Preparation.

The cultivation technique was interesting to learn, but it was impossible for Xavier to use it. His path was locked. He was already cultivating the Soul Controlling Sect's cultivation method and couldn't cultivate a second method. Even if he knew this cultivation method before he went to the tomb, it wouldn't have mattered, if he cultivated this method to Foundation Establishment and returned to the mainland, he would have to go to the Pill Tower. They would question him before admitting him into the sect and find out he was born in the Heavenly Demon Cult, and he would be considered a spy. He would be locked away for the rest of his life or killed on the spot, nether option was good for him and would be a waste of his second chance.

His interest in this inheritance was the alchemy knowledge it held, and what he could use. The more he read the more he was convinced that this cultivation method was created solely for alchemy. There were no spells or techniques for fighting, nor was there anything about how to refine weapons or defensive treasures. Unlike the sword cultivator's inheritance, the sect spells and techniques could be used by Xavier. They weren't combat related and since it was very rare to preform alchemy in the open, he could hide them. 

If he learned what he could from this inheritance and used them, he would be able to produce pills and elixirs that would help him speed up his cultivation. If they were good enough, he could sell or trade them at the black markets. 

When he thought of the spirit stones he could make from alchemy, he was reminded that being poor was a curse that held him back many times. Without enough money he couldn't afford the proper skills, without the proper skills he couldn't take the higher paying missions. Without enough money he couldn't afford the bribes to keep from getting the worst missions. Unfortunately, while this inheritance could help him make plenty of spirit stones here, it didn't have anything for Foundation Establishment pills and elixirs or higher. When he broke through and headed to the mainland, he would be right back where he started, poor.

Several thoughts of how he could get the higher-level alchemy knowledge of the Pill Tower came to mind, but they required lots of money, or lots of killing. Those thoughts would have to wait, for now he needed to throw a few more logs on the fire and get some sleep. After sleeping on the hard stone floor for a week, he was looking forward to sleeping in his bed. Tonight, and tomorrow night would be the only times he would be able to sleep in a bed for the foreseeable future, so he wanted to make the most of it.

The bed wasn't as comfortable as he remembered, it was slightly lumpy. It was the difference between memory and reality. Wrapping himself in the covers and finding comfortable position, the weeks stresses faded into nothingness as he fell into a deep sleep.

The morning seemed to come too fast, with some reluctance he got up. Throwing a long onto the embers in the fireplace and placing a large black pot filled with water on the hearth, it was time to get to work. It would take time for the log to burn hot enough to boil the water, so while he waited Xavier was going to cultivate, he was even going to cultivate his martial arts Qi. By time the pot lid was making a racket from the steam, he had taken a step closer to the 3rd layer and increased the Qi he could use for his martial arts. 

Adding a bit of salt and some corn meal to the pot, a big pot of corn gruel was made. While lacking in flavor, it was more than enough to fill him up. After cleaning up, he bundled up to head outside.

Opening the front door led him to be temporary blinded by the glare of the sunshine on the snow. The thigh high snow was not only cold, but now it was also wet. This didn't change his plans, it just made them slightly more annoying. After he was done shopping, he would have to dry the only set of clothes he had currently.

By the time he had reached the shop, his legs and feet were cold and soaked. After being greeted by the shopkeeper he began looking for the items he needed, all the while being followed by an attendant mopping up the watery footprints he left. Just like last time, every time he raised his hand an attendant came and took the item he pointed at to the counter. A mortar and pestle, a large cauldron, several sizes of paint brushes, knives for skinning and butchering animals, a decent bow with some arrows, a tent, sleeping bag, seasonings, and a selection of herbs. 

The shopkeeper eyed him once over out of curiosity, but since it wasn't unusual for young inexperienced members of the cult to buy lots of unneeded items when they first start going on missions, he didn't find it too odd. But the fact Xavier was still wearing the cult's training uniform instead of a martial artist's uniform made him a bit curious why this kid was buying so much. After a little haggling over the final price, Xavier packed what he bought into his pack and the large cauldron, he left the store to head home. 

It wasn't long after he left the shop that he spotted one of the shop's attendants following him at a distance. The attendant was quite skilled in following people, even a skilled martial artist would have trouble spotting him. But Xavier wasn't a martial artist, he was a cultivator and easily spotted the attendant with a sweep of his divine sense. The shopkeeper and his attendants were rumored to sell items to cult members and sometimes sell the same items after the mysterious deaths of those cult members. 

Thinking of the situation he was in, amused Xavier. Not only was the shopkeeper foolishly targeting a cultivator, but he was targeting a ghost cultivator. Xavier needed to kill people to capture their souls before refining them into ghosts. And he needed to kill more people to strengthen those ghosts. While he was planning to avoid using cult members in this process, he wouldn't refuse anyone who... volunteered.

Xavier walked down an alley between two buildings, the moment the attendant lost sight of him, his bag and the cauldron disappeared into his storage bag. The attendant rushed into the alleyway and saw Xavier standing there looking at him, like he was waiting for him. As the attendant took a defensive stance ready to attack, Xavier appeared before him and a crushing weight pressed him to his knees. Xavier lifted his hand towards the attendant and a pale green flame began to dance in his palm, before engulfing the attendant. After a minute, the attendant's body stopped shuddering. 

Xavier used a movement technique to close the difference, then used his cultivation base to crush the attendant to the ground, unable to move or even breath, his death was inevitable. With the exception of martial arts masters, this is what happens to all mortals that challenge cultivators.

Placing his hand above the attendant's head, his hand began to lightly glow as a rainbow-colored mist exited the corpse and gathered in his hand. When the last of the mist stopped coming out of the corpse it had grown to the size of a large orange. 

This was the soul of the attendant he had just killed, but as it was now, it was useless to him and needed to be refined. The pale green flame of his soul fire covered the soul, as a hissing noise sounded the soul began to shrink till it was the of an acorn. 

The refining process was draining on his limited cultivation. With a thought, a small barely human shaped ghost the size of a newborn kitten hovered above the small bone white soul orb in his hand. it was a harmless little thing at the moment, but after feeding it more souls it would grow and become stronger. While this was the first of many ghost soldiers to come, it wasn't the time to standing around thinking of the future to come. He was standing next to the charred corpse of the shopkeeper's attendant, and he needed to be elsewhere.