The Emperor of Cultivation Prediction

"Kneel, Dexa! This ground is far too sacred for filthy feet like yours to step on!"

Laughter erupted across the main square of the Sky Sword Sect. Lian Xing stood arrogantly, the tip of his boot pressing into Dexa’s back as he lay sprawled in the dust.

"Lian... Xing... let go," Dexa hissed. His breath came in ragged gasps, his chest tightening under the pressure of the spiritual energy Lian Xing was releasing.

"What? I didn't hear that! Why don't you say it again more politely, oh great 'genius disciple' whose cultivation has been stuck for three years!" Lian Xing laughed even harder, followed by his lackeys behind him.

"He said let go, Young Master Lian. Maybe he wants to run and cry in his dead mother's arms," one of the disciples chimed in mockingly.

"Oh, that’s right! I forgot he’s all alone. An orphaned piece of trash who was lucky enough to enter this sect out of pity," Lian Xing spat right next to Dexa’s face.

"Enough, Lian Xing. We have rules here," a heavy voice cut through the crowd.

Elder Gao walked forward slowly, hands crossed behind his back. His wrinkled face appeared stiff, but his eyes emitted a cunning glint that couldn't be hidden.

"Elder Gao! Look at this trash, he's blocking our path," Lian Xing reported, pulling his foot off Dexa’s back.

"I see it, Lian Xing. Dexa, you are truly a disgrace to the Sky Sword Sect’s name. Three years at the first layer of Qi Gathering? Even a pig could do better than you," Elder Gao said coldly.

Dexa struggled to stand, wiping the blood from the corner of his lip. "I’ve practiced hard, Elder. But my energy always disappears before it can be absorbed."

"Excuses! Weakness is weakness," Elder Gao interrupted. "Since you are useless to the sect, you must prove that you still have a life worth sacrificing. There is an urgent mission."

"A mission? For a first-layer outer disciple like me?" Dexa looked at Elder Gao suspiciously.

"Snake Venom Cave. Fetch ten Red Dew Flowers from there. If you succeed, you may stay in the sect. If not... well, at least you died doing something," Elder Gao smiled thinly.

"Snake Venom Cave? That's second-tier monster territory! That's suicide, Elder!" Dexa shouted.

"You dare defy my orders?" Elder Gao's aura exploded, forcing Dexa back to his knees under the pressure.

"Take this, or I will personally break your legs and throw you off this mountain right now," Elder Gao threatened.

"Just take it, Dexa! Who knows, maybe the snakes there will think you're their brother since you're both equally disgusting," Lian Xing mocked, throwing an empty bag at Dexa’s face.

"Go now. Do not return without those flowers, or do not return at all," Elder Gao commanded with absolute authority.

Dexa’s footsteps felt heavy as he entered the mouth of the dark cave. A fishy stench and damp air immediately greeted him. In his hand was only a cracked wooden practice sword.

"Damn it... they really want me dead," Dexa muttered to the darkness.

Sssst... Sssst...

A hissing sound echoed from behind the rocks. Dexa froze. A pair of glowing green eyes stared at him from the darkness.

"Welcomed as soon as I step in," Dexa gripped his sword handle. "Come on, bring it on, you disgusting monsters!"

A black-scaled snake, three meters long, lunged out. Dexa tried to dodge, but his movements were too slow. The snake’s fangs grazed his arm, tearing through his clothes and skin.

"Argh! It burns... the venom is already working!" Dexa screamed in pain.

He swung his wooden sword wildly. Thwack! The sword hit the snake's head, but it only made the creature angrier.

"Is this all I'm capable of? Truly trash!" Dexa screamed at himself.

The snake attacked again, this time quickly coiling around Dexa’s body. His ribs began to creak under the pressure of the incredibly strong constriction.

"Let go... let me go!" Dexa punched the snake's body with his bare hands.

"Lian Xing... Elder Gao... you must be laughing now, right?" Dexa coughed up blood. His vision began to blur.

The snake opened its mouth wide, preparing to swallow Dexa’s head. The foul stench from the monster’s throat made Dexa nauseous.

"So this is the end? Dying in a snake's belly because I was set up by those corrupt people?" Dexa closed his eyes.

"I don't want to die... I want them to pay... I want them all to kneel before me!" Dexa screamed internally with his remaining strength.

Suddenly, the world seemed to stop. The pain in his body vanished miraculously, replaced by a haunting silence.

[Beep! Will to survive detected.]

[Conditions met. Awakening Cultivation Text Simulator System.]

Dexa opened his eyes. In front of him floated a transparent screen with glowing blue text.

"What... what is this? A hallucination before death?" Dexa muttered, confused.

[Congratulations, Master. You have activated the Cultivation Text Simulator System. Would you like to start your first simulation?]

"Simulation? What do you mean? I'm being crushed by a snake!" Dexa shouted in panic.

[In simulation mode, time in the real world stops. You can simulate your future based on the choices you make.]

"Future? Can you show me how to survive this snake?"

[Starting Simulation...]

[Year 0: You are being constricted by a Black Venom Snake in the Snake Venom Cave. You try to fight back with your bare hands, but your strength is too weak.]

[Year 0, 1 minute later: The snake swallows your head. You die a miserable death.]

[Simulation Ended. Result: Death.]

"Damn it! I already knew that! Give me something useful!" Dexa shouted in frustration.

[You can use simulation points to change variables. Since this is the first activation, you are given 100 free points. Would you like to try again?]

"Use them! Use them all! Give me a scenario where I live!"

[Starting Second Simulation...]

[Year 0: You are constricted by the snake. You notice a sharp rock to your left, a result of the cave cracking from the snake's movements.]

[Year 0, 30 seconds later: You stab the snake's eye with the sharp rock. The snake is in pain and loosens its grip.]

[Year 0, 1 minute later: You run toward a narrow crevice at the back of the cave that the snake cannot enter. You find the corpse of an ancient cultivator.]

[Year 0, 5 minutes later: You take the spatial ring from the corpse and find a Marrow Cleansing Pill.]

[Year 0, 10 minutes later: You swallow the pill. Your cultivation surges to the third layer of Qi Gathering. Your wounds are healed.]

[Simulation Ended. Result: Survival & Power Increase.]

Dexa was stunned as he read the text line by line. "So... that's what will happen if I take that rock?"

[Would you like to extract the simulation results into the real world? Cost: 50 points.]

"Extraction! Now!"

A bright light blinded Dexa. The next second, time resumed. The snake moved again, its mouth only centimeters away from Dexa’s face.

"Die, you oversized worm!"

Dexa thrust his left hand out, grabbing the sharp rock that was actually there, exactly as described in the simulation text. With one swift motion, he drove the rock into the snake's green eye.

Splat!

A thick yellow fluid sprayed across Dexa’s face. The snake shrieked with a deafening hiss. Its coils loosened instantly.

"Cough! Cough!" Dexa fell to the ground, gasping for as much air as he could.

Without wasting time, he ran toward the narrow crevice at the back of the cave. The snake tried to chase him blindly, slamming its body against the cave walls, but the gap was too small for it.

Dexa continued to crawl through the darkness until he found a small, hidden chamber. There, leaning against the stone wall, was a human skeleton that had already turned white.

"It's true... the corpse is here," Dexa approached with trembling hands.

He pulled a silver ring from the skeleton's finger. With the little bit of Qi he had left, he opened the space within the ring. A small jade bottle appeared in his hand.

"Marrow Cleansing Pill," Dexa swallowed hard. "Lian Xing, Elder Gao... you think I'm trash? Let's see who becomes the trash after this."

Without hesitation, Dexa swallowed the pill. An intense heat immediately surged through his entire bloodstream. Black impurities seeped out from his pores, and the pain he had felt earlier transformed into overflowing power.

[Congratulations. Your cultivation has increased to the third layer of Qi Gathering.]

[Physical wounds have been fully healed.]

Dexa stood up, his aura now vastly different. His eyes, once full of fear, now emitted a sharp, cold light. He looked toward the cave exit, where the snake was still waiting.

"System, simulate the fastest way to kill that snake and return to the sect to humiliate them."

[Starting Simulation...]

[Year 0: You exit the crevice. With third-layer strength, you use the 'Shadow Step' technique you just learned from the ancient cultivator's memories...]

"Enough," Dexa cut it off with a thin smile. "I already know what to do."

He picked up the rusty iron sword belonging to the corpse, which turned out to be far sharper than his wooden sword.

"Lian Xing, I hope you're still there when I get back. I have a special gift for you."

Dexa walked out of the darkness, his steps light yet deadly. The Black Venom Snake hissed, preparing to attack again, but this time Dexa did not dodge.

Slash!

One lightning-fast slash. The snake's head was separated from its body before it could even react. Dexa picked up the snake's head and stuffed it into the bag.

"Ten Red Dew Flowers? I'll bring you the whole root, Elder Gao. Prepare for the first blood I will claim."

Dexa walked out of the cave, the sunlight illuminating his face, which was splattered with snake blood. Behind that cold face, an Architect of Fate had been born.

"The next simulation... is your total destruction."