The Undying Immortal System

After learning about the potential permanent side effects of my cultivation technique, I knew that I needed to be much more careful. Allowing myself to fall into a paranoid mindset and corrupting my memories of the sect would do inestimable damage to this and countless future lives. To prevent that, I needed to ensure I was always in complete control of the cultivation technique's mental effects.

The mental pull from my newly established mental pathways was strong, and if I continued advancing, those pathways might take over my entire psyche. I needed to give myself time to let them settle.

After juggling some numbers in my mind, I decided to go back to the once-a-year approach to advancement. One year should be long enough for my mind to settle down and return to normal. Then, I would advance.

I still need to be careful, though. Each advancement had a compounding effect on this mental pulling, making the strain from each new stage of cultivation significantly worse. If this mental strain hadn't completely settled, a single advancement might be able to directly carry me over the edge of madness.

I was in a dangerous situation, but as long as I was cautious, I would be able to make it through safely. I just needed to slow down and take my time.

After each advancement, I secluded myself in my rented apartment and didn't talk to anyone. This allowed me to stabilize my mind without having to worry about a random conversation accidentally engaging the cultivation technique's suspicion circuits.

During this time, I never returned to my cave in the elder's enclave on the mountain.

Renting an apartment cost me 100 contribution points a day, which was roughly equal to the profits I made from selling a single pill. My estimates put that at a cost of 50 gold a day to rent this room, a completely insane price. However, I didn't care too much about contribution points. They were easy enough to earn, and I would much rather live in a well-furnished apartment than return to the elder's enclave and live in a cave of bare rock.

I spent years in the city slowly raising my cultivation level to Martial Master Peak. In all that time, I never saw Deacon Liu, and I never received any messages from Elder Mu. My only contact with them was through a servant disciple who continuously delivered herbs and picked up my completed pills.

As long as I provided them with a dozen or so pills every day, they were content to let me live however I wanted to. They got countless free pills, and I received unlimited resources to practice with. They made more immediate profit from the exchange, but I was the only one who would get to keep my gains. In a way, it was a win-win, but personally, I felt that I was the one coming out ahead in the deal.

This status quo lasted years, but eventually, I completed my final meridian and advanced to Martial Master Peak. It was time for me to ascend to Grandmaster and join the inner sect.

After breaking through, I spent a few months completely stabilizing my cultivation. Once I was confident my mental state was stable, I returned to the elder's enclave to talk with Deacon Liu.

I bowed slightly when I saw him. "Deacon, long time no see!"

He blinked in surprise at me. "Little Fang, what brings you back?"

"I broke through to Martial Master Peak. I need to learn how to advance further."

A mask of false calm suddenly appeared on the deacon's face. "I see. That was quicker than expected. I hope you didn't rush your cultivation."

"No, deacon. I was careful. I believe my foundation is solid."

"Very well. I will send a message to Elder Mu. You will need to discuss your advancement with him directly. Just wait in your room for now, and I will get you when he's ready."

I spent three days in my cave as I waited to meet with Elder Mu. Those few days drove home how different my life had been over these past few years. I had started to become used to living in a decent room and having regular interactions with people. Returning to the ascetic life was uncomfortable.

Still, it was familiar. The deacon continued to provide me herbs to work with, and I was able to continue slowly refining my alchemy skills. Even after all these years, I didn't feel that I had truly perfected Rank 2 alchemy. I had nearly reached the limit of what was possible with my knowledge and affinities, but I still wanted to keep pushing to improve even the slightest bit more. Returning to this simple lifestyle resonated with a small piece of my soul, and I was able to refocus on what was important.

My concentration on this task consumed me, and days passed. I didn't even realize how long it had been until Deacon Liu interrupted me.

"Disciple Fang, it's time. Follow me."

As we walked, Deacon Liu felt distant, almost like I was a stranger to him. I wasn't sure what had happened, but I could tell something had changed with him.

When we entered the elder's office, I was shocked by its emptiness. The countless scrolls and papers that had littered the room were gone. The bookshelves that lined the room stood completely empty. Only a single scroll was left. It had been placed on a small silver tray that sat on top of the elder's desk.

After ushering me inside, the deacon closed the door, leaving me alone in the room with Elder Mu.

The elder gestured to the chair across from him. "Take a seat."

I sat down and waited patiently as he examined me. He was using his qi vision to look at my energy body. That allowed him to closely examine my cultivation state and check for any problems. After talking with Jiao a while back, she taught me the basics of doing this, and it was how people had been able to tell what my cultivation realm was in the past. I wasn't sure what the elder could see with his soul power, but mine allowed me to have a detailed view of a person's meridians. This let me see and understand all the tiny imperfections in them.

After over a minute of careful examination, Elder Mu pronounced his judgment.

"Better than I expected. How do you assess your mental state?"

I bowed my head. "Elder, the last time I advanced, the new impulses were difficult to control. However, after two months in seclusion, I do not believe they pose any risk to my stability."

He paused briefly to consider. "What if the sensations were ten or a hundred times more powerful? Do you think you could keep them under control?"

I hesitated. "I don't think so. Even doubling the intensity might be a risk."

He let out a soft sigh. "Yes, Deacon Liu has failed you in this. He was supposed to keep you balanced so that this wouldn't be a problem."

"Elder, I must accept blame for this. My doubts caused me to briefly rush my cultivation a few years ago. I cannot blame Deacon Liu for this."

It wasn't my place to contradict the elder, so this was slightly improper of me to say, but I couldn't throw the deacon under the bus here. Even if I still harbored doubts about the man's motives, I would accept personal responsibility for my actions.

Elder Mu waved my objection away. "It makes no difference. What's done is done. We have to work with what we have."

The elder tapped the scroll that had been sitting on his desk. "This is your Rank 3 cultivation technique. It is Peak-Yellow and is a match with the ones used previously. Use it to raise your cultivation base to Grandmaster. If you need advice, contact Deacon Chen in the administration office. He will assist you."

I hesitated before taking the scroll. "What are the mental effects of this technique?"

"Rank 3 techniques are a bit simpler than those that come before it. There are only two basic effects, and nearly every technique has one of the two. They can either increase or decrease the effects of the previous techniques you used. This one decreases the effects, so you should have no problems controlling yourself after cultivating it."

I suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"That's great. I can finally stop worrying so much."

"No, it isn't. Techniques that decrease the effects of previous Ranks don't just affect the mental component. They also result in significantly reduced total power. By cultivating this technique, your qi will be crippled compared to someone who cultivates an empowering technique."

"So… should I wait and cultivate the more powerful technique?"

Elder Mu shook his head and looked down at his desk, not wanting to meet my eye.

"There isn't time. You only have a limited window to break through, and I do not believe you can reach a stable enough state in time. However, even if you could, it wouldn't matter, and it wouldn't be worth the effort anyway. Yes, by following this technique, your qi will be weaker than others, but for you, that won't be much of a problem. With your fire seed, the strength of your qi is much less important."

"I understand, elder."

I had already questioned him twice during this conversation, and it would be poor form to press further. This was the technique he was giving me, so I would have to accept it.

"The next Inner Sect Challenge will take place in one year. You will need to advance to Martial Grandmaster before that time. As long as you do, I am confident that I can secure your promotion to the inner sect so that you will be allowed to begin learning Rank 3 alchemy."

"Yes, elder."

With that, I left. The need to intentionally weaken myself left me feeling dissatisfied, but I knew that I should accept Elder Mu's decision.

I didn't return to my cave in the enclave. Instead, I went back to my rented room in the village since it provided a much more comfortable environment to cultivate in.

Once I was seated and was able to calm my thoughts, I looked at the scroll the elder had given me.

The way he had described this technique had left me disappointed. A cultivation technique specifically designed to make me weaker than others at my same level wasn't what I had been hoping for.

I wanted something better. Was this really the only technique suitable for me? Could I try pledging myself to a different elder in exchange for something better? Maybe, but whether I succeeded or not, doing so would completely burn my bridges with Elder Mu, and it was extremely likely I would just be turned away.

Also, even if this technique wasn't what I had been hoping for, Elder Mu was still providing me with a pathway beyond anything I had accomplished before. This only added to the debt I owed him. I couldn't betray him.

Thinking about the technique, I considered if Elder Mu might not be correct in his decision.

Assuming everything he told me was true, having less strength wouldn't be all that bad. I wouldn't have to worry about the mental effects of cultivation anymore and should still be able to learn Rank 3 alchemy.

The mental effects of the Rank 2 technique had started to be a slight problem, and if a strengthening technique made these effects ten or a hundred times more potent, I could be in serious danger. A weakening effect could be considered a blessing.

If everything the elder said was true, I would use this technique. I just needed to know if I could trust him.

Knowing I needed a second opinion, I visited the Pill Hall to find the only person who might qualify as an outside expert.

"Senior Sister Jiao, can you help me with something?"

I had come to learn that Jiao was not simply hanging around the Pill Hall for fun. She was there to keep an eye on things. This was because she was a member of the faction I had dubbed the 'Eyes.' This was the Sect Master's personal faction, and its members were his eyes and ears in the sect.

While Elder Mu was an independent, he was most closely aligned with the Snakes. This put Jiao slightly at odds with him. By relying on this adversarial relationship between the two groups, I hoped to use Jiao as an independent check on the information I got from the elder.

She smiled when she heard this. "Younger Brother Su, what do you need?"

"Elder Mu gave me a new cultivation technique today. I was hoping you could take a look at it and tell me what you think."

"Oh… Oh!" Her eyes widened in surprise. "You reached Martial Master Peak. Congratulations! Here let me see!"

I handed her the technique. When she opened it up and read it, I noticed her wince slightly. After only a glance, she gave it back to me with a look of pity.

"Yeah, that one's pretty standard. Sorry about that. I know you've been working hard, but, well, it happens."

"What do you mean?"

She sucked in a breath through her teeth as she thought through her words.

"If you cultivate that technique, your future will be limited. You will never be able to grow much beyond where you are now. Even if you reach Peak Grandmaster, you will be weaker than a Martial Grandmaster 2 that used a more powerful technique."

"Is that the only downside?"

She let out a soft, wry laugh. "Isn't that enough? I've never heard of any other problems, but being weaker than every other Grandmaster is already too much."

She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "Anyway, it's what you got. Once an elder decides something, it is nearly impossible to get them to change their minds. At least this means you won't have to worry about the mental issues that cultivation can cause."

I gave her a bow. "Thank you, Senior Sister Jiao."

Since both my sources gave the same information, I could proceed.

Being weaker than other Grandmasters was fine. As Elder Mu said, I relied on my fire seed more than my cultivation base, and even if my qi wasn't as powerful as other Peak Grandmasters, I would still be able to earn just as many credits from the System.

The situation might not be ideal, but it would help me create a solid foundation for success in future lives.