Chapter One: Life Simulator
On the outskirts of the city, in a desolate village, stood a dilapidated thatched hut.
Lin Heng, aged five, had just awakened to the wisdom of his past life. Struggling to prop up his weakened body, he leaned against the wall.
Accompanying the awakening of his past-life memories, his golden finger—the Life Simulator—appeared.
A pale blue screen projected itself into Lin Heng’s vision. Lines of text surfaced, explaining the instructions for using the Life Simulator.
“The so-called life simulation allows one to glimpse the myriad facets of the mortal world within illusion, thereby clarifying one’s mind and nature, forging truth from falsehood.”
“Each simulation is a brand-new life, a fleeting dream.”
“To activate the Life Simulator, one must expend a simulation attempt. Every year, the simulator gifts one attempt. Outstanding evaluations within the simulator earn bonus attempts, and using fortune to charge the simulator grants extra attempts.”
“At the end of each simulation, rewards are drawn, including but not limited to techniques, talents, attribute points, longevity, treasures, and more.”
“The simulator is presently in survival mode; efforts made for survival yield better evaluations. The higher the evaluation, the greater the chance of obtaining top-tier treasures.”
“Before each simulation begins, talent points may be expended to draw talents, serving as aids for the simulation.”
After reading these brief instructions, Lin Heng understood them completely.
In summary, after starting a life simulation, Lin Heng would experience a world as vivid and illusory as a dream. He must strive to survive and thrive within this simulated world, earning rewards from the Life Simulator to change his real life.
Once he finished reading the simulator’s instructions, a personal attribute panel appeared.
Name: Lin Heng
Race: Human [Race Value 20]
Lifespan: 5/70 years
Strength: Utterly feeble
Family background: 1
Charm: 2→14
Comprehension: 2→16
Physical Constitution: 1→11
Fortune: 1→20
Talent: [Wisdom of Past Lives: Awakens memories of a previous life, unlocks bodily potential, alters destiny, and automatically replaces Charm, Comprehension, Constitution, and Fortune with the highest values from both lifetimes.]
Simulation attempts: 5
As Lin Heng focused on the attribute panel, the meaning of each property took root in his heart.
Name and race were self-explanatory.
The race value represented the maximum limit Lin Heng’s attributes could reach under normal circumstances. With a race value of 20, any single attribute could reach up to 20 through effort.
To raise the race value, one must cultivate to a higher level of existence, thereby breaking this innate ceiling.
Beyond race value, both lifespan and strength could be improved by cultivation.
Next came the other attributes: Family background represented the social circles Lin Heng could access and the wealth he could command. Although this was determined at birth, it could also be raised through personal effort.
Charm encompassed appearance, temperament, demeanor, speech, and character—a holistic reflection.
Comprehension measured learning capacity, calculation, logical thinking, and breadth of knowledge.
Physical constitution reflected health, strength, endurance, and speed.
Fortune denoted luck: when faced with choices, one’s intuition would more likely lead to the correct path, and daily life would favor chance success.
In these attributes, 1 point was the lowest, 5 the average adult’s easy attainment, 10 was excellent, and 15 signified an elite.
To reach 20 in any attribute marked one as a true prodigy.
If one could elevate multiple attributes to their maximum, achieving greatness worthy of history would no longer be mere fantasy.
Then came the talent field: only exceptionally distinctive traits formed talents, appearing here.
Lin Heng possessed only the Wisdom of Past Lives, denoting his reincarnation into this new world and the unique qualities of his second life.
Finally, the five simulation attempts were accumulated over his five years of life, but previously unusable as he had not awakened his past-life wisdom.
“In my past life, I lived in a peaceful and prosperous era, blessed with upright features and a tall stature. I enjoyed reading and physical training, and gained the Life Simulator—a chance to defy fate itself.”
“In this life, I am a beggar abandoned by my parents, raised by an old beggar, homeless, shabbily clothed, hungry, and education is a distant dream. Fortune is utterly absent, and even the old beggar who cared for me has died.”
“A family background of 1 matches my circumstances. I haven’t eaten in two days and am close to starving to death.”
“A catastrophic beginning indeed.”
After reviewing the entire attribute panel, Lin Heng compared the properties to his past and present situations.
“In any case, let’s see how the Life Simulator works.”
At that moment, his stomach growling with hunger, he had no energy left for complaints, immediately choosing to activate the simulation.
“One simulation attempt consumed; four remaining.”
“Simulation activated. Allocating talent points.”
“Talent point allocation formula: Fortune attribute multiplied by a randomly drawn number. Current Fortune is 20, random number is 4.5, total talent points available: 90.”
“Beginning random talent draw based on talent points. Draw complete. Please choose...”
As Lin Heng activated the simulation, new lines of text appeared before him.
The text faded, and ten talent entries appeared—five in red, five in gray.
Red entries represented positive effects, gray indicated negative ones.
[Prodigy of Cultivation]: You are a peerless talent in cultivation, blessed with extraordinary aptitude. Selecting this talent costs 90 talent points.
[Natural Optimist]: You are innately optimistic, able to find joy in arduous cultivation, making persistence easier. Selecting this talent costs 20 talent points.
[Born for the Sword]: You are a natural candidate for swordsmanship, possessing outstanding prowess in the way of the sword and capable of great achievements. Selecting this talent costs 70 talent points.
[Skilled Artisan]: You have good aptitude for forging artifacts; with dedicated study, you can achieve success in the art of crafting. Selecting this talent costs 10 talent points.
[Attribute Reset]: Before the simulation begins, you may reset all innate attribute points for free allocation. Selecting this talent costs 10 talent points.