The sky is vast, and the land tiny in comparison.

Yet, I am smaller than even the land.

Heaven, Earth, Human.

Some may seek to transcend the land and go into higher, bigger heavens. To widen their horizons.

But I disagree with such opinions. I shy from the endless heavens, and the wide earth.

Instead, I prefer to constrain the world down to a safe home.

Into the deeps, far below, myself I will hole.

Some might say I will only go to hell, if I dig so low.

Possibly so ! But I prefer to go to hell

Rather than risk myself to those looking at us from high above.

I may be hiding, but at least I need not bow

To the "heavenly" and "holy" you look up to.

To the high and mighty you grovel to.

An extract from "Diggy Diggy Daoist's Ten Thousand Traitorous Treaties", also titled "Myriad-Holes Master's All-Encompassing Alternatives to Ascension", "Common Sense for the Common Cultivator", or "How to Survive"

Notes on potential fiction, read at your discretion. Same inspiration as prose above.

I do actually want to write something about of a cultivator/magician/adventurer/whatever MC which just decides the best course of action is to not step on anyone's toes and holes himself in some very remote place.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

But not in a dungeon-y way. The MC just completely isolates himself from the world. Doesn't even cultivate, in fear of tribulations. Tries to make his little home deep down self-sustaining, improve quality of life and all that, I guess ?

Maybe his goal is acquiring power in total safety. No tribulation. No fighting. No exploring. Nothing dangerous.

I guess he just experiments for safe ways to, if not cultivate, at least make his home safer.

"Power is needed to be safe ? Really ? I don't think so. Many get stricken down in their pursuit for power. It may sever my links to everything I know, but I will go into hiding, and if needed, bow to those stronger than me."

In fact, at first he'll try to make his hole really impenetrable and good, but then will realise that doesn't work.

So after that he just makes it not worth it to try and go there. Goes deeper and deeper, yet his home just strong enough not to collapse at the slightest tremor. No treasure. No ressources. No value. Yet hard to reach.

In clear, neither the desperate nor the ambitious would care about his paltry place, or him.

And yet...

Well, maybe I shouldn't go into so much details here ?

Can I just go and make this whole thing a spoiler ?

It continues ! Once again, read at your discretion

Well, you know, plenty of things could still happen !

Maybe people would think he's some kind of daoist being down there for profound reasons, and seek enlighenment by going to him.

Maybe he'd become a legend, whomst people would seek.

Maybe people just wouldn't believe being so deep down and just a common man is impossible, and he has an enormous cultivation, challenging him !

Seeking him for the competences he developped in his underground life.

Anything ! Anything ! Yes, those reasons are all bullshit. But people are bullshit, too.

So it'd still be possible.

Could even look at it in a probabilist way : does the chance exist ? Yes. Is it likely to happen during [limited and clearly defined period of time] ? More or less yes. In the form of a probability.

Wether it'll happen when he's dead or not, well...

We'll see !

What ? The majority of my chapter is in spoilers ? Just deal with it, you all are old enough to know what consequences your actions may lead to.

Which is to be kinda-spoiled. Or not.