[{"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-688":6},{"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},2347703,4587,"Chapter 688: To See the Vast Wind Blow, as Gazing Upon the Ocean—Cultivation Continues","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-688",688,"\u003Cp>Xie Family, by the lake of Daguan Garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xie Yuan and others stepped out of Hongjing Courtyard, they saw Zhang Yunzhi leaning against the green stone railing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her crimson skirt was dampened by fine rain; her slender shoulders trembled with quiet sobs, leaving behind a silhouette of lingering sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yunzhi sister! What’s wrong?” Xie Qi hurried over, lifting her skirt, “Who upset you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her almond eyes widened, like a cat with fur bristling in anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Yuan scratched his head, clueless about emotions: “Could it be you’re reluctant to let Ying sister leave the estate? But what’s the big deal… the Sima household isn’t far—half an hour by carriage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You all go back to the banquet,” Li Shuwan signaled with a glance, then took Zhang Yunzhi’s arm on one side while Sima Muqing did the same on the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three walked along the wet pebbles toward the depths, their embroidered shoes crushing fallen peach blossoms drenched by rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuwan softly asked, “Yunzhi, have you made everything clear today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhang Yunzhi nodded, she suddenly pressed her chest—empty, as if a piece had been carved out; her beautiful eyes filled with tears, her heart heavy as a boulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for her lifelong upbringing in a scholarly family, she would have screamed and thrown a fit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuwan sighed—eighty thousand characters in all the world’s writings, yet none wound deeper than the character for “emotion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three noble ladies stood silently in the misty willows, like a watercolor painting of ladies blurred by rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuwan asked, “What did he say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yunzhi gazed at the ripples fading in the lake’s center; a bitter smile touched her lips: “He only asked me one question… How long has the Master walked among mortals? How many years have passed since the Prince of Yan passed away?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sima Muqing was curious—why had Xie Guan refused?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beautiful, well-read, virtuous daughter of the Zhang family—how many in Bianjing would clamor for her hand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An opportunity to escape the lowly status of a son-in-law, even to rise swiftly to power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many would dream of it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet he refused!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had seen Xie Guan at the Qunfang Banquet’s carriage pavilion—a man who could chat casually with the Demon Master and the Lotus Pond Grand Master, both great masters of the world—how could he be short-sighted?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuwan frowned: “The Master has walked among mortals for seven hundred springs and autumns—back then, the Nine Surnames had not yet risen. The Prince of Yan is a figure from three thousand years ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuwan was stunned—she hadn’t expected Xie Guan to answer like this: “Could he be comparing himself to the Master? To the Prince of Yan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that didn’t seem right!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Guan was always courteous, humble, cautious in speech, knowing when to advance and when to retreat—he could never utter such arrogant words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yunzhi shook her head, recalling the words of the boy holding the umbrella just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though I am unworthy, I wish to see the winds above the heavens, to witness the vastness of the great wind!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A calm sentence—but Zhang Yunzhi heard the ambition hidden in Xie Guan’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy who read in the small courtyard had never truly seen the Xie family, the Nine Surnames, Bianjing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even Da Qi!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a man would never pause his steps for a woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the misty willows by the lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Qingsu gazed at the empty lake surface and smiled bitterly: “The books say hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once… today, I finally understand Xie Guan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Su’s shoulder wound still bled, yet she murmured as if unaware: “The old Daoist of the White Bone Contemplation just died—saved us one task.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Qingsu said, “It doesn’t seem like the pure yang force just now… it seems like a….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Su continued: “Sword intent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An sword intent I’ve never seen—formless, shapeless, yet like moonlight pouring down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Huai’an also exclaimed: “I haven’t returned to Bianjing in years—did the Nine Surnames really produce such a prodigy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Mei, do you know what realm he’s reached now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Qingsu shook his head: “The strike was too brief—I couldn’t discern it. But according to the Xie household, this Young Master Guan is still underage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, I’d have thought him a great master of the world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Huai’an couldn’t help saying: “Isn’t that exaggerated? How many great masters are there in the entire world? You could count them on two hands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Qingsu said: “Even if he isn’t one now, he will be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes narrowed: “Besides, the Xie family doesn’t even know the true extent of this Young Master Guan’s abilities—they treat him as a lowly son-in-law, pushing him out of the household while he’s still underage… blind to gold set in jade.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Xie family truly has great fortune—first came Xie Ling, then Xie Hong, and now Xie Guan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Qingsu sighed: “Chaos approaches; heroes and geniuses emerge. No wonder I’ve seen the Big Dipper shift toward Mars lately—its ominous radiance floods the heavens.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two courtesans beside them, Liu Xinxin, hadn’t listened to their words—both women’s minds were filled with the pale ghostly hands struggling in the blood mist; they fainted on the spot. When they came to, their memories were blurred—they thought it was seasickness, nothing but a dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Internally, both vowed never to board a boat again—it was too terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s said many maids and servants in great families were drowned in lakes; some lakes and wells carry heavy resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never believed it before—but now, they were certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Su stared at the calm lake surface, her fingers unconsciously brushing the empty scabbard at her waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eight-sided Han sword that had accompanied her for twenty years now lay at the lake’s bottom, reduced to dust alongside the Jade Corpse’s remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She recalled how the boy had merely exhaled—his divine might unfathomable, blazing like the sun in the sky, rendering her lifetime of sword techniques a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still was that sudden, fleeting sword strike—though it came from over ten zhang away, it froze her blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked down at her hands; the calluses she once prided herself on now seemed absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only those who dedicate their hearts to the sword can feel the peerless, despairing power of that sword intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Su had trained in swordcraft for years—even the Night Demon corpses of the White Bone Contemplation, she had dared to face with blade in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before that single strike, she had no courage to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The famed mistress of Xiujin Pavilion, whose name echoed through the capital’s Dao circles, now stood as lost as a child just learning the sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Su remembered her grandfather’s words: when he saw the Second Master wield the sword, he sealed his blade and retired in despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, she finally understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lake reflected the willows on shore—just like her dusty sword heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A fleeting glimpse,” she whispered to the empty water, “is… like gazing upon the ocean!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You stepped out of Daguan Garden; the divine flame in your heart grew stronger—just now, you did not let go of that Daoist’s primordial spirit.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Using the Yin Talisman’s Seventh Art—“Vulture Feeding on Corpses”—the vulture devoured the primordial spirit, nourishing yours; your newly broken-through Primordial Spirit Ninth Realm, Purple Microcosm, gained further refinement.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【This secret art of “Vulture Feeding on Corpses” is terrifying—even your spirit trembled slightly.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【This visible, effortless gain feels too wonderful—it’s addictive.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You hadn’t expected it either: your Sword of Demonic Slaying used only five-tenths of your strength—you were even gathering the Supreme Yang energy of the Yang Talisman Scripture to form your second sword strike—but you effortlessly scattered the soul of this Daoist who had ignited the Eighth Realm’s divine flame.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【According to Lu Hua, the only true cultivation sects in the world are Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and Demon—everything else is fringe, not the path of dual cultivation of life and spirit.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【They are dead ends—cannot lead to true cultivation.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【They rely on corpse puppets, talismans, curses, and other heretical arts; once stripped of these external methods, they are fragile as paper.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Without his corpse puppet, that Daoist fell to a single wave of your hand.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Until you face a foe as strong as Long Yi, your greatest killing technique remains “Seven Swords United: Mahāvīra!”】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You raised your hand; seven utterly distinct sword intents suddenly wove together in your palm. Fallen leaves stirred without wind; the green bricks beneath you cracked with spiderweb-like fine sword marks. You released your grip gently—the sword intents vanished, the scene restored.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You now master it fully—release and recall at will.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【When you returned to your courtyard, dusk had fallen.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Among the red envelopes of lucky money from Fourth Sister Xie Ying, she had slipped you a sachet. You slowly opened it—a small pale green porcelain bottle.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【A sharp, clear medicinal scent pierced your nose—it was far too familiar: inside were four pills, each the size of a lychee—“Xuantian Snow Dew Pills.”】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【This pill moistens the dantian and qi sea, repairs hidden meridian injuries, triples the speed of internal qi circulation, and sustains the effect for forty-nine days.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Four pills are enough to support half a year of body tempering.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Combined with the four you already hold, they’ll last a full year.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Such precious pills could not have come from Fourth Sister—only Sima Ting’s doing.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【But why?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Recalling how familiar he seemed with Su Xiang at the Qunfang Banquet, you found yourself puzzled—this Military Governor of Jiannan.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【But it’s exactly what you need now.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You tucked the pills away, focused your mind again, and summoned the sword intent of the Eighth Sword from your crown palace.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【A pale white figure appeared in the courtyard, holding a longsword forged from primordial spirit.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You drew your blade—the two blades clashed with sudden frost.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【“Zheng—!”】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You spun like lightning, your swordfall like a curtain of rain—but the figure moved as calmly as in a courtyard stroll, his tip always striking your weakness at the last possible instant.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【At the fiftieth strike, you could no longer change your technique. The shadow suddenly thrust upward—too late to dodge; his blade now rested across your throat.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【“Fifty-one.” The shadow spoke coldly.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You had never before lasted fifty strikes against this sword intent—there was a flicker of triumph in you.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You sheathed your blade, hurling it back into the wutong tree’s canopy as if returning it to its nest.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【The sword intent figure dissolved into a streak of light, darting swiftly back into your third eye.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the fading afterglow of the sword qi, you couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Only by truly defeating the Eighth Sword, “Sword Master,” could you glimpse the Ninth Sword of the Second Master—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within your heart-sea, a sword intent, tightly wrapped in five-colored spiritual energy, flickered faintly, radiating the ethereal aura of heavenly will. This was the Second Master’s Ninth Sword—the supreme sword intent he attained after opening the Heavenly Gate and transcending this world’s limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not merely the pinnacle of his sword art, but the ultimate summit of mortal cultivation, the highest realm imaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Master once said, “When the Nine Swords unite and sever the mortal realm, they cut through karma itself—thus, even as the Master’s corpse dissolved in Da Qi, they could cleave through this myriad tangle of karmic bonds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the only way to break the Master’s corpse dissolution; otherwise, he would remain immortal, sustained by the ancestral families he had passed his corpse qi upon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, in the Second Master’s hands, this Ninth Sword had been transcended once more—its power only increased, never diminished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trouble was, to master such profound sword intent, you had to defeat the Eighth Sword’s shadow to learn the Ninth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a being that had inherited every single sword technique of the Second Master, exhausting the very limits of all sword arts under heaven—nearly impossible to defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You rubbed your temples; projecting sword intent drained your primordial spirit severely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You eat a meal one bite at a time; you walk a road one step at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You cannot rush—and you must not rush!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cultivation is like planting a tree…” you recalled the sapling your mother had planted in childhood, now a towering canopy, “If you can endure ten years of solitude, why not endure a few more years of winter and summer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As your spirit stirred, you recalled two magnificent Zhao Ming Luans from outside the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a clear, piercing cry, they landed steadily on your shoulders. You decided to cultivate martial arts now—assisted by the Xuan Yuan Snow Dew Elixir and the boost from the two divine birds, the circulation of your primordial qi accelerated sixfold beyond normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within a month, you would be able to condense true essence and ascend to the upper three realms of martial cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2158,"2026-06-21T01:33:03.787Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1eaf3ce69f93c51de307e2a534e88232aacb899f7771813b73543ae7d78fc216","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-689","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-687",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg"]