Third Option

It was peaceful in the Myriad Beast Sect.Nothing of significance happened since I returned home some time ago. Days merged together as I suffered in silence, and weeks ran by without me even noticing. We were at the doorstep of another long, cold winter.It was like I was in a trance. Everything was the same, every day exactly as the last. The only reason I knew how much time had passed, was the gradual decline in the number of my Spirit Stones. Nearly 100 of them were already gone, but I already came to terms with it. It was the price I had to pay.The Beast Slaughter Formation was doing less damage every day, which showed I was improving. Unfortunately, as the wounds became shallower, the rate of improvement also slowed. I needed to be damaged to grow properly. With the same intensity of training, there were diminishing results.I figured another Spirit Stone would have to be added to increase the intensity of the Formation, but then that would be really expensive. Especially since I would have to increase the power every month after that, and the further it went, the more powerful it would have to become.My original calculation of being able to sustain such a strict regimen for one year would be most likely cut in half, if not even more.But let's not even mention such delicate upgrades to a Formation since they weren't my specialty.Sure, I knew a few things about Formations, many things even, but it was like learning Chinese characters as an adult. It required time and dedication to properly learn, not to mention plenty of repetition and examples to become fluent in it, something I wasn't willing to do. I already had enough on my plate.So I settled myself for simply copying what I had seen and altering what I already knew. Redesigning a Formation to be upgradeable while doing what I wanted was beyond me at the moment. It was not worth it anyway. It was too expensive.I knew that Body Cultivation was tough and required dedication and grit, but that was stupid. So many Spirit Stones, I dreaded to think what would be required when I eventually stepped into the Spirit Realm. I would require a mountain of wealth to continue my training, probably.It would be nice having an Elder beat me up wherever I wanted, but I would bet they charged way more than simply a Spirit Stone every few hours.The reason for that was that even the weakest Spirit Realm Cultivator could literally make a Spirit Stone in an hour. They just needed a source of Base Qi and they could fill up a crystal in no time.Since I wasn't willing to spend a fortune on a personal trainer, I would have to make do with the same Formation for the next few months, even if there were diminishing returns. My skin and muscles were about 30-40% tougher than before, but that meant the results would be slower by about the same amount. It wasn't exactly like that since if I doubled my defenses, Spirit Qi could still hurt me, but it would be way less dangerous. I could actually somewhat resist its effects then.That was it for Cultivation. Things either took a lot of time or great amounts of wealth. It was always like that, a law of the world if you will. There was no easy way to change it.While recovering from the stress of getting sliced up every day, I actively Cultivated a bit. Soul Cultivation. It was not that bad, even if I often complained. The thing was that most of the time it was just incredibly boring as the same thing had to be done over and over. Absorb Qi, purify it, compress it, and form it into Soul Essence. Over, and over, and over.A few times I fell into a state of flow where my mind just did things and time just rushed by, swallowing hours and making them feel like minutes. Unfortunately that only happened twice during the month or so I had done it. If I could access that state of mind every time, then Cultivating wouldn't even be that bad. I knew some pills could help with achieving the flow state, but once again, money…Want something to be easier? Faster? More pleasurable? That's easy. Money! The answer was always money.I might be considered rich after plundering the deceased Elder's vault, but that was by the standards of a Disciple. For an Elder, a few decades were enough to build up such wealth.I stood up and went to get something to eat. I was bored. I was getting used to it, slowly, but boredom was a weird motivator.Elder Li didn't do much, just researching stuff on his own. I guess that was considered normal for a Cultivator of his caliber, taking months off without rest when they were interested in something.As I understood, he was looking at ways to reinforce his golems to be able to fight a Sky Realm Cultivator. It was doubtful he could achieve that, but maybe he would get lucky.I didn't care either way. Personal strength was always the main thing in my mind, everything else was just a gimmick. Even Tiny, though I made him strong, he would never be able to beat me. Maybe he could serve as a guard when I was incapacitated, but if that ever happened and someone actually managed to threaten my life, a stone guardian would not be enough.I made him because I was bored. He served no real purpose other than to keep me company.[Isn't that right, Tiny?]I looked at the golem and he looked back at me. Silent as always. He couldn't quite hold a conversation.I finished my meal and returned to the arena. Looking at the Formation didn't fill me with excitement. Even if I knew it was for my own good, it was just so boring. I was bored.I sat on the ground and stared at the Formation for a long while.A thought entered my mind. There are three things a man does when he is truly bored. When his mind is like an empty desert, thirsting for change. He either eats, he fucks, or… he does something stupid and childish.I grinned and looked down.My stomach was already full as I just ate, there was nobody to fuck, so that left…[Tiny…] I glanced over at my silent companion, my grin bigger than ever. [How about we go do something stupid?]***It was the dawn of a new day and I was excitedly walking down the paved road of the Core Sect. As soon as I took a step over the boundary, and confirmed nobody was watching, I changed my clothes and dressed myself in modest gray clothes. The telltale sign of an Outer Disciple. My figure was also shrunken down, both in height and volume. Since I could expand my body at will and had spent nearly two months doing so, the reverse was also true.It was incredibly annoying to hold the transformation as it just felt wrong, especially since other people became higher than me whereas before it was the opposite. I made myself look as unintimidating as possible, even looking meek by some standards.I collected a new badge since I lost my previous one, but I got the common one that just showed I was a member of the Sect. It cost a few Spirit Stone Shards and had to be calibrated to my energy on the spot. It was a precaution against infiltration, though it wasn't perfect, as I have already found out.It didn't matter if the energies in the badge didn't match if nobody even checked it due to the spy looking and acting too much like the original.In any case, I got the badge and pinned it to my clothes so everybody could see it. I also kept my face on display and I could swear I looked just like when I first entered the Sect more than a year ago.There was no large imposing figure anymore, no broad shoulders with rippling muscles or the thick Aura of a seasoned warrior. I was Gerald Fireborn, a newbie in the Spirit Accumulation Realm. I was poor, cowardly, and untalented. I was a fart in the wind.In the Sect of beastly warriors and powerful Cultivators, I might as well be invisible. It felt weird as I walked around since literally nobody looked at me. At most, they glanced over me while shifting their gaze elsewhere.Holding my head down and moving past the crowds of people I made my way to a place I had vague recollections of. I believe the memory came from one of the enemy spies, but I wasn't certain it was too faded and incomplete, but it was there. I kept it just in case and I was glad I did.I came to a stop before a shabby bar and pushed my way in. There were guards at the door, but they didn't seem like they were trying to stop anyone. I saw a few older Disciples walking in and though they were dressed well and were shaven, you could see in their eyes they were not doing well. Mentally or physically.The place inside had people eating and drinking, there was chatter between them, but it was hushed and restrained. I nervously looked around while not trying to attract attention which was exactly why I attracted many gazes.I quickly made my way to the bar and ordered a drink while trying to keep to myself. After taking a sip I gestured to the bartender and he lifted an eyebrow and leaned slightly closer.[Um, excuse me, sir. I heard that, um, well, some people around here might, you know, have ways of finding things or, uh, people. I'm looking for someone. A friend. If, um, you could maybe share a hint or point me in the right direction? I'd be ever so grateful.]The guy looked past me and then his eyes swept the room. He leaned on the counter and whispered with his lips barely moving while not looking at me."Fifty."[F-fifty?] I stammered quietly and then in mock realization scrambled to search through my shabby pouch. All the accumulated damage really came through, showing my sorry state. I took out a fistful of Spirit Shards and pushed them on the counter while making sure to cover my actions with my body.The bartender quickly grabbed the shards and stuffed them in his pocket without even counting. He leaned closer while pretending to wipe a spill."Three buildings down the road is a place with a large dead tree. Talk to the old man outside and say you brought a box of wealth." He then moved away and continued serving drinks like nothing ever happened.I slowly finished mine and then loitered around the place before making my way outside with my head between my shoulders and gaze lowered.The large dead tree was not hard to spot and I made a roundabout way there. It was a shabby wooden house that probably hadn't seen paint in many decades. It was all dark gray and black, and I could swear it was tittering on the edge of collapse.An old man sat at the front bench, nursing a bottle.I cautiously approached.[I… brought a box of wealth?] I stammered."Have you now?" The old man cackled as he opened one eye and I could see it was yellow and bloodshot. He stood up and almost immediately began to cough. It was bad, but then he took a swig from the bottle and calmed down.He extended his hand. "Fifty."I handed over another fistful of crystal shards without counting. He also pocketed it like the last guy, not sparing them a single glance."Last door at the back." He said and opened the front door of the house. I looked at him questioningly. "Go!" He barked and entered another coughing fit.I stepped inside and he slammed the door shut behind me. Guards stood inside the hallway and I carefully made my way forward under their watchful eyes. The room at the back was also behind a door and the guard there also demanded money. I handed it over and he let me in.It was actually a stairway underground. I continued my journey and passed many doors with people inside, but the path carved into solid rock snaked downward with nobody in my way. Flickering oil lamps illuminated my way until I came to a final door. The tunnel expanded significantly around it, and two final guards stood at its sides.[Um… I came… I brought a box of wealth?]The two guards looked at each other and then one of them knocked at the door and exchanged a few short words with the person inside. They spoke in code so I didn't understand a single thing.Then they gestured for me to enter, and with timid steps, I opened the door and stepped inside.The place was dim, only illuminated by small fires of oil lanterns that sat on stone shelves on the wall. Inside was a simple desk, behind which sat a hooded woman. The flames flickered as the door closed behind me, and I shuddered despite the lack of cold, as her piercing gaze speared through me.