《The Only Real Cultivator》 Chapter 1 Every day is the same. After falling into a routine, each day tends to blend into the last. This isn¡¯t a bad thing, but I still hoped that someday, I¡¯d be able to break out of the cycle. I rolled my eyes. I was having those thoughts again. One of those fleeting moments of introspection. One of those moments that only happened at the most boring moments of my life, like when listening to physics lectures. It was a normal day in my good old high school. I was in my favorite class, physics, taking notes on Newton¡¯s Third Law. Physics class wasn¡¯t my favorite because of the content of the class. I couldn¡¯t care less about the content. I liked it because of the people in the class. ¡°Hey Vince, you doing anything after school today?¡± Brain whispered. My exasperation at myself redirected to Brian. Brian was the one who had planted all these thoughts in my head. He loved going on hour long philosophical speeches about random stuff I didn¡¯t care about. But at some point, some of his talking points rubbed off on me. ¡°Nope, I was going to go home and do nothing,¡± I replied. ¡°Great. Do you want to come to my house instead?¡± he said. ¡°Sure.¡± We¡¯ve had this conversation a dozens of times already. We didn¡¯t need any extra planning. I glanced across the classroom. The girl that I had a crush on, Jessica, was also in this class. She played with her pencil while half-listening to the teacher. But of course, none of this really mattered. I would never go to Brian¡¯s house again. Well, at least not the one in this world.
Congratulations, Vincent!Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
A blue box appeared in front of me. My back straightened and my head jolted up. I turned to see if Brian was seeing the same thing. The blue screen moved to stay in my sight. I heard a couple screams and more than a couple gasps. ¡°Are you seeing this?¡± I put my hand on Brian¡¯s shoulder and shook him. He turned around and we both saw the panic on each other¡¯s faces. His eyes darted between my face and something in front of his nose, something I couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Yes!,¡± he screamed. A new set of text replaced the text on the screen.
You and your class are about to die! You have five seconds to prepare!
Part of me was still telling me this was all part of some elaborate prank. But any thought of this being a prank vanished when the classroom around me disappeared. My legs swung wildly, searching for something solid but finding nothing. I looked down. I hung in the sky, so high up I could see the curvature of the earth. I started to drop. My stomach clenched and my heart seized up. The acceleration was like the drop on a rollercoaster but ten times worse. The wind roared in my ears, blocking out my own scream. A scream clawed out of my throat. It wasn¡¯t long before I reached terminal velocity. The shred of rationality left in me told to spread my arms out and made myself as flat as possible. It was supposed to increase air resistance on me and slow me down. But for some reason, I felt it wouldn¡¯t help that much. No matter what I did, a belly flop from this high up into solid earth wasn¡¯t a survivable situation.
You have teleported into the world of Halves! All of your knowledge of the English Language has been converted to knowledge of the national language of Raisin! This screen is also now in the national language of Raisin!
Who cares? I¡¯m about to die!
Your soul and mana have melded into one! Good luck!
What was once a tiny green dot in the sky quickly expanded. It wasn¡¯t really expanding, I was just getting closer to it. I soon realized it was a vast forest. Welp, I¡¯m going to die. A branch slapped my leg, shattering the bone. I closed my eyes, ready to embrace death. Instead, my outstretched left hand embraced a fruit from one of the trees around me. The moment I touched the fruit, I felt a supreme connection with the world. I was everywhere at once. I could see every tree and pebble on the planet. In that moment, I had become a God. The connection with the universe narrowed until the connection belonged only to the fruit in my hand.
New Permanent Title : Vincent, ¡°The Cultivator¡±!
I knew what I had to do. My will entered the fruit and I threw the fruit down to the ground. It spread into a mass of fluff ten stories high. I crashed into it, but it was a comfortable crash. I had survived. Chapter 2
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it?
I ignored the message and crawled out from the fluff. I ripped a bit of the fluff from the rest. Soft as cotton, it felt like a clump of dandelion seeds. A breeze of clear, cold air wafted through. Chunks of fuzz dissolved into the breeze. It filled the air with fluff, wafting down like snow. I looked around and found myself in a dark and majestic forest. The chatter of crickets filled the air. Giant trees of a species I had never seen before surrounded me. Branches thicker than a bus curved in spirals above me. Trees like this didn¡¯t exist on earth, couldn¡¯t exist on Earth. The trees were so tall they blocked nearly every bit of light from the sun. Glowing berries covered nearby vines while shining fruit hung off the smaller tree branches, giving the pitch black forest floor a droplet of light. Wherever this was, it wasn¡¯t Earth. Gentle rays of light shined down through the trees. Bits of dew formed on the moss on the ground. Exotic flowers sprouted from the ground and hung off the trees. Billionaires from earth would pay a fortune to live here. I had landed in paradise. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Bolts of pain jolted through my leg. Or it would¡¯ve have been paradise if my right leg wasn¡¯t shattered. A rustle from behind me. I swiveled around and saw a titanic ape-like beast two stories tall rumbling towards me. Its entire body was encased in blue crystal for armor. It would¡¯ve been paradise if my leg wasn''t shattered and this stupid ape didn¡¯t exist. It raised a crystalline hand and lunged at me. Very sternly, I told my good leg move, boi, fucking move. For the first and hopefully last time in my life, I experienced a true adrenaline rush. ¡°Boi¡± had received its command, ¡°fucking move¡±. ¡°Boi¡± carried out its job faithfully, or as faithfully as a single leg could. The ape¡¯s hand struck the ground with the power of a wrecking ball. The earth wasn¡¯t dry enough to crack from the blow, but it sent a cloud of loose dirt and moss into the air. ¡°Boi¡± stumbled five one-legged stumbles before turning into a crampy boi. Five one legged steps for one crampy boi, five giant leaps for crampy boikind. I stumbled into a mass of vines. The vines climbed up the side of a tree until it reached the canopy. Hanging off from it were tens of thousands of berries. I grabbed the one closest to me and instantly felt a connection with it. A vague idea of what I wanted to happen channeled into the berry. I threw it to the ground in front of the ape. The berry trembled. Countless vines, some a meter thick, some thinner than my pinky, burst out and tangled the beast. The earth quaked. A root popped out of the ground and grazed my good leg. The sea of vines pinned the ape to the ground. I couldn¡¯t keep my balance and I fell on my butt.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it?
Chapter 3
¡°Fluffpile¡± is now named! Fulffpile reached level two! Fulffpile reached level three! Fulffpile reached level four! ¡°Vines¡± is now named! Vines reached level two! Vines reached level three! Vines reached level four! Vines reached level five! Vines reached level six!
¡°I¡¯ve heard of this kind of thing before. Transported into another world? Where¡¯s my smartphone?¡± I said to myself. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I turned it on and flipped through my apps. There was no wifi for obvious reasons. I could only use the calculator and other default apps. ¡°Where are my overpowered cheats?¡± I complained. Then I realized something. I had defeated a two story tall crystal ape with a berry. What was I talking about? I don¡¯t need a smartphone for cheats. I¡¯m a cultivator! I tried to move my broken leg and choked down a sob of pain. Ok, maybe it¡¯s too early to celebrate. I picked another berry and tinkered with it. It turned out I didn¡¯t feel a connection with the whole berry. I only felt a connection with the tiny seed inside. I slammed it into the ground and it grew into what I imagined an herbal plant looked like. From the surface, it looked like a tiny plant with just a couple of leaves. I grabbed the plant and pulled up, exposing the ginseng root underneath. The root was bigger than all of its leaves and branches combined, much like a carrot. Actually, it was exactly like a carrot, except the root was whiter and uglier.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Boney Ginseng¡± has been named! Boney Ginseng reached level two! Boney Ginseng reached level three!
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Not bothering to dust off the dirt stuck to the root, I took a huge bite out of it. As the name suggested, it was made to heal bones. The pain vanished not long after I ate it, but the rest of the healing wouldn¡¯t be that fast. I placed another berry on the ground near my leg. I felt wood wrap around my leg and solidify. An extra two centimeters of wood formed over my broken leg, turning into a nice little cast. I waited for a message to pop up, asking me to name the cast, but one never showed up. I shrugged, guessing my makeshift cast didn¡¯t qualify for the system¡¯s definition for a ¡°new type of plant¡±. ¡°So¡­ how does this work? Status?¡±
Vincent The Cultivator Lv 1 MP : 479/2000
The status screen popped up before I said ¡°status¡±, so it was safe to say it was thought activated. I tried to find any stat but mana but to no avail. Then I noticed something else. My mana wasn¡¯t regenerating.
Vincent The Cultivator Lv 1 MP : 480/2000
It finally ticked up by one, from 479 to 480. I sighed in relief. That was some slow regeneration. I took my phone out and started my stopwatch. Five minutes later, I found that my mana regenerated at one per minute. That meant roughly one thousand four hundred per day, assuming the night/day cycle on this new planet was the same as the one on earth. I kept the stopwatch going to see how long the days on this new planet were. I grabbed a bunch of berries, took their seeds out, and put them in my pockets. I needed to find shelter, somewhere I could let my mana regenerate. I walked up to the vine covered ape. I wanted to see its face, but I couldn¡¯t. The vines in front of its face suddenly parted, just as I wanted them to.
New Cultivator skill unlocked : Control! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Control stays at level one!
At that pleasant surprise, I peered at my status screen and found that I had only used one mana, a tiny amount of mana for the amount of vines I had moved. It growled at me from behind the vines. It didn¡¯t seem to have realized that its life was in my hands. Could I kill it? I imagined forcing the vines into its throat, watching the crystal and skin pop under the pressure. The blood draining from his neck. I swallowed. That¡¯ll be a no for me. Besides, the body could attract even more predators. I didn¡¯t know how much mana it took to make enough vines to tangle up this beast, but it was probably a lot. If I could get this stupid ape to leave without attacking me, the vines could be my temporary home. They could be quite powerful too, since I could control them however I wanted. I commanded one of the vines to lift me up to eye level with the ape. I took out a seed and it expanded into a wooden staff. I whacked the ape on the forehead with it and it roared at me. The ape wasn¡¯t getting the message. I don¡¯t have time to mess with this idiot. To get my point across, I stuffed vines into its mouth and hit it on the forehead a couple more times. I don¡¯t think I hurt it very much. I slowly let it go, limb by limb, letting it know that I could pull it back at any time. Finally, I released its last limb. The last vine unwrapped from its crystal foot. It stared at me for a couple seconds before turning around and jumping away. It was incredibly nimble for its giant frame, swinging from branch to branch until it disappeared from sight. I could only pray it didn¡¯t come back with reinforcements. I didn¡¯t have a backup plan for that. The vines around me rearranged themselves into the shape of a room. I sat down, exhausted, and began planning for the next day. Right now, all I needed was to survive. This isn¡¯t what I meant when I said I wanted an exciting life... Chapter 4 What did I know? Practically nothing. For all I knew, the air on this planet contained slow poisons that would kill me in two weeks. Unlikely, but possible. What did I have? I had a phone, a stick, and a bunch of berry seeds. What did I need to do? I had to survive. Any other goal was an unnecessary luxury, even healing my leg. I could always fix my leg later. Neither me nor my leg would be very happy if I died. Anyway, back to keeping my life intact. The stick wasn¡¯t going to be very helpful. My phone, on the other hand, could be useful. I flipped through some random anime episodes that I had cough downloaded. It took a while for me to find what I was looking for. My hands fumbled for another seed. I shoved it into the ground and clasped my hands together to pray for success. A monstrous dandelion grew out. Its stem was about as thick as my pinky. I broke the stem of the dandelion and white goo flowed out. I took the goo and spread it over a small vine. I blew on the goo until it dried. Next, I planted another seed and it sprouted into a modified walnut. It was actually a simple little contraption. It looked like a smooth brown egg from the outside. However, its insides were hollowed out and I could open and close it at will. Its insides were just big enough for me to fit inside.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Protect¡± has been named! Protect reached level two!
Then I created another nine modified versions of Protect. The nine were more fragile compared to the first, but they cost much less than Protect. I could only hope these nine would never need to be used.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Distract¡± has been named! Distract reached level two! Distract reached level three! Distract reached level four!
I stopped creating more plants, I needed to keep at least two hundred mana in reserve to move the vines. A web of tiny vines spread across the space around my vinehouse. The tiny vines acted as hundreds of trip wires. If something came into my territory, the vines would tug on each other in a chain and a rock would drop on my stomach. Not the best alarm system, but I do what I can. I also tossed my phone out of the house along with the special goo coated vine.
New Cultivator skill unlocked : Program Program has reached level two!
I decided to keep my status screen open at all times so that I could know how much mana everything cost. I could see through the blue screens, like a smear on glass, so it didn¡¯t impede my vision much. Afterward, I tried to find new skills by attempting a bunch of random actions. I tested for skills until nightfall, but none showed themselves. Either I had to discover them naturally, or I had run out of skills to discover. I had completed my preparations and done everything I could. Now I just needed to wait and see what this world could throw at me. If they could penetrate my current defenses, I never had any chance to begin with. Chapter 5 I lie on the rough tangle of vines that was my house. Bumps made by the vines pushed into the skin on my back. Of all the things that could be causing me trouble after being transported to another world, of course it was an uncomfortable bed. I was glad it wasn¡¯t an onslaught of lightsaber wielding wasps, but I still wanted a more comfortable bed. I could probably make one, but I needed to conserve my mana. Who knew what else could be crawling through this forest. The plants that I had now may not be able to counter them. A stone about half the size of my fist dropped on my stomach, alerting me to the presence of something outside the vinehouse. I peeked outside and saw a four meter long centipede. I joked about lightsaber wasps, but now I realized even that wasn¡¯t outside the realm of possibility. The thing was a tank. It had a thick green carapace and an additional layer of dewy fur that looked like the moss covering the ground. Two curved spikes that I was sure were venomous formed its jaw. It was moving faster than I could sprint, and it was only skittering at a leisurely pace. At full speed, I was sure it could go faster than highway speeds. I¡¯ve read my fair share of fantasy novels. I always imagined I would be able to put up a fight against the monsters in them if I had a sword or another medieval weapon. This centipede dashed those happy fantasies away. I wouldn¡¯t face that thing if I had a machine gun. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. It skittered around but didn¡¯t notice me. Its many legs carried it away and I breathed a sigh of relief. My vines could defeat it, but it still gave me the chills. I waited around for a couple more hours and nothing appeared. The sun set and I went to sleep. - ¡°Kuh!¡± A burst of air came out of my lungs. The cold weight of a rock slowly slid off my stomach. I grabbed it before it could hit the ground. I didn¡¯t want to make any more unnecessary noise. I looked around and couldn¡¯t see anything. It was the middle of the night, pitch black. In the silence of the night, the noise of a crawling insect sounded five times louder than it would usually. I breathed as quietly as possible. The skittering got quieter until it disappeared. I assumed it had crawled away, and I relaxed. Before I could fall back asleep, the rock fell on my stomach again. I heard more rustling, but this time, it was more than one animal. The rustling came from all around and something breathed eerily close to me. Something started scratching at the sides of my vines. I decided to wait, hoping they would leave if I just waited a bit longer. Or perhaps I was an overoptimistic idiot.
Vincent The Cultivator Lv 1 MP : 874/2000
Chapter 6 On my home planet, there were these things called herbivores. They were so prevalent that we learned about them in this other thing called school, which was mandatory state sponsored education. Herberviors looked like this : >>\. /_ `. / _)`^)`. _.---. _ (_,'' \ `^-)"" `.\ | | \ \ / | / \ /.___.''\ (\ (_ < ,"|| \ |`. \`-'' \\ () | / |_>|> /_] // /_] /_] As you can see in this pixel perfect rendition of a herbivore, they don¡¯t have anything menacing about them other than their size. No crystal armor, half a meter long venomous spikes, or lightsabers. If you happen to be from my home planet, you should be very thankful for this. Also, there''s a mathematical equation that balances the number of herbivores and the number of carnivores. There are ten grams of herbivore for every gram of carnivore. This is true no matter where you go. So, logically, I should be seeing a lot more of these harmless ¡°herbivores¡±, not tyrannosaurus rexes, which happened to be exactly what I was looking at. Now you might say, ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a tyrannosaurus rex? I thought you said it was pitch black out?¡± Pitch black, except for the death-plume of fire coming out of its mouth.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Pitch black, except for the death-plumes of fire coming out from its friends¡¯ mouths. _/ \_ /0 O\. / | / ,; / |,,,'',''/ ;,,;/ -------- | | \ \ / | / \ /.___.''\ (\ (_ < ,"|| \ |`. \`-'' \\ () | / |_>|> /_] // /_] /_] Pixel perfect. The first thing I saw was one of them blow a steady stream of fire into the vines I had gotten my berry seeds from. A bunch of tiny creatures scurried out from underneath the vines. In that brief period of light, I saw the t-rex¡¯s teeth. It had a total of four sharp teeth, all the rest were molars designed to grind plants to paste. Imagine my surprise when I found that my childhood nightmare, the t-rex, had appeared in this world as fire-breathing herbivores. Actually, I wasn¡¯t that surprised. I didn¡¯t have time for surprise. Before the vines could catch on fire, the reptile blew a second stream of breath, extinguishing the leftover fire. Everything went black once more. A series of loud snapping noises assaulted my ears as they crunched into the vines. At least its target wasn¡¯t me. I don¡¯t know how I would get out of this situation if they were carnivores. They weren¡¯t trying to eat me, but they loved eating vines. I was sitting in a house made of vines. I saw the first embers of a breath of fire. ¡°Oh hell no.¡± I rolled over and a thick shell closed over me. I couldn¡¯t just stay in this shell. It would be too late if I waited until the t-rex started eating Protect. I let the nine Distracts roll out. I still couldn¡¯t open up Protect without risking getting attacked. I needed another distraction, one even better than the Distracts. Thankfully, I had already set one up. My phone hung down from a vine high above the herd. The goo coated vine tapped on the play button. ¡°BROOOOOOOO!¡± a resounding roar came from above, followed by incoherent japanese chatter. I jumped out of Protect and ran towards the nearest tree. A vine lifted me up onto one of the lower hanging branches. Chapter 7 I reached out with my hand and the phone returned to my hand. I bent down and felt the branch that I was now standing on. As expected, it was mossy and covered with a layer of dirt. From what little I had seen, it seemed that many of the creatures in this world had been gigantified. The trees were no exception. The branch I was sitting on was larger than the largest tree trunk I had seen from my home world. This normally wouldn¡¯t be saying much, but I had been to some of the californian national parks. A one room cottage could fit comfortably on this tree branch. It was only natural that dirt would gather on it. From my new vantage point, I looked down. My jaw dropped. A burst of fire occasionally lit up the area. There were hundreds of these monsters. They swarmed the forest, tearing down swaths of vines and gulping them down. After I saw that they were no longer a threat, I replanted a Vines and Protect.
Vines has reached level seven!
I tried to get comfortable and I fell back asleep. - When I got back up, the herd of dinosaurs had passed. I leaned over, expecting to see complete destruction of the vegetation. Instead, the herd had only eaten a fifth of the available vegetation before moving on.
Vincent The Cultivator Lv 1 MP : 840/2000
I had to increase my power somehow. I planted a Boeny Ginseng, which took nine mana. The first time I had planted it, it had been a level one Boney Ginseng. Now that it was level three, I wanted to see how much of a difference two levels made. I uprooted it and examined it. It looked the same, but that was to be expected. I took a bite of it. It was significantly tastier, and the dull ache in my leg that had started to creep back backed off again. I stroked the level seven Vines. They were far stronger and more robust than the first one on the ground. I couldn¡¯t break even the smallest ones with my own strength. It was as if they had turned into metal wires. I had a bunch of ways I could use to get more powerful, but two of them stood out the most. The first was grinding these levels until they turned into unbeatable monstrosities, the second was making more types of plants. If I¡¯d learned anything from playing RPGs, I shouldn¡¯t level up bad abilities. For example, a level five thorned Vines would probably be more useful than a level ten Vines. While I had learned this partially from video games, my friend Brian was the one who hammered it home for me.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. If I¡¯m honest, I¡¯m still kind of pissed about this one. Our mandatory state sponsored education had made us run these things they called ¡°miles¡±. Brian and I practiced the exact same amount, but I got ten minute miles while he got five minute miles. At some point, I realized this five minute difference couldn¡¯t be chalked up to bad foot technique. He simply had more potential than I did. Every minute of practice he did was worth ten of mine. I needed to find Brian plants and get rid of my Vincent plants. I planted a bunch of small plants. Every time I came up with a new idea, I would plant a tiny version of it. The tiny plants cost very little mana, but they also didn¡¯t give enough experience to level them up.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Meaty Ginseng¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Meaty Ginseng stays at level one!
This one was supposed to be good for my muscles. Meaty Ginseng may not have been the best name, but I couldn¡¯t name it Muscly Ginseng, could I?
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Skinny Ginseng¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Skinny Ginseng stays at level one!
Alright, I¡¯ll admit it. I suck at making names.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Calories¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Calories stays at level one!
Calories was a small bush with berries hanging off its every branch. Calories was an incredible plant, I really had to give myself a pat on the back for this one. Each berry was the size of a marble, but it already contained a hundred calories and some extra nutrientes. How many calories would it have after it reached level ten? I shivered in anticipation. I picked off a couple of berries and put them in my pocket. I call them berries, but they were more like solid nuts that would never rot.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Twentytacle Trap¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Twentytacle Trap stays at level one!
The trap was smaller than my hand, not even big enough to catch a squirrel. However, a bigger version of it would be terrifying to face. I didn¡¯t need to level it up to make a bigger version of it, I just needed to put in more mana. It was a group of twenty vines connected to a bulb firmly anchored to the ground. When a creature stumbled over it, the twenty vines would snake up and grab the poor creature. I could set it to sentry mode or activate it at a thought. I still wasn¡¯t satisfied though. An evil grin spread across my face.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Poison Spike¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Poison Spike stays at level one!
This was my first plant designed specifically to kill. I planned to use it sparingly. I wasn¡¯t going to run around in this world, killing everything in sight. I didn¡¯t know how effective the poison would be, anyway. It was a little evil though. I put the spike in the middle of the tentacle trap.
New Cultivator skill unlocked : Meld! Meld cannot increase in level. Meld has reached level MAX.
More skills! I cheered internally. The two plants melded together.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Explosive Bulb¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Explosive Bulb stays at level one!
It was literally just an explosive bulb. It explodes. Nothing fancy. Now I had all the Brians I needed to set up a good stronghold. I needed to find a place in this forest that I could call home. Once I had some time to create a stronghold, nothing could beat me. Even that herd of T-rexes would be nothing. You see, a herd of those things may be able to trample over a thousand mana worth of Vincents, but even they couldn¡¯t beat a hundred thousand mana worth of Brains. Given time, my stronghold could be invincible. And that¡¯s exactly what this ability gave me. Invincibility. Chapter 8 I had already gauged the approximate power range of this forest: Terrifying, but manageable if I kept my head down. I collected my vines and began climbing the tree. The vines could wrap around bits of bark that stuck out of the tree and pull itself up. The climb up was extremely tedious. The trees were tall, and I meant tall. These things couldn''t be compared to the trees on earth. Skyscrapers, maybe, but trees? No. I also slowed myself down on purpose. I only knew the power level of the creatures near the ground. I couldn¡¯t be confident about facing the monsters up there. I simply didn¡¯t have any information about them. I didn¡¯t want to jump into a danger zone because I couldn¡¯t be patient.
Control has reached level two!
I had a fleeting thought about trolling myself by making a plant called Control. I brushed that thought aside and began testing out the improved Control. I could now move the vines a bit more precisely, and mana consumption was decreased. It was decreased by nineteen percent, to be exact. Not bad. I continued climbing up the tree with my vines.
Control has reached level three!
Thirteen percent increase in efficiency.
Control has reached level four!
Thirty percent increase in efficiency. The degree of improvement between levels was random but tended to be around twenty percent. I cared for this type of information deeply. Knowledge really is power. Lack of knowledge this would mean death. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I saw many different animals on my way up. I took a long path around a spiderweb the size of two basketball courts. The spider, of course, was the size of a car. I noped out of there as quickly as I could. Even butterflies didn¡¯t look very cute when they could kill you in a bite.
You have leveled up. You may choose one of these two options: +2 mana regeneration per minute +2000 max mana You have also gained half your mana back! Good luck in your future endeavors!
¡°Eh? why is this so overpowered.¡± This was supposed to be just one level, right? I instantly chose the +2 mana regeneration per minute option. It was a no brainer. It tripled my mana regeneration. My status screen also changed to show the new mana regeneration rate.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv2 MP : 1227/2000 MP Regeneration : 3MP/min
I kept climbing, eventually reaching somewhere close to the top of the canopy. Thick vines were draped everywhere. Despite being so high up, I felt I could build a city here and the trees would be able to hold it. I wandered around, looking for a place to put down my roots literally and metaphorically. The sun was beginning to set when I found it. ¡°This is godsend,¡± I whispered to myself. I didn¡¯t make a habit of talking to myself, but this warranted it. I found an abandoned nest. It had been a group nest, one for at least fifty creatures. The nest was covered with a thick layer of dirt. Ok, maybe not dirt. Dung, dirt, same thing. It didn¡¯t smell, so I didn¡¯t mind. The tip of a tree pierced the center of the nest, giving it a solid support. I sighed and a huge chunk of my mana flowed into a seed. I crouched and pushed it into the ground before turning around and running away.
Twentytacale Trap has reached level two! Twentytacale Trap has reached level three! Twentytacale Trap has reached level four! Twentytacale Trap has reached level five!
The ground trembled. Roots burst out of the ground around me. A bulb surrounded by twenty long vines formed. I walked up to it and planted Poison Spikes on the vines to pierce the hides of larger monsters.
Poison Spike has reached level two! Poison Spike has reached level three!
Once it had reached level three, I planted a larger one on the centerpiece connecting the twenty tentacles. If the spikes on the tentacles couldn¡¯t do the job, they would drag the creature to this central spike to finish it off. I sat underneath the giant plant, safe under the watch of the goliath.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv2 MP : 50/2000 MP Regeneration : 3MP/min
Chapter 9 I woke up the next day and turned on my phone. I checked the stopwatch that I had started two days ago. The days in this world were approximately the same length as the ones in my old world. I could already tell because my mana regeneration rate was also a type of clock, but I felt like double checking anyway. My mana was already almost full again. My new mana regeneration rate was crazy. I walked over to the center of the nest, where a tall trunk pierced through. If this was going to be my stronghold, I might as well make it livable. I erected a room that leaned on the side of the tree. All I needed to do was take a seed out and command it to grow into wood of a certain shape. I created another room next to the first and connected them with a door. I tried to make the wood stronger and a window popped up.
New Cultivator skill unlocked : Improve! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Improve stays at level one!
I smiled. It was smooth sailing from here on out. I improved the wood until it was stronger than steel.
Improve has reached level two! Improve has reached level three!
I kept track of the difference each level made. I also planted another large Twentytacle Trap in front of my new house and outfitted it with spikes. I had both of them spread their spiked tentacles menacingly to ward off intruders. Anytime anything got close, I would have the tentacles swish about randomly. As I expected, nothing wanted to get closer to the two behemoths.
Twentytacale Trap has reached level six!
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I was testing my abilities when I found that Improve also let me upgrade the level of my plants, up to the maximum level that I had already achieved. The first Twentytacle Trap I had planted in my new home had been planted when I only had it at level one. By spending some mana, I could improve it to level six. The levels didn¡¯t increase its size. They increased its durability and strength. The vines became harder to break, and the force they could exert increased as well. Things were looking up for me. My leg had healed. The creatures that could once kill me were nothing before my traps. Tomorrow, I could plant an even larger and powerful Twentytacle trap. - The sun slowly set. I watched it slowly disappear into the horizon. Everything was looking up for me¡­ but something felt wrong. As I went to sleep, the last of the panic from my scramble to survive fell away. I remembered my old home. My parents. My friends. My school life. My physics teacher. My notebook. The star wars movies. My neighbor¡¯s dog, who would never stop barking. My computer. My messy room. The clothes strewn across its floor. My favorite ruler. My red sweater. A crushing weight fell upon me. Was everything gone? Was I alone in this vast hellscape, filled with terrifying creatures? Was I going to be alone until I died? I had never understood why people committed suicide, or had suicidal thoughts. I heard it was because they were in a bad place in life, where their tunnel vision didn¡¯t let them see any options outside their situation. Now I understood how they felt when they reached for the cyanide pill, or the gun in the gunbox, or the rope in the garage. I quietly took a step out of my house to look into the night sky. I had heard rumors about the beauty of the night sky, and how most of the stars weren¡¯t visible anymore because of light pollution. I remembered when Brian told me about his trip to the middle of a desert to watch the stars. He had told me of its ethereal beauty. He told me about the huge differences in the amount of visible stars in the desert compared to the ones I could see from my apartment. He told me it was something he could gaze at for hours without getting bored. Now I knew what he meant. I could see stars from my old apartment, so I thought the sky he was describing was just more of the same stars. I was both right and wrong. It was true, it was just dots in the sky, but the stars came together to form something more. A single stroke of the paintbrush is just a line. Three and you get a letter. Ten for a stick figure. A hundred for a simple painting. What about a couple thousand, or ten thousand? What did this all mean? Nobody knew, at least I certainly didn¡¯t. All I knew was that it was indescribably beautiful. Tears flowed down my cheeks. What was I crying for? The night sky? My old world? Loneliness? Self pity? My lack of courage? Guilt that I wanted to kill myself? What a stupid question. I was crying because of none of these things, but also all these things. There was no single reason I was crying. Each of those reasons was a stroke of the paintbrush. In hindsight, my emotions were completely irrational. Brian and the rest of my physics class had all gotten the same message screens as I did. They were probably transported to this world as well. I had also only explored a tiny portion of this world, it was perfectly possible that there were other humans on this planet. Emotions superseded logic though, and I was also suffering from that tunnel vision. I woke up the next day with that cloud of homesickness still floating above me, but the worst of the storm had passed. I was never going to feel that hopeless again. Chapter 10 Xing Chen Wei This was my last mission. The chance of me surviving this was zero. A fifteen meter long centipede chased behind me. After spending five days searching for the six pedal goldflower, this was going to be my end. Even after reaching the fifth stage of dao formation, I couldn¡¯t run faster than this insect. I leapt from branch to branch across the canopy of the White Dragon Forest. I channeled the Qi to make me move faster. I felt the Qi inherent to the world shift and propel me forward, but it still wasn¡¯t faster than the monstrosity behind me. The centipede was about to close its pincers over me. My sect was falling apart. No. It had already fallen apart. In this dog eat dog world, I was to die in a remote part of a hellish forest, along with the last remains of my sect. ¡°Ah shit fuck!¡± I heard somebody shout a pair of vulgar words. In my resignation to death, that pair of words brought me back. Maybe this person could save me! My desire to survive reignited. I could hope! All my hopes and dreams came rushing back at the same time. Hopes and dreams of rebuilding my sect. Hopes and dreams of breaking through into the sixth stage. I found the power to dodge out of the way. I slammed into the side of a tree branch, hitting the back of my head and bouncing off. Closing my eyes, I fell into the dark depths of the forest. - I slowly worked to make the old nest my new garden. After a week of work, the old dung-filled space turned into a vibrant garden. Forty thousand mana had been spent on creating this plant stronghold. I had many powerful systems in place in order to ensure my safety. I¡¯d say my ultimate stroke of genius was my battle room. I had taken my rock-on-stomach alarm setup and turned it into something truly amazing. It was a table with a hundred tiles embedded into it. Each tile represented a different area around my stronghold. If any of the tiles shook, that meant something was moving in that area. I planted Explosive Bulbs coated in even more Poison Spikes in those places. In other news, I got a comfortable bed. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv3 Max MP : 2000 Regen : 6MP/min
Control Lv6 Meld Lv MAX Improve Lv 7 Program Lv 2
Fulffpile Lv4 Vines Lv8 Boney Ginseng Lv4 Protect Lv5 Distract Lv4 Meaty Ginseng Lv6 Skinny Ginseng Lv3 Calories Lv6 Twentytacle Trap Lv10 Poison Spike Lv9 Explosive Bulb Lv8 Night Day Flower Lv3 Strings Lv2 Blade Lv5
I studied my garden, which had expanded to take up the entire nest. This garden could tear any animal I had seen so far to shreds. I could expand and improve it, but what would be the point? I was trying to weave a decent blanket out of string when I heard a tapping noise from the battle room. The rock tiles in there made little tapping sounds when they moved. They only moved when something was in my territory. It was actually pretty normal for something to be wandering through my territory. I would be fine with it as long as it didn¡¯t get into my garden, so I usually ignored the tapping sounds. But this time, the tapping was going many times faster than normal. Something extremely powerful was moving through my territory. I ran into the battle room and examined the tiles. One tile would go down, and then it would spring back up again and the one next to it would go down. I determined the direction it was in and moved to find what was going on. I hopped outside and dropped two seeds to the ground. One turned into a Twentytacle Trap, the other became a Protect attached to the top of the trap. It acted as a makeshift carriage. The Protect was my seat while the tentacles were my legs. I jumped in the Twentytacle Trap tentacles launched us forward. A vine held me down as we sped up. Seconds later, I saw a gigantic centipede chasing a young lady. A human young lady. Moving faster than race cars, the girl must¡¯ve been some kind of superhuman. But being superhuman didn¡¯t save her against a fifteen meter centipede. The creature was longer and thicker than a school bus. Two seconds away from being eaten, I didn¡¯t have time to save her. The first human I meet, and she would die right before my eyes? ¡°Ah shit fuck!¡± I scrambled to get one of my vines to save her. Somehow, she twisted out the centipede¡¯s way at the last second. She bounced off a branch and fell. The way she ran into the branch didn¡¯t look so good. A normal person wouldn¡¯t have survived. I looked down. It was a long drop, like jumping off a skyscraper. In a rush, I leaped out of the carriage and commanded it to catch her. It dropped me on a leaf and skittered through the branches, letting her fall into the Protect. I clenched my teeth. The way I caught her didn¡¯t look so good either. The centipede charged at me. I narrowed my eyes, throwing three seeds at it. The first turned into a Twentytacle Trap, and the other two became Poison Spikes. The spikes attached to the ends of two tentacles. Spinning through the air, the trap wrapped around the centipede and the spikes stabbed into its eyes. The centipede fell to the forest floor jerking and spasming. I didn¡¯t feel bad about killing bugs. The carriage crawled back to me, and I checked the pit. She was still panting from the running. She looked unharmed despite everything. I breathed a sigh of relief. I brought the girl into my bedroom and placed her on the makeshift bed. It was a box filled with Fluffpile fluff, with a bearish skin hide as a blanket. It was actually very comfortable. I lie her on the bed carefully. She opened her eyes right after I set her down. Chapter 11 I moved back, maintaining a distance between me and the bed. I didn¡¯t expect her to wake up so soon. Vines from outside the house crept towards the door, ready to defend me at any time, not that it would help. My plants were powerful, not me. I wouldn¡¯t be able to react in time if she tried to kill me. ¡°Hello?¡± I asked tentatively. She looked around quickly, her hair flinging all the way around her head and hit her in the face. All she could see was the bare wooden room. I didn¡¯t have time to add extra furniture. She scrambled for the sword at her waist, got up, and pointed it at me. ¡°Who are you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Jin,¡± I made up a name on the spot. ¡°Did you- did you save me?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes?¡± I replied, not knowing what to do. She returned her sword to its sheath. She bowed and declared ¡°Thanks to you, Benefactor Jin, I have gained another chance at life! I, Xing Chen Wei, am eternally grateful!¡± ¡°Um, ok.¡± My eloquence knew no bounds. We stood awkwardly for a couple more seconds. ¡°So¡­ where are we?¡± she asked. Out of her sight, my vines retreated back to their original positions. ¡°We¡¯re in my garden. My garden and my home. Come,¡± I said and walked out. She followed behind me. She gasped. She saw a field of Day Night Flowers with many of my other plants sprinkled in between. I actually don¡¯t know why she gasped. I had hidden everything that I thought was special. Even the huge Twentytacle Traps were curled so that they looked like regular vines. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Are we still in the White Dragon Forest?¡± she asked. White Dragon Forest? I guess that¡¯s what the other humans call this forest. ¡°We haven¡¯t moved very far from the place I saved you.¡± I walked to the edge of the garden and pointed down. ¡°The centipede had almost eaten you over there.¡± ¡°We need to get out of he-!¡± she froze. ¡°You have a garden here?¡± I was starting to think the centipede had laid eggs in her skull. I waved at the giant garden, with (wood)tiled paths, a picnic table, and a house. ¡°I don¡¯t know, do I?¡± She bowed again, somehow even lower than the first time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, senior! I didn¡¯t realize!¡± At this point, I was just wondering how many eggs were laid in her skull. ¡°Senior? How old are you?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m nineteen years old!¡± she said enthusiastically. ¡°How long is a year?¡± I asked, just to make sure. ¡°A year? A year is three hundred sixty five days!¡± she said. I pointed at my face. ¡°Look at this thing,¡± I said, but she couldn¡¯t see my face. She was still bowing, her eyes pointed at the ground. ¡°Please. Raise your head.¡± She raised her head. ¡°Ok. Now look at this thing. Does it look like it¡¯s older than you?¡± She swallowed uncomfortably. ¡°No, senior, your face looks very young and handsome.¡± I decided to ignore the flattery. ¡°So why do you call me senior? I¡¯m seventeen!¡± ¡°Senior, you can¡¯t be serious-¡± ¡°I¡¯m seventeen!¡± It looked like her jaw was going to drop all the way on the bottom of the forest, to pay a visit to the centipede and dinosaur hoard. ¡°It can¡¯t be! Oh, is the senior living with you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m here alone,¡± I said. ¡°Then how are you still alive! How about all the monsters?¡± she exclaimed. I led her to the picnic table, which was a circular disk of wood propped up by vines. The table had a chair in front of it and a ring of trees surrounding it. All of the trees were modified versions of fruit trees from Earth. I took a seed from my pocket and tossed it to the ground. It grew into a chair identical to the one already there. ¡°Xing Chen Wei¡¯s¡± eyes widened. ¡°Wh-. Wh-what was that?¡± I pointed at the chair, ¡°Please just sit down.¡± She did, and I sat down as well. A branch from one of the trees around me stretched out towards me. I plucked off an orange the size of a volleyball. There was already a knife and mug on the table. I took the knife and cut the orange in half. I squeezed the juice into the mug and pushed it over to her side of the table. I picked a couple calorie berries off a bush next to me and gave her five. ¡°Nice to meet you. But first, let¡¯s properly introduce ourselves. Then we can have a conversation.¡± Chapter 12 ¡°As I¡¯ve told you, my name¡¯s Jin. This garden right here is my territory. You won¡¯t need to worry about invading monsters. I can¡¯t claim to have seen everything in this forest, but I don¡¯t think anything can get in here.¡± I said. After a while, I had decided to put one thousand nine hundred mana into a single plant. The result was a plant so big it dwarfed even the twentytacle traps. I had planted a total of four of these. Nothing I had seen were even close to being able to take them down. ¡°I¡¯m Xing Chen Wei, but just call me Chen Wei. I¡¯m a cultivator of the fifth stage of Dao Formation. I¡¯m also from the Blue Fire Sect of the Grand Flames City,¡± she said. It was my turn to feel stupid. After she finished with saying her name, I didn¡¯t understand a word of what she said. A cultivator of the fifth stage of dao formation? A what of the what of what? She also said something about a sect and a city. I took note of the names, but I didn¡¯t know what they were. ¡°Am I supposed to drink this?¡± she asked with her hands around the mug I had handed her. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s called orange juice,¡± I said. ¡°Is it orange juice or is it called orange juice?¡± she asked. Fair question. ¡°It¡¯s orange juice. It¡¯s juice that is orange. But it¡¯s also called ¡®orange juice¡¯.¡± ¡°Does it have any special properties?¡± she asked. ¡°Other than tasting good? No.¡± I replied. The initial shock of meeting another human was starting to wear off.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She brought the mug up to her lips and took a small sip. ¡°Sweet and sour?¡± I asked. ¡°Sweet and sour,¡± she confirmed, ¡°but mostly sweet.¡± She was petite and wore a simple blue shirt and shorts. Upon closer inspection, she was beautiful. ¡°How did you make this chair?¡± she asked. ¡°You saw me. I just did, more or less,¡± I replied. ¡°I choose more,¡± she said. ¡°I planted it,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that before. Are you an alchemist?¡± she asked. ¡°An alchemist? No. What do you mean?¡± I passed high school chemistry with an A, but that didn¡¯t mean I knew anything about chemistry. ¡°A person who takes care of herbs and precious plants,¡± she said. ¡°A gardener?¡± I asked. She looked like she thought I had centipede eggs in my brain. ¡°A person who sells pills and salves.¡± ¡°An apothecary?¡± I asked. ¡°No! A person who takes care of herbs and precious plants and sells pills and salves!¡± ¡°Oh I see. Go on.¡± ¡°They burn their plants in a caldron and-¡± ¡°An arsonist going through therapy?¡± I¡¯m not an idiot, but from the look she was giving me, I was starting to feel like one. ¡°No! Let me finish! It¡¯s a person who burns their plants until they become pills and salves.¡± she was breathing heavily at this point. Oh of course! That makes perfect sense. ¡°That makes no sense. How does that work?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not an alchemist. They have their own dao to follow,¡± she said. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not an alchemist. I¡¯m a cultivator.¡± I patted myself on the chest proudly. She leaned forward across the table. ¡°I knew it! I knew you had to be one if you survived in this forest. Which stage are you on?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Are there stages for cultivating plants?¡± I remembered the levels, maybe she was talking about those. Levels and stages were quite similar, after all. ¡°Cultivator. Of plants, you say.¡± she raised her eyebrows. This girl didn¡¯t believe me! Did she think all of the things I¡¯ve done with my plants were parlor tricks? The garden around me rumbled to life. All of the Twentytacle Traps unfurled to their full size, no longer hiding themselves from Chen Wei. Vines previously tangled up with many others untagged themselves. A single giant vine extended into the sky, with a blade at its tip more than two stories tall. ¡°Of plants, I say.¡± Chapter 13 Chen Wei lowered her hand to her waist, wrapping her hand around the pommel of her sword. I threw my hands up. ¡°It¡¯s fine! They¡¯re all under my control.¡± All of the plants went back to their original positions, hidden from her view. She was a lot more wary of the vines around her now. Seeing that many could kill the centipede from earlier, anybody would be wary. ¡°You- you- you-¡± I gave her a while to regain her bearings. I shrugged, it seemed she had never seen anybody control plants. ¡°What kind of plants are these?¡± Her voice shook. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just made them up. I can cultivate any plant. I can make one up or copy them.¡± She fell to her knees and lowered her head to the ground. ¡°Grandmaster Jin. If you can, please create a Six Petal Goldflower? I¡¯ll do anything.¡± I rolled my eyes. I felt strangely detached from this situation. It felt like the beginning of a harem anime. Ha!, ¡°I¡¯ll do anything¡±? Who even says that? ¡°Please stand up, I already said you don¡¯t need to be so formal around me.¡± I waited for her to stand up. ¡°I can¡¯t conjure one up out of nowhere, but I¡¯ll see what I can do. What¡¯s a six petal goldflower? Can you show me one?¡± She smiled awkwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t have one to show you.¡± ¡°Can you describe it to me?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s a gold flower¡­ with six petals?¡± she said as if she wasn¡¯t sure. I sighed, ¡°Do you know where it grows? Is it the flower part of a tree or bush?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very rare and it doesn¡¯t grow from a tree or a bush. It¡¯s one of those small ones that grow from the ground so they¡¯re also hard to find. It¡¯s also supposed to grow in this forest. ¡± she said. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I scoured my memory for something similar. ¡°Oh,¡± I said as I remembered something. A Twentytacle Trap inverted itself, revealing a Protect. The top half was a Protect, which I was supposed to sit in. The bottom half was twenty vines that acted like legs. It was my personal little plant carriage. I thought it was kinda cute. Chen Wei looked at it and shivered. I climbed into the Protect and invited her in. My ability was versatile. I hadn¡¯t created very many different plants, but I could extract many uses by combining them. The Twentytacle Trap sprung out, dashing from vine to vine and from branch to branch. Less than a minute later, we arrived at a small pond. A bunch of small flowers grew around the pond¡¯s shores. ¡°There it is.¡± I pointed at one of the flowers near the pond. It was a brilliant flower. Its six petals were only as big as the tip of my index finger. The little thing wasn¡¯t called a goldflower for nothing. It had a metallic sheen that made it look like real gold. ¡°How did you find it so fast?¡± she murmured. I jumped down, my feet landing in the soft grass. I breathed in the cool forest air and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been here before,¡± gesturing at a nearby Explosive Bulb. ¡°I planted a bunch of traps around my garden as a precaution, so I ended up exploring a lot of the territory around here.¡± I touched the stem of the flower. ¡°So this is the flower that you need?¡± She nodded twice. ¡°Mind if I keep it for a bit?¡± She hesitated, but then nodded again. I put a seed next to the flower and it grew into wood in the shape of a pot.The growth of the pot cut underneath the soil, scooping the flower. I lifted it and the flower came up. I hopped back into my carriage and it shuttled back to the garden. I created another room and some furniture for her. ¡°Can you stay here for a bit? I¡¯ll be back in a couple minutes.¡± I walked outside. This was a special occasion, so I made another pot and filled it with dirt. I took out another seed and let it roll in my hand. I dropped it into the pot and another six petal goldflower sprung up. ¡°Yusssss,¡± I murmured under my breath. But damn did it take a lot of mana. The daisy sized flower took three hundred mana to create.
You¡¯ve copied a special type of plant! What would you like to name it?
That¡¯s new. I wondered what the system thinks is special and what is not. Actually, the flower did feel different from all the other ones. The flower had something inside that the other plants did not. I could feel it, but I didn¡¯t know what it was.
¡°Six Petal Goldflower¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Six Petal Goldflower stays at level one!
I decided to keep this secret. I didn¡¯t know how rare these things were supposed to be. The market might be sent into turmoil if somebody who could randomly create super rare plants suddenly appeared. I had some vines come over and cover up the extra goldflower. I picked up the original flower and walked back to the room I had Chen Wei stay in. ¡°So.¡± I set the pot on a table in front of her. ¡°I got the flower. You said you would do anything, right?¡± Her face turned red, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen civilization. You told me you came from a city, please take me there. I hope that isn¡¯t too much for me to ask.¡± I said. ¡°Of course not! Thank you, Grandmaster Jin, I¡¯ll do it!¡± Chapter 14 I asked Chen Wei to stay behind while I prepared for the trip. I needed to make sure my stronghold would be safe even without me manning it. I also needed to make sure I wouldn¡¯t die while adventuring with her. ¡°How would you rate yourself among the other humans, power-wise?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m powerful compared to most people, but I don¡¯t know the exact ratio.¡± According to her, the humans on this planet were weak compared the monsters in this forest. It was just that the fifteen meter long centipede and the other monsters here were too terrifying. Its armor was practically unbreakable and it was impossible to escape once caught in its jaws. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how the militaries from my old world would fare against it. Probably not well, considering the centipede''s literally otherworldly strength, armor, and speed. I didn¡¯t think the military had anything that could pierce its shell. And I had to protect my stronghold against creatures even stronger than that. If I were here, I could easily take control of the plants and repel invaders. But the could not be said if I were not here. A smart intruder could evade all the sentry mode Twentytacle Traps. A strong intruder could slowly tear down my defenses. I spent nearly a month building up layer after layer of even more powerful plants, all the while waiting to get to level five. During the months, I occasionally asked Chen Wei about this world, although I didn¡¯t learn much. I had to be careful about not revealing I wasn¡¯t from this world, and (despite all her respect) she got frustrated while explaining things.
You have leveled up. You may choose one of these two options: +4 mana regeneration per minute +4000 max mana You have also gained half your mana back! Good luck in your future endeavours!
I chose mana regeneration.
You have leveled up. You may choose one of these two options: This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. +5 mana regeneration per minute +5000 max mana You have also gained half your mana back! Good luck in your future endeavours!
I chose to have a higher maximum mana. A higher maximum mana meant I could create bigger plants and release more power at once, which would be helpful in a fight, not that I was planning on getting into any.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv5 Max MP : 7000 Regen : 10MP/min
Control Lv9 Meld Lv MAX Improve Lv9 Program Lv3
Fulffpile Lv5 Vines Lv17 Boney Ginseng Lv5 Protect Lv8 Distract Lv4 Meaty Ginseng Lv6 Skinny Ginseng Lv5 Calories Lv7 Twentytacle Trap Lv13 Poison Spike Lv11 Explosive Bulb Lv11 Night Day Flower Lv7 Strings Lv3 Blade Lv8 Six Petal Goldflower Lv3 Pluto Flytrap Lv6 Prison Pineapple Lv5 Glowing Pineapple Lv6 Sticky Vines Lv2 Helium Plant Lv1
Vines skyrocketed to level seventeen, which wasn¡¯t much of a surprise to me. I spent a huge amount of mana on vines. I was a little heartbroken at parting with so much mana. A couple large vines lie in a web-like formation above my garden. They were spaced out far enough from each other for plenty of sunlight to shine through. ¡°Hey, Chen Wei!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she ran out of her room and up in front of me. I smiled, ¡°I¡¯m ready to leave, you?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she responded, ¡°I¡¯ve been ready since the beginning.¡± ¡°Perfect, let¡¯s go.¡± We walked out of the garden together. A flood of vines I had created before dropped onto the web of larger vines already covering my garden. The larger vines supported the sea of smaller ones, forming a clump of vines that hid my garden. The clump of vines did look a little out of place, but nobody would be able to see my garden through this camouflage. On top of that, mixed into the vines were random little traps. The first layer of traps were relatively harmless, but the ones after that attacked with deadly force. Just this should be a sufficient deterrent. But if some stupid animal was bent on getting in, there were far deadlier traps awaiting in the garden itself. I set all of this up with Chen Wei being none the wiser. All of this was done right under her nose, even the traps inside the garden. After the garden was fully covered up, I looked back and concentrated on the connection between me and my plants. Monstrous plants rose out of the ground and entered sentry mode. ¡°Aight,¡± I dropped two seeds to the ground. One turned into a Twentytacle Trap, the other became a Protect attached to the top of the trap. It was identical to the other carriage, but this one was smaller so I didn¡¯t need to expend as much mana to move it. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 15 ¡°So, which way should I go?¡± I asked. She took out a device that looked like a compass, ¡°That way.¡± I made the legs of my Twentytacle Trap propel us in the direction she pointed in. There would be no way for me to control all twenty legs at once if I didn¡¯t have Control at level eight. Still, it took a lot of concentration to get all of the tentacles to move properly. Good thing I was getting better at it over time even without Control leveling up. ¡°How long will it take for us to get out of the forest?¡± I asked. I had seen this forest from the sky before, but I hadn¡¯t been paying attention to its size back then. I tend not to pay attention to those types of things when falling to my death. ¡°If we keep going at this speed, it¡¯ll probably take about a day and a half,¡± she said. I pursed my lips. A day and a half at this speed? ¡°But if you went faster, it would take a lot shorter,¡± she said, ¡°It took me half a day to get here.¡± I believed her. She was slower than the centipede, but that wasn¡¯t saying much considering it was as fast as a bullet train. Chen Wei wasn¡¯t much slower than it, meaning she could also go about as fast as a bullet train, or at least many times faster than my vine car. We passed countless monsters. Most of them ignored us. The ones that didn¡¯t got a clump of vines to the face. I had to take little breaks every once in a while. Because of this, sleep, and a couple other complications, we exited the forest three days later. ¡°Finally,¡± I said when I saw a small town in the distance. My eyes moistened a bit. Chen Wei noticed, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±, she said, worried. ¡°No. Nothing¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve seen a village,¡± I said. ¡°Do you want to visit it?¡± she said. ¡°You know what? Let¡¯s.¡± The village was protected by a stout and short wooden wall. A normal human could climb over it. I stopped a long way away from the front gate, not wanting to scare the villagers with the Twentytacle Trap. I glanced at the trap. I couldn¡¯t bring it into the village, but I didn¡¯t want to leave it here either, where anybody could find it.
New Cultivator skill unlocked : Wither Wither cannot increase in level. Wither has reached level MAX.
How convenient. How many of these skills were there anyway? ¡°By the way, can you do me a favor and not tell anybody about my plants?¡± I said. ¡°Yes, Grandmaster Jin,¡± she said. She wasn¡¯t much fun to talk to after she went all ¡°Grandmaster Jin¡± on me. I was starting to regret showing her my plants. I tried to act casually but she kept using formal language. The Twentytacle Trap shriveled up and withered away. The Protect on top didn¡¯t wither but instead cracked into dust. Just out of curiosity, I tried using Wither on a plant I didn¡¯t control. Nothing happened. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. We walked up to the village. I let Chen Wei lead the way. There was just one person guarding the gate. ¡°Welcome, fellow daoists,¡± he bowed, ¡°to the Red Seed Village.¡± I started to bow as well, but I stopped when I saw that Chen Wei wasn¡¯t bowing. She gave him a light nod before walking past him. I followed behind her. ¡°Grandmaster Jin.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Would you like a new set of clothes? If you don¡¯t mind me saying, your current clothes look odd,¡± she said, looking up and down my body. The clothes I had been wearing did look very out of place in this world. Looking around, the people in this village were wearing what I thought of as a poor man¡¯s traditional chinese clothing. I was wearing a white(but mostly brown from dirt) shirt and blue jeans. Definitely nothing like the clothing in this world. ¡°Um,¡± I looked away uncomfortably, ¡°I don¡¯t have any money.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it,¡± she said eagerly, showing me a small pouch. Something within the pouch clinked as it moved from her waist to eye level. I debated letting her pay for my clothes and decided I needed to fit in better. ¡°Thanks.¡± She led me to a small gathering of shops at the center of the village. Seeing them, she grimaced. ¡°Sorry about this sir. As I feared, the clothes here are going to be a bit shabby.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± I said. She gave me an apologetic look, ¡°No really, I don¡¯t mind. Actually, can you just choose something out for me? Just make sure it fits.¡± She came out with a beautiful long red robe with embroidered black lions and mountains. She also got a robe for herself. I went into an alleyway, looked around for other people, and dropped a seed to the ground. A thin wooden box surrounded me and I changed into the red robe. The box dissolved into sawdust. I walked out from the alleyway. I grinned, ¡°Do I look the part?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°...¡± Is that all this girl can say? ¡°Is that a red chair?¡± I said, pointing to a red chair. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is that over there a restaurant?¡± The smell of fat frying drifted towards me, carried by the wind. ¡°Yes, do you want to go?¡± another tinkling sound came from her wallet. ¡°Yes please!¡± The thought of eating meat again overpowered my better judgment. I grinned shyly, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back when I find the chance.¡± We walked into the restaurant. It was filled with the smell of a busy kitchen, making my mouth water even more. The restaurant was people talked and ate loudly while the waiters ran around trying to keep up. A panting waiter approached us, ¡°How many?¡± Chen Wei held up two fingers and said, ¡°Give us the second menu.¡± The waiters face lit up, ¡°Right this way, please.¡± He walked us to a separate room and shut the door behind him, all of the noise from the main room disappeared, blocked by the door and walls. He handed each us of a menu, bowed, and left. I could read the menu, but I couldn¡¯t understand it. It listed a bunch of dishes that I knew nothing about, so Chen Wei picked them for me. The waiter came back in a couple minutes. Chen Wei ordered everything. The wait time was surprisingly short. An appetizer came immediately and more food arrived as we finished the appetizer. The main dish came not long after. I cut into the thick chunk of meat. I don¡¯t know how they did it, but the whole thing was cooked evenly. I lifted a piece of the mystery meat to my mouth and took a bite, the seasoning and juiciness of the meat burst in my mouth. It was perfect, by far the best I¡¯ve had in my life. I swallowed, savoring every second of it. My first bite of meat in this new world, it reminded me too much about the meals of my old world. The corners of my eyes moistened. I sniffled. When had I become such a baby? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she seemed genuinely concerned. The back of my wrist rubbed both of my eyes. ¡°Nothing. Nothing at all. What is this from?¡± I asked. ¡°A black king bear. It¡¯s a very strong animal, but it¡¯s weaker than the animals in the White Dragon Forest,¡± she replied. ¡°Are the animals in the forest that powerful?¡± I asked. ¡°Undoubtedly. Surviving in that forest is supposed to be an almost impossible task. People flood into that forest every day and many of them die. I was only in there for half a day and I almost died,¡± she said. ¡°Huh? Why do they go in then? Even if there are precious herbs there, it can¡¯t possibly be worth it.¡± I said. ¡°But it is worth it, if you¡¯re really desperate,¡± she replied softly. We ate in silence for a long moment. ¡°Why were you so desperate to find that flower?¡±, I finally asked. ¡°I mentioned I was from the Blue Fire Sect?¡± she said. ¡°Right,¡± I confirmed. ¡°The Blue Fire Sect used to be a huge sect, one that owned multiple schools and a large section of the Grand Flames City. Eventually, the founding members died and the sect came under assault by the other sects of the city. Now I¡¯m the leader of the sect, the weakest sect leader in the entire city. I can¡¯t rebuild the sect unless I become more powerful.¡± she said calmly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait a bit longer? Why the rush?,¡± I asked. She was only nineteen years old. She still had so much time to get to the next stage. She didn¡¯t need to risk her life in the White Dragon Forest. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be assassinated if I don¡¯t reach the seventh stage before I turn twenty,¡± she said. From everything she had said before, each stage was incredibly difficult to pass. I put my head down and a hand across my forehead. I breathed a deep sigh, ¡°Is that even possible?¡±, I asked. ¡°Honestly? Probably not,¡± she sighed with me. Chapter 16 We left the restaurant a short while later. It was late afternoon at this point. ¡°Let¡¯s separate for now. We can meet up at the gate tomorrow at sunrise and continue to the city.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Do you have any money?¡± she asked. ¡°Good point. Can you lend me a bit?¡± I said. She put a pile of blue stones on my palm. ¡°Good luck with your endeavors.¡± The first thing I went to do was visit the town¡¯s medicine shop. I had an unwritten skill: Copy. I could copy any plant that I¡¯d touched sometime during my life. It was hidden, so much so it wasn¡¯t in my skill list, but it might become my most powerful skill. The other skills were for war, but that¡¯s not what ¡°The Cultivator¡± was for. My title was for cultivating. I walked in. There was a burly and rough looking man wearing dirty robes standing close to the entrance. Multiple shelves of medicine were spread across the shop. Around fifty display cases of herbs lay at the back of the shop. As expected, the shop had many different rare plants on display. The only problem being the thin glass sheet between me and the plants. I prodded at the glass playfully. ¡°May I take a closer look at these?¡± I said to the shopkeeper across the room. ¡°What for, sir?¡± he said politely, ¡°There''s a tag next to each of them that says the name of each herb.¡± I glanced down at the name tags, ¡°I know, but there are some things that can¡¯t be seen with the naked eye.¡± He nodded approvingly, ¡°That¡¯s true, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Jin,¡± I said. ¡°Weird, I thought I knew all of the alchemists around here.¡± I felt a bit of cold sweat on my back and neck. ¡°I¡¯ll let you take a closer at the herbs.¡± He walked over to me and unlocked the case. He lifted it up for me, ¡°There you go.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I had to hold back from swallowing. Usually, I get a tiny amount of blurry information when I touch a plant. For example, I could tell how ripe a berry was after touching it. I could also tell if it was poisonous or not, but not much else. I reached out and touched the plant, begging I would get enough information to convince the shopkeeper I wasn¡¯t a phony, which was exactly what I was. Even as the only real cultivator, I wasn¡¯t that good at cultivating.
New Cultivator skill unlocked : Identify Experience required for next level has not been reached! Identify stays at level one!
But apparently, I was improving. Was I improving or was I just cheating? To be fair to all the other ¡°alchemists¡± out there, this skill was probably the equivalent of beta tester access to information. The connection that formed between me and the small plant before me underwent a qualitative change. Information about the plant rushed into my head. I stroked a leaf, pretending to feel its texture. ¡°Please don¡¯t break anything,¡± said the shopkeeper. ¡°This is a Tiger Youth Herb, it can be used to make one look more youthful, improve their complexion, etcetera,¡± I said. ¡°Everybody knows that,¡± he said. ¡°Patience,¡± I gave the stem a thoughtful stroke and turned my head to examine the herb from a different angle. All of this was an act, all of the information I gathered from looking at it and more was contained in the connection. ¡°This Tiger Youth Herb hasn¡¯t seen sufficient sunlight in almost a year. This has stunted its growth, not very good for a tiger youth herb. You can see here,¡± I pointed to one of the leaves, ¡°this leaf is drooping ever so slightly from lack of sunlight. The top six leaves are supposed to be solid yellow, but this sixth one has a slightly darker yellow than the others.¡± I actually couldn¡¯t see any difference in color with my eyes, but Identify was telling me there was a huge difference. ¡°It¡¯s been alive for two years and it still has another six years left in its life, although this can be changed if you take care of it better. It will reach peak maturity in five months, where you should pick the fourth leaf from the top. Want me to go on?¡± I turned and saw the shopkeeper standing with his mouth agape. ¡°Um, nevermind, I won¡¯t go on.¡± ¡°H- how?¡± he stammered, ¡°Are you an alchemy master from the city?¡± ¡°Maybe. Anyway, can I take a look at these other plants?¡± I asked. ¡°S-sure.¡± To my surprise, he handed me his key, ¡°All of these cases have the same lock. Please, go ahead.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I locked the Tiger Youth Herb back up and moved on to the other plants. I pretended to carefully examine all of them. All of the herbs could do amazing things, any of them would miraculous medicines back on Earth. The Identify skill carved the information about the plants into my head. I could recall it perfectly, as if the information had been downloaded onto my brain. I walked out of the shop two hours later, my head throbbing and my arms drooping. I didn¡¯t have the stamina to stand and stare at plants for two hours. I went out of the town and continued on for a few miles. I went off the road and found a lone tree. It wasn¡¯t nearly as big as the ones in the White Dragon Forest, but it was still at least three stories tall. I climbed up and took out five seeds. Less than a minute later, my tree house was complete. The sun was setting, so I lie down to sleep. Chapter 17 The next morning, a vine lowered me to the ground. The sun peeked out from behind the horizon, filling the world with light once again. The treehouse behind me dissolved into dust and the vine withered. I sat at the base of the tree, contemplating how I was going to handle my life in this world. I had a feeling I could make a huge impact. I had only spent a bit more than a month here and my plants were already enormously powerful. However, making an impact might not be such a great idea. It looked to me like this world was doing fine on its own. I might have good intentions, but that was no guarantee my actions wouldn¡¯t bring about a calamity. The Wright Brothers just wanted to fly. Their inventions were still turned into war machines. Besides that, I didn¡¯t want to become arrogant either. Chen Wei was already calling me a Grandmaster, whatever that meant. I¡¯m sure others would be as willing to kiss up to me. It¡¯s quite easy to become arrogant if praised too much. All the more reason not to show off my plants too much. I reached into my pocket and picked out the biggest seed I could find. The size of the seed didn¡¯t affect the quality or size of the end product, I chose a bigger seed out of habit. I always picked out bigger seeds when starting on big projects. It was just a quirk of habit, but I liked it. I played with the seed absentmindedly while thinking about other things. I threw it into the air and caught it again. I passed it from my left hand to my right and back again. I pushed it between my palms. Finally, I put nearly all my mana into the seed. Nothing happened, and I grinned.
New Cultivator skill unlocked : Prolong Prolong has reached level two!Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! At level two, you may prolong two seeds at a time!
I smiled. Most of my seeds had to be used shortly after creating them. Otherwise, the modified seed would quickly revert back to its normal state. This new skill let me prolong the life of my seeds to forever. In exchange, the mass majority of the mana went into the prolonging. I put the prolonged seed in a wooden box and headed towards the town. I walked past the gate and found Chen Wei waiting. She noticed me walking toward her and bowed, ¡°Good morning, Grandmaster Jin. Are we leaving now?¡± ¡°Yes, but before that, please take this.¡± I handed her the box, ¡°If you ever find yourself in a life or death situation, put this box at your feet and crush it. A shell will grow out and protect you. It won¡¯t delay your death by very much though, and you won¡¯t be able to move, so don¡¯t rely on it too much.¡± She accepted the box. ¡°Thank you,¡± her voice shook, ¡°I owe you twice as much now, how will I repay you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, you don¡¯t need to. Just give me something in the future, I guess.¡± ¡°Yes sir, I will!¡± she said. We walked out the town until we reached an open field where nobody was around to see us. We stood there while I tried to think of a faster transportation method. The Twentytacle Trap was a Brian at defense, but worse than a Vincent when it came to transportation. I threw three seeds out. The first two turned into wheels and the third turned into a body, connecting the two wheels. The wheels weren¡¯t like the wheels you would see on a car, they were elongated versions of them, kind of like that thing at the front of steamrollers. I threw out two more seeds, which turned into vines that could turn the wheels. The entire thing was gigantic, many times larger than a normal car. The wheels alone were taller than me. I climbed on to the body and motioned for Chen Wei to follow me. I planted a Twentytacle Trap on top of the car just so that I had something to defend us in case of a surprise attack. One last problem though, I expected this new vehicle to go pretty fast. It was going to get windy for the passengers. An idea flitted through my head. ¡°As if that would work¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± I took out another seed and it turned into a mostly clear block, like glass. ¡°No way¡­¡± Clear wood? How was this even possible? Then again, none of this should have been possible. I walked to the center of the trap and created a hinged clear dome for us to sit in. Two more seats popped out of the ground. I took one and she took the other. Monster trucks be damned, veggie trucks are way better. She pointed in a direction and we set off. Chapter 18 My veggie truck crushed everything in its path. It climbed mountains and jumped over boulders. It scaled vertical cliffs with its tentacles tougher than steel. The monsters that we came across were far less menacing than the ones in the White Dragon Forest. I pointed this out to Chen Wei. ¡°The monsters in the White Dragon Forest are too powerful,¡± she responded. ¡°How come?¡± I asked. ¡°The most popular speculation is that it¡¯s because of higher Qi concentration in the forest. Supposedly, it seeps into the animals and makes them stronger. The second most popular speculation is that it¡¯s the food in the forest. Some think it¡¯s both.¡± she replied. ¡°Cool, are there other places that have the same problem?¡± I asked. ¡°Many, too many to list, though most of them don¡¯t get as bad as the center of the White Dragon Forest,¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°Was I at the center of the forest?¡± She shivered. ¡°Yes. Only somebody like Grandmaster Jin could survive living in a place like that.¡± ¡°Thanks?¡± We would¡¯ve had to take many detours to avoid danger zones and unscalable terrain, but we cut through them with my truck. We saw one more village and many mountains before we finally arrived at the city. Chen Wei told me it was called the Grand Flames City. As I approached the city, it rapidly became obvious the name had not been given for dramatic effect.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The unbelievably enormous city was visible from hundreds of kilometers away. Only when I saw the city did I realize my failure to comprehend the state of this world¡¯s civilizations. The place was less a city and more of a mountain range. Civilization seeped into the valleys spilled down the side of every mountain. The center of it all was a gigantic volcano, hopefully dormant. Hundreds of mountains varying in size lie at its feet, but they were all smaller than the central volcano. There were still some parts of the mountains left in their natural states. One particularly odd patch of four mountains were all left untouched. Previously scattered roads all converged at the Grand Flames City. Chen Wei and I were still far away when I decided to stop. I didn¡¯t want to attract attention, and the wooden truck wasn¡¯t exactly inconspicuous. I looked down at a contraption at my feet. I had been adding to it for the last couple hours while we waited to get to the city. It was a combination of perhaps thirty plants all melded together. Parts of it were cactus, I think there was an apple hidden somewhere behind the sea of fluff and Pluto Flytraps. It was an abomination, such a thing could never be created by nature. ¡°Hey, hey, watch this.¡± I grinned at Chen Wei. I touched a stick hanging off the side of the plant. The stick hardly moved. At the other side of the plant, a grape exploded. Shortly after, a piece of cactus fell off. Then one of the spikes poked a bit of string. Each of these motions shouldn''t have had any effect on the rest of the plant, but they did anyway. This was the effect of the Program skill. As long as they touched each other, different plants would be able to affect the others, even though it shouldn¡¯t be possible. For now, they were just a collection of ¡°if-then¡± statements. If I touched a stick, then the grape explodes. Nothing too complicated. But there were other uses too. For example, I could put a switch on a Glowing Pineapple. If the switch is touched, then the Glowing Pineapple switches on. Actually, it was completely useless when I was around. Program was a strictly worse version of Control. I wouldn¡¯t even need to touch the pineapple if I was around. However, the skill was very useful if I wasn¡¯t around. It could be used to create anything from intricate traps to pineapple lights. But I could activate those traps or turn on the lights with control if I was nearby. Most importantly, it was really fun to play with. I grinned childishly as I watch the contraption slowly unfold. Another cactus part fell off, bumping into a vine. Halfway across the plant, a Pluto Flytrap chomped down. It was supposed to snap a stick but it missed by a millimeter, ending the chain of events. ¡°Aww,¡± I whined. This Chen Wei woman was a terrible influence on me! Even though she was obviously faking it, her maturity was rubbing off on me. I¡¯ve even stopped swearing! I wished she would return to talking casually, she had been so much more fun back then. Chapter 19 ¡°Can you help me dig a hole?¡± I asked Chen Wei. ¡°How big do you want it?¡± she asked. ¡°It just needs to be big enough for me to fit this truck,¡± I said, patting the floor of the truck. I pressed a certain part of the floor and the clear dome unhinged, allowing us to get out. She nodded and took out her sword. I put up my hands defensively, ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing with that?¡± ¡°My apologies, I thought you wanted me to dig a hole,¡± she said in an uncertain, wavering tone. ¡°Yeah, but not with a sword!¡± I said. She tilted her head. Dang, that¡¯s cute! ¡°I can do it without a sword, but it¡¯ll take a little longer.¡± She jumped off of the truck, out of my sight. A second later, I heard a deafening crack. No, it was dozens of cracking sounds stacked on top of each other. Then all of the sounds vanished. My eardrums had ruptured. Ah shit. I quickly reached for a seed tossed it into the air.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Eerie Ginseng¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Eerie Ginseng stays at level one!
Oh nooo, what have you done! It¡¯s supposed to be Eary!The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. More importantly, what was that girl doing! The whole car was shaking, but I managed to climb to the edge. She was standing in a huge crater. I looked over just in time to see her lift her foot and shove it into the ground again. The crater doubled in deepness. A couple stomps later, a hole large enough for my truck had formed. Cute? More like terrifying! I couldn¡¯t hear anything, but I could talk. ¡°..!¡±, I yelled, ¡°.......¡± A look of panic spread across her face, ¡°.......¡± ¡°.......,¡± I dismissed. I took a seed and threw it into the hole. The sides of the holes were soon covered in solid wood. I told her to move away and I put the truck in the hole. Another seed and the entire thing was covered by a tree. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said with my eyes in tiny slits. With the help of my Eerie Ginseng, my ears had healed. We saw a cart some distance away. It was being pulled by a lizard the size of an elephant. We hopped on the back of the cart and waiting to arrive at the city. As we got closer, I spotted horses galloping in the air above the city. I spotted two dragons as well. The gates of the city were left completely unguarded. Anybody could come and go without hassle. We jumped off the man¡¯s cart and walked in. I turned to Chen Wei, ¡°So this is where we part.¡± She put her hands together and looked at the ground, ¡°How will I find you again?¡± ¡°Why would you want to find me again?¡± I asked. I didn¡¯t specifically want her gone, but I didn¡¯t have any reason to stay with her. She had fulfilled her promise of leading me to the city. ¡°I still owe you a lot, remember?¡± she said. And here I thought that was just a joke. She would probably just give me a snowglobe or something. Maybe one of those keychains with a name on them that nobody wants. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Maybe we¡¯ll meet again sometime in the future.¡± ¡°...do you have anywhere to stay?¡± she asked. I stopped. ¡°Uuuuuuuuuh.¡± ¡°No?¡± she probed. I scratched behind my neck. ¡°I guess not?¡± She smiled, ¡°Do you want to come stay at my sect? We have a lot of extra room.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I sighed, I didn¡¯t like relying on her so much. I felt like I was leeching off her good will. She led me through the crowded city. I was like a kid in a candy shop. Everything here was magical. This was the ¡°transported to a fantasy world¡± I¡¯ve always dreamed of, not the dumpster of uncultivated land in the forest. The crowded streets slowly thinned out. A short while later, we arrived at the foot of a small mountain. A tall blue fence stretched across its whole perimeter. Three words lie on the arch above the gate, ¡°Blue Fire Sect.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ don¡¯t tell me you own this entire mountain.¡± Chapter 20 ¡°Only in the most technical sense. I¡¯m the head of the sect, so I could take control of almost everything here. But I still need to make sure everything I do benefits the sect. It isn¡¯t my personal property,¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°Could you sell parts of it to buy something to raise yourself to the next stage?¡± ¡°No. Even if I could, there would be no guarantee I would be able to get my hands on an item that powerful. Such things are virtually non-existent.¡± she said. I also had a better grasp on what herbs could do. After feeling the plants in the medicine shop, I had learned a lot about the ability of plants in this world. The herbs were all powerful in their own ways, but they weren¡¯t much help for Qi ¡°cultivation¡±. Actually, they weren¡¯t any help for that at all. I still didn¡¯t know why Chen Wei had said she needed the Six Petal Goldflower. Even after using Identify on it, I couldn¡¯t discern any help towards Qi. The gates to the sect were wide open. The two guards at the gate bowed and spoke simultaneously, ¡°Welcome back, Sect Head Xing and our guest¡± They both wore matching blue robes of the same shade as Chen Wei¡¯s shirt and pants. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said before walking past them. We entered a large courtyard with a pond and many little trees. We didn¡¯t dawdle long and moved passed it. The next part was also pleasantly decorated and maintained. After walking for a couple more minutes, I realized that the entire place was like this. The whole sect reeked of overflowing wealth. It certainly didn¡¯t look like a failing sect to me. She walked into a building and I followed behind her. ¡°If you ever need me, this is my house. I might not always be here though,¡± she said. I followed her inside. She opened a safe and took out a blue stone tablet. It fit in her palm neatly. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She handed it to me. ¡°This is the highest ranking guest tablet, it grants you access to almost everything in this sect, except high ranking private residences,¡± she praised, as if advertising it, ¡°It also pardons you from all minor offences and most major ones. It also gives you many other executive and judicial powers, but there are too many to list.¡± I felt the smooth cold stone rest in my hand. ¡°Thanks, that sounds useful. Why give it to me?¡± ¡°You are our esteemed guest Grandmaster Jin! To give you a lower ranking tablet would be extremely disrespectful,¡± she replied quickly. I was starting to see that this girl planned to give me more than a snow globe and a key chain. ¡°Well, I¡¯m honored that you see me that way.¡± ¡°Of course, Grandmaster Jin. Where would you like to stay? We have a bunch of open spots. I believe the Blue Dragon House is still open. It¡¯s a modest mansion with a large courtyard and over ten servants, would you like that spot?¡± she offered. I¡¯ve never heard the word ¡°modest¡± used next to ¡°mansion¡± before. ¡°I¡¯d prefer a house with a large garden. The more dirt the better.¡± ¡°The more dirt the better? Hm, please follow me,¡± she said, walking out of her own mansion. I found myself next to a three story tall mansion. Blue jade pillars supported curling roofs made in a chinese architectural style. In front of the jade pillars, equally brilliantly colored koi fish swam in a stone pool. There was a servant was inside, sweeping the floor of the empty house. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Do you have something more¡­ modest?¡± I frowned. She hesitated before responding. ¡°We do, but it isn¡¯t very luxurious.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the definition of modest,¡± I whispered. Then, more loudly, ¡°I¡¯ll take that one, thanks.¡± I was led to a one story house at the outskirts of the fancy part of the sect. It was just a one story house, but it was in the middle of a medium sized garden, which was also surrounded by a fence. ¡°You may take as many servants as you like.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any. I¡¯d like to live alone, like I did back in the White Dragon Forest.¡± I said, ¡°Can I remodel this garden?¡± ¡°You can set the building on fire if it pleases you, but no servants? Are you sure?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°You can always come to me if change your mind. I hope you enjoy your stay, we¡¯ll do everything we can to satisfy you.¡± She bowed and left. I walked into the house and found everything in pristine condition. The floors, windows, and everything else looked like they had recently been cleaned. I found a set of three keys tied to each other by a red string. Each of them were labeled differently: ¡°gate¡±, ¡°front door¡±, and ¡°safe¡±. I went outside and locked the gate. I rubbed my hands together. This solved a bunch of my problems. I won¡¯t need to worry about rent anymore. I had to pat myself on the back and give myself a smiley face sticker. Helping some random girl in the forest lead to such good fortune! I prayed to karma gods, or whatever they called them, for some more luck. ¡°Now, onto the fun part!¡± It was time to rebuild my stronghold. Chapter 21 First things first though. I touched every plant in the yard and memorized their information. There weren''t any useful plants in the yard, but it was interesting nevertheless. There was something that was just fun about learning about these plants. I¡¯d never felt this way before. Maybe this was one of the side effects of being The Cultivator. After I learned all I could, I shredded every bush, tree, and weed into sawdust. If my plants could be divided into two power levels, Brian and Vincent, then the normal plants here were sub-human. The pots interspersed around the garden were all shoved in a corner. I now had an area of dirt and shredded plants to build on. I carefully constructed a defensive field of traps. Half a meter underground, hidden from sight, the entire garden was covered in Twentytacle Traps. These traps were not nearly as deadly as they could have been because I didn¡¯t put Poison Spikes on any of them. However, many of them had blades attached to the tips of their tentacles. ¡°Hey!¡± Somebody pounded on the gate. ¡°Shiet.¡± I didn¡¯t expect somebody to intrude in the middle of my building process. Nobody was supposed to see my powers yet, which meant I couldn¡¯t open the gate. I walked up to the gate and did two warm up hops before hopping over the four meter fence. I landed on the other side of the fence. I stumbled a bit and caught myself. ¡°Who the hell are you? And why are you making so much noise!¡± he yelled. ¡°My name¡¯s Jin. Sorry about the that, I¡¯m working on something in there. I won¡¯t be making much more noise.¡± Shredding the garden had been noisy, but I was done with that part by now. He inspected me more closely, ¡°Are you our new neighbor?¡± ¡°Yes. I was told I could live here for the time being. ¡± I asked. ¡°Right, right,¡± he said in a low, gruff voice, ¡°Don¡¯t make so much noise anymore, alright?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Sure, sorry again,¡± I said. He hobbled away and I hopped back over the fence. I went back to reconstructing my garden. I scattered a couple Pluto Fly Traps over the garden. These were simple venus flytraps, except large enough to swallow a human and their mouths were lined with poisonous spikes. I also planted a vine with a gigantic blade attached at the end. My final stroke of genius was burying all of this under the old plants in this garden. It took less than a hundred mana to replant all the old plants. Somebody walking in would think nothing had changed. To finish, I used Program a few hundred times and it didn¡¯t take any mana. I walked into the house to see if there was something fun to do. I found a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. It was all finely decorated, intricate carvings and statues everywhere. I lie down on the bed. I don¡¯t know what I expected. This was no fun at all. I looked sideways and found a small shelf filled with many books. I leaned over and slid one out. It was gray and bound by a red string. ¡°Basics of Qi Cultivation,¡± it read. I pulled out the book next to it, ¡°Basics of Dao Cultivation.¡± Through the gap left by the two books, I could see the title of the books next to them, ¡°Sixteen Spear Forms and Their Uses¡±, and ¡°An Introduction to the Sword Dao.¡± Bored but curious, I stretched over to see what the other books were about. ¡°Unified Raisin Dictionary¡±, ¡°Foundations of the Dao of Fire¡±, ¡° Alchemy¡± and ¡°Soul Cultivation Basics¡± where among them. All of the books here didn¡¯t go deep into their respective subjects. This was perfect for me. I didn¡¯t know about any of these anyway, books that barely scratched the surface were just what I needed. The first thing I wanted to do was see exactly how this ¡°Dao¡± and ¡°Qi¡± stuff worked. The books were all short, just a few hundreds of pages each. I finished both of them by sundown. I learned a lot about how cultivating each of them worked, but in summary: Qi was the power and life force in every living being. It was focused in the living, but small amounts existed everywhere. It was in our atmosphere and in the bed I was lying in. People could harness both the power inside and outside themselves. If Qi was power, then the Dao was how they used it. Improving in the Dao was a mental process. Every person had to pave their own Dao, although they could be assisted by mentors or books. The nine Dao Cultivation Stages were all Qi related, however, one was supposed to practice their Dao first and foremost during these stages. The books emphasized that Qi should always come second. Going up a stage dramatically increased the amount of Qi that could be wielded, but this didn¡¯t mean a first stage Daoist would necessarily lose against a second stage Daoist. A well established Dao could easily allow a Daoist to transcend the normal limits of Qi. Not to mention the power of external Qi. Without raising a finger, Daoists could control the Qi that permeated the world to crush their opponents. The sun was setting, so I planted a Glowing Pineapple to light the room. I picked up the book on alchemy. I had barely reached page two when another Glowing Pineapple suddenly turned on. I slammed my face into the alchemy book. I had used Program to set up an alarm system to tell me when there were intruders in my yard. The pineapple sitting on my counter only glowed when somebody was snooping around. My face rested between pages two and three. ¡°One, two, three, four¡­ five, six, seven, eight, niiiiiii.¡± I glanced sideways. The pineapple was still glowing. ¡°Niiiiine point fiiiiiive. Goddamnit, leave.¡± I rubbed my face into the book. ¡°Ten.¡± I turned on the sentry mode on my plants. A crash, a shake, and a yelp. Chapter 22 I was already a bit sleepy. Getting interrupted so suddenly put me in a terrible mood. I could hardly be bothered to go check who it was, but I had to. ¡°Who is it?¡± I called out into my book. No response. I got up, dragging myself out of bed. ¡°Where you at,¡± I whispered to myself. I connected with my plants and found the person¡¯s position. I wrapped a blanket around me, on top of my robes. I wandered out swaying like a zombie. I stepping through a bush and some vines and found a woman tied to the ground. Twenty vines stuck out from the ground and bound nearly every part of her body. I sighed. Did trouble fall in love with me or did somebody lower my luck stat? Maybe both? She started struggling the moment she saw me. She wasn¡¯t weak, quite the contrary. Twisting and turning, she forced every part of her body that could still move to move. She loosened huge chunks of dirt in the process, but this only gave the trap more space to maneuver. Her struggling displaced all the dirt covering the trap. The tentacles only tightened further. I had full confidence in my level thirteen Twentytacle Traps. They were incomparable in raw toughness and strength. This random street rat would never be able to escape. ¡°Stop struggling. I¡¯m not going to hurt you,¡± I said. She didn¡¯t stop struggling. ¡°Mm. Mmf,¡± she moaned and grunted while trying to tear my plant apart. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m serious! You¡¯ve probably already woken up the neighbors. Keep struggling and they¡¯ll come complaining.¡± A loud thump and my gate trembled. ¡°Ah, and there they are.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°What the fuck are you doing back there? It¡¯s the middle of the night!¡± a familiar voice yelled from behind the gate. It was the same guy who had complained earlier. ¡°Mmmmmmf,¡± the girl moaned. ¡°Oh,¡± he whispered. Then he shouted, ¡°Congrats, brother! But please quiet down.¡± ¡°Oh noooo.¡± I glared at the girl. ¡°You damned meatloaf, shut up!¡± I said, not loud enough for the person outside to hear. I have no idea why I called her a meatloaf. I planted a gigantic Prison Pineapple and tossed her in as violently as I could. ¡°You¡¯re going to drive me crazy.¡± The pineapple swallowed both the girl and the trap holding her in one go. I made sure the pineapple was hidden from sight and opened the gate. ¡°There you are,¡± he said, with a frown carved into his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the noise. I wasn¡¯t expecting it either. It won¡¯t happen again, I promise.¡± I told him. He sighed and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just a tip for the young though. Doing it with Qi doesn¡¯t make it feel better, it just causes more collateral damage.¡± ¡°...Alright, thanks,¡± I said. He went back to his house, and I walked back onto my property with a bitter look on my face. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Now, who was that girl, sneaking around in my yard like that? In the middle of the night, too. I walked back to my Prison Pineapple. The pineapple was hollowed out and had a mouth that could open and close. Overall, it looked like a skinny jack-o-lantern. The stem connecting the pineapple to the rest of the plant dipped down. I opened the pineapple by a tiny bit. No noise came from inside, so I assumed she was done struggling. Its mouth opened wide so that I could climb in. ¡°Hey,¡± I growled, ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± She stared back at me with a terrified pair of eyes. Honestly, I should be the one looking at her like that. I shouldn¡¯t have called her a random street rat. While she wasn¡¯t as strong as Chen Wei, she was still far more powerful than me. Nearly every part of her body was tied up and I was still scared of getting too close to her. Black cloth covered her from head to toe. A short sword and a dagger were tied to her waist. If I had to guess her age, I would say she was around nineteen. A wave of force blasted me out of the Prison Pineapple. The back of my head hit a tree and I bounced off. I put my hand to the floor and lifted myself up, ¡°Interesting,¡± I murmured. All my ribs should have been broken. If I wasn¡¯t knocked out by the impact, I should have been knocked out by the pain. Instead, I was standing completely unharmed. The push wasn¡¯t even painful. She was understandably panicked so I didn¡¯t get too angry. I was trying to help, but she was still fighting back. As I saw it, I was the helpful vet, while she was a panicked animal. Still, the girl would have killed me if I were weaker, or if she wasn¡¯t tied up. She sent me flying without lifting a finger! I had noticed myself slowly getting stronger lately, allowing me to jump over fences four meters tall. I jumped back into the mouth of the pineapple. ¡°You might want to listen to what I have to say,¡± I had the vines tighten, but not by too much. ¡°So,¡± my brain sifted through a bucket of questions and selected one. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± No answer. ¡°Are you mute?¡± She shook her head. I guess she isn¡¯t deaf, either. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, yeah? I want to go back to sleep, so don¡¯t make this harder then it needs to be.¡± The leader of this grandiose sect had bowed to me and given me the highest ranking guest tablet. I had a decent idea of my status within the sect, although I hated actually using it. I pulled out the jade slip. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she squeaked. So she can talk! ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I have the power to pardon anything you did. If not, I can hide you away or whatever else.¡± I said, ¡°So please just answer my questions and I¡¯ll send you on your way.¡± To nobody''s surprise, she didn¡¯t believe me. I just want to finish my book and go to sleep¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t have heavy ties with the Blue Fire Sect. I just arrived here today. I¡¯m a, uh, friend of the sect head. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m loyal to the sect. I¡¯m not part of the sect, I¡¯m just living here for the time being. Now if you want to be stubborn, I won¡¯t bother with you anymore. I¡¯ll hand you to some officials or whoever does the policing around here. If you cooperate, I¡¯ll probably let you go.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. Then her head tilted forward. I assumed this was a nod, as she could barely move her head underneath the vines. ¡°Well then, what¡¯s your name?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m Li Hui Ming,¡± she answered. ¡°What were you doing in my yard?¡± I asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t doing anything. I was hiding,¡± she said. I better not have captured her just for playing hide and seek. ¡°What were you hiding from?¡± ¡°The Blue Fire Sect,¡± she said. So this was a bit bigger than a game of hide and seek. ¡°Why? What are you doing here then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m spying on the sect,¡± she scoured my face for any tiny reaction. My eye twitched. ¡°Can you say that again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m spying on the Blue Fire Sect.¡± She was dead serious. ¡°Oh yay, this makes this so much easier for me,¡± I said sarcastically. I ran a couple scenarios through my head. ¡°Oh wait, this actually does make everything easier. Don¡¯t make any noise or I¡¯ll have to tie you up again. See you tomorrow!¡± I hopped out of the pineapple and I waved goodbye. The vines on her fell off but the mouth of the Prison Pineapple shut, trapping her within. I returned to the house, shaking my head at the laundry list of things I would have to do tomorrow. Chapter 23 I lay down and forced myself through the book on alchemy. Through it, I discovered how alchemy worked. The alchemy of this world had nothing to do with chemistry. It was actually far, far more complicated. The book gave me overviews of many branches of Alchemy. They specifically stated that everything in the book was the most simplified version of the truth. But basically, an alchemist would gather a bunch of herbs to create a paste or pill. Afterward, they would throw them into a fire and pray everything worked properly. If everything worked properly, only the impurities in the medicine would burn, leaving a more pure form of the medicine. If it works, the pill or paste would qualify to be called a First Cycle Pill, which meant it had gone through one cycle of refinement. Repeating the burning process would make it a Second Cycle Pill, etc. I know it sounds silly. How burning medicine ever became a legitimate method of refinement, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever know. But it worked, and that¡¯s what mattered. Certain types of refinement could even bring out hidden traits in the medicine. Each successive refinement was more difficult to carry out. Only master alchemists could make fifth cycle medicine. I finished the book and set it down. I pushed myself into the bed. ¡°Haaaaah¡± I sighed, it was so comfortable I fell asleep in less than two minutes. The next day, I went to get Chen Wei. When in doubt, push your problems onto somebody else. I walked to the front gate of her residence. An armored soldier stood by the gate. I waved at him, ¡°Is Sect Head Xing in right now?¡± ¡°Do you have a referral?¡± he asked. Only somebody from this world could move in the amount of armor he was wearing. ¡°She told me I could come if I ever needed to. I don¡¯t have an official referral, but I do have this.¡± I held up the guest talisman. His eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯ll notify her of your presence.¡± He disappeared behind the gate. I nodded and waited silently. A long moment later, Chen Wei and the soldier appeared at the gate. She bowed, ¡°Welcome, Grandmaster Jin. What have you come here for?¡± The guard stared at his sect head in shock before hastily bowing as well. I frowned. ¡°My name¡¯s just Vi- I mean Jin. I¡¯ve got something I think is pretty important. Can you come with me?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, Grandmaster,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s just Jin.¡± I turned around and let her follow behind me. A couple minutes later, we walked into my new garden. The pineapple rose out of the ground to appear before us. Chen Wei took two steps back. ¡°Wha- what is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pineapple, but that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The mouth of the pineapple opened, revealing Hui Ming. She was crouched in a corner, with red eyes that looked like they didn¡¯t get enough sleep. She was short and relatively thin, but her black clothing clung on her tightly, tightly enough for me to see the six abdominal muscles that poked from her stomach. She didn¡¯t look like much when I saw her yesterday, when I only had a bit of moonlight. In the light of day, it became obvious she had trained her body to peak performance. She didn¡¯t try to escape. A hint of fear appeared in her eyes when she saw Chen Wei, but she hid it quickly. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°This is?¡± Chen Wei asked. ¡°I found her snooping in my yard last night. She says she¡¯s spying on the sect. You can take her if you want,¡± I said. ¡°Grandmaster captured her. You can keep her if you wish,¡± she said. ¡°Chen Wei,¡± I looked into her eyes, ¡°Please. Stop calling me grandmaster.¡± She tightened her shoulders. ¡°But-¡± ¡°Stop doing it,¡± I stated, more fiercely than I should have. ¡°Then what would you like to be called?¡± she asked. ¡°No Grandmaster Jin, no Senior Jin, no Master Jin. None of that. Just call me Jin,¡± I said. ¡°But-¡± ¡°Look. I¡¯m younger than you. Why call me grandmaster? I don¡¯t deserve it, it makes me uncomfortable, and it makes no sense, not in order of importance. Stop with that incessant bowing too.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re doing all this, but I can guess. I can control plants, so what? You don¡¯t need to shovel respect onto me. Just talk normally.¡± ¡°Normally?¡± ¡°Normally,¡± I said. ¡°Like you were when we first met.¡± ¡°Sorry Jin, but I might be able to make the transition that quickly.¡± she looked at the ground. I smiled and clasped her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re getting there.¡± She smiled back. A rustle came from the pineapple in front of us. I¡¯d forgotten about her. I coughed, ¡°Anyway, she was spying on your sect, don¡¯t you want her for some, I don¡¯t know, interrogation?¡± If I¡¯m honest, I just wanted her off my hands. ¡°Not really. Can I step into this... pineapple?¡± she asked. ¡°Go ahead. Uh, you might want to watch out though. I think she¡¯s pretty strong,¡± I replied. ¡°Thank you- I mean, thanks,¡± she said. She jumped into the pineapple and approached Hui Ming. ¡°Careful¡­¡± I warned. She took three steps forward. She was about to take the fourth when in one fluid motion, Hui Ming grabbed the dagger at her waist and stabbed at Chen Wei¡¯s throat. I could hardly even see it. Chen Wei blocked the dagger with her bare hand and staggered backward. From the amount of blood streaming down her arm, the dagger must have cut at least a centimeter into her palm. Her blue sleeve turned dark red. ¡°What did I tell you?¡± The Twentytacle Trap still left in the pineapple came to life, its twenty vines stretching to grab Hui Ming. Hui Ming lunged at her neck again. Chen Wei pulled a sword out from underneath her robes and blocked it. Hui Ming tried to make a dash out of the Prison Pineapple, but I willed it shut. I stayed outside and focused on controlling the Twentytacle Trap still inside. The Identify skill was, for lack of better word, overpowered. It was nothing like the identify skills from those light novels and LitRPGs I had read in my old world. In exchange for only being able to identify plants, it gave me a ridiculous amount of information. So much information that I could feel everything the plant could feel. If I had learned to read braille, I would be able to read it with my vines. Combined with the Control skill, my plants became extra limbs. I connected with the Twentytacle Trap. I felt around with the tentacles and quickly found Hui Ming. Before she could attack again, I latched onto her body and locked her down again. In the tight confines of the prison, she was no match for my traps. I dropped two seeds to the ground. I reached down and pulled out a modified Meaty and Skinny Ginseng. After gaining the Identify skill, I found the ginsengs actually strengthened my body on top of healing it. I modified both of them so that they only healed. ¡°Where,¡± she said through gritted teeth. ¡°In hell,¡± she clutched her palm, ¡±did they find a fourth stage expert to spy for them!¡± She finally started talking ¡°casually¡± with me, and it was only through a haze of pain! I willed the pineapple open again. I rushed in to find Chen Wei crouching on the floor of the pineapple, gritting her teeth and wrapping her wounded hand in torn pieces of her robe. ¡°Here, eat this quick!¡± I fed her pieces of the two ginsengs. I stared at her bloody palm. ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you?¡± She stopped grimacing not long after. I assumed the pain from her cut had went away. ¡°Huh? What did you feed me?!¡± she yelled. She immediately sobered up, ¡°Sorry grandma- Jin. I didn¡¯t mean to yell at you.¡± I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Grandma Jin? ¡°One of my plants,¡± I dismissed. I pointed at the tied up Hui Ming. ¡°She¡¯s in the fourth stage of Dao Formation? Is that good?¡± Both girls looked personally offended at my question. I genuinely didn¡¯t know! ¡°Of course it is!¡± said Chen Wei, ¡°I¡¯m at the fifth stage and I¡¯m the leader of a sect.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no good,¡± I said, half to myself. How was I going to get rid of her now? Back to the original plan, I guess. ¡°She¡¯s all yours. Just make sure not to let her go,¡± I leaned in to whisper, ¡°and don¡¯t let her tell anybody I can control plants, either.¡± ¡°How can I do that?¡± she whispered back. ¡°I don¡¯t have a way to guarantee she won¡¯t tell any guards.¡± I couldn''t suggest any cruel methods, I was too much of a goody-two shoes for that. ¡°You can, like, wrap her mouth in something,¡± I whispered. ¡°She¡¯s too powerful. She can easily break through any cloth,¡± she said. I rubbed my hand against my forehead and stopped whispering ¡°Oh come on, there needs to be some way to do this.¡± Chen Wei didn¡¯t say anything and continued staring at me. ¡°Oh no. Don¡¯t tell me...¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re going to have to keep her.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Chapter 24 ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me, what do you expect me to do?¡± I said. Chen Wei stood up slowly, making sure not to injure herself any further. ¡°The Blue Fire Sect doesn¡¯t have a jail built to hold stage four experts. Modifying a cell to hold her would take time and we would still need to station a guard just in case.¡± And if she stations a guard, Hui Ming might tell the guard about me. If we let her go, Hui Ming will tell her sect about me. I would have been able to convince her to keep a secret if she wasn¡¯t a spy. But of course, she was a spy. Chen Wei glanced at me and looked down to the ground. ¡°In truth, there are multiple sects after Blue Fire land and resources. But the only one that would go so far as to send somebody as strong as she is-,¡± she looked back at me but didn''t continue. ¡°Is?¡± She clenched her jaw. ¡°The only one that would go so far is the Crimson Fire Sect.¡± I gave her a confused look. ¡°The Crimson Fire Sect is one of biggest sects in the city. The only sects that can claim to be able to defeat them in all out war are the top behemoth sects of the city. The Crimson Fire Sect is enormous and they¡¯re always looking to expand.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± I said, intent on learning more. ¡°As the weakest sect in the city as of now, we are their prime target. This may be a small mountain, but it¡¯s still a highly desirable piece of land.¡± She pointed at Hui Ming. ¡°But they¡¯ve never gone this far! Sending a fourth stage expert as a spy? Who in their right mind would do that?¡± We spoke as if Hui Ming wasn¡¯t right next to us. At this point, she was just a thorn in my side. It didn¡¯t matter if she was a fourth stage expert, everybody was the same when tied up. ¡°Can¡¯t you take her for a little while? If she¡¯s a fourth stage expert, I¡¯m sure she has some information you want. You should interrogate her.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I already know I won¡¯t get anything useful from interrogating her. There¡¯s nothing she could tell me that I don¡¯t already know. The same goes for the Crimson Fire Sect. Even if they somehow kidnapped one of our fourth stage cultivators, everything the fourth stage cultivator knows will be of no use to them,¡± she explained. ¡°Wait a second, why would they send a spy if they already know everything?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s part of why I was so surprised,¡± she said. ¡°Welp, don¡¯t rope me into your politics,¡± I scratched my head. ¡°Please?¡± I added. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this girl with you. Anything else would result in your secret getting out.¡± That made sense, but ¡°What am I supposed to do with her?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know. It looks like you have a prison that can hold her, so you can use that,¡± she said. ¡°Got it. I can¡¯t keep her forever though, so please try to come up with a way to deal with her,¡± I said. ¡°Sure,¡± she said delightfully informally. ¡°Is there anything else you need me for?¡± ¡°Nope, thanks for coming. I can take care of this for now,¡± I said. She nodded and left. I knelt down next to Hui Ming. ¡°What now?¡± I asked her. I was pretty far away from her, but it was silent enough for me to hear her breath, only occasionally interrupted by rustling leaves. Her strained breathing came at an irregular pace. I noticed her muscles pulsing, trying to break out from the vines. She gave me a dirty look and I sighed. ¡°You are being really troublesome right now, you know that?¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± she exhaled shakily. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to figure out.¡± I made two meshes of vines. I used on to bind her hands and the other to bind her feet. The Twentytacle Trap let go of her, but she was cuffed. One last vine connected the vines at her feet to the giant pineapple, tying her like a dog tied to a post. The Twentytacle Trap unwrapped from her and slunk off to its original position underground. ¡°You can¡¯t break these cuffs,¡± I said, but I still took a step back. I had to be very careful when dealing with somebody like her. I could deal with the external Qi blasts she sent at me, but I wasn¡¯t confident about physical combat with her, even if her hands were tied. She wouldn¡¯t be able to touch me so long as I stayed a good distance away from her. The leash I put around her foot made sure of that. ¡°Feel a bit better now?¡± I asked, now that she could move around more freely. It felt like keeping a pet dog, leash and all. I rubbed my hands against my head, pushing my thumbs against my eyelids. Was there really no better solution? Chapter 25 ¡°Would you like to eat anything?¡± I asked. She gave no answer. I shrugged and planted a skinny ginseng. I ate it, chewing through the bitter taste. It felt like chewing moth wings, except juicier. I walked to a picnic table I had set up. A volleyball-sized orange plopped down from above. I took a wooden knife and cut a small slit into its side. A few vines helped me squeeze the orange. Juice streamed out of the slit, into a mug I had gotten from the kitchen. I picked up the wooden knife, which was sharper than any knife in the kitchen, and started cutting up the rest of the ginseng. Tilting my head back, I slipped a piece of ginseng into my mouth without letting it touch my tongue and downed it with a gulp of orange juice. Who could¡¯ve guessed these ginsengs would be so helpful? To think I had created the first ginseng to treat a broken leg. I was eating the things three meals a day now. I brought the knife up and stabbed my palm. There was no spike of pain, nothing but a pressure on my skin. I looked down. As expected, the knife didn¡¯t pierce my palm.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Nosy Ginseng¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Nosy Ginseng stays at level one!
I may have terrible naming sense, but I could learn from my mistakes. I wasn¡¯t going to create an ¡°Aieee Ginseng¡±. I¡¯ve learned my lesson from the ancient tragedy of ¡°Eerie Ginseng¡±.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Eyebally Ginseng¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Eyebally Ginseng stays at level one!
I chuckled at my peerless cleverness and turned to see what Hui Ming was up to. She was now sitting at the base of the Prison Pineapple, eyeing me with suspicion. ¡°Yell if you need anything.¡± A wall of vines moved between us, obscuring me from her sight. I put a seed into the ground and a small flower poked its head out of the ground. The flower was one of the many plants I had Identified in the alchemy shop. I emptied a small glass container I had found in the kitchen. It had been filled with some cheap spice. I pinched bits of pollen from the flower and transferred it to the vial. A few dozen flowers later, the small vial was full. Taking the vial, I took down the wall of vines. ¡°I¡¯m going to be gone for a while, do me a favor and don¡¯t try to escape.¡± Hui Ming had no chance of breaking out when enveloped by the Twentytacle Trap or the pineapple. But she was currently only tied by some loose vines. Given less than a minute of free time, I had no doubt she would be able to break out. I walked out of my yard and asked for directions to the nearest alchemy store. The nearest one was only a fifteen minute walk away. A sign above the door read ¡°Blue Fire Alchemy Garden¡±. Shopping in a fantasy world? I wanted to jump in glee. I was living the dream!Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. It was a huge building, comparable to a small Macy¡¯s. Multiple people wearing the same blue uniform patrolled the shop. ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m new here, may I ask for some directions?¡± ¡°Hey.¡± He said with a frown. Rude, but perhaps comparing him to Macy¡¯s employees was unfair. Maybe this world had different standards. ¡°Tell me the place.¡± ¡°Does this shop buy ingredients?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes,¡± He pointed across the room, ¡°Walk past this shelf of burn medicine and look right.¡± He skittered away from me as quickly as he could. I followed his directions and ended in front of a tall woman wearing yet another blue robe, sipping tea. It seemed everybody in this sect wore blue attire. ¡°I have some pollen from a Mist Lightning Flower, is this shop buying it?¡± Although everybody wore blue clothing, they weren¡¯t all the same. Some people had little patterns on their clothes while others had different shades of blue. The woman in front of me had a symbol of a tree growing out of a blue flame on her chest. ¡°Yes we are, sir,¡± she said, far more polite than the guy from before. She started talking in rapid fire, identical to that fast part at the end of commercials. ¡°The Blue Fire Alchemy Garden accepts plants, ingredients, and anything related to medicine at below the market price. The price we offer is non-negotiable, and we retain full discretion for our pricing decisions. All conditions are void if an elder or somebody of a higher position intervenes.¡± ¡°Sure¡­ how much would you take this much for?¡± I put the vial of pollen on the counter. She almost choked on her tea. She took the vial, shaking and examining it. She took off the lid and put her finger inside. When she took it out, a couple pieces of pollen dust latched on her finger. She tasted the pollen off her finger. ¡°All of this is Mist Lighting Pollen?¡± she asked. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen so much of in one place before,¡± she put on an unnaturally bright smile, ¡°Where did you find this much Mist Lightning Pollen?¡± ¡°I, uh, stumbled on a couple in a forest,¡± I said(lied). ¡°Can you tell me where and in which forest? And of course, the alchemy garden will provide compensation.¡± ¡°Sorry, no thanks. So how much is the garden willing to pay for this much pollen?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m certain the sect would be willing to pay more than a hundred thousand shards for the location!¡± she said. ¡°No thanks. So... about the pollen?¡± I said. ¡°Right¡­¡± she poured the pollen into a different container and put it on a scale, adjusting one side of the scale until both sides evened out. ¡°We can offer forty six thousand shards.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it! Can I have it in silver jade slips?¡± ¡°Yes sir, are you sure you don¡¯t want to sell the location of the flowers?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes.¡± She took the pollen and walked back into the back of the shop. She came back with a box of jade slips. I peeked into the box. They were long rectangular slips of jade. Normally, jade was green with a couple spots of clear or white stone. In these jade slips, the parts that were normally clear or white were silver instead. The end product was a mix of green and silver stone. The alchemy book I read had alluded to the currency of this world multiple times. By the time I finished the book, I had pieced together their currency system. The smallest unit of currency was one soul shard. It was also the base unit of currency. Everybody referred to prices in terms of the number of soul shards. On top of that were soul stones, which were worth ten soul shards. Then came copper jade slips and silver jade slips, which were worth one hundred and one thousand soul shards respectively. One Soul Shard = One Soul Shard One Soul Stone = Ten Soul Shards One Copper Jade Slip = One hundred Soul Shards One Silver Jade Slip = One thousand Soul Shards While I knew how the types of currency were worth compared to each other, I didn¡¯t know what they were really worth. It might cost one spirit shard to buy a bowl of soup, but it might also cost a hundred. I couldn¡¯t know. I collected my forty six slips and began wandering the medicine shop. I was looking for a reference point to see how much a soul shard was worth. For example, if a cups were worth fifty soul shards, I would be able to guess the approximate price of a plate. Thankfully, It was a large store so it also sold many little things unrelated to medicine. Problem was, two vials that looked the same cost completely different prices. One would cost five shards while the other cost fifty. They weren''t the only ones. Two backpacks that looked only slightly different had totally different price tags. ¡°Noooooooo!¡± somebody screamed from across the room. It was a deep scream, although not brief. Who died? Chapter 26 I ran in the direction of the scream. I found a powerfully built young man crouched in front of a glass case. The young man was staring at the price tag beneath it. A look of utter devastation covered every inch of his face. Damn, this guy was hot. I¡¯m not gay, but even I could tell. My heart filled with gratitude for God¡¯s grace. Thank God I wasn¡¯t the main character in some anime or light novel! I could already imagine the army of fangirls drawing up weird fanfictions between me and this greek statue of a man. ¡°Senior apprentice-brother, you¡¯re making a scene.¡± The guy who had given me directions earlier jogged over. He gave me an odd look and went back to talking to the guy on the floor. They both wore identical robes. ¡°What happened?¡¯ ¡°Look at this!¡± he said, pointing at the price tag. A crowd started to form around him, while more of the people wearing his uniform also stepped forward. I realized that the people wearing the uniform weren¡¯t working for the medicine store. A couple people from the crowd pointed at me and whispered, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why. ¡°Senior apprentice-brother, it¡¯s alright. It only costs twenty thousand shards. You brought enough, right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t! I only bought ten thousand.¡± He turned around and saw the crowd. He blushed, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to cause a ruckus, nothing bad happened.¡± Seeing his apology, the crowd left to continue shopping. I was the only one that didn¡¯t leave. Everybody else in his group immediately emptied their pockets. They passed every last shard, stone, and jade they had to him. All of them showed tremendous generosity to this ¡°senior apprentice-brother¡±, whatever that meant. His eyes watered from their kindness. He crouched and the others crouched as well, forming a circle. I peered over his shoulder and saw him laying the money on the floor and counting it out. My dao of mental math was a couple stages above theirs. ¡°You don¡¯t have enough,¡± I said, my mandatory state sponsored education finally coming through. Every head except for the leader¡¯s turned and glared at me with hostility. I felt like a pack of lions were glaring at me with glowing eyes, in the middle of the night. ¡°Aww, you¡¯re right,¡± their leader muttered. The rest of the pack averted their eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a thousand off. A thousand fifty one, to be exact,¡± I said. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. He started pushing money back to their respective owners. ¡°Hey wait, I can lend you one thousand fifty six if you want.¡± I was still carrying the box of jades. I took one out to show him. His face blossomed with a dazzling smile. ¡°Yes, please!¡± he did a half bow, bending by forty five degrees. ¡°Senior apprentice-brother!¡± the others groaned simultaneously. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°Your reputation! Don¡¯t bow to an outsider like him,¡± one of them said. ¡°We¡¯re on Blue Fire Sect grounds, there aren¡¯t outsiders here,¡± he said. They pointed at me. I looked at myself as well. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not wearing blue?¡± His smile faltered for a second. I was wearing the red and black robe Chen Wei had bought me. ¡°Which sect are you from?¡± So all the sects are color coded. ¡°I¡¯m not from any sect, I just happen to be wearing red today. Sorry about any confusion.¡± ¡°See? He¡¯s fine,¡± he comforted his pack, who were all giving me the death glare again. Damnit, I want his charisma stat. ¡°One little thing though, let me touch the plant after you buy it.¡± I said, ¡°I won¡¯t take anything, I just want to touch it.¡± ¡°Sure, of course,¡± he beamed. I handed him a jade. ¡°Also, give me the change, kay?¡± He bobbed his head up and down. After he purchased it, an employee unlocked the case and handed it to him. I read the name tag on the case, it read ¡°Life Absorbing Vine, Twenty Thousand Shards.¡± He took it with a grin and held it out for me. I tapped a leaf growing off the vine and used Identify, ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in debt!¡± I¡¯d never seen somebody so happy while announcing their debt. I bought a backpack and a couple vials with the change and followed his group out of the store. I spoke with him along the way. He was easy to speak to, anybody who talked with him immediately felt like friends. ¡°I still haven¡¯t asked you for your name,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m Jin,¡± I replied. ¡°Well hello then, Jin. My name¡¯s Fei Huo Tian, of the Sapphire Fire Sect!¡± he said. Hou Tian was an extremist. Not a political extremist, but an emotional extremist. ¡°Oh, I thought you were from the Blue Fire Sect. Sorry, I¡¯m new here, which sect is that?¡± I asked. He pointed to my left. ¡°My sect is over there.¡± All I saw was a cluster of mountains and valleys. ¡°Which mountain?¡± I asked. ¡°All of them,¡± he said. I raised my eyebrows. Maybe the Blue Fire Sect really was a small sect if this random guy¡¯s sect owned a small mountain range. ¡°So I¡¯m guessing the Blue Fire Sect and your sect are friendly?¡± I said. ¡°Very much so! The politics in this city are usually pretty messy, but our sects are close friends and have been so for hundreds of years,¡± he paused his explanation. ¡°You say you¡¯re new here? Did you mean new to the sect or to the city?¡± ¡°Both¡± ¡°And you¡¯re living in the Blue Fire Sect?¡± he asked. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll really need to know this. There¡¯s this sect called the Crimson Fire Sect. They¡¯re trying to take the Blue Flame territory. My sect is one of the reasons they haven¡¯t been able to do it. My sect is very powerful, able to rival the people from Crimson,¡± he said proudly, ¡°Crimson isn¡¯t able to attack the Blue Fire Sect up front, so they¡¯re trying a bunch of other techniques.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Oh, by the way,¡± I said, ¡°Does your sect have any prison cells that can hold fourth stage experts?¡± ¡°I think so. Why?¡± he said. ¡°Nothing.¡± We kept talking until we reached the sect gates, where we parted. He handed me a slip of paper telling me where I could find him in the future. I headed back home afterward. I unlocked the gate and opened it. As I expected(and planned), Hui Ming was nowhere to be found. The vine that had tied her to the Prison Pineapple lied on the ground, snapped in two. Chapter 27 I had left her with just a couple loose restraints. The only thing keeping her here was a single vine, of course she would break out. Predicting this wasn¡¯t hard, so I had Programmed the pineapple to swallow her if the vine ever started to break. I opened the Prison Pineapple. A mass of vines flooded into the slit. Using the vines, I probed around the interior of the pineapple. I felt Hui Ming jumping around in the pineapple through my connection with the pineapple. I quickly cornered her. She shouted and cut at my vines. Despite my vines being many times harder than steel, her blade was able to cut through some of them. However, she couldn¡¯t cut through all of the endless wave of vines. I captured her and dragged her out, taking her weapons away. This time, she couldn¡¯t keep her cool. She screamed and punched against my vines. I was pounded into the ground by multiple successive blasts of Qi. It wasn¡¯t very comfortable. I let her push me around for a bit before getting a vine to anchor me to the ground. I ignored her and let my vines bring me back to the house. I walked the rest of the way to the bedroom. I shoved my face into a pillow. Was it right for me to imprison her just because I wanted to keep my powers secret? How would my parents and friends think of me if they found out I was doing this? I stared at myself through a mirror across the bedroom. I didn¡¯t look very different from before. The only difference was my clothing. I had the same puffy black hair and the same body, but had my morals changed? Light sobs reached my ears through the walls of the house. I turned so the pillow rested on my face, pulled down by gravity. Guilt built up as I listened to her sobs. The longer I listened, the more restless I became. A crushing weight on my chest, a dry throat. I stood with a conflicted frown on my face and walked back outside. She raised her head. She looked absolutely miserable. Her previously strong and rebellious demeanor had vanished, replaced by puffy red eyes and tears. Muddled feelings of guilt and confusion manifested on my face as an even deeper frown. I¡¯m selfish. I wasn¡¯t going to let her go. ¡°Can I have some pie?¡± she asked through her sobs. I may be selfish, but I still had guilt. My guilt gripped me like a master puppeteer.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Sure,¡± I mumbled, before springing off to buy pie. I ran through the streets, letting my Nosey Ginseng enhanced nose sniff out for the nearest bakery. I was moving so fast I could feel the air resist my movement. I blew into a bakery. ¡°You got any pie?¡± I shouted. The cashier turned his head so fast I heard his neck creak. ¡°What the- ye- yes?¡± he stuttered. ¡°Uh, which one do you want?¡± ¡°Who cares? Just give me one, any one.¡± He handed me a large square pie. ¡°It¡¯ll be twenty four shar-¡± I slapped a silver jade slip on the counter and ran out with the pie. Halfway home, the guilt lost its grip on me. I still felt terrible, but not to the point of pie buying maniacy. I jumped over my own gate and handed her the pie. The restraints on her hands fell off and the vines set her on the ground. Only a couple vines remained tied around her feet. ¡°Let me go get a fork.¡± I ran into the kitchen and ran back out. I moved to remove the vines around her feet but I stopped myself. Instead, I watched her pick up the pie and shovel it in her mouth. Dear God, she hasn¡¯t eaten since I captured her. ¡°How¡­ how did you know my favorite pie was walp pie?¡± she asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I just asked the bakery for any pie. Is that your favorite pie? I guess I got lucky,¡± I said. ¡°My favorite pie is walp pie,¡± she stated again. The pie was quite big, at least three centimeters thick. When she finished half of it, she started talking again, albeit hesitantly. ¡°How do you do that with the plants...sir?¡± For some reason, I felt fine with her calling me sir. The revulsion that usually came when others called me that simply didn¡¯t show up. ¡°I can manipulate plants that I make. I don¡¯t know how I do it, I just do it. You¡¯ve seen me do it, so I think you can guess the rest of how it works.¡± ¡°You told me-in the beginning when we first met-you told me you weren¡¯t part of the Blue Fire Sect¡­ is that true?¡± Why was she asking me all these questions? ¡°Yes,¡± I said. She sighed. It sounded like a sigh of relief, but I couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°As I said, I just arrived here. I hardly even know anything about this sect. I happened to meet the sect head a couple weeks back, and here I am.¡± I chuckled, ¡°If I¡¯m honest, I don¡¯t know how I got here either, or where I¡¯ll be going. I¡¯m still trying to learn and adapt.¡± ¡°Are you going to joining the sect soon?¡± she asked. Why did she care? I shrugged, ¡°This seems like a nice place, and the sect head is a good person, so maybe I will. But again, I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ll be doing.¡± I pinched my chin absentmindedly. The conversation started feeling smoother, more natural. ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with the sect head?¡± she asked. ¡°I have no idea. Something like friends, but she holds way too much respect for me for us to be called friends. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s pretty complicated,¡± I responded. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m from the Crimson Fire Sect,¡± she said. Was that supposed to answer my question? ¡°I know, Chen Wei told me, remember? You were there.¡± ¡°Yes sir, but the Crimson Fire Sect is at war with the Blue Fire Sect. You might get caught up in it,¡± she said. So I might get caught up in their war. ¡°So?¡± Observations aren¡¯t commands. I didn¡¯t know what she was trying to imply. ¡°Will you¡­ side with the Blue Fire Sect?¡± she asked. ¡°Probably,¡± I said. She looked down at her pie. There was just one square of pie left, a sixteenth of the whole pie. She held it up to me. ¡°Would you like this pie?¡± she asked. I walked up to her and accepted it. I went back into my house with the last piece of pie. I heard a whisper as I closed the door. ¡°Thank you.¡± Chapter 28 Most of the books on the bookshelf in my bedroom were useless to me. Most of them were on the array of Daos. I wasn¡¯t interested in Daos. Perhaps I would give them a try later, but for now, I had other things to worry about. I was drawing blanks when it came to the issue with Hui Ming. I had a couple solutions, one of them was to make her swallow the seed of an Explosive Bulb. If I went with that plan, I would tell her I would kill her if she told anybody information about me. Then I¡¯d let her go. Of course, that plan didn¡¯t take into account her loyalty to her sect. She might value her sect above her life. Or she might think I¡¯m bluffing as well. In any case, there was a chance she would tell her sect about me. That method also came too close to the explosive slave collar method, which I despised. To keep my mind off these matters, I turned my attention to alchemy. As of now, I cared very little for most of the people of this world. I gave the people here a surface level of respect as fellow human beings, but not much more than that. I only knew the names of three people: Chen Wei, the sect head. Hou Tian, the guy I met at the alchemy store. And Hui Ming, the spy sitting outside. Of them, the one I cared for the most was Chen Wei. She had helped me a lot, even giving me a place to stay for free. Maybe renting wasn¡¯t even a concept here. I would¡¯ve been left on the streets. Hui Ming? She was a huge thorn in my side. I couldn¡¯t wait to find a way to get rid of her. Hou Tian, I felt that he was a good person, although I don¡¯t know much about him. He still owed me some soul shards. In the future, I was certain I would get closer with a lot of people. In that case, it would be best if they were as strong as possible. As an alchemist, I would be able to construct powerful pills to artificially boost them up if they weren''t able to do it themselves. Other alchemists wouldn¡¯t be able to do this. They don¡¯t have an infinite pool of rare ingredients. I just needed to touch an ingredient once to copy it. Additionally, it¡¯d be great if I could masquerade as an alchemist. My future identity in the city would be Alchemy Grandmaster Jin. I liked the sound of that. Alchemy Grandmaster Jin. The majority of alchemy was memorizing ingredients and their uses. An alchemy student needed to know nearly a thousand herbs, what they looked like, how to identify them, and how to use them. They were all split into different sections with a bunch of overlap, each with many exceptions.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. But I could permanently memorize everything about the plants just by touching them. I was certain that the alchemists of this world had missed many of the attributes Identify was able to find. The only thing I wasn¡¯t able to instantly memorize was the names of the plants, but thankfully, the people of this world were just as bad at naming as I was. With names like Six Petal Goldflower, it was obvious what the plant looked like. I could use this method to guess which plants each name referred to. And so I decided to begin on the Dao of Alchemy. I picked up the backpack I had bought last time and headed back to the Blue Fire Alchemy Garden. I bought a bunch of books on beginners alchemy and touched all the plants that weren¡¯t behind a glass case. I also bought a caldron for refining(or burning) my medicine. It was a bulky iron pot that I should never have been able to lift. But after eating the ginsengs, I lifted it with ease. The cauldron was expensive though, it cost forty thousand soul shards, which was nearly all I had gotten from selling pollen from the Mist Lighting Flowers. I spent the rest of the day looking through the alchemy books while filling vials with some basic ingredients. The next day, I started doing the actual alchemy. For conception stage medicine, there was no need to use the refining process. I mashed up some herbs and mixed them with each other¡­ twenty of them, in a precise order, without messing up a step. I said the instructions aloud to keep track of the steps. ¡°Two drops of Spirit Grass extract mixed with ten drops of water¡­¡± ¡°Add twenty drops of moonshine weed juice.¡± a seed at my side transformed into a moonshine weed. I held it above the cauldron. ¡°Hm, shouldn¡¯t it be twenty two drops? Whatever.¡± I added twenty two drops. ¡°One Black Spotted White Mushroom, crushed. Stir for two minutes.¡± I continue following the directions and thirty minutes later, I had the finished product. I had no way to test it, so I put into a vial and stored it away. I spent the next five days making more conception stage medicine. I got the hang of it by the fifth day. I was making my own recipes at that point, completely ignoring the books. My comprehensive knowledge of the plants was beyond helpful. I was able to intuitively link herb to herb to create better and better recipes. I was ready to move onto the next stage: the refining process. For this, I needed high quality control of flames and a good recipe. I created a conception stage pill and began preparing the cauldron.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Myriad Flame Vine¡± has been named! Experience required for next level has not been reached! Myriad Flame Vine stays at level one!
I took a seed and put four thousand mana into it. I threw it out the window.
Myriad Flame Vine has reached level two! Myriad Flame Vine has reached level three! Myriad Flame Vine has reached level four! Myriad Flame Vine has reached level five! Myriad Flame Vine has reached level six!
I designed them to look exactly like snakes. They had scales, a mouth, and everything else. As the name suggested, they could also breathe fire. Ten seeds in my pocket transformed into the snakes and slithered up to the cauldron. I couldn¡¯t control the flame like a cultivator with the Dao of fire could, but my method was just as effective if not more. I put the cauldron on the ground and the pill in the middle of the cauldron. I rubbed my hands together and started the refining process. Chapter 29 Two of the snake like vines crawled into the cauldron and breathed a steady flame at both sides of the pill. Both snakes were tiny, thinner than my pinky finger. I regulated the temperature as best I could, rotating the fire slowly as a book instructed. I continued as the book instructed for another two hours, alternating the size and heat of the flame. My control skill was at level eight, but it still took all my mental capacity to control the flames for two hours straight. Only after this time had passed did the pill become a first cycle pill. The book called the pill an Endless Vitality Pill. It obviously didn¡¯t give endless vitality, but it did boost endurance for some time. This wasn¡¯t some miraculous pill like the Golden Transformation Pill, which was the pill created from the Six Petal Goldflower I¡¯d given to Chen Wei. But my goal was to eventually create a sixth cycle Golden Transformation Pill. I didn¡¯t care much for actually creating it, I just wanted to get to the point where I could. If I could get to that level of mastery over alchemy, I would be worthy of being called an alchemy grandmaster. At the same time, I would be able to create almost any pill I wanted. But no pain, no gain. - A month of hard work later, the living room of my house had transformed into an alchemy haven. An endless supply of precious pills lie scattered on the ground. I smiled at the sixth cycle Golden Transformation Pill that lay at the bottom of my cauldron. According to the alchemy books, it usually took thirty years of practice and study to get to the point of being able to create a sixth cycle pill. Two advantages let me cross this barrier in just a month: the Identify skill and infinite resources to practice with.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv7This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Max MP : 13000 Regen : 17MP/min
Control Lv9 Meld LvMAX Improve Lv9 Wither LvMAX Identify Lv1 Program Lv7 Prolong Lv5 (max. 5 seeds at a time)
Fulffpile Lv5 Vines Lv18 Boney Ginseng Lv6 Protect Lv8 Distract Lv5 Meaty Ginseng Lv7 Skinny Ginseng Lv13 Calories Lv8 Twentytacle Trap Lv14 Poison Spike Lv12 Explosive Bulb Lv11 Night Day Flower Lv7 Strings Lv5 Blade Lv9 Six Petal Goldflower Lv8 Pluto Flytrap Lv8 Prison Pineapple Lv11 Glowing Pineapple Lv8 Sticky Vines Lv9 Helium Plant Lv5 Eerie Ginseng Lv6 Nosy Ginseng Lv6 Eyebally Ginseng Lv6 Myriad Flame Vine Lv9
Just to cure my OCD, I made everything at least level five. Except for Identify. It refused to level up no matter how much I used it. I didn¡¯t have enough space in the yard to hold a lot of plants. So to level up my plants, I would make one with a couple thousand mana and then Wither it. I picked up the knife that I had taken from Hui Ming. This knife was far stronger and sharper than any other knife I had. It was also coated with poison, but not any poison that I couldn¡¯t easily dispel with a pill. I stabbed it into my palm. My impenetrable fortress of skin stopped it. The tip of the knife cracked and flew across the room. Another month of Skinny Ginsengs had hardened my skin beyond comprehension. I threw a seed out the window and it turned into a web of Sticky Vines. It grew to cover the top of my property. More vines moved up to support it. Now, it was impossible to leave my estate without breaking my vines or the walls. I walked outside. Hui Ming looked up at me with calm eyes. After a month of staying here, she was used to it. She pointed at the sticky vines I set up. ¡°What are those for, sir?¡± The vines around her feet fell to the floor, limp. ¡°Huh?¡± she stood up, surveying me. ¡°I see, thank you,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t attack me. Even if she did, there was nothing she could do to harm me. I nodded. I threw a seed to the ground. It turned into a small hut. Now that everything was out of the way, I had to focus on the less fun, more tedious parts of my to-do list. I left to find the library to learn more about this world. Chapter 30 Li Hui Ming I know what happens to spies when they¡¯re caught. It¡¯s a brief interrogation, followed by an even briefer decapitation. That¡¯s why the plan was to never be captured. It was practically impossible to capture a fourth stage cultivator anyway. As a fourth stage cultivator, almost nobody could claim to be able to beat me. My presence alone was usually able to stamp out any conflict. But the man who captured me could manipulate multiple monstrous plants that even I couldn¡¯t resist. In reality, he probably wasn¡¯t even a man. He was probably a sentient plant monster. Everything he did came with a nonchalant ease. The most strained I¡¯ve seen him become was when he bought a pie. I couldn¡¯t see through him at all. Yet, unbelievably, my head still rested on my shoulders. No interrogation needles hovered above me. I looked up and shivered, hugging myself rather pathically. The Yellow Oval loomed over me, staring me down. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. A primal fear rose up whenever I looked at the yellow object. All the other plants in the garden were familiar. Most of them were vines, and others were exotic fruit, but I¡¯ve seen them all before. This yellow-scaled Oval Alien watched over me at all times. Trapped. Dark, alone, and helpless. My attacks I was so confident in bouncing off walls I couldn¡¯t see. When would I be let out of this darkness? Tomorrow? Next year? Until I starved? That was The Yellow Oval. Its invincible presence dominated me, suppressing all desire to rebel. And that was only one of the many things in this garden that could kill me. I touched my stomach. Despite all this, Jin had let me live and even given me my favorite pie. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met anyone as kind as him. I should¡¯ve noticed it earlier. He¡¯s been doing all he could to make me as comfortable as possible. Rich, kind, and powerful. I knew many people who would readily come to serve him. I touched the spot where vines used to wrap around my left foot. I felt the line between the vines and my flesh, then my fingers traced all the way up my leg. These were muscles I¡¯ve trained since I was four years old, all to serve the Crimson Fire Sect. Plucked out of a mountainside village for my talent, every inch of my body was tempered to serve the sect. I loved my sect. It was the centerpiece of my life. I shivered when I imagined what could happen if my sect ever truly clashed with the Blue Fire Sect. Jin said it himself, he would probably side with the Blue Fire Sect. Something in me told me I didn''t want to know what would happen if Crimson Fire and Jin clashed head to head. The sense of foreboding grew as I stayed in his garden, watching him go about his daily life. His actions defied reality. I would do anything to stop a clash between my sect and Jin, but at this rate, it seemed inevitable. I walked from underneath The Yellow Oval. How could I prevent this confrontation? How could I prevent this calamity? Chapter 31 Li Hui Ming Jin and I were reading together at the picnic table. For some reason, Jin only bought books on history and alchemy. I couldn''t understand anything in the alchemy books, but the history books were interesting. I was reading ¡°Origins Of The Black Fire Sect¡±, which chronicled the adventures of the Black Fire Sect founder. Tales of his adventures may have been exaggerated, but they were entertaining nevertheless. I glanced at Jin. He was reading a compilation of everybody who had ever gotten to the dao traversal stage, the realm above the nine dao formation stages. It was one of the most well written books out there, but he looked bored out of his mind. He flipped to the next page as if it were a terrible chore. He looked up and saw me looking at him. Too late, I tried to look down. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find the fiction section in the bookstores and libraries. Are they banned in this sect or something?¡± Jin asked. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®fiction¡¯?¡± Aloof and eccentric, Jin is a total mystery to me. He had disappeared into his house for more than forty days. I heard explosions and other noises characteristic of alchemy. Then he finally came out again and bought a cart of books on history. He must¡¯ve bought a copy of every book in the history section. But he acted as if reading them was a form of passive torture. He stared at me blankly, ¡°You know, fiction.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°How could you possibly- ah, never mind,¡± he said. He went back to flipping through the books with dispassionate eyes. A loud thump as Jin threw a book to the floor. The spine of the book broke apart, the pages exploding out. Hundreds of yellowed sheets fluttered to the ground. Startled, I jumped up. ¡°Sir? What¡¯s wrong?¡± He turned to me. I saw pure panic in his face. There was nothing abnormal around us. What was he so scared about? The earth started shaking. I looked around myself, searching for the source of the shaking. Dozens of twenty-tentacled plant monsters crawled out from underground. Vines from all over the garden came to life and moved towards Jin. I stumbled back. A snake wider than I was tall brushed past me. A huge blade rose out of the ground. Where had all of these come from? More importantly, what could make Jin feel he needed to take them out? What would warrant such a show of force? The plants stacked on each other with Jin at the top. His plants assembled into a tower, lifting him high into the air. He jumped down and the plants disassembled and returned to their original places. In the span of twenty seconds, his plants assembled into a giant tower and disassembled again, as if nothing had happened. Normally, when I faced somebody significantly more powerful than myself, I feel a primal fear that forces me to act. With Jin, it was the exact opposite. He doesn¡¯t inspire fear, I¡¯m comfortable reading history sitting next to him. I felt fine when I stood next to him, but it was moments like this when I was reminded why I had to keep him away from my sect. Instead of an instinctual fear, it was menacing knowledge. He ripped a page out of a book and pointed at a corner of it. It was a map of the city. ¡°Go to this place,¡± he threw me a seed in a box, ¡°crush this box and a shell will come out and protect you.¡± He spoke quickly and flutteringly. He bit his bottom lip and gave me a pained look. ¡°Chen Wei might be at that spot on the map. Please save her if you can. I know you¡¯re enemies. I¡¯ll do what I can to compensate for you, or your sect.¡± He stared at me. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it felt like he was scanning the depths of my soul. Tiny changes in his body language told me of the boiling anger underneath that desperation. The vines covering his estate fell to the ground and he dashed off. The net of vines that covered the estate disappeared. I stared at the box in my hands. I could leave. I could just leave. I could go back to my sect and pretend nothing had happened. I grabbed the map and jumped in the direction of place he had pointed to. Barefoot, I felt roof tiles crumble beneath my feet, my short hair fluttering in the wind. Chapter 32 Li Hui Ming Somebody from the Blue Fire Sect tried to stop me. I dodged past him and continued towards the place on the map. I leapt over the sect¡¯s fence. Once I was outside the sect, I called upon my Dao to force me to go faster. My body radiated heat, little spurts of crimson fire occasionally appeared out of thin air. I dashed forward, my right foot leaving a hole in the ground behind me. It took incredibly fast reflexes to move at this speed in a city. I dodged left and right, jumping off the walls of the streetside buildings. With the Scorching Sandstep movement technique, I could move at the speed of a regular fifth stage cultivator. I was lucky to have discovered a technique that fit me so well, most techniques were made from a Dao that deviated too from my own for me to learn them. People looked up as I passed above them. The wave of heat hit them after I passed, making them duck down. I heard sounds of buildings falling ahead of me. An extremely powerful cultivator had to be fighting. I turned a corner to get closer to the sounds. I found two people, both wearing crimson robes, whaling on an oval piece of wood. The buildings around them were all blown away. Layers of wood continuously splintered under their assault. The wood had been thick enough to withstand the assault. ¡°Senior Chen, Senior Wang! Please stop, what are you doing?¡± The Blue Fire sect head must be in the shell. Based on what Jin had said, what else could motivate two sixth stage seniors to come out from the Crimson Fire Sect? They hardly spared me a glance. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere with our business, junior.¡± Behind them, a great aura awakened, one greater than I had felt in years. An old man was walking towards the two seniors. A bright flame surrounded the old man, turning all to ash. He carried two spears, one in each hand. A thin white beard hung down on his muscular chest. The broken buildings around him burnt away, regardless of whether they were made of wood or stone. ¡°Elder Zhu.¡± I gasped. I trembled, my previous resolve withering away. In front of seniors Chen and Wang, I still try to save the sect head as Jin had asked me. However, in front of Elder Zhu¡­ The elders of the Crimson Fire Sect were all monsters. Each was able to wipe out small sects single handedly. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Elder Zhu was an eighth stage cultivator. The two seniors stood back with their hands behind them, respectfully waiting for the elder to act. They were obedient dogs waiting for their master¡¯s next command. The wooden shell opened and the head of the Blue Fire Sect jumped out. The earth exploded beneath her feet and she launched off in a desperate attempt to escape. ¡°Hmph!¡± Without moving a finger, she was blasted back toward him. The muscular elder stroked his wispy beard, ¡°I sense somebody approaching from that direction,¡± he pointed into the ocean of buildings. ¡°Take care of it.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± seniors Chen and Wang barked and departed. I stood on shaking legs, alone with Elder Zhu and ¡°Chen Wei¡±. ¡°Stop! Please, Sect Elder Zhu! You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing. Please stop!¡± I screamed. Who knew what Jin would do if she died at the hands of a Crimson Fire sect elder. ¡°Who are you?¡± he stabbed a spear into the ground, the earth rippled and a wall of flame formed around the ring of destroyed buildings. I jumped to dodge the ripple. He frowned and flicked at me. A strand of qi flew out of his index finger and hit me in the forehead. My neck jerked back, cirking from the pressure. Elder Zhu shifted his remaining spear to his right hand. I felt the Qi in the air begin to swirl around him. The Qi funneled into his spear. Raging flames developed the spear. He rose into the air, aiming it at the Blue Fire sect head. In my desperation, I threw the box at the sect head. I hoped it would break when it hit the ground, but my throw had been too soft. The box bounced off the ground and the sect head caught it. I didn¡¯t tell her anything, but she already knew what to do. She crushed the box just as Elder Zhu threw his spear. Another wooden shell covered her body. The spear rammed into the shell, piercing part of the way through. A shockwave spread from where the spear and shell made contact. I held my breath as Elder Zhu turned to stare at me. My body couldn¡¯t decide whether to step back or freeze. It did both, and I stumbled backward. ¡°Little girl¡­¡± He pushed his palm at me. I saw the air ripple before the force slammed into me. Two dull cracks resounded in my stomach. He didn¡¯t even touch me and he cracked two ribs. I shot back into a pile of rubble. I tried to stand and saw Elder Zhu tearing massive chunks out of the wooden shell. Soon, the shell was ripped in two again, exposing the sect head. He balled a hand into a fist. He was about to punch when he looked up, startled. A crimson robed body flew across the rubble and landed a couple meters away from him. The body had come from the direction Elder Zhu had pointed earlier. A deafening crash from the same direction. Another building crashed to the ground. Elder Zhu flipped the man who had been tossed over, revealing the bloodied face of Senior Wang. His robes began twitching like a small animal was trying to get out. Then, a torrent of vines ripped through his robes. The cascade carried the sect head away. The rest of the vines swept at Elder Zhu. Chapter 33 Li Hui Ming The vines delivered the sect head to the feet of masked man. The mask was wooden and undecorated. It had to be Jin. My heart froze. ¡°Sir Jin! Please don¡¯t-¡± He threw a seed to the ground and many more into the air. An abnormally large version of the twenty vined plants rose up from beneath him. The twenty vines were all attached to central blub platform, where Jin and the sect head stood. The twenty vines whipped up and intercepted the other seeds he had thrown up in midair. Huge blades grew at their tips. The other vines that had sprouted from Senior Wang¡¯s robes charged at Elder Zhu. The elder picked his spear out of the wooden shell. The ambient Qi in the earth and air fluctuated with his every motion. The Qi swelled to a maximum and he thrust his spear into the vines. A blinding flash of light. A beam of flame blasted through the vines. The thrust created gusts that consumed the area. The structures around us were completely decimated. The rubble constructed a rocky arena for the four of us. However, the sect head and I could hardly be considered participants in the battle once the real titans appeared. The combination of scorching fire and might of the elder¡¯s spear decimated the vines. The vines were scorched black and blasted away. Elder Zhu stared at the masked Jin. He scrutinized him, but just like me, he couldn¡¯t see through him. He jumped to grab his other spear from out of the ground. He assumed a stance that I had never seen before, presumably one unique to his Dao. ¡°Who are you?¡± Elder Zhu asked Jin. This time, his voice contained a wariness one would never expect from a Crimson Fire elder. Groups of people stood on the roofs of the unbroken buildings. A couple brave cultivators had shown up to watch from afar. ¡°Elder Zhu!¡± I called out, ¡°I beseech you, please don¡¯t fight this man!¡± He ignored me. He might have paid me more attention if he knew I was from his sect. While I had met most of the sixth stage cultivators in the Crimson Fire Sect, I hadn¡¯t met any of the exalted sect elders. ¡°Who are you?¡± the elder asked again. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± said Jin. ¡°Leave. Or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± The twenty tentacles twisted. Twenty blades pointed at the elder. Elder Zhu executed an unfathomably complicated movement technique. In an instant, he dashed forward. His spear pointed at the sect head¡¯s heart, only a couple meters from reaching her. A vine interceded to block his advance. The elder flicked it aside with the spear in his right hand and continued forward with the other spear. The other vines were unable to reach in time. Jin held up another seed. It turned into a wooden wall, two meters thick, shielding them from the elder¡¯s strike. He tossed out two more seeds. One shielded the Blue Fire sect head under a shell. The other transformed into even more vines. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°What¡¯s this? Go ahead. Keep resisting,¡± spoke Elder Zhu. He stabbed his spear into the wooden wall. The wall splintered and blasted apart, chunks of wood flew in every direction. Jin¡¯s vines blocked the pieces that flew at him. The elder turned his attention to Jin. His two spears swept towards him. But the elder was in Jin¡¯s territory. He was standing on Jin¡¯s bulb, surrounded by twenty vines. One its vines slapped the ground, overturning the disc connecting the twenty vines. Naturally, Elder Zhu flipped along with the rest of the plant. Jin jumped off and started controlling the plant from afar. Each of its vines had a blade at its tip. Some of the tentacles acted as feet, controlling the direction of the plant to stay next to the elder. The rest assaulted him from all sides. The disk itself was three stories tall, the rest of the plant was even bigger. Even if it sat still, it would take the elder some time to destroy it. The plant was essentially invincible. Its hulking body made sure nothing could stop its advance. The weight behind a single vine could be blocked, but the combined assault of the entire plant was unstoppable. To the elder¡¯s credit, he was doing fine against the vines. He dodged and blocked every attack, he wasn¡¯t anywhere near losing. But his target wasn¡¯t the plant. After he saw that couldn¡¯t easily beat it, he maneuvered around it and dashed towards Jin. I forced my body to move. I could hardly stand after getting hit by the palm strike from Elder Zhu. Two of my ribs were broken and I could taste blood in my mouth. In this state, it was impossible for me to use any movement techniques. I could only rely on my last vestiges of raw strength. I struggled up and began walking towards the two. The calamity I had predicted had come to pass. From Jin¡¯s perspective, this would permanently antagonize the Crimson Fire Sect. From this battle, I confirmed that my sect couldn¡¯t afford to antagonize this man. Jin had come out completely unprepared, but he was still holding his own against a sect elder. But Jin¡¯s ability shone when he was prepared. This fight would have been over if they had fought in Jin¡¯s garden. A small twenty vined plant rose out the ground. Its tentacles wrapped around the elder¡¯s legs and squeezed. Elder Zhu narrowed his eyes and tried to shake it off. His face turned ashen when he discovered that he couldn¡¯t. Fire started shooting out of his legs. The trap began to loosen, but it was too late. Jin flicked a seed at the elder. It expanded into a tidal wave of vines that crashed over the elder, tying him down and rooting him to the ground. ¡°Arrgh!¡± he grunted, trying to free himself with brute force. The few vines he broke were quickly replaced by a new set. In the end, the sect elder ended up with the same fate as I did when I first met Jin: tied to the ground and helpless. I shivered, but I knew what I had to do. I¡¯d been feeling a certain pressure on my soul for the past month. It seemed The Will Of The World was willing to assist me. Jin walked up to the elder, holding particularly large seed. The elder¡¯s spears were tugged out of his grasp. A shot of Qi rammed into Jin, but he withstood it with no problems. Flames spurted out from the elder. Jin stood amidst the flames and stayed uninjured. He forced the elder¡¯s mouth open and put the seed inside. I let the weight on my soul consume me. Then the weight vanished, and a ripple surged from my soul. The ripple brushed past everybody¡¯s souls. They froze and turned to me. Even if they hadn¡¯t seen this happen before, they would subconsciously know what was happening. As the world¡¯s will dictated, nobody was allowed to move. Even somebody at dao traversal wouldn¡¯t be able to resist The Will Of The World, much less an eighth stage cultivator like Elder Zhu. Two hundred years ago, the Will Of the World had descended in the middle of a battlefield. An entire sector of the battlefield containing an estimated seven hundred people, all stopped fighting. The people who weren¡¯t frozen didn¡¯t dare to make a move on the ones who were. My soul resonated with Jin, Elder Zhu, Chen Wei, the seniors, and all of the spectators. ¡°Master Jin, please spare Elder Zhu.¡± I am a proud member of the Crimson Fire Sect. An ant in the colony, a bee in the hive, a member of the sect. If one life had to be sacrificed for the sect, so be it. I threw everything into one final gamble. With my meager power, only this could move the titans before me. I put everything I had on the table. Jin, although powerful, was also kind. He stuck by ridiculously strict morals. ¡°I swear on my truesoul.¡± I stared at Jin and said with all the conviction I could muster. ¡°I¡¯ll serve you for the rest of my life.¡± Now, he owed me. Or owned me. Take your pick. A Brief Overview Of Wuxia Some of you may not be familiar with wuxia terms and concepts so here¡¯s a brief overview of some parts of the genre. I¡¯m not an expert on the subject, but here¡¯s the relevant information. Wuxia : Wuxia is a genre of fantasy with origins in China that focuses on martial arts and adventure. You may have seen some wuxia based fantasies on this site, such as The Dao Of Magic. Royal Road Legends is filled with wuxia stories, although many of them have two star grammar. If you want to read wuxia, I would suggest going on Wuxiaworld, a site that provides high quality english translations for wuxia novels. A good gateway wuxia would be Desolate Era, by I Eat Tomatoes. Names : Chinese names are structured with the last name coming first and the first name coming last. The last name is normally one word and the first name is usually one or two words. (Last Name)(First Name) (Li)(Hui Ming) (Fei)(Huo Tian) (Xing)(Chen Wei) So Chen Wei¡¯s last name is ¡°Xing¡±, which is why she is sometimes addressed as Sect Head Xing. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Sibling Titles : In english slang, men often call close friends ¡°bro¡±. Used in this context, the word ¡°bro¡± does not indicate sibling status. The same thing happens in wuxia, such as when people are called ¡°junior apprentice brother¡±. The word ¡°brother¡± as it used there is not used to indicate sibling status, it¡¯s simply used to indicate gender and some amount of closeness. Cultivator : People who practice martial arts in wuxia are normally called cultivators, or ¡°daoists¡±. Stages : Wuxia novels love to separate powerful levels into a bunch of stages. Instead of a steady progression of power, wuxia characters suddenly get a huge power up when they enter the next stage. However, it¡¯s still possible for particularly talented people to be able to fight somebody a stage above them. However, stages are often also applied to other things such as technique stages or medicine stages. I use ¡°cycle¡± for medicine, such as the ¡°sixth cycle Golden Transformation pill¡±, but the concept is the same. The medicine increases greatly in quality when it reaches a higher stage. Naming Items/Techniques/Ingredients/Monsters : Wuxia names sound like a bunch of cool words smashed together. The technique names are similar to the phrases anime characters yell out when they make a move. Some real examples : Windhowl, Annihilating Tempest, Void Extermination. Non-technique examples : Violet-Gold Rat King, Blueheart Grass, Bloodviolet, Violet Blood Ginseng King, Void Imperfection Water, Grandmist Energy, Grand Completion Hell Suppressing Physique. ¡°Call me father/grandfather¡± : A common trope in wuxia is for arrogant people to demand others to call them father or grandfather. It¡¯s a huge sign of disrespect, the equivalent of calling somebody a dog. Dao : The direct translation of this word is ¡°path¡±. Daoism is a legitimate philosophy practiced today, but in wuxia, it¡¯s another power-related concept. This story explains it as the way people use Qi, but the word may be used differently in other wuxia stories. Side note : ¡°Tao¡± and ¡°Dao¡± are different ways of spelling the same word. I only use the spelling with a D. Qi : The wuxia energy. The equivalent to mana, it¡¯s an energy added to wuxia worlds to make superhuman feats possible. Pronounced ¡°chi¡±. I¡¯ll add more information as needed. I think this is all that¡¯s essential so far. - Side Note : The mere existence of female characters ¡Ù Romance Chapter 34 I put a hand in my pocket and felt for the largest seed I could find. I threw it in the air and snatched it out of midair. I felt strangely calm. I stared down at the old man and walked towards him. Tied and unable to move, he could only glare back at me and fling Qi at me.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv7 MP : 9857/13000 Regen : 17MP/min
I hadn¡¯t spent much mana today. With Control at level nine, manipulating these plants cost very little. Most of my mana went to making seeds and plants. I was hit by a blast of Qi. It forced me back half a step. My vines came up from behind me and supported me. I continued walking forward. Flames flooded out from his body, enveloping me and my vines. The flames felt hot, but it was more like the light of the summer sun than torrid flames. The pebbles did not feel the same. They melted under the heat. I put an additional five thousand mana into the seed in my hand, more than all the mana I had spent during the fight. I used Prolong on the seed. It was the seed of an Explosive Bulb.
Four out of five Prolong slots left!
The old man looked at me with fear. Ha! I bet he didn¡¯t think the fight would turn out like this. From the books I had read, even a third stage cultivator would normally be able to act arrogantly in the city. The mass majority of people were far less powerful than third stage cultivators. This guy was far above them. I continued forward and forced his mouth open. I gave him a cold look and shoved the seed into his mouth. I reached down further and pushed it down his throat. He threw up, but ended up swallowing the seed anyway.I forced him to swallow another seed, which turned into vines inside his stomach. They pierced the wall of his stomach and tied the seed to his body, permanently locking it in place. My skin began to tingle. A wave swept across me. It wasn¡¯t a physical feeling, it was more like an emotion. Turned my head to the side and stop moving. My eyes ended on Hui Ming, who was struggling to stand. She stood, she looked at me with unsettling eyes. I¡¯d imagine this is how it feels to meet a god. A feeling of reverence welled up within me. I didn¡¯t know what this reverence was directed at. Before I could make any more stupid speculations, Hui Ming started speaking. ¡°Master Jin, please spare Elder Zhu.¡± Master Jin? When did she start calling me that? And sparing the elder? I was prepared to kill him if I couldn¡¯t capture him. But now that he walked into my trap and I seized him, I didn¡¯t plan to kill him. With that seed in his stomach, I could kill him whenever I wanted. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°I swear on my truesoul. I¡¯ll serve you for the rest of my life.¡± she said. Her words resonated within me, and I finally understood what was happening. I¡¯ve read about this earlier. This was a truesoul vow, assisted by the Will Of The World. It wasn¡¯t that she would die if she broke her promise, it was that keeping that promise had become one of her fundamental desires. We all have fundamental desires that serve as serve as our puppet masters. We want to eat, drink, and sleep. But we also want to avoid pain, stay warm, and have sex. Be loyal, make friends, and play trashy mobile games. We wouldn¡¯t move without these desires. Without anything to motivate us, we stop moving like a puppet with its strings cut. A new desire, one of serving me, had been added her arsenal of other desires. Swearing on the truesoul was a such a rare event because it was impossible without the assistance of The Will Of The World. Sometimes, the Will Of The World would descend on the most mundane of promises. It had once happened on a promise to make beef noodle soup. Other times, it made indelible marks on the world. The country I was in, the Raisin Country, was once a tiny country on the brink of collapse. A peasant swore on their truesoul that they would make Raisin great again. He became king in two years and turned the country around in twenty. While Hui Ming didn¡¯t make a promise like that great king, this was still a very beneficial for me. I¡¯d been thinking about getting assistants and guards to keep up appearances as an alchemist. But seeing that I hadn¡¯t gotten to that stage yet, I had pushed that matter aside. Loyal subordinates are hard to come by. No, impossible to come by. Especially since this world has a history of backstabber servants becoming lords. An emperor of ten nations would pay a fortune for truly loyal subordinates. I also came to understand why she did this. She wanted me to spare her sect elder, but I hadn¡¯t been planning to kill him. To be fair, I wasn¡¯t without ambition, it was just that my ambition was passive. I didn¡¯t like to go out and directly conquer, it wasn¡¯t my style. Why should a spider leave its den? I liked to let the insects scurry to me instead. But I don¡¯t sit around idly either, I¡¯m more complicated than a spider. When a chance comes by, I can snatch it. I had planned to use the old man as a link into the Crimson Fire Sect. Having a sect elder I could blackmail was an advantage I wasn¡¯t willing to pass up. I felt bad about Hui Ming dedicating her life to me for nothing. I felt like I¡¯d cheated her out of something. The force that froze me vanished. I looked at Hui Ming¡¯s broken form. She was sprawled on the ground in excruciating pain. She twisted her neck and looked up at me, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Jin¡±. After her truesoul vow, her loyalty towards me grew many times stronger than her loyalty to her sect. I sighed and touched my mask. I walked to Hui Ming and put a couple ginsengs in her mouth. Unlike with Chen Wei, I didn¡¯t modify them. These ginsengs gave her all the benefits they gave me. I heard noises of a group of cultivators dashing through the air. Seconds later, five blue robed men showed up. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± One of them demanded when they saw the destruction. Even more cultivators were coming from every direction, attracted by the sound of our fight. His eyes darted between the trapped elder, the Hui Ming, and my masked self, trying to figure out what was going on. Chen Wei was still hidden by the Protect. I used wither on all my plants except the Protect on Chen Wei. ¡°Try to attack me and I¡¯ll let that seed in your belly sprout,¡± I whispered to the elder. The vines on his body withered away. I grabbed the Protect and opened it. ¡°Hi,¡± I put Hui Ming in, ¡°It might get a little cramped!¡± I said cheerily and closed it again. Another seed turned into a handle and melded with the shell. I wrapped my hand around the handle and took off. The people who had just arrived didn¡¯t chase after me. I kept running and I jumped over the sect gate. Nobody guarded the walls so I was able to get through undetected. I blended in with the rest of sect members, except for the giant walnut I dragged behind me. I threw it over the fence of my garden. I opened the gate and walked through normally. The two sides of the Protecc popped open. Hui Ming lay curled at the bottom of the shell, unconscious. Chen Wei looked around warily before shuddering twice, hopefully from relief. ¡°Thank you, Jin.¡± I sat on one of the chairs next to the picnic table. Ripped pages were still scattered on the tiled earth. My arms hung limp. ¡°I¡¯m never doing that again, you got that?¡± Chapter 35 ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she couldn¡¯t find more words to say. ¡°On my list of priorities, saying sorry would be last,¡± I walked to Hui Ming, ¡°Do you know of any quick ways to heal her?¡± Chen Wei tried as best she could to be helpful. ¡°I¡¯d advise waking her up so she can assess her injuries. She should be strong enough to manipulate her insides to some degree. Then we can prescribe medicine appropriate for her condition. I¡¯ll go get an alchemist.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t go yet. I don¡¯t want to attract more attention than necessary. The fewer people that know about this, the better.¡± I¡¯d only spent less than two months here, and I¡¯d already landed myself in trouble. I thanked my past self for having the foresight to wear a mask. ¡°I have my own medicine.¡± I ran into the house and placed every medicine related vial I could find onto a tray. I walked back out and thrust a pill designed to wake her up into her mouth. Just kidding, it was just an augmented jalapeno. Her eyes opened and she spat the crushed jalapeno out of her mouth. ¡°Tell the truth, you feeling ok?¡± ¡°No,¡± she groaned. ¡°Where are you hurt?¡± I asked. ¡°Two broken ribs, ruptured liver and stomach, and it¡¯s hard to breathe,¡± I looked to Chen Wei for help. She looked back at me, she didn¡¯t know what to do. I uncorked a vial, ¡°Open wide. Ahhhhh!¡± Chen Wei gave me an odd look. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Open your mouth, please.¡± Hui Ming did I asked. I poured the vial of Angel¡¯s Vitality down her throat. It was a normal all-round healing elixir, but since I refined it to the third cycle, it was plenty effective. I fed her a Phoenix Essence Pill and invited Chen Wei over to help me put salves on her cuts. I had already fed her ginsengs, but I knew the ginsengs were most effective on me. The ginsengs weren¡¯t as effective on other people. I had to use other medicine to help the ginsengs. Hui Ming did her best to hold back from groaning, but some still occasionally escaped her throat. After we were done, I backed off. ¡°Can you fall asleep at will?¡± I asked. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Yes,¡± she whispered. ¡°Then do that, please.¡± She closed her eyes, ¡°Nighty night,¡± I said as I closed the Protect over her. Chen Wei gave me another odd look. ¡°It means ¡®have a nice nap¡¯. Anyway, I need to move again, don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± she asked, surprised. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you for a while now, I want to keep my identity secret. There are plenty of people who saw me running into this place, I need to leave before they all come running.¡± If other people did me favors, I would feel obligated to pay them back. But this worked both ways. I¡¯d just gone out of my way to save Chen Wei and now I had to abandon the garden I¡¯d worked so hard to build. ¡°Damnit, Chen Wei, give me some money. You¡¯re the sect head, right? You must be loaded, give me some money and show me an estate with a giant garden. Don¡¯t make it within this sect,¡± I glared. She shrank under my stare, she could see how unhappy I was with this whole thing. I had just saved her life, she wouldn¡¯t be so shameless as to refuse. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in twenty minutes,¡± she jumped out of my garden. I still had my mask on. I was afraid somebody might be spying on me. Less than an hour ago, I¡¯d been enjoying a perfectly good day reading. Then a screen popped up informing me that I had all five of my prolong slots open. Of course, that meant that the seed I had given to Chen Wei had been used. I had dashed out to help, which landed me in this mess. I didn¡¯t regret it, but that didn¡¯t mean I had to like it either. ¡°What I mess,¡± I grumbled. After spending more than a month doing alchemy with no company, I¡¯d fallen into a habit of talking to myself. I gathered everything important from my house and changed into a different set of clothes. My alchemy caldron and many of my materials were too big to carry on my own. I loaded them onto a cart that looked like it was supposed to be pulled by horses. Even the weakest cultivators were more powerful than the horses of my old world. These carts were meant to be pulled by humans. In other words, me. I loaded everything I deemed important onto the cart, careful to not leave anything important behind. The Protect with Hui Ming sat at the top of the pile. One of my plants, String, bound all of it together. I covered the cart with a cloth from the bedroom just in time to see Chen Wei come back ¡°Did everything go smoothly?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. She handed me a suitcase and a map. ¡°This case has five million shards worth of gold jade slips. This is a map of our region of the city. My sources tell me there¡¯s a relatively large estate for sale on the place marked on the map.¡± I unfurled the map. It was about as big as a large towel. The roads and landmarks were all sewn into it. It must¡¯ve taken somebody weeks to make this one map. She leaned over and pointed at a blue section of the map. ¡°This is the blue fire sect,¡± she traced her finger to the border of the blue area. ¡°This is the gate we walked through earlier.¡± I nodded along while scanning the map with my eyes. I pointed to a part that was marked by nine intercrossed lines. It was the only marking that was drawn on by ink. ¡°And this is the estate?¡± ¡°Um, yes.¡± She lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about all this.¡± Seeing her dispirited looks, I sighed. ¡°Glad to help, visit me later, yeah?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she beamed. ¡°Before I leave, can you do a quick sweep of this place for spies?¡± I asked. She hopped out and appeared back in front of me in twenty seconds. ¡°All clear!¡± she smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± I threw off my mask and breathed. My vines, pineapple, traps, and everything else dug underground and buried themselves five meters beneath the surface. I bent down to grab the cart. I lifted it and walked out of my old garden. New home, new neighbors, new life. Chapter 36 I took my cart out of the Blue Fire Sect and walked towards the spot on the map. We traveled through vibrant parts of the city. Markets decorated with bright cloth filled the streets. The cloth fluttered in the wind like a swarm of butterflies. We passed a section of towering mansions. We happened by a regal temple guarded by golden statues that I could¡¯ve sworn were alive. After dragging my cart along for an hour, I stopped and took out the map again. I was only one eighth of the way to my destination. I hung my head. An eight hour walk? Really? I trudged along at a regular walking speed, restricted by the roads. A cultivator would be able to dash across the city unimpeded. For somebody like Chen Wei, getting from the Blue Fire Sect to place I was going took under fifteen minutes. But me? I had this cart to carry. Thankfully, the Grand Flames City was a beautiful city. I¡¯d been waiting to come out and explore it. The marvelous sights kept me from boredom. I stopped the cart to check on Hui Ming. Everything on my cart was covered with a sheet, including the Protect holding Hui Ming. I used wither on the Protect while it was still under the sheet. It dissolved into sawdust. I lifted part of the sheet and poked Hui Ming. ¡°Hugbuh?¡± she squeaked. ¡°Hey,¡± I whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t come out yet. I¡¯m moving away from my house in the Blue Fire Sect. You¡¯re in my cart of stuff I¡¯m moving. You feel fine and everything?¡± ¡°Yes master,¡± she whispered back, ¡°I think my cuts are healed. I still have a couple internal injuries but they aren¡¯t life threatening.¡± I cringed at being called master. I guess I¡¯ll have to get used to it. I am her ¡°master¡±, after all. If I wanted a servant, I would need to live with the titles. ¡°We¡¯re going to hide out a good distance away from the two sects. Also, I¡¯m going to call you ¡®Xiao Li¡¯ from now on, it¡¯s an alias for you. I need you to stay here because you¡¯re still wearing the same clothes as when we were fighting. Your shredded robes aren¡¯t what I¡¯d call inconspicuous.¡± I gave her a wooden mask that only covered the top half of her face. ¡°Use this mask if you need to come out.¡± I put the sheet back down and continued down the road. This was obviously a bad part of town. Even this city had its poorer areas. The shortest path between the sect and the new house contained a stretch of slums. The buildings around here lost the normal vibrance of the city. Shops were run down, decorative plants were replaced with weeds.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I was surprised I didn¡¯t get mugged... until I got mugged. ¡°Hey kid,¡± one relatively strong looking guy and two of his cronies strutted up to me. ¡°Are you carrying that for somebody else?¡± He said. I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m moving across the city on my own.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want any trouble, drop your cart and leave.¡± It was pretty standard stuff. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his cookie cutter lines. ¡°Xiao Li, can you take care of this for me?¡± ¡°Yes master.¡± A blast of Qi and the three of them were smashed into the ground. I flinched for them. I continued walking according to the path on the map. We eventually reached a building at the edge of the slums. I rang the bell at the gate. A man scurried to open the door. There were three bruises dispersed across his face. ¡°Hello?¡± he looked at me warily. ¡°I heard this house was for sale,¡± I said. After he opened the gate, I could see how big this estate was. It was quite the plot of land, barren but large. From a first glance, I estimated it was larger than a professional soccer field. This was a lot of space to work with. Perfect. A relieved smile spread across his face. ¡°Yes, this house is for sale!¡± He seemed eager enough. ¡°For how much?¡± ¡°Four and a half million shards,¡± he confessed. ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± I said immediately. People would normally haggle the price down, but I didn¡¯t have the time to deal with all that. I just wanted to settle down and drink orange juice. ¡°Please let me move in as soon as possible.¡± I felt a light tingle on my back, but I couldn¡¯t scratch it in the middle of a conversation. ¡°You can move in right now. We can finish the transaction at the city hall later if you¡¯d like.¡± he was very accommodating. I talked with him for another couple minutes, smoothing out the plan for the transaction. He went into the house and left with his wife. They didn¡¯t need to bring much with them, they had already moved everything out. This house wasn¡¯t as fancy as the last one, but the garden was big enough to compensate many times over. Hui Ming and I were given the keys before we paid. They seemed very eager to please. My mana had refilled after the eight hour walk. I renovated the garden, replacing their plants with identical ones that were mine. It was tedious but fun. Tedious because of the immense area I had to cover, fun just because it was. Do I need a reason for something to be fun? Of course not. Hui Ming approached me. ¡°Hm?¡± I said, ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re all healed! Impressive.¡± The combined effect of the high grade medicines and her own prowess were enough to make her injuries heal in eight hours. Granted, she still wasn¡¯t in top form, but she could walk around without feeling any pain. I¡¯d underestimated the power of refined medicine. Each additional cycle of refinement induced miraculous changes in the medicine. Powerful cultivators like Hui Ming could recover from severe injuries under half a day. ¡°How can I help?¡± she asked. I shrugged. ¡°Move the everything from the cart into the house. Choose a room and change into different clothes. Is that mask uncomfortable?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Please keep it on from now on,¡± I said. ¡°Yes master,¡± she left to carry out my commands. How convenient. With so much space, I let myself go all out to design my third, and hopefully last, stronghold. Chapter 37 My first day was spent replanting all of the trees as mine. The second day, I created a giant creature roughly modeled after a human. I put sixteen thousand mana into it, making it the largest plant I had ever made. It was absurdly huge. I put two Myriad Flame Snakes on its shoulders and added a bunch of modifications. The most impressive of the modifications were the six bladed vines that stuck out of its back.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Colossus¡± has been named! Colossus has reached level eight!
The Colossus was my ultimate defensive measure. It was too big to hide on the surface, so I buried it underground. I spread smaller versions of it across the surface of the garden, disguised as statues. They were my private army. No more moving for me. I¡¯m done with that. If an army marched to my gates, I would be meeting them with an army of my own. On the third day, I designed the Treefather.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Treefather¡± has been named! Treefather has reached level eight!
The Treefather was my crowning achievement, none of my other plants could compare. I used my extensive knowledge of all the plants I had ever Identified to create the Treefather. Like the largest Colossus, I spent sixteen thousand on it. I planted it on top of my house, its roots ran down the walls. The roots of the Treefather intertwined with the stone building. It¡¯s branches held hundreds of holes, like the work of a giant woodpecker. These holes were for other plants to grow. They were like pots, except they were part of the tree. But unlike regular pots, the Treefather provided the perfect home for any plant small enough to fit in the holes. The nourishment of a Treefather was like a cycle of refinement before the herbs were even harvested. My Improve skill was already at level nine. After spending enough mana on Improving, another window popped up.
Improve has reached level ten! An advanced Cultivator skill has been unlocked : Augment!
I immediately tried it out. I used Identify and Augment at the same time to see what the Augment skill could do. Augment was similar to increasing a plant¡¯s level, but I could now Augment specific aspects of the plant, such as its toughness or regeneration. I could Augment them beyond what the level of the plant could normally provide. With Augment, my level eighteen vines could become stronger than level twenty five vines. But the cost of it was an enormous amount of mana. ¡°The Cultivator¡± gave me a bunch of overpowered skills, but there was a common theme that linked them together; my ability encouraged me to not move. The day I was to pay for the house arrived. The previous owner of the house had scheduled for us to meet at nearest city hall. I took out the map and looked for the town hall. The Grand Flames City was unfathomably large. The city covered an entire mountain range. The city was divided into two main categories of land : sect land and public land. Sect land was land owned by sects and the public land was land owned by everybody else. These territories were constantly in a state of flux. Sect land was constantly being fought over, but public land was off limits. While sects could do all kinds of things to convert public land into sect land, directly conquering it was not allowed. Doing so would be instantly alienating the entire public. This was a tacit social contract that no sect was willing to break. However, since there were no police, the sects often acted as police on the public land around their sect land. The land that they policed was generally known as the sect¡¯s circle of influence. However, a sect¡¯s circle of influence shifted even faster. There were no clear borders. I was sitting on a couch in the living room. I called Hui Ming over. I pointed at the nearest city hall. ¡°Do you know who runs city hall?¡± ¡°That would be the Emerald Fire Sect¡¯s circle of influence, so I¡¯d assume it¡¯d be run by the Emerald Fire Sect.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I tilted my neck at the new sect name. Even after reading all of those books, I still didn¡¯t know all the sects in the Grand Flames City. ¡°Tell me about this sect. How big is it? How¡¯s it¡¯s relation with the Blue and Crimson Fire sects?¡± ¡°It¡¯s mediocre in size. It¡¯s not big, but it¡¯s not small enough to be easily bullied. I think we¡¯re on the edges of its circle of influence.¡± She put her finger on a section of the map covered in green. She dragged her finger to the closest sect, colored dark blue. ¡°The Emerald and Sapphire Fire Sects have a decent relationship. The Sapphire Fire Sect is a long time ally of Blue Fire, so Emerald Fire likes Blue Fire. Emerald is slightly antagonist towards Crimson Fire for the same reason,¡± she explained. And this is why I hate history. And memorizing shit. ¡°So the point is Emerald won¡¯t go out of their way to help Crimson, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Would Crimson be able to get their hands on Emerald¡¯s records and information?¡± I asked. ¡°Not without paying a substantial amount,¡± she said. I tossed her the briefcase of jade slips. She caught and looked at me, confused. ¡°This is¡­?¡± I motioned towards a stack of jade slips on my table. ¡°Chen Wei gave me five million to buy this house. That briefcase has four and a half million in it, which is the price he offered.¡± ¡°Are we going right now? Should I carry this for you?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± I patted my alchemy caldron and winked. ¡°I have some pills to make. You can buy the house for me, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that shouldn¡¯t get us discovered by the Crimson Fire Sect,¡± she said, ¡°but don¡¯t you want to put it under your own name?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Yes master,¡± she bowed. She turned around. ¡°Before you leave,¡± she stopped. I tossed her a couple more jade slips and a piece of paper. The paper consisted of a list of seed names. ¡°Use that extra money to buy me the items on this list. You can also buy some things for yourself, just make sure to get everything on that list.¡± ¡°Of course master.¡± she turned back around and left. I sunk into the sofa with a satisfied smile. Having a servant was so convenient! I wondered what else she could do. Maybe she could bake cookies too. I sat back up and put one of each type of ginseng on the table. Boney, Meaty, Skinny, Eerie, Nosey, and Eyebally. I started the process of harvesting them into usable ingredients. I dried pieces of them and chopped them to dust. I squeezed them to collect their juices. I mashed them to create pastes. My mind was trying to go through every way I could combine the ginsengs, trying to pick out the optimal combination. The end goal was to produce a pill that both combined and maximized the effects of all the ginsengs. I added other herbs into the fray. I mixed and matched hundreds of other ingredients. Some worked, others didn¡¯t. Sometimes I would come up with a solution that I thought was genius and try it, only to see it utterly fail. Sometimes I would discover a solution, only to find I didn¡¯t have access to the proper herb. I was trying to make a pill that combined five miraculous ingredients. Trial and error was the only road to success. I created a bin for all the failed products and waste materials. I could feel myself getting closer to the desired product. I was slowly excavating a road in the tunnels of alchemy. Time flew by like a gentle breeze. My sense of time was completely lost while I did alchemy. An hour felt like a minute. A minute felt like a second. Hui Ming stumbled into the living room with her arms filled. I didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°Put the seeds of there, please.¡± I pointed at a corner of the room. I heard Hui Ming take a deep breath. ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± she asked. ¡°Alchemy,¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she pointed at the bin. ¡°Oh, some scraps, can you dump them outside? Thanks.¡± ¡°Are you sure, master? Those seem like incredibly expensive ingredients. I can separate them from each other if you¡¯d like. I could sell them for some money, or you could reuse them,¡± she said eagerly. ¡°Nah, don¡¯t bother. I have other pills I¡¯ll have you sell later.¡± I touched my chin. ¡°Actually, put them in the Tree Father''s pots. They¡¯ll be good for compost.¡± ¡°Compost?¡± she choked. I tossed another handful of failed product into the bin. ¡°Reuse, reduce, recycle, and compost,¡± I said absentmindedly. ¡°Are you sur-¡± ¡°Just do it, I don¡¯t need a little extra money or scraps,¡± I said. A couple hours later, I raised my hands in triumph. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± ¡°Congratulations master!¡± I jumped. ¡°Wha-? How long were you standing there?¡± ¡°Since I emptied the bin for you,¡± she beamed. Looking outside, I noticed the sun setting. I turned on the Glowing Pineapples and sighed, ¡°Do you know if the alchemy shops are still open?¡± ¡°Most of the big ones should be open through the night,¡± she said, somewhat distastefully. I walked across the room and picked up a few of the vials I had made more than a month ago. ¡°Perfect Phoenix Salve¡­ Amysthet Strength Salve¡­ let¡¯s see, what was this again? Oh right, Flame Titan Salve.¡± I gave her the three bottles. ¡°These are all fourth cycle salves. Can you sell them for me? It¡¯ll be our backup of funds.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± I added, ¡°You can take a fourth of the revenue. Buy something for yourself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n-¡± I cut her off, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need it either. I¡¯m content making pills and keeping my plants company. Buy something for yourself. Have fun!¡± I insisted. ¡°Alright¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a little surprise for you when you get back.¡± I smiled. I gripped my cauldron and went back to work. Now that I had the conception stage of the pill, I started on the refinement. Chapter 38 ¡°Whew,¡± I said, as I finished the first cycle of refinement. I picked up a piece of paper and began writing down the formula for making the pill. My brush hovered at the top of the page. ¡°Hm.¡± This was my first original pill. Nobody other than me could make this pill. Naming should have been a mundane process, but this one felt like it carried more significance. ¡°Total Buff Pill,¡± I wrote. I crumpled the paper and threw it into the bin. The pill was dull golden brown and the size of the tip of my thumb. ¡°Brown Invincibility Pill,¡± I wrote. I threw that one out as well. A thought flitted through my head. I put the brush on another paper and wrote the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Vince,¡± I jolted down. My eyes closed in satisfaction. Below that, in smaller text, I wrote, ¡°Pill of Totality.¡± Then I slowly recalled all the steps and traced them out on sheets of paper. I wrote every painstaking step in the conception and refinement process. I didn¡¯t try to start the second cycle of refinement. I knew I would fail. I was improvising the method as I went, I was lucky enough to have finished the first cycle without burning the pill, but the second cycle was exponentially more difficult than the first. I saved the pill and put it aside. I moved on to creating more Pills of Totality. Unlike other alchemists, I had an infinite pool of every herb I touched. I could keep making these things for as long as I could stay awake. Of course, I was also conscious the power ¡°The Cultivator¡± gave me. One was defensive, but the other was economic. If I wasn¡¯t careful, I could upset the billions of little balances that made the economy. I had to keep reminding myself to not go too crazy. Most of the pills I made were strictly for fun. Selling them would ruin my economy. But what did I know about economics? There was no way for me to control this power. Unless, of course, I kept it on a small scale. I couldn¡¯t cause too much harm if I kept myself in check. A law book lay among the stack of books I still hadn¡¯t unpacked. It was titled ¡°Grand Flames City Guidelines.¡± This city had no laws. There were only soft guidelines, most of which could be broken without consequence if you were powerful enough. Although the sects did police the public, their policing was based on whim and personal judgment. To boil down the book into a sentence : Might makes right, but there are still social consequences. Everybody had incredible freedom, even the weak. Nobody would stop you from beating somebody up in broad daylight, but nobody would stop somebody else from beating you up either. Which meant I could do whatever I wanted. Nobody could stop me. There was no supreme government to smite me or my dubious activities. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I heard the door creak open. ¡°Ah, there you are. Set that over with the seeds please¡± Hui Ming walked through with a suitcase of money. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± I held up a pill. ¡°Yes,¡± her eyes widened, ¡°It¡¯s a Golden Transformation Pill.¡± I lifted a bottle and the Golden Transformation Pill dropped to the bottom, along with ten other identical pills. I grinned at her. ¡°Are those all¡­?¡± ¡°Yep, all of them are at the sixth cycle, too,¡± I said. ¡°You can¡¯t tell anybody about what I¡¯m about to show you.¡± She nodded. I tossed her a seed. It turned into a Six Petal Goldflower as it flew through the air. ¡°I can make as many of these as I want. Cool, huh?¡± ¡°Very, uh, cool,¡± she replied shakily. ¡°Are you going to give one to the Blue Fire Sect head?¡± ¡°No. She needs to learn to take care of herself. I already saved her life once and gave her the ingredients for the Golden Transformation Pill. I¡¯m not her father.¡± I said. ¡°But you¡¯re different. You¡¯re my responsibility.¡± I beckoned her forward. Damn, now I feel like a sugar daddy. But I had to make her as powerful as possible. She was the only person I could trust. I gave her the first cycle Pill of Totality. ¡°This is an extraordinary pill, unique in this world. It directly strengthens and heals every part of your body, on top of improving your senses. You are to take one every day.¡± I got up to get her more medicine. I poured bottles and boxes into her hands until she couldn¡¯t carry any more. ¡°Take those slowly. Each of them are labeled, so you¡¯ll know what each of them are. You should take a bunch of those Qi boosting ones. Eat them like you would eat rice. You should be able to get to the fifth stage in two days if you take enough of them. With the Golden Transformation Pills, getting to the sixth stage in a week shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡± She looked at me wide eyed. ¡°From the fourth stage to the sixth in less than a week? Ar- Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± my fingers toyed with the edges of the Pill of Totality. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some more later. Drop those in your room and meet me outside. I have a small project I need your help on.¡± Her hands quivered and her body rocked back and forth. Her head bobbed up and down and she disappeared. This house had three bedrooms, one master bedroom, and a decently sized living room. Unlike the fancy houses in the Blue Fire Sect, this place was more¡­ normal. I liked it this way. It was like my old apartment. The couch beneath me creaked like an old man¡¯s bones. I¡¯d been sitting in the rickety thing for a long time. It was time for me to do something more interesting. I walked to the front door and touched the white walls surrounding it. The walls were painted white, but years of dirt and grime had turned it gray and yellow, like my apartment back in that old world. It had been so long since I thought about that world. I¡¯m a lion in a dog eat dog world. Things in this world were so much easier. Things were easy here, not that they were hard back in the other world. But I wouldn¡¯t move back, not even to see my parents. It was likely that my other classmates had also been teleported here. Looking for them, though, was too difficult. The Grand Flames City contained at least ten million people, unless they decided to stick their neck out on purpose, finding people was almost impossible. I wonder how they¡¯re all doing. I hope they¡¯re all doing well, especially Brian and Jessica. I saw Hui Ming waiting outside through a dull window and stopped reminiscing. ¡°Sorry, I got caught up in something,¡± I put my hand on a doorknob, cold as mint, and twisted. Light flooded in. I squinted and walked out, closing the door behind me. Hui Ming, who was looking at me expectantly, gave me a small wave. The rest of my estate was also covered in trees. I was walking into my own paradise, where everything was under my control. A sigh of content escaped my lips. The wind rustled the tree leaves. The rustles sounded like soft drizzling rain, as if there was a waterfall off in the distance. We walked to the front of the estate, where a runty gate stood. A gate was supposed to be powerful and intimidating. This one was a wet rat, shivering in the snow. It had done well to survive so long. I stopped, staring at the gate for half a minute. Hui Ming fidgeted with her dress. ¡°Master? What are we doing?¡± ¡°Just a small project. Let¡¯s start by destroying this gate.¡± Chapter 39 I sat behind a wooden counter, dark tree rings ran through the wood, indicating its immense age. Of course, the wood was actually about five hours old. I¡¯d added the rings just to make it look better. Light came in from two windows in front of the room. Hui Ming stood by my side. Her short black dress brushed against the sword and dagger at her waist. My eyes drooped. Time pushed against us like a river of mustard, grinding against us as we waited. ¡°Hey Xiao Li, haven¡¯t you been kinda bored lately?¡± I asked. ¡°Not particularly,¡± she said. ¡°I certainly have. It¡¯s fun to create pills, but just creating them isn¡¯t fun, if that makes sense.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°How should I put this? Some people really love cooking, but half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others, don¡¯t you think? I don¡¯t think very many people would cook just for the sake of it. There¡¯s something deeply dissatisfying about not having anybody to take my medicine.¡± ¡°Is that why you made this shop?¡± she asked. The sparse room held nothing but me, Hui Ming, and the wooden counter. A sign was hung outside, reading ¡°Jin¡¯s Medicine House.¡± ¡°Partially. I¡¯m trying to get some influence in this city, I gotta get some of that networking done. I guess I also want to be able to stretch out a bit, buy the land next to us and make my garden bigger.¡± ¡°May I make a suggestion?¡± she asked. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°It would be faster to directly conquer the neighboring lands. It would also build some prestige for you,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe I would do that if I had no other choice, but if I can buy it fair and square, I¡¯ll opt to do that instead,¡± I grinned, ¡°but if they¡¯re unreasonable, I suppose I¡¯d have to take personal action.¡± The same principle that drove me to make this shop also affected my other plants. I loved designing cool new plants like the Colossus, but what was the point if I was the only one who could see it? I think I was waiting for an excuse to take it out. This shop that was made where my front gate used to be. I had Hui Ming destroy the gate, and I planted this shop in its place. The door creaked open. I held my breath and put on a bright smile. My eyes turned into little crescents like freshly baked croissants. A cat peaked its head through the door. My smiled flipped upside down. ¡°Shoo! Stupid cat! Shoo!¡± The yellow and brown cat sniffed the air and tilted its head towards me. ¡°Shoo!¡± ¡°Yoooo~¡± it yawned, its whiskers trembled. I shooed at it again. It was not very effective¡­ Well that¡¯s embarrassing. I glanced at Hui Ming just in time to see her give the cat a death glare. ¡°Yiii!¡± I heard the cat screech. It jumped into the air and dashed out of my shop. I put my head on the counter, ¡°Why isn¡¯t there anybody coming?¡± ¡°Master¡­ this is a new shop. All you have is a sign. You need to add shelves of medicine and build a reputation before this shop gets more customers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a custom job guy, though¡­¡± ¡°Sorry master, but you won¡¯t get any customers if you keep going like this. Should I set up the shelves?¡± she suggested. My door opened again. ¡°See? Customers!¡± Nearly twenty people filed into the shop. Dull scars covered their bodies. They wore their scars like badges, cutting their clothing to make their scars more obvious. The smell of sweat entered my nostrils. ¡°Hey boss, did we go to the wrong shop?¡± ¡°No way, look. There¡¯s a cashier sitting right there, and I¡¯m sure there was a sign was hung up outside.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing in here¡­¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, let me check.¡± A tall man turned towards me, tilting his head to look down on me. This was probably the boss that the others were referring to. ¡°Is this Jin¡¯s Medicine House?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and I¡¯m Jin!¡± I gave him a wide grin. ¡°Welcome!¡± ¡°Is this some kind of joke?¡± he slammed his hand against the counter, shaking it. ¡°Don¡¯t think us Kitty Brothers are easily insulted. Where¡¯s the damn medicine!¡± I raised a finger. ¡°Hey now, no need for violence. My medicine house works differently. You need to request medicine first, then I¡¯ll find something that matches what you want.¡± He frowned at me, silently judging whether I was lying or not. ¡°Alright¡­ we¡¯d like ten kilograms of Five Year Old Spirit Grass.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t sell that stuff.¡± Everybody looked at me in surprise, including Hui Ming. ¡°I¡¯m only taking orders of medicine and herbs worth more than ten thousand spirit sh- Hey!¡± He had reached out to grab my throat, but stopped. A blade rested at his throat. He gulped. Hui Ming stood behind me with her sword outstretched. ¡°Back away. None of you may leave,¡± she said. I began to feel a tingling sensation on my back. The men shivered, one of them put a hand on their jaw to stop it from chattering. Their boss backed away from me. He got on his knees and kowtowed to Hui Ming. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young miss, I didn¡¯t mean to behave so vulgarly in front of you. We sincerely apologize for offending you.¡± I knew about our ability to adapt and change in every scenario, but this guy changed a bit too fast. Appropriate, I suppose, for the leader of the Kitty Brothers. ¡°Don¡¯t bow to me, apologize to the master,¡± she ordered. Hui Ming didn¡¯t hold back, the poor guy¡¯s neck was bleeding. Hui Ming flicked the sword at him, the blood on the sword splattered across his subservient form. ¡°My apologies to the master, Jin!¡± he chanted. ¡°Xiao Li,¡± I said sternly, ¡°What are you doing?¡± She could sense my displeasure. ¡°I¡¯m punishing them?¡± I sighed. I couldn¡¯t refute that. ¡°You guys may stand¡­¡± Hui Ming changed the power dynamic in the room with a slice and a couple words. A shuffling noise as eighteen people stood back up. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this tingle on my back is from you?¡± I asked Hui Ming, ¡°Turn it off.¡± ¡°Yes master.¡± The aura vanished. The Kittys¡¯ relaxed their tensed muscles, their bodies breathed a sigh of relief. This was quite the headache. ¡°Is there anything else you would like? I have a decent stockpile of high tier medicine. If you need a rare pill, I might have it.¡± One of them spoke up from the back, voice shaking like a scared kitty¡¯s fur. ¡°Do you-.¡± Hui Ming and his brothers glared at him. Hui Ming¡¯s aura started to creep back. I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°None of that now.¡± She trembled and retracted her aura. ¡°Sorry, go on,¡± I said to the man who had spoken up. ¡°Do you have a Moon Basilisk Potion, sir?¡± he said as quickly as possible. He refused to look at his companions. ¡°It needs to be at least the third cycle,¡± he added hastily. ¡°Xiao Li, don¡¯t we have one of those?¡± I pushed her away lightly, ¡°go to the section with all the third rank pills. I think they¡¯re in alphabetical order, although some of them might be in the wrong place.¡± She ran off. ¡°Whew,¡± I said, ¡°She acts like that, but she¡¯s really a nice person. She only treated you like that because of how you were behaving. I hope you don¡¯t act like that in front of your mothers.¡± They chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Well, what do you need the Potion for?¡± I asked, trying to make some conversation. ¡°One of our brothers was hit by an extreme yang poison,¡± their boss said, ¡°his life is slowly draining away.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± my brows creased, ¡°why didn¡¯t you buy one for him earlier?¡± Silence. None of them spoke, their leader¡¯s eyes darted across the room. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you buy one for him earlier?¡± I repeated. ¡°We¡­ couldn¡¯t find one.¡± I leaned my head on my right hand. Silent shuffling and uncomfortable movement filled the room. Everybody knew he was lying. Third cycle pills were rare, but not to the point of being impossible to find. As long as they looked, they should be able to find one. A couple people couldn¡¯t hold back from gulping. ¡°If you¡¯re not comfortable talking about it, we can talk about something else.¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t afford it.¡± he grunted, almost violently. Rare medicine didn¡¯t have set prices. Most fourth cycle medicines had an enormous price ranges. One could sell for five thousand one day, and fifty thousand the next. Their prices largely depended on the desperation of the customers. Having sufficiently rare medicine was like having a monopoly. I could jack up the prices however I wanted. But I didn¡¯t need money. This shop was made with a different purpose in mind. I had quite a lot of ridiculously rare medicine. I was sure there were many powerful people looking for these medicine. To the people of this world, medicine was as important as fire. I had medicine that could brute force ten years onto somebody''s lifespan, anybody would be desperate for that. People who bought my medicine would remember the Jin¡¯s Alchemy House that provided them with medicine that they¡¯d been searching for, for years. They would remember the Alchemy Grandmaster Jin who sold them the medicine that saved their wife from the deathbed. They would remember the Alchemy Grandmaster Jin who let them live long enough to see their grandchildren grow up. Hui Ming walked back into the room with a small bottle in her hands. Her eyebrows twitched at the tense atmosphere. ¡°The vial of Moon Basilisk Potion,¡± she lowered her head and presented it to me. I had made ten bottles of this in one go, so I still had quite a stockpile. I could spare one or two. ¡°Thanks,¡± I turned to the men, ¡°you can¡¯t pay for this?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do everything we can to pay you back,¡± said their leader. I put the vial on the table. ¡°Go ahead,¡± I coaxed, ¡°take it.¡± He paused, then stepped up and took it. ¡°Thank you,¡± he sobbed. ¡°Mhm. Good luck healing your brother. You may leave.¡± they funneled out my shop, far less brazen than before. ¡°Master Jin¡­ aren''t you worried my old sect might find you?¡± Hui Ming asked after they left. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your actions are a bit to¡­ public? I can still hunt those people down if you tell me fast.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I can¡¯t restrict myself forever. If they want to come, they can come. I¡¯m prepared,¡± I said, ¡°Although¡­ if they come, I¡¯ll go easy on them, for your sake.¡± ¡°Uh, well. You don¡¯t- um.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t need to say anything. I understand,¡± I said, and created a chair for her, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down?¡± ¡°Um-¡± ¡°Just sit¡­.¡± Less than thirty minutes later, somebody else popped their head into my shop. ¡°Welcome to Jin¡¯s Alchemy House, I¡¯m Jin! How may I help you?¡± Chapter 40 A tall woman stepped towards us cautiously, her long hair waving from side to side. Light green robes hung off of her loosely, concealing the shape of her body. ¡°Hello sir, my name is Bai Shu Ren. I heard you were selling rare medicine here?¡± She glanced around dubiously. ¡°Yes, yes I am. What would you like? I have most of the common medicine at multiple cycles of refinement. I also have many more specific medicine ready.¡± I said. Hui Ming leaned closer to me, ¡°She¡¯s from the Emerald Fire Sect,¡± she whispered. I nodded, indicating that I had heard her. She took out a piece of paper and began chanting off a list. ¡°Do you have the Violet Abyssal God Pill, at the fourth cycle?¡± I put a hand to my chin. I didn¡¯t remember the names of all my medicine, but this one rang a bell. ¡°I think I have it. D-¡± ¡°Do you have a third cycle Blood Moon Pill?¡± ¡°Oh yes, I definitely have this one. It has a cool name, don¡¯t you think? I¡¯ll go ge-¡± ¡°How about a third cycle Azure Lifelotus Pill?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m almost certain.¡± ¡°Salve of Eternal Light, second cycle?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Life Preservation Water, third cycle?¡± ¡°I believe so.¡± ¡°Angel Life-Death Elixir, first cycle?¡± ¡°You grocery shopping for cycle tier medicine? Let me see that list.¡± she hesitated, and then passed me her paper. There were at least fifty items on the list. ¡°Are you trying to buy me out? You can¡¯t possibly need all of these.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve been looking for all of these. I can¡¯t find anybody who is willing to sell them at a low price,¡± she pouted. I narrowed my eyes. I handed the slip to Hui Ming. ¡°There you go, I have about eighty percent of those.¡± Hui Ming left to find the vials. ¡°How much money do you have on you?¡± I asked. She smiled sheepishly. ¡°Uh, twenty thousand shards.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. Go, shoo. Bring back two million and we¡¯ll talk.¡± She looked like she was going to say something, but she stopped. ¡°Alright¡­¡± she said and left. Hui Ming stumbled in with a box of medicine. ¡°Where did she go?¡± ¡°The lady only brought twenty thousand shards. I sent her back to get some more. I guess we¡¯ll have to wait for a bit longer. Can you bring me a book, please?¡± I asked. ¡°I already did,¡± she said with a proud smile. She reached into the box and seized an alchemy textbook, holding it like a trophy. ¡°Wow! Thanks!¡± I said. She radiated joy like a sprout in the sun. We went back to waiting, it seemed we would be doing a lot of that today. Less than an hour later, the door to the shop opened again. Five people walked through, their light green robes swaying to their gait. One was the lady from earlier, but she had brought company this time. She brought a shriveled old man and three burly bodyguards, one of bodyguards carried a briefcase. The old man approached me, his wooden sandals clicking against the floor. He pressed his lips together as if squeezing a lemon. He spoke with a tone I could only describe as overwhelmingly sour. ¡°Young man, let me take a look at that medicine.¡± ¡°Xiao Li,¡± I said. Hui Ming pushed the box across the counter. The old man grabbed a potion vial, scrutinizing its label. His hands skimmed across the smooth glass vial, feeling its contours. ¡°You claim this is a fourth cycle Lion Fire Potion?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Humph,¡± he grunted, ¡°As if.¡± I put a hand on Hui Ming¡¯s kneecap, just in case she did something stupid. The old man flicked off the cork and raised it to his wrinkled nose. The sides of his nose flapped about as he sniffed, like sheets hung out to dry on a windy day. He breathed out and took two more short sniffs. ¡°Eh?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Hey old man¡­ are you done?¡± He glowered at me and grabbed the vial again, this time pouring a bit into his mouth. His previously shriveled eyes shot open. ¡°It¡¯s.. genuine,¡± he whispered. He reached into the box and grabbed one box after another, his motions becoming more frantic every time he tested a new product. After he sniffed a quarter of the products in the box, his hands turned rigid. He pointed a long finger me, ¡°You-!¡± A sword flashed from behind me, his finger spun through the air and landed on the ground. Blood poured out, viscous and slow like honey. I began to move to stop Hui Ming and help the old man, but I stopped myself. Who did this old man think he was, barging into my shop like he owned the place? What an arrogant idiot. ¡°You little fucker!¡± he screamed, and the soft tingling returned to my skin. He crouched down and grabbed the sword at his waist with his remaining four fingers. The other people also pulled out their weapons. I was the only one still relaxed. Hui Ming¡¯s own aura filled the room, dominating the geezer¡¯s. His face changed once he realized where he stood in this hierarchy. I didn¡¯t bother stopping Hui Ming, and let it play out as it would. ¡°I- I¡¯m Master Shi! A master from the Emerald Fire Sect! You can¡¯t-!¡± the old man squeaked. Pathetic. Where did all that arrogance go? Actually, where had it come from in the first place? I didn¡¯t want to make an enemy out people unnecessarily. The whole point of creating this Medicine House was to make positive connections. But that came with keeping a strong image as well. Nobody respected pushovers, especially not in the culture of this world. ¡°I respect the Emerald Fire Sect, but not you,¡± I said. ¡°Scram!¡± Hui Ming stomped the floor in tandem with my words, making the entire room shake. Master Shi bolted out of the room. I used Control to close the door before the rest of them could escape. ¡°Hey, that''s pretty good,¡± I said to Hui Ming, ¡°Nice timing.¡± Shu Ren remained composed while her companions stood frozen, their eyes darting between Hui Ming and door. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask you why you brought that idiot. So, are you buying this stuff or not?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she said politely, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Master Shi.¡± She handed me the briefcase and I gave her the box of medicine. I sighed. I had to rethink how this shop worked. After they left. I stood and hung a sign outside. ¡°Troublemakers Die.¡± Underneath that was some friendlier text, ¡°One piece of medicine per person, bring a minimum of ten thousand soul shards.¡± Cutting Master Shi¡¯s finger gained us a fair bit of notoriety. More and more people started coming in. Word spread that we were legitimate, and important people began showing up at my doorstep. Interlude #1 : Crimson Fire Sect Ancestor Elder Zhu shuffled through a lush garden. Slaves took long metal blades and trimmed the trees and bushes. Stone walkways snaked through the garden, branching off like a labyrinth. The garden was so large and perplexing newcomers would often get lost in its spiraling paths. The slaves bowed as Elder Zhu walked past. Their crimson robes drooped. Nearly nobody, not even the slaves, knew all the paths in this garden. Only people like Elder Zhu, who had been alive for a hundred fifty years, could claim to know this garden. He usually strut through the garden like a king. But this time, his steps were inelegant and weary as if he walking to his execution. He wandered into dead ends and had to retrace his steps to get on the proper path. He arrived at a humble straw hut in the middle of the garden. Despite the modest nature of the hut, it didn¡¯t clash with the grandeur of the garden. An old woman with two pairs of long scissors snipped at a bush, shaping it into a lion. Her robes lacked the elegance of Elder¡¯s clothes. She dressed in dulled crimson robes like the slaves. She had short hair, like one of a man¡¯s, tough and stalwart. Her two ravenous dogs of scissors tore through the bush in a chaotic manner. The only thing holding them back was the old women¡¯s skillful hands. Unlike the slaves, she didn¡¯t bow or greet the elder. She ignored him and started pruning the lion-shaped bush into an image of a dragon. ¡°This student greets you,¡± Elder Zhu bowed, his muscular body bending at the waist. The old woman stopped trimming the bush. She examined it for a couple seconds before saying, ¡±Still not good enough.¡± The bush burst into flames. The elder glanced up to see the ashes fall to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, my Little Zhu,¡± she said. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°May I asked what ancestor called me here for?¡± he said. ¡°You know why I called you here,¡± she stepped towards him, ¡°raise your head. Don¡¯t feign politeness in front of me.¡± The elder stood up straight but avoided meeting her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you then, why I did tell you to come?¡± she asked. He gulped. ¡°I failed to kill Xing Chen Wei, the Blue Fire Sect head.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious. How did you manage to fail to assassinate a mere a fifth stage cultivator?¡± Only people on their level could address fifth stage cultivators as mere. ¡°I heard there were some¡­ complications, but I¡¯d rather hear them from you.¡± The elder delivered a short summary of the events The old woman nodded while he told his story. ¡°Hm? The Will Of The World descended? Along with somebody who could control plants?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Elder Zhu said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m assembling a team to attack him right now! I¡¯ve gotten information that he¡¯s moved out of the Blue Fire Sect, out the Sapphire Fire¡¯s protection. I¡¯ve convinced two other elder¡¯s to come help me, along with all my subordinates. We will crush this man!¡± The rustle of leaves. A gust blew through a windless garden. ¡°You foolish kid,¡± the old woman sighed, ¡°even after all these years, you haven¡¯t learned. How many elders did you ask to follow you?¡± ¡°...fifteen.¡± ¡°Why do you think only two agreed to follow you? What did the others say?¡± The elder had no response. She continued, ¡°You¡¯re thoughtlessly provoking a tiger. Who knows, he might turn out to be a dragon. Either way, you are not to continue your pursuit.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°No. I forbid you from assaulting him. Actually, you are to be punished for even thinking of starting such a stupid campaign. I will send you a letter of your punishment later. He has moved away, we no longer need to care about what he does. Losing Hui Ming to The Will Of The World probably hurt us more than everything else, she had the potential to become on the level of you elders.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realize,¡± all he could do was apologize. ¡°But she¡¯s a lost cause now. Focus your efforts on taking the Blue Fire Sect. Find out if Xing Chen Wei still has protection and take the necessary preparations to finish her off,¡± she ordered. She twirled and went back to pruning bushes. Elder Zhu bowed again and left. He couldn¡¯t do anything here, but he would make sure everybody else could feel his anger. Chapter 41 Fei Hou Tian ¡°Remember that time four years ago, when Sung Pin caught that Purple Tailed Manticore?¡± I pat junior apprentice brother Sung Pin on the shoulder. His body rocked forward and buckled, but he laughed anyway. ¡°Yeah, but you caught the leader of their pack, did you?¡± he joked back. I grabbed a flask of juice and downed it in one go, guffawing with everybody else in our circle. ¡°That was a good hunt!¡± I declared, ¡°It¡¯s been so long since we had that much fun!¡± Isn¡¯t life merry? Is there anything better than sitting in a circle in the middle of the night, laughing and joking with friends? Our tight circle sat around a stormy fire. We each held a metal rod with a chunk of meat at the end. Fat dripped off the meat, adding fuel to the fire. Last time we did this, we had been camping one of the nearby forests. But this time we were camping in the middle of a city. No, I¡¯m not homeless. It was a new experience for me and my buddies. We weren¡¯t the only ones doing this. Dozens of tens were set up around us, camping in front a shop with a sign that read, ¡°Jin¡¯s Medicine House.¡± Next to that sign were two others. One read, ¡°Troublemakers Die. One piece of medicine per person, bring a minimum of ten thousand soul shards.¡± The other said, ¡°Closed.¡± The name of the shop reminded me of my good friend Jin. I had met him more than a month ago, in the Blue Fire Alchemy Garden. I owed him about a thousand shards, but I could never find him to pay him back. It had become a shadow lingering over my heart. The medicine house had only been open for four days and it had already become famous. They only took one customer at a time, and they rejected most of them. It was the middle of the night, but there was still a huge line waiting for when they opened again. Everybody in line was either somebody with strong backing or somebody with strong personal power. The heads of huge companies and elders of small sects numbered among them. People who didn¡¯t reach a certain power threshold didn¡¯t dare join the line. There was one reason they were so eager to meet buy from Grandmaster Jin. There were many people who would pay sumptuous prices for certain medicine, but there wasn¡¯t anybody selling. He sold medicine at low rates, he even gave one out for free! Even if he didn¡¯t have the medicine on him at the moment, there was a chance he would be willing to create one just for you! It was an unprecedented display of generosity. Nobody knew how long he would keep it up. I didn¡¯t care about the wait, eating and camping out with my friends was more fun than anything. More fun than cultivating, that¡¯s for sure! We finished dinner and went to sleep with full bellies. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. We woke up the next morning to cheers of joy. I crawled out of my tent saw the sign that had said ¡°closed¡± had flipped to say ¡°open¡±. The person first in line tentatively pushed the door open and walked in. We saw his figure through two blurry windows. There were a total of three people in the shop, the person who had just walked in and two others who were already inside. We waited and waited, but neither of them moved. They seemed to be talking about something. A long while later, he exited the room in tears. A small box was squeezed between his arms and chest. He held onto it as if it were more precious than his own life. The next was one of my seniors from the Sapphire Flame Sect. She walked in and promptly left with an ugly expression on her face. ¡°Elder Sister, why were you kicked out so fast?¡± I asked her. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Young Master Fei,¡± she shook her head gently, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, he asked me a couple simple questions and told me to leave.¡± The next five groups were also rejected, and none of them knew why. Finally, it was my turn. I wasn¡¯t nervous. I was just buying medicine, there wasn¡¯t anything to be nervous about. If I fail, I¡¯ll have had fun. If I succeed, I¡¯ll have had fun. Win-Win! I grabbed a suitcase of money with one hand and opened the door with the other. My eyes swept across the empty room until they fell on the two people sitting behind a counter. One was a masked young lady wearing a black dress. The other was¡­ ¡°Brother Jin?¡± I said. ¡°If it isn¡¯t brother Hou Tian!¡± he smiled and winked, ¡°you here to pay me that thousand soul shards from before?¡± The woman leaned and whispered something into brother Jin¡¯s ear. I felt tears gather at the ends of my eyes. My vision turned blurry. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, brother Jin! I couldn¡¯t find you earlier! I thought I looked everywhere. I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright,¡± He said twice. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I¡¯m the one who suddenly moved. You don¡¯t need to pay me back.¡± Joy blossomed from in heart. What a nice brother! I wiped away my tears. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Anyway, what medicine do you want? If it¡¯s for you, I¡¯ll give any medicine under the fourth cycle for free.¡± I lifted my briefcase. ¡°I won¡¯t waste your time, brother. I¡¯ll get straight to the point. How much would I have to pay for a fifth cycle Blood Life Pill?¡± ¡°Oh, this one is a pain,¡± he replied. ¡°Do you know how hard it is to refine Blood Life Pills?¡± I nodded. ¡°I have Blood Life Pills at the fourth cycle. I think I¡¯ll be able to get one up to the fifth cycle with a bit of practice,¡± he looked at my briefcase. ¡°How about this. I¡¯ll make the pill for you, but you¡¯ll owe me a couple big favors. Does that sound good?¡± ¡°A couple favors will be fine. Brother Jin is a good person, I can tell!¡± I said. ¡°Perfect. How fast do you need that pill?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s not very urgent. So anytime,¡± I said. ¡°Hm¡­ come back in ten days. It was nice to see you again, I hope to see you soon,¡± he said. ¡°We will!¡± ¡°By the way¡­ I know I haven¡¯t given you the pill yet, but please do a small favor for me. Tell me if you see anything fishy going on in your sect. A couple of the other people who came told me about weird stuff happening in the city, and in their sects,¡± said Jin. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything,¡± I said, ¡°But I don¡¯t pay much attention to my sect, so I¡¯ll start to keep an eye out. I can¡¯t reveal any sect secrets though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t need to reveal any secrets. Just tell me if anything odd happens.¡± Chapter 42
Program has reached level ten! An advanced Cultivator skill has been unlocked : Bring Forth! You may create one conscious servant. The servant will obtain half of your maximum mana points, half of your mana regeneration, and all of your knowledge of the national language of Raisin. The servant will also obtain the rest of your skills and plants. The servant¡¯s intelligence will be above average. Your personal stats and levels will not be affected. The rest is up to you!
I was wandering through my garden while using Program to toughen my defenses. My laugh rang through the forest, with nobody but me to hear it. I ran back to the house. ¡°Xiao Li?¡± I yelled. She dashed out of the house. ¡°Yes?¡± She convulsed a little and straightened her back. Her left cheek bulged out a little. ¡°Just swallow it,¡± I said. She glanced away shamefully and gulped down the last bite of pie left in her mouth. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, help me find the most precious seed we own. I have a big project coming my way.¡± I said. We walked into the living room, which had become my alchemy room, and fumbled through the seed packets. She found it first, a seed of a Life Treasure Tree. It was worth somebody''s yearly salary, but this was an important event. I was creating a real, living, thinking being, and I could design it however I wanted. This had been one of my secret fantasies for years. I held the seed between my hands. ¡°Make sure nobody interrupts me. I need some time to work on this.¡± ¡°How much time would that be?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Hopefully a few minutes, but it could be a lot longer,¡± I said, ¡°This is a big project, but I¡¯ll try not to spend too much time in here. All I need is no interruptions. Don¡¯t let anybody come into this room.¡± She left.
Zero out of one Bring Forth slots left!
The process started. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. First things first. Do I want a giant monster like the Colossus, or do I want it human sized? I had made the decision before I got into the room. I was in the living room with all my alchemy equipment next to me. I couldn¡¯t create a Colossus in such a tiny space. The seed expanded into a clump of wood, shifting and pulsing. It was as soft as clay. I put a hand on the blob of wood and felt it¡¯s smooth edges. I molded roughly into the shape of a human. I was partially using my hands, and partially using my will. I shaped one long limb into a long and slender arm, but it turned out looking disgusting, like everything else I ever made in art class. After another ten or so tries, I finally created a decent looking arm. Wait, I don¡¯t a have a copy+paste option? I looked like I was seeing the end of the world. My face fell as if I had found out I was out of thin mints. My body sagged as I worked on the second limb. Copying the arm so that it was symmetrical was more difficult than making the arm in the first place. I didn¡¯t sleep. A day and thirty tries later, I had a decent pair of arms on my dryad. Why female? Because the majority of her fighting power will be in her plants, not her body. There was no difference between a buff guy and a slender woman for spellcasters. One of her purposes would be to infiltrate, so having the body of a charming woman would be beneficial. ¡­ Just kidding, it¡¯s because battle maids are justice. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but blush when it came time to sculpt her more intimate bits. After she was mostly finished, I turned her wooden surface into soft skin. I went over her body, painting in different colors and textures. She looked like a normal human from the outside, albeit an extremely beautiful one. But if somebody attacked her, they would find under her soft skin was solid wood. The message said she would have above average intelligence, but was I supposed to create a personality for her? I reached into her with my mind and found a separate presence within her. It contained mana that was different from mine, but I don¡¯t think there was a mind in there. I don¡¯t have ¡°Creating Consciousness For Dummies¡± so what do I do now? I soon as I had that thought, I was gripped by an urge to put my hands on her temples. A procedure that I had no understanding of began. It was partially guided by me, but something else was taking of the specifics. Halfway through, I realized the identity of that something else. It was what guided the creation of my plants. I showed my ability what I wanted, and it would take care of the specifics. It¡¯s not as if I understood how the ginsengs made me more powerful, they just did. But then again, this is how everything worked even before I got this ability. I would issue a command and my subconscious would take care of the rest. The way my ability worked was similar, if not the same. My hands fell to my sides. Dark rings had formed under my eyes. I had spent five days without sleeping and my mana was at zero. A dazzlingly beautiful woman stood before me. She was one of my plants, so I could use Identify on her. but there was something inside her different from my other plants. I was too tired to care. ¡°Your name will be Jing¡± Jing stared at her hands, then raised her eyes to me. ¡°Thanks, father!¡± I don¡¯t remember putting in a cheerfulness function¡­ ¡°Xiao Li!¡± I yelled, ¡°I¡¯m done, please bring a set of robes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Xiao Li?¡± asked Jing, ¡°is it another one of my names?¡± Hui Ming burst into the room with a pile of clothes and a smile on her face. Her black dress was stained with blood. She wore dark bags under her eyes like me. She saw me, slumped over with my eyes half closed, and Jing, naked and bouncing cheerfully at receiving another name. Hui Ming stiffened. Jing turned to see who had come in. ¡°Oh, nevermind,¡± Jing pouted. My mana replenished a little bit. ¡°Can you put some clothes on her?¡± Jing bounced over to Hui Ming. Hui Ming¡¯s eyes darted between us, standing ridged and frozen in shock. ¡°I¡¯ll do introductions after clothes.¡± Chapter 43 Hui Ming helped Jing put on a set of black robes. ¡°So, who is this?¡± Jing asked, pointing at Hui Ming. ¡°Who am I?¡± Hui Ming squeaked, ¡°Who are you!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m his daughter!¡± Jing said. ¡°My name is Jin,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m Jin¡¯s daughter!¡± Jing said. Everybody raised their eyebrows at the same time. ¡°Let¡¯s start over,¡± I said. I pointed at Hui Ming, ¡°Jing, that¡¯s Xiao Li. Her full name¡¯s Li Hui Ming, but I¡¯m calling her Xiao Li for the time being. She¡¯s my maid.¡± I pointed at Jing, ¡°Xiao Li, that¡¯s Jing, my...¡± ¡°Daughter,¡± Jing offered. ¡°This is just making it more confusing,¡± I turned to Hui Ming. ¡°Remember when I said I was starting on a huge project? I didn¡¯t know how long it would take because I was creating Jing. She¡¯s kind of my daughter, but not really.¡± ¡°Not really?¡± Jing pouted. ¡°Damnit Jing. Alright, daughter it is then,¡± I said. Hui Ming¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are you a god?¡± she asked. I was speechless. What kind of question is that? ¡°I¡¯m seventeen! Are there any seventeen year old gods?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°But you created a human!¡± she said. ¡°First off, she¡¯s not human,¡± I was so tired I struggled to stand. Hui Ming helped me up. I walked over to Jing. ¡°Show her.¡± Jing held out her hand for Hui Ming to see. I crack formed down the middle and the palm opened up into two halves, exposing the wooden structures underneath. ¡°She¡¯s a plant, just likeeverything else I make. She doesn¡¯t need to eat or sleep.¡± Jing grinned and the wound closed. Hui Ming couldn¡¯t stop staring at her hand. Underneath my own status box was a new box.
Jing MP : 6500/6500 Regen : 8.5MP/min
All skills, plants, and their levels are the same as yours. This may change in the future. Exceptions : Servants may not use Prolong and Bring Forth.
¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know much about what she can do either,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s test it out. Jing, lift your right arm.¡± ¡°Sure?¡± she lifted her arm. ¡°Sorry in advance,¡± I said. She was one of my plants, so I should be able to use Control on her. I used Control and her arm jerked back down. She seemed fine with it. I took out a seed and it expanded into a glowing pineapple. It lit up, filling the room with warm light. ¡°Try turning this off.¡± The light vanished. ¡°Can you sense all the plants outside?¡± I asked. A vine that I wasn¡¯t controlling reached in from a window and tickled my cheek. ¡°Sense and control,¡± she replied. I laughed. ¡°Couldn¡¯t have turnout out better. I¡¯ll talk with you more later. I have some things I want you to do.¡± I asked Hui Ming to show Jing around the house. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I spent the next morning creating the fifth cycle Blood Life Pill that Hou Tian had asked me to make. Afterwards, I walked outside, looking forward to leaving my garden again. I liked the garden, but I still wanted to explore this world. It would be a waste to stay in my garden all day. But previously, leaving the garden meant leaving it open to invaders. Jing freed me from staying in the garden. She shared control over my plants. She could activate all the defenses or even add new ones. I walked outside to see Hui Ming planting flowers, while Jing poked at them. ¡°Nice job.¡± The part of the garden in front of my house was becoming quite pretty through Hui Ming¡¯s hard work. ¡°Do you want to come with me to explore the city?¡± I¡¯d wanted my alchemy grandmaster certification ever since I made the Golden Transformation Pill. More importantly, I¡¯ve been eating ginsengs and calorie berries for the past few months. I had one good meal and it was with Chen Wei way back when. There were a couple other things I wanted to check out. I had received rumors of dangerous nature through my alchemy shop. I had Hou Tian check them out, but he hadn¡¯t gotten back to me yet. Both of them perked their heads up. ¡°Sorry Jing. I was talking to Xiao Li. Can you stay and hold down the fort for us? Capture intruders?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± said Jing. ¡°So, wanna come?¡± I asked again. ¡°Of course!¡± Hui Ming hopped up and followed behind me. Chapter 44 Hui Ming and I jumped over the fence to avoid the campers in front of my estate. I handed her the map Chen Wei had given me. ¡°You should walk in front of me. You see, I¡¯ve never been to the city before.¡± I scratched the back of my neck. ¡°To be honest, I need a guide.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean me?¡± I smiled guiltily and she puffed out her chest. ¡°My pleasure, follow me.¡± She dashed ahead and I followed. A loud wind rushed past my ears. The buildings became denser as we left the suburban areas. In fifteen minutes, we entered one of the many urban parts of the city. Crowded streets and tall buildings became common. She hopped onto a metal platform. It sat the top of a stone building. I looked around, almost every building I could see had one such platform. Other cultivators were jumping from platform to platform, traversing across the rooftops. They were tailored for cultivator transportation. Normal people walked on the streets below, but cultivators traveled by rooftop. They didn¡¯t want us to ruin their roofs, so they put up these platforms. Some were decorated with trinkets and jade, others were just a metal plate slapped on the roofs. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°We are very close to the Emerald Fire Sect. This part of the city is influenced by the sect. Their peacekeepers are very tight in this area,¡± she said, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere to eat, and then go to the alchemy headquarters later. I want to get my grandmaster status.¡± She led me to a collection of four building shaped like different animals: a dragon, a phoenix, a turtle, and a tiger. The four grandiose buildings were thirty stories tall. Each emitted a distinct aura as if they were alive. A gazebo was set on the heads of their heads, making for a total of four gazebos. Three were empty, but a couple was sitting at the gazebo on the dragon¡¯s head, talking and eating. ¡°This is one of the best restaurants in the city,¡± she said. I could tell. Hui Ming didn¡¯t know, but the head chef and owner of that restaurant had bought a fifth cycle pill from me. He had left holding back tears and saying I had saved his son¡¯s life. I could probably get a free meal. But the fanciest restaurant I had ever gone to in my old world wasn¡¯t much better than Mcdonalds. I ate subsidized school lunches and homemade pasta. Jumping from school lunch to eating in this restaurant was too much. Baby steps. ¡°Can we go somewhere more normal?¡± I said. ¡°Normal?¡± ¡°Yeah, normal. Somewhere normal people eat,¡± I said. ¡°Such as?¡± she asked. I walked to the edge of the metal platform and pointed the bustling streets below us. ¡°A restaurant any of them can go to.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± she said. I nodded. But she had different plans. She led us to other less fancy, but still far too extravagant diners. She was trying to lead me to another when we passed an open air food court. It was like a flea market, but with only food vendors. I pointed to it, ¡°That¡¯s it! Just what I¡¯ve been looking for.¡± She stared at the mass of people. ¡°R-really?¡± She stuttered. ¡°They¡¯re just commoners, they aren''t cultivators.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± I hopped down to the streets. ¡°R-right.¡± She followed. We did look a little out of place though. I was wearing normal robes with no decorations, but even that stood out from the faded and sometimes ripped robes of the commoners. Hui Ming wore a short black dress with white frills to match. A wooden masquerade mask covered the top half of her face. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. But Hui Ming was twitching uncomfortably. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°These people think I¡¯m your master¡­¡± she said. I pinched the bridge of my nose. We hadn¡¯t entered the food court yet and people were already staring. The master servant positions were reversed. I, the decently dressed fellow, was following behind an elegant young lady. Anybody with common sense would think I was the servant. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Let them think what they want to think.¡± I came here for food, not face. ¡°Ok¡­¡± she said. We wandered the food court for ten minutes before buying some mystery meat and settling down. They called it ¡°Waterpaper Hell Sixhorn Bison Meat¡±. I had no idea what that was, so ¡°mystery meat¡± it is. We sat down at one of the many picnic tables held together by sheets of metal. It was long enough for eight people to sit on. Six people were already on the table. I went to sit at one end of it and motioned for Hui Ming to sit with me. Instead, Hui Ming started to shoo away the other six people already at the table. I held her back and told the others they were fine where they were. Despite my reassurances, they shifted in their seats when we sat down. ¡°Restrain yourself, we¡¯re here for food, not trouble.¡± I took a bite of mystery meat. It was thick and covered with spices. I didn''t know if I was tasting the spices or the meat, but it pretty good. ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked. ¡°About what?¡± she said. ¡°The food,¡± I said. ¡°Bland. Not juicy enough, not spicy enough,¡± she said. I lowered my head. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mea-¡± I cut her off, ¡°Yeah, ok. I¡¯m curious, what were you doing during those five days I was creating Jing?¡± ¡°I was guarding the house and shop,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s it? I¡¯m sure you did something else,¡± I asked. She rubbed her temples. ¡°Oh! And I also followed your directions and kept eating those pills you gave me. I got to the sixth stage!¡± ¡°Well then! Congratulations! I¡¯ll try to find some more good pills. What do you think of Jing? Don¡¯t be shy about insulting her.¡± I¡¯d only talked with her for a small while, but Hui Ming had spent an entire day with her. She put on a distasteful expression. ¡°She¡¯s lazy and she loves to fool around. Please give me the authority to whip her into shape. It¡¯ll be beneficial for all of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to let her do what she wants for now. I think she¡¯s being lazy right now because she has nothing to do. I¡¯ll give her a couple assignments later,¡± I said. ¡°But the real problem is I don¡¯t know how loyal she really is. Don¡¯t underestimate her. She might not look like much, but you don¡¯t stand a chance in a fight against her. We¡¯ve only known her for a day. There¡¯s a chance she¡¯s more volatile than I thought, so watch her for me, ok?¡± Actually, I knew how exactly loyal she was. That was the only part I had concentrated on when creating her. But I wanted Hui Ming to watch her for other abnormalities. I was worried about her. ¡°Yes master,¡± she glanced around at the crowd of people eating and chattering. ¡°Telling me now might not be the best time, but what do you plan to do in the future? I¡¯ll do everything I can to help. I might not be as powerful as Jing, but I can still help!¡± I shuffled my feet and spoke softly. ¡°What specifically do you think you¡¯ll need power for?¡± ¡°To help.¡± ¡°Help me do what?¡± ¡°Anything you plan to do.¡± I shook my head. ¡°What do you think I plan to do?¡± She paused to think. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m your servant. I shouldn¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Then as your master, I say you should say.¡± I leaned forward. She shifted in her seat. ¡°I¡¯m not certain, but I can help conquer the Emerald Fire Sect, or destabilize the local alchemy vendors. I can conquer the local territory for you, and chase away the Emerald Fire Peacekeepers. I can-¡± ¡°No!¡± I moaned. ¡°That¡¯s the exact opposite of what I want!¡± Her voice went up by an octave, ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a normal guy!¡± I tapped her on the forehead. She flinched. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think, but I have no aspirations to take over the Emerald Sect.¡± ¡°Then what do you plan to do?¡± she asked. ¡°Right now? I want to get to know you and Jing,¡± I rubbed the tip of my nose absentmindedly. ¡°But in the long term-¡± A loud clatter interrupted me. Hui Ming and I turned to see the source of the sound. A middle aged man had punched somebody into the floor. A younger man followed behind him, both of them wore crimson robes. They looked sort of similar. The middle aged man must be his father. In front of both of them was a blue robed young man bent over on the ground, clutching his bleeding cheek. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡± I whispered to Hui Ming. ¡°Crimson Fire Sect members have been given orders to bully Blue Fire Sect members outside their territory,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s one of the tactics they use to weaken the Blue Fire Sect.¡± The middle aged man stepped on his head. ¡°Prostrate before me and call me your grandfather. Maybe then I¡¯ll let you go.¡± ¡°No! I refuse!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t call your own grandpa ¡®grandfather¡¯? You unfilial bastard, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡± He kept stepping his head. I took a sip of water. ¡°He¡¯s not really his grandfather right? They¡¯re from different sects.¡± ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s a sign of submission to call somebody grandfather,¡± said Hui Ming. What a weird culture, where you call each other grandfather as a sign of submission, but I can live with it. Culture is culture. I can respect that. ¡°Yeah! Call me daddy!¡±, the younger man yelled at the bleeding Blue Fire Sect member. Chapter 45 ¡°No!¡± ¡°Call me daddy!¡± He took out a short whip and began whipping the Blue Fire Sect member on the back. ¡°Call me daddy! Say it!¡± ¡°Please stop!¡± ¡°Call me daddy!¡± he whipped him a couple more times. ¡°Daddy!¡± I choked on my water. I bent over, coughing and laughing at the same time. What kind of weird fetish is this? The tears formed at the corners of my eyes. Hui Ming jumped across the table and pat on my back. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she said. I couldn¡¯t stop laughing. Whoever had started this whole ¡°call me daddy¡± culture in this world must¡¯ve had an IQ of two hundred. He had somehow made gay BDSM ¡°call me daddy¡± exhibitionism acceptable in public in one fell swoop. What. A. Genius. Hui Ming kept patting me on the back, trying to help clear my airway. She bit her lip and wrinkled her brow. The father-son pair turned to us. The son pointed his whip at me. I was curled up on the ground laughing at that point, so I had to raise my head to see it. ¡°You got a problem?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Don¡¯t rope me into your orgy! ¡°I¡¯m,¡± I choked out, ¡°fine.¡± Hui Ming couldn¡¯t tell who I was talking to. He walked forward while slapping the bundled whip against his palm. ¡°Call me daddy,¡± he said in a deep, menacing tone. I couldn''t take it anymore. My laughter turned into hoarse wheezing. He unfurled his whip and snapped it towards me. The whip snapped, along with Hui Ming¡¯s temper. She grabbed it out of midair. ¡°Hmph,¡± the young man said. He channeled his Qi into the whip and pulled on it as hard as he could. ¡°¡®Hmph?¡¯ What are you trying to say, whipping that at the master?¡± Hui Ming gave the whip a soft tug. The whip flew out of the young man¡¯s grasp. He stared at his empty hands, not believing what had happened. Hui Ming dashed forward and grabbed him by the neck. She stopped restaining her aura. The nearby spectators trembled, unable to withstand the pressure of a sixth stage cultivator. The crimson robed kid, being the focus of this aura, pissed himself. I sobered up, seeing that the situation had turned south. If I let this go on longer Hui Ming might end up killing the kid. I swallowed a seed that cleared my airway. I spit out a clump of fiber vines and Withered it. I stood up. ¡°Xiao Li!¡± I scolded. ¡°Yes?¡± she said. The kid''s face was as red as a tomato from being choked. ¡°Let go.¡± Hui Ming released her grip and he fell to the ground, gasping for air. ¡°Hey,¡± I called out the other kid with the bleeding cheek. I tossed him a conception pill. ¡°Eat this, it¡¯ll help with healing your cheek.¡± I turned to Hui Ming, ¡°we¡¯re leaving.¡± I glanced at the paper boxes of food. A childish urge tugged at the corner of my lips. I took the food and left, Hui Ming following behind me. Hundreds of eyes followed us as we walked out. Once we were far away from the food court, I remembered what had happened. Another chuckle slipped out from my throat. ¡°What was so funny about that?¡± she asked. ¡°Nothing, nothing at all. Forget about it.¡± I said, ¡°we are going to the medicine shop next. I¡¯m going to go get that Grandmaster title. There better not be any trouble over there.¡± Chapter 46 ¡°Thanks for protecting me back there,¡± I said. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my duty,¡± she replied. ¡°But thank you anyway. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you,¡± I said. ¡°So, where¡¯s the Alchemy Headquarters?¡± She took out the map. ¡°We¡¯re close. It¡¯s couple minutes away.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow your lead,¡± we headed to the headquarters with the rooftop platforms. The alchemy headquarters marked the center of an alchemy district. Around the alchemy headquarters were alchemy schools and houses for high ranking alchemists. Greenhouses dotted the landscape, their size making them impossible to not notice. The wealthy in this city put enormous importance in the beauty of their landscapes. Every important place in the city was designed to elicit awe. When I visited the Blue Fire Sect, I had been stunned by the sheer amount of effort put into maintaining its beauty. I had thought Chen Wei was downplaying their wealth. But compared with other parts of the city, the Blue Fire Sect wasn¡¯t much. There were no rooftop platforms near the alchemy headquarters, so we had to walk on the streets. The streets were paved in with many colors. Each street was colored differently, as if a giant had reached down from the sky with an enormous paintbrush. I could be walking on a dark green road, turn a corner, and end up on a bright pink walkway. The buildings on a dark green road followed a dark green theme. The buildings next to a pink walkway would follow a pink theme. Walking onto a new street felt like walking into a new world of color. There were no continuous roads either. It was impossible to walk straight for more than a couple hundred meters before being forced to turn. This would normally be a terrible design choice, but it was all on purpose. The abnormal street layout and the lack of rooftop platforms forced people to walk through multiple worlds of color to reach any destination. My eyes combed the scenery, absorbing every bit like a dry sponge in the sea. There was so much to take in, but so little time to take it in. Hui Ming followed me with a concerned look on her face. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°No, why?¡± I said. She lowered her voice to a whisper. ¡°You keep looking around. Is there somebody following us?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just looking at the scenery. But doesn¡¯t this place look amazing? Look at all the colors!¡± If this place existed in my old world, it would instantly become the number one tourist attraction. ¡°Yes. Many colors,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to try to act excited,¡± I said. ¡°What, have you seen better?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been in this city for very long, so you wouldn¡¯t know. The sect grounds of the Crimson Fire Sect are just as pretty, as are many other parts of the Grand Flame City,¡± she said. ¡°Ha! Who would¡¯ve thought. You¡¯ll need to show me!¡± I said. She beamed and nodded. The alchemy headquarters itself was a chubby building made of a red metal. It was large, but smaller than I thought it would be. I had imagined a twenty story majestic building rising out of the earth. Instead, I got a three story building with minimal decoration. Two people stumbled out the alchemy headquarters. Their eyes were bloodshot and their walking patterns were slightly off. They reeked of a familiar smell that I couldn¡¯t put my finger on. ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± I sniffed the air. ¡°Incense,¡± she said. Hui Ming held the door open for me. I walked in and an odor hit my nose, making my nose wither. I pushed Hui Ming out of the way and ran back outside. I pointed a finger at her, ¡°That¡¯s not incense!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s pot! Weed! Marijuana!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Why does the alchemy headquarters smell like weed.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°But that¡¯s incense¡­¡± I held my breath and cracked the door open. I pointed into the lobby. Groups of people sat around with sticks in their mouths. ¡°Clearly,¡± I said, ¡°that¡¯s a joint. They¡¯re smoking joints.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an incense stick.¡± ¡°Who the fuck smokes incense sticks.¡± ¡°They do.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Are all of them like this?¡± I asked. ¡°Almost all,¡± she said, ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No.¡± I leaned against a wall. A group of five walked out, each stoned out of their minds. ¡°Just wasn¡¯t expecting this. Let¡¯s go back in.¡± This time, I pushed the door open myself, breathing through my mouth. The smell was so strong I was struck by dizziness. The lobby was essentially a giant bong. I looked back, Hui Ming seemed to be doing fine. She was adjusting her mask, not bothered by the smell. Maybe I could get used to this as well. A couple people glanced up at us, but none of their eyes lingered. Our dress was normal in this place. Many wore robes fancier than mine. I walked up to a receptionist. ¡°Hello, do you know where I can apply for an alchemy rank?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. What rank are you applying for?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d like to apply for Grandmaster,¡± I said. The qualification for becoming a grandmaster was the ability to get a single piece of medicine to the sixth rank. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was a simple burn salve or a pill that could stretch a lifespan by ten years. It didn¡¯t matter of the alchemist simply got lucky. Anybody who could make any sixth rank pill were qualified to be Grandmasters. The receptionist chuckled. ¡°But really, which rank are you applying for?¡± ¡°I was being serious the first time. I would like to apply for Grandmaster,¡± I said. It took him a while to decide I wasn¡¯t high. ¡°It costs a hundred shards to take the test, and you need to bring your own ingredients.¡± I handed him a copper jade slip. ¡°I brought my own ingredients,¡± I pat a box underneath my robes. Emergency medicine and money were kept in the box. ¡°Follow me,¡± he showed me into a hallway. Both sides of the hallway were lined with rooms. He passed me to an alchemist with a burly body but small, delicate hands. This new alchemist led to a room with no windows. A glowing rock was fixed to the top of the room, below was an empty table. He took out a piece of paper and a brush. He placed them on the table. ¡°Have you taken an alchemy rank test before?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Jin.¡± ¡°Same as that guy with the alchemy house? That¡¯s nice.¡± He wrote my name on the paper. ¡°What¡¯s your alchemist name?¡± ¡°Still just Jin.¡± After we were done with the registration, he gave me a cauldron and told me to start. I couldn¡¯t let him see the Myriad Flame Snakes. ¡°I heard you had a way to test me without somebody watching?¡± ¡°Yes we do. It¡¯ll cost an additional two thousand.¡± Some alchemists made their own secret recipes, so there was an option to take the test without anybody watching. It involved special methods to prevent cheating, so I had to pay extra. Hui Ming was pulled out of the room and the door shut. I sighed.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Filter Sponge¡± has been named! Filter Sponge has reached level two! Filter Sponge has reached level three! Filter Sponge has reached level four!
I rarely ever created new plants anymore. I didn¡¯t need them. I could combine plants instead of making new ones. There was no point making a washing machine plant, because I could combine rotating Vines and wood instead. But every once in awhile, I would encounter a circumstance so weird I had to create a new plant to fix it. The Filter Sponge expanded and contracted. The weed air passed through its pours. The smell faded. I¡¯m never coming here again. Small snakes crawled into the cauldron. I took out all the ingredients I needed and started creating the golden transformation pill. A while after I finished, I Withered the Filter Sponge and exited the room. ¡°Are you done? Did you succeed?¡± he said. ¡°Yeah,¡± I showed him the pill, ¡°here it is.¡± He picked it off my palm like he would pick up a hot potato. He sniffed it. ¡°What type of pill is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a sixth cycle Golden Transformation Pill.¡± He gave the pill a long hard look, ¡°You said your name was Jin?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Greetings, Grandmaster Jin. Are you the same Jin as the one that runs Jin¡¯s Medicine House?¡± Unlike Chen Wei, his demeanor didn¡¯t change after calling me grandmaster. Chen Wei had turned into etiquette teacher, but this person didn¡¯t change anything but my title. ¡°Yeah, is it famous?¡± I asked. ¡°Very. I¡¯m sorry, but this alchemy headquarters is not able to provide certificates or badges at the grandmaster rank for the time being. We will deliver it to your medicine house at a later date, is that alright for you?¡± ¡°Sure, may I have the pill back?¡± he put it back in my palm. ¡°Is there anything else I need to do?¡± ¡°You and the young lady may leave whenever you want,¡± he said, ¡°Although I would like to add, if you ever find yourself in a tough position, you can always come back here.¡± We were shown out of the hallway and into the lobby. ¡°Is there any reason people use incense other than to get high?¡± I asked Hui Ming, right about when we were about to leave. ¡°The type of incense in this room is for pleasure, but there are types of incense that increase mental function. I use it when I meditate on the Dao.¡± No way. ¡°Does it actually work?¡± ¡°There are a bunch of different type of incense, but the expensive ones that I used in the past did work,¡± she said. I laughed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier! Wait, so there are no side effects. Just a brain boost?¡± ¡°Just a brain boost.¡± I took out a pile of jade slips. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m convinced. We¡¯re buying all the miracle weed. Time to get stoned.¡± Chapter 47 ¡°Scratch that, do you know where they grow their incense plants? Incense plants meaning weed.¡± ¡°They grow them in the greenhouses,¡± said Hui Ming, ¡°Do you plan on copying them?¡± I stowed away my jade slips. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°The greenhouses are locked down, they don¡¯t let anybody in,¡± she said. ¡°Do you think we can slip in?¡± ¡°I doubt we can do it without getting noticed, but breaking in should be no problem.¡± ¡°All the better.¡± It¡¯s not as if we were stealing anything. A little breaking and entering to spice up my day. We walked through the multicolored streets again, arriving at a greenhouse. I could smell a minty forest smell coming from within the greenhouse. It was tall enough for us to see it behind a stout brick wall. The sunlight turned blue after passing through its tinted glass. Watchtowers stuck out of the roof, each stationed with three people. I didn¡¯t put on a disguise, I knew I could get more from this than some weed. I stared at one of the people on the watchtowers. He stared back. ¡°No killing,¡± I said. Hui Ming nodded. We jumped over the fence and strolled to the greenhouse at a leisurely pace. Thirty men and women gathered in front of us, blocking our path. They assembled into five man units. Out of the corner of my eye, the people on the watchtowers were setting up a turret. A representative from their group walked forward. She had the soft eyes of a mother and the beauty of a young woman. ¡°Good afternoon,¡± she said, ¡°may I ask what had brought you here today?¡± ¡°We would like to take a look at your wee- incense plants.¡± She gave me a pained look. ¡°We can¡¯t do that unless you have permission.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± she said.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°We can¡¯t reach a compromise?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± I said again. Both of the watchtowers had a long rod pointed at us. A flash, and the area lit up in red. Red light covered everything, giving the surroundings a tint of red. Three men poured a bag of spirit shards on to the rod. The spirit shards disappeared into the machine, further lighting it up. The thousands of spirit shards turned into small particles of glowing red mist. They pointed it at me and fired. The glow disappeared for a split second. The particles of mist formed into one red shard floating at the tip of the rod. The glow returned, stronger than ever. The shard blasted out. ¡°That¡¯s yours,¡± I said. Hui Ming jumped towards the shard. Her sword lashed out like a striking snake, meeting the shot head on. The shard cracked. The crack resulted in a quaking rumble. It was as if there were a monster resting within the stone, about to be released through the crack. The shard exploded in a blinding display of light and force. Hui Ming brought her sword across the center of the explosion, splitting it in two. The residual blast shattered some of the greenhouse windows and blew away the earth. The teams of five charged at me and Hui Ming. They tried to overwhelm us with numbers. The second watchtower had almost loaded their rod. Hui Ming landed on the earth, her legs bending to absorb her fall. She darted backward to protect me. ¡°Come on Jin,¡± I whispered to myself, ¡°do your part.¡± I extended my arm and let a couple seeds slip out of my grasp. One of transformed into a small wooden tube. It was about as long as it was wide, with a small hole in the center.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would you like to name it? ¡°Cannon Segment¡± has been named! Cannon Segment has reached level two!
Another seed became a bundle of vines. It stabilized the Cannon Segment and pointed it at the watchtower. The vines put a seed into one end of the cannon segment. A smooth sound, like a sword leaving its sheath. The seed shot out the other end. The seed landed on the shoulder of one of the men on the watchtower. It transformed into a Twentytacle trap and swatted them off. My cannon swiveled and shot another seed at the other watchtower. It turned into another Twentytacle Trap and knocked them off the tower. I disabled the two turrets. Hui Ming dashed around me. She blocked arrows from hitting me and cut down the enemies. I ignored their fight and walked into the greenhouse. The broken glass crackled beneath my feet. Before me were endless rows of weed. ¡°Jackpot.¡± I ran my fingers across a leaf and used Identify. Information about the plant entered my mind. I knew I would be able to copy it later. I ran across the aisles, feeling everything plant in my sight. Not all the plants were weed. There were many other rare herbs, some of which I¡¯d never seen before. But the greenhouse was too big. I couldn¡¯t touch all them before reinforcements arrived, at least not by running through the aisles. The noises from outside stopped. Hui Ming stepped past the pile of broken glass in time to see a wave of vines spread through the greenhouse. The vines were thin tendrils, instead of the thick vines I used for combat. They lifted the rows of pots and brought them to me. All the pots of pot brushed past me. I felt like I was running through a forest, except the forest was running through me. Hui Ming stared in awe as the torrent of green followed by. I Identified every one of them. Information flooded my consciousness. The plants returned to their original places. I collapsed to my knees. My head felt light, my body disconnected from my mind. I felt muddle-headed and dizzy, as if I hadn¡¯t gotten any sleep in days. ¡°Ugh. Look what you¡¯ve done now.¡± Hui Ming put me on her back. I had one of the Twentytacle Traps toss over one of the rods. I Withered every plant I had made. We ran before more powerful cultivators could show up. The trip back was a blur. I fell asleep halfway. Chapter 48 I woke up a couple hours later, lying on a couch in the living/alchemy room. Hui Ming and Jing sat on a different couch. Jing poured through alchemy books while Hui Ming looked through piles of medicine. My head cleared after my nap. Never am I identifying so many plants at a time again. Maybe a hundred at a time is my limit. ¡°Hello?¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± They lifted their heads. Hui Ming exhaled and Jing put the books away. ¡°Sorry about that. I used Identify too many times in a row, I didn¡¯t know it would have such an effect on me.¡± Jing took the rod, ¡°Look at what Hui Ming brought back. It looks so cool! What does it do?¡± Shoot. I made Hui Ming bring that back? That wasn¡¯t part of the plan. ¡°It¡¯s a gun. I¡¯m not sure how it works though. I think it¡¯s operated by inserting spirit shards. It can unleash the power of a full power strike from a fifth stage cultivator.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s very expensive to operate?¡± Jing asked. ¡°It looks like it,¡± I turned to Hui Ming, ¡°How much does the gun cost?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a power rod. There are larger and smaller versions, but that one should cost around two hundred thousand.¡± ¡°Two hundred thousand!¡± I tightened my grip. Maybe two hundred thousand shouldn¡¯t be very much money to me, but it was still a huge sum of money. After seeing the prices of enough objects, I¡¯d found one shard was worth roughly one United States dollar. A single object being worth two hundred thousand was mind blowing to me. I could only imagine how much pie Hui Ming could buy with that money. Jing tossed it to Hui Ming. ¡°Show me!¡± Hui Ming looked to me. ¡°Go ahead,¡± I said. She took out one shard and it evaporated, turning to a particle of mist that traveled to the other end of the rod. The particle solidified into a piece of sand and shot out at Jing. She let it hit her forehead. Her neck jerked back as if she were hit by a hammer. ¡°Do it again!¡± Hui Ming did it again. ¡°Do it again!¡± ¡°Ok ok. No more,¡± I said. ¡°We should buy a bigger one. One worth ten million soul shards,¡± said Jing. ¡°And why would we do that?¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯d be really cool,¡± she said as if it were obvious. To be fair, the idea of a giant laser cannon was tempting. ¡°But we already have the Cannon Segments, right?¡± ¡°What canon segments?¡± ¡°You have the same blue screen as I do?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± her eyes focused on something in front of her. It was her own status screen, although I couldn¡¯t see it.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Don¡¯t you have Cannon Segments?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± she said, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°So the new plants I invented didn''t get transferred to you,¡± a seed turned into a Cannon Segment in my hands. ¡°Here, Identify this.¡± She touched it. ¡°Ok¡­ still not as cool as the power rod though.¡± ¡°Jing, let me teach you some money sense. We are not spending a quarter of my savings on something just because you think it¡¯s cool.¡± She gave me puppy dog eyes. ¡°But-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not happening,¡± I said. ¡°But then what can I do if I want to buy anything?¡± she asked. I rubbed my forehead. I¡¯ve been putting this off for too long. ¡°I don¡¯t want to force you to stay in my house all day. You¡¯ll have your freedoms.¡± ¡°Xiao Li, you sit down too. We need to establish some house rules.¡± She sat next to Jing. ¡°Our goal is to have our little household grow till we are one of the powerhouses of this city. We already have the defensive power of a major sect, but we¡¯re expanding that to offensive power and fame as well.¡± ¡°What will we do after we become a powerhouse?¡± Hui Ming asked. ¡°Sip tea. Sell pills. Support the younger generation. Shield those we care about.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Jing yelled, ¡°but that¡¯s no fun!¡± Hui Ming glared at her. ¡°You won¡¯t think so once we get there,¡± I said. ¡°What do you mean? It sounds boring to me,¡± she said. I took a deep breath. ¡°This city rests on metaphorical ¡®pillars¡¯. The toppling of any one of these pillars will throw everything into disarray. I know you''ve been wondering why I haven¡¯t been expanding my influence. It¡¯s because I¡¯m afraid of touching those pillars.¡± I continued, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not always going to be the only one who can topple those pillars. This city is being infected by something. Even the alchemy headquarters have been infected. Many high status figures are being recruited. There will be larger disturbances in the future.¡± ¡°Even after that, I have a feeling we¡¯ll have to deal with even greater threats. This world may soon face an existential threat, which is why we need to become more influential. You¡¯ll have your fun when we deal with that.¡± I was referring to my fellow classmates. It was possible that they were all dead, but it was also possible some had gotten a power like me. ¡°The Cultivator¡± implied there was only one cultivator. It was likely everybody got a unique power. Power corrupts. A teenager given power for a couple weeks may not compromise on their morals too much. But what about a couple years? My general attitude ranged from ¡°sip tea¡± to ¡°steal weed¡±, so I wasn¡¯t as affected as I could have been. But others were more prone to misusing power. The bullies, for example. Or the arrogant. Or the people who wished they had the power to be arrogant. Or everybody in general. I can''t even be sure I don''t end up twisted. I don''t know what kind of person I''ll be in five years. I don¡¯t know what happens to people when they obtain the power to bend the world. I would be finished if one of the people who became monsters had an ability like time manipulation. But there was no point in planning against something undefeatable. I could still plan against less powerful abilities. The likelihood of fighting against one of these types of people was very high. Of course, this was all speculation, but I had a strong feeling I was right. Jing would have her fun. I could only hope we don¡¯t lose. ¡°Ok, but what do we do right now?¡± Jing asked. ¡°I was getting to that. I¡¯m already working on the fame part. Jing, I have a couple rules for you. You may not let your mana reach less than five hundred. Don¡¯t let your mana fill up either. If you ever have leftover mana, use it by adding to our defences.¡± ¡°I was already doing that, father.¡± she said. ¡°If you want to buy anything, you must earn the money yourself. You may do anything you want to earn the money, but don¡¯t meddle in my businesses. Unless necessary, you can¡¯t reveal your plant ability to others. Also¡­ for every soul shard you spend for yourself, give me nineteen soul shards.¡±For every twenty shards she tried to spend, nineteen would go to me. ¡°Ninety five percent tax?¡± she cried, ¡°That¡¯s extortion!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± I snickered internally. ¡° As for you, Xiao Li. You don¡¯t need to stick by my side all day. You may take ten million out of my stash for yourself.¡± ¡°Wha?¡± said Jing, ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll loan you one million to kickstart your business. You¡¯ll have to pay it back, plus interest.¡± ¡°Favoritism. I call favoritism!¡± she said. I pat her on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, I know it.¡± Chapters 49 and 50 ¡°Moving on, all of us are free to leave this property as long as one of us is still here to guard it. So don¡¯t run off and leave this place unguarded. I¡¯ll almost always be here, so you two will be able to leave most of the time. One last rule: you may not leave for more than five days at a time.¡± I pushed five boxes across the table. Two of them went to Hui Ming and three went to Jing. ¡°Crush the yellow boxes at your feet and a shell will appear to protect you.¡± I pointed at the only box that wasn¡¯t yellow, the one in front of Jing. ¡°Crush this blue box and a Twentytacle Trap you can control will appear. You girls should only use these in times of emergency. I¡¯ll sense it if they¡¯re used and rush over to help, although I won¡¯t be able to sense where you are.¡± They accepted the boxes. ¡°You girls know where I stashed the money. Take the amounts that I said earlier. You¡¯re free to go.¡± Jing jumped to give me a hug. ¡°Thank you father!¡± She ran out the door like a happy dog let outside. Hui Ming stayed behind. ¡°I said you may leave.¡± Her hands plucked at her dress. ¡°Do you need me to go? I can still help with¡­ things.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need help right now.¡± She shrunk at my words. ¡°But remember what I told you earlier today? Watch Jing and tell me how she does. Give her help if she needs it.¡± ¡°I will. May I have some incense to cultivate with?¡± she asked. ¡°Look on the Treefather later today, I¡¯ll have some growing there. Also come by later and I¡¯ll give you more pills. Maybe we can get you to the eighth stage in another month.¡± ¡°Thank you master Jin,¡± she bowed and left. I closed my eyes. I had a lot to take care of. I reestablished my connection with my plants. I could feel everything in my yard, but I couldn¡¯t process it all at once. I felt around with my connection and found a piece of my garden that I hadn¡¯t seen before. A chunk of my garden had been transformed. A thick wooden wall surrounded it. Three words were written on the wall. ¡°Jing¡¯s Secret Workshop.¡± I decided to respect her privacy and retract my connection from her workshop. I felt Jing¡¯s feet against the grass, running to the edge of my garden. Hui Ming sprinted after her. Jing felt me watching her. She rearranged a bundle of vines to say, ¡°Bye father! I¡¯ll be back by sundown.¡± I fixed them to say, ¡°Ok, see you then.¡± She continued jogging. I spent two days refining pills. Hui Ming and Jing visited twice a day. They helped me with the garden and alchemy. After the two days, I reopened Jin¡¯s Medicine House. I opened the back door to my shop. A thin film of dust had developed on the floor and counter. I sat on the stool behind the counter and used Control to flip the sign outside from ¡°closed¡± to ¡°open¡±. The door cracked open. Cheers from people waiting for days shook my shop, shaking the dust from the floor. Most people who came in were people I found off putting. I hoped for better people this time. Before I could finish my train of thought, the first person walked in. It was Hou Tian, who looked as if he was attending his mother¡¯s funeral. ¡°Brother Jin, you were right about the weird things happening in our city.¡± ¡°Oh? What are they?¡± ¡°I looked into the internal affairs of my sect. I found at least one senior who had betrayed us recently. He revealed that other seniors were also working under somebody else¡¯s influence. A suspicious person I¡¯d never seen began offering me expensive gifts. Then there were those attacks from the last few days.¡± ¡°What attacks?¡± I asked. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard?¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°No?¡± ¡°It started five days ago. A group of people launched attacks on high value sites. They all wear a black symbol of an eye on their clothes. Carts of rare medicine and weapons shops were robbed when their guards were down. There was that incident where somebody broke into an alchemy greenhouse. But they didn¡¯t steal anything except a power rod. That was odd.¡± I had to pat myself on the back for that one. I was still waiting for the news to get out that it was me. ¡°But they¡¯ve gotten more brazen over time. They invaded the Sapphire Fire Sect¡¯s major trade branches. We lost tens of millions of shards. Then all the major black market branches in this area were taken down by a pair of women,¡± his eyebrows creased. ¡°Wait a second. Can you repeat that last part, that part on those two girls?¡± I said. ¡°Two women destroyed the black market syndicates in this region. They¡¯re from the same organization as the others,¡± he said. My face paled. ¡°Can you describe them for me?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t there. I heard one of them was at least at the sixth stage. The other relied solely on her body and didn¡¯t use any martial arts. She only used brute force and she was already powerful. They were both masked,¡± he said. ¡°Do you know them?¡± Yep, those two were Jing and Hui Ming. I laughed nervously. I¡¯ll have to ask Jing and Hui Ming what they were up to. ¡°Anyhow, anything else?¡± He bit his thumbnail. ¡°I don¡¯t know. A couple of my friends are behaving oddly. Seniors betraying the sect has almost never happened. Whatever is behind this has control over many powerful subordinates.¡± I reached underneath the counter and pulled out two large mugs, a knife, and a giant orange. I cut a slit in the orange and squeezed juice in both of the mugs. I tapped the mug on the wooden counter, making two hollow thuds. ¡°Here, have some orange juice.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s a drink, try it,¡± I said. ¡°Is there anything special about it?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s juice. Nothing special,¡± I said. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, he moved towards me to take the mug. He took a sip, and leaned across the table for a hug. I hesitated before embracing him. I pat him on the back, his silk robes wrinkled robes smoothed under my touch. I let go. ¡°You think your friends have also betrayed your sect?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible¡­¡± ¡°What are you going to do if they did?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t know.¡± He wore a tortured expression, torn with indecision. ¡°If it¡¯s any comfort to you, the two girls you spoke about are my subordinates. I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re wearing that symbol, but I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t betray me.¡± ¡°Why did you have them attack the black markets?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I told them they could do anything they wanted for the time being. I¡¯ve never liked the black markets anyway, so good riddance,¡± I smiled with him. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to have subordinates you can trust that much,¡± he said, ¡°I trust my friends, and I¡¯d never betray them. I know some of them aren''t as trustworthy as others. How did you find people that you know you can trust?¡± ¡°It was all circumstance. You¡¯ve seen one of them, the one that follows me everywhere. Don¡¯t worry about her. I trust her more than I trust myself,¡± I said. ¡°How is it possible to trust somebody more than you trust yourself?¡± he said, ¡°or was that a figure of speech?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a figure of speech. I can always trust her to do what¡¯s best for me, but I can¡¯t say the same for myself. I can rarely trust me to do what¡¯s best for myself,¡± I explained. ¡°An old friend once told me: the best friends are the ones you can trust more than you can trust yourself. Xiao Li isn¡¯t exactly a friend, but she¡¯s close enough.¡± ¡°My friends aren¡¯t like that, although I feel that¡¯s a bit extreme,¡± he said. ¡°Of course it is. Finding anybody like that would be a gift from god,¡± I winked, ¡°That old friend was one such gift from god, so they do exist.¡± ¡°I hope so¡­¡± he replied. ¡°You can always to come here for shelter if you find yourself in trouble,¡± I said. ¡°But you should come here anyway. Tell me if worse things happen in your sect, or just come here for fun.¡± ¡°Thank you, brother Jin,¡± he said, ¡°I should leave. I don¡¯t have anything else to say, and there are people waiting outside.¡± ¡°You forgot something.¡± I tossed him a fifth cycle Blood Life Pill. He caught it and stared at it in his palm. ¡°Wow...I actually forgot about this,¡± he said. ¡°Understandable, have a nice day,¡± I waved and he walked away. Running the medicine house was not a happy affair. The most desperate people in the city made it to my doorstep. I helped the ones I could help. I hardly ever moved from my spot in the chair, but it was still an exhausting business. I closed the shop when it was nearing sundown. With the lighting fading from the sky, I walked back to the house. Somebody else was walking in front of me, dragging a cart of heaven knows what across my yard. I froze. How the hell did this guy slip past my detection system? I could feel my yard through my plants, but doing it 24/7 was impossible. I set up Programs to alert me if any of the thousands of alerts I set up were triggered. It was impossible for anybody to slip through. I readied my plants and walked up to him. ¡°Hello,¡± I said coldly. He saw me and dropped the rope to his cart. I thought he was going to run but he bowed instead. ¡°G-Grandmaster Jin! What are youdoing here?¡± ¡°Motherf- Ilivehere!¡± Seeing he wasn¡¯t a threat, I took a closer look at him. He stood up from his bow. A rough symbol was sewn into his robes. A sideways oval, with two pointy things sticking out the top. It was one of the kitty brothers, the first customers to my medicine house. I had given them a third cycle pill for free. ¡°Y-you live here? That can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°What¡¯s in that cart,¡± I glared. There were times for kindness, and this was not one of them. He had snuck on my property. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What. Is. In. That. Cart.¡± He gulped. ¡°I can¡¯t show you sir! I¡¯m not allowed to! She¡¯ll-¡± The cart was a box on four wheels. The box had a lid, which was locked. I punched the lock and it shattered. I pried the lid open. It was filled with dried clumps of green. I stuck my hand in and felt as deep into the box as I could. The kitty brother got on his knees. ¡°Please don¡¯t ruin it!¡± It was dried buds of weed. All of it. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± A seed in my hand turned into a long blade with a handle. It looked like I summoned a blade out of thin air. I held it to his throat. ¡°Who gave you this.¡± ¡°A woman named Jing. She offered us a job, and we took it, thinking we could pay you back. She led us to an estate near your shop and told us to work there. I didn¡¯t realize she had led us to your property, sir. I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t know!¡± he cried. I dropped the blade and grunted. ¡°Huh. I know that girl you¡¯re talking about. You¡¯re not in trouble, although she is. She has a lot of explaining to do.¡± Chapter 51 Footsteps from cloth shoes echoed around a tall black building. The footsteps and chatter hovered about, but the building itself was silent. The building had enough decoration to not look poor, but there was also not enough decoration to look fancy. All in all, it was normal. Nobody paid it attention despite its immense size. Behind its walls was a bustling factory. More than a hundred people worked inside. They ran up and down its stairs, delivering boxes of products from one factory line to another. On the top floor, Jing and Hui Ming sat in a room closed off from all the others. They were the only two who weren¡¯t working. The room was cluttered with boxes identical to the other ones being handled in the building. Other large circular objects lie next to each other, like a row of car tires. Fresh forest scent filled the room. Jing was examining a piece of paper. The paper was covered in words, but nothing on it made sense. Jing had told Hui Ming it was a coded message she found after raiding another cartel. ¡°Hui Ming, come on, help me!¡± she pleaded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be much help anyway,¡± said Hui Ming. ¡°Please. I¡¯m running low on funds, gimme some help,¡± she replied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to help even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°But you can help fund me. Wait, I got this. I¡¯m your boss¡¯s daughter, which means you serve me. Which means I can ask for money from you. The logic is flawless. Can I have a couple million?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± she begged. ¡°No.¡± ¡°How bout¡¯ you buy a gift for your boss¡¯s daughter? It was my birthday a couple days ago, and you didn¡¯t even give me anything!¡± ¡°You were born a couple days ago.¡± ¡°Technicalities.¡± Three knocks on the door. Jing put on a mask, straightened her back, and squared her shoulders. ¡°Come in,¡± her voice morphed, the playfulness from before replaced by formality. A woman in ragged robes burst into the room panting. ¡°Mistress. Somebody is here to see you. I don¡¯t know who they are, but they look important.¡± ¡°How many are there. Tell me everything you can about them,¡± said Jing. Hui Ming stood as well, feeling the sword hilt at her waist. ¡°They have upwards of twenty people. I suspect they¡¯re from a different cartel. They¡¯re waiting in the lobby,¡± she said. Jing ran her fingers down the edges of her mask. ¡°Stay here,¡± she said to the worker. Hui Ming headed for the stairs, but Jing grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Wrong way.¡± She jumped out the window, pulling Hui Ming with her. They both landed without a noise, but attracted many eyes from the commoners on the streets. ¡°This way is faster.¡± They opened the front door, the door to the first story of the building. They entered a dim lobby. Everybody but the newcomers had cleared out of the room. Twenty two men turned to stare at the two girls. Each wore a symbol of an eye on some part of their clothing. Some had it on their chest, and others had it on their sleeve or back. A clear hierarchy was present within the group. Most of them were minions, but five stood taller than the rest. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. But there was one that stood at the top of their command chain. His behavior was nonchalant and graceful, as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Despite having the appearance of a person in their late teens, he owned the demeanor of a king. His eyes swept across the two women. ¡°You are the ones who have been wearing my symbol.¡± His voice resonated in the room, leaving an echo. A silence proceeded his words. This man called himself Dao. Dao was the word for how people used Qi, but it was also the word for truth, the proper path, and the essential being of the world. He had named himself after truth and this was not undeserved. He had appeared in the city with nothing but himself and one follower. He formed a cult like following with a week. He was a black hole that attracted everything. He attracted wealth and infamy, followers and enemies alike. Jing tapped the surface of her mask and it crumbled to dust. Vincent had crafted her to be the pinnacle of beauty. Regardless of gender, everybody who laid eyes on her felt their hearts tremble. Her robes hung loosely on her body. Her robes let their imaginations run wild, whispering hints of what lie underneath. Her slender fingers peeked out from her sleeves, further feeding their imaginations. She appeared to be almost twenty years old, filled with youthful vitality. What flawless skin! What perfect hair! What splendid fingernails! No china was as delicate, no newborn as pure, no dancer as graceful. The soft tap on the mask resonated within everybody''s minds. The weak-willed had the sound seared into their heads. They would never to forget it again. With the mask destroyed, her features were put on display for all to see. Resisting her was impossible. Flawless red lips and bright pink cheeks glowed in the dully lit room. Even Hui Ming couldn¡¯t resist gulping when she saw Jing¡¯s untouchable beauty. Then she smiled. A pair of cute dimples appeared on each of her rosy cheeks. Everybody gulped a second time. She brushed her hair behind her ear. She was the undisputed queen, the forbidden apple, an unreachable star. ¡°So we¡¯ve been wearing your symbol. What of it?¡± she said. Dao¡¯s men shook themselves back into reality. They had almost forgotten about what they had come here for. Dao took four long strides, standing toe to toe with Jing. He was taller than her. Jing tilted her head up to maintain eye contact. From this moment on, Hui Ming and Dao¡¯s subordinate knew they would be mortal enemies. They would be destined to clash if they couldn¡¯t make peace here. Although she was starting to get hints of it, Hui Ming was blind to who Jing truly was. Hui Ming thought of Jing as a disorderly lazy little girl, which was true. But Jing held a terrifying intellect. Nobody was her match in pure problem solving ability. Dao was her equal and opposite. He held a terrifying amount of information. Nobody was his match in pure knowledge or memory. They were both more than capable enough to dominate the black market and more. Dao had arrived first and amassed massive power and followers. Then Jing had appeared, the brightest star against the darkest void. He put a hand on his chin. There wasn¡¯t a drop of lust in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a privilege to see a beauty such as yourself in person. Even more of a privilege to see such a beauty wearing my symbol.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll continue wearing it.¡± ¡°However, it''s still the symbol of my organization. No matter how great the honor, I can¡¯t have somebody outside my organization wearing my symbol. Would you like to join us? Otherwise, I would prefer if you wouldn¡¯t wear it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep your preference in mind.¡± He frowned. ¡°Do you think you can afford to make enemies out of us?¡± ¡°That goes both ways. You can''t afford to make an enemy out of me either, especially if you already know who I am. I suggest we both take a step back. You don''t want to fight us, and we don¡¯t want to fight you. We would both come out of this exchange with a bit less than we entered with,¡± said Jing. ¡°You¡¯d come out with far less, seeing that this is your production facility.¡± ¡°Thank you for being considerate.¡± Jing nodded lightly. ¡°But we have more important matters to discuss, don¡¯t we?¡± he said. Jing put her hands behind her back. ¡°Indeed we do. You came here to discuss us using your symbol. You see, your symbol has been quite convenient for me. Me and my people get to work undercover, while all the blame gets shifted to your guys. Frankly, it¡¯s a bit too convenient for me to give up.¡± ¡°Let me state this plain and simple. I can¡¯t have people running around under my symbol. Do you understand?¡± She nodded again. ¡°We can reach a compromise. I¡¯ll openly operate under your name. We¡¯ll make it clear we are part of your ring. It¡¯ll give your ring a fair bit of credibility. Having my cartel under your symbol would be quite a boon for you, no?¡± ¡°You little rascal. Your offer doesn¡¯t change anything. Stop with the wordplay.¡± She sighed, ¡°Then allow me to offer a different deal.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°You gift me twenty quarter-million shard power rods, so five million shards worth in total. Then we¡¯ll stop.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not happening either.¡± Jing and Dao stared each other in the eye. The room filled with an intangible tension. Everybody else held their breath, not daring to make a sound. ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± said Jing, ¡°Leave.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t give an inch, will you,¡± he said. Jing shook her head, her hair rippling like ocean waves. Dao scrutinized her before bending into a fake bow, ¡°We¡¯ll meet again.¡± He walked past her. Qi swelled around him and vented at the door. The wooden gate splintered apart, flying into the streets. Dao gestured at his group and they followed. His eyes lingered on Hui Ming for a while before they left. After they had walked to their own base, Dao kept his eyes on Jing¡¯s base. The distance between them didn¡¯t stop his eyes. He saw through the hundreds of buildings between them as if they didn¡¯t exist. He continued watching them for any weaknesses. Chapter 52 Jing and Hui Ming climbed upstairs, where more than a hundred thugs were waiting. Most were muscular men, with women scattered here and there. As hardened veterans of the underbelly of society, many had killed and all of them would if told. They all looked to Jing. She was their master, the new ruler of the black market. Everything about her suggested her rightful place as the Queen. Her beauty. Her graceful movements. Her light gestures. Her dismissive speech. Her powerful followers. In their eyes, she would soon take over all of the black market. Despite these qualities, she would come down and listen to them. She smiled at their jokes! ¡°They¡¯re gone. We¡¯ll worry about them later.¡± She didn¡¯t say any more. She continued walking up the stairs until she reached her room again. She shut the door. Jing tilted herself back and fell into Hui Ming¡¯s arms. Hui Ming took an abrupt breath and stiffened. She put a hand on each of Jing¡¯s shoulders, preventing her from hitting the ground. The back of Jing¡¯s head landed on her chest. Jing tilted her head all the way back, looking into her holder¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wh- wha?¡± Hui Ming stammered. ¡°Why is this so haaaard?,¡± Jing moaned. ¡°I only wanted to help my father and make some money. Now I¡¯m dealing with sixteen competing cartels, and now the Dao organization? Come on big sis, you gotta help me out.¡± Hui Ming pushed her off and set her on a chair. ¡°How do you do that?¡± ¡°Huh? Do what?¡± Jing asked. ¡°Don¡¯t try to trick me. You can¡¯t take control of an entire district in two days. How did you do it,¡± she said. ¡°Oops, I forgot you weren¡¯t there for the first day. I gave myself a tour of the place and got to know the mean looking guys. It took some time, but I figured out their personalities. Almost all of them were people looking for somewhere they could succeed. I showed them how I could help them along. I brought them together with other people they would get along with.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To create a sense of family! Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have one big happy family of drug traffickers?¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°That¡¯s the dumbest thing I¡¯ve ever heard. You seduced them, didn¡¯t you,¡± said Hui Ming. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that. I was wearing a full face mask and a cloak. It¡¯s true. You saw me with that cloak and mask, they¡¯re those two over there,¡± she pointed at a mask and large cloak sitting on top of a stack of boxes. ¡°Anyway, you and father are my only true family.¡± Hui Ming waited for a few seconds, examining her for any trace of a lie. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± But it was possible. Jing had done it. She brought hundreds under her banner without using her plants or beauty. After gathering her following, she pleaded Hui Ming to help her destroy a local cartel¡¯s base. Hui Ming had stuck by her side ever since. She witnessed Jing employ offensive diplomacy. She threatened local cartels, bribed others, and enlisted help from the rest. She made a huge splash, destabilizing the local underground markets. During the tiny window of time before it restabilzed, she engaged in a quick land grab. She took a bit of territory from sixteen local cartels. The land she ¡°took¡± happened to center around her father¡¯s home, as if in a protective circle. Hui Ming had been by her side as she executed her plan, but she thought Jing was just messing around. She began having suspicions when Jing fended off all sixteen cartels while losing hardly any land. Then she saw Jing turn into a completely different person in front of Dao. The change in personality was unnatural, to say the least. She didn¡¯t flinch once while talking to him and resolved the situation without a fight. After reviewing what she had seen Jing do, she decided Jing wasn¡¯t lying. Hui Ming thought through everything Jing said. Jing noticed her faraway expression and seized the chance. She jumped out of her chair and tackled Hui Ming with a hug. ¡°You don¡¯t need to get jealous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not jealous!¡± She prodded Hui Ming in the cheek, ¡°Sure you aren¡¯t.¡± She wrapped her arms around her. She shoved her face into her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re soh warm.¡± Hui Ming let her stay without pushing her away. She didn¡¯t stiffen either. She reached up and caught Jing by the ear. ¡°You act so different in front of me.¡± ¡°Keeping an image of a strong leader is important. Father said we¡¯re all family. You¡¯re my only family out here.¡± She grinned. ¡°You¡¯re big sis.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you creating a family of your own?¡± Hui Ming asked. ¡°They only kinda count. I¡¯m trying to make a super loyal group. Family and friendship looked like the best way to do that. I like them too, but not nearly as much as you or father.¡± Jing¡¯s hug tightened. She buried her face in her big sister¡¯s shoulder. ¡°and many of them are going to die. Father is invincible. You¡¯re strong enough to protect yourself as well.¡± ¡°But will you be able to protect yourself? Dao gives me a bad feeling. I think he could¡¯ve beat us if he decided to attack back there.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a problem, but I can figure out a way to get around him¡­ I hope,¡± Jing grimaced. Hui Ming began stroking Jing¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jing perked up. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re going to help me?¡± ¡°Sure, whatever.¡± Jing whooped and rubbed her forehead against her sister¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± Hui Ming blushed, ¡°You¡¯re pretty good too.¡± Chapter 53 ¡°Lead me to her,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. I can¡¯t betray the mistress,¡± the kitty brother said. ¡°You won¡¯t be betraying her. I already told you I know her. I wouldn¡¯t lie to you.¡± I connected with my plants again. I frowned. Random people were walking across my yard. Jing had let them, but it still felt uncomfortable. ¡°And you¡¯re doing this to pay me back anyway.¡± He seemed to struggle with indecision before saying, ¡°Are you enemies with the mistress?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not her enemy, not that I¡¯d tell you if I were.¡± He led me to the edge of my estate. We stood on the brick fence surrounding my garden. He pointed across the road at a nearby building. It was five stories tall and circled other shorter buildings. I had never seen it before. I didn¡¯t pay attention to the neighboring buildings. ¡°That¡¯s where she is, sir.¡± The city had no official layout. Huge gardens like mine next to compact apartments weren¡¯t uncommon. People could do anything they wanted with the land they owned. ¡°Thanks.¡± I decided I could risk leaving my garden for a short time. I already Programed defenses. Although it looked like Jing took down some of them to create paths for her people. I never imagined she would expand to having subordinates in just a couple days. I was expecting a chain of tea houses when I told her to start a business. The size of her base suggested something larger. I hopped off my fence and headed towards the building he had pointed to. I had gotten halfway there when the door to the building exploded. Other people on the streets turned to watch. I stopped. A teenage kid walked out with more than twenty people behind him. Despite his young appearance, it was obvious he was the leader. I felt that I¡¯d seen him somewhere before, but I felt the same for a lot of people. I¡¯d never seen anybody carry themselves with as much dignity. This kid was confident enough to deserve my support. I should send some pills his way. Still, what a waste of a door. They turned to leave. They turned and I noticed the symbols of eyes that dotted their clothing. I remembered what Hou Tian had said about these people. My eyes narrowed. After the group left, I went into the building and found a deserted lobby. I climbed spiraling stairs to the next story. Dozens of people were busily running around, many carried boxes identical to the one on the other kitty brother. They didn¡¯t look like good people. They looked tougher than nails, far more physically powerful than regular people. A few of them were from the kitty brothers. ¡°Hello?¡± I tapped him on the shoulder.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He turned around and gasped. ¡°Grandmaster Jin!¡± he gasped. Most of the room turned. The ones who were not kitty brothers looked at me with hostility. ¡°Are you looking for your servant?¡± So Hui Ming was here as well. It was no surprise. I had told her to go with Jing. ¡°No, I¡¯m looking for Jing. Is she here?¡± ¡°Y-yes. She¡¯s in the meeting room on the fifth floor. Do you know the way?¡± he asked. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you,¡± he offered. A minute later, we were in front of a door at the end of a long hallway. He knocked, ¡°Mistress Jing, a man named Grandmaster Jin has come to meet you,¡± he shouted, trying to get his voice through the door. The door was flung open so hard it created a gust down the corridor. A body shot out of the room. It tackled me with a hug. I was pushed back, my feet flying off the floor. We flew until my back hit the wall behind me. The guy who brought me froze, not knowing what to do. ¡°Ow,¡± I said in a rather emotionless tone. Jing pouted. Hui Ming helped me pry her off. Hui Ming waved the kitty brother away and he left. ¡°Father! You¡¯ve come to visit? Who¡¯s protecting the house?¡± I stood up, freed from Jing¡¯s grasp. ¡°Nobody, so I need to get back quick. What is this place?¡± I started walking to the room Jing had flown out of. I turned and saw Hui Ming dragging her by the cheek. Jing wasn¡¯t mad, but was pulling back playfully. I smiled, glad they had gotten closer. There were only two chairs in the room. I sat on one of them and pat the other chair, ¡°Xiao Li, sit here.¡± Hui Ming let go of Jing¡¯s cheek and sat with me. Jing was forced to stand without a chair. ¡°Favoritis-¡± she started. I reached up and tapped her forehead, ¡°Shh. What¡¯s going on here? I let you go for three days, and you¡¯re already involved in some robbery group and incense?¡± ¡°Weed,¡± she corrected. ¡°Weed, whatever. Anyway. Tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°You told me to make money, so I¡¯m earning money,¡± she said, feeling her head with her fingertips. ¡°...out with it, Jing. All of it.¡± She told me about how she set up an incense ring, how she stole Dao¡¯s symbol, and how she got caught between sixteen cartels. She explained how she was binding her cartel family-style. She spoke of doing things I would never dream of being able to do as if they were easy. I had suspected Jing was smarter than I gave her credit for, but I never expected it was to this degree. I had one thing to confirm. ¡°How much are paying them?¡± ¡°Five hundred shards a day.¡± No matter how smart she was, smarts alone wouldn¡¯t be enough for her to do what she had done. But she had an infinite supply of incense and a million shards to start with. It was mind-blowing that she had recruited all these people in so little time. She used everything at her disposal. She also had great personal power. Nobody under the sixth stage could break her body. She was planty powerful. She had money and power, and her intelligence tied them together. She had no weaknesses. ¡°I can handle this on my own. The sixteen cartels won¡¯t be a problem for me,¡± she said. She had gotten this far in three days, I could imagine what she could do with three months, or three years. I hid a gigantic smile. I had released a monster into the city. I couldn¡¯t wait to see what sort of splash she would make, but¡­ ¡°I know I said you could do whatever you wanted, but try not to cause too much destruction on the way,¡± I said. She did an army salute, ¡°Yes father!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll trust you. Don¡¯t be reckless,¡± I said. ¡°Also, Hui Ming, assist Jing if necessary¡± ¡°Yes master.¡± Jing raised her hand. ¡°One more thing. About this guy calling himself Dao, he¡¯s from your home world.¡± Chapter 54 ¡°How do you know about my home world? I don¡¯t remember ever telling you about it.¡± I already knew the answer to my question, but I wanted to double check. Jing shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I think I may have inherited some of your memories.¡± A screen had popped up back when I got the Bring Forth skill. It told me Jing would inherit my knowledge of the local language. My best friend from my old world, Brian, had told me all about this. Some people yearned for deep conversations because they were starved of them. I was the opposite. Brian had been shoving deep conversations down my throat since elementary school. If I heard one more ¡°deep¡± conversation I might just throw up. According to him, language contained a huge amount of knowledge. Knowing the definitions of words opened entire new ways of thinking. Learning a language gave her the knowledge associated with that language. Along with inheriting my definitions of the words ¡°earth¡±, ¡°car¡±, and ¡°computer¡±, she also inherited my memories of those words. Learning my definitions for words gave her fuzzy versions of my memories. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± said Hui Ming. She didn¡¯t know about the other world. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± I turned back to Jing, ¡°why do you think Dao is from that world?¡± ¡°A bunch of things. Quirks in his movement. The way he stared at Hui Ming¡¯s maid uniform¡­¡± ¡°My what?¡± Hui Ming asked. Her hands folded over her black dress with white frills. I hid my face behind my hands, this time in shame. I cleared my throat. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡± Jing continued, ¡°I also did some research on him beforehand. The way he took power is suspicious. He couldn''t have done it without an extra ability. It¡¯s possible he had a ridiculous number of connections. But, it¡¯s more likely he has an information gathering ability. Although if he does, it isn''t too powerful.¡± ¡°How do you know how powerful his ability is?¡± ¡°I can estimate the strength of his ability with how quickly he takes over. But it¡¯s kinda inaccurate.¡± ¡°Can you draw a portrait of him for me?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, but this would be a better way to do it.¡± She held a seed in her palm. It expanded into a clump of vines. Each vine was thin as thread. They layered on top of each other, forming the rough shape of a male face. It became more defined until it became a recognizable face. It was the same guy I¡¯d seen break the door to this building, but I didn¡¯t recognize it back then. It took me a while to make the connection from the face to the person. ¡°Ah, that guy.¡± He was from my class, but not Brian or anybody I knew well. I almost didn''t remember his name, Mark. I don¡¯t remember much about from class, but he either acted aloof or introverted. It was hard to tell the difference. But how did Jing piss him off so bad he kicked down the door? ¡°Wow, you couldn¡¯t have treated him better?¡± ¡°Sorry father, it was stressful.¡± ¡°Please try to make peace with him. Don¡¯t give him information about me until we determine whether he¡¯s hostile or not.¡± Jing had mentioned him probably having an information gathering ability, confirming my fears. If both me and Mark had gotten abilities, the others did as well. I was most afraid of somebody going berserk with an invincible ability. Information type abilities could be annoying. I couldn¡¯t know which information gathering ability he had. I could only hope he couldn¡¯t read my mind. Even if he wasn¡¯t an enemy, I would hate being around somebody who could read my mind. But there was nothing I could do. I didn¡¯t know where he was, his attitude towards me, or anything else. ¡°Thanks for the information. I should get back now. Don¡¯t mess around too much and remember to pay your taxes.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say,¡± she grumbled. She got up from her chair and plopped down on my lap. I jerked back, almost falling out of my chair. ¡°Wha- Jing!¡± I complained. At first, her legs felt like a flat surface. Then I felt a particular pattern form through the robes. The pattern changed again. ¡°What?¡± Jing said. More. Information. ? Jing was controlling the skin on her leg to spell words. Ah. So Jing wanted to be safe and not say certain things aloud. I thought it was unnecessary. I didn¡¯t think Mark would be an enemy, but you can never be too careful. I Controlled the skin on her palms to write out a string of words. We carried out two conversations at the same time, one through speech and one through touch. I had a hard time keeping both conversations at the same time. Jing held up the spoken side of the conversation while I nodded along. We spoke about everything that had happened to me up to this point. I told her everything I knew about Mark, which wasn¡¯t much. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot,¡± I said aloud, stopping our other string of communication. ¡°What are your people doing on my property?¡± ¡°They¡¯re harvesting weed.¡± ¡°Um, ok. Please take them off when you have the chance. I¡¯d rather not have them running around there.¡± She nodded. I rushed back to my garden. Nobody had attacked when I was gone. I sighed in relief. I spent the rest of the day patching up my garden and creating pills. Jing and Hui Ming returned home and we had dinner together. They left after eating. I felt a tug at my eyes and went to sleep. - I woke up to a flood of glaring light pouring into my room. Two suns hung in the night sky. They illuminated their surroundings with twice the ferocity of the real sun. Jing burst into my room. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She calmed down when she saw me looking out the window, unharmed. Neither sun was real, but their brightness was enough to make most people look away. I stared at them, ignoring the blinding light. My improved eyes could withstand this and much more. The ¡°suns¡± were giant balls of fire. A person stood in the center of each of them, emitting the flames. They hovered in the sky far away from me, but I still felt the heat on my skin. They were far more powerful than the elder I had fought before. They¡¯re after me, aren¡¯t they.
One out of five Prolong slots left!
A blue window popped up. I swallowed and used Identify on Jing. Three boxes were pressed against her hip. They were the Prolonged seeds I had given her days ago. Two were Protects and the other was a Twentytacle trap. Two more Prolonged seeds were on Hui Ming. All the seeds I had given Jing were present, so Hui Ming must have used one. She was a sixth stage cultivator with a strengthened body. There wasn¡¯t much that could push her to use a Protect seed. A tremor ran through my stronghold. Jing stepped back, hands quivering. I was spewing an oppressive aura, far stronger than those of cultivators. Not once had I been angry since I arrived here three months ago, but now... I had always been leaking a calming aura. It made the area around me feel like a peaceful forest. Others would unknowingly feel calmer around me. I never realized having this aura because of its weak effect. It was this tiny aura that swelled and exploded out in a current of pure maliciousness. Did these people think I¡¯m harmless because I never acted? I sit behind a counter selling pills. I hold myself back so I don¡¯t disrupt the city¡¯s precarious balances of power. I confine myself to my house and avoid trouble. Must I brandish my power to keep these people away? This is the question that had bothered me since I first opened my shop. The kitty brothers came into my shop and treated me with contempt. It was only until Hui Ming used her power did they retreat. This happened again in the food court. Hui Ming always followed me about, so I always left the power displaying to her. I never acted because I tried to keep my ability a secret, but I also never acted because I didn¡¯t want to. But these people forced my hand. They sought to kill my family. They sought to kill Hui Ming, who had followed by my side for most of the time since I got here. Though I didn¡¯t know her very well, we cared for each other. She was family. Strong winds blew through my garden, created by the heat from the two "suns". Strangely, I couldn¡¯t hear the rustling of the leaves in my garden. Feeling my anger, my plants stood rigid, unmoved by the wind. ¡°Where is Hui Ming.¡± ¡°S-she¡¯s out buying weapons.¡± Jing could be counted as one of my plants too, but her reaction was different. She took a step back, and then stepped forward again. She rocked between her instincts to run and her desire to protect me. ¡°Shit shit shit. How am I going to dig myself out of this? Oh yes. I¡¯ll kill those people first. Yes.¡± ¡°Father!¡± she cried, ¡°You¡¯re not being yourself. Calm down!¡± She overcame her instinct to run and grabbed my arm. I had been living my peaceful life, looking forward to the next day. Why did they have to interrupt me? Hui Ming was being attacked, but I couldn¡¯t go help her. These people out my door were after me. They would follow me if I ran to Hui Ming, which would put her in even more danger. I had to save her, but I couldn¡¯t leave either. I might be able to get rid of the people outside then go to Hui Ming, but she might be dead by then. It felt like an invisible pressure had wrapped around my heart. My mind was clouded by anger, confusion, and indecision. I had to get rid of them fast and then go save her. It was my best bet and there was no time to waste. ¡°Sorry Jing. I¡¯ll be out for a moment. ¡± ¡°Is big sis in trouble? I can help too.¡± Her hands tightened around my arm. Of course! Jing could help. How did that slip my mind? ¡°This is an order,¡± I said to Jing, ¡°Find and rescue Hui Ming. I¡¯ll come as soon as I take care of the people outside.¡± ple outside.¡± Chapter 55 Hui Ming The shell around me was breaking. A hammer struck the pod. A jagged crack opened down the middle. It was midnight, but light from the cultivators flowed through the crack into the dark interior. I never thought I would dread to see light. Dao and many cultivators above the sixth stage were outside. I looked through the crack. The hammer was as tall as its wielder. The head of the hammer was a huge block of metal. He smashed it into the crack. A series of deafening thuds rang out as the same hammer came down on the shell. The strikes widened the crack, allowing more light into the shell. I shrunk back, my heart pounding. This man was at least at the seventh stage. A man stood outside swinging a hammer as tall as he was. I couldn¡¯t see much, but I knew the market around us must have been decimated. My master¡¯s shell and I were at the bottom of a ragged crater. Dozens of powerful cultivators stood at its edge. They were heroes, commanders, and tyrants. People of extraordinary strength. Two emitted auras on par with my old sect¡¯s elders. The mere presence of these people threw the ambient Qi in the air into disarray. Tornadoes formed and disappeared in the blink of an eye. They followed the commands of somebody floating on a flying sword. It was Dao. I stared at Dao through the shell and he stared back. One last hammer blow destroyed what was left of the shell. I jumped out and Dao¡¯s cultivators attacked. My Qi was at the sixth stage and I had a toughened body. Master had given me a series of pills that made my body as tough as that of an eighth stage cultivator. But that wasn¡¯t enough to stop this group. These were the rulers of the land. Dao had found enough powerhouses to overrun just about anything except the top tier sects. After a quick count, I determined there were fifteen people coming at me. This was a team that could sweep through the city. Me alone couldn''t stop them. The only ones who could stop them were sect ancestors. Escape was my only option, but that was also impossible. I rose the flat of my blade to the sky. I put my hands on both ends of the sword. The massive hammer smashed into it. My arms buckled and the hammer knocked me to the ground. I gripped my sword and struck back. I took a sharp breath. I felt a ridiculous amount of Qi focused in one place behind me. They attacked from the front and back. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The man with the hammer tried to block my sword with a gloved hand. I jerked my blade down, evading his hand and slashing at his knees. The hammer wielder shifted his leg away. My blade nicked his kneecap. At the same time, I aimed a kick behind me. My armored shoes met a spear, head on. The spear overpowered my kick, but that was the plan. The spear pushed me up and I used the momentum to propel myself to the sky. I shot into the sky like a bird fleeing its cage. I looked down with a bird¡¯s eye view. Our short exchange had been more destructive than I thought it would be. A cloud of dust hovered over the battleground. A gust of wind blew the dust aside, revealing many scars we carved into the earth. Those scars were just the beginning. The dust, cracks in the earth, and everything else lie at the bottom of a much larger crater. Scars within scars, this was the result of the short battle. I could feel the power flowing through, the power from my master¡¯s pills. I wasn¡¯t familiar with this power. A woman jumped at me, meeting me in the air. She carried a knife in her right hand and wore a green mask. She sighed through her mask as if she was reluctant to attack me. Her movements were controlled and precise, unlike the brute force of the others. I swung the sword at her. With a flow created by decades of experience, her knife guided my sword away. She spun vertically. Her foot slammed into the back of my head, sending me back down to the ground. A wall of gold was waiting for me at the bottom. Light distorted and time itself seemed to shiver. Qi congregated around a ninth stage cultivator¡¯s sword. The intangible Qi turned into a tangible golden energy. He didn¡¯t wait for me to fall to him. He sprung up. I saw that sword and trembled. There was no way I could take that blade. I smashed the second and last box father had given me. Another shell grew around me. The gold sword sunk into the shell but it didn¡¯t cut through. Is this it? I guess it has to be. I could make one more gamble at an escape, but the chance of success was too small. My master said he would come if he could, but unless he came in the next half a minute... I heard a crunching sound over the noise of our battle. It sounded like somebody was grinding boulders together. It got louder and louder. I saw Dao glance sideways. His eyes widened. ¡°Disperse!¡± he yelled. Everybody looked at him in confusion. Red light overwhelmed the golden glow from the sword. It lit up the night sky, brighter than the sun or anything else I had seen before. The red wave rammed against the shell. The pod jerked to the side, smashing me against its walls. I looked out and gasped, my calm from before replaced by panic and confusion. I could be at peace with death, but not the phenomenon occurring outside. Hundreds of red lights caught me and the shell in their destructive embrace. Death awaited anybody who resisted the tide. Swept by the tide of red, the ninth stage cultivator that had attacked me bounced past me. Without a shell around him, he had to devote all his attention to defense. One by one, the lights vanished. The shell tumbled to a stop. The wave had been so violent it decimated the rest of the shell. I stepped out and stared at it. Dozens of gaping holes covered shell. I looked to the side and saw a lane blasted through the city layout. A line appeared in the city, everything on that line became rubble. My eyes went down the line of destruction and ended at an enormous green...thing. It was a building mounted on two rotating treads. Power rods mounted its front end, pointed in my direction. A familiar face stood atop the green monster. Jing. Chapter 56 Hui Ming The red wave separated me from my attackers. The shell took the power rod blasts in my place. I climbed out of the broken shell and glanced around. The wave had scattered Dao¡¯s men all over the place. They turned their attention to Jing. She put her hand on a long tube beside her. It was many cannon segments stacked on top of each other. A bulb appeared in her right hand. Similar bulbs dotted my master¡¯s garden, but I never learned what they were for. She inserted it into the tube. A sound like a crack of thunder. The bulb shot out the other end. It hit one of the men from Dao¡¯s group and exploded in a cloud of fire and smoke. A film of distorted air traveled out. Gusts swept up the shattered buildings. The blast unearthed boulders and sent them into the air. I put my arms in front of my face. The distorted air and shrapnel pounded against me and the boom rang through my ears. But Jing wasn¡¯t done. Vines flew out of the vehicle and wrapped around the tube. They tilted it to the side and stabilized it. She flashed me a smile and put another bulb into the tube. Explosions rained down. Shockwaves overlapped and spread outward. I put the shell in front of me to weather the storm. The center of fire must¡¯ve been hell. Jing aimed every blast. Another round of shots shot down the ones trying to run. The explosions stopped. Had she run out of bulbs? I peered over the shell. A compartment opened beneath Jing. Vines stretched down and pulled out three more racks of bulbs¡­ how many did she have? The earth rattled from each blast. The constant fire turned into an earthquake. Even structures outside the blast radius collapsed one after the other. The blasts turned the space into a wasteland. A tower of gold emerged from nowhere, forming a glowing yellow pillar. At the middle of the pillar was a golden sword. The pillar fell, slowly at first, but faster it approached the ground. It smashed against a bulb, which detonated against its side. The pillar of light trembled and flickered, but held. It pinned the explosion to the ground, muffling the explosion. I remember this person! My sect taught us about all the famous people in the Grand Flames City. This man was Gong Ping, a famous expert from two generations ago. Sectless but talented, he had risen to the top ranks of public superpowers. He championed his own unique brand of justice. He protected those who needed protection and stood up to oppressive sects. Nobody could ignore him after he single handedly destroyed a sect. He became less active over time and later disappeared. This was sixty years ago, but he looked as young as ever. Somehow, Dao had convinced this monster to follow him. A different sword flew under Gong Ping''s feet and lifted him. He stood with his feet on the flat side of the blade. He lifted his own sword and an even larger pillar appeared. It shrunk until it was ¡°only¡± the size of a normal house. The blade at his feet flew him at Jing. Knowing he would dodge, Jing didn¡¯t aim her cannon at him. She continued her assault on the rest of Dao¡¯s men. I dropped the shell and began gathering Qi. I tapped my feet against the ground five times. A wind stirred over me and I launched in Jing¡¯s direction. My feet smashed the land to pieces, launching me forward. Heat poured out of my skin, lighting the air on fire. I became a fiery bullet and shot at Jing.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Jing¡¯s attacks reduced their fifteen member team to four. The hammer wielder, spearman, and everybody else had been annihilated. The woman who had knocked me out of the sky was lying in a pile of rubble, struggling to nurse her wounds. The rest were not faring much better. Master Jin was not joking when he said Jing was more powerful than me. I never expected it was to this extent. She launched a string of bulbs at a woman wielding a metal staff. She gripped one end of her staff with both hands. She pulled it back and smashed it against the first bulb. It detonated. The force of a seventh stage cultivator¡¯s full force swing fought against the force from the blast. They were stuck in a deadlock. A ring shaped shockwave flew from between the staff and explosion. Her hands trembled, not believing how powerful the explosion had been. She looked sideways to see another bulb heading her way. She moved her staff up to block but her hands were still weak. She dodged and pushed her staff against the side of the bulb. She finished her swing, deflecting the explosion to the side. Her overwhelming Qi shrunk to a ghost of what it had been before. She struggled to deflect the third one and was still forced back a couple steps. It wasn¡¯t obvious, but her steps diverted most of the force into the ground. Her arms sagged to her waist. She glanced at her previously invincible comrades. Her eyes went back to the fourth bulb heading her way. She lifted her shaking arms. The bulb slammed into her chest and her staff lurched out of her hands. The explosion created a two story crater. She lie at the center, blood dribbled out the side of her mouth. I swallowed. A seventh stage cultivator, defeated in less than five seconds. No wonder Jing crushed Dao¡¯s team so quickly. The tube readjusted, aiming its head at the only person left in their group other than Dao and Gong Ping. But before she could do anything, a huge gold tower came down on her green vehicle. It was slow, but it came with the force of a falling mountain. It was like an arrow shot from heavens. The tip of the tower collided with the top of Jing¡¯s cart. Her cannon fell apart into fifteen segments. The rest of the cart held together, but Gong Ping''s golden tower held an indomitable momentum. After hiding for decades, this was his debut. He stood in the middle of his semi transparent tower. Surrounded by golden light, he looked like a god. His pillar continued down without slowing. Jing¡¯s wagon held. More than a hundred men ran out like a bunch of uncovered cockroaches. Jing stayed, controlling vines to counter his push. It seemed as though Jing was resisting the push, but I could see what was really happening from afar. Jing¡¯s entire cart was being pushed into the ground. It didn¡¯t matter how sturdy the cart was, or how much she pushed back. She would be buried either way. I slid into Jing''s cart. I glanced at the crushed mass above us. ¡°You can''t stop that thing! Let¡¯s go.¡± I grabbed her arm and tried to pull her with me. She didn''t budge. She pulled me back and crushed a yellow box. Twenty tentacles stuck to the sides of a disc wrapped around me and restrained me. ¡°What the!¡± My heart chilled. Master Jin mentioned not knowing what Jing was up to. He had even told me to keep watch over her. Did Jing betray us? No. That''s impossible. But if she wanted to keep me here, why didn¡¯t she tell me? The golden energy washed over us, further suppressing my movement. Jing frowned and brought me down into the cart. The inside of the cart wasn¡¯t just one room, but a multi-story interior with hallways and many rooms. I should have realized it from the outside, but her ¡°cart¡± was huge. It was more like a moving castle. She tore a hole in the floor and jumped down. The tentacles holding me followed, pulling me along. The cart contained multiple stories. I heard the top floor crumple and collapse. Gong Ping''s tower was crushing the cart floor by floor. We traveled four stories down, hitting the bottom floor. ¡°Why are you holding me? Let go!¡± She didn¡¯t answer. The pillar pushed her entire wagon underground. We were deep beneath the earth¡¯s surface, and the pillar was still pushing us down. Jing closed her eyes and waited. Whatever Jing had built couldn¡¯t be called a wagon or a cart, but I couldn¡¯t find any other words to describe it. It was almost like a moving castle. Small glowing rocks covered its interior. A hallway connected at least ten rooms on each floor. After a few long seconds, Jing opened a hole in the side of her cart. She leaped through with me in tow. Since we were underground, I expected to hit a wall I felt the damp musty air on my face. Every other part of me was under the tentacles. Jing had brought us into an underground tunnel. She still didn¡¯t let me go. A few of the tentacles turned into legs and we ran down the corridor. I knew about the secret underground tunnel system. It was illegal and nobody used them anymore. But Jing had found it too easily, as if she knew it was down here all along. Chapter 57 Hui Ming The vines tugged me across the corridor. I couldn¡¯t see anything. I heard Jing¡¯s footsteps running down the dark corridor. ¡°Jing, please talk to me.¡± ¡°No.¡± I sighed, relieved by a response, but confused by the response. Why didn¡¯t she talk? What could stop her from talking to me? The only reason I could think of was that she had betrayed us. But she wasn¡¯t on Dao¡¯s side, or she wouldn¡¯t fight against them. So she was working for herself, which wasn¡¯t unlikely. She already created her own criminal ring. But then why didn¡¯t she kill me? It must be because of my value as a hostage. Master Jin was powerful, but he was too bound by his morals to let me die. I grit my teeth. How could Jing betray us? She had acted so friendly before. But she had also manipulated those hundreds of thugs. Maybe we were under her thumb as well. Wait, why had Jing betrayed us? She was master¡¯s creation, was it even possible for her to betray us? Maybe there was another possibility. I ruffled through my memories, looking for any reason she would do this. She had mentioned something about an information gathering ability yesterday. I didn¡¯t understand it back then. She could be worried about an ability that could see us. But it¡¯s impossible for anything to sense us if we¡¯re hidden down here. Qi can be used in its raw form, like in burst of force or to strengthen a limb. Daos made Qi more powerful and diversified its uses. Oversimplifying, Qi used without a Dao was raw force. Qi used with a Dao could cool things down, heat them up, turn into lightning, or turn into fire. Having a Dao opened countless avenues for using Qi. Every Dao was different and harnessed Qi in different ways. The most powerful Daos had an entirely different category. People called these sovereign Daos. Sovereign Daos transcended what other Dao¡¯s were capable of. They could do things such as conjuring the gold tower. Other sovereign Daos enhanced the senses to incredible degrees. But even those weren¡¯t able to hear through layers of solid rock. But there was one last possibility. My master¡¯s plant Dao transcended sovereign Daos. Maybe our enemy Dao also had one of these Daos. Maybe he had a Dao that could hear through all of these rocks. That could be the explanation for why Jing wasn¡¯t talking to me. She didn¡¯t want to be heard. But this was too speculative. I needed confirmation. The tunnel shook. Jing crushed another box and a shell grew around us. The rumbling grew stronger. Something struck the outside of the shell. Jing opened the shell and summoned a bulb. I caught a glimpse of the attacker. It was the third member of Dao¡¯s team. He had dug a hole from the surface to this underground tunnel. This was confirmation. Jing hadn¡¯t betrayed us! Somebody could sense us underground, they couldn¡¯t¡¯ve found us otherwise. I grimaced. How could I have doubted Jing, of all people? Cute little Jing? An old man watched us through the opening in the shell. A long white beard flowed off the bottom of his wrinkled but regal face. He carried two short spears. He watched us with a pair of kind eyes filled with sadness, like he didn¡¯t want to pursue us. He stopped attacking, even though we were wide open. Jing noticed this, ¡°Why are you attacking us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re evil, but this is for the future,¡± he said. Dao yelled from above, ¡°Kill that girl!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said while looking at me. I clung onto Jing. He pulled a spear back. The heat that supported all life disappeared. All that was left was the spear, and that spear dominated all I could see. The spear drained the surrounding Qi, contorting it into a twister of Qi. The center of the twister was a frozen abyss where no heat could reside. The temperature instantly dropped below freezing. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. He thrust the spear at me. Jing threw me aside, blocking with her body. The spear sliced into her stomach. Blood gushed out, splattering across the interior of the shell. A couple drops landed on my robe. The droplets froze on my robes. The spear wielding old man¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He retracted his spear. Jing tossed the bulb outside and closed the shell. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked. ¡°Tis but a scratch.¡± An explosion sent the shell flying through the air. Jing had placed the bulb so that it would launch us out of the hole dug by the old man. We landed and we climbed out. We had landed in a random street. We were in a suburban area without many people. The one person I could see ran away. The tentacles loosened and fell off. Jing took my hand, ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll pull us out of this mess.¡± I sprinted behind Jing. She was slower than me, but I didn¡¯t know where she planning to go. ¡°Look behind you, in the sky,¡± she said. I did. The Gold Sovereign, the old man, and Dao flew behind us. Dao took out another sword and sent it at me. Without anybody holding it, flying sword¡¯s swing was weaker than it could''ve been. ¡°Can you go faster?¡± I asked. I unsheathed my sword and knocked Dao¡¯s aside. ¡°I¡¯m going as fast as I can,¡± she said. I glanced at her stomach. No wonder she had been so dismissive of that blow. The deep gash had already healed. That was some incredible recovery. Two men landed in front of us, while Dao covered the back. Three swords attacked me at the same time. Jing dashed back and began blocking them with me. She deflected them with her bare hands. Puddles of blood formed at her feet. Her hands were marred and bloody. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I yelled over the clamor of swords. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. Just follow me!¡± She grabbed two blades and I knocked away the third. Jing¡¯s blood gushed over the blades. She flung them away and jumped into the sea of buildings. I followed. We dashed across rooftops and ran sideways across walls. Jing¡¯s soft footsteps left cracks in the buildings, but my Qi-assisted steps caused far more damage. Dao had many advantages over us. He had more people. He had stronger people. He had faster people. He could sense us when we hid underground. We couldn¡¯t communicate without him hearing us. But we had advantages as well. Jing had her array of plants. Her combination of explosives and shells slowed their advance. I was a powerful cultivator as well. Jin¡¯s pills made my body tough enough to take a couple blows without dying. Our ultimate advantage lied in the fact that we were the ones on the run. Three swords tailed us. I guarded our rear, swatting them aside. Jing tossed bulbs of varying sizes behind us, sending up clouds of rubble and fire. We left a path of destruction. I looked around us. This place felt familiar. This was near the Blue Fire Sect. A while ago, my master had brought me through this place. I had been in a cart, uncomfortably shoved between a sheet and his books. We had been leaving the Blue Fire Sect to Emerald Fire territory. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be seeing this place again. Why was Jing bringing us back? A misty wall of gold appeared in front of us. It began to bend to envelope us, scooping and moving dozens of buildings. We turned. Dao and the old man were behind us. The old man spread his arms, displaying his two spears. A wave of cold rippled out once more. The buildings near him shattered at the sudden change in temperature. The moisture in the air turned into tiny sparkling particles falling out the air. I used a martial art to surround Jing and I with a layer of heat. Dao charged with a sword in his right hand and three in the air. A heroic aura burst out, instilling an urge to bow. ¡°Use the last shell!¡± I shouted to Jing. ¡°Can¡¯t!¡± she shouted back, ¡°Buy me four seconds.¡± I didn¡¯t understand what Jing was planning, but I nodded and licked my lips. I already suspected her enough. I¡¯ve been proven wrong every time. I had thought of her as lazy and useless. I had thought she seduced all of her workers. I thought she had betrayed me and master. Enough doubt and misunderstanding, I would put all my faith in Jing. How would my master¡¯s help and my decade of training fare against Dao? I didn¡¯t know, but I only need four seconds. Up until now, Dao had controlled his three flying swords from the back. He never personally wielded his weapons. It was time to see the power behind his real attacks. I gripped my sword with both hands, bringing it up to block Dao¡¯s blow. My Qi brushed up against his. The instant our weapons met, I felt I was pushing against a mountain. I see. I dropped my sword and used the back of my arm to block two of the three swords coming from behind. The third stabbed into my back but it didn''t go through. I had delayed one second. Three seconds to go. I twisted and the swords flew away. I landed on all fours like a cat. Two rivers of blood flowed down my naked arms. They wouldn¡¯t be easy to heal. What would I be worth I couldn¡¯t buy just four seconds? I roared, not from pain, but from pride. Qi exploded from within me in one last attempt to buy time. Two seconds to go. Blocking four swords at once was impossible, but I could at least stop two. But Dao didn¡¯t make it that easy. One of his swords dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. The Qi strand that had been used to control the sword went underground. The earth surged up and engulfed me. I shook slightly, expecting the dirt to fly off. It didn¡¯t. The soil constricted me. It wouldn¡¯t come off. I felt an overwhelming aura coming from above. My senses were whispering songs of death into my ears. They told me descending entity couldn¡¯t be overcome. I forced my arms through the dirt. My arms came to a stop over my head, crossed in a defensive position. I felt something on my arms. All the dirt was blown away, revealing Dao above me. He clutched a sword. This sword traveled through my arm, cutting halfway through the bone. Somehow, I didn¡¯t feel pain, just a dull throbbing sensation. Neither my mind nor my body registered the impact of his blow. One second left. His other three swords cut through select parts of my legs, slicing vital tendons. My left foot went limp. My right leg was barely usable. In less than four seconds, he dismantled my body from top to bottom. I mustered my last bit of energy to jump back. It ended more like a flop. Jing caught me. I whimpered like an injured puppy. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she said. Four giant bulbs were set up around her, each of which were twice as tall as me. She summoned a shell with a seed of her own. It closed over us. The four bulbs detonated. Chapter 58 Jing ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I repeated, as if it¡¯d make my sister¡¯s wounds heal faster. My sister whimpered in my arms. ¡°Will that be enough?¡± she asked. Her body was destroyed. Rivers of blood poured off her and soaked my clothes. A warm sensation as the blood touched my skin. I chewed at my inner lip, almost enough to make it bleed. ¡°Not yet.¡± My hands shook as I tore off large chunks of her clothes and wrapped them around her wounds. I rummaged through my robes and found one of my father¡¯s Totality Pills. I dropped one into her mouth. She grimaced at the dusty flavor. ¡°Please swallow it,¡± I pat her forehead. I picked her up in bridal position and opened the shell. I dashed out. I smelled the soot from my Explosive Bulbs. I ran using the dust as cover. Information gathering abilities could be difficult to fight against. Some were impossible to fight against. Figuring out his exact power was also difficult. There were hundreds of types of information abilities. Many of them had nearly identical effects. The correct way to fight information abilities is to assume they knew everything, then narrow down what they didn¡¯t know. For now, all I knew was that he didn¡¯t know my thoughts. So I assumed he knew everything except for my thoughts. This was why I didn¡¯t say anything important to my sister. I played it safe by assuming Dao could sense us underground. My suspicions were confirmed when he was able to pinpoint our position underground. I had a good chance of escaping with Hui Ming, but I decided not to. The Crimson Fire Sect went after my father at the same time Dao attacked my sister. It was too much of a coincidence. They had to be working together. If I escaped, Dao could go back and attack my father. His power would put anybody at a disadvantage. So I¡¯ll do both. I¡¯ll save my sister and stop him here.
Jing MP : 2956/7980 Regen : 10.3MP/min
The man with the gold sword could make his energy into a semi-transparent solid and manipulate it. A wall of it stood between myself and my destination. The golden energy had two weaknesses. It was slow and the energy was spread out over a large area. Which meant I could drill through it. The dust cleared and as I expected, the golden wall loomed before me. The explosions had generated large cracks that reached from one side of the wall to the other. The crack lines pulsed with light as they closed. I pointed my hand forward. Two seeds shot out my fingertips : Myriad Flame Snake and Drill Attachment One. Melded, it became a snake with a drill head. I grabbed it by its tail. Its head pierced the wall and the drill went to work. I channeled my mana into the snake with Control. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The drill spun even faster and we charged through the wall. The energy resisted our advance. The golden wall became harder, but not hard enough. We broke out the other side. A golden sword lashed at the snake and cut it in half. I tossed it aside. We were almost there. I spared no expense on my mana reserves. The gold sword stabbed at us again. A wall of wood appeared between me and his blade. It would take a few seconds for him to take it apart, but that was enough. Three seeds turned into Cannon Segments. I melded the three segments into one and pointed it at the sky. I climbed into the back end with Hui Ming in my arms. We shot into the sky. Seeds on my back turned into Wing Attachment One. The wings weren¡¯t very good for flying, but were helpful for gliding. Vines grew out of my waist and held onto my sister. She groaned softly. Blood soaked through her makeshift bandages. Her groans grasped my heart and squeezed. My eyes stung, I couldn¡¯t stand seeing her like this. ¡°I¡¯m running out of energy,¡± I said, ¡°try to hold on a little longer. We¡¯ll find out whether or we die or not soon enough. I can¡¯t keep going for very much longer.¡± I said this to my sister, but it was for Dao. In reality, I could countinue running for a long time, but then Dao might give up the chase. If he could hear everything I was saying, my words would stop him from giving up. I could capture him if he continued chasing. Stopping somebody that knew everything was impossible. While I assumed he knew everything except my thoughts, this only applied to a certain degree. I still had to bet on him not knowing other things, or I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. I was placing my bets on a certain restriction on his ability : I was betting that he wasn¡¯t able to pay attention to everything at once. Even if he could sense everything, he couldn¡¯t possibly pay attention to all of it at once. People often miss things that happen in the background. He should only be able to pay attention to a few things at the same time. But one of the points he was sure to be paying attention to was me. I couldn¡¯t do anything sneaky without being noticed. So how was I supposed to stop him? I Withered the wings. My feet hit the ground softly and I sprinted off. I was too fast for the people that hopped out of their houses to stop me. But I was slow compared to Dao¡¯s group. I was about as fast as the average fifth stage cultivator. ¡°Halt!¡± My skin prickled. It was the feeling of a cultivator flaring their arua. A young girl was blocking my way. I was in the Blue Fire Sect. The only person in the sect that could emit this degree of pressure was Xing Chen Wei. ¡°Out of the way.¡± I pointed behind me. The faint auras of ninth stage cultivators became denser. ¡°They¡¯re with Crimson.¡± ¡°Why should I belie-¡± she started. I ran past her. Planting traps was impossible without being noticed, but what about traps that were already planted? My father had told me about a garden he had planted a long time ago in the Blue Fire Sect. He didn¡¯t have the heart to Wither a month¡¯s worth of hard work, so he put all his plants underground. More than two months later, the decision he made on a whim would allow me to win. I rolled next to my father¡¯s old home and expended two thousand mana in one go. A twentytacle trap rose at my feet. I put Hui Ming in a shell and melded it with the Twentytacle Trap. Two cannons formed around my arms. My feet sank into the plant at my feet, anchoring me to the base. I pointed my arms at the sky and launched a series of Explosive Bulbs. The bulbs rose into the air and lit it up, cloaking the sky in flames. A field of explosions slowly descended. Tendrils of fire fell like diving hawks. I smiled. I hope father will see this. I concentrated on looking for the three people. They burst through the airborne firefield and landed in front of me. Every move I made, from the beginning of this fight to now, were all designed to lead up to now, to this moment. Every point of mana spent. Every step I took. Every sacrifice I made. Everything I did made this outcome more likely, even getting Hui Ming injured. I sent my mana underground. A sea of plants lie meters beneath the surface of the earth. Not noticing anything, Dao landed directly on top of the plants. I let a sigh of relief exit my lips. My limbs relaxed as the tension faded from my body. I took Control over all of my father¡¯s old plants. They surged out from underground, the hidden and forgotten reawakening. Giant blades, countless Twentytacle Traps, endless vines. All were all stuck together, waiting to move again. Now unleashed, they wrapped around Dao and sucked him underground. I set a Blade against his throat. ¡°And now, it¡¯s over.¡± The firelight from the explosions faded, leaving the only illumination to the moon. Chapter 59 Jing ¡°Stand down, or I¡¯ll kill your leader!¡± I yelled. To my surprise, the Dao¡¯s allies stopped. They cared about his life. ¡°Don¡¯t come,¡± Dao said to them from underneath the plants. A Glowing Pineapple sprouted on top of my hand. The plants parted, forming a staircase. I walked down to where he was trapped. ¡°Who is attacking my father. How many are there. What are their powers.¡± The only visible part of him was his head. My plants locked away the rest of his body. ¡°Straight to the point, eh? There aren¡¯t many people who can think like you, especially in the middle of battle. Even the most- urk,¡± he grunted as a vine tightened around him. ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? We have lots of time. You¡¯ve trapped me, but you can¡¯t leave either.¡± I glared and constricted the plants again. He was right. He would escape if I left. ¡°And if I kill you?¡± The corners of his lips pulled up into a wide grin. ¡°Your ¡®father¡¯ would despise you if you did that. But you don¡¯t need to worry about him. Vincent¡¯s more than enough to stop the Crimson Fire Sect.¡± My head throbbed with pain. As I thought, the Crimson Fire Sect were the ones after my father. I could leave and help father, but there was no guarantee my presence would make a difference. Maybe father was already finished with them. But maybe he wasn¡¯t. He might need my help right now. Maybe he was about to die. Dao¡¯s reassurances didn¡¯t mean much to me. But Dao would escape if I went to help father right now. Recapturing him would be impossible. I could kill him now, but he was father¡¯s classmate. Father told me to make peace with him. I already failed at that. There was no doubt father would hate it if I killed Dao. Even if I did it with the best intentions, father couldn¡¯t be happy with a dead classmate. I glared at Dao and he looked back at me with his calm smile. I clenched my jaw. I felt like I was being crushed. Each everything that happened grinded at my mental physique, wearing me down. Despite my decision to stay, a hole of doubt remained in my heart. I knew how powerful my father could be on his own ground, but there was still that chance he would lose. The could be careless, make a mistake, or... I was so focused I didn¡¯t notice somebody sneaking up from behind me. A warm hand wrapped around my shoulder. A gentle touch pulled me back, making me lose my balance. My body tilted back. My head fell into a pair of soft breasts. Without knowing who this was, I should¡¯ve fought back. But the touch made me feel at peace. The arms wrapped around me from the back. Hui Ming embraced me, filling me with warmth. A single touch felt like a one hour massage. She whispered into my ear, ¡°You¡¯re not being yourself. You know what to do.¡± I tilted my head back and our eyes met. I could¡¯ve stayed like that for an eternity. I felt her legs tremble. I broke from my trance and glanced down at her hands. I gasped, ¡°What are you doing?¡± I jumped out of her arms and her legs collapsed. I caught her and put her on the ground. ¡°What were you thinking? Don¡¯t get up until you¡¯re healed!¡± I scolded her, but that was all an act. I could imagine how much pain she endured simply to stand up. She went through all that just to comfort me. I adjusted her bandages. I turned to Dao from my crouched position. His head would be at waist height if I stood up. He twisted his neck to watch us. I glared at him, ¡°I¡¯m warning you. I¡¯ll kill you if you touch her again. I don¡¯t care about the consequences.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± he laughed, although it came out strained because of the crushing weight from the plants. ¡°I have nothing against her, especially since I¡¯ve been captured.¡± My hands worked to replace and straighten my sister¡¯s bandages. Hui Ming had a special effect on me. Knowing she was beside me cleared my mind. My mission was to rescue big sis, nothing else. True failure would be to leave her here injured. I couldn¡¯t leave Hui Ming behind. The tip of my fingers became a blade. I cut a part of my robe into five long strips and replaced my sister¡¯s bandages. ¡°As I was saying¡­¡± Dao started. He was captured without any way to escape. How could he stay so calm? ¡°Why try to kill my sister?¡± ¡°Kill? I wouldn¡¯t kill her. I was capturing her.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. This was a lie. Hui Ming would¡¯ve died if she didn¡¯t sacrifice her arms to block his attacks. Dao clearly intended to kill. But I played only with his lies. ¡°And why capture her?¡± ¡°The Crimson Fire Sect wanted her. She¡¯s a powerful asset, you know. Every sect tries to milk all the power they can from each generation. Your ¡®sister¡¯ represents a fourth of the power Crimson can obtain from this generation. They don¡¯t give that up easily.¡± He paused, I motioned for him to go on. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about The Will Of The World, but neither does anybody else. Crimson told me that the girl might commit suicide if Jin dies, so they told me to restrict her.¡± His calm only made me angrier, but I didn¡¯t let it show. I continued questioning, ¡°How much of Crimson is coming at my father.¡± ¡°All of them, or all of them that can actually do anything against him. All the elders and both the ancestors. I-¡± ¡°That makes no sense,¡± I interrupted, ¡°If they felt they needed to go against him with all that, they should be worried they could lose more than one elder. ¡± ¡°Which is why I suspect Crimson has other reasons to attack him.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter either way. You¡¯re working with them. I¡¯m looking forward to your explanation for that.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m helping you either. I pretended to ally with them to send them at Vincent. It was all to weaken Crimson. I was going to take over their land afterwards.¡± But he didn¡¯t plan on being captured. He was captured too quickly to come up with a coherent story. There was bound to be inconsistencies in his story. ¡°If you were just going to conquer them afterwards, why would you try to capture my sister? There¡¯s no point in appeasing the Crimson Fire Sect if you¡¯re just going to conquer it anyway.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Dao stopped and frowned. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t tell you this one. I can¡¯t trust you. However, I¡¯m perfectly willing to tell Vincent.¡± He was delaying. He just needed time to make up something new. I could proudly say that I was just as trustworthy as my father. Actually¡­ I would lie about small things, but I wouldn¡¯t lie about anything important. Although I do like to play around, at the end of the day, I want my family to be happy. After that, I want everybody else to be happy as well. I stopped for a second to think through what he said. What he said was only half true. He pit the Crimson Fire Sect against my father to weaken the sect, but it was also done to weaken my father. Proof of this was that he would go after Hui Ming. Everything he said about his reasons to attack my sister didn¡¯t hold up under scrutiny. Dao wanted to have my father and Crimson battle it out. For him, the best case scenario would be to have my father and the Crimson Fire Sect both in shambles. And they he would swoop in and destroy them both. But he needed to separate me and my father. The two of us working together would be far too much for Crimson to handle. Normally, separating us wouldn¡¯t be easy, but he knew my father cared for Hui Ming. So he sent Crimson to pin my father down and attacked Hui Ming on the side. Father ordered me to rescue Hui Ming, falling right into his trap. Dao¡¯s plan was perfect. Even if I had noticed his plan back when I was with my father, what could we have done? It¡¯s not as if we could¡¯ve left my sister to die. My mouth began to feel dry after realizing the full extent of his plan. He was many times more cunning than I expected. I still know didn¡¯t which information gathering ability he had so I couldn¡¯t be sure there wasn¡¯t more to his plan. Did he also plan on getting captured? I couldn¡¯t be sure. If his ability was powerful enough, he would¡¯ve been able to see how my father¡¯s strength compared to the Crimson Fire Sect. Dao couldn¡¯t fail if he had that much access to information. My father could be on the brink of death right now. The more I thought about what Dao had shown so far, the more certain I became that I should¡¯ve gone to help father. It didn¡¯t matter what I could do or what I did do. If he had already predicted all of it, there was nothing I could to stop him. The situation was suffocating. Dao continued to stare at me with his tranquil gray eyes. I averted my eyes down to avoid his gaze. I ended up making eye contact with the world¡¯s most precious little gem, Hui Ming. She was lying on the ground where I had left her before. Just from being in her presence, my gaze softened and my body relaxed. The pressure from before washed away in an instant. ¡°Y-yes?¡± she stuttered. She was clueless about the effect she had on me. She couldn¡¯t move, so she tried to escape my stare by glancing around the makeshift room. There wasn¡¯t much to look at but vines and crushed flowers. ¡°Nothing,¡± I knelt and slide my arms under her upper body. Careful not to open her injuries, I lifted her into a sitting position. I pressed my cheek against hers, feeling her warmth. My sister swallowed. I wasn¡¯t sure if she had swallowed out of nervousness or being uncomfortable. ¡°...Hello? Jing?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Hui Ming was thin and lean, her body honed to perfection by her physical training. Almost every inch of her was hard and muscular. Luckily for me, she didn¡¯t train the muscles in her cheeks. I rubbed my face against her squishy cheeks, feeling it wiggle back and forth as I wished. She was the sweetest person ever. She was my only true family other than my father. Father was always busy and always sent me outside the house to do other things. Big sis was the loving family I could spend time with anytime I wanted. ¡°J-Jing¡­¡± she stuttered again. Her eyes hardened and spoke more sternly, ¡°Jing!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± I said, countiuned rubbing. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for this kind of behavior!¡± she said in her lecturing voice. I pouted and set her down. I turned back to Dao. He raised his eyebrows so much they could¡¯ve pierced the ceiling. It was too late to be second guessing myself. If everything that had happened up to this point all part of Dao¡¯s plan, then so be it. I¡¯ll continue to stick to what father told me to do. I will protect my dear sister, she¡¯s too precious for me to risk anything happening to her. The plants carried her deep underground where nobody could hurt her. But I also sent her underground so she wouldn¡¯t have to see what I was about to do. Dao represented the opposite of me. He wanted to kill my sister. He wanted to get rid of my father. He was willing to sacrifice countless lives for his personal power. ¡°You won¡¯t tell me the truth, will you?¡± I said. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve told you is the truth,¡± he replied with the same infuriatingly calm expression. ¡°You¡¯ve forced my hand,¡± I said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to resort to torture, but it looks like you won¡¯t talk unless I do this. I¡¯m new to this torturing thing, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡± I stepped forward, reaching towards his head. Before I could do anything, three leaves floated up from the floor and sliced into Dao¡¯s arms. They stopped after leaving nine horizontal cuts. The cuts weren¡¯t deep enough for him to bleed out and die, but they were deep enough to hurt. But it wasn¡¯t me who had moved those leaves. It was Dao. Despite the nine cuts, his face stayed just as calm as before. ¡°As you can see,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ve severed the pain related nerves entering my brain. I can fix them later when I want to, but you won¡¯t be able to torture me.¡± No wonder he was able to stay so calm. In his mind, there was nothing I could do to him. Hurting him did nothing, and I wasn¡¯t willing to kill him. I held my palm facing up. A seed appeared on top. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to torture you with leaves.¡± I had already designed most of this plant back at home, now I put on the finishing touches. I poured all my focus into designing a tiny plant. At first, four short tentacles sprouted out of it. Smaller tentacles grew on top of the four tentacles. Smaller tentacles grew off the smaller tentacles. This repeated until an uncountable number of threads formed. Every tentacle was so small they were invisible. After a few minutes, it was complete.
You¡¯ve created a new type of plant! What would y?o?u? ?l?i?k?e? t?????o??????? ????n?????a?????m?????e????? ??????i?????t???????????
¡°Huh?¡± I said. Terror. Pure terror. I didn¡¯t know what I was terrified by, or why it was so terrifying. My mind as so filled with it I didn¡¯t make the connection between the destroyed text and the emotion. The Qi around me rippled and then vanished. A second later, a laser shot through and incinerated the plant in my palm. The bolt continued through my palm and into the ground, leaving a small hole of unfathomable depth. Blood poured from my hand. The feeling of terror left. I swallowed and dropped to my knees. Dao lost his calm expression. He stared at the hole in the ground with his lips slightly parted. He switched his gaze to me. He looked just as terrified as me. Chapter 60 Before Jing¡¯s Fight - Vincent Jing ran across my garden and into ¡°Jing¡¯s Secret Workshop¡±. A tank burst out from within and rolled off my property. A spear flew at my house. All the normal trees burst into flames behind it. It only stopped after it lodging itself into the Treefather planted above my house. It kept leaking heat and spewing fire. It melted my house and set the plants growing on the Treefather on fire. The treefather itself was almost unharmed, sasuga a thirteen thousand mana tree. I traced the trajectory of the spear to see where it came from. It was the same old man who had tried to kill Chen Wei months ago. He was only one among the twelve elders who had come. What was that elder called again? Elder Zao? Elder Zhu? Two other people hung in the sky, surrounded by fire. They appeared to be more powerful than the elders. I guess they¡¯re Crimson Fire Sect¡¯s ancestors. It doesn¡¯t matter who these people are. I need to finish with these people and rescue Hui Ming, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy. The anger from before subsided into serene irritation. I couldn¡¯t go into a maddened rampage. I had a goal and a rampage wasn¡¯t going to help. The people in front of me had to go. I need to remove myself from my anger and come up with the most effective way to get rid of them. The twelve elders charged at me. Each of them were at the eighth or ninth stage. They wielded all kinds of weapons, from bows to hammers to fans. The only trait that all shared was the crimson fire pouring off their bodies. A tsunami of red flames filled my vision and crashed down on me.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv7 MP : 11985/13000
An arrow hit my head and left a small scrape. I slapped a sword and hammer aside. I weathered the rest of the blows with my body. I was faster and stronger than any of these elders. Their fires didn¡¯t bother me. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I could tank any individual attack or set of attacks, but they could stack up. I grabbed one of the elders by the neck and squeezed to make sure he didn¡¯t escape. An explosive bulb I had planted a long time ago rose up from underground. It detonated, pushing my attackers away. The only one who wasn¡¯t pushed away was the elder I had grabbed. Divide and conquer, a tried and true strategy used for tens of thousands of years. I tossed the elder behind me. The treefather caught him and injected him with all kinds of poisons. I had created over a dozen by accident while experimenting with alchemy. All of these entered the elder¡¯s bloodstream. One down, eleven to go. They came at me again. A thin layer of normal plants covered the surface layer of my garden. Beneath that was a much thicker layer of plants that I designed. The second layer of plants were all at least as tough as metal and specialized in something. Hundreds. No. Thousands of these plants flew out from underground. Explosive bulbs mixed in with Vines covered in Poison Spikes. Blades coming out of Protects attached to the end of a Vine, swung around like a mace. Twentytacle traps swinging around like tentacled monstrosities. Depending on how many I had to control, I couldn¡¯t control them very well. I was only one person. Controlling these things was like controlling my hands. Controlling one was easy, especially considering the affinity I had with my plants. Controlling two to do different things was more difficult. With some training, I might be able to control five plants doing different things at the same time. Controlling thousands was out of the question. But a single general action was easy to pull off. The plants jumped into the air in unison, making it look like the earth had taken flight. But the illusion only lasted for a split second. It wasn¡¯t the earth that had jumped, but countless alien plants. I took this chance to capture another elder with a Twentytacle Trap. The elder was close enough to me that I could attack him on my own. Fifty mana drained from me and became two poison spikes. I held one in each hand and stabbed both into the elders neck. The spikes were barely hard enough to pierce his skin, but they did their job and he went limp.
Two out of five Prolong slots left!
I sighed in relief. If they were still using the seeds, that meant they were still fighting. If they were still fighting, they were still alive. But it was also a sort of countdown timer. Each seed used brought them closer to death. ¡°You monster!¡± yelled an enormous elder. His muscular and bulky frame reminded me of orges. He leaped at me with a hurricane of Qi. I would¡¯ve been intimidated if this were the other world. But in this world, I could defeat ogres. I dropped the two old spikes. I expended two thousand mana creating two spikes, Improving them to be unbreakable. I bound the giant elder with a bundle of vines and charged him with the two Spikes. An old woman appeared before me and pointed a staff at me. A blast of force hit me in the stomach and tossed me into the air. An old man was waiting for me in the sky. He pulled up the sleeves of his robes. All of the fire around him flowed into his palms. He pushed his palm at me. I blocked with my forearm. A cut formed across my arm. His palm sent me shooting back into the earth. I grimaced from the scorching heat on my forearm. This old man¡¯s fire was enough to get past my upgraded body¡¯s defenses. ¡°Many thanks, Ancestors,¡± the muscular elder mumbled. Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Putrid smoke entered my nostrils. My garden was the base of a rising column of smoke. Everything around me was on fire, but the heat from the flames were a drop in the bucket compared to the heat from the elders. Their silhouettes stood among the angry flames of blazing grass and wood. Fields of heat pulsed off their bodies. I could feel the warmth on my skin as if I was next to a fireplace. The elders halted behind their two ancestors. They were members of the Dao Journey Stages, the stages above the nine Dao Formation Stages. After being alive for more than three hundred years, they were the true heads of their sect. The ancestors of top sects almost never showed themselves outside their sects. It was an unwritten rule in the Grand Flames City and beyond : Dao Journey level experts aren¡¯t allowed to meddle in outside affairs. This was a policy created because of the extraordinary amount of damage Dao Journey experts caused whenever they used their power. Dao Formation stages eight and nine were also expected to be aware of their collateral damage. For the Crimson Fire Sect to come out in full force against a pill merchant was something never seen before. Such an action would attract disapproval from the whole city and deal a blow to their reputation. For them to do this was insane. One of their Ancestors, an old woman, stepped forward to speak. She leaned on her walking stick to help her forward. A gem larger than my fist shone on the tip of the stick. ¡°Dao wishes to have you dead.¡± I let out a deep, guttural grunt. Mark did this? Why? She continued, ¡°But we recognize you have strength. Even if we cannot kill you now, Dao will arrive soon and you will die. But we of the Crimson Fire Sect are not blind. We offer you another option. Join our alliance. You, Dao, and our power together make an unstoppable team.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± I said instantly. Anything to get out of here and save Hui Ming. ¡°Now call off whoever is attacking Hui Ming.¡± She frowned, ¡°I¡¯m not aware of anybody attacking that girl.¡± So the Crimson Fire Sect didn¡¯t know. My arms drooped to my sides. ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving.¡± I jumped in the direction Jing had gone. The old woman lifted her walking stick and smashed it into the ground at an angle. She shot in front of me, blocking my path forward. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I stopped, ¡°To Hui Ming.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let you go. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but it probably has something to do with Dao. We won¡¯t let you interfere until our alliance has been solidified.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking. I said I¡¯d join and you¡¯re still not going to let me go?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t. Your word isn¡¯t enough.¡± Of course they wouldn¡¯t let me go so easily. They probably thought I was lying to escape, which wasn¡¯t far from the truth. ¡°Then the deal is off,¡± I would have to fight after all. A palm large enough to crush a school bus reached out from underground. The earth rumbled and an enormous body crawled out from beneath the earth. It was my Colossus. It cost thirteen thousand mana to make, and I had put twenty thousand mana into Improving it. Myriad Flame Snakes wrapped around its body, adding an extra layer of defense. The Colossus was a twenty story tall plant shaped like a man. Seeing that it didn¡¯t need or eat or think, I didn¡¯t include a head. I jumped onto its stump of a neck and created a dome of clear wood above me. Like a layer of glass, a transparent layer of wood appeared between me and the outside. I melded it with the Colossus¡¯ neck. I had the Colossus grip its hands into fists. Come to think of it, controlling this thing was like controlling a mecha or one of those robots from Pacific Rim.
Three out of five Prolong slots left!
Jing and Hui Ming had used another seed. I didn¡¯t know whether I should be relieved or panicking. They were using seeds so they were still fighting, but I couldn¡¯t tell if that were good or bad thing. The Prolong slot counter was like a countdown clock. Jing and Hui Ming had one less lifeline everytime that window popped up. I dreaded the moment all of them were gone. I couldn¡¯t defeat these people in time to help. I was putting all my faith into Jing, but I still had to win here. They needed a safe haven to return to. The pressure was trampling me. This time, other lives were on the line. The world will see my power. They won¡¯t dare touch me or the people I care for again. I remembered my anger from before. I remembered how my aura had changed from peaceful to outraged. I mimicked it, focusing on my desire to kill. An aura of bloodlust erupted from me. ¡°This is my last warning to you. Try fighting, and I¡¯ll kill you,¡± I said. She responded by lifting her walking stick. The gem on the staff began to shine. A glowing red ball the size of my fist formed above the staff. It was a ball of light without a fire glowing in the night sky, like a light from a firefly. She pointed the staff at me. The ball launched towards me, getting brighter as it neared me. A cluster of snakes leapt off the Colossus and intercepted it. The resulting explosion was something I¡¯d never seen before. A flash of light, and the snakes became ash. Pure heat, light, and force. It was like an explosion, but without the soot or fire. The other ancestor appeared in front of the Colossus and punched it in the stomach. The punch left a long cut at the stomach of the giant plant. Five snakes jumped at him, fire spewing out of their mouths and their fangs dripping poison. He moved his hands in looping arcs before gripping them into fists. He punched the snakes. His bare hands were a knives, splitting the snakes in half. He lept back and stopped in front of the female ancestor. He held up his hands and bent his knees. Behind him, the female ancestor levitated three glowing balls. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The elders also formed ranks. Their long ranged members stayed in the back, firing arrows and tossing flames. A normal patch of forest the size of my garden would¡äve been wiped out by a couple shots from an elder. But almost all of my plants were harder than iron and resistant to heat. A thirteen thousand mana Myriad Flame Snake emerged from the foliage. My largest Treefather shook off the plants it had been raising in preparation for the battle. Snakes from all over the Colossus crawled to its two hands, forming a pair of sissing gauntlets. I sensed the placement of each Explosive Bulb in my garden and flung them at the Crimson Fire Sect members. Around a hundred bulbs from all over my garden flew at one point. They met in the air above the Crimson Fire Sect¡¯s elders. The resulting explosion might¡¯ve been the largest the world had ever seen. Without atom bombs, nobody else could hope to make a bomb of this destructive power. All of the individual explosions overlapped and combined. A light enveloped my garden. Even I had to turn away. The shockwave flattened all of the nearby buildings. I melded the Colossus¡äs feet with the garden floor so it wouldn''t be blown away. But that didn''t mean my Colossus wasn''t affected. My garden sunk into the ground, pushed down by the blast and bringing everything else with it. The blast generated an enormous fireball that consumed my yard. The only thing between me and the fire was the dome of clear wood over me. The light and fire slowly dissipated. My head turned from side to side, my eyes looking across the new landscape. The explosion had bent the garden into a shape of a trampoline about to launch somebody into the air, except my garden wouldn''t bounce back. The center of the blast punched a burnt hole through the layer of plants. Two elders lie at the bottom of the burnt hole. Two Blades to crawl to the elders, one for each. ¡°I''m sorry, but I warned you,¡± I whispered. The Blades stabbed into their chests. My connection with the Blades forced me to feel the sensation of the Blades enter their hearts. It felt as if my own hand was digging into their chests. I clenched my jaw as I felt their hearts stop. I grimaced and focused on the battle again. The Elder¡äs formation had been wiped out. Now I just needed to pick them off one by one. I sensed somebody''s feet touch one of my plants. I looked in its direction and found another elder struggling to get up. She spat out a clump of blood. The blood sizzled in the heat. The dead smell of burnt vegetation strangled the air, smoke clawed a path into the sky. The earth was black. Ash mixed with dirt, dirt mixed with sand, sand mixed with dust. This was no longer a garden, this was hell. I turned the plants underneath her into quicksand. The vines swallowed her and funneled her into the mouth of a Pluto Flytrap. The trap injected six types of poison into her and began digesting her. Digesting the body of a ninth stage cultivator would be difficult, but the Pluto Flytrap could do it. I¡äm the Cultivator. I cultivate, create, and construct. But here I am, emitting an aura of death and ravaging my own garden. It felt wrong, but it was all necessary. The elders who had been blasted out of my garden rushed back to save their fallen comrades. This would be their fatal mistake. I found an elder near me. The Colossus stepped forward, reaching out to grab him. Three glowing balls slammed into the side of the arm. They exploded, blasting a hole in the side of the limb. The male ancestor span in midair before smashing his foot into the wounded part of the arm. Stacked on top of each other, the three blasts and kick cut the arm in two. The forearm and hand fell to the ground. What''s the point of creating if I can''t protect the things I create? I had at first worried about my power corrupting me. But over time, I realized how stupid that worry had been. I despised this fight. I would never go out and seek a fight. Using my power for anything other than creation didn¡ät just go against my ideals, it went against my personality. But anybody who wanted to harm anything I cultivated would face the consequences. The other arm of the Colossus flew at the pair of ancestors. They dodged out of the way and the arm slammed against the floor of plants. The earth shook. The arm groped for a plant and found a Twentytacle Trap. Under my control, it threw it at the ancestors. The trap tangled them. Without the ancestors here to intervene, my snakes sank their fangs into the elder at my feet. I saw the severed arm on the ground. My Colossus grabbed the limb and put it against its stump. I melded the arm back onto the original body. In their rush to help their comrades, the elders that had been knocked away by the blast came back onto my garden. The female ancestor looked at the dead elders and realized her mistake. ¡°Run!¡± she screamed at the rest of the elders. The ancestor duo charged at me, thinking that they could distract me. I put my hands with the palms up in front of me, as if I were holding an invisible tray. Similar to a buddhist prayer, I brought my hands in front of my chest and clapped them together. Two halves of my garden rose on each side of me. My garden folded in half like a sheet of paper, bringing everything with it. The earth rose and clapped together. The garden stood upright, a sheet of vegetation reaching into the sky. The Control skill cost next to nothing to use, but this one movement cost me hundreds of mana. In one swift motion, all my plants folded and trapped the rest of the Crimson Fire Sect members. They squirmed, sandwiched between two halves of my garden. The elders tried to escape with all their power. Burnt patches appeared across the tower of vegetation as nine eighth and ninth stage cultivators unleashed their flames. The ancestors broke out, but all the elders remained trapped. Perhaps the Elders could¡¯ve escaped if they were at full power, but the combined explosion had decimated their battle power. A crunch. I spent another thousand mana condensing the plants, sealing in the elders. My plants equipped with poison wiggled through the gaps left in the plant tower. One by one, each elder¡¯s flames shut off. Everything in the garden had been clamped together, me included. Without the moonlight and fires, I lit a Glowing Pineapple for a light source. Black patches were burnt into messy vines tangled together like spaghetti. The stump of a Prison Pineapple. A molten bit of brick from my house. My garden, destroyed. My plants parted in front of my Colossus and I walked out. I was met by a flaming turtle shell, about as large as a car and pulsating with heat. I took another step towards the shell. I could tell I could get a burn if I touched the crimson shell, and it was only getting hotter. The earth beneath it melted, forming an expanding ring of lava. The ring of lava crept at me. I dipped the Colossus¡¯ hand into the lava. The lava trickled down its palm without singeing the hand. All the mass of my garden was in the tower behind me. Moving the entire thing took huge amounts of mana, mana I couldn¡¯t spare if I wanted to help Jing and Hui Ming afterwards. Using a tiny amount of mana, I tipped the tower towards me and the turtle shell. Gravity took hold and it fell. I jumped out of the way. Just before the shell was crushed by the tower, the two halves of the turtle shell separated, revealing the two ancestors. I felt the pressure of Qi on my skin, making it tingle and my hairs stand on end. I¡¯d never felt such concentrated Qi in my life. The two parts of the turtle shell stretched out. They became two flaming wings, ready to take flight. The rest of the Qi became a bird¡¯s head and tail. The two ancestors screamed a battle cry and the phoenix shot at me. The bird twisted in the air. Its two wings turning like blades of a fan, so fast it became a blur. Too late, I realized I¡¯d made a mistake as well. I¡¯d underestimated the Crimson Fire Sect. The Colossus¡¯ arms crossed in front of me and I threw a seed in front of me. The bird hit the two arms. Its wings diced and burnt the arms in a spiral pattern. The seed in front of me sucked away thousands of mana. A brown-gray substance burst from the seed, forming a shield between me and the phoenix. The attack met the Protect before the Protect could fully form. A crack like a crack of thunder. My Protect shell shattered. A ball of flame the size and shape of a small pigeon burst through the shattered remains of the Protect. It sliced through the clear wood as if it weren¡¯t there at all. I tried to block the bird with my bare hands. It cut into my palms and scorched my flesh. I didn¡¯t have the time to scream. I moved my hands away, before realizing that was a mistake too. My hands were the only things between the attack and my chest. I could stop the strike if I sacrificed my hands, but I didn¡¯t know what would happen if the attack hit my chest. Would it run out of energy before it hit the front of my body? Would it leave a small mark? Or would it pierce my heart? It struck my chest. The hit felt dull and blunt, like a punch. My body jerked back, my back hit the wood dome behind me and demolished it. The spinning motion of the bird transferred into my body. I spun until I hit the ground. I tried to get back up, but fell to the ground again. I lie on the charred soil, waiting for the dizziness to wear off. I hands shook as I pushed myself back up. I tilted my head down to look at my chest. A mark was left in the middle, a steady stream of blood poured down the front of my body. My palms were also burnt and bloody. I maintained my connection with my plants. With my plants directly on top of the ancestors, I put all my focus into killing the two fighters. My plants went to work. Vines wrapped around them and they brought the rest of the fortress to join the assault. The ancestors stood no chance. They died under the plants. All of them were dead. I shuddered and fell back to the ground. The earth beneath me was dried from the battle. The bit under my knees cracked and became dust. It scattered into the wind, fleeing from the desolate battleground. It was still the middle of the night. The landscape darkened as the last of the fires burned out. I grit my teeth. I was like when I first came to this world, injured and alone. My fingers found a small rock and squeezed. I cracked it effortlessly. I felt a small tug at the corners of my lips. There were a few differences. Even wounded, this body was filled with power. Some of the dust drifted up and touched my raw palms. I winced. A seed turned into a giant aloe plant. It squeezed itself, dumping aloe slime all over me. Ignoring the pain, I reached into my robes and pulled out a small bottle of a numbing salve. I rubbed it on my palms and chest, covering my wounds and stopping the bleeding. I swallowed a Totality Pill. The pain didn¡¯t go away, but decreased enough for me to move. Covered in sweat, blood, and aloe, I looked at the blue screen always at the corner of my vision.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv7 MP : 2048/13000
I got to my feet and ran to find the rest of my family. Chapter 62 My feet fell into rhythm. They smashed against the earth, tearing it apart as I ran forward. I ran toward the place I¡¯d seen flashes of light, where Jing was fighting. It wasn¡¯t long before I realized I was running towards the Blue FIre Sect. For some reason, Jing had taken her fight to the Blue Fire Sect¡¯s mountain. I looked back at my garden. It didn¡¯t look anything like a garden anymore. Illuminated by the moonlight, it was a tall monolith of solid vegetation, now the tomb of the most powerful members of the Crimson Fire Sect. I passed countless buildings as I ran. Jing''s fight had left huge chunks of the city in shambles, but those were only tiny pieces compared to the entire city. Even at my speed, it took me a few minutes to get to the Blue Fire Sect. Jing is a powerful and smart girl. And they hadn¡¯t used the last Prolonged seed yet, but I couldn''t help but be worried. My eyes found their sect walls. A morbidly obese man sat atop the wall. I could barely see his eyes through the layer of fat dripping down from his eyebrows. I''d lived in America(and even attended some magic the gathering events), and I still couldn''t believe anybody could possibly become so fat. I decided to ignore him, seeing that he didn''t have anything to do with my family. The two men put their hands to the sky. Wait¡­where did that second one come from? I barely had the time to have that thought before the two men became four, and the four became eight, and so on. They multiplied into a wall of fat. There must¡¯ve been at least a thousand of them.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I dug my feet into the earth and grinded to a stop. The wall of flesh disappeared, replaced by just the original obese man. He tried to get up but his legs crumpled under his weight. I couldn¡¯t ignore this man. I walked to the wall and looked up at the man. He opened his blubbery mouth, ¡°Hey Vincent.¡± ¡°...hey. Which one are you?¡± ¡°Sorry, this isn¡¯t the best body to talk in,¡± a young, teenage girl appeared in front of the fat man and the fat man vanished. She wrapped a towel around herself and stood on top of the wall. ¡°Allison!¡± I gulped. She was one of the shortest people in my class. I remembered her with shorter hair, but today, her dyed red hair flowed a little past her shoulders. In class, she was the cute shy girl with a few close friends. Kinda like me, except I wouldn¡¯t call myself cute. But what I knew of her from before wasn¡¯t enough for me to make judgements of how she would act now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I need to leave right now. Please let me pass.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to block you,¡± she spoke quickly and urgently, ¡°but I need to warn you! There¡¯s somebody extremely powerful who¡¯s beaten Mark. I don¡¯t know who she is. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s from our class.¡± I sighed in relief. ¡°Don¡¯t go in recklessly,¡± her voice trembled, ¡°let¡¯s back off. We can form an alliance with our other classmates and defeat her later.¡± I tried to jump over the fence. A clump of ten obese men appeared in front of me. I couldn¡¯t stop myself mid-jump. I rammed into them, the crash killing my momentum. The fat men vanished again, leaving me alone in midair. I landed on the wall beside Allison. She grabbed my robes. ¡°You can¡¯t go!¡± I was about to shake her off, but a tingling sensation suddenly filled my body. Allison and I both breathed sharply. We looked up to the sky, where a tiny cloud was forming. Qi from all over the mountains converging on the cloud. The Qi assimilated with the cloud, adding to its size. Qi also poured out from within the cloud. It was as if it were a living being, using both the ambient Qi and its inner Qi. I recognized the flavor of this aura. I had felt it once before, back when Hui Ming pledged her loyalty to me. This was The Will Of The World. Chapter 63 The cloud collapsed on itself and became a white ray of light. The power of the world lie in that bolt. In that moment, I couldn¡¯t imagine anything that could possibly stop it. Anything in its path would receive a death sentence. It hurled down and landed near my old house in the Blue Fire Sect. I ripped Alison¡¯s hand off my tattered robes and ran to where the ray had struck. I used Identify on my old garden as soon as I got close enough. I let out a shaky laugh. The two girls were safe. Hui Ming was underground, protected by my plants. Jing was with the captured Mark. I ran into the room Jing had made and grabbed her by the shoulders. She gasped, ¡°F-father.¡± This time, I was the one to pull her into a hug. I squeezed her as hard as I could. She froze, before eagerly wrapping her arms around me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t come earlier.¡± ¡°Who cares! Everybody¡¯s safe!¡± she said into my ear. I let go of her, but she continued to cling onto me. ¡°Jing?¡± ¡°What?¡± I softly pinched the back of her neck and dragged her off, like mother cat would to do her kittens. The room detached from the rest of the plants and dove underground. The vines carved through the bedrock with little to no effort. We picked up Hui Ming on the way down. We went underground because more powerful people might come to investigate the chaos. I didn¡¯t think I could fend off another top sect while keeping Mark from escaping. Once we were far enough underground, I planted a Glowing Pineapple and turned it on. I found Hui Ming and pat her head. She shrunk and squealed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She acted like it were a type of punishment. Jing scolded her, ¡°Headpats are the highest form of affection.¡± Hui Ming relaxed for a bit, before leaning into it. ¡°We¡¯re going to be down here for a while,¡± I said, ¡°Jing, can you turn up the oxygen production on your skin?¡± ¡°I already did.¡± I turned to Mark and the smile slid off my face, ¡°We have plenty of time to talk.¡± ¡°Sure, and I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know,¡± he smiled. ¡°You should know that my title is ¡®The Watchman¡¯. It¡¯s my duty to watch out for you guys and tell you what I know.¡± His body was bound so that I could only see his head, but his speech was mild and easygoing. ¡°Did everybody else also received a title and ability?¡± ¡°It seems to be the case. I¡¯ve seen four other people from our class and they all have some type of power,¡± he said.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°What¡¯s your power?¡± I asked. ¡°I can see through walls, and I can see things that are very far away,¡± he replied. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s it. Although it also seems I learn magic faster than the people here,¡± he said. Jing sent me a message through a vine. It wrote a message on my leg, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s lying, but don¡¯t underestimate his ability. It can be extremely powerful if used right. The conversation was too normal. It didn¡¯t feel like I was talking to a killer. It didn¡¯t feel like I was talking to somebody who had been trying to kill Hui Ming. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get to the point. Why did you try to kill my servant?¡± I gestured at Hui Ming. ¡°Was it to get me?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to kill her. I¡¯d rather have her be alive. I¡¯m not as sure about you, but I think I¡¯d rather have you be alive as well,¡± he said. ¡°The one I was trying to kill was that other girl. The one that was interrogating me earlier.¡± Jing frowned. This isn¡¯t what he said earlier. ¡°You wanted to kill Jing? You attacked Hui Ming, not Jing.¡± ¡°Attacking Hui Ming was so I could lure Jing away. I sent the Crimson Fire Sect after you so you had to split up. If Jing was loyal to you, she wouldn¡¯t let you risk getting off your garden while being attacked. So you would¡¯ve stayed on the garden while Jing came to save Hui Ming, which is what happened. Although it was also possible that she wouldn¡¯t think it though that much, so it was a bit of a gamble.¡± ¡°Again, why? Is it just because of that squabble you had a few days ago?¡± He shook his head, or as much as he could with his head bound in vines. ¡°I can be petty, but not that petty.¡± He sighed, ¡°You don¡¯t realize the risk I¡¯m taking by saying what I¡¯m about to say. But here I am, barely able to move. This is all I can do now,¡± he chuckled, ¡°do you remember Sophia?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When there were group projects, Sophia was the one that always partnered with Alison. I remembered her being one of the bookwormy types. ¡°Her title is ¡®The Oracle¡¯. Like mine, it gathers information. It¡¯s weaker than my ability if you ask me, but whatever. The point is she can see into the future.¡± ¡°How do you know her title name?¡± Mark burst out in laughter, ¡°She wrote all of her predictions in a notebook! Can you believe my luck? All I needed to do was look into her notebook to find everything she knew! Do me a favor and don¡¯t tell her about this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not in the position to be asking me for favors,¡± I said stiffly. ¡°I¡¯m already telling you everything I know. I¡¯m not your enemy. Anyway, Sophia¡¯s ability is odd. I can¡¯t see patterns in how it works from what she wrote in her notebook. I don¡¯t think she knows how it works either. ¡± He stopped grinning, losing his jolly mood. ¡°One part of her notebook is titled ¡®Calamities¡¯.¡± He used a strand of Qi to levitate some dirt and dust from the ground. It came together to form a stick about as long as my index finger. ¡°You can call it the prophecy of the apocalypse, but it¡¯s only a list of names. Every name on that list is somebody that will bring some kind of disaster to the world.¡± He spun the stick in the air, playing with what he could do with it. ¡°Nearly our entire class is somewhere on that list, including mine and yours.¡± I knit my eyebrows. I¡¯m going to bring disaster to the world? ¡°But it¡¯s no surprise,¡± he said, ¡°We¡¯ve been in this world for three months and we¡¯re already powerful enough to destroy sects. We¡¯re hatchlings compared what we¡¯ll be in the coming century.¡± ¡°There is one name on the Calamity List that isn¡¯t from our class.¡± The stick of dirt turned to point at Jing. ¡°And it¡¯s her¡¯s. She¡¯s at the very top of the list, and not by a small margin. That girl will cause more destruction than every other person on that list combined, multiplied by a hundred. Any number of Demons Kings can¡¯t compare to the destruction she¡¯ll cause.¡± ¡°Do realize what I¡¯m betting on? I know you¡¯ll never let me go, so you¡¯re the last person I¡¯ll be able to speak to. I¡¯m using my words to make a final bet on that tiny chance you¡¯ll see sense. I¡¯m the Watchman. It¡¯s my role to sound the alarm for incoming danger. The biggest danger is the girl standing next to you. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll do, but you must stop her.¡± ¡°I trust Jing,¡± I said flatly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough. You¡¯ll die if you try to escape.¡± The walls contorted to form another wall between Mark and my family. I sealed him off from the rest of us and set Programs that would kill Mark if his prison were harmed. I looked at Jing. ¡°I think he was telling the truth,¡± she whispered. ¡°Are you evil? Are you going to try to destroy the world?¡± ¡°No! Of course not!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Jing, anybody that meets you would know you¡¯re a good person,¡± I said. Hui Ming burst into a smile and bobbed her head in agreement. ¡°But¡­," Jing started. "No buts. Don¡¯t let what he said bother you.¡± I lifted a tuft of her hair and rubbed it between my thumb and index finger, ¡°You¡¯re my responsibility, so I won¡¯t let you become a calamity. The idea that you''ll do anything bad is ridiculous. You''re a flower, and I¡¯ll cultivate you to be the greatest flower the world will ever see.¡± Chapter 64 - Book One Epilogue ¡°Anyhoo, we''re hiding down here until Hui Ming is healed. Then we''ll head back up. " "Alright." "Yes, master." When I said we¡¯d hide, that only meant we wouldn¡¯t make our presence known to the upper world. Jing was allowed to wander the upper world as long as she wasn¡¯t discovered, so Jing left in a hurry right after I was done talking. I worried about the ¡°prophecy¡±, but I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. The only way for me to truly stop her would be to kill her, and there was no chance of that happening. I didn¡¯t believe Jing could be a bad person. I let my speculations run wild, trying to see how Jing could bring a calamity. I couldn¡¯t come up with anything I could prevent. So I could only sigh and go back to making more bandages for Hui Ming. She protested, saying a master shouldn¡¯t be putting bandages on the servant. I lifted a bandage, saw how badly she would be bleeding without them, and said, ¡°Um, no. Stop complaining.¡± I took the chance to tell her about the two worlds. I told her about where Mark and I had come from and my ability. She replied with some cheesy lines about me being the chosen one and following me to ends of earth. I tried my best not to roll my eyes. I went to the surface after I changed her bandages. I went outside to see the aftermath of the events in the night. I wrapped myself in vines and emerged in somebody¡¯s backyard. The presence of the Will Of The World had thrown the entire city into chaos. People were still out wondering what had happened. I heard the sound of buildings falling and thunderous cracks of cultivators fighting. I ran in the direction of the fight, keeping my speed down as to not attract attention. As I got closer to the source of the fighting, it became obvious it was not a fight but a war. Thousands of cultivators dressed in red fought against other cultivators dressed in a variety of different colors. I ended up in the middle of what once the Crimson Fire Sect. Almost every building had been destroyed. The only ones left standing were in the ones in their ancestral ground and a few defensive towers. Many towers had not been taken down and were still firing beams from power rods and glowing ovals. The glowing ovals maintained five searing lasers at once, each pointing in a different direction. They burnt tiny concentrated lines into the ground. Their rays followed people from other sects, slaughtering them in droves. Only a fifth of the people from the other sects were fighting with Crimson. The rest were looting the fallen buildings. These cultivators risked their lives to get rich quick. Many stumbled on treasure troves of weapons and jewelry. All the wealth of a once-unbeatable sect would soon be looted. Without their Elders and Ancestors, the Crimson Fire Sect was a sitting duck. Dragons, unicorns, and phoenixes danced around the battlefield. Some were tamed, some were trying to flee, and the powerful ones were basking in the destruction. I looked to the sky and saw dozens of mythical creatures circling around an angel. Eight magnificent rainbow wings sprouted from her back, moving up and down in elegant strokes. She put her arms out. Tree branches sprouted out of her arms and all types of luscious fruit dangled down. Dragons, phoenixes, manticores, and many other creatures watched the fruit like they were an emperor¡¯s personal team of dancers. Their eyes followed their every move, entranced by their presence. The angel said something. They were too far up for me to hear her words, even with my eerie ears. Whatever she said made the creatures dive into the battle, pushing back the invading looters. The angel saw me and flew to me. She landed on the piece of rubble I was standing on. I stroked her wings and Identified them. A smaller version of the wing appeared in my palm.
You¡¯ve copied a special type of plant called Wing Attachment Nine! Would you like to add it to your current list of special plants?If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Experience required for next level has not been reached! Wing Attachment Nine stays at level one!
Jing swallowed. She put her head down, trying to make herself look smaller. ¡°I¡¯m not mad,¡± I said, and she loosened up a bit, ¡°but why are you helping the Crimson Fire Sect?¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± she sniveled, ¡°I should¡¯ve asked you first. I just left and I¡¯ve already messed up!¡± The combination of elegant angel and snively Jing was so cute it hurt. ¡°So¡­ why are you helping them?¡± ¡°Well, their sect is already destroyed. So I thought I¡¯d take their land. We can take their land and wealth at the same time if I pretend to help them for now,¡± she peeked up at me, ¡°do I have permission?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± Hui Ming had friends here too. ¡°Do whatever you want, those were the rules from before,¡± I said. ¡°Thanks pops! I won¡¯t destroy the world!¡± she said. I rolled my eyes, ¡°So reassuring.¡± She lifted her wings and flew off. Her wings glowed in the morning sun, refracting light like blankets of diamonds. ¡°She could make a religion out of that,¡± I whispered to myself. Then, after some thought, I moaned, ¡°oh no¡­ she better not.¡± (Although I didn¡¯t want to,) I could already imagine Jing sitting atop a throne of flowers surrounded by a cult of environmentalists. - I gave the battlefield one last look. I shivered as a wave of sadness washed over me. This sect had stood for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. In one night, a trespasser from another world would erase the sect, plunging the stability of their land into chaos. It''s not as if it was my fault, they were the ones that attacked me. Still¡­ I shook my head for everybody that had to pay for their ancestors¡¯ mistakes. I jumped away from the battlefield and headed towards my garden, where I fought last night. I arrived thirty minutes later. My old garden was now just a tower of plants lying sideways. Even on its side, it was more than five stories tall. Torn and burnt bits of vegetation hung off the side. A crowd was gathered at the edge of my property, not daring to take a step onto my land. I Identified my garden. Eleven people, all above the third stage of Dao Formation, were exploring the inside of the plant monolith. They were the only ones brave enough to go in. A sign saying "Jin''s Alchemy House" lie on the ground. I poked it with my feet, but decided to leave it alone. I was only here for my alchemy grandmaster certificate and Blue Fire Sect guest tablet. I felt them through my plants and I had them bring it to me. Hidden by the crowd, nobody noticed me walking out with the iron certificate sheet. I left everything else where it was before. I left the crowd around my old garden and lept onto a roof. I had one last stop to make. Five minutes later, I stopped in front of a small castle. This was the residence of Fu Xue, an eighth stage cultivator and professor in the Endless Flames School. Jing told me Mark had fought them with the power of a ninth stage cultivator. It seemed it was easier for people from my class to gain the powers of this world. What better place to learn them than the best cultivation school in the city? Besides, the school was filled with talent from the younger generation - people I could raise to be the heroes of the future. I walked to the guards at the front gate. I waved, ¡°Can I come in?¡± The two guards looked at me warily. They probed me by sending powerful but neutral auras at me. Their auras said they were both third stage cultivators. How did this work again? I remembered how my aura had changed yesterday night and tried to do it again. I wasn¡¯t angry, so my aura came out without any bloodlust. I decided to keep it at the sixth stage so I wouldn¡¯t scare the guards too much. ¡°May I?¡± I asked again. They lowered their heads. ¡°Please wait a moment, sir.¡± I nodded and one of them left. He came back and said, ¡°Please follow me,¡± before walking into the castle grounds. I followed as asked. The castle was surrounded by walls and a gate, which I had just passed. Between the wall and castle was a well-kept garden. We walked on a stone path until we arrived to the gate to the castle. A red door twice as tall I was wide open. The guard stepped in and I followed. He led me through a labyrinth of stairs and hallways. We reached a small terrace at the top of the castle. At the edge of the terrace was a table with a couple seats. One of the seats was occupied by the man I assumed was Fu Xue. He saw me and his eyes widened. My hand shot up to my mouth, motioning for him to not say anything. He dismissed the guard, ¡°Grandmaster Jin, what happened?¡± Xue was one of my old customers. He had bought a package of medicine from me for breaking into the ninth stage of Dao Formation. He hadn¡¯t used them yet. Like many other cultivators, he was waiting for the waiting for the right time to attempt the breakthrough. I walked to the table and touched the top of one of the seats. ¡°May I sit?,¡± I asked. ¡°Of course,¡± I heard him take a breath. I looked back him, the shock had faded from his face. He regained the composure appropriate for a teacher of his age. I poured myself some tea. ¡°A lot happened last night. I only know about some of it. If it¡¯s the Will Of The World you¡¯re asking about, I don¡¯t know why it appeared.¡± ¡°How about the Crimson Fire Sect?,¡± he asked. ¡°I hear they attacked your shop.¡± ¡°They did.¡± ¡°And now they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°They¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°You killed them?¡± ¡°I killed them,¡± I nodded. ¡°Are you really an alchemist?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hobby, but I also cultivate. Do you have any other questions?¡± ¡°No, thanks for answering my questions. If you¡¯d like to stay here because your house has been destroyed, this castle has many extra rooms.¡± ¡°I was actually going to talk about something else. I hear the registration period for the Endless Flames School is almost over. It¡¯s impossible to get nobodies into the school even if I registered early. It¡¯ll be even more impossible if I tried to register now. I was wondering if you could help me get somebody into the school. I¡¯ll compensate you if you can do it.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t ask for compensation for such a small matter. Who do you want me to put in?¡± ¡°My servant, Li Hui Ming, please.¡± Afterword And that¡¯s the end of book one. Thanks for following along! The next book will be better than this one for lots of reasons. My writing has improved a lot since the beginning of this book, and it¡¯ll carry over to the next. I also started this book with little idea of where I was taking it. I would plan ahead by around ten chapters, but have no idea what would happen after twenty. I solidified my plans by chapter thirty. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Book two will be more stable. There¡¯ll be slice of life-y stuff but also a lot more plot. All of your favorite characters and Chen Wei will be back for an obligatory school arc before the plot kicks in. Also, the new release schedule will be at least one chapter per two days. Maybe that''ll mean longer chapters, time will tell. Now, to send off book one, have a best girl poll. Chapter 65 I exhaled. The weight of four enormous suitcases pressed on me. My arms supported them without faltering. My feet touched the rounded edges of a dull metal path. Scratches in the road gleamed in the sun and trees cast shade across the trail. Mountains towered over us, making everything seem small. ¡°How much longer?¡± I asked. A short young woman walking ahead stopped. The sword tied to her waist swung as she turned to face me. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but my guess is five hours.¡± ¡°Five hours!¡± I exclaimed, ¡°I like the scenery, but five hours is way too long. I¡¯m not having a repeat of that eight hour walk we had before. We¡¯re running.¡± ¡°Yes master,¡± she bowed. I put two suitcases in each hand and took off. My legs were a pair of hydraulic pumps, strong and tireless. I skipped across the metal path faster than a cheetah, overtaking her. A fireball hurled past me. She dashed in front of me, encased in flame. The flames shifted to her feet whenever they touched the ground, scorching the metal. ¡°Do you really need to do that fire thing? Can you run normally?¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m using a movement technique so we won¡¯t be suspicious. But I can run without using Qi if you¡¯d like,¡± she replied. The flames around her began to fade. ¡°I was just curious, keep using it,¡± I said. I spotted a castle in the distance. The trip only took us forty minutes, compared to the five hours we would¡¯ve taken if we walked. The castle walls brimmed with every color of the rainbow. As we got closer, I saw people walking on the castle towers. A couple held hands, looking into the surrounding green expanse and mountains. Other groups sat around tables chatting. This was a castle, but it was also the entrance to the Endless Flame School. The road led us to a garden to the entrance. We went back to walking, me behind my servant. Her golden robes swayed with her step, giving off a sense of luxury. Depictions of mythical creatures wrapped around her robes. A couple people turned to look at her, but never at me. My bland robes and bag carrying shoulders labeled me as the servant. A man eyed my bags and approached us. He bowed, ¡°Welcome to Endless Flame, may I ask your name?¡± Hui Ming kept her head high, only tilting her chin to acknowledge his presence. ¡°I¡¯m Li Hui Ming,¡± she gestured at me, ¡°This is Jin. That should be his full name on the roster.¡± He pulled out a stack of papers and ruffled through them. ¡°Thank you,¡± he bowed again and moved aside. Hui Ming and I walked past the gate and into a sprawling courtyard. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Hui Ming pulled a map out of her robes. I followed her and she led us to our new place. I ran my fingers across the stone walls leading up to the gate. My fingers bounced on the walls, happy to have found their new home. After a week of squatting in Jing¡¯s house, I finally found somewhere to stay. I held the gate open for Hui Ming. Our roles reversed when the gate closed. I set the suitcases on the ground and she brought them into the house. I shrouded the estate in my aura. I wasn¡¯t angry enough to put bloodlust in it, but it was enough to smoke out any spies. I retracted the aura after a few seconds. I reached into my robes and wrapped my hands around a polished wooden rod. My fingers searched around the bumps and knots until they found a good grip. I produced a wand about as long as my forearm. A seed came out of a hole at its tip and dropped onto my hand. The seed was the size of a dandelion seed, but it weighed as much as a bullet. I threw it into my garden. It burst into a wave of vines, covering every inch of earth within the estate walls. I shook the stick like a salt shaker and another fifty seeds fell out. I flung them into the vines and they became spikes in midair. They hit the vines and melded with them, turning the vines into thorned vines. I made them bury themselves underground. A few seconds later, my garden looked normal again. Of course, it only looked normal. It was now one of the most dangerous places in the city. And at the same time, it was one of the safest for me. The garden was my territory now. I rubbed my hands together, satisfied with my work. The garden is all that¡¯s needed in life. That, and a few seeds to cultivate. It¡¯s all mindset after that. One type of garden was the garden around me. To cultivate it, I would spend my time uprooting weeds and raising plants. Another type of garden might encompass the whole world. To cultivate it, I would spend my time uprooting evil organizations and raising nations. But the garden around me was too small, and the world was too big. This time, my garden was the Endless Flame School. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv8 MP : 10000/13000 Regen : 25MP/min
Control Lv10 - Subjugate lv2 Meld LvMAX Improve Lv10 - Augment Lv6 Wither LvMAX Identify Lv1 Program Lv10 - Bring Forth Lv1(max. 1 servant at a time) Prolong Lv6 (max. 6 seeds at a time, 0/6 open)
Base Equipment Weapons
Vines Lv21 Twentytacle Trap Lv19 Pluto Flytrap Lv12 Sticky Vines Lv10 Helium Plant Lv5 Colossus Lv 10 Solid Base Lv8 Flexible Base Lv8 Wing Attachment Nine Lv5 Flex Armour Lv5 Mesh Armour Lv5 Plate Armour Lv5 Regular Wings Lv5 Protect Lv11 Distract Lv5 Explosive Bulb Lv12 Cannon Segment Lv9 Poison Spike Lv15 Blade Lv12 Handle Lv5 Qi Detecting Flower Lv5
Medicine Miscellaneous Decoration
Boney Ginseng Lv7 Meaty Ginseng Lv7 Skinny Ginseng Lv7 Calories Lv10 Eerie Ginseng Lv7 Nosy Ginseng Lv7 Eyebally Ginseng Lv7 - Six Petal Goldflower Lv8 King Corruption Flower Lv5 Lion Bronze Sprout Lv5 Fluffpile Lv5 Strings Lv8 Filter Sponge Lv 4 Treefather Lv 8 Myriad Flame Vine Lv11 Prison Pineapple Lv12 Night Day Flower Lv10 Glowing Pineapple Lv9 Treasure Chest Lv5
Chapter 66 The garden¡¯s foresty smell followed me into the house. I plopped on the nearest sofa and looked up. The ceiling was about five times higher than it needed to be. A long chain hung down, holding a dimly glowing rock. The light from the windows overpowered the glow and lit the room. ¡°What do you think of the house?¡± I asked. Hui Ming stopped unpacking, ¡°It¡¯s befitting of somebody like me, but you should have a better place to stay. I apologize for not being able to get a better house.¡± ¡°Nah, this is fine. If I¡¯m honest, it¡¯s still too fancy for me. I¡¯ll get used to it.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything else, so she went back to unpacking. She stopped again, ¡°I should¡¯ve asked you earlier, but why did we come here?¡± I lifted my hands in a grand gesture. ¡°Look at this place! All these young people are gathered in one place! Each will grow up to be a hero, lord, general, or something amazing. I¡¯ll be surrounded by all these great people, isn¡¯t that great?¡± This school had some of greatest seeds in the country. I sighed, content just from imagining it. ¡°Master¡­ if you don¡¯t mind me saying¡­¡± ¡°You can say anything you want, I¡¯ve never stopped you.¡± ¡°They should be the ones honored to be in your presence,¡± she said. I rolled my eyes, ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to say, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll be in the midst of an ocean of talent, and I¡¯ll be able to pick who I want to cultivate - that¡¯s what matters.¡± I saw look on her face, ¡°Why the surprise? Didn¡¯t I already tell you I was going to do this?¡± ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d come all the way to this school for that. I do hope you enjoy yourself. I¡¯ll do whatever is necessary to make that possible.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I said dismissively. ¡°You can have a good time here too, you know. You still have lots to learn. You won¡¯t be bored.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have my maid duties.¡± She said with an enormous smile, giddy to get to work. I sighed. ¡°Have at it. I¡¯m here for other reasons too. I¡¯m also here to avoid my classmates and amass power.¡± So here there I was, staring up at the ceiling. I had to do something. Oh! I sat up and went looking for a basement. I found it, but it only had one floor. I took out my wand and shook a pile of seeds onto my palm. One turned into another clump of vines and the rest became planks of shock absorbing wood. The vines went to work, laying the wood along the basement ceiling. Beside absorbing shocks, the wood also absorbed sound. I yelled, ¡°Hui Ming!¡± as loud as I could. The walls trembled. I waited for five seconds. She didn¡¯t come busting in, so I assumed the wood did its job. I dropped a seed to the ground, and it became more vines. They intertwined to form dozens of drill heads. The ground shook as they drilled into the floor. The old floorboards snapped and the drills continued into the soil. The earth was a nice shock absorber itself. Everything in the school was high quality. Even the soil was tougher than normal soil. Nobody above ground would feel the effects of my project. Ten minutes later, I kneeled to feel the floor. It was made of crushed rock, loose soil, and shredded floorboard. I opened a hole to the surface and emptied out all the loosened earth. I had excavated three stories of bedrock. I made a glowing pineapple and set it at maximum brightness, but it still struggled to light the room. I stood at the bottom of a hole bigger than a gymnasium. The air was nice and cold. I whistled a happy tune as I went on with my project. I created a second pineapple, using it as a flashlight, and began planting herbs in neat rows. I created three greenhouses, each for herbs that needed a special climate. I danced from one task to another. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. My skills let me feel everything my plants could feel when I was near them. Just planting a carrot was like creating another part of me. Creating, planting, and cultivating. This is when I¡¯m alive.
Vincent the Cultivator Lv8 MP : 1003/13000
I only stopped when I started to run out of mana. Even then, I kept adding to the garden by organizing and labeling the plants. A hand touched one of the boards covering the trapdoor. The vines I left outside the room opened the trapdoor. ¡°Come on in!¡± I said. Hui Ming peered into the transformed basement. Her eyes widened, but she regained her composure within the next second. Some extra light came from the trapdoor. I did a half smile. ¡°It¡¯s already morning? How long was I down here?¡± ¡°All night,¡± she said, ¡°Would you like to get breakfast here or at a restaurant? The students are having their first classes, so the streets aren¡¯t crowded at the moment.¡± ¡°Oops,¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°I lost track of time. I¡¯ll be right up- wait a minute!¡± I shouted the last part. She winced, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What are you doing here? Don¡¯t you have school? Don¡¯t let me see you til you¡¯re done with class. Go, shoo!¡± Hui Ming scrambled away, apologizing with energy she should¡¯ve put in her legs. She jumped up to the trapdoor and ran off. ¡°Work hard!¡± I shouted after her. I looked at my plants. There wasn¡¯t much more I could do, so I climbed out of the basement. I found a piece of pie on the dinner table. Hui Ming must¡¯ve left it for me. I picked up on a faint bitter scent. I followed it to a trash jar and found a pile of burnt eggs. ¡°Heh.¡± I went back and ate the pie. Now, where do I find talented students? They couldn¡¯t only be talented. They also had to fit my tastes of what I wanted to cultivate. For example, I¡¯d rather not raise a murderer. Even so, I couldn¡¯t afford to be too picky. I didn¡¯t even know where they were. There¡¯s no use in sitting around. I left the mansion and walked towards the nearest large building. The nearest large building happened to be a gigantic golden tower, three times as tall as the surrounding buildings. Large buildings are where people hung out, or so I guessed. I guessed right. Shops and restaurants soon replaced the mansions around me. Many were closed. The ones that weren¡¯t had more employees than customers. School was still in session, so it was to be expected. A girl around fifteen years old staggered by me, her eyes glazed like marbles. Holy smokes was she stoned. She looked more zombie than human. ¡°Hey,¡± I waved at her, ¡°do you know where I can buy information on the school?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± she snapped, ¡°And what type of information?¡± ¡°Information about the top students here, as much of it as possible. I¡¯m the servant of Hui Ming. She¡¯s a fourth stage student.¡± ¡°Over there. The building with the flower symbol. It should like a budding rose in a circle,¡± she pointed to the side. ¡°Good luck,¡± she shambled away. I found the building she pointed at and was greeted by an enormous alchemy shop. The polished surfaces of thousands of glass cases lit up the interior of the shop. They glittered, transforming the store into a gigantic jewel. Plants of all colors and sizes sat behind glass cases. Precious dried herbs sat in open boxes like cheap fruit at a flea market. The place was more like an alchemy supermarket than a shop. A glance told me I already had these species identified, meaning I could already copy them. I walked past them, not bothering to use identify on them. I walked up to a counter and asked for a map of where the top hundred most talented students lived. It cost five hundred shards, and they told me I needed to wait an hour. I didn¡¯t have anything else to do, so I sat on their only bench and twiddled my thumbs. A white haired teen went to the counter after me. He pushed them five hundred shards and bought a bag and sheets of paper. He sat next to me and opened his bag. Laying a sheet in his lap, he dumped some of the bag onto the paper. He saw me watching. ¡°Can¡¯t share. I¡¯m too poor.¡± Poor? As if. He spent the equivalent of five hundred dollars on a bag weed. He can¡¯t say he¡¯s poor. ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Whatcha doing here anyway? They¡¯re giving out badges today, you shouldn¡¯t miss it.¡± He tapped the cross carved into a metal disk hanging from his neck. ¡°I stole mine from the prof before class, so here I am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a servant, not a student. We¡¯re new, so I¡¯m gathering information for my mistress. Anyway, you don¡¯t care about your classes?¡± ¡°Nah, they couldn¡¯t teach me anything anyway. By the way, do you know anything about those dragons?¡± he asked. ¡°What dragons?¡± ¡°The ones flying above the city these days. Guess you haven¡¯t noticed them. I asked some of the commoners about it, but they didn¡¯t know. I was hoping the people here would know more.¡± I noticed, but I thought it was normal. They¡¯d been there since I first came to the city. An employee stumbled in front of us, ¡°Sir, please smoke outside.¡± ¡°Bah,¡± he said and stood, ¡°Gotta go. See ya.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± I called after him. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you another bag if you be my guide for the day.¡± He grinned, ¡°Deal.¡± I bought a bag and headed outside with him. ¡°How come you¡¯re short on money?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a genius, but I¡¯m not rich. My higher ups don¡¯t give me allowance. I need to earn all my money on my own. I got this money as payment for protecting people against bullies.¡± ¡°That sounds like a pain. Try buy cheaper incense, maybe?¡± ¡°I have my standards,¡± he said as if that explained everything. ¡°Do you know where they sell pills, salves, and the like?¡± The store we just left only had ingredients, but no pills. ¡°Are you completely new here? Like, you don¡¯t know a thing about the school?¡± ¡°Yep, my mistress and I arrived yesterday.¡± He nodded, ¡°The school is split into twenty some districts, each marked by a tower.¡± He pointed at the horizon, where a few enormous buildings jutted out from the skyline. ¡°They¡¯re all many times bigger than the rest of the buildings, so they¡¯re hard to miss.¡± ¡°Each tower is in the center of its tower district. The closest alchemy-specialized district is the district around the alchemy pyramid. You should be able to see it from here.¡± Covered in coiling vines, the tip of a pyramid also poked out from the skyline. ¡°The district has plenty of the shops you¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not busy, want to head over there right now?¡± I asked. ¡°Me? Busy?¡± he laughed, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 67 He told me about some other districts while we walked. Meanwhile, the scenery around us slowly changed. Vines draped the sides of an enormous pyramid. Shops, greenhouses, and other alchemy related buildings lie scattered by the dirt and grass road. Dirt filled in gaping cracks in the walls, making space for bushes and weeds to grow. All the buildings had the same motley brown color, and trees grew wherever they liked. Roots penetrated houses and cut off roads. The district looked like the ruins of an abandoned city. Maybe these buildings were ruins, but they certainly weren¡¯t abandoned. The district had an incredible concentration of ambient Qi. Unlike the other places in the school, everybody here let their auras run free. The Qi from thousands of people filled the earth and air, dense enough to tickle my skin. The Qi seeped into the plants, making them stronger and more potent. All the better for me. A dozen points of mana drained out and I used the subjugate skill on the plants around me. I felt what they felt and I could control their every movement. Every one of my skills were useful beyond belief. With subjugate, I only needed a stroll around the school grounds to make it my territory. We strolled into the pyramid. Countless auras spilled out from within. I let my own aura leak, just enough to appear as a second stage cultivator. Er Yi(the name he gave me), blinked twice but said nothing. I touched a vine clinging to the pyramid and forced my mana into it. The mana seized the vine before traveling to others. My mana used the vines as pathways and all of it came under my control. Er Yi gave me an odd look but didn¡¯t say anything. All he saw was me putting my hand on a vine. My mana and skills were invisible, he couldn¡¯t tell what I was doing. We walked through the pyramid¡¯s worn hallways. The smell of stale pot invaded my nostrils. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll let us observe one of the classes?¡± I asked. ¡°Why?¡± he asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t skip class to go to another class.¡± I raised my eyebrows, ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t have anything to do. Plus, you can smoke whatever you want here.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Fine, but why do you want to go?¡± he said. ¡°To learn more about the school.¡± I walked into an open room. The professor let us sit in on the class, saying ¡°Anybody who shares a love for alchemy is welcome here!¡± An alchemy master plaque hung in front of his classroom, but his alchemy was filled with holes. I didn¡¯t try to point them out. I was only there to look for promising students. The students hunched over their cauldrons, frowning in concentration. One was only cutting a cactus, but sweat covered his face. I saw a piece of paper next to him. It read, ¡°Introduction to Conception Stage Medicine Schedule.¡± My eyes widened. They had half a year of three hour classes, just for making conception stage medicine? How? Then I remembered the sheer number of herbs they needed to memorize. It was easy for me because I was The Cultivator, everything came to me by instinct. In reality, it was almost too complicated to comprehend. I knit my eyebrows. It took two years of this to get the ¡°alchemy trainee¡± title. I could shorten that to two months if I were the one teaching. Er Yi tapped my shoulder, ¡°I gotta head back. Some point class students paid me to protect them.¡± I¡¯d seen everything I needed to see, so I left with him. We parted ways near the golden tower. He went into the tower, and I went to fetch my map from the shop. I started towards a nearby restaurant when a clamor struck my ears. It was a mix of screams, laughter, and crashes. Students flowed from the tower and entered the nearby restaurants. They chatted among themselves as if nothing happened. They wore pendants like Er Yi, although the symbols on them were different. One group of students approached another and started fighting. I stared at them, wide eyed. One of them flew into a lamppost. I thought the force would blow the post off the ground, but it hardly even shook. My back arched forward as a foot struck me from behind. Clutching my map, I stabbed a foot into the ground to stop myself. What happened to the manners of the high class? I ran past them to see what was happening in the tower. Two dragons coiled around the top the tower peered at the fighting students. One of them opened its jaws and launched a ray of light launched from it. I ducked through the front gate before I could see where it hit. The first floor was a huge lobby with a few fighting students, but most of the noise came from above. I found a staircase and ran until I hit the floor with all the noise. One kid finished his chicken and gave the person sitting next to him a casual uppercut. Bodies hurled across the cafeteria, while others ate calmly. It was almost surreal. Maybe it¡¯s play-fighting. Kids huddling in tight circles for shelter. Students stepped over bloody bodies littering the floor. Hm, definitely not play-fighting. Everybody wore a pendant displaying a symbol. Most showed a line or point. Rarer were people with a cross symbol, although there were still more than ten of them. Triangle symbols were even rarer. I only saw two. Nobody messed with them. While most lines and points huddled, some participated in the chaos. Some fought voluntarily, some not. A student wearing a line badge came at me with balled fists. I frowned, everybody here could hit hard enough to smash a brick wall. It wouldn¡¯t hurt, but I¡¯d still get punted. Believe it or not, I don¡¯t like being punted. A tuft of silvery white hair appeared in front of me, and the kid walking at me fell to the ground twitching. Er Yi turned and grinned, ¡°That was your free trial.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need it.¡± I narrowed my eyes, ¡°Now tell me. What in hell is going on?¡± Chapter 68 ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked. ¡°This.¡± I pointed at the chaos. ¡°Right, I forgot you were new here,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s because of the new students. New year, new hierarchy. They¡¯re only fighting to establish reputations. I heard it¡¯ll cool down and stop after the tournament this weekend.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hope so,¡± I said. ¡°Welp, I gotta get back to protecting those kids.¡± He dashed to a table of students, all of which looked older than him. I looked at the map in my hands, regretting sending Hui Ming away. Can¡¯t I eat in peace? ¡°You think you can protect all of them at once?¡± A girl wearing emerald robes said to Er Yi. The emerald shade was the same as the shade of the Emerald Fire Sect. These people were fighting for their own reputation, but they also fought for their sect¡¯s reputation. ¡°Prove me wrong,¡± they both let out second stage auras. Er Yi grabbed her head and smashed it into the ground, then kicked her aside. Er Yi didn¡¯t call himself a genius for no reason. He crushed somebody on his stage in the blink of an eye. A guy with Blue Fire Sect robes came half a minute later. Apparently, he didn¡¯t see what happened to the first contender. Er Yi greeted him with a huge smile and a battle stance, ¡°you should bring your sect head.¡± The table he was protecting laughed. I walked between them and grabbed a table to anchor myself. ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass yourself,¡± I said to the boy from the Blue Fire Sect. He aimed a punch at my face and I caught it, releasing a second stage aura as well. The boy nodded and left. Er Yi tapped my shoulder, ¡°Which student are you serving? How¡¯d they get a second stage fighter like you to call them master?¡± ¡°Mistress, but whatever. She¡¯s at the fourth stage.¡± His jaw dropped. ¡°Oh damn. So she¡¯s square ranked? Impressive. But anyway, you made me miss a fight, so I¡¯ll make it up for myself.¡± Tendrils of lightning arced off of him, lighting up the cafeteria. ¡°I¡¯m fighting for my amazing master, who will remain unnamed! Anybody who wants a fight, come at me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get drunk on the atmosphere¡­¡± I said, but it was too late. Three cross ranked students sauntered up to him. Er Yi released his aura as well. His wasn¡¯t angry but not peaceful either. It was haughty, as if he was looking down on them. ¡°You¡¯re insane if you think you can beat all of us,¡± one of them said. Er Yi¡¯s aura grew haughtier, inviting them for a fight. They attacked in a disorganized charge. Er Yi grinned and the onlookers gasped. The lightning grouped around him, forming a layer of armor. He tore through them like a hurricane through a wooden shack. Anybody who touched him yelped and dropped to the ground. He walked between them, tapping each of them and letting them fall. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The crowd watched, wide-eyed, as a single cross class student took out three. He looked down at the three bodies and sent an extra bolt of electricity through them, making them twitch. Er Yi had the same amount of Qi as the rest of cross class students. By math, he should¡¯ve been crushed in a three on one match. Pure skill more than closed the gap. I bought lunch and sat at Er Yi¡¯s table. The cafeteria had seen his power, so nobody bothered our table. I stopped by my mansion after lunch. I flipped through my wardrobe and put on ¡°camo¡± pattern robes and a green mask. I set off to find the houses marked on the map. The map was marked with pentagons, squares, and triangles. Each symbol represented a rank. I traveled across the school by hopping through the trees, using the subjugate skill on every tree I came across. The trees hid my presence perfectly. The branches didn¡¯t shake, and the leaves didn¡¯t make a sound. I snuck into the places marked with squares. Two were inside their houses, so I couldn¡¯t observe them. I went to the last house. My bare feet wrapped around cold branches. I watched as a tall young man swung a giant cleaver. It looked like an enlarged kitchen knife, almost as long as he was tall. His swings didn¡¯t make noise despite their speed. Over twenty life-sized statues lie in pieces around him, cut apart. I couldn¡¯t tell who they depicted. They weren¡¯t well carved to begin with, and they were scrambled on the ground in pieces. Somebody had carved names into the foreheads of each sculpture. Most were sliced so much I couldn¡¯t read them, but others were legible. I recognized one name, ¡°Li Hui Ming¡±. There was one statue that wasn¡¯t knocked down or cut apart. There was no name on its head. Instead, a piece of cloth wrapped around where the statue¡¯s eyes should¡¯ve been. A tall young lady walked out of the house behind him. She wore a white tunic and stiff headdress. I couldn¡¯t find a badge on her. ¡°Out here again?¡± she said. ¡°As always,¡± he answered. He pointed his cleaver at her. ¡°Why¡¯d you come out? Want to fight?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t, remember?¡± ¡°We¡¯re allowed if we both agree to it.¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t agree. You can¡¯t beat me anyway.¡± She bent down and picked up one of the sculpted heads. It was a bad carving, but the head bore some similarity to the woman¡¯s features. ¡°Is that my name?¡± she frowned, pointing at the three words written on its forehead. ¡°Obviously.¡± He cut the head in two. The two halves of the face dropped from her hands onto the grass. ¡°Our king isn¡¯t going to be happy if he finds out about this,¡± she waved at the shattered statues, ¡°Clean it up before he comes out.¡± ¡°So you can be considerate.¡± He slammed the side of the blade against the ground. The earth trembled, sending tremors into the ground and up the tree I sat in. I held onto the bark so I wouldn¡¯t fall off. The soil under the broken statues flipped, burying the sculptures. The lady shook some dirt off her dress and glared at him, ¡°keep that up and you¡¯ll destroy this place. And I¡¯m not being considerate for you, I¡¯m being considerate for his majesty.¡± She folded her hands behind her back. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you see hell if you break the walkways and the king trips.¡± He seemed bothered by this. The woman saw his expression and gave him a scornful smile. A King? From what I read, there was one human king in this part of the world. The king was the King of Raisin, Raisin being the country I was in. There were monster kings, but those were monsters. There were also demon kings, but one couldn¡¯t be here¡­ I hope. This king couldn¡¯t be a fake either. A square class student wouldn¡¯t address him as a king if he was a phony. But any king that came here without creating a big fuss had to be here in secret. I tried to sneak closer. The student spun in my direction. I stopped and held my breath. The leaves shifted to block my masked face. Did he sense me? My stealth should¡¯ve been able to hide me from anybody without a sensory Dao. He turned away and I relaxed. My back began to tingle, like a cold breeze was blowing against me. I looked behind me. A flurry of snow gathered and formed a wall of ice. I looked back in front of me. The gleam from the cleaver hit my eyes. He swung the blade down. I took a sharp breath and grabbed the blade with both hands. The branch below me broke and I hit the ground. He pulled it back and swung the cleaver again, this time with much more power. This was no square class student. Square class students were all at the fourth stage. His first swing had the power I would expect from the fourth stage. This swing was different. This one was at the sixth stage, approaching the seventh. I punched the cleaver with my bare hands. He flew into the mansion, smashing into the third floor. It left a small cut in my hand. The woman pulled the pins out of her hair and threw them at me. The air became drier. A dome of ice formed above us and crashed down. The woman pulled out two fans. The sides of her fans gave off a silvery shine. I¡¯ve seen many knives, but I haven¡¯t seen ones put in fans. I kicked the ice dome. As planned, it shattered. Not as planned, the recoil shot me into her. Her bladed fans cut at me but weren¡¯t able to penetrate my skin. Released from her dome, I pushed her aside and jumped into the trees. I subjugated every tree I passed and maintained my connection with them. I felt them following me through the plants. They stopped after they lost sight of me. None of this was normal. A sixth stage expert disguised as a student. An equally powerful woman with a powerful ice Dao. An unknown king. They had to be here for something. Chapter 69 Maybe they were harmless. Maybe I could forget about them and never run into them again, but maybe not. This is why I hate unknowns. Unknowns disrupt stability. My plans had been simple. Now I need to deal with this ¡°king¡±. So much to do, so little time. I need to speed up my plans. I looked at my map and continued on to a house marked by a pentagon. I perched myself on a tree outside their property. The mansion was large but not as large as I expected from a pentagon student. Weeds and overgrown bushes tangled their yard. This was more like something I would expect of a cross. I peered into the house through the windows and discovered a female silhouette. All I was missing for the classic pervert¡¯s beginner kit was binoculars. I¡¯m spying. This is manly men¡¯s work, James Bond stuff. Don¡¯t question it. Nobody came out, so I sat in the tree and waited. I didn¡¯t wait when the other students weren¡¯t already in their gardens, but this was a pentagon rank. Besides, I needed to think about the conversation I heard in that square¡¯s house. They mentioned being afraid of their king tripping. It was a weird thing to worry about, to say the least. Was this king a toddler? Was he just clumsy? Or maybe I was overinterpreting. It probably didn¡¯t mean anything. The door to the balcony opened, and a young lady wearing blue robes walked out. ¡°Huh,¡± I whispered. It was Xing Chen Wei, the Blue Fire Sect Head. The girl who brought me to the city. She carried out a small tea set. She put the tea set on the balcony table. Her movements had a certain grace to them. She sat and poured herself a cup of tea. Her blue eyes, matching in color with her robes, stared into the trees in front of her property. She couldn¡¯t see me. She drank another two cups in silence. I stifled a yawn and my mind started to wander. I was thinking about if pig milk was a thing when I heard a small sniffle. I perked up and focused on her. A tear crept down her cheek. She muttered a name that I didn¡¯t know. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She muttered a stream of names. The tears came faster after every name. My name, ¡°Grandmaster Jin,¡± was part of that list. She was sobbing and making choked hiccups when she finally stopped. This is it. Powerful, not a bad person, and in need of help. She went back into the house. I decided to go as well, I¡¯d seen everything I¡¯d come to see. I went back home and found Hui Ming. I put my hands on her shoulders and guided her to the sofa. I got on the sofa and pat the spot next to me. She sat. ¡°Do you remember Chen Wei?¡± I asked. ¡°Naturally. I wouldn¡¯t be with you if the Crimson Fire Sect elder didn¡¯t try to assassinate her.¡± She beamed and her dimples popped out. Her expression was rather inappropriate, in my opinion, considering what happened back then. ¡°I saw her while I was spying around. She was crying about something while saying the names of a bunch of famous people. I was in there too.¡± ¡°Spying around?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call it scouting. I¡¯m making a list of people we¡¯re going to help, and she¡¯s on the list. They¡¯re students I¡¯ll be raising. Like disciples, but not really. Anyway, tell her I¡¯m here next time you see her. Tell her not to make a fuss, too. ¡± ¡°Yes master,¡± she said. ¡°Moving on. Have you heard about any kings in the Endless Flame School?¡± ¡°No. Why?¡± she asked, and I told her about what I saw at the square class¡¯s mansion. ¡°I¡¯ll observe the square class student and tell you if he does anything suspicious. Do you think they¡¯ll be a threat?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no telling at the moment. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll end up fighting,¡± I said, trying to be optimistic. ¡°They¡¯ll do their own thing and we¡¯ll do ours. We¡¯ll crush them if it comes to it, but try to avoid conflict with them. I kinda want to stay at this school, after all. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the eighth stage now. I¡¯ll be at your side next time you fight,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll be useful this time.¡± ¡°¡®This time¡¯? Didn¡¯t I say we¡¯ll be avoiding a fight?¡± She looked like she wanted to say something, but I continued, ¡°But you¡¯re right, we need to be prepared. I want to get as much done here as possible before anything bad happens. I have a project for you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so enthusiastic. I¡¯m opening Jin¡¯s Medicine House again.¡± I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my underground garden. It was cooler than above. The air was fresh and had that forest smell I liked. I sprinkled some seeds on the floor. They sprouted into five glorious stalks of augmented cannabis. She poked it. ¡°Is this raw incense?¡± ¡°N- yes, let¡¯s go with that. This is the best incense you¡¯ll find in this city. Well, spirit incense is better, but not by much. How much do you think these will sell for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know until I test it. Between fifty thousand and five million?¡± I used five hundred mana and a treefather sprouted next to me. It looked like a regular tree, except for the dozens of holes poked into it¡¯s thicker branches. The holes were made to be filled with soil and a seed. I put seeds in all of them and they became fully grown stalks of incense. I gave her a wooden box. ¡°Sell the pills in this box and the incense on the tree. We¡¯ll buy one of the buildings in the alchemy district once we have enough money. We need to do this as fast as we can. We¡¯ll open shop as soon as possible.¡± "I''ll start right now." Chapter 70 I spent the rest of the day and night making pills. The next day, I went to visit the alchemy pyramid again. I meandered around the pyramid, taking control all of the plants in sight. I also found a few good spots to put my medicine shop. I followed a trail of the strongest plants until I arrived at the entrance of the pyramid. Dense Qi filled the pyramid. Countless auras spilled out from within. I let my own aura leak, just enough to appear as a second stage cultivator. I went into the pyramid looking for more plants. The hallways were built like a maze. Hundreds of rare plants and herbs sat in the open. I absorbed them into my memory with identify. I was still exploring the pyramid when Hui Ming¡¯s aura brushed against me. Why was she here? I followed her arua and stopped in front of a closed door. Hui Ming¡¯s Qi gushed from behind the door. I sent my mana to take control of the plants in the room. A vine unlocked the door from inside. I pushed it open and stepped in. Light shined down from above. I looked up for the source of the light, only to find myself staring at the sun. The entire roof of this room had collapsed. Hui Ming¡¯s back faced me. I usually saw her in the maid uniform I made for her, but she always wore the same robe in the public. The bottom of her robe almost kissed the ground. Depictions of mythical animals were embroidered onto the waist and sleeves. Her body, thin but fit, fit right into it. A red string tied her hair into a bun. She stabbed her knife into an apple-like fruit. She dismantled the fruit as if she was an assassin. She pushed her knife across the tabletop, sweeping and pushing the unuseable stem and skin off the table. She slid the knife under another pile of ingredients and scooped them into a cauldron. She was so concentrated she didn¡¯t notice me walk in. The back of her neck was beaded with sweat. Sweat soaked the the back of her robes, making the fabric stick to her skin. Some vines rose to make a seat for me. I watched her back as she worked. Frankly, her alchemy was terrible. She was a beginner among beginners. I mentally started to add her to the list of students I would help, before remembering she was already my servant. I didn¡¯t want to startle her, so I let the outer edges of my aura touch her. She recognized it and turned, smiling and lowering her head. A blanket of fire engulfed her clothes and the sweat evaporated.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°When were you interested in alchemy?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m a grandmaster¡¯s servant, so I should know at least a little bit,¡± she replied. I walked over and looked into the cauldron. I frowned. There was a third aura in the room with us. It was weak, so weak I hadn¡¯t noticed it until now. It took me a few seconds to find its source, which was the cauldron on the table. ¡°You got a spirit cauldron?¡± ¡°Yes, I bought it yesterday,¡± she said. But for how much? I was afraid to ask. Any spirit cauldron could pay for a third of the shop I wanted to buy. The cauldron was filled with ingredients, but not in a way that could make anything. A seed in my pocket turned into a myriad flame snake. It slithered out of my pocket and blew fire into the cauldron. The bitter smell of smoke poured out. She flinched as she watched her work go up in flames. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that batch wasn¡¯t going to turn out well anyway,¡± I said. She still looked devastated. ¡°What were you trying to make?¡± ¡°A salve for frostbite,¡± she said. The dozens of herbs I burned turned into ideas in my head. They rearranged and connected with each other as I found the best way to combine them. It was only a conception stage salve. There was no way I¡¯d have any problems with this. ¡°There¡¯s a proper way to make it. Here, I¡¯ll show you.¡± I put some seeds on the table. They grew into the herbs she was using before. ¡°You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡± She shook her head so fast I was worried it would fly off. I guided her through the steps, falling into the role of a mentor like I was made for it. She did all the work, but I told her where she went wrong and what to change. She absorbed everything I said like a sponge. At the end, she put a cap on a vial I pat her back, ¡°We did it!¡± She held up the vial, ¡°this works?¡± ¡°Yep! I¡¯m certain. I can teach you more when we get back, if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m your servant¡­¡± I exhaled. ¡°Who cares if you¡¯re my servant? How bout¡¯ this. Think about it like I¡¯m practicing my teaching on you. That way it¡¯ll be fine with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about me, it¡¯s not in my place to take your time.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a good use of my time. I¡¯d like to spend more time with you too. You¡¯ve been with me for three months now, but I still don¡¯t know you very well. We should fix that.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish,¡± she replied. She didn¡¯t mean to, but she made me sound like I forced her into this. How was I supposed to respond? She stared at me and maintained eye contact. I glanced away. ¡°If you want to spend more time with me, then...you mentioned you wanted me to show you the pretty parts of the city,¡± she said. Did I say that? Thinking back on it, yeah, I probably did. But it must¡¯ve been an offhand comment. Sightseeing was never one of my top priorities, ¡°You remember that?¡± ¡°I remember all your requests.¡± She spoke before I could tell her I didn¡¯t have time for a trip. ¡°If we have some time, I can to take you to the Black Library.¡± ¡°The Black Library?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful place, and I¡¯ll be there with you. I¡¯m certain you¡¯ll like it!¡± I wasn¡¯t excited, but I couldn¡¯t say no after seeing how cheerful she¡¯d gotten over this. Plus, I needed to visit a library sooner or later. I had asked Hui Ming about The Will Of The World, but she didn¡¯t know much about it. I had been looking forward to putting it off, but I had to figure why it had interfered with Jing when she interrogated Mark. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go.¡± I put another pile of seeds on the table. ¡°Should I show you how to make another salve?¡± ¡°Ah, I meant to say we could go now.¡± ¡°Go now? To that library?¡± She pointed to her left, ¡°It¡¯s not far from here. It¡¯s only a few districts away.¡± It was in this school? ¡°Show me the way.¡± ¡°Then please follow me.¡± Chapter 71 She hopped through where the roof should¡¯ve been and skipped down the side of pyramid. I did the same. I landed at the base next to Hui Ming. I smoothed my robes and took two steps back to stand behind her. She walked and I stayed behind her, playing my role of a servant. Long shadows came with the sinking sun. Warm red colors painted the sky like watercolor. The sun set when we got to the border of the Black Library¡¯s district. It was nighttime, but that was when the school was most active. The crackle of frying fat. A man yelling at his employee. Discussion and gossip blended into background chatter. The streets turned into a noisy night market. Glowing rocks perched on rocky stands, serving as lampposts. Shops had their advertising out in full force, trying to turn the new students into regulars. The smell of meats blew into the residential areas, causing a flood of students to come with their pockets filled with money. None of this had any effect on Hui Ming. She always looked perfect, wether she was sweeping dust or acting as a square class student. Her square badge rested on her chest, pushed up a bit by her breasts. Seeing the badge, others parted around us to give more room. I played my role of a servant until we reached a line in the ground where the market stopped. It marked the border between two districts, a boundary the rowdiness couldn¡¯t cross. The contrast couldn¡¯t be sharper. Hui Ming took off her badge when she crossed the line. She pointed in front of us. A black cube stuck out in the distance. It was made of a pitch black material I could barely make out against the night sky. She led me deeper into the district. She seemed to know the way. ¡°Have you been here before?¡± I asked. ¡°Twice,¡± she replied. I waited for her to continue, but she didn¡¯t. Of course she didn¡¯t. ¡°Tell me more?¡± ¡°I was twelve the first time I came here. It was for a rare spirit scroll. It helped me develop my movement technique.¡± ¡°The second time?¡± ¡°One of my sisters wanted a spirit scroll but she couldn¡¯t get into the school. She asked me to get it for her.¡± ¡°Younger or older?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my younger sister. All my sisters are younger than me.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re used to being called big sister?¡± ¡°Yes, although Jing¡¯s different. I don¡¯t know why she calls me big sister. She¡¯s the big sister in this¡­ may I say family?¡± Our shoes clicked against the tiled floor. I saw a few small cafes, ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Jing¡¯s the big sister in the family. In truth, I don¡¯t qualify to be called sister at all.¡± I furrowed my brows. ¡°That¡¯s not true. I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not odd to be called a sister and a servant at the same time, but that¡¯s not important. Family and servant are just names to me. You can be both at the same time. Don¡¯t underestimate your importance. Both Jing and I would risk our lives for you.¡± She knew I was talking about the battle against the Crimson Fire Sect, which had started because we needed to protect Hui Ming. She gulped, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t.¡± I walked faster to catch up to her. I walked with her, side by side. We didn¡¯t have our badges on, so I didn¡¯t look too out of place next to her. I peaked at her face. Her head was slanted down, eyes staring at the ground. ¡°You know how much we treasure you.¡± She continued staring at the ground, ¡°Forgive me for saying this,¡± she swallowed again, ¡°but you shouldn¡¯t, not to the point of risking your life for me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think like that,¡± I said, but I knew it was useless. She wasn¡¯t some robot I could order around. She served me, but only because she wanted to. She could always disobey me if she thought it was for the better. She didn¡¯t respond. She knew neither of us wanted to talk about this. She stopped after a while, ¡°This is the Black Library.¡± "Straightforward name, I like it.¡± A wall of black loomed in front of us. The wall seemed to stretch forever on both sides. It was many times larger than any of the other towers. The sheer size of the building instilled awe into observers. Moonlight shined down, and the wall glinted like obsidian. So this is what Hui Ming meant when she said this place was beautiful. The library wasn¡¯t beautiful because of designs or patterns. It was beautiful for its size. Its size pressed a sense of everlasting stability into me. It told me it was here now, and it would be here the day I died. I touched the wall. It was still warm from when the sun was up. ¡°Do we still have to find an entrance?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find it if we follow the walls,¡± she returned to her businesslike mode. We arrived minutes later. A stream of people flowed in and out of the entrance. I thought there¡¯d be more traffic. The traffic was on par of that of a mall, but this building more than ten times larger than malls. We went in. The black stone covered every inch of the library. The ceiling was held up by gigantic dark pillars several times wider than I was tall. ¡°This library is the most precious place in the city,¡± Hui Ming said. ¡°Really? More precious than the tip of the central volcano?¡± ¡°The tip of that volcano might be able to rival the Black Library in a few thousand years.¡± ¡°Weird, those history books never mentioned this place.¡± I grabbed the side of a pillar and squeezed just hard enough so it wouldn¡¯t break. This stone wasn¡¯t the toughest in this world, but it was harder than the diamonds of my old world. The whole building was made out of this.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Your books didn¡¯t mention it because it was built too recently. It was built just a fifty years ago, but now they call it the everlasting tower.¡± ¡°Hm, I wonder why,¡± I said snarkily. ¡°It¡¯s extremely tough.¡± ¡°I know...¡± The black stone was cool and all, but I couldn¡¯t find any books. ¡°Where are all the books?¡± The gigantic lobby was almost completely empty, and there were no obvious exits. A woman wearing plain light blue robe walked to us. I took a closer look at her robe. It had a sheen I¡¯d never seen before. It may be plain, but it certainly wasn¡¯t cheap. Two thick gloves hung off a belt on her waist. She looked around thirty, but cultivators that looked thirty were always much older. I shifted to face her. ¡°Hello, who-¡± Hui Ming bowed to her. ¡°Good midnight, tower master.¡± I realized my mistake and bowed as well. ¡°Mhm, where do you want to go?¡± she said. ¡°Any one of the main rooms, please.¡± Hui Ming replied. ¡°Is this man coming with you?¡± she asked. Hui Ming nodded. She shrugged, ¡°See ya.¡± The floor dropped out beneath us. I almost yelped. We feel a short while before landing at the bottom of a hole. The top sealed off, leaving us in the dark. ¡°Light, please?¡± I said. Hui Ming lit a fire on her fingertip. We were in a box with no escape. The flame leaned to the side as the box lurched. I stuck my out a foot to restabilize myself. Hui Ming didn¡¯t react. Defying physics, she stayed upright without stumbling. The box sped up more before coming to an abrupt stop. The side of the box opened, revealing a room filled with countless shelves. The top of the shelves connected with the low ceiling. The familiar smell of old paper flooded my nostrils. Hundreds of glowing orbs were placed all over the room, filling every corner with warm light. The room was surprisingly empty for a main room. We were the only ones here. ¡°Do you like it?¡± she said. She chewed her inner lip, making part of her lip squirm. I nodded. ¡°Please sit¡±, she gestured at a set of sofas built to fit a large group of friends. I did as she asked, my hands almost slipping on the silky exterior of the sofa. ¡°What would you like?¡± she asked. ¡°Get me a few of those spirit scrolls, please.¡± I¡¯d heard about spirit scrolls and books, this was just to satisfy my curiosity. She went to fetch the scrolls. Hui Ming appeared from behind a shelf with a tray of scrolls. They gave off a faint aura. I took one and unfurled it on a table. It had an old, musty smell. The people who read the scroll had treated the scroll with utmost care, but it was already torn at the edges. I thought such precious scrolls would be tougher, but normal person could rip this one without Qi. I read the first line. It felt the same as when I read a normal book. ¡°So I just read it? Nothing else?¡± Hui Ming nodded, so I continued reading. Bits of Qi came out of the scroll as I read. The Qi reached out from the scroll and touched my forehead. A blurry image of a man popped into my head. It was like I was imagining it, but the image was clearer. The man went through five sword stances, showing the reader how to balance Qi and physical movement. I tore my eyes from the book. ¡°Holy shit I need this.¡± This was many times more effective than reading directly from a book. I would¡¯ve bought spirit copies of all my books if I¡¯d known about this earlier. ¡°I brought some incense,¡± Hui reached into her robe. I put my hand on her arm, ¡°No need for that. Where can I get more of these spirit scrolls?¡± ¡°You can buy them, but they¡¯re expensive,¡± she said. ¡°Even for us?¡± I asked. I still had several million shards, and I could make a lot more when I started selling pills again. ¡°One scroll isn¡¯t very expensive, but buying a library for your students would cost billions.¡± She read my mind. I didn¡¯t want the books for myself, I wanted them for the people I¡¯d chosen. ¡°And if you want this library, that¡¯s impossible too. The school would never give it up. You might as well try to buy the entire school. ¡± ¡°Billions!,¡± I choked. ¡°Can I hire people to make copies of the books?¡± ¡°They¡¯re spirit scrolls, they can¡¯t be copied.¡± ¡°How come?¡± ¡°You can copy the words, but they¡¯d lose the trance effect. You¡¯d have to find all the original writers, most of which are dead.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± I rubbed my head,¡°...how hard would it be to rob this place?¡± I wasn¡¯t against resorting to robbery if it would help cultivate the ones I chose. Hui Ming didn¡¯t show signs of disapproval either. ¡°That won¡¯t be possible, even for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what I expected. What, do they have an Orb in here?¡± I asked. ¡°That, and the tower master is at the Dao Journey stages. Besides, this place is built as a moving labyrinth. The tower master can move the rooms around at will. You can destroy half the labyrinth and not find any rooms. Then you¡¯d have to fight all their reinforcements while the Orb is active,¡± she said. There was no chance I could survive that, at least at the moment. But, ¡°I¡¯ll be able to do that if I have some time to prepare.¡± Hui Ming blinked, ¡°Ah-yes, of course. But please don¡¯t be reckless.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± I unrolled a second scroll. This one was made with silvery, fluid pages wrapped around a carved wooden rod. None of the scrolls on the table were alike. I reached the third line, and the images started appearing in my head. ¡°Ah!¡± Hui Ming said, ripping me from the experience. ¡°What?¡± I said, sounding annoyed on accident. I should¡¯ve been annoyed, but I somehow wasn¡¯t. She stared at her feet. ¡°There¡¯s another way to get spirit scrolls. You can learn the Daos and write them yourself. But you¡¯ll need to fully understand the Daos you write about.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have any Daos,¡± I said. She cocked her head, indicating she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I don¡¯t understand any Daos. I¡¯m not even at the first stage of Dao Formation. I was planning to ask for your help to get to the first stage, but I met you while I was in the alchemy tower and we ended up here somehow.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand any Daos¡­ I¡¯m sorry for not seeing this before. I¡¯ll always be here to help if you need it,¡± she said. ¡°Anyway,¡± I said, ¡°sit down.¡± I pat the part of the sofa next to me. She bent down and sat as I asked, but she didn¡¯t seem to know what to do next. I turned a seed into a peach and handed it to Hui Ming. Another seed became a wooden plate and I set it on the table. Hui Ming use her sword to cut the peach into eight even pieces. She positioned them on the plate in a flower pattern. ¡°They aren¡¯t for me. Take one,¡± I urged. ¡°Me?¡± she said. I looked around the room, ¡°I don¡¯t see anybody else.¡± She took one and bit at its edges. Her bite made a crisp snap. Her eyes widened, ¡°It¡¯s sweet.¡± I grinned. Hui Ming sat with me silently, sharing plates of fruit with me. I looked to the side to look at Hui Ming. Her short lustrous hair partially covered her cheeks, which bobbed as she chewed on my fruit. I smiled, she could be adorable sometimes. I suppressed an urge to poke her cheek. This was the kind of peaceful atmosphere I wanted to settle in. One where I could visit a library and eat fruit with friends and family. I used to be different. The old world was a peaceful place, where my only problems were my grades. I wished for chaos, or a little something to spice up my life. I don¡¯t know what changed. Now I just wanted to settle down. It wouldn¡¯t be that simple, though. ¡°Help me find books on The Will Of The World,¡± I got up and started searching the shelves. I the next three hours reading through scattered bits of text on the subject. In summary, The Will Of The World is a powerful force that does a bunch of random things. Sometimes it interfered with humans by making them keep promises. Sometimes it concentrates mana to create danger zones. One of the danger zones it created was a complex self-repairing maze. This bothered me. It confirmed The Will Of The World was intelligent. If it was intelligent, it must have something it¡¯s trying to do. I couldn¡¯t find what it was trying to do no matter how much I searched the texts. It was random, more like a collection of beings than a single being trying to do something. I got up to find another book. I wandered between the shelves. They had everything here, even a shelf for philosophy. I stopped in front of it and ran my finger across the shelf. A layer of dust accumulated at my fingertip. I stared at the dust on my finger. I heard Hui Ming¡¯s footsteps get closer. They stopped a short distance behind me. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I winced. ¡°Of all the shelves here, only the philosophy shelf is so dusty. It¡¯s like nobody¡¯s touched this shelf in years. This would be the cleanest shelf in the room if Brian were here.¡± ¡°Brian?¡± she said. ¡°An old friend. We¡¯ll see him soon, I hope,¡± I said. Some of my classmates spawned in the area around me. I¡¯d already met two of them, meeting more was more than likely. ¡°You have friends?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes! What kind of question is that? Of course I have friends,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just haven¡¯t seen any in my three months with you,¡± she said. ¡°Fair enough,¡± I mumbled. ¡°But if we¡¯ll meet him soon¡­ what is he like?¡± she said. I paused. ¡°It¡¯s always hard to describe this kind of thing. He was athletic, although he didn¡¯t put any effort into it. He was just born with an amazing physique. He never trained but he could run a mile in under six minutes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can you repeat that?¡± ¡°A monster like you wouldn¡¯t get it. He was good at everything, not that his talent came anywhere close to yours.¡± Hui Ming could easily run a mile in twenty seconds. Comparing them simply wasn¡¯t fair. ¡°He was also good at school, although I wasn¡¯t far behind him in that aspect. He was nice, I think, but he could be annoying sometimes. He¡¯d go on and on about his stupid ¡®new ideas¡¯, he¡¯d never stop.¡± I put my palm on exposed parts of the shelf. I swept my palm across the shelf, removing all the dust. I went to the layer beneath it and repeated the process, removing the dust from each layer of the shelf. I pat my hands against my robes to get rid of the rest of the dust. ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like staying any more. Do you want to stay?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± I withered the plants I¡¯d made. Hui Ming put the books away. There was only one door in the room, so I assumed it was the exit. I opened it, but it only led to an empty black room. ¡°So¡­ how do we get out?¡± Chapter 72 Hui Ming slammed her foot against the floor. I covered my ears reflexively. A hole opened beneath us and we fell into another dark box. It propelled us across the library and spat us out in the lobby. ¡°Welcome back,¡± the tower master greeted us. Her posture and the way she talked gave off an easygoing vibe. ¡°Want to go anywhere else?¡± Hui Ming politely said no and we left for home. I pushed the gate open for her and asked, ¡°I need to be able to control my Qi. Help me please?¡± Mark, one of my classmates, had gotten the same power as somebody on the ninth stage after only three months. It¡¯s more difficult for natives of this world, but advancing stages shouldn''t be too hard for me. I pushed her inside the house and we went down to the basement. We sat on the seats in front of our cauldrons. ¡°Will doing this mess up my plants?¡± She told me it wouldn¡¯t. I said, ¡°Then let¡¯s do it. How does this work?¡± ¡°It depends. Which Soul Cultivation stage are you on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m on any stage of anything. I¡¯ve never cultivated my Qi in my life.¡± ¡°How do you have your plant Dao? And how do you release that pressure?¡± ¡°The plant thing¡¯s not a Dao, it¡¯s something else. I¡¯m not sure what it is. I¡¯m not sure how I use my aura. It just comes out when I want to.¡± ¡°I see. May I see your hand?¡± she said, putting her hand at waist level as if she wanted to shake my hand. I put my hand on top of hers and her aura enveloped mine. I tried pushing against it. It gave way with almost no resistance, like pudding. She smiled, ¡°As I thought, you¡¯re already at the first stage of Dao Formation. But you¡¯ll need to enter the Qi space inside yourself if you want to control it.¡± ¡°And how do I do that?¡± ¡°You¡¯d need to meditate for five days if you were on your own.¡± She put her hand on her chest, ¡°but I¡¯m here! I can help you do it faster. And we can put this incense to use as well.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Cool, thanks. But, is it possible to do this without the incense?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible, but the incense makes the experience more potent. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to use it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d rather not at the moment.¡± With both our hands connected, she said, ¡°Please don¡¯t spend more than an hour inside. Time flows faster inside, and I might faint if I do this for more than a week in real time. Are you ready?¡± I didn¡¯t know what I was supposed to be ready for, but I said yes anyway. Her aura pushed into me. I trusted her so I let it in. I began to feel dizzy, as if I had just stood up after sitting down for a long time. I still didn¡¯t push her out. I lost track of time. I couldn¡¯t think. The dizziness got worse. I was drowning at the bottom of the ocean, the last bits of oxygen in my blood draining away. My consciousness returned to me the second I should¡¯ve fainted. ¡°No way¡­ that¡¯s beautiful.¡± I was surrounded by an infinite expanse of darkness, lit by enormous Illusions in the sky. They hovered in the sky like an aurora, before disappearing and being replaced by another illusion. I looked up and spun in a circle. I fell on my back, my eyes large as watermelons. A wavering image of a giant twentytacle trap dominated the sky. Its light illuminated the everything I could see. That was my twentytacle trap. The one I¡¯d designed months ago, when I was trying to create the perfect trapping plant. I lie there, panting. The twentytacle trap broke into three pieces. Each piece turned into a herb I had copied. I watched quietly. The illusions broke and reformed into two more herbs. They kept changing, turning into every plant I had ever identified. I could¡¯ve lie there for hours, but I had time contraints. I stood. The soft trickling sound of a stream came from behind me. I turned. An orb, about as large as a whale, hovered in the sky. It was big, but it was dwarfed by the titanic auroras so I hadn¡¯t noticed it. It was dotted with holes like a showerhead. The holes varied in size. Some were plugged but the rest poured out waterfalls of a dimly glowing blue liquid. The liquid splashed onto the ground and spread out in streams. The streams flowed in every direction around me. I walked closer and dipped my hand in one of the streams. It was chilly. It had the consistency of syrup, but also slid off my hand like water. This was my Qi. I knew this stream of Qi was flowing to my left pinky. I don¡¯t know how I knew. I just knew. I willed the stream to merge with the stream for my ring finger. The streams merged. I willed them to separate and they separated again. I wanted all the mana to stop flowing. It stopped. I told all the Qi to form in a column and fly into the sky. The Qi from the streams and rivers gathered in one bundle. It flew into the air, twisting as my will desired. It came down and returned to normal, flowing into their respective body parts. ¡°Wow,¡± I had no words. There was no chance I would¡¯ve been able to gain this control over my Qi without coming to this place. Before, I could only vaguely sense it. Now I could see it, touch it, feel it. But I remembered Hui Ming¡¯s warning about time. One thought and I popped out of the space. I opened my eyes to see Hui Ming still holding my hands. She looked at me with wide eyes, ¡°Master, you¡¯re already finished?¡± I could now feel the orb inside me, maintaining the streams of Qi. I couldn¡¯t sense the Qi as well as I did when I was inside, but it was many times better than before. I made a strand of Qi come out. It was invisible in the outer world. I made a soft Qi blast behind me. Our robes fluttered in the breeze. ¡°I think so.¡± Chapter 73 It turned out I only spent an hour of real time inside my Qi space, so I spent another night and the morning making pills. Afterwards, I went to the cafeteria for lunch. Noisy chatter filled the cafeteria, and the fighting had calmed down as Er Yi said it would. Some fights still broke out, but it wasn¡¯t the craziness of the first day. Er Yi sat next to me. ¡°Is there any reason your hair is like that?¡± I asked him. ¡°You mean why it¡¯s white? I was made this way. I could dye it, but I don¡¯t want to,¡± he said. I nodded to show I understood. ¡°You see that? Nobody¡¯s fighting anymore. Even the triangle class,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m such a great peacemaker. Bet everybody¡¯s scared of me after that fight I had yesterday.¡± He was starting to sound arrogant, but I didn¡¯t let my disapproval show on my face. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m scared of you?¡± ¡°Nah, you¡¯re¡­ special,¡± he said. Weird response. From the corner of my eye, I saw Hui Ming step out of a restaurant. Her square badge hung from her neck. I pretended I didn¡¯t see her, but it didn¡¯t help. Er Yi saw her anyway. He jumped and landed in front of her. The cafeteria turned to watch. ¡°Hey,¡± Er Yi put up his fists. ¡°I challenge you to a match.¡± Hui Ming shrugged, ¡°Accepted.¡± ¡°I am fighting for my amazing master, who will remain unnamed. Who are you fighting for?¡± She thought for a second before lifting her hand. A blanket of crimson flames spread into the air. ¡°My amazing master, who shall also remain unnamed.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop the fight without revealing my identity. I stood and Hui Ming saw me. She realized she didn¡¯t know what I wanted her to do. Biting her lip, she lost her confident posture. Er Yi saw this and chuckled. Without warning, he covered himself in lightning and punched at her face. Hui Ming grabbed his fist with a viper-like reaction, ignoring the following electric shock. She pivoted, grabbed his collar, and tossed him at a window. Er Yi stopped himself before he flew out the window, landing on the ground. He was outclassed, and he knew it. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He grit his teeth and charged at her again. More and more lightning built up around him as he ran. In response, a flame erupted around Hui Ming. The metal floor beneath her melted, becoming a glowing orange pool. It rippled as she stepped forward. A different person walked out of the shop Hui Ming had come from. A square pendant also hung from his neck. He moved in front of Er Yi¡¯s path. Er Yi stopped and looked up at him, ¡°Wh-¡± He slapped Er Yi in the face-with his foot. Er Yi was sent flying across the room again. This time, he didn¡¯t try to get up. He got crushed when it was one against one. There was no way he could win against two. Hui Ming left with the other square class student. It was the same square class student Hui Ming said she¡¯d keep an eye on. I went over to Er Yi and helped him up. ¡°You can¡¯t win them all. That was my mistress, by the way.¡± Er Yi put his hand on my back and pulled me aside after lunch. He led me into an empty classroom. Like all the other classrooms in this tower, it was about as big as a gymnasium. The afternoon sun lit the room and the cold walls cooled it. Scorch marks and dents from the last class marked the walls. He left me by the door and he went to pace around the rest of the classroom. ¡°You and your mistress are hiding something.¡± I thought I had hid rather well. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re both trying to hide your power. You weren¡¯t using your full power when you stopped that guy from the Blue Fire Sect.¡± Was I that obvious? ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t use Qi when you caught his fist. You¡¯d be far more powerful if you used Qi.¡± I pursed my lips. I hadn¡¯t considered that. ¡°Do you think anybody else noticed?¡± ¡°No. They wouldn¡¯t pay that much attention. I¡¯m more perceptive than people give me credit for.¡± ¡°I believe you. Then why do you think my mistress is hiding her power?¡± ¡°Hui Ming is your mistress, right? She can hide the amount of Qi she uses, but not the power of her body. She didn¡¯t even twitch when I ran all that lightning through her. She has to be at the fifth stage or above,¡± he said. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right.¡± I put my palm on the wall behind me and squeezed. The metal wall might as well have been made from cotton. I tore off a piece and tossed it at Er Yi. He caught it and ran his fingers along the edges of the warped metal. ¡°I understand,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m the same.¡± He stuck out his arm and made a fist. Arcs of lightning appeared across his arm as if it were a tesla coil. The arcs were about as big as before. Then the arcs doubled in thickness, blasting my eyes with white light. The lightning converged on his palm, shaping into the form of a dragon. He was to showing me his raw Qi and Dao. I graded him at the fourth stage of Dao Formation. ¡°But why are you here? You¡¯re not really here to serve that lady, are you?¡± He had discovered too much, too fast. I wasn¡¯t going to tell him more. ¡°No, I¡¯m here to help my mistress achieve her goals.¡± ¡°Would you be willing to tell me what those are?¡± he asked. ¡°There¡¯s no reason I wouldn¡¯t tell you. She¡¯s just here to loaf around. She says she wants to experience being a student again. But how about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth. My job is pretty boring. I¡¯m supposed to keep an eye on the people in this tower and watch for anomalies.¡± ¡°Am I an anomaly?¡± I asked. He lowered his arms and the light vanished. ¡°Yes, but not in a bad way! I knew you weren¡¯t up to anything bad, but I brought you here to double check.¡± ¡°Just wondering, but why are you telling me? Isn¡¯t this supposed to be secret?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I have a reason other than honesty,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve told me your secret, so I¡¯m telling you mine. I guess it builds trust?¡± ¡°I see,¡± I felt a pang of guilt for lying to him. He reminded me of Brain. Brian was also like this sometimes, too honest for his own good. I decided to put him on the list of students I¡¯d help. Chapter 74 The sun was had just came out from under the horizon and the air was still moist. I sat in the bleachers of a coliseum. Meanwhile, groups of point class student fought in the pit below me. The noise from their fights reached my ears as light taps.This was the tournament Er Yi had mentioned. Attending the tournament was mandatory for all students. I wasn¡¯t a student, but some talented underdogs like Er Yi could reveal themselves here. I doubted I could find people to add to the list, but I came just in case. Besides, Hui Ming would be fighting too. I had to watch. I wore a mask so nobody would bother me. A voice came from one of the seats below us. ¡°I¡¯ll buy some. Thank you, senior.¡± One of the point class students took out a few jade slips. Hui Ming was walking below me, selling medicine to the injured fighters. Square class students were royalty here. Nobody refused her medicine. She worked her way up the rows of seats. I heard some people whispering, ¡°What is a square class student doing selling medicine to us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. She can¡¯t need money that badly. It must her hobby.¡± It was peaceful somehow, watching her sell my pills. I blinked twice. Why is somebody standing on her head? Hui Ming froze. A tall masked figure stood on her tiptoes on her head. The figure wore a quilt, concealing her body. A small snake draped on her shoulders her neck like a scarf. Jing dropped down and sat on Hui Ming¡¯s shoulders. Her legs wrapped around her neck, like a child riding on her father''s shoulders. She was almost a head taller than Hui Ming, so it looked odd, more like a father riding on the child¡¯s shoulders. The students in the bleachers stared at the scene with wide eyes. Maybe Hui Ming was right. Maybe Jing really should be called the big sister. She was certainly physically bigger. She dropped down to sit on her shoulders. Her legs sandwiched her sister¡¯s neck. Jing cuddled Hui Ming¡¯s head, ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± ¡°I know,¡± Hui Ming said, her voice sounding strained. Jing¡¯s quilt dropped as well, covering Hui Ming¡¯s eyes. ¡°Big sis, take me somewhere!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see,¡± she said, ¡°and I¡¯m working.¡± Nevermind. Hui Ming¡¯s the big sister. Jing¡¯s too playful. She doesn¡¯t fit the image of a big sister. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± she said, ¡°Where¡¯s pop?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you sense him or something? You little monster,¡± said Hui Ming.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh right. I can, can¡¯t I,¡± said Jing. She looked up and her eyes met mine. ¡°See you later!¡± She reached the seat next to me in one leap. ¡°Hey pops!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you do anything normally?¡± I said. She grabbed my hand and pulled it to her chest. ¡°I finally come back after so long and the first thing you do is scold me¡­¡± she pouted. ¡°It¡¯s been five days, you call that a long time?¡± I asked. ¡°Five days is a fifth of my entire life!¡± she said. ¡°Imagine your family suddenly left you for a fifth of your life. Wouldn¡¯t you be excited to see them again?¡± I looked at her again and a feeling of adoration swelled up in me. ¡°Fair enough,¡± I grinned and spread my arms, ¡°give paps a hug.¡± I couldn¡¯t see her face under her smiley face mask, but I imagine her smile was about as big as the one on the mask. She jumped into my arms and snuggled her face against me. I pat her hair. I think I can get used to this. I looked around and saw countless eyes on us. ¡°Although, maybe cause less commotion next time you show up?¡± ¡°Yepf!¡± she said, her voice muffled by my clothes, ¡°Maybe!¡± I opened my mouth to respond, but gave up and closed it again. We sat like that for a while, and the people watching us slowly lost interest. ¡°Ok, ok. That¡¯s enough family bonding.¡° I nudged her back upright. ¡°What have you been up to?¡± ¡°Consolidating power to reach the power of a top-tier sect, duh,¡± she said, almost sounding offended. ¡°You told me to, remember?¡± I nodded, ¡°How powerful are we now? Powerful enough to stop my classmates if they come?¡± She tilted her chin up, ¡°I don¡¯t know about your classmates, but I¡¯ve reached the power of old Crimson Fire Sect.¡± ¡°Eh? How?¡± She emitted a bit of her aura and a woman appeared next to her. Her face was completely emotionless, but I got the feeling it wasn¡¯t just a poker face. She bowed, ¡°Mistress Jing, Grandmaster.¡± Jing changed into a different person. All Jing¡¯s playfulness vanished, replaced by confidence and formality. ¡°Good morning. I was about to introduce you to my father, but it looks like you already know who he is.¡± ¡°Yes, mistress. I was going to pay him a visit, but you found me first.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Jing motioned at her, ¡°This is Esha, she and her followers represent the majority of the power in my organization.¡± ¡°You flatter me,¡± she replied with a deadpan face and voice. ¡°Maybe. Anyway, she¡¯s powerful. You may leave,¡± Jing commanded, and Esha disappeared. She moved too fast for most people to see, but our eyes could track her. Jing¡¯s posture relaxed. She took off a necklace. The snake wrapped around her moved to make way. She draped the necklace around my neck, ¡°This is the highest ranking command pendant for my organization. It¡¯ll be helpful.¡± She guided the snake off her body and onto my lap, ¡°and you should keep this little guy for now. Treat him with care.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there other people that can take care of him?¡± ¡°Keep him. You two look cute together. Feed him good food too. Let him grow to be big and strong.¡± The stadium started to fill when the cross students started their part of the tournament. I had to remind myself I was next to the children of nobles. A lot of the audience were students, but most of it was filled by the families that had come to watch. Other important figures came too, to inspect the quality of the next generation. Pads and pillows transformed the metallic seats into lavish couches. The colorful pillows spread like cancer, and my poor normal seats got converted into seats for kings. The stadium filled completely when the square class students started their matches. Hui Ming sat in a VIP box way up above us, waiting her turn. Jing¡¯s legs bounced, giddy with anticipation for her sister¡¯s match. But the other square class matches dragged on, and Hui Ming was one of the last fighters in the bracket. Jing boxed the air in front of her, ¡°How much longer?¡± she whined. ¡°Patience.¡± The snake slithered up to my throat and decided that¡¯s where it was most comfortable. Some time passed, and Jing started to look more and more bored, until Esha appeared next to us. Esha leaned in to whisper into her ear. Jing pushed her away, frowning, ¡°Father can hear anything I can hear.¡± Esha lowered her voice so low I could barely hear her even with my augmented ears. ¡°There are a few suspicious people around the school. One of our sixth stage cultivators has been captured.¡± ¡°Can you take care of this yourself?¡± ¡°Most likely, but I believe you should come as well to guarantee our success.¡± Jing¡¯s frown deepened, ¡±Tell me the place, and I¡¯ll meet you there soon.¡± ¡°Yes madam,¡± she showed Jing a map and vanished again. Jing turned to me and whispered, ¡°Wanna come with me and Esha? Let¡¯s go. In and out. Twenty minute adventure.¡± Chapter 75 ¡°Or at least it better be twenty minutes, or we¡¯ll miss sis¡¯s fight,¡± she said. We leaped out of the stadium and darted through the school¡¯s streets. Jing¡¯s snake held onto my neck. The tournament stole everybody from the streets, making them uncannily empty. We darted through the streets faster than a racecar. ¡®Twenty minute adventure¡¯, indeed. We could get anywhere in less than five. A short while later, Jing skidded to a halt and I stopped next to her. The street tiles, the cafes, and the gentle atmosphere all felt familiar. We had arrived in the district around the Black Library. Father ahead, Esha stood in front of a cluster of five people. Across from her, a tall bulky man clutched a limp figure in his hand. The limp body must¡¯ve been the sixth stage cultivator Esha told us about. The bulky man pushed out his aura, crushing the gentle atmosphere. I clicked my tongue. This was no joke. His aura was at the Dao Journey stage. This could be a problem. I narrowed my eyes. One of the four people standing around him noticed us and turned. He was the only person in the group wearing a mask, but I still knew who it was. His short stature and alertness hinted at his identity, but his white hair was a dead giveaway. Esha didn¡¯t flinch at feeling a Dao Journey aura. Her face didn¡¯t even twitch. Jing ran up to stand beside her, but I stayed behind. I darted into a tree and used control, silencing the tree. I put a seed on my head. A mesh of thin vines covered me. It formed a layer of camouflage and masked my smell. I controlled the surface of the skin on Jing¡¯s forearm to spell, ¡°touch my left shoulder if you need help.¡± Staying hidden is always the best option. That way, I can choose when I interfere. Er Yi¡¯s eyes darted around, trying to find me. He couldn¡¯t find me, there was too much space to scan. The burly man tapped his shoulder. Er Yi gave up looking for me and directed his attention at Jing and Esha. A bright white dragon sprang out from his palm. It crackled with electricity and extended, turning into a twenty meter long beast. It was many times more powerful than anything he¡¯d shown me before. It was so bright it was the only thing I could concentrate on. Everything else turned black. The dragon spread its maw and roared. I exhaled slowly. A flash of light and I realized it had turned into real lightning: the unstoppable force of nature, the most powerful manifestation of storm. It disappeared, too fast for me to see. Nothing could stop this beast. I couldn¡¯t, and neither could Jing. Achieving that level of power at fourteen years old only happened in myths. In the real world, it might as well be impossible. Er Yi had suppressed his age. Most people suppress their age when in their prime, but Er Yi suppressed his age when he was a child. He must¡¯ve done it so he could sneak around without attracting suspicion. He was probably over fifty years old. ¡°Esha,¡± Jing whispered quickly. ¡°Yes, madam.¡± The light vanished along with the dragon, and everything went back to how it was before. Er Yi¡¯s body went limp, as if he¡¯d fainted. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Then he woke again. He let out a pathetic yelp and sprung to his feet. He stared, not knowing what happened. I was just as surprised. The dragon wasn''t stopped. It had disappeared. Even with my eyes, I didn''t see what Esha had done. Esha created a lightning dragon identical to Er Yi¡¯s. It hovered above her head. She didn¡¯t need to speak, but her message came across clear as day: ¡°I¡¯m so powerful I can copy your signature move without preparation.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Jing held out her hand, ¡°Give him back.¡± The bulky man frowned but tossed the person he was holding to Jing. He turned away and walked off with his group. Jing caught the body and put a pill in their mouth. I manipulated Jing¡¯s skin again, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll keep tailing them.¡± Jing nodded so slightly only somebody using the identify skill on her would notice. I jumped between the trees, leaving Jing and Esha behind. I stayed far behind them while keeping them in sight. Jing caught up to me a while later. She copied me, controlling the trees to cover up noise from her movements. ¡°Do you know who they are?¡± I said through her skin. One of the vines from my makeshift camo outfit untangled from the others. It hovered in front of my face and spelled, ¡°Nope, never seen them before. It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re here because of me. I think they caught my subordinates because I¡¯d sent them snooping around the school. The school has Dao Journey stage faculty. The tournament¡¯s also attracted a bunch of powerful people. They could be anybody.¡± ¡°Not quite anybody,¡± I wrote to her about Er Yi, and how he had a job to watch the students. ¡°Then maybe they really are just working for the school,¡± Jing wrote. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I said. ¡°Where¡¯d you leave Esha?¡± ¡°I left her behind and told her to come if something happens.¡± The group of five stopped at one of the sides of the Black Library. They looked at the wall, waiting for something. A group of two walked up to join them. Then a group of four. Then a group of three. They stopped in front of the wall and joined in the staring. The gathering continued to expand. The people back in the coliseum were incredibly diverse. There were heroes, aristocrats, inventors, geniuses, monks, nobles, and more. But they had nothing on the group in front of me. This gathering had no rhyme or reason at all. Two were in identical sets of full body armor. They rode in with similarly armored unicorns and each carried a lance in their hands and two battle axes on their backs. If they were the only ones here, I¡¯d think they were holy knights. One man walked into the group alone. His red robe was a janitor¡¯s wet dream, it was so long it wiped the floor behind him. He held a baby in his arms, still sucking on this world¡¯s version of a pacifier. Another man slid up to the group. He used Qi to make a layer of ice on the ground. His tractionless slippers let him slide on the ice into the crowd. He also carried a short staff, which he stuck into the ground to stop himself. Some of the congregation was normal, but they didn¡¯t seem to find the eccentrics weird. Was I witnessing a cult gathering? One lady wearing a white tunic and a stiff headdress walked into the crowd. I held back a gasp. I¡¯d seen this girl before, while I was spying on the king''s house. The burly man put a hand on the wall and grunted. A quaking boom worthy of an attack from a Dao Journey stage cultivator rang out. The tree we sat in shook and Jing and I hung onto the branches. The part of the wall in front of him exploded into dust. A web of cracks formed, reaching up three stories. But the library was over seventy stories tall. Despite his immense strength, the man had only scratched the building. Thirty or so battle auras, all at the eighth stage or above, burst out. They attacked the library together, grinding it to pieces. Jing released a neutral aura and Esha appeared next to her. ¡°This has nothing to do with us, we should leave,¡± said Esha. Jing nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± I said. This was the library my future students would use. ¡°Let¡¯s watch. They must have some plan for attacking the Black Library. The thing¡¯s supposed to be impenetrable.¡± ¡°Reinforcements from the coliseum will arrive in a few minutes,¡± Jing said. ¡°They¡¯ll need to finish what they¡¯re trying to do in that time.¡± One member of the group punched through to a room filled with books. This wasn¡¯t supposed to be possible. The tower master was supposed to be able to move the rooms away. Why wasn¡¯t she doing it? The room shuddered and began to pull away. Then it shuddered again and came back. It was as if two people were fighting for control over it. One of the attackers could control the library as well. The group destroyed a few walls and revealed five more rooms. The design of the library worked against it. It¡¯s greatest strength was the ability to move the rooms around. But an enemy with the same ability could attract the rooms toward them. Somebody landed in each of the revealed rooms. They destroyed the rooms, including all the books. Why? Why would they destroy the books? I thought they were here to steal the books. That was something I could understand, although I still couldn¡¯t let them do it. But they wanted to destroy the books. I knew they had to have a reason, but this seemed to be destruction for destruction¡¯s sake. ¡°The rooms shouldn¡¯t be so close together!¡± I yelled over the noise of destruction, ¡°Somebody is bringing them together! Jing, how much mana do you have?¡± ¡°A bit over six thousand!¡± she yelled. Another aura burst out of the library. It was neutral, like the ambient Qi of nature, but far stronger. It doubled in strength, then tripled. ¡°The tower master activated the Orb three times,¡± Esha narrated. ¡°Great,¡± Jing said, ¡°How strong is it?¡± ¡°At three activations? It should almost double the tower master¡¯s power. It won¡¯t be enough, though,¡± she responded. They destroyed more walls, revealing more rooms. The Qi from the Orb poured into the stone, strengthening the shuddering. But the rooms still couldn¡¯t pull away. ¡°They¡¯re going to destroy all the books at this rate. Help me.¡± This was the library for my future students. I couldn¡¯t let anybody take it away. I took a wooden rod from my robes and pointed it at the group. A thousand mana drained out and I launched a seed into their midst. It expanded into an explosive bulb and exploded. The explosion battered the surrounding houses and pushed the group back. I flared my aura. Their auras mixed with mine, fighting for dominance. Chapter 76 Esha looked at Jing. Jing saw her waiting for her directions, ¡°Father¡¯s orders are more important than mine. Move it!¡± ¡°Thanks, Jing.¡± I dashed at the robed man clutching a baby. He was the one tossed back farthest by the explosive bulb, so I thought he was one the weaker members of the group. Then he tossed his baby at me. ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± I whispered, catching the baby. I should¡¯ve let it drop, but I didn¡¯t have the time to think that clearly. An eighth stage aura surged into my hands. I looked down at the child. He seemed strangely calm. The baby punched me in the stomach. My eyes widened. I coughed and threw it away. I landed on the ground and put my hand on my gut. It throbbed, but it wasn¡¯t enough to slow me down. The baby stopped falling and floated in the air, watching me with intelligent eyes. He spat out his pacifier. It levitated in front of its face. Yellow liquid flowed off this fingers and formed a bubble around his pacifier. It glowed warmly. The red-robed man stood beneath the infant. He took a deep breath. He pulled out two gray spools of yarn and began weaving. I refuse to believe this guy is serious. These were circus freaks. They had to be. I ran at him and a shower of yellow bolts rained down on me. The bolts hurt about as much as paintballs. I put my arms up to shield my face. The earth beneath me dissolved, demolished by the attacks. I pushed through the bolts and reached out to grab the red robed man. His yarn turned into the shape of a birdcage and clamped over me. An illusion of metal bars covered the yarn. I grabbed the bars. The illusion was solid, real. The infant shot his missiles through the cage bars. I hope none of that baby spit gets on me. I grabbed the bars and tore them apart with sheer force. I grabbed the weaver''s wrist, stopping him from weaving anything else. He pulled out a knife and tried to stab me. I swatted it away. It left a small cut on the back of my hand. I kneed him in the stomach and looked to the sky for the infant. He saw what happened to his buddy and flew back to the original group as fast as he could. I followed. Less than twenty seconds had passed since I launched the bulb. I glanced to the side. Jing had sprouted a pair of wings and taken to the sky. Vines with blades at the ends grew off her hands. They whipped through the air, generating a sharp, eerie whine. She didn¡¯t attack anybody. She simply floated in the air and looked down. Our enemies had one goal: destroy as much of the library as possible before the school¡¯s reinforcements arrived. All I needed to do was slow them down. I had physical strength and toughness, but that wasn¡¯t enough to stop all thirty of them. A pair twins stopped in front of me, holding hands. They wore matching tunics and headdresses. One of them was the lady I saw in the king¡¯s mansion. They burned in a swirling tide of transparent blue flame. I looked to the ground at their feet to measure the heat of the flames. I thought the floor would be bubbling lava, it was only cracked. I had distracted four of the thirty of them. It was something, but not enough. I grit my teeth. My books! My fertilizer! Chucks of black stone torn from the library fell like hail. They were destroying my fertilizer storage box right before my eyes. .This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it They wouldn¡¯t be ignoring me if this were my territory, I grumbled mentally. The two girls walking at me amped up their Qi and the flames around them expanded. Fog poured off of them, obscuring them from my sight. The fog drifted down as if attracted by the earth. The floor the fog touched began to crack. The fog flowed back up, forming the shape of a miniature palace. I say miniature, but it was still bigger than my mansion. The smoke engulfed me, sealing me in the castle. I breathed, and the water particles in my breath turned into little sparkling crystals. It was below freezing temperature, but it didn¡¯t affect my body. I didn¡¯t have time for this. I tried running in one direction. One of the girls appeared out of the fog and hit me with me a stick, sending me tumbling back. I lost my sense of direction. I didn¡¯t know where I was anymore. I sighed. It was one of these things. Psh. Surrounding me in mist and making me lose my sense of direction. This might be a never-seen-before technique in this world, but I¡¯ve seen it in books hundreds of times. I used identify to find all the plants near me. They knocked me back again. I¡¯d retained my sense of direction by sensing my location relative to the plants around me. I kept running in the same direction until I ran into a wall of blue flame. I clenched my jaw to stop my teeth from chattering. Now that¡¯s cold. Some kind of liquid filled the flames. The liquid soaked into my clothes, stealing the heat from my body. I pushed through and landed outside the castle. The fog poured off of me. The castle moved at me, trying to capture me again. Fights at this level moved quickly. Less than a minute had passed from the time I fired the explosive bulb. Esha stood not far from me. She surveyed the fights and said, ¡°Grandmaster, Mistress, please excuse this.¡± Everything stopped. Everybody except me and Esha put on a blank expression and collapsed. Jing stopped flapping her wings and she dropped from the sky. The library stopped shaking. The castle behind me dissolved. The people trying to destroy the spirit scrolls stopped attacking and slumped over. I felt a small pang of¡­ sleepiness? I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it, but whatever she did also had some small effect on me. Jing woke up first. She caught herself before she hit the ground and flapped back up. The others woke after. They saw Esha and ten people splintered off the main group to fight her. I could tell what they were thinking, ¡°That¡¯d better be a single-use ability.¡± Seconds after, Jing shouted, ¡°I found him! It¡¯s that big Dao Journey stage person we met earlier!¡± My brain put the pieces together. Jing had been looking for the person counter-controlling the library¡¯s rooms. I focused all my strength in my legs and launched myself at the burly man we¡¯d seen earlier. I shot through the crowd and grabbed his neck. His concentration broke and the library¡¯s rooms began pulling away. A set of fangs sunk into my arm. ¡°What the?¡± I shouted. I let go of his neck. A slimy bulbous leech was stuck to my elbow. It was no ordinary leech. It¡¯s round set of fangs penetrated all the way into my arm. I grabbed it and exerted my full strength to tear it off. It stretched, but stayed firmly attached. I panicked. Lifting my elbow to my face, biting into it like it had done to me. It¡¯s slimy skin broke and it loosened its bite on me. I tore it off with my jaw, my heart pounding. I¡¯m weaker without my plants. Far weaker. I looked in the direction the leech had come from. It led my eye to Er Yi, who was in a throwing position. I threw the leech back him. It hit him in the chest and sent him flying. The place I was bit started to tingle and turn blue. Poison? Sorry, that won¡¯t work against an alchemist. I slapped an all-purpose salve on my arm and threw a few pills down my throat. The bulky man regained his concentration and pulled the rooms towards himself. I ran at him and grabbed his arm, breaking his concentration again. The sword form I read in the library I was protecting appeared in my head. One of the attacks was a hilt strike. I made a fist and copied the pose of the man in my head. I positioned my fist to slant down and tilted my body forward. Finally, I swung the side of my fist into his head. I pulled it off, but not perfectly. Gravity, the punch, and the way I braced myself should¡¯ve all balanced out. Instead, I flew a few meters back and landed on my back. I looked up and breathed sharply. His head was gone. All that was left was a stump of a neck. Wait. That¡¯s not it, he¡¯s not bleeding. The remnants of his head lie scattered on the floor. The pieces glittered red and blue like gems. He grabbed a rock from the ground and put it on his stump. It reformed into the shape of a head. He got up, unharmed. ...an elemental. Esha walked up from behind me, ¡°Give up.¡± The elemental collapsed. Esha stood over his body. Unlike the other times, the elemental didn¡¯t get up. The tower master regained control of the stone. With the elemental disabled, the rooms retracted themselves and the rest of the group stopped attacking. They had nothing to attack. She descended with hundreds of black blocks. They fell on the people attacking the tower, pinning them against the earth. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to make any more progress with me here,¡± Esha said to the elemental''s comrades. She turned to me, ¡°Should I kill the stone man?¡± she asked. ¡°No! Don¡¯t!¡± Jing yelled, ¡°Keep him like that for now, but kill him if they don¡¯t leave.¡± The stones weren¡¯t able to keep the freak show down forever. The stone crumbled, but they couldn¡¯t do anything to the library while the tower master controlled it. Looks of distress appeared on their faces, accompanied with some looks of anger. But they had no choice. Thirty people, all at the eighth stage and above, scampered away. Chapter 77 The hole they carved into the library was only a nibble. It looked like an irreparable scar, but it was nothing compared to the seventy story cube. I sighed. Crisis averted. The library was safe. I got up, ready to leave. The tower master hit the ground in front of Esha and entered a full bow, lowering her head as far as it would go. ¡°Thank you, Miss Chakrabarti.¡± Esha gave her a light nod. Jing ran up and bound the elemental with vines. She tossed the body bag to Esha. I brushed myself off, eyeing Esha warily. ¡°Are we done?¡± I asked. A Dao Journey Stage aura engulfed us. I looked up and a flaming meteor descended. A man smashed into the earth, creating a crater and blowing away the surrounding houses. ¡°I guess not,¡± I muttered. Four other Dao Journey auras appeared behind him. They landed one by one, flattening the landscape. The entire audience from the coliseum dotted the sky behind them. This army represented more than a fifth of the military power of the city. All of them came to see what happened.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Jing cleared her throat, although she didn¡¯t need to. ¡°We¡¯re from The Family, you may have heard of us from our efforts helping the Crimson Fire Sect.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you,¡± said one of the Dao Journey Cultivators, ¡°The school thanks Esha and The Family for defending our library.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve joined The Family,¡± Esha corrected them. ¡°Oh-uh, yes. The school thanks The Family, then,¡± he said. Jing broke the following awkward silence by taking off her mask. ¡°We favor a few students in your school, so we stepped in to protect your library. But that¡¯s the past.¡± Past? That was half a minute ago! Jing took out a gem covered box shaped like a small treasure chest. ¡°We were going to give this to you later, but now would be a better time,¡± I used identify on the chest, thinking I wouldn¡¯t find anything. Breaking my expectations, the contents of the box blasted me with information. I put in no effort making the weed I gave Hui Ming. I could make a far better product by spending just a few more minutes designing it. Still, they were some of the best product in the city. But Jing had spent hours designing a product far more potent than mine. Her weed covered four fifths of the box. But that wasn¡¯t the problem. Shrooms filled the rest of the box. I couldn¡¯t imagine why Jing would spend so much time designing mushrooms. The weed took a few hours to design. These mushrooms must¡¯ve taken at least fifty hours. Jing didn¡¯t need sleep, but it was still overkill. The shrooms were potent enough to be poison for normal people. They even held their own Qi. What the hell was she doing with her free time? He accepted the box. Jing put her hand behind the quilt she was wearing. Hidden from their eyes, she turned some seeds into smaller boxes and more augmented weed. In a fantastic swish, she took out a total of twenty of the wooden boxes and handed them out to the other famous figures in the crowd. Jing bowed one last time, ¡°I hope you enjoy our small present and hope to see you all at a later date.¡± That¡¯s what she said, but they would know what she was actually saying after they opened the boxes : ¡°buy our drugs!¡± Chapter 78 Esha and I left with Jing. I took over at some point and started leading them to my house. ¡°Is there anybody following us?¡± Jing whispered. ¡°No, Mistress,¡± said Esha. It was starting to feel like there was nothing she couldn¡¯t do. No, my praise should be going to Jing. Jing was the one that convinced Esha to follow her. Jing sensed my plants when we got close to the house. ¡°Esha, go back. My father wants to be alone.¡± Esha stopped walking with us. I looked back and she had disappeared. The formal Jing melted away. ¡°Pap, can I have a piggyback ride home?¡± she asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Aw, why not?¡± she said. ¡°Because it¡¯s weird,¡± I said. ¡°But there¡¯s nobody around,¡± she whined. ¡°It¡¯s still weird. You¡¯re a grown ass little girl, I can¡¯t have you riding on my shoulders.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you give your one month old daughter a piggyback ride?¡± She walked behind me and hugged my shoulders. ¡°We missed sis¡¯s fight, so your daughter is suuuper sad right now. She needs some attention and affection.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look sad,¡± I said. ¡°I am sad!¡± she insisted. I stared at her for a while longer. ¡°Ok¡­ I¡¯m not that sad. But I am, just a little,¡± she pouted. I took a deep breath and sighed. I reached over my shoulder and pat my back. Jing¡¯s smile outshined the sun. She jumped up and sat on my shoulders, sandwiching my neck between her legs. The snake Jing gave me earlier squirmed out from underneath her and settled on my arm. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I thought it was a piggyback ride.¡± Give Jing an inch and she takes¡­ well, two inches. This wasn¡¯t that bad. ¡°This is pretty much the same thing,¡± she giggled and picked through my hair. I kept walking. ¡°What do you think the people that attacked the library wanted?¡± She rested her hands on my head. ¡°I have no idea. I¡¯ll ask Esha if she¡¯s seen them before. We also caught that the elemental, so we can ask him too.¡± ¡°I actually I know a few things about them,¡± I told her everything I knew about the ¡°king¡±. I even told her about minor details, like the type of grass on their lawn and how the student worried about the king tripping. ¡°I¡¯ll send Esha to investigate or something,¡± she said. ¡°But can I tell on them?¡± ¡°Like, tell the school about them?¡± I frowned and thought for a while. ¡°Sure, go ahead. Maybe that¡¯ll get rid of them. It¡¯ll become a problem if we provoke a real king, though.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. I¡¯ve found a bunch of allies, you¡¯d be invincible as a group.¡± ¡°Who?¡± I put my arms around her swinging feet, bringing them closer to my chest. ¡°Your classmates. I got in contact with your classmate, Alison. She says she¡¯s found three of them! She didn¡¯t tell me which ones though.¡± ¡°Three?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to see them, especially after meeting Mark. I had settled in this world well enough. Seeing them could only bring chaos. But then again, there was always a chance Brian would be part of the three. ¡°You¡¯re being careful about it though, right? Remember what Mark said. They might come after you if they think you¡¯re going to be the end of the world.¡± ¡°Yes, pappy. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± I smiled, thinking about this ridiculous situation. This was nothing to smile about, but I did anyway. Jing couldn¡¯t bring the apocalypse. She was just a little girl riding on my shoulders. ¡°Good girl,¡± I reached up to pat her head. ¡°¡®The Family¡¯, eh? You¡¯re really expanding now, aren''t chu? I didn¡¯t expect you to turn that fight into a business opportunity. Way to go.¡± ¡°Praise me more!¡± ¡°I¡¯m most impressed with how you got your hands on Esha. How¡¯d that happen?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh¡­¡± She stopped playing my hair. ¡°I got lucky. She and her cult happened to need something I can provide, so they¡¯re following me for now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s those mushrooms you were handing out.¡± ¡°Actually, no. It¡¯s the opposite. I don¡¯t know where those mushrooms came from. Esha¡¯s cult wants me to cut away their desires and emotions. Using hallucinogens would have the opposite effect.¡± I lurched before stabilizing myself, ¡°And you can do that?¡± Her voice became softer and less chirpy. ¡°I can do it with pills, but I can also do it directly.¡± She didn¡¯t like talking about this, and I could guess why. ¡°But you know what¡¯ll happen if you do that, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ but I have to. It¡¯s what they want.¡± I wanted to ask more, but I knew I shouldn¡¯t press the topic. I put my hands on the cold frame of my gate and pushed. Hui Ming was already waiting on the other side. She put on her professional smile and started to bow, ¡°Welc-¡± Jing jumped on her, sending them both crashing to the ground. Jing squeezed her big sister¡¯s face between her thumb and index finger, ¡°Stress ball cheeks!¡± she cried, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell you about everything that just happened!¡± I grinned and had an urge to jump in, but I walked past, leaving the sisters to do whatever they wanted. Looking back, I saw Hui Ming hugging her in return. She tightened her hug, ¡°Welcome back.¡± Chapter 79 Xing Chen Wei ¡°I went to see one of the Violet Fire Sect elders two weeks ago. He¡¯s always treated me well, but I think he was avoiding me. Actually, I¡¯m sure of it,¡° a white lamp stared back at me, silent. The sweet scent of flowers drifted in from an open window. I shifted my eyes, talking to a nonexistent crowd, ¡°The same thing happened with the Green Fire Sect Emissary the day before that. And there¡¯s that wedding I was sure I¡¯d get invited to. What happened? Why is everybody avoiding me?¡± I looked into my lap, breaking away from my fantasy. ¡°You know what happened,¡± I whispered. I didn¡¯t. Not at the moment. What happened was obvious, but I had done everything I could to not think about it. Now only vague ideas of what happened floated around my head, like baby clouds. My thoughts crystallized and took form as I spoke to myself. ¡°You were the blue fire prodigy, this generation¡¯s journey stage expert. But that¡¯s not who you are anymore. They stayed by your side because of your power. But that power is gone.¡± My eyes moved up to my ankles. ¡°I can¡¯t blame them either. They picked me based on ability, I shouldn¡¯t expect them to do anything else. And I did this to myself by taking all those pills. But how am I supposed to save my sect now?¡± I gripped the frame of my bed, turning it to splitters. A loud bang shook me from my thoughts. I looked outside. The gate quivered. My one servant opened it, revealing Li Hui Ming. My eyes widened and I sat up. Forget saving my sect. I would die if I couldn¡¯t deal with this properly. I dashed out of the house to greet her. I glanced at her sword and my heart pounded. The size and length were the same as the one she cut me with before. She may be weaker than me, but she represented Grandmaster Jin. I can¡¯t offend her. I¡¯ve already angered them enough. By now I¡¯d realized what I¡¯d done by bringing him into this city. The elders and ancestors of the Crimson Fire Sect were found dead two weeks ago, tangled in vines. Everybody else thought a plant monster killed them, but I knew better. It was all Jin. He was a force that could take out a top sect on his own. Even city¡¯s two peak sects wouldn¡¯t offend him they knew that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I lowered my head, ¡°I¡¯ll do anything I can to make it up for you and the grandmaster.¡± I raised my head. Her expression didn¡¯t change and my mouth began to feel dry. Professional as can be, she smiled softly and handed me a piece of paper. ¡°You¡¯ve been invited to Grandmaster Jin¡¯s shop. Please arrive within the next thirty minutes.¡± My heart clenched. I knew it. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to be there.¡± ¡°The Grandmaster will be looking forward to it.¡± She leaped away, leaving me by myself. I checked the map, the place she marked was in the pyramid alchemy district. I arrived at a warehouse-sized building five minutes later. Moss clung to it¡¯s pristine cracked walls. The design looked new, probably built within the last ten years. The grandmaster sat behind a desk at the back of the lobby, lost in a martial arts scroll. A small card sat on his desk. It read ¡°DO NOT DISTURB¡± in big bold characters. Then, in smaller text, ¡°wait for the others.¡± Eight ¡®others¡¯ wandered the lobby. They wore the school¡¯s badges. I looked at my own, a pentagon. Another student walked in. He saw my face and his eyes widened. He bowed in a panic and passed me. I thought Grandmaster Jin had called me here because he was angry at me, but it was starting to look like this was something else. Miss Li came in with a few more students. She went to the table and tapped the grandmaster on the shoulder. He glared up at whoever had interrupted his reading. His anger vanished when he saw it was his servant. He grinned and patted her shoulder. He opened his mouth, probably saying thank you. I was too far away to hear. Miss Li acted like a proper servant, but Grandmaster Jin wasn¡¯t acting like her master. He acted more like a friend or a family member. ¡°Alright. Gather up, guys!¡± He turned to us, students. His eyes focused on me, ignoring all of the others. He looked like a normal person. He even wore plain clothes. The only irregular part him wasn¡¯t even him, it was the snake around his neck. But I knew what lie underneath that normalness. If the powerful made the rules, then his word was law. He kept his eyes on me, commanding me to step forward. I obeyed. He cleared his throat, ¡°Welcome. I¡¯m Grandmaster Jin. The Endless Flames School is the greatest gathering of talent on this quarter of the country, but it¡¯s not as good as it could be. My goal is to transform this school into the best in this quarter of the world.¡± The corners of a student¡¯s lips twitched up. I¡¯ve heard some people get boastful after they get too powerful. Perhaps it was affecting Jin as well. It didn¡¯t matter how powerful he was, making this school best in this quarter of the world was impossible. My country couldn¡¯t do it if it poured every spirit shard it had into this school. My country working with all the neighboring countries wouldn¡¯t be able to do it either.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. He saw our faces, ¡°I¡¯m serious. I intend to improve this school as much as I can while I¡¯m here. You guys have been chosen as the first few people I¡¯ll help.¡± A triangle class student asked, ¡°And how will you do that, sir?¡± ¡°With pills and medicine. I¡¯m an alchemy grandmaster, what did you think?¡± he replied. ¡°I have my own pills and access to medicine made by grandmasters.¡± That student had to shut his mouth, for his own sake. ¡°It¡¯s fair for you to doubt me. I won¡¯t hold it against you.¡± He gave a pile of pills to Miss Li. She handed a pill to each of us. ¡°Let my medicine be proof of my ability. I invited you here today as an introduction. Take the pill now. Come back tomorrow an hour before noon. All of you¡¯ll believe me by then.¡± I obeyed his directions. Once again, the other students followed after me. ¡°You¡¯re all free to go.¡± The other students left, but I stayed behind. I had to apologize now, before it was too late. ¡°Now they think I¡¯m some snake oil peddler,¡± the grandmaster grumbled. I noticed somebody else waiting for a chance to approach him. My eyes went to his face and I grimaced. It was Fei Hou Tian, a young master of the Azure Fire Sect. He had always acted friendly towards me, but I didn¡¯t want to greet him. I would just get ignored again. It was the same for all the people at my level of power that used to treat me well. ¡°Do you two know each other?¡± Jin asked. Hou Tian didn¡¯t say anything, so I responded for both of us, ¡°We¡¯ve met. Our sects are allies, so we-¡± ¡°Got it, Hou Tian already explained all of this to me. So, what are you two here for?¡± They both looked at me. The irrational part of me didn¡¯t want to apologize and look pathetic in front of people who used to look up to me, so I hesitated. Hou Tian took my lack of words to mean I wanted him to speak, ¡°I just wanted to hang out-you know-catch up. Only if that¡¯s fine with both of you, of course.¡± Jin tapped his servant¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go talk with him outside. I left a basket of pie out there. You can help yourselves.¡± He turned to me after they left, ¡°Sup.¡± He looked as relaxed as ever, but I knew he must be livid. I couldn¡¯t make up for the amount of trouble I made for him. He got tangled in my mess because I selfishly tried to have him help my sect. As a result, he was nearby when the Crimson Fire Sect tried to kill me. He rescued me, but I¡¯d forced him into becoming enemies of the Crimson. I gave him a new secret place. Then Crimson Fire Sect tried to kill him, and ended up killing themselves instead. He probably thought I leaked his location. With his power, he could burn down my sect in a single stroll. At this point, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he did. I got to my knees. My head facing down, I took a trembling breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m willing to offer anything, but please spare my sect.¡± We stayed like that for a while. The next seconds would decide my fate. The pause gripped me with mountain sized hands. My breathing sped up. ¡°...That¡¯s great!¡± he responded. ¡°Stand up. Do me a favor.¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± ¡°Be a model for the other students, like you did today. Be ¡®class president¡¯, if you will.¡± ¡°What more, sir?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± That¡¯s it?! He shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re having a hard time believing me, but they¡¯ll come around eventually. I need somebody to help speed up the process. I don¡¯t need to convince you though. You already know what I can do: miracle medicine and the like. Got any problems you need me to solve?¡± Was he unconcerned by everything I¡¯ve done to him? Why was he offering me help? But beyond the panic, a tiny spark of hope lit in me. Maybe he could refine a pill to rebuild my foundation. There were pills that could do that, but only for people far weaker than me. Those same pills would need to be refined to the eighth stage to help me. It might be close to impossible, but Jin had surpassed my expectations many times. ¡°U-um¡± My right hand started playing with my robes. I leaned in. He put a box on a table and opened it. Fifty tiny compartments were crammed in the box, pushing each other for space. He moved his hand across the box, pointing at the compartments, ¡°These pills are for arthritis, these are for sore throats, and those are for back pain. I¡¯ve got everything!¡± Oh. I can¡¯t believe I let myself get my hopes up. I must be more desperate than I thought. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± He took out an identical box and opened it. ¡°These are Eighth Cycle Blood Life Pills, these are Seventh Cycle Golden Transformation Pills, and these are Seventh Cycle Angel¡¯s Life Pills. The other compartments are filled with other pills at around the same cycles.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good joke, grandmaster,¡± I said, giving him my best smile. ¡°Stop calling me that, and why did you think that was a joke?¡± ¡°That box would be enough to buy half this city¡­¡± my voice trailed off at the end. ¡°I know. I¡¯m trying my best not to destroy the economy,¡± he replied and took a pill out of the box, ¡°Don¡¯t be impressed yet.¡± He pet his chest. ¡°I¡¯m most proud of these little guys. I call them Ninth Cycle Candy. Try one.¡± ¡°Mh!¡± I squeaked when I put it in my mouth. It was sweet, so sweet it broke past being too sweet and turned into pure elation. ¡°Mmmmm.¡± At that moment, I was the happiest I¡¯d ever been. The candy dissolved, leaving me with an extraordinary sense of loss. ¡°Give me another¡±, I demanded, staring at the candy like a starved tiger. ¡°Maybe later. I made these for my daughter.¡± ¡°Please! Just one more!¡± I took a step forward, then caught myself. What was I doing? Did I want to die? My rational side took control, but there was still a leftover craving. He raised his eyebrow but ignored my outburst, ¡°So now you know I¡¯m not lying,¡± he sighed, ¡°it won¡¯t be so easy to convince the others though.¡± Just what had I dragged out of the White Dragon Forest? I thought I had him figured out. I thought he was on par with a national hero, like Esha Chakrabarti. But it was starting to look like I misinterpreted everything. Physical power wasn¡¯t the only type of power. Arguably more powerful is economic power. The public respected regular grandmasters as much as ninth stage experts. Jin was far above regular grandmasters. Entire nations can be slaughtered by a single trading conglomerate. Jin could likely do the same. He had told me he was seventeen, but he was obviously lying(especially since he mentioned having a daughter). He probably wasn¡¯t even human. Chances are he¡¯s a plant that gained consciousness. I could only be grateful he was kind to humans. ¡°Hello? You there?¡± he said. The hope from before swelled back up, splashing over me like a relentless wave. ¡°If it¡¯s possible, may I have a pill that can heal Qi foundations?¡± I asked. ¡°I have some, but who is it for?¡± ¡°Myself,¡± I replied. ¡°I had some at the fifth cycle, but yours would need to be eighth or above. I¡¯ll find something for you, but you¡¯ll need to wait.¡± My shoulders dropped and every tensed muscle in my body relaxed. I hadn¡¯t realized how much this ordeal had affected my mind and body. I bowed to Jin, but not like I had bowed to him before. Before, I did it out of fear. Now I bowed out of gratitude. Plant or human, it didn¡¯t matter. He was the only person that kept supporting me. ¡°Need anything else? As always, I¡¯m here to help,¡± he said. ¡°No sir, thank you for all the kindness you¡¯ve shown me,¡± I knew I could¡¯ve asked him for more, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he said. I kept my head down, not moving an inch, ¡°You¡¯re dismissed?¡± I walked out of the room, feeling far better than when I walked in. But one thing began nagging at the corners of my mind. My personal problems were solved, but perhaps I had involved myself in something much bigger. The city knew something was happening. Powerful organizations like Dao and The Family coming out of nowhere. Esha leaving her station in the White Dragon Forest and joining them. The dragons from the forest coming to the city. The Will Of The World¡¯s appearance. An attack on the Black Library. The entire city was agitated. Then, nationally. The ¡®Sickly Hero¡¯ appearing and charming our princess. The Demon King retracting his forces for the first time in a century, as if preparing for something. The seas around the nation calming. This was all within the last two months. Include Jin coming out of the forest and the fall of the Crimson Fire Sect. Everybody was asking the same question : All of this has to be connected, but how? Chapter 80 I examined my Ninth Stage Candy. Chen Wei¡¯s reaction had been a bit weird. Just a thought, but maybe I shouldn¡¯t give it to Jing yet. Hui Ming and Hou Tian came in after Chen Wei left. I waved at them. ¡°Jin!¡± Hou Tian called. ¡°Long time no see. I¡¯m glad you aren¡¯t dead.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± I took out my medicine box and grinned, ¡°I¡¯ve got pills for arthritis, sore throats, even back pain. I have everything! Do you have anything you want me to solve? ¡± ¡°No?¡± he said. ¡°Oh. Well, if you want to talk, let¡¯s get lunch.¡± ¡°Um, are you sure?¡± he asked. ¡°What, is there something going on outside?¡± I asked. ¡°Not really, but kinda.¡± It wasn¡¯t the clearest of answers, but I saw what he meant when we arrived at the cafeteria. The students acted normally. They bought lunch at the restaurants on the cafeteria floor. They and sat with their circle of friends. And as Er Yi had said, nobody fought after the tournament ended. But it only looked normal on the surface. It didn¡¯t take long before I spotted some parts that seemed off. The triangle ranked students sat with point ranked students. The chatter was loud but also distinctly gloomy. Curious as to what was happening, I eavesdropped on a conversation. ¡°The Family should hand the stone man over. Then all of this will stop,¡± said one student, poking at his food. His friend slammed his fist against their table, making the first student jump. ¡°No! The Family shouldn¡¯t. Thank the heavens they aren¡¯t connected to the school. That way they won¡¯t be pressured to hand him over.¡± Other students nodded in agreement. ¡°The attackers are our enemies!¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. They and other students noticed us went quiet. They all seemed to want to say something. Finally, one of them stood, facing Hou Tian. ¡°Please tell us¡­ do you know more about what happened yesterday?¡± Hou Tian shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know as much as you do.¡± ¡°So even the square class doesn¡¯t know anything,¡± somebody whispered. We got some food and sat. Not to my surprise, the mood affected Hou Tian. He picked at his food with his fork and sulked. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± I wanted to know what they thought had happened. ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know. I¡¯ll summarize. The Black Library was attacked by an unidentified group. A Dao Journey Stage monster that could control stone was on their side. The Family intervened and saved the Library, capturing the elemental. Do you know about The Family?¡± I fingered the pendant Jing gave me. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°After all that, the group attacked the school¡¯s ancestral tree. They burned a message onto it: ¡®We will destroy a tower every day until our comrade is returned.¡¯¡± ¡°Why¡¯d they attack the library in the first place?¡± I asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know. All of our information is from the Black Library¡¯s Tower Master.¡± So they knew pretty much everything I did. ¡°What¡¯s the school going to do now?¡± said Hui Ming. Hou Tian¡¯s head drooped lower, ¡°No idea. Nothing, I guess. They couldn¡¯t fight back if they wanted to. There¡¯s nowhere to target. We don¡¯t know where to attack.¡± ¡°So what do we do now?¡± I asked. ¡°Wait, and see if they really meant their threat,¡± he said. The mood started to seep into me as well. I looked to Hui Ming, but she was also looking downcast. A low rumble filled the room. It sounded like the finale of a fireworks show outside, but the sun was still out, and there was no fireworks show. My ears, now better than a police dog¡¯s, heard the heart rate of everybody in the room go up at the same time. We rushed to the windows closest to the source of the noise. Rank and respect were tossed aside. Square and point class students mixed together, but nobody flared their auras or pushed their way to the front. We all stared in unison. Far out in the distance, thirty or so tiny dots flew around an enormous arch like fruit flies. Each of the dots shot a different type of bolt at the arch. The rumbling continued. One leg of the arch collapsed. It took a moment for the crunching sound to reach us. The ground shook. Somebody screamed. The other leg of the arch collapsed seconds later, bringing the rest of the building with it. A far louder boom reached us and the floor shook again. The students stared at the fallen arch a while longer. They returned to their seats one by one. Light sobs came from the corners of the cafeteria. Othered stared forward blankly. ¡°So do I get to skip class today then?¡± a student chuckled nervously. Hou Tian looked at me with red and puffy eyes. Hui Ming also stared at me. ¡°What?¡± I said. ¡°Master, is there anything you can do about this?¡± Hui Ming asked. I could only answer simply, ¡°No.¡± Chapter 81 I found Jing at our mansion after I got back from the cafeteria. ¡°I understand,¡± I said, even though I didn¡¯t. A chick pecked at my shoe, and I moved my foot away. The chick followed. I gave it a small dose of my aura. It backed away for a second, before coming back to peck again. Jing had moved into our mansion because ¡°everywhere else is lonely and very not fun,¡± as she put it. I thought I wouldn¡¯t mind, but then she brought her zoo with her. My garden crawled with all kinds of baby animals, including a few insects. They stayed on my property and didn¡¯t disturb the neighbors, so I guess it was alright. I tried not to let the mood in the school affect me or Hui Ming. Jing, who sat across from me, helped with that. But I also had more important matters to discuss. ¡°I need to make this clear. I want this school to survive.¡± ¡°Big sis told me. You want to make the students here more powerful.¡± Jing pulled her sister¡¯s chair closer to her. ¡°Something like that.¡± She put Hui Ming¡¯s hand on her lap. ¡°They¡¯ve hidden themselves well. The kid you and sis told me about is gone. My people are looking for them, but we¡¯ve only captured two.¡± ¡°Which two?¡± ¡°The elemental, and a fire mage girl we captured earlier today. They¡¯re both more loyal than we thought, and they aren¡¯t telling us anything. The fire mage told us they wanted to steal some of the library¡¯s rarer scrolls. But she didn¡¯t tell us anything about their location. ¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Can you launch an assault on that mansion I was spying on?¡± ¡°Esha already paid it a visit. It¡¯s abandoned. I really can¡¯t do anything until I find them. I¡¯ve made some plans to lure them out, but they¡¯ll only work if that king is stupid. And he¡¯s not stupid. I¡¯m sorry, father.¡± She massaged Hui Ming¡¯s palm. ¡°Don¡¯t be, I know you¡¯re doing everything you can. And how bout¡¯ the school? Is it trying to help?¡± I asked. Jing¡¯s furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°They¡¯re not. Six Dao Journey Stage graduates of the school have come to help defend. They also captured one of the king¡¯s subordinates, but the problem is they haven¡¯t actually declared war against the king yet. They¡¯re too afraid they might declare war against a real king. They¡¯re even pressuring me to return the elemental.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Father, the king¡¯s faking all of this. He won¡¯t really stop if we return the elemental. He¡¯ll only regain a powerful soldier. I think a lot of what¡¯s happened so far has been planned, even you overhearing that conversation when you were spying. But I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t even know what his goal is yet.¡± She looked down, as if ashamed about something. ¡°Thanks, Jing. Don¡¯t stress about it. You¡¯re doing what you can,¡± I said. ¡°Yes father¡­¡± She stayed for a few more minutes before heading off, dragging Hui Ming with her. The snake around my neck hissed at the chicken pecking my foot and it backed off. I headed to the Black Library again. It was time to get serious about this. Esha, a native of this world, was able to reach absurd heights of power. I had two levels of cheats: my innate talent as one of the teleported, and my pills. I had no excuse for being so useless during the skirmish at the Black Library. I needed a Dao, or a way to manipulate my Qi. Even so, I would always be many times more powerful when surrounded by my plants. - I sat in an empty room, surrounded by thirty scrolls. Nine fireballs hovered before me. One of them flickered like a candle about to extinguish. A random thought about pig milk barged into my head, breaking my concentration. The five fireballs went out, leaving four. This was a test of control, not power. I¡¯d be sitting in lava if I used my full power. I picked up a different scroll, this one on basic movement techniques. The first made me able to change my weight. The second locked me in place. I improved at a rate of about a thousand times a normal person. This was nothing to brag about though. I should be comparing myself to the other people who teleported here. Those were the people that posed any real threat to me or my family. I could improve even faster if I could use all my Qi. I wished I had a desert or wasteland I could practice in, but I was in a city. I continued practicing overnight, only leaving because I¡¯d asked my students to meet at noon. At the time, I didn¡¯t realize how fast what I¡¯d learned would be put to use. Chapter 82 I looked around my new alchemy shop, although it wasn¡¯t much of a shop. It hadn¡¯t a sold a single piece of medicine yet. Maybe I should set up some shelves. Chen Wei stumbled in before I had the chance to do anything. ¡°Sir, what kind of pill did you give everybody yesterday?¡± ¡°It makes your limbs stronger, your skin tougher, and your senses better. It also heals in a pinch. I call it a Totality Pill.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ amazing. But will it harm my foundation?¡± ¡°Nope. Its effects are permanent as well, please explain that to the rest.¡± Chen Wei had wrecked her potential, or ¡®foundation¡¯, by taking too many pills made by amateurs. Taking a few pills made by amateurs could make her more powerful. But if she took to many and her body and Qi would start breaking down. My pills were properly made, so they wouldn¡¯t harm her. I took out a bottle of Totality Pills. ¡°Pass these out. My servant¡¯s with my daughter right now, so I need some extra hands.¡± She nodded and accepted the vial. ¡°And.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re fine with it, reveal some personal information about yourself later.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°To the other students, not me. And you don¡¯t need to.¡± Today¡¯s meeting was for bringing them closer to each other. A group of students gathered in front of me afterward. Everybody from yesterday also came today. ¡°Many of you cut class to come, so thank you.¡± One of them stepped forward and looked at me. ¡°Yes?¡± I cocked my head. ¡°We aren¡¯t doing anything in our classes today, but we would¡¯ve come either way,¡± she said. The snickering from yesterday was gone, replaced by formal masks. ¡°That¡¯s good. We¡¯re creating a movement to make this school one of the best in the world, and you¡¯re the first few chosen to start it. These are the badges that will mark you as the first members.¡± They peaked at other people¡¯s badges and found they were identical. Chen Wei¡¯s badge was the same as a triangle class student. The only difference was the name carved on them. They were so detailed nobody would be able to copy them without my ability. ¡°I¡¯ll go refine tomorrow¡¯s batch of pills and let you people get to know each other. Unless there¡¯s an emergency, please don¡¯t leave this room. I took the lights as I walked out of the lobby, leaving them in the pitch black lobby. Supposedly, taking the lights would make them more willing to open up. I strolled into the garden behind the shop and put my hand to the ground. Ten thousand mana went into creating into vines. The roots of the vines melded to an even larger base underground. The new vines displaced enough dirt to form a small hill. I did this every time I got the chance. Defenses for my shop and mansion slowly grew underground. They would soon surpass the defenses of my old house.
You have leveled up. You may choose one of these two options: +9 mana regeneration per minute +9000 max mana You have also gained half your mana back! Good luck in your future endeavors!
¡°About time,¡± I whispered. I chose the mana regeneration option. It increased my regeneration by more than a third, which was good, but it wasn¡¯t what I looked forward to. I was waiting for level ten. My skills ¡®evolved¡¯ when they reached level ten, so what would happen when I reached level ten? I couldn¡¯t wait to find out. I reopened the room just before lunch. The students sat up and stopped talking after I lit up the room again. The talk seemed to have worked. Pairs that were strangers before now acted like friends. Chen Wei was teary eyed but smiling. ¡°Come back tomorrow. It¡¯s lunchtime now, so you¡¯re all free to go. Please don¡¯t go to any tower, by the way.¡± They stopped smiling when they heard the words ¡®lunchtime¡¯ and ¡®tower¡¯. They left as I asked. Only Chen Wei stayed behind. ¡°Is there anything else I should do?¡± she asked. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Nah,¡± I responded, ¡°Not right now. Just keep doing what you¡¯re doing. But there¡¯s something I want you to do in the future. You¡¯re also the head of a sect, so you I assume you have some experience with leadership.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°You should know you¡¯re more powerful than they are, with or without a good foundation. They look up to you. And they¡¯ll follow your lead.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°You see, no matter how much I¡¯d love to continue cultivating this school, I might not always have the time to organize meetings like this. It¡¯s peaceful now, but I¡¯m predicting more chaotic times.¡± She chewed her inner lip. ¡°So even now counts as peaceful?¡± More than twenty people have come to this world, each of them with a powerful ability. Jing said Allison found three people, but there were definitely more nearby. This school was facing a disaster, but it was nothing compared to what could be coming. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I really don¡¯t, but I suspect what¡¯s happening now will only count as a prelude. Cultivating this school will be my main project for at least a long while, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. But, if I need to leave someday, will you take over for me?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. And,¡± she smoothed her robes and entered a full bow, ¡°I must say this again. Thank you for all the kindness you¡¯ve shown me.¡± It felt fine to be called sir now that she was, in a way, working under me. ¡°Sure.¡± The ground shook, almost knocking me to my feet. I grit my teeth. ¡°What now,¡± I seethed. Sounds of explosive sounds came from outside. And eighth stage aura burst into the lobby, but it wasn¡¯t targeted at us. Chen Wei and I dashed outside. Two enormous men, each at least seven feet(2.1m) tall, cantered towards us on shining silver steeds. Their masters wore equally silver armor. One swept his lance in a wide arc, compressing the air and sending out a shockwave so powerful I could see it. It tore through the surrounding buildings. Pieces of rubble hit my shop and bounced off. The other knight speared an alchemist through her stomach and held her up. Chen Wei trembled but knew she couldn¡¯t do anything. The knight displayed the alchemist¡¯s body for all to see. A red liquid squirted onto the lance, before slowing to a trickle. He threw the spear at the pyramid. It flew in a perfectly straight line, taking the tip off the pyramid. The woman¡¯s body literally popped on impact. They galloped at the pyramid. Twenty of their comrades were already there. My aura came out, and the two horsemen halted. They acknowledged their new role, which was to stall me until the pyramid was destroyed. This strategy worked on me before, but now we were on my territory. Eight stage experts were mice. Mice in my mousetrap. I charged into their midst. A lance shot at me. I dodged it and kicked back. He flew back and the lance was ripped from his hand. His armor must¡¯ve been just for show. It shattered, revealing sharp abdominal muscles. He stood, appearing unharmed. A horn grew out on his horse¡¯s head and stabbed at me. I blocked it with my palm and jumped away. They followed me to the front of my shop. The front of my shop was a tiny forest, where tall trees cast massive shadows. A root came up from underground and bound them in place. Then a twentytacle trap with two meter wide tentacles grabbed them and pulled them underground, where they met my poison spikes. I turned my attention to the pyramid. The vines on the pyramid grabbed an attacker from the sky and squashed him, but it too late. The pyramid wasn¡¯t the Black Library. The pyramid many times more fragile, crumbling seconds later. ¡°What was that!?¡± Chen Wei yelled, pointing at the spot the twentytacle trap disappeared. But it didn¡¯t hold her attention for long. She turned to watch the Alchemy Pyramid come down. The more powerful ones escape the tower. But most alchemists weren¡¯t powerful cultivators. The pyramid, which had been standing for who knew how many years, had fallen. I glared, but couldn¡¯t find anything to glare at. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they evacuate the towers?¡± I smoldered. Chen Wei stared at the collapsed pyramid. ¡°This is just the prelude¡­?¡± A vine threw me my medicine boxes. I handed a case to her, ¡°These are the totality pills I gave you guys, but modified so they only heal.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± She understood me. She took the box and ran toward the fallen tower. Tossing aside room-sized chunks of rubble, she sifted through the tower for the injured. Seeing her example, other cultivators rushed in to help. I grabbed a bottle of pills and dashed at the pyramid. Jumping up what was the left of the pyramid, all my senses went to look for the injured. I shoved a pill down some kid¡¯s throat and tossed him to the base of the pyramid. Somebody at the base of the pyramid caught him. They brought him to a nearby building for treatment. This was an alchemy district, there was no shortage of medicine. We worked like a machine. Everybody did their part, inserting themselves where the machine needed parts. Feeling a Dao Journey aura, I raised my head and watched the sky. The cultivator touched down not far from me. She looked at the pyramid with a bitter look on her face. She raised a foot and stomped. Countless cracks spread across the surrounding debris. The rubble dissolved into tiny, pebble sized chunks, like broken car window glass. She reached through the tiny stones and grabbed something. She pulled out two bodies and slung them over her shoulders. I handed her two pills, ¡°Give them these two first.¡± She nodded and followed my directions. I dressed and looked like a servant, but there was no ¡®how dare you? Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡¯ She didn¡¯t care about that type of thing, not in this crisis. She only cared about one thing: not respect, not rank, nor hierarchy. Every part of the machine was the same: we only cared about the school. Even an outsider like me was dragged into this mindset. Chen Wei walked to me, holding a student in her arms. My eyes went straight to the student¡¯s chest. A bolt of Qi wider than my fist had pierced her heart, leaving it a gaping hole. My eyes went to the student¡¯s face next. She was one of the people I¡¯d chosen. I had opened a door to let her out of my shop just minutes ago. ¡°Can you save her?¡± Chen Wei pleaded. ¡°No. I can¡¯t heal the dead.¡± I felt a pit in my stomach. I could try to construct a heart to try ad revive her, but I didn¡¯t know how to design a heart. ¡°Is there anything you can do about this?¡± She pleaded again, repeating the question Hui Ming had asked me yesterday. Was there really nothing I could do? The school and I couldn¡¯t stop them because we couldn¡¯t find them, but is there a way around this? Yes, there was, although I¡¯d hate to have to use it. I still had a way out. ¡°Yes. I need to do this quickly. Chen Wei, I¡¯m going to your sect.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± she asked. ¡°Right now,¡± I confirmed. Jing¡¯s snake felt my anger and licked my face. He dropped from my neck to the ground, and the next moment I was staring at a gigantic dragon, scales as white as freshly cut marble. Claws at the ends of his two massive legs clung to the rubble. Chen Wei and the Dao Journey Stage cultivator stumbled back and gasped. He looked at me, his eyes asking, Need a ride? I tilted my head back to look the dragon in the eyes, ¡°You can understand us, can¡¯t you.¡± The dragon dipped his head in a nod, then used his snout to point at his back. I jumped on, ¡°Take me to the Blue Fire Sect.¡± It was time to pay Mark, ¡®The Watchman¡¯, a visit. Chapter 83 The dragon stayed seated, twisting his long neck to face me. He tilted his head to show his confusion. ¡°You don¡¯t know where the Blue Fire Sect is?¡± I guessed. He bobbed his head up and down. ¡°Go left, and I¡¯ll point you the rest of the way.¡± He opened his mouth, revealing a set of razor sharp teeth, white as his scales. ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± he said in a soft and childlike voice, ¡°I forgot. Which way is left?¡± Oh no. I¡¯m not ready for this. ¡°Er, that way.¡± I pointed left. I held onto his scales and he took off. We kept flying up into the cloudless sky, until we were so high up mountains looked the size of bricks. Cities on my home planet were dull gray no matter where you stood. From the sky, the Grand Flames City was a patchwork quilt. Each mountain or cluster of mountains was covered with buildings in their distinct color. ¡°Where should I land?¡± I pointed down. ¡°You see that blue mountain?¡± ¡°Found it!¡± he squealed in excitement. ¡°Good job! Drop me off there, please.¡± Hovering in midair, he looked back at me. ¡°Hold on tight.¡± I did. He spread his wings and plunged down. My stomach clenched, but he wasn¡¯t done yet. He twisted and kept twisting until he was spinning like an airplane propeller. He was a spinning meteor plummeting at the earth, and I was hanging on for dear life. He suddenly stopped at the last possible moment. I lurched forward and almost flew off his back. We landed in the middle of a plaza, causing a few cautious auras to appear. He emitted a seventh stage aura, scaring off the others in the sect. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± I jumped off and stumbled. ¡°Granpa? Are you ok?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, ¡°Granpa isn¡¯t a dragon, so flying is hard on him. It makes him dizzy.¡± The dragon snickered, ¡°Getting old?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not old!¡± I insisted, ¡°I¡¯m seventeen.¡± ¡°So old! I¡¯m only two, even mama¡¯s only months old.¡± The bystanders heard everything, but understood nothing. ¡°I¡¯m not old. And you can¡¯t be two years old if you¡¯re already able to speak.¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m two. Both my mamas are very good teachers! ¡± he declared. He shrunk back to snake size and slithered to my neck. ¡°Hmph. Who¡¯s the other mama?¡± I asked. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Old mama is called Esha! New mama is Jing. New mama is nicer, so she¡¯s my favorite,¡± he said, blunter than a club. Oh Jing, I¡¯m so proud of you. I pat his scaly head, ¡°You should¡¯ve started talking to me earlier.¡± ¡°I thought you were ignoring me,¡± he said in a pouty voice. ¡°No! I¡¯m sorry. I thought you couldn¡¯t understand me. Granpa will spend a lot of time with you now.¡± I grimaced. Did I just call myself granpa? The ground groaned. A vine broke through the tiled plaza floor and wrapped around me. It pulled us deep underground and deposited us in a secret chamber. Only two people on the planet could find this place: me and Jing. A voice came from above, ¡°Hey Vincent.¡± A teenager was embedded into a wall two stories up from where I was standing. He turned his face to me, but kept his eyes shut, as if he was sleep talking. His body was stuck in the wall so that I could only see his head, like a hunting trophy. ¡°Is this the man who tried to kill mama and auntie?¡± the snake asked. ¡°Yes,¡± I responded. He hissed at Mark. ¡°So you have a question for me?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll just get straight to the point-¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s not ¡®get straight to the point¡¯¡± he said, ¡°It¡¯s very lonely down here, you know? And I have a lot I want to say.¡± A part of me would be fine if I killed him right now, and that part was growing bigger by the second. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one asking me a question. Unless you leave, it¡¯s not up to you to decide what you hear.¡± ¡°What do you want.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not get off on the wrong foot. I just want a conversation. Well, I also want to be freed, but that¡¯s not going to happen.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Ok, but really.¡± ¡°If this is about killing Jing, I¡¯m not buying it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± he finally opened his eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Jing¡¯s my sweet daughter. I¡¯m not going to kill her over some prophecy you could be lying about.¡± ¡°Daughter or not, we have a responsibility to uphold. Jing is just one creation, compared to the world. You can¡¯t be selfish enough to sacrifice the world over one creation.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a person.¡± ¡°Person, creation, whatever. Let¡¯s agree that the world is worth far more than one person. Can we do that?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°And about the existence of this prophecy? You don¡¯t need to take my word for it. Have you met Allison yet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Has she invited you to her meeting yet?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Allison¡¯s planning a meeting in five days. Sophia, ¡®The Oracle¡¯, has been invited, along with all the people from our class she¡¯s managed to find. You¡¯ll be invited soon. The meeting is to discuss the future and how all of you will handle it. Sophia will bring up Jing on her own, will that be enough evidence for you?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Ok, that¡¯s all I needed to say. Let¡¯s move on. What were you going to ask me?¡± he said. I didn¡¯t move on. ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill my daughter. There¡¯s too much I don¡¯t know. And you don¡¯t know her, she¡¯s not the malicious type.¡± ¡°People can change. People won¡¯t change a lot in a week, or even a year, but how about hundreds of years? Thousands? And Jing probably has a long lifespan. It doesn¡¯t matter what you think anyway. You should kill her even if there¡¯s a one percent chance of her bringing the apocalypse. Jing¡¯s life is worth nothing compared to the world.¡± My priorities are skewed and crooked. I¡¯ve known that since sixth grade, when Brian got obsessed with morals. But I valued Jing and Hui Ming more than cities or even countries. He shook his head and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve said everything I can say. I can¡¯t do anything if you¡¯re still not convinced. Now, what did you come to ask me for?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a group attacking the Endless Flame School. They¡¯re using guerrilla tactics. I needed you to find where they¡¯re stationed,¡± I said grudgingly. ¡°I see.¡± I waited a few seconds, ¡°Are you going to tell me?¡± ¡°I would, but I can¡¯t see them. The school is behind me. It¡¯s not in my line of sight, and I can¡¯t see through the back of my head, so¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right. My bad. I forgot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s kay.¡± My plants took him out from the wall and rotated him around. I gave him a description of some of the members. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, although I didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Mhm.¡± I sat and waited. ¡°Found them,¡± he said a few minutes later. ¡°Got a map?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± a vine lifted it in front of his face. His Qi punched a small hole in the cloth. ¡°How many of them are in there?¡± ¡°I found everybody you wanted me to find. So probably most of them.¡± I turned him back around and put him back into his spot in the wall. I sighed, remembering Mark and I were in the same high school class before this. He was trapped by vines, I was about to invade a base of superhumans, and he wanted me to kill my daughter. But for a moment everything seemed to go back to normal, even though I still hated him. I sighed again, ¡°Got it. See ya, I guess.¡± A vine grabbed me and carried me back to the surface. We came out in the plaza, which was now surrounded by armored guards and power rods. I ignored them. ¡°Take me back to the school.¡± ¡°Ok grandpa.¡± Chapter 84 The dragon hovered above my mansion. The trees and bushes below rustled, buffeted by the wind from his wings. Jing was teaching her sister how to play chopsticks in the garden below. They both looked up. ¡°You two are already friends!¡± said Jing. ¡°Come down, let¡¯s pla-¡± ¡°I know where they are. Come with me.¡± Hui Ming stood up and Jing turned serious. ¡°I¡¯ll get Esha. Sis, you stay here.¡± Hui Ming stared. ¡°Why?¡± I clapped my hands to get their attention. ¡°We¡¯ll meet at my shop. And Hui Ming, stay in the underground garden here. If you¡¯re attacked, break the pineapple light and use one of those boxes I gave you.¡± ¡°Yes master...¡± her hands dropped, fingers hanging like rags left out to dry. She straightened, trying to hide her disappointment, and headed into the house. Jing dashed away, and Hui Ming headed underground. I stroked the scales I sat on, ¡°To the shop.¡± It was a short flight, two minutes at most. He dropped me off at the shop and turned back into a snake. Jing and Esha appeared at my side seconds later. I gave the map to Jing, ¡°they¡¯re a district away. We¡¯ll get there in less than a minute.¡± Jing glanced at me and immediately looked away. Not looking me in the eye, she asked, ¡°Did you get this from Mark?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did he¡­¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yes, he tried to convince me to kill you,¡± I said. She shrunk. ¡°You know I don¡¯t want the world destroyed. It doesn¡¯t matter if I die, or if you want to do it for revenge. Don¡¯t do it, you understand?¡± ¡°Yes father. I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s get moving. You guys to surround the building. Kill as many as you can if they try to escape.¡± Jing and Esha disappeared. I wished I could call for more manpower from the school, but I didn¡¯t know how many spies the king had. I could only get help from people I could trust. I tapped the ground with my foot and counted to thirty, waiting for them to reach the building marked on the map. The earth rumbled and cracks appeared in the dirt. A wooden disk thrust out in an explosion of soil. Giant clumps of vines hung every side of the disk, making it look like a thick hide of green wool. Blades stuck out from the wool. The blades¡¯ size alone would make people have second thoughts. The thirty story tall ugly mass towered above me. The vines touched the ground and pushed, inching it forward. They kept pushing and the disk picked up speed, its slow movement turning into a steady roll. The rolling became an unstoppable spin. We dashed alongside it. The disk carved a path through the suburbs. I tried to have it take a path with nothing in its way, but it still crushed a few mansions. My wheel neared its target, which was another mansion. Nobody tried to escape. A wall of ice appeared in front of my wheel. My wheel crushed it, along with everything else. Esha spotted the woman who made the ice. The woman fainted and Esha put a knife in her stomach. More people tied to block my wheel, but they couldn¡¯t. My disk smashed into the side of their mansion. Vines tore everything else apart. Esha jumped around, picking off the king¡¯s men like a shark in a sardine swarm. I and I stood on top of the ocean of vines. We controlled the bladed vines, slicing through them. ¡°Stop!,¡± a familiar voice shouted, ¡°Jin, if being from the same world means anything, please stop this!¡± I looked down and saw Er Yi holding onto another person¡¯s arm. The other person wore two eyepatches, one on each eye so he couldn¡¯t see anything. He stood tall, even when being restrained by Er Yi. That voice, that face, that confident posture. I have seen and heard them thousands of times. How dare they. ¡°Brian!¡± I yelled. ¡°Vince?¡± Absolutely unforgivable. How dare they capture my best friend, blind him, and hold him hostage. Attacking the school didn¡¯t matter anymore.It couldn¡¯t compare to the crime of doing this to Brian. Esha glanced at Er Yi. Er Yi got a blank look on his face and he dropped to the floor. All the vines I controlled shot towards them. A few went to kill Er Yi, most went to grab Brian. ¡°Stop!¡± Jing shouted, ¡°Esha, you too!¡± Another group of vines wrapped around the base of mine, trying to pull them back. ¡°What in hell are you doing?¡± ¡°Your friend- your friend¡¯s the king!¡± Chapter 85 I froze, and my vines froze with me. A woman took this chance to swing a saber at my neck. ¡°Cease!¡± Brian bellowed. His words boomed, making the broken glass on the ground shatter again. Golden robes covered body, which had put on a fair bit of muscle since the last time I saw him. A square jaw and wide shoulders would¡¯ve made him look like a young ruler, if not for his covered eyes. The saber wielder tugged back on her blade as hard as she could. The saber stopped a centimeter from my throat. She stumbled into me, almost knocking me over. She crawled down the disk, somehow keeping her head down the entire time. She groveled in front Brian, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± He ignored her and stepped forward. His foot hit her groveling face, and he tripped, ¡°Huh?¡± His upper body tipped forward. Er Yi lunged and stabilized him. ¡°Your Majesty, are you alright?¡± The lady on the floor rubbed her face into the dirt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She cried, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Brian stepped forward again, ¡°Vincent! Is that really you?¡± I hopped from the wheel and landed in front of him. ¡°I thought I¡¯d take longer to find you,¡± I smiled. He chuckled. The chuckles became laughs. The laughs became guffaws. Tears poured down his face. ¡°Five months! I finally found somebody from my old class, and it¡¯s you!¡± ¡°Father,¡± Jing said behind me. ¡°Do you trust him?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I pointed at the sky, ¡°and the school is coming.¡± Jing waved her hand dismissively, ¡°Esha¡¯ll take care of it.¡± She turned to Esha, ¡°Tell them we captured the king, and they surrendered to us.¡± The snake slipped off my neck and slithered under Esha. He transformed into a dragon and they flew away. I took a closer look at Brian. I¡¯ve known him since preschool, but I¡¯d never seen him cry. I wasn¡¯t surprised though. Spending a week alone had been enough to make me hopeless. He¡¯d spent five months. I hugged him, ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere more peaceful.¡± I motioned at the broken metal and glass that littered the floor. I realized he couldn¡¯t see my gestures, and I stopped. I was about to lead him away when a different voice interjected, ¡°I was wondering why she told me now would be a good time to talk to you.¡± Allison was sitting on a decorative boulder not far from us. The boulder¡¯s weight anchored it to the earth. The grass and everything else had been blown away by the fight. She talked confidently, but she wouldn¡¯t make eye contact with me. Her red hair reached her torso this time, and she wore a matching red tunic. ¡°You two gay?¡± she asked. I stared at her. What a question to ask. This confirmed it, she had zero social skill. ¡°No, we¡¯re not. Now, what are you here for?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± Brian asked. ¡°Allision. You know, from our physics class. She¡¯s not with me, and I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s here.¡± I did know why she was here though, because of my talk with Mark. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°So,¡± her eyes decided my feet were a good place to stay. ¡°A bunch of us teleported, and I¡¯m planning a gathering so we can meet each other. Could you two come?¡± A brief pause. ¡°Uh, please?¡± I said, ¡°When is it? And where? And why?¡± ¡°In five days and at noon, at the top of the Grand Flame City¡¯s central volcano.¡± She seemed to gain a bit of confidence, sitting up straighter and her eyes lifting to my chin. ¡°And it¡¯s because I¡¯m afraid. I don¡¯t want us to fight. You¡¯re all too powerful. Anything you guys do will involve too many people and cause too much destruction.¡± I softened. Allison was like me, just trying to avoid a fight. Maybe I should give her some more credit. ¡°I¡¯m too weak to keep peace on my own. Please come,¡± she said. I glanced at Jing, who was staring at the ground, refusing to look at me. I had to go. Sophia would be there, and chances were they would create a plan to kill Jing if I didn¡¯t stop them. ¡°Thanks for listening. I¡¯ll leave now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there,¡± I called when she got up to leave. She smiled and walked away. I turned back to Brian. ¡°Isn¡¯t that great? We might be able to prevent all the fights in the future-¡± I stopped, remembering he was the one who attacked the school. I frowned at him. I would need to ask him about that. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get to my place.¡± His tears and laughing had stopped. He responded to me calmly, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡± He reached back with his hand and beckoned his army. ¡°Come. These are friends.¡± A horse climbed out of the wreckage. Its fur glowed bright orange, and flames came out of its nostrils. Brian climbed on. I lead him to my mansion where Hui Ming was still hiding. We entered our living room and I sat on one of the leather couches, guiding Brian to sit as well. Jing took the chance to plop down next to me. The horse stayed outside, but the rest of his soldiers came in with us. ¡°You guys can go wherever you want in this mansion.¡± They looked at me but didn¡¯t move until Brian said, ¡°Go.¡± They spread throughout the mansion, leaving us alone. Light came from the oversized windows and the glowing rock hanging from the ceiling. Sounds of Jing¡¯s animals playing outside made it into the room. My hands rubbed the couches. As expected, they had just the right amount of bounce. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you again,¡± I hunched over, ¡°but that wasn¡¯t the best way for us to meet.¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t,¡± he agreed. I gripped his arm, just enough to make it painful. ¡°Why did you attack the school? One of my students died.¡± Unlike me, Brian almost never lied, especially about important things. I could trust his answer, no matter what it was. ¡°I get it,¡± he tensed his forearm. I let go. ¡°Get the leech!¡± he yelled. A girl in a short black skirt dashed in, placed a slimy leech in Brian¡¯s lap, and dashed out. It was the same finger-sized leech that tried to poison me at the Black Library. He placed it on the underside of his forearm, which was covered with circular scars. He winced, leaving the leech for a few seconds before taking it off. Blood trickled down his arm. He took out a rag to plug the blood flow. ¡°I¡¯m guessing everybody got a unique ability, and yours can control plants.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Watch.¡± The leech spit a pool of blood onto the floor. The blood wiggled and expanded on the hardwood floor, taking the form of a fifteen year old girl. ¡°Go upstairs with the others,¡± Brian commanded. ¡°As you wish,¡± she bowed and walked away. ¡°That girl I just created is one of the weakest soldiers I¡¯ve created because she was for demonstration, but you get the idea. My ability allows me to create soldiers. In other words, it¡¯s the perfect ability to take control of a place and improve it. And that¡¯s why I was attacking the school,¡± he said. I didn¡¯t respond, so he continued. ¡°You know. Weaken it here and there, then take it over.¡± ¡°You killed hundreds,¡± I said, ¡°and that¡¯s your excuse?¡± ¡°A few lives don¡¯t matter in the big picture, and we¡¯re in the big picture now. I can¡¯t do anything without killing a few hundred people. Just imagine us as giants, literally as tall as mountains. We wouldn¡¯t be able to take a single step without killing a few squirrels or raccoons,¡± he said. ¡°Look, you can¡¯t expect me to do anything on a large scale without killing people. It¡¯s just not possible. You¡¯ve killed for your own goals too.¡± I glowered at him, although I knew he couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Sucks. You¡¯re not touching this school. You already killed one of my students. You¡¯re not doing anything else.¡± ¡°I may have stepped another giant¡¯s pinky toe,¡± he whispered audibly. He put his hands up and raised his voice back to normal, ¡°I get it. Damnit. All that work, straight down the drain.¡± ¡°May I ask you a question?¡± said Jing. ¡°Sure. Who are you, though? Did you call Vin your father?¡± he asked. Jing told him about our relationship. Brian nodded after she finished, ¡°I understand now. What were you gonna ask me?¡± ¡°Why did you send that fire mage to get captured by me?¡± she asked. ¡°Strategic reasons. The school and The Family were being pains in my side. The school had seven Dao Journey experts on their side, so I had to get them off my back. I knew Geodude-¡± I was supposed to be mad, but I couldn¡¯t resist cracking a smile. ¡°You call your rock elemental Geodude?¡± ¡°As if you could come up with anything better. Anyway, I knew Geodude was calling me his king when you guys interrogated him, and I also knew you guys would be more afraid of attacking a king, so I sent people to be captured. I commanded them to talk about serving a king after being captured. There were other reasons too, but that¡¯s all that¡¯s important.¡± ¡°How about when father overheard your people talking at the square ranked student¡¯s mansion?¡± she asked. ¡°That was you?¡± he said. I guess it wasn¡¯t planned, then. ¡°One more question,¡± Jing said. ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re kinda schemey and evil, but that¡¯s ok." She pat her chest, "We''ll fix you. Can you be my uncle?¡± Chapter 86 ¡°Sure?¡± Brian said. I sighed internally, knowing he would regret that, at least a little. ¡°Can I give you a hug?¡± Jing asked. ¡°...Sure?¡± Brian said. Jing tackled him, ¡°Yay! I got another one!¡± Jing squeezed him, ¡°you¡¯re sturdy too, like big sis! I can hug you as hard as I want.¡± Brian froze, not knowing how to react. ¡°That¡¯s just how she is,¡± I said, giving him a deadpan look, ¡°You get used to it,¡± Brian hugged her back awkwardly. His chin caught on her shoulder, he opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Wait a second. You made a servant. How come she¡¯s not a battle maid?¡± He knows me too well. I smiled sheepishly, ¡°That was the plan, but then she started calling me papa, so¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know about that,¡± Jing pouted. ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s show him big sis!¡± The trapdoor leading to our basement opened. A vine rose from it with Hui Ming standing on top. She saw Jing hugging Brian and decided he wasn¡¯t an enemy. She jumped off the vine. ¡°Introduce yourself to uncle!¡± She bowed. ¡°I¡¯m Hui Ming, Grandmaster Jin¡¯s servant.¡± ¡°Battle maid,¡± Jing corrected. ¡°Uh-yes, battle maid.¡± ¡°How like you,¡± Brian observed, smirking. ¡°Like you¡¯re any different,¡± I said, punching his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± he said. ¡°Lemonade!¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A rather curvy young girl walked into the living room wearing a short frilly black dress. I could only tell it was supposed to be a maid uniform because of our conversation. Jing and I glared, ¡°Pathetic.¡± Huh? Jing, too? I thought I was the only one so obsessed with battle maids. Yeah, Jing must¡¯ve said that for something else. Brian and Lemonade shrunk. ¡°What?¡± Brain complained. Jing stomped and got up, cracking her knuckles and lifting her chin like a mafia boss. Lemonade gulped. ¡°This is a disgrace! This is supposed to be a french maid uniform, not a porno or some slutty halloween costume.¡± She pointed to Hui Ming, ¡°This uniform on big sis is the real way to design a maid uniform. A white apron over the black dress. Long black sleeves that cover skin and conceal weapons. The hem, or bottom, of the dress should fall to just above the ankles, unlike your trashy skirt of a maid uniform,¡± she spat the word ¡®skirt¡¯. My back straightened in utter surprise. Holy shit! Yes! I wanted to give Jing a big hug right there and then, but we had something more important to do. ¡°Psst,¡± I whispered, ¡°say something about her stockings.¡± Jing gave me a thumbs up and winked. Jing slapped Lemonade¡¯s plump, exposed thigh, making it jiggle. ¡°What are these?¡± she glared. ¡°Um...¡± ¡°You fool!¡± Jing exclaimed and shook her head. ¡°Fishnet stockings! Badly made ones, at that! Do you really think french maids used fishnet stockings? I¡¯ll have you know that true french maids are from the nineteenth century, while fishnet stockings came far later.¡± I nodded in approval. She jumped back and landed on the couch, her shoulder touching mine. I grinned and put my arm around her. That¡¯s my girl! I skipped to Hui Ming and pat her dress, ¡°This is a proper maid uniform. I¡¯d give you a step by step process of how it was maid, but you plebs wouldn¡¯t understand anyway.¡± Hui Ming and Lemonade stared at us as if we were deviants. Brian would''ve joined them in thier staring, but he didn''t have eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you d-dare speak ill of his majesty¡¯s artistic genius!¡± Lemonade cried. We ignored her. ¡°Hmph. Don¡¯t underestimate my character designs. Lemonade, do the thing,¡± Brian said. ¡°Yes, your excellency,¡± she squeaked. Jing and I leaned forward in unison. A tail peeked out from underneath her skirt and two small horns poked out from her hair. Jing and I pulled our heads back and looked at each other. Hey, I thought, that¡¯s actually pretty good, isn¡¯t it? Yeah¡­, Jing thought, but we can¡¯t admit that. We both nodded and turned back to Lemonade. She cowered under our gaze. ¡°A demon maid girl?¡± I laughed. ¡°How much more generic can you get? Come to think of it, half ¡®your majesty¡¯s¡¯ creations are ridiculous. A flaming horse. An ice skating magician. You even have a flying laser baby. And Er Yi. A white haired young teen that can control electricity? Really?¡± ¡°Well, I put an original touch to his character,¡± Brian said, turning his head away from me. ¡°So? What is it?¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Er¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Jing said, cracking her neck, doing her mafia boss impression again. Brian turned away. ¡°He¡­ She¡¯s a reverse trap.¡± My jaw dropped. In summary, Reason #1 I¡¯m friends with Brian: He puts up with my shit. Reason #2 I¡¯m friends with Brian: I put up with his shit. Chapter 87 ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you did that,¡± I said, referring to his design choices for Er Yi. I set a pot with an orange flower on a shelf. It made a solid thump against the wood. I wanted the shop to look nice, so I was remodeling it to look like a shop in the woods. This place used to be a warehouse, so I had plenty of room to work with. The roof was three stories high. Two trees grew in the center of the shop, and their branches reached every corner of the room. Dozens of small glowing rocks hung from the tree¡¯s limbs like ornaments, giving the place light. I even moved a few boulder into the shop to give it a more authentic feeling. Brian was sitting on one of the boulders. ¡°It¡¯s difficult, being unique,¡± he twirled, satirizing himself. ¡°But really, you know she hates you now, right? All of my soldiers do.¡± ¡°How come?¡± I emptied racks of dried weed into a box. ¡°You killed the twin knights, the silver armored ones that attacked the alchemy pyramid. I don¡¯t care, but they do.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about it. What do you want me to do, bring them back to life?¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m just informing you. You don¡¯t need to worry about them attacking you. I told them we¡¯re allies. You can even command them. So. Can you tell me how your ability works?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I explained the basics while setting up new shelves. I finished my explanation after about five minutes. He soaked in the information. ¡°So your ability seems complicated with its dozens of skills, each with their own rules and restrictions. But it¡¯s also not complicated at all. To sum it up, you can control and grow plants.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Yep.¡± He continued analyzing my ability. ¡°You¡¯re nearly unbeatable on your ¡®territory¡¯, but less powerful everywhere else. It¡¯s also a powerful healing and mentoring ability.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°There¡¯s one part I don¡¯t understand. What limits are there on the designs of plants you can make? Like, why don¡¯t you create an Iphone out of plant material?¡± he asked.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I can copy or design my plants. The copying part is simple, I can create any plant I¡¯ve touched before, including ones from the old world. The designing part has loose restrictions - the functions I design need to already exist in real plants, or they have to be very simple. I can go around that rule by spending more time designing it.¡± ¡°So no Iphones?¡± ¡°No Iphones. Obviously, I also can¡¯t make stuff that break the laws of physics, like a plant that lets me teleport. That¡¯s leagues outside the scope of my ability. Just think of my ability as about plants, and you¡¯ll have an easy time understanding it. No Iphones, no teleporters, no devil fruit.¡± I looked at the thirty shelves I created. I was patient, but painstakingly filling each of them was a huge task. ¡°Damn, this reminds me of the weekends I spent working in retail. Give me a hand.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± he said, getting up from the small boulder he¡¯d been sitting on. His bare feet touched the grassy dirt that had replaced the stone floor. ¡°Nevermind, you¡¯ll need eyes for this,¡± I said. ¡°Oh¡­¡± he sat back down. ¡°By the way, why isn¡¯t that Hui Ming girl helping you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s going around the city, assimilating the local cartels into The Family.¡± He slapped his thigh and burst out laughing. ¡°You servants are commanding the underworld, and here you are: being walmart¡¯s employee-of-the-week!¡± ¡°I have my priorities. They can have their fun playing in the underworld, but that¡¯s not my business. And what are you doing, eh?¡± His forehead wrinkled like a crumpled paper, ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Absolutely nothing. What¡¯s your title?¡± I asked. ¡°The Conqueror,¡± he replied. I stopped. I was going to use his title to find something for him to do, but I couldn¡¯t do that anymore. I continued organizing my shelves. ¡°I get it. I¡¯m useless, more useless than a walmart employee. Some conqueror I am.¡± ¡°Have your motivations been influenced by your title?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah. I discovered a new interest in taking shit over. Don¡¯t worry about it though. It¡¯s like suddenly finding interest in painting or something. I¡¯m not a different person.¡± He described it perfectly. I felt the same way. I was the same person as before, just with an interest in cultivating. ¡°And,¡± he continued, ¡°conqueror or not, I hate being useless.¡± He pulled a knife out of his robes. I took a sharp breath, ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°You can heal me, right?¡± He grinned and stabbed his palm. Rivers of blood poured onto the floor. ¡°This gets easier every time I do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± A vine grabbed a salve and some pills off the racks. I took his hand and spread the thick salve over the wound, plugging the blood flow. I pushed a few pills into his mouth. ¡°Stop fussing over me. I¡¯m alright. I wish I could see your face,¡± he teased. ¡°Let me create some helpers for you. Our titles are super compatible. Your medicine can multiply the rate I produce blood, and they also buff my soldiers.¡± A muscular man, a full head and a half taller than me, formed from half of the pool of blood. His broad shoulders and meaty hands gave off an impression of a giant boulder. The rest of the blood became a small lady with of sharp eyes. They faced me, ¡°What would you like help with, sir employee-of-the-week?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°You can keep them, by the way,¡± Brian said through a grin. ¡°They¡¯re powerful too. They¡¯re at the fourth stage right now, but they¡¯ll be at the sixth in a few months. Give them around a decade and they¡¯ll reach the ninth. Now imagine you give them pills too.¡± I ignored him. I couldn¡¯t deny the usefulness of his ability though. I showed my new employees the parts of the shop and how to organize the medicine, but all the while, I couldn¡¯t help but start to contemplate the ways I could exploit his ability for my own purposes. Chapter 88 The air simmered and distorted in the heat. This was the tip of the city¡¯s central volcano, where us otherworlders were supposed to meet in four days. I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to come here without scouting the place beforehand, so I came here after talking with Brian and fixing up the shop. I put a hand on the trunk of a mighty Infernal Oak. My mana went through and seized it. I let my mana run through the oak¡¯s root system and into other nearby oaks, and all of them became mine. These trees were no joke. They were tougher than my vines. In other words, many times harder than diamonds. I trudged up the mountainside, subjugating every oak in sight. It only took a few hundred mana from me. I pulled myself to the peak. A new wave of heat blasted me in the face. Looking down, the tip of the volcano was dented, like a crater. An enormous lake of lava bubbled beneath me. It would take a regular swimmer thirty minutes to swim across. I looked up, and my jaw dropped. The entire lake lie under the canopy of one elephantine Infernal Oak. This one drew its energy directly from the volcano and was thousands of times larger than the oaks I saw climbing the mountain. Its indomitable branches cast a gigantic shadow over the lake, which churned and glowed from the heat. A body floated on top of the lava next to me. I lifted him gently. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t kill me,¡± he groaned. I gave him a totality pill and put him on the beach. The beach wasn¡¯t sandy, but a long strip of cooled lava. Hundreds of people fought all over the lake, trying to reach the center, marked by the tree¡¯s enormous trunk. My Qi went into the lava, taking control of the bit of it under my feet, allowing me to walk on it. This was like my control of plants, the main difference being my control of lava was about a thousand times weaker. I headed towards the tree trunk like the others. What would happen when I touched that majestic trunk? I had to find out. Stolen novel; please report. I was almost at the trunk when I spotted six power rods pointed at me. They fired at me at the same time. Ha! I may be weak without my plants, but not that weak. I stomped. The lava splashed up, forming a wall between me and the power rod bullets. I dashed past them. A few others tried to stop me. I glowed with blinding white light. Tendrils of electricity arced off me. Everybody who touched it had a small seizure and halted. ¡°Dao Journey,¡± I heard somebody whisper. They moved away. I touched the tree¡¯s trunk and used identify. I grimaced as the information assaulted me. My knees buckled, and the back of my head throbbed. This tree bore fruit in regular periods. The tree was at its lowest in a year right now. The fruit it bore were only good enough to make third stage fighters risk their lives. But this was the calm before the storm. The Infernal Oak would bear a little more than a hundred fruit in four days at noon, the same time we were going to meet. The timing was too perfect. Allison must¡¯ve set it on purpose. I placed both my palms on the tree and exhaled. Ten thousand mana drained from me. I quivered and dropped to my knees. My head went blank while colorful dots danced across my eyelids. I¡¯m invincible. I felt the power in the Oak¡¯s branches and how I could move them as I pleased. I felt its roots, which pierced all the way down to the base of the mountain. The oak gave me the same feeling I got from of the Black Library: tens of thousands of years could pass, empires could rise and fall a dozen times, but this tree would always be here. And now, it was under my control. Oh, now I see how I¡¯m supposed to use my ability. I''m not supposed to create my own defenses. I¡¯m supposed to take control of invincible plants, sit safely under their canopy, and cultivate. A realization to make better late than never, I sighed. It didn¡¯t matter if my classmates ambushed me here anymore. The entire peak of this volcano was my territory, and I¡¯m unbeatable on my territory. Chapter 89 Four Days Later, Day of the First Meeting With my major preparations out of the way, I spent the time up to the meeting setting up the shop, teaching the new employees, and rehearsing my lines to defend Jing. I set it up so that it could run without me. I didn¡¯t want to leave this city, but based on the results of the meeting, I might just need to. Brian, Jing, and I were sitting together on the couch again. Jing was giving out her free hugs as always, but this time, they weren¡¯t the cheerful ones from before. She clung onto me, trying not to cry, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± The snake around my neck licked her face. I embraced her head, my hands wrapping around her smooth black hair. ¡°What for?¡± I asked, even though I knew the answer to my question. ¡°For being such a burden,¡± she sniffed. ¡°It¡¯s ok. What kind of daughter isn¡¯t a burden for their father? Stay here, and we¡¯ll be fine.¡± I pushed her away and helped Brian off the couch. Geodude followed behind us as we walked towards the central volcano. - The Infernal Oak¡¯s fruit were valuable, but their value alone wasn¡¯t enough to get the top experts of the city to risk their lives. But they came anyway. Of the city¡¯s top hundred most powerful figures, seventy two of them had shown up. This annual free-for-all was the place for the sects and organizations to show their supremacy. This was a competition for who could get the most fruit. More fruit meant more power. For the top sects, not getting any fruit would be like having your country get no medals at the Olympics. It was a matter of pride. It was minutes before the fruits would appear. The camps set up around the lake buzzed with tension. I led Brian to an empty part of the beach to sit. The Infernal Oak overhead cast an oppressive shade over the lake while the lake lit underside of the tree with orange. ¡°Are you excited?¡± Brian asked. ¡°I want to get this over with. All I need to do is convince them to not go after Jing.¡± He nodded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought didn¡¯t think you would take this ¡®daughter¡¯ business seriously. I understand now that you see that girl as far more than a creation. She¡¯s a good girl. I¡¯ll back you up as much as I can.¡± ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t say anything stupid over there.¡± He chuckled, ¡°You too.¡± I made some grapes and we shared them while we waited. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK!¡± somebody roared. I looked up. A chinese dragon burst from the lake, dripping with lava. The beast was enormous, large enough to wrap around the oak¡¯s trunk. It touched its jaw to a patch of lava next to the trunk. It transformed into a female human. She slipped into a shirt that read ¡°1+1=2¡± and a pair of baggy long pants from the new world. I checked her face: she was Wisteria. Bystanders screamed pointless questions in a panic. ¡°Who is that?!-What is that?!-When the fuck did the lake get a dragon?!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Brian shouted. ¡°One of your majesty¡¯s classmates has arrived. It seems she has gained a dragon form,¡± Geodude responded. ¡°Show off,¡± I whispered. I felt hundreds of dragons land on the Infernal Oak¡¯s upper branches, watching Wisteria. ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± I mused. She had brought subordinates, like us. I pet the snake wrapped around my neck. Jing had insisted that I bring the snake, although I couldn¡¯t see why. We also brought Geodude and Brian¡¯s leech. ¡°It¡¯s started.¡± We started our walk to the trunk, and nobody tried to stop us. Across the lake, four other people headed towards our meeting place. Two of them were Sophia and Allison. Sophia hovered a water bubble above her head. She looked the same as ever, Allison floated inside, breathing from an air pocket. Sophia wore a hoodie and tight jeans from the old world, while Allison wore a t-shirt and shorts. The other two were Reagan and Peter. The seven of us classmates sat in a circle. Sophia sucked the heat from the lava beneath us, turning it turned into black stone floating on top of the lava. Her Qi filled the area around us, bringing it down to room temperature. Allison dropped out of her protective bubble, ¡°Thanks for coming, guys! You¡¯re all the otherworlders I was able to find besides Mark.¡± Wisteria grinned, ¡°Hey everybody.¡± The oak emitted a pulse of Qi, and a hundred and six fruit appeared on its branches simultaneously. Sect members poured at the tree in unison. ¡°I also wanted to show the people native to this world, and ourselves, that none of us could be messed with. Please keep the body count to a minimum,¡± said Allison. Oh, Allison. For all of her talk about peace, she made us start with a show of power. Clever, though. Every agreement needs an underlying threat. She was giving us a chance for each of us to show our power. Sophia put Allison back into a protective bubble. Wisteria¡¯s subordinates, the dragons, dove down to stop the sects. Wisteria opened her mouth and roared. Hearing her command, the dragons halted and flew back to their perch in the treetops. Wisteria closed her mouth, but the roar continued. It came from about a meter above her, but there wasn¡¯t anything there. I narrowed my eyes. Tiny distortions of light appeared and disappeared in the air above her head. The air span so fast it sounded like a dragon¡¯s roar, but it was controlled well enough that it didn¡¯t disrupt the air around it at all. An invisible wind tunnel formed out of nowhere, rolling over and sweeping up Qi experts like dry leaves. She licked her lips and the roaring stopped, ¡°I¡¯ve done my part. And if we¡¯re displaying our power, I¡¯ll also say my title, which is ¡®The Sky Empress¡¯. Besides controlling the wind, I can turn into any flying beast. Birds, dragons, and that kind of thing also feel more loyal to me.¡± She was a bit taller than I was. Her arms, slightly meatier than most girls, showed from under her short shirt sleeves. I created a seven thousand mana explosive bulb and tossed it at the nearest group of natives. Geodude stomped, and a wall of lava rose between us and the explosion, shielding us. He didn¡¯t need to stomp. He only did it to show he was the one who created the lava wall. ¡°I¡¯m ¡®The Cultivator,¡¯ and I can control and grow all kinds of plants. That explosive bulb is one of my offensive plants.¡± It would¡¯ve been more intimidating if I used the Infernal Oak, but I also didn¡¯t want to show my hand yet. Casually tossing a seven thousand mana bulb was intimidating enough, although in reality, the bulb devoured almost half my mana. Peter glanced behind his shoulder, and swaths of cultivators got blanks looks on their faces and fell into the lava. It was as if Esha was here. He looked at us, giving us a smile that was soothing just to look at. ¡°They¡¯re not dead, just asleep. I gave them dreams about cute puppies. My screen says my title is ¡®Peter, The Lover¡¯. I just make everybody happier. Not like drug happiness, but more like satisfaction. It¡¯s less effective on classmates though.¡± Peter was one of the people with genes delivered by the angels. He was one of the most good-looking people I¡¯ve met, although he wasn¡¯t quite on par with some of the people I met in this world. With that title and looks, I couldn¡¯t help but think he was the main character of some harem novel. Just to be safe, I should keep him away from Jing. And damn, his ability was lame. Reagan lifted his hand. A sheet of paper and a brush appeared out of thin air. He caught them and wrote a single character on the paper: ¡®BACK¡¯. He flashed the paper at the cultivators behind him. The paper glowed, and everyone that saw it stopped and turned back. ¡°I¡¯m ¡®The Emperor¡¯. I write commands infused with my intent and people follow them. People also like me more.¡± Reagan was right. He wore a polyester blue backpack and a set of plain robes. I remembered him bordering on being obese in the old world, but he had started cutting back. His belly still pushed his robes enough to show his belly, though. Other than that, his wide jaw and solid cheekbones gave him a square face. Nothing about his speech or appearance was outstanding, but he had a natural charisma that I couldn¡¯t pin down to anything concrete. Under different circumstances, maybe I would¡¯ve ended up working under him. With that, the Grand Flames City¡¯s cultivators backed away. I rubbed my forehead. Sects that I liked were part of the group decimated by our abilities. They must be confused and humiliated. This was their chance to show their strength, and we brushed them off using a fraction of our power. I suppose that was Allison¡¯s point. ¡°Do you want to take over?¡± Allison nudged Sophia. ¡°Sure. So-¡± Sophia began. ¡°Wait,¡± Wisteria interjected. ¡°You, you, and you.¡± She pointed at Allison, Sophia, and Brian. ¡°You haven¡¯t shown us your powers yet.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Sophia apologized. ¡°Allison and I couldn¡¯t show you because out abilities aren¡¯t for combat. I¡¯m ¡®The Oracle¡¯, and Allison¡¯s ¡®The Many¡¯. I get hallucinations of the future, and Allison can make weak copies of herself. The Allison sitting next to me is a copy. She¡¯ll be their spokesperson for the time being.¡± Brian gestured at Geodude, ¡°My title is ¡®The Conqueror¡¯, I can make minions, like this dude behind me. He¡¯s at the second Dao Journey Stage.¡± ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡± Wisteria asked. I was about to give Wisteria a look, but I stopped myself. As ¡®The Sky Empress¡¯, she had an ability I didn¡¯t want to fight against. I wondered how many other people here realized how much of threat she could be. ¡°Some people from this world did this to me,¡± Brian said. Wisteria still looked curious, but she didn¡¯t press it. Peter beamed, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you guys how happy I am to see all of you. Want something to eat? These are the fruit from this tree.¡± A breeze blew through were we sat, and an apple-like fruit fell into each of our laps. I didn¡¯t surprise me that Peter could control the wind. I could too, the same way I could control lava. The control was just a thousand times weaker than my control of plants. Without a decade of practice, we couldn¡¯t hope to reach Wisteria¡¯s level of control.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I used identify on the fruit. The one in my lap was pure red with a bit of a luster, like a perfect apple. They weren¡¯t poisoned or altered in any way. I bit into mine, and a surge of Qi coursed through my body. The surge tried to clean my Qi but found that it was already perfect. The same thing happened to the others who sank their teeth into the fruit. The fruit¡¯s medicinal effects were wasted on us. It was still sweet, though. We chattered while we ate. Everybody was friendly except Allison, but that was because she was too shy to join in. Peter was the one who changed most after coming here. He had a seemingly endless treasury of hilarious stories of stuff he encountered in this world. He let us laugh together, making us feel like a group of old friends. In our original world, we were just classmates. In this world, we were the only ones that could truly understand each other. We laughed extra hard at any joke that referenced our homeland. But this couldn¡¯t last forever. Eventually, we had to talk about what we came here to talk about. I didn¡¯t lose myself in the laughter. I tried to make myself as likable as possible, so they would take my side when we started talking about Jing. But despite my best efforts, it was obvious that Peter was the most likable of all of us. ¡°Would you guys like to elect a leader?¡± Allison interjected. The smiles melted off our faces. The happy part was over, we knew this would mark when we started talking seriously. ¡°Rather not,¡± said Brian. ¡°No way,¡± said Reagan. ¡°No,¡± said Wisteria. I made the connection instantly. Brian, Reagan, and Wisteria. The Conqueror, The Emperor, and The Sky Empress. None of the rulers wanted to be ruled. ¡°Um,¡± said Allison, taken aback by their instant refusals, ¡°How about we form a team? Like a team of superheroes. We can save people, kill villains, and get rid of corruption. That kind of thing. I mean, we¡¯re powerful enough to do that now, right?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯d do it, but there are other projects I¡¯m working on right now. I don¡¯t think the others would like to join a superhero team either. We¡¯d do it if we felt like it, but being part of a team is too restrictive. We¡¯re powerful enough to solve small scale problems on our own anyway.¡± A team of superheroes also sounded lame, but I didn¡¯t say that. Brian and the rest nodded in agreement. ¡°Oh¡­Um,¡± Allison looked to Sophia, ¡°Can you take over, please?¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t cooperate, at least we can shoot for peace,¡± Sophia said, raising her hand. ¡°How many of you want peace? Please raise your hand¡± Allison¡¯s hand shot up. My hand went up too. Peter did his soothing smile and raised his. Reagan thought for a while before finally putting his hand up. I elbowed Brian, hard. ¡°Raise your hand.¡± He did as he was told. Sophia smiled at Wisteria, ¡°is there any reason you don¡¯t want peace?¡± Sophia spoke calmly, but I could tell she was holding back her nervousness. Wisteria waited a second before raising her hand. ¡°It depends on what you mean by peace. I won¡¯t fight as long as nobody tries to interfere with my people or my cities. I¡¯ll stop my people if they try to wage war, but don¡¯t blame me if humans get eaten from time to time. I¡¯m not going to eat humans, but other dragons say we¡¯re tasty.¡± ¡®My people¡¯? ¡®My cities¡¯? What was she talking about? She was a high school schoolgirl. I couldn¡¯t believe how much she¡¯d changed the way she thought. ¡°I¡¯m happy we¡¯re saying that we want to keep peace, but it¡¯ll be difficult,¡± Sophia paused for dramatic effect, ¡°To put it plainly, we pretty much can¡¯t die unless we try to kill each other. We¡¯ll soon be too powerful to be killed by people from this world, and we¡¯re immortal. There¡¯s one exception though, and it¡¯s one of Vincent¡¯s creations. I had a vision telling me that Vincent created a dryad who¡¯ll become a world-ending threat one day. If we survive until that day, most of us will find it difficult to survive.¡± They all turned to look at me. I suppressed my nervousness. It had started. Some part of me had hoped Mark had lied to me about this prophecy, but I didn¡¯t really believe that. ¡°Please tell me more,¡± I said, acting dumb. ¡°All I know is that her name¡¯s Jing and that she¡¯s a threat none of our future selves will be able to stop. I can¡¯t tell you more because I don¡¯t know anymore. My premonitions don¡¯t come in neat poems. They come in hallucinogenic hazes,¡± she said. ¡°Can the future be changed?¡± Wisteria asked. ¡°That¡¯s how my visions have worked so far.¡± ¡°Cool. Let¡¯s kill her and be done with it,¡± said Wisteria. My chest went cold, and the goodwill we had built up vanished. I looked her dead in the eyes, ¡°That will not be happening.¡± ¡°It¡¯s common sense. You know, I¡¯m not messing around. I¡¯m not going to let something that could lead to my death grow. I have a kingdom to rule.¡± I had spent the past five days preparing for this moment. ¡°We can¡¯t kill her,¡± I said. ¡°Using the death penalty on something somebody might do is overkill. Now that I know what she might do. I can change it without outright murdering her. I¡¯ll change the way I¡¯m raising her so she doesn¡¯t do anything like that.¡± Brian nodded, ¡°We¡¯ve met the girl. She¡¯s not the type to do bad things. Plus, she¡¯s Vincent¡¯s servant. Vincent¡¯s ¡®The Cultivator¡¯. He wants to build, raise, and improve. His servants wouldn¡¯t want to bring a disaster. It goes against her lord¡¯s wishes.¡± ¡°My servants won¡¯t do anything that make me unhappy,¡± I said. ¡°Loyalty is an unbreakable part of her character, even if the rest of her personality changes.¡± Reagan nodded. ¡°Yep. This is stupid. Let¡¯s just kill her. It¡¯s just one person, Vincent, and you¡¯ve known her for, what, five months max? Just let her go.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you kill Jing,¡± I said. ¡°I said,¡± Wisteria¡¯s forehead creased from her frown, ¡°I¡¯m not risking it. I kind of like all of you. Please don¡¯t force me to violence.¡± ¡°Wisteria, stop that. We aren¡¯t here to fight,¡± said Peter. Even his voice was soothing. ¡°There¡¯s no point in killing Jing. Maybe it¡¯s a self fulfilling prophecy kind of deal. It¡¯s possible the reason she¡¯s a threat is that we¡¯ll go after her. I also find it hard to believe a creation of Vincent¡¯s can become more powerful than all of us,¡± he looked at Sophia, ¡°Even if the prophecy is true, there are parts that don¡¯t make sense. Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°I have no reason to lie,¡± she said. ¡°I can prove I have this ability. Vincent. Can you create two six-sided die and throw them?¡± I took some time designing the first one, and copied it to make the second. Just before I threw them, Sophia said, ¡°Ten.¡± They hit the hardened lava floor, clicked against each other, and rolled into a six and a four. I looked up. A drip of blood trickled from Sophia¡¯s nose and she caught it with a handkerchief. Her eyes were bloodshot. ¡°I understand why you¡¯d doubt me, but I have no reason to lie. Jing is by far the greatest threat this world will ever face. And I¡¯ll do what I can to stop it in the next five years.¡± Peter sighed and readjusted his robes. Allison grimaced and looked down at the lava Sophia had cooled for her. The stone was smooth in some spots and rough in others. She picked at a rough spot. The tip of her fingernail rubbed off, leaving a white line in the rock. ¡°I had a vision telling me I would die sometime within the next five years.¡± Sophia swallowed, ¡°It didn¡¯t tell me how, so I don¡¯t know how to stop it.¡± Wisteria stared at me, and her eyes hardened. I put my hands in the air. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do anything to her.¡± She stood and walked to Sophia, taking her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll give you sanctuary anytime you want. I¡¯ll have control of Fifth Vermillion Wyvern in less than six months. It¡¯s one of the nearby dragon cities, and there¡¯s nowhere more secure than the dragon cities. Nobody will be able to hurt you there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you shelter too, although you might not trust me,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s not obvious from my title, but my ability is very good at detecting intruders and defending against them.¡± Sophia put her hand on top of the one Wisteria was using to comfort her. ¡°I believe in all of you. About a month ago, I asked my ability about whether all your motivations were good or bad. I spent a week in bed because of the backlash, but it was worth it. None of us have bad intentions. Vincent¡ª you, Reagan, Allison, Wisteria, and I all have good intentions, while the rest, Peter and Brian, have neutral intentions.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t stop people from trying to kill you,¡± Wisteria said. ¡°He could try to kill you because he thinks it¡¯s for the better.¡± ¡°I know, which is why I can¡¯t request protection from any of you. Even you, Wisteria. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Wisteria pat her gently, ¡°That¡¯s ok.¡± Allison looked at me, ¡°By the way. What happened to Mark?¡± I tried to hide my gulp by tucking my chin in and taking a look at the ground. They probably heard it anyway. ¡°I put him in an underground prison.¡± I would¡¯ve lied, but I couldn¡¯t. Sophia¡¯s ability didn¡¯t let me. They all turned to me again. ¡°Why?¡± Reagan asked. ¡°He¡­ tried to kill Jing. His ability let him know Sophia¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°Let him out,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s one of us.¡± Shit. Reagan and Mark always worked on labs together. Were they friends? ¡°I can¡¯t-¡± I started. ¡°I¡¯ll fight you if you don¡¯t. You¡¯ve gone too far, Vincent. I¡¯m fine with you not killing your creation, but I won¡¯t let you lock up a classmate. Trying to kill the girl may be an enormous crime to you, but it sounds reasonable to me. Let him go.¡± Letting Mark out was pushing the boundaries of what I was willing to do. ¡®The Watchman¡¯ was an ability that was alright on its own, but paired with the others? If it came down to a war, the side with ¡®The Watchman¡¯ couldn¡¯t lose. But Reagan wasn¡¯t giving me a choice. I had guessed something like this would happen. There was no point in arguing to keep Mark imprisoned. There was no way they would let me, and it would only make me look worse. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let him go,¡± I conceded, ¡°if you guys agree not to come after Jing. Let me raise her. I won¡¯t let her do anything evil.¡± ¡°That sounds good to me. What do you think?¡± Peter asked Reagan. He hesitated but nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like to see this creation later, to see what she¡¯s like. But as a whole, that sounds fine. Let me welcome Mark when you let him out, ok?¡± I nodded, ¡°And the rest of you?¡± Wisteria clamped her lips together. Peter had put her and Reagan into an awkward position. Everybody here liked Peter a lot, but he was on my side when it came to Jing. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine. Hey Vincent, I want to make it clear that I don¡¯t want to fight you, so please don¡¯t make me. I get that that girl is important to you, so I¡¯ll trust you to raise that girl differently. I¡¯d like to see her at some point too, though.¡± The others said their agreements. ¡°That¡¯s it, right?¡± Brian asked. ¡°Is there anything else we need to discuss?¡± Nobody responded, so Wisteria smiled and said, ¡°I guess not. Can everybody leave their contact information so we can find each other later?¡± I created seven wooden boards, asked for locations, and carved them into the boards. ¡°It was nice meeting all of you,¡± I said as I handed the boards out. Wisteria grinned, ¡°Yeah,¡± she sprouted wings and flew away. I watched her fly away, thinking about our discussion. The snake around me neck lept off my neck, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± it said, before turning into a dragon and flying after Wisteria. She turned back, holding her hand out. ¡°You wanted to join me?¡± she asked. The dragon turned back into a snake and wrapped around her forearm. ¡°I thought so. You don¡¯t mind, do you, Vincent?¡± I smiled, ¡°Of course not! Take him!¡± My face scrunched immediately after she turned around. I glared at her receding figure, not knowing who I should be mad at, the snake or Wisteria. I tapped Brian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Vincent!¡± Reagan called at me, ¡°When will you release Mark? Make it soon.¡± ¡°Meet me tomorrow at noon in the Blue Fire Sect¡¯s central plaza. I¡¯ll release Mark then.¡± Allison called before we stepped off the black chunk of rock floating in the lava. ¡°Do you think Mark was watching our conversation?¡± I shook my head, ¡°Definitely not. He¡¯s turned in a different direction.¡± Brian and I walked across the lake and left the mountain. - Allison - Copy 5015 of 24498 The only people left under the Oak were Sophia, Reagan, and I. The majority of the people here for the fruit had fled, but a few natives had stayed to watch. Reagan put the wooden board Vincent gave him into his backpack. Two sheets of paper and a brush appeared before him. He grabbed the brush. It glided across the two sheets, leaving a word on each. He held one of the papers up in the air and let the other fall to the ground. LEAVE The word glowed and swelled, coming off the page. It broke into dozens of rays of light, flying across the lake and hitting the few brave natives that had stayed to watch. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sophia yelled, summoning her Qi. ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± I said, ¡°I told him to do this.¡± Sophia calmed but remained on her toes. The natives stood and jumped away, leaving us alone. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sophia asked warily. She blinked, and another drop of blood came out of her nostril. Her eyes widened, ¡°No! Why would you-¡± In one quick motion, Reagan snatched the second paper off the ground and slapped it on Sophia¡¯s stomach. He relaxed and pat himself off. He looked at Allison, ¡°Within five years, huh? What a shitty prophecy. Her ability was completely useless.¡± ¡°It was going to grow into something much worse,¡± I responded, looking down with my fists clenched. I didn¡¯t want to do this. I punched the solidified lava, cutting the skin of my knuckles. The only ones left on the volcano¡¯s peak were Reagan, and myself.
Vincent, ¡°The Cultivator¡±
Lv9 Ability Summary : Can control and construct plants. Also has a deep understanding of them, allowing him to create powerful medicine. Can raise a limited number of servant dryads. The dryads are loyal and do what they think is best for the title holder.
Brian, ¡°The Conqueror¡±
Lv8 Ability Summary : Title holder can create and command soldiers made from his body(usually replaceable body parts, such as blood or hair). Soldiers follow commands with little exception.
Allison, ¡°The Many¡±
Lv5 Ability Summary : Title holder can create clones of any human appearance that also have this title and ability. However, each clone is extremely weak and has little access to Qi. Increase in level increases the amount of Qi each clone has access to. Dead clones vanish. Each clone can also vanish permanently at will(aka commit suicide). Each title holder may only create a certain number of clones. This number increases by one every ten seconds. This ability can go exponential very easily.
Wisteria, ¡°The Sky Empress¡±
Lv8 Ability Summary : Title holder gains perfect affinity with wind magic and can create uncontestable wind domains. Flying creatures and beasts also feel a large amount of natural charisma from the title holder, but this charisma is not absolute. Prior loyalties can easily override it. The Sky Empress begins to unlock physics-breaking magic after lv10.
Peter, ¡°The Trickster¡±
Lv7 Ability Summary : Title holder gains mind control abilities, mind reading, and some amount of memory manipulation. This ability is significantly less effective when used against other title holders.
Sophia, ¡°The Oracle¡±
Lv2(No longer of this world) Ability Summary : Ability user occasionally receives visions of the future naturally. Otherwise, the title holder must pay a price to have specific questions answered through a vision. The future can be changed. Visions are not literal and must be interpreted. However, they are extremely easy to interpret correctly.
Reagan, ¡°The Emperor¡±
Lv8 Ability Summary : Title holder can unlock a series of words. Each word has a different effect when written on a sheet of paper and activated. This effect is also diminished when affecting other title holders.
Mark, ¡°The Watchman¡±
Lv9 Ability Summary : Title holder can see through objects and zoom in or out to see them more clearly. All intelligent social creatures feel a small amount of natural charisma from the title holder.
Interlude #2 : Allison Allison - Copy 5015 of 24498 The Peak of the Grand Flame City¡¯s Central Volcano The place I was teleported to was hell. I was dropped in a gargantuan maze of monsters, where Spiders the size of trucks weren¡¯t uncommon. I should¡¯ve died a thousand times over. But my ability made me more unkillable than a field of cockroaches. A monster would try to kill me, and I¡¯d just make ten copies and let them run away. The first body would die, but the other versions of me would survive. Sophia told me that my ability was the most powerful. She was right, but only if she looked at my ability as a whole. As a whole, my ability was extraordinary. But for the individual versions of me, this world was a nightmare. The first Allison died, killed by an ant. The second Allison died, slaughtered by a horde of small dog-like creatures. The third Allison died, crushed to death by a fifty story fall. I stopped keeping track after that. Millions of me died in that maze, and some of me was still stuck in there. I was created when I was attacked by a trapdoor spider. I was just wandering the forest when the ground beside me opened, revealing the pus-yellow carapace of a gigantic spider. My torso was already gone by the time I had the time to copy myself. Being copied felt like teleporting. One second, I was split in half and about to die. The next second, I was half a meter from my previous self with my body fully intact. I glanced back as I ran from the spider, and saw myself looking back with a familiar look on my face. It was the face that could smile at death. I knew why she smiled. She was thinking, ¡°I survived.¡± My title, ¡®The Many¡¯, opened my eyes to the most profound truth of the world. Life and death of individuals¡ªthey are of little importance. It didn¡¯t matter how many of me died. I would live on as long as a single copy of me survived. Often, I would make another me to do a task. Once the job was completed, the copy committed suicide. Their lives were nothing. Individuals were just disposable tools carrying out their roles. I was the same. I was a disposable tool, carrying out the role of ambassador for the collective of Allisons. My ability made me realize that the same applied to the rest of humanity. The lives of the individual members of humanity didn¡¯t matter either. If half of humanity died right this second, their population could rebound in less than twenty years. I didn¡¯t feel bad about killing anybody, and after seeing so much death, my fear of killing vanished as well. My ultimate fear was dying a true death. Dying a true death meant having every one of my copies killed. This was nearly impossible, but Sophia could do it. Her ability would eventually reach a point where she could make predictions with barely any backlash. With her ability, she could find each and every one of my copies and hunt them down. I had to get rid of her before she could divine my ruthlessness and turn against me. Now she was dead, and I was immortal. I looked at Reagan. ¡°You know what you have to do tomorrow-¡± Seeing something from the corner of my eye, I jumped to my feet. Reagan stepped back twice, slapped a sheet of paper on himself, and balled his fists. An aura greater than Dao Journey exploded from him. His aura wasn¡¯t directed at me, but I still felt as if I were backed into a corner by a ravenous hydra. If I were the same as when I first arrived in this world, I would¡¯ve urinated and collapsed. But to the me of today, being backed into a corner by a hydra was nothing. Not compared to what I¡¯d seen. ¡°What¡¯s this?!¡± he yelled at me. A small cloud of mist was gathering at the spot Sophia vanished. The mist gathered and solidified into the shape of Sophia, complete with her hoodie and jeans. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± I yelled back. What was this mist? Did Sophia not die? This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen! Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Reagan pointed at the mist and a ball of light formed at his fingertip. It turned into a ray, like a sort of laser, and shot at the vapor. The ray pierced the vapor but did nothing. The ray continued until it hit the lake¡¯s shore, exploding with a force that could slaughter any sect elder in the city. She spread her arms, and the wall of mist swallowed us. Gray mist billowed around us, above us, and below us. Reagan tried to use his Qi to explore the mist. ¡°We¡¯re trapped. Or sealed. Damnit, if I knew this would happen¡­¡± he glared at me. I balled my fists. I had to calm down. Sophia rocked on her feet and took a half step forward. ¡°Watch,¡± she whispered. My eyes, trained on Sophia, widened. She was a mountain. And I¡¯m small, oh so small. Sophia¡­ how much bigger than me is she? She was a continent. How can something be so big? She was the earth. She was the sun¡­the universe¡­ She was size. She was an ant. She was a mother¡¯s embrace. She wasn¡¯t any specific size, ant, or instance of a mother¡¯s embrace. She was every size at the same time, every ant at the same time, and every mother¡¯s embrace at the same time. She was the idea of size, ants, and a mother¡¯s love. Then, for a split second, she was everything. I blinked. She was the same as before, a regular girl standing in the mist. Everything else was the same as before too. The only difference was my now soaked underwear. ¡°Wh-wha?¡± Reagan stuttered. I looked down and saw urine dripping from under his robes. He had seen it too. He must¡¯ve. ¡°What¡¯s happening?- What happened?¡± I cried, stumbling back. ¡°Is that your question?¡± Sophia murmured in monotone. ¡°Yes!¡± I blinked, and the surrounding mist vanished, replaced by a sea of bubbling lava. This wasn¡¯t the peak of the volcano, this was somewhere else. I looked for something other than the lava, but I only found Reagan standing next to me. The lava stretched on endlessly to either side of me. Did Sophia get abilities she didn¡¯t tell me about? Whatever she had done, we were completely powerless to stop her. ¡°Then I will answer your question.¡± The corners of her lips pulled up, and two dimples appeared in the side of her cheeks. I shivered. She had been my friend for almost all of high school, so I was familiar with her smiles. But this one. This one was alien to me. Her smile was one of a wise old man who had seen all that there was to see. No high schooler could have a smile like this. And so she looked at me with that smile. Less than a second later, Sophia transformed¡­ into Sophia. She transformed into the idea of Sophia. Every one of her personalities, every one of her flaws, what she loved, what she despised, what she wanted to be. All that put itself before me. I swallowed and stepped closer to her, entranced by the sight. Sophia Jane Books, my pillar of support. Sophia Jane Books, my personal bully. Sophia Jane Books, my only friend. The first day of high school, and I sat alone during lunch. High school was supposed to be a new start, but my crippling shyness didn¡¯t let that happen. Two weeks in, Sophia Books decided to sit next to me. I thought we were the same, but I couldn¡¯t be more wrong. Sophia was outgoing and sociable. And mean. Very mean. She reached into my lunchbox and pinched my food with her bare fingers. Apparently, my fish was hers. I noticed that sunday she went to the same church I did. ¡°Do not steal,¡± the priest would say. It didn¡¯t stop her. She tortured me every day, but for no audience. One day, I left a math test out while I was doing corrections. ¡°48%¡± She laughed at me but started helping me with my corrections. Then she introduced me to her other friends. I didn¡¯t end up getting close to them. During finals week, when she needed to study for her own tests, she sacrificed her time to help me. She gave me free money when I needed it, which was often. She kept stealing my things and making fun of me, but that didn¡¯t matter. Eventually, I found that I wasn¡¯t shy around her anymore. We became close, and I couldn¡¯t be more grateful for her. Then God willed us to be teleported here. And all of that ended. Sophia continued to look at me with that smile, and a shiver ran through my body, making me feel emotions I haven¡¯t felt since I walked out of that maze. Now I realized it. Killing Sophia wasn¡¯t worth it. She wasn¡¯t like the others. She was unique, somebody that couldn¡¯t be replaced. How could I forget why she was my friend? How could I forget why I loved her as much as I did? Did I think that this could just be copied? ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± There was still time for forgiveness, right? The ends of Sophia¡¯s hair dissolved first, turning into particles of mist. The mist sparkled like a handful of glitter thrown to the sky. The sparkle spread and consumed the rest of her hair. It moved on to her head, and once her head transformed into mist, it went to her body. I froze. What was happening? The mist regrouped two meters above the lava. The same way it turned into the idea of Sophia, it turned into the idea of ¡®The Oracle¡¯. Then we understood. Minutes ago, I had asked a question, ¡°What happened?¡± Sophia had described her visions as ¡°hallucinogenic hazes,¡± and we were in one right now. All of this¡ªthe lava, the mist, Sophia¡ªall of it was an illusion shown to answer my question. Sophia was gone, but her title had stayed. Title holders can die, but the titles themselves are eternal. From this day onward, ¡®The Oracle¡¯ would wander the world, answering questions posed by heroes and peasants alike. The mist and the illusions vanished, leaving us in the middle of a lake of molten rock. A gigantic infernal oak hung over us. We were back on the volcano. Chapter 90 We headed home after the meeting. We discussed everything that had happened, including speculation on the power level of each ability. We came to the conclusion that every ability was best at different things. Comparing them was like comparing apples and oranges. But right now, Wisteria¡¯s ability was the most dangerous to us. Afterward, I went to my shop and continued teaching the two employees Brian made for me. As always, I stayed up overnight. When the sun began to come up, I sent Hui Ming to fetch the students. ¡°What the?¡± a student, the first to come in, whispered as he entered my shop. I had transformed the place from a warehouse to a proper shop, so his reaction was understandable. ¡°How may I help you?¡± a gigantic man of an employee greeted him. ¡°That¡¯s one of my students,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave him to you, then,¡± he responded. I turned to the student. ¡°What do you think?¡± I gestured at the store. Black flowers grew everywhere, from underneath boulders to between cracks in the stone walls. Lights dangled from tree branches, hanging over every part of the store. A layer of grass covered the floor. ¡°As expected of Grandmaster Jin,¡± he bowed, ¡°to be able to create this kind of miracle in under a week. This will soon be known as the best alchemy shop in the city.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that,¡± I half-smiled. It was still early morning, so I still had some time before I had to release Mark. I waited for more students to come in. Thirty minutes later, Hui Ming came in with the last of them. They stood in two orderly lines in a small open space in front of the entrance, the only place not cluttered with shelves and displays. I sat on a tree branch above them, my hands gripping the smooth bark. ¡°Again, thanks for coming.¡± I paused to take a breath, but they stole that pause to chant, ¡°Thank you, Grandmaster Jin.¡± I nodded. ¡°A few of you are missing, where are they?¡± Besides the one I knew was dead, three of the students didn¡¯t come. Chen Wei acted as their spokesperson. ¡°Grandmaster may not have heard, but many of the wealthy are evacuating.¡± ¡°What for? The Family''s already taken out the school¡¯s attackers.¡± ¡°A group of incredibly powerful creatures appeared yester-¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Ah. ¡°Anyways,¡± I continued, ¡°circumstances have hit, and I won''t manage this shop for much longer. I wish I could stay and help this school in person. I¡¯ll leave a few things behind though.¡± ¡°Those two,¡± I pointed to the servants Brian made for me, ¡°will do all they can to support you guys. They¡¯re both fifth stage experts at your bidding. They¡¯ll also be running this shop and handing out the pills. Xing Chen Wei will lead this. Please treat her orders with respect.¡± Chen Wei bowed, ¡°I¡¯m honored to take this position.¡± I gripped the bridge of my nose and tossed her a ring of keys. ¡°I have high hopes for all of you. I¡¯ll be back, although I can¡¯t say when. Hui Ming, we¡¯re leaving.¡± She followed me out. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Hui Ming asked. ¡°...what do you mean?¡± I asked back. ¡°Master loves that shop and the students there. Master wouldn¡¯t leave them on their own unless master needed to leave the city,¡± she said. I breathed out slowly. She knew me too well. ¡°The White Dragon Forest. There are people like Mark, who you know as Dao, who might come after Jing sometime in the future. It¡¯s a strong might. They probably won¡¯t come after her, but I¡¯m not risking anything,¡± I said. ¡°We met with five other otherworlders, but there are still many others that might attack us, so we¡¯re moving to the forest because that¡¯s where we¡¯ll be the most powerful. Don¡¯t talk about this to anyone.¡± ¡°Jing is worried about being a burden on you,¡± Hui Ming stated. ¡°You could be doing too much for her.¡± I frowned, ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°It goes against her nature to be a weight on your shoulders. She thinks she¡¯s supposed to help you, not the other way around. This isn¡¯t good for her,¡± Hui Ming said. ¡°Worried about her?¡± I asked. She nodded. ¡°Thanks for telling me this. I¡¯ll talk to her about this later. Now we¡¯re picking up the pace, we¡¯re going to the Blue Fire Sect.¡± I leaned forward and sprinted, Hui Ming following behind me. We found Reagan sitting on a blue tiled roof next to the sect¡¯s central plaza. He emitted a ridiculously strong aura, many times more powerful than mine. It wasn¡¯t Dao Journey level anymore, he had reached a stage even higher. Hui Ming took two shaky breaths before calming down and getting used to it. Reagan jumped down from the roof. ¡°Hey Vincent. Is that Jing?¡± ¡°No. This girl is a native. She swore loyalty to me a few months ago.¡± He chuckled without humor. ¡°You¡¯ve been up to some weird stuff. So where¡¯s Mark?¡± ¡°Just to confirm, you¡¯ll stop him if he goes after Jing,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. The circular plaza was made of a dozen rings of blue tiles, each ring lying within another. I looked over at a wounded portion of cracked tiles, broken from the last time I came here. The wound broke open again as a gigantic vine burst through. The tip of the vine was wrapped around Mark. I lowered him in front of us, and he looked at us with fearful eyes. I used to think Mark had the confidence and aura of a leader, but that vanished in front of Reagan. ¡°I¡¯m releasing you,¡± I said, ¡°On the condition you don¡¯t try to go after Jing again.¡± He frowned, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sophia and a total of six other classmates are in agreement about this. We won¡¯t go after Jing because there are better ways to prevent the prophecy from coming true. If you try to come after her again,¡± I let my hatred explode in my aura, ¡°each of us will come together to stop you.¡± My mouth said we¡¯d ¡®stop¡¯ him, but my aura said ¡®kill¡¯. ¡°I understand,¡± he said, the fear in his eyes replaced by joy and a gigantic smile. The vine let go of him and went back underground. He looked the same as he did when Jing first captured him. He smelled fine, the only difference on him was wrinkled clothes. Reagan smiled and embraced him. ¡°Good to have you back, ¡®brother¡¯,¡± he said, making fun of this world¡¯s titling conventions. He looked at me, ¡°Thanks, see you in a while.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± I watched them until they left. Afterward, I turned around, ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± I said to Hui Ming. I didn¡¯t show it, but I was nervous. The Watchman was powerful enough on his own, but what if he paired with a combat-oriented ability? I couldn¡¯t know at the time, but I was worrying for nothing. Mark would be dead before I could see him again. Chapter 91 It was the middle of the night. I opened a trapdoor and jumped into the garden-basement underneath my mansion. Jing was in a corner, tickling and playing with a chicken. All of Jing¡¯s pets had found their way into my private garden somehow. Well, I knew how. It was definitely Jing¡¯s fault. ¡°Papa!¡± I smiled. Jing has too much energy for me, although that wasn¡¯t a bad thing. ¡°Hey. Leave me alone for now. I have some pills I need to make.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± her grin dropped a bit, and she turned back to playing with the chicken. As always, this place had the crisp forest smell I liked. I went over to my bulky iron cauldron and doused it with flames. I used to need fire breathing plants to refine pills. I had Qi now, so I could make my own flames. My flames were beginning to reach levels my cauldron couldn¡¯t handle. Tiny cracks had started to form on its sides. Hey again, I controlled the surface of Jing¡¯s skin to say. There¡¯s a tiny chance Mark might be watching, so I¡¯m talking like this. So this is important? Yup. We¡¯re sneaking out of the city soon. My classmates might attack us here. They are powerful, and I¡¯m not confident my current fortress can withstand a multi-day long ranged assault. We¡¯re going to the White Dragon Forest, where there are plenty of trees to control and lots of space for you to play. Thanks, father! Can we wait a few days though? I¡¯ll need to prepare The Family so it won¡¯t fall apart when I¡¯m gone. Sure. I¡¯d spent enough time around Jing to know she didn¡¯t sound right. Hui Ming was right. Jing didn¡¯t like the idea of moving because of her. I stopped warming my caldron and went over to Jing, brushing by some trees and bushes. I sat next to her, ¡°You¡¯re my daughter, right?¡± I said aloud. ¡°Yeah, obviously.¡± She wore a plain t-shirt and long pants. She looked like any other person from the old world. She looked at me with wide eyes, as if she wanted to say something else, but couldn¡¯t. ¡°What does a father do when his daughter is in danger?¡± I asked. She didn¡¯t answer, making it even clearer that something was wrong. I answered for her. ¡°He does everything in his power to protect her.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I put my hands under her arms and lifted her onto my lap. She was too big for this, ¡°Do you think a father would risk losing a beautiful, hard working, and smart daughter like you? What do you think would happen to said father if he lost his daughter?¡± I reached forward and cupped my hands around her long hair. I delicately tucked the strands behind her ears. When did I start thinking this way? I remember when I Jing first called me ¡®father¡¯. I was exasperated and reluctant. This was far better. She twisted around and hugged me as hard as she could, her chin digging into my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not that hard working,¡± she said. I suppressed a smile. If that was all the resistance she could muster, she would be fine. I invited Brian to the garden a while later. We sat on opposite sides of a picnic table. I put my elbows on the circular table. ¡°What are you so nervous about?¡± Brian asked me, ¡°Just say it.¡± ¡°Can you read my mind?¡± I muttered. ¡°Ok Brian. I need to tell you something.¡± ¡°I know, get on with it.¡± He sounded rude, but that was how he talked to friends. He could be polite, but for reasons I¡¯ve forgotten, he thought being polite was not intimate. He only used his politeness for strangers. ¡°I don¡¯t feel safe here,¡± I said. ¡°I saw our classmates, and their attitude towards us. They want to stay friends with us, but I know Wisteria, Reagan, and Mark want to kill Jing. They all have powerful abilities too. Peter¡¯s on our side, but come on, his title¡¯s ¡®The Lover¡¯. There¡¯s no way he can help us. I want to move to the White Dragon Forest, where it¡¯s safer. It¡¯s the place I dropped when I first came to this world, so I¡¯m familiar with it. It has countless powerful trees that can protect Jing.¡± ¡°YES!¡± he threw his hands up. I recoiled and pulled my head back. His sleeves fluttered with his wild motions. ¡°Woooooo! Fuck this place!¡± ¡°Huh? What are you so happy about?¡± I said. ¡°This place is so boring, and now you¡¯re giving me an entire forest to conquer. It¡¯s great!¡± he said. ¡°I thought you¡¯d never leave, since you had this school you were cultivating.¡± I slapped my palm against my forehead. I had worried for nothing. I thought he¡¯d hate moving from civilization to the middle of a random forest. ¡°I left some seeds in this school. I¡¯ll come back later to see how it¡¯s grown, but it¡¯ll be pointless if Jing dies.¡± I promised I¡¯d make the Endless Flame School the best school in this quarter of the world, and it was a promise I planned to keep. ¡°Alright, kiddos!¡± Jing called out, ¡°You heard granpa, we¡¯re going back home!¡± The chicken clucked in response. The other dozen or so animals made their own noises. A tiny cat in her lap roared louder than a real lion. Jing put a finger over the cat¡¯s mouth, ¡°I know you¡¯re excited, but remember your indoor voice.¡± ¡°Mew.¡± ¡°Good girl!¡± ¡°So where are your soldiers?¡± I asked Brain, ¡°I haven''t seen them for a couple days.¡± ¡°They¡¯re doing...stuff.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± I said, ¡°Stuff.¡± He pursed his lips. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want me taking over the school or interfering with the city, so I¡¯m not doing that. I¡¯m not doing anything related to conquering. You¡¯ll know if I succeed with what I¡¯m doing, and if I fail, you¡¯re better off not knowing.¡± I blew a stream of air from the corner of my mouth, ¡°... Alright, I won¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Thanks. When are we leaving?¡± ¡°In a couple days, because Jing needs to make sure The Family will still function when she¡¯s gone. Don¡¯t tell anybody about this, and don¡¯t talk about it. I want to minimize the risk of Mark knowing about this. Just make sure your soldiers are ready to leave at any time.¡± Chapter 92 Brian did as I asked, gathering his soldiers and preparing to leave. I practiced making wooden carriages, and he made six giant lizards to pull them. Jing went to prepare The Family, so she was away from home. We were waiting for her to finish up. I put my hands over my cauldron. A pill the size of the tip of my pinky lie at the bottom of the caldron, rotating under my flames. The sides of the pill turned black and flaked off, revealing the yellow underneath. I stopped my flames and reached into the cauldron. I pinched and lifted the pill. The surface was bright yellow with a light sheen. ¡°Good boy,¡± I muttered and tossed it into a bottle of nineteen identical pills. A murderous aura exploded above me. I shot off my seat, and my feet splayed out on the grassy floor of my basement-garden in a defensive position. This aura was almost as powerful as mine, and it was so filled with hatred it made me shiver. Hui Ming, who was making pills next to me, shot to her feet as well. ¡°He¡¯s dangerous,¡± she whispered. This was Brian¡¯s aura. My brow wrinkled, my mouth getting drier by the second. I jumped to the trap door leading out of the garden and found myself on the first floor, with the ceiling that was too tall. His aura came from one of the bedrooms on second floor. Running up the spiraling stairs and down the lamp-filled hallways, I pushed opened the door to the bedroom, nearly ripping the handle off the door. The smell of piss assaulted my nostrils. Brian sat at the edge of his bed, one knee in the air and the other fanned out to the side. His hands clasped together, relaxed. His most powerful soldiers stood scattered around the room in a roughly defined half-circle. They surrounded a girl prostrating on the floor. She rubbed her face into the carpet. Brian¡¯s title was ¡®The Conqueror¡¯, and now I knew why. Brian felt like a true conqueror. Powerful, ruthless, and charismatic. Even on my territory, I felt a hint of fear. Hui Ming was right. Brian was dangerous. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I demanded. ¡°Vincent,¡± Brian¡¯s head sagged, losing that frightening feeling, ¡°Please, stay out of this.¡± I reexamined the situation. This was too bizarre. The person on the ground looked familiar. ¡°You. Stand up,¡± I said. She did, facing me and quivering. She saw my face and her mouth opened a little. The muscles in her lower lip shook, and her eyes widened. She bowed hurriedly. ¡°Grandmaster, please save me.¡± She was one of my students. One of the better ones, too. She was a triangle ranked student with a history of helping fellow students. She was tall, about as tall as Jing and I, but now she looked small and insignificant, a leaf caught in two colliding hurricanes. ¡°Stay out of this,¡± Brian said softly. His aura warped with maliciousness. Not a drop of that maliciousness was pointed at me. All of it went toward that girl. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Get back on the ground,¡± I told her. I walked past the rows of soldiers and sat on the bed, next to Brian. My weight pressed on the bedsheets and they bent around me. ¡°Explain,¡± I said. He grinned bitterly, ¡°You asked me how I lost my eyes. I didn¡¯t respond.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she¡­¡± He gripped the sheets. ¡°You lived an easy life when you got to this world. You got your title and ability seconds after arriving, but I did not.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°I will. I was dropped here in this school with nothing but myself and random stuff I¡¯d shoved in my pockets, which happened to be a pencil, five bucks, and a small bag of weed. In other words, I had nothing.¡± The dominant law of this world was ¡®the weak are the meat, and the strong do eat¡¯. There were some written and unwritten laws to stop the strong from doing whatever they wanted, but those laws were weak. Most were more like social expectations than laws. ¡°I would¡¯ve been fine I were dropped in the rest of the city, but I was dropped in this school, where the weakest student is a superhuman. You can imagine what happened to me. I spent two weeks, scampering around and hiding. I couldn¡¯t steal anything to eat. Even the shopkeepers could kill me with a finger.¡± ¡°This girl found me on my fifteenth day here. I was hiding in some bushes. She tore off my clothing and rummaged through it. Of course, she also found my bag of weed. She tore my eyes out next. I thought I was going to die. For whatever reason, that triggered something and I got my title.¡± He pointed at the muscular man standing across the room. The man stared at the girl on the ground. ¡°The eyes she tore out turned into Geodude, and he was enough to scare her away.¡± ¡°Grandmaster!¡± the girl exclaimed, ¡°I thought I was doing the right thing!¡± This situation was turning increasingly sour. Brian¡¯s mistake was the bag of weed he kept in his pocket. This world had its own set of ¡®common sense¡¯ rules, and one was that marijuana was an exclusively upper-class drug. While the city didn¡¯t have formally written rules, this rule had more power than most laws in my old world. The enforcers of this rule were the upper class, and the most common penalty was death. The lower class could still get the drug, but it was all secret and in the black markets. This was why Jing could make an underground business out of it. By this world¡¯s standards, tearing out Brian¡¯s eyes was being nice, and we all knew this. Normally, she would¡¯ve killed him on the spot. ¡°Brian,¡± I said. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t care. She will die. She should be thankful I¡¯m not torturing her.¡± Brian was slouched over, as if he had suddenly become very tired. Brian loved talking about ethical philosophy. I forgot most of it, but the main points were bound to stick. I knew more about his beliefs better than his mother. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like the death penalty? I thought you held people to a reasonability standard? What she did was reasonable by this world¡¯s standards. I don¡¯t know her too well, but I know her well enough to say she is a good person. What about the forgiveness you preach?¡± ¡°Vincent. That was before somebody clawed my eyes out of their sockets. That was before she made me feel like a helpless nobody. You have to understand. I already thought I was going to be a weak piece of garbage for the rest of my life, and then she took away my sight. You know how this world is. At that point, suicide was a better option than living. I know I¡¯m being a puppet of my emotions, but I always have been, and I always will be. Fuck forgiveness. I¡¯ll never forgive her.¡± ¡°Vincent,¡± he repeated my name. He groped for my arm and gripped it. I winced. ¡°This is just another blip in your life, but this is the climax of mine. I¡¯ve been looking for my revenge for months. Please, just turn the other way. Let me do this.¡± I trembled, and my muscles felt weak. I could pinch diamonds to dust, but right now, I could hardly raise my arms. Brian felt my trembling and tightened his grip on me. My head throbbed. I had two choices. The first was to choose my loyalty to Brian and walk out of the room. The second was to choose the right thing to do, which was to stop him. I stiffened the arm Brian was holding, and his hand slipped off. I stood up, and I walked towards the door, refusing to look at the girl on the ground. ¡°Grandmaster!¡± she cried. ¡°Grandmaster!¡± ¡°Grandmaster!¡± Something gripped the helm of my robe, stopping me. I looked back and down at her hand, hanging onto my robe like drowning little girl hanging onto a life ring. My heart pounded and my breathing sped up. My head cleared, and I became sharply self-aware. A blade flashed from one of Brian¡¯s soldiers, slashing the arm gripping my robes into two. The hand, no longer attached to its body, lost its strength and let go. She screamed, and I exited the room. Chapter 93 Closing the door behind me, I entered a thin hallway with claustrophobic walls. I saw everything in sharp and defined lines. The walls were close enough to suffocate. Expensive lamps protruded into the cramped space. The lights were too white and too bright. The spiraling decorations were repetitive and without a hint of a creative spirit. No amount of money or decoration could mask their artificial nature. The girl behind me was dead. Hui Ming stood in front of me. She must¡¯ve followed me up. I struggled to meet her eyes, but when I did, I saw that she was looking at hands. My hands were trembling. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked. I opened my mouth, but I didn¡¯t answer. Her small warm hand wrapped around mine. A gentle tug, and we flitted through the hall and back down the stairs. She led me in front of the sofa and pushed me with the force of a feather. I tipped over and fell into the mass of pillows and other stuffed cloth. She poured me a cup of tea and placed it on the short table in front of the couch. ¡°Are you my caretaker now?¡± the last dredges of humor in me said sarcastically. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Oh, right. She¡¯s my maid. She sat next to me, and the side of her thigh rubbed against mine, ignoring personal space. I shrunk away at first but then eased into it. Her presence shrunk the space again, but not in a bad way. Instead of choking hands, she was a warm blanket. ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± she said. I told her. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she said after I finished. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Master, if you don¡¯t mind me saying¡­¡± She stopped. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. You can say whatever you want.¡± ¡°I know you come from a different world, and I don¡¯t how you treat people there, but what your friend did was normal. She shouldn¡¯t have offended somebody as powerful as your friend. He¡¯s powerful enough to be her judge, and she doesn¡¯t have any right to complain. It doesn¡¯t matter if she was innocent either.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she¡¯s innocent?¡± ¡°The strong ones, like people in this family, don¡¯t need to care about those type of things. As philosopher Fang Tai says, ¡®The stronger one becomes, the less any single feeble life matters.¡¯¡± I leaned onto Hui Ming, my cheek touching her hair, as I¡¯d seen Jing do dozens of times. The couch faced the enormous window that displayed the garden outside. My garden was perfect. Lively green leaves fluttering over stalwart branches, not a single wilted or sickly piece of foliage in sight. ¡°Brian told me something similar earlier.¡± ¡°Master, you already stand near the top of the world. You needn¡¯t worry about events this small. I-¡± she paused for a solid five seconds before talking again. I heard her heart speed up. ¡°I¡¯ve personally killed dozens of innocent people. Jing kills too, although she does it indirectly. When she expands The Family further, more innocents won¡¯t be able to avoid being caught up in the expansion. More will die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you,¡± I comforted her. I couldn¡¯t see Hui Ming or Jing as bad people, no matter how I looked at them. They would always be my little angels. ¡°This is all my opinion,¡± she said, putting her hand under mine. ¡°But I think this is something master will need to become accustomed to.¡± I spread her hand open and laced my fingers with hers. I squeezed her hand. Jing was right. Hui Ming was the best stress ball. ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ve helped me a lot today,¡± I said. Brian had killed that girl for no good reason, and that was wrong. Even he knew what he was doing was wrong. He was being led by his emotions, not morals or logic. Even after hearing Hui Ming, I couldn¡¯t agree with Brian¡¯s decision. But. I could turn a blind eye. And that¡¯s what I would do. Chapter 94 Jing came home later that day and told us that her preparations were finished. We could leave for the forest anytime, and Jing¡¯s organization would stay afloat. I didn¡¯t tell her what happened with Brian. I didn¡¯t want to. She would hear about it anyway. Hui Ming would tell her soon enough. We left for the White Dragon Forest in the middle of the night. Being so far from my plants made me jumpy. We would be safe once we got there, but until then, we were only protected by ourselves. Brian had three Dao Journey soldiers, and Jing was at the Dao Journey Stage as well. We weren¡¯t defenseless. We could plow through all the nearby villages with any of Brian¡¯s weaker soldiers, but I wasn¡¯t worried about villages. I was worried about a surprise attack from Wisteria. The horde she brought to the meeting could kill us, and I doubted that was her full army. In reality, even if she managed to find us, she probably wouldn¡¯t want to attack. We were classmates, after all. But even so¡­ The carriage carrying us hit a rock in the road and bounced. I tensed up. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Jing, who sat next to me, whispered. We were in the very front of the carriage, where the driver should¡¯ve sat with a whip. We didn¡¯t need a driver or a whip because the lizard pulling the cart was one of Brian¡¯s creations. It knew what to do. ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± I whispered back. It was still the middle of the night, and Jing¡¯s zoo was sleeping in the back of the carriage. We whispered because we didn¡¯t want to wake them up. A curtain covered the front end of the carriage, letting only a few slivers of light into the inside of the cart. ¡°That was a big bump,¡± I whispered again, ¡°Do you think any of the children woke up?¡± I turned back. I moved the curtain aside and looked into the carriage. A small tiger snored on top of a turtle. A chicken rested its head on top of the tiger¡¯s belly. A blue spider curled up next to the chick, all of them drenched in a green glowing slime. Ten or so of them slept in an uncomfortable pile. I couldn¡¯t imagine sleeping like that, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°They¡¯re still asleep,¡± I announced. ¡°Why are they here, anyway?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°They¡¯re orphans I found last time I visited the forest. I took them in to protect them until they get strong enough to live on their own. I thought they¡¯d be happy to visit home.¡± ¡°That reminds me¡­The snake you gave me, the one that called me grandpa, followed Wisteria away. He betrayed us.¡± I didn¡¯t want to tell her, but I had to. I knew how much she liked that snake. ¡°Oooh, goodie. I can¡¯t believe that worked,¡± she said. I stared at her, ¡°What?¡± ¡°I gave the snake to you when you went to the meeting because I was hoping to get a spy in Wisteria¡¯s ranks. You know those dragons flying over the city? They¡¯re your classmate¡¯s dragons that she got from the forest we¡¯re going to right now. Esha used to live in the forest, and she lived close with the dragons. She was there when Wisteria convinced the dragons to follow her. I started to plan against her after Esha told me about her.¡± Jing gave me her ¡®prideful lioness¡¯ smile, ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it worked though. I didn¡¯t actually tell the snake to be a spy, because then it¡¯ll look like we¡¯re plotting against Wisteria if he gets caught. But I knew he was smart, and he¡¯d figure out that joining them as a spy would help us. He figured out what I wanted him to do all on his own! What a little genius, don¡¯t you think?¡± I jabbed her belly playfully, ¡°You¡¯re way smarter. You¡¯re setting up these schemes under my nose, and you still call Brian ¡®schemey and evil¡¯? You hypocrite.¡± Jing jabbed me back, ¡°How dare you call me evil!¡± I added ticklishness when I made her, right? Hm, I don¡¯t remember. Only one way to find out. I reached over and tickled her sides through her shirt. She tried to hold back her giggles, but couldn¡¯t. ¡°Sto- heh heh- stoppit!¡± I grinned and withdrew my hands. ¡°But you are kinda schemey, aren¡¯t you? Your sister says the same thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not like Brian. My scheming is for the good. If one of my plans harms somebody, that only means I¡¯ll help a lot more people down the line. Your friend¡¯s different. He¡¯s more like a terrorist. He just blows up a bunch of stuff and then tries to take it over afterwards, ignoring all the collateral damage. It¡¯s like nuking a city and parachuting a flag over the ruins. It¡¯s pointless! And evil!¡± she exclaimed. She raised a fist to the air, as if trying to call a lightning bolt to smite Brian¡¯s bad practices. ¡°Good girl,¡± I pinched her leg. A small rustle. I turned back. A chicken had moved the curtain aside. A dozen pairs of eyes looked back at us from within the carriage. ¡°Oops. Were we too loud?¡± Jing and I spent the next thirty minutes putting them back to sleep. Chapter 95 ¡°Those children will grow up to be quite powerful, no?¡± I asked. ¡°Keep your voice down this time.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ that wasn¡¯t completely my fault,¡± she said. I stuck my fist to the sky. ¡°Brian¡¯s a terrorist, nuking a city and parachuting a flag over the ruins!¡± I whisper-yelled, imitating my daughter. ¡°Hmph. Uncle¡¯s the one who made me do it.¡± She stood and jumped onto the back of the lizard pulling our carriage. She stood on its constantly shaking back, somehow keeping balance. It must¡¯ve been some Qi bullshit. ¡°You¡¯ve been learning movement techniques behind my back,¡± I accused, grinning. ¡°Oh, I created this. This world¡¯s movement techniques are too restrictive and simple, so I made up this one.¡± She danced on the lizard¡¯s back as if it was a flat surface. She spun, and her hair flew out in a perfect circle. When she stopped, her hair rearranged into a bun. ¡°It¡¯s actually super simple. We have way better Qi control than people from this world. We also have a wider range of techniques we can use. Some of your classmates are bound to start figuring out new techniques soon.¡± ¡°You gonna teach me?¡± She lit up. ¡°Of course!¡± She was right. It was easy. She taught it to me in less than five minutes. It was just a more complex form of weight manipulation. Jing¡¯s technique manipulated weight in different parts of the body, changing my center of gravity. ¡°Is this the only one you¡¯ve come up with?¡± ¡°No, but the others aren¡¯t useful. I¡¯m trying to make more, but it¡¯s difficult. It took me over a half a day to create the one I just taught you.¡± When she said it took her half a day, she meant it took her twelve hours. She didn¡¯t need to sleep, so her days took the full twenty four hours. More than nine principles lie under the technique she created. She had to come up with each of the principles and combine them. It was easy to teach, but difficult to come up with.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I thought you said you were lazy¡­¡± I said. ¡°I am, but that was fun! I¡¯m trying to teach big sis, but she¡¯s struggling with it.¡± The lizard stomped through tall grass. This grass had been growing for ten years, becoming tall enough to reach up and brush against Jing. The grass was mostly green, but parts of it were drying and yellowing. The drying hay let out a grassy smell. I reached into my robes and took out a vial of pills. ¡°Guess what! I have a prize for you!¡± I popped the lid off the vial and tilted it on my palm. A tiny white ball dropped out, and I threw it at her. She caught it with her mouth. ¡°Ninth Stage Candy! I also gave one to Chen Wei, you know, that helper. She reacted weirdly, but I modified it, so it tastes even better now. I¡¯m confident it¡¯ll taste great!¡± ¡°Mmm. It¡¯s so sweet! How come Chen Wei got try it before me?¡± she didn¡¯t seem mad, just curious. ¡°First come, first serve. And she was going to help me improve the school, too. I made them for you though. My precious little daughter.¡± She beamed at my words. ¡°Which reminds me¡­ are we going to keep in contact with the world outside the forest?¡± ¡°Do you want to?¡± I asked. ¡°There¡¯s so much that needs to be done here. And I¡¯m sure you want to continue cultivating the seeds you planted in the city,¡± she replied, ¡°Plus, sis wants to be able to visit the city from time to time.¡± ¡°She told you that?¡± I said. ¡°Mhm,¡± she nodded. ¡°She didn¡¯t tell me¡­¡± I grumbled, ¡°I suppose she wouldn¡¯t. Why does she want to go back? Her original family?¡± ¡°Her original family,¡± she confirmed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to maintain contact with the outside world one way or another. My classmates are going to come by soon. You know, to see you.¡± About a week after we left, a tree would rise out of the ground where my mansion used to be. I wrote the following words on its truck: ¡°We¡¯re in the White Dragon Forest. It won¡¯t be difficult to find us since we¡¯ll have a large (hopefully positive) presence there.¡± I hope it doesn¡¯t run into zoning laws¡­ Ah well, The Family and Chen Wei would protect it if it did. ¡°Other than that,¡± I continued, ¡°you¡¯re right. I do want to keep growing the human world. I¡¯m human too, you know?¡± ¡°And I¡¯m a plant,¡± she said. A bright red flower grew from her finger. It¡¯s stem extended until the flower touched my nose. She smiled her playful weasel smile, and alarm bells went off in my head. ¡°Don¡¯t try any tricks,¡± I warned her. ¡°You¡¯ll wake them up again.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Chapter 96 The rest of the trip to the forest went smoothly. Wisteria¡¯s dragons didn¡¯t swoop down and gobble us up, and Reagan didn¡¯t come with Mark to kill us. The trip took three days. Hui Ming lifted the flap in front of the carriage, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, master. The carriage can¡¯t go further.¡± Jing¡¯s animals cheered in unison and lept out. I climbed out after them. I faced the White Dragon Forest and its impossibly gigantic trees. Trees as tall and thick as skyscrapers formed a wall of darkness. The forest¡¯s canopy shut out the most of the light, hiding its plant and animals in its shade. Rays shined through the canopy, painting thousands of stripes onto the sheet of black. According to the books, this forest was one of the world¡¯s unbreakable mysteries. Filled with both dangers and treasures, it was a place only the bravest could adventure. Jing¡¯s animals disagreed with the books. They sprinted at the forest as if they forgot the meaning of ¡°caution.¡± ¡°Come back in thirty minutes!¡± Jing called after them. I took off my shoes and stepped onto the grass. I sent my mana into the grass. Each bunch of grass had roots that touched its neighbors. My mana went through those connections and spread to every nearby plant. Traveling via the root systems, my mana shot at the forest. I identified and took control of the first trees I reached. I had to dull the overwhelming raw data from identifying the trees, so I wasn¡¯t able to sense everything from them. But I could feel the bigger things, like the meter long insects prowling the forest. ¡°Hey¡­ this forest is dangerous. Are you sure you want those children running all over the place like that?¡± Jing smirked, ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. Watch.¡± All of the tiny creatures transformed into enormous beasts. Even that annoying chicken grew to three stories tall. It¡¯s feet tore up the earth, and dirt and ripped grass rained behind it. It pecked at the ground, unearthed a worm longer than I was tall, and swallowed it in one gulp. Lemonade helped Brian out of his carriage. His carriage shined like a polished gold nugget. Precious metals coated the wooden carriage. Blue ribbons attached to the top of the carriage wiggled from the wind. Windows made of glass let Jing and I see into the interior of the carriage, which was just as lavish as its exterior. His soldiers emptied out of the other carriages. I glanced at mine. It was normal. The only part of it that wasn''t wood was the five blankets Jing brought for her animals. Hui Ming was staring daggers at Brian, but he was too blind to notice. Jing didn¡¯t look like she cared. I didn¡¯t care either, and Brian probably knew that. ¡°Let¡¯s leave our stuff behind and keep going on foot,¡± he said, ¡°There¡¯s too much underbrush. Unless you want to move it aside.¡± Lemonade must¡¯ve told him what the forest looked like. I scratched my chin with my index finger, ¡°Do you have some blood to spare?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep cutting myself, but I have some extra hair,¡± he replied. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We need to maintain our link with the human world. I¡¯m going to set up an outpost around here, so I need a few soldiers to guard it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you as many as you need,¡± he said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask about these kinds of things, by the way. I¡¯ll always be willing to help. You¡¯re already multiplying my soldier production speed, and we¡¯re doing this together. This project expands our influence, so I¡¯m extra willing to help.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I turned my attention back to the forest. Something squirmed against their roots. It was a worm as long as two school buses. ¡°Oh, gross.¡± ¡°What?¡± Brian asked. ¡°There are a bunch of gross insects in these trees. They¡¯re big ones too, like, bigger than you and me.¡± I jumped forward, landing at the base of a tree. The Jing and Hui Ming followed me on foot. A horse scooped Brian onto his back and galloped forward. He and Lemonade arrived at my side in seconds. I shook the trees. Caterpillars fell from the leaves, covered with bright colors and intricate patterns. They looked small as they fell. But one landed in front of me, and it was longer than my arm. An orange-ringed tarantula flew off the tree and scampered away. A millipede hiding between pieces of bark rushed down the tree and tried to flee. Jing¡¯s animals treated the trees as a buffet line. The giant chicken ate a caterpillar. A turquoise tarantula, the same tarantula I had helped put to bed a few days ago, snatched its orange ringed brethren between its fangs and crushed it. The spider¡¯s carapace cracked open like an egg, and its juices sprayed at us. Lemonade threw up a shield and the droplets bounced away. I made a face. ¡°I know it¡¯s icky,¡± Jing said, ¡°The children think so too. They¡¯d much rather have them cooked, but I told them they had to eat.¡± The density of Qi in the forest was insane, allowing the insects to grow to incredible proportions. It would only grow denser when we went deeper into the forest. I flattened my palm and chopped at the tree. The force of my control and chop combined, and the tree split in half, cracking like thunder. I didn¡¯t have enough mana to build a castle from scratch, so I had to use the already grown trees for wood. ¡°Give me thirty minutes.¡± I should¡¯ve used my ability this day since the day I got the subjugate skill. This is what a cultivator does after all. A cultivator takes what was already there and turns it into something far better. I chopped the wood a few thousand times. It broke into smaller pieces that I could shape and combine. I stacked the pieces against each other and melded them back together. The wood bent to my will, turning into a dome-shaped fort. The fort was a stout, bulky half-sphere, about five stories tall. Gravelly bark covered its outer walls, backed by another four meters of solid wood. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The door was just a one inch thick flimsy sheet of wood. The wood was still four times tougher than metal, but at this point, not being at least five times tougher than metal was flimsy. A short fence formed its perimeter. The fort was still alive. When we came back, it should have a set of roots anchoring it to the ground. This outpost was our connection with the outside world. Once this outpost expanded, this fort would only be a shoddy outer defensive tower. But for now, this was good enough. I polished up the interior and walked back to my family. Brian was talking with Jing about the applications of religious philosophy(or something like that). They got along, despite everything. ¡°I¡¯m done. What do you think?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Brian replied. He pushed Er Yi at me. ¡°Here, have some military power.¡± She bowed. That¡¯s awkward. She had been acting like my friend for some time. Now she was bowing in front of me. I guess this is something else I have to get used to. Er Yi was just another one of Brian¡¯s soldiers, and she wasn¡¯t even one of the more powerful ones. ¡°Guard that outpost while we¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± she dashed into the fort. Brian took his knife and randomly cut off two tufts of his hair. His hair was already uneven from the other times he¡¯d done this, so it didn¡¯t make him look any worse. The two tuffs turned into two generic looking muscular men. They ran after Er Yi. ¡°You lizards. You too,¡± Brian said. The lizards pulling the carts headed at the fort. ¡°So we¡¯re finished, right? We can leave now,¡± Brian said. ¡°Yep,¡± I slammed a foot into the ground. The ground broke apart, and I shot like a bullet, disappearing into the dark forest. The rest of our group followed. I was actually moving very slowly, so Jing¡¯s group of animals could keep up. Brian¡¯s horse galloped beside me at a leisurely pace. I took control of a tree every now and then, leaving a trail so we could find our way back to the outpost. ¡°Is the forest beautiful?¡± Brian asked. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a natural paradise.¡± ¡°Can you describe it for me?¡± The forest may be a mystery to others, but it was an open book for me. I had no trouble describing it. ¡°It¡¯s dark and moist. There¡¯s moss everywhere, and everything is gigantified. A line of ants are crawling in front of us-oh, we passed them. They were tall enough to reach my knee. The canopy is thick, but some light makes it through. The forest floor is carpeted with leaves. The trees aren¡¯t normal ones from our world though. Besides being a lot taller, fruit of varying sizes hang from them.¡± I paused, not sure if he wanted me to continue. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Vines thicker than your head climb up the trees and dangle fruit that look like cranberries. You can hear a clicking sound in the distance, and you¡¯re probably wondering what it is. They¡¯re from a group of scorpion-like monsters with huge mouths and jagged teeth. They¡¯re clicking their teeth together, making that noise. Ah! A winged snake just flew over our heads. It had blue scales and-¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be able to get my eyes back?¡± So that¡¯s what this was all about? ¡°If you let them heal naturally, it¡¯ll take around a hundred years.¡± People could regrow entire limbs in this world, but eyes were different. Their complex structure made them nigh impossible to regrow. It took a hundred years, even in optimal circumstances. But he knew that. He was asking what I could do. He probably guessed the answer though. I hadn¡¯t brought this up with him before, which was an unspoken message that I couldn¡¯t heal him. He just wanted to confirm. ¡°Using medicine from this world, you can speed that up to fifty years. But I¡¯d say I can heal your eyes in about twenty years. I¡¯m still improving my medicine, and I¡¯m not very experienced, so those aren¡¯t perfect estimates.¡± He sighed, ¡°Twenty years, huh? That¡¯s longer than I¡¯ve been alive. And I¡¯m guessing I won¡¯t be able to make sudden movements during the treatment period either?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have enough experience to say for sure, but I¡¯d assume so,¡± I said. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± I replied. We traveled for another few minutes, passing all sorts of alien creatures and phenomena. A tornado forming out of nowhere, a fishtail attached to the top of a gorilla¡¯s head, a tree made of stone, mysteries even my attunement with the forest couldn¡¯t unravel. The forest was an open book to me, but I had only read the first few chapters. There was still a lot to be explained. Following these lines of Qi, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder where all this Qi came from. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened with your student, by the way,¡± Brian said out of nowhere. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I really am sorry.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s pretend it never happened, ok? I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± The trees became taller and more powerful as we traveled deeper into the forest. The Qi became denser, the canopy thickened, and the forest darkened. I started using my connection with the forest to scout it out and protect Jing¡¯s animals. Jing did the same. Stranger, yet more familiar, sights began to appear. We passed over a herd of a hundred fire breathing t-rexes. I spotted a gorilla encased in crystal armor. There was no way it was the same one that attacked me five months ago, but it sure looked the same. The insects became larger as well, but it was nothing I wasn¡¯t used to. ¡°Ooh look,¡± Jing pipped, pointing down at a few glowing berries. Bigger trees meant more blocked light. The forest floor had gone dark enough for the plants to begin advertising their fruit with light. ¡°The glowy ones. We¡¯re in the innermost part of the forest.¡± ¡°The lines of Qi are telling me there are still more powerful plants farther into the forest. Am I right?¡± I asked. ¡°Outsiders call this part of the forest the innermost part of the forest. But that¡¯s only because they¡¯re too afraid to go deeper. I mean, come on. Your helper, um, what¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Chen Wei¡± ¡°Yeah. She was almost killed here. And she was pretty powerful! Any further, and the truly dangerous monsters begin to show up,¡± Jing laughed, ¡°Dragons! Chicken! Slimes! Elementals! And other Dryads!¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Well, Wisteria took all the dragons, but the others are still here. You can expect the power level in this forest to be higher than those in this city.¡± ¡°...huh?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Esha said there are at least two hundred Dao Journey Stage monsters here.¡± ¡°Nobody told me that!¡± The books just told me that nobody sane went further than the innermost part of the forest. More than two hundred Dao Journey Stage monsters? That kind of army wasn¡¯t something the human cities could hope to compete against. The Grand Flames City had less than twenty Dao Journey cultivators. The entire Raisin country could only muster a hundred fifty at most. My identify skill let me feel what the plants around me felt. An enormous weight pressed against one of the trees I could feel. I gulped, ¡°What in hell is that.¡± ¡°What in hell is what?¡± Jing asked. ¡°...Oh,¡± she muttered after she sensed what I sensed. ¡°Yeah. Those are pretty common.¡± Far away from us, the legs of a hundred meter long centipede warped around a tree trunk. Thank god I didn¡¯t wander into this section of the forest the first time I was here. With or without my defenses, I wasn¡¯t prepared to fight against this type of insect back then. I could kill it easily now, but still. ¡°What would it take to beat one of those?¡± ¡°Hm, just a ninth stage cultivator, I think. You shouldn¡¯t be too surprised by it though. They¡¯re common.¡± The last strands of sunlight disappeared, leaving the job of illuminating the forest floor to the glowing fruit. They glowed in every color of the rainbow, like LED lights on a Christmas tree. Down here, everything was damp. Mold masses and worms devoured the dead leaves underneath us. There were armored ones now, with sizes that rivaled that of the centipede from earlier. Jing seemed to know a lot about the forest. ¡°Are you sure we won¡¯t get ambushed?¡± I asked. Jing jumped through the trees like a circus performer. ¡°No no no, I would¡¯ve warned you if that were a possibility,¡± she said as she spun in midair. She was having way too much fun with this. ¡°I mean, there are animals that would ambush us, but we don¡¯t need to worry about them.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll keep following this stream.¡± Millions of streams of Qi flowed through the White Dragon Forest. We had started by following a small stream, but it merged with other streams as we got closer to the center. We continued deeper into the forest until the trees stopping growing stronger. This was the most powerful part of the forest. ¡°Stop!¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re living here?¡± Brian exclaimed. Standing on the forest floor, the wet and moldy ground swallowed my feet up to my ankles. A half-exposed worm squirmed and disappeared underground. A droplet of water landed on my nose. I rubbed it off. It was damp, and I could smell the mold. It was ¡®icky¡¯, as Jing would put it. ¡°This is icky,¡± said Jing. Thought so. ¡°Tough. We¡¯re here now, and we¡¯re going to make it livable. This place¡¯ll look like paradise soon, so don¡¯t complain about it.¡±