[That’s… not what I expected at all.]

Gerald looked inside Elder Li’s home. It was extremely simple lodging with bare minimum furnishings made of simple wood and stone. The floor was gray rock, the walls were a warm color of brown, and there was a coarse rug on which sat a table with a few rattan chairs.

To say the inside was simple and bare-bones would be an overstatement.

“Once again, the living chambers are underground, protected by layers of Formations. This is just a decoy.” Elder Li explained and went to the nearby wall and seemingly grabbed empty air. He then pulled, and Gerald heard some sort of mechanism spring into action underneath their feet, and a stone slab moved down and to the side, revealing an illuminated underground pathway.

“Follow me.” Elder Li said and walked down the stone steps into the underground. “Let’s get you familiarized with the place first.”

Metal braziers on the walls illuminated the hallway. The space was large, at more than four meters tall and nearly as wide. Even as big as they all were, they still had plenty of room to walk side-by-side.

The stone hallway sloped down as it went in a gradual spiral until they came to a crossroads. Gerald noticed wooden signs with symbols on them at the beginning of each branch.

“Over there is the kitchen, food storage, and the beast processing facility.” Elder Li pointed at a tunnel with a sign of a boar head and knife.

He then pointed at another hallway on the other side. It was a short one, ending in massive wooden doors. “That’s the wine cellar. You are allowed to drink some, but don’t touch anything there without my permission. Some potent poisons are aging in there as well, so really, ask before you make a mistake.”

Gerald just nodded absentmindedly at the sign with a round wine bottle. He secretly wondered if poisons could even kill him or if could he just burn them off with his regeneration ability.

They continued down the main hallway until they came to another fork in the road. On the sign was a book.

“Over here is the library. I expect you to study here in your free time. While I know you are knowledgeable, there is much you still have to learn.”

[Oh, believe me, I know.] A library was probably what Gerald hoped to get to most of all. Gaining strength and knowledge was the highest on his list of priorities.

“Good. If you struggle to understand something, you can ask your Senior Shao Lin, or me if he also doesn’t know. But first try to figure it out on your own, alright?”

Gerald nodded again, as did Shao Lin. He was also still learning even after decades spent in the Sect. The life of a Cultivator was long and spending a few decades learning to build a solid foundation was not out of the ordinary. After reaching the Golden Core Realm people often knew what path they wanted to take and specialized accordingly. Those jobs the Outer Disciples took were just to get some experience working and make some money to survive. They could be changed at any time with only a few days wasted to get used to a different kind of work.

The group came to a tunnel with a sign that depicted stairs.

[Where does this one lead to?] Gerald asked.

“That’s the secret exit. It comes out in a crack higher up the mountain and can only be opened from the inside. In case you have to leave quickly or escape secretly, it's a good outlet.”

Next, they stopped before a large wooden door in a side tunnel that looked much rougher than the rest. It had a sign with a pickaxe and a mushroom.

“Over here is a branch of the old mine where magic ore was once extracted. It has long since been exhausted and now serves as a growing space for certain species of fungus. Just don’t go too deep down, because it’s like a labyrinth down there and the walls are still full of the ore fragments, blocking all Spirit Sense.” Elder Li explained. He then pointed at the other side. “And behind this door is our growing facility where we grow some rare herbs for Alchemy. You’d better not damage any of them, or there will be trouble!”

[Don’t worry, I won't. I prefer to keep my life.]

“Mhm, good, good…” Elder Li nodded, completely serious. “Over down that way is the refinery.” A sign with a potion vial and cauldron marked the place. “If you want to try your hand at Alchemy, that’s the place with all the tools you will ever need. Also, it’s protected by Formations in case of an explosion. You don’t have to worry, you won't be able to destroy it.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

[What about me? Would it protect me as well?]

Elder Li smiled. “Of course… not. Why would it? You won’t die from one tiny explosion, right?”

[Well… probably not.] Gerald had to admit, he didn’t know if he even could die anymore. Not unless some really powerful Cultivator atomized his body at least. He couldn’t yet regenerate from a single drop of blood like some gods in some fantasy novels, but that wouldn’t be a bad thing to research.

The hallway through which they went curved to the right slowly, and soon they reached another room with a sign of a hammer.

“Behind these doors is my workshop. I usually spend most of my time here, tinkering with stuff. You are welcome to visit if you wish to learn about Formations or enchanting magical artifacts.”

[Oh! Magical artifacts? I’ll certainly keep that in mind.]

“Well, let us continue…”

They made their way further down when Gerald noticed an unmarked door.

[Hey, what’s over there?] The way was blocked by a massive metal double door, seemingly made out of silver and most likely mithril as it was a light shade of blue. Possibly heavily enchanted too.

“That’s the treasury.” Elder Li said shortly. “You don’t have access there.”

[Oh… I see.]

He pointed at another pair of tall metal doors. “There on the other side, behind the other unmarked gate, is the heart of the Formation. All defensive and offensive Formations originate there where they connect to a branch of the Sect’s Spirit Vein. It’s also the most heavily protected place around here which only I have access to.”

[Ah, so that’s how it works… What about a toilet? Do you have one?]

Elder Li lifted one eyebrow. “A toilet? What’s that?”

Gerald became visibly disappointed and sighed. [Never mind… It’s not that important.]

“Anyway… Over there is the armory, and further down that way is the arena where you will spend most of your time, for the foreseeable future at least.”

[Arena? Why?] Gerald was confused.

Elder Li patiently explained it all. “You took in too much Essence at once and I can smell it leaking out of your body. Anyone with some experience will be able to do the same. While you might have experienced quick power growth, that’s nothing in comparison to what you are losing. If we wish to stop this loss, physical exercise is the best way to do so.”

He then gestured toward his other apprentice. “Shao Lin here will be your sparring partner. It will be good for you both to learn from each other. Don’t worry if you can’t compete against him in the beginning, with all the Essence you have yet to fully absorb, your abilities should increase rapidly.”

[Err… Okay.] Gerald cupped his fists at his Senior. [I guess I’ll be in your care then, Senior Shao Lin.]

“Call me Brother.” Shao Lin said and returned the cupped fists.

[Alright, Brother Shao Lin.]

“Good, now let’s go.” Elder Li said. “I’ll show you the sleeping chambers and then you will be free for today, it’s already getting late.”

They came to the hallway that lead to the arena, and to both sides, small rooms were carved into the wall, with a sign of a bed on them.

“That’s it. That’s everything you need to know about your new home. I’m sure over time you will know this place like the back of your palm.”

Gerald lifted his hand to ask a question. [What about the library? If I’m going to be training in the arena, when can I learn stuff there?]

“You will have a few hours of free time every day, but if you wish to focus on studying the ancient scrolls more, you first have to beat Shao Lin in combat.” Elder Li smiled mischievously.

[Him?] Gerald looked his new Brother up and down. The man didn’t look to be all that strong. [What’s his Realm, if you don’t mind me asking?]

Elder Li gestured with his head for his apprentice to speak.

“I currently stand at Golden Core, Second Layer, Brother Gerald.”

[Oh… Shouldn’t be too difficult then.] Gerald’s words invited some suspicious reactions. Elder Li and Shao Lin just smiled at each other, making him feel as if he was missing something.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it then…” Elder Li said and then walked off, leaving the two youngsters alone.

“Shouldn’t be too difficult, eh?” Shao Lin grinned.

[What?] Gerald didn’t understand what was wrong with his statement. He already fought Golden Core beasts and humans alike. While some of them were difficult to kill, it wasn’t impossible.

Even if his new Brother was a genius in combat, at most it should take him a few days to beat him.

“Oh, nothing…” Shao Lin said and pulled him by the sleeve. “Come, let me show you the arena. Might as well see how good you are.”

They entered through the stone archway leading to the massive stone arena. It was dome-shaped and easily a few hundred meters across. The stone roof was also high in the air, and a bright light shone down from a massive crystal structure from the highest point.

[Oh, wow! Look at all those statues!]

Massive stone giants surrounded the arena, most of them tens of meters tall and holding a myriad of weapons. Swords, spears, bows, sickles, knives… Gerald saw every kind of weapon he knew, and even some he didn’t. And that was not all. Apart from the humanoid statues, there were countless beasts and monsters he never saw before among them.

All of them were so realistically carved out of gray rock, you would think they were alive. Every wrinkle and skin fold on them was clearly visible. It was truly a sight to behold.

“Right… statues.” Shao Lin said and in his hand appeared a simple-looking bow. “Forget them, let’s fight!”

Gerald similarly took out his weapon, the enchanted glaive, and took a stance.

[Alright… How do we do this? What are the rules?]

“Rules?” Shao Lin smiled. “Try touching me first, then we’ll talk about rules.” And he jumped back, shooting a golden arrow straight at Gerald’s face.