Calculating Cultivation

As time passed in the dimly lit chamber, the other cultivators were growing slightly more restless. There were more twitches, more glances about, as the chamber filled up. I kept checking my pocket watch to help keep track of the time and it was a long trip. Calling it long was a bit of an understatement.

The trip took a year before something happened. A year of utter silence, it was maddening. I rationed my supplies very carefully and I noticed the few other people eating or drinking did the same. No one made a fuss either, so I couldn’t see what would happen to them. That would have been some nice entertainment.

The constant waiting was grinding down on me. There was no energy to cultivate either. Nothing to pass the time, but to sit and wait. Even cultivators who had a tremendous amount of patience, this was torture, since even cultivating wasn’t possible.

After a year, I felt the entire cylinder shake slightly. I perked up at that and looked around as well as many other people. One thing that never happened was any kind of vibration or shaking. Still, no one got up even as the shaking got worse. That was when the woman golem appeared once more and walked to the center of the chamber before speaking.

“Apologies for the slight turbulence. The cylinder transport is under attack. It is being dealt with and there is no need for concern or for any of you to act. As always, the Heavenly Alliance prides itself on a safe travel experience. No questions will be answered,” she calmly said.

One person didn’t get the message. An older man with white hair and a beard sitting across the chamber from me. “What is attacking us?” he asked. The woman golem turned towards him and there was utter silence as the cylinder continued to shake. I was waiting with everyone else in anticipation for what was about to happen. The trip had been incredibly boring, and this would be quite amusing to see such a senior cultivator do something so stupid.

That is one thing all cultivators enjoyed, seeing other cultivators screw up in some way that didn’t impact them. It made us all feel smarter and superior to the idiot who was going to suffer consequences.

A glowing blue shell suddenly appeared around the cultivator’s chair with him inside of it. The shell was see-through and we could all see the man’s fear. People in the chairs nearby twisted to watch. The trapped cultivator hit the shell and even used some kind of fire technique, but there were just small ripples on the surface. The sound was cut off. In-between one moment and the next he exploded.

There was no sound, no warning. The cultivator had been at least stage 6, and he just died, instantly, for asking a question. The glowing blue shell contracted, removing all blood, clothing, and other objects. There was now an empty chair. The tension in the room skyrocketed as there was another violent vibration.

“As previously mentioned, there will be no questions. Let me reassure you there is no danger. Your safety is our priority.” This time the entire chamber violently tilted in one direction. Everyone scrambled to stay in their seats including me. The female golem remained standing.

“One moment,” she said as the chamber righted itself once more. I hated not knowing what was going on. I hated not being in control of my life. But that was the sin of weakness I was burdened with. The chamber tilted once more in another direction.

“Please remain seated. The cylinder transport is operational,” she said, and the dim lights flickered. There was a lot more shifting at that. What could we do? A cultivator was already killed for disobeying instructions. I hated this more than anything else, the loss of any agency in an emergency. Couldn’t there at least be a proper explanation.

The vibrations continued but there was no more tilting. “We crossed paths with one of the many dangers of the Firmament. Safety protocols require an information blackout to prevent any risk of contamination. The Heavenly Alliance takes safety as a priority, and it appears the worst of the danger has passed. Is any passenger experiencing distress, including physical injury, astral fraying, or thinking about the number 1.618? Please speak up and make yourself known. Compensation will be offered as well as better accommodations.”

There was utter silence at that question. What even was that question? What even was that number? The entire question felt like a trap. Every instinct I had told me to just stay silent and not say a thing. No one was injured. While the tilting and vibrations were scary, they weren’t damaging.

No, the entire question revolved around checking if people were thinking about that number? My mind raced quickly, and I still didn’t get it. I just didn’t have enough information. “I am thinking of that number,” a cultivator raised their hand. The female golem nodded.

“Anyone else?” she asked. Two more cultivators chimed in, but that was it. Idiots, complete and utter idiots. She escorted all three out of the room and there was a deathly silence after that. I had no doubt none of us would see those three ever again. I also planned to never mention the number 1.618. Whatever that was, was very bad news.

The trip continued in silence for another month without incident. There were no more passengers. The cylinder transport shook once and the female golem made another appearance. “We have arrived. Please collect all belongings, and follow me,” she said. I got up right away and followed her, not daring to wait. I wasn’t the first though. I could tell the others wanted off this death trap as well.

We made our way into a large chamber that was well lit. It appeared to be quite modern, and there were several doorways on our side of the chamber where cultivators were coming out of and stopping in front of similar looking female golems. Some kind of mass-produced model. In front of us, there were lines. Soon everyone had exited the cylinder ship. I noticed the three people taken away weren’t present.

“Welcome to the Heavenly Alliance Arrival Terminal for the Forever City. Each line represents the faction you attend to associate with. Please wait in the line and you will be processed in order.” I noticed some lines were packed with people while others were empty.

“If you do not plan to associate with a faction, there is a general line at the far end of the Arrival Terminal in that direction,” the female golem pointed. “Thank you for using the Heavenly Alliance for your transportation needs.” The female golem walked back onto the cylinder ship and the door closed. Everyone began looking around including myself.

Most people that had been picked up made their way to the White Lotus line. I went past that towards the line for general arrivals. The entire place gave me the feeling of an airport, but it was a lot quieter and much more tense. No one talked or caused any issues. The tension after the trip was quite immense.

Making my way to the general line, it was empty. I followed it to the end. I could only hope the Immortal Gongong wasn’t going to steer me wrong. Checking behind me, no one else was following me. Cultivators in the nearby lines gave me a surprised look. I made sure I was in the right line, and it was the one at the far end of the Arrival Terminal. I had counted at least 1,000 other factions. The place was incredibly large.

There was a door in front of me. The other doors occasionally opened, and cultivators entered from their line. My door wasn’t opening. I looked around again, but there was no posted information, no signs. I just had to wait. I kept an eye on the other lines and arrivals. There were cultivators constantly arriving and the doors took about an hour between each time they opened.

After waiting for four hours, my door opened. I quickly walked forward. There was a bored looking young man sitting at the table in front of me. He was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. “This is for general arrivals. Are you sure you aren’t part of a sponsored faction?” the young man asked me.

“I was told by Immortal Gongong that the White Lotus would not accept me,” I said. The young man, I couldn’t work out his cultivation and I knew appearances were deceiving. He opened one eye to look at me.

“A baby. They sent a baby,” he said and let out a long sigh. “Well, your guide was right. They won’t accept a baby like you. Not my problem. Time to get your sorted out, sit, this will take a while.” I quickly sat.

“Thank you senior,” I replied and took a seat across from him.

“It is my job to handle low level arrivals not in a faction. As per the guidelines of the Heavenly Alliance, I will now provide you with basic general equipment. Do not lose this equipment. Do not expect it to be replaced. Do not expect it to be upgraded. Be aware that accepting this equipment constitutes agreeing to the base rules of the Heavenly Alliance,” he explained. He then pushed a small pamphlet towards me across the table.

“Take a look,” I opened up the pamphlet and began reading through it. After a couple of minutes, I was finished.

“Do you plan to accept the offered equipment?” the young man asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Very well, I will now quiz you on the contents you have just read. Can you trade with other super-organizations.”

“Material goods, knowledge, but not access of any kind,” I replied, and the young man nodded.

“Good. That is the main point you need to remember. Your first piece of equipment, a credit card,” he said and put it on the table. It was a dark red and gold color. “Place a drop of blood on the card to tie it to you. You do not have to do that, but people will know, and it will be a target of theft.” I pulled out a pin and pricked my finger to put a drop of blood on the credit card.

“Your transactions are tracked.” I noted he didn’t say this until now. “But unless you commit some sort of infraction, they are not actively monitored. You can check your balance by holding it and transfer funds by touching another card. You have a maximum transaction limit of 10,000 credits. No questions,” I closed my mouth quickly.

The young man then put a pair of ear buds on the table. At least that was what they looked like. “These are translators. While most beings in the Heavenly Alliance speak common, there are many dialects. They also work for some beings in other super factions and are quite common. Just pick them up and put them in your ears,” I did as he said. The young man’s voice changed. There was no longer an accent that I could pick up.

“It makes voices sound the same, and you lose inflection, but you can clearly understand the person you are focused on, or the loudest voice. It is a lesser model that only translates one voice at a time,” he explained, and I nodded at that.

He then placed a monocle on the table. “That is a translator. If you need to read anything, you can use that. One eye only, and a lesser model, so don’t expect it to handle everything you might see.” I carefully picked up the monocle and put it in my left eye. I attached the chain hanging off the end to my robe.

“Next you have your locational compass. It lists the floor, and the ring. As you can see, we are on floor 10,212 and located in ring orbit 5.2. This locational compass will not work past floor 50,000 plus and minus, or orbit 8. Again, it is a lesser model. If you want an upgraded version, you will have to figure that out yourself,” the young man explained. It was a bulky watch. I strapped it onto my left wrist.

“Finally, there is a map pad,” the young man said. “It tracks which faction controls which tower section, and updates based on official claims. It is not always up to date. You can manually update it,” he said and handed me what could only be called an iPad. “The mapping function is the only thing on the pad. If you decide to walk, it will give you general directions. Major locations like this Terminal are listed, but you can add locations yourself,” the young man explained.

“And that is it. There is a waiting room, you may sit in, just beyond if you are waiting for someone to pick you up, you can go now,” he said. I stood up and bowed.

“Thank you senior,” I replied.

“My job. Move,” he said. I quickly moved into the next room and almost stumbled. There was a skeleton in one of the chairs in the corner, with cloth hanging off their bones. Someone had died in this room, what the hell. That was insane.

I looked around and there was no one else. I turned back around, but the door behind me had already shut. There was a door at the far end of the room. I closed my right eye and read the sign over it. Exit: One Way. There were metal chairs, concrete-looking floors, and walls, with only the basic recessed lighting. At least the place was well lit. And the skeleton sitting on a chair in the corner.

I took a seat, and a voice suddenly spoke up from nowhere. “So, what are you doing here?” I turned to look at the skeleton.

“Greetings, I have just arrived and am looking to improve my cultivation. Are you the skeleton?” I asked.

“The bound spirit,” the voice said. It was quite flat, the translators working. “Lucky, I managed to get here to rest and hide out. Not many safe places.”

“You mean this waiting room?” I asked.

“Yes. Not often I get a visitor who risks going further without an affiliation. Let me guess, someone promised to meet you here?” the skeleton asked me.

“An immortal,” I replied. The skeleton began to laugh, somehow. Its bones weren’t moving.

“Oh, you foolish child. You were tricked,” the skeleton said.

“What do you mean?” I asked slowly.

“Your immortal, well they get compensated based on the quality of candidates they send to their faction. Trash like yourself, well that is better disposed of. If you had gotten in the line for the faction sponsoring your trip they would have to take you,” the skeleton said.

“You mean Immortal Gongong lied to me?” I asked with fear in my voice.

“Give this cultivator a prize! He doesn’t expect you to return. And he also doesn’t want to be penalized for sending trash through. And he also has to honor the tickets. Let me guess, someone gave you a ticket?”

“Yes, they did,” I replied with my worry increasing.

“Thought so. But regardless, you still would have been allowed to purchase one. That way he gets his fee, and you get dumped here. Too late to go back,” the skeleton said.

“But I have a return ticket,” I added.

“And you have to go around to get to the Departure Terminal. You exit that door, the scavengers will rip you apart. And you can’t go back. You are trapped,” the skeleton said with too much glee. I went over to the door and hesitated before opening.

“You can open it and take a look. You will see a short hallway and another door. The moment you let go, that door will slam shut. One way out,” the skeleton said. I pushed open the door and the skeleton was right. I let the door close, and it slammed shut with a bang the moment I wasn’t holding it open.

“Is there another way out of here?” I asked.

“Physically no. But now we get into the fun part of negotiations.”

“You want something,” I said.

“Exactly. I will help you out, and you will help me out. I need to reconstitute my body. And you have a great body,” the skeleton said.

“Then I won’t have a body,” I replied.

“Indeed. But the only other option is to wait or die out those doors. You don’t have to believe me, but that is how things are,” it said.

“I think I will wait,” I replied.

“Suit yourself. It will be a long wait. But I don’t mind,” it said.

“Other cultivators haven’t taken you up on your offer,” I said.

“How many you think are as stupid as you?” I was silent at that question. “Also, they tend to be stronger, their astral soul fully formed. No way to hitch a ride.”

“They can’t carry you out?” I asked.

“Pfft, kid, you think I will let myself be carried out without reassurances. As if.”

“I am Yuan Zhou senior. May I have your title or name?” I asked.

“I go by Bones. Just Bones, no title. Not imaginative I know but got to keep my actual name hidden. Managed to book a trip here, before my body rotted away from poison. Now my spirit lingers to my bones. Stupid, incredibly stupid, but that is the Firmament for you. Always finding a new way to screw you over,” Bones said.

I walked over and sat across from the skeleton. “Make a better deal. I am not giving up my agency,” I replied to the skeleton.

“Then you can wait and die for all I care. I have forever. They don’t call this the Forever City just because it is large. However long it takes, better to wait and maximize my chances of leaving, than leaving and getting screwed over,” Bones said.

I carefully considered his offer. “What exactly do you want?” I would listen, but I wouldn’t agree.

“Like I said your body. Your astral soul, will be pushed to one side and I will take over as the primary being in the driver’s seat. Then we leave, I easily crush any resistance outside of this room, and then I look at putting some flesh on these bones.”

“You don’t want my body forever?” I asked.

“That trash? Pffft. Kid, no offense, but your cultivation is complete garbage. But I am not going to trust anyone else getting me out of here safely.”

“And how will you get past whatever scavengers are waiting outside?” I asked.

“I have my tricks. Mainly masking how strong you appear to be. Right now, you look like a fresh piece of meat laying on the ground, ripe for eating.” I was silent as I considered the offer. The fact there was no Immortal Gongong, made me feel I got scammed more and more.

Bones was content to wait. “And if you keep my body long term?”

“The fact you call immortals, immortals, and were scammed shows how little you actually know. Anything I say you can’t verify. It comes down to trust. Do you trust me to do right by you, or for you to not trust me and walk out that door. Or you can wait and slowly starve to death, since I doubt you have unlimited food,” Bones explained. I got up and walked away from the skeleton. It was content to let me brood.

I had no idea which choice would be best. But each time I paced across the room, my concern grew. I just didn’t have information, which made it impossible to make a good decision. If I left, then I would be on my own against dangers outside of this room. I felt with my sword and my gun, I would have a chance against scavengers.

Or I could trust this Bones and possibly have my soul wiped out. I had no idea what the possessed skeleton was capable of. I hated not knowing. Each choice felt bad. One thing that was becoming apparent, was that I had been scammed. I had been too trusting of Immortal Gongong. He had appeared helpful and knowledgeable, but he wasn’t showing up. He didn’t even leave with everyone else. He wasn’t using some kind of remote technique. He just screwed me over.

“What about waiting until someone else comes through?” I asked.

“Have fun doing that. It will be a long time. Anyone strong enough arrives through a different entrance. Anyone weak, still stronger than you, but weak will arrive at this terminal. They will go to a faction. I don’t want to wait even longer, but that is my only option. So, I wait.”

“And trying to go back when the door opens?” I asked.

“You will be killed instantly. While this is considered a back end posting by the Heavenly Alliance, that person you talked to, well guess what. They were a direct member of the Heavenly Alliance, not a lesser faction. You blink wrong in their direction they will kill you without hesitation,” Bones explained.

“And they didn’t kill me right away because?” I asked.

“Rules. They are strict on the rules, and you might have some kind of connection, or be a hidden powerhouse. Sometimes powerful cultivators try such things to gain leverage over the Heavenly Alliance. Like a free auditing system. That is why they stick to the set procedures they have done since they opened this place however long ago,” Bones explained.

“How long will it take to get your body back?” I asked.

“No idea. There isn’t exactly a clock in this place, and I nap when there is no one around. Kid, the real risk is for me. If I leave while possessing you, and you die, then I am completely screwed. My bones will be used as fuel for something.”

I kept hesitating and looked at the door I had come in from and the door to leave this waiting room. Each second was another nail in my soul. Time stretched on. I set my deadline as a month. I could wait that long. I paced around the room while checking my pocket watch.

It was painful to wait, incredibly painful. Bones didn’t say anything, content to let me pace. The door to this room didn’t open once. Immortal Gongong didn’t show up either. Bones was happy to be quiet. After two weeks, I finally gave in.

“Alright, how will this work,” I said finally, resigned to being screwed over.

“Come over and pick up my skull and look into my eye sockets, my soul will overlay yours.” I hesitated for a moment and went over.

“And if I tried to destroy your skeleton?” I asked.

“Good luck. You don’t have the power or ability. If you can kill me, then you are welcome to try.”

“Really, you won’t get offended?” I asked.

“Nope,” it said. I pulled out my sword and swung it at the skull. My sword bounced off. “Told you. The fact I improved my bones to last no matter what, is the only reason I am still around,” Bones said as I put my sword away. I took a deep breath and picked up the skull. I then looked into the empty eye sockets, before feeling a massive pressure on my head.

“Connection established. And now let me manage my soul to overlay yours,” I felt the voice in my head and couldn’t move anymore. “Soul moving, and now….what the hell. What is your cultivation!?”

I couldn’t say anything, as I felt a massive pain in my head and in my groin. I collapsed to the floor still holding the skull. “Okay, let’s just back out. What?! NO!” I heard enraged shouting in my head. After a couple of minutes, it finally stopped. I still couldn’t move.

“Well kid, we both screwed up. Your cultivation is a…disaster. And I rushed too much. I won’t fight,” Bones said and I could move again.

“What was that?” I asked.

“You have a suction vortex as part of your cultivation. Why do you have something like that? And three paths of cultivation? Who the heck does soul cultivation? Body cultivation is the best followed by mind?”

“Um, it is quite common-“

“For whatever backwater trash dump you came from. And a suction vortex, all those cores, the density. Well congratulations, you managed to both trap me and stop me from assuming control. Your soul is too securely anchored for me to suppress,” Bones said.

“So, you aren’t possessing me?”

“I am. We are a team now kid. I will help you survive. You help me get my body back. Win, win.”

“Only now I am in charge?” I asked.

“Because you have a stupid amount of cultivation that is nonsensical. Even for whatever trash heap you come from, this…no wonder why your immortal scammed you. Most won’t, since there is always a chance you will return for revenge, but this. Heck, I would scam you if I was in their shoes.”

“So, you are an immortal?” asked.

“Kid, I am beyond that. If you are a 1 and your immortal is a 2, then I am 3. At least I was when I had my physical body. Now collect my bones and robes in one of your spatial rings.” I did what Bones said with a sense of relief. My insane cultivation had saved me once again.

“And a suction vortex, I can’t even leave. This is so stupid and makes things a 100 times harder for me to get my body back,” Bones complained.

“Aren’t you beyond a physical body?” I asked.

“Yes, but it is an anchor for my astral soul. Trust me, you don’t want to be just a soul floating around. Way too vulnerable and it makes it a nightmare for interacting with anything. Sure, I could survive, but this was the best place to wait to try and find someone to get my body back. Now, I am in an even worse spot. And don’t feel relieved,” Bones said.

“Why?” I asked with a bit of hesitation.

“Because I am blocking your cultivation at the moment, and I can’t leave. If you want to get rid of me, then I need my body. And getting my body back without me managing things is going to be very, very difficult. I won’t just walk around with just trash,” Bones explained.

“You really weren’t lying then? About anything?” I asked with some surprise.

“The truth cuts much more deeply. You were scammed, and I would have let you go once I got my body. Really, yours is utter trash, trust me. Now I am stuck to it. Your soul is pulling me in, but I am too strong to be ripped apart, and too weak to escape.”

“And what about my cultivation and my goals?” I asked.

“You are getting ahead of yourself. The first thing is to leave this place. You will need to trust me. Once I get a body, then I will help you out. And betraying me, well you won’t know who or what to betray me to. And you can’t cultivate until you get rid of me. I might believe in karma, but I won’t let myself be scammed,” Bones said.

“Karma is real?” I asked.

“Everything is real. The real question is, does it matter? That is what you need to ask. Right now, it doesn’t matter. Getting out of here and setting up a way to get credits is our first task,” Bones said.

“And that will be done, how?” I asked.

“Again, I have been here for quite a while. I need to assess the situation out there first. And while I am just a soul, I still have abilities I can use. Good news, is that anyone scanning you, will see me and back off. At least you look incredibly dangerous with how child like you look,” Bones said. With Bones’ bones put away along with his robe, I made my way to the exit door. I pushed it open and entered into the short hallway. I then secured my mask on my face and put my hood up and pushed the second door open.

A wave of yellow air hit me. In the distance I could see large columns. The ceiling above me was incredibly high up. There were groups exiting from other doors to my left and moving to large vehicles. The door closed behind me and I checked either side.

There were two piles of dirty rags that stirred slightly and then went still. “Scavengers. We are in the landing zone of the terminal. Walk forward and don’t cross any painted white lines,” Bones said and I began to walk.

“Which way?” I muttered quietly.

“Keep looking around. We can’t rest here. Those rats will be on us if we do. We need transportation or to walk out of here, but it looks like this is a closed section. That means a portion of a tower, which isn’t linked to other portions of a tower. Used to be a market here, but it must have been removed. This is going to make it harder. Ah, far end, that is the area for private transportation,” Bones said as I began to cut across the open area. The yellow clouds of air drifted through. I could feel my skin itch slightly.

“How are we going to pay?” I muttered as I passed by the occasional group. It appeared half the tower was for the landing pad. The other part was the arrival terminal, lines, and rooms. It was about a mile of walking to cross almost the entire width of the tower. Looking past the outer edge support pillars, there was just swirling yellow gas.

“Pull out your credit card.” I did and I felt a stab of pain move through my arm and out my hand. The number of credits I had went up to 37.

“You can make credits?” I asked quietly in surprise.

“No. But I do have an account tied to my soul for emergencies. It was supposed to be more, but I guess the upkeep fees have drained it. It really has been a long time,” the last part I could barely pick up in my mind. “Still, it will be more than enough as starting capital, so we don’t have to try and sell your trash. If prices haven’t changed that much, and they really don’t, then I need about half a million credits to make a body I can stand.”

“Well, I need 610,000. So we are in the same boat,” I replied.

“For your cultivation. That is fine. Teamwork. Now, the real question, is where do we go in the Forever City?”

“Friends, faction, super organization?” I asked.

“My friends are dead. Factions are just an excuse to rob people with fees and taxes. And the Heavenly Alliance doesn’t care. Any small group would have moved by now. The few contacts that are powerful enough and still around, wouldn’t hesitate to scam me. First rule of the Forever City, everyone is always scamming everyone out of everything they have, including their life and soul,” Bones said.

“Including you?” I muttered.

“You aren’t trying to hold me hostage for a future reward. Karma is a thing. Urg, how can you be so ignorant and still alive. Listen, the ties and links that bind a person, can impact one’s path to greater power. Karma is a hard path in terms of actions, but easy in terms of advancement. I am not limited to specific types of resources. That immortal you scammed you, well he is cutting off his future,” Bones explained.

“Then why scam me?” I asked.

“Immediate benefits. Or he doesn’t think it will play a role. Or just doesn’t know. Or has other plans. And a low impact on karma, since he probably gave you information for free. You are so weak, that you have to depend on me. And while you might not fully trust me, I won’t screw you over. I might not help you that much once I have my body, but screwing you over after you helped me will hit me much more than anything else.”

“How is karma even measured? It doesn’t make sense?” I asked.

“Thank our super faction for that. It is part of how they stop all us cultivators from murdering one another. Cultivators not adhering to the path of karma at the upper levels, well things get a lot harder for them. Since the karma path is free information, but everything else is kept under lock and key.”

“So, they know people won’t betray them, clever,” I muttered.

“Just don’t count on it, for the truly powerful or the truly desperate. That is why low-level cultivators are used for a lot of things. You aren’t tied to the path of karma, while us upper-level cultivators are. That is why there are countless proxy battles and trash farms like you came from to produce soldiers for the never-ending fight for resources and power within the Forever City,” Bones explained. With that one piece of information, a lot of things suddenly made sense.

“What about the other super organizations?” I asked.

“You get strong enough, you fight them. There is no choice. The faction battles are just to find the best of the best and toss away the trash. At the height of my power, you could consider me an individual that could speak to the representatives of a super faction. Now, I am in the trash tier of power with you, back at the very bottom,” Bones complained.