Cultivation Nerd

After telling Song Song where I was going, she didn't raise much of a fuss as I left. She did not need to ask me to be careful or wish me luck, as we both knew our situation.

Despite everything, I couldn't help but smile as I jumped from tree to tree, enjoying the Qi-rich environment of the Inner Sect. A bubbling excitement traveled across my chest. It differed from the excitement when learning something new or trying new techniques, but it wasn't any less thrilling.

The gate guards looked at me as I approached the gates leading to the Outer Sect. They were inner disciples, and their faces paled, indicating they likely knew what had happened recently. They stepped aside without much trouble, letting me pass without saying anything.

I nodded as I maneuvered past them and said, "Thanks."

Song Song had a scary reputation that led to people fearing me just out of the association. Still, there was no reason for me not to be polite. Song Song had her own way of dealing with people, and I had mine.

When I landed on the familiar roads of the Outer Sect, I stopped running and slowed to a casual walk. A strange feeling washed over me, and I couldn't help but smile.

Now that I had time to think about it, Speedy was likely okay. So a little detour on the way there wouldn't hurt, and it wasn't like I could visit these people too often now that I was associated with Song Song.

I changed direction and walked toward the dining hall. As soon as I entered, everyone glanced at me, but I no longer paid attention to them. Strangely, the whole dining hall was quiet, something I never remembered happening when there were people around.

An Inner Disciple coming to the dining hall did not happen often. The newer generation looked at me with starry eyes.

Everyone moved away as I approached the counter, and I smiled at some of the cooks behind the line with whom I was familiar.

"Can I get two cups of tea?" I asked.

The cooks seemed nervous. Even those who knew me previously were not at ease. I wasn't sure whether this was due to me being an Inner Disciple or because of Song Song's reputation. It could be a combination of both.

At least my tea was ready faster than ever, and they placed two cups on a tray.

"Here it is, Lord Liu Feng," one of the line cooks said, placing the tray before me while bowing his head.

When I was an Outer Disciple, this guy would smile when I thanked him. I was just the polite Outer Disciple then, and while I didn't like this reaction from everyone, I understood it.

I was no longer the no-name Outer Disciple. Everyone had read a book on Monstrous Beasts with my name on it. Also, I was an Inner Disciple associated with the most dangerous person from the younger generation… and probably the older ones, too.

"Thanks for the tea," I said, smiling and repeating the exact words I had said many times before.

While the cooks still showed the respect expected when meeting an Inner Disciple, some smiled when they heard my thanks.

I picked up the two cups of tea and walked away from the dining hall, escaping all the looks I was getting.

The soft, familiar wind brushing against my face was comforting. It felt like I was back to more comfortable times.

Though I didn't let myself be fooled—the place might have stayed the same and seemed familiar, but there was someone who had changed... and that someone was me!

With a slight trot, I dashed up the stairs. I hadn't mastered the Galloping Horse Power Technique, even though I knew how to use it. Despite that, the technique was still Earth Grade, made to be used with Qi, and there was no comparison to a Mortal Grade Technique.

In an instant, I stood in front of the library gates. Those stairs that used to make my legs feel like jelly were no longer a challenge, and I could cover them in one swift movement.

Wearing the blue robes of an inner sect disciple, I walked into the library, and the familiar smell of old wood and books surrounded me.

Winter was over, and so was the war. A couple of disciples were walking about the library, though none I knew.

I turned to look at the librarian, who was behind his counter as always. He seemed to have sensed me too, and our gazes met.

Luckily, the old goat was also talking with the librarian about something. I sneakily walked behind the old man and put a cup of tea in front of him.

"Here is your tea, old man," I said.

The old goat turned around, his eyes widening before his face returned to neutral, and he snorted. "I don't really like cafeteria tea anymore."

This guy... We hadn't seen each other for so long, and the first thing he did was complain?

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"Well, good. Because I didn't get you any. I got this for my teacher," I said.

"That wasn't what you said before," the old goat smirked, showing his many missing teeth.

"Anyway," I turned toward the librarian. "How have you been, teacher?"

"As good as one would expect from this job," he shrugged and looked around. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but some disciples could overhear us.

"Well, I have some things that came up, so I can't stay around for long," I said, bowing my head as I put the other teacup down and placed a silencing array around us. Something that no outer disciple would typically even notice. "Thank you for everything you have done for me. Master Xin Ma, I promise I will find a way to make you an Inner Elder. After all, I'm still your personal disciple, and I don't plan on taking another teacher."

Well, it wasn't like anyone else would accept me as their personal disciple since I was so closely associated with Song Song. That was just like asking to make all of Song Song's enemies their enemies.

Xin Ma smiled as he removed his glasses and placed them on the counter beside the teacups. He looked me in the eyes, and something indescribable flashed behind his gaze. “You were always more of the self-study type. Always learning what you wanted, with a gusto that I never saw in anyone else. Training when you want, doing what you want, and reading what you want… While you were not special in cultivation talent, nor did you have any secret physique or grand background, there was always something about you as if you truly enjoyed cultivation and learning.”

“Well, this is not a goodbye. I will be back sometime around here. There are still some things I want to study on the third floor, and how can I go without bantering with the old goat?” I turned and smirked at the old man.

“Just when we thought we got rid of this brat,” the old man grumbled, knowing I could hear fully. Though it sounded like he was complaining, the old man still had a slight smile on his face.

Someone rushed into the library. It was a chubby young man, a head or two taller than me, impossibly overweight, yet somehow still moving quickly. It was hard at first to recognize him through that pig-like face.

“Yang Cho?” I asked, unsure if this was my chubby friend.

He smiled. “Liu Feng! Long time no see! I came here when I heard you returned, and I was right to guess that you would first visit the library!”

Yang Cho approached me, hugged me, and whispered, “Thank you for that advice; it saved my life. Otherwise, I would have ended up on the frontlines.”

Advice?

He must be talking about the time I told him to try and stay in the Sect if Hu Jin went outside, and no matter what, to make sure never to get too close to Hu Jin or he would end up meeting some kind of misfortune.

“How have you been doing?” I asked as he let me go.

At that, the smile slipped off his face and his gaze grew heavy. “I don’t think I’m really cultivator material.”

His gaze shook as he seemed to be traveling down memory lane.

“What happened?” I asked. The old man and the librarian were polite enough not to say anything during this moment.

“Some of us can’t handle the blood. I saw some of my friends ripped apart and killed. People I have looked up to throughout my life ended up being incompetent commanders when it really counted. Powerful cultivators revealed that they were nothing more or less than humans with too much power in their hands… We are all the same,” Yang Cho’s voice shuddered. “I decided to become a cultivator just because I had the talent for it, and in some way to prove that the technique my family had guarded for generations was good, not something my family had wasted their time protecting. I have gone with the flow of things my whole life.”

Looking at Yang Cho, it felt like I was looking at a shadow of my former self. This was a clear example of not having the experience of a first life. He was a young man who had done what others had guided him. It was like choosing a college major because my parents wanted it, while I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

As I stared at my first friend in this world, I didn’t know what to say.

What advice could I give him that would matter? The only advice that came to mind was telling him to adapt and move on. People would die anyway; he should concentrate on his passion and what he wanted to do.

No, perhaps I was the strange one here. When had I crossed this side of the line? I had become one of those people I used to look at as crazy when I came to this world.

I was like a ghoul, not knowing what I wanted to do in my previous life. But here, I knew exactly what I wanted. Perhaps the destination of this journey was a bit blurry, but I knew for sure that I wanted to learn more about Qi and this fantastic world.

Were the weird ones those who knew exactly what they wanted in life? The people who were so sure of something that they would be willing to do anything.

Perhaps I hadn’t changed much to my core. At least, I hoped I hadn’t. But how I approached things had definitely changed. What I didn’t like, I would do my best to eliminate. Even things that I couldn’t handle now, there were plans in place to get rid of them.

“Sorry,” I said.

“What are you apologizing for?” Yang Cho asked, looking genuinely confused. Before I could answer, he said, “Anyway, I just wanted to see you one last time. I have decided to join one of the smaller Sects under the Blazing Sun Sect. I’m not made for this. I’m just a small cultivator who would rather manage a farm than be doing all of this dangerous stuff. Anyway, I wish you the best!”

He spread his arms, and we hugged each other and patted each other on the back. We told each other to take care, and he turned around.

It was weird—this might be the last time I saw this guy. But I didn’t know how to feel. A part of me was sad that he was going away, and the other part was happy that he would be out of danger. The Blazing Sun Sect, as a powerhouse, was a can of worms that not many got to open.

But despite the danger, I was not going to run away. I just thought of learning what I had recently about Sky Grade Techniques, Otherworlders, and all those other things. What about Heaven Grade Techniques? What actually made someone Immortal? Why did people from other worlds end up in this one? What were the Heavens? Why did it seem like fate had an active hand around certain people?

There were so many more questions about everything in my mind. Though a part of me wanted to run away, I knew I would end up miserable if I did something like that.

“Yang Cho, I have something for you before you go,” I called out to him and offered him a handshake. He shook my hand without a second thought, and I used my storage ring to materialize a Root Rejuvenating Pill.

His eyes widened slightly, but he quickly controlled his expression and realized what it was.

“Take this after you break through to Qi Gathering,” I offered him, destroying the silencing array around us.

He looked at me, took his hand away, and smiled. No more words needed to be said as he turned around and walked out of the library.

Looking at his retreating back, I couldn’t help but think about when we would meet next. It wasn’t a bad last meeting, but I would hate to lose my friend.

“Teacher,” I turned toward the librarian and glanced at the old goat. “Old man, I’m going to go and get my turtle. See you later.”