Hello, Rich Lady

By the conventions of the cultivation world, Nascent Soul old monsters would never personally meet with a junior at the Qi Refining stage.

Jiang Chen had long expected this. He sat calmly atop a giant boulder thick with moss.

"Renqi Peak disciple Cao Mengde greets Elder Gui Qi!"

He casually made up an identity.

The Heavenly Demon Sect was about to arrive, and the Azure Mist Sect was no place to linger. A false name would be enough to muddle through for a few days, lest that old schemer keep his eye on him afterward.

Within the underground cave abode, Reverend Guiqi was slightly taken aback.

He had not shown himself within the sect for over a thousand years. Why would a Qi Refining disciple know his location and identity?

The boy called himself a disciple, yet his bearing and tone were as assured as those of some reclusive powerhouse. Had he come prepared, or was he merely putting on a bold front?

"What does this old man owe you?"

he asked flatly.

Jiang Chen neither groveled nor acted arrogantly, his tone calm and unhurried.

"This disciple was born with no remarkable talent, nearly possessing Five-Element Endowment. Qi Refining alone has exhausted all my efforts. I heard that Senior Guiqi's talent was similar to this disciple's back then, yet you rose to become an elder of Myriad Laws Peak. I have come this time to learn the Form-Returning Technique from you, True Person."

Within the underground cave abode, Reverend Guiqi suddenly opened his eyes.

He had never mentioned the Form-Returning Technique to anyone. Even the clue he had given Gray Castle had only been the Demi-Immortal's Book.

Knowing his identity could perhaps be explained as this boy being the descendant of an old friend.

But knowing of the Form-Returning Book... just who was he?

He scrutinized Jiang Chen inside and out with his divine sense.

In his twenties, mediocre talent, and only recently entered Qi Refining...

To reach Qi Refining at that age with such talent, he must have encountered some fortuitous opportunity.

"The Form-Returning Technique... who told you of it?"

Jiang Chen replied calmly:

"This disciple is skilled in the art of deduction. I deduced that my opportunity lay at Myriad Laws Peak, and I also deduced that Elder would reach Spirit Transformation in the near future."

A chill ran down Reverend Guiqi's spine, and he faintly felt a trace of fear.

"My Return-Form Method is merely an unorthodox path born of necessity. Since Fellow Daoist knows the will of heaven, why waste your energy cultivating such a petty art?"

Jiang Chen said:

"Elder, do not refuse so quickly. This disciple can reveal information that will help you advance to Spirit Severing, in exchange for the Form-Returning Book."

Reverend Guiqi suddenly grew interested.

"What information?"

Jiang Chen did not immediately reveal the Devil Race's plan.

"Elder must first agree to teach the Return-Form Method."

"This old man agrees. Speak."

"The Heavenly Demon Sect's army will attack the Azure Mist Sect in five days. Their strongest is only a female devil at the initial Nascent Soul Realm, and they know nothing of your existence. So long as you defeat the Heavenly Demons and use the Return-Form Method to absorb their power, Elder will surely reach Spirit Severing in one stroke."

"It seems Fellow Daoist Cao came prepared."

Jiang Chen said solemnly:

"I ask Elder Gui Qi to teach me the Return-Form Method."

Reverend Guiqi said:

"Clear away your stray thoughts. I will transmit it to you through divine thought."

Jiang Chen emptied his spiritual awareness as instructed and waited for Reverend Guiqi's transmission of divine thought.

Suddenly!

It was as though an invisible giant hand reached into his sea of consciousness and erased his memories.

Jiang Chen only felt dizzy and muddled. In the blink of an eye, he remembered only that he was a transmigrator. His life on Earth in his previous life remained vivid, but his memories of transmigrating to the True Spirit Continent had become exceedingly hazy.

He did not know where he was, much less that someone had just erased his memories.

Yet he remembered one thing with perfect clarity: he had a system.

Thus, he immediately summoned the system panel.

He saw his various attributes, the original plot of Main Plot One and its three simulations, the original plot of Main Plot Two and the unfinished first simulation...

Though the first simulated plot had not been completed and he could not yet view its recording, linking the events before and after let Jiang Chen guess part of what had happened.

--I nearly fell for that old thief's trick!

Jiang Chen abruptly opened his eyes and sneered.

"Is the Form-Returning Book really so precious that you, a former elder of the Nascent Soul Realm, would go back on your word and even erase someone else's memories?"

Within the underground cave abode, Reverend Guiqi's expression changed drastically.

There was actually a mortal in this world who knew of his Form-Returning Book and could withstand his Soul-Severing Art!

Perhaps this boy possessed an innate ability, perhaps he was the incarnation of some great figure... whatever the case, he did not dare gamble on it.

With that thought, he forcibly steadied his tone.

"This old man overstepped. Please wait, Fellow Daoist. This old man will fetch the original Form-Returning Book and deliver it to you at once."

"Go on, then."

And so, Jiang Chen sat alone in the forest, waiting until the plot ended, yet Reverend Guiqi never appeared again.

Thus ended the first simulated plot.

Jiang Chen was utterly dumbfounded.

Only upon reviewing the recording did he discover that the old man had packed his bags and fled without a trace long ago.

Not even the camera's shift could keep up with that old dog's escape!

In a mere eight hours, Reverend Guiqi completely disregarded his dignity as an elder. Riding his sword, he fled over a hundred thousand li, passed through several teleportation arrays in succession, and hid in some remote mountain forest in Eastern Victory Prefecture.

Jiang Chen:

"..."

That old schemer was a little too real!

No wonder he had lived for several thousand years despite mediocre talent. The longer one lived, the more one cherished one's life.

He remembered that during the third simulation of Main Plot One, he had cowed Thousand-Faced Fox with the Grand Deduction Art and spent a wonderful night with her.

This showed that in the cultivation world, seeing through others could place immense psychological pressure on them.

At the same time, Reverend Guiqi would rather offend him, a nonexistent powerhouse, and flee the Azure Mist Sect where he had lived for over two thousand years than allow the Form-Returning Book to leak out.

This showed that the Form-Returning Book was anything but simple!

Jiang Chen coveted it more and more.

For now, failing to obtain the Form-Returning Book meant the first ending had effectively failed.

Reverend Guiqi was powerful, and he was also an old schemer who had lived for thousands of years. As a minor Qi Refining cultivator, charging in alone was still a little too difficult.

"Again!"

Jiang Chen immediately began the second simulation.

This time, he decided to borrow the strength of Liu Ruyan, his wife for a day. He was determined to obtain the Form-Returning Book.

"I can tell you the exact location of this sect's hidden dragons and crouching tigers, but you need to give me some spirit stones, pills, healing medicine, and magical artifacts that can save my life."

Liu Ruyan's slender brows drew together, and she looked troubled.

"I'll see what I can find. There really aren't many low-grade resources suitable for Qi Refining cultivators."

Before long, she brought out:

One hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Ten Qi-Refining Spirit-Nurturing Pills.

Three Rapid Spirit-Healing Pellets.

One Soft Hedgehog Spirit-Protecting Armor.

Jiang Chen was stunned. He quickly put away every resource Liu Ruyan had given him and thought:

Hello, rich lady.

Then he said:

"In the underground library of Myriad Laws Peak, the first Myriad Laws Peak elder, Reverend Guiqi, is there. That old man has been secretly devouring demons and monsters all this time and is not far from Spirit Severing."

Liu Ruyan frowned. This was her first time hearing Reverend Guiqi's name.

"I'll go take a look."

Jiang Chen had not expected Liu Ruyan to have such nerve.

He had deliberately said that Reverend Guiqi was devouring demons and monsters and was close to Spirit Severing, yet she showed no fear whatsoever and wanted to take a look.

Perhaps she really had the ability to help him obtain the Form-Returning Book.

"Wait. I need you to do something for me there. It is very dangerous. Someone may die."

Liu Ruyan was no fool either.

"I'll only help you with something this dangerous if it benefits me."

Jiang Chen nodded.

"This benefits both of us... Sneak into the underground library and take any two secret manuals out. One for you, one for me."

Liu Ruyan froze, thinking she had misheard.

"Any two?"

Jiang Chen put on a mysterious air and said with utter certainty:

"Every secret manual there is a legendary Demi-Immortal's Book. Perhaps the two together can make you immortal!"