After the conversation with the three cultivators, I spent several intense weeks training alongside Shadow Sneak.
He always appeared at nightfall, silent as the darkness itself, with those glowing yellow eyes that seemed to pierce the soul. At first, I had to seek him out. But after the first month, he returned on his own. Loyal. Constant. Almost like… a partner.
— "Was starting to wonder if you'd show up tonight," I once said, watching his silhouette emerge from the shadows.
He didn't reply, of course. Just lay down beside me like a living shadow.
> Over time, I realized that this strange creature — made of pure shadow Qi — was genuinely invested in my progress. And honestly, I needed all the help I could get.
A routine took shape: brutal physical training during the day, mock battles at dusk, and deep meditation at night. Always with Shadow Sneak nearby, correcting my form with quick strikes or well-placed bites.
It was during this time that, in the hazy noise of a smoky tavern, I overheard a rumor about a special auction. An event sponsored by the Celestial Stone Sect, where extremely wealthy mortals could use their money to buy a chance at immortality.
— "An auction, huh..." I murmured, swirling my lukewarm tea. "If it's real, that could be my way in."
The idea sounded cliché — like something ripped from a bad novel: create a fake identity, hide your power, shock everyone at the auction... But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
> All the benefits of a powerful cultivator — without attracting the wrong kind of attention? Perfect.
Shadow Sneak stared at me.
— "What? Are you judging me now?"
He gave a low growl, like he was laughing. Or hungry.
I started feeding him spiritual beast meat and a ridiculous amount of spirit stones — as many as I could buy. By the end of the first month, he was the size of a boar. In the second, a horse. By the fourth, he stood taller than a seven-meter tree. And by the fifth… he began manipulating shadow Qi.
That's when I got the idea:
— "I'll sneak into the auction… by hiding inside his shadow. Clean. Discreet. No one will know who I am until I appear to bid on the rarest items."
Shadow Sneak looked sideways at me.
— "What? It's a solid plan!"
In the sixth month, he vanished without a trace.
By the seventh, I was starting to panic. My whole plan hinged on him.
In the eighth month, he returned — dragging the corpse of a cultivator in his jaws, like a cat proudly delivering a gift to its owner. The boy was young, maybe sixteen, but carried some useful items.
— "What the hell…" I muttered, rummaging through the belongings.
I found a medium-sized spatial ring (not very valuable), a special pouch with some pills... and then, the treasure: a thick, bitter-smelling golden root.
— "…Ginseng?"
A spiritual ginseng, one of the best natural resources for cultivation. It extended life, enhanced vitality, strengthened the body, and even slightly accelerated cultivation. From that day on, neither I nor Shadow Sneak had a single meal without mixing in a bit of ginseng.
— "Why eat normal food, when I can eat this?"
I stored the roots inside the spatial ring, even though it had no time preservation. Most would decay, of course. But this one looked about ten years old… already potent.
> Just imagine… hundreds of ginsengs aged a hundred years. Then thousands aged a thousand. A private treasure trove, all mine.
Greed began to creep in. I thought about selling one. But if I claimed to have found a treasure, people would come asking. Or hunting.
At least I had solved the longevity issue. With my talent, I wouldn't have lived past fifty on body cultivation alone. Now… who knows?
I also ran some tests with the spatial rings. Turns out, placing one spatial ring inside another causes an explosion.
— "Wow. Good thing I tested carefully... That could've killed me."
The training with Shadow Sneak — and the ginseng — began paying off. By the ninth month, I could cut down a tree with five strikes. By the tenth, only two. And by the eleventh, just one.
> Blood, pain, repetition... They were all transforming me, slowly but surely.
But external cultivation had its limits. Sooner or later, I'd need a proper manual, some skilled alchemists, and… a sect.
In the twelfth month, Shadow Sneak vanished again. But this time, something felt different.
> The forest could no longer sustain him. Beasts trembled at his presence. Food wasn't enough anymore.
At the spot where he used to rest, I found an object wrapped in black hide. A gift. A token of acknowledgment.
— "So… you think I'm worthy now?"
The wind blew softly. No answer.
But I knew: Shadow Sneak would return.
He always did.
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