Calculating Cultivation

We finally hit the far shore under the constant deluge. Streams of water poured down the hard rocks, creating the impression of a never-ending waterfall in the darkness. Only the occasional lighting bolt lit things up.

As everyone disembarked, I pulled out the spirit stones and tossed them back into the blackness where they quickly disappeared. The Cultivator Killer taking them. The thing was probably some eldritch plant monster. While it had been an interesting conversation, it was not a knowledgeable being.

The fact there were other Great Worlds was no surprise. Perhaps it was more of a honeycomb than a cylinder based on the outside dimensions. It was an interesting bit of information but ultimately useless. I already knew this place had been created and was artificial. I also knew there were mechanisms monitoring this place.

Learning that there were other Great Worlds had very little value. Unless I could visit and observe a large portion of them, then working out the purpose was impossible. The only useful piece of knowledge was that the symbols used for arrays and formations were not derived from the Heavenly Alliance. That confirmation put me on edge.

While I did not have their implicit backing, Yang Heng still lived and was in hibernation. I would not be able to use saving him in order to get assistance for myself.

Also, the knowledge on the cultivation system was useful. The Cultivator Killer showed that the next breakthrough in their cultivation path was absolute cellular control. Longevity would be equal to one’s ability to improve one’s cultivation.

Out of all the knowledge I had traded with the Cultivator Killer, that was perhaps the most useful in my mind. I could control my blood flow, perceptions, heartbeat, and organs to a limited extent. I could observe my cells and directly control them. But all that required an intense amount of focus.

I had been working constantly during my travels at focusing internally on my cultivation. Unfortunately the level of control needed was inhuman. I suspected that one of the steps to reach such a breakthrough was restructuring of the brain. To bring the entire body into focus. One had to self-operate.

Taking that step was beyond risky. One mistake and you would lobotomize yourself. Just as the path I tread had many pitfalls, this other cultivation path had many pitfalls as well. Micro-cultivation sounded like a good word to describe such a path. It felt good to know that other cultivation paths were insanely easy or had some kind of shortcut.

It made me think of the Heavenly Alliance and all the continents they had feeding into the Forever City. The countless cultivators trying to advance. Had none of them discovered this path? No, the Forever City had countless figures hiding in the buildings and stairwells. One of them might have known about micro-cultivation. But there would be limited resources and no knowledge.

That was the great deciding factor. Knowledge, with knowledge one could advance. The Heavenly Alliance had paved that way with their efforts however long ago. While I might dislike the Forever City and had complaints about how they ran things, they had created a cultivation system that allowed for advancement. Sure they had hidden key knowledge, but resources, capability, and the sheer scale prevented them from managing everyone.

While I disliked them, even someone who had come from a backwater, with no background, had managed to get this far. That was because they created the possibility it might happen. Here in the Great World, everyone was stumbling along.

“Everyone is ready,” Junior Wei said loudly through the roar of rain and rushing water. I gave a slow nod as we all began to climb up the mountain. Picking the path through the streams of water. We had to cross over several waterfalls as we continued our ascent, with the occasional lightning bolt lighting up the surroundings.

Even with my enhanced strength I was barely able to dent the rock. I could sense traces of energy within the stone itself. Perhaps the lightning and tribulation lightning were not so different. Traces of energy managed to sink into the stone from the constant strikes.

We finally reached the cloud cover. Three cultivators had been washed away, tumbling back down the massive mountainside. If they lived or died, it was not my concern. I only glanced back occasionally to see how far I had come up the mountain.

Pushing through the cloud cover, they were quite warm. The clouds transitioned from pitch black to gray and then to white. The heat continued to increase. I exited the clouds and the heat was immense. The Life Light was shining brightly overhead.

I climbed a bit more and then looked back at the endless sea of white clouds. The air was thin up here and it was hard to breathe, but still breathable. Looking to my left and right showed the mountaintops stretching out in either direction. Near the peaks the air itself was distorted by the heat coming from them. There was no plant life as far as I could tell.

We had climbed about four fifths of the way up. The other cultivators emerged behind me as all our clothing steamed up, drying out from the intense heat. In the far distance, almost beyond the curve of the mountains, I saw a tower, no a lighthouse. A small prick of red light in the distance.

I set off in that direction, sticking close to the layer of clouds. While it was tempting to try and ascend, I could feel the hints of wind coming over the top of the mountains. The little bit I climbed saw the wind increase. Looking out over the sea of clouds showed that the top portion of the clouds was being pushed away from the Last Mountains.

There was an intense burning wind coming from the Great Desert over the mountains. I did not want risk going over the peak. Guide Zee had said such an attempt was asking to die. I did not doubt their words. While I might survive, I was not about to run into the Great Desert blindly if I could help it. But perhaps a peak would not hurt to satisfy my curiosity after coming so far.

After traveling a short distance, I called a halt. The cultivators with me were exhausted. “I will be back, I just want to take a short look.” Junior Wei gave an exhausted nod. She looked close to death, but she still kept going. It was honestly impressive.

Climbing up the mountain quickly, the wind and temperature quickly grew. The air became harder and harder to breathe. I went past the point where these micro-cultivators would have died just before the peak itself. I could hear the roar of the wind. There was a glow as well that wasn’t obvious when one was looking upwards. Even with the brightness of the Life Light shining down, I could make out a faint glow.

The impossibly hard stone was also getting softer, the peaks were red hot. The peaks were curved at the top and polished to an incredibly smooth finish. As I went over them, I was blasted with wind and the glow beyond was incredibly bright. I looked out upon the Great Desert for the first time.

It was a whitish yellow covered in an immense haze, stretching out as far as I could see. Even with my improved vision I had to squint and the heat distortions in the air, made it hard to see that far, but I thought I could make out something out in the distance. It was a dot, but there was something in the center of the Great World. I blinked and the dot vanished. Perhaps a giant creature of some kind. No, the dot reappeared, it was the heat haze disrupting my vision.

I quickly retreated back down the Last Mountains to where my group was gathered by the cloud cover.

“Senior, what did you see?” one of them asked me. They all looked over at me.

“The Great Desert. Impossibly hot. There might be something at the center of the Great World, but it was too far to make out even to my eyes. The air was near impossible to breathe. It will be a struggle to cross,” I said. There were excited looks.

All these cultivators were most likely going to die. They had followed me for a long time now. A few had even broken through after finding something during our trek through the Great Jungle. It mattered not to me. Just that they would be useful bodies to provide distractions as we continued our trek.

There was also a possibility that I would need one of them if there were defenses attuned to the people of the Great World. While I had become used to their different appearance, they ultimately used a different cultivation system and whoever was running this place might not like outsiders. Regardless, most, if not all of them would be dead.

After resting for a while, we set off towards the lighthouse that had a red light in the distance. It was a long trek. Much longer than one would think. The Great Jungle had made it impossible to see a long distance with all the foliage. Here, above the cloud cover there was no such limitation.

As we neared the lighthouse, it was a large wedge shape, with the wedge pointing towards the Great Desert. That was clearly meant to block the wind. The back of the wedge was cut out at the top, where there were countless red crystals that shown under the Life Light, creating the red light. With large mirrors placed behind the crystals onto the extended part of the wedge blocking the wind.

At the base of the lighthouse, there were countless holes cut into the rock itself both horizontally and vertically. It was hard to make out through the rock, but there were a lot of cultivators living here. We slowed our approach and a group of twenty cultivators emerged from their holes. I noted they were armed with metal weapons and armor.

“I am Cultivator Yuan Zhou,” I declared. One of the men in the group stepped forward.

“Greetings, Yuan Zhou, I am Shin. The Outer Protector of Zama, the Last City,” the man declared.

“You stand in the presence of a powerful Senior and should address him as such,” Cultivator Wei said. I waited and smiled. There was some nervous movement among the group but Shin stared directly at me.

“Perhaps a demonstration, so there are no misunderstandings about our respective positions,” I said and drew forth my sword. The opposing cultivators drew forth their weapons as well except for Shin. I turned to the side and swung at the cloud cover. A deep crevice was cut into the rock of the Last Mountains and a huge canyon formed in the clouds. There were gasps of shock at this.

“Senior, please forgive me. These eyes could not see your greatness,” Shin said and deeply bowed his head along with the rest of the cultivators. “Do you plan to challenge the Ruling Council for control of Zama?” he asked with his head bowed.

“I am merely stopping to rest here for a short period of time before I plan to continue onwards into the Great Desert. I am willing to trade for knowledge and supplies along with the rest of my group. They are under my protection,” I said hoping to prevent any misunderstandings before they happened.

“Of course. Go see the guest accommodations are made ready and call the Ruling Council to the meeting chamber. Inform them we have a prestigious guest and senior,” Shin ordered his subordinates. Several of them raced off back into the mountain.

“Come, let me take on a tour of Zama, senior,” Shin said, and I nodded. I followed him into one of the holes of the mountain where the temperature rapidly decreased, and it was nowhere near as bright.

“Zama is one of the four known cities that stand atop the Last Mountains, overlooking the Great Desert. Carved out by generations of cultivators who had traveled this far for a range of reasons. All citizens are required to mine a single handful of stone each year, to continue these efforts,” he said.

“Only a single handful?” I asked.

“Yes. The stone that makes up the Last Mountains is impossibly durable. It is slowly mined out, so our city can grow over time. Shafts ensure that air can properly circulate. Groups of our citizens live in tombs. That is what they are called, since many journey here only to die,” Shin said.

“Each room is incredibly small. Barely enough to lie down in. Water is collected from the clouds outside and food is grown from the dirt and refuse. Everything is recycled back into the small amount of soil we have in order to grow mushrooms and other crops.” I nodded along as we entered one of these tombs.

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A larger vertical shaft surrounded by very small walkways with countless small doors. At the bottom of the shaft was a garden growing food. There were small tunnels connecting each of these tombs togeather. We were shown to an empty tomb and were told that we could use it for as long as we liked.

“How do you have so much empty space?” I asked.

“The population grows and shrinks depending on how many people we get, Senior. I suspect that some of your group will want to stay?” Shin asked and I nodded at this.

“Maybe. It will be their choice,” I replied.

“Your people may stay here and rest. You may come to see the Ruling Council with whomever you wish,” Shin said. I elected to bring Junior Wei with me so she would know what was going on and could explain the situation to everyone else in my group.

Shin then showed me to a much larger domed space that had been carved out of the mountain. There was a large circular table in the center. The cultivators sitting at the table stood as I entered and they all bowed towards me in varying degrees.

“Ruling Council, this is Senior Cultivator Yuan Zhou who has recently arrived. A single slash of his blade cut into the side of the mountain and parted the clouds,” Shin then bowed to both me and the Ruling Council before moving off to the side.

“Greetings Senior Yuan Zhou, I am Yorich, Speaker for the Ruling Council of Zama and I bid you welcome to our city,” an older man spoke up.

“It has been a long journey from the edge of the Great World. I have come to see the center. I would be willing to trade for knowledge of the Burning Desert, its dangers, and knowledge of cultivation,” I declared. There was a long stretch of silence at my statement as the cultivators processed what I had just told them.

They had all gotten past the pre-breakthrough, developing a soul. Perhaps that was the requirement to sit on their Ruling Council. It would make sense. The strongest would sit there. None of them matched the power of the Cultivator Killer though.

“The Burning Desert is death. We have a single passage carved through the Last Mountains to the far side. We do not stop anyone from departing or returning. But as for knowledge, we have none. Many have tried, but they either do not get far or are killed. There are great worms and other creatures out there, but our knowledge of them is limited. They do not come close to the edge of the Last Mountains,” Yorich said.

“And the very center? Is there a structure?” I asked.

“We cannot say. This city stands as a bastion and rest point for those who seek answers and to gather the resources of the Great Jungle.” That was why the Cultivator Killer was nearby, since the city was as well. I had been wondering why we had run into it, since it didn’t seem like a creature that would travel that far.

Guide Zee had been aiming for the city here. So, it made sense we would run into such a thing. It was hard to say if it had been intentional or not, but they were dead, so it no longer mattered. It was just nice to put the pieces togeather of the events that had occurred. Understanding that nothing was truly an accident.

“As for cultivation knowledge, we have a library. Normally such a thing requires a cultivator to submit some kind of benefit to Zama beyond the required yearly handful of rock that must be carved out. For an esteemed Senior such as yourself, there will be no pre-conditions,” Yorich said. That was the nice thing about being powerful. Everyone would role over so you wouldn’t kill them. It was truly intoxicating.

I waved my hand and three crates full of soil appeared. Since everything had to be carried to this place, bringing back soil was a huge chore. The amount of water in the Great Jungle made it more like the Great Marsh. Then all of it had to be carried back to this place. While it was possible, it was exhausting and time consuming.

Also, most of the Great Jungle one couldn’t see the forest floor at all with all the roots. What soil there was tended to be swept away. Plants grew on the large trees and it was all one big interconnected root network providing stability.

What soil there was would be sucked up by the plants. Plants that lived longer would remain. Reducing the amount of decay the Great Jungle experienced. There was some, but not as much as one would imagine for a jungle that had been around since this place was formed.

That was why soil was valuable in this place and Guide Zee had explained this. Having it just appear out of my spatial storage was a statement of power. While these people would not be able to kill me or endanger me, I had no doubt they could have devious methods like the wood sap poison. Cultivators respected strength, which was why I displayed my strength so that way there would be no confusion about our respective positions.

If I could make crates of soil appear out of thin air, what else could I do? The unknown was much scarier than a known factor. Yorich and the rest of the Ruling Council bowed deeply.

“Thank you for the gift, Senior,” he said, and I nodded at this.

“That should also help cover for the food and supplies my people will require. We will remain for around ten days to rest and recover. Some may choose to remain, but most will probably continue with me into the Great Desert,” I said.

“Any who wish to stay will be made welcome. I would ask, would they be subject to your rule or our rule?” Yorich asked.

“If they remain after I depart, they will be subject to your rule. As long as they are not mistreated,” I replied.

“We will ensure there will be no issues if any remain and they will be treated well,” Yorich said. There were nods from the other members around the stone table facing me. “Is there anything else you require or we might assist you with?”

“I will look at your library and I suspect many of my people will want to look upon the Great Desert after passing through this tunnel,” I replied.

“Of course, Shin will escort you wherever you wish to go,” Yorich said. With the meeting over I was shown to the library which was next to the council chamber. It wasn’t very large, only a couple hundred tomes.

I began checking them one by one, while Shin waited patiently off to the side. There were some interesting tidbits regarding cultivation, but there was nothing ground breaking or anything past the pre-breakthrough. There were just different methods of utilizing their form of micro-cultivation.

There were other historical and research tomes, but again there was nothing of note. I let out a sigh after putting the last tome back on its shelf. “No one has explored the Great Desert?” I looked at Shin who shook his head.

“Many go to gaze out upon it, but few return once they go onto the sands themselves. Each grain is an inferno. The air chokes in one’s lungs. The creatures there have immense cultivations. Many choose to make an attempt before their death, but it is no use,” Shin replied.

The area was beyond the cultivation of these people apparently. The difficulty level was just too high and they didn’t have the equipment to make the trek. The energy and their cultivation level was too low for cultivator equipment that dominated the Forever City. They also had little iron for developing scientific equipment either.

“And people choose to stay,” I muttered. After the decade long trek through the Great Jungle I could see why no one would want to go back through the place. It was a veritable nightmare of death and suffering. Even if you were strong and careful, the creatures there were no joke. The Cultivator Killer having the strength that it did was the most concerning.

While it was only a small threat to me, it was still a threat. After looking through the tomes I took the passage through the mountain. “This is the oldest part of Zama. At least that is what the stories that have been passed down say. When the first cultivators came here, they could not climb over the peak of the Last Mountains, so they carved their way through to see what is on the other side,” Shin explained as we walked down the dimly lit passage.

The wind slowly increased as we made our way down. We finally came to two solid doors, built into the rock. Even with how solid they looked I could feel the wind pushing through the cracks. Shin opened them up and I saw another set of doors while the wind increased. He shut the first set and opened the second set of doors, like an airlock.

The wind was much stronger and much hotter. I saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel. We made our way to the end and it was a similar view I had gotten from the top of the Last Mountains. I did note that the edges of the mountains were much smoother than they were on the other side, even the portions that had a constant downpour on them. Apparently, the heat and the wind were stronger than constant rain. That was interesting to know.

It made me wonder what would happen if one dug a tunnel through the base of the mountains, to take all the water on one side and send it pouring out into the Great Desert? The heat was so much, would it instantly be evaporated and pushed away? Would the steam cloud help cool things down by blocking the light of the Life Light?

“Has anyone tried sending water from one side to the other?” I asked Shin.

“No. That would be the work of millennia. If such a project was started it has not continued Senior,” he replied breathlessly while hiding in the shade of the tunnel.

Could I cut through the mountain? With my blade it would be much quicker. Having all that water rush out would help cool things down, but it might create other problems. “How do you cut through the rock?” I asked.

“We chisels that have been strengthened through forging, made from the rock itself to chip away. They often have to be repaired. It takes countless days, but all must contribute one fist of rock each year,” Shin explained.

I nodded slowly. “Even though you have empty space?” I asked.

“There are many shafts where just food is grown instead of living space. In time other groups will come out here. Normally demonic cultivators fleeing when one side wins. I am from such a sect,” Shin replied.

“And no one fights in Zama?” I asked.

“Each member of the ruling council rules a tomb. Both leaders have to approve a fight if one is to happen. It is rare since most people stay in their coffins,” Shin replied.

“Quite morbid calling the housing tombs, and the rooms coffins,” I replied.

“That is what they are. This is a place where cultivators come to die. Once they do, their bodies will be mixed in with what soil we have to grow more food and to continue the cycle of life and death. Even with the countless millennia that Zama has stood, this is not a place meant for human life,” Shin explained. That much was true.

Getting here had been a major hassle. I looked once more at the Great Desert before turning around. “I have seen enough. I will rest until it is time for me to leave,” I replied. Shin led me back through the tunnel back to Zama itself.

The entire place reminded me of a series of missile silos. The vertical shafts let in light, but kept out the worst of the heat and wind. The horizontal shafts connected the silos, or tombs along with the outside, allowing further circulation of air.

There was a long shaft at the bottom connected to the outside, so the air could truly circulate, and toxic gasses didn’t build up. Also, the cloud layer would occasionally shift. It was rare, but it did happen like a tide. There was no explanation, but it had happened in the past. If it did there needed to be a way for the water to drain.

Probably some kind of fluctuation in whatever system was controlling the environment of the Great World. A small ripple of power in the arrays and formations powering everything could cause some minor variance on a system so large.

There was nothing in Zama except work and death. There was no sense of art or culture. The people did not bother to keep historical records. While there might be around 10,000 people, most of them just stayed in their coffins and tombs. The names were not a joke.

The people staying here would carve out a much larger chunk of rock to pay for their stay for the rest of their lives. Some cultivators tended the food and kept things going, but the entire place was incredibly depressing. There were no children here in Zama. There was no happiness or any kind of joy in Zama. It was a place where cultivators came to die after a long and tiring journey.

The Ruling Council needed people to show up. Attempts by demonic groups of cultivators to kill everyone in the past had led to the city being abandoned for periods of time as everyone eventually died off and then it was resettled. Eventually the Ruling Council system was put in place to keep this place functional.

If people wanted to try their luck, they were always welcome to leave and go back into the Great Jungle and take their chances there. Some did of course and only a few returned. I suspected the Cultivator Killer killed the majority of such individuals while letting a few get through to encourage more to take the risk.

It might be a creature but it had sapience, unlike the rest of the creatures inside the Great Forest. It was willing to talk and negotiate, which was far more than I could say about the rest of the monstrosities I had to kill or chase off.

Now would come the hardest part. Crossing the Great Desert itself. I spent my rest time working the math, attempting to figure out how far it would take to reach the center of the Great Desert. Also how I would navigate.

Up high on the Last Mountains, it was easy to see which way to go. But once in the desert and the Last Mountains were out of sight, the Life Light would no longer be a method of navigation. The problem with the Life Light was that it was almost directly above. Working out the direction to head passed off of it would be difficult.

Perhaps a tall pole that was held perfectly vertical and then observing which way there was a shadow. It would need to be made of strong material to survive the heat. Wood might catch on fire. All the cultivators traveling with me had either brought large heat resistant cloaks or were trading for them with the people of Zama.

The mercantile aspect of this place was cutthroat since they knew exactly who they would be selling stuff to. They were selling supplies and gear to cultivators who wanted to go into the Great Desert. That was why having the materials needed for such things was a worthwhile investment. Like seeds that held a tremendous amount of compressed water. Incredibly dense rations. Stilt shoes with special tips so that way cultivator’s foot ware or feet did not burn on the scorching hot sands.

Everyone who was coming with me was preparing as best as they could. I wasn’t worried about my outfit. It was far superior to anything the Great World had. If my outfit was damaged by the environment, then I would truly have to worry about my life.

I gave up three more crates of soil to help pay for all the gear. Helpping out my followers. I needed them to survive as long as possible, so that way they could be the first targets of any attacks that came my way.

If that wasn’t the case, I would have never brought them along and just rushed here myself long ago, saving time. But I needed to stack every advantage that I could. I had no doubt that the trek through the Great Desert would push me like nothing else ever had.

The trip to the center would take at least five years. It could be more or less depending on the travel time. That was why I wasn’t sure if the pin point slightly darker pixel in my vision was an actual structure or not. I was hopeful there was something out there. If there was nothing after all this, then I would be incredibly frustrated.

My personal guess would be some kind of monitoring or control station for the Great World at the very least. If I was lucky, then there would be links to the other Great Worlds and some kind of central control hub. That was probably where any answers would lie and if I was going to get help, where it would be located.