Lou Ben realized that this second floor was not meant to make him change his mind, but was created instead to have him look inward and see his life with a beam of wisdom, not hiding from the shadows that linger in his heart.
Yes he has done things wrong in this world, yes he tried to say that as long as he had strength it didn't matter, although he still felt this, he was still without a true resolution.
He was simply walking along a road to find out where it led, he was not the traveler, but instead a curious bystander wondering what treasures are in store after he walked this road.
He has always remained a curious observer, and he hated this about himself, but now he wanted to instead use this drive of curiosity to seek pleasure and his own experiences that he would call treasures.
Lou Ben shook the hand of the shadow figure: "Thank you."
There was no reward for this floor, the biggest reward one person could attain is the courage to confront oneself.
Lou Ben knew this and walked back towards the second floor and had no obstacles. He walked through the first floor and saw no enemies, he only encountered a few adventurers that made way for him.
This undead trench was not a labyrinth, it was for those who could not confront themselves, but the deeper one goes, the more they find no obstacle inside.
He no longer thought of this trench as the undead trench but instead he saw it as what he wanted to call the reflected dungeon.
He learned a lot from this experience, although it wouldn't show much on the surface, Lou Ben knew that he was being naive in thinking of simply going with the trend.
He needed more than just allowing himself to be taken advantage of by the strong.
He knew that those who are strong are the trend of the world, look at his current life.
He only has a beloved because of the arrangements of power.
He only got to become a dao apprentice because of the same arrangements.
Lou Ben sighed as he looked at the sunlight piercing through the entrance of the dungeon: "I have not made any progress since my last life."
Soon he went back to the tavern, placed the unconscious bodies of Su Sheng and Kai Yang in their rooms to recuperate.
They weren't incredibly injured, the traits of that dungeon are unforgiving, but with enough luck you can live through the majority of encounters. You just need the courage, and that was what Lou Ben realized he lacked, until he faced the second floor boss.
Throughout the night, Lou Ben focused on his mind and focused on stars inside his mind using the technique - starry mind.
He listened to the teachings of Steward Wen Guoliang, he read the glyphs that were imparted to him.
Lou Ben sighed: "I need to get stronger, I can't walk my own path unless I have the strength to be oblivious of the stronger opponents."
He was now once again focused, this time he wanted power and can't let little things occupy his mind.
Yes he still wanted Qi Shuang, but after realizing the beauty of feminine love, he wanted more, but didn't directly seek it, he only saw that yellow-gold woman from the Silver Gate Pill sect.
He saw power in a different form.
He made plans to get close to this woman, he made plans to progress in his cultivation, he made plans to gain more information.
This time Lou Ben saw himself as an ant compared to the strong powers that overlook the floor of the village.
He looked at the ceiling as he laid in bed: "I don't want to simply reign supreme and laze around like those floating in the sky. I want power, but it should only be used as a vehicle to my ultimate goal…"
"That goal… I don't know what it is yet…"
Although the merciless aspects of this world were changing how Lou Ben was thinking, it didn't change that he felt that he had to be selfish, he felt cleansed from his other life.
He felt it was holding him back and not allowing him to see the bigger picture.
He fell asleep this way, staring at the ceiling and growing disdain for the supreme powers that controlled his life.
In the morning, he turned in his missions, he went through the second floor and was able to map it out, although this will not help anyone because they lose their consciousness as they delve deeper.
He still got paid.
Then he went to the Silver Gate Pill sect to talk to Ni Tian and try to see who this mysterious girl was.
He only wanted to have Ni Tian make some moves to show this woman that he was interested.
After all Lou Ben was not ugly, he was a good looking and lean man that was a dao apprentice!
He had strength and potential, and women look at potential the most, so he was going to use this to his advantage and let this plan unfold within time.
Lou Ben traveled to the Xiao clan tavern and talked to Wu Gen. Paid back his loan of aura stones for the mission, and talked about the progress he made in his cultivation.
When Lou Ben woke up that day he realized that he was now at the peak of the first realm!
That yellow energy that was mixing with his meridians was the result of hard cultivating and although he knew this, he couldn't think of it when he first attained it because of the powers on the second floor.
He got another loan of aura stones from Wu Gen, this time a lot more, ever since he paid off his first and was taxed from his mission inside the reflected dungeon, the treasury was flowing with profits.
Wu Gen also gave Lou Ben some leniency because was the first to attain peak level inside the atmospheric realm!
Wu Gen was still in the later stage, and had to spend much time managing the Xiao clan tavern instead of cultivation.
Lou Ben nodded: "Oh brother Wu Gen, I was only able to get this far because I gambled with my life."
Wu Gen sighed: "That unfortunately, is the gist of dao masters. We have to constantly gamble with our life and hope we make enough profit to do it again. I realized this as I saw my brothers go through missions and comeback with meager wages."
"I realized that this is what Steward Wen Guoliang wanted to teach us. That the life of a dao master was different from a mortal, but there are many more dangers and these dangers are the result of seeking profit."
"Now I talk about it with you brother Lou Ben, I realize that I am still thinking small."
"I only see the life of our brothers and the struggle, but as I speak I think the result is for the Xiao clan, as if our combined struggle is for something bigger than ourselves."
Wu Gen had not taken any missions since he was so busy with the affairs and was left with managing and constant thoughts that ran through his mind at what this world entails.
He was focused on these teachings after he came to his realizations… but then Lou Ben said something that shadowed his original beliefs of cultivation.
The yellow energy!
When Lou Ben woke up the yellow energy was so small that it could easily be missed, but the longer you focus the more something becomes a miss.
He realized that in order to break through this realm, you had to amass large quantities of this yellow energy because it tunes the body into a better catalyst to handle energies of heaven and earth.
Lou Ben sighed: "It should take many years because of this yellow energy. I didn't notice at first but I get the feeling of absolute strength the more I feel this energy inside me."
Wu Gen nodded with an open mouth: "You're saying that it might take tens of years?"
"If that's the case then we will be taking care of our Xiao tavern long after our partners inside the palace grow old!"
This is what Lou Ben discovered as he walked around the village, it made him more interested in finding that mysterious woman from the Silver Gate Pill sect, and made him realize the great gap between himself and people like Steward Wen Guoliang.
Lou Ben sighed: "Steward Wen Guoliang is at the high stage of the second realm, the foundation establishment realm, that means Master Xiao is probably at the perfection stage…"
Wu Gen nodded as his drool streamed down to his desk: "The difference must be the distance from heaven and earth!"
Lou Ben agreed and realized why Master Xiao was able to handle so many affairs and control the lives of others was because the massive difference in powers.
If he had this strength in the peak of atmospheric condensation realm and the beginning of the second realm was the large accumulation of this energy then he could only imagine the unfathomable powers that lurk inside Master Xiao.
"Oh brother Lou Ben, it's no surprise, look at me and you!"
Wu Gen smiled: "We were originally without many blood relations, but because of those powers within Steward Wen Guoliang and Master Xiao, we are true brothers bound by blood."
"It is no surprise that they are such monsters!"
Lou Ben nodded and left Wu Gen's office with a final note: "I will be gone for a few months this time…"