Perfect Ending

The third simulation ended.

Jiang Chen returned to the frozen point in time.

After cultivating the Form-Returning Technique, his innate aptitude had declined. His cultivation speed when absorbing spiritual energy alone would become even more pathetic, approaching that of an ordinary person.

But at the same time, his dantian could fully withstand demon qi and devil qi. Combined with an equal spiritual pressure of normal spiritual power, it could make his cultivation soar instantly.

What a marvelous retreat in order to advance—fusing the spiritual powers of humans, demons, and devils for mixed cultivation, able to stomach anything...

Worthy of being a Demi-Immortal Art!

The downside was that his mind could not withstand it. He could very likely pass out, even die unconscious, so there was a certain degree of risk.

One had to know that Jiang Chen was a transmigrator whose soul was protected by the system. He was not prone to fainting, yet he had still lost consciousness just now and remained unconscious for two hours...

However, that was because he had underestimated the concentration of demon qi and devil qi in those two pills.

If he crushed the two pills and swallowed them one grain at a time, while pairing them with Spirit-Healing Pills containing equal spiritual pressure, the advancement process should become independently controllable.

At present, not only had his cultivation risen to Qi Refining, Third Layer.

Jiang Chen also felt that his body was as solid as rock, while his control over the five elements of spirit control had improved as well.

Although he had yet to win over Thousand-Faced Fox, at least she had not held a grudge against him after he expressed his feelings...

"This is a perfect ending!"

Liu Ruyan, frozen in time before him, was dyed by the morning mist and sunrise, becoming a watercolor painting.

More accurately, she had become a figurine.

Jiang Chen chose the third ending without hesitation.

[The third ending will overwrite the reality path. You will be placed under system control for twelve hours, until the ending concludes!]

His vision went dark, and Jiang Chen instantly arrived at the end of the third ending.

In the disciples' quarters, daylight was already bright, and the rising sun shone through the latticed window onto his face.

Overnight, Jiang Chen's cultivation had soared to Qi Refining, Third Layer, and he had experienced an explosion in aptitude.

He could feel an abyss-like vortex appear at the center of his sea of qi.

Since not a trace of aura leaked out, the vortex resembled a black hole. Outsiders could not possibly detect it with spiritual sense; only Jiang Chen himself knew of it.

Ascending Dragon Continent was filled with countless demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters. His aptitude appeared to have declined, but it had actually improved tremendously.

When he opened the system panel, two more recordings had appeared under the [Butterfly Effect] section.

"Two recordings?"

Jiang Chen hurriedly opened them one by one.

First recording: Reverend Guiqi's scheme.

Reverend Guiqi had spared no expense, madly setting up all sorts of formations, restrictions, mechanisms, and traps in the Scripture Pavilion.

He had even made a paper-man clone to guard the scripture room in his place and fend off enemies.

His true body had already left the Azure Mist Sect and was hiding on a barren mountain west of the sect entrance.

Jiang Chen carefully compared the barren mountain where that old dog was hiding with the one where he himself had once hidden. They were actually neighboring mountains.

It seemed he would have to pay attention to safety when hiding in the future. He could not choose popular mountains as hiding spots.

First recording: Liu Ruyan's little warning.

Inside her private cave dwelling, Liu Ruyan contacted Tian Mingye again and said that the Azure Mist Sect still had an old monster at Nascent Soul Peak, one skilled in all kinds of forbidden arts, so he needed to take precautions beforehand.

Yet Tian Mingye did not care in the slightest and still planned to launch a surprise attack on the Azure Mist Sect five days later.

"Both sides are feeding out real intelligence. Nicely done!"

Jiang Chen thought.

With a storm on the horizon, the Azure Mist Sect still retained a peaceful, harmonious atmosphere of cultivation.

Jiang Chen still had four days to cultivate.

His resources had run dry for now, leaving him no opportunity to advance further.

So he went alone into the bamboo forest to teach himself the Five-Element Spirit Control Technique.

It was springtime. Water murmured through the bamboo forest, bees and butterflies danced, a few sparrows chirped, and clusters of azaleas blossomed brightly.

Even so, it could not change the lingering chill of early spring in the bamboo forest, nor its austere and gloomy air.

After a brief attempt, Jiang Chen successfully fused the five spirits of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, kneading them into a spiraling five-spirit sphere that maintained a stable rotation.

Though it was useless, it allowed him to practice the five types of Basic Spirit Control and the complex fusion of multiple spiritual powers.

This was the foundation of all spells.

Jiang Chen's regressed, equal aptitude in all five elements had given him absolutely balanced control over the five elemental spiritual powers.

The flaw was also obvious: it lacked force.

Fortunately, the Demi-Immortal's Book could create an abyss within his sea of qi, fuse demon and devil qi, provide at least three times the spiritual pressure, and grant perfect control over demon and devil qi, making it easier to master various forbidden arts.

Jiang Chen tried flicking spiritual power again.

He gathered spiritual power with a flick of his finger.

The spiritual pressure was not high, but the fused five-element spiritual power was exceptionally balanced and bound together like a spiraling rope, concentrating its force to an extreme degree.

Bang!

Jiang Chen's finger pierced through several bamboo leaves.

It also pierced through the bamboo behind them.

The power was practically no different from a bullet. If one such flick struck an enemy's head, it would definitely blow it apart!

Jiang Chen then tried Stone-Piercing Flick.

At first, he could only increase the force and blow apart a stone with one finger.

Gradually, he increased the proportion of earth-element spiritual power until, with a clear ding, the stone was pierced through.

He even twisted demon qi, devil qi, and spiritual power into one through spiraling interlocking force, unleashing his strongest finger flick: the Three-Aspect Spirit Finger!

Bang!

It actually punched through his brand-new disciple sword in a single strike.

Jiang Chen felt a little distressed, but he was even more excited!

The spirit pellet had only left a peanut-sized hole in the blade. It would not affect its use or spirit infusion.

He could embed a gemstone or something in it later...

Clearly, his fine control over five-element spiritual power and demon-devil qi had reached an almost perfect realm.

This effortless fine control was intoxicating, as though he possessed the power to command all spirits beneath heaven and earth.

Next, he opened Chen Gongxing's jade slip.

Among the methods of Basic Spirit Control, kneading spirit spheres was basic spirit control, Flicked Spirit Pellets were intermediate spirit control, and the Spirit-Infused Sword Art was advanced spirit control.

As its name implied, the Spirit-Infused Sword Art infused spirit power into sword techniques to enhance a sword's force, speed, sharpness, or special effects.

For example, the most common Fire-Spirit Sword infused fire spirit power onto the blade. When swung, it formed an arcing blade of flame—extremely flashy.

For example, the swordsman Ximen Chuixue, cold as ice and frost, infused ice spirit power onto his blade to produce ice-element effects.

As for enhancing a spirit sword's force, speed, or sharpness, one only needed to infuse the blade with metal-element spiritual power.

Jiang Chen practiced for a while.

He had to admit that the Spirit-Infused Sword Art was indeed far more difficult than Flicked Spirit Pellets.

That was because the Spirit-Infused Sword Art required spiritual power to flow unobstructed through the sword body and merge into the sword technique's moves before it could unleash power beyond that of the sword itself.

Jiang Chen cultivated in the bamboo forest for three full days before finally mastering the Spirit-Infused Sword Art!

When he opened the system panel, he saw that two new entries had suddenly appeared under [Skills].

[Skills]:

Eight-Step Mad Blade: Minor Accomplishment.

Basic Spirit Control: Expert Mastery.

Demi-Immortal's Book: Initial Insight.

Jiang Chen roughly examined the skill ratings. They were divided into five levels according to proficiency—

Initial Insight.

Minor Accomplishment.

Expert Mastery.

Perfect Mastery.

Peak Perfection.

What surprised him was that he had trained the Eight-Step Mad Blade for a full two years, yet it had only reached [Minor Accomplishment].

Meanwhile, he had only practiced Basic Spirit Control for a few days, yet it had already reached [Expert Mastery].

Could the Demi-Immortal's Book, at merely [Initial Insight], already possess such power?

Moreover, the name clearly marked in the skill section was Demi-Immortal's Book, not the Form-Returning Book.

"Could the Demi-Immortal's Book truly enable one to become immortal?"

"Or is it that this cultivation method suits me perfectly?"

On the eighth night, Jiang Chen packed his belongings.

Now that he had obtained the Form-Returning Book and mastered Basic Spirit Control, he did not dare linger any longer and decided to leave the Azure Mist Sect overnight.

He had originally wanted to visit Senior Sister Liu at Tranquil Heart Peak, but after thinking it over, he gave up on the idea.

He could chat and laugh with Senior Sister Liu in the simulated scenarios, engage in extreme tug-of-war with her, or sway together beneath flowers and moonlight by the pool.

But in the real world, although his cultivation and aptitude had soared tremendously in a short time, he was still nothing more than a weak Qi Refining cultivator.

There was no need to involve himself in the games of a group of Nascent Soul old monsters. Even chasing women required moderation.

Fortunately, after carefully reviewing the recordings of the past two simulated scenarios, he found that aside from Liu Ruyan, no other Demon Sect spies had noticed him.

Even before Wang Baolin, who bore him no ill will, he had concealed his Qi Refining, Third Layer cultivation.

Not being noticed was the safest thing of all!

The night was like water, and the moon hung above the bamboo tips.

Jiang Chen quietly left the disciples' quarters.

He departed the Azure Mist Sect in the direction opposite Reverend Guiqi's hiding place.

On a mountaintop one li away from the sect-protecting formation, a charming figure leaned against a branch, bathed in moonlight like a silver fox.

"So, you're not staying to watch the show?"