Immortality Simulator-Chapter 5: Ripples On Calm Waters

[This simulation has ended]

Li Fan regained consciousness, his mind still reeling from the sheer force of Dao Xuanzi’s final sword strike.

So this is the power of a final-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator... Awe surged through him.

Given Kou Hong’s earlier show of strength, he was capable of leveling Xuanjing City with ease, which already left Li Fan astonished. But Dao Xuanzi’s last attack had carved a visceral understanding of his own insignificance into him.

Like an ant facing a tidal wave, Li Fan could neither comprehend the sword strike nor perceive its full scope.

Yet even that fleeting glimpse was enough to reveal the chasm between a mortal and a final-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Without Immortal-Mortal Miasma, even a hundred lifetimes of schemes wouldn’t have posed a threat to them. Li Fan silently rejoiced, yet at the same time, he felt a mix of bewilderment and dread.

What exactly is Immortal-Mortal Miasma? Aren’t cultivators originally mortals? How can mortal blood suppress them so utterly? The implications lurking behind this truth sent his mind spiraling through endless conjectures.

But he quickly reined them in.

First, I should assess my gains and losses in this life.

Scenes flickered across the screen before him as he pondered.

The ambush on Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong went mostly as planned. Bullets soaked in convict blood weakened them, and then the mention of the core formation method disrupted their focus. The blood rain sealed their fate, leaving them too feeble to resist capture...

What I didn’t anticipate was how devastating the Immortal-Mortal Miasma would be. Kou Hong perished outright.

Their bond was even more unexpected. I assumed their “century of brotherhood” was mere talk, but when attacked, Dao Xuanzi warned Kou Hong. And Kou Hong, knowing death was inevitable, willingly gave Dao Xuanzi the core formation method.

Dao Xuanzi, enraged by Kou Hong’s demise, abandoned survival and unleashed a strike of mutual destruction to avenge him... Their friendship was genuine.

Then why would they turn on each other over a core formation method? The contradiction gnawed at him.

Suddenly, he recalled their first encounter.

Only one can walk this path to the Golden Core realm... Realization dawned. Immortal techniques cannot be shared between cultivators?

If even brothers are driven to this, what does that say of the wider cultivation world?

A premonition took root in him. The cultivation path of this world might be far darker than he imagined.

No matter what dangers lie ahead, I won’t waver. With Return to Truth, no obstacle is insurmountable as long as I tread carefully.

After only a moment of hesitation, Li Fan’s resolve hardened once more.

In this so-called Immortal Forsaken Land, my path to immortality still hinges on Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. Last time, I chose to ambush them both. Perhaps this time, I can try swaying one to my side. His mind raced, swiftly formulating several new strategies to deal with them.

Though they were lofty Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Fan felt no fear. In truth, he didn’t even regard them as true opponents.

This wasn’t arrogance—the power of Return to Truth, which allowed for endless retries, was simply too heaven-defying!

What was mere Foundation Establishment strength compared to fifty years of foresight and infinite chances for trial and error?

After the simulation ended, Li Fan still chose the option to accelerate the charging process.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Biological Age: 20/86

Psychological Age: 216/1080↑

Virtualization Charging Progress: 30%

This time, the limit of my psychological age only increased by a few decades. Looks like I’m nearing a ceiling. Li Fan had long prepared for this, so he wasn’t particularly bothered.

If I count the life before my transmigration, this is already my fifth lifetime. The path to immortality is truly arduous. Li Fan sighed. I hope these fifty years won’t be wasted.

Once again, Li Fan began his fifty-year wait.

Like clockwork, everything proceeded methodically.

Taking the imperial exams, passing as a provincial scholar, and becoming the top candidate.

Serving as a magistrate, mining minerals, crafting firearms.

But after killing the Prince of Langya and replacing him with a double, Li Fan grew impatient.

Ten years was too long. Until he controlled the empire, he remained confined to Jiangnan. Given an extra decade to marshal the realm’s resources, his plan to capture the two cultivators alive would have better odds of success.

Thus, Li Fan decided to send a trusted agent to infiltrate the palace and secretly poison the emperor with a slow-acting toxin.

Unexpectedly, this very decision led to unforeseen complications.

Though his agent’s poisoning went undetected, the young and vigorous emperor, who suddenly found his health deteriorating day by day, grew increasingly paranoid.

He suspected foul play, and his prime suspect was none other than his closest brother, the Prince of Langya.

Thus, in Anchor Year 7, as the emperor lay on his deathbed, he bypassed the Prince of Langya and passed the throne to the notoriously frivolous Prince of Runan.

Fortunately, Li Fan’s spies in the palace relayed the news swiftly. Upon learning of this development, he acted immediately.

On one front, he dispatched assassins to ambush the Prince of Runan en route to the capital. On the other, he rallied the army he had built over the years under the Prince of Langya’s banner, declaring that the emperor had been betrayed by corrupt advisors. Under the pretense of “saving the nation from calamity,” he stormed the capital, seizing the imperial court by force before anyone could react.

Such drastic measures naturally came with severe repercussions.

First, the court officials refused to submit. The emperor’s final edict had named the Prince of Runan as successor—wasn’t the Prince of Langya’s actions tantamount to outright rebellion? Though the ministers dared not openly defy Li Fan’s military grip, they feigned compliance while sabotaging governance. Some even secretly urged regional lords to “restore order” by marching on the capital.

Li Fan showed no mercy. He executed a bloody purge before barely quelling dissent. Even with the covert aid of his father-in-law, the Grand Secretary, it took months to stabilize the situation.

During these months, Great Xuan was in complete upheaval. Regional lords across the realm declared independence, turning deaf ears to the imperial court’s decrees.

Thus, Li Fan had no choice but to dispatch troops to crush them, one stronghold at a time.

Though his firearms were formidable, their numbers were limited. Combined with the vast expanse of Great Xuan’s territory, the campaign proved grueling.

Between warfare and governance, Li Fan was utterly overwhelmed.

He toiled endlessly, and it wasn’t until the Anchor Year 22 that internal strife and external threats were finally quelled.

By this reckoning, compared to the steady, methodical approach he had taken in his previous life, his gaining full control of the realm had been delayed by several years.

It’s better to practice caution and maintain composure. Li Fan reflected bitterly once peace was restored, resolving to learn from this lesson. A slight misstep leads to a thousand li of deviation. If the variables multiply, my foresight loses its edge.

Fortunately, these were merely ripples—nothing that could shake the greater tide of his plans.

Once affairs gradually returned to order, the gears of time spun swiftly forward, and Anchor Year 35 arrived.

That year, Li Fan departed Xuanjing City, traveling a thousand li eastward to the Abyssal Chasm.