Breaking through can be bad?

As the goal of Xiao Fan was coming close to him and the escape plan was just about to form, he felt himself being sucked out of this realm of, reality? Nevertheless, he didn't get to stay there longer, which to Xiao Fan was a huge loss, huge enough that he might as well revert his breakthrough to the Third Grade of Body Activation Realm.

He wanted back to that mystical realm that made him feel so free yet confined and small. The realm or whatever he was in wasn't a place he didn't want live or anything, of course, but it was a place that he wanted to stay in longer, especially so when he knew that he had one more trip to that place. The Body Activation Realm was soon completed, and when breaking into the Body Strengthening Realm, one wouldn't experience that place.

¨Dammit!¨ He lamented verbally while physically, he hit his hand to the ground next to him. The different colour he had seen back then was coming clearer to him, and he very much so yearned to uncover what that was all about. Also, his plan to escape this world back into the Ohin Continent safely was likewise uncomplete, for it was around ninety per cent done, which was good but not perfect.

He lamented this some more, yet soon, he had another realisation, a realisation that made him be a little happy ¨I can speak and move my body!¨ He happily exclaimed while jumping up from the lying position he was in.

¨Okay... that was too much¨ His celebrations ended quickly as the jump to his feet was too quick for his body to handle. Yet a few wobbles around later he got a hold of his balance, and with that, the smile came back to his face.

¨Is it finally so? No more staying in bed after a breakthrough?¨ He was muttering things to himself, and from looking at him, it seemed that another pondering session was coming.

¨No it isn't so¨ Again his celebration was cut off short. And this time the person telling this to him was Cao Cao, who having noted some things came to see his project.

¨You can't even congratulate me before crushing my dreams?¨ Xiao Fan knew that if it was Cao Cao speaking it would be the truth, and so didn't question why it was so.

¨Wow, super cool man! You broke into the Third Grade of Body Activation Realm!¨ He paused and changed his tone from the uber excited kid to his normal tone ¨The bugs that come and invade my home during the summer are stronger...¨ He wasn't lying.

¨If you aren't going to congratulate me then at least you don't need to mock me?¨

Cao Cao hears this, yet to it, he only indifferently shrugged his shoulders.

¨Then why isn't my current state a good thing?¨ Seeing no words coming from the mouth of this God, he asked the next question in his mind.

¨One year¨ This time, Cao Cao spoke, yet he only spoke two words.

Two words that both of them knew what they meant.

¨Is that for the...¨ Xiao Fan was about to ask that if Cao Cao was doing this because he hadn't paid him for the description of this tower before.

¨No. I'm a god, so why would I care about such small things? I didn't even remember the whole ordeal before you reminded of it¨ Cao Cao spoke his face indifferent, not showing anything to Xiao Fan, though a person on Cao Cao's level could see that it was indeed so.

Nevertheless, for Xiao Fan, this came out as the truth, and as this was the truth, the thing Cao Cao would say should be something great. If it costed his lifespan, the information was valuable. Furthermore, the information might concern his health so... a year needed to be sacrificed to Cao Cao.

¨Thank you for you co-operation¨ Cao Cao reading his mind come to this conclusion didn't ask for consent, he simply took that was going to be his soon anyway, and happily modified the contract to be 156 of service.

From this, Xiao Fan felt two pinches in his mind, one from the actions of Cao Cao, and one from the contract being modified and the burden on him increased.

Shaking his head to get rid of these he said ¨Now tell me what I paid for¨ The year was now lost, and that in mind, he focussed his all to the thing he was promised to hear.

¨You want to sit down? It is going to be a long one¨ Cao Cao informed that this might take a while.

¨I'll sit¨ Xiao Fan anyway in his current state couldn't stand up too long, so sitting on the floor it was. Then when he had gotten there and refocused his eyes on Cao Cao's projection was he explained everything regarding his current situation.

The short version he got was something like this.

¨Your body is in chaos. You have taken in too many potions while neglecting the real training too much. The betterment of your current body condition is only a false flag, for it isn't getting better. At your current speed, your body will break down before you reach the Body Shattering Realm. For you, a significant backlash after every breakthrough is to be expected¨

¨You should change your tactic regarding cultivation soon¨ This was the final point that Cao Cao made before taking in questions.

¨I see. Here I thought this was something positive¨ Xiao Fan on the ground spoke.

¨Having a good amount of backslash is a good sign for some¨ Cao Cao said something that he might have not needed to say since it was preluding into something much bigger, something which he at the moment didn't need to know.

¨So instead of being happy, I should be sad?¨ He got the idea but the reality the idea gave him was a little weird.

¨Embrace the path of pain, reject the path of ease. Do this, and your life will be much easier¨ Cao Cao stated a doctrine that would help Xiao Fan a lot if he chose to follow it.

¨Welcome pain? You want me to feel good when I feel pain?¨ Again, he got the idea of it, but why? Why should he?

¨Its your own choice, but a God gave you good advice¨ As said before Cao Cao wasn't going to argue for him to take the path. That wouldn't be helpful, nor would it be really feasible with his power that didn't make him a person who argued with others.

'Indeed... he gave me the idea, and he is a god' Xiao Fan could see what the meaning of Cao Cao was 'Should I save that to be thought during the last time I'm in that space?' He then had a good thought as in he reasoned that the best time to conclude his opinion to that would be during the last time he was in that realm.

¨I'll think about it¨ He gave his conclusion to Cao Cao, who anyway knew that he was thinking of more deeply ' Not bad idea' Was what he thought of Xiao Fan's plan.

¨Sure you will. You aren't stupid enough to dismiss the advice of a God¨ Cao Cao gave him some lip service as not to come off as too big brotherish to his project.

Though he was exactly that to Xiao Fan already, so trying to lift his image to better wasn't going to help much.

¨So... What should I do now?¨ He got the idea what was wrong, but he wasn't too sure on what to do, the Book of Cultivation didn't tell him anything ¨Something like train more naturally and use fewer potions?¨ He might not exactly know, but he could guess.

¨Yep. There is no potion to cure what you have brought upon yourself. But don't worry, your cultivation speed will not slow down a lot if you act now since your body is like a herb tank. Your veins are full of things simply lying around there waiting to be used¨ Cao Cao told the good news.

¨That is good to hear¨ And Xiao Fan liked good news just as anyone else did ¨Nothing, major yet, just keep off the potions and continue, got it¨

¨Yep yep. Now I'll have to go if you don't have anything else¨ Cao Cao even before saying this had been a little hasty, his projection floating all around the place looking as if it wanted to leave this boring place.

¨Sure. You can go back and enjoy your endless harems¨ Xiao Fan didn't care for the company of Cao Cao much, so if the man had somewhere to be he wouldn't keep him here.

¨I wish I had those¨ Cao Cao humoured before his projection disappear right after saying that.

However, while Cao Cao might be gone the person hearing that sentence frowned ¨He doesn't have a harem?¨ Hearing him deny having a harem was a big think for Xiao Fan who didn't believe this ¨He's a god, why wouldn't a god have women? Didn't he say that he was a playboy during his youth?¨

¨What I'm I thinking?¨ Yet after a while reasoned that what the fuck was he thinking of? Why was he thinking of something concerning a God's personal life ¨Forget that¨ He shook his head and got up to his feet. And now, having sat around on the ground for an hour or two listening to Cao Cao he wasn't really wobbly.

¨But isn't this a bad thing¨ If he should face a good amount of backslash to be improving the right way wasn't this type fo thing bad? Really bad?

¨Stop thinking about stuff that you can't finish!¨ At this point, having his thoughts fly around the place so freely, he to stop them hit his own head with an open palm ¨Why do I do these things!¨ Then it took a moment ¨Now start thinking on how will I explain everything to Wang Geming¨ He spoke this out aloud.

Figuring that one out, he walked towards the light pillar that would take him back to the first floor.

The flash his arrival made wasn't taken too well by the men who were trying to sleep, but neither was it something which made them be enough interested to get up or even to see what it was all about. Simply some movement and rustle could be heard as some people changed the side they were trying to sleep on.

Exception, Zhuan An. She when seeing this flash happen and knew what it meant got up from her sleeping position to his feet, making some noise, so that no one else would bother. If the person, who got up to check this would make noise would it be something, but alas, as she didn't scream intruder, everyone else went back to sleep.

¨Did you have a breakthrough?¨ Was the obvious thing Xiao Fan would ask her.

Zhuan An now close to him so that they could whisper to each other whispered¨Yeah, and I think I'm at the middle of the Third Grade¨ She having never taken a potion unlike Xiao Fan got much more out of it, and so she was at the middle of the realm unlike Xiao Fan, who was at the very beginning.

¨Good¨ Xiao Fan wanted to raise his voice to praise her, yet taking into consideration the current situation, he instead of doing so, smiled and showed her a thumbs up with both hands.

To which, Zhuan An giggled a bit.

¨C'mon let's get back to bed¨ As she didn't say anything, Xiao Fan being in a good mood took her waist captive and took her towards the spot where they had their blanket and sheets at.

A proposition that she didn't deny.

The large hall they were all sleeping in was quite uncomfortable to them who wanted some privacy, but for now, they had to do with the blanket hiding their actions and their mouths to keep the noises down.l