"Really, this man is truly mysterious and incredibly powerful…"
He turned and left the place called Dungeon. After witnessing the mysterious man's abilities, he chose not to fly away as a sign of respect.
Akira was satisfied with the outcome.
With the contract signed, he expected a stable flow of Qi Points into his system. He had only a few conditions, which he expected Jin Boqin and his disciples to meet without any issues.
Jin Boqin and the Elders, along with at least a hundred disciples, are only allowed to hunt beasts in a specific area on the First Floor of the Dungeon.
They are not permitted to tame or eliminate any wild animals they encounter.
They can also collect elixirs dropped by beasts and cultivate. However, they are prohibited from using their cultivation power to alter the Dungeon's landscape.
In conclusion, the Sky Heaven Piercing Sect is welcome to bring hundreds of disciples each day, supervised by Elders or the Sect Master, to exterminate beasts in a specific location with some restraint on their power. They are free to loot the elixirs dropped by the beasts and cultivate in peace.
Akira wasted no time in ordering the extermination of the beasts after discovering they could revive as part of the condition. The beasts were merely empty vessels that would obey any command he gave. Unlike the Floor Boss, which had its own consciousness, soul, and ego.
He restricted the daily number of disciples visiting to ensure careful guidance and control.
Jin Boqin's dilemma was likely resolved, but his suspicions remained because the conditions were favorable for him and his sect.
He requested guards to monitor the dungeon's surroundings discreetly and to stop dangerous cultivators, even if it meant killing them. He also asked for a steady supply of food, ingredients, and other commodities.
If someone intentionally breaches the contract, the penalty is severe - it could cost the breacher their life.
This is especially true if the Essence Grade Spirit Paper is authentic, as it is specifically designed for life-binding contracts.
The paper is made from Spirit Stone and is of the same grade as Elixir but with spurious attributes.
Akira recently experienced being alive, so he was not willing to sacrifice his life. Instead, he purchased a fake Essence Grade Spirit Paper from the System for 250 Qi Points. The genuine Essence Grade Spirit Paper is priced at 150,000 Qi Points each.
It drained his wallet, which he had just replenished from unexpected expenses. But it was necessary. He had to make sacrifices in order to secure a reliable income. And he didn't have to worry about Jin Boqin discovering the truth.
Only the Dungeon Master knew the real source of the goods sold in the System unless the contract was violated deliberately or not. Only then would Jin Boqin uncover the truth.
Akira instructed the System to open the notification from the inbox and read its contents. According to the information, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator is equivalent to 100 Qi Points, regardless of their stage.
Core Formation is worth 20 Qi Points. Based on this, Akira made an educated guess about the corresponding equivalent Qi Points per Cultivation Realm:
Qi Condensation Realm: 5 Qi Points
Foundation Realm: 10 Qi Points
Core Formation Realm: 20 Qi Points
Golden Core Realm: 50 Qi Points
Nascent Soul Realm: 100 Qi Points
Akira was about to close the translucent system when a new notification from Wukong appeared. It had no contents, only a red exclamation mark.
"Interesting," Akira muttered as he stood up.
Arriving at the Temple, he was upset to find the gate closed.
Akira communicated with the Dungeon and the heavy door creaked open. As he entered, a strong smell of iron filled the air.
He realized the situation was dire and muttered, "This is bad."
For the first time, Akira sprinted, ignoring the notifications sent to him.
He ran through dark hallways, the smell of iron growing stronger, until he reached the massive hall deep in the temple.
When he saw Wukong and his guards inside the wide translucent barrier made of pure Spiritual Qi, he secretly sighed in relief. He didn't dare show it though.
No one would dare him, especially not in front of this arrogant monkey.
Beyond the barrier, there are a couple of treasures emitting a faint light and exuding a golden glow.
Akira frowned.
The golden light seemed to be protecting, or perhaps isolating, the limbs that were likely from the earlier cultivators. He thought his stomach would turn, but it didn't.
Although he found it odd, he was glad.
Akira noticed that the limbs were emitting a stream of blood vapor. He quickly understood the situation: the blood was being isolated, not the smell.
He turned to look at Wukong, his expression filled with curiosity.
Wukong, who was feeling arrogant, sneered at the sight of the sweat on his face, indicating that he was running. Then, Wukong made a few sounds.
[They are no longer human cultivators. They practice ancient demonic cultivation, which is why their blood has that smell.]
His left brow arched as he said, "Oh? That's despicable of them and cowardly of you."
Wukong growled and squeaked in response.
[They are not ordinary demonic cultivators,] he continued. [Their blood contains impurities that could harm us and the Dungeon. If that wasn't the case, their limbs would have long been gone.]
Akira furrows his eyebrows and his eyes become sharp. "Explain."
It seems that these cultivators who practice demonic cultivation are very different from the usual demonic sect.
The demonic sects were considered erratic because their cultivation practices were very different from those of other cultivators.
In addition to elixirs, spirit stones, and spiritual qi obtained through meditation, they also use blood as a source of spiritual qi, although the amount they can harness is much less than that obtained from elixirs and spirit stones.
As a result, they often massacre villages, towns, and cities, earning them the label of demonic.
According to Wukong, that was the explanation.
What made these cultivators unique? When a usual Demonic Cultivator dies, they don't exude a stream of blood and their blood smells like the rest.
Wukong shook his head arrogantly when asked if he knew why the creatures could potentially harm him and the Dungeon.
When asked if he had tried to destroy the stream of blood, he responded that he had, but it didn't work.
The suggestion to destroy their limbs directly and turn them to ashes using the fire element was also ineffective, as destroying their limbs caused them to excrete the total volume of the stream of blood they contained.
It became clear that their limbs held off the sudden discharge of the stream of blood.
Akira's thoughts were interrupted by Wukong's question about eradicating the harmful blood.
Akira turned to Wukong and pondered for a moment before responding, "I'm not sure, but I do know a few potential solutions worth trying."
Akira made a guess and hoped he was right. He quickly prompted the System and ordered a few dozen nearby beasts to come to him.
Without looking, he instructed Wukong to remove the golden light from the treasures. Wukong obeyed without hesitation.
Soon after, a stream of blood flowed into the air, doubling the stench and making Akira feel sick.
The numerous beasts quickly converged on the limb and began devouring it.
Akira observed the entire scene without flinching, ensuring that the system was recording the process.
As he had anticipated, once a certain amount of blood was consumed, the beasts' bodies began to decay, developing lines of cracks until they shattered like glass.
When this occurred, the beasts did not release a stream of blood and the elixir they dropped contained the same pure Spiritual Qi and Insights.
He breathed a sigh of relief, having witnessed a way to eliminate the current threat.
Wukong was moved by the scene and observed Akira, the Dungeon Master, who watched the scene with his usual apathetic expression.
After two minutes, the feast ended and all the beasts disappeared.
He checked for a notification from the System, which he received.
[Warning: Hazardous substance detected inside Wukong's Temple.]
[Notification: The area is temporarily sealed.]
[Warning: The seal has been broken. The walls inside Wukong's hall have been damaged.]
Akira winced as a sudden sting of pain shot through his right hand.
He followed the system's guidance to the damaged walls, with Wukong close behind.
In the darkness, Wukong noticed Akira searching for something. He tapped his golden staff, and it produced a couple of balls of fire that hovered above them.
In the light, Akira saw the damage caused by the stream of blood.
A hole in the wall, large enough to fit two Mantis Beasts, was visible.
Akira grimaced as the light from outside shone through the hole.
Another notification was sent to him.
[Notification: Harmful substance dissipated due to density of pure Spiritual Qi]
His ailment knowing-what-it-is-but-cannot-picture-it telling him to wait for another notification.
Contrary to his expectations, there was nothing but silence between him and the system after a minute.
"It's either the damage done by that harmful substance is irreversible or the Dungeon has no way to repair itself," Akira mumbled.
Wukong, who was silent all along didn't understand what he murmured.
Akira nodded at Wukong and asked with a dead serious face, "If you, the beasts, and the rest of the cultivators fight with all your power, will it damage the Dungeon as much as the harmful substance does?"
Wukong felt nervous for the first time as he spoke to Akira.
Akira's face was apathetic and his tone was cold, with a hint of anger.
[No. It may alter the landscape and destroy things, but it wouldn't hurt the Dungeon.]
"The damage done by cultivators can be repaired naturally?"
Wukong nodded his head.
Akira stared directly into Wukong's eyes.
"Well done sealing the blood. I'll leave you to it," he said, turning and walking away.
He didn't dislike Wukong, but his arrogance bothered him. Albeit a reward is a reward, he knew when to thank someone when it was due.
Outside the Temple, Akira unclenched his right fist and saw that the blood was beginning to dry. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed a small hole in his palm, but it had stopped bleeding and was likely already starting to heal.
The hole in his palm is eerie and noticeable.
Akira looks up and sees the blue sky.
He covers his eyes with his left hand and smiles. "Now I get it. I am not just in the Dungeon, I am the Dungeon."
The puzzles about his condition and the Dungeon were starting to converge. But there were still too many unanswered questions.
He decided that two things were a priority: preventing the Dungeon from being conquered and destroyed by the harmful substance, and considering the consequences if he were to perish instead.
Next… "I need to talk with Jin Boqin about the origin of those cultivators."
Meanwhile,
Jin Boqin is flying quickly to reach his Sect when he suddenly sneezes, which surprises him as it is the first time he has sneezed since entering the world of cultivation.
As he continues, he sees the familiar mountain ranges with Temples and Pavilions built on their peaks.
Thanks to the abundant Spiritual Qi in the Dungeon, his body is filled with power. However, the real reason he was able to travel in just five hours was the opportunity given to him by a mysterious cultivator.
Upon reaching the main gate of his Sect, Jin Boqin wasted no time and instructed the two Outer Elders and other disciples to gather all the Grand Elders and meet him in his Temple in thirty minutes.