Cultivation Nerd

Eight Mind Phantoms was a Sky Grade Technique, one of those rare techniques that operated on an ethereal level most cultivators could only dream of. The immortal likely used this technique to leave behind the ghost in the tomb. At its highest levels, it could crush someone's mind with just a touch and even turn weaker-minded creatures into slaves.

Though the technique had combat applications, it wasn't solely designed for battle. From what I could discern, it was created to construct impossible attacks to defend against.

And yet, these were only glimpses of what the technique could truly do.

Lost in thought, I drifted through hours of silent travel, the forest's thick canopy drowning the sun's rays, wrapping our path in twilight. My mind wandered until a sudden flash of light snapped me back. Emerging from the canopy of trees, Goldwatch City's golden walls blazed in the distance, the sunlight ricocheting off them, stabbing into my eyes.

As we neared Goldwatch City, it was like we'd never left. The same long lines of people snaked toward the gates, more merchants than ever hawking their wares just outside the walls. Despite our short absence, the city had only grown more prosperous; it was now teeming with life, even outside its walls.

"If it weren't for those dice-rolling idiots deciding everything, this city might actually be decent," Song Song remarked.

She hadn't rolled well the last time she had tried to enter. I had the feeling she was still salty about it.

Even Song Song, indifferent to most things, couldn't deny the city's allure. My cousins stayed silent, their expressions as stony as ever. Since Song Song's last scolding of Liu Qian, the line between our leader and everyone else was etched in stone.

When we reached the outskirts, the Core Elders skipped the dice rolls of whether we would enter the city as a group, and ordered us to pitch our tents outside the city's fields. Soon, a sea of canvas sprouted around us. There was no grumbling this time—our stay at the foul-smelling Moonlit River Sect had humbled even the loudest complainers.

"Are you going to try your luck again?" Song Song asked as she pulled out her rocking chair. I still had no idea where she had even gotten such a thing. It barely rocked on the uneven ground, but she seemed content all the same.

"Of course," I said with a grin. "You've been too well-behaved lately; someone has to stir the pot."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Song Song slow-clapped, fixing me with a deadpan stare. "Hilarious."

"If it's so funny, where's the laugh?" I said, sorting through my storage ring for anything we might be missing.

"I'm laughing on the inside," Song Song said, her face as stoic as ever.

I had the feeling she had seen through my intentions. She might not have known why I was taking unnecessary risks to enter Goldwatch City. Still, she could smell deception from a mile away and knew it wasn't for any of the reasons I might say out loud.

Usually, I would have been more truthful with her. But even with silencing arrays, I didn't dare to say out loud that I had gained a Sky Grade Technique. If anyone overheard us talking about that, they would try any method they could to extract the technique from me. Thankfully, Song Song trusted me enough not to make a fuss over this.

I approached the gate of Golwatch City. This time, it wasn't the same gate, and I didn't bother hiding my identity as a cultivator. It was a waste of time—those I wanted to conceal it from would notice regardless.

As I walked to the front of the line, some of the civilians waiting glared my way. A couple of cultivators from the Titanic Blade Sect were already trying their luck to enter. It seemed they hadn't even bothered setting up their tents before heading here. I hadn't set up mine either, but dealing with Song Song took up a lot of time. What excuse did they have?

Both cultivators failed this time—one rolled a four, the other an eight. They left dejected, but there was nothing to argue about; this was simply a matter of luck.

This gate's cultivator tester was a tall, lanky man with a bald head and a long white beard. Despite his thin frame, he wore bulky golden armor, and he handed me the dice.

"Roll it," he said.

One thing was for sure; the other guy had been much more polite.

However, I wasn't here to judge people on their manners. So I grabbed the dice and let it slip through my fingers. It bounced a couple of times on the ground before landing on ten.

"You pass," he said, waving me along.

I complied and walked past the silver-armored guards. There was none of the respect I'd received before when I had rolled higher, but I had expected this and didn't mind. I already knew how the city operated and where to find what I needed.

After passing through the gates, I lingered a bit longer, watching from a distance as more disciples from the great sects tried their luck. None landed on the lowest number, but few rolled high enough to pass. Those who did pass were Qi Gathering Cultivators, and even they only rolled up to ten.

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This pattern continued until the fourth person to pass, as if their luck had defaulted to neutral. From what the immortal ghost had said, it seemed this effect would last quite a while, even after they left the tomb.

If that was the case, what had happened to Hu Jin? I still believed he had probably survived through sheer dumb luck. But if his luck remained neutral even after leaving the tomb, things could be very dangerous for him.

Also, why hadn't the ghost given me the technique he used to neutralize everyone's luck? I doubted he became an immortal with just one or two Sky Grade Techniques.

I shrugged off my greed for more techniques and moved on before anyone noticed me. Knowing the Eight Mind Phantoms technique made me harder to detect like a ghost. But I wasn't going to push my luck, as this was just a side effect of the technique and nothing compared to Song San's method of hiding himself.

I wandered through the marble streets, my mind adrift.

While I was willing to take on some danger as long as I had a semblance of control over the situation, understood the circumstances, and knew that the lives of those I cared about were not at risk. However, there was always an unknown factor. For instance, the old man in golden armor might have had a sensory technique.

Unlike my last visit when I traveled to the wealthier parts of town, I headed to the seedier side this time. Golwatch City didn't have slums, so even the more run-down areas were still better than most places. However, this time, I felt a strange tingling on the back of my neck, something I hadn't sensed during my previous visit.

I continued on until the marble-white roads gave way to simple stone paths. I chose the second inn that caught my eye, and as I entered, a plump young waitress greeted me.

"Hello, honored customer. What can we do for you? Are you here for a meal or for a room?"

The place wasn't full, but it wasn't too empty either. A handful of patrons glanced my way as I entered but showed little interest beyond that.

"A room, for now," I replied.

"Good choice, honored customer. Let me show you to a room. It's only three silver a night," she said.

It was a bit expensive compared to the average person's earnings, but this was likely where merchants stayed after concluding their business.

The plump girl led me to my room on the second floor. She chatted about various things she'd heard along the way, but my thoughts were elsewhere.

I scanned every nook and cranny with my eyes, checked every corner and loose floorboard, and spread my Qi senses to detect any arrays around the place. Everything seemed normal—no one was listening. Yet, there was a nagging voice in the back of my mind telling me something was missing, something wasn't adding up.

"Come and call me if you need anything," the plump girl said, her fingers nervously interlocking as she tightened her grip on her skirt, avoiding my gaze. She gathered the courage to look at me, but then her face turned red, and she bolted away. "Have a nice stay!"

Huh? Was someone actually attracted to me purely based on looks? Or perhaps she mistook my silence for a mysterious demeanor?

Even in normal circumstances, I wouldn't have cared for romance. This time, even less so, as I had other things on my mind.

The room was rather simple in design, with a white-sheeted plain bed in the corner, a wooden desk where two people could dine, and a stick of incense burning in the corner, filling the room with a minty aroma.

After confirming that I was alone one last time, I closed my eyes and focused on my breath. Slowly, the technique engraved in my mind came to the forefront.

Suddenly, every complex concept I'd been studying, like an array, seemed simpler than drawing a stick figure. But I didn't let this feeling distract me; I knew it was just an illusion, like the false sense of invincibility someone might feel after hitting a Trace. I didn't have enough Qi to use this technique a second time, so I couldn't afford to make a mistake.

A sudden spark traveled from the nape of my neck through the rest of my body. Instantly, I became acutely aware of everything within me, from the tips of my toes to the last strand of hair on my head. I had never felt so in tune with my body.

Eight Mind Phantoms!

I attempted to activate the Sky Grade Technique for the first time in my life. While I had some basic knowledge of the technique, mastering it was necessary.

The Four Phantom Beast Immortal used this technique to control monstrous beasts by trapping their consciousness within their own minds. If I could master this technique to its highest level, even Nascent Soul-level beasts could easily fall prey to it, provided certain conditions were met.

What a crazy technique…

Despite the overwhelming power the immortal had wielded with this technique, he had even managed to leave behind a ghost that lasted thousands of years due to it. However, Sky Grade Techniques could be tailored to the user. I was interested in something other than merely controlling beasts. I wanted so much more!

A translucent light spread out, forming a large yellow screen that resembled a golden holographic computer—something only I could see. This helped me interpret what I was operating.

There were details about my health, stats, and other data on one screen. It was like a video game, complete with skill mastery levels. Endless information flowed into my mind about the various aspects displayed. Although I had a good memory, there were certain things I had forgotten. Yet now, I was recalling everything so easily!

Was I subconsciously interpreting things like a video game because the detailed version would be too much for my brain?

A yellow keyboard began forming, but I got a killer headache when it was halfway done, and cracks spread through the hologram.

"Fuck," I cursed, clutching my face as I felt a warm wetness envelop my hand.

I looked down to see my hand covered in blood, the same warm sensation spreading from my nose down to my chin and dripping onto the ground.

Ah, I was bleeding.

Taking a towel out of my storage ring, I wiped the blood off my face, and an unruly smile spread across my lips. I was ready to go again, but sadly, my body couldn't keep up with my curiosity. Exhaustion swept over me, and I had never felt so sleepy.

Darkness crept into the corners of my vision, and I hurried to bed before I could collapse and faceplant onto the ground.

The bed was exceptionally soft, a cloud of comfort that might have beckoned any weary mind into sleep's embrace. However, my mind was elsewhere, barely registering the plushness beneath me. My thoughts were drawn irresistibly to the technique. If only I could have used it again today...

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