The Secretly Rich Man

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 1851

Upon returning to the real world, Gerald was instantly swept by feelings of relaxation as his mind acquired newfound understanding. As it turned out, returning from that white dimension was the final step for him to gain this understanding.

Looking at the soul bamboo before him, Gerald then lifted his hand… and with a swift strike using the side of his hand, he sliced the soul bamboo clean in half!

Pleased to have snapped his first soul bamboo, Gerald was now a hundred percent sure of what the first soul bamboo meant.

Essentially, one couldn’t just expect to see instant benefits. Things needed to be done in proper order, and only then would success come… After all, while Gerald did lose the first two Go games, after learning the rules a bit better and observing how things went on the board, step-by-step, he was eventually able to win against that old man.

Regardless, upon seeing that the soul bamboo had been snapped, Tomie—who had been watching over Gerald this entire time—couldn’t help but smile as he said, “Congratulations on breaking your first soul bamboo, Gerald!”

Smiling in response, Gerald then headed over to the next soul bamboo before placing his hand on it again. The sooner he got all this done with, the better.

Soon enough, Gerald found himself transported to yet another dimension. Compared to the previous white space, however, Gerald was greeted by the sight of several quickly alternating beautiful scenes…

Shortly after, another old man made his appearance before smiling warmly as he said, “Good day, mister. Tell me… What do you think these scenes symbolize…?”

Surprised by the sudden presence of the old man, Gerald quickly shook his shock off before asking, “…Before that, how should I address you, sir?”

Chuckling in response, the old man replied, “Well, I’m a psychic spirit, so you can call me that if you’d like!”

“I see… It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Regardless, about your question… I can see that the scenes alternate endlessly among the four seasons. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter…” said Gerald in a respectful tone.

Nodding in response, the psychic spirit then replied, “Well, you’re not wrong there. While the scenes do depict the usual seasons, there’s another message to be found in all this… Why not try calming yourself to see if your heart can sense it?”

Upon hearing that, Gerald nodded before doing as the psychic spirit had told…

After a while, Gerald realized something and he opened his eyes again before saying, “…I think I understand now, sir. Essentially, not only do the scenes depict the four seasons, but they also symbolize the different experiences one undergoes in life.”

“The spring scene displays a sprout which I’m assuming symbolizes the moment one is born. The summer scene, on the other hand, shows how hot it can get.

From what I can gather, it’s a way of saying how hardships and distresses are normal experiences as one grows older.

Moving on to the autumn scene, it depicts the harvest season, which should be when an individual feels the most accomplished they’ve ever felt in their life.

Finally, winter, the period of reminiscing. For me, winter symbolizes the moment when one nears the end of their life cycle…” explained Gerald.

The second his explanation ended, the psychic spirit instantly began clapping as he declared, “Not bad at all, mister! As you’ve said, the four seasons do indeed symbolize a person’s life.

I have to say, you truly are extraordinary to be able to have such a deep understanding of life! You really are different from the others! Regardless, you’ve completed my test so you can leave now!”

And just as before, Gerald’s consciousness was quickly transmitted back to reality…

Upon seeing the second soul bamboo before him again, Gerald immediately repeated the slicing action on it!

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 1852

As expected, this bamboo broke instantly as well, and by conquering it, Gerald now understood the meaning of life.

Essentially, one’s life was like the four seasons since everyone experienced birth, sicknesses, and eventually death. It was simply according to the seasonal cycle. While one would definitely experience other things as well, nobody would truly be able to change their fate in the seasonal cycle of life.

Regardless, Torme himself was now smiling widely after watching Gerald successfully break the second soul bamboo. This youth wasn’t disappointing him in the least!

Whatever the case was, Gerald didn’t even wait for Torme to say anything before moving on to touch the third soul bamboo.

While Gerald was already used to having his consciousness getting transferred, he still found himself slightly stunned when he realized that standing before him, was a doppelganger!

“…And you are?” asked Gerald.

“Heh! I’m just you!” replied the other Gerald as he revealed a subtle smile.

“What? If you’re me, then who am I?” said Gerald.

“You’re me, and I’m you. There’s nothing technical about that! We’re simply the same person! Even so, we’re different from the way we view things!” explained the other Gerald.

“…Different views? Elaborate,” replied Gerald.

Chuckling in response, the other Gerald then said, “To put it in layman terms, I’m your dark side! A fancier name would make me your inner demon!”

As it turned out, the lookalike was a manifestation of his inner demons! This must be the third soul bamboo’s test!

With that in mind, Gerald had a hunch that as long as he managed to defeat the demon, he would be able to fully understand this soul bamboo.

“Whatever the case is, you’re an idiot, Gerald. Why the hell didn’t you just pick Rey in exchange for the key to the large entrance of the Phangrottom Clan territory? Picking yourself… You could’ve died you know?” added the other Gerald in a gloomy tone.

Upon hearing that, Gerald stared at his inner demon for a while before retorting, “As if I’d ever use my friends as bargaining chips! I’ll never sacrifice them!”

“You utter buffoon! That Rey? He’s just a prick and you know it! You could’ve easily gotten rid of him for good! How stupid do you have to be for me to spell it out for you?!” scowled the inner demon as he glared at Gerald.

“Shut it! You’re just my inner demon! In the end, I’m the one who decides on what I think!” growled Gerald who was getting fed up with his inner self.

Upon hearing that, the inner demon instantly roared in laughter as everything around them turned pitch black. The scene was nothing short of terrifying…

“Talk big, will you? Look, I can easily just swallow you up, you know? Once that happens, you’ll be beneath me your entire life!” scoffed the inner demon as he smiled wickedly while staring at the youth.

Before Gerald could even reply, his eyes widened as his other self summoned an incredibly familiar-looking sword…

“…The Astrabyss Sword?!” yelled Gerald, feeling slightly stunned that the demon could also wield the legendary weapon.

“Things could have gone much differently, Gerald! But due to how idiotic you are, you only have yourself to blame! I’m vanquishing you for good so that I’ll be the rightful owner of your body and mind!”

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 1853

After saying that, his inner demon began charging toward Gerald!

Since the inner demon was an exact replica of Gerald, he shared the same strength and capabilities as Gerald. Naturally, Gerald noticed this, and he immediately began retreating as he dodged the onslaught of attacks!

Unfortunately, since their skills were on par, Gerald’s neck ended up getting slightly cut by the sharp blade.

The Astrabyss Sword’s tip had merely brushed across Gerald’s skin, yet it was already bleeding… Gerald didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if the sword struck him for real…

Whatever the case was, he couldn’t allow this inner demon to get rid of him. After all, if he lost this battle, he would lose control over his body forever!

With that in mind, once he was at a safe distance, Gerald drew out his own Astrabyss Sword.

“Hah! Thinking of launching a counterattack?” sneered the inner demon.

“You won’t have your way! I’m burying you deep in my heart so that you’ll never be able to resurface again!” declared Gerald in a righteous tone.

“Let’s see if you can win against me first!” yelled the inner demon as both he and Gerald bolted toward each other!

Since both of them were equally fast, their blades met even before a split second passed!

With a massive ‘clang’ the impact of the two legendary blades caused both of them to take a few steps backward!

“I hope you haven’t forgotten that I’m your dark side, Gerald! I don’t have anything weighing me down! With that in mind, I’m way stronger than you!” scoffed the inner demon in a smug tone before he immediately began chanting a spell…

Within seconds, Gerald watched as all sorts of knife brandishing ghosts began appearing! The inner demon had summoned them from the Astrabyss Sword to deal with Gerald!

rushing toward Gerald, the youth remained calm and simply

slew, more would just appear… That b*stard of an inner

got surrounded by yet another group of spirits, the inner demon then smugly proposed, “Gerald, listen. Wouldn’t it be

going to agree to that

thought that Gerald’s loss was already determined, Gerald knew that his other self was merely a temporary manifestation of his worst aspects. With that in mind, there was no way Gerald was going to let

about that, an idea suddenly came to Gerald. Understanding that it was now or never, Gerald immediately began projecting his

doing so, his inner demon immediately began suffering

the inner demon held on to his aching head

mind, you won’t be able to defeat me in a million years! My true power will always be stronger than yours!” scoffed Gerald as he

final time, Gerald then increased the force of his grip while

that, the inner demon vanished, sending Gerald’s

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made it past his third soul bamboo, and

to Gerald, Torme then smiled as he said, “Congratulations for defeating your

knew about his battle,

bamboo here stands for.

that came to be, I’m sure you’re aware that not only would your consciousness

you haven’t disappointed me at all!” declared Torme as he looked at Gerald with a

dark manifestations that exist in everyone’s hearts. Sadly, not many are actually

up getting swallowed by their inner demons, resulting in them becoming their worst nightmares…

I’ll proceed with the next

he was able to touch it,

as he asked, “Is…

need to go through the fourth soul bamboo. You’ve passed the test!” replied Torme, astonishing Gerald quite

his hand… and just like that, both of them were back in

really passed everything, sir?” asked

also be handing you the key to the large entrance of that territory! While I’m sure you’re on some extraordinary mission, do remember that in the end, whether you’ll

too pleasantly surprised and excited to feel down by that statement. To think that he had managed to pass the

before handing it to Gerald

the box, Gerald then slowly opened it… and inside, was an iron key with the

have finally obtained it, Gerald immediately replied, “Thank

before you head off. The Phangrottoms are a spiritual clan that rules over all souls… With that in mind, I’m sure you can imagine that they’re not ones who are easy to persuade. What I’m saying is please make sure that you’re mentally ready to face everything, and that includes quite a bit of pain. It’s not a stretch to claim that your real test will begin

keep that in mind!” replied Gerald in a respectful

head off! The passing permit is already hanging on your waist!” said Torme as he waved

his waist area… as true to Torme’s words, a passing permit was hanging there! When had Torme even done

or

Gerald simply nodded before walking out

was taking a nap with his back

Rey’s face a few times while saying, “Hey, I wasn’t in for that long… Are you seriously sleeping

exclaim, “A-ah! Mr. Crawford! You’re finally out? I’ve been waiting

half an hour

the time in the outside world…? After all, as they said, ‘a day in heaven was equivalent to a year in the human world’. With that in mind, who’s to

to obtain the passing permit, so let’s go!” added Gerald, not wanting to bother about something that trivial. After all, the

city’s gates again, and upon showing the passing

you have to do to obtain the passing permit, Mr. Crawford…?” asked Rey in a

some tests of life,” replied Gerald, knowing that his answer was the truth

life that he had been tested on back in the tower, he couldn’t help but feel pleased that after all that, he managed to obtain the key to the large entrance of the Phangrottom Clan’s territory

know what Gerald was going on

have some good news to share! See, I’ve managed to

hearing the good news, Rey immediately grew excited as

Aren’t you worried at all that others may learn of this?” replied Gerald as he glared at Rey while gesturing

making sure to cover a hand over his mouth to

no different from human settlements, the ghosts here had

the duo watched hordes of ghosts wandering along the streets of the town, it wasn’t long before a few phantom soldiers—riding

you, come with us!” ordered one of

Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich

hearing that command, the duo could only

that it wouldn’t do them any good to cause a scene, both of them simply

to be a palace of sorts

led in, the two soon saw an armor-clad ghost sitting atop a throne, looking all high

the ghost went by the name of Yohr God, and he

We captured these two foreigners in our city’s town!” reported one of the phantom

got to his feet

Yohr was prompted to say,

though… Who are you again…?” asked

am? You truly have some nerve

Yohr God!” snapped one of the phantom soldiers

but feel slightly surprised. To think that there would actually be a ghost king

people. It was honestly amusing

Gerald then said, “Just so you know, we’re not here to cause any trouble! We’re simply

through? Where exactly are you headed to?” asked Yohr

off to seek the Phangrottom Clan!” declared Gerald,

serious. In case you didn’t know, anyone who barges into their

he replied, “But of course I’m serious. Why wouldn’t I head there

talking back to me? Are you trying to court death or something?!” growled Yohr as

second, Yohr was already standing inches away from Gerald’s feet, his eyes glaring straight into the

afraid of death at all?” scoffed Yohr as

the first place if I was afraid of dying! Regardless, perhaps this will answer your question!” retorted Gerald with a snort as he

exclaim, “…So you’re

well aware that there existed other half human and ghost cultivators like Gerald, he also knew that these hybrid cultivators were generally

mind, Yohr then turned to face his phantom soldiers before ordering, “…Untie

watching the soldiers do Yohr’s bidding,

the other day. After all, just like what had happened moments ago, Gerald’s physical body had gone unconscious while he

or invisible Rich Man Chapter

us be! All of you!” ordered Yohr at his

seat before looking at Gerald and asking, “Now then…

by Gerald

look at Rey, cueing the boy to add, “You can just

I may have been a bit offensive earlier… With that in mind, I do hope that you don’t take that to heart!” said

all, Yohr’s attitude toward them had

City to accomplish something important elsewhere! With that in mind, I hope you’ll just let us go!” replied Gerald, not wanting to waste any more time than he needed to here. Every second counted

But before that, I do have a favor I’d like to ask from you!” said

favor?” asked

I hope that you’ll bring a Phangrottom Jade back once you’re done with your mission!” said Yohr as he retrieved a sheet

the Phangrottom Jade, Gerald couldn’t help but ask, “…And why do you

about that for the time being… However, I’ll definitely tell you more

since he just wanted

escort you out right this instant!” declared Yohr with a wide smile on his face as he ordered for his

left Phantom City rather easily… and soon after, they got

territory of the Phangrottom Clan. With that in mind, the duo would have to scale the ocean in order to get to their destination.

this ocean?” asked Gerald as he looked at one

if we had boats, we wouldn’t know how to get there. Regardless, this is where our escort ends. The rest is up to you,” replied the phantom soldier

couldn’t help but feel that they had just been

What should we do now, Mr. Crawford…?” asked

himself appeared rather perplexed. To think that this ocean would be the largest hurdle of their journey

weren’t any boats around. Did they actually have to resort to swimming…? Then again, Gerald knew better

Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter