Cultivation Nerd

Morning light hit my face, and the first thought that slammed into my mind was simple: I needed a catalyst. Something to store the processing data when the Sky Grade Technique was in play. Using a human brain? Not an option—not with this level of information.

I pushed myself out of bed, took a deep breath, and the sharp scent of blood hit me. My fingers found the crusted remains under my nose. Dried blood.

Had I been bleeding in my sleep?

I didn’t have time to ponder—suddenly, the world spun into a kaleidoscope of colors. Darkness clawed at my vision. The next thing I knew, I was clutching the bed, my stomach lurching, nausea rising like a tidal wave.

What the hell? This technique was lethal to use so recklessly. It was powerful—too powerful for someone at the Qi Gathering stage. But being the only one who knew it made it both a weapon and a curse.

"Talk about a load of bullshit," I muttered, a grin creeping onto my face despite everything.

A week or two, and whatever brain damage I'd done should heal up—assuming my soul stayed intact. Memories and soul were related in a non-linear way. Still, one more push, and I might end up a vegetable. I didn't want to test if my Sky Grade Technique could mess with my soul.

But enough whining—back to the technique!

I yanked a bucket of water from my storage ring and splashed my face; this inn was not fancy enough to have a private bathroom.

But that was the least of my worries. I needed a catalyst—something that wasn’t physical, something that wouldn’t become a vulnerability. Something physical wouldn't work either way, and the first thing that came to mind was somehow learning how to use my soul as a catalyst. Clearly, souls could carry information. But that led to the same old problem of not wanting to mess with my soul.

I didn't want to end up as a Voldemort-kinda guy.

Arrays could store information by directing Qi, sure. But again, the problem was that I wasn’t skilled enough in arrays to create something autonomous to store the information from a Sky Grade Technique.

A greenish cube formed in my hand as I activated the Dancing Jade Armor Technique. Microscopic inscriptions began to etch themselves into the cube. That useless attention to detail I’d developed while creating the jade soldiers—meticulously crafting their facial features and armor—was finally paying off.

But just as excitement took hold, reality crashed in—I wasn’t a high-level Array Conjurer. The translucent cube in my hand started to heat up, spinning and expanding like a balloon ready to explode.

The explosion was sudden and violent, sending shards of my Dancing Jade Armor Technique scattering in all directions like shattered glass. Instinctively, I reacted—my training kicked in as reflex rather than thought. In an instant, I enveloped myself in a jade-green barrier. This protective sheath clung just above my skin, shimmering with the residual energy of my disrupted technique.

As a Qi Gathering Cultivator, my reaction times were sharper than most, honed through countless hours of sparring with Song Song. Yet, even with my enhanced reflexes, the proximity of the explosion left me with little room to maneuver.

However, the room didn't stand a chance. The bed was riddled with holes, the roof scarred like it had been clawed by a beast, and the desk bore a jagged wound, as if a dull knife had been dragged across its surface.

Inscriptions grafting into an object? That's Level 4 Array Conjurer territory," I muttered to myself, half in awe, half in frustration.

While my cultivation had progressed at a snail's pace due to my limited talents, Array Conjuring was a different story. I could probably reach Level 4 by next year. Thanks to the Song Clan's resources and library, I was advancing further and faster than most as Array Conjurers, a privilege few shared. Not to mention the new stuff I got from the immortal.

I was so close I could almost taste the success.

The chirping of birds outside tried to lull me into calm, but the urge to use the Sky Grade Technique again gnawed at me like an addict's craving. But this wasn't the place to pass out like some damsel in distress.

Using the Eight Mind Phantoms Technique, even at a fraction of its potential, had cracked my mind open, giving me a glimpse of something bigger—a broader perspective.

That broader perspective brought something else into focus—I’d been followed yesterday.

It was similar to the footwork Song Sia used when she tried to assassinate Song Song—a movement technique that allowed the user to slip from the victim’s mind as soon as they were out of sight. From what I recalled, the technique lacked speed but made up for it with its strange ability.

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I leaned against the wall and peeked out the window. In an alleyway stood a bronze-armored man with a gaunt face, looking as if he hadn’t slept in days. Despite his less-than-cheery appearance—which didn’t suit the prosperous Goldwatch City—I hadn’t found him strange yesterday as he followed me. And I hadn’t noticed him.

Note to self: Brain damage worked well against hypnosis-like techniques.

More likely, using a Sky Grade Technique, even in a limited form, had broken through whatever veil was around my mind.

If I were a betting man, I’d say these guys were using some technique in conjunction with an array cast over the entire city. Since it worked so well, it was likely because there was a rule in the array that it wouldn’t be used for assassination, only for surveillance.

I would have been more pissed off if I hadn’t seen something so amazing. A technique and an array working in conjunction? Technically, my Thousand Jade Soldier Array might seem similar, but it was more like I adjusted a puppeteering array to work for my jade soldiers, which the array itself created. It was more like imbuing my technique into the barrier rather than using it in tandem.

"What a shame," I sighed, stepping away from the window and dressing in a new blue robe, replacing the bloodied one.

It was a shame I couldn't converse with the mind behind this ingenious idea—an array designed to complement a technique.

How did they manage to cast such an array over an entire city?

The more I learned about Goldwatch City, the more it seemed like its success wasn't just a matter of luck.

Now, the question was, how should I handle this? Acting like I hadn't noticed him would be…

After ensuring everything was in place and nothing seemed amiss, I left my room. I headed toward the inn's reception below.

The air downstairs was thick with the scent of alcohol and incense. The plump girl who had shown me to my room yesterday was manning the reception desk today, and her face brightened as soon as she saw me.

I returned the smile—there was no need to be rude.

She reminded me of a friend from my previous life. He was straightforward and always said he liked a girl who didn't feel like a skeleton when hugged. A tall, slightly plump girl was his dream woman. I never understood how people could have such specific tastes.

But I couldn't afford to get lost in memories now. I approached the receptionist, noticing a new perfume—lavender. The scent was overpowering, likely applied in excess to be noticeable over the pungent odor of cheap booze. But for a cultivator's sensitive nose, it was almost too much.

"Here's your payment," I said, handing her a gold coin while subtly positioning my palm so only she could see it, just in case the patrons got greedy. "Keep the change."

She froze momentarily, then quickly tucked the coin behind the counter, out of sight.

"Thank you, honorable customer!"

"Thank you, too," I replied, leaving the inn without another word.

I had some silver coins but didn't want to use them at an inn I'd never see again. It was better to save them for a shop where I needed to stay undercover.

As soon as I stepped outside, the man in bronze armor turned his gaze toward me, staring like a hawk. I acted as if I hadn't noticed him and walked along the roads of Goldwatch City. That was when I noticed something strange: I wasn't the only one being followed by these bronze-armored figures.

Some merchants who had come from outside to sell their wares were trailed by homeless kids. Unlike my disciplined shadow, these raggedly dressed children seemed easily bored, spending their time running around or even talking to each other.

No one seemed to notice them—it was like a hidden world in plain view that no one could see.

One of the kids reached out to grab an apple from a merchant’s stall, but another child slapped his hand away before he could even touch the apple’s red skin.

“Stealing while using our technique is against the rules, how many times do I have to warn you?” warned the young man who had slapped the other kid’s hand. “If enough people become aware of our presence, our technique will no longer work.”

“Don’t worry, nobody can even see us,” said the kid, still eyeing the apple.

“I doubt a merchant won’t notice his merchandise missing,” the slapper cautioned.

Whether in a cultivation world or not, kids were the same everywhere—just a bit too loose-lipped, especially among friends. And it would be doubly true if those kids could virtually move around invisibly.

I left the scene and headed toward the more expensive shopping districts. Here, it wasn’t uncommon to see a cultivator. As I had suspected, bronze-armored men were following the cultivators.

Instead of lingering, I moved toward a more secluded part of the city. This area was filled with expensive restaurants, inns, and privately owned buildings, meaning fewer people were on the streets.

I walked around, waiting until no one was around, then turned and met the gaze of the bronze-armored man. He looked directly at me, his eyes locking onto mine. There was no reaction for a moment—he glanced behind him and around, uncertain.

But then he looked back at me, his eyes widening in realization. I smiled and walked closer. For a second, I was also tempted to conceal my presence, to throw him off. But it was better not to let my ego get involved in these matters; some cards are best kept close to the chest.

“Hi there, friend,” I said.

When dealing with situations like this, the bottom man often needed a bit of intimidation. I wasn’t too experienced in this, so I thought: What would Song Song do in a moment like this? Well, she’d probably do something crazy, like kill or maim the guy, but I couldn’t go that far.

“That’s some nice bronze armor you’ve got there. I think it would look good with red—a nice crimson cloak could really make you stand out,” I said with a hint of a friendly smile. “Now, why don’t you tell me what’s happening here?”