Don't Own anything.
'thought'
"Speech"
"Tvs, Radios, and Text via book or newspaper... when those are around..."

I look to the purple haired woman sat on the floor.

"My void core broke again." I admit.

Her eyes crack open. "Again?"

"Yes." I sigh, rubbing my chin. "and it is... annoying."

The girl beside me has a bunch of acupressure needles in her back and down her arms, her chest wrapped in bandages to protect her modesty. "How are you going about things? Did you figure out a meaningful Dantian path?

"Yes." She whispers with a slow nod. "And it is complete... I am now looking for a place to break through."

"I can take you to where I have been breaking through if you'd like."

"Yes." The woman nods. "I would like that."

I rise to my feet, clenching and unclenching my fist.

"So, what seems to be the problem with your void core?" Purple Mist questions.

"Ah... it just can't contain the energy from all the bones. The first time it broke, I had just surpassed fifteen, then after taking a pill to restore it, it got stronger, sure, but it broke again at twenty four. Then again at thirty one. Thirty five and thirty eight. Forty. Now again at forty one."

"I do not believe that this is very sustainable..." I frown, stroking my chin. "I do have a... vague idea of what to do going forwards, though."

If I can have several tribulations at once... why can't I have multiple void cores?

The only issue is that two hundred and six doesn't even divide into eight.

If I could only get two more-

I pause, activating my immortal body, I gently rub the two horns atop my brow.

"Huh... that makes two hundred and eight."

I turn to look at her. "So. What about your own dantian pathway? What have you come up with?"

"The Nerium Oleander. One of the most toxic flowers in the mundane world. Plus it... holds some personal significance to me." The corners of her mouth turn upwards.

"The origin... or seed, into the roots, of which, I have nine. Three major and two minor for each of the major roots. After that is the Pith, then to the Heartwood. Then to the rings, of which I have given myself nine. Nine roots. Nine acupoints. Nine decade rings, of which I am nearing the age of, thus it is even more meaningful... after that, comes the Sapwood, then the Cambium and finally followed by the bark... then, up the tree I have given myself nine branches. The leaves. And then nine flowers.

"Hm." I hum as I cup my chin. "It would probably be better if the spare pieces also added up to nine... so you are looking for two more."

"Two more." She repeats quietly to herself, looking down in thought.

"Trees actually have these things similar to veins to transfer nutrients called 'Rays'... and, bark is typically split into two as well... the inner bark, sometimes called the Phloem then the outer bark is sometimes called the 'cork'.

"I see!" The girl gasps. "That works!"

"I would recommend postponing getting your last century ring until you turn ninety, though. How much time do you have?"

"Oh... it'll be in three years."

"We can postpone it by trying to unlock your immortal body." I hum mutely. "It took me roughly that long to unlock my own."

"Yes!"

Ghostly petals flow throughout the surroundings at high speeds, swirling around the body of my student.

A variant tribulation...

Not a heart demon like mine was, but...

I snag a petal as it drifts close, looking over it.

"Poisonous flowers..." I mutter, a frown tugging at my lips.

I release the petal, allowing it to return to the swarm.

Purple Mist is doing surprisingly well.

She is breaking down the poison before it can really affect her.

She seems to be quite experienced with this. Perhaps its experience from her previous third to fourth tribulation...

She's managed to return to roughly where she was originallyscarily quickly.

In just ten years she went from the bottom of stage one back to the fourth stage.

Sure, there were some scary moment here and there, like her second to third tribulation being similar to my own bullshit one, but she had a lot more bullshit items and pills to assist her through it, so she wasn't ever in any real danger.

With one final pulse of the purple haired woman's energy, the petals disperse.

She falls to a knee, breathing heavily.

I gaze up to the sky, the clouds beginning to slowly drift apart.

A small smile comes to my lips as I walk forwards, crouching before her.

I offer her a pill which she takes and consumes, letting out a sigh of relief a moment later.

"You did well." I smile down at her. "In just ten short years you managed to reach where you were before... it is considered genius speed for a cultivator to use forty years to go from the third stage to the fourth... yet in just ten mere years you have gone from the bottom of stage one... up to here... it even took me around seven years to work through my first stage, and I had the benefit of consuming an immensely powerful plant... one that would have overpowered and killed me should I not have had the ability to convert toxins into cultivation."

"it- it is easier to be guided than to forge your own path." The woman pants.

"True, I suppose. But with your second stage... you did forge your own path." I nod slowly, offering a hand to the woman which she takes, slowly rising to her feet. "How do you feel in comparison to your old self?"

"I... I feel far stronger." She admits. "Perhaps the largest improvements would be the skin acupoint and my dantian path. My energy moves to my whims in a way I could not even fathom before."

A petal forms atop her fingertip.

I let out a long sigh and crackling tribulation lightning forms between my index finger and thumb. "So you have managed to copy even that? Why are you so keen on following in my footsteps so closely?"

A blush appears on her face. "W-Well... uh... do you... know what happens to an eighth stage cultivator?"

"Pardon?" I blink.

"T-There were tales of an eighth stage cultivator in my old sect and w-well... I-I figured it would just benefit me to try and be as close to you as possible for when you inevitably promote to eighth stage."

"..."

I blink down at her, wracking my brain, thinking of basically everything that an eighth stage gets.

Sermon? No... uh... seals?

Absolute command?

I uh... can't really think of anything. "I honestly, don't know that much about the innerworkings of eighth stage. Besides. I have only managed to around one hundred and fifty bones. I'm clearly going to take a while to get there so I'm not really worrying that much about it yet. I'll worry when I get to sixth or seventh stage."

"I-I see." The girl blushes.

I offer her a hand. "Shall we go back?"

"Yes." She nods once.

'And that...' My hand brushes one of my horns, the little nub now tinted gold as I gaze down into a mirror. 'makes two hundred and eight.'

Should I try and break through?

Nnn...

Nah. Not yet.

It took around forty years, but I feel like something is just... wrong with what I am doing.

In cultivation, gold seems to come in many levels.

This is reflected even in the Gold Core of fifth stages.

First, you take your void core from the fourth stage and create a 'Solid Gold Core'... then after that you create a purple gold core.

Reasonably, if golden cores can change color, why not my golden bones as well?

Will I be forced to go through an entire second round of bones? Probably.

Will it help in the long run?

Probably?

I'm like... seventy-thirty on it.

No-one has done it before, so it's possible.

But there's another chance that I'm just wasting my time.

I look over my body, clenching my fist,

Forging all of my bones did have some perks, actually.

My physical strength could likely rival that of a fifth stage as I am now.

There would be some discrepancy, sure. And once they form a gold core I'd probably get left in the dust thanks to the change from Qi to Spiritual Power.

My general... deal... has gotten quite weird.

I've got eight void cores. One of my own, and one for each of the heads in my... uh... Orochi technique? The spectral dragon one?

Damn. I need toactually name it.

"Senior... a fifth stage cultivator by the name of Medicine Master is here to see you."

"Oh?" I mutter as I rise to my feet, turning off my immortal body. The horns on my brow fading into nothing more than a haze of energy that blows away from me. "it has beenquite some time since I heard that name."

"Oi! Purple Mist." I call out. "Want to meet the senior that gave you that pill all those years ago?"

Her head pokes around the corner.

"Hm? Oh! Of course!" She beams.

She quickly steps out as I turn and walk forwards.

I walk towards the door, following the man as he leads me outside.

There, at the bottom of the steps of the fairly luxurious house I had been given by the farmer sect is the tired man which I had met all those years ago.

Judging by how his eyebrows raise, he seems to remember me.

"You?" He mutters. "Venom Dragon... correct?"

"That's right. It has been quite some time." I smile as I come to a stop just in front of him.

"I am quite surprised, honestly." He admits. "It was not even a century ago that you were merely in your second stage. That growth is quite impressive for an independent cultivator... though, I don't know if you still count, being so tightly bound to the immortal farmer sect."

"I have certainly had a lot of support from them." I smile. "I doubt I would have made it even half this far without their help."

"Regardless... Fifth stage, correct?"

"Fourth." I answer, causing the man to pause, looking over me.

"Fourth?" He echoes. "That is... unusual..."

"I'm forging my own path." I admit.

"Forging your own path?!" He exclaims, eyes growing wide.

He looks over me, eyes taking on an analytical glint.

"You have tempered all of your bones..." The man observes.

"it took some time, but I have."

"That... is a waste of time, isn't it? Because that happens automatically when you ascend to fifth stage." He observes.

"Well, if you look at it a certain way, perhaps. But the thing about the fifth stage's golden bones... is that the transformation is... let's call it half baked. Their bones might gain strength comparable to golden bones, but, the original nine bones they selected will always be their strongest, making the rest of their body weaker in comparison... I do not have that weakpoint. In addition, I have a general idea of what I need to do next, I'm just planning on how I want to continue."

"So..." I continue. "What can I do for you, Medicine master?"

"Ah... right." He mutters. "Well, two things, firstly, I was here because I was curious about the creator of the Heavenly Void Condensation Pill. But the second reason I am here is to invite you to a group."

"A group?" I echo. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm currently satisfied with my current situation."

"No. Not like a sect. You see, things have become a lot more advanced in the human world. Here."

He hands me an Iphone.

Like... a legitimate Iphone which is a little strange as I could have sworn that it was still before the two-thousands.

"Oh?"

"Starktek"

It appears those ideas I fed Howard all those years ago has paid off.

"It's not a group in the traditional sense." The man continues. "Humans have developed an item to speak over large distances. Much more convenient than letters. So, quite a few cultivators have created a chat group which allows them to speak to each other at their own convenience. It could be beneficial for you to join as there are quite a few sixth stage cultivators in the group who might be able to help you."

"Huh..." I mutter. "Alright. Do I need to get my own phone?"

"No. I was expecting to speak with a cultivator who was secluded from the modern world, so I brought that spare just in case. You will need to create an account in the messaging app."

"I see." I blink. "Alright."

"It took me quite a while to do so. I will remain here for a couple of days until you finish so I can send the owner of the group your information in order to add you. In the meantime, perhaps I'll go and look around."

"Done." I hum, causing the man to pause.

"Huh?" He blinks.

"I'm done. I made an account."

"T-That quickly?!"

"Yep."

"But surely you would have had to create an email, correct?"

"Oh. I already had one." I admit.

"T-Then type out a username and password?"

"Yeah. I already had some in mind."

"..."

"..."

"Alright, I'll send Senior Yellow Mountain your information." He sighs.

"Before you go." Purple mist begins as she bows her head slightly. "I would like to thank you for your gift all those years ago."

"I'd also like to thank you. The poison really helped me." I smile.

"Think nothing of it... it's tradition for a senior to give gifts to juniors." The man waves off. "Just do the same at some point."

*Ping*

I pull out my phone, noticing an alert.

Venom Dragon has joined The Nine Provinces Number One Group.

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "?"

Seventh of the Su Clan: "!"

Thrice Reckless Mad Saber: "3~!"

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "A new one? I wonder who it is this time. These little modern devices are certainly impressive."

Thrice Reckless Mad Saber: "What gender is our new Daoist? Are you a saintess? If so, what are your three sizes and please share a photo!"

I raise an eyebrow as I gaze down at the phone.

Venom Dragon: "..."

I let out a long sigh, shaking my head.

"What is it?" Purple Mist questions as she comes to a stop behind me.

"Oh, I got added to the group chat. Turns out there's a pervert here asking me if I'm a girl and what my three sizes are... without even waiting for a confirmation."

She peers over my shoulder as I quickly type out a reply.

Venom Dragon: "I'm male. And I'm just going to ignore that."

Thrice Reckless Mad Saber: "DAMN IT! Why has the path cursed me so! Why doesn't Lord Yellow Mountain ever add any girls to this damn thing! What's the point of having it?!"

Seventh of the Su Clan: "Hello. I am seventh. I don't believe I've ever heard of you, Venom Dragon. You have a powerful Dao name. I'm curious. What stage are you at?"

Venom Dragon: "Ah. I suppose my true name is a little underutilized. Most of the world simply calls me 'Miracle maker'. Sort of annoying to be honest."

A bunch of the group seems to send exclamation points in response. I edit my name as I get a new idea.

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "Ah. This should fix it."

Seventh of the Su Clan: "You- You are the creator of the Heavenly Void Condensation Pill?! A lot of my juniors have been saved by that. You have my thanks."

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "You should thank the immortal Farmer sect instead. I have been using their ingredients. Their seven radiance wonders fruit is what made the pill possible... at least in a manner that had a one hundred percent success rate, that is."

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "Are you sure that you should be speaking of the ingredients for the Heavenly Void Condensation Pill so freely?"

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "Oh, if others figure out how to make it, that's fine. It might be a little annoying to find a new source of spirit stones, but honestly, I feel the recipe going to the people would do some good. In fact. One moment, I'll actually list down what you need and what you need to do to see if anyone here is able to improve it. However. You need to be aware. This pill is dangerous. You could very easily kill whoever wishes to reforge their void core. Without my absolute nonsense pill forging constitution, a normal pill without the Seven Radiance Wonders fruit only has around a three percent chance of working... and a ninety seven percent chance of killing the consumer. I, of course, can raise this amount to a one hundred percent chance of working successfully, but in that case I myself would need to personally craft the pill using the blood of the cultivator who wishes to consume it and use a specialized pill furnace I have personally created out of numerous special materials specifically attuned to the Heavenly Void Condensation Pill. Even with all my improvements I have only managed to make a variant that has roughly a twenty five percent chance of working when crafted by others."

Seventh of the Su Clan: "A pill forging constitution?! Wait... does that mean that you've been gorging yourself on extremely powerful elixirs and pills that you yourself have created? Just how powerful are you now?!"

I simply send a smiley face Emoji

Thrice Reckless Mad Saber: "Seven, I swear, are your only expectations towards new group members is if they are good or fun in a fight?!"

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "The last time I fought would be about forty years ago when I first broke through into the fourth stage. A fifth stage cultivator sought me out for my abilities and wouldn't take no for an answer, even threatening the sect I was residing at. Let's just say that he made a mistake."

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "So, you are a fifth stage? Interesting. I haven't heard of a fourth stage besting a fifth stage cultivator since Seven."

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm still a fourth stage, I could promote at any point, I'm just experimenting."

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "Experimenting is quite dangerous."

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "Oh, believe me, I'm aware. I've broken my void core roughly twenty times at this point before it could withstand the power of my golden bones. You see, the tricky part was going over fifty."

Yellow Mountain: "Oh? So the Miracle Maker is still a fourth stage? Interesting... I heard from Medicine Master that you're forging your own path."

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "I'm a firm believer in making every part as special as possible. At first, sure, I followed the standard path, but about half way through my first stage I suffered a great injury and barely survived. Then and there I decided that following trends will do me no favors. I reset my cultivation entirely and started again."

Yellow Mountain: "Resetting your cultivation is a big choice. Even at the first stage. Would you say that your path has borne fruit?"

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "Yes. Easily. My apprentice had to make an even larger decision. She decided to reset at the fourth stage. But, after forty years she has climbed back up to fourth stage and vastly more powerful for it."
There are numerous exclamation points from the people lingering.

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "Your... apprentice must trust you a lot."

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "Yes, and I trust her just as much."

"Eep-" the purple haired woman squeaks.

"-And to those here who have students, I'll give you my path to the first stage as a freebie, the seniors here can check it, but from what I have seen it is a drastic improvement to the old one. Heart. Throat. Mouth. Eyes. Brain. Ears. Skin. Nose. Lungs."

Seventh of the Su Clan: "Hang on... that actually sounds... quite well-founded. Turning five to nine. Is it possible to unlock traits in your new acupoints? That would unlock four additional chances to gain a style-founding trait. Unsure of the brain one though. Messing with the brain sounds a little dangerous."

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "For skin, yes. I have 'Jade Scales' making me resilient to high caliber rifle fire even in my first stage. Those scales have only improved in strength as I grew and dove deeper and deeper into the epithet 'Venom Dragon'. Lungs as well. I'm unsure on brain, and throat. I'm able to do some interesting things with my voice, and I'm smarter now, but I'm unsure if that's merely a result of the acupoints or something 'special' being unlocked. But I understand the trepidation with messing with the brain, it is the most important organ in the body, after all. But. That's why I decided that it needed its very own acupoint, as it IS the most important organ. Surpassing the heart, eyes, or ears. As for skin. It seemed like the next step, honestly. There are typically five senses on the body. Sight, Scent, Taste, Sound, and Touch. The original path had only four of those."

Copper Trigram: "Don't do this! I just did a divination on if this would work and I got back 'Horrible Danger'! What are you doing, trying to cripple disciples like this."

My eyebrows raise slightly. 'Huh? Divination is a thing? But... it's... clearly wrong. There was nothing bad that happened to either myself or Purple Mist... did we just get considerably luck- eh?'

I blink at the next response. It's almost immediate.

Yellow Mountain: "Damn. With that divination I'm sold. Sounds interesting. It should still fit nicely into the standard second stage path, right? The ascending dragon? You didn't change the Fish leaping through the dragon gate, right?"

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "I did not. It worked quite well for the draconic aspects I was gaining."

Copper Trigram: "Huh? I said it was dangerous! Not that it'll work!"

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "Yes. But your Divinations are always wrong."

Copper Trigram: "Alright! I challenge you to a duel!"

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "Any time, any place."

Seventh of the Su Clan: "Hey, Profound Principle, are you here?"

Someone with a Buddhist symbol as an Icon sends a simple smile Emoji.

Great Master Profound Principal:

Seventh of the Su Clan: Want to have a bet. Why don't we set aside a few new students in our sects and teach them this new way? Then in a decade or so let's have a bout. Sound good to you?"

Northern River's Loose Cultivator: "Oh? The Su Clan versus the World's Horizon Wandering Temple. Sounds interesting."

The guy seems to send a few emojis, some looking pensive.

Eventually Medicine Master speaks in the chat.

Medicine Master: "He doesn't want to potentially risk his students' future in such a manner."

Venom Dragon the Miracle Maker: "How about I sweeten the pot a little? I'll offer up both teams foundation departure pills. In addition, if they decide to return to the normal way, I swear that I'll offer up free pills to the ones that reset their cultivation until they reach at least the third tier. As for the winner of this fight... hm... what is it that you two would want? Maybe for me to create some sort of pill or elixir for you? Just know that whatever I make is roughly 200% increase in power. And, if you eat it in under twenty seconds after I complete it, will last fifteen times longer. You've just got to bring the ingredients."

The guy communicating in Emojis sends a 'shocked' emoji.

Seventh of the Su Clan: "Hell yeah. That sounds awesome! Sixteen's getting ready to ascend to the second stage. I'd like something to give her before she tries her first tribulation. Let's talk rules of engagement, Profound Principal. Nothing over first stage."

"They are a spirited bunch." I note quietly, glancing over to Purple mist who is staring at the wall, her face red. "Are... you alright?"

"F-Fine. I'm fine." She replies.

I shake my head, gazing out the window in front of me. 'One of these days, I'll probably head back to America.'

But...

Before that...

Should I meddle with some things?

Well. Here you go. One guy asked for it. And I have been in a genuine slump for the past like... week. So Maybe finishing this up will allow the good good writing juices to flow again!