Talking with Chen Qingyan, obtaining a Heaven and Earth Wonder

After the Chen Family Ancestor left, Chen Fan stood where he was, his brows slightly furrowed.

He felt that the ancestor had not told him the whole story and was certainly concealing something. Yet the part about "inheriting an Immortal Venerable's karma" did not sound fabricated.

Their conversation had seemed peaceful, but undercurrents had surged beneath the surface.

The ancestor had wanted to probe his origins, but what earth-shaking background did he have?

The experience he had accumulated through a few simulations would probably betray him at the slightest misstep before an old monster who had lived for nearly ten thousand years.

What alarmed Chen Fan even more was that his cultivation was now at Qi Refining Perfection, Ninth Limit-Breaking,

and he believed he could already contend with an ordinary Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator. Yet when he faced the Chen Family Ancestor,

that invisible pressure was far beyond anything the words "Foundation Establishment Late Stage" could describe.

Could it be... that his Foundation Establishment Divine Ability is special? Or is he hiding his strength? Chen Fan wondered, but he could reach no definite conclusion.

In the end, they merely exchanged a few inconsequential pleasantries before ending this meeting fraught with probing.

So, is the Chen Family the road Lin Feng paved for Chen Qingyan? The question lingered in Chen Fan's mind.

Everything remained unknown.

The most pressing issue now was how to obtain a Heaven and Earth Wonder to begin his next simulation.

He had originally hoped the Chen Family might have one in reserve, but after his encounter with the ancestor, that path was probably closed.

Besides, the "opportunity" the ancestor had mentioned made his heart quail. None of his own "opportunities" had ever ended well; they had all been schemes.

After turning it over in his mind, he decided to take the initiative and seek out Chen Qingyan.

According to the timeline, Chen Qingyan should still be in the Chen Family at this point.

The ancestor had most likely already informed him of the commotion Chen Fan had caused.

Chen Fan calmed his mind and focused. Drawing on his exceptionally high rank, he forcibly sensed and tugged at the unseen threads of karma belonging to the Chen Family.

Before long, he found the strand belonging to Chen Qingyan.

Just as he had learned in the simulations, this strand of karma was exceptionally stable, impossible to shake in the slightest.

But his aim was not to interfere with it, only to draw attention.

He maintained the connection for a while and detected no sign that the Chen Family Ancestor intended to stop him. It seemed the ancestor had tacitly permitted it.

A few days later, in the same secluded cave.

A figure appeared without a sound. It was Chen Qingyan.

He wore the attire of the Chen Family's direct line, his features handsome and refined, but his expression carried a gravity beyond his years.

When he saw Chen Fan inside the cave, the coldness in his eyes first gave way to a trace of surprise.

"Qi Refining cultivation?" he murmured, his sharp gaze sweeping over Chen Fan as he tried to see through his foundation.

"I actually can't discern what Heaven and Earth Wonder you used?"

His brows gradually drew together, and his voice carried unmistakable bewilderment:

"How strange... it lies outside the five elements, as though it has escaped the framework of the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and Man..."

Chen Fan's heart tightened slightly.

The Heaven and Earth Wonder he had used to break through had come from his beloved object talent and carried absolutely no hidden dangers.

Perhaps Chen Qingyan's inability to see through it only proved that its origins were unusual, outside either his incomplete memories or the framework of knowledge in the current era.

Suppressing his stray thoughts, Chen Fan decided to cut straight to the point. Meeting Chen Qingyan's scrutinizing gaze, he said directly:

"I need a Heaven and Earth Wonder..."

"???"

Before he could finish, Chen Qingyan's gaze instantly turned strange, as though to say, Do I know you? Why should I give you one?

Chen Fan knew Chen Qingyan's temperament well: he disliked beating around the bush. He immediately put forward the weighty bargaining chip he had prepared, slowly uttering its name:

"The Spacetime Token."

Those words seemed to possess a magic of their own. The calm on Chen Qingyan's face vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented gravity, even tinged with an urgency he could barely conceal:

"Where is it? Where is the Spacetime Token?" His voice had lost its usual composure.

Seeing that the bait had worked, Chen Fan felt reassured, though his expression remained unchanged. He said evenly:

"I don't have it now. But in three days, I'll bring it out and let you take a look."

Chen Qingyan: "..."

He stared at Chen Fan, his gaze sharp as a blade, seemingly weighing the truth of those words,

and just who this strange collateral descendant who had suddenly appeared before him really was. For a moment, the atmosphere inside the cave grew stagnant.

Chen Qingyan's gaze seemed capable of piercing the human heart. He scrutinized Chen Fan carefully and slowly laid out his analysis:

"Although I can't see through your exact origins, there are a few clues... you don't seem like the reincarnation of a Golden Core Powerhouse.

"You're still young, and the age of your soul cannot be falsified. You lack the profound accumulated depth and astonishing fortune that should accompany a reincarnated mighty cultivator.

"Your experience isn't particularly extensive either, yet you possess a foundation built on an unusual Heaven and Earth Wonder that even I struggle to identify."

His words were orderly, his logic rigorous, as he continued his deduction:

"What's more, you actually dare to state outright that you possess a supreme treasure with such far-reaching implications as the Spacetime Token...

"You seem cautious by nature, yet you dare to lay such a secret bare before a 'stranger' like me.

"If you truly are the reincarnation of some mighty cultivator, this is far too rash. If you aren't, then where do this confidence and trust come from?"

At this point, he paused subtly. He made no further sound, nor did he even transmit his voice through divine sense. His lips merely moved a few times.

But Chen Fan clearly "read" his silent words:

"Otherworldly Demon!"

Chen Fan was startled at first, then relaxed.

He had already prepared to confess. He simply had not expected Chen Qingyan to deduce this central secret directly from such limited clues.

Such insight and ingenuity fully deserved the Eye of Illusion's glowing appraisal.

Once again, he could not help feeling fortunate that this man was a reliable ally on his side.

It also helped him understand the sense of distance he had felt during his earlier conversation with the Chen Family Ancestor.

The very reason he had been unwilling to speak at length with the ancestor was the lack of this foundation of trust built on a shared secret.

He had originally regarded the ancestor as an ordinary Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator. Now, it appeared he had been utterly mistaken.

Looking back on how easily the Chen Family had been wiped out in the Fourth Simulation, the simulated avatar at the time had known only the result,

but might not have known the true fate of the ancestor who had merged with the lineage fortune.

Perhaps he was not nearly as simple as Chen Fan had imagined.

More importantly, the ancestor's casually mentioned "opportunity" had put Chen Fan instinctively on guard.

He feared that if he revealed everything, what he received in return would not be cooperation, but a single remark—"Young friend, what are you expecting?"—before he was effortlessly brought to heel or even refined.

In the end, Chen Qingyan seemed to reach a decision. He agreed to Chen Fan's request and said he would deliver a Heaven and Earth Wonder the next day.

But before leaving, he stressed once again:

"In three days, I'll return." His gaze brooked no argument. Clearly, he had to see that Spacetime Token then.

The pressure had once again returned to Chen Fan.

He had to ensure that he successfully obtained the Spacetime Token in the coming simulation. Only then could he fulfill this promise and preserve the trust and cooperation he shared with this crucial ally.