Bai Qiong stretched lazily and muttered to himself,
“Forget it.
I’m not pulling an all-nighter tonight.
Better just get some proper sleep, otherwise I’ll have to listen to the Old Witch nagging at me again…”
After shutting down all the equipment on his desk, Bai Qiong said a quick goodbye to the corporate drones still grinding away overtime outside his office.
Then he headed home and retreated to his room.
Once he’d brushed his teeth and washed his face, Bai Qiong sank into the soft mattress of his bed.
He spent a moment pondering what to have for breakfast tomorrow before slowly closing his eyes.
[Life Simulation Module Loaded]
Oh, neat.
Tonight’s dream is looking pretty fancy—
Wait.
Hold on.
I’m not even asleep yet!!!
[Your Status Panel is as follows:]
[Name: Bai Qiong]
[Life Talents: “In Speech, a Gentleman; in Warmth, Like Jade” (Two-Star) — Expandable…]
[Information Emperor (Five-Star) — Expandable…]
[Current Simulation Count: 1.
Time until next refresh: One month.]
[You may begin the simulation at any time.
Once the simulation is initiated, you will be situated in an absolutely secure space.]
[Upon entering the simulation, you may only select three out of five randomly generated talent keywords to serve as your initial talents.]
[After the simulation concludes, you may retain one of these talents.
Based on your simulation rating, you will receive corresponding points, which can be exchanged for items.]
[Simulation talent grades range from One-Star to Five-Star.]
[Do you wish to enter the simulation?]
[Please answer: Yes or No]
Bai Qiong poked at the word or.
The panel didn’t disappear.
He then poked at No.
First, he scanned his surroundings to confirm that the spatial environment of his room hadn’t changed.
Then he summoned his homemade electronic lifeform.
“Keke, scan my room.
Any traces of Path energy?
Prioritize detection of signatures aligned with Remembrance and Elation.”
“On it, meow.” A holographic calico cat materialized, letting out a small huff in Bai Qiong’s direction.
Streams of data cascaded through its eyes.
Bai Qiong didn’t sit idle either.
He pulled out his Ether Card and connected to the data network, checking for any recent anomalies in his social platform interactions or real-world connections.
One minute later…
“Absolutely nothing, meow.” A hint of confusion flickered in Keke’s gaze.
“So, boss, what’s going on, meow?”
Bai Qiong frowned, but the tension in his brow eased after a moment.
“Nothing.
I’m going to sleep.”
“Electronic lives matter too, meow,” Keke shot back with a dramatic roll of its eyes.
“According to the latest IPC labor laws, electronic lifeforms have rights!
Waking me up in the middle of the night…
I swear you have no idea—”
Keke’s grumbling showed no signs of stopping.
Bai Qiong manually muted the cat using his Ether Card.
The holographic projection promptly flickered out of existence.
After hesitating for a beat, Bai Qiong took a deep breath and re-entered the Life Simulator’s system interface.
[Do you wish to enter the simulation?]
Bai Qiong tapped No once more, then backed out to his personal status panel.
His gaze landed on the section labeled Life Talents.
He tapped the Expandable option next to “In Speech, a Gentleman; in Warmth, Like Jade” (Two-Star) .
[ “In Speech, a Gentleman; in Warmth, Like Jade” ] (Two-Star Talent): Your bone structure and features are perfectly balanced.
Your facial lines are clean and sharp, carrying a natural, refreshing air of youthful vitality.
Note: Your appearance has reached the peak of current mainstream human aesthetic standards.
Should you advance any further, even ancient beasts and Intellitrons would go mad for you.
Bai Qiong nodded with satisfaction.
Yes, yes, keep talking.
But advancing further…
Yeah, no thanks.
What the hell were “ancient beasts” anyway?
Cross-species universal beauty standards?
Hard pass.
He didn’t dwell on the matter of looks any longer and shifted his attention to the five-star talent below.
[Information Emperor] (Five-Star): You ascended from a single cluster of electrical signals.
Within the domain of information networks, you wield absolute dominion.
Electrical signals?
So that’s why…
No wonder I don’t have a father.
I came from electrical signals?
Does that mean I have to share a table with that stupid cat Keke?!?!
No wonder I’m an absolute genius when it comes to hacking!
As for what happened before the ascension…
who cares?
Life’s good right now.
Why dig up the past?
[Do you wish to enter the simulation?]
Whatever.
Let’s just fire this thing up and see what happens.
In this regard, he and Silver Wolf were cut from the same cloth.
They both chalked up this brand of curiosity and recklessness to something called gamer spirit.
Same prompt as before.
This time, he selected [Yes] .
[Please select three talents from the following random options to begin your life simulation.]
[Walker of Paths] (Four-Star): Compared to others, you find it far easier to attract the gaze of Aeons and set foot upon a Path.
[Kun Disciple] (One-Star): After practicing diligently for two and a half years, you will receive a direct transmission of skills from a master of another realm, automatically mastering singing, dancing, rap, basketball, and the sect’s secret technique—Iron Mountain Lean.
[Born Charmer] (Two-Star): Should you so desire, even a dog would gaze at you with deep, soulful affection.
[Infinite White Porridge] (Two-Star): “The Azure Sky is dead; the Yellow Sky shall rise.
In the Year of Jiazi, let there be fortune under heaven!!!”
[Youthful Prodigy] (Three-Star): You are a genius.
You pick up any skill with remarkable ease.
Five talent keywords.
No negative modifiers, at least.
But [Kun Disciple] seemed pretty useless.
[Youthful Prodigy] and [Walker of Paths] were basically no-brainer picks.
The real choice came down to [Born Charmer] versus [Infinite White Porridge] .
Let’s be real—across the cosmos, the Path-striding maniacs out there could casually wipe out an entire planet on a whim.
The average person’s life could be summed up as: born at random, died in some absurd fashion.
So the practical applications of [Infinite White Porridge] felt…
limited.
Ah, screw it.
Why bother making up excuses?
He just wanted to pick [Born Charmer].
After running into that terrifying galgame master—Kafka—not too long ago, he’d been kinda itching to play a galgame himself!
“Select [Born Charmer], [Walker of Paths], and [Youthful Prodigy].
Begin simulation.”
[Simulation commencing.]
[Transferring consciousness.
Generating random scenario…
Dizziness is normal.
Please ensure your underwear remains dry.]
Bai Qiong’s consciousness began to blur.
It felt as though he had plunged headfirst into the deep sea, saltwater flooding his ears, nose, and mouth.
His body grew heavier and heavier, sinking downward beyond his control.
Then, in an instant, the scenery before him completely transformed.
It was like being abruptly hauled back to the surface—his senses and awareness gradually flooding back.
His original memories were temporarily sealed away.
His newborn body retained only its most primal instincts.
[Age 1: You are born into a wealthy merchant family aboard the Xianzhou Cangcheng.
However, your parents are frequently away on business, leaving you in the care of your father’s close friend.
This man was your father’s comrade-in-arms during their younger days in the Cloud Knights, and he treats you as his own flesh and blood.]
[Within this household, there is a girl born in the same year as you.
The uncle’s surname is Jing, and the aunt’s surname is Liu, so their daughter is named Jing Liuliu.
Uncle Jing and Aunt Liu even frequently joke about arranging a childhood betrothal between you and little Jing Liuliu.]
[Age 2: Your parents return to attend your Zhuazhou ceremony.
During the ritual, you completely ignore the expectant gaze of your father, and your eyes glide right past the wooden sword they had deliberately placed within your reach.]
[Instead, you reach out and grab hold of Jing Liuliu’s hand.
Uncle Jing beams with delight, casting a teasing glance toward your father.
Your father, however, sees nothing but darkness.
His mind is already calculating exactly how many strikes of “bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork” he’ll be serving you tonight.]