A decent haul, even with the bitter taste of betrayal. He immediately spent 200 Survival Points for the full simulation experience. The 32 years of deceptive smiles, forced cultivation, and sudden betrayal flooded his mind. He then spent 150 Survival Points to extract [A+ Pure Yang Physique] and 100 Survival Points to extract [A Shadow Walker]. A+ talent! The very essence of purity, now permanently his. And the ability to become a ghost among shadows.
He looked at the new System updates. Ghostly Path Simulation.A place to cultivate the soul after death. Corruption. Madness. Intriguing. And the new extraction and control mechanisms. More power. More ways to shape my destiny.
Ren closed his eyes, the weight of the new talents settling within him. His innate Demonic Talent, the powerful Pure Yang Physique, the elusive Shadow Walker – a chaotic blend of extremes. I am a paradox. A demon with a pure heart, a shadow with a brilliant core. This world will never understand me. Good. They don't need to. He opened his eyes, a cold, calculating gleam within them. He knew the righteous path, its hidden venoms, its veiled betrayals. He knew the demonic path, its overt brutalities, its crushing indifference. He would use both. He would use every tool, every talent, every extracted memory to forge his own path. He would not seek peace; he would seize power.
Now possessing a unique combination of Righteous and Demonic A-grade talents, how does Ren begin to integrate and utilize these conflicting powers in the real world to accelerate his cultivation and resource acquisition, and what new, daring strategy does he plan for his next simulation?