As I can look at the array of experiences before me, I can’t help but wonder how long this will take.

From what I can see, it doesn’t look like there’s an end to the number of methods around me. And my scan won’t tell me how many are left or coming up. All I can do is just go through this.

Moving from one experience to the next, seeing things I could have never imagined being performed by my ethereal self. And as I leave each one, being able to take a tiny piece of what that cultivation method showed me.

Methods that have me cultivating like a dragon. Growing scales, breathing fire, raising water and streams.

Or various others that allowed me to wield the power of fire itself. There are quite a few of those, of varying strength.

It goes on, and on, and on. I spend what feels like days, weeks, or months here. I honestly can’t tell, as it seems like there’s a time change even when I go into each experience. Stacking time differentials.

Even with that being the case, I continue to collect more and more information in my scan. I see no reason not to take advantage of the beyond golden opportunity in front of me.

It’s quite obvious because of the quality of these cultivation methods that even one of these would be the treasure of any sect. Even the weakest one I’ve seen could be an important cultivation method of a small sect.

But a subtle feeling emerges in my heart.

A feeling of wrongness.

And it’s not just my heart. My scan is throwing off warning signals left and right.

That something is building up.

A feeling of great displeasure is radiating from my surroundings.

A deeper dive into this reveals that the purpose of this book is to allow a person to choose a single cultivation method and take it away. Memory of all other methods will disappear and be taken.

Once its job is complete, it turns into only that cultivation method, with no way to go back to its previous state. Even with turning back time (which was apparently an option).

Obviously, that’s not what’s happening. My scan is bypassing that restriction, allowing me to retrieve bits and pieces of the other cultivation methods.

Items of such capability and strength typically have some limited measure of sentience, whether imbued or gained over time.

With the sentience that this item has, can tell that somehow I’m keeping some of the information that is supposed to be forgotten. But, because of the nature of how I’m doing it, it cannot be sure.

The closest comparison would be if, in the first game at a casino, the dealer has the impression that you might be cheating, but no matter what they try, they can’t figure out how you are doing it. So, they want to let you keep going until they figure it out or you reach their red line.

Unfortunately for it, it can’t even stop me unless it can definitively prove I’m cheating on it.

Thus, I occasionally see repeats of some of the previous ones.

And I sense its metaphorical eyes on me.

Using my scan, I remove any surprise or reactions from my body each time. When compared to all the scans I normally have to have active… this is a lot easier. Especially in this metaphysical state.

It even got to the point where it brought out the void cultivation method again, which I took advantage of and gathered more information on, as I had missed most of it.

But all good things come to an end, as there are only two methods in front of me now.

One is giving a very comforting glow and is nothing but just a light. The other has an interesting set up, where there is a love seat, a desk, and a book laying on a table with the light shining on it. Unfortunately for that one, my Scan is telling me that the soft glowing light one is the one that fits me best.

As I get closer to that one, a slight glance to my right where the other method is shows me that I wouldn’t have wanted to go over there, anyway. The title of the book on that table was:

“Absolute Seduction Method,

“How to Get People to Repeatedly Do Things That They Wouldn’t Want to Do.”

… that definitely doesn’t sound like a book I either want to read or learn.

Just before I go into the light, I then realize that that knowledge may be useful as defensive knowledge. It might even be effective as defense against people like the prostitute gang. I immediately turn to try to go for that area.

However, I feel myself get pulled away and out of the book with this shining cultivation method.

The book had enough of my shit and gave me the glowing method while kicking me out.

It quickly changes into a book with undecipherable words on it. Slowly, the words inside become decipherable and permanent. Everything my scan is telling me is showing that this is essentially erasing itself in the world and replacing it with the information for that cultivation method.

As the words become clearer, I can feel my stress levels rising and the blood drain out of my face.

No, no, no, no…

This can’t be right. It can’t be serious.

As the last of the book appears, I receive the last bits of information about this cultivation method and its requirements.

This includes the absolute confirmation from my scan that this is THE best method for me to cultivate.

Before I dive into it, I look around… and realize that I’m still not in the real world.

From what I can tell, this is some kind of interim space that allows the book to transform itself into its final form.

As I realized that, something happens that is somewhat similar to the experiences I went through when I was inside the book space.

The area around me blurs, and I experience soft glowing light that fills my area, then slowly disappears.

Coming into view is an environment that, regardless of age or culture, is recognizable. A medical treatment area.

People lay on the ground within the structure, clearly injured. Physicians rush around, trying their best to keep them alive. With the extent of the injuries on these folk, many don’t look like they’re going to make it.

There’s so much sound that it’s difficult to even think. Screaming, yelling, crying. And simultaneously, the frozen stillness that only comes from a dead body.

But then there’s a change. Something unlike anything else that has come through here.

Around the corner, a light shines. It’s but a flash of light, but out of sight sounds of happiness emerge. The air seems warmer, better. The physicians work even more desperately to keep these people alive even one more second.

Everything reaches a fever pitch.

And then he arrives. Or to be specific, I do. This other me goes around the corner and the people around him shine with the light before appearing as if they were never injured in the first place.

The works of the hospital rest before moving on to other patients, their loads less and if only a little bit.

My view is thrust far out into the atmosphere and then brought back down to the world, to a battlefield.

Death and destruction everywhere. Demonic Cultivators throwing massive blackened projectiles across a massive battlefield. As they land, they spread pestilence and black mist everywhere. Countless forces on the other side emerge from portals and seem like a never-ending tide. Our side is a paltry amount in comparison. But they hold.

However, without help, it is a failed effort.

Unlike the time in the hospital, there is no light.

Instead, it is the cultivators themselves whose eyes light up like fire as their wounds heal immediately. They stand up strong and their light shines even brighter, as if they’ve grown stronger just from the challenge. They fall only to rise again continuously, wearing away the enemy at a visible rate, until none is left.

And with that, there’s just one figure standing in the back, seemingly doing nothing. Once again, it’s me.

For the last time, I’m yanked into the sky to view one more sequence.

This time it’s in the most humble of settings. A street corner with an old man and his young granddaughter. The old man has already passed away from old age, but the granddaughter could not bring herself to leave his side. Clearly poor individuals, she is now alone in this life.

But all is not lost. Slowly but surely, the old man’s eyes reopen. He had clearly died, but now he’s alive. As his eyes turn up, it goes first to his granddaughter, and then the stranger who is around the corner. His hand reaches up but now has fallen in surprise as the person has moved away.

My vision blurs and I’m back in the interim area to comprehend what I just saw.

This cultivation method is called the Boundless Healing technique.

It has the capability of doing the one thing that I know my healing cannot do. Bring the dead back to life, no matter their previous state. No matter how long it has been.

Unfortunately, other than that, this method is generally the same as my normal healing.

It also comes with one major restriction, one which does not bode well for my future in this world.

No offensive techniques can be used with the method. Whether combat arts, body cultivation, or sword techniques. This doesn’t even encompass all the things it prevents. Even some taming techniques cannot be used.

With the little I’ve seen from cultivators, I can only wonder… how am I supposed to defend myself at higher levels?

I think I’ve just become a cultivation healing bot.