Lin Feng’s new behavior policy wouldn't have worked if he had anything to steal.

Thankfully the only thing he owned that had any sentimental value was just a plain stone.

His life went on in the same way it had before.

His master's qi had the effect of tempering his body. While he hadn't progressed in Qi cultivation, it was harder to injure him and he healed faster than before.

The beatings he received didn't hurt as badly as they had before and he healed from any damage quickly. He kept his master's teachings in his mind at all times. Formlessness and emptiness.

His tormentors lost interest when Lin Feng didn't make a sound or try to fight back.

His work now took a meditative stance and his disposition grew more peaceful by the day.

The people around him thought that he had just accepted his life of toil. Little did they know that he was now finding every task invaluable in tempering his soul.

Every second was cultivation, every thought a step towards the Dao. A peace like he had never known now held sway over Lin Feng's new life.

While little had changed on the outside, his inner mind was stronger than ever. He was well on his way of cultivating the Dao of Soul.

When the Lin family lost a struggle for a nearby mine, Lin Feng maintained his inner peace. When the family was forced to become subservient to a local gang, Lin Feng was as calm as a stone.

The family elders assumed that he accepted his fate as a servant. They thought that if more low ranking members of the family could act like Lin Feng, there would be good times ahead for everyone.

When there was a contest within the younger generation, Lin Feng refused to participate. Instead, he supported the other youths in their own fights. It wouldn’t have made any difference, he was far stronger than other peak Body Refining realm cultivators, but weaker than Qi Sensing realm.

The ability to sense Qi and draw it into the body was the true start of Qi Cultivation. Before this point a human was no different than a wild beast, they cultivated their bodies in the most simplistic way, with exercise and normal growth. Once one started cultivating Qi, their rise of power was exponential. A single beginning stage Qi cultivating could fight dozens of Body Refining warriors.

While Lin Feng was unable to cultivate Qi, this didn’t mean that he couldn’t have his own meteoric rise to power. He could still cultivate the devil’s path or other methods and may be lucky enough to have some fortunate occurrence.

Cultivating the soul was a long process. Most cultivators only did this at higher levels, namely the Nascent Soul realm. There were other cultivation methods that incorporated the soul, but they required special resources and constitutions.

Lin Feng had one advantage, his soul had been tempered from two lives and his short experience in the underworld. He had a headstart in the Dao of Soul, but he had the restrictions of his mortal body.

He quietly cultivated his soul in the shadows of the Lin family estate.

There was little physical improvement show for his work. He was better able to control his emotions, but hadn’t gotten stronger in any notable way.

One day, while working in the kitchens, something happened.

He was sweeping out a corner, moving boxes so he could clean the space behind. His gaze met a nearby maid who was also moving supplies. There was understanding in her eyes.

The two looked at each other for a split second. In this one second, a curious thing happened in Lin Feng’s mind.

When he looked at the maid, a sympathetic bond was formed between the two. He could clearly feel all the emotions the girl was feeling. She was busy just like he was, had no strong feelings of joy or sorrow and enjoyed the short moment of understanding shared between them.

Something clicked in Lin Feng’s mind. While he still maintained his own ego, he felt the mind of the girl clearly. He felt like he was spread through two bodies while still being himself. He had access to her thoughts and memories, desires and fears.

The maid didn’t have a clue that anything was happening.

The out of body experience lasted only for a fraction of a second, then Lin Feng dropped the crate to the ground. The noise woke him up from his trance and he went back to sweeping while he thought about the episode.

A day later his master came back.

---

In a secret underground cavern, an ancient temple had been uncovered.

From a natural cave a tunnel had been carved out that led down into the depths. Sometimes this tunnel followed a natural seam in the rocks, sometimes it was the recent work of man.

The tunnel opened up into a natural cavern the size of a football stadium. On one side of the cavern stood two tall impressive pillars.

The pillars looked like they had been carved into the towering stalactites. Murals wrapped around the stone and depicted a furious war between men and demons of fire. The men wore shining armor and carried large two handed blades. The weapons sometimes swept back like a scimitar, sometimes straight like a claymore.

The men fought all manner of flaming beasts. Snakes made from rivers of magma, phoenixes in the skies, rock skinned lizards spewing fire. There was one towering figure in the background clad in a robe of flames, a bright third eye in the middle of it’s forehead.

The temple behind the pillars was ancient and eroded, unlike the two columns. Sounds of arguing came from inside.

“Are you sure, master? What if they’re still alive? Most of the murals seem to be warnings.”

“Ignorant lad. We aren’t going to let anything come through. That’s what we have been doing these last few months. We of the Immortal Fire Religion know how to set up these kinds of formations.”

“I know we’re only trying to let in some of the Fire Qi from whatever is on the other side of this portal, but what if something is waiting on the other side?”

“Then we retreat and call in our Flame Legion to deal with the threat. It wasn’t our fault that these people live in this desolate country. It was a battleground before and is destined to become a battleground again.”

“Master, the seal will break in a hundred years, why weaken it ourselves?”

“If we control the decay we can turn the energy back on itself. With luck we can create a flame array seal that will last forever while being strengthened from the other side. It doesn’t hurt to siphon off some of the aura for ourselves, we may be able to establish a flame chapter of our own here in this temple.”

The two voices argued back and forth while sounds of work came from the inner cloister of the temple.

---

After giving Lin Feng his cultivation technique, Ben thought it might be fun to see an auction. He had no problem gathering resources himself, it was a simple thing to post a high level request on the marketplace and wait for cultivators greedy for knowledge points to deliver him the goods.

He wanted to attend one of these events himself to feel the atmosphere of the proceedings. Perhaps something could be gained from the experience.

As luck would have it, the premier auction house of the country, Golden Coin Trading House, was having it's annual event that evening. It held smaller auctions year round, but today they brought out all their best goods gathered over the past 12 months.

The Golden Coin Trading House was a stand alone entity here in the country of Vorchin. It was one of the few groups that no one dared cross. Even the king didn't dare step out of line here and he paid his tab promptly. It was said that they were only a small branch of a much larger merchant venture. There were stories of attempted thefts that made one’s hair stand on end.

That night the whole upper echelon of Vorchin gathered together and brought all their cash. There were goods to be fought over. The Golden Coin Trading House was there battlefield and spirit stones were their weapons.

One old man went unnoticed among the pomp of the crowds. Anyone who saw Ben thought he was part of another group and let him in unhindered.

The queen herself and her retinue took up the upper right wing of the auction hall, sect elders took up the left upper side and the Free Craftsmen had seats at the back of the auditorium. The lower ranked powers of the area sat in the dozen lower balconies and members of the public milled around on the open floor. Ben was one among the hundreds in the common crowd.

On the stage a man walked out flanked by two beautiful attendants holding covered trays. He wore a butler's uniform and the two attendants wore tasteful maid uniforms.

What shocked the audience was the cultivation of the three. The butler was in the mid Core Formation realm, almost equal to the king. The two maids were at the early Core Formation realm, equal to most experts of the area. If any one of the tree joined one of the three overlords, there would be a massive shift in the power dynamic of the area. It was too bad that such a change in loyalty never happened.

“Welcome to the Golden Coin Trading House. Today is our special annual event. We have many special items for sale that are sure to be talked about for many years.” The auctioneer in the butler uniform began speaking.

“Bids must be paid directly after the winning declaration, your item will be given to you directly. Please refrain from intimidating other guests and no type of violence will be tolerated on the premises.

“Without further ado, let's begin the auction! The first item up for bidding is our traditional Black Devil Stone!”

The master of ceremonies waved his sleeve and a pitch black boulder the size of a carriage wheel appeared on stage. It gave off a menacing aura that filled every corner of the hall.

Some discussion broke out in the crowds, but no one looked too pleased at the first item available. Ben listened in on a conversation going on nearby.

“They bring this up every year, don’t they? Wasn’t it some poor loose cultivator that bid for it last?”

“They took it off his corpse in only a month if I recall correctly. He froze to death in the middle of the summer I heard.”

“No, he went mad and wandered off into the wilderness. Who was it before him?”

“Two years ago it was that amateur smith. He put it in a corner of his forge, he died too.”

“Why do they bring it out every year? Tradition?”

“I guess.”

The master of ceremonies let the crowds talk for a moment before explaining further.

“This stone came into our possession decades ago and has a curse laid on it. Anyone who buys it meets some unfortunate end, but we are unable to get rid of it or destroy it through normal means. We hope that someday someone will be brave and lucky enough to take it off our hands permanently.” He paused a moment to let the crowds talk.

“It cannot be destroyed by a Foundation Establishment expert or thrown away. When we try to take it far away and leave it in some abandoned place, it mysteriously makes its way back to us the next day. When we consulted an oracle, she said that it must leave our possession by being sold without guile. We hope that someday it will find a proper home.

“The starting bid will be 100 spirit stones.”

The announcer looked hopefully about the room. He wanted to be rid of the cursed thing, but his superiors were very clear with their warnings. If he just threw it in the trash or gave it freely to some unsuspecting stranger, the curse would fall on him.

Unsurprisingly, no one wanted to bid for the Black Devil Stone.

There was an awkward moment as no one spoke up.

Ben raised his hand.

“100 spirit stones.”

The crowds stepped away from him, leaving him alone in a neat circle. The strange thing was, he appeared normal in every way. There were several of the girls there who had played volleyball for him, but they didn’t recognize him.

“Sold, to the gentleman on the floor.” The MC said quickly.

Ben threw a small bag at the announcer and he waved his hand at the stone. It quickly sailed towards Ben and he placed it directly in a spatial ring.

The whole transaction took less than a second as both parties wanted it done as soon as possible. Ben wanted to get on with the auction and wanted less attention if possible. The auctioneer was worried that Ben would go back on his bid.

-Yin Curse detected. Host will die if not removed within one week. Refine?

Ben thought little of the notification. He could deal with it later.

“On to our next item. The remains of an ancient Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!” The butler continued the auction.

The attendant to his left raised the cloth off of the tray she was holding.

On the plate there was a withered finger of a woman.

“Starting bid will be 500 spirit stones!”

---

There were weapons of the rare rank, armors, herbs, cultivation manuals and all other sorts of goods. Only one of them caught Ben’s attention. It was a picture of a woman who looked eerily like Alice’s avatar. This surprised him, but not enough to bid on the portrait.

“Next up for bidding is a legendary Sky Fairy Glamour Pill!”

Murmurs arose at this declaration. Such an imposing name couldn't be claimed without have heavenly benefits. Even if it had half the effect the name suggested, it would be worth a fortune. After all, what husband didn't want a pretty wife and what woman didn't want the be more glamorous?

“This top tier pill will reverse your aging, making you feel and appear a decade younger. It also has a gravity defying effect, making you light as a feather. The final effect of the pill is the most impressive, it bestows a bewitching aura that leaves enemies and allies stunned by your presence.” The auctioneer himself wanted this pill, but the rules of the auction house were not to be violated.

The audience went mad. Women turned to their men and let them know in no uncertain terms just how badly they needed this pill. Men drooled at the thought of taking a fairy for themselves.

“We begin the bidding at 1000 spirit stones!”

“10,000!”

“30,000.”

“100,000!”

The price rose rapidly until only the top three powers could afford it. Both the sect and the royal family wanted the pill. They cursed the girl who had decided to sell the pill and not hand it over to her elders. The Free Craftsmen stayed clear of the bidding war.

“One million!”

The crowd was now extremely agitated.

“What? How can one pill be worth so much? Are they craz-” The man was cut off when his wife jabbed him in the ribs.

“One million? That’s how much an earth grade weapon would cost if we ever saw one.” Another member of the crowd exclaimed.

‘I can’t believe these people. Is looking good that important?’ Ben himself was surprised at the cost of his pill.

“Sold, to the royal family for one million low quality spirit stones!” The master of ceremonies was pleased with the outcome of this auction so far.

The transaction was completed and the final item of the night was brought out.

“This final object is the most mysterious of all. Found by pure chance, we thought it was a children's toy at first. When our appraisers took a closer look they discovered that it was in fact the work of a master artificer.”

A buzz went through the audience at this revelation. Even Ben himself was interested.

It was well known that artificers were the bane of grave robbers and their kin. They were responsible for setting up the mechanical traps alongside the formation experts. A good artificer could make a boulder as deadly as any cultivator. A master artificer could fit a whole mechanical world into a marble.

The item revealed looked like a metal flower. It was the size of a palm and had a shining curved surface. While pretty, it seemed somewhat ordinary.

“Our appraisers couldn't find the use of the mechanical flower, it resists all efforts of scrutiny. Spiritual sense is unable to penetrate the outer shell and we haven’t been able to make it react in any way.

“We would hate to force it open. That may trigger some defense mechanism or break the device.

“We start the bidding at 10,000 spirit stones.”

-Machine Qi detected. Needed for Computer Core Formation

“1 million spirit stones.” Ben abruptly raised the price way past what most people there could afford.

The crowd was shocked. They had never seen a hundred fold increase in price before, ten and twenty had been seen, but this was far too tyrannical.

“

Other members of the public scoffed. Only the king and people on his level had that sort of cash laying about. That old man was asking for death if he couldn’t fulfill his bid.

“1.5 million.” A voice from the Free Craftsmen decisively spoke out.

“5 million.” Ben countered.

There was an enraged shout from the upper balcony. Who would have thought that a member of the general public could outbid one of the overlords of the country? The representative from the Free Craftsmen nearly coughed out blood.

“Are you sure you want to make an enemy of us? There isn't a single blacksmith in this whole country who would work for you if you cross us.” A director in the middle balcony warned.

The Free Craftsmen had only brought 2.5 million spirit stones. If they wanted to continue bidding, they would have to borrow the money.

One of the craftsmen turned to the royals.

“Fellow Daoists, would it be too much of an issue to ask for your assistance in this matter? I realize that this is an imposition, you can rest assured that we would repay you handsomely.”

The queen was about to agree when one of her retainers leaned in and whispered in her ear. The girl looked familiar to Ben.

“My apologies, I had to spend the lions share of my funds on the Sky Fairy Glamour Pill. Perhaps the Flowing Moon Sect would be so kind?”

There was no way she had run out of funds. This puzzled the Free Craftsmen, they had an excellent reputation for repaying debts and no enmity with the Shi clan. Why would they refuse?

That same director turned to the Flowing Moon Sect and asked the same question.

The only response they received was tight lips and a shake of the head.

Infuriated, the director tried to stare down Ben. He just smirked and gave them a little wave.

The auctioneer, when he saw that the Free Craftsmen were unable to bid any higher, stopped the bidding.

“Sold, to the gentleman on the floor.”

Once again Ben threw a pouch to the stage and received his item.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for coming to this year's annual Golden Coin auction. We hope to see you this same time next year!” The auctioneer ended the nights bidding with a wave and a half bow towards his audience.

The Free Craftsmen director knew something had gone wrong, but he was unsure what to do about it. It was obvious that the obscure man had sway with both the royals and the sect.

Just when he finally decided that it would be worth it to pursue him, he felt a tap on his shoulder. One short conversation later, they decided not to pursue him.

---

After the auction Ben was resting in a nearby hotel.

‘That went well.’ He thought to himself.

‘I was able to find this rare mechanism and a cursed object. I wonder how strong I will be after I refine them. This is the starting point of another core for me.

‘Begin forming the Computer Core.’ He ordered.

-Time required: Four days

Ben had paid for the next week, he locked his door and laid down in bed.

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep.

---

“Finally!” A girl fell into his arms.

Instinctively, he wrapped her up into a hug.

“Ah, finally. I have so much to tell you about.” Ben told Alice.

“Please! South America has become a battleground. There hasn’t been a navy for months.” Alice pleaded.

“Here’s something, I can't do these genetic experiments here because I don’t have your expertise and genetic laboratory. Try…”

Ben passed over all the information he had been compiling about genetic engineering of the human body for cultivation.

Even Alice was shocked at the ideas. He was suggesting mass genetic modification. Ben proposed the creation of a virus that would spread across the planet and rewrite the biology of every human on Earth for better cultivation.

After his own direct research with the youths he had picked up, he now had in depth knowledge on constitutions and their modifications.

He had poured through his own genetic code and theirs to obtain his ability to awaken a subject to their latent potential, improve their constitution and activate their bloodline. This could be done directly by Ben or done on a wide scale with the proper equipment.

He had unlocked the potential of everyone in his party except for Lin Feng, who was still at his family's estate cultivating his soul. Lilith and her sisters were able to reach peak Formation Establishment in a matter of hours.

The abused girl, Terra, had shown the most promise. She had a terrifying potential for growth, she was already as strong as Lilith.

Ben shared this incredible information and more to Alice as quickly as he could. He loved Earth and he loved her. He wanted the best for them both.

He filled her in on all of his recent data.

Alice recorded everything being sent by Ben and there was an instant shift back on Earth away from technological power to cultivation.

Society had been fighting an advanced war with a brutal enemy for years now. Conscription was universal for mankind. All of Earth's beaches had tall walls with impressive weaponry. They were assaulted daily from the place where mankind had always been weakest, the oceans.

Humans wielded their advanced technology to counter the threat of the alien insects, but their bodies were far too weak and when the enemy made contact, slaughter was the only outcome.

The premier genetic laboratory had sudden orders to drop what they were doing and focus on the creation of a peculiar virus. In twenty four hours the project was complete, animal testing was never done and clinical trials weren’t scheduled.

Scientists panicked when the containment chamber failed and all recursive safety systems didn’t activate.

The virus spread through the population in a week. The difference was felt right away.

People were smart enough to learn about cultivation when they suddenly found themselves becoming stronger. Any edge in battle was of the utmost importance and the lure of longer life was enough for everyone back on Earth to begin cultivating.

Soldiers cultivated to strengthen their bodies, civilians cultivated to improve their health, heroes began emerging and Earth’s finest minds became sharper.

Ben slept for four days. During this time the mechanical flower in his hand turned to rust and fell apart slowly. His nanite swarm fully integrated with the A.I. chip and something new was born. It’s computing power increased exponentially and it integrated further with Ben’s brain and spinal column.

His A.I. Chip upgraded to a Computer Core and he shared all his data with Alice through a link that grew stronger by the second. He found that Earth had a much higher rate of the passage of time, about four times that of the Setting Lands. Earth was well under siege, but his new information soon turned the tide in humanities favor.

The connection with Alice grew stronger and she was able to implant her own personality and intelligence into his Computer Core. She was now effectively by his side at all times.

The four days passed quickly as the two talked. She liked to hear about Nubbins, Snuffles, and especially Rupert.

---

Ben finally woke up in his hotel room.

His mind was clearer than ever. His thoughts processed like lightning. He could even keep up a constant mental dialogue with Alice.

‘Alice, what are my options for refining the stone?’ He thought to himself.

‘You can modify any existing core with cursed/yin status, refine it into magic tool or enslave it’s native spirits.’ She answered him in his head.

‘What happens if I let the curse stand?’

‘After two days you’ll experience severe hypothermia, insanity and be possessed by the spirits inside the stone.’

‘Is there any way for me to resist this effect?’ He asked.

‘You don’t have a strong enough soul to resist the effect. You would need to be in the Immortal Realm or practice soul cultivation.’ Alice admitted.

‘What? It’s that strong? I better refine it then, or is there a way for me to cultivate my soul?’

‘You can’t cultivate the soul yet.’

‘What? I’m in the Nascent Soul Realm. I should be cultivating my soul at this point.’ Ben complained.

‘The term ‘Nascent Soul’ technically only applies to standard Qi cultivators.’ Alice informed him.

‘Fine. What option would be the best for the speed of my cultivation? I need to return to earth as soon as possible.’

‘Refining the stone into a magic tool and harmonizing it with existing Core would be most effective for cultivation speed. It would also use the most potential from the stone.’ She instructed him.

‘Let’s do it. I need to personally help you as soon as possible.’

‘Refining Black Devil Stone. You should retreat to an unpopulated area to minimize civilian casualties.’

Ben began to make his way out of the city.

‘Alert, a spatial disturbance has been detected. Analyzing…’ Alice’s voice sounded in his head.

The next announcement interposed itself across his vision in bright red letters.

-WARNING: SPATIAL RIFT DETECTED

-DISASTER LEVEL: CATACLYSMIC

-ACTIVATING AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS