Chapter 633: Don't Disappoint Me, No More Thinking

From the old man's expression, no useful information could be seen.

Jiang Chen felt a slight disappointment, clenched his teeth and tossed his question out.

He didn't know whether his question was correct or should be asked.

But Jiang Chen had thought a lot in that brief moment, and he could sort out most of the issues himself.

Only this question remained; he knew the Ghost Husband wanted to kill him, and from the old man's words learned that the reason lay in his second source skill.

Yet why it was so, Jiang Chen could not fathom.

The old man seemed to be drinking tea, but Jiang Chen had the feeling that the old man was actually watching him.

After speaking, the two fell into silence.

The wind seemed to stop, all the vegetation fell silent, and the entire Secret Realm was exceedingly quiet.

Snap!

The old man set down his teacup, producing a faint clink that sounded like a sudden thunderclap in clear weather.

The old man's face always bore a smile, but Jiang Chen would not let his guard down because of it.

Such a being, its joy or anger truly could not be judged.

Jiang Chen was very patient, waiting for the old man to speak.

After a moment, the old man finally spoke, "You are very pragmatic, you have not strayed from the essence."

Jiang Chen could tell that this was a compliment to himself.

The old man continued, "The Ghost Husband should have told you that the source bird's blood is refined into the Nine-word Mantra, and that the Nine-word Mantra is then divided into nine Primordial Runes, which become source skills."

Jiang Chen nodded; the Ghost Husband indeed said so.

Although he believed it then, he did not fully believe it.

The old man's gaze fell on the teacup, and Jiang Chen immediately understood, pouring a cup for the old man.

But he did not pour for himself; the tea was too precious, and he would not pour it before the old man spoke.

The old man lifted the tea, took a small sip, and said, "The Ghost Husband is not speaking nonsense; you need not doubt."

"However, he still concealed something. Source skills, Primordial Runes, Nine-word Mantra—all stem from the same line, ultimately all originate from the source bird's Bloodline."

"When someone masters a single source skill, the impact is still minor."

"If one masters multiple source skills and they fuse, then a reversion to the ancestral source may be possible."

Jiang Chen showed a startled expression, "Reverting to the ancestral source. Could one recreate the source bird's Bloodline and re‑refine the Nine-word Mantra?"

The old man chuckled, "You think too simply; naturally it is impossible."

Jiang Chen thought the same; it could not be that simple.

The Bloodline was divided into nine parts, each mantra occupying only one ninth of the Bloodline.

And the source skill he obtained, he did not know what fraction of a single mantra it comprised.

It could be called a fragment of a fragment; trying to recreate the source bird's Bloodline from such a piece was sheer fabrication, a wild fantasy.

Jiang Chen almost laughed at his own thought.

The old man said, "Although recreating the source bird's Bloodline is impossible, there is a chance to grasp the Nine-word Mantra."

"Relying on a single source skill, the Difficulty is extreme, virtually impossible."

"But if multiple source skills corroborate each other, fuse and be comprehended, there is hope."

Though the old man did not answer directly, Jiang Chen already understood.

The Ghost Husband wanted to kill him precisely because he did not want Jiang Chen to obtain a second source skill.

If at that time he had chosen to withdraw from the trial, the Ghost Husband would not have harbored hostility toward him.

He had unintentionally created a great enemy.

Jiang Chen could now only sincerely hope that the other cannot leave the Secret Realm, staying here forever.

And he himself, he estimated that in this life he would never enter again.

As for what impact his second source skill would have on the Ghost Husband.

Jiang Chen did not ask further; he knew another question would yield no answer.

The old man had already said that he and the Ghost Husband were gambling against each other, which likely related to this.

Jiang Chen sincerely said to the old man, "Thank you, senior, for clearing my doubts; should a junior later encounter the Ghost Husband, I will be cautious."

The old man laughed heartily, "You aren't really thinking that it'd be best if he were forever unable to leave the Secret Realm, so you and he never meet again."

Once again hit the mark, Jiang Chen gave an awkward smile, "Do you possess mind‑reading?"

"Just an old man who has become refined."

The old man said it lightly, then tapped the table twice.

Jiang Chen understood; the old man was telling him this was the second question.

The old man had only given him one chance to ask, which he had already used, so he should not ask again.

Strength determines status; with the old man's strength, he could grant Jiang Chen the right to converse, give him a cup of tea, and elevate his soul level.

Jiang Chen's heart was full of gratitude.

If the old man were unwilling, Jiang Chen would not even have the right to stand before him.

The old man said, "In this world, the previous era did produce a few decent figures. They led the age forward, but unfortunately the path went astray."

"Their decline was prolonged by time, subsequently affecting you; your path has become harder."

"Over a thousand years ago, a decent fellow appeared, but sadly he could not become the era's guide."

"Six hundred years ago, another of merely adequate talent arrived, but his later strength was insufficient."

"A hundred years ago, another emerged; he had drive but was too conservative, not a suitable candidate."

The old man's gaze swept over Jiang Chen, "I wonder whether you have the qualification to become this world's guide for this era."

Jiang Chen replied, "I will try my best."

"I hope you can do it; don't disappoint this old man!"

The old man waved his hand.

Heaven and earth hung upside down, the sun and moon shifted.

Jiang Chen vanished into the Secret Realm.

The old man's gaze turned to the pavilion, muttering to himself, "Ghost Husband, Ghost Husband, any loophole you find is one that the True Self is willing to let you find."

"This time I'll impose a minor punishment; if there's a next time, you'll be reduced to ash."

As he spoke, thunder roared in the Secret Realm, and a sudden gale burst into the pavilion.

In the pavilion, a series of wails instantly echoed—it was the Ghost Husband's voice.

The old man pretended not to hear, then slowly said, "Little fellow, don't disappoint me."

Outside the Secret Realm, Jiang Chen abruptly appeared.

A meteor happened to fall from the sky, striking just beside Jiang Chen, less than ten meters away.

With a booming crash, a shockwave swept in.

Jiang Chen let the Explosion's shockwave hit his body, and a faint White Light shimmered on him.

All Skills had fully recovered; the damage‑transfer Skill took effect, redirecting all damage toward the Undead Legion.

The damage‑transfer Skill, affected by its talent, reduced all damage by a factor of 80, so the Undead Legion suffered only minimal harm.

At this magnitude, even if dozens more meteors exploded, Jiang Chen wouldn't raise an eyebrow.

He stared at the Entrance of the Secret Realm glittering in the Explosion, then glanced at the Primordial Rune that had vanished from the backs of his hands.

Everything was real, not a dream.

He completed the assessment, permanently retaining the Primordial Runes, turning them into source Skills, forging them into skill star cores that merged with his soul.

From now on, these will forever be his own Skills.

Moreover, due to his near‑perfect performance, the two source Skills he gained not only didn't weaken but became stronger than before.

Jiang Chen took out the Dragon Scale given by Antares and activated it.

Antares kept his eyes closed, his head drooping on the ground, appearing to be asleep.

Occasionally flickering eyelids indicated Antares was not asleep.

The coarse breath constantly exhaled from his nose also showed Antares's mood was far from good.

It has not let go of the Dragon God matter.

The Dragon Pearl given by the Dragon God has already been swallowed; though he harbors resentment toward the Dragon God, the Dragon Pearl is truly a fine thing, and Antares could not refuse it.

It is fusing the Dragon Pearl, which will take considerable time.

Suddenly Antares opened his eyes, and Jiang Chen appeared nearby.

"Stinky brat, how did you come back?"

He thought to speak, but saw Jiang Chen with his eyes tightly shut.

Antares realized something, did not disturb Jiang Chen, but blinked in perfect sync.

The surroundings instantly fell silent; all noise vanished.

"What is the stinky brat thinking? Looks like it's a brain‑teaser."

Antares was somewhat curious.

It knew Jiang Chen was very clever; for most matters, as long as Jiang Chen caught a few details, he could analyze a great deal from them.

For that, it paid a considerable price.

In casual speech, a single slip would be caught by Jiang Chen's loophole detection.

Even it does not know how many times it has misspoken, so it tries to speak as little as possible.

In its eyes, Jiang Chen is a little fox, a little fox who loves to spin dragon tales.

It just didn't expect that Jiang Chen met the old fox, and the spun words were few.

Jiang Chen repeatedly replayed in his mind everything that happened in the Secret Realm, the Ghost Husband's and the old man's words, analyzing them word by word, bit by bit.

And every scene he saw in the Secret Realm, he sorted out one by one.

The experiences in the Secret Realm were like a film, constantly replaying in his mind.

Jiang Chen vaguely felt he was approaching a colossal secret.

Unconsciously, beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

He recalled a saying: the weaker one knows more, the faster they die!

"No, we can't continue exploring; if we keep thinking, something will go wrong."

"Why can't we know what's outside? There must be a reason; we can't think about it any more, we can't think about it!"