In the darkness, lines of glowing text appeared sequentially with the images.
[You returned to the anchor point of year one, and in your ecstatic state, you acted out of character, nearly being forced by your aunt to drink exorcism water obtained from the village witch.]
[There are six months until the provincial examination, and you study diligently day and night at home. Since you already know the exam questions, you are full of confidence. Although your aunt often complains about you, she has always supported your studies.]
[The village chief's brother covets your family's fertile ancestral land and secretly pressures you. As a woman, your aunt struggles to resist but is unable to do so. With a small trick, you resolve the matter. From then on, your aunt views you in a new light.]
[Six months later, you participate in the provincial examination. Although you only rank at the bottom of the thirties, you still succeed in becoming a scholar, bringing glory to your ancestors.]
[In the second year of the anchor point, you travel to Xuanjing to participate in the metropolitan examination. Well-prepared for the exam questions, you naturally excel. You perform outstandingly in the palace examination, ranking in the second class and being granted the title of jinshi.]
[In Xuanjing, you network extensively and finally achieve your wish of obtaining the position of magistrate of Wen County in Jiangnan.]
[In the third year of the anchor point, you bring your aunt to Wen County after taking office. You begin to secretly cultivate your trusted inner circle. In the same year, you lead your subordinates to discover several mineral deposits in the deep mountains, as remembered from your past life.]
[In the fourth year of the anchor point, you successfully produce a batch of explosives and flintlock rifles. Your musket team, in their first trial, annihilates and incorporates a nearby bandit group.]
[In the fifth year of the anchor point, a severe drought hits Jiangnan, and refugees are everywhere. However, due to your early efforts in water conservancy and building waterwheels for irrigation, Wen County under your governance is not significantly affected. In the same year, a group of refugees gathers to rebel, attacking the Prince of Langya's residence. You arrive with troops in time to save the Prince of Langya's family, earning his deep gratitude.]
[In the sixth year of the anchor point, you are promoted to prefect of Jianghuai Prefecture. In the same year, you marry the daughter of the current Assistant Minister of Personnel.]
[In the seventh year of the anchor point, a sudden locust plague hits Jiangnan, causing poor harvests. Only your jurisdiction is minimally affected. In the same year, your wife gives birth to a son.]
[In the eighth year of the anchor point, your subordinates successfully produce flintlock rifles.]
[In the tenth year of the anchor point, the Princess of Langya gives birth to a son. You personally visit to congratulate and present a carefully prepared gift.]
[In the fifteenth year of the anchor point, the emperor suddenly falls ill. Before passing, he summons the Prince of Langya to the capital and passes the throne to him. The Prince of Langya ascends the throne, changing the era name to Xuanjing.]
[In the sixteenth year of the anchor point, Emperor Xuanjing summons you to the capital and promotes you to Deputy Minister of War. In the same year, various rebellions break out across the land. Emperor Xuanjing orders you to lead troops to quell the rebellions.]
[In the eighteenth year of the anchor point, you travel across the land, finally sweeping away the rebel forces. Upon returning to the capital, Emperor Xuanjing retracts your military power and promotes you to Minister of War, appointing you as the imperial tutor to the crown prince.]
[In the twentieth year of the anchor point, the empress is implicated in a witchcraft case. Emperor Xuanjing, in a fit of rage, confines her to the cold palace. The crown prince privately seeks your help, and you decisively agree. After private investigations, you find evidence that Consort Xi framed the empress, clearing her name. Emperor Xuanjing exterminates Consort Xi's three clans but does not release the empress from the cold palace.]
[In the twenty-first year of the anchor point, someone secretly accuses you of treason, submitting evidence of your unauthorized mining and secret armed forces. Terrified, you submit a memorial to confess. Emperor Xuanjing removes your position as Minister of War, only allowing you to teach the crown prince.]
[In the twenty-third year of the anchor point, during the spring hunt, Emperor Xuanjing suddenly feels inspired and decides to visit the Prince of Langya's residence in Jiangnan.]
[In the twenty-fourth year of the anchor point, Emperor Xuanjing travels to Jiangnan, ordering you to accompany him. While touring the mountains and waters of Jiangnan, he also visits the mines you secretly exploited years ago.]
[In the twenty-fifth year of the anchor point, Emperor Xuanjing travels to Jiangnan again. However, this time, he does not bring you along. Three months later, you receive secret news that someone reported your secret visit to the empress in the cold palace. In the same year, Emperor Xuanjing is assassinated on his way back to the capital. The news shocks the capital. Officials invite the empress out of the cold palace, and the crown prince ascends the throne, taking the era name Kangning.]
[In the twenty-sixth year of the anchor point, you are ennobled as the Grand Tutor, appointed as the Grand Academician of the Council of State, reaching the pinnacle of power. The young emperor relies heavily on you. Taking this opportunity, you consolidate your faction in the court.]
[In the twenty-seventh year of the anchor point, your aunt passes away. You once again entertain the idea of seeking immortality, sending people to various places to search for traces of immortals.]
[In the twenty-eighth year of the anchor point, the emperor comes of age. Meanwhile, your power continues to grow, and the court becomes almost your domain.]
[In the thirtieth year of the anchor point, the world knows only the Grand Tutor and not the emperor.]
[In the thirty-first year of the anchor point, the empress dowager becomes pregnant, urgently summoning you to the palace to discuss countermeasures. In your delight, you secretly bring the empress dowager back to the Grand Tutor's residence for proper care. In the same year, the empress dowager gives birth to a son for you.]
[In the thirty-third year of the anchor point, while you are alone in the court, you are surrounded by the trusted guards secretly cultivated by Emperor Kangning. Fortunately, with the help of a rare treasure, you narrowly escape with your life. Enraged, you intend to kill the emperor and seize the throne. However, under the empress dowager's earnest pleas and the persuasion of ministers, you refrain from acting. You execute the emperor's close aides. Thereafter, Emperor Kangning holds the title of emperor in name only.]
[In the thirty-eighth year of the anchor point, Emperor Kangning dies in depression. You enthrone his eldest legitimate son, changing the era name to Longchang.]
[In the fortieth year of the anchor point, the empress dowager passes away due to illness. Your desire to seek immortality becomes even more urgent.]
[In the forty-fifth year of the anchor point, your wife passes away.]
[In the forty-sixth year of the anchor point, your eldest son dies of illness.]
[In the forty-eighth year of the anchor point, after years of fruitless pursuit of immortality, you abandon the idea of seeking immortals.]
[In the fiftieth year of the anchor point, two immortals come from the East of the Void Abyss, destroying Xuanjing. You narrowly escape with your life.]
...
[This simulation ends.]
[You can choose one of the following options to retain:
1. An item you possessed in this simulation.
2. Your cultivation realm in this simulation.
3. The simulated memory of a person closely related to you. This memory can be inherited by that person.
4. Forego the above choices and accelerate the charging progress.]
Li Fan regained consciousness and found himself back in his simple study.
Surveying the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings, the experiences of the past decades flashed through his mind, and Li Fan couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder: "Is it that reality has turned into illusion, or is everything just a simulation that feels too real, causing an illusion? Or perhaps, when reaching a certain level, the line between falsehood and truth blurs."
However, Li Fan was not one to dwell on such thoughts. He quickly calmed his mind and focused on the four options before him.
The first and second options were straightforward. If Li Fan embarked on the path of cultivation, these two options would be immensely beneficial. Unfortunately, in his previous life, he was merely a mortal with no cultivation realm.
As for the most valuable item he possessed, it was probably the imperial jade seal.
Similarly, it was useless and would only bring disaster.
As for the third option, allowing someone to gain the memory of this simulation...
This indeed tempted Li Fan.
For a moment, several figures flashed through Li Fan's mind.
But in the end, he shook his head.
After all, the human heart is the most unpredictable. No one knows how a person would change after gaining decades of memories.
Currently, [Return to Origin] has not fully charged, and he remains a weak scholar with no means to start over.
Therefore, everything must be stable.
That leaves only the fourth option.
Accelerate the charging progress.
The transformation of reality into illusion by [Return to Origin] requires charging.
Based on Li Fan's exploration in his previous life, this charging progress can only naturally increase with the passage of time. It takes about twenty years to fully charge.
The charging progress stops increasing after reaching a maximum of 200%.
At the same time, when Li Fan faces a fatal blow, [Return to Origin] will consume the charging progress to automatically protect him. This is why Li Fan narrowly escaped death several times in his previous life.
Therefore, the fourth option is the most prudent choice.
Having made up his mind, Li Fan no longer hesitated and silently recited in his heart.
Immediately, lines of glowing text scattered into light points and quickly rearranged into several new lines of characters.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Biological Age: 20/86
Mental Age: 166/1056↑
Void Energy Charge Progress: 30%
"Three lifetimes, one hundred sixty-six years. So I've lived this long. The increase in the Mental Age limit, I remember it was only over nine hundred years in the previous life, but now it's over a thousand. It seems this increases with my experiences. It does alleviate some of my anxiety."
Just as the physical body has a lifespan limit, the psychological endurance also has a threshold.
When burdened with too many memories, it forms a mental burden. Once this burden becomes too heavy, it can completely crush a person's soul.
This is the so-called "wear and tear of time."
However, the upper limit of Mental Age increases with the enhancement of psychological endurance.
For now, Li Fan need not worry about this aspect.
"As long as I embark on the path of cultivation, everything is not a problem. Now, starting anew, wealth, luxury, and beautiful women are not my pursuits."
"I only seek immortality!" The pain of losing loved ones one by one in his past life, the helplessness and fear as his body aged, all made Li Fan's resolve even stronger.
"The goal of this life is to learn the secrets of cultivation from those two immortal cultivators. Fifty years later, they will descend upon Xuanjing. With careful planning, even if they are so-called Foundation Establishment stage experts, I may not be without a chance."
"Perhaps what I can rely on, besides guns and gunpowder, is the immortal miasma they mentioned..."
"Additionally, I can't just wait for fifty years. Since they come from the East of the Void Abyss, perhaps I can send people to explore the depths of the Void Abyss first."
...
The greatest fear in life is having no goal. In his past life, many times Li Fan would wake up in the middle of the night from the empress dowager's bed, feeling an immense emptiness and confusion.
In this life, he had already reached the pinnacle for an ordinary person.
He was the imperial tutor, holding the military power of the nation. Nine out of ten ministers in the court were his confidants.
He could depose and enthrone emperors, even the empress dowager was at his beck and call.
He could rise no higher.
Even if he lived another life, it would be the same.
Would the next simulation be the same?
Thus, what is the meaning of repeating power and pleasure life after life?
After being repeated too many times, even power and pleasure become tasteless.
Perhaps, without any changes, after a certain cycle, Li Fan would willingly give up and choose to end his life.
But!
The appearance of those two immortal cultivators showed Li Fan a new possibility!
They revealed a strange, enticing world beckoning him.
They ignited a great ambition and goal within Li Fan.
He wants to cultivate!
He wants immortality!
No one can stop him!
Li Fan pushed open the door of his study and walked out with his head held high.
His steps were firm!
(End of Chapter)