SWNOVELXO Chapter 17:
Chapter 17: Simulation Reward Settlement:
“Brother, I can finally make up for my mistakes.”
The heavens quaked.
The Boundary Sea surged.
No one could tell how many years had passed. Murderous intent pierced through the flow of time itself, as a cold, peerless figure emerged from the immortal world, clutching a blood-stained wooden sword.
Xu Moli took a single step, entering the river of time.
The immense pressure of her power caused the currents, which represented the past, present, and future, to churn violently. Water droplets, each carrying the weight of a small world, were flung into the sky.
“Buzz—”
With a gentle raise of her delicate hand, Xu Moli caused time to reverse. The flow of years bent to her will, and history began to rewrite itself under her supreme power.
How many years had passed since her brother’s death?
Xu Moli no longer remembered.
All she knew was that from the moment she lost her brother, she had lived only for one purpose: to resurrect him.
Driven by this obsession, she trained relentlessly.
Finally, she reached a realm beyond the Immortal Emperor, the highest level ever attained. Now, she wielded power that defied causality and rewrote the fabric of time itself.
At last, she would save her brother.
The thought brought a rare smile to her face.
“Boom! Boom!”
The long river of time resisted her intrusion.
Undeterred, her jade-like hand reached upstream, isolating a familiar small world from the countless droplets. It was the world where she and her brother had once lived.
Time materialized into vivid imagery.
Xu Moli watched as the scenes unfolded—her brother raising her as a child with unyielding kindness and patience. She saw herself at seventeen, frail and dying, saved by her brother at the cost of his own life.
“Brother.”
Her whisper was soft, carrying the weight of countless emotions.
She reached out, her fingers trembling with power, trying to pluck her brother’s existence from the past and bring him back to her side.
But—
With a crisp pop, the image shattered like a fragile bubble. Her fingers passed through the figure of Xu Xi without causing the slightest ripple.
“No… that’s impossible.”
Panic surged through her.
She tried again, reaching for other elements of the past. Objects, memories, places—all obeyed her command. The barriers of time bent to her power.
But not her brother.
Again and again!
No matter how many times she tried, she could only see Xu Xi, alive in the past, but could never touch him.
It was like chasing the moon’s reflection in water or reaching for flowers in a mirror.
Visible, yet infinitely distant.
“Why… Why is it like this?”
“It shouldn’t be like this…”
“Why won’t you give me a chance to make things right?”
Eventually, Xu Moli stopped.
She realized the truth—she could never bring her brother back.
Staring at the memories frozen in time, she cried for the first time in eons.
Her tears were silent, but the sorrow behind them was deafening.
They fell into the river of time, resisting its current, solidifying into eternal, unyielding drops.
“…Brother, I’m sorry.”
Curling into herself, the woman who had surpassed all realms and creatures withdrew into darkness, seeking refuge from the unchangeable truth.
…
When Xu Xi opened his eyes, warm sunlight pierced through the darkness.
Unlike his previous awakenings in the simulated world of cultivation, this time, he found himself in his room in the real world.
“It feels like I had the longest dream.”
The sunlight streamed through the windows, lighting up every corner of the room.
Xu Xi sat up in his wheelchair, looking around. He felt exhausted, despite having slept for over ten hours.
The simulation had pushed his mental endurance to its absolute limit.
“I wonder how Mo Li fared after I died.”
“With her talent, I’m sure she’ll be fine… but the thought of never seeing her again feels oddly painful.”
He sighed, catching the sunlight in his palm. The warmth soothed him as he tried to shake off the lingering melancholy.
In truth, Xu Xi was a recluse, especially after losing the use of his legs.
The simulation had been a stark contrast, allowing him to experience seventeen years of a normal life.
He was content with that.
But the memory of Mo Li’s tear-streaked face as he died in the simulation weighed heavily on his heart.
…
[Ding!]
The familiar sound of the simulator interrupted his thoughts.
[Simulation statistics complete.]
[Congratulations to the host for achieving the following titles: Hero of One Person, Revolutionary of Four Arts, Untimely Death, and The Man Behind Him.]
[Hero of One Person]: To her, you are the only hero and the light in her heart.
[Revolutionary of Four Arts]: Your innovations in the Four Arts of Immortal Cultivation have laid the foundation for a revolution, though you never lived to see it.
[Untimely Death]: Your future held boundless potential, but it was cut short too soon.
[The Man Behind Him]: While your presence seemed insignificant, you indirectly catalyzed the rise of a being that reshaped the world.
Xu Xi blinked.
The first three titles made sense, but the fourth one baffled him.
“‘The Man Behind Him?’ Based on the description, it seems to refer to Mo Li,” Xu Xi mused. “Looks like she became someone truly extraordinary after I died.”
Relieved, his worry for Mo Li eased.
…
[Simulation summary: Despite possessing Heavenly Spirit roots, you squandered your talent and remained at the Golden Elixir Realm. Your potential was wasted.]
[However, your sacrifice set the stage for monumental events. Across the multiverse, you are remembered as ‘that man.’]
[Final evaluation: S-]
[Simulation rewards are being generated…]
[Please select three of the following rewards to claim:]
[1. Peak cultivation achieved in the simulation.]
[2. All Taoism mastered in the simulation.]
[3. Wood-aligned Heavenly Spiritual Root.]
[4. A storage ring filled with cultivation resources.]
[5. A jar of candy that will never expire.]
Xu Xi stared at the list, his mind spinning with choices.