Chapter 78

【... You discovered that Su Qingzhi and others had gone missing, so you went to Pingjun City, found Chu Xiyue who was still recovering from her injuries, and sought her help. She immediately agreed and brought Wu Xingyun along.】

【The three of you caught up with the Liu family’s convoy. After a fierce battle, you successfully rescued Su Qingzhi, Xu Ruomei, and others. They were all unharmed, except for Zhang Xiaohai, who was seriously injured.】

【Afterward, you and Chu Xiyue traveled together, discussing martial arts along the way. A few days later, a Lin family First Rank expert pursued you, but Chu Xiyue drove him away.】

【Once Chu Xiyue recovered from her injuries, she formally challenged you, insisting that you hold nothing back. After twenty moves, she was defeated by you.】

【Over the next year, you fought three times, and Chu Xiyue was defeated each time. When she was defeated for the last time, she said she was going back to get married. Seeing no reaction from you, she left with a sense of melancholy.】

【Subsequently, Wu Xingyun invited you to the capital, to join the Martial Academy. You agreed, and took Su Qingzhi with you, bidding farewell to Xu Ruomei, and headed to the capital.】

【Through Wu Xingyun’s introduction, you met the head of the Martial Academy, who appreciated you and appointed you as a professor. You could freely read the academy’s secret texts.】

【After that, you and Su Qingzhi settled in the Martial Academy, teaching the disciples while cultivating martial arts.】

【Five years later, the head of the Martial Academy was implicated in a major rebellion case due to his opposition to the current empress, and was imprisoned. Several professors were also implicated, and you were among those arrested.】

【Unwilling to be captured, you tried to escape with Su Qingzhi but were killed on the spot by a First Rank expert. You died at the age of 28.】

After reading through this simulated life, Gu Yang’s last worry was finally put to rest.

Su Qingzhi and Xu Ruomei were indeed safe and sound.

Moreover, this time, a new character was triggered. Due to Wu Xingyun’s recommendation, he joined the Martial Academy and spent five peaceful years there.

This provided another path, which was an unexpected joy.

Although it was only five years, it was still quite good.

The main purpose of this simulation was to confirm Su Qingzhi’s safety.

【The simulation has ended. You can retain one of the following:】

【1. The martial arts realm at the age of 28.】

【2. The martial arts experience at the age of 28.】

【3. The life wisdom at the age of 28.】

Gu Yang directly chose the martial arts experience.

He was already at the peak of the Third Rank, so choosing the realm was meaningless. After all, he would undergo Nirvana and start over again.

In the next moment, his mind was filled with many insights about martial arts.

The gains from this simulation were much greater than expected.

Before this, he had learned martial arts in a haphazard manner, picking up bits and pieces here and there, without a systematic approach. Even after learning the supreme technique "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens," there was no substantial change.

It wasn’t until this time, after entering the Martial Academy, that he finally had the opportunity to systematically organize his martial arts knowledge.

Over the five years, his understanding of martial arts reached a new level.

As a result, he gained a deeper understanding of the supreme technique "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens."

The potential benefits were immense.

Gu Yang couldn’t help but feel curious about the head of the Martial Academy, whose martial arts cultivation was clearly very profound.

The Martial Academy was mentioned by Xu Ruomei recently. It was an institution established by the Great Zhou dynasty to cultivate talent.

The founding emperor of Great Zhou initially set up the Literary Academy and the Martial Academy to break the monopoly of noble families and sects, and to cultivate talent for the court.

Now, after more than four hundred years, the Literary Academy had separated from the court and become one of the six major sects. The Martial Academy, however, had been in a state of decline, with little presence.

The two had vastly different statuses.

It wasn’t until recent years, with the emergence of Wu Xingyun, that the Martial Academy regained attention.

Of course, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter how poor the Martial Academy was, it could still protect a Third Rank expert. Unfortunately, it was ultimately caught up in political strife and became a political sacrifice.

These thoughts flashed through Gu Yang’s mind and were quickly discarded as he continued the simulation.

【... After discovering that Su Qingzhi and others had gone missing, you returned to Pingjun City, seeking Ling Ling. You waited until she emerged from her seclusion, and under her protection, began your Nirvana.】

【From then on, Ling Ling took you on the run.】

【Five years later, you reached the Eighth Rank.】

【Eight more years, and you reached the Seventh Rank.】

【Five more years, and Ling Ling ascended to the top of the First Rank list, preparing to break through to the Divine Realm. She was attacked by several First Rank experts. You were affected and died in the attack, at the age of 40.】

Gu Yang noticed something peculiar. Why was he safe when with Ling Ling, until she reached the peak of the First Rank and prepared to break through to the Divine Realm, only then to be attacked?

It seemed her ability to escape was indeed strong.

After claiming the reward, Gu Yang initiated another simulation.

...

......

..........

Thus, he repeatedly simulated, and finally, on the thirteenth simulation, a change occurred.

【... Ten years later, you felt a sudden surge of true essence, which transformed into a phoenix and soared in the sky for two rounds before re-entering your body. You successfully advanced to the Second Rank.】

【Eight more years, and Ling Ling prepared to break through to the Divine Realm, but was attacked by several First Rank experts. You barely held off one of them. In the final moment, the heavily injured Ling Ling managed to break through to the Divine Realm, killing all the First Rank experts, but she also died from exhaustion.】

【Subsequently, you heard the phrase "remnant of the martial family" and exploded, dying at the age of 40.】

Seeing this prompt, Gu Yang felt a surge of excitement.

Finally, the Second Rank.

It was truly difficult. Altogether, he had cultivated for nearly four to five hundred years to finally reach the Second Rank.

【The simulation has ended. You can retain one of the following:】

【1. The martial arts realm at the age of 40.】

【2. The martial arts experience at the age of 40.】

【3. The life wisdom at the age of 40.】

“I choose the first.”

Boom!

Gu Yang felt his true essence boil within him. The small phoenix in his consciousness emerged, absorbing all his true essence.

A phoenix the size of a fist emerged from his forehead, let out a clear cry that pierced the sky, and soared for two rounds before growing several times larger and re-entering his forehead.

“Ahh—”

Gu Yang let out a painful cry as his entire body was engulfed in flames, turning him into a burning man.

After a moment, the flames died down, and everything on his body was burned to ashes, except for the Phoenix Feather Knife, which remained intact.

Gu Yang opened his eyes and looked at his hands. His skin was smooth, and the fine scars he once had had disappeared.

He felt that his physical condition was better than ever, as if he had been reborn.

He suddenly thought of the first level of the Divine Realm, called the Golden Body Realm.

The "Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens" technique began laying a solid foundation for the Divine Realm at the Second Rank. No wonder it was called a supreme technique.

PS: To clarify, it is confirmed that the book will be released next Friday. After the release, updates will definitely speed up, with a minimum of 6,000 words per day, and I will strive for 7,000 to 9,000 words.