dirk_grey
patreon
Immortal Freeloader 170
🕑 Added 2024-10-26 03:51:01 +0000 UTCAfter a momentary consideration, I refrained from triggering the latest technique I had received. While the techniques triggered considerably less Providence than artifacts, it would still consume more than the singular Qi Drops I had been summoning earlier. And, it meant that the Nascent Soul cultivator in front of me might notice the fluctuation in the Providence.
Admittedly, I didn’t put that chance very high, not with the way the Providence cycled around him. It must interfere with his ability to detect the way Providence shifted, but it was not a certainty.
Not to mention, there was no advantage in triggering it immediately. Not when I could try to anger him. It was a rare opportunity from the benefits of the System. Not in terms of the multiplier — which was significant, but not as significant as the Golden Cores — but in terms of the techniques he had certainly possessed.
One absentminded comment from him could resolve every single problem I had for the future.
“You talk too much for a coward that’s hiding behind your juniors, merchant,” I said, angering him further.
He was close enough that I could see his face, and the flash of anger that went through his face surprised me. It was too intense for a man who presumably lived for centuries … but then, maybe not. He might be old, but it didn’t necessarily mean that he was wiser.
More importantly, in terms of Earth, he was somewhere between a dictator and a celebrity. Too used to get respect from the people that surrounded him, but he clearly forgot how to handle base disrespect. He had enough self-control not to attack immediately, which meant it was useless as a tactic, but he was fighting in a battle he was not used to in the first place.
“You’re pushing your luck,” he said. “You think you can resist Heavenly Treasure Pavilion by yourself.”
I believed that I had a chance, especially since I had discovered a way to improve my actual strength without compromising my System gains, which should improve my power curve with far more ease. But, I couldn’t tell him that. Instead, I snorted. “You think I’m afraid of a bunch of jumped-up peddlers, running around like parasites across lower worlds for little slivers of power,” I responded with exaggerated laughter.
“You’re lucky that we can’t use our powers here, or I would have eviscerated you,” he responded, his eyes icy.
His choice of words was telling. Couldn’t, rather than wouldn’t, which confirmed my earlier assumption that Nascent Soul cultivators were restricted from acting due to the way Providence worked, and it was unique to the lower world.
It had a limit. And, if the writings from the Burning Ice sect were to be trusted, that limit had been lower in the past. No wonder there was no mention of any cultivator above Foundation Establishment in their records.
It stood to reason that, when Ancient Martial Arts were stronger, the world itself was stronger compared to heavens that seemed to include the cultivators — two convenient names based on the direction of the power I detected lately — and attacked the cultivators whenever it detected.
It must be treated the cultivators like parasites, destroying them whenever they were noticed … and stronger they were, or the more powers they used, the easier they be noticed.
I had to admit, it felt nice to connect the dots to create a comprehensive picture … even if that picture was scary. Like the fact Treasure Pavilion sent a Nascent Soul to lead the expedition despite the clear danger the world posed to him.
Meaning, ultimately, he was a disposable entity.
I had already realized that the cultivation world had a weird, exponential scale of power I had trouble understanding, but I had clearly underestimated the ultimate scale of their strength.
And, so did the chips they were playing. I had assumed correctly that the cultivators were playing a game of power over the mortals, one that looked nonsensical at first glimpse, but only because I had missed the nature of the game.
Where the chips showed the whole world.
At this moment, as I looked at the Nascent Soul cultivator facing me with a furious expression, I realized that it was my last chance to get away. The moment I defeated the giant flying ship, it would put me in the radar of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, and likely other forces that could match them.
But, leaving right now would mean a tantrum from the Nascent Soul cultivator; one that, when delivered by a person of his power, would probably result in many millions of deaths.
With a sigh, I waved my hand, constructing a formation, wildly aware that I was stepping on the back of a tiger that I could never step down from.
The irony is that it all started with a system called the Freeloader System, one that put a sardonic expression on my face even as I waved my hand to create a formation in the air.
The formation was not for combat. Now that I had decided to fight a force that likely surpassed me by a significant margin, I needed to be ready for more. And, the best way to achieve that was to bait the angry Nascent Soul cultivator in front of me for more.
The formation had many layers. The surface was made of Qi Drops, the condensed form the Golden Core cultivators were able to create, but it was merely there to prevent the enemy from realizing the bones of the formation were made of Martial Essence.
And, in between, a thick wave of ordinary Qi flared, making the formation far more threatening than it was supposed to be. However, while it was threatening, it was relatively simple.
Ultimately, it was a bait and a distraction at the same time.
While that distraction was going on, I triggered the System, finally understanding the battle formation they had set up, which was at the Golden Core level. Luckily, after my experiences with Nascent Soul techniques, I wasn’t surprised by the flood of information, easily identifying the true nature of the layout they had created.
And, all the weaknesses I could take advantage of.
Meanwhile, the Nascent Soul enemy was distracted by the formation I created, which looked strong enough to threaten Golden Core cultivators. I raised an eyebrow, a wry smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Unlike you, I don’t have to deal with discount formations,” I teased nonchalantly. “Unlike me, you can’t see the weaknesses in the structure —” I started, only for it to shatter a meager Qi flex from him. “How!” I gasped in shock, like he had achieved something impossible.
“You think you can trick with that pathetic garbage tier three-technique,” he laughed vigorously. “Its weakness is apparent.”
“I-impossible, you must have used an artifact, you pathetic merchant,” I shouted back.
“You think so?” he replied with a vigorous laugh as he started bragging. “The five of the nodes lacked proper support, allowing me to reverse the flow easily,” he explained, which, once again, was accompanied by that concentrated delivery of information.
A mistake. One that paid off well.
[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 360; Insult Bonus - 460 (Capped)]
[820x Return - Five Tigers Formation Technique - Beginner, Perfection]
“Impossible,” I shouted even as I flared the Qi from the spiritual vein, using the distraction to activate the reward once more. The information flooded my mind even as he laughed in victory, unaware that I had just turned into an even bigger expert in the technique he had just displayed.
Though, to my disappointment, it turned out to be a merely Golden Core technique instead of a Nascent Soul one.
It was a great improvement to my current abilities, on that, I had no doubt. Too bad it hadn’t surpassed Perfection. Not that it mattered immediately. I could always recycle it later, and it wasn’t like I planned to use it at the moment.
It was much better for them to think that formations were my weakness rather than my strength.
I tried to build another formation, hoping to bait another lesson, but it seemed that my earlier display had changed things. “That’s enough playing,” he said. “Attack.”
“You angered me thoroughly,” I said even as I rushed forward, to meet the challenge. Without my ability to see the weaknesses of the battle formation, it would have been a violent, desperate battle that pushed me to the limit even as I used every single advantage I had, including the spiritual pillar tree.
Instead, I merely had to deliver several disguised punches before the golden core cultivators started vomiting blood.
The battle formation was like a tank, impressively destructive, but extremely vulnerable to an attack from a weak spot. And, with my expertise already in Perfection, all I could see was weakness. Weakness that I could destroy with simple disguised punches.
“Impossible,” the Nascent Soul cultivator gasped in fear as he started back to the ship. I was glad to let him do so, more than happy to take a draw, as for my purposes, it counted as a victory. I might have had a different idea if I believed the giant ship was the limit of their power, but it clearly was not.
Destroying the ship would make an enemy I wasn’t ready to make.
I said nothing as the skies transformed once again in a way that I recognized as teleportation formation, confident that the Nascent Soul cultivator was doing the smart thing, and retreating.
Which was why, I was surprised to see another, smaller flying boat drop down instead.
I tensed. I had misread the situation. And, it had the potential to be a costly mistake.
