[Power rankings, the true stature of [Heaven Beyond Heaven], a secret realm]

[After this in-depth conversation with Chen Qingyan, you finally gained a clearer understanding of Lin Feng—]

[You gained a clearer understanding of the true stature of this senior, who was also a [Demon from Beyond Heaven].]

[Combining the information obtained in previous simulations with Chen Qingyan's revelations,]

[You could confirm that the [Beyond Heaven] in which Lin Feng had attained the Dao was indeed a [Void-Proven Fruit Position], standing above countless other fruit positions!]

[You could not help marveling inwardly at the power and unfathomable depths of this senior "compatriot."]

[For him to have come this far, his [Golden Finger] must have been anything but ordinary. You simply did not know what it was...]

[You had once asked Chen Qingyan out of curiosity what type his previous life's [Supreme Fruit Position] belonged to.]

[You had assumed that, as a subordinate of [Beyond Heaven], his fruit position would be a derivative type. Yet Chen Qingyan told you unequivocally that his [Supreme Fruit Position] was also a [Void-Proven Fruit Position]!]

[You had lost count of how many times he had shocked you.]

[Since both were Void-Proven Fruit Positions, why had he placed himself under [Beyond Heaven]?]

[In response, Chen Qingyan explained, "The mysteries of [Beyond Heaven] are far beyond those of ordinary Void-Proven Fruit Positions. Its rank and power..."]

[He paused briefly, seemingly wary of something, and did not elaborate. He merely pointed out,]

["In the era before my reincarnation, there were only two transcendent powers spanning all the heavens and myriad worlds. [Beyond Heaven] was one of them."]

[He also clarified the detailed divisions of the Nascent Soul Realm for you: it likewise consisted of the early, middle, late, and perfection stages, but each stage carried a different title.]

[Early and middle stages: [True Lord].]

[Late stage: [Great True Lord].]

[Perfection: [Heavenly Venerable].]

[And beyond perfection, those who achieved [Limit-Breaking] could be honored as [Immortal Venerables]! ]

[Understanding dawned on you. That meant Chen Qingyan had been the [Supreme Infinite Heavenly Venerable] at [Nascent Soul Perfection] in his previous life!]

[Meanwhile, Lin Feng's title was [Supreme Dao Immortal Venerable], which meant he was very likely a supreme expert who had broken the limits of Nascent Soul!]

[And [Beyond Heaven] had actually been an overlord-level power in that era—a glimpse of how deep its foundations ran.]

[You had also asked about the mystery of his death in his previous life. Chen Qingyan looked bewildered and shook his head:]

["I only remember falling into a desperate situation in my previous life. The memories of exactly why have already become hazy. Perhaps my master sealed the relevant memories to prevent certain mighty beings from probing them and tracing them back..."]

["Then what was the purpose of your reincarnation in this life?" you pressed, remembering that he had mentioned seeking a thread of hope for survival.]

["A purpose... of course there is one." His tone was complicated. "To come to the Chen Family and wait for someone, then complete a 'Life Exchange' to obtain a new life."]

["Life Exchange?" You immediately thought of the bizarre ritual in the Fourth Simulation, centered on the so-called [Hidden Dragon in the Abyss] fate pattern.]

[But he seemed unwilling to discuss it further, so you did not pursue the matter.]

[Over the course of that year, although Chen Qingyan's cultivation realm was lower than yours, his perspective and knowledge far exceeded your imagination, and he frequently offered you guidance.]

[On top of that, you had the support of your own [Twice the Results with Half the Effort] talent, and you had chosen the cultivation insights from the previous simulation's rewards, including the experience of breaking through to Late Qi Refining.]

[You had even inherited the [Know Fortune and Misfortune] Spellcraft you had cultivated in the previous simulation.]

[With all these factors combined, your cultivation speed was astonishing. In just one year, you successfully broke through to [Late Qi Refining]!]

[Such speed would have turned heads anywhere. Of course, it also had something to do with your younger starting age in this simulation.]

[Now, you faced the question of how to reach [Qi Refining Perfection] and plan your future path toward [Limit-Breaking].]

[Age 24]: [You continued traveling with Chen Qingyan.]

[Your relationship was rather peculiar. In seniority, you were his martial uncle; in cultivation, you were at Late Qi Refining, far above his Embryonic Breathing Perfection.]

[You were also older than him, yet in your actual interactions, you usually followed his lead.]

[All because, not long before, he had told you in an unquestionable tone, "Martial Uncle, with your aptitude, reaching Qi Refining Perfection will require at least fifty years of arduous cultivation. In the meantime, we would do better to attend to an urgent matter first."]

[You knew perfectly well that, now that you had boarded his ship, disembarking would no longer be easy.]

[Helpless, you could only set aside your plans to enter seclusion and cultivate diligently, and follow this "junior" of yours to deal with that supposed "urgent matter."]

[According to the normal timeline, in another two years or so, Chen Qingyan would head to that death trap in the [Myriad Beasts Mountain Range], just as he had in the previous simulations.]

[You had always wondered what exactly he had been busy doing before entering that Secret Realm, which was clearly a setup.]

[Now, you knew the answer.]

[—He was taking you to a hidden inheritance site that he had painstakingly prepared for himself in his previous life!]

[You could not help recalling the three choices Chen Qingyan had offered while testing you in the Fourth Simulation. One of them had been "an unclaimed opportunity, but one that relies heavily on fortune."]

[At the time, you had thought those words were nothing but a lie meant to trick you. Looking back now, perhaps they had contained a few grains of truth, very likely pointing to a place like this.]

[Age 24]: [You followed Chen Qingyan across mountains and rivers and finally reached your destination.]

[The so-called "Secret Realm" before you was much smaller than the vast, dangerous [Myriad Beasts Mountain Range] in your memories. It was more like a cleverly concealed Grotto-Heaven Fragment.]

[Seemingly noticing your confusion, Chen Qingyan explained calmly:]

["This place has undergone special treatment, leaving it with extremely shallow karmic ties to the outside world. Without a specific [Karma connection] to guide you, finding and entering it would be impossible."]

[With that, you began exploring.]

[However, after investigating, you discovered that this Secret Realm truly was... utterly destitute.]

[Its spiritual energy was thin, with no heavenly treasures or earthly riches in sight, nor any cultivation manuals left behind. It was worlds apart from the treasure trove you had imagined.]

[You could not understand what he had endured so much hardship to come here and find.]

[His answer to your question was brief and direct: "Means, and memories."]

[He looked around the empty Secret Realm and continued, "This place does indeed hold a few opportunities, but whether they can be triggered depends entirely on the depth of one's Fortune."]

[His gaze passed over you and then himself, and he delivered his conclusion outright.]

["Martial Uncle, you are notoriously fated to have no Fortune. As for me, your disciple, although I possess the [Hidden Dragon in the Abyss] Fate Pattern, it has yet to awaken, so my Fortune is also meager."]

[Therefore, those scattered opportunities that require fortune to trigger are not meant for us."]

["My true purpose in coming here is to find the instructions I left in my previous life for the next step of my plan.]

[Because I am reincarnated, my soul and memories have not fully awakened. To prevent other True Lords from noticing anything amiss by divining the course of my actions,]

[I broke the complete plan apart and hid it in different places for different stages.]

[This place is one of those information nodes."]

[You were utterly speechless now.]

[You had originally hoped to find a few [Heaven and Earth Wonder]s here to recharge your energy-starved [Temporal Decree]. Now, it seemed there was no hope of that.]

[At the thought, you could not help sighing inwardly.]

[It was not as though you had made no attempts to recharge the [Temporal Decree] over the years.]

[You had experimented with some [Ancient Relics] imbued with the aura of passing years, collected during your travels, as well as [Jade Bone] left behind after Foundation Establishment cultivators passed away in meditation.]

[The results were as follows: [Ancient Relics] provided a negligible amount of energy, recharging it by only about one percent; [Foundation Establishment Jade Bone] was slightly better, but still recharged it by only two percent.]

[The efficiency was outrageously low! Over three years, adding together all your efforts through various means,]

[You had only recharged the [Temporal Decree] to thirteen point five percent. Its next activation remained a distant prospect.]

[Just as you were silently grumbling to yourself, Chen Qingyan seemed to use some secret art known only to him and stopped before a seemingly ordinary stone wall.]

[He extended a finger and traced several profound runes in the air. Ripples like those on water immediately spread across the stone wall's surface.]

[Then, a faintly glowing note, made of neither paper nor silk, slowly emerged from the center of the ripples and fell into his hand.]