14 Plans to Escape?

'I wonder what cultivation levels these fellas are.'

[If only I have my spiritual sense right now. I was even deceived by you. To see their cultivation, you can ask them to reveal their cultivation aura and feel it. If you've been there, you definitely know the feeling and can accurately tell.]

'So if they're stronger than me, I will not be sure... well, that's helpful. Good thing, I always have my wife with me.'

[Tsk! You still have the nerve to harass me. Anyway, that's the first way. The second way is you already know this; if you reached the Spirit Condensation Realm and developed your spiritual sense. The stronger you are, the longer your spiritual sense is.]

'Hmm... yeah, that's what the village chief used. I felt violated by that decrepit old man's stare.'

[What a disgusting way to put it into words... back to the topic, the last way is using a cultivation skill or item to detect it. There are a wide variety of detecting techniques. Some use sight, sixth sense, and even hearing. As for items, it is the most commonly used method to know who to offend and not to. I don't know much about the mortal world and what they use but it shouldn't be far from what I know.]

'I see... since they're bandits and as large as this. Furthermore, they have the gals to get close to the Hawk Might City, it is either they are strong enough to not fear the city and its military power or they are colluding with the city itself. I think the latter is more probable' Feng guessed.

[How can you say?]

'If they are not colluding and are just not fearing the city, then why are they not touching the envoys and the other villages? Don't you think that it is strange that we were already captured the moment we stepped out? Meanwhile, the envoys didn't seem like they got into battle.'

[Hm... I didn't think about that. I don't want to admit it but you're pretty smart.]

Feng shook his head.

'I'm not smart. I'm thinking cynically. I assume everyone is selfish and is doing what they do for selfish reasons.'

[Huh... even your parents and Lin?]

'Of course. For my parents, I am a part of them. Raising me is the same as taking care of themselves. As for Lin, he just befriended me so that he will not feel lonely.'

[Feng... what a twisted view... and you're self-aware of it. I feel like you're not human.]

'Heh, I'm human because I act selfishly too. There are three levels of selfishness, Rumia. The first is being selfless. The second is cynicism. The third is... well, I don't have the word for it.'

[Wait, how did being selfless becomes selfishness.]

Feng frowned.

'You want to know?'

[I'm curious.]

'Well, let's talk about it after we get out of this predicament. Let's form a plan first. If I die, you will be left alone with these smelly bandits.'

[I didn't say I'm not going to help, why are you scaring me?]

'I'm scaring myself.'

[Huh?]

'So let's plan.'

The two talked inside Feng's head until dawn arrived and the bandits finally reached their destination.

Feng looked and saw that there is a whole city made out of tents. Screams of victims and laughter of bandits filled the place.

The carriages were split and Feng observed that they split into groups. Only when they were put into one of the bigger tents and were locked together with all the other kids in one cage.

"Stop crying! If I ever hear a sound, I will use this sword, do you understand?" a skinny adult man said, scaring all the children to quiet down.

Metal cages were stacked one upon another. If Feng had to guess, there are more than a couple of hundreds of children in that large tent. With a few men guarding, Feng wondered about his chances of escaping.

After planning with Rumia, they found out that Feng was in a hopeless situation. Even without the cultivation-restraining rope, how could he fight back with a strength of just a Second Stage of Body Refinement Realm?

Feng's only choice was the Cosmic Overlord Manual. He needed to explore more of its abilities and utilities. He also saw the mission of Lin had slow progress. But he didn't worry that much. As long as it's moving, it means Lin is safe. Additionally, Lin should still be with the envoys on their way to the city. It is already surprising that he was having the time to do the mission.

As for that mission, it will give let Lin reach the Sixth Stage of Body Refinement and let Feng reach the third stage. Based on Feng's first calculation, the breakthrough of the fifth stage to the sixth stage of Lin is not enough to make Feng have another breakthrough.

(Skip this part a bit if you hate math.)

As said before, it is because the breakthrough of the fourth stage to the fifth stage left no excess progress for Feng, leaving him at 0%. Lin's next breakthrough will give Feng 80% of progress and from then on, 160%

Why?

The bigger the gap between them, the larger the ten percent of Lin to Feng. When Lin reached the fourth stage, the gap is wide enough to give Feng 80% of progress for each breakthrough for Lin. With the addition of two breakthroughs and 80%, Feng reached the second stage with no excess. So given another 80%, he will not breakthrough and the gap between him and Lin widens up again, making the benefit Feng gets for Lin's next breakthrough 160% instead of 80%

From then on, each breakthrough of Lin will bring Feng to another level, except, once again, for the fifth stage.

However, Feng is not a rock. He cultivates too. He is not some cripple who can't make up for that 20% of progress.

(End of math)

In short of all this, every time Lin has a breakthrough so will Feng.

'But cultivation is not enough to let me escape this predicament...'

[Not if you reached at least the Fighter Guardian Realm.] Rumia replied to Feng's thought.

'And how long will that take?'

[Not sure, maybe three years?]

'Three years to reach the Fighter Guardian Realm? Isn't that too fast. For all I know, the mission kept getting harder. Furthermore, Lin is already considered a peak genius just for being at the fifth stage.'

[What are you saying? When I was just thirteen, I have already stepped onto the Divinity Realms!]

'Your parents are considered Gods, Rumia, don't compare yourself to us mortals.'

[Don't compare? Did you forget that what you have right now is the Cosmic Overlord Manual? That's better than I have before!]

'Hmm... I'm getting excited about a bit. But I have only opened a portion of the manual. Once I can put it into pull use then let's discuss our marriage.'

[Marriage!? You never learn do you!?]

'Calm down, wife, I'm going to focus on cracking the manual.'

[Arghh!! I almost forgot that I hate you! I'll go to sleep! I don't care what happens to you!] Rumia then closed her consciousness off. Even though she said that, the real reason why she closed her consciousness was so that she wouldn't be able to disturb Feng's meditation.

Feng understands this and smiled.

But before he could concentrate, he heard a shout. A boy with an angry expression roared.

"Where am I!? Who are you people!? Get me out of here at once!"

Looking at the outfit of this boy, everyone knew he's a noble.

'Maybe he just woke up?' Feng thought.

"I will tell this to Papa, he's a baron and has soldiers ready to beat you up!"

The skinny man rolled his eyes and went to the kid.

"You! Get me out of here! I was just on my way to the Skillbook Shop and you did this t- ack!..." the noble child's eyes were full of disbelief as he saw that the skinny man just pierced a sword onto the side of his stomach.

"W-what?"

"You brats really don't listen if I don't make an example, huh..." the skinny man then pulled the sword, and blood gushed out. The nearby children saw this and were horrified to the point of being traumatized.

Even Feng's face twitched at this sight. He was not used to this. The first death he even saw in his life was his own.

"If anyone tried to get out, I will do the same to you, understand?" the man nonchalantly said while taking a key out and unlocking the cage. He then took the noble boy he stabbed. The noble boy was now curling in pain.

"W-where will you bring me? Please, no!" the noble boy shouted.

"You don't want me to bring you to a healer?"

"Bring me!" the noble boy cried.

After a few hours, the noble boy was back with lifeless eyes. He was no longer bleeding and was put back in his old cage.

'Oh...' Feng nodded as he made a new plan to just explore the area first. But he wanted to reach the third stage first just to be sure that he was strong enough. These bandits may just kill him right away instead of healing him.

'Let's see first if they treated him because he's from nobility or is it the same for others.'