My Simulated Road to Immortality

Han Yi paced back and forth, muttering under his breath.

“I will lose a third of the default penalty, and my principal is nine hundred and ten thousand.”

“If I can successfully retrieve it, that would be six hundred thousand …”

A pang of agony stirred in Han Yi’s heart.

His face twisted in conflict, “That still leaves a shortfall of more than fifty thousand!”

“In one year, if I risk another backlash, I can make up that amount.”

“But doing so frequently, I fear, would damage my fundamentals.”

After a bout of deliberation, Han Yi finally made up his mind.

“I used to think that as long as I could control destiny, I would surely achieve something.”

“From my experiences over the years, however, destiny enhances but is not omnipotent. If I want to achieve unity-path or even longevity, relying solely on destiny is far from enough.”

“Resources and connections are equally important!”

“This technique being revealed to the world is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. Failing to seize what heaven has bestowed will result in calamity!”

With this thought in mind, Han Yi headed straight towards the Misthaven City Governance Hall.

On his way, he had heard that a large crowd of cultivators had gathered there, all aiming to reclaim their contribution points ahead of schedule, just like him.

Initially, he felt a bit relieved, thinking that there was strength in numbers and everything would go smoothly.

When he arrived, however, his heart sank.

Only a few scattered people remained on the scene, their faces as sullen as frostbitten eggplants.

“Could something have gone wrong?” Nervously, Han Yi quickly started to inquire.

The result was somewhat surprising and unwarranted, and his worry was for naught.

“So if you’re willing to pay 30% of the default penalty, you can take away your contribution points?”

“No additional conditions?”

After clarifying this, Han Yi couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The cultivator opposite him was a bit upset by Han Yi’s nonchalance. “This is a third of the penalty, but it seems like you don’t care at all.”

Han Yi shook his head, “I am ready to accept my losses. The conditions were clearly stated in the contract. I signed it, and even though I regret it, I wouldn’t complain.”

“I originally thought that the Emissary would take advantage of everyone’s desperate need for money and raise the stakes.”

“However, it seems that their reputation is still quite good.”

Words had power, even if unintentional, can arouse strong emotions.

Han Yi’s words, however, angered several cultivators.

“Are you, this fellow, a proxy hired by Li Fan? Listen to your tone, like you’d thank him for getting ripped off by him?”

“Exactly, this fellow cultivator looks suspicious. It seems like he was hired by Li Fan to stir up trouble! Don’t be fooled by his deceitful words!”

“This is truly heinous!”

…

In an instant, Han Yi inexplicably became the target of everyone’s vented frustrations.

It all happened so quickly that he was dazed and somewhat confused.

Fortunately, He Zhenghao saw what was happening and came to defuse the situation.

“What’s all the fuss about? I think this cultivator speaks sensibly, a bet is a bet! It’s not like my lord forced you to sign the initial agreement. In fact, some of you were clamouring to join the fundraising! Now, why are you all reneging on your promises?”

He Zhenghao scolded them, his anger palpable.

Those cultivators, seeing this, didn’t dare to argue with him directly and had to reluctantly withdraw.

“What’s your name, fellow cultivator?” After everyone withdrew, He Zhenghao turned to the only cultivator who’d defended Li Fan and asked with a pleasant face.

“I’m Han Yi!” Knowing that this was He Zhenghao, the one who’d presided over the fundraising, Han Yi was somewhat nervous.

“Hehe, be at ease, Han,” said He Zhenghao. He’d dealt with countless cultivators, and he could easily see through Han Yi’s current state of mind.

Thinking of the order Li Fan had suddenly issued, he had an idea.

“In this era, there aren’t many cultivators like Han Yi who understand the situation,” He Zhenghao sighed.

“Don’t be fooled by the rumors from the outside! The Emissary is definitely not a scammer. On the contrary, he’s benevolent. He learned that many cultivators urgently need contribution points and he specifically instructed us.”

“If you’re really having a tough time, you can waive the default penalty.”

Han Yi was surprised and pleased, “Is that true?”

He Zhenghao’s face turned stern, “The Emissary always honors his promises, how could there be lies?”

“Let’s go, Han. I’ll help you with the procedures.”

Overjoyed, Han Yi followed him inside right away.

Half a day later, looking at his credit of nine hundred and ten thousand contribution points, Han Yi was filled with mixed emotions.

“Could it be that my luck is turning around?”

Upon reflection, Han Yi vaguely felt that his troubles hadn’t yet passed.

“No, I should say that Li Fan indeed lives up to his reputation for being exceptionally generous.”

“He waived such a large sum of default penalties just like that.”

“Based on what I saw from those cultivators just now, it’s clear that they underestimated Li Fan,” Han Yi thought to himself.

While being inwardly grateful to Li Fan, Han Yi couldn’t help but have this thought.

However, he didn’t know that this was exactly Li Fan wanted him to think.

Li Fan had conveyed an order through Zhou Qingang.

When a defaulting cultivator came to them, they could randomly waive the default penalty for half of the contribution points needed to be withdrawn.

In this way, they would earn a little less, but it would stir the pot significantly.

The cultivators who had their penalty waived, would naturally defend Li Fan when they saw others denigrate him.

However, others did genuinely bear the loss.

Of course, they wouldn’t be easily persuaded.

As a result, arguments were inevitable.

When one-sided accusations and criticisms turned into debates, bystanders would no longer easily believe either side.

In this way, any negative impact could be minimized.

Others could also simply say “Well, it’s a complex issue, hard to explain properly with all those arguments” when asked about it.

In doing this, Li Fan was employing a stalling tactic.

To soothe those cultivators who were still watching and had not yet withdrawn their contribution points.

If he went too far, they might start to suspect that he was really running away.

Once their suspicions were temporarily suppressed, they just need to wait for the arrival of the Crimson Blaze Ocean, which would mark the end of this world in Misthaven Ocean.

As Li Fan had expected,

Even though it caused a huge stir, ultimately, the matter was gradually forgotten by people.

As the deadline for the technique discount neared, most of the cultivators still focused the majority of their efforts on earning contribution points and tried to redeem the technique before the opportunity disappeared.

Han Yi was no exception.

Perhaps it was because everyone was short of contribution points, he turned corners for quite some time, but failed to find a suitable opportunity.

Out of desperation, he activated the Heavenly Fate Sutra to find an opportunity.

Following the indications, he left the Misthaven Ocean and headed inland towards the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals.