When I woke up, I smiled my most honest smile in centuries.
Returned once more to my small house in the Su Clan, I looked around at my surroundings. It was a tiny room in a shack made out of rotting wood. Some of the floorboards were missing, and the ones that were there were so old they’d nearly been worn through.
When I first came here, this house was a symbol of oppression. I was trapped in darkness and didn’t know any way to escape. This time, the small house began to feel like it represented something different. It was a symbol of freedom and possibilities. When I was here, I could choose to go anywhere and be anything I wanted.
So, what did I want this time?
I could stay in the Su Clan and show the arrogant bastards what I’d learned over the centuries, I could visit the Verdant Fields Sect and learn herbalism, or I take a riskier path.
I reached into the storage space in my soul and pulled out the large red coin that Pill Emperor Li had given me. He had said that I could give it to an attendant at the Blue Wind Pavilion’s main branch to request a meeting with him. I didn’t know if that offer would still be valid in this new life, but it was something I wanted to attempt.
By using an Emperor Li’s book on Rank 4 alchemy, I was quickly learning everything I needed to reach the peak of Pill Lord. His guide was laid out so expertly that I hadn’t even needed a comprehension boost to grasp its most difficult concepts. If he was willing to offer me personal instruction, it was possible that I might be able to reach the limits of Pill Emperor in only a single lifetime.
However, Formation Emperor Du had left me with another possibility. He had suggested that if I wanted to become a Martial Sovereign, I needed to visit the Nine Rivers Sect. I had never heard of the place before and knew nothing about it, not even where it was located, but the idea of advancing to Sovereign was exciting.
Four paths, each leading in very different directions. Which should I choose?
I looked at Emperor Li’s coin, and my mind began to drift. My emotional wounds had begun to heal, but the thought of rejoining the Pavilion, with its connections to my previous life… It still made my soul ache. I could do that later. There would always be time later.
Refocusing, I returned to the other options.
I also quickly decided to eliminate the Su Clan from consideration. Roughing up their Disciples would be cathartic, but if it meant I had to become a true clan member and act friendly with those people, I would rather avoid it.
So, it was down to the Verdant Fields Sect or the Nine Rivers Sect.
Now that I had obtained the spatial fire seed, I could begin expanding my storage space. I hoped to eventually grow it large enough that I could plant a massive garden inside and produce my own herbs for alchemy. To do that I would first need to learn herbalism. However, there was no rush. Creating such a garden would require a space of considerable size to be viable, and at the moment, my storage space was only a box ten centimeters to a side.
That left the Nine Rivers Sect. It was a mystery. I knew nothing about it other than that a Formation Emperor had suggested I go there. It would be a fresh start away from anything I had known before. That felt like what I needed, but… Was I just trying to run away from my problems? There were debts I needed to repay in the Wastes, and I couldn’t just ignore them. It might be better if I delt with the past first so that I could walk into the future without having to carry the burden on previous failures within me.
As my mind drifting more toward returning to the Wastes and meeting with old friends and enemies once more, a question was dredged from the depths of my soul. The question that had haunted me for centuries.
What was the point?
I could repay those debts once, but that was meaningless, right? I knew I needed to settle things to put myself at ease, but how? After just one death, all such efforts would disappear.
My storage space could travel back with me, and with my new spatial spirit fire seed, I could begin to expand it endlessly. This would let me begin creating a reality that would never reset, but I was far from reaching such lofty ambitions at this point, and getting there would be complicated. I couldn’t learn what I needed to learn to achieve this goal while stuck in the Wastes.
So, yes, I needed to go back and settle things, but first, I needed to find a way to use my storage space and my System to make whatever I did meaningful.
This brought up another problem. How would I meet my ever-growing demand for System credits? If I wanted to reach as high and as far as possible, I needed a strong foundation, and that was expensive. I needed credits, and to get more credits, I needed to die higher levels of cultivation.
I needed to try and reach Martial King, but I couldn’t just rush there. I needed to learn more about being a Grandmaster and Lord first. Only after forming a solid foundation in these realms and accruing sufficient credits would I be able to ascend to Martial King and beyond with confidence.
These were two objectives that were diametrically opposed to each other. One was to advance to Martial King, and the other was to spend repaying debts in the Wastes, a place that no King could enter. I wanted to do the former, but I needed to do the latter.
I closed my eyes in thought and mustered my resolve. “One hundred years. I can live ten lives of ten years each. I will use this time to experiment and push myself as far as I can as fast as I can. At set intervals, I will reset and use my accrued credits to push myself even further, allowing each life to build upon the previous one. Then, after one hundred years, I will return and deal with my obligations in the Wastes.”
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By carefully employing temporary reset points at key stages of development, I wouldn’t need to start fresh every time. I could ensure that I always returned to an ideal position to quickly amass a large number of credits. Intentionally limiting the length of each life would prevent me from getting stuck in dead ends and force me to explore more options.
This plan wasn’t perfect. I didn’t know what would happen when I entered the Nine Rivers Sect, and making hard and fast rules about resetting once every ten years would be a mistake. I would keep it as a strong guideline, but I wouldn’t let it dictate my actions.
At the same time, I had to bind myself to the 100-year total. If I wanted to walk confidently into the future, I first had to settle my obligations from the past. I needed this time to prepare and plan, but I couldn’t allow myself to ignore my obligations for thousands of years.
Still… it would also be bad to anchor myself so firmly that I only created new problems for myself. I needed to allow myself to resolve any lingering issues instead of forcing myself to return immediately. 100 years. Once that time was up, I would resolve everything as quickly as possible and return to the Waste to settle my debts and obligations to friends and enemies alike.
Decision made, I next had to figure out how to get to a sect I’d never heard of before. I could try using the System to teleport me there, but I didn’t know where I was supposed to go or how far away it was, and the more unknowns involved, the more the price of the teleport would balloon out of control.
I sighed. I had wanted to avoid the Pavilion, but it was the best way to get where I needed to go.
“System, send me to Dragon Gate City.”
Purchase confirmed. Cost 30 credits. 125,761,655 credits remaining.
----------------------------------------
Walking through the city, I realized I had a problem. I didn’t have any money.
My storage space was nearly entirely taken up by a faintly glowing fire seed, leaving only a small bit of room in the corners. The only other things inside were Emperor Li’s coin, a small bag of seeds, and a jade bottle containing my last poison pill.
I couldn’t purchase a carriage to the sect without money, and even if I used alchemy to make some quick cash, long-distance travel through several empires was extremely expensive. I would need to be making at least Rank 3 pills to afford it.
I considered a few different options, but I decided to try something out. Worse case, I learned something new.
“System, I want to purchase robes similar to those I bought previously, but they should have a design suitable for a trained formation specialist.”
Purchase confirmed. Cost 1,000 credits. 125,760,655 credits remaining
Ducking into a side alley, I donned my new outfit. It was a hanfu in various earth tones. The top was a pale ochre, and the bottom was a deeper mahogany color. It had accents in a variety of other pale yellows and browns and was embroidered with brilliant gold thread.
Looking like a respectable young gentleman, I exited the alley and headed to meet an old friend.
As I walked up the steps of the Blue Wind Pavilion, my knees almost wanted to give out. My entire body was shaking.
Seeing Mei again would be… difficult.
It had been over a century for me, but the wounds on my soul from causing her to commit suicide had yet to fully heal. The thought of seeing her again, of seeing her and her not knowing me…
I entered the Pavilion slowly, but no attendant came to greet me. It was the first time that had ever happened. Usually, someone would walk up the moment I entered. I looked around, but no one was walking in my direction.
I was both confused and relieved by the situation. I didn’t know why no one appeared, but I didn’t need an attendant’s help anyway. I walked straight to the stairwell and climbed up to the second floor like I belonged there. I knocked on WuJing’s door, opened it, and stepped inside confidently.
WuJing had been studying papers on his desk, but at my entrance, his head shot up and he stared at me.
“Hello, sir. How may I help you today?” His tone was cordial, but I could see shifts in his expression as he looked at me. At first, he was angry and annoyed, but then his emotions seemed to abruptly change.
His blessing had kicked in, I realized. WuJing had some way to tell how important a person was to his future. I wasn’t sure of the details, and I wouldn’t rely on what I half-remembered from our first conversation long ago, but I knew he saw something in me that changed his opinion of me for the better.
“Hello, Manager Chen,” I said, giving him a martial salute. “I need assistance. I am looking to travel to the Nine Rivers Sect as soon and as fast as possible. Would you be able to help me arrange that?”
“Of course, sir. You are…”
“Su Fang, not of the local Su family, of course.”
“Of course, of course.” He cleared his throat. A shift in his expression suggested that he discovered my lack of cultivation. “We can certainly arrange something for you. As you are no doubt aware, the Pavilion has regular carriages going that way, and you would be welcome to purchase a seat aboard the one next month. If you want to go any sooner, though, I must inform you that there will be a rather steep increase in cost.”
I nodded, took out Emperor Li’s coin, and showed it to him. “I wonder if you recognize this.”
I wasn’t sure if WuJing would have any understanding of its significance or not, and even if he did, I had no idea if it would help me in this situation. It seemed like something worth trying though. If the coin was connected to one of the Pavilion’s Emperors, it should carry some amount of weight in this backwater.
WuJing squinted as he looked at the coin. At first, he was just confused, but it only took a second for a look of sheer terror to cross his face.
“WuJing greets his imperial majesty.”
He knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to the coin in my hand. That was not exactly the reaction I was expecting, but it was acceptable.
“I apologize for my rudeness earlier, emissary. I will ensure the swiftest coach is prepared for you immediately.”
Before I could respond, WuJing rushed out of the room. Shortly after, an attendant came in.
“Sir, Manager Chen has instructed me that you are to be given a suite on the fourth floor until your carriage is prepared. If you would, please follow me.
It only took a single day for WuJing to prepare everything, and he made sure I was resting in perfect comfort the entire time. I began to feel bad for the man. Showing him that coin had scared him, and I wasn’t even sure why. It was from a Martial Emperor, and sure, that was impressive, but this reaction still seemed to be a bit much. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come out and ask what was going on or I would blow my cover.
The System was of no help here either. Learning about what made the small coin so impressive was… expensive.
When everything was ready, WuJing came personally to lead me downstairs. We were halfway to the exit when someone stepped in front of us, blocking the path forward.
“Who are you?” asked Mei, staring me in the eyes. I saw a mix of fear, excitement, and joy in them.
I froze. What was I supposed to say…
While fear had made me lock up, Mei’s presence had the opposite effect on WuJing.
“Mei! How dare you block the emissary's path. Move out of the way right now!”
His words and tone made her afraid, but when she looked at him, that fear ebbed quickly, suppressed by her blessing. This made her turn back to me, and the fear exploded from within her, causing her to run away.
“Don’t,” I said, putting a hand on WuJing’s shoulder to calm him down. “Take good care of her, for my sake. Never treat her poorly, or I will find out. Understood?”
“Yes, yes, emissary,” he cried in fear.
“Then let’s continue. I have a carriage to get to.”
“Right this way, emissary.”