Simulated Lives: The Sorrow of the Sword Maiden-Chapter 17 – Simulated Reward Settlement

"Brother, I can finally make up for my mistakes."
The myriad realms trembled.
The sea of worlds surged.
Countless years had passed, and a cold figure, whose gaze could suppress all worlds, emerged from the Immortal Realm, carrying a blood-stained wooden sword.
She stepped into the River of Time.
Under her terrifying pressure, the waters symbolizing the past, present, and future all boiled, splashing massive waves, each droplet carrying the weight of a small world.
"Buzz—"
Xu Moli gently raised her delicate hand, and time reversed in her grasp, rewriting the years because of her.
How much time had truly passed since her brother's death?
Xu Moli couldn't quite remember.
She only knew that from that day on, she lost all hope and reliance, driven only by the obsession to resurrect her brother, pushing her to ceaselessly cultivate.
Finally.
She surpassed the Immortal Emperor, achieving an unprecedented pinnacle, able to ignore causality and reverse time. With this power beyond the Immortal Emperor, she was certain she could save her brother from the past!
Thinking of this, her eternally youthful and breathtaking face couldn't help but show a hint of a smile.
"Boom! Boom!"
The River of Time was blocked.
Her hand, white as jade, moved against the current, precisely picking out a small world with a familiar aura from the endless droplets, the very world Xu Moli ascended from.
The years of the past were extracted, transforming into vivid scenes.
After so long.
Xu Moli once again saw that familiar face, watching as her brother, with gentle care, raised her from a young age in the past timeline.
She also saw the year she turned seventeen, when her brother sacrificed his life to forcibly save the young girl she once was.
"Brother."
A soft whisper carried countless emotions.
Time shook, and the supreme power was applied to her fingertips, gently reaching for the Xu Xi of the past, trying to forcibly bring him to her side.
But—
With the crisp sound of a bubble bursting, the cold woman's fingers passed right through Xu Xi, unable to affect him in the slightest, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't touch him at all.
"No, this can't be."
Xu Moli was a bit panicked.
She tried to grasp other things from the past timeline.
Everything went smoothly; the constraints of time couldn't hinder her in the slightest with her power surpassing the myriad realms. Yet, she simply couldn't touch her brother.
Again and again!
Again and again!!
Again and again!!!
No matter how many times she tried, she could only see Xu Xi living in the past, unable to truly touch him.
It was like the moon in the water and the flower in the mirror.
Visible to the eye, yet separated by an infinitely distant gap, making touch impossible.
"Why... why has it come to this..."
"It shouldn't be like this..."
"Why am I not given the chance to make amends..."
Finally, Xu Moli gave up the countless attempts, deeply realizing that she could never save her beloved brother.
Watching the memories belonging to the two of them in the River of Time.
She cried for the first time in ages.
It was a silent cry.
Very quiet, very sorrowful.
No sound was made, only tears continuously fell, mixing into the River of Time, but the tears of sorrow remained undiminished even as time washed over them.
"...Brother, I'm sorry."
In the end, the girl who surpassed countless beings and reached the impossible shore.
Curled herself into a small ball.
Letting her consciousness sink, falling into endless darkness, to escape the unchangeable despairing reality.
——————
Opening his eyes, the darkness was pierced by warm sunlight.
Unlike before when he awoke in the Cultivation World, this time Xu Xi woke up in his room in the real world.
"It feels like I had a very long dream."
The sun was shining brightly, still daytime.
Streaming in through the window.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".
Illuminating everything in the room.
It wasn't that Xu Xi had slept too little, but rather he had slept for over ten hours, waking up in the early morning of the next day.
After all, what he did before the simulation ended far exceeded the limits of human endurance, placing a tremendous burden on his mind.
"I wonder how Moli is doing after my death."
"With her talent, I shouldn't need to worry about her. Still, the thought of never seeing that child again brings a bit of inexplicable sadness."
Xu Xi sat up from the bed, catching the sunlight in his palm, warm and comforting, he said with a sigh.
He was actually a bit of a homebody.
Especially after his legs were crippled, he rarely interacted with others.
This simulation experience allowed him to enjoy seventeen years of a normal life, and honestly, Xu Xi felt truly satisfied.
However.
Thinking of the girl's crying, despairing face at the end of the simulation.
Xu Xi couldn't help but sigh, feeling uneasy.
"Life Simulation, huh..."
"It really is like the simulator said, an experience akin to a second life, though it doesn't quite match the promised beautiful life."
Xu Xi clicked his tongue.
Then began to check the system notifications he hadn't had the chance to view due to exhaustion after the simulation ended.
【Ding~~~】
【First simulation statistics complete】
【Congratulations to the host for activating the following achievements: Hero for One, Reformer of the Four Arts, Untimely Death, The Man Behind Her】
【Hero for One】: You are a hero to her alone, the light in her heart.
【Reformer of the Four Arts】: Your mastery in the Four Arts of Cultivation has the achievement of founding a sect, completing a reform unbeknownst to others.
【Untimely Death】: Your future could have been more brilliant, but you died a bit too soon.
【The Man Behind Her】: Your existence is insignificant to the world, but you indirectly facilitated her emergence, some call you the man behind the unspeakable taboo.
Xu Xi: ?
The first three achievements seemed normal, but the last one was quite a shift in tone.
"From the description, 'Her' seems to refer to Moli," Xu Xi mused, "It seems that after my death, Moli became someone extraordinary."
His worry for the girl eased a bit.
Xu Xi continued to check the simulator panel.
【Simulation Summary: You completely wasted your talent, despite having a top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root, your cultivation stopped at the Golden Core Stage, undoubtedly a waste】
【However, in exchange, you sacrificed your life to indirectly accomplish another great feat, thus being called 'that man' by the myriad realms, your existence remembered by the world】
【Simulation No. 01 final evaluation: S-】
【Reward generation in progress........】
【Please choose three of the following five rewards, which will be issued immediately after selection】
【1, Peak cultivation within the simulated life】
【2, All Daoist arts within the simulated life】
【3, Wood attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root】
【4, A storage ring filled with cultivation resources】
【5, A jar of candy that will never expire】