Autumn was in full force, and the crisp air was thick with the scent of wet earth. Rain poured down in torrents as though the heavens had split open. The relentless downpour drenched everything in sight, and I huddled atop Speedy's massive turtle shell.

Despite the rain, Speedy moved steadily, his hulking form unaffected by the storm. His steps were slow but deliberate, trudging uphill without pause.

We were still in the middle of nowhere, walking casually without a care in the world. I kept the rain from directly hitting us with a translucent jade umbrella-shaped construct I'd formed above us.

The only sound in the otherwise silent landscape was the relentless drumming of rain on soaked earth, trees, and everything in its path. Beneath me, Speedy's large turtle feet squelched heavily with each step, sinking into the muddy ground before pulling free with a wet, sucking noise. The rhythmic squelching and the rain's steady beat formed a strangely hypnotic rhythm.

As we traveled, I read through the research notes I had copied, casting a secondary barrier around the notebook to shield it from the rain.

The notes were interesting, though they were mostly useless to Qi Gathering Cultivators like me.

They described a method for creating a corpse or body suitable for a soul to take over. By imbuing an immortal technique into a corpse and transferring his soul and consciousness into it, the Eternal Grave Immortal had hoped to trick the heavens into considering him dead.

It was an experiment aimed at deceiving the heavens. Since the notes were found in the middle of nowhere, it was likely the experiment had failed.

Still, the research notes of an immortal were fascinating. They offered a glimpse into the mindset of these beings, who, for all their monstrous tendencies, were human in their own way. The Eternal Grave Immortal detailed his inspirations and observations, searching for anything that might aid him in his quest.

The corpse-manipulating technique was a distant derivative of this research, and the founder of the Silent Harvest Sect had devised it largely on his own. This showed just how much of a genius he was, even if perhaps he had some assistance from external sources.

Immortal Techniques and Heavenly Techniques seemed to be the same rank, though the names differed.

Admittedly, some of the concepts went over my head. For instance, how could someone imbue their immortal technique into something? It was such a strange idea. I could technically do something similar with the Thousand Jade Soldier Array, as its foundation was my Dancing Jade Armor Technique, but still, the idea was perplexing to do it on a corpse.

As for tricking the heavens? From what I knew, the heavens weren't conscious but more like the general will of the world to banish unnatural existences. Perhaps back then, they didn't understand these things fully. The immortal's ghost in the tomb had mentioned the "eyes of the heavens" being on the immortal incarnator, so clearly, he knew enough to exploit this concept.

Some people were using the heaven's will for their own ends.

The book went into detail about many experiments, with several pages dedicated to soul research. The Eternal Grave Immortal had used numerous nameless otherworlders as material for his research. I could only assume this work spanned centuries. In a way, I felt fortunate not to have been born in an age when that guy was still around.

The rain pounded the earth with such force that it carved small craters into the mud, each droplet striking like a hammer against the softened ground. The relentless downpour shredded the brown and brittle autumn leaves.

Until now, I hadn't discovered any advantage of being an otherworlder that surpassed simply being born truly talented. Yet, there were still dangerous individuals out there who would relish using me as a test subject for their experiments or techniques, just like the ones I'd read about.

I closed the book, tucked it into my storage ring, and reclined on Speedy's shell, watching raindrops crash against my large, translucent umbrella.

Though I was taking a slightly meandering route, I should reach the Liu Clan's main grounds in three to four months.

Closing my eyes, I focused inward, feeling the pool of Qi just below my stomach, and began cultivating. The watery Qi flowing into my spiritual roots differed from the more subdued Qi of the Blazing Sun Sect. Still, my spirit roots filtered the energy the same way, finally settling it into the Qi pool below my stomach—though perhaps "Qi pond" was a more accurate term now.

Just as I was sinking into the rhythm of cultivation, Speedy shifted. I could sense he was slipping in the mud without even opening my eyes. By now, the big guy was used to the sensation and didn't panic.

"The least you could do is pretend to try not to slip instead of just giving up immediately," I chuckled.

With my cultivation interrupted, I formed a large, greenish arm of jade that gently grabbed Speedy, levitating us over the slippery hill.

Once we were safe, I exhaled slowly, releasing my focus on the technique and dispelling the jade appendage. As my concentration faded, the construct began to unravel. The armor that coated the arm shimmered briefly before dissolving into the air. The skin disappeared next, followed by the tightly woven muscle strands that had given it strength and form. The joints and bones fragmented into nothingness until no trace of the appendage remained.

What I had manifested was essentially an enlarged arm of a jade soldier. I didn't enjoy using it since it drained too much Qi to be practical for a Cultivator at my level. Still, the dexterity of human fingers was ideal for handling Speedy without hurting him.

Sure, the big guy could probably withstand attacks from Foundation Establishment Cultivators… probably. But that didn't mean I'd let him be harmed needlessly or risk hurting him by slapping a large slab of translucent jade to pin him down.

Besides, this was good practice. One day, I might need to create a giant jade soldier for some reason. Bigger didn't always mean stronger, but there was definitely an intimidation factor.

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As we continued walking in the rain, the steady monotony of raindrops was broken by the distant sound of voices. A frown creased my face, and I straightened up.

In the distance, down a muddy road, I saw three carriages. One was pulled by two mules, another by a sturdy warhorse, and the last by a slimmer, workhorse.

They were quite far off, but the passengers' laughter pierced through the rain, standing out to my heightened senses.

However, the barely visible sight of a walled town in the distance caught my attention even more. Its gray stone walls were well-constructed and sturdy.

It had been a little over a month since I left the village with the fake goddess, and I hadn't encountered anyone or seen any signs of civilization—until now.

"Speedy, stay here for a bit," I said, jumping off his shell. "Sorry, buddy, but I won't be able to keep the jade umbrella up while I'm gone."

He didn't respond, but he understood the gist of what I meant. With a slow, deliberate pace, he wandered toward the forest and settled down, blending not-so-seamlessly into the background. His shell was green, and this was no longer summer or spring.

Still, I trusted Speedy to be able to handle himself.

As for me, I was left behind with my feet sinking into the muddy ground. I formed translucent jade boots to avoid getting caked in mud up to my knees.

I ran for a short while, encasing the rest of my body in jade armor to keep the mud from splattering all over me. Soon enough, I neared the point where a regular person could see me, so I slowed down before finally reaching the muddy road.

My hair was soaked, plastered to my scalp like I was reliving my emo phase, with stray strands falling into my eyes. I had to push them aside as the rain continued to pour, completely drenching my clothes. It wasn't hard to look like I'd been caught in the storm for hours.

There were two drivers for each carriage, and soon enough, one of them pointed at me, saying something to the other. Then, the driver of the warhorse carriage called out.

"My good man, what are you doing out here at this time of day? Come on over before you catch a cold!" he shouted, reins in hand.

I hurried toward them, letting the barrier around my boots dissipate, allowing the mud to cling to them as I reached the cover of the carriage's hood.

"What in the heavens has you running around out here in the middle of nowhere, young man?" asked the driver. He had a thick chin beard and scooted over to avoid getting wet from the rainwater dripping off me. Beside him sat an older, nearly bald man with only one front tooth remaining in his mouth.

"I swear, you young'uns get more reckless by the day. You might think you're invincible now, but wait until you're my age—you'll feel the cold deep in your bones. The chill you don't feel today will haunt you tomorrow," the old man grumbled.

"Stop nagging him, old man. I'm sure he's learned his lesson," the driver interjected, glancing at me. "Look at him—he's wet as a dog. Even a fool will learn not to make the same mistake if they end up like that, right, lad?"

"True," I nodded, shivering slightly and rubbing my hands together for warmth. The cold wasn't unbearable—more like the kind of chill you feel when lying in a cool pool—but it was enough to sell my discomfort.

"By the way, how'd you end up like that, lad?" the driver asked, flicking the reins to get the horses moving again. Thankfully, the muddy ground kept the carriage from jostling too much.

"I'm a hunter," I said with a sigh. "Thought I'd get some hunting done before winter. You never know when you might need extra food during hard times. But in the end, I almost became a meal for some boar-like monstrous beast."

"You shoulda known better than to go hunting with winter around the corner," the old man muttered.

"Lesson learned, that's for sure," I muttered back. "Lost my bow too—cost me an arm and a leg when I was younger."

"You ought to sell that ring on your finger," the old man remarked, eyeing my storage ring.

I smiled. "If I sold this, I'd lose more than an arm. My wife would have my hide."

The driver laughed, and even the old man let out a chuckle.

"I thought you were unwed. Married men don't usually make dumb mistakes like this," the old man said as we neared the town walls. "If it weren't for my wife—may the heavens rest her soul—I'd have been dead two dozen times over. I was a fool and a reckless young man."

He sighed, his gaze growing distant as he continued, "I almost drank and whored my way to an early grave, but instead of taking me, the heavens took her. A man without his wife is like a horse with three legs or a man with half a head—it just doesn't work. Even the finest wines taste bitter without her around."

I nodded in silent acknowledgment. There was nothing to say. This man was clearly weighed down by regret, disappointed with his choices. Pointing out his mistakes would be pointless—he already knew.

Also, who the fuck started a conversation like that with a stranger? This was a heavy topic to drop on me when we just met!

"She always told me—'Save some coin, you fool! Spend time with the kids instead of drinking and whoring all night.' But no, I never listened. Thought I was smarter than everyone, like I had life all figured out," he said with another sigh.

After his story, the mood grew awkward, and a heavy silence settled over us. We'd just met, and he had already shared his regrets. I wasn't sure whether offering some kind of reassurance would help or offend him, so I decided to keep quiet.

I turned my attention to the distant town walls, trying to identify where we were. Judging by the direction we had traveled, there shouldn't have been any place like this for at least a year's journey at the pace we were going.

Feigning a search in my breast pocket, I used my storage ring to retrieve a map showing every settlement in the region. The two other passengers glanced at me curiously but said nothing.

Ignoring their attention, I studied the map carefully. But my suspicion was confirmed.

There shouldn't be any settlement like this here.

Had I gotten lost along the way or perhaps wandered into some strange phenomenon without realizing it? There were plenty of reasons why few ventured into unexplored regions.

Maybe this settlement had been built recently.

I squinted toward the town. Even from this distance, I could tell—the walls weren't new. They hadn't been built in the last decade, at least.

It was also possible that the map simply hadn't recorded this place. Although I had paid good money for these maps, which Song Song purchased from the inner part of the Blazing Sun Sect, they weren't foolproof.

For now, I returned the map to my pocket, discreetly stashing it back in my storage ring. There was no use fretting over questions I couldn't yet answer.

"What's with the crowd in front of the gates?" the coach driver asked.

"Maybe they're waiting for entry," I said, noting the scattered buildings outside the walls—windmills and other structures.

Despite the walls, this didn't look like a settlement built to withstand a beast wave. Common sense would dictate that if they were planning for such an event, all the buildings would be within the walls, not outside.

Still, it was an intriguing place.