Changes to [Simulation cost] and a Conversation with the [Chen Family Ancestor]

With a thought, Chen Fan opened the Simulator panel and looked at the energy required for his next simulation.

[Current rank]: [Qi Refining Perfection Limit-Breaking, ninth layer]

[Simulation cost]: One [Heaven and Earth wonder]

[Remaining attempts]: [0]

"One [Heaven and Earth wonder]?!" Even though Chen Fan had expected the simulation cost to rise like a boat on a swelling tide as his rank increased, he still sucked in a breath of cold air.

He had originally guessed that he might need a vast quantity of mid-grade or even high-grade spirit stones.

Though gathering them would be difficult, with his current strength and the experience accumulated from his previous simulations, he could always find a way.

But a [Heaven and Earth wonder]... such a treasure could only be encountered, never sought, and was enough to serve as the foundation of a faction's enduring Legacy. Acquiring one would be more than a hundred times harder.

He would have to take the long view and plan carefully.

Thanks to choosing the simulation memories, he quickly familiarized himself with and gained control over the immense power within him, which far exceeded ordinary Qi Refining and even faintly brushed against the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

He skillfully suppressed and concealed the outward aura of his Cultivation, displaying only the level of the [Embryonic Breath Realm].

Such a disguise could never fool a [Nascent Soul True Lord] or a [Golden Core Powerhouse], of course, but it was more than sufficient for dealing with the Chen Family's ordinary disciples and elders.

There was, however, one person he could never deceive.

—the [Chen Family Ancestor], who had merged with the [Chen Family Fortune] and had entered the [Foundation Establishment Late Stage] many years ago!

As a veteran Foundation Establishment expert who truly held the lifeblood of his lineage in his hands and whose might shook several neighboring cities, his perception of the Chen Family Fortune had reached the pinnacle of mastery.

In reality, Chen Fan had abruptly risen from an ordinary collateral descendant to [Late Qi Refining]—the highest level he dared reveal publicly.

This would inevitably cause subtle fluctuations in the family Fortune, which could never escape the ancestor's perception.

Chen Fan understood this perfectly. He had chosen this relatively secluded place to break through.

On the one hand, he wanted to avoid most people's eyes and ears; on the other, he was also, in a sense, "waiting" for the ancestor to arrive.

He needed to ascertain the ancestor's attitude, as it would affect the execution of many of his subsequent plans.

Sure enough, not long after he began quietly contemplating his new realm, a ripple of spiritual power, not deliberately concealed, approached from afar.

The newcomer's aura was deep and unfathomable, yet blended with the surrounding environment, revealing an exceptionally high Cultivation realm.

A figure appeared at the entrance to this secluded spot.

The newcomer wore plain clothes and had white hair but a youthful face, with lean, refined features. No oppressive pressure radiated from him, yet he possessed the profound composure of a still abyss and a towering mountain, the bearing of one who governed a region's Fortune.

His appearance slowly overlapped with the image deep in Chen Fan's memories of the [Chen Family Ancestor], whom he had only ever admired from afar during major lineage ceremonies.

The ancestor's gaze settled calmly on Chen Fan. It seemed capable of piercing the [Embryonic Breath Realm] disguise he had deliberately fashioned.

It reached straight to his true [Late Qi Refining] Cultivation, and seemed, moreover, to scrutinize his entire being and whatever karma might be entangled behind him.

The Chen Family Ancestor's gaze was like a deep pool, resting on Chen Fan without a ripple as he slowly spoke:

"Chen Fan, the lineage genealogy records that you were born into a collateral branch of the Chen Family, lost your parents at an early age, and possessed... utterly unremarkable aptitude.

"After twenty years of arduous cultivation, you only barely entered the [Embryonic Breath Realm] a few months ago. Yet now, in such a short span, you have already reached [Qi Refining Perfection]."

He recounted the mediocre first half of Chen Fan's life, which could practically have been stamped from a template, in an even tone, before shifting the subject slightly:

"Progress like this cannot be lightly brushed aside with the word 'opportunity.'

"I have cultivated for nearly ten thousand years and witnessed countless so-called opportunities. Eight or nine out of ten were nothing more than bait dangled by higher beings. Once you bite the hook, your fate is no longer your own."

His gaze seemed intent on piercing Chen Fan's flesh and looking straight into the depths of his soul:

"Tell me, are you... the reincarnation of some mighty being? Or... do you carry the sect Fortune of a [Golden Core Powerhouse], awakened in this lifetime?"

The ancestor's conjecture was perfectly reasonable.

In his view, only an origin of that kind could explain how Chen Fan had crossed such an enormous gulf in so little time.

Furthermore, at his realm, he could vaguely sense that some kind of "fortune" surrounding Chen Fan was actually a little more substantial than his own, despite his being a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator merged with the Fortune of an entire lineage.

Faced with the ancestor's questioning, Chen Fan did not give a direct yes or no.

Instead, he voiced a question that had lingered in his heart for a long time:

"Ancestor, your insight is keen. This disciple has indeed had certain encounters, but please allow me to ask something first...

"Regarding Chen Qingyan, do you know his true origins? Why did he insist on reincarnating into our Chen Family? And what role... did you play in this, Ancestor?"

He had investigated privately and knew only that the ancestor was aware of Chen Qingyan's extraordinary identity. He had been unable to learn the specifics, merely conjecturing that a powerful being stood behind him as well.

At these words, a trace of complexity flickered through the Chen Family Ancestor's eyes. He did not grow angry at Chen Fan's change of subject; instead, he pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing something.

Finally, he slowly said:

"Since you have asked, and you yourself show signs of being extraordinary, there is no harm in telling you. Chen Fan, have you heard of... the [Supreme Dao Immortal Venerable]?"

The [Supreme Dao Immortal Venerable]!

Lin Feng's exalted title!

That name alone made Chen Fan's pupils contract sharply, while towering waves surged through his heart!

Could it be... that Chen Qingyan's reincarnation into the Chen Family, and even the ancestor's attitude, were all part of Senior Lin Feng's arrangements?

But he suppressed the thought as soon as it arose.

No. Though the Chen Family Ancestor was powerful, his influence extended only to the cities within ten thousand li. No matter how one dressed it up, he was merely at the [Foundation Establishment Late Stage].

How could he have any direct connection to a transcendent force like [Beyond Heaven], which spanned entire epochs?

The Chen Family Ancestor seemed to see through his confusion and explained:

"It is not as direct as you imagine. In my life, I have also had a few genuine... opportunities."

When he spoke the word "opportunities," his tone carried an indescribable wistfulness.

"Those opportunities benefited me greatly. Yet it was precisely because I accepted them that I came to my present circumstances. Within fortune, calamity lies hidden."

His gaze grew distant, as though he were recalling events from the remote past:

"One of them was a favor I received from the [Supreme Dao Immortal Venerable] in my early years—a bond of karma.

"The Immortal Venerable never asked me to do anything. But this karma... once accepted, must be repaid.

"Chen Qingyan's reincarnation here is part of that karmic entanglement.

"All I need to do is offer him what help I can and keep him safe for a time until he has grown. Nothing more."