He again eyes the pieces of his meat turned pearls and closes his eyes before sighing in what I assume to be resignation. “I don’t know how you did that to me, but compressed cultivator flesh becomes essence pills, the fallen cultivators pursue such methods...righteous cultivators do it too and lie about it. I suggest you consume those pills, with my compliance consuming them will have great benefits. Having no opposition from my will they would likely restore your natural height and heal all scars on your body in addition to helping you reach at least late sky realm.”
I recoiled at the idea, if I already wasn’t pale white I would have paled further. “I told you before Tao, I only eat plants. Give those to someone ailing or in need, I have no need for them. Their creation was only an accident in defense of my life, decide what to do with your own flesh.
I’m barely finished speaking before he is hastily scooping them into a pill bottle saying he doesn't understand me at all and that farm life must have driven me insane.
I ask him how long this whole journey will take, I put thoughts of storming the Institute aside, I’m not afraid to die, but I must survive to bring my daughter home. The old drunk looks as if some purpose is coming back into his eyes despite him being covered in vomit, urine and droppings. He answers me.
“The world of we cultivators is rotten to the core, but even rotten fruit can make alcohol. We are not like the mortals, spending time wasting on the vine waiting to be told what to do. We are cowardly by nature and fear death, with some exceptions, yourself now among them...Immortality has made the cowardly more thirsty to live, our atrocities too wicked to name and it is impossible for us to forget. Being willing to throw your life away for the Institute will sky rocket you in status. Having beaten me I have no doubt three Dragon class missions will be enough to get third floor status and the school's eternal support..”
He waits for the time takes for an arrows flight to finish before turning his head curiously to my silence.
“Why do not ask me what a Dragon class mission means?” He asks.
I respond “To know the gravity of the situation I face may daunt me, my heart will remain clear until my daughter lies in my arms. I will simply do until the doing no longer needs done.”
He cackles grotesquely as he vomits at my answer before speaking hoarsely. “I’m no Demigod Realm cultivator boy. I’m a God realm cultivator, shame, doubt, dishonor and the drink have colored my heart. Even now my body and mind lose strength, but my soul remains capable of destroying worlds....at least until I struck your defense, whatever it is you are doing I can’t even understand it. It stole pieces of my soul and dropped it to the demigod realm, but I hit you with every ounce of spiritual pressure my soul could generate. You have no death fear boy, you’ve taken leave of sanity. Only the insane can resist spiritual pressure with no regard to cultivation realm.”
I’m somewhat shocked, but it made a certain kind of since why I didn’t just start bursting blood vessels facing Tao Ren. I’d need to fake that in the future.
He coughed and sputtered, but had nothing left to vomit and spoke. “In three months the institute will hold an examine in the Tookei Peninsula, go and enter.“
I turn and begin leaving taking only a small sack of camping essentials and a few secrets as the man scrambles after me. “Boy, what am I to do? Where is my flying sword?!”
I calmly reply. “I broke it, when I tried to ride it, it snapped under my feet.”
“SNAPPED UNDER YOUR FEET? AN ENTIRE HERD OF ELEPHANT COULD BE BALANCED ON THAT BLADE WITHOUT BREAKING, WHAT IS YOUR WEIGHT?” The old man bellows at my departing figure.
I respond simply, “No idea, I’m getting heavier as well.”
His shock is palpable but his thoughts turn quickly to himself. “WHAT WILL I DO STRANDED HERE?”
I bellow from a distance “You are the one who paid to sharecrop this land, I left you a journal on what to do, look after your farm.” Anything else he says to that is too distant to hear.
