Because the flow of time in the simulator was completely different from the real world—decades inside amounted to at most a single night in reality—Lu Cheng's promise to Tang Ya to visit her deceased parents' Sect in Heaven Dou City in "a few days" wasn't considered breaking his word.
Inside the wooden house.
Lu Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, a light screen before him.
Text scrolled across it.
[Second simulation charging complete, about to begin]
[Please choose attribute points for talents]
[Talent, Family Background, Appearance, Luck (25+)]
It was still the familiar panel.
Lu Cheng hesitated for a moment.
Talent went without saying; ten points was the baseline. In any simulation, strength was an indispensable part. Appearance seven, Luck seven, and Family Background one—
Being too unlucky last time was not a good thing.
Conversely, seven points in Family Background had performed quite averagely in the simulator. Not only was the Lu family, which was wiped out by the Holy Spirit Cult within a few years of his appearance, as useless as an NPC, but as long as his talent was high enough to awaken a martial soul, it would be enough to be scouted by other powers. Shrek wasn't out of the question either; although he had a falling out with Yan Shaozhe and the others in reality, it didn't mean their relationship would be strained in the simulator.
Being adaptable was one of Lu Cheng's strengths.
Moreover, in the worst-case scenario, he could just turn around and join the Holy Spirit Cult to become their Holy Son. Being a Holy Son was the same regardless of where it was.
What did the troubles caused in the simulator have to do with his reality?
Taking a deep breath and confirming his choices, he slowly closed his eyes.
Having been injected with enough energy, the simulator began to spin once more.
[You were born in a small town near Ming City in the Sun Moon Empire. Your parents were ordinary local residents who loved each other dearly; they had high hopes for your birth. ]
[At age six, you benefited from the Sun Moon Empire's universal martial soul awakening model and successfully awakened twin spirits: Blood Pupil and the Seraphim. Your name became famous locally. Your parents were overjoyed and doted on you even more. Through this, you successfully entered the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and became a student.]
The Sun Moon Empire?
Lu Cheng's heart stirred slightly. In the original story, there were quite a few beauties in the Sun Moon Empire: Ye Guyi, Meng Hongchen, and Ju Zi. Based on his experience from the last simulation, there was no need to lock onto a single target. As long as he met them, experienced things together, and became their white moonlight, the system would recognize it.
Therefore, he could maximize his gains.
After all, the "cost" of this simulation could be described as extravagant. If he hadn't obtained some Life Gold from the Star Luo auction, he probably wouldn't have been able to start the second simulation.
However, this Seraphim martial soul… there was probably something more to it.
Lu Cheng narrowed his eyes and continued reading.
[You performed excellently at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy. Not only did your martial soul show an exaggerated talent that could be called dominant among your peers, but you could also balance it with spirit tools. The Blood Pupil's specialty in the spiritual system made you feel as if you were blessed by the heavens when carving spirit tool formations. Even the Mingde Hall Master Kong Deming personally met with you, smiling as he patted your shoulder and promised that as long as you were willing, you could join Mingde Hall at any time. ]
"The Master of Mingde Hall—Kong Deming?!!"
A flash of bewilderment crossed Lu Cheng's eyes. Where the hell did this put him? The previous Master of Mingde Hall was indeed Kong Deming, but this meant the timeline was likely before the original story. However, he couldn't determine exactly how much the timeline differed for now. His eyelid twitched, but he continued reading.
[You were overwhelmed by the favor and chose to join Kong Deming's tutelage, becoming his closed-door disciple. At age twelve, you advanced to become a Soul Ancestor. Under Kong Deming's full cultivation, you became the student who advanced to a level five soul engineer the fastest in the history of Mingde Hall. And here, you also met your senior brother—Hall Master Jing Hongchen.]
The scene shifted.
Lu Cheng looked around somewhat blankly.
Metal walls, the air filled with the tooth-aching scent of metal shavings, and the occasional ear-piercing sound of grinding and cutting machines. It was a classic Sun Moon Empire laboratory, something he had experienced in his previous simulation.
Slap~
A large hand patted Lu Cheng's shoulder, and a familiar yet annoying voice came from his ear: "Junior Brother, there's a banquet at my manor tonight. Do you want to come? Your eldest senior brother will introduce you to a beautiful sister."
Lu Cheng turned around but saw no one.
He looked left and right, and only after hearing a slightly annoyed voice did he look down. A short, fat old man dressed in the standard red and black Mingde Hall researcher uniform of the Sun Moon Empire was glaring, his beard twitching as if he were about to jump up and headbutt Lu Cheng's stomach.
"You brat, are you looking for a beating again?"
Hall Master Jing Hongchen said angrily.
"Senior Brother, I'm sorry; I didn't see you just now—" Lu Cheng apologized sincerely.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen: "…"
This apology was completely unnecessary.
He looked up, gazing at this junior brother who was already 1.75 meters tall at the age of twelve, with a tall and straight build that towered over him, and his face twitched.
Handsome and exceptionally talented; no wonder their master favored him so much. However, he was now over a hundred years old, and his son had long since married, so he had clearly moved past the age of petty competition.
Their teacher's status in the Sun Moon Empire went without saying; he was the anchor of the empire. Whether it was a prince or the emperor, they had to bow and call him "Master Kong" upon meeting. With such high status, the number of people in the Sun Moon Empire who wanted to become his disciples was naturally enough to circle Ming City twice.
But their teacher had always preferred peace and quiet, so besides him and his junior brother, there were only two or three other fellow disciples under him. They either served as researchers in Mingde Hall or joined the military to become the commander of a Soul Engineer legion.
Therefore, as the eldest Senior Brother, he, like their master, was quite partial to his own Junior Brother.
If it were anyone else acting like this, they would have likely been blasted into bloody mist by a single palm strike from him long ago.
"What is Senior Brother holding a banquet for?"
Lu Cheng asked with interest.
"Naturally, it's to hold a hundred-day banquet for my two grandchildren. My Hongchen family has had a single heir for generations, but now we have two Qilin children. Naturally, it must be a grand affair. For this banquet, almost half of the empire's celebrities will gather, and even His Majesty intends to come personally after hearing about it. It's said that families with daughters of the right age are all asking for news about you."
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's hundred-day banquet?!!
Lu Cheng's eyelid twitched. No wonder—
This was at least twelve or thirteen years before the main timeline. For him to be sent to such an early period, whose white moonlight was he supposed to become?
Could it be—Meng Hongchen?
This was a bit too much, wasn't it?
Furthermore, in the original story, He Caitou was the previous Crown Prince. According to the description he gave when opening up to Huo Yuhao, the palace coup only happened six years ago. That meant it was around the time Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were ten years old.
Right now, it was still ten years away from the palace coup, and the emperor was still that person—
As soon as his grandson and granddaughter were mentioned, Hall Master Jing Hongchen became exuberant again, his face covered in smiles. At the end, he nudged Lu Cheng with a wink: "Junior Brother, if there's someone you fancy, you must act quickly. Childhood sweethearts and innocent playmates—that would definitely be told as a beautiful tale in the empire."
"Seventh?" Lu Cheng was pulled out of his thoughts, his expression a bit strange.
"Hehe, naturally," Hall Master Jing Hongchen said with a grin without even thinking. "You are the youngest disciple under our teacher and the only one among us fellow brothers who hasn't started a family. As your eldest senior brother, I'm worried for you."
Clearly, Hall Master Jing Hongchen hadn't realized the gravity of the problem yet.
He kept introducing Lu Cheng to the current young socialites of the Empire who were younger than him—this one had great looks, that one was exceptionally gifted, and another was an imperial princess.
"Alright, Senior Brother, I'm still young…"
Lu Cheng said helplessly.
"Fine, just remember to come to the banquet." Hall Master Jing Hongchen rubbed his belly with a smile and turned to leave.
Leaving Lu Cheng standing there, his eyes filled with thought.
According to his memory, the current Hall Master, Jing Hongchen, was already the Vice Master of Mingde Hall. After some time, Kong Deming would likely relinquish his power, go into complete seclusion, and leave Jing Hongchen in charge of Mingde Hall.
He didn't measure up to the position of Hall Master in terms of age or combat power, and of course, he had no intention of competing. Hall Master Jing Hongchen was quite kind to those he considered his own, so there was no need.
But at the thought of seeing the tiny Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen at this banquet, Lu Cheng felt a strange sensation.
Whatever.
He shook his head, tossing the stray thoughts from his mind.
In that case, he would just maximize his gains. An early timeline had its advantages, and with the simulator, it didn't mean he would actually experience such a long time.
He recalled the experiment he had just been doing—his gaze fell forward onto the core formation of a level-six milk bottle. Attempting level six at age twelve would be shocking if word got out, but for him, it was already a habit.
After returning to his dormitory at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy to wash up and change clothes, he took a soul tool car to his eldest Senior Brother's manor.
Outside, the traffic was heavy, and guests arrived in an endless stream.
A quick glance revealed several princes and even powerful border army commanders, which showed that the current Hall Master Jing Hongchen was indeed doing quite well. He was rising rapidly and was a prominent figure in the Sun Moon Empire. Being able to protect himself in the dark and treacherous imperial power struggles suggested that besides having a great power like Kong Deming backing him, he was also sharp and capable himself.
And Lu Cheng had underestimated his own status in the current Sun Moon Empire.
After he appeared, gazes frequently fell upon him. Even Commander Xu Jiangliu, the commander of the Royal Soul Engineer Legion who held heavy military power and high prestige within the imperial family, squeezed out a smile on his normally stern face when he saw Lu Cheng: "It's Xiao Cheng. Your senior brother is looking for you—"
The young man following beside him looked at Lu Cheng with a hint of envy in his eyes. After all, everyone in the empire knew that this youth was Master Kong's closed-door disciple and the junior brother of the host of this banquet.
And the youth hadn't let Kong Deming down either. In recent years, he had broken almost every record for Soul Engineers, earning the title of a once-in-a-millennium monster and the strongest soul tool genius.
In other words, with two great figures protecting him, even the current emperor would show him some consideration.
Lu Cheng showed perfect etiquette, greeted him, and was then hurriedly pulled away by Hall Master Jing Hongchen, heading straight through the manor until they reached a small courtyard.
Only then did Lu Cheng see the two twins being held by servants.
"Come—take a look at the Qilin children of my Hongchen family."
Hall Master Jing Hongchen was all smiles, stroking his beard with unstoppable pride.
The boy looked quite heroic, his eyes fixed on Lu Cheng without crying or making a fuss.
But the moment the girl saw Lu Cheng, her eyes lit up. She reached out and lunged from the servant's arms into Lu Cheng's, grabbing his arm and refusing to let go.
Lu Cheng's eyelid twitched.
Good grief, this fangirl trait—it seems it was innate.
In this life, his Blood Pupil had already undergone a second awakening, so his looks had soared from the original seven points to nine, bordering on ten. He was incredibly handsome.
"Hahaha, it seems Meng really likes you." Hall Master Jing Hongchen clearly didn't realize the gravity of the problem and was still laughing loudly nearby.
Lu Cheng's gaze softened as he patted the girl's head.
She lay in his arms quite obediently, not moving at all, her long eyelashes blinking. She looked extremely cute.
The nanny on the side was dumbstruck. The young miss was usually exceptionally naughty, even more active than the young master, but in this person's arms, she was unusually quiet—strange indeed.
"By the way, Junior Brother, the Emperor is also here tonight."
Hall Master Jing Hongchen waved his hand to dismiss the servants and leaned in to whisper in Lu Cheng's ear.
"Oh?" Lu Cheng's expression remained calm.
"And the Seventh Princess. That girl is the same age as you this year—" Hall Master Jing Hongchen said in a low voice.
"Seventh?"
Lu Cheng frowned slightly. He had just seen that princess, but he didn't like her arrogance and wilfulness. Not to mention the bloody slaughter caused by the succession struggle ten years later. All seven of the Emperor's daughters were on the death list, and only He Caitou escaped.
"Help me decline, senior brother."
Lu Cheng shook his head.
"I don't like her."
"Hey, you brat really are stubborn. That's the Seventh Princess, His Majesty's most favored girl. If you could marry her, your future as a prince consort would be even more glorious than your eldest senior brother's," Hall Master Jing Hongchen said with a grin.
"If you like her, you marry her." Lu Cheng chuckled.
"Sigh—"
Hall Master Jing Hongchen's eyes widened: "Don't talk nonsense."
"Fine, since you don't like her, I'll help you decline."
This would certainly make the Emperor unhappy, but who could blame his junior brother for being so favored by their teacher?