Hello, Rich Lady

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

Jiang Chen had expected this long ago. He sat calmly atop a massive boulder covered in moss.

"Renqi Peak disciple, Cao Mengde, pays respects to Elder Gui Qi!"

He casually made up an identity.

The Heavenly Demon Sect was about to arrive, and the Azure Mist Sect was not a place he could remain for long. A fake name would do for a few days, sparing him from being targeted by that old schemer 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 both his location and identity?

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

"What do you seek from this old man?"

he asked indifferently.

Jiang Chen was neither servile nor overbearing, his tone calm and composed.

"This disciple was born with unremarkable talent, with a Five-Element Endowment nearly equal across all five elements. Qi Refining alone has exhausted all my efforts. I heard that Senior Gui Qi's talent was similar to mine in those days, yet you attained the position of Myriad Laws Elder in this sect. I came here to learn the Form-Returning Technique from you, Reverend."

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 was merely the Demi-Immortal's Book.

Knowing his identity could perhaps be attributed to being the descendant of an old friend.

But knowing of the Form-Returning Book... who exactly was this person?

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

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

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

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

Jiang Chen said calmly:

"This disciple is skilled in deduction arts. I deduced that my opportunity lies at Myriad Laws Peak, and I also deduced that Elder will achieve Divinity 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 expedient born of necessity. Since Fellow Daoist knows Heaven's mandate, why waste your efforts cultivating such a minor path?"

Jiang Chen said:

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

Reverend Guiqi was suddenly intrigued.

"What information?"

Jiang Chen did not immediately reveal the demon race's plan.

"Elder must first agree to teach me the Form-Returning method."

"This old man agrees. Speak."

"The Heavenly Demon Sect's army will attack the Azure Mist Sect in five days. Their strongest fighter is merely a female demon at the initial Nascent Soul stage, and they know nothing of Elder's existence. So long as you defeat the Heavenly Demon Sect cultivators and absorb their demonic power with the Form-Returning Technique, Elder will surely reach the Spirit Severing stage 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 distracting thoughts. I will transmit it to you through divine sense."

Jiang Chen followed his instructions and emptied his mind, waiting for Gui Qi's divine sense transmission.

Suddenly!

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

Jiang Chen felt dizzy and disoriented. In the blink of an eye, he only remembered 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 vague.

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

However, there was one thing he remembered clearly: he had a system.

Thus, he immediately summoned the system panel.

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

Although the first simulation plot was incomplete, so he could not yet view the recording of this simulation, Jiang Chen guessed part of what had happened by connecting the preceding and following events.

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

Jiang Chen suddenly opened his eyes and sneered:

"Is the Form-Returning Book really so precious that you, a former Nascent Soul elder, would break your word and even go so far as to 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 expert... either way, he did not dare gamble on it.

With that thought, he forcibly steadied his tone.

"This old man overstepped. Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist. I shall retrieve the original Form-Returning Book and deliver it to you at once."

"Go on."

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

Thus ended the first simulation plot.

Jiang Chen was utterly baffled.

Only after reviewing the recording did he realize that the old man had packed his belongings and fled long ago.

Even the camera transition was not as fast as that old dog's escape!

In just eight hours, Reverend Guiqi completely disregarded the dignity of an elder. He sped more than a hundred thousand li on his sword, crossed several teleportation arrays in succession, and hid in some remote mountain forest in Eastern Victory Prefecture.

Jiang Chen said:

"..."

That old schemer was too damn real!

No wonder someone with mediocre talent had survived for thousands of years. The longer one lived, the more one cherished one's life.

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

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

At the same time, Reverend Guiqi would rather offend an imaginary expert like him and abandon the Azure Mist Sect, where he had lived for over two thousand years, than allow the Form-Returning Book to leak out.

It was clear that the Form-Returning Book was anything but ordinary!

Jiang Chen wanted it more and more.

At present, since he had failed to obtain the Form-Returning Book, the first ending was effectively a failure.

Reverend Guiqi was powerful, and he was also an old schemer who had lived for thousands of years. As a minor Qi Refinement cultivator, charging in alone was still a bit 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 precise location of the sect's hidden experts, but you need to give me some spirit stones, pills, healing medicine, and magical artifacts that can save my life."

Liu Ruyan's delicate brows knit slightly, and she looked troubled.

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

Before long, she took 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 hurriedly put away every resource Liu Ruyan had given him and thought:

Hello, rich lady.

Then he said:

"In the underground library at Myriad Laws Peak, Reverend Guiqi, the first-generation Myriad Laws Elder, is there. That old man has been secretly devouring demons and monsters, and he is not far from reaching the Spirit Severing stage."

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 be so bold.

He had deliberately said that Reverend Guiqi devoured demons and monsters and was on the verge of reaching the Spirit Severing stage, yet she showed no fear at all and wanted to take a look.

Perhaps she truly 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, and someone could die."

Liu Ruyan was no fool either.

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

Jiang Chen nodded.

"This will benefit both of us... Sneak into the underground library and take out any two secret manuals. 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 complete certainty:

"Every secret manual there is a legendary Demi-Immortal's Book. Maybe the two together could let us become immortals!"