“Damn! You really are a shapeshifter! Are you even human?” Eden asked after I reverted to my natural form. Keeping the transformation going took a minuscule amount of energy, but since every point counted, I decided not to waste any and turned it off.

[I was, originally.] I said, not willing to elaborate further. [Also, what was that about becoming cattle?] I squinted at him as my elegant red tail flicked from side to side.

“Haha, a joke, it was a joke.” He laughed. I knew it was a joke since I peeked into his mind out of curiosity, but he didn’t need to know that. “But man, you look so… weird. Your eyes especially. Freaky.”

I knew what he meant as I indeed looked odd compared to my human form. I stood about three meters tall, with smooth red skin and black horns, an elegant body structure, and a long tail. My eyes were almost completely black, with the sole exception of the iris which were subtly glowing gold.

It was indeed freaky.

The Drow kept staring at me, but she was not as subtle as she thought, and I easily noticed. The other humans were also looking but didn’t otherwise comment on my appearance, so I ignored them.

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Sometime later the settlement came into view. It was a small place, stone houses situated on a small hill around a larger structure. Everything was made from the same weak dark gray stone, though it was clearly reshaped with magic into a more stable form.

I guessed it was probably also compressed somewhat to give it more strength, but compared to proper materials that Cultivators used to build, the materials in the Lower Plane might as well be rotten wood in comparison.

We made our way directly to the large building and I noticed a distinctive lack of guards. Everything was out in the open with no doors or gates anywhere. The place housed maybe a hundred people, but I barely saw anyone.

“Here we are!” Eden, my de-facto guide said.

Before us was the entrance to the largest structure on the top of the hill, a large hall that even had some decoration as well as a few guards. I felt something brush against my skin as we approached, and suddenly the air felt purer and more refreshing. The stale suffocating feeling of the outside world completely went away, replaced by a cool breeze. The Formation used to achieve that effect was incredibly weak and just barely worked with how little energy it was given. Still, it did the job.

The Souls inside my Sea of Consciousness that I brought with me, while aggressive and rude, trying to devour me from the inside, would serve me well and keep me going for years and even decades if I used them sparingly. Just one of them would have been enough to power such a weak Formation for thousands of years.

As we reached the doorway, Eden went to speak with the guards and then waved us in. As we came through and made a few steps along a short hallway, we came to a proper metal doorway and another set of guards.

Again, with a short exchange, we were let in, and a whole new world opened before me.

[Wow…] I said in surprise. With much effort, I restrained myself from looking inside with my Spirit Sense beforehand, and I was pleasantly surprised.

The main hall was relatively large, about twenty or so meters long and maybe fifteen across. The walls were painted a pearly white and glowing crystal lamps illuminated the place. Some ornaments decorated the ceiling, made of gold and silver as well as copper, and a few beast cores sat in the stone like stars in the sky.

It wasn’t extravagantly expensive, but compared to the dreary land outside, the hall was the peak of luxury. Everything was so clean and pleasing to look at, no gray moon dust substitute anywhere.

Small groups of people were gathered, chatting among themselves, with maybe twenty people in total.

Half of our group split off to go speak with some of them, while the rest led me and Thalza to speak with the person in charge.

On a raised platform, surrounded by what seemed to be his advisors, a man sat on the throne made of white ivory and glowing Spirit Metal. He appeared young even by Cultivation standards. Actually, everyone in the room was relatively young, including the five dancers in the middle of the hall. The women were dressed in gold with silver bells tied to their limbs and with scant clothing keeping their modesty.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

A few tables were pushed against the left and right wall, filled with food and drink not found in the dreary nature outdoors.

As we approached, the dancers moved to the side, giving us space and the delicate jingles from their moves abruptly stopped, attracting attention.

Eden bowed to the man on the throne and spoke. “Leader Lee, here are the two new arrivals who were spat out from the same rift just recently.”

“Oh?” Lee leaned forward in his seat as the people around him stepped to the side. “A Drow and a… What are you, exactly?”

I bowed, rapidly shifted through various forms, and settled on my original human appearance. [Gerald Fireborn, a shapeshifter. I was a human originally, but that is no longer the case. As for my exact race, I cannot tell you, for I am the first of my kind and have no equal.]

“He’s a monster!” The Drow snapped, glaring at me. “And a mind-reader. He’s dangerous! You should kill him while you still have the chance.”

Lee chuckled. “Spicy as always, are we? It’s not often that we get a Drow in these parts. Most of those who do are banished here.” He gave Thalza a meaningful look, after which he spread his hands wide. “In here, your previous life does not matter. Whether you were a criminal or a saint, a human or a Drow, we do not discriminate. All are welcome to join us.”

[And if we don’t wanna join?]

The man shrugged. “Then that’s your decision. As long as you don’t seek conflict, you are free to go.”

[You are really not going to try to kill us for some made-up reason?] I asked.

“Why bother? Qi is precious in this place. Why waste it on needless conflict? If we wish to escape, we have to work together. Also, a shapeshifter could prove useful. Join me, and I’ll lead you to freedom.”

I grinned. [That’s a surprisingly reasonable offer. But no. She might wish to work for you, but I will have no masters.] I jabbed my thumb over my shoulder at the Drow.

“I’ll never work for a human!” Thalza shouted defiantly.

Lee sighed and waved his hand. “That’s fine by me. But you cannot remain here if you do not wish to cooperate. Also, if you make trouble, we will hunt you down no matter who you are. I will not tolerate troublemakers.”

He then turned to me. “And what about you? What is your reason for denying my offer? Surely that is not all there is to it?”

I looked Lee in the eyes for a moment and then shrugged. [If you really wish to know, it’s because you are too weak.]

Lee was taken aback, as were most people in the hall. “Too weak?”

[You are a leader, sure, but you aren’t even in the Sky Realm yet. None of you are.] I turned to the other members. They looked offended.

Lee laughed. “Obviously I’m not in the Sky Realm! If I was, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?”

The tense atmosphere changed and the rest started laughing too. Basically, they were calling me stupid for not knowing Sky Realm folks could escape. How should I have known that? I just arrived.

[Regardless... I cannot bring myself to take orders from someone who is so much weaker than me. Sorry.] I shrugged, ignoring the mocking looks people were giving me.

That brought out an uproar.

“Weaker?!” One of Lee’s advisory shouted, outraged. “Master Lee is at the peak of Spirit Realm, he could crush you in an instant! You are just a brat at the Third Level, what do you know?”

[I know plenty, thank you.] I said and then turned walking away, giving out one last backhand wave as I left.

“Wait!” Shouted Lee after me. “If you are going to leave, would you like to at least buy a Soul Stone first?”

[Soul Stone?] My ears perked up and I turned. [What’s a Soul Stone?]

“Pfff. He doesn’t know what a Soul Stone is.” Some idiot chuckled nearby.

“This…” Lee took out a fist-sized purple gem. Or maybe it was pink? Anyway, he tossed it over. “With that, you can absorb the Soul of a creature you kill. The stone will automatically absorb it and then slowly deconstruct it, allowing you to absorb the pure Qi inside.”

He smirked. “It’s the only way to recharge your energy in this place. I’ll give it to you for a thousand Spirit Stones. Interested?”

I looked at the stone in my hand. It was empty, but if my senses were correct, the stone could indeed absorb a Soul. Just one though, and its absorption ability appeared really weak. Much weaker than mine at least.

[A thousand Stones?] I slowly shook my head and tossed the crystal back. [Nah. I’ll pass.] While it would have been an interesting object to examine, I had no need for it.

“If you don’t have the money we can arrange something. I’ll give it to you for free, you just have to work for me for… let’s say a year.” Lee proposed.

[No thanks, I’m good.] I once again turned and made my way towards the door.

“You will die out there!” Lee called after me. “It’s a wasteland out there. With beasts and monsters straight out of a nightmare roaming the plains.”

Ignoring him, I saw the guy who found me first talking with some other dude. The metal rod was exchanging hands. I momentarily jumped into the man’s mind and my eyes opened wide. I then grinned and approached.

[Master Enchanter.] I greeted the man with a smile. [I’m afraid your plan is not going to work, you are wasting your time.]

“W-what?” The Enchanter, yes that was his name, at least in the Lower Plane, looked at me wide-eyed. My words derailed his train of thought.

[Your Stability Rods.] I pointed at the enchanted metal in his hand. [They will not be able to keep the rifts open for more than a few seconds. And even if they could, unless you are the size of an ant, you couldn’t squeeze through. Ah, but even then, without the power of a Sky Realm Cultivator, the pressure of the passage would crush you in a second. But you already knew all that…]

The man was looking at me wide-eyed as I loomed over him. He was quite short for a Cultivator and his body seemed weak. Definitely not a Body Cultivator.

“Who- Who are you? How do you know my name?” He stammered.

I threw my head back and laughed. [Didn’t you hear? I’m Gerald Fireborn.] I leaned closer. [A dangerous mind reader.]