Chapter 10: Orchid City

With my sudden reflex I was able to grab Xiao Ning'er over to my back with hands over my necks and Ye Ziyun in my left hand while, I clawed fingers of other hand into the hard rock layer as if it was mud and it stopped our fall.

Putting out the Icy snow spider web to the side we were able to safely land without any problems.

" Thanks if it weren't for you I would fell to death."

" No need but I was the one stepped into the trap in the first place so I am sorry"

We observed out surroundings and it was very dark even though my eyes adapted instantly and could see everything as they are in light but to please my fellow adventurers a lamp was lit.

I inspected along the way disabled and avoided the traps and the two girls followed my steps.

" I will be going North first as there are too many entrances, I plan to visit the rest later. Looking at the underground veins we can see the direction as saint ancestral mountains are placed in from north to south."

We decided to stay close. Along the way touching the ground, I began to find the flaws and disabled all the deadly traps along the way until we reached a shelter place. Seeing the skeletons of young and old scattered all around, the two girls were saddened.

" If you don't want glory city to be left like this in history, then find the treasure among them and improve your cultivation base so that we stand a chance."

They scavenged some soul stones and elixir bottles; after observing, I went towards the coffin at the center.

Kong Ming might have placed this here for his successors using great heavenly change calculation technique, but someone like me possessing the requirements like a heavenly sacred vine in soul realm didn't find any resistance and touched the seal. The moment I touched the seal, heavenly energy light flooded me, and the two girls were thrown back. Due to my cultivation technique boundless ascension technique, which is all encompassing, the light converged into me rather than dissipating. My soul realm which reached Indigo level jumped to violet soul realm and deepened further, and my cultivation increased from gold level 3 to gold level peak. I also felt an intent in the seal passing through the soul realm, and then it sensed something stopped the transmission and seal was closing. Sensing this I quickly picked the abstruse gemstone with a subtle soul force manipulation and temporal page was left there as seal closed, guess it was meant for Nie Li.

I have already realized my way. My belief came from the entity proclaiming it will be me, essentially myself and decide to facilitate an adventurous growth to this realm and further. I believe that birth, death and life, decay are nothing but illusions except my will. Any creation and cycles exist because of my desire or decision. There is nothing beyond; but a flow without an end to be shaped my will. Atleast that's what I aspire to be.

"Ending and beginning are but illusions, shaped by my will. In me all things live without conclusion" may be sensing this, the Kong Ming's intent of "Infinity has no beginnings and no beginning has no end" which is limiting oneself within the perfection of heaven understood that the recipient of blessing was not the intended one to be and closed of the seal. 

Anyway, by induction, I practiced my verse and with that, the plant made of translucent tendrils branching out leaving many leaves and its stem became thick and my soul sea which was filled also began stabilizing and I regain full control slowly.

I glanced at the two women lying on the ground with clothes torn, tattered completely and bleeding from mouth and eyes. I give out the healing elixir I made to both of them. I looked at the seal of temporal page, guiding destiny in Ye Ziyun's breasts and unlocked the seal and gained the page. I removed their clothes, took out new ones from their storage rings and dressed them up. After which I created two abstruse gemstones from my energy and applied the rule that whenever they are inside my range of 80 meters (current maximum), they will appear around their necks. I also worn one, the original. I could feel that gemstones increasing my absorption rate of heavenly aura surrounding us and nurturing the soul realm.

'I took out her page and did privacy violations on so many levels. Now I need to compensate for this.'

I took out the soul assembling and soul nurturing pills which I made that begins to absorb surrounding aura as soon I took it out to increase pill level, I made them swallow it and sat behind them with one hand placed on each of their back used my own soul force to circulate inside their bodies to absorb the medicinal effects.

With my understanding I also inputted snow wind law energy and lightning law (albeit in mild quantities, (snow wind rune I obtained one morning walking to academy in snow covered grounds. [Our MC is very genius.OK]) onto Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er respectively, they quickly broke through their levels.

Ye Ziyun advanced from peak of 1st rank bronze and began to climb up but her soul realm got cracks for quickly breaking through 3rd and further so I managed to recite nine revolving phoenix formula Nie Li gave her, but thinking about how to do it simultaneously with Xiao Ninger, my body did something to my brain and create a parallel calculation function as need arises. (This is so useful, if it was this easy to create then I would have created this long ago.). I continued until entire pill was refined. Then as both their soul realm and has been cracking and fixing increasing density and sea size, their cultivation progressed to 1star silver for Ye Ziyun and 4 star beginning silver for Xiao Ning'er. I think they have been awake for a while now. 

" So care to wake up??" I said removing my hands and standing up.

Opening eyes they looked at their new clothes in a daze and then turned to me. Ning'er was blushing and face became red like a tomato but Ziyun was also blushing and glaring at me in anger. "Did you..."

" Yes,.. and before you ask, yes I have seen everything. I was within the white light and my cultivation has increased to gold level and yours has also increased to silver level one and silver level 4 respectively. I have given you a healing elixir your physical injury , repaired your cracked soul due to excess energy and made it denser, and dressed you up, gifted you a peculiar gemstone that helps speed up cultivation speed by 3 times... What more do you expect me to do otherwise, leave you two naked? Don't worry that I helped you for nothing, I have taken the payment", ('yes i have mixed false and some truth')

".....(long silence lasting 10 seconds) What payment? " Ye Ziyun asked calming herself. "There was an item of destiny that dominated your fate in a seal on your body. I have obtained it. I did the same thing with her, days before."

"What seal? I have no such thing in my body.....Oh oh" She realized I was talking about the seal on her breasts and her face once again blushed heavily...

"Explain it to her, there's no point in keeping it from her now" I said to Xiao Ning'er.

 " That item is a temporal page.This has something to do with destiny; we have known and confirmed Nie Li was a reincarnate from the beginning. I won't explain the reasons but essentially you and I possessed a thread of destiny with himself. Mine was taken when Tao saved me from a certain death. From the first class itself Nie Li was staring at you and trying to engage in talks with you. It's obvious that you were very important to him or something in previous life. But me, I was not. He wasn't interested in me at all, So my destiny with him was not to become his lover in this timeline, unless something extra ordinary happened."

"You were going to die? (To Xiao Ning'er) Why did you disrupt that destiny then? " She questioned me.

" 'We cultivators must fight against the fate... ' Nie Li's own quote. I was merely interested that whether your love for him is arranged by heaven itself, more like I would like to know how it would turn around this time. Moving on you should learn to control your power, you are about a 100 times more powerful than before, just look at the cracks under your feet." 

I waited for about an hour after which they sat up and followed me to the depth. I have used LoHP to detect traps and flaws to identify general sense of direction. Ye Ziyun asked how am I able to identify the traps so perfectly, I simply replied, " I am a one of a kind genius".

A day has passed. I finally reached a place where a contraption leading to a room is present.The stone door opened leading me to a large treasure chamber. We were mesmerized by the amount of wealth gathered.

I have quickly went over and collected the shadow devil lamp and put the shadow devil into my soul realm. A vine extended over and connected with it. But some information exchanges have taken place between the demon soul and my soul form and then, the vine retracted leaving the demon soul there, sentient and howling.

'What happened why can't I integrate demon spirit.....' On the outside I tried to show the ability of devil I integrated and I could, but I am sure it has not merged with my soul realm. It took a bit of figuring out to understand. I am aspiring to be an embodiment of perfection, my cultivation technique does that, my body does that and why would my soul form do not. I can obtain abilities of demon beast why do I need external things.

So I returned the shadow devil and kept it back. I took a hump of gold and silver gathered around and leave the rest. The girls also took something for themselves. I also found many manuals and i added them to LoHP nonetheless. I sensed a door leading to the entry region of place. 

We went through it and found ourselves at the starting. I selected one at random, it was full of death trap and there was nothing at the end. It took about only 3 hours to reach a dead end, which again lead to the initial room. Disappointed we went to the final room but there no traps but after about an hour of walking we went to an underground storage room which was concealed heavily but easily discovered with LoHP and after opening there was a treasure room full of inscriptions for item preservations inside was full of preserved demon beast crystals.

I took half by choosing between important ones and I directed both of them to look for demon spirits matching their affinities. There was a peculiar storage ring placed in the center of the raised platform. I put it on and with a trace of soul force on to the hidden rune present, it adapted and fitted itself over perfectly and then disappeared into my soul sea. I used my mind to check what's inside, it was a world bead, much like Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains painting. Inside is full of heavenly energy that is being generated constantly from something within. But what mattered the most is a soul bound by some very high-level runic chains. I will need to check on it later.

"What is it?" Ye ziyun came over and asked. "What? there was nothing in here" I replied.

"You can just say no if you don't want to"

"No"

Speechless, she gone back.

Later we set of ourself back to the main entrance but upon seeing traces of new activity, we paused.

"Our path to exit can probably be obtained after following this but how will you explain your cultivation bases to general public? It's best to reveal it to people you trust. "

They agreed and I sent them a simple concealing technique.

" Also Ziyun, be careful of sacred family "

I didn't explain more.

We followed it to the path leading to treasure room. We took the room to treasure room directly and we could see stunned Nie Li looking at us. Looks like he already took the shadow devil.

" Ziyun...So you are the ones fell from above, I saw the icy snow spider web ?"

" We were here in the first place. We got seperated from the main group and while running away and eventually reached here through that hole 2 days ago. " Explained Xiao Ninger.

I and Xiao Ning'er rest on a hump of gold coins. While Ye Ziyun took a good look at his face.

"..I am glad you are ok so did you find yourself something other than this? "

She replied.

" Some beast souls which we already emptied.Thats it.."

" Wait why did you change your dress?"

" The traps were everywhere Nie Li. Clothes were torn apart by some arrows and we were injured but I had some healing elixir with me." I interjected in a defeated manner.

" Nie Li I want to ask you a question.." Ye Ziyun changed the topic.

I covered all of us with shield. Reduce the protagonist effects on ourself.

" Are you a reincarnator or someone else pretending to be him after taking over his soul??"

This got him stumped and jaw dropped. "How do you...Wait why do you think so"

Ye Ziyun took 3 steps back.We also stood up, went to her looking at him defensively.

"Your reaction just confirmed it.What's your goal here.?" She asked in a bad tone.

" Yes I am, first tell me how you know?" He asked curious.

I took a deep breath. With that I told:

"Former Nie Li, No offense in advance, of all the things he could have been, I never took him once for an intellectual one. He simply is a member of a branch family within Heavenly Marks Family. We met each other years before. Simple guy. You were ok until about 2 or 3 weeks before. You suddenly gained enlightment in Shen xiu's class, talking back at her, expressing knowledge about world outside glory city which you could only know if you were well verse in ancient languages. But you still genuinely cares for your brothers. And you talked to Shen Fei as in anger as she had done something bad, which she didn't in the past.

Later you became an expert hunter out of nowhere. You presented alchemy knowledge no one knows. Your friends soul force increases wildly and levelled up quickly even with low qualifications.

You managed beat up Shen yue with higher soul force. You given her a cultivation technique very powerful. Rumors about sacred family falsifying creation of unique inscriptions occured after your class with Shen Xiu explaining it. You were beaten up by sacred family goons yet you didn't even had an injury due to your excellent fighting techniques. During the expedition here you successfully rescued as from demonbeasts even identified ones by smell and sound, prevented attacks by forwarning and even from dark guild..Now you have traversed this maze successfully all the way overcoming any traps"

"...I never knew you know me so well."

" We got a lot of free time during last two days"

" ..Ok , you can see that things I do was only for glory city sake. I admit I am not the Nie Li you know, I am much older ,500 years into the future, came back in time ,so I carry knowledge of the future of this world and our city is in danger, if we don't do something, glory city will be destroyed...." He said.

" Glory city will be destroyed?....what about us" Ye Ziyun replied in disbelief?

" Yes, a beast tide unlike anything glory city has seen, there were millions of them, reducing our city to nothing... Even worse than these ruins here. Thereafter hunting those of us left. After which we met each other we survived together, but you chose to sacrifice yourself to save me in the end....

...

Xiao Ninger entered Black devil forests earlier on and I don't know the rest.

You Chu Tao however is a mystery, I don't really remember..." I sat back down.

" So all of us except you is dead and you became some immortal at the end but chose to return back.." I said.

" Not exactly, I think something brought me back. Anyway..that's it, I am a person who only wishes you good.." He concluded.

...We didn't say anything for some time...

" So how much time do we have? " Xiao Ninger asked.

" Not much years."

" Nie Li you don't think these attacks where done by mindless beasts do you? Millions arranged that's not possible. Hundred thousands that's possible. Its a coordinated attack, " I said

" It could be dark guild " Xiao Ninger replied.

" No what would they gain by doing things, ultimately they want to take over the city of anything, if we observe their covert operations we could see that. The dark guild members were able to attack us in this expedition. Who leaked us out? Why target young masters of families? To exhort money may be.." Nie Li replied

" But I think that someone within our city itself shelters dark guild, may be it is on promises of ruling power.. But that sort of power and connections will only lead us to one thing. The sacred family. They were able to build themselves up from each demon beasts attacks. It could only mean that, they were able to predict and respond to attack to safe guard their wealth and foundations.

But that also means, headquarters of dark guild operates outside of our city at some distant lands Nie Li mentioned and they have the power to coordinate demon beasts attacks on our land preferably through some beasts attracting tactics like some sound or medicinal powders or so...." I replied.

Once again, that got everyone doubtful about sacred family.

" .. And one more thing Nie Li, even though your intentions were clear, the rise in glory city power will trigger more attacks from dark guild. Especially your new pills. Then they will attack much more early than you anticipate.

The easiest way to do things right is to increase fighting powers of those of our familiy members silently who we would consider as reliable.Since it will also gives time for us to improve.."

"...I can you techniques suitable for you.."

He said

"..you need to check our soul realms right that can't be done. We all are above silver ranks now...those crystals will explode.." I replied.

".....Wait how did that happen, ??"Nie Li said dumbfounded.

" Ah that, we found a coffin and then white light flashes when we touched and next thing we knew we reached silver rank." I said.

" Ah I also encountered white light but how come I only reached 3 star bronze rank??"

" I know a bit about holy empire language and have read about different soul forms in an ancient book in sector 53 of library in our academy, I couldn't understand much but I know from the figures sketched that I don't have any forms and Xiao Ningers has a dragon with lightning wings.."

.....

"..and that would be it.." he explained to us some of the techniques he know.

While we discusses, the ceiling near the steps broken and the Chen Linjian's group arrived. Looking at us resting in gold mines having friendly conversations, they were dumbfounded and then overjoyed.

Minor troubles then appeared like Lanruo pestering Nie Li, but we reached glory city. I went with Chen Linjians group to set up the auction about treasure appraisal and such.

I showed some non valuable things from my storage ring as my exploit and put the rest inside the world bead.

...

3 more weeks passed. I mostly focused on body training exercises using elixers and law energy refinement in my room. And I have reached about early Legend rank in physique.

I have also absorbed many of the demon spirit abilities mainly corresponding to each elements with God level growth rates and there was also a mutated panda capable of doing yin yang explosion, but after about 50 abilities were consumed, the similar power structures were simply integrated using optimization using LoHP which is slowly transforming as an inherent property of my mind, and then rest discarded into forming many abilities such as

Vector control : Amplifying power attacks and returning them back. Make attack forces zero.

Psychic attribute: Mind manipulation

Elemental control: Control and manipulation over water,ice,fire,earth,space,air

Gravity control: controlling gravity.

Merge: yin yang explosion but in merging law energy attack.

Void : Shadow devil and other night mare devils combined to form darkness devil, which simply meant I was able to merge with void or create attack by transforming into void blades.

After lot of integration my soul realm advanced to Black Gold rank. And I have awakened the perk I was promised from God: slowly receiving conceptual powers starting with Realm travel.

Realm travel: I just need to imagine a scenerio of the a world I am familiar in omegaverse..and It will open a circular void corridor across these realities, irrespective of the timeline and co-ordinates. The consumption comes directly from creation energy and my limit increased to 100m and capacity was also given ability to grow slowly and it will be covered by shielding inaddition to Gods promise that new realities created were simply devoid of such meddling entities so that I could use it for personal improvement.

Meanwhile, Nie Li was declared as Huyun Lanruos own, as she starts pestering him continuously. We meet together joking around. But after Nie Li mentioned about Shen yue returning and finding dark guild members in star ring restaurant of sacred family, the people around me understood that their guesses came true.

So under my suggestion, we began to secretly deliver the new techniques to each other's family members who they considered loyal, like their parents and good natured elders.Mine already got the goods. Then we met with Yang Xin, together and discussed about the presence of dark guild and pills aftereffects of attracting attacks and such. She decided to help us by agreeing to inform the city lord personally but without any solid evidence she couldn't do much.

Nie Li without having to worry much troubles from others, got elixirs and his cultivation has reached 5 star bronze peak already.

Now, 2 months have passed from classes start and it's the day of the test.

Students were gathered and then Shen fei came to trouble us, why simply because he saw I was too close to his previous fiance.

But before I could do something, Nie Li who entered silver soul realm, came to my front to push him off.And then accepted his request to fight later. Ha protagonist creating troubles for him to solve. But I didn't do nothing, I simply used my psychic skills on him, my control has reached very fine levels, so this manipulation went unnoticed by no one not even Nie Li.

I implanted him with suggestions which bombard his mind to engage in homosexuality, which will trigger whenever he think about sex related things or torture any woman or man. I also forcibly removed anything he has on about Xiao Ning'er .When did I became this cruel?? Is this the result of possessive feelings created recently towards Ning'er? But will my body counter this? No I think this is from my soul.

Shen Xiu also came. Looking at herself, I began to think, should I mess with her too. Apart from blinding loyalty, narcissistic attitude, exhibitionism, she can be taught.

"The crystals arranged exploded 3 times due to Nie Li's companions, so under the instruction of member of snow wind family, bigger crystals capable of showcasing silver rank strength was also shown. We all limited our strength to 1 star silver rank. Even Nie Li followed suit.

There were 10 silver rank 1 and rest were Shen yue who entered bronze rank 2 (who was questioning life choices seeing the results )due to earlier adoption of pills and several one star bronze characters. The test results blowed every one's mind, but Shen Xiu was simply embarrassed over remembering about Nie Li and nothing more severe as there was no bet involved. But that got her to have some doubts 'how is this even possible for a red soul realm and other commoners to improve this level which previously considered impossible'.

She decided to confront someone about it. She looked at everyone of Nie Li's companions and figured out that they won't sell it out or she has to use force which would be bad for her image and for sacred family which currently is involved in many troubles. She looked at Xiao Ninger and Ye Ziyun and crossed them out, as they are from influential families and finally me, the perfect guy, a beginner, part time alchemy apprentice who doesn't have much of fighting powers, a person from a weaker clan, Tian Kui family, Chen Tao.