Taking stock, the fourth simulation, and a second blue talent

Chen Fan felt little regret over the Third Simulation's ending. Quite the opposite—relief surged through him, tinged with lingering fear.

If his approach before could be described as "cautious,"

then after being instantly obliterated by the aftershocks of a Golden Core attack in the Secret Realm, his creed had become "caution, caution, and more caution, with absolute discretion on top."

This simulation had utterly shattered whatever naive fantasies from the novels of his previous life might still have lingered in his subconscious.

All that talk of Golden Core and Foundation Establishment seniors being noble and upright, looking after their juniors, and disdaining schemes and trickery...

In this real Supreme True Realm, it was all bullshit!

What the Blazing Fire Sect had done was simply beyond outrageous.

It was only a Heaven and Earth Wonder. Precious though it was, why would a sect with a Golden Core Powerhouse presiding over it

go so far as to lay a scheme spanning decades, turning a Secret Realm into a breeding pit for venomous creatures and a slaughterhouse?

Logically, something about it did not seem to add up.

After all, in a small lineage like the Chen Family, Heaven-grade Qi Refining was the stuff of legend. But within a Golden Core sect, although disciples who achieved Heaven-grade Qi Refining were still elites,

they were by no means rare. There would be at least a hundred of them, to say nothing of a Nascent Soul Holy Land.

And then there was Chen Qingyan. At most, he was merely a reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator. What made him worthy of a Golden Core Powerhouse personally plotting against him?

This went beyond taking him seriously. It was practically like... fighting someone above one's own realm!

It was as though Chen Qingyan concealed something that even a Golden Core Powerhouse found threatening or desperately coveted.

These waters run far too deep... Chen Fan inwardly shuddered, engraving "stay away from Chen Qingyan" and "beware of all Secret Realms belonging to major sects" at the very top of his code of conduct.

Still, this simulation had hardly been fruitless. That [Blue Talent: Twice the Results with Half the Effort] was a genuine, godlike conceptual ability!

Whether he was earning spirit stones and gathering Simulation Energy in reality or seeking opportunities within a simulation, it could spare him untold toil and time, multiplying his efficiency.

Of course, he had also recognized this Talent's limitations.

For instance, in the previous simulation, his objective had been to "find a Heaven and Earth Wonder." The Talent had executed that perfectly and helped him find one, but the wonder itself had been deadly "bait."

Thus, from now on, he had to be extremely precise when setting simulation objectives.

Then, if the next simulation's objective is to "find a [Heaven and Earth Wonder] that constitutes an unclaimed opportunity," will the outcome be completely different?

Chen Fan played out the possibilities in his mind...

In the days that followed, he made use of the scattered but safe opportunities he remembered from his earlier simulations,

and, aided by Twice the Results with Half the Effort, began efficiently accumulating Spirit Stones.

He kept an even lower profile than before, taking a detour whenever he encountered any direct-line descendant within the lineage. As for that "celebrity," Chen Qingyan,

he had no interest in so much as looking at him from afar, afraid that he might inadvertently attract the attention of such an existence.

—Though, as a collateral-line descendant, even hoping to meet a core direct-line descendant was practically a fool's dream.

In the lives he had lived through his first and second simulations, his Talent had been meager, his status lowly, and his strength lower still.

Figures like Chen Qingyan were people he had only heard about through others' rumors.

With the help of his [Talent] and his experiences from the earlier simulations,

he could always find the quickest, least risky ways to earn Spirit Stones, or "coincidentally" discover minor resources that others had overlooked.

In just half a month, he once again amassed ten thousand low-grade Spirit Stones.

Feeling the weight of his Storage Bag, Chen Fan's eyes filled with anticipation.

"Recharge with ten thousand Spirit Stones. Begin the Fourth Simulation."

[Current Rank]: Embryonic Breath Realm (great perfection)

[Simulation cost]: 10,000 low-grade Spirit Stones per attempt

[Remaining energy]: 10,000

[Begin simulation?]

"Yes!"

[Ding! Drawing Talents...]

The familiar Talent selection interface promptly appeared.

[Green Talent: Blessed Fortune]: You will receive the exclusive favor of heaven and earth's fortune and will certainly possess blessed Fortune (but who can say for certain that this Fortune is None's?)

[Blue talent: Eye of Illusion]: You can discern specific information about beings whose [Rank] is no more than two major realms above yours,

(same Rank: all information; one major realm higher: partial information; two major realms higher: very little information)

[Green Talent: Foundation Establishment reincarnation]: You will receive the identity of a reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator. Corresponding Karma, your previous life's identity, and so forth will automatically be arranged for you (identity is random and may be good or bad).

Looking at the three brand-new Talents before him, Chen Fan's gaze sharpened as he swiftly analyzed them:

"I choose [Eye of Illusion]!"

Without hesitation, Chen Fan made his choice.

He would use these eyes, capable of seeing through to a measure of truth, to uncover more of this world's secrets.

[Simulation begins!]

[[Age 20]: Possessing the complete memories of three simulations, you clearly recognize that you are still a Simulated Clone the instant your consciousness descends.]

[You swiftly suppress your stray thoughts, determined to pave the way for your true self.]

[Your foremost objective is naturally to pursue the path of [Heaven-grade Qi Refining], and you explicitly designate "finding a [Heaven and Earth Wonder] that constitutes an 'unclaimed opportunity'"]

[set as a "task" that must be completed, hoping that [Twice the Results with Half the Effort] Talent will take effect in this direction.]

[But you also fully understand the verdict from the Third Simulation—"Forcing what your Fortune cannot support only diminishes your allotted fate."]

[You understand that if you forcefully pursue such a heaven-defying opportunity while lacking sufficient "blessed Fortune" or "allotted destiny," you may still meet with disaster, even with your Talent guiding you.]

[Thus, you establish your second core objective:]

[Stay alive as long as possible and gather all valuable information,]

[especially regarding alternative ways to obtain [Heaven and Earth Wonders], the movements of various factions, and those hidden taboos and dangers.]

[[Eye of Illusion] will be your greatest support on this journey.]