My Longevity Simulation

"Fish bite the bait because they want to eat.

But what exactly are these light orbs seeking?

"Seated in the endless starry sky, Ji Shaoli pondered this question.

"From the brief glimpses I've caught, it seems that within these light orbs exist various items, cultivation techniques, divine abilities, or even battle experience.

""……""This fishing pond might be an immortal artifact designed with some kind of restriction, specifically for distributing rewards.

"As Ji Shaoli's gaze swept across the different-colored light orbs—white, green, blue, purple, and orange—he contemplated.

"The more valuable an item is, the higher its tier.

That means attracting them becomes even more difficult.

""But right now, only my consciousness remains.

Even if I wanted to fish up those white light orbs, I could only rely on luck—let alone the higher-tiered ones.

"After trying various methods, Ji Shaoli still couldn't attach "bait" to the dangling fishing line.

His luck was particularly bad.

Even after a long time, not a single white light orb was drawn toward him.

It seemed that this starry sky had a time limit as well.

As the surrounding starlight grew dimmer, like ripples in water fading away, Ji Shaoli found himself back in the real world.

His fishing attempt ended in complete failure!

Feeling a sense of frustration, Ji Shaoli immediately prepared to cast his line again—only to remember that he could only activate the power of the Fishing Pond of the Starry Sky once per day.

With no other choice, he took a deep breath and waited for tomorrow to arrive.

For the next ten days, Ji Shaoli participated in one fishing attempt each day.

In total, he fished up only six light orbs.

Five white, one blue.

The white orbs contained nothing more than ores and spiritual herbs—nothing particularly valuable.

However, the blue light orb contained a jade slip.

"Taikang Gengjin Sword Qi?

"Ji Shaoli carefully read through the contents of the jade slip.

"As expected, this is not a product of the Xuanhuang Realm.

"Taikang Gengjin Sword Qi came from the Taiyi Realm and was a sword technique from the Divine Sword Sect.

The Taiyi Realm was similar to the Xuanhuang Realm in many ways.

However, it had five great cultivators who reached the peak of their cultivation but chose not to ascend to the Immortal Realm.

Instead, they integrated themselves into the Dao, merging with the Taiyi Realm's Heavenly Dao itself.

These five were revered by Taiyi Realm cultivators as the "Five-Direction Emperors of Taiyi.

"Taikang was one of these Five Emperors.

"By borrowing the power of Taikang the Emperor, this sword technique can be cultivated all the way to the Dao Integration realm?

""Why is it only a blue-tier technique?

"After reading through the jade slip, Ji Shaoli was momentarily stunned.

But as he attempted to cultivate the Taikang Gengjin Sword Qi, he immediately understood the reason.

It was all about adapting to local conditions.

This sword technique was created specifically for the Taiyi Realm, and its cultivation required the power of Taikang the Emperor as a fundamental condition.

However, in the Xuanhuang Realm, Taikang simply did not exist.

Thus, this technique was completely unusable.

If not for the fact that it was a Dao Integration-level technique, it might have been classified as a mere white-tier item.

"So this Fishing Platform actually reevaluates the value of items based on their environment?

" Ji Shaoli couldn't help but marvel at this discovery.

Even though his results were nearly worthless, he did not feel angered.

For the past ten days, he had been observing Zhong Shentong's fishing process.

Since Zhong Shentong had encountered the Fishing Platform before him, it seemed that he had grasped some special techniques.

In ten attempts, he had never come up empty-handed.

Even though he only caught eight white and two blue light orbs, he still fared much better than Ji Shaoli!

After thinking it over, Ji Shaoli decided not to waste any more time.

That day, after Zhong Shentong finished drinking and eating his fill, he was just about to take his afternoon nap——when his expression suddenly changed.

A golden barrier of light enveloped the entire small temple, including the fishing pond.

Countless golden serpentine lightning bolts were forming in the sky, as if they would strike at any moment.

"Master!

" The young Daoist boy, who was washing dishes, turned pale with fright.

"Liu Li, quickly come behind me!

" Zhong Shentong grabbed the young boy and shielded him.

At the same time, he took out a command flag and planted it into the ground.

An earthy-yellow energy formed into a sphere, enclosing both of them.

"Which Fellow Daoist is out there?

Would you be willing to come forward?

""There may be some misunderstanding here!

" Zhong Shentong called out loudly.

But Ji Shaoli could see everything clearly.

Though Zhong Shentong spoke these words, he had already quietly taken out a small wooden sword.

Even though Ji Shaoli's cultivation realm surpassed the other, he could still sense a trace of deadly danger emanating from that small sword.

Ji Shaoli did not reveal himself.

Instead, he spoke coldly, "Daoist Zhong, if you don’t want the matter of the fishing pond to become known to the world—""I advise you not to resist.

""Actually, I mean no harm.

""I’m merely a fellow fishing enthusiast who is equally curious about it.

"At these words, Zhong Shentong could no longer remain calm.

His greatest secret had been exposed, and a wave of panic surged in his heart.

His expression constantly shifted, but in the end, he still put away the wooden sword.

"If that’s the case, then please come forward and meet me!

Hiding in the shadows—what kind of conduct is that?

" he said in a deep voice.

"Heh, Fellow Daoist, you don’t know how many treasures you’ve fished out of that pond.

How could I not be cautious?

" Ji Shaoli was unmoved by his words.

Instead, he directly asked about the method to catch higher-quality light spheres.

"Don’t try to deceive me either—I’ve been keeping track of your harvest over the past ten days.

" Ji Shaoli spoke with a mocking tone.

Zhong Shentong’s heart sank completely.

The other party had been watching him all this time, and he had been completely unaware.

This was enough to prove that the opponent's strength vastly exceeded his own.

His power had already overwhelmed him, yet he remained so cautious...

Zhong Shentong couldn't help but curse in his heart.

Having no choice, he could only explain what he had discovered.

"The more times you cast your line from the fishing platform, the stronger the connection you establish with the pond.

""Perhaps in the past, there were other ways to directly enhance the connection.

But now, it can only be done through persistence—accumulating attempts and time.

""Once the connection strengthens to a certain degree, you can use your own willpower as bait to attract the surrounding light spheres.

""The light spheres seem to possess a form of intelligence—they can perceive the intent embedded within the bait.

"...

Zhong Shentong confessed everything honestly.

Ji Shaoli carefully listened while discerning the truth in his words.

"You needn't worry about me deceiving you—you can try it yourself.

""From the day I discovered the secret of this fishing pond, I knew I couldn’t monopolize it forever.

"Zhong Shentong let out a long sigh.

"Unfortunately, this fishing pond seems to be fused with heaven and earth itself, fixed in this place.

It cannot be moved or taken away.

""Otherwise...

"Zhong Shentong’s face was full of helplessness.

"I only ask that you spare Liu Li’s life.

If you must kill someone, take me instead.

" He pleaded.

At this moment, Ji Shaoli finally revealed himself.

"Heh, Daoist Zhong, you might as well put away your treasure.

""I have no intention of monopolizing this secret either.

"Hearing this, Zhong Shentong's expression became doubtful.

However, he still discreetly clutched a purple-gold gourd in his hand, refusing to let go.