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!

immediately began rushing toward Gerald, the youth remained calm and

many spirits he slew, more would just appear… That b*stard of an inner demon

“Gerald, listen. Wouldn’t it be

wasn’t going to agree to that anytime

knew that his other self was merely a temporary manifestation of his worst aspects. With that in mind, there was

Understanding that it was now or never,

second he started doing so, his inner demon immediately began suffering a

kneeling, the inner demon held on to his aching head as he asked, “You… The hell have you

demons. With that in mind, you won’t be able to defeat me in a million years! My true power will always be stronger

time, Gerald then increased the force of his grip while

just like that, the inner demon vanished, sending Gerald’s consciousness

Secretly or

bamboo, and with a swift

to Gerald, Torme then smiled as he said,

battle, Gerald was prompted to say, “Sir… You…

in each of the soul bamboos. I also know what each soul bamboo here stands for. Regardless, had you

came to be, I’m sure you’re aware that not only would your consciousness get sealed deep within your heart forever, but that inner demon of

place! Thankfully, you managed to defeat him! I must say, you haven’t disappointed me

tone, “Inner demons are dark manifestations

always ended up getting swallowed by their inner demons, resulting in them becoming their worst nightmares… With that in mind,

next soul bamboo!” replied Gerald in a gratuitous tone before walking toward his

to touch it,

around, Gerald raised a slight brow as he asked, “Is… something the

You’ve passed the test!” replied Torme, astonishing Gerald

hand… and just like that, both

passed everything, sir?” asked the

you have every right to head to the Phangrottom Clan’s territory! As promised, I’ll also be handing you the key to the large entrance of that territory! While I’m sure you’re on some extraordinary mission,

to pass the test without needing to fully complete it! Torme was even giving him the key

before handing it to Gerald as he said, “The box contains the key I promised.

and inside, was an iron key

obtained it, Gerald immediately

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

that in mind!” replied Gerald in

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

area… as true to Torme’s words, a passing permit was hanging there!

The Secretly or invisible Rich

the case was, Gerald simply nodded before walking out of the

taking a

few times while saying, “Hey, I wasn’t in for that long… Are

couldn’t help but exclaim, “A-ah! Mr. Crawford! You’re finally out?

an

said, ‘a day in heaven was equivalent to a year in the human world’. With that in mind, who’s to say that the tower didn’t

managed to obtain the passing permit, so let’s go!” added Gerald, not wanting to bother about

the duo arrived at the city’s gates again, and upon showing the passing permit to the phantom

do to obtain the passing permit, Mr. Crawford…?” asked Rey

I had to go through some tests of life,” replied Gerald, knowing

tower, he couldn’t help but feel

case was, Rey naturally didn’t know what Gerald was going on about, prompting him to say,

I actually have some good news to share!

Rey immediately grew excited as he

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

a hand

different from human settlements, the

along the streets of the town,

you, come with us!” ordered one of the

or

hearing that command, the duo could only exchange

good to cause a scene, both of them simply followed the phantom soldiers’

to be a palace of sorts

soon saw an armor-clad ghost sitting atop a throne, looking all

went by the name of Yohr

highness! We captured these two foreigners in our city’s town!” reported one of the phantom soldiers as two others led

hearing that, Yohr got to his feet before squinting his eyes

was prompted to say, “…You’re quite the

you, though… Who are you again…?”

Yohr then replied, “You… don’t even know who I am?

one of the phantom soldiers

Rey couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised. To think that there would actually be

case was, Gerald felt that it was best not to immediately offend these people. It was honestly amusing how Gerald was the one

know, we’re not here to cause any trouble! We’re simply passing through the

through? Where exactly are you headed to?” asked Yohr in a much

the Phangrottom Clan!” declared Gerald,

know, anyone who barges into their territory will definitely suffer a terrible fate! Do you honestly think you can

Gerald simply chuckled before smiling as he replied, “But

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

inches away from Gerald’s feet, his eyes

scoffed Yohr as he continued staring at

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

at Gerald’s ghost form, the surprised Yohr couldn’t help but exclaim, “…So you’re

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

bidding, Gerald then returned

Based on what he had just witnessed, he now knew how that innkeeper had ended up getting all tied up the other day. After all, just like what had happened moments ago, Gerald’s physical body had gone

or invisible

us be! All of you!” ordered Yohr at his soldiers, prompting the phantom soldiers

take a seat before looking at Gerald and asking, “Now then… I wonder how I should address, good

by Gerald

in response, Yohr then turned to look at Rey, cueing the boy to add, “You can

see… A pleasure to meet both of you, Gerald and Rey. I admit that I may have been a bit offensive earlier… With that in mind, I do hope that you don’t take that

hearing that, Gerald and Rey were rightfully confused. After all, Yohr’s

we really are just hoping to pass through Phantom City to accomplish something important elsewhere! With that in mind, I hope you’ll just let us go!” replied Gerald, not wanting to waste

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

favor?” asked Gerald

Jade back once you’re done with your mission!” said Yohr as he retrieved a sheet

the Phangrottom Jade, Gerald couldn’t

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

Consider it done!” said Gerald since he just wanted to

I’ll get my men to escort you out right this instant!” declared Yohr with a wide

phantom soldiers, Gerald and Rey then left Phantom City rather

Phangrottom Clan. With that in mind, the duo would have to scale

no boats to ride to cross this ocean?” asked Gerald as he looked at one of the phantom

never been there either, so even if we had boats, we wouldn’t know how to get there. Regardless, this is where our escort ends. The rest

couldn’t help but feel that they had

do now, Mr. Crawford…?”

himself appeared rather perplexed. To think that this ocean would

resort to

or invisible