9] – [Cultivator’s Means]

Alexander, having finished looking around the city, decided to head toward the Adventurer Guild. Releasing his Divine Sense, he soon found his destination before leisurely walking to it.

After almost an hour of peaceful walking, not encountering anything special on the way, Alexander looked ahead. On his path, a grand, two story wooden building had made its way into his field of vision. Lowering his gaze, two doors, barely two meters tall, were present at the top of some stone stairs. As Alexander observed the slanted roof of the building some more, he then decided to enter it. Inside, a heavily furnished room. This space was taking the majority of the available perimeter.

Observing the layout of the room, Alexander found many wooden tables and some wooden benches, deeper inside, a wooden counter, and behind it, some people in dark green and black uniforms talking to what Alexander guessed to be adventurers of some sort.

Walking toward the counter, Alexander did not miss the second floor, open for everyone to see with its inside balcony, some stairs leading to it on the far right.

After reaching his objective, Alexander waited in line.

A couple of minutes later, it was his turn.

"Hello, how may I help you ?" A kind, young woman with brown hair asked behind the counter.

"Hi, I want to register as an adventurer." Alexander's voice and face were quite different from back inside the carriage, he did not have a bright smile nor glistening eyes, he was cold and direct, his voice calm and deep.

Looking at the young man in front of her, his attitude a complete mismatch to his appearance, the young receptionist could not help feeling slightly confused.

"Yes, then here…"

After reaching below the counter and pulling out some papers, she gently put them in front of Alexander, complimented by a pen of sort. Her movements experienced and nimble, the woman continued.

"Here, all you have to do is fill out this form. But let me remind you that while it is fine to lie on it, we won't take responsibility for any mishaps!"

'Let's see… name, race, age, as well as level, skills and even past experiences…'

Reading the form in front of him, Alexander could not help wondering if he should write something serious or not.

'I'll just put Jeffrey for my name, human for my race, my age will be fourteen years old… Level one hundred with no skills and no past experiences!'

Feeling happy about his application, Alexander was just about to give it when a thought stopped him in his tracks.

'Should I put a dumb level? Saying I am level one hundred would be funny, but if I put an astronomical number, wouldn't it be funnier?'

Quickly scratching his previous level, much to the receptionist's confusion, Alexander changed it to 'Level 941784'.

"Alright I'm done, here."

Handing over the completed papers, the receptionist took a look at them before looking at Alexander with incredulity.

'Really? He's going to lie to this point?! Does he take us for clowns?!'

Narrowing her eyes with a deep frown, the receptionist said out loud, for everybody inside to hear.

"I see! How great! Level… 941784! I wonder how powerful you must be then!"

Hearing the loud and condescending voice of the known and loved receptionist, many adventurers and staff members immediately turned their heads toward him, including even the two Alexander had met on the carriage back then.

The silence did not last long as countless conversations and voices loudly resonated throughout the entire Adventurer Guild.

"What?! Did I hear that correctly?!"

"Is he dumb? Why would he put that on the form…"

"Pfff! Again, with young lads that don't know their place! Was there even enough space for him to write that?"

The young white haired woman in armor that Alexander previously met turned to look at the young man with dark blue hair in the seat next to her and said.

"Isn't that the kid we saw on the carriage? What is he doing… Such an idiot, he didn't even know what levels even were!"

The young man put his wooden mug down loudly on the table before snorting.

"Hmph! Dare to look down on us adventurers! Look! I'll teach him a lesson right here, right now!" As his voice overshadowed every other, adventurers moved to the side, leaving a path for the young man to fight with Alexander.

Meanwhile, the origin of this uproar did not seem bothered in the slightest, turning around he saw the young man walk toward him, daggers in each hand, his scarf fluttering in the wind his aura birthed.

'Should I flatten him or scam him?' Wondering how he would torture the poor man, Alexander took another look, this time, analyzing the man not for his power but for his physique and aptitude.

'?!'

'He possess a suitable physique for cultivation!'

Surprised, Alexander's eyes scrutinized the entire room before finding the young woman from before, using his eyes and Divine Sense to also verify her aptitude, he was shocked to discover that her too, possessed a suitable physique for cultivation.

'Good sprouts! While they are not very talented, it doesn't really matter…'

Just as Alexander finished his thoughts, he turned his eyes away from the woman before looking at the young man, his daggers trying to stab him in the eyes.

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Harrumphing aloud, Alexander's invisible aura burst out slightly, its unfathomable might instantly reversing the momentum of the poor young man, his body being blasted away, crashing into the doors at the entrance before tumbling down the stone stairs outside and finally stopping. His body limp and clearly unconscious, for everyone outside to see.

Be it the young woman or the crowd inside the guild, all of them roared out of shock at the scene, completely unexpected.

"Did I see that correctly?! The water demon got his ass handed to him so fast! I could barely see a thing!"

"Wasn't he level sixty-nine? So much for a top class B-Rank adventurer!"

The young woman was shocked and with eyes wide open she muttered.

"Strong!"

Back inside the carriage, she could not feel anything from Alexander's body, therefore, she could not be bothered to waste her precious time with a weakling.

However, reality was not as it seemed. Seeing her trusted friend being toyed with like nothing, fully aware of his ability, how could she not understand that Alexander was simply faking it?

Before she could think of her next move, she heard Alexander's voice loud and clear reverberating inside the guild.

"You, the white haired girl in armor, I don't mind taking you, and that blue haired kid, as disciples! I can get you to heights unseen in this world!"

"What?! He wants to take the Tarvaros Duo for himself?!"

"Crazy!"

"But look, doesn't he look strong? I wouldn't be able to even scratch the water demon!!"

Before any of them could recover, Alexander simply burned the adventurer registration application he filled before walking away, leaving the Adventurer Guild.

Outside, Alexander simply teleported into the sky waiting for the duo.

—–

It did not take long, as barely a few minutes later, the duo was back together, waiting and looking around right outside the Adventurer Guild.

Seeing this, Alexander sent a message directly into their mind telling them where to go.

After the duo stepped inside a secluded area below some trees, hidden from the bustling city's eyes, they saw a young man with a ponytail and some freckles look at them with his emerald green eyes. Alexander had teleported right behind them, under the shade of a tree.

Turning around, the two looked at each other before bowing slightly.

"Sir! We want to become your disciples! Please!"

Watching the usually arrogant duo, their posture submissive, Alexander nodded.

"Good! I will take you in as disciples, and show you the cultivation world! Depending on your future accomplishments, I might even reward you handsomely! After all, I am not stingy!" Said the man who gave adventurers Mortal-Tier pathetic swords as rewards for overcoming life and death situations.

Just as Alexander was about to continue, a young girl's voice could be heard.

"Me too! Nya! I want to become a disciple too!"

All three of them looking at the young girl with fluffy cat ears and bright expression, they could not hide their puzzlement.

Alexander was the first to recover. Understanding that she had followed the duo, interested in hugging Alexander's thigh as well.

"Alright! No problem! Come here! I want to show you three something amazing!"

Hearing this, the young girl with cat ears immediately ran toward Alexander as the duo stared at his next move.

After the young girl reached Alexander, he did not waste time, saying.

"I said I would show you the cultivation world, let me demonstrate then!"

Putting his hand on top of the young girl's head he followed.

"Here, let me show you the feeling of power!"

"I will show you what an low level of power will feel like!"

As Alexander's aura started to fluctuate, the young girl could feel herself becoming more powerful every passing moment!

Her aura started to rise as she quickly broke through the barrier separating mortals from cultivators, reaching the Qi Sensing Realm!

But her aura did not seem to be stopping anytime soon, she reached the peak of the Qi Sensing Realm in mere instants, forming her Dantian, before breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm. Once again, it only took an instant for her to reach the peak of that realm and breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Like this, her aura kept rising continuously, breaking through the Earth Realm, skipping the Qi Master and Profound Realms because of their requirements.

She then had her body become stronger and stronger as she quickly reached the summit of the Earth Realm before stepping into the Sky Realm, after which she quickly overcame the boundaries of the world as her aura surpassed the Heavenly Realm stepping into the Star Realm, the absolute peak of the Lower Realms!

But it did not stop there, Alexander then removed his hand from her head as the young girl and duo had wide open mouths, feeling the powerful aura surpassing anything they had ever seen or imagined. They were, however, awoken from their stupor by Alexander's words.

"Pay attention! This is where it begins!"

As he saw the duo stare at him, their eyes glued on his movements, Alexander nodded before turning to the young girl facing him. He then looked at her in the eyes before showing her his closed fist. Following this, he opened his middle finger, poking her abdomen with it he then said.

"This is the Golden Core!"

Right as he finished his words, a powerful golden aura submerged the surroundings as the young girl could feel something being created inside her belly, a golden colored orb, replacing her Dantian, forming while pulsating with raw power!

They could not even see however, the Heavenly Tribulation above them as Alexander dispersed it as quickly as it formed.

Then, Alexander opened his thumb as well, before placing it on the young girl's glabella.

"This is the Nascent Soul!"

Right as he did, powerful spiritual waves exploded outwards before she could feel her vision becoming one with the world. Each time Alexander increased her cultivation base, she felt as if she had reached an even higher Heaven each time, as if she stood at the top of the world!

After the spiritual waves calmed down, Alexander then opened his index finger as well, placing it on her chest, aiming at her heart.

"This is the Dao Heart!" Infusing his understanding of a Dao inside her heart, an expert would see her heart turn a deep blue color, with stars twinkling everywhere on its surface. As if her heart was made out of the very fabric of the Universe!

As the destructive and mysterious power of his Dao subsided, Alexander stopped for a moment, with his three fingers still open, he took a step back.

"And this…"

Moving his hand in a twisting motion while making his three fingers touch each other, he said.

"…is Sainthood!"

As if his fingers were attached to the powerful Golden Core, Nascent Soul and Dao Heart, these three physically moved and merged together in a vortex motion before a blinding white light emerged from her body, leaving the duo with no choice but to advert their eyes, missing another Heavenly Tribulation that Alexander also dispersed.

After the light faded away, the duo looked back at the young girl, seeing her with a fanatic look on her face, her eyes shining a bright light of greed and power!

Her aura was so terrifying that they could not help trembling in fright!

But…

How could Alexander do so much for someone he did not actually target as a disciple? He simply used her as a demonstration!

Just as the young girl was feeling a sense of bliss beyond her understanding, Alexander froze her in place.

Panicking, she could only look as Alexander changed into a punching stance, his left fist tightly closed behind him as he said.

"And this is despair!"

The moment Alexander's left fist connected with the terrorized young girl's abdomen, everyone present could hear a loud cracking sound.

Somehow, this sound made the duo flinch in disgust, they were not sure why, but this sound felt terrifying and painful in a whole new dimension.

Soon, the young girl was unfrozen as she fell on her knees clutching her belly in tears of pain. The nail in the coffin was suddenly feeling all of her blissful power being sapped away by the atmosphere, her peerless cultivation oozing out of her formerly powerful jade white Saint Core. Despair and terror overwhelmed all of her senses as she could tell how weak, fragile and pathetic she had become.

"Doesn't feel good, does it?" Laughing out loud Alexander simply said.

"The carrot and the stick."

"Heaven before Hell!"

Taking a last glance at the pathetic mortal that had regressed to an Aura Veteran, Alexander teleported away with the duo, leaving behind the horrified young girl.

The higher one is, the harder the fall!