18 Inmates

Dalvin's expression became grim. He noted that the current time should be 6.36 in the morning, meaning that he only had to wait around 24 or so minutes to be able to qualify to eat breakfast safely.

While he was definitely looking forward to that, the details of the current simulation also left him feeling pensive. There had been a faint hope in the back of his mind that he could just blink right out of the prison when he was ready.

The reason he had not done so yet was because he knew from Feng Qi's recount that the rest of the city outside was also dangerous, if not more so. At least in this prison, thanks to simulation, Dalvin knew where danger was and how to avoid it.

He could peacefully hide in his cell, and as long as resources were guaranteed, he could increase his strength somewhat. As far back as the previous night, a small plan had been building in Dalvin's mind, but all of that would become for naught if he escaped.

But the option and the ability to escape whenever he wanted was also crucial to his plans because he could not stay here forever. It was possible to practice martial arts to the peak in the prison, but the moment he entered qi refining stage level 1, he would be subjected to the daily qi deviation at midnight.

Also, he looked at the reaction of the guard and felt a hint of an idea in his heart. It was nothing explosive, just the fact that he remembered that very powerful cultivators in the webtoons he read could forcefully read people's minds and sometimes have telepathic abilities.

In his simulation, he could leverage this to his advantage because who would want to be on the hunting list of a person who could see the future freely?

Dalvin was in a tough spot, yes, but if you really thought about it, it was more terrifying to be an enemy in his path. He could theoretically see all your tricks and moves before even physically meeting you, even having dug out your weakness through simulations.

In terms of fear factor, it was no different from you posting 'hi, I'm new on this site' on a social platform and another person responding 'IP address = 92.28.211.234, Coordinates: N: 43.7462 W: 12.4893, Social Security Number: 6979191519182016, etc.'

'Well, the xueqi pill lasts for about 30 minutes when not in use like this, so I should technically be able to make it safely. However, I really need to get a watch when I return to Earth so I can tell the time on my own.' Dalvin thought.

He did not dare practice and consume the energy he had left, so he could only sit down and try to daydream to pass the time, but it was futile since he was too full of energy to even think. In the end, he just ran multiple simulations to check the time and to try different outcomes.

In the first, he walked near the door to his left where another prisoner was kept in solitary confinement and tried to converse with them from a safe distance. However, the moment the eyes manifested, Dalvin was entranced once more and chewed to death.

In another, he actually entered different cells one by one and searched them for an entire hour, starting from the left side. When he got close to the solitary confinement door, he turned back and came to the right side of his original cell.

An hour passed, and he was unable to find anything even though he almost reached the junction. Could it really be that only Feng Qi left something behind? Even if it wasn't out of kindness, these cultivators who came here should have storage bags or rings with resources, right?

Where did they go?

Around 10 or so minutes had passed in reality as Dalvin idled and simulated, eventually stopping so that he could have bloodline energy to blink when necessary. When enough time passed, he immediately blinked out of his cell and into the hallway, walking briskly towards the Cooking and Dining Area.

When he reached the junction, he didn't even glance towards the right and walked left, reaching the courtyard door after taking a deep breath. He immediately blinked through the courtyard and entered the cooking and dining area without physically being present in the courtyard nor opening either doors.

He did not want the entity in the courtyard to be on alert for him, so that his simulated selves could be able to dig out more secrets from it as he - hopefully - became stronger. In the cooking and diving area, it was arranged just as he expected in the simulation, except for one minor change.

To Dalvin's shock, he saw various other people in here. There were groups on each table, all of them whose eyes turned to him when he entered. All of them wore different attires and were from different races, but one thing that rang true was that the moment they made eye contact with Dalvin, he almost fainted as his brain felt like it was about to explode.

"He's a mortal, avert your eyes!" A rather sharp person roared quickly as he looked away.

The pupils of the various beings in the room rapidly constricted with horror as they quickly averted their eyes, not daring to look at the newcomer anymore. For that matter, Dalvin, who felt like he was about to die, suddenly felt relieved and regained control of himself.

He glanced around the room with the corner of his eyes and saw that everyone was focused on their food, not even daring to chat anymore as they ate quickly. From Dalvin's assertion, all of these people should be cultivators or prisoners like him, so why did they react in such a way?

"Hehehe, what a rare specimen. A mortal who has never cultivated before and has some weak martial arts foundation, yet in the Immortal Locking Prison. Tomorrow, I might see pigs cultivating the Dao, hehehe." An eerier aged female voice sounded, prompting Dalvin to turn and look at what he could only describe as an old hag.

Yet upon looking at her, even though Dalvin could detect that she also likely possessed great power, he did not feel any discomfort from her. As such, he bravely approached despite keeping his 'finger' on the block's ability lest anything go awry.

"Greetings, Esteemed One, may I have the permission to speak to you?" Dalvin asked as he bowed.

The old woman who wore rotting robes and was thin as a stick rolled her eyes. "Brat, there's no need for formalities. In this prison, we are all of the same rank, mere dogs that can be butchered by anomalies at any time."

Her turbid grey eyes moved towards her plate. "Whether you were a great cultivator or a powerful spear-wielding heroine who everyone called a fairy before, it means nothing now. We are all prisoners in the end."

A hint of sadness appeared in her disposition that Dalvin easily noticed, and he could feel the air change as those who were nearby and heard the hag's words seemed to be affected too.

The air was suddenly filled with deep depression that weighed down on the soul.