Immortal Freeloader 36 (Patreon)

I didn’t try to find Marana when I returned. Instead, I immediately went to sleep, finally relaxing since the traitor servant of Elsana tried to drug me.

Elsana and Lannayin were safe under the barrier, and Marana didn’t need any help after her breakthrough. With Pearyin gone, I didn’t have anyone I actually cared about in the city who still needed my help.  

Technically, I still had the medicine workshop I set up in the rental house, but I wasn’t planning to return there. With most valuable herbs and other material already used for the pills I had given to Pearyin and Marana, the remaining stuff wasn’t particularly valuable. 

Worse, I had made a great number of enemies while disguised as a crazy apothecary. The benefits of a few extra pills weren’t really worth getting caught red-handed. Abandoning that identity for the moment was the easier option.  

Especially when it meant I was hidden from probing, protected by Connate Realm martial artists with a soft spot for me, and willing to teach me, partially due to guilt she felt for putting me in distress. 

And, I had no problem milking that guilt until she decided to kick me out. 

Since the room was underground, I didn’t immediately know the time when I woke up. But, I woke up refreshed, so I expected it to be late afternoon at a minimum. There was some porridge in the room, waiting for me. It was cold and tasteless, but also rich in essence and easy to digest, likely some kind of emergency ration.  

“Now, what to do,” I said as I looked around the room, trying to decide what to do. My options were between improving my current skills and gaining new ones. 

If it wasn’t for my massage abilities surpassing the limits and reaching a new realm, I would have probably chosen the latter, trying to expand my abilities. Yet, the benefits of the Minor Immersion stage when it came to massage had been an eye-opener. 

The realms of expertise for various skills were a common topic in the books, as well as how to distinguish them. Yet, none of them mentioned anything above the Perfection realm. Whether it was impossible to bypass them without the assistance of the System, or I didn’t have valuable enough books to explain that was a mystery. 

“Why not some experimentation?” I said to myself as I closed my eyes, focused on the Initiate Realm punches of Tiger Fist, and started practicing with renewed intensity. Ultimately, it was the best target to experiment. My enhanced martial ability allowed me to progress through those skills with extreme speed, and Initiate punches were the easiest to comprehend.  

And, as a bonus, since Marana was the one who gave me the book, I could always ask her some questions about using the System boost if I couldn’t break through by sheer effort. 

I closed my eyes, imagining the full set of punches, not just the physical movement, but the conceptual weight behind it as well. The roar of a tiger, wild and untamed… 

And, I lost myself in the practice. 

All things considered, it was not bad. I had never been a habitual hard worker. I had worked hard for my sprinting career, but that was only because, at that time, I thought it to be my best option in life. 

However, that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy pushing myself physically. The real challenge was doing it all day , every day, endlessly. Luckily, my enhanced talent meant that results wouldn’t take that long. 

I punched again and again, feeling the way my essence moved in my body acutely as I tried to push myself, focusing on perfecting every single muscle to perfection… As I focused inward, I could feel my muscles expanding, my acupunctures getting stronger bit by bit, the speed of change increasing… 

The only problem, even Initiate punches burned a lot of essence, forcing me to stop for a break every half an hour, consuming another dish from my Inventory to keep me going. Yet, I persevered until, suddenly, my punches got much better. It wasn’t a gradual process, but a sudden jump, like I had touched something bigger than me. 

The multicolored glow that surrounded me went a long way to convince me that it was not an illusion. 

“Fascinating,” I muttered as I basked in the feeling, the concepts of the Tiger Fist getting even more clear in my mind, the poems that described the punches gaining meanings that I never even considered. Even without sparring, I knew that my combat capabilities had expanded considerably, along with my physique. 

Yet, I didn’t repeat the same task with Muscle Reinforcement punches. My previous practice sessions showed that Muscle Reinforcement realm punches were much harder to learn and optimize even with my talent, meaning, I had to practice for days at a minimum, maybe even weeks, to actually gain the same benefit. 

Even before my Inventory had been depleted by my recent adventures, I didn’t have enough food and essence pills for such a huge consumption. 

And, that was with my enhanced martial talent. No wonder the books didn’t mention Immersion Realm, and mentioned Perfection as an impossible ideal. It was prohibitively expensive to reach that level … at least around Markas. 

“I’m so glad that I could cheat,” I said as I went to the attached bathroom and had a quick wash with cold water. Without a servant, I had to prepare it myself. Dumping a bucket of cold water was much easier, especially since I could use Volcano Essence to counter the chill. 

A little trick I discovered while sharing Elsana’s bed. 

Once I got rid of the sweat, I returned to the practice area, and, without anything to do, I started practicing the other four arts to Initiate realm — though this time, without putting my full focus, afraid of getting caught. 

Unlike Tiger Fist, they would have been harder to explain. 

Unfortunately, even after spending three hours practicing Wolf Fang style, I failed to reach that level. It looked like a deeper immersion was a requirement. Then, I had to stop, because I heard the opening of a door.  

I didn’t stop practicing completely, as I was drenched in sweat. Instead, I switched to Tiger Fist, and started practicing Initiate punches, but kept my expertise level at the Beginner stage. After my breakthrough, faking incompetence got even easier. 

I acted like I didn’t notice her arrival, and continued repeating the punches, keeping the Intent weak and hollow, still trying to convince her that I had been ruined by my forceful breakthrough. 

I had been planning to play on her pity, but from the corner of my gaze, I noticed something else. The predatory gaze of an older woman who had been deprived of the pleasures of the flesh for a long time. I was far too experienced in seeking that expression to be mistaken.  

She watched me for a long time, so between my punches, I did my best to put on a show. 

She interrupted me, but only after watching me for ten minutes. “You’re still practicing Initiate punches. Why?” 

“Even a rotten tree can recover with stronger roots,” I answered, once again playing the scholar identity, but I made sure to sound exhausted. Though, I had to give her credit. Now that I was facing her, she was almost impassive. I could only catch a glimmer of interest behind her serious expression. 

She didn’t rise to prominence to the point of opening a formidable independent martial arts school by being incompetent. I was able to trick her several times, but only because I operated under different — and frankly, rather ridiculous — rules, making it impossible to predict. 

“Very good. This is only a temporary problem. Once you overcome it, you’ll get even stronger,” she said, though I doubted that she actually believed it. 

Still, I appreciated the attempt to cheer up. “How’s the war effort?” I asked, changing the topic. 

“Nothing to worry about,” she said. “With Tiger Fist pulled back to their compound, and Dragon Saber not willing to commit fully, the rebellion is floundering.” Then, she smirked viciously. “I will have a surprise for them soon enough.”

We chatted a bit more, but I was already busy thinking about which skill to ask her for help with. Martial arts was the easiest option, but with my talent, I could decipher the earlier realms eventually, while I couldn’t ask her help for the later realms without making her suspicious. 

Calligraphy was tempting, as her lessons were incredibly helpful, but trying to convince her to help me was a difficult proposition. 

Which left the most dangerous, and the most fun option. “It must have been stressful and exhausting, doing all of it. Do you want another massage?” I offered. After all,  her explanation made it clear that the siege would end in a few days, and I would have preferred if she had a reason to keep me around. 

She looked surprised at my offer, so I kept my expression innocent and eager like I had no idea about her interest. “Why not?” she said.

Her tone was calm and collected as I massaged her, which didn’t surprise me. After all, she wasn’t Pearyin, inexperienced and timid. She was a beautiful woman who had just had a breakthrough to the Connate realm,  which probably made her the strongest martial artist in hundreds of miles.  

I certainly didn’t dare to pull any tricks during the massage, keeping it strictly professional. 

Even without fun, the rewards were worth it. 

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 60; Pampering Bonus Bonus - 85 (Capped)]

[145x Return - Essence Massage, Perfection]