161: Chapter 161 Tracing the Origins of Cause and Effect

Chen Yuan hummed to himself.

The one he had seen in the simulator. He had yet to meet him in reality.

This was the first time Xing Haotian had actively reached out to him in reality.

However, in the simulation, this senior had already laid out his background clearly, claiming he was the son of Divine Lord Xuan Xiao and inviting him to the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Chen Yuan did not accept the invitation.

"Please thank Senior Xing for me." His tone was very flat. "I have urgent matters to attend to during this time, and I am afraid I cannot visit Flame Valley in the near future. Please tell Senior Xing that if the opportunity arises in the future, I will certainly pay a visit."

The cultivator was clearly stunned for a moment.

The invitation from the Deputy Hall Master of the Creation Hall, flatly rejected by an Early True Immortal?

He looked at Chen Yuan, seemingly confirming whether the other party was putting on an act, but Chen Yuan's expression was calm, without a trace of hesitation.

"... Very well, I will pass it on."

The cultivator took back the invitation, cupped his hands, and turned to leave.

Chen Yuan watched him walk away before continuing on his way.

After walking a few steps, he silently reviewed the conversation in his mind.

The Xing Haotian in the simulation was an ally, a former subordinate of his father, and a senior he could entrust.

But that was a simulation.

Was the Xing Haotian in reality an ally?

He did not know.

The simulator told him that Xing Haotian's trump card was being a "former subordinate of Divine Lord Xuan Xiao," told him what methods Xing Haotian would use to make contact, and told him Xing Haotian's weaknesses and demands.

But the simulator could not tell him if this senior in reality was exactly the same.

There are no two identical leaves in the world.

The Xing Haotian in the simulation might be a real former subordinate.

It might also just be a trap.

He could not reveal his true hand before confirming it.

"Still have to lay low." Chen Yuan repeated this phrase in his mind.

He had become increasingly proficient in this approach recently.

...

Late at night on the fifteenth day.

Chen Yuan returned to his cave dwelling after his last job.

This was a hidden flaw in the core defensive array of the City Lord's Mansion. After repairing it, Immortal King Tiannan personally paid him 40,000 spirit crystals.

He gathered all the scattered spirit crystals in his Storage Pouch and counted them.

Two hundred and eight thousand.

Almost enough.

He originally only needed 150,000; the extra 58,000 was an unexpected windfall.

Chen Yuan gathered all the spirit crystals and walked into the secret room.

Seven layers of protective arrays were activated in sequence.

He sat cross-legged and sank his consciousness into his body.

Deep in his sea of consciousness, the simulator was quietly suspended.

Pale blue brilliance flowed.

"..."

Chen Yuan closed his eyes and reviewed all the intelligence he had accumulated over the past half month in his mind.

That trace of strange divine sense.

Xing Haotian's invitation.

The source of the precise ambush in the Nine Heavens Domain in the simulation.

The father he had not yet seen in the deepest part of Guixu.

Those three people from Cangming.

There were more things to investigate in this simulation than in any previous one.

But he was not panicked.

Because he was already an Array Master.

As an Array Master with his heart as the array eye, the simulation would be steadier than ever before.

Chen Yuan adjusted his posture on the meditation cushion, allowing the pure white immortal pill in his dantian to rotate slowly.

Immortal essence poured into his sea of consciousness, supporting the simulator.

"Start simulation."

Pale blue light bloomed in his sea of consciousness.

The familiar interface unfolded.

[Reincarnation simulator 5.0]

[Detected that the host's cultivation level has increased to the True Immortal Stage. Each simulation costs 100,000 spirit crystals. Do you wish to recharge?]

[Spirit crystal balance: 208,000]

[Detected host's Array Master realm bonus. Talent carrying limit increased to 13.]

[Do you wish to start the fifth simulation?]

Chen Yuan opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"Start."

[Current 4-star talent probability: 10%, 5-star talent probability: 1%. Do you wish to consume spirit crystals to increase the 5-star talent extraction probability?]

The familiar talent roulette slowly unfolded in his sea of consciousness, five-colored brilliance flowing.

Chen Yuan stared at the roulette, his fingers tapping his knees lightly.

Spirit crystal balance: 108,000.

"All in."

100,000 spirit crystals were invested, raising the 5-star probability to 10%.

He couldn't max it out like last time, but investing 100,000 spirit crystals at least raised the probability from 1% to 10%.

The task was more complex than last time.

Anti-tracking the Nine Heavens Domain, investigating the source of the strange divine sense, and finding his biological father in the deepest part of Guixu along the way.

Every thread was difficult to unravel; he couldn't proceed without some trump cards.

[Ding! 100,000 spirit crystals consumed. 5-star talent draw probability is: 10%!]

[Drawing simulation talent for host...]

[Drew 5-star talent: Causality Tracing: You can trace the "source" of any event, any trace, and any signal, ignoring the layers of concealment in between.]

Chen Yuan was stunned for a moment.

10% probability...

He hit it?

His first reaction was not surprise, but doubt. Last time, the 50% chance of pulling a gold talent could be attributed to good luck. This time, with only a one-in-ten chance, he had actually accurately drawn the ability he needed most?

This coincidence was a bit excessive.

Then he laughed out loud.

"... Damn."

This time it wasn't just surprise; it was something deeper...

This talent was tailor-made for his mission this time.

Who leaked the ambush intelligence of the Nine Heavens Domain?

Causality Tracing, trace this line all the way back. Where did that trace of strange divine sense come from? Causality Tracing, directly lock onto the original owner of the divine sense.

When he drew "All-Aspects Guixu" last time, he marveled at how user-friendly the simulator was. This time, Chen Yuan discovered that the simulator was not just user-friendly.

The simulator was truly capable.

It seemed that every time he needed something, it could provide a perfectly compatible 5-star talent at the critical moment.

Chen Yuan didn't dwell too much on why.

He had long since given up thinking about the simulator's mechanism; as long as he could get it for free, it was fine.

Anyway, the simulator was the MVP.

Chen Yuan was a "lying down and winning" Gambler.

"Let's go!!"

[Given that the host's cultivation has reached the Early True Immortal stage, the maximum talent carrying limit is 13. Please choose.]

[1-star talent: Alchemy Talent.]

[2-star talent: Innate Sword Spirit Root, Alchemy Technique, Sword Heart Clarity, Swiftness.]

[3-star talent: Array Prodigy, Gamblers Coin, Fond of Teaching, Spiritual Sense Induction.]

[4-star talent: Pupil of Supreme Knowledge, Spirit Plant Master, Myriad Laws Return to One.]

[5-star talent: Child of Destiny, Perfect Great Dao Body, Born to be King, All-Aspects Guixu, Causality Tracing.]

Chen Yuan scanned the list and quickly reviewed the tasks for this simulation in his mind.

Check intelligence sources, meet his father, anti-track the divine sense, and by the way, fine-tune the Guixu route that he didn't have time to perfect last time.

The tasks were mainly "investigation" and "breakthrough," so the combat weight was not high.

He started picking.

The 5-star talents went without saying. Last time he missed Causality Tracing, and this time it just filled the gap.

Two 4-star talents: Myriad Laws Return to One, Pupil of Supreme Knowledge.

Three 3-star talents: Array Prodigy, Spiritual Sense Induction, Gamblers Coin.

Gamblers Coin played a key role with the Array Spirit last time, so it had to be kept.

Two 2-star talents: Innate Sword Spirit Root, Sword Heart Clarity.

Sword Heart Clarity was useful for soul protection. This time he had to face unknown divine sense, so he had to bring it.

One 1-star talent: Alchemy Talent. Used to make up the numbers; in any case, the thirteen slots had to be filled.

Finally, he counted them.

Exactly thirteen talents.

"Confirm."

[Talent selection completed.]

[Your name is Chen Yuan, twenty-five years old, Early True Immortal.]

[Simulation start.]

Text unfolded in his sea of consciousness.