2: Chapter 2: Stay put, don't be reckless!

[Life Simulator activated!]

[Generating initial template based on host's current status...]

[Template generation complete!]

[Name: Tang Xun]

[Background: Azure Cloud Sect Utility Disciple (Orphan)]

[Spiritual Root: None]

[Cultivation Base: None]

[Cultivation Technique: None]

[Equipped Traits (3/3): Life Simulator (Prismatic), Full of Energy (White), Greased Soles (White)]

[Unequipped Traits (14): Large Appetite (White), Loves Spinach (White), Empty Headed (White)...]

[Life Script: You are a transmigrator who has been a Menial Worker in the Azure Cloud Sect for eighteen years. Because you have no Spiritual Root and cannot Cultivate, you have suffered endless bullying. Your life is pitch black.]

[Simulation Start!]

The cold text flowed before Tang Xun's eyes like a waterfall.

He felt as if his consciousness was being pulled away, entering a peculiar God-like perspective.

[Age 18: You were beaten half to death and hid in the woodshed to activate the Life Simulator.]

[Looking at the "pitch black" life script on the panel, you were so angry you almost laughed out loud.]

Pitch black? I'll punch a hole right through it and let the light in!

[You know deeply that before you have power, any high-profile behavior is just seeking death.]

[Wang Hao's threat is imminent; you must first settle this month's "tribute."]

[Your stomach is empty, and your face burns with pain.]

[But you do not indulge in self-pity; instead, you calmly analyze your situation.]

[Your currently equipped traits are: Life Simulator (Prismatic), Full of Energy (White), and Greased Soles (White).]

[Life Simulator takes up one slot and is immovable.]

[Of the remaining two, one makes you more resilient, and the other makes you faster at running away.]

[You ponder for a moment—isn't this the template for the ultimate chosen laborer?]

[You decide to implement the mantra of "Staying Low" to the very end.]

Tang Xun's consciousness floated in mid-air.

He watched his "simulated self" crawl up from the ground and stretch his aching body.

"Hiss..."

The pain on his face and the footprints on his body served as reminders of everything he had just experienced.

"Wang Hao... third level of Qi Refining..." the simulated Tang Xun muttered under his breath.

His eyes lacked the anger and resentment of reality, replaced instead by an absolute calmness.

Is this the God-like perspective?

It felt quite wonderful, like watching a movie about himself.

Tang Xun watched with interest as "himself" paced around the dilapidated woodshed.

"Going head-to-head is definitely out; he could crush me with one finger."

"Running away? You can run, but you can't hide. I'm just a Menial Worker; where could I possibly go?"

"The only way is to meet his demands."

But how?

Fasting Pills were the only stable rations for Utility Disciples, and only a few were distributed each month.

By being frugal, he could only save three pills a month, which was already his limit.

Wang Hao was clearly not satisfied with that number.

"He said I've been feeding the Fire-Feathered Chicken for the Pill Hall's Deacon for a month and received many rewards... his information is quite fast."

The simulated Tang Xun rubbed his chin.

It was true. Deacon Liu of the Pill Hall kept a Fire-Feathered Chicken as a pet. It was a picky eater and only liked a type of Red-Thread Worm that grew on the cliffs of the back mountain.

That place was hard to climb and potentially infested with snakes and insects, so the Utility Disciples were unwilling to go.

But Tang Xun went.

Relying on the boost from [Full of Energy], he woke up before dawn every day, spent an hour running to the back mountain, and then used the slight speed bonus from [Greased Soles] to nimbly climb the cliff walls, catch some Red-Thread Worms, and return to feed the chicken before morning lessons.

After a month, Deacon Liu was highly pleased and indeed rewarded him with some things.

It wasn't Fasting Pills, but ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

These were hard currency for Disciples who could Cultivate, but for a Mortal like Tang Xun, they were useless except for being hard objects in his pocket.

He had originally intended to save them, just in case he had a chance to use them in the future.

Now it seemed he couldn't keep them.

"Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones in exchange for a month of peace—it's worth it."

The simulated Tang Xun quickly made his decision.

[You decide to pay for peace, using the ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones rewarded by Deacon Liu to pay tribute to Wang Hao.]

[The next day, sporting a face swollen like a symmetrical pig's head, you waited outside Wang Hao's dormitory early in the morning.]

[Wang Hao came out yawning. Seeing you, he frowned and cursed impatiently, "Why is it you unlucky thing again? I don't want to see you, get lost!"]

[You didn't speak, but silently pulled out a smaller cloth bag from your robes and handed it over respectfully.]

[Wang Hao took it suspiciously. Upon opening it, his eyes instantly widened.]

["Spi... Spirit Stones?" Wang Hao's voice even cracked a little.]

[He never dreamed that a pauper like Tang Xun could actually produce Spirit Stones.]

[His monthly allowance as an Outer Sect Disciple was only five Low-Grade Spirit Stones!]

["Senior Brother Wang, this is all of my meager savings," the simulated Tang Xun said, putting on a look of extreme fear and choosing his words perfectly.]

["It wasn't that I intended to hide them before, it's just... it's just that as a Mortal, I have no use for these things and didn't know how to properly offer them to Senior Brother."]

[Wang Hao's expression instantly turned from cloudy to sunny, and the way he looked at Tang Xun changed.]

[Greed, pure and naked greed.]

[He stuffed the bag of Spirit Stones into his robes and slapped Tang Xun heavily on the shoulder.]

[The force was so great it nearly shattered Tang Xun's thin frame.]

["Hahaha, Junior Brother Tang, what are you saying!]

[As fellow Disciples, isn't it only right that we help each other out?"]

["Look at you, your face is swollen like this. Which blind fool did this to you?]

[Tell your Senior Brother, and I'll settle the score for you!"]

[Watching Wang Hao's hypocritical face from the God-like perspective, Tang Xun almost vomited.]

[Good grief, even a Sichuan opera face-changer isn't as fast as you.]

[However, the response of "himself" was very appropriate.]

[The simulated Tang Xun waved his hands with a "flattered" expression: "It's fine, it's fine, I was just being careless myself."]

["I bumped into the door while getting up at night. I hit it on the left and then the right, so now it's symmetrical."]

[Wang Hao laughed loudly: "You kid, you're quite interesting."]

["Alright, from now on in the Outer Sect, if anything happens, just use my name. No one will dare bully you!"]

[His words sounded nice, but the meaning in his eyes was clear: Kid, do you have any more?]

[You very tactfully indicated that if you ever came across any more "useless" good things in the future, you would definitely bring them to Senior Brother Wang Hao immediately.]

[Wang Hao left satisfied, even "rewarding" you with a Fasting Pill before leaving, claiming he "couldn't let his Junior Brother go hungry."]

[Holding that Fasting Pill which still carried Wang Hao's body heat, you almost gagged, but you still accepted it with a thousand thanks.]

[You successfully resolved the immediate crisis, at the cost of potentially being exploited even more heavily by Wang Hao in the future.]

[But you didn't care.]

[What you needed was time. As long as you could stay alive, there was hope for everything.]

[Time slowly passed, and soon, a year had gone by.]

[During this year, you practiced the mantra of "Staying Low" to its absolute limit.]

[You woke up before dawn every day to feed chickens, chop wood, carry water, and clean... you scrambled to do every dirty and tiring job.]

[Relying on [Full of Energy], you could do the work of three people by yourself.]

[Relying on [Greased Soles], you could always finish your tasks faster than others and then slip away to a corner where no one would notice to rest.]

[You became taciturn, lowering your head whenever you met someone, with a humble and even somewhat fawning smile always on your face.]

[You became the most inconspicuous and "reassuring" person among the Outer Sect Menial Workers.]

[Wang Hao came to find you a few times, but you always pleaded poverty, saying Deacon Liu never gave any more rewards and you could only barely survive by doing hard labor.]

[After several attempts, Wang Hao saw there was really no more profit to be squeezed out and gradually lost interest in you.]

[Your nineteenth birthday arrived, and you finally welcomed your first opportunity to draw a trait in your simulated life.]

[Hiding in the woodshed, you rubbed your hands excitedly and chanted in your mind: "Give me a gold one! No, even a purple one is fine! Please!"]

[The wheel began to spin...]

In reality, Tang Xun also grew nervous.

It's coming, it's coming!

The first card draw in the simulation!

Even though it was just a simulation, this was the path his future self would take!

Please, let the first trait in the simulation not be too pathetic!

He stared intently at the text before him.

[The pointer spun rapidly, passing over large areas of white, and finally, it slowly and firmly... stopped in the white area.]

Tang Xun's heart went half cold.

Damn, it's still white.

[Congratulations, you have obtained a Common grade trait—Hale and Hearty.]

[Trait: Hale and Hearty (White)]

[Effect: When you enter old age (after 60), your physical functions will be slightly better than those of your peers.]

*Pfft—*

In reality, Tang Xun almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Hale and Hearty?

I'm only fucking nineteen in the simulation!

You're giving me a trait that only takes effect at sixty?

This System really understands life.

What is this? Is this mockery from the System?

Is it implying that I have to work like a beast of burden in the simulation until I'm sixty first?

[You looked at this trait and fell into a long silence.]

[After the silence, instead of being discouraged, an even stronger fighting spirit ignited within you.]

["It's fine, white is white."]

["Hale and Hearty means I'll at least live to be sixty! This is an auspicious sign!"]

[You comforted yourself this way and decided not to equip this trait for now; after all, you were only nineteen, so equipping it would be pointless.]

[Your life continues.]

[Age 19: You continued being your gold-star Menial Worker, spending every day feeding chickens and chopping wood. Life was boring but stable.]

[Age 20: You welcomed your second card draw. You prayed to all the gods in the heavens and then obtained a new white trait—[Post-Meal Stroll].]

[Trait: Post-Meal Stroll (White)]

[Effect: When you take a walk after eating, your digestive capacity will receive a slight boost.]

Tang Xun: "..."

Fine, I'll endure.

Good digestion, healthy body—nothing wrong with that.

[Age 21: You drew the white trait—[Little Expert at Farming].]

[Trait: Little Expert at Farming (White)]

[Effect: You have a tiny bit of talent in planting ordinary crops.]

Tang Xun was numb.

I'm in an immortal cultivation sect, big brother!

Farming?

Am I supposed to plant spirit rice or Immortal Plants?

Oh, ordinary crops. Never mind then.

[You looked at this new trait and had a sudden inspiration.]

[You took the initiative to apply to the manager for a transfer to the Herb Garden, taking responsibility for those unranked herbs and the vegetable garden that supplied the deacons and Elders.]

[You replaced [Greased Soles] with [Little Expert at Farming].]

[Currently Equipped Traits: Life Simulator (Prismatic), Full of Energy (White), Little Expert at Farming (White)]

[You found that after equipping this trait, the vegetables you grew really seemed greener, larger, and a bit tastier than those grown by others.]

[Age 25: You became the top dog of the Azure Cloud Sect's Outer Sect vegetable garden.]

[The "Tang Style Spinach" you grew was tender and juicy, becoming the most popular dish in the Outer Sect cafeteria for a time. Some Outer Sect Disciples were even willing to pay to buy it from you privately.]

[By selling vegetables, you saved up a "fortune" that was insignificant to others.]

[You drew the white trait—[Loves Sleeping In].]

Tang Xun: "..."

Thank you so much! How thoughtful!

[Age 30: You were already a thirty-year-old "old-timer."]

[Among the Utility Disciples whose average age did not exceed twenty, you were an anomaly.]

[With the money saved from selling vegetables, you could occasionally exchange for some healing salves and jerky to improve your meals. Life was quite comfortable.]

[This year, you drew the white trait—[The Angler Never Returns Empty-Handed].]

[Trait: The Angler Never Returns Empty-Handed (White)]

[Effect: As long as you go fishing, you will absolutely never fail to catch something. As for what you catch, that is not guaranteed.]

Tang Xun had completely reached a state of Zen.

Fine, fishing—cultivating the mind and character, that's good.

[You swapped [Little Expert at Farming] for [The Angler Never Returns Empty-Handed] and became obsessed with fishing in the small stream on the back mountain.]

[You found that this trait was truly amazing.]

[On the first day, you caught a crab the size of a palm.]

[On the second day, you caught someone's straw shoe.]

[On the third day, you pulled a bleached thigh bone out of the water.]

[You were so scared you unequipped [The Angler Never Returns Empty-Handed] overnight and swore never to touch a fishing rod again.]

[You felt that this immortal cultivation world was too dangerous. Growing vegetables was better suited for you.]

Watching the series of eccentric operations by "himself" in the simulation, the real Tang Xun laughed until his stomach hurt.

This simulator, why does it feel a bit improper?

However, as he laughed, he also felt some emotion.

Over a decade passed in the blink of an eye.

His simulated self had transformed from a hot-blooded youth into a middle-aged uncle who only wanted to grow vegetables in peace.

In these dozen or so years, he had drawn over a dozen white traits, each one quite remarkable.

[Square Dance Mastery], [Must Take Back Moves in Chess], [Loves Bragging While Drinking], [Snoring Like Thunder]...

Tang Xun looked at his long list of unequipped traits and felt like he wasn't cultivating immortality but playing some bizarre life game.

[Age 35: You saw an unexpected person in the vegetable garden—Su Qinghan.]

[She seemed to have come to the Herb Garden to collect a certain Spirit Medicine and passed by your vegetable patch.]

[At that time, you were wearing clothes covered in patches, covered in mud, humming an out-of-tune tune while watering a row of cabbages.]

[Just like seventeen years ago, you looked up and happened to meet her gaze.]

[This time, her gaze stayed on you for more than a second.]

[In her eyes, there was a hint of... confusion?]