Chapter 293: Legend of a Generation

'Time to start the simulation!'

Zhou Qing was in high spirits.

For him, this eighth simulation was completely different from the previous seven.

He would activate Legend of a Generation directly and begin a brand-new run.

Much like his very first simulation, he would have to give up every advantage he had accumulated across the previous runs.

'Once I enter the Legend of a Generation simulation... none of my body cultivation divine abilities will carry over. Only the talents settled at the end of each simulation can be used...' Zhou Qing thought.

His many physical divine abilities had been awakened using his current body as their foundation. Activating Legend of a Generation meant taking on a new body, which naturally meant leaving those body cultivation divine abilities behind.

Only the settled talents were bound to his consciousness. Whether he switched bodies or entered reincarnation, as long as he remained himself, those talents were his to command.

Zhou Qing glanced at the illusory text at the bottom of his vision.

[Talents: Pill Toxin Bane, Indomitable Will, Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators, Legend of a Generation, Surpassing Oneself by Half a Move, Dead But Not Stiff, Foreseeing Good and Bad Fortune]

His heart settled slightly.

With these talents, no matter how harsh the opening might be, he was confident he could handle it.

Not to mention the number-one aptitude in the Human Realm that came bundled with the Legend of a Generation simulation itself.

'It's a pity the records from the late ancient era about the Sword Lord aren't detailed. Even on Heavenly Sword Peak, there are hardly any clues about the Sword Lord's origins or childhood...'

Zhou Qing sighed inwardly. Heavenly Sword Peak was the heritage left behind by the Sword Lord before ascending. By that time, the Demon Abyss Realm had been driven back, and the Sword Lord already stood as the highest mountain in the history of the Human Realm.

Even the first peak master of Heavenly Sword Peak had not been the Sword Lord's final personal disciple—only a former follower who eventually inherited the position.

'The Sword Lord... Legend of a Generation...'

Curiosity stirred in Zhou Qing. Judging from the clues he had gathered so far, the Sword Lord was very likely a figure born from the Legend of a Generation talent. Those iron laws left inside the Sword Scripture read as though their author had known of Zhou Qing's existence all along.

And the Sword Lord's aptitude truly deserved to be called the number-one talent in the Human Realm.

Of course, all of this was still just his speculation. Until he actually entered the Legend of a Generation simulation, he could not be certain that the Sword Lord was his simulated self.

"Let's begin."

Zhou Qing let out a soft breath and looked toward Legend of a Generation in his talent column.

Once the simulation cooldown finished, the talent had lit up, ready to be activated with a single thought.

Hum—the instant Zhou Qing activated the Legend of a Generation simulation, the illusory text at the bottom of his vision began shifting rapidly once more.

[Year 0: Still inside your mother's womb, you slowly regain consciousness.]

['I haven't been born yet?']

[You quickly grasp your current state.]

[You are roughly equivalent to an eight- or nine-month-old fetus, your internal organs not yet fully developed.]

['Human...']

[After examining yourself and confirming you have four limbs and five facial features, you let out a faint sigh of relief.]

[From what you knew, there was no guarantee the Sword Lord was human; demon beasts could also take human form once they cultivated to a certain realm.]

[Although demon beast or human is nothing more than an outer shell to you, you were human in all seven previous simulations. Besides, why is the Human Realm called the Human Realm? Because the human race is its undisputed ruler.]

[You are also used to being human.]

['I...']

[Examining yourself further, you discover a faint, sharp aura hidden within your still-developing bones. 'These are Innate Sword Bones, the very pinnacle of Sword Dao treasure bodies... I really must be the Sword Lord...']

[Thoughts swirl in your mind as you confirm that for this Legend of a Generation simulation, the number-one Human Realm talent you rolled is Sword Dao aptitude.]

['My mother must be a cultivator, at least at the Core Formation Stage...']

[You can also feel the spiritual qi filling the womb—something no ordinary mortal could ever provide.]

['So sleepy...']

[After observing for only a short while, a wave of drowsiness washes over you. As an unborn infant, you cannot stay awake for long.]

[Just like that, you drift into a heavy sleep.]

[When you wake again, you faintly hear voices from outside.]

["Yun'er, it's been nearly ten years now. Why hasn't the child been born yet?"]

[It is a rough male voice, puzzled in tone. Even if cultivators differ from mortals and aren't bound by a ten-month pregnancy, a child remaining unborn after ten full years is still far from normal.]

["Husband, the longer our child stays in the womb, the better their aptitude will be..."]

[A gentle female voice replies.]

["True enough! Perhaps a genius will be born to our Artifact Forging Valley—someone with hope of reaching the Nascent Soul Stage! Hahahaha!"]

[The rough male voice sounds delighted, then quickly turns worried: "Yun'er, you must get plenty of rest. Carrying a child for ten years has taken too great a toll on your cultivation. It's all my fault..."]

["Husband, it's all for our child..."]

[The gentle female voice says.]

[Inside the womb, you hear the conversation outside with complete clarity.]

[You mastered the spoken language of the ancient era long ago, so you have no trouble understanding them.]

['Artifact Forging Valley? Hope of reaching the Nascent Soul Stage?']

[You search your memories, but you have never heard of a faction called Artifact Forging Valley.]

[The ancient era was unprecedentedly brilliant. Before the Sword Lord rose to prominence, the dharma and body lineages stood supreme on the whole, followed by the Eight Hundred Side Doors and the Three Thousand Left Paths.]

[The dharma and body lineages naturally referred to dharma cultivation and body cultivation factions, which produced more Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs than any other lineages in the Human Realm.]

[The Eight Hundred Side Doors corresponded to eight hundred heritage paths—alchemy, formations, artifacts, puppets, ghosts, souls, and the like. They too had produced Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarchs, though they could not guarantee a Heavenly Monarch presiding over every single generation.]

[As for the Three Thousand Left Paths... those were minor factions and minor heritages that had never once produced a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch. Before the Sword Lord's rise, the Sword Dao was merely one of the Three Thousand Left Paths. Its strongest practitioners were no more than Nascent Soul Stage Sword Cultivators, trailing far behind the Eight Hundred Side Doors in offense, survival, and every other respect.]

['Artifact Forging Valley... It must be a faction belonging to the artifact path, one of the Eight Hundred Side Doors. Hope of reaching the Nascent Soul Stage? That means Artifact Forging Valley has very few Nascent Soul True Monarchs, or none at all... With only Core Formation Stage true persons holding the fort, in the ancient era... that makes it a very small faction...']

[Reasoning this out, you form a rough picture of the environment you are being born into.]

[The artifact path is one of the Eight Hundred Side Doors—a major lineage containing countless smaller factions.]

[Of course, the artifact path has only one true source.]

['Good enough. At least it's stable.']

[Zhou Qing feels quite satisfied. A Core Formation Stage faction cannot compare to the top powers, but it is more than enough compared to those below.]

['I should be born soon...']

[Sensing your own condition, you notice that your sword bones have mostly finished developing and have completely drawn their sharpness inward. Moreover, Zhou Qing discovers that he possesses not only Innate Sword Bones, but also a Jade Marrow Body—likewise one of the very finest dao bodies.]

[Dao bodies and treasure bodies are secondary, however; it is not as though they have never appeared in the history of the Human Realm. What truly surprises Zhou Qing is his extraordinary comprehension of the Sword Dao. Even while still in the womb, he can instinctively guide the blood within his body to nurture sword qi.]

['So this is the number-one Sword Dao aptitude in the Human Realm?']

[Zhou Qing cannot help marveling. Nurturing sword qi deep within one's blood while still in the womb? What kind of monstrous freak is that? No normal cultivator, no matter how supreme their treasure body or dao body, could ever pull that off.]

[Unless they were an Innate Dao Fetus... yet that requires a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch pouring everything into nurturing the child—an external intervention where Heavenly Monarchs exhaust their painstaking efforts to help the fetus cultivate inside the womb.]

[What about Zhou Qing, though?]

[His parents are likely no more than Core Formation Stage true persons. How could they possibly have the means to nurture him inside the womb?]

[Amid these thoughts, you sink back into a heavy sleep.]

[When you wake again, you suddenly find your surroundings much brighter.]

["The child—has the child been born?"]

["It took a full ten years for him to be born! Could he be blessed with extraordinary talent?"]

["Quick, quick, put him in the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk to soak."]

[Voices ring out from all directions. Opening your eyes, you see figures standing all around you.]

[Closest to you is a dark-skinned middle-aged man whose aura seems to have reached the Peak of the Core Formation Stage.]

[Beside him stand several other men and women, all examining you closely.]

["His bones are a bit sturdier than other infants', but there's nothing unusual about him..."]

[A white-bearded old man touches you and cannot help speaking up.]

["Nonsense. Even if he really does have some treasure body or dao body, it would take several years or even a decade after birth to awaken. Unless a newborn has the absolute highest level of constitution and aptitude, you won't see anything unusual right after birth."]

[Another old man glares at him and says.]

["My child..."]

[Just then, a woman with gentle features leans in, gazing at you with pure joy.]

["Yun'er."]

[The dark-skinned middle-aged man stands beside her.]

[Looking over at them, you realize they must be your father and mother in this simulation.]

["By the way, now that the child is born, have you decided on a name?"]

[Someone asks.]

["A name, huh..." The dark-skinned middle-aged man thinks for a moment. "How about Zhou Zhenqi? So that one day, he may raise the prestige of our Artifact Forging Valley..."]

[The dark-skinned man's eyes shine with vigor; clearly, he holds high hopes for you.]

["I think we should name him Zhou Wuyou instead... I just hope he can live out his whole life carefree and without worry," the gentle woman says, disagreeing with her husband.]

["That works too! Then let's call him Zhou Wuyou. As for carrying the burden of Artifact Forging Valley and raising its prestige, leave that to his father!"]

[The dark-skinned middle-aged man says.]

['Zhou Wuyou?']

[You realize that this will be your name.]

['Still surnamed Zhou...']

[It feels like quite a coincidence—your surname is Zhou in reality, and now it is Zhou in this completely unrelated simulation as well.]

['So the Sword Lord's full name was Zhou Wuyou?']

[You think to yourself. Records of the Sword Lord from the late ancient era were sparse and scattered, noting only that the very first time the Sword Lord publicly took action, he already possessed the strength of a Heavenly Monarch and decisively slew a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch.]

[Before long,]

[everyone else leaves the room,]

[leaving only the middle-aged man and the gentle woman behind.]

[You also learn their names:]

[Zhou Shanfeng and Lu Yun.]

[Zhou Shanfeng is the current valley master of Artifact Forging Valley, with a cultivation base at the Peak of the Core Formation Stage, while Lu Yun is his dao companion, at the Mid Core Formation Stage.]

[Artifact Forging Valley is a Core Formation-level faction, presided over by six Core Formation Stage true persons in total, including Zhou Shanfeng.]

['Next comes cultivation...']

[Soaking in the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk, you feel wisps of gentle energy seeping into your flesh as you ponder the path ahead.]

[First of all, you certainly won't take the dharma cultivation path in this simulation—doing so would be a complete waste of your Sword Dao aptitude.]

['A Sword Cultivator heritage...']

[One Sword Cultivator heritage after another flashes through your mind. During your sixth and seventh simulations, you presided over Heavenly Sword Peak and came into contact with a body of Sword Cultivator heritages that was nothing short of vast as the open sea.]

[Yet none of those Sword Cultivator heritages—not even Heavenly Sword Peak's Sword Scripture—feels quite right for you.]

['Why don't I just create a heritage best suited to myself?']

[No sooner does that thought surface than flashes of inspiration and comprehension burst forth in your mind, drawing together the vast knowledge and experience accumulated across seven simulations and fusing them continuously.]

[Within a few breaths' time,]

[a brand-new Sword Dao heritage path leading from Qi Refining to Core Formation faintly takes shape.]

['So tired...']

[Exhaustion washes over you again, and you drift into a groggy sleep.]

[Several months later, Artifact Forging Valley holds a "lot-drawing" banquet for you.]

[As Valley Master Zhou Shanfeng's only son—the sole heir of a Core Formation-level faction like Artifact Forging Valley—your lot-drawing banquet is naturally a lively affair, drawing Qi Refining Stage and Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators from across the valley to watch.]

[On the high platform, you lie on your stomach atop a stone table.]

[The jade table is spacious and covered with all manner of items—jade stones, artifact embryos, ancient manuals...]

[Each represents the body and dharma lineages, along with several Side Doors and Left Paths.]

["Wuyou, just pick whichever one you like."]

[Zhou Shanfeng says in his rough voice, rubbing your head.]

["Go ahead, Wuyou."]

[Beside him, Lu Yun nods encouragingly at you.]

[Inwardly, you roll your eyes. Across seven simulations and thousands of years, you have never once done something so childish.]

[After a moment's thought, though, you crawl forward onto the stone table anyway.]

[Your gaze sweeps casually across the dazzling array of items before finally landing on a wooden sword.]

[Placed at the very edge of the table, the wooden sword is thoroughly unremarkable; had you not crawled all the way over here, you probably wouldn't have spotted it at all.]

['A sword?']

[Reaching out, you wrap your hand around the wooden sword's hilt and give it a casual wave. Faintly, the sword intent nurtured deep within your blood all this time begins to interweave.]

["A sword?"]

[The surrounding cultivators watching the ceremony freeze slightly. The Sword Dao is merely one of the Three Thousand Left Paths; the strongest practitioner it has ever produced was no more than a Nascent Soul Stage true monarch, making it far inferior to the artifact path and the other Side Doors, let alone the dharma and body lineages.]

[No one expected you to take an interest in the Sword Dao.]

["It's just a lot-drawing ceremony. It doesn't mean he'll actually walk the Sword Dao."]

[Lu Yun speaks up immediately, and Zhou Shanfeng nods in agreement beside her.]

[The lot-drawing ritual is meant purely for celebration; it wouldn't actually decide your future path.]

[The others present nod along as well. It is completely normal for children to be drawn to blades and swords; once they grow a little older, they learn how formidable the Side Door heritages truly are.]

[Not a single person present knows]

[that you, lying on your stomach atop the stone table with a wooden sword in hand,]

[will become the Sword Lord of the Human Realm—the one who pioneers the supreme Sword Dao, suppresses both the dharma and body lineages, and saves all living beings of the great realm,]

[standing as the highest mountain this heaven and earth have ever seen.]