Immortal Freeloader 121 (Patreon)

Once I built the formation to protect myself, I stepped onto the boat, acting like I was in shock. “Sit down, and don’t say anything,” the cultivator ordered, clearly frustrated at what he saw as an errant. Not that I blamed him.

He said nothing as he used his Qi to check me, though he was far more haphazard than the apothecary. He was a cultivator from one of the minor families, probably from their main branch for him to possess a small flying boat, though it was not in top shape.

There was on problem. His involvement was enough to confirm that I had overdone my talent a bit. After all, while my grand formation couldn’t catch every message talisman, it could certainly catch the presence of random cultivators.

A small flying boat, I would have noticed. Meaning, it was the first time they were sending a boat like that to my territory. Still, I didn’t consider that as a mistake. Unless the base had multiple Golden Core cultivators, I was confident of escaping even if my subterfuge had been discovered.

Not to mention, it helped me to bypass several conditions. If I had tried to observe them from the camp, it would have taken weeks to track them back to the base, which was clearly nowhere near our borders. However, the more we traveled, the more I started to suspect whether the base would be actually misty mountains, which would be a surprise.

That mist was famous for suppressing martial essence. An interesting choice, which triggered a lot of questions for me. Unfortunately, as the mist appeared on the horizon, I also noticed a large concealment formation at a distance, hiding a valley from the cultivators and martial artists alike — which, ironically, made it even more noticeable in the eyes of a master like me.

Too bad, I thought. There were some interesting implications if they were actually picked misty mountains to train us. But, now, it seemed they wanted to use the wilderness to their benefit. After all, the outskirts covered a great expanse, and only around various points the cultivators explored.

As for my unwilling companion, he was ruffling through a book while occasionally murmuring owing favors, and the cost of alchemy. I could also see several harvested spirit plants, suggesting he might actually be an alchemist. Combined with his attitude, making clear that he wasn’t a part of the conspiracy, I decided to take a different risk since we were near our destination.

After all, since he wasn’t able to hurt me due to needing to deliver me to my destination, I could push my luck a bit. He wouldn’t attack me, and even if he did, I could handle him with an illusion formation if needed.

 “Great cultivator,” I dared to speak, interrupting his reading.

He looked at me angrily. “What!” he said, but there was no blast of Qi to punish me. Pity, I wouldn’t say no to extra Qi. I made a show of falling to my knees, tears in my eyes.

“I … I hoped you could enlighten me about alchemy,” I said, babbling in shock. “I have a talent for picking herbs. I thought maybe I have a talent for alchemy as well.”

“Weren’t you a martial artist? You dare to think about alchemy!” he gasped.

I leaned into my ignorant villager role. “Is there a difference?” I asked.

“A difference! A difference!” he gasped, shocked. I could see that he was growing angrier. He reached for his dagger, but rather than pulling it out, he chose to give me a rant about the noble art of alchemy, and how it could never be touched by a mere martial artist.

With some specific examples, triggering the System.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 20; Insult Bonus - 120 (Capped)]

[140x Return - Umnim Alchemy Technique - Beginner, Minor Familiarity]

“… Now, get out,” he growled when we arrived at our destination, throwing me out after a lengthy tirade. Too bad he didn’t choose to attack me indirectly as my Foundation Establishment prisoner did, or I could have easily bypassed Perfection.

I activated the skill as the boat flew away, while I made a show of looking around.

Still, even Minor Familiarity was exceedingly useful. At least, it gave me some foundational knowledge about how to refine, identify, and process the pills. I didn’t have any recipes, but that part was even easier to handle now that I could actually visit the cultivator market.

Once I landed, another martial artist, dressed in black appeared, riding a horse while dragging another one. “A-are you here to bring me to my master?” I asked.

“Yes, junior,” the guard said. “Come with me, and I’ll bring you to the master.”

I tried to mount, only to fall. I made a show of shame. “I … I don’t know how to ride a horse, great martial master,” I gasped. He frowned, but he still rode next to me and pulled me to his back. “Alright, then hold tight.”

My acting was to partially reinforce my role. Since my talent was more outrageous than they expected, I needed to drive my lack of knowledge even further to be convincing.

As I held onto him, I checked both his status and the status of the horse. The horse alone was significant, marking it as a savage beast that could fight against an ordinary Skin Refinement martial artist. His cultivation was more surprising. He was still a martial artist, one of Bone Forging, but this time, I finally met a Tiger Fist disciple.

Finally, I was near to the center of the operation.

Once that was determined, I spent my time processing my newly acquired alchemy technique, just not to the point of missing the presence of almost a hundred hidden sentries on the way. Even in the middle of the wilderness, they were taking their security very seriously.

The sentries I had seen alone could have invaded the Kingdom of Zaim with ease before my arrival.

The alchemy technique was more interesting. While having merely Minor Familiarity felt underwhelming, considering I had made more progress than someone else might have struggled to make in a decade without exceptional talent, I couldn’t exactly complain.

Minor Familiarity had been enough to create some serviceable talismans, and that was surely true for alchemy as well. Now, Especially since I could afford to waste both my Qi and spirit plants while refining. I doubted many alchemists had that luxury, considering even the material for the cheapest pill would be measured in spirit stones.

Now, all I needed was some recipes, and I could start working on increasing my available resources.

Only when we finally approached the area covered under the formation, did I put my full attention to the formation. After all, not only I could feel that its strength was significant, but it wasn’t based on a disk. Meaning, an expert had set.

Luckily, it looked like, once again, it was built by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, the owner was clearly better than the one who sabotaged the stone gate, once again forcing me to update the threat level of the conspiracy.

Formation experts were supposed to be valuable, and they could order multiple experts around.

The formation had three functions. Concealment, detection, and killing. The first function made sure to suppress the disturbance of essence and Qi underneath, while the detection not only detected the people entering, but also the movement inside.

Together, it was a devastating combination enough, but there was a connected killing formation that could be activated if the controller desired. However, it didn’t seem to be automatic.

Still, it was a dangerous outlook, wondering whether turning back was the better choice. I had already found their base, and I could escape before sneaking in my own time. It would be safer … but riskier. Not for me, but for the people of the mortal kingdoms. I didn’t know their exact plan and their timeline, but I was sure that whatever plan they had would cause bloodshed that was hard to imagine.

Especially since this world was huge. Billions of people lived in mortal kingdoms, a shocking number considering it wasn’t the only mortal domain even in our continent.

Delaying my entrance could mean a disaster. Worse, considering all the measures they used to keep my arrival discreet and safe, even going as far as using an unrelated cultivator to further conceal, my sudden disappearance could spook them to trigger their plans easily.

I obediently kept the peace, cursing my newly developed sense of responsibility. No, retreating out of this mess was not an option, not with the potential cost in place.