Darkness covered the ceiling of the cave, and yet Aiden could see the creases and a row of ants scurrying through those creases. They might be rushing toward the deep core of the cave where some bits of pieces of dead beasts still lie around.

The air brought a scent of rot and cold from inside, and he wished the ants would finish the remaining mess of dead bodies, and clear his headache. Well, he could use Alchemy Fire to burn the bit and pieces, but he felt too lazy to do it again and again.

Thinking about them, he sighed out loud. He had an OCD, and he would have to clean the place sooner than he thought.

"What the hell am I doing staring at bugs?" He grumbled. He'd just enjoyed a meal at some poor fellow's hut, knocking the guy out cold before he could spot him and chowing down on the dinner that was all set out. It was some kind of mushy stew, but it hit the spot, leaving a tangy flavor on his tongue. Way better than the slop he'd been forced to eat for a decade behind bars back on Earth.

He should have been asleep by now, as he was usually a good sleeper. Even in the prison, surrounded by violent criminals, he had slept soundly. The only problem was defending his ass from others, but after killing a few, no one had come for him in a very long time - precisely ten years.

A silence descended on the cave for a few minutes as he tried to count the sheep, and count to ten thousand, but nothing worked. Maybe the eventful day had ruined his sleep.

Too many things have happened, and he couldn't resist recalling the events once more. Especially the moment when he killed the senior brother Pijia. A throbbing tension forced his forehead into a deep frown. It was a hanging sword on his neck which could fall anytime.

Damn it. Why didn't he read through old man Li's memories? No, that was impossible. Old man Li had so many memories that he couldn't assimilate it into his current body, and he had to use it like a database and search through it.

Whatever. What was done was done, and he had to be prepared for the upcoming calamity. Taking a fellow disciple's life was a serious offense within the sect, and he had two options. He could flee and brand himself a fugitive, which would be impossible for his current cultivation level. Or he could become a Revered Disciple, a rank which could shield him from the crime.

No, he couldn't become a deserter. Xu Ma had mentioned this before for maids and servants, and he hadn't got that it applied to the labor disciples as well. If a labor disciple wanted to leave the sect, they had to ask for permission, and he wouldn't get that permission. Only an outer disciple could leave the sect and that too for a sect mission. In both the cases, becoming a deserter would provoke the sect to pursue the deserter in great lengths.

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Second option was the better option, but becoming a revered disciple was like plucking a fruit from the heavens, and it would take so much time that he would be caught well before that.

The sect had five types of disciples in general. Labor, outer, inner, core, and then there was a special category called a revered disciple for which one needed to be a core disciple first.

"Damn it. How am I going to survive through this?" He cursed out loud, disturbing the silence of the dark cave.

"Let's take this step by step, Aiden." He talked to himself.

First, he had to become an outer disciple, which should be easy for him. If he registered his cultivation level, he would become an outer disciple easily. A layer nine was like a commodity in the sect, and they were the people who went out and performed missions, and brought wealth to the sect.

However, doing so he would be trapped in the Battle Hall for a long time. Progressing through the ranks of Alchemy Hall would be a better option. Once he became an outer disciple, he could take the inner disciple exam in a few months and become an inner disciple.

No, Aiden found another way to do it inside old man Li's memories. Inner Disciple Trial. After becoming an outer disciple. It was a trial set for people who felt they were better than others, and it would allow them to go through a set of challenges and become an inner disciple. Too bad even old man Li wasn’t aware of this trial as they were carried out inside an artifact, and only the sect master had control over it.

Well, there was another simple way - if he exposed half of old man Li's knowledge about pills, he could become an elder in a day, but exposing it would bring troubles for him. In fact, he would be in a very dangerous spot once he exposed his knowledge.

This was more troublesome than he thought. He had this feeling of trapped in a confinement once more.

No, he was better than this, and he wasn’t in a prison. It was an obstacle he could get through, and the easiest way to get through was alchemy.

Closing his eyes, Aiden went through the old man Li's memories. Despite being a hall leader, that old fogey didn't know about the common exam. Fuck! What was the use of being a hall master? Maybe he didn't even go through the tests.

However, he found a brief memory of the tests in Li An's memories. The first was herb identification, which he passed today, the second was fire control, and the third was herb processing.

With a thought, a fire lit up over his forehead, illuminating the cave with a deep blue light. He had access to Alchemy Fire, so he didn't have to worry about the fire control. However, despite having all the knowledge of herb processing, he had very little experience of doing it, so he had to get some herbs and practice it.

He had to do it to survive. There was no other option. Whatever it takes, he would survive through this.