All I See Is Effort and Sweat

"Indeed..."

"Servia has also ascended to Supreme."

Xu Xi gazed at the simulator's results, nodding slightly with an air of calm composure.

It wasn’t that he had faith in Servia.

Rather, after several simulations, each birthing a Supreme, he had grown accustomed to it.

"But how did Servia achieve Supremehood?"

"My original plan was for her to live in the world of Heruka until she reached the limits of her soul, then naturally enter the cycle of reincarnation in the Netherworld."

"Yet now..."

"It seems Servia shattered the Endless Netherworld?"

No way. Seriously?

Xu Xi fell silent.

His intuition told him that behind the sudden rise of the Heroine, there must have been a push from his successful sacrifice.

"Logically, this should be good news, but I just can’t bring myself to feel happy..."

Xu Xi sighed softly and continued scanning the simulator panel.

[Simulation Summary: You struggled forward in a dying world. You witnessed the fall of the sun and moon, gazed upon the undying chaos, and in an astonishingly short time, became a Fifth-Circle Wizard.]

[Amidst the boundless chaos, countless beings saw you as the first light. You shattered the chains of fate, illuminating the path of the world-saving Heroine with your death.]

[Final Evaluation for Simulation No. 05: S]

[Generating rewards... Beep... Beep...]

[Host, please select four out of the following five rewards. Choices will be granted immediately.]

[1. Peak cultivation level from the simulated life]

[2. All spells from the simulated life]

[3. Enhanced Soul Perception]

[4. A fragment of the Netherworld]

[5. An indestructible grimoire]

An S-rank evaluation was expected.

In this simulation, Xu Xi had neither become an overwhelming powerhouse nor accomplished earth-shaking feats.

The S-rank was entirely thanks to Servia’s achievements.

"Let’s see what rewards are on offer this time," Xu Xi mused, examining the five options.

Option one was power—the realm of a Fifth-Circle Wizard. Undoubtedly a must-pick.

Option two was spells, spanning life, death, soul, elemental magic, and more, with pre-adjusted parameters to adapt seamlessly to Earth’s laws.

But Xu Xi felt he didn’t need this. His defensive arsenal was already extensive, and adding a few Fifth-Circle-tier spells wouldn’t make a tangible difference.

The real dilemma lay in options three, four, and five.

None were useless.

"Soul Perception is an upgraded fusion of Life-Death Interweaving and Soul Reaper."

"Even without harvesting souls, it enhances my innate talent for soul manipulation."

"Perfect for someone as diligent as me."

"As for this Netherworld fragment..."

The simulator’s description revealed it originated from the Endless Netherworld—not its peripheral soul planes, but the core itself.

A fragment like this was beyond priceless.

"Given my circumstances, integrating it into my martial arts’ Qi-Blood World might be ideal."

"Or perhaps, using it as a foundation for a personal Netherworld Divine Kingdom, based on the death laws of magic?"

Xu Xi pondered its applications before shifting his gaze to the final option.

"Is this the same grimoire I gave Servia when I broke through to the Third-Circle?"

"‘Indestructible,’ it says..."

"I remember its usage limit was nearly a thousand times."

"So Servia exhausted it all."

Xu Xi’s movements paused.

An image flashed in his mind—a lonely, darkness-fearing figure curled up in a corner, quietly sobbing.

That Heroine, helpless and pitiable.

"That child must have suffered greatly."

Xu Xi wasn’t a Supreme, but he knew the harshness of that path.

Still...

After the storm comes the rainbow.

Servia had already weathered the hardest trials, standing now at the pinnacle, admired by countless souls. From this point onward, Xu Xi no longer needed to worry for her safety.

"Perhaps we’ll meet again someday, though who knows how long that’ll take."

Xu Xi chuckled. "For now, let’s claim the rewards."

He swiftly selected options one, three, four, and five, excluding the spells.

The simulation’s reward distribution entered its final phase.

[Ding. Rewards confirmed. Commencing distribution—]

The simulator panel shimmered faintly as the text of the five options vanished, replaced by their materialization into reality.

"Perseverance and effort."

"Diligence and sweat."

"My lifelong dedication has led to this moment. Simulator, lend me your aid!!"

To touch the truth, to observe it, to condense it.

The Fifth-Circle Grand Wizard—ascension, achieved!

"Hum—" Spatial ripples visibly trembled through the bedroom.

Truth’s laws etched themselves into Xu Xi’s existence. Though they didn’t catapult his strength, they expanded a new possibility.

From this moment, Xu Xi’s body housed a fourth supernatural system.

"If sci-fi’s higher-dimensional observation counts as a system, then I’m practically a mutant Five-Spirit Root now."

"Cultivation, magic, martial arts, sci-fi, wizardry."

"Now that’s a Five-Spirit Root with potential."

Xu Xi marveled at the thought.

Feeling the intertwining of his mana, mental energy, and vital essence, all three converging to generate even more surging soul power, washing over and invigorating every inch of his body.

Compared to ordinary transcendents.

This was undoubtedly beyond measure.

"This is the fruit of sweat and effort," Xu Xi murmured, quickly mastering the power of the Fifth-Circle Wizard realm before giving a slight nod.

More rewards were being materialized by the simulation device.

The Soul Perception talent.

Seamlessly merged into Xu Xi's body.

Like the Celestial Spirit Root and Elemental Perception before, it silently enhanced his cultivation efficiency.

As for the fragment of the Netherworld, it was stored within Xu Xi's world of vital essence.

Its astonishingly grand nature.

If carelessly revealed, Xu Xi suspected the entirety of Yanshan City might vanish in an instant.

"Finally, there's this."

The sunlight outside the window blazed brightly, streaming through the wooden frame like a painting, slanting onto Xu Xi's open palm.

Gradually.

From nothingness to existence.

An ancient-looking grimoire, its cover worn with age, materialized in his hand.

Flipping through a few pages revealed familiar illumination spells and sound-dampening incantations to mute thunder.

Each page was inscribed with runes.

Xu Xi had once used these to aid the Hero, allowing them to brave the darkness and the clamor of storms alone.

But now.

The Hero who had ascended to the pinnacle no longer seemed to need them.

Xu Xi walked to the display cabinet, took out a key, inserted it into the lock, and opened the glass door.

Holding the grimoire, he placed it into the fifth compartment of the cabinet.

"Time flies. Before I knew it, the cabinet has become completely full."