Xie Wen and I walked along a cobbled path, it looked oddly civilized for the era that we're supposed to be on, with properly shaped stones perfectly fitting each other like some sort of puzzle piece. It was organized, which was already strange enough, but I also feel warm whenever I'm on top of it. I tested it out earlier by stepping out of the stone and yep, things got cold when I did. Xie Wen said something about hot gas coming out of the earth mixed with an expertly carved Array Formation that instead of forming as a dome, targeted entire "concepts" instead- And it just so happens to be that the concept picked by the one who wrote it is "This Long Cobblestone Road."

"Seems awfully expensive," I kept my eyes down, looking at the road intently. "Seriously." I added when Xie Wen stayed silent, "Why did the Sect spend over 10,000 medium grade spirit stones just to put the array in place?" If they bought out defenses instead of something that kept their roads warm, then maybe the Sect would still be here, "Awfully expensive." I repeated.

A pregnant pause, then Xie Wen said- "Is it bad if they spent this much money?"

I nodded eagerly, "Obviously!" Who's insane enough to say otherwise?! "You know what a single medium-grade spirit stone can do to a cultivator of our level, you said it yourself, "You would've reached Foundation Establishment if you blah blah blah-" So this is just a waste." I tried to make my voice girly when I imitated her but sadly, I came up with nothing. Well, more of a choking dog but yeah, nothing.

She laughed, "I guess!"

I went back to her right side, "So, if, hypothetically,-"

"What's that?"

"-Uh, some made up scenario-" she nodded at my answer "-but continuing on, hypothetically, if I were to uh, get a high-grade spirit stone, how much would my cultivation go up if I decide to cultivate with it?"

"A lot." her answer is all I needed to know. "But I guess if you think about it, then it's definitely gonna put you up somewhere in the later stages of Tribunal Preparation realm I think?"

A memory of what she told me about all the known cultivation realm last night flashed,"So just below Immortality?" so high-grade spirit stones are just that good huh? "And if Tribunal Preparation doesn't need a cultivator to find their dao in order to go up a stage?"

She smirked, "Then it would've put you somewhere at Body Immortal."

"Right." Jesus. "Do high-grade spirit stones even exist? Then?"

"None have been found as far as I'm aware," she answered, "There's probably some up in the upper worlds, and they definitely grow in abundance at the peak but other than that? We all have to live with medium grade spirit stones because something higher is too rare otherwise." So it's possible to find one. Just not in this world? Or Plane or whatever.

"Have you seen a high-grade spirit stone?" she looked at me as if I was stupid. "Right, right. Sorry. Of course you haven't." she snorted, "So if they're so rare, then how do you know that it can do something like that?"

"Myths." She answered simply, "That's what it all is isn't it? Stories passed from one kid to the next, stories written in books- an entire world of mythology that's passed by written or spoken word that tells us lowly cultivators what could've been." Her face contorted into an ugly grimace, "If we're lucky, if everything went right- if the stars align in our favor- if we get reborn- everything can be solved that way. Restarts- Myths." Xie Wen finished with reverence.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

'Right, well I guess those type of things wouldn't just be stories on the internet here. They can happen- have happened actually.' An odd thing to think about since if that's the case, then why isn't everything just- I don't know? So advanced? I always imagine that technology would go by faster if there were geniuses who can live longer.

Which I realized is a stupid thought since cultivators can probably do what technology can do and more. And a world where everyone can just cultivate on a whim, I'd expect that they'll try to innovate cultivation instead of technology too. 'Especially if the oldest and most powerful people are cultivators themselves.' Eesh, talk about a bad case of Boomers.

"Is that why you know so much?"

She nodded, "Yes. I've been enjoying the stories of rather powerful cultivators ever since I was young, and sometimes, if my father can get their hands on them, he'd buy me books too." So she's literate? Oh, thank god. "And the stories written on them is always so fascinating."

I felt something in the air and the forest around us howled as if in agreement, "Cool." I said while looking around warily, "What kind of stories are out there? Any favorites?"

"Well... most "stories"-" she air quoted, "that have been written are actually personally done by people who are being written about? Am I making sense?" I nodded. It's like a biography, understandable since I can't imagine how much a cultivator would want to brag when their life is basically full of excitement. "Right, so essentially, these books are actually the lives of some random cultivator who became powerful through, I guess random happenstance?"

"Lucky them." The forest is silent now, and I only see bristling leaves with my enhanced eyesight but that didn't mean I'm just gonna let my guard down. I eyed every tree, looking for anything that might resemble a white bone with a pointed tip. The parasites aren't so stupid that they don't know how to ambush.

"That's pretty much every single powerful cultivator out there really- Lucky." I heard Xie Wen sigh and- 'There' I saw movement at the bottom of one of the trees. Xie Wen kept complaining all the while, "Being born as the heir of a powerful Sect Leader? Luck. What about finding an artifact? Luck. Being attuned to a hidden grotto that can up one's cultivation? Luck again!" She stomped her foot and the sound caused a few leaves in the distance to suddenly rustle.

"What was that?" she asked, suddenly aware of our surroundings.

"I don't know." I replied, "But I felt something weird just now," and isn't that something? I'm only on Body Refinement but I'm confident that I'm stronger than most cultivators of the same realm. Whatever's been watching us, I can probably take them. "Can you fight?" Xie Wen faced me with a questioning look, "I'm serious, can you?"

"I think so." Good enough.

"Okay, if it pops up, I'm gonna try to attract its attention while you try to put in a fatal strike okay?" She nodded. It may sound like our roles have been reversed but the thing following us doesn't know that, for all it knows Xie Wen might be the stronger but inexperienced one of the two us while I am weaker than her but more experienced.

'And for all I know, it's just another parasite that isn't smart enough to understand us.' I know that it isn't since it would just jump out and attack us if it's one of them. Besides, the parasites don't tail people, they lay in wait and ambush them. Unless they're an infected animal which just- Okay, I'm stopping my paranoid thoughts right there.

I looked at Xie Wen, "I'm gonna go check it out, get ready." She nodded and held the handle of her sword, gripping it tightly and pulling it out of the makeshift-sheath made of cloth from her thighs.

She was pursing her lips when I looked back, her body pulling itself into a badly renditioned fighting stance with her legs too spread too far, causing the fabric of her pants to pull taut. She looked stiff while standing there. 'So not a fighter then.'

Guess it's up to me. I turned back to the bushes and suddenly ran as fast as I could- I was in front of them a second later. The bushes rustled once before a growl came out. Sighing, I put my sword down, "Oh. It's just an animal."

Curious, I pulled the bushes apart and there it was, a little white fox in a pouncing stance, growling. My eyes ran down its body and- "Huh."

It had two tails.