Ryuk woke up feeling deeply exhausted. He looked to the side and saw an IV attached to him. Ryuk said "Is this the remnants of the past? The foundation of humanity before Cultivation became a need? I read about it, but haven't seen it before. Supposedly the sect capital where the sect competition takes plafe is like a giant hole of mechanics with flying cars and communication devices."
Ryuk got up and looked at his nearly empty dantian sighed and then began to do the breathing exercise. Soon after an hour Ryuk felt refreshed.
Ryuk lamented "Really I need to find a Cultivation technique. My efficiency is really horrible without and at the rate im progressing to refill myself it will take hours by normal standard and an hour with a breathing technique. It'll only get harder from here. What kind although? I don't want to be hindered in the future so it should be either a neutral technique or an omnipotent technique. Neutral ones are fine not good not bad very unsatisfactory. Omnipotent ones are reserved by those high grade families and even in heaven it's rare to not only find one technique, but someone who can use it. In this minor realm I'm not sure I can find one, let alone one that is satisfactory. Many produce their own, but how much work would that take... How would I even begin. I'll need to ask master If I can take a look at the methods. I'll try and sneakily steal as many techniques as I can... I could ask Mooneye for a trade, but she's basically the saint and Im the devil no way. That's almost literal as well. Ai. Well no harm in checking."
Ryuk got out of his room, but before leaving found a small glass bottle. He checked and found a plain grade rank 3 High grade stomach iron pill. Ryuk smiled devilishly. He put it into his soul and was thinking what to do with it.
"I've heard that master alchemists keep their first successful pill concoction to help when in a bottleneck with their trials or the such, as well as inspiration and hope. I could sell it for a fetching price. Or... Hehe."
Ryuk dissapeared into a shadow.
A few days passed and Ryuks work experience as an Alchemist. He received high praise from the entire division shocking the sect. Even the core disciples of the Alchemy division treated Ryuk courteously.
Ryuk had enacted his plan and was currently sitting in his masters study playing a game of Chess.
Riel said "Your play style just like in real life is very aggressive. Furthermore you always try to think ahead instead of looking at current situation. You've taken almost all my pieces, but it's still a draw even with all these pieces on your side."
Ryuk said "It's not my fault. This game is so hard. I can never seem to checkmate."
Riel said "Checkmating is about trapping as if to exert dominance not to massacre. Like this."
Riel said as he checkmated Ryuk.
Ryuk looked ugly and said "Master! How!"
Riel said "Don't you know the famous quote "Be afraid of not Godly opponents, but pig headed teammates. You trapped yourself. Now tell me what you've been doing?"
Ryuk had a wry smile, but suddenly became ecstatic.
He stood up pumped his chest and said "Supply and demand. I will make a princess walk straight into my arms. Master you remember how I tricked Senior brother to give me a weapon? Well let's say im playing with fire for gold."
Riel wagged his head and said "Why do I not have a good feeling about this. Luckily that scoundrel attitude of yours had been reeled in recently."
Ryuk said "No master it's not that it's just there hasn't been any big fish worth my affection. This trickster will eventually come back and make the hearts of all those old monsters bleed. Of course master you get a cut."
Riel sighed deeply "I don't want. I'll get a Target on my back."
Ryuk smiled and walked away with a smile laughing saying "Just wait for it master. It's gonna be a thunderstorm!"
...
Meanwhile a box crafted from extremely fine jade with high Spirituality fell down softly towards a door.
A girl came out her eyes large and round able to encapsulate reality. They had a white glow as if the moon. She caught the box with a flick of her wrist.
Meanwhile in some bushes far away a formally fat man now skinny covered in medicine powder said "Ryuk. You better know what you're doing."
The girl was Mooneye and she had noticed this box and intercepted it. Feeling no danger she opened it and inside was a fruit, but no ordinary fruit. It was a lightning watermelon a plant fertilized by lightning and yin. It was said to be on par with a 10,000 year old blood ginseng said to be able to enhance Cultivation by incredible bounds. Yet suddenly something of this nature appeared before Mooneye. She looked down on the herb, but not thinking too much she went into her house and began to consume it. She had of course done her poison checks using a metal rod and checking the change in color. After many tests she began to consume it.
At first like expected her Cultivation was rising rapidly, her thunder and lightning law was nourished and her bloodline as well.
When suddenly a extremely unfeminine roar erupted from her belly and a red blush covered her face. She grabbed her stomach tightly as she raced to the washroom in her room.
She came out still feeling an aching in her stomach. She was empty inside having removed the fruit prematurely and having been on diet pills prior while undertaking a breakthrough.
She felt as if her intestines were cutting each other, but for normal people this would be known as food poisoning. Perhaps due to her Cultivation and the speed of her absorption her stomach ache was extremely harsh.
She took out a plain grade rank 2 stomach iron pill medium grade and showed it into her mouth. She felt relief, but soon it dissapeared she rushed out.
The stomach iron pill was a relatively common pill used when consuming herbs or items without making it into a pill or anything due to the high impurity and wild energy of these items without refining.
She went to the Alchemy division pretending to he normal. They shook their heads saying someone had taken all their stomach iron pills of all grades and levels. Furthermore all the Alchemists who could actually make pills were on a task put forth by Alchemy division head.
She rushed away seeking the Patriarchs who could only shake their head's aswell. With their powerful qi what need would their be for stomach iron.
Sect master Riel, the colored elders, normal elders, core disciples, inner and outer disciples. She went to all of them, but was left empty handed.
She cursed "How can there be no stomach iron pills! What kind of bullshit is this!"
She raced towards her friend Dion and said "Big brother... I."
She opened the door without warning, but saw a strange scene.
Ryuk was sitting on a chair as Dion fed him grapes. Ryuk slowly waded a fan in his hand causing wind to drag his beautiful hair.
Dion was suprised, but Ryuk had a keen smile.
Riel who had been following Ryuk seeing this sent a spiritual message.
"Ryuk is this what you were planning? Didn't I tell you not to mess with these two? Weren't you scared of them?"
Ryuk nodded slowly which fell into Riels spiritual sense. He sent a message back saying: Now that Karma has been sowed let the sky rain fire. Hehe."
Ryuk said "My Miss Mooneye why the flushed expression are you sick?"
Mooneye knitted her brows and her creases appeared.
Ryuk whispered silently "Cute."
Mooneye ignored Ryuk and turned to Dion and said "Big brother do you have any stomach iron?"
Dion was suprised as he heard this and then looked towards Ryuk saying "I had some..."
Mooneye moved towards Ryuk.
She felt a stomach pain and winced.
Ryuk said "Ah. Miss you want stomach iron? It just so happens that I have some? Care for some?"
Mooneye snarled "What do you want?"
Ryuk said smiling "Nothing. We are from the same sect after all, but okay because I don't want to make you feel indebted to me. How about your hand in marriage?"
Mooneye hurrumphed and began to walk away.
Ryuk said "Fine. Fine. Friendship will do I suppose."
Mooneye pretended to not hear.
Ryuk said "You can wander around, but the place closest to our sect that has stomach iron is the sect capital a trip worth 7 days."
Ryuk scratched his nose letting Mooneye put two and two together.
She bit her teeth and said "Fine. Friends. Now give."
Ryuk smiled and said "Of course, but you know the foundation of friendship is give and take. How about in exchange for some stomach iron pills. You give me all the less secret arts of your faction."
A frightening aura spread out the roar of thunder following.
Ryuk said "Calm down. You haven't even listened to me."
Ryuk got up even with the nail biting aura. Ryuk said "You know I've done a bit of research on you. Mooneye you've been here for years longer than Dion or any other alien. You're not here for a task like them. Your here to either train and learn about the world or because your faction is in a complicated situation. Either way wouldn't your name and your families name be spoiled by not agreeing to my bargain? Sure we might not ascend, but this guy will those other's will and then just imagine your families faces. Of course this is a simple thing, but in the Cultivation world is anything simple? Every movement and moment haunted by this scene again and again. Frankly a life like that is pitiful. You might even be abandoned."
Ryuk stopped facing her wide eyed without blinking. As Ryuk was taller by a head it was a bit off, but still.
Ryuk released his Devil aura and on the area near his feet Red spider lilies sprouted out and a few cackling cries and sorrowful screams filled the place. Bloodlust.
"So princess what's your Choice?"