[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten":3,"chapter-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-536":6,"glossary-terms-4587":23},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Simulated to Reality: I Once Looked Down Upon Ten Thousand Ages?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2347551,4587,"Chapter 536: The Emperor","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-536",536,"\u003Cp>Beside these two lines of text was an illustrated carving of a monkey in a standing-post stance, lifelike and vividly rendered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monkey’s arms hung down, its body seemingly swaying slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the monkey’s chest appeared a translucent energy cluster, slowly circulating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the taut sinews along its spine, a faintly luminous “great dragon” of vertebrae could be faintly seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And within the dense flesh surrounding those bones, heavy blood and qi surged continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With just one glance, you could profoundly sense… this was a sacred method for forging meridians and reshaping bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scripture was divided into two volumes: the upper volume meticulously recorded twelve breathing methods—including standing post, walking post, and sleeping post—each with its own unique principles, and every posture required absolute precision. It was precisely through these twelve breathing methods that one could refine the meridians, recast the bones, and lay an unshakable foundation for martial cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lower volume contained the accompanying fist manual, titled “Grand Ancestor Holy Monkey Six Forms,” each form embodying the spirit of the monkey, blending hardness and softness with boundless power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You carefully read through it from beginning to end without missing a single detail, and found a commentary written in person by Sima Ting—its ink still fresh, clearly penned especially for you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You felt deeply moved; even a drop of kindness deserves a spring in return, and you committed it to memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It detailed the medicinal herbs required for cultivation, daily dietary needs, and the frequency of post training, ensuring efficiency without damaging the foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that martial cultivation could not do without wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes, “The poor study literature; the rich study martial arts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To your surprise, this Military Governor Sima Ting had chosen the “Grand Ancestor Holy Monkey Post” as the foundation of his martial path—a balanced, harmonious method for opening the meridians, perfectly compatible with any subsequent cultivation scripture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among all foundational texts for the lower three realms, only the Three Truths Sect’s “Great Yellow Court” offered comparable balance, and even then, only when paired with the complementary “Primordial Qi Art,” which doubled the results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only those who joined the Three Truths Sect were eligible to learn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Great Qi, this method was highly esteemed; many scions of great families chose it as their starting point, and most martial academies in the common folk taught it, making it widely disseminated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legend held that this scripture was created by the founding Emperor of Great Qi, later refined by two generations of scholars—it was the orthodox, righteous path of martial cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet sadly, this scripture, ubiquitous among the common folk, covered only three lower martial realms: sinew refinement, bone establishment, and blood-qi cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ascend further along the martial path and seek subsequent techniques, only two paths remained: join a prestigious clan to receive their true transmission, or serve the imperial court and exchange merit for methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the legendary upper three realms’ techniques, even the Nine Great Families did not possess them—only the imperial family of Great Qi held such supreme secret scriptures, and “the law is not passed to three ears,” kept strictly hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You read through it once and memorized every word and illustration, confirmed its accuracy, then reviewed it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most precious of all was Sima Ting’s commentary; from his current martial realm, his “Sitting in Forgetfulness Pavilion Mountain” perspective on foundational cultivation rendered every sentence golden wisdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without this commentary, even the most gifted would struggle to glimpse its doorway or comprehend its true meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every detail—the subtle twist of the arms, the precise tension of the bones, the rhythm of the leg movements—settled clearly into your mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You opened your eyes and began practicing in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You started with the basic “leaning post”: you stood beneath the parasol tree, back against the trunk, arms hanging naturally, legs spread, knees slightly bent, breathing rhythmically as you tapped the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first you were clumsy, but by the second attempt, you began to find the rhythm—each breath made the trunk tremble slightly in time with you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet since you had never practiced martial arts before, after only a short while, your legs grew numb and aching, as if ten thousand ants gnawed at them, testing your will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could only endure sixty breath cycles before you had to stop…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, your blood and qi churned; breath surged from your lungs, connecting with your five viscera and six bowels, and with each exhale, you expelled your first white mist tinged with fine black ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Sima Ting’s commentary, this was the impurity accumulated in your lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a human eating the five grains remain free of sickness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through your breath, you expelled part of your internal impurities—this marked the first preliminary achievement of the post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sima Ting had written that anyone who mastered it within half a day possessed a martial aptitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You smiled; without guidance, you understood its meaning on the second try—your talent was not poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you sat back on the chair, fatigue washed over you like a tide; your legs ached and went numb as if you’d climbed a mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This body was still too weak; forcing further cultivation would only backfire and damage your foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excess is as bad as deficiency; know when to stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the scions of great families, they might use medicinal baths, martial massages to stimulate circulation, and elixirs to accelerate their progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You had no such resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the few medicinal recipes recorded by Sima Ting required herbs like mountain yam—just seeing the ingredients listed made them prohibitively expensive; how could you afford them daily?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You recalled the “Demon-Slaying Sword” you had obtained in the Hongjing Courtyard’s lake, and your heart stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In your mind-sea, the character “courtyard” glowed golden, dissolving and reappearing as a phantom replay of “slaying the demon in the Mountain God Temple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Re-experiencing the “Demon-Slaying Sword,” you still felt your spirit tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no mortal sword!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You began attempting to sketch a trace of its sword intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glow of the sword intent was brilliant, cold, like moonlight appearing in your mind-sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the sword intent’s glow intensified, merging with the sword intent bursting from the “courtyard” character, it became unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your spirit grew dizzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, you felt your skin, fascia, bones, even your blood, being refined by an uncanny force—as if being scorched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Making them hotter!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You exhaled another turbid breath; you had realized before that this Demon-Slaying Sword functioned like a visualization method—not only cultivating the spirit, but also refining the body through this sword intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was good news!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smiling, you had finally found your way to stand firm. You understood: whether cultivating martial arts or spirit methods, progress required daily, nightly accumulation—slow, grinding effort, impossible to achieve overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, you did not rush; you practiced patiently, working hard in secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During your six-month blindness, within this stone-and-wood room, deprived of light, your heart had been polished to perfect stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why labor over mountains and rivers for meditation? Extinguish the fire in your heart, and coolness comes naturally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You rose, picked up a brush, and decided to attempt capturing the sword intent in ink and painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to your innate talent of “the brush holds spirit,” your understanding of this sword intent deepened rapidly; in focused writing, you felt your previously drained spirit gradually restore—after about two hours, you could once again visualize the “Demon-Slaying Sword.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after four or five hours could you resume post training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you could not cultivate, you chose to read and write in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, it was afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wutong had prepared the meal; on the table today was a dish of fragrant beef.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After tasting the saltiness, Wutong watched as you devoured it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wutong said: “Young Master, it seems you’ll need meat at every meal from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See if the kitchen can bring back some meat these days—you don’t know, the market prices have risen again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You nodded; you had noticed your appetite had greatly increased, realizing future martial training would require lean meat and white flour to replenish strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the hundred taels of silver sent by the poetry society should last a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Wutong’s words, you asked curiously: “Risen? What’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Bianjing had the Price Stabilization Bureau, specifically tasked with regulating prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever a commodity’s price rose, the bureau would intervene—for example, if pork prices climbed, they would release pork to stabilize the market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, if grain prices fell too low and merchants tried to suppress them, the bureau would buy at fair prices, then sell at fair prices when grain prices soared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This system was written by Prince Lu Chen in his “Governance of the North” under the “Commerce” chapter, and had been used ever since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later scholars in the academies had tried other methods, but none surpassed Lu Chen’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chen’s “Governance of the North” had become essential reading for statecraft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Master’s departure two hundred years ago, he had already listed “Governance of the North” as mandatory reading after the Four Books and Five Classics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This book was even called “The Emperor’s Pillow Book.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Three Academicians of the academy declared: “Half of the Governance can rule the world!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty years ago, in a three-thousand-year-old tomb of the Daqing Prince unearthed in Jiangnan, a seal was discovered, inscribed with seven small characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I bow my head in reverence to Shenzhou for life!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to court historians, this seal was carved by Prince Zhou Cheng of Daqing, whom he carried with him until death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seal was later acquired at a sky-high price by a mysterious noble in Bianjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chen’s handwritten copy of “Governance of the North” had long become legend; in popular portraits, he was often depicted holding it in his left hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chen, the founder of the Three Truths Sect and the first to end the Warring States and unify the realm, was surrounded by many legends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Folklore claimed he was the Purple Micro Emperor incarnate to govern the world, and the Twenty Pavilion Generals were the celestial Northern Dipper stars reborn to aid him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wutong sighed softly: “I heard from elders at the market that three northern provinces have seen constant uprisings; countless refugees flood in. Not just highlanders from Tianzhu Mountain, but Kunlun slaves from the west—all pouring into the Central Three Provinces.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They crowd the roads, eating bark and grass seeds, like locusts sweeping through—leaving nothing behind. It’s pitiful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wutong added, fearful: “Worse still—in Jiangnan, besides markets for vegetables, horses, and goods, there are now human markets openly trading people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You paused, startled; in Great Qi, human trafficking was strictly forbidden. All citizens registered in the Fish Scale Registers were protected by law; anyone caught trafficking was executed on the spot without trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I also heard from Manager Liu that Minister Su has been urging the Nine Great Families to donate funds to manage the Yellow River. Last rainy season, the river changed course, drowning countless lives; hundreds of thousands in Shandong became refugees.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The imperial treasury’s grain has all been sent to aid refugees; Bianjing’s grain is controlled by the Nine Great Families. With the Price Stabilization Bureau out of stock, prices have tripled these past days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wutong considered: “Young Master, I haven’t been to the market yet this afternoon—we should stock up on grain. Better safe than sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You nodded; if the court doesn’t act soon, prices will keep rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For nearly two centuries, natural disasters and calamities have been frequent, and demons have emerged into the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite Confucian efforts to educate and reform, the moral decline of the people could not be halted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in Bianjing, competition among the Nine Great Families has grown fiercer, their extravagance unchecked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent years, anti-Confucian sentiment has risen among the common folk, most notably in Yanbei Province, where people have begun venerating Prince Lu Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, over the past twenty years, rebellions in Great Qi have persisted despite suppression; most rebel armies claim the banner of “Restoring Great Yan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the glittering prosperity of Great Qi, hidden currents now stir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elders in the city still indulged in wine and women, while the common folk outside lay dead across the fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind vermilion gates, wine and meat rot; on the roads, frozen bones lie bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Nine Surnames were willing to lower their prices, the sun would have to rise in the west—they cared only for profit, and this time they aimed to grow fat with gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would care about the common folk’s survival?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As you chatted idly with Wutong, a knock came at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Guan, are you in the courtyard?” A clear, melodious voice rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wutong had already stepped out; outside the door stood a graceful woman flanked by several demure maids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You rose as well and walked to the courtyard gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman was about twenty, dressed in a water-green silk jacket embroidered with moon-white Yingduan , her features soft and delicate, a small mole beside her ear, her eyes and brows radiating quiet dignity and keen intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wutong recognized the woman as Lady Yuan’s senior maid, Handan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Handan” was also an elegant term for lotus; Grandmater Xie greatly loved lotuses, and it was she who bestowed this name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She did not bow; her embroidered silk slippers rested just outside the threshold, standing still without entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handan’s position in the courtyard carried more authority than even the steward’s; she managed all household affairs for Lady Yuan—the six bureaus of daily life, the horse farms in Bianjing, the rouge shops, and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You smiled: “Miss Handan, what brings you to my humble abode today? Do come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wutong, brew tea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handan smiled faintly: “No need to trouble yourself—I’ve come on Lady Yuan’s behalf to speak with Young Master Guan about his studies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yesterday in the Grand View Garden, Young Master answered excellently and brought honor to Lady Yuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The author’s new novel, starting cultivation from among refugees—slow pace, but worth savoring!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2344,"2026-06-21T01:33:01.587Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0f9a3cbb81bf9c83401a0916f0c4f258e3f842ed2ba5a3b6b607cbd10bdd8a5a","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-537","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-535",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg",{"terms":24,"userReplacements":130},[25,30,35,40,45,50,55,60,65,70,75,80,85,90,95,100,105,110,115,120,125],{"id":26,"raw_term":27,"original_term":28,"translations":29},1799945,"Lu Chen","陸沉",[],{"id":31,"raw_term":32,"original_term":33,"translations":34},1799946,"Wu Ying","武纓",[],{"id":36,"raw_term":37,"original_term":38,"translations":39},1799947,"Gongsun Pingxi","公孫平溪",[],{"id":41,"raw_term":42,"original_term":43,"translations":44},1799948,"Yu Ke","俞客",[],{"id":46,"raw_term":47,"original_term":48,"translations":49},1799949,"Dou Gu","竇固",[],{"id":51,"raw_term":52,"original_term":53,"translations":54},1799950,"Huang Yu","黃鈺",[],{"id":56,"raw_term":57,"original_term":58,"translations":59},1799951,"Yu Xu","虞許",[],{"id":61,"raw_term":62,"original_term":63,"translations":64},1799952,"Zhou Cheng","周成",[],{"id":66,"raw_term":67,"original_term":68,"translations":69},1799953,"Liu Wen","劉溫",[],{"id":71,"raw_term":72,"original_term":73,"translations":74},1799954,"Zhou Jinyu","周錦瑜",[],{"id":76,"raw_term":77,"original_term":78,"translations":79},1799955,"Feng Haiping","封海平",[],{"id":81,"raw_term":82,"original_term":83,"translations":84},1799956,"Tuoba Hongyan","拓拔宏宴",[],{"id":86,"raw_term":87,"original_term":88,"translations":89},1799957,"Zhou Xuan","周玄",[],{"id":91,"raw_term":92,"original_term":93,"translations":94},1799958,"Gu Yi","顧議",[],{"id":96,"raw_term":97,"original_term":98,"translations":99},1799959,"Tuoba Shuyi","拓拔術遺",[],{"id":101,"raw_term":102,"original_term":103,"translations":104},1799960,"Lu Jiaxuan","陸佳軒",[],{"id":106,"raw_term":107,"original_term":108,"translations":109},1799961,"You'an","幼安",[],{"id":111,"raw_term":112,"original_term":113,"translations":114},1799962,"Lu Yu","陸羽",[],{"id":116,"raw_term":117,"original_term":118,"translations":119},1799963,"Yuwen Liqian","宇文璃淺",[],{"id":121,"raw_term":122,"original_term":123,"translations":124},1799964,"Su Beihai","蘇北海",[],{"id":126,"raw_term":127,"original_term":128,"translations":129},1799965,"Old Li","老李頭",[],{}]