Each with his own thoughts

And Jiang Hou also turned his attention to the outside world. And though the discussion he had with Qing Huo took time in the Purple Mansion, only an instant has passed in the outside world.

"Junior Brother Chen, what are you doing staring at me? Do you want to give your Senior Brother a present?", asked Jiang Hou.

Ye Chen also came back to his senses and regained his composure. He said,

"Senior Brother, I thought you'd give me something instead. After all, you are the Senior Brother"

They were just testing the waters.

Looking at Ye Chen, who seemed to have composed himself, Jiang Hou smiled and thought, 'So, the one who prevented you from becoming a Cripple is the Soul Fragment in your Jade Pendant. I knew that that Jade Pendant isn't so simple'.

And Ye Chen, looking at the smiling Jiang Hou thought, 'So, you're my Mortal Enemy, my Destiny Rival. Why do you have to be? We have no conflict apart from Qing'er. Why must brothers of the same sect turn their swords at each other? Also what could this opportunity you took from me be, that it almost turned me into a Crazy Cultivator? I must keep my eyes on you from now on'

Each with his own thoughts, they watched on for a while. 

Jiang Hou didn't want to waste any more time, so he said, "Junior Brother, since you have no gifts for me, I'll see you around", and made to leave.

"Senior Brother, stop!", Ye Chen said anxiously.

Jiang Hou looked at him and questioned impatiently, "Junior Brother, what is it? Do you have anything to do with me?"

"That...That..! Senior Brother, what were you doing at the Library?", Ye Chen asked.

"I don't need to report that to you, right?", Jiang Hou replied indifferently.

"Of course.. but.. Did you perhaps borrow any book from the Library?", Ye Chen persisted.

"Yes. Why? Do you want to take it from me? Are you going to delay my important matters for your stupid actions right now?", Jiang Hou was tired. 'What is going on with this guy's head? Is he brain dead or something? Is he the Holy Son or am I?'

"Well, if it is not too important to you, can you give it to me? I feel like it's something very important to me, much more like a sixth sense", Ye Chen answered.

"It is important to me, so I can't give it to you. And if I was not the first person you met when you arrived at the Checkpoint, would you also ask whoever you met to hand over - something they chose for their own practice from the library - to you? Grow up Junior Brother?" Jiang Hou was offended. He left immediately after saying that.

After Jiang Hou left, Su Yaoren transmitted his voice into Ye Chen's mind, 'You were rash, you know? If it were someone else, they would have attacked you. It is just like when you obtained the Soul Nourishing Jade, and someone from your Clan or outside asked you to hand it over. Would you give it to them? Things are not done like that, Chen'er', of course he cannot appear in open space in the Sect for now.

'But you told me my opportunity lies with him. How could I reclaim it if I don't ask him?'

'Can't you trade it for something of equal value?'

'How do I know the value when I have not seen it?'

'But you almost lost your mind. And you almost died too'

'That...', that got him speechless. What thing on him would he offer in exchange for something that is worth his sanity, and life?

Man is like that. Oftentimes, he desires things without knowing their value. Sometimes he knows, but doesn't want to pay the price. If man is willing to pay the price for every valuable thing he desires, willing to take responsibility for it, then the world would be a better place. It is true in the mortal world. And it is more true in the Cultivation World.

The Bandits and thieves and Shadow organisations in both worlds came into being because someone is not willing to pay the price, or is not willing to take responsibility. So he resorted to underhanded methods to obtain the 'valuable'.

So, empty handed, Ye Chen returned to his Cave Abode, seeking the next opportunity to obtain his Fortune, rightly.

...

On the other side, Jiang Chen returned to the Attic. He loves the Attic because it gives him the opportunity to reflect and evaluate his next moves.

"You mean the Soul Fragment in his Jade Pendant is in the Quasi-Emperor Realm even as a soul fragment?", Jiang Hou asked Qing Huo in his Purple Mansion.

"Yes, and he is not an ordinary Quasi-Emperor. It is a peak Quasi-Emperor Soul Fragment", Qing Huo replied solemnly

"What about you then? What is your Cultivation at this level?" Jiang Hou asked.

"You brat. Well, because I was a Peak Great Emperor in my lifetime, my cultivation fell to the early stage of the Quasi-Emperor level as a soul Fragment", he replied.

"What does it take to have a Cultivation of peak Quasi-Emperor as a Soul Fragment?"

"You have to be at least a Supreme powerhouse in your lifetime for that to happen"

"..."

"So, he was at least a Supreme in his lifetime?"

"I just said that"

"Oh! Right. You did say that"

"..."

As silence ensued, Jiang Hou couldn't help but think of what had happened in the past few days. Intrigues are in the world. You never get to know what is definite until it has occurred. A prediction remains a prediction until it is really done.

Man is so. He changes all the time. Not just by the simple steps he takes, but also as a result of external factors that change the direction of the choices he makes. Whatever his choice, if greatly influenced by external factors, will definitely change trajectory. It may have the same endpoint as his original choice, but the path and time he takes to arrive differs.

If someone had said to him, "Hey, you are going to experience 'this' in the next few days", or "'that' is the result you'll obtain tomorrow'", he wouldn't believe him.

Now that it's happened, it's definite. He can only adjust himself to changes.

…

"Hey, Emperor Huo, you were there when 'that person' came with my Master, right? Did you also see what he was like? How powerful is he?", asked Jiang Hou, his Senses still immersed in his Purple Mansion.

"That lord is not someone we should be discussing, little guy. I didn't dare to look at him when he came", Qing Huo replied.

"Oh. So even you cannot see through him?", Jiang Hou said.

"You don't think the Supreme Realm is the end of Cultivation in the world, right? After the Great Emperor Realm comes the Supreme Realm. After the Supreme Realm, there are, Tribulation Transcendence Realm, Ascension Realm, and the Immortal Realms", Fire Sovereign educated.

"So, I can only continue to practise that cultivation Technique for now. Anyways, he said five years"

"And he probably meant five years. Figures like that don't deceive casually", Qing Hou said to him.

"Hmm", Jiang Hou muttered, then his Sense returned to the outside world.

Of course, whatever things had been discussed with Qing Huo, Jiang Hou didn't really believe them all. He's only asking questions on the surface, probing for any unusuals. In the end, whatever advice he was offered by the other party, he would do what he thought was best for himself in his situation.

So, he returned to his Cultivation room. This is a Secret Chamber underneath his Living Quarters. It has only one entry and exit, Jiang Hou's room. There is a covert door in the image that was embedded on the wall.

Sitting cross-legged, Jiang Hou began to read the book he borrowed from the Library, 'The Untold Truths of the Cultivation Realms'.

Yes, the one 'written' by Qing Huo. The reason why he was going to study it anyway, irrespective of the potential danger, was that, while seeing the book's content for the first time in the Library, his perception 'trembled'. This time, it was trembling not as a warning, but as though, it longs for something. And that thing is in this book. 

Two reasons why he took the book out of the Library is, first, his perception's longing, and second, he wants to find out for himself what the Legendary Realm was all about, well, until he met Qing Huo in person.

So he started reading, again from the start, to use it to better advantage, "Some people are born mortal, that means they have to start by first tempering their bodies, making it a suitable vessel for Spiritual Energy. Others are born with Innate Bodies, that is, their body is already perfected from birth, so they can start practising cultivation at the appropriate age. Some are born with Special Physiques. 

The Special Physiques are Innate Bodies that have Element/Law/Dao Attributes…"

He read all the way to the Purple Mansion Realm part, where it stated, "Some people are also born with Innate Soul Power…", he scoffed, and continued reading.

It is a very thick book. Jiang Hou already informed the Disciples and Servants in his Mansion that he was going into seclusion, so nobody would bother him even if he spent months in seclusion.

Three days passed silently. And Jiang Hou in the secret Chamber was now reading a part of the book that read, "Things begat of Chaos will return to Chaos. Chaos will renew all things. Chaos will heal the world…". As he made to read further, his perception trembled violently, then

His vision darkened.