I have a cultivation simulator

Chapter 28 The Mastermind

The massacre of the Qian Kingdom's royal family was for two reasons: revenge and a test of their strength and resources.

Preparing for Reality

The reason they didn't act themselves, but instead coerced these cultivators...

This is naturally to prevent extreme situations from occurring.

[For example, does the Qian Kingdom's royal family have a Foundation Establishment stage ancestor? Or do they have other methods similar to those used during the Foundation Establishment stage?]

[If you rush to the front then, wouldn't there be a great risk?]

However, letting these cultivators go first can avoid extreme situations. At most, it's these cultivators who will die. You can stay behind the scenes and escape unscathed if you realize something is wrong.

[You still have a lot to do in this simulation, so you can't just die and end it so easily.]

Even if it's about revenge or testing the waters, it's done in the safest way possible.

[Not allowing myself to take any risks]

Of course, these so-called extreme situations are just low-probability events.

[You don't really think that the Qian Kingdom's royal family has a Foundation Establishment stage ancestor in charge?]

If that's truly the case, why bother living a mundane life?

With a Foundation Establishment stage ancestor, they could easily occupy a second-tier spiritual vein like the Ouyang family of Wushan Market. Wouldn't that be far more carefree than establishing a mortal dynasty?

The mortal realm is a place devoid of spiritual energy, with scarce spiritual energy. It is virtually impossible for any cultivator with even a modicum of ambition to stay in the mortal realm for an extended period.

"Mortal life? Qian Kingdom?"

The Qi Refining Level 8 cultivator was stunned. He had initially thought that the black-masked man was instructing them to fight the other cultivators, and he was even considering whether to take the opportunity to escape.

[It turned out they were going to slaughter the royal family of a mortal dynasty...]

This is not something that can be done easily.

"No problem, I'll take the brothers and we'll get to it right now..."

Although the Qi Refining Eighth Level Tribulation Cultivator didn't know in what way the Qian Kingdom's royal family had offended this menacing man in the black mask, this matter wasn't difficult for him.

"My current strength..."

Your thoughts are in turmoil.

[When one cultivates the "Mountain and Sea Manual" to the ninth level of Qi Refining, the quality of their magical power surpasses that of ordinary Qi Refining Perfection cultivators by a significant margin, and it also possesses a spiritual pressure characteristic as vast as mountains and seas, making it particularly convenient for "smashing weaker opponents."]

In addition, that small black mountain is a high-grade magic artifact, which Ye Feng brought out from the Mountain and Sea Secret Realm.

[Besides this superior-grade magic artifact, the Black Mountain, there are two other superior-grade magic artifacts, six mid-grade magic artifacts, and one flying magic artifact.]

With your profound and refined magical power, you can easily manipulate the black mountain.

[With the power of your superior-grade magic weapon, you are practically in a league of your own when it comes to offensive capabilities at the Qi Refining Perfection level.]

Unless you are a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator at the same level who can also activate a high-grade magic weapon, no Qi Refining Perfection cultivator will be your match.

[More than half a month later, in the capital of Qian Kingdom, at the Imperial Palace]

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting erupted, and bursts of spiritual energy burst forth.

To be on the safe side, you remain outside the palace, observing the massacre unfolding within with a cold eye.

Just like the massacre that occurred at the Zhou residence decades ago.

[Sixteen Tribulation cultivators, three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and thirteen mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators—in the mortal realm, this is an overwhelming force.]

[Deep within the palace, several auras faintly erupted, but were quickly suppressed. Then came the massacre that swept through the entire palace, targeting the Qian Kingdom's royal family.]

After most of the day, the fighting in the palace gradually subsided.

The Qi Refining Stage 8 cultivator, a Tribulation Cultivator, arrived respectfully at your courtyard.

"Senior, what should we do with these cultivators...?"

The Qi Refining Stage 8 cultivator looked behind him and saw six or seven members of the Qian Kingdom's royal family, whose dantian spiritual power had been sealed and brought here.

Of these six or seven royal cultivators from the Qian Kingdom, the strongest was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and there were two others at the early-stage of Qi Refining.

【"Who are you......"】

The patriarch of the Qian Kingdom's royal family, an elderly man nearing the end of his lifespan, watched with terrified eyes as the invincible Qi Refining Eighth Level Tribulation Cultivator bowed respectfully to a man wearing a black mask whose aura was as vast as mountains and seas.

This royal patriarch is scrutinizing you intently, trying to recognize who you are and when the Qian Kingdom's royal family offended you, leading to this great calamity.

"Kill them all."

You stood up, glanced at the few cultivators from the Qian Kingdom's royal family, left these words, and then disappeared.

【"yes."】

The next moment, the Qi Refining Eighth Level Tribulation cultivator stirred his mind, and a long sword magic weapon swept out, beheading all the royal cultivators of the Qian Kingdom.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this Qi Refining Level 8 Tribulation Cultivator is so weak in front of you. In reality, as a Tribulation Cultivator, he excels in offensive combat. It's just that he appears so vulnerable when he encounters you, who completely overwhelms him in every aspect.

Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing quietly watched the virtual characters flash by.

"It seems that the highest level of cultivators trained by the Qian Kingdom's royal family is only the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

Zhou Qing thought to himself that through this trial in the simulation, he finally gained some understanding of the foundation of the Qian Kingdom's royal family.

"Mid-stage Qi Refining?"

Zhou Qing shook his head slightly, then thought it was normal.

In a place devoid of spiritual energy, it is impossible for a cultivator to be too powerful.

Without spiritual energy, cultivators cannot cultivate, and very few can endure it.

Zhou Qing spent a full ten years cultivating the "Qi-Inducing Technique" to get started. While his low-grade spiritual root was certainly a factor, the scarcity of spiritual energy in the mortal realm was also a crucial factor.

[In your sixtieth year, at the age of seventy-five, you return to Wushanfang Market once again.]

Your departure didn't attract much attention. Now there are very few cultivators left in the market; there are more shops than cultivators, and it's teeming with life.

You begin acquiring store assets that have fallen to rock bottom.

In the first simulation, when you are seventy-seven years old, Ouyang Shen, the market keeper, appears and begins to clear out the surrounding market area of ​​treacherous cultivators, accompanied by the female Foundation Establishment cultivator he has trained.

Now you are seventy-five years old, and that day is not far away. The prices of properties and shops in the market have all reached their lowest point.

While you were secretly acquiring numerous industrial assets in the market at the lowest prices, you vaguely sensed that besides yourself, another force was also secretly acquiring them.

Furthermore, this faction has acquired far more properties and shops than you have.

This means that the other party possesses far more spirit stones than you.

You were quite surprised. You had experience from the first simulation and were certain that Master Ouyang would cultivate a new Foundation Establishment stage successor, which was why you dared to acquire the properties and shops.

[But what makes this other force dare to do this? And they've invested far more spirit stones than you have in this acquisition?]

[Unless the other party is also certain that Master Ouyang can successfully cultivate a Foundation Establishment stage successor.]

But this matter...

In a flash, an incredibly unbelievable idea pops into your head.

Like you, the Ouyang family is another force secretly acquiring properties and shops at the lowest prices.

Only Ouyang Fangzhu's family had accurate inside information that they were capable of cultivating a Foundation Establishment stage successor.

[No, if there were only a chance to cultivate a Foundation Establishment stage successor, it wouldn't be possible to invest this much. After all, it's only a chance, not a certainty.]

[What if we fail to cultivate it successfully? Wouldn't all the spirit stones we invested be wasted?]

[Unless, Ouyang, the market owner, has already trained a Foundation Establishment stage successor, but has not announced it to the public, watching the market wither away, and countless cultivators losing everything, selling their properties and shops at rock-bottom prices with tears in their eyes.]

"The Ouyang family... truly has impressive methods..."

You vaguely realize that perhaps the Ouyang family is the mastermind behind the market's decline over the past few decades.