Ao Jin continues looking out into the night, using his spiritual sense to do so. On my side, I’m using my awareness to see within the treehouse and a small distance outside of it.

With this, I’m able to see that a small creature has approached the side of the tree. Since this type of creature is a bird-like herbivore and won’t be of any threat to the tree or us, I don’t bother taming it.

It’s clear that my companion in here also sees the same. He seems to observe it, but somewhat lazily.

As there’s still a bit of time before they have to wake me up, he seems pretty relaxed.

However, he does something strange. He actually starts extending out his spiritual sense to encompass this creature more.

I think he may use his hidden abilities. Should I retract my awareness? No, in case something happens, I need to be ready myself.

What I see next causes me to go on high alert.

He circulates Qi somewhat openly around his body. Sneaking out of his outreached hand towards the creature is a wisp of demonic Qi. To be specific, this is Qi that has been circulated using demonic cultivation methods.

It reaches over into the creature, which resembles a colorful bird from my world, and pierces straight into its chest. It then quickly spreads across its body and turns it into a cauldron of some sort, feeding back into his body. This is an excruciatingly painful process for the bird. But one that silences it at the same time.

It is at this point that there’s no question. He’s actually a demonic cultivator.

Different things come together for me; I should have noticed.

The Latent demonic Qi in his body when he was injured, wasn’t just from creature bites from deep in the jungle…

A person exiled from the clan only has a few ways to attain power quickly. Demonic cultivation is one. If there was no way to win back their loves unless by force, it would be the only way reliably do so.

For someone looking for revenge, demonic cultivation also gives some gruesome ways to do so.

It also explains the reason he was using less of his normal method. He was circulating some of that within himself to rebuild the usable demonic qi.

Admittedly, it’s very rare to be able to practice both a normal cultivation method and a second one as well. Not only that, but being able to hide the demonic one.

Rare, but not impossible.

Likely, the one he practices is one that focuses on raising his cultivation base quickly. It’s meant to support a primary cultivation method rather than replace it.

The only downside is that most demonic cultivation methods all share a common characteristic. There’s an aspect of it that can be considered evil to society in some ways. Rightfully or wrongfully so.

And from what I can tell, the way He is circulating his ability inside the bird creature's body reveals that he’s more used to using this ability within humanoids. And it’s definitely not the disputably evil kind of method.

Unfortunately for us both, a sudden beep from his side shocks him into stillness. The reason it’s bad for me, it’s because of what it represents.

His hand slowly goes into the pocket from which the beep comes from. From it emerges something that looks similar to a compass. One which has an arrow pointing straight at my location.

This is what I feared for so long.

A Qi treasure that can detect information about a cultivation method.

For any cultivator looking to hide their abilities or major aspects about their cultivation methods, an item like this is would be life-saving. Especially if they are hidden demonic cultivators.

To have something like this means that he had to sacrifice a lot to get it.

Of course, this is still a low tier treasure which can only detect whether someone near to your location has detected you using a specific cultivation method ability.

Here, it detected my awareness ability.

… If I had used my scan, it would have never caught a thing.

A level of panic crosses his face, before slowly hardening into a hopeful one. As if he’s thought of something.

Before I can even move, he’s on me and stars fill my eyes as he punches me in the face, at seemingly half strength. Quickly after, I can see the bright letterings of a talisman and everything goes dark.

…

As my eyes open soon after, I can feel a slight blur in my memory.

He looks shocked at me waking up, as if I wasn’t supposed to at this time, but he still puts on a kind face.

Just behind him, my scan detects the last wisps of a talisman that were used on the ground, disappearing into nothingness. A forgetfulness one.

A powerful one indeed.

“Are you feeling okay? You suddenl…”

… I remember.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

Before he can say more than a few words, he’s quickly interrupted by the sound of a Qi treasure in his pocket.

Oh no.

My healing constitution restored my memory, removing the condition placed on it.

The Qi treasure detected that the person who witnessed it still knew. A setting like that wouldn’t be cheap to have on such a treasure.

Tears fill his eyes and a look of deep sorrow covers his face as he realizes the talisman didn’t work on me.

He turns away. The room rings silent at the sudden action.

Slowly, but surely, a cold and committed gaze emanates from him towards at the wood opposite from him, almost as if piercing through.

Obviously, I’m on full alert and already calling every creature I can nearby to be ready to attack. My healing is circulating through my body, ready for an instant revival. Combat scan is on and ready to position me in the best way to evade and counter attacks.

The only issue?

In order to save on costs, I’ve only been driving away creatures. I have already petitioned anything powerful enough to fight him or me to get as far as way as possible.

Even the Panther isn’t anywhere close for it to get here in time.

I send out taming contracts to defend me, anyway. Using most of my mana.

Not all of it, but most. I leave enough to heal myself and strong creatures that would defend me.

The weak creatures around the area obviously accept. They don’t know better and it’s their only chance of growing quickly.

The stronger spirit beasts know that I’m potentially fighting a foundation establishment specialist, as it’s a clear part of the contract.

It’s suicidal if they don’t attack together.

They don’t trust each other, with or without a contract. These are creatures that have been battling for territory for a long time.

The majority declines. The rest demand more to stay.

I’m essentially forced to pour more into them.

The highest I can convince is a peak Qi Condensation spirit beast, with the majority being early and middle levels.

Not only that, but even as they hurry towards me… they are at least a day away.

For the creatures that are close right now, I have waiting for my signal. To attack at once and like I saw Gong do. To give me an opening. It won’t do anything but buy a few seconds, but even so… I’m in a prison of my own making with this treehouse here.

There’s nothing that can save me if I fight right now.

Even with my cultivation enhanced body, I’m facing an above average, middle stage, Foundation Establishment cultivator.

To give context, the peak of Qi condensation gets in the territory of using being able to clear a building with an ability. With just their strength, they can easily play around with me in a fight.

For a higher realm? Literal child’s play. A lower foundation establishment cultivator ability can repeatedly clear a building. And clear a city block if they push themselves.

Although I survived the spiritual pressure of Foundation establishment realm, doesn’t mean that I can come anywhere close to fighting them.

But the fact I’m still alive means that there is something he wants from me.

He turns back towards me, almost as if reading my thoughts.

He says only a few words, but ones that will determine my life or death.

“Become a demonic cultivator.”

I quickly check my scan to see if I can somehow get this method back if I take on the demonic cultivation method or possibly do it at the same time.

It won’t and can’t.

My current method intrinsically opposes the one that he’s offering and would not accept me if I tried to switch back. There are aspects of my method that I don’t yet understand, but apparently it can easily discern such things.

Graciously, he is giving me time to decide, unlike the other demonic cultivator I met.

Unlike that time, I don’t have the ability to strength to stop him. Delay, maybe. But not stop.

Do I give up this method?

My scan is telling me it would be a terrible idea. But can I truly trust it? It’s been vague and, despite getting me to this method, it seems to have many caveats.

… sigh.

I already know that it is my best choice compared to other healing methods. No other healing method has so little restrictions on this level of healing. And the fact that it can bring back people, even from ancient times, is an ability that will be essential when I at higher realms. Something that no other similar method can hope to match. Even if I attempted to synthesize something myself, I wouldn’t be able to reach the level that this one achieves.

I get the feeling that I will need at least something of this strength when fighting the true cultivation monsters.

With fear deep in my heart, it is clear what my answer is. He seems to see it as well from the look on my face. As I focused everything on my combat scan, I’m not trying to hide it using my scan.

He sighs.

I attempt to negotiate.

“W-wait. I can help you with your wife and daughter! I know alchemy, and you already can see the healing capabilities of my method.

If we work together, I could keep you going and heal them from whatever they’ve gone through. Even the mental aspects!”

This actually makes him freeze in place.

He seriously seems to consider it. This buys me another minute.

But then his face hardens, and he sighs again.

“I’m sorry. I can’t risk it, since we don’t have a contract here. I’ve already been betrayed before. I just can’t risk it.”

He walks toward me.

My body automatically slows down my time perception to catch his movements in a life-or-death situation. I activate all nearby taming contracts to attack. My healing is all the way up. Combat scan fully engaged.

It’s not enough.

He’s simultaneous seems to move quickly and slowly. I instantly dive into a backward roll to evade, but he’s easily keeping pace. Getting up, I try to run towards an opening in the wall, but he’s already there. It’s almost as if he’s trying to convince me it’s useless rather than attacking me.

My combat scan has been tracking and planning his movements for me to evade, but at a certain speed, it’s like stepping around a stumbling child.

Discerning the future actions means nothing if you can’t physically react fast enough. It means even less when they can do it better than you, because of the difference in time perception.

The last thing I hear before I see my vision flying into the air is,

“I’ll make this quick. It’s the least I can do for a friend.”

Well, it would have been the last thing I heard… if my body didn’t instantly regrow a new head.

Even with his increased perception and speed, he stared dumbfounded between my back, as I sprinted away, and my first, now disembodied head, for a good 5 seconds.

Plenty of time for me to push open a hidden window.

And in that free time, the swarm flooded the entire room.