Kicking a pebble, I couldn't help a breath of annoyance from getting out. I began thinking as I pulled a rotting wooden chair and sat on it. The creaks made my body tingle, awaiting when it would inevitably break, while I became too lazy to get up. My current body was around the same height with longer hair. I wore white robes with noble embroideries on the edges.

Stealing a few glances at the grey wall in front, I then looked around me. The room was very messy, with dust and dirt piled everywhere, cracks along vegetation about to reach the ceiling. Behind me laid an old, worn bed that didn't look very comfortable. But instead of looking right, where the giant window was, I peered opposite, to the wooden door. "Isn't that..." Getting up, I marched toward it, grazing the frame. My eyes fell soon after, as I crouched to pull a few needles from the ground. "Yeah! Those are the ones he used..." Mumbling under my breath, I examined the thin metallic needles coated with a purple sheen. "The poison isn't quite as colorful, but it's there nonetheless." Checking the status of it, nothing popped up. "Is there no way to buy an appraisal skill? The system clearly isn't fond of telling me." With a huff, I get back up, hearing my knees pop. Stretching as I took way too much time on my own appraising, I got back to the chair, slumping on it. "It's gonna break soon."

Besides all that, the needles somewhat confirmed that this whole mess might have a proper timeline. The needles were from one of the assassins I killed, who threw them like candy before I punched through his torso. At the thought, I look at my right arm, now glowing a faint turquoise, slowly dimming as I cut off the flow. "I could put traps all around... but I also know I have zero knowledge about that. Not like I could use my phone in here to watch tutorials of the damn things."

"So what do I do? I don't think cultivators capable of obliterating boulders with a finger can fall for a random piece of string hidden underneath some grass. And even if it works out, what is it gonna do? Make them look dumb? I don't think it's a profit on my end." Who knew what kind of atrocities I would be subjected to if I humiliated some of them. "By the way, can I at least know what's coming? I'm thinking of assassins, but it might be one or two, maybe a monster or a natural disaster. For the latter, I'm pretty much fucked if I stay here."

"Anyway, thinking about it, the message said three days and three nights, so that might mean the current night to not count. In which case, I should have a few hours to myself. Well, considering the new format of those days, it might be a full day from Earth left." Shrugging, I didn't have much else to do apart from waiting for my potential death. "The room, at least I know it." Turquoise pulsating within my arm, I eyed the trees on the right of the wheat-thing fields. "Let's chop some wood and make barricades!"

"You want to assassinate me? Ha! See how surprised you'll be!" I have a bed, might as well use it. Right away, a multitude of scenarios popped into my head. "I might even be able to hide the entire time! It said nothing about killing, so don't mind if I bury myself!"

I said that aloud, but in truth, with some building, I might be able to hide in plain sight!

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I said that... but I also need to make other things as well. Tired from punching and slicing trees down, I let the moonlight shine on my front, my sweat glistening like a sprinkle of stars. Before me were fallen trees of all kinds of shapes and sizes. The stumps were still rooted, not in the mood to get rid of them. Especially with how tough those mundane looking trees were.

"After getting the wood and making it, I'll also need to dig quite a bit." Besides hiding in the house, I would need to make the potential danger think I wasn't there to begin with. To do so, I'll dig shallow tunnels in all kinds of directions, sometimes just leaving trails on the surface. I could also put fake barricades like I ran and tried to put something in the way. Maybe rocks could do the trick.

Musing over the whole thing, I caress my chin in contemplation. Perhaps my blue eyes shone at this moment, vitality surging as I slapped my cheeks for a burst of energy. "Alright! Let's get back to it baby!"

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It's been a long time since I began the 'project'. Right now, the place I'm hiding in is dark, my body laying horizontally, squished between wood and stone. My breaths are faint and sparse, minutes between each and every single one thoughtfully taken. Slowly, my mind enters a state of semi-hibernation, diminishing my presence. Time flows, ticking even so faster each passing moment. My brain feels fuzzy, tingling as the darkness all around me is only ever so offset by a few miniature holes from my faraway nose.

Night must have passed, daylight slowly growing from those holes, barely enough to illuminate a fraction of a dark and empty space. The only think it can show is a meagre amount of dust.

As I slowly drift into the lands of countless incredible dreams, a bunch of incoherent noise burst out of nowhere. My eyes slowly creek open, unable to see anything past the wood. "Where is he?" I can understand the words, but the language remains esoteric.

Multiple male voices are clashing, not much friendship in their tones. "Would I be here if I knew? How about you use that brain of yours?" At the sarcastic remark, the one who first spoke is annoyed. "Just because your disciple got lucky against mine, you think you can talk to me this way? Should I remind you who's in charge here?" The threatening tone was pretty thick, but not as much as the infuriated one following after. "My disciple? Sorry I'm a better teacher than you! Instead of making dumb remarks all the time, maybe think before you talk, so that you can keep your so called higher position for a bit longer." The tension seemed to reach an all-time high before the first one speaks again, this time a metallic sound echoing. "Is that a threat junior? You're two layers below me, even with your talent, you truly believe I won't chop you down right here, right now? Let me remind you, this mission is an assassination, in case you forgot! So what if one of us dies here? Who'll figure out what happened? A mere true disciple vanishing isn't of concern to the Elders!"

Before the sparks could turn into a raging fire, a third male voice spoke in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Both of you, please calm down. This isn't the time! Dealing with him takes priority over your quarrels. If the young master finds out about us failing because of such a petty conversation..." The insinuation was strong on this one, pulling my brows together. "Not only that, seniors, but if you would look at this." At that, a strange silence ensued. I heard a bit of rustling and soon, a loud muffled bang from below. The thing quaked the entire area, almost ruining my hiding spot. Thankfully, they must have found the tunnels I dug. But how though? So suddenly as well.

"Tunnels? Did the bastard really run away? What a senior he is! Couldn't even get away with grace, had to crawl like a sewer rat! I don't think the Third Elder will be pleased with such a disciple." To answer the first voice was the third, his calm tone quite soothing compared to the other two. "Please mind your business, senior brother. The Third Elder would not only punish your insolence, but even the Fifth Elder wouldn't be able to save himself from his wrath." At that, an awkward silence ensued.

"Mmph! You don't have to tell me twice you fake monk!"

"Senior brother, please calm your eternal anger. Om mani padm-" "Shut your mouth will you? I don't need your Buddhist prayers you charlatan! Wait until the Buddhist Temple hears about this! I'd like to see you chant then!" At that, I heard a few thumps like soles hitting dirt. Meaning multiple people went down.

After I can't hear them anymore, I slowly close back my eyes and relax my brows. Based on the exchanges, they should be fellow members of the Dual Tower, yet try to kill me. A young master is at play here, which doesn't surprise me much. Strangely enough though, one of them is apparently a fake monk. Whether this is true or not remains to be debated.

In short, this whole thing is premeditated and sums up some of the novels I read before. Sometimes the entire novel from start to finish. Even I can't escape this trope it seems.

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It's been a couple hours at least, and just when I was about to drift back into near sleep, I hear footsteps from below me. My brows vigorously tighten together, my eyelids creasing while a few angry sighs are loud enough for me to hear. "This fucker!" It was obviously the first voice. "How far could he have ran?" The second voice, whether or not it's here, doesn't make itself known. However, the soft voice of the third one does. "Seniors, I think we may have been a bit too hasty. Our men went and searched every direction the trails led to and some more. We also explored the dozen pathways down there. All to say that, if you would have only listened to my pleas-" Interrupted, the first voice is rather annoyed. "Cut to the chase will you? What do you want?"

"Ha~" The fake monk is apparently exhausted, having to deal with this rough man. "Just look here and think again, senior brother." Inferring from his words, I would say the second guy is also there, just silent for some reason. Maybe he got beaten up.

At the thought I almost laugh before realizing a deep silence to have taken place for a few seconds now. This is unlike them. My brows furrows further, a tingling sensation followed by imminent stress startle me. "Shit!" I let out a small cuss before pushing with my hands and sliding my body behind. Right after, I see light peek through multiple slits formed by blades impaling right where I was. With a shout, a turquoise glow bursts form underneath my skin, the wood beneath me shattered to bits. I fall from the ceiling and see three men in black robes with green accents look at me with black masks on. "Well, well, well! Look who hid like a baby bat!" The rough voice is from the first man, a bit burlier than the other two.

I land on my one knee and hand, pushing myself up. To that, the second voice, coming from a much thinner, slender man comes to my ears. "Senior, you should have kept some dignity for your trip to the afterlife. Unfortunately, it's too late now." The sigh of pity he gave me forced my fist to clench. Finally, to my rightmost was the last guy, quite a bit shorter than all of us. His bald head was also a dead giveaway. "Amita-" "Shut it!" We all know who said that line, so I ignore the mess and kick the ground toward them.

My left arm forward, my palm is stretched to catch the face of the leftmost tougher man. "Do I look weak to you?!" His anger is understandable, but also misguided. I only targeted him first because of the exact opposite.

After all, a third layer Foundation Establishment cultivator isn't to be trifled with!