Calculating Cultivation - Chapter 58: The Wandering Immortal

After the initial meeting with Bolin, it was a very long wait. I often went on walks outside around the plateau to pass the time. I didn’t want to sit in an enclosed space after my time cultivating to the fourth stage. I kept drawing in small bits of force energy, as I walked about but it was slow.

I was managing to get around 9 drops per year, one per core. Which was an insane amount. There were several factors helping me. The first was my perfect attunement of my meridians and channels. The energy just flowed right on in without issue.

The second factor was the sheer number of channels and meridians I had. I was pulling in energy from all over, combined with the suction vortex, the energy draw was quite high. The suction vortex had seeped or spread out into my astral soul, and was pulling on the energy.

While there were two key nodes, in my head, and in my groin, I could feel an increased pull from all around me. It was slight, but it helped the energy move into my cores much more efficiently than if it hadn’t been present. It had taken a while for me to sense exactly what that aspect of my cultivation was doing.

Finally, there was my sight. I could easily see greater concentrations of force energy and take them inside my cultivation. It helped there was a lot of energy on the top of Mount Vortex. The constant sun overhead was disturbing, but I had learned to deal with it. Trying to think about the physics of cultivation land gave me a headache. Better to just wait for the explanation.

Four years after my arrival, I felt a wave of pressure sweep over me as I was doing my regular circuit around the plateau. “Oh, cultivating while walking?” An older man with a long white beard appeared instantly in front of me. There was no disturbance of the air or any warning sign. Their cultivation was immense, so immense, it was almost blinding. It didn’t help they were wearing completely white robes.

I quickly bowed incredibly deep. “Yes immortal. After being in a small room to get through the third stage, I prefer to be out and about. Also, it helps keep my body in decent shape,” I replied.

“Force cultivation. Not something normally seen, but you sure are an over achiever. Three paths of cultivation, nine unique core structures. And you are in the fourth stage. Well, you can raise your head, you have a ticket, right?” Immortal Gongong asked me, for who else could this be?

“Yes, and a return ticket, given to me by my master Jiang Fengge, Immortal,” I said politely.

“Well, your passage is allowed, but someone at the fourth stage, you won’t even be taken in as a servant for the White Lotus. I would advise you not to go, but you clearly have no other option. How many drops are you looking for, 300,000?”

“610,000 Immortal,” I replied.

“Hah! Oh my. Now that is something I have not seen. When you break through, that will be dangerous. Not just for you, but everything around you. You will need to prepare for that, otherwise you are going to draw the wrong kind of attention. Hmmm, what to do with you.” I didn’t say anything since I wasn’t asked a question. While I felt I could be a bit free with elder cultivators, this man was beyond me, and I had no idea by how much they were beyond me.

“I could do you a favor. I have a friend in the Forever City. They would look after you, and give you work. You will probably die with how weak you are, but at least you would have some backing,” he said.

“Thank you Immortal, I would owe you for any assistance,” I quickly said and bowed again.

“You are interesting, and I would hate to see you have no chance. However, you would owe me a favor. That is just for the introduction.” By favor, he meant anything. If he told me to jump, I would have to jump, and then ask how high I was while in the air and keep jumping. It was no exaggeration to say that he would have me under his thumb.

But I was also in no position to refuse such an offer either. I needed every bit of help that I could muster up. The fact he was willing to go out of his way in the first place was a huge boon. I had no doubt that there were far more complicated reasons beyond having a soft spot for me. As long as it didn’t involve using me as an ingredient of some kind then I was fine.

“Thank you Immortal,” I said.

“Hmm, well come on, time to get this show on the road. Don’t mention my offer to the others, otherwise that will create problems,” he said. Or he had a technique to appear before everyone and offer them a deal and it was all a scam. Unfortunately I didn’t have the power to object.

“Yes Immortal,” I replied. We made our way to the glass and steel building. That was when I realized he had disappeared without any sign. I entered the building and the Vortex Guardian told me to go to the second floor. I went up there and other cultivators were already gathering. I counted only 8 people, not counting myself. I was the last one to arrive and took my seat at one of the tables. The place was like a classroom with twenty tables facing one direction.

I noticed most cultivators sat near the front, and I did the same. The Immortal suddenly appeared in front of us all. “I am the Wandering Immortal Gongong.”

“Greetings Wandering Immortal Gongong,” we all said, while standing up and bowing.

“You can sit and don’t have to bow. Immortal is fine to address me. We have a lot to cover and only so much time. We are going to do a quick history lesson. Then move onto the dos and don’ts. Finally, expectations. If you have a serious question, you may raise a hand and I will point on you to ask your question. Try to keep them limited, since we will be leaving shortly,” he replied. No one raised their hand.

“The Firmament and the Forever City. Some of you might know some of this, but I am covering it regardless, I do this each and every time. The Firmament refers to the vast space of endless existence that exists above primordial chaos. The barrier between chaos and mater.” I listened closely to every single word he was saying.

“The Firmament is truly infinite. At the very top you have the super-organizations. These super-organizations and powers are beyond even me. The one you need to know is the Heavenly Alliance which controls the Forever City. One of the factions that makes up this Heavenly Alliance, is the White Lotus, a lower to middle faction within the Forever City.” How high up did the power scale go?

“Just like this continent, the Forever City exists in a small bubble of existence, floating above the chaos below. The true Firmament is outside these bubbles. What is out there is a constant struggle between the super-factions. To gain materials, resources, and more power.” Were all these descriptions metaphors, or was reality really like a bubble?

“The Forever City while controlled by the Heavenly Alliance, is an unbound bubble of existence. That means, other factions have presences within, and will attempt anything they can to gain an advantage. No matter what happens, you must never betray the Heavenly Alliance. While some of you might consider maneuvers with other factions within the Heavenly Alliance, the other super-organizations will crush us. There is no room for negotiation, mercy, or anything else. This is not like demonic cultivators either or beasts.” I could sense the tension increase.

“Their power structures are different than ours and co-existence is not possible for super-organizations. That doesn’t mean there aren’t traders or low level people from this organizations that are present within the Forever City, but they are not allies, or even friends of convenience.” Got it, don’t associate with other super-organizations.

“For the most part you are all too weak to care about such things, but it is a firm rule. Once you reach my level, then you can consider other options. For all of you, there will be the White Lotus, and you will be hired as support personnel. If you prove yourself, you might get promoted to foot soldier or some other position.” Foot soldier was a promotion? That was some nonsense right there.

“A lot of fights are done through proxies. You succeed, you get rewarded. You fail, you are dead.” No wonder why my master had written about all his fights in his journal. “That is the history, yes,” Immortal Gongong pointed a cultivator who raised their hand.

“Immortal, what is the Forever City and where did it come from?” they asked.

“Asking such a question is pointless. The Firmament exists forever. You have the Material above it, and Chaos below it. That is how it has always been. The Forever City is a bounded bubble of reality, that is designed as a city. Perhaps the Heavenly Alliance created it in the past, perhaps they won it from another super-organization. What you have to understand is that even if you are from a high-ranking sect, or in the Conceptual Formation stage, it doesn’t matter. Consider yourself a mortal at best, and a poor homeless mortal at worst,” Immortal Gongong explained. No one else raised their hand.

“Now we get into the dos and don’ts. For your time in the Forever City, treat this like your lifeline since it is. First rule, everyone in the White Lotus Faction outranks you. Don’t start a fight expecting others to help. Finally, make sure you know your way back to where you are staying.” I made sure to commit all three rules to memory.

“The first rule is so you don’t offend anyone. It won’t end well for you. The White Lotus, would sooner side with a member clearly in the wrong, than any of you, even if you have proof that you were right in your actions. There is a clear chain of command, so default to that if there are contradicting orders. The White Lotus will explain more about what you will do, their faction rules, and other important information when you arrive,” Immortal Gongong said. That wasn’t going to be me.

“The second rule is so you don’t cause trouble. The White Lotus will throw you away if it is to their benefit. While the rewards they offer are quite plentiful, if you bite off more than you can chew, you won’t get help from anyone. So be careful,” that made sense. The White Lotus just wanted bodies apparently.

“Finally, the Forever City is incredibly confusing. Maps go out of date, as the constructors constantly move about fixing and altering the connections between towers, and sometimes the towers themselves. Know your tower and your level. That is how people navigate. Also watch your level. The safe areas are around level 10,000. Going too far from that up or down, will create challenges. Once you arrive, you will be issued a level tracker, and a tower compass,” he said. I took a deep breath and raised my hand. Immortal Gongong pointed at me.

“Immortal, what currency is used and how are transactions handled?” I asked.

“The currency is credits. But most people deal in fractional currency. I would put the value of one credit with one rank 6 spirit stone. Credits are the closest thing to a universal currency within the Forever City and the Firmament. They are issued by the Heavenly Alliance and can be used to purchase goods and services,” I nodded at this, it was good to know.

“It is also a closed system. Once you arrive, you will be issued a credit card. All transactions are handled through it, and if you lose it, it will be expensive to replace. Don’t lose it. While only you can use the credit card issued to you, if something takes your hand as well…they might try a workaround.” I gulped at that.

“Consider it as proof of your ID and the way to handle transactions. If you engage in more clandestine deals, those are often done through barter. There is no physical version of a credit or blank credit card, so don’t get scammed by such things,” I nodded at this. More good information to know.

“Finally, we will talk about expectations. To purchase a trip back here if you didn’t already make the purchase costs 50 credits. You can also purchase a round-trip ticket for 80 credits, since I know many of your sects expect such a thing before you return.” I wasn’t sure if I would purchase something like that, but I did owe the Cloudy Moon Sect.

“As for other expectations, don’t cause excessive damage. That will bring the attention of the constructors and the administrators in the Forever City. While they are golems, they are quite good at their job and adaptable. You already ran into something similar with the Vortex Guardians stationed here,” that was nice confirmation to have.

“As for cultivating, there is no ambient energy. But there are resources for sale, a lot of cultivation resources. One thing the White Lotus and other factions of the Heavenly Alliance are good at is taking energy and packaging it for use. That also means a lot of techniques will be weaker or won’t work.” That didn’t hurt me thankfully. “Yes, you have a question.” The Immortal pointed at another cultivator who raised their hand.

“Immortal, are there are resources for all stages?” they asked.

“Yes, but the price quickly goes up. In fact many cultivators stay in the Forever City in an attempt to break through to Immortal. If you do, then the White Lotus will offer you membership, since you will meet the bare qualifications. The climb to the very top is never ending. Yes, you,” he pointed at another cultivator.

“Immortal, what is after the eighth stage?”

“More cultivation. But I wouldn’t worry about it. It isn’t easy crossing the second bottleneck. Even if you have the credits, it is expensive to purchase something that is useful. I am talking about 1,000 credits. While that might seem like a small number, getting a single credit is not easy. There is work, but if you are injured you will need healing, you will need to pay for weapons, and that is just for a single item to help you slightly. A Celestial Dao Fragment costs 10,000 credits, while it is only considered a supreme rank 8 treasure here. Just like on the continent, the more valuable the material, the higher the price,” he explained and then pointed at another person.

“Immortal, how can anyone sell such treasures?” they asked.

“They are much more common out there in the Firmament. People go out, find such things, and bring them back. You,” he pointed at me.

“Immortal, how does the Firmament relate to the Astral Plane?” I asked.

“Oh, now that is an interesting question. The Astral Plane, exists on a different axis in relation to the Firmament, Chaos, and Matter. That is how we are going to travel actually. Distances are altered, but navigating such a place is a massive headache. Also, it will ensure the position of your astral souls are secure while you are in the Forever City,” he explained.

“Hmm, a good metaphor, would be that if Chaos is the drain in the bathtub, Matter is the faucet, then the Firmament would be the bubbles while the Astral Plane is the water. Regardless, none of you are qualified for the Astral Plane or the wider Firmament. Yes, you,” Immortal Gongong pointed at the next person who raised their hand.

“Immortal, can we go our own way in the Forever City and not ally with the White Lotus?” they asked.

“Yes, you can. But the deal with the White Lotus is already arranged. You won’t get a better deal elsewhere. If you try, then the White Lotus can refuse you. One key thing in the Forever City, is that you need a faction backing you. It offers a nominal form of protection from just being killed and used for materials. But it is your choice, I just arrange for you all to get there and not be idiots. Yes you,” he called on Bolin who raised his hand.

“Immortal, you mentioned people becoming immortals in the Forever City. There are only six known Immortals on the continent. How many have succeeded in the Forever City?” Oh, now that was a good question.

“I would put that number around a couple hundred since the start of the third age. Most run out of time or die. They decide to stay to keep progressing on their path to power. The continent can be thought of as a retirement destination and a source for fresh blood like yourselves. But it isn’t hopeless. I would say about once every millenia, a person makes it past Conceptual Formation stage.” That sounded like a really low number. But at least there was a system of currency.

I needed a way to generate credits. Then I needed to make enough to pay for general expenses and my cultivation over a period of time. At least it wasn’t complete chaos and fighting. I just needed to find a way to make credits.

One thing I needed to make sure of, was that my mind was open to what was going on and not make assumptions. It was easy to here the words for credit card, and think of an Earth type like credit card with a magnetic strip and computer systems. It might work like that, but there could be things going on behind the scenes.

It didn’t escape my notice that it was the Heavenly Alliance that was issuing these cards and used a credit. They clearly had a command economy of some kind. What was stopping them from issuing new credits if there was no inherent value, like fiat currency. Spirit stones could be used for cultivation, and spirit stones were just a confirmed way of dealing with spirit stones in a classier manner.

But credits appeared to be a true fiat currency of some kind. On Earth fiat currencies got their value from taxes. While many people might say it was their perceived worth, it ultimately came down to them being used for and paying taxes.

I raised my hand again and was called on. “Immortal, are there taxes or fees when using these credit cards?” I asked.

“A fraction of a fraction is taken as payment for use. Most fractions are broken up into a base ten counting system, with the fee normally being one thousandth per transaction, while most goods cost around a hundredth. The common term for a thousandth is a bit. Most people will talk about ten bits, or a hundred bits instead of fractions, but they are all based on the fraction of a credit, which is the common transactional amount and term,” he explained. That meant a thousand bits made a credit. At least that was easy to remember.

“Credits can be broken down to any fraction. But most people don’t go beyond a bit, or a thousandth, since that is the transfer fee when you use a credit card, each and every time,” he explained. So that was the tax. Since the city was probably massive, then it would make sense to have a tax that just taxed transactions, rather than trying to collect for other variables.

If anyone wanted into the system, they needed a credit card since there was no physical currency. The Heavenly Alliance, would draw in anyone wanting to trade. While the fraction was small, it was the charge for each and every transaction. That meant large volume transactions would be hit with a greater tax.

“Also, a lot of other services require a fee. Traveling anywhere is often expensive unless you go by foot, which is dangerous and there are tolls by factions that control certain areas in the Forever City. While there are main routes that are kept safe, they have tolls attached to them by the enforcers. That reminds me. The enforcers. Golems that are used similar to the constructors and administrators. They can’t be scammed or tricked. Smarter people than all of you have tried. So don’t, you won’t stand a chance. You won’t see them often except at key nodes and closer to the center, but don’t underestimate them. They can hide their abilities and power,” Immortal Gongong explained.

“Immortal, how big is the Forever City and how is it laid out?”

“Bigger than the continent. At least ten times as big in terms of area, but what really will get you is the volume and the levels. Each tower extends about hundred thousand levels, in the positive and negative direction. Level 0 is considered the prime real estate and where the majority of connecting bridges are located.” I was listening to everything, since it was rare to get nice clean-cut explanations like this.

“At the outer edges things start breaking apart and there is much more violence. You will be entering around level 10,000 in the fifth ring. There are eight rings, and then the outer city beyond that. The closer you are to the center the more valuable the real estate and the higher the movement fees.” That seemed like we were pretty far out and there had be a lot of factions.

“That reminds me. The environment. The air is heavily toxic. Food and water are considered valuable. I hope you all have stocked up or your cultivation can withstand such things. If you have supplies, don’t be quick to sell either, since that is the kind of stuff that might keep you alive. Certain towers have habitable environments, like the one controlled by the White Lotus, but unless you have business there, then you won’t be able to live there,” he explained and then turned to look out the window. “Have time for a couple more questions.”

“Immortal, why is the sun always shining here?”

“That question is quite complicated, but suffice to say, Mount Vortex extends out of the main bubble around the continent, and is surrounded by another bubble. It makes our departure easier and prevents issues coming to the continent. Hmmm, that reminds me of threats beyond the norm.” Please no fighting.

“Do not underestimate the power of technology or other paths of power that exist. While we cultivators of the Heavenly Alliance are a large portion of the Forever City, there are others who look to other paths and equipment for power. Be incredibly weary of mental effects or using any kind of resource that is not sold by a faction representative. A lot of non-sanctioned sales are scams or traps of some kind. If you are scammed or compromised, that is on you, and there will be no help.” That was in line in regards to everything else he had explained.

“Let’s see, what other advice can I give? Oh, keep a light source on you. While there is glow stone built into the towers, it only does so much. If you are sent elsewhere, where there is less upkeep, it can get quite dark. There is no natural light. Also the temperature can vary quite rapidly. Most factions try to keep their towers moderated, but the weather patterns inside the Forever City are as myriad as they are complex. I covered knowing where you are in relation to where you live. Transportation and traveling.” I listened closely as helpful information was freely shared.

“You might be tempted to try and leap from a tower, traveling through the outer environment, outside the towers and tunnels. My advice is don’t. There are things out there, creatures, and monsters. Some of them are sentient. While it might be cheap, it will be dangerous. The inner rings and lower numbered levels have more enforcers clearing out such things, but that increases the expense of living and moving there,” he explained.

“Immortal, any good way to earn credits?” a person asked.

“Stay alive. If you are dead, you won’t be able to earn anything. Also, the sheer scale of the Forever City is…words can’t do it justice. Every day, beings arrive. From cultivators like yourself, to abominations. The Forever City is a major nexus point for all super-organizations, and one of the few known ones that engages in any kind of trade.”

“A person can live their entire life on a couple of floors in a single tower and know nothing else. Corpses are used as fuel for others. The Forever City is a place of opportunity, but it is also one of the largest graveyards within the Firmament. If you can survive, then you will eventually make credits. The challenge for all of you is surviving and then making those credits before you die of old age,” he explained.

“The White Lotus will help you in that regard, providing backing, jobs, information, and their rules you will need to follow. They actually subsidize these trips, otherwise they would be much more expensive to pay for a ticket out there. Not for the return trip, which is all on you.” I was glad I had a return ticket then if I ever needed it. Perhaps I could sell it, but that wasn’t possible. It was linked to my departure ticket as a package.

“Even then it isn’t cheap to make the trip. Other cultivators would kill for this chance and some of you probably have already. But just getting here with the resources to purchase a ticket, is the bare minimum qualification to travel to the Forever City and not instantly die.”

There was silence after that. The Immortal turned to look out the window again at the plateau. “Alright, the departure will be soon. Stupid bastards are a bit early, but that is the Astral Plane for you. Even time can twist slightly there. Come on, everyone, let’s go outside. Lecture time is over.” We made our way outside, following behind the Immortal like a trail of ducklings.

“Immortal, how did you show up first?” a cultivator asked.

“There are tricks I have to getting here first, ahead of the transportation that you don’t need to worry about. I handle the preparation before you all leave and will meet you when you arrive.” That meant he was either a golem of some kind that was possessed or a projection. “The main thing is that the transportation will be picking up other people and it will take a while to reach the Forever City. It is quite far away.”

So, it was like a cruise ship, possibly making several stops as it went around, picking people up. The space in way above and in front of us began to twist, and a kaleidoscope of colors was seen. It was the Astral Plane. A large cylinder made its way through and came to rest on the plateau. The opening remained in the sky.

The cylinder was gray and appeared to be a metal of some kind, but there were no windows or indentations I could make out. At the bottom a doorway moved out and then rose up to float in the air. “Everyone in,” Immortal Gongong said. I followed the other people inside and the door closed behind us. The Immortal was not following us. The room was shiny metal, with no ornamentation.

There was another beautiful woman that looked just like the Vortex Guardian. “Welcome to the Heavenly Alliance transportation. Each of you has purchased a basic ticket which entitles you to a single seat. Do not disturb the other passengers. No amenities are provided. No questions will be answered. Any such disturbances will result in your body being used as payment for such insolence.” I was glad we were able to ask questions beforehand. Everyone was silent.

“Follow me,” the golem lady said as we went through a doorway and up a flight of stairs. There were several other cultivators just sitting in large comfortable-looking chairs, facing the center of the room. “You may pick any seat you wish. Refrain from conversation while transportation is in progress. Once we arrive, I will return and escort you off.”

“In the event of an emergency, remain in your chairs. The Heavenly Alliance takes no responsibility in regard to your personal integrity or the integrity of your possessions. Any attempt to leave your chair before you arrive will be treated as a sabotage attempt. Thank you for picking the Heavenly Alliance for your transportation needs, please be seated immediately,” she said.

I quickly picked my seat along with everyone else. There was no ETA given for our arrival to the Forever City. Thankfully I had picked up equipment to manage waste and didn’t need to eat or drink that much. I also noted there was no energy inside the cylinder.

I picked a seat near the center of all the rings of chairs, facing the doorway and sat down. The chair was well cushioned and quite large. A bulked up professional athlete would easily be able to fit. There were cushions and nobs to adjust the chair thankfully, so I wasn’t sitting with my feet sticking out over the edge of the chair.

After that it was deathly silent, with only the sound of very quiet breathing. No one dared to say anything or do anything. I guess the Heavenly Alliance cylinder transportation had zero tolerance for unruly passengers or Karen type personalities. When you have a monopoly you get to set the rules.

I was excited though. Even after all the warnings and danger, I was going out into the wider world. I was going to be able to progress. The sheer scale of everything was hard to imagine. The Forever City being the size of ten continents and over 200,000 stories tall. The cultivation continent was the size of Earth. I could only imagine the size of the Forever City. Trying to do any kind of math hurt my head. It was just too freaking huge.

It was beyond a city-wide planet or an ecumenopolis. It was far larger than that and it was made up of towers and tunnels. Or bridges, since there was an atmosphere. Bridges would be more correct in a technical sense, but perhaps there was a good reason to call them tunnels.

Time passed, and I kept my pocket watch out. There was just dim floor lighting in this room, as the quiet seemed to settle down on everyone. A couple more times, more cultivators were shown into the room and given the same instructions that I was, by the lady golem. The seats were slowly filling up.

How many cultivation continents were out there? No wonder why such a massive city existed, if it was the central point of so many people traveling. Immortality was just the first step in a place like that. But that was too far away. I needed to get past the first bottle neck first, then the second, before I could worry that far into the future.

It also made sense why people didn’t try to explain things. Even Immortal Gongong’s explanation, struggled to explain the sheer scope of everything that I was getting into by traveling. The continent was just a small remote island in the vastness of the Firmament. It did make me wonder what other super-organizations were out there? If the Heavenly Alliance was cultivation based, was there a technological based super-organization? Was Earth somewhere out there?

What questions I did have, had exploded now that I had a basis of understanding. Still, I probably wasn’t going to get nice easy explanations like Immortal Gongong had done for quite some time.