Chapter 71: Life Is What You Make Of It

Chapter 71: Life Is What You Make Of It

Rhiza? I called out and the figure paused. I had spent enough time with her in the past, that I could pick up the small details that set her apart from other cloaked figures.

Yuan? she turned to look at me.

Yes, it is good to see you, I replied and went over to her and we both removed the hoods on our cloaks.

You as well. It is rare to see someone after you part ways. But if anything, the Pit Stop from Hell is a good meeting place, she said.

It is nice to a see a friendly face. You taught me quite a bit, I said as we took a seat at an empty table.

With out your sensing ability, things would have been much more difficult. You are looking well. Did you get a body modification? she asked me.

No, I am just aging. A bit slow, but at least I dont look like a child anymore, I replied.

Really aging, how novel. You look remarkably similar, but the extra height was throwing me off, Rhiza said.

Indeed, what about you? Having good luck scavenging? I asked.

A bit. You know how difficult it can get. Even with the right equipment. But you appear to be a bit nicely dressed for this place, Rhiza commented.

For a meeting. This is neutral ground. So, it works out. Are you thinking about getting a cultivation system any time soon? I know that was your goal, I asked.

Still saving up. I only have one shot, and as you know, everything is expensive. A couple thousand more cycles and I should have enough. It seems you have sorted out your path forward? she asked.

To some extent, but I am trying to gather more information from outside the Forever City. It isnt cheap, but thankfully I only need some basic information. The hard part was finding someone. That has been incredibly annoying, going from one being to the next, I said.

Indeed. It can be frustrating to find anyone, or a specific good in the Forever City, Rhiza said. A server came by, and we both placed our orders. She got Courage and I got clear water. How is your cultivation handling getting bigger?

It is expanding with my growth, with my soul still overlapping my physical body. Though I suspect it is taking longer than other cultivators due to the strength of my cultivation. I was thinking I would only live to 1,500 years, I mean cycles, at most before there were serious issues. But it has been just over 1,450 cycles since my birth and I am aging incredibly slowly. Probably have at least 400 cycles before I decide to break through, I replied.

I have been alive for over 10,000 cycles at least, maybe 12,000. It is admirable that you work so hard on your cultivation while aging, Rhiza said. I did not expect her to be that old.

You must be really saving up for your cultivation, I said.

Indeed. I want to purchase the best possible cultivation system I can and have credits afterwards for equipment that would work for me at that level. But it takes time to save up and I am still doing some research. Any suggestions? she asked.

Only one. Dont copy what I did and pick multiple paths. It causes a lot of problems, I said. While I was being friendly, I wasnt about to share the details of my cultivation or my future plans with anyone. I had spent the lest couple of centuries carefully working on how my future cultivation system.

Even now I was still working on it, trying to get information about other cultivation systems outside the Forever City. That knowledge was incredibly rare due to the simple fact that people rarely traveled the Firmament. Those that did so were much stronger than me. And getting in contact at a reasonable price was difficult.

Thankfully the TripleX faction had come through. They pointed me in the direction of an information broker, who had in turn set up a meeting with the Travel Syndicate. They handled movement for groups outside of the Forever City and its continents for cultivators. Like a mercenary taxi service, with lots of fire power. While I wasnt qualified to leave the Forever City yet, I was able to put in an information request for them, asking for basic knowledge on other cultivation systems.

I had paid the Travel Syndicate 100,000 credits to put up the request with the offer of another 100,000 credits per basic information on another cultivation system. Something a person like Bones could pick up as a side job while outside the Forever City for some spare change. Well Bones didnt talk about her adventures outside of the Forever City and I hadnt pressed her.

Even when things got boring over the centuries, she had her secrets she wanted to keep just as I did. So, I hadnt pressed. Even the concept of the Travel Syndicate, was not something that was widely advertised. Stationed in the first ring of the Forever City. It was the private airlines of travel. While the cylinder ships that the Heavenly Alliance used were more like the public airplanes people traveled on.

Thankfully they had a request system in place, but I had to go there in person, purchase a specialized communicator, pay the upkeep on the communicator, in addition to the other costs. I had spent over 20,000 credits on just travel and other expenses. And that was for the basic of goods.

It was a lot of money, but I needed to understand how other cultivation systems advanced through the stages and to make a comparative analysis. While one would expect a faction like TripleX to have this information on hand to sell, they operated solely in the Forever City. There was a lot of possible information they could collect, but it just wasnt worth the investment compared to the payout.

My situation was unique, since everyone else followed the cultivation system that had been set up long ago by the ruling individuals in the Heavenly Alliance. Sure, there was variance and cultivators could go off track, but there was a clear progression of power that worked.

If I had just cultivated normally and come to the Forever City, I could already be an immortal. While this thought occasionally crossed my mind, I didnt regret my choices even in hindsight. My focus was on the future.

My hope was that by learning about other possible cultivation systems out there, I would be able to better confirm what I had come up with for my breakthrough. While I hoped it would be the last major expense, I would probably need to spend some more when I did finally break through. I was down to around 800,000 credits at the moment. Burning through the money I had saved up previously.

Excuse me, you asked to be notified if someone asked about you, the server came over.

Ah yes. Rhiza must contact is here, I am sorry I have to go, I replied.

It is fine. Hopefully we meet again Yuan, she said. I got up and tipped the server who alerted me. They then showed me to the bar. There was a man that had huge thick muscles and their cultivation was immense. An immortal then. I gulped nervously but sat down next to them.

So you are the one picking up my drink tab, huh. Weak, he said.

I am Yuan Zhou, I replied, curious what could bring them here, since finding me couldnt have been easy or cheap.

Your presence is requested at the White Lotus tower, they said and then gave the location.

Why? I asked.

I wasnt given an explanation. But you are requested immediately, the female cultivator said.

Unfortunately, I am busy. Without an explanation, I am afraid I wont be able to visit, I replied. There was silence at my declaration. They could beat me up and capture me, but this wasnt their tower, but the tower of the TripleX faction which prided itself on working with outside people. If I was newly arrived, did less business, or was anywhere else then I would be in trouble.

But this cultivator wouldnt dare act with impunity. It wasnt that the TripleX faction cared about me, but more about their reputation. If any cultivator could kidnap someone from their tower, they wouldnt be considered a faction. And if they were backing this lady from the White Lotus, they would have sent a representative to make sure there was no fuss while I was being handed over. Thats how I had the confidence to push back.

That will make several seniors quite upset, the female cultivator said. Basically, I would be on their hit list. And they might even come for me. While unlikely, this kind of threat wasnt a common occurrence. I decided to be a bit cheeky.

That sounds like a them problem, not a me problem. If they wanted me to visit and went to the trouble of locating me, and sending your esteemed self, they should give a reason senior, I replied. The woman just looked at me and the seconds stretched on. She could kill me easily, but the fall out was not something she could survive.

I felt an overwhelming sense of danger and leapt backwards as her hand moved through the space where I had been occupying. She advanced into my room without hesitation. It had been a long time, but I pulled out my gun from my spatial ring and fired without hesitation.

The attack appeared to catch her by surprise, as she began dodging a bit too late. The rank 6 bullet struck the side of her face, leaving a long gash behind, that began to slowly ooze blood. The attack impacted the hallway outside of the room.

She gave me a glare and then rushed out of my room. I checked the corridor, but she was already gone. I put my gun away just as I felt an overwhelming presence focus on me. I could barely breathe for a couple of moments and then it was gone. The tower master had taken a look at what was going on and probably moved on since there was no more fighting. Once the presence moved on, I went to the lobby for this housing rental level of the tower.

How can I help you honored customer? the man behind the counter asked me.

I was disturbed by a cultivator and had to unleash an attack to force them away, I said. He asked for the TripleX card I had, and I passed it over.

We take no responsibility for the safety of our guests. However, you are an honored guest and your account with us has not been flagged with us. And no one has made inquiries. However, you were located, it was not by our faction, the man replied. I frowned at that. How was I found then?

Thank you, I replied and got the TripleX card back before going back to my room. They wouldnt do anything else unless I paid more credits. That had been too close for comfort, and I wouldnt be opening up my door again.

At least the room was at the edge of the tower. If necessary, I could cut my way out and leave that way. Why send someone so weak? Maybe they were just to confirm my presence and kidnap me if possible. That made sense. Demand that I follow them, and then I would be at their mercy.

It had been a long time since I had been in a fight, and I didnt want to get into one. I tried to think why the White Lotus faction would want to bother me after all this time. I was a nobody and I had never stolen from them either during my time in the Forever City. I wasnt sure if they were allied with one of the factions I had stolen from, but even that wouldnt warrant sending someone out to get me, let alone whatever esoteric tracking method they had used.

There was something else going on and the woman who had shown up, clearly wasnt ready for me to fight back. Why did she think I would go with her? Just by giving me an order, she thought I would comply. Well, that was possible even if I thought it was stupid. The arrogance of some cultivators was immense. And the look on the womans face, like I was dung indicated that.

Like she had any strength to look down on others. That was a joke. Well, it was time to get ready in case I needed to leave in a hurry. I cut a portion out of the towers wall to make an alcove. I could hide in there and seal up the outside. I had the equipment from my thieving days still on me just in case.

After a month and no follow up, I figured the White Lotus had given up or was waiting until I left this tower. That would be a reasonable assumption to make. Spook me, so I left, and they could ambush that way.

I didnt like the situation. Getting any kind of answer would be too expensive, since that meant hiring someone through the TripleX faction. Which meant hundreds of thousands of credits for their time. I didnt plan to leave until I was ready to head off for my breakthrough, and hopefully I wouldnt run into any issues.

That was an equally big headache. The body core that would implode at the center of everything was still not something I could figure out a solution for. The mind cores would harmonize my body and soul. The soul core explosions would allow me to strengthen my soul. That much variance in my breakthrough was possible based on the notes and records I had managed to get my hands on.

The idea of the body core is that it creates a void, the energy imploding creating a bridge between the soul and the body. Unlike the mono-cultivation method, it normally impacts only the body. I cant use this method, since there would be no way to progress. Normally conduits are built from this hole across the body to move energy about and draw it into ones body.

But, I dont want a gaping hole connecting the two parts, my body and soul. Since that will create an energy imbalance. It works fine for body path cultivators, since the conduits will filter the energy out to them. That method will conflict if I try to harmonize my entire body with the Dao from the mind cores. And the barrier created to define my soul will also create a barrier around this hole. I need to repurpose the body cores implosion, but there is no good alternative, I speculated as I looked over my notes.

That was why I had looked at alternative outcomes to deal with the body core imploding and the effect that would have on my soul and cultivation. If I never had a body core, I would probably be in a better position.

I needed to use the soul cores to define the edge of my soul, since I would be gathering energy into myself, and needed my soul to perfectly overlap my body. Normally the souls cores would strengthen the soul as a whole, but I could just focus on the exterior. Defining the edge would provide the most benefit and avoid conflicting with the mind cores since they would be handling the rest. That would invert how the cores were set up, with a shell of a mind core around a soul core. This dichotomy should also help based on the literature.

But what was left? My physical body, which would make sense for the body core. Then it hit me. I need an organ from a monster, or something that will help me in the long run. I would channel the implosion into it, which in turn would boost my body, I said as I looked at my notes.

There were lots of problem with that idea and I worked back through everything from the start to make sure I wasnt missing any steps. I needed to harmonize my physical body and my soul. That way I could draw in and process energy once I advanced, so I could increase my power to reach immortality. There would be complications in terms of building refining structures, but I could focus on the four points where the main cores were, as filter points. I needed flush this out more, but it made sense.

When cores did what they did, they left a mark on a cultivators soul regardless of the core type. The soul cores would define the edge of my soul to my body while my mind cores linked my physical body and soul. Both steps were key, so my soul didnt disperse or collapse. That was what happened in failed breakthroughs.

For the body core, the implosion would be channeled into an organ or modification of some kind, that was placed in my body, and would in turn strengthen my body. A modification would be way too expensive and not improve with me, requiring me to upgrade it and other difficulties. An organ would be much better both long and short term.

I opened up the notes regarding demonic cultivation but focused on monsters. There were some notes included on specific parts that could be used as a set, but nothing what I was looking for. This was the last piece of information and item I needed to get. And then I would need to put it inside myself. That would require a specialist of some kind, since I wasnt qualified in any way for that sort of procedure.

Then I could break through with a full plan on how to reach the next stage and the steps after that. Building structures where the cores used to be, to process my energy with my understanding of the Dao of Force. Over time this accumulation would build up and I could worry about issues after that. I didnt like putting off my problems like that, but there was no way I could know what problems I would face until I learned of them firsthand. That was the challenge of going a completely different direction compared to others and changing my cultivation system.