The next few days were a blur of silence, repetition, and observation.
Using his injuries as an excuse, and after spitting blood near an elder's feet, he luckily managed to isolate himself.
But despite having this long free time, he didn't make any abnormal moves.
He didn't train like the others did in the morning. He didn't stand in line, chant mantras in the afternoon, or try to sense the mystical energy of heaven and earth in the evening.
He just watched, mimicked. And in his free time just roamed around the outer sect - trying to form a map of it in his mind.
Areas where disciples lived, trained, ate, defecated, played, or went shopping.
Same for the elders.
What places he could visit, what areas were banned. Where crowds gather or where even birds don't poop.
Before committing his next murder, he wanted to be better prepared.
His first kill was slightly influenced by his restless emotions after suddenly being betrayed, killed, and reincarnated all together, – making it risky, sloopy, and overall not a fond memory to look at.
Hence he didn't want to repeat the process.
And more importantly— throughout all this, he kept his mouth shut.
The other outer court disciples often mocked him as they always had Sunny. They pointed and whispered:
"The undead roach."
"Still trash."
"Probably pissing blood every night."
But Sunny let them live without being angry. Hell, he even limped a little more than the day he woke up .
Letting them see what they wanted to see—a broken fool. A joke.
He wasn't ready to challenge anyone yet. As he didn't even understand this world's basic power structure. But what he did understand was how to survive a system meant to crush you.
---
"If only I had some money, that could buy some books or exchange for a map. Then this would've been so much easier" Sunny muttered, without any hope.
To avoid suspicion he didn't really talk much to anyone. So asking questions or getting answers from others was out of the league.
And with how much the original Sunny was bullied before being killed, Sunny knew why he had no money or resources on his body.
"Some idiot must have stolen it, or taken it by force."
The days continued and Sunny repeated his lazy routine for the outside world. While in his room, behind closed doors, he kept training. Pushing the limits of his current body and forming a better coordination with it.
When the disciples slept or trained like mindless sheep in a herd, he would visit the lonely corners and seriously try to learn their movements. The techniques, the tricks. Find ways to adapt or evade their attacks.
The sense of unfamiliarity he had after his rebirth, was a little less now. And he had a pretty decent idea about his strengths and weaknesses.
"There really is something wrong with my body." Sunny thought, throwing the thin booklet and a shiny stone he stole from his 'friends'.
This booklet was something given to every outer disciple at the time of joining, as it had the method of sensing Qi, and detailed drawings about ways to channel it through various veins and meridians.
While the stone was something called Spirit stone. A natural born mineral formed in areas of abundance Qi / spiritual energy after a very long time.
This thing is like the currency of this world. And also the most basic stuff which can help in cultivation.
Elders give out a few such stones every other week. Based on the disciples performance and piety.
Obviously with Sunny's performance he wasn't worthy of receiving anything. So he could just resort to stealing it.
(While the owner of clothes was busy being productive. Trying hard to reproduce and help the human race give birth to a genius – behind the bushes.)
…
According to common sense, every living being can absorb Qi from the environment. And cultivation is just about storing it inside, and then using various techniques to exert it's maximum effects.
But after a week of practice, Rio tried every method to move Qi but failed miserably every time.
This also put out the minor hope in his heart that he just lacked techniques or exercises for controlling Qi. But not the basic qualifications.
"Guess murder is the only option left." He said, while tracing his hand over the edge of his dagger.
…
After burying the booklet and spirit stone under a tree, Sunny left the place. Moving towards his fourth favorite place in the outer court.
The latrine hut.
The boys bathroom.
Sunny entered a small square cubicle and just sat there. Waiting for his daily dose of general knowledge and information guides to enter.
Soon after a few minutes, Sunny heard the sounds of rushing footsteps, and chattering of the crazy crowd swarming his way.
"Here we go." Sunny said, as he tied a mask around his face, pinched his nose, and pricked his ears to listen to everything carefully, and not let go of any single rumor.
"Hey, you saw Remi today?"
"Idiot's trying to absorb a whole marrow pill with only one open pathway."
"And?"
"And his guts almost turned into mush. Hahaha."
"You can't rush past Qi Tempering Stage without risking collapse. Didn't he thinks that Elders will notice?"
"I heard we'll have another outing mission soon."
"Really? Damn. Wasn't it just last week? The sect says we only need to do two such missions a month."
"Yeah, but I heard some famous inner court disciple needs a few herbs urgently for a breakthrough, and that's why our elders will force us to go."
"Fucker is trying to earn favors out of our corpses."
"Thomas is still missing. I heard even the elders are serious now."
"It's all the fault of those 2 minions. I heard they sent a letter to Thomas's family and asked them to put pressure on the sect's elders."
"Heh, what pressure? I heard Thomas's father was stopped at the sect's entrance and only allowed to speak when he paid a hefty price and brought 'gifts'."
"Well, I think it's good riddance the bastard's gone. He was a bully anyway."
Sunny listened to everything, and simply made a mental note about things which he felt were unknown or seemed important.
Qi Tempering Stage. Meridian pathways. Marrow pills. An outing mission where people can die.
And lastly, an inspection.
Every sentence was a breadcrumb. But this is all he was privy to for now.
He needed knowledge, but books were expensive. And connection, but he lacked strength.
So these sneaky methods were all he had to survive.
After the disciples washed, bathed, and disappeared _ Rio finally left the washrooms. His hair, still wet and face rosy.
"I need a soap." He thought, feeling the sour smell which still lingered on his body even after he took a bath twice.
But he didn't have much time to waste bathing again.
It was time for dinner and he had to go and finish eating early so he can train more later without being surrounded or dragged into some drama by idiots adding their names onto his death list.
(Yupp, just cause he ignored ants who mocked him till now, doesn't mean he's forgotten or forgiven them.
The Dragon had only one rule to live by, 'I may not pay back your kindness. But I will sure as hell take my revenge.'
Crimes against him were always punishable _ only by death.
…
While walking towards his room from the canteen, Sunny drifted towards the elder's residence with a stick in his mouth. While humming a tone.
Clanggg
A dustbin suddenly tumbled over with his feet, and Sunny hurriedly looked downwards in shock. Before glancing around like a scared kid, and bending down in a hurry to pick the trash and throw it back in.
Before slipping away like a cat pardoned from rain.
Back in his room, laying on the ground, Sunny kept staring at the crumpled half torn page stuck behind the door.
On it was a single phrase, stained with blood and barely readable.
< Circulating Qi through blocked channels without talent or guidance will destroy the foundation from within. ---- talent must first take root in blood and pain. The only other way to advance further is via ---- pills and ----- skills. >
Sunny stared at that sentence for a long time. Trying to make sense of it. While thinking whether it would apply to him too now, or just for people who've reached their limits.
Like the grumpy outer sect elder.
….
After the heartful contemplation and settling plans for tomorrow, Sunny settled on his 'bed' and started practicing.
He spent his late nights practicing breathwork.
Not the mystical cultivation kind.
The street-fighter kind. The criminal kind.
Control. Rhythm. Expansion. And exhale..
The human body had simple structure and fixed rules for every function.
Before Sunny ever saw a glowing cultivator, he'd seen men live through three stabs to the lungs by sheer strength of mind and breath control alone.
And picking habits from prisoners with whom he spent his youthful years while being locked in a cell - was, - umm, well, just basic courtesy.
What Sunny however didn't know, was that despite his careful acts these days, a secret glance was always staring at his actions.
A young girl stood against his room, staring at the locked door for quite some time, before turning around and walking away.