The whole 'time and space travel' business wasn't anything pleasant to be experienced. Herman was among the first to jump right in, yet once he arrived at the Immortal World, there were already hundreds of newbies throwing up in buckets prepared by the kind-hearted cultivators of this world.

"Poor bastards... they look like they just flew through the void on a high-speed boat while being sea-sick. Truly makes one feel bad for them."

Herman himself wasn't feeling very great, but his superior attributes allowed for greater recovery speed. With over 400 Vitality, a little bit of travel sickness would be cured almost instantly. Taking in his surroundings he couldn't help but greedily breathe in the Primordial Qi in the air, allowing that intoxicating pain to burn his nostrils. It felt like breathing fire in your lungs, but that was a good thing. The pain was due to the Primordial Qi in the air vaporizing impurities along the body's airways, therefore Herman followed with three different breathing exercises, pushing the Primordial Qi to also travel through his Lung Meridians.

Slowly, Qi was seeping into his circulation pathways, making the burning sensation disappear entirely.

"Of course, I won't be able to cultivate until I have access to the basic cultivation method of a sect. I do remember the text and the exercises, but you still need the help of a senior cultivator to help guide the Primordial Qi into a constantly rotating vortex. That way, I will be able to passively absorb Qi of both the Spiritual and Primordial kind. Oh, right! I wonder how the Autarchs fared this time around. Hope they managed to get a bigger SJ amount to start with this time around. When Silver from the Blood World joins the 'party', I will need their help to hold him back."

 Silver was yet another killer-whale, with yet another impressive background. In the Blood World, only royalty could be owners of territory. That's why, after six months pass in the outside world, the said royalty would become almost unstoppable. Obvious enough, Silver was one such blue-blood. Crown prince of the first continent to be more exact and of course, the biggest continent in their world. Once he starts selling land for Spirit Jades, he would become a force to be reckoned with.

Backtracking a bit, the Autarchs themselves were a group that Herman had a karmic connection with. He found out only very late in his past life, but Millie or the Autarch Real News like Never liked to address her had a special ability of sorts. Millie's bloodline allowed her to connect with someone else's soul and view that person's experiences in a third-person kind of way. It was like watching a movie at the cinema and the movie was in Blue-Ray. Every small detail could be seen, heard, or deducted based on circumstances. 

This bloodline capability was something that happened at random and upon birth, therefore, was not something that she could change or alter in any way. In his past life, Herman almost died while exploring the Misty Canyon and it was the Autarchs that saved him. Millie saw his struggle against three evil cultivators and convinced the rest to help. What followed after was a friendship from which Herman drew all the benefits, mostly because each one of the Autarchs was a ridiculous prodigy. For a planet like theirs where war was constant, mercenaries were similar to singers and actors on Earth: in high demand! Their band was one of the most famous ones and decided to stick together in the Immortal World as well, ending up shaking it to its core later on.

When Millie told Herman how she used his experiences and failures in opening acupoints to ascend to the Immortal World faster, all he could do was smile bitterly. Fortunately, Millie could see only specific scenes and not assist to his everyday life, else he might've committed suicide already because of embarrassment. Once a dialogue based on emotions would be started by Herman, Millie would enter movie-mode.

"That's why I talked so much to myself this time around. With the intel I gave them and the final instructions about which sects to pick to get stronger, my debt should have been paid. I wonder if they also made the System bleed some Spirit Jades this time around. Based on their ridiculous bodies, they should've each be somewhere around 80-90.000 SJ."

With one debt paid and undoubtedly an amazing alliance forged with a group of geniuses that would get even stronger than their past selves, Herman could breathe slightly easier now. He knew himself best and was aware that he was no genius. Even with his past life experiences, his ascension will be limited at some point or another, no matter how hard he tries. He wasn't an absurd talent like LinkWill, not smart like Harper, nor had Mental's people skills. Each member of the Autarch Haven was leagues above him in every aspect, even if they were nothing but soldiers tied to nothing back in their world. Even his knowledge of the past life stops after the ascension to the Heaven Realm, not to mention that this time around, the realm in question would be entirely different. 

A sudden wave of depression hit him and he wondered if he should just turn around and head back to Earth.

"Right... one-way Travel House, this one. Really now... I should get a grip!"

Even with all his faults, if there was something that he could rival or even surpass the other geniuses despite his continuous whines, that was hard work. He did it before, building an alliance from scratch and helping the bottom feeders like himself rise in ranks, while in the Heaven Realm established a sect for which he spilled blood and sweat daily. His own! Each and every one of his disciples was a prodigy he couldn't compare with. That's why he would venture daily in realms that even the worms crawling on the ground could devour Half-Immortal realm cultivators whole, just for one more herb that could bring his disciples to the next realm and help them pass tribulations.

Each time he would return, gnashing wounds would cover his body, limbs might be missing, or he would be afflicted with horrendous poison, barely surviving each time through the careful nursing of his disciples. That's how his sect, even if newly started among other giants, was considered by the System to be in the top 50 due to the immense trust the disciples would have in their sect master... himself.

"I wonder how those lovable fellows are doing... Thinking back on the countless times I almost died, I really should stop complaining about my luck. Surviving each time by a hair's breadth is quite amazing in itself. I'm really going to do this again, aren't I?"

Sighing and smiling, he took his first step towards the crowd in a paced manner. He advised the Autarchs about the ones with evil intentions, but the bullies they would encounter and the trash he will... they should be on different levels entirely. Reminiscing about a conversation between Bian Hua and LinkWill, he smiled at one of the few things those two couldn't reach an agreement on: revenge!

In LinkWill's eyes, revenge should be something served back instantly if possible, ignoring all other consequences. Bian Hua on the other hand was calmer and much more calculative. According to him, revenge was indeed a dish best served cold. What purpose taking revenge had, if you couldn't inflict damage higher than the one you received?

In this life, Herman agreed to Bian Hua, especially for the second group he owed much to. 

"Group might be too much though, given that they were just passerby from different worlds, traveling together towards the same sect I am heading to. When I chanced upon them and saw them being attacked, I hid and let them take the brunt of the attack while I escaped quietly..."

 His mental demon was formed later on when he found out that the girls of that group were either raped and killed, raped and sacrificed to an evil sect, or only raped and luckily saved by a rescue party. The ones saved though... they could be counted on one hand only. Mio, one of the ascenders of the first trial in his past life, was expecting some of the girls in this group to come over and join her alliance, as they were friends from Earth. When she found out that they were targeted by fallen immortals of an evil sect, she flew into a rage and stormed their headquarters with the early members of Astreus. When she heard from the surviving members what happened, a world-wide hunt for those bastards started. Unfortunately, only small branches were found and the big-wigs escaped successfully.

If there was one thing that those girls escaped, even if it couldn't be called merciful, was that pure women of the group weren't touched and instead sacrificed by the evil cult for their blood and hearts, leaving their dignity intact. Each time Herman remembered the innocent girls of that group, his own heart would shatter into pieces.

This time around, his cowardly self would be put to the side and serve some much expected ice-cold revenge. And the first step to do that...

[You there, stop! Nobody is leaving this place! As representatives of the Altar of Heaven and Earth sect, we, the Crimson Lotus group will start recruiting you, fledglings. Rejoice at your plentiful luck!](?)

 Herman froze when he heard the voice and stopped in his tracks while scouring the crowd of cultivators present with blood-shot eyes. It took all his self-control to keep his raging emotions in check. A good looking young man, probably in his early twenties was calmly walking towards him while fanning himself. Herman's chest was violently moving up and down, hyperventilating once he caught the face of this person.

To think that he would get to exact his vengeance this early on, the Heavens must be helping him for sure. This bastard and his Crimson Lotus trash group were the ones that attacked the group before. It was their headquarters that Mio razed to the ground, yet by then the Altar of Heaven and Earth, the evil sect behind them, had already cut them loose and there was nothing left to point towards them. Those innocent girls that were sacrificed ended up being consumed by elites of this sect, yet there was nobody left to connect the dots for Mio since she killed everyone in the Crimson Lotus gang out of anger.

Stolen novel; please report.

"I am sorry, but do I know you? Is there any reason for me to even listen to your bullshit? Much less join your shitty group. What Altar? What Lotus? We just arrived here and you want us to join every garbage sect out there? Do you think us to be stupid?"

[It seems that your arrogance is clouding your vision, brat. You truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!](?)

"Even if I do not, that's my problem and not yours. Don't try to trick people into joining your shitty gang or that whatever Altar sect when we just arrived here and have no information about you available to peruse. Judging by your white-face looks, it's obvious what kind of low tier sect that Altar stuff is since they cannot afford to send strong cultivators to recruit us. Are you even at the Qi Gathering realm? You look as if the wind could gently blow near you and you would topple over, little white-face."

Herman was ruthless with his words and got many laughs as result, all from the surrounding crowd and the newbies from the other worlds that passed the trials. Each one of the participants was a proud son of Heaven, so, yelling at them and proclaiming that whatever sect was recruiting without checking with them first... how could they 'rejoice'? Herman's words resonated with all of them and a sneer was plastered on their faces, mocking the Crimson Lotus gang and their leader that previously spoke without holding back.

The person in question was pale because of anger and barely managed not lunging to kill the arrogant brat, thanks to the reminder of his assistant. They were here to 'recruit' on behalf of the Altar of Heaven and Earth. However, that meant that the girls that would join would either be raped and killed or if they are lucky, sacrificed and consumed by the cultivators of the said sect. For the males, if they had good talent, their hearts would be eaten and their blood drained, but if they were average trash... killed if lucky and enslaved otherwise.

[Kid, you better watch your mouth! You just arrived here and you have no idea what you are talking about. The Altar of Heaven and Earth is not something an ant like you can defame with mere words. You are lucky I am not killing you on the spot!](?)

"You? On what grounds? You are the one that lied and forced us to join your shitty sect, without giving an explanation or any benefits. Do you really expect us to join a stingy place like that? You might've done that because of your limited talent, but we are not as inclined."

[You bastard keep spouting nonsense without any regard for the face I'm giving you, right? Are you that certain that I won't pummel you to the ground!?](?)

"With your puny strength? Don't make me laugh..." 

[Hahaha! Great, great! What a great ant! It seems that a show of force is necessary in order to explain how the Immortal World actually works. You said that I'm at Qi Gathering realm right? Do you know what comes after?](?)

"Yeah, yeah... Foundation. I could still mop the floor with you even in that case..." - Herman quipped while yawning

[Oh, really? That's fortunate then. Because I am not at the Foundation realm either!](?)

This time, the cultivator was properly enraged, releasing all of his strength in an attempt to intimidate Herman and the rest. He was a Gold Core cultivator! Making the math, Herman realized that he might've bit more than he could chew, but decided to keep going. He agreed with both Bian Hua and LinkWill! He waited like Bian Hua said until he could inflict much greater damage and he could wait some more, yet, what better time to exact revenge if not now in the present!

Smirking coldly, he took a step forward towards the cultivator and opened his interface.

"System, I want to make a bet. Me against the garbage of whatever lotus that wants to recruit us. Add as extra options a 'free-for-all' and a 'last-man-standing'."

The newbies were all confused, but the cultivators present were not. A bet that would include Spirit Jades, for a competition between the ones present. Furthermore, the free-for-all implied that they can all attack at once and the last-man-standing was something among the lines of, 'doesn't matter if alive or dead, as long as on the ground'. This pup somehow figured out how dueling works, yet he picked a Gold Core cultivator as his first target!? Not only that but he had another twenty or so participants besides him.

[Kid, you really don't know how the word 'death' is spelled like, do you!?](?)

Acknowledged!

A total of 2 Gold Core and 23 Foundation realm cultivators with evil intention towards the user have been discovered!

Calculating payout rates... 3 to 1!

Please specify the amount you want to bet!

"Bullshit! Three to one!? And you expect me to win when there are two Gold Core cultivators instead of one!? Have you finally started malfunctioning you worthless and greedy bastard!?"

Despite his complaints, Herman went all in and betted all his remaining Spirit Jades. The reason behind the low payout rates must be because of the Autarchs. The System is probably wary and doesn't want to overcommit just in case he wins. This greedy little pig was quite careful that way, especially when it came to SJ.

Also, while he was complaining about it, he should be able to do it. If it's Abs, Never, or Tug, they should each be able to fight and kill up to four, maybe even five Golden Core cultivators at once. Herman's attributes were slightly above what the Autarchs had, therefore it was game on! Even if there was a hidden Golden Core cultivator somewhere in the crowd...

The amount deposited for the bet: 128.748 Spirit Jades!

Would you like to make the transaction public?

Selecting 'no' while thinking of how Never must've made it public for certain, Herman began stretching his body in preparation for the upcoming fight. To kill them it would be easy, but in his case, he had to hold back and keep them alive. He had further plans for these scums of the Immortal World.

Done with his warming-up exercises and heading for the loud-mouth leader, the underlings sneered and came forward to stop him. The brawl started before anyone could make heads or tails of the situation.

Herman looked as if he was at a constant disadvantage, yet the ones fighting him were scared. He would avoid their attacks by a hair's breadth and then retaliate. Each one of his punches or kicks were hitting hard as well, but not hard enough to knock them down. It was obvious to them that this kid had the strength to back up his courage with, but it was too bad that he picked the wrong target.

Unbeknownst to them, he was contemplating how he should go about things after beating them to a pulp. 

"The only way to attract an Inspector here is through creating a massacre. Either that or by having the rest of the crowd call one. If more than ten attempts to reach an Inspector have been made, one should come over to check on the situation. That means that I must rough up these bastards quite a bit. Then again, each one of them is aware of the shit their leader is doing and are still in the gang. Therefore, they are equally guilty!"   

With his mind made up, Herman stopped avoiding their attacks and instead greeted them with his own, this time at full power. The sound of bones shattering and the hellish screams of pain made by the victims frightened the watching crowd. This newbie hasn't even properly started his cultivation path, yet he was demolishing the Foundation realm members of the Crimson Lotus gang in a truly ruthless and decisive manner. Each one of them was crippled in a way that would take huge piles of resources and medication to come back from such injuries.

The leader was also livid and stopped hesitating when he saw his lackeys being decimated. He attacked sneakily, but Herman was expecting that. Using one of the lackeys as a shield, he pushed him forward and he had the bastard's head blown apart by his leader. Making use of the latter's surprise, Herman sent a kick towards his abdomen, targeting his dantian point. 

[Vile thing! You dare try and cripple my grandson!?](?)

"Hmpf! Took you long enough to show yourself old man."

Unable to continue his attack, Herman altered his kick's route and hit the 'grandson' across his waist, breaking his back. He fell to the ground while yelling to the high heavens, much to Herman's delight. This personal vendetta of his was cathartic in more ways than one.

[You ant! How dare you!](?)

"Oh? Is grandpa mad? Come over then, don't make this one wait for you."

[Ahahaha! It's been a while since a worm like you dared to provoke this seat! To think that I Ji Beidou would have to punish an arrogant junior, I am sure that not even an Inspector would find something wrong with that.](Ji Beidou)

The crowd was scared out of their minds when they found out that the 'grandpa' in question was the Altar of Heaven and Earth's sect Elder Ji Beidou. An actual sect Elder! And this newbie, no matter how strong or talented, had infuriated and insulted his sect. To think that the future of such a prodigy has turned bleak so suddenly...

Herman of course had realized that the old man was the elder in question when he addressed the trash from Crimson Lotus as 'grandson'. He remembered a conversation with Mio where this gramps ambushed her and tried to get revenge for his dear grandson.

Now that the old man was already attacking him, he had a decision to make: let the old man kill him and hope he could reincarnate for a second time, or kill him and become enemies of an entire evil sect that the entire Astreus wasn't able to find in his previous life.

With a fist full of Primordial Qi heading for his head, he smiled and avoided it.

"I was never one to have an easy life... Why hesitate now!? Die old fart!"

With an open palm, he impaled Ji Beidou and crushed his heart. The old man died before he could display his actual power, all because he underestimated this ant... The crowd was gasping and over sixty calls for help were made to a nearby Inspector. In the meantime, Herman crippled the remaining gang members and reaped the rewards from his bet.

With a balance of 386.224 Spirit Jades in his now large pockets, he used the clothes of the men on the ground to clean himself of blood, while calmly equipping his Level 1 equipment. With the Mortal Things set donned, he looked towards the sky from where someone was descending.

"Now then, time for the second phase of the plan..."