Thinking Outside the Box

Jiang Chen feigned panic and hurriedly reported to Deacon Han:

"This disciple, Jiang Chen of Stubborn Stone Peak, was returning late tonight when he passed Sunset Glow Peak and found a woman furtively searching for something. She seemed to be using the moonlight to perform some strange technique.

He even gave the exact location: the hidden cave dwelling where Liu Ruyan had cast her tracking technique.

Han Yan was doubtful. After considering it for a moment, he decided to lead two Discipline Hall disciples to Sunset Glow Peak and take a look.

"You're coming with me!"

Seeing that Deacon Han intended to bring him there personally, Jiang Chen worried that the few of them would be no match for Liu Ruyan. He also feared that his identity would be exposed and that Liu Ruyan would harm him.

So he said that the woman's movements were exceptionally elusive, that she wore flamboyant clothes and appeared and vanished unpredictably. He suggested finding a Golden Core Realm disciplinary elder to lead the arrest, ensuring nothing could go wrong.

Han Yan flicked his sleeve and frowned, saying sternly:

"In this sect, any woman stronger than this old man is an elder!"

Jiang Chen asked again:

"What if she's an infiltrator from outside the sect?"

Han Yan merely said:

"Infiltrators generally don't need to be too strong."

Jiang Chen had nothing to say. He could only follow the group toward Sunset Glow Peak.

Halfway there, they suddenly discovered that Sunset Glow Peak was on fire. The Flame Vein had been ignited, and flames rose everywhere.

"Not good!"

Han Yan's aged face darkened. He turned to look at Jiang Chen, only then realizing the seriousness of the situation.

He ordered the two disciples to remain where they were and not alert the enemy, then turned and went to find the disciplinary elder who was in seclusion.

Before long, the disciplinary elder Zhong Fuzi arrived in a cloud of dust.

He was a middle-aged man who never smiled, his face carrying a restrained viciousness. His features looked carved from stone, yet there was nothing handsome about him. He gave off an eerie, terrifying air.

Zhong Fuzi glanced at Jiang Chen, then led everyone to surround Sunset Glow Peak. They set up an anti-illusion formation before he personally headed for Liu Ruyan's cave dwelling.

Catching a turtle in a jar!

Jiang Chen instinctively moved away from the cave entrance.

Soon, fierce sounds of battle erupted from within the cave dwelling. Spiritual energy and Demonic Flame exploded with a thunderous crash.

In the end, with no surprise at all, Zhong Fuzi, who possessed late-stage Golden Core cultivation, captured Liu Ruyan alive.

Liu Ruyan looked quite calm.

Amid the blazing firelight, she looked around but did not see any extraordinary person capable of breaking her Illusion-Soul Pearl.

Afterward, she was taken to the Discipline Hall for interrogation.

The result of the interrogation was that Liu Ruyan was not from the demon race. She claimed she had merely found a Demon Shrine nearby and had used the Flame Vein at Sunset Glow Peak to cultivate tonight, accidentally setting the mountain grass ablaze.

Jiang Chen had thought he would receive a reward, but he was instead placed under house arrest by the Discipline Hall and questioned about the details of the mountain fire...

After he finally muddled through it, Liu Ruyan's soul suddenly left her body next door and appeared before him.

"What a handsome mortal...

Don't be afraid. I simply want to know how a mortal like you learned of my whereabouts.

Capturing me alone is useless. There is more than one Demon Sect spy within the Azure Mist Sect. Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Jiang Chen shouted for help.

When the duty disciple arrived, he claimed his life was in danger and hoped the Discipline Hall would send someone to protect him.

No one paid him any attention.

Jiang Chen felt finished.

He could only keep trying to save himself, racking his brains to escape the Discipline Hall, but every attempt ended in failure.

Twelve hours passed, and the first simulation ended.

"The Discipline Hall is utterly useless!"

Jiang Chen's furious thoughts instantly returned to the cave dwelling.

"This is troublesome."

If what Liu Ruyan said was true, and there was more than one Demon Sect spy in the sect, then no matter how many times he simulated, he would never be able to root out every spy in the sect.

As soon as he tipped anyone off, his identity would definitely be exposed. Even if Liu Ruyan did not kill him, the other spies would.

If he left an anonymous note at the Discipline Hall to report them, he would get no reward. Why not just leave the sect directly?

Considering that the original storyline had not endangered him and that he could easily leave the sect during the third simulation, Jiang Chen decided:

He needed a different approach for the second simulation.

Since the Azure Mist Sect's Discipline Hall was too useless, and there were so many Demon Sect spies, with the enemy hidden in the dark and him out in the open, Jiang Chen had only one path if he wanted to seek opportunities:

Join the enemy!

"Begin the second simulation!"

Jiang Chen directly arrived at Sunset Glow Mountain.

Before Liu Ruyan arrived, he sat cross-legged outside her cave dwelling, putting on the appearance of a reclusive master.

Through the simulator, he had already learned many crucial details about Liu Ruyan. He could try using them to intimidate her.

Seeing that Liu Ruyan had not entered the cave dwelling according to her original plan, she must have been hiding nearby and observing him.

Thinking this, Jiang Chen said calmly:

"Come out. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

The surroundings were utterly silent, and even the mountain wind stilled.

Only after a moment did a woman's voice, ethereal as drifting smoke, reach his ears.

"Vast seas like smoke."

Jiang Chen froze. Only after a long moment did he realize that this was a contact code!

"There is no need for the code. I am not one of your Demon Sect, but I do not like the Azure Mist Sect's ways either. My identity is unimportant. I am willing to help you find the life gate of the sect-protecting formation in exchange for resources that will allow me to enter Qi Refining."

Only then did Liu Ruyan reveal herself, eyeing Jiang Chen with suspicion.

Jiang Chen's gaze was calm as he swept his eyes over Liu Ruyan.

She was not tall, with a pure and lovely appearance, yet her clothing was sheer and seductive... the type who was both innocent and alluring.

Liu Ruyan stared at Jiang Chen as well, her brows furrowed for a long while.

After examining him closely, she confirmed that the handsome man wearing an outer sect disciple's robes was merely a mortal at the ninth layer of Body Tempering.

But how could a mortal find her, know her plan, and know the formation eye of the sect-protecting formation?

He had even failed to notice her illusion. His tracks up the mountain seemed as though he had suddenly appeared here out of nowhere.

So she probingly asked:

"Where is the life gate?"

Jiang Chen answered with certainty:

"At the base of Orchid Mound Peak. If you don't believe me, ignite the Flame Vein of Sunset Glow Peak and carry out Setting Fire to the Mountain as cover, then take advantage of the chaos to locate the life gate's exact position."

Liu Ruyan was startled. This mortal knew her plan. Could he have another identity?

"Who... are you?"

Jiang Chen smiled calmly and casually fabricated a believable background. It did not need to be too realistic; it only needed to make her doubtful and keep her from drawing conclusions too easily.

"You may roughly consider me a former supreme elder of the Azure Mist Sect. After failing in a power struggle, I was killed. My incarnation changed its dantian and physical body, returning to the Azure Mist Sect as an outer sect disciple to seek revenge. At present, I need an assistant."

Liu Ruyan was half-convinced and half-doubtful. She did not immediately refute him, merely watching Jiang Chen without a word.

Jiang Chen smiled and said:

"Go ahead with Setting Fire to the Mountain. If I had not appeared, weren't you planning to do it anyway?"

Liu Ruyan was inwardly shocked. Only then was she truly intimidated.

She could only follow her original plan, carrying out Setting Fire to the Mountain before entering the cave dwelling and immediately locating the base of Orchid Mound Peak.

It really was where the life gate lay!

A target she had planned to locate in two quarters of an hour had now been confirmed in less than ten breaths...

When Liu Ruyan looked at Jiang Chen again, she felt that although he was a mortal, his bearing and appearance were exceptional, carrying an air of transcendence.

Could he truly be the reincarnation of a former supreme elder?

There was no time to confirm it. Liu Ruyan destroyed the hidden cave dwelling and led Jiang Chen to settle at neighboring Little Cricket Peak.

Then she took out a red pill and casually tossed it toward Jiang Chen.

"This is a Dragonblood Qi-Refining Pill. Taking it will allow Senior to enter Qi Refining within three days."

A Dragonblood Qi-Refining Pill!

Jiang Chen was ecstatic inside, but his expression remained unchanged.

At market price, an ordinary Qi-Refining Pill was worth ten low-grade spirit stones.

A Dragonblood Qi-Refining Pill, however, cost ten times as much as an ordinary Qi-Refining Pill.

Though it was not true Dragon Blood but purple serpent blood, its Qi Refining effect was extremely potent.

As long as the user's talent was not utterly terrible, taking it would allow them to enter Qi Refining that very day!

He raised his hand to catch it.

But he caught nothing.

The Dragonblood Qi-Refining Pill was still in Liu Ruyan's right hand.

She withdrew her right hand, took out a yellow pill with her left, and flicked it into Jiang Chen's palm.

"Senior must first take this Word-Spirit Pill to ensure you will not reveal anything related to the Demon Sect."

Jiang Chen smiled and nodded.

So there was a backup plan after all...

He had once read extensively through medical texts at Stubborn Stone Peak and knew that Word-Spirit Pills had a time limit. As long as one did not violate their restrictions for several years, their effects would gradually weaken.

Moreover, the Word-Spirit Pill had no tracking function, so it was not much of a problem for him.

Besides, if he did not take the Word-Spirit Pill now, he would have no way to dispel Liu Ruyan's suspicions.

With that thought, he swallowed the Word-Spirit Pill without hesitation.

It tasted slightly cool and rushed straight to his mind, making him feel especially alert.

After swallowing the Word-Spirit Pill, Jiang Chen successfully obtained Liu Ruyan's Dragonblood Qi-Refining Pill.

He was ecstatic inside, but his expression did not ripple.

"I should remind you that the Azure Mist Sect is a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers reside. Many great powers are concealed within it. The Demon Sect must not seek quick success and rush recklessly, only to fail at the final step. You must make thorough preparations before attacking the mountain."

Liu Ruyan's expression shifted slightly. Unsure whether he was telling the truth, she cupped her fists and said respectfully:

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior."

Jiang Chen nodded.

He felt that he had done all he could for the Azure Mist Sect, so he returned to Stubborn Stone Peak.

He guessed that Liu Ruyan would monitor him all the way and follow him back to Stubborn Stone Peak.

Fortunately, he had no secrets to hide. He strode back to his cave dwelling on Stubborn Stone Peak and calmly sat cross-legged to meditate.

Without wasting any time, he swallowed the Dragonblood Qi-Refining Pill on the spot and attempted to break through!

Vast dragon spirit surged like raging waves, washing through his limbs and bones, nourishing his spiritual veins, circulating through his heavenly cycle, and cleansing his dantian.

After dawn.

Jiang Chen slowly opened his eyes. His aura was ethereal, his gaze tranquil, and the world revealed by his divine sense had become entirely new.

He had entered Qi Refining!

However, he was still in the simulation. Entering Qi Refining had not yet become an established fact.

Jiang Chen suppressed his wild joy.

After nightfall, he quietly packed his belongings and left the Azure Mist Sect at an unhurried pace.

He did not go far, settling on a barren mountain somewhere west of the Azure Mist Sect and waiting to see what would happen.

The second simulation ended.

Jiang Chen's divine sense returned to the cave dwelling on Stubborn Stone Peak, and he said excitedly:

"The guaranteed minimum is secured. Next, I can take some risks!"