With Guizou's help, Wu Tian escaped from the dangerous hall and corridors. He was slowly limping as he walked upon the icy layer. Guizou had used a method to climb back up.

"Are you mad at me?" A fair worry was forced onto the old master. Wu Tian still somewhat distant. "It's fine... I can't really blame you... I'm used to it..."

Guizou however knew better. "Come on! Used to it? How many limbs do you lose each day? I tell you, why not go to a town or at least a safe secret abode and relax? You can use the money to buy booze, women, gems, artifacts, whatever you fancy!" The young man was still lucid. He knew his master to only be cheering him on. It was simple compassion, but it was enough for him.

Who could say they garnered the compassion and worry of a Great Emperor? It was an achievement greater than his entire life prior of their meeting.

Each time he began to hate his master, he remembered a benefit he brought him. He was chosen while a mortal, while his ancestor was not. He knew this to be circumstantial, but it still showed how much of a blessing this old man was to him.

So what if he endured horrifying pain? His master allowed him to cultivate.

What about the trauma of losing a limb? Well what about the help he received along the way?

Let alone how many methods, pieces of knowledge and incredible training opportunities he obtained only thanks to this old man. His bubbling hate would only be extinguished from endless gratitude. He knew his sorrow to not be washed away in a mere month or two. But he also knew that his future would be much greater by his master's side.

So, as to avoid appearing too confrontational and offended, Wu Tian preferred to remain silent if possible. He only wanted to go back to a safe area and help his master recover. "Master..?" Guizou happily rushed to his side. "What is it?" "Can you... breakthrough? Get better? Something like that?" His master was not purple before. His master did not have so much endurance either. So was it possible for a soul?

"I can... but it might require quite a few years..." Seeing the master stroke his beard, Wu Tian counted on his fingers. "In that case, how hard is it to prolong my life?"

Guizou thought about it seriously. The easiest way was to use a pill, since a pill could be made by him. The ingredients... the worst one would be a Life Prolonging Pill... I would need... a Cleansing Water Bead, some Nature Seeds, a bit of Blood Powder, a drop of Essence Sap and a decent Health Improving Spirit Mushroom. But that would be a real pain to... or... maybe...

Searching through his memories, he was left uninterrupted by Wu Tian for a couple hours. His closed eyes would squirm from time to time. I can't use this! That would be... his reputation might take a huge blow, mine as well. He might also get cursed!

There existed other ways to prolong life. Artifacts, arrays, and so on. One of such ways was the use of a method. A cultivation method, martial method, or forbidden method.

Guizou had his eyes on the [Banished Absorption Method]. It was a high Emperor Grade forbidden method rivaling the will of Heaven and Earth, yet playing exactly by its rules.

A life for a life. Except that such a method lacked profoundness and research. It was currently able, if mastered perfectly, to transform the lives of others into lifespan for oneself. The age or gender did not matter. Be it an old withering man one foot in the grave or a barely conceived lifeform, it was counted as the same. The only requirement was race. It could only be used on the same race.

It should be... one life for... ten hours? That's harsh! That would require a complete annihilation of a whole region for enough lifespan to not be worried until the Star Realm. With how much time would be wasted between each kill, the required amount of victims would be at least half a million! Probably millions upon millions for certainty!

His mind would be clouded by murder and curses, ghosts haunting him for eternity...

No. Can't use it.

"We'll need some ingredients, we're missing the Health Improving Spirit Mushroom, a small bottle of Essence Sap and a Cleansing Water Bead. But we also need Cleansing Water Beads for the future breakthroughs..."

Wu Tian pondered. Clear to Guizou, he was betting on the cave's treasures. There could be good enough resources for many things. Or maybe there laid nothing at all... A dangerous bet.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Master, what level was the golem at?" Guizou did not hide anything. "It should have been an early to middle stage Grandmaster, but could only use a Master's amount of power. If I hadn't used something so powerful, you wouldn't have been able to escape. The deeper we go, the more chances of finding better preserved defensive systems. There might be an actual Grandmaster golem in there... Maybe worse..."

We didn't even fight the Lord of the Tehma Portal, but we might end up fighting a Lord level golem... I just hope there isn't any Monarch level defenses near the end... Could be possible. In that case, even with him at Nine Stars, it'll be near impossible to retrieve anything.

If not for the forbidden method, Wu Tian would have died already. This meant their current battle prowess to be below Nine Stars. Guizou estimated a possibility of survival against a Four or Five Stars. But anything beyond was in the lethal domain. Even a Great Warrior opponent would still cripple Wu Tian if Guizou intervened.

Guizou was not scared of anyone below the Nine Skies level, but he still knew his limits. To fight and make out the most as a soul, he needed a foothold, a foundation of sorts. Wu Tian was exactly it. This also meant the poor young man to take the most brutal impacts each time.

They were now at a crossroad. Either wait and gather ingredients, or wait and attempt the cave each time. Guizou did not actually mind either, though he knew the little Wu Tian to be aware of each path's pros and cons. One was the safe path with more risks for lifespan, the other was less about dying of natural causes, but being squashed like a bug by a stone fist ten meters across. A dangerous path with more potential benefits.

Therefore, Guizou shook his head. "You chose. I don't care either way." Wu Tian clenched his remaining fist tightly. He was still a bit sore. "We stay. We'll keep this place as our training ground! Even if I have to turn into a leech, I'll do it!" The old master nodded solemnly. Indeed, it was not just his training, but theirs. Maybe he would find opportunities as well. Maybe they would gain more familiarity with the possession process.

"That's the spirit kid! But first..." A gust of spiritual energy shooting into Wu Tian's mind, he was baffled before sitting down on the cold ice. In his mind, a martial method burst forth.

[Beginner Imperial Sword Art]? A heavy load of information was piercing his mind. He learned of all parts of the [Beginner Imperial Sword Art], a high Warrior Grade martial method. Consisting of nine parts and a secret part, it was supposed to have all parts be used in quick succession. Compared to his other methods, this one heavily relied on this principle. One had to continue the execution in order without fail until the target or targets ended in the yearned state.

Without noticing, Wu Tian had spent three whole days in a comprehensive state. The method was not difficult at all. However, this birthed curiosity within him. What about the levels beyond?

As he opened his eyes, Wu Tian knew what to do first.

He needed to drink! And eat! And sleep! His back was hurting so much, and so did his dried throat and empty stomach. He had already lost some muscle from the ordeal.

A few hours of rest later, fully satiated, he began to use it. Guizou did not bother, staying in the pendant, recovering as well. His spiritual energy reserves were critically low.

Standing on the thin layer of ice in the strangely bright area, Wu Tian unsheathed the longsword. It was metallic, a reflective sheen on it. It was around one meter and thirty centimeters in length, which was unusually quite long even for one of its kind.

Brandishing it with his left arm, Wu Tian took a simple stance. His left arm forward, pointing ahead. His left foot the same way, his right one behind. His torso was angled as well, trying to hide some of it behind his left shoulder. Bending his right knee, it suddenly exploded with power, his left foot elevated off the ground slightly. The sudden burst increased his momentum greatly, pushing him forward a whole ten meters in an instant. His longsword was still pointed ahead, stabbing with incredible pressure. [Imperial Stab]! Not delaying, Wu Tian repeated the same motion, his right leg exploding once more. [Imperial Step Burst]! When his momentum subsided, the tip of his longsword howled with wind pressure, a fierce invisible shockwave scratching the slanted area in front.

Continuing, he mowed the area facing him, slicing from the middle up to above, from above to the ground. [Imperial Cleave]! Then from the ground to the left, and from the left to the right. [Imperial Cross]!

His longsword stranded to the right, he pulled his left arm upward, the wrist and elbow moving as well. [Imperial Retreat]! Once the blade was facing the ceiling behind him, still to his right, he repeated a familiar move, slashing from above down to the ground with a slanted angle. [Imperial Cleave]! Then, from the ground back to above his head, the blade slashed the air slowly. [Imperial Ascension]! Wu Tian kept shouting into his mind. It was very important for muscle to mind coordination.

The blade hung above him, perfectly above his head, he slashed downward again. [Imperial Descent]!

Pausing for a moment, Wu Tian began to crazily attack in all directions, as if trying to split mosquitoes invading his domain. It was both ruthless and silly at the same time. [Imperial Lucid Madness]!

Gasping for breath, Wu Tian had just stopped after a few seconds. He was embarrassed about this poor display of skills. This is terrible... apart from the second part, nothing is even close to being viable.

Deciding after some inner deliberation, Wu Tian asked the old master out.

"So basically, you're just too bad and can't accomplish the required level of damage?" Seeing the young man nod, he sighted. "Fine, I'll show you the beginner and intermediate versions perfectly, so that you understand what's asked of you." A sudden burst of pressure collapsing Wu Tian, he awoke in a strange world. A world he previously saw once.

He was standing on a black ocean. A black void was looming above him as the new sky. Focusing back in front, he saw Guizou's real fleshly appearance standing with a longsword in his left hand. His right arm was tucked behind his back.

"Prepare yourself."