C8 - That's bad... for the Cultivation world I mean....

Holding steaming meat buns in their hands, two young men were talking while walking along the dusty road, side by side. One would occasionally let out a hearty laugh, while the other was enthusiastically telling a story.

The men were Maren, and a roaming Cultivator, he met in a village he stopped in to rest, half a day ago. Maren didn't bother to remember his name but was quite glad to meet somebody who had more extensive knowledge about the island and could keep him company during the travel.

With a companion, days went by in a flash, and they reached Mt. Funtan, the location of the roaming Cultivator's organization. It also marked the midway point of Maren's way to Koda city, as described by the village head.

Reaching the mountain, the Cultivator tried to persuade Maren to join his organization time and time again, but he gave up after only meeting firm rejection. He just decided to invite Maren for some food and rest, waving him goodbye not even a day later.

On the road again~ Maren adjusted his speed of travel, sprinting again for a few hours a day while organising the information he got from the Cultivator. It was mainly just general knowledge on which families were unwise to offend, where to sell this and that for the best price, and even the location of the black market.

Rushing along the street he finally entered the area of Koda city's direct influence. People became more common on the street, a few carriages rolled here and there, and the villages that occasionally appeared were bringing with life. The moment he set foot in the area, the system once again plopped up with a message.

*DING*

-The main server has issued a mission:

Name: "The second step is easier"

Description: Get in touch with the underground, overlord, and influences of Koda city

Steps completed: (0/3)

Reward(s): 1 free Design - Agriculture Subspace, Uma-corn seeds 250x, Fleeting Enlightenment Pill recipe

Maren got quite confused by the rewards, the subspace and recipe was still within his boundaries of understanding, but what the hell was Uma-corn? He immediately turned his attention to the system.

'System, explanation please?'

-Affirmative, downloading relevant information

Name: Agriculture Subspace

Description: A subdimensional space, able to imitate the natural habitats of different spiritual plants.

Name: Uma-corn

Description: A rare variant of the corn-type spiritual plants, largely unknown across the continent, and mostly used by alchemy-masters as a substitute ingredient for mid-level recipes.

Name: Fleeting Enlightenment Pill

Description: A pill from another world. Once digested, the Cultivator can make use of the medicines energy to feel the boundaries of the next minor realm, increasing the chance of breakthrough by a minuscule amount. It's made by drying up and mixing Uma-corn with a variety of common spiritual and normal plants.

The descriptions made Maren stop abruptly, experiencing a flash of enlightenment. The many rewards obviously hinted at him to produce the 'Fleeting Enlightenment Pill', and he already got why. A pill that could help Cultivators feel the boundaries, even if completely useless, would be received as a treasure for many low-level sect disciples. And having felt the seemingly divine medicine, a Cultivator would probably take it a second time, and a third time and so on. The point was, the feeling could make a Cultivator addicted! Though it wouldn't have terrible consequences, like the drugs back on earth, it was still a goldmine for whoever was in possession of the recipes, as with the incredibly low cost of ingredients, the pill could be produced en masse.

Thinking of this future pillar that could support his plans, Maren couldn't help but chuckle. This was exactly the type of business he liked!

While he was thinking, another system notification rang out.

*DING*

-The personal server has issued a mission:

Name: "Am I that cheap..."

Description: Help the luxurious carriage's owners to fix their axis

Steps completed: (0/1)

Reward(s): 1500 silver coins

'Huh?'

Maren didn't even notice that a few hundred metres in front of him, there was a group of people standing around a carriage. They seemed to wave at him, signalling him to closer. He started to run towards them at a slightly higher speed, befitting a Cultivator at the Execution-Mortal realm.

As soon as he arrived next to their group, a Cultivator in a martial attire walked towards him, cupping his hands respectfully.

"Sir Expert, might we ask for some help if you can?"

He was obviously astonished by the young age of the Cultivator before him. When he saw the expert running in their direction at a speed, that he, Bat Kes, the personal guard captain of the city lord's nephew, couldn't even achieve, he thought they had luck and met one of those old monsters, that normally wouldn't let themselves be seen in the secular world. But his voice was that of a kid, not even 20 years of age!

Noticing the luxurious exterior of the carriage, Maren thought it wouldn't be bad to get acquainted with the owner.

"What can I do for you?"

He already knew what they wanted thanks to the system, but he still had to ask.

"Well you see, our carriage's axis broke due to the bad condition of the road, and we have no method to fix it by ourselves. Does Sir expert have a solution maybe?"

"Hm, I'll take a look."

Saying that he nonchalantly used his materialistic Qi to lift the carriage. Seeing that the surrounding Cultivators' eyes went open like saucers.

'Materialistic Qi???? He must be at the peak of Execution-Mortal. I really admire those geniuses of rich families...'

Maren had no idea that he just left a lasting impression on Bat and his fellow guards. Inspecting the broken axis, he waved his hand, and a shimmering mantle of Qi connected the two halves.

"I can only do that much right now. My Qi will last only 2 days so you better get to the city soon."

He turned towards Bat Kes, who cupped his hands and slightly bowed.

"Many thanks to Sir expert!"

The other Cultivators also gave a respectful bow. With a ringtone, the system notification sounded, and Maren turned to leave. Just when he got out of the group, a young girl, pulling a slightly older boy by the hand, made her way through the crowd. Both of them wore luxurious robes and had cultivation bases at the Understanding-Mortal realm, quite an impressive feat, considering their ages that were around 14-16, and the remote location of this island.

"Sir expert, wait!"

The girl's voice rang out very clearly. Hearing her Maren stopped and turned around.

"Yes?"

He had a questioning look in his eyes, proof of his flawless acting skills. He obviously already noticed the two of them way earlier.

"Sir expert, please let me introduce ourselves. My name is Vivi Ketna."

She cupped her hands, showing respect to the unknown expert.

"And this is my fiancee, Lotar Koda."

She expectantly looked at Maren, waiting for some kind of astonished reaction. The Koda family was a giant overlord on the island after all! Although Maren knew that, he showed no reaction at all. His behaviour disappointed her, but it was reasonable, as a force capable of nurturing an Execution-Mortal expert this young, must be quite powerful themselves, maybe even more powerful than the Koda family. He could even be a young master of Ahan city. She obviously didn't want to miss the opportunity to get to know such a prominent personality.

"We would like to ask Sir expert to travel with us?"

Lotar spoke out with a calm and mature voice, his eyes seizing up Maren, the latter obviously not minding it much.

"Travelling together? Sure we can do that, I don't mind."

The young couple's eyes glimmered with excitement. Although both of them came from influential and big families, they weren't from the main branches, Vivi was only the adopted daughter of one of her clan's elders, and Lotar the nephew of the city lord, and therefore didn't enjoy as many resources as the geniuses of their clans. But after getting into contact with a young foreign genius, and potentially the power backing him, they would surely be rewarded by their family, after they reported it.

"Then please."

Vivi excitedly made an inviting gesture towards their carriage. Maren just hm-ed and entered it together with Lotar. They then heard Vivi give the guards their respective tasks and ending their breaks. She then entered the carriage too.

Giving Maren another interested side glance, she ordered the driver to set off.

Maren on the other hand just silently sat down in a corner of the spacious carriage in a lotus-seat and started circulating his inner Qi in the way 'Mantled in Night Skies' described it.

While a Cultivator was meditating in a special way, there would always be a slight phenomenon of outer Qi swirling around the Cultivator. The colour and movements of the outer Qi differed from technique to technique, so it was easy to recognize which method a Cultivator practised. But looking at Maren, neither Vivi nor Lotar recognized the form, which astonished them, as they practically knew every higher tier technique there was on the island. The thought of it being a low tier one was instantly removed from their heads, as the cleanliness and calmness of the Qi suggested otherwise. Both of them shot Maren interested looks from time to time, but since he obviously didn't want to talk about it, they kept quiet during the entire journey.

Then, almost two days later, they finally reached Koda city.