Lam Minh returned to his room and locked the door, his expression as serious as if he were about to undertake a great enterprise. Convincing his family to invest and prepare for the future was just a stepping stone. The most important thing was his own strength. Absolute power was the foundation of all his plans.
"System, open status panel," he called out silently.
[IMMORTAL BATTLEFIELD SYSTEM]
Host: Lam MinhCore Talent: ImmortalityDescription: Automatically revives after 10 seconds. The number of points received depends on the enemy's strength and the gruesomeness of the death.Side Effect: After revival, gain the [Invulnerability] state for 30 minutes (HP and Energy are locked at 100%).Current Immortality Points: 0Cultivation Level: Unawakened (Requires 1,000 points)Function: [Battlefield Simulation]Note: Deaths in the simulation only yield 1/10 of the points compared to reality. An excellent tool for practice and... experiencing creative deaths!
Lam Minh frowned as he read the note.
"Son of a bitch! A 10x reduction? You damn system, do you have any idea how precious my time is?"
[System Note: Safety first, Host. Consider it an introductory course to getting acquainted with death.]
"Acquainted with my ass!" Lam Minh cursed under his breath, but he had no choice but to accept it. After all, running out into the street to find a truck to "farm points" in reality was too risky and could cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. At least, in this early stage.
"Alright, let's get to it," he took a deep breath. "System, open the Novice-level Battlefield Simulation!"
[WELCOME TO THE "ALLEY OF DEATH" BATTLEFIELD]
The scenery around him changed. Lam Minh found himself standing in a dark, damp alley, exactly like the ones he remembered from the slums near the great wall. At the end of the alley, a scrawny but menacing early-stage Qi Refining Madakaros was growling.
"Alright, time for a test run," Lam Minh muttered.
He didn't charge forward. Instead, he stood perfectly still, raised his arms, and yelled, "Hey, you three-eyed freak! Come over here and kill me!"
As if provoked, the Madakaros roared and charged forward like an arrow. Lam Minh closed his eyes, ready to receive his first death after rebirth.
Its sharp claws tore through the air, piercing straight into his heart. The familiar pain washed over him, but this time, it carried a hint of... excitement.
Darkness.
10... 9... 8...
[Host has revived.]
[Death in Simulation. Killed by an Early-stage Qi Refining enemy. Damage level: Single blow through the heart. Received 70 (700/10) Immortality Points.]
[[INVULNERABILITY] STATE ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 29:59]
Lam Minh opened his eyes. An unprecedented feeling of euphoria spread throughout his body. He looked at the virtual HP and Energy bars before him; they were locked solid at 100%. He felt his body brimming with power, not a hint of fatigue, not a trace of pain.
"Whoa..." he exclaimed. "This feeling... is fucking awesome!"
The Madakaros in front of him seemed a bit confused to see the prey it had just killed standing there, alive and well. It let out another roar and charged again.
This time, Lam Minh didn't dodge. He stood still, letting its claws rake across his body.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
His shirt was torn to shreds, but his skin only showed a few shallow scratches, with no blood at all. The pain was almost nonexistent.
"Hahaha! Is that a tickle, son?" Lam Minh laughed loudly, raising his hand to grab the Madakaros by the neck.
Under the [Invulnerability] state, his strength also seemed to be enhanced. He effortlessly lifted the 2-meter-tall monster into the air, despite its frantic struggles.
"In my last life, you bastards tortured me to hell and back. In this life, it's my turn!"
He used all his strength and slammed the Madakaros against the adjacent wall.
CRASH!
The brick wall cracked. The monster was stunned. Giving it no quarter, Lam Minh lunged forward, unleashing a flurry of punches to its face and chest. He didn't know martial arts, but for these 30 minutes, he was a tireless, painless fighting machine.
After nearly five minutes of brutalization, the Qi Refining Madakaros had been reduced to a bloody pulp.
[SIMULATION ENDED. HOST IS VICTORIOUS.]
The alley scene vanished, and Lam Minh was back in his bedroom. The "high" from the [Invulnerability] state also faded, leaving a slight sense of emptiness.
"System, 70 points per kill. So to get 1000 points, I have to die... 15 times?" He calculated mentally.
[System Note: Alternatively, the Host can try more creative and gruesome deaths to receive more points.]
"More creative?" Lam Minh smirked. "Alright, if you insist."
He immediately re-entered the simulation. This time, he didn't provoke it. He ran around, luring it to chase him. Then, he suddenly dropped to the ground, right in its path.
The Madakaros couldn't stop in time, and its heavy body trampled all over Lam Minh, crushing him like a cockroach.
[Host has revived.]
[Death in Simulation. Trampled to death by an Early-stage Qi Refining enemy. Damage level: Full body crushed. Death had a comedic quality. Received 90 (900/10) Immortality Points.]
"Hahaha! 90 points! Sweet!" Lam Minh laughed like a madman. The [Invulnerability] state was activated again. This time he didn't even bother fighting, just stood there, basking in the feeling of omnipotence for 30 minutes, occasionally kicking the air.
And so it went. For the rest of that evening, Lam Minh's bedroom became the stage for the most creative deaths on Earth.
He tried letting it bite his head off (+120 points).
He tried luring it to punch a nearby gas tank so they both exploded (+150 points).
He tried climbing onto a roof and jumping on its head, resulting in both of them dying (+110 points).
With every death, he got 30 minutes of that "high." He was starting to get addicted to this feeling. It was like a drug, making him forget all his worries, leaving only a sense of absolute dominance.
After nearly five hours of continuous "suicide," he finally gathered enough points.
[IMMORTALITY POINTS REACHED 1050/1000. DOES THE HOST WISH TO BREAK THROUGH TO THE EARLY QI REFINING REALM?]
"Breakthrough! Right now!" Lam Minh didn't hesitate for a second.
[CONFIRMED. CONSUMING 1000 IMMORTALITY POINTS. BEGINNING QI INDUCTION PROCESS.]
A familiar stream of hot energy, but many times stronger than before, flooded his body. He could clearly feel the qi from the environment being drawn into him, flowing through his meridians and gathering in his dantian. A small vortex of qi officially formed.
His body let out a series of small crack sounds. His muscles became firmer, his senses sharper. He felt like he could shatter a small tree trunk with a single punch.
And this was only the Early Qi Refining Realm!
Lam Minh opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with confidence and fervor. He looked at the 50 points he had left, then at the cultivation path that required 2000 points to reach the Mid-stage.
"Alright, the simulation was just an appetizer," he murmured, a dangerous smile spreading across his lips. "It's time... to find some 'opportunities' in the real world."