How Much Good?

[You learn that the reason the martial elder called you a slave of Goliath is because there is an evil named the Blood Bone Goliath that operates in the Northern Province, which Lang Town is located in.]

Lem saw that Master Brightflame had assumed he knew what the Northern Province was. In fact, it was his first time hearing those words.

The scale of the powers that the martial elder had described felt fantastical and unreal.

He could not muster even a shred of fear of the Blood Bone Goliath, as it was too mysterious and disconnected from him, even if it was the origin of his evil.

All he felt towards it was hate and resentment.

This Blood Bone Goliath had murdered his parents, gotten him banished from the village, and nearly cost him his life. It was the root cause of his suffering.

If he did not hate it, what could he hate?

As for the rest of what the martial elder had said, Lem was full of questions.

What was Star Palace?

How many sects were there?

What was the difference between an immortal and a cultivator?

Such questions were beyond his ability to comprehend, and he hoped that his simulated self would get more answers from Master Brightflame.

"Apart from Sword Pilgrimage City, how many cities are there in the Northern Province?" Lem's simulated self asked.

Master Brightflame gave him a bewildered look.

"Is that the only city you know of? There are hundreds upon hundreds of cities in the province. Sword Pilgrimage is a mere roadside attraction by comparison even to Earth-Sky City." 

Lem's simulated self nodded vigorously in response, but in reality he was in shock.

A thousand cities was incomprehensible. He had not yet stepped foot in a town!

And it was only the Northern Province. He did not know how many provinces there were.

"There are eight provinces in total, and Star Palace rules over all of them," Master Brightflame said, predicting his question. "Earth-Sky City is the nearest of the significant cities, and it is still sufficiently far enough away that neither you nor I will ever see it in our lifetimes."

The martial elder suddenly turned away, looking into the distance.

Lem's simulated self swallowed his next question, and they traveled in silence again.

As they walked by a distinctive plant by the river, Lem realized that he had passed the point where he had seen the gigantic death-skull crab.

There was no sign of it now, which confused him.

The river did not appear large enough to conceal it, so where did it go?

A few minutes later, his simulated self began thinking in the same direction.

[The dark figure of the death-skull crab is no longer present when you pass by…]

The day continued in a quiet fashion. Lem's simulated self trudged carefully on the riverbank, watching his step.

When they reached the large stream, Lem's simulated self once again used his spear to vault over it, while Master Brightflame merely took one graceful step and appeared on the other side.

Lem descended back into meditating on the [Mountain Sitting Technique]. He did not know whether it was abstruse or simple.

Initially, when observing it from the jade slip, he had thought that he understood it, but he had not made much progress since then. Lem wondered how much easier it would be once he could observe his simulated self practicing the breathing method.

Without the ability to direct his body, it was all too abstract.

The frustration brought his mind back to his moment of enlightenment about the harmony within the [Nine Bull Fist].

He still had not been given a chance to see if he could use that insight to improve his combat strength, as the simulation had not yet ended.

This brought a comforting thought to his mind.

The enlightenment had only occurred three days earlier, but it felt like weeks had passed. Not only had he found Lang Town, but he had also received a cultivation method from Master Brightflame.

He wondered how much more good would come from the current simulation…

As Lem was thinking, he was brought back to the present situation.

His simulated self had just spotted the razor-leaf vine in the distance. 

He turned to Master Brightflame.

Lem remembered the explosion that had been directed at him in their first meeting. A small thrill ran though his mind, as he wondered whether the martial elder would do the same to the vine.

Was he about to see the martial technique of a cultivator?