[However, Qiu Zhixuan soon explained how she found this place.]
[She said that when she noticed you hadn't come to listen to her music for a few days, she missed you dearly and decided to search for you.]
[Following the direction you had left, she carried your portrait and asked passers-by for information.]
[She wandered through many wrong locations and spent half a year before finally finding you here.]
[After hearing Qiu Zhixuan's explanation, you immediately understood that this was indeed the effect of the reduced intelligence halo.]
[Otherwise, who would believe that a fairy slave, hidden among mortals, would spend so much time searching for a young man who merely listened to music in a brothel?]
[Afterward, you cautiously asked her how she managed to cultivate immortality.]
[Of course, you already knew that the fairy slave belonged to an organization called the Xianlin Sect, and this was essentially a test for you.]
[Upon hearing your question, Qiu Zhixuan's affectionate gaze flickered slightly.]
[She seemed to have remembered something, and after glancing around cautiously, she warned you not to display your immortal cultivation in front of others.]
[Feigning ignorance, you asked her why.]
[Without hesitation, Qiu Zhixuan revealed everything about the Xianlin Sect, including the fact that they hunted local immortal cultivators.]
[Her openness made you hesitate to act against her.]
[You decided against attacking Qiu Zhixuan and instead chose to observe her.]
[You wanted to see if you could extract more information from her.]
[After all, she was a member of the Xianlin Sect, and there might be secrets she knew that outsiders did not.]
[However, things did not go as expected. Her knowledge was limited and not as comprehensive as Bai Ruoxue's.]
[The only useful information you gleaned was that the Xianlin Sect hunted local immortal cultivators for rewards.]
[It was not driven by belief, as you had initially assumed; in the end, it was merely for personal gain.]
[Later, Qiu Zhixuan brought out a large number of spirit stones and a movement technique manual called *Chasing Wind Art*, gifting them to you.]
[In a soft voice, she said, "Brother's body movement is too weak and dangerous."]
[Initially, you had planned to extract some information from her and then eliminate her.]
[After all, no matter how kind she seemed to you, you knew this was the result of the reduced intelligence halo, not her genuine feelings.]
[However, her act of giving you the spirit stones and the manual disrupted your plan.]
[Reluctantly, you accepted the spirit stones and the *Chasing Wind Art* manual.]
[In the days that followed, Qiu Zhixuan accompanied you during your training in the Changqing Mountains.]
[You also added the *Chasing Wind Art* to your daily practice routine.]
[By the middle of the second year, you began to feel conflicted again.]
[You knew that Bai Ruoxue's arrival was drawing near.]
[If Bai Ruoxue saw you with Qiu Zhixuan, the fairy slave, your life would likely be in jeopardy.]
[You contemplated taking action against Qiu Zhixuan but ultimately decided against it.]
[People are beings of flesh and blood, you reasoned. No matter what had happened before, in this simulation, Qiu Zhixuan had genuinely shown you kindness due to the intelligence-reducing aura.]
[You couldn't bring yourself to harm her.]
[In the third year, you left the ruins of the Tianxuan Temple with Qiu Zhixuan.]
[This time, you chose not to take advantage of Bai Ruoxue.]
[In the fourth year, you dedicated yourself to refining your movement skills and polishing your golden core.]
[Thanks to Qiu Zhixuan's seemingly endless supply of spirit stones, you never lacked resources for cultivation.]
[Throughout the year, you encountered numerous troubles caused by the reduced intelligence halo.]
[However, Qiu Zhixuan resolved every issue, often eliciting exclamations of admiration from onlookers.]
[This allowed you to experience firsthand the treatment reserved for protagonists.]
[In the fifth year, you took Qiu Zhixuan to a place far away from human habitation.]
[Although you enjoyed the protagonist-like treatment in the previous year, you felt that the constant troubles seriously hindered your cultivation.]
[In the sixth year, trouble found you again.]
[Since Qiu Zhixuan had not returned to the Xianlin Sect for a long time and had failed to carry out her task of hunting local immortal cultivators, she was discovered by other immortal slaves.]
[Your identity as an immortal cultivator was completely exposed.]
[The immortal slave who found you was a cultivator at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage.]
[Just as you were about to activate the teleportation jade plate to escape, the immortal slave pursed their lips and exclaimed, "What a handsome little brother."]
[In the end, instead of being hunted down, you ended up with another mysterious girl—or rather, a mysterious sister.]
[The secluded place where you lived now had three people instead of two.]
[You felt that this intelligence-reducing aura was simply too outrageous.]
[At this point, you started thinking that you absolutely had to obtain this talent.]
[Compared to the benefits, a little extra trouble seemed insignificant.]
Outside the simulator, Jiang Yifeng had a dark expression on his face.
This intelligence-reducing aura was terrifying.
He had initially thought it would only lower the IQ of others.
But he hadn't expected that this talent wouldn't distinguish between friend and foe.
Even his simulated self had its intelligence reduced.
Although his simulated self appeared fine on the surface, Jiang Yifeng knew there was a significant problem.
For instance, why was he targeted in the first place?
This had to be the influence of the intelligence-reducing aura.
And why, when leaving Qingshan City, did he choose to depart during the day instead of sneaking away at night as he usually did?
Wouldn't leaving at night, when no one was around, have avoided the situation entirely?
The most glaring issue, however, was Qiu Zhixuan's identity.
His simulated self had completely ignored it.
In reality, using the Eye of Insight, Jiang Yifeng had already checked Qiu Zhixuan's background.
She was the granddaughter of an elder in the Xianlin Sect.
Even if he had overlooked this, her ability to casually produce large quantities of spirit stones should have been suspicious enough.
Of course, Jiang Yifeng believed that Qiu Zhixuan in the simulation had genuinely been affected by the intelligence-reducing aura.
She probably didn't harbor any malicious intent toward his simulated self. She might not have disclosed her identity directly because she feared rejection.
But this wasn't the key issue. What mattered was that this talent had affected her thinking in the simulation.
It had lowered her intelligence as well.
Jiang Yifeng thought to himself, *"This talent must not be chosen as a simulation reward."*
Shaking his head, Jiang Yifeng continued to observe the simulator.
[In the ninth year, an old man arrived at your secluded location.]
[Using the Eye of Insight, you quickly activated the teleportation array to escape.]
[The old man turned out to be an immortal slave who had surpassed the first stage of the Tribulation, named Qiu Kuang.]
[He was none other than Qiu Zhixuan's grandfather!]
[You suddenly realized something was amiss.]
[Qiu Zhixuan's grandfather? How could he be so powerful?]
[You felt like you had forgotten something important.]
[But soon, you automatically dismissed the thought and focused on escaping.]
[Unfortunately, you underestimated the power of someone at the Tribulation Crossing Stage. The thousand-mile distance you teleported to was covered by Qiu Kuang in an instant.]
[After three teleportations, you were caught by the immortal slave Qiu Kuang.]
[Just when you thought you were about to die, Qiu Zhixuan ran out.]
[She knelt in front of the old man, crying and shouting, "Grandpa, if you kill Brother Yifeng, then I will not live either!"]