A week passed.
For Jiang Shen, it was a week of integration. The final fragments of the boy he used to be settled into place. , the seams of his two lives knitting together. The memories were no longer a chaotic but a part of his own history now . He felt the original Jiang Shen's deep, abiding love for his parents, his fierce loyalty to his friend. It grounded the cold, analytical mind of the Go master in a way he'd never been grounded on Earth.
He could walk now, Talk, His body, though still weak, was his own. The system's interface had given him the final notification.
[Soul Fusion: 100% Complete.]
[Reward: Physique, [The Uncarved Primordial Form], has been fully activated.]
[Reward: 500 units of Primal Essence.]
He kept up the act, of course. He played the part of the amnesiac son, slowly re-learning his world. He spent his days in the sect's vast library, a perfect excuse. He read texts on history, geography, cultivation theory, and the complex genealogies of the great clans and sects. He was a dry sponge soaking up an ocean of data. To the elders who watched him, he was a diligent boy relearning his letters. In reality, he was a grandmaster studying the board before making his first move.
"That rat Wu Tian was at it again."
Fen Yue's voice cut through the quiet of Jiang Shen's private study. He'd burst in, as usual, his face flushed with anger. He slammed a plate of pastries down on the table.
"He was in the main dining hall, surrounded by his toadies," Fen Yue seethed, pacing back and forth. "Going on about how the sect needs a 'healthy' and 'vigorous' heir. Said the position of Holy Son shouldn't be held by someone who faints at his own shadow. I swear, if my father hadn't been there, I would have rearranged his teeth for him."
Jiang Shen took a pastry, his expression calm. "Wu Tian," he said, the name tasting foreign. The memories of the boy supplied a face—arrogant, handsome in a sneering sort of way. The grandson of Grand Elder Wu, his primary political rival in the sect. "His cultivation is very high, isn't it?"
The innocent-sounding question was the perfect bait.
"High? I suppose," Fen Yue snorted. "He's at the 7th Layer of Qi Condensation. All brute force, though. He pours all the clan's resources into his cultivation but has the subtlety of a charging bull. His swordsmanship is flashy, but full of holes. I could beat him in a hundred moves."
Jiang Shen nodded slowly, absorbing the data. Arrogant, overconfident, relies on his status and brute force, has a vocal group of followers. He had his first clear profile of an opposing piece.
That night, alone in his room, Jiang Shen decided it was time to spend some of his newfound Capital. He had over 600 units of Primal Essence. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but a fortune for a new player. He focused his mind and called up the system's primary function.
[The Crucible of Creation].
The interface in his mind was elegant. It wasn't a clunky menu, but an intuitive workshop. He could feel the raw Primal Essence, a formless potential waiting for instruction. The system showed him that creating something complex, like a powerful sword, would cost tens of thousands of units. But simple, subtle tools? They were cheap.
He thought of Wu Tian. Of his loud mouth and his followers. Information was the most valuable weapon in any game. He focused his will, picturing what he needed.
[Forge Item: Auditory Imprint Talisman (Mote)]
[Function: A single-use listening device. Attaches to a target's Qi aura. Transmits sound for two hours before dissolving.]
[Cost: 10 Primal Essence]
[Confirm?]...
Confirm.
A faint warmth bloomed in his palm. When he opened his hand a single unremarkable speck of dust lay there, shimmering for a second before becoming utterly mundane. A low-cost, high-reward intelligence tool.
Perfect.
The next morning, he called for Fen Yue. His friend arrived, still spoiling for a fight on his behalf.
"Yue," Jiang Shen said, a weary but determined look on his face. "I'm tired of hearing that snake's name. I feel cooped up, useless." He looked at his friend. "Could you do something for me? Go challenge Wu Tian. Not a real battle, just a 'friendly' spar in the public training grounds. You don't have to hurt him badly. Just… remind him, and everyone else, who my friends are. It would lift my spirits to hear he was knocked down a pig."
Fen Yue's eyes lit up with a wolfish grin. This was a request he could get behind. "Consider it done, Shen! I'll make sure he remembers his manners."
As his loyal, hot-blooded friend turned to leave, brimming with righteous purpose, Jiang Shen stepped forward. "Wait." He reached out and brushed his friend's shoulder. "You have some dust on your robes."
"Eh? Thanks," Fen Yue said, distracted, before striding out of the room, his mind already on the coming fight.
Jiang Shen watched him go, his hand falling back to his side. The mote of dust was no longer on his friend's shoulder. He had used Fen Yue's loyalty as the perfect, unwitting delivery system. During their spar, in the heat of battle, he knew his friend would get close enough. The short-lived talisman would transfer.
He returned to the quiet of his study, sat down, and closed his eyes. He focused his mind, connecting to the system. A moment later, a faint, tinny stream of audio began to filter into his consciousness—the sound of Fen Yue's heavy boots striding across the sect's white stone paths.
His first move had been made.