After acquainting himself with his new strength, Gary was ready to set off. He found himself a caravan that would take him to the city of Eillssen. After this, he would have to walk the rest of the way to the citadel. He had inquired, and found out that entrance into the citadel was restricted. Only those with special permits, or clan membership were allowed in. He would have to sneak his way in. Apparently there were frequent caravans, so there was some hope of sneaking in through them.

This caravan was much more heavily armed, and would be going through many cities. They had 20 guards, most second-grade, and some first-grade, but we're bringing along at least 40 mercenaries due to the apparently valuable cargo they were transporting. They had at first not trusted Gary to be above second-rate, but a quick spar with their guard captain showed that his speed alone was enough to give even Boar disciples a run for their money. Gary felt fortunate at having memorized his cultivation method. He honestly had no way of forgetting. The cultivation rune was still engraved on his soul. He would have to find a way to remove the rune for the other method. While it seemed to have quick progress and interesting effects, death was not a good side effect for any cultivation method. Gary did not find the extra attention that reality gave him with that method pleasing either.

The trip was mostly uneventful. Gary kept his distance from the other guards. There'd been a few groups of bandit scouts that had been seen from a distance, but no trouble came. One day the guard captain came to speak with him.

"Gary right? Not often that a nonaligned cultivator gets as strong as you." said the captain

"I guess not?" expressed Gary

"Seems to me that you're probably not what you say you are." challenged the captain

"Is anybody who they say they are? Honestly so what if I am?" argued Gary

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"Listen, doesn't matter to me which clan you come from so long as I get your word that you won't bring trouble down on this caravan. Else we'll have a problem, alright?" Cautioned the Guard captain.

"Alright." Gary retorted. He'd found it odd that the man felt the need to speak to him about that. If something were to happen, it would happen regardless of any warning. Gary wasn't interested in the caravan, or its cargo. Well, he was interested in its cargo, but knowing how heavily guarded it was, and not knowing exactly what it was it wouldn't be a good idea to try to take it. The cargo was in fact a rare bottle of soul-cleansing wine.

After arriving at the Eillssen, Gary received his pay, and promptly headed in the direction of the citadel. He didn't want to waste any time, as he was eager to get his hands on that secret method. He didn't particularly care for immortality, and didn't know if that was achievable here, but power would be useful in helping him achieve his goals. He assumed that they wouldn't put 'immortal' into the name of their techniques if it was impossible. He realized that wanting to escape from the horrors of human existence sounded a lot like trying to achieve nirvana. Of course he didn't consider it exactly the same. He was doing this for selfish reasons, not to get all lovey dovey with the whole of the human race, or all living things in general. Humanity on its own disgusted him, and he didn't much care for showing total respect for every plant, or animal he saw. Of course he was capable of treating people with respect, and coming to care for them, but in general he preferred to keep his interactions shallow.

From the hill he was standing on, he could see clearly that it was not a citadel, but a fortress with a large tower in the center. The land surrounding the fortress was barren. The massive lines of caravans showed that the fortress had multiple entrances, and used a tremendous amount of resources. He decided to wait for nightfall. He wasted sometime meditating, and eating jerky. At night he hid his bag under some foliage, and headed in the direction of the frostress. There were still caravans coming in through the night. He could see the lights from their lanterns. He would have to climb his way up the walls to get in undetected. He didn't have a grappling hook, or anything that would be useful to him in climbing up there, but he did have some training, and with his speed he thought it wouldn't be so hard.

He snuck his way up the walk, and ran up it. He'd been so focused on getting up that he almost didn't notice the guard a mere meter away. Fortunately, the guard was looking the other direction. Gary snuck passed him and slid down the other side of the wall. There were many buildings inside the fortress. It was likely a miniature city for hyena clan disciples alone. He knew that he would find the secret manual underneath a large slab. Although he hadn't been given a map, he had been given a small stone that would vibrate as it got close to the slab. It would also apparently act as a key to open it. It was vibrating lightly. Gary snuck his way further into the fortress.