Chapter 56: Torture and Torment
Su Xing gave a slight nod upon seeing this.
Although he already had a cultivation technique, he still needed a great deal of time to cultivate before he could improve his cultivation level, so now was not the time to be complacent.
“First, I need to find a way to condense the Nine Revolution Golden Core, then make a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage, that’s what I should focus on next…”
Su Xing continued to simulate.
[In the sixth year, you still strive to improve your cultivation level and spend a week each month making elixirs, further refining your cultivation.]
[In the seventh year, your cultivation level advanced to the fourth layer of the Golden Core Stage.]
[In the eighth year, you cultivated diligently, but your cultivation level remained at the fourth layer of the Golden Core Stage.]
[In the ninth year, your cultivation level advanced to the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage.]
[In the tenth year, the Sect suddenly increased their demand for the Organ Refining Pill, which was good news for you because it meant you could hoard more Huang Xian Essence.]
[In the eleventh year, your cultivation level remained at the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage, but the quality of your Golden Core was ever increasing, nearing the superior grade.]
[Over the years, you noticed that Protector Zong’s gaze towards you became increasingly strange, seeming to harbor some deep yearning that made you feel uncomfortable.]
[Since you had already obtained the Changchun Technique you wanted, Protector Zong no longer held any value to you, and you began to gradually distance yourself.]
[Protector Zong didn’t say much about this, but after all, he was your immediate superior, and you still met once or twice each month.]
[In the twelfth year, your cultivation level was still at the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage, and you realized that perhaps due to your inadequate aptitude, you focused most of your energy on improving the quality of your Golden Core.]
[In the thirteenth year, your cultivation level remained at the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage, and the quality of your Golden Core did not improve further.]
[One day, Protector Zong sought you out alone, and you had a bad feeling about it, but since Protector Zong was your immediate superior, you didn’t have the right to refuse.]
[Protector Zong took you to a secluded place, his gaze no longer discreet but becoming fierce and greedy.]
[He told you that from the first time he saw you, he knew you were cultivating the Changchun Technique.]
[With a foreboding feeling, you could sense Protector Zong’s ill-intent towards you, but with your strength, you were completely unable to resist, so you tried to calm yourself and asked how he knew you were cultivating the Changchun Technique.]
[Protector Zong grinned viciously, showing a row of stark white teeth, and said it was because he also cultivated the Changchun Technique.]
[Your heart trembled, but you still questioned him in confusion, as there should only be one Cultivator with your profession in the world.]
[Protector Zong bluntly stated that you were doomed to die and that he was willing to let you die in the know, revealing that he wasn’t from this world but a Cultivator from another world.]
[And his only purpose in joining the Descending Sect was to find the long-lost path to immortality, and you were the second Cultivator he had encountered in all these years, possessing strong vitality and perfectly suited to extend his lifespan.]
[You had already anticipated what he prepared to do to you, but you didn’t intend to go down without a fight. You circulated all the blood energy throughout your body and launched an all-out attack on Protector Zong.]
[However, the gap between the two of you was too great. Protector Zong didn’t even need to use his full strength to knock you unconscious.]
[When you woke again, you found yourself in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by torture devices, and you were firmly bound, with your limbs severed and unable to move.]
[Sect Elder Zong wasn’t wearing a mask, revealing a gaunt face full of wrinkles, and his yellowed teeth looked somewhat unsettling.]
“[He demanded to know why you were able to cultivate since there was no spiritual energy in the real world.]”
“[Knowing that death was inevitable, you clenched your teeth and said nothing.]”
“[Sect Elder carefully took out a bamboo tube which contained a black insect as thick as a thumb. The insect slowly crawled onto your body and eventually burrowed into you through your eyes.]”
“[You struggled with all your might to resist, but you found that no matter what, you were powerless, and even the spiritual power within you had vanished.]”
“[As the dark Gu insect burrowed into your body, you felt a pain akin to thousands of ants gnawing at your heart, but you couldn’t fight back at all, you couldn’t even kill yourself.]”
“[You gritted your teeth, and your unyielding spirit came into play at that moment, allowing you to endure a little longer.]”
“[And Protector Zong’s voice, grating on the nerves, echoed in your ears. He told you that he knew you must have found a copy of the world that still had spiritual energy. As long as you gave up the coordinates of that copy, he would grant you a swift end.]”
“[Your mind was clouded with pain; the only thought in your heart was that, even in death, you would not reveal the copy’s coordinates, as you would not leave such a benefit to the Sect Elder.]”
“[You refused to give up, still thinking of a way to escape, but you couldn’t muster the focus at all.]”
“[Just then, a voice reached your ears, and you were startled. Then, you realized it was the voice of the Gu insect.]”
“[Suddenly, you remembered your level ten talent in Beast Speech, and the Gu insect was clearly a type of beast, so you patiently coaxed the insect, hoping it would leave your body.]”
“[Unexpectedly, the Gu insect actually agreed. It crawled out of your mouth and even turned back to look at you curiously.]”
“[As the Gu insect left your body, the pain inside you quickly dissipated, but you could feel that your internal organs were riddled with holes from the insect’s biting.]”
“[Fortunately, this Gu insect was only meant to torture, not to kill, and since you were a Cultivator at the Organ Refining Stage, the damage to your organs could heal gradually.]”
“[Protector Zong’s face went pale; he had not expected you to be able also to command the Gu insects, and he asked whether you had received a legacy from the Gu tribe.]”
“[You sneered and paid no heed to Protector Zong.]”
“[Over the next three days, Protector Zong tried dozens of tortures on you, but your mind remained resolute, and you did not relent.]”
Su Xing paused, puzzled:
“Could it be that I am one of those rare, tough guys that come around once in a thousand years?”
This is definitely not it! Su Xing shook his head slightly.
“Could it be that the toughness innate to me is so strong… that I can withstand torture? No, that can’t be right, a mere green talent shouldn’t have such an effect!”
Su Xing pondered for a long time and then realized.
“Perhaps it’s because the ‘me’ in the simulator acts according to my thoughts in the real world, and since I do not wish to compromise, the ‘me’ in the simulator won’t surrender either?”
Su Xing nodded slightly; this was the only explanation that made sense.
Su Xing continued the simulation.
“[Seeing that he couldn’t get any useful information from you, the Sect Elder gave up.]”
“[But he didn’t just finish you off; instead, he took out a huge alchemy furnace, and you were thrown into the Pill Furnace. He intended to refine you into a Human Pill!]”