The Rise of the Black Plain - Chapter 2711: The Challenges

Months later, Minos had awakened from his state of concentrated meditation and helped his companions by using Temporal Sands. In just 20 days of effort, Minos managed to put all his companions under the effects of his divine ability, enough for them to experience a passage of time different from the real thing.

After leaving the group in seclusion, he watched Leger prepare for the next ruin he would enter, having advanced to level 116 earlier. He also spoke to Tiolos, who had successfully completed the journey through the fourth ruin, getting some tips for the course ahead.

After three months in ruin number 12, he also overcame the challenge already carried out by Tiolos and moved on to the entrance of ruin 11.

Faced with the glowing essence of ruin 11, he cut off the tip of one of his fingers and moved on when he touched a glowing sphere of strong spiritual fluctuation there. Immediately, the path into the ruin revealed itself to him, transforming the dark and difficult-to-analyze place into one that was illuminated for him alone.

Only his eyes could see the differences after he connected his blood and energy to the core of the ruin, seeing a path forming towards the area where his tests would be.

The ruins of this place were not like those that cultivators would normally find, with partially destroyed areas, faulty defensive and offensive mechanisms, internal areas forgotten by time and the presence of dangerous living beings. The place where Minos and his companions were was special, created by the owner of the level 124 soul fragment to be a test for individuals destined for feats or powers similar to hers.

Her strength had ended in the distant past, but what would have been the partially destroyed headquarters of her former organization was not simply abandoned by her. She transformed it, made it her inheritance, keeping creatures away from the place and alternating the areas of her dimension according to what she found interesting.

Minos had already experienced this in the last tests, having seen that the place they were in was an area with tests of endurance, spiritual affinity, capacity for understanding, etc. There were risks, of course, but they didn’t have to deal with damaged traps, vengeful spirits and the like.

He soon reached level 1 of ruin 11, the first of the five levels available in this ruin.

In what must have been the main hall of the site in the distant past, Minos came across the surrounding passages being covered by energy barriers. These paths led to the exit, to the next level, but also to special areas of the ruin where one could get water, preserved and fresh food, but most importantly, special opportunities.

In the ruin number 12 that he had faced over the last few weeks, Minos had gone through a total of 4 levels, and on level 4, he had gotten the chance to cultivate in a plasma lake where he purified his blue flames.

That opportunity didn’t give him a chance to advance in level, but it did make his flames stronger for the same level and intensity of heat, making them more capable of melting and consuming substances.

The flames on his body had the additional effect of cleansing impurities from resources he consumed—up to a certain limit—a characteristic that was also strengthened by this recent victory he had had.

All this had been a fraction of what he had obtained in ruin 12, something he had achieved by winning a test of resistance to the pure flames of the Divine Phoenix.

However, this didn’t mean that the test had been simple. If Minos didn’t already have a power related to that of the most difficult test of the ruin and wasn’t as strong as he was, with his Celestial grade Physique and other abilities related to the Divine Dragons and Seraphim, the whole thing could have been deadly for him.

11:00

However, this didn’t mean that the test had been simple. If Minos didn’t already have a power related to that of the most difficult test of the ruin and wasn’t as strong as he was, with his Celestial grade Physique and other abilities related to the Divine Dragons and Seraphim, the whole thing could have been deadly for him.

“I’m ready, whatever today’s test is,” he said as he circulated his energies, obviously in the dark as to what was in ruin 11, which he was the first to explore.

He and Tiolos were taking turns exploring the ruins to inform each other and their companions of the kind of danger and tests they would face if they accepted the challenges. It was his turn to be the first to explore the dangers of the ruins of this heritage, before he could once again cultivate in seclusion and wait for Tiolos’ next attempt.

As soon as Minos spoke, the test on level 1 of ruin 11 began, with strange winds forming in that enclosed place, moving around him and becoming more and more biting.

‘An endurance test?’ Minos narrowed his eyes as he transformed into his dragon version, spreading his wings while protecting his flesh.

His body quickly transformed, silver and gold scales taking over his surface as he increased substantially in size. Fortunately, the area he was in was large, 12 meters high and 60 meters in radius, enough to contain Minos’ bestial form.

Covering himself entirely with his wings, he felt the winds grow stronger and stronger, reaching an incredible 2,000 kilometers per hour, becoming so sharp that it was as if he were inside an infinite-bladed shredder.

Even his powerful wings showed signs of weakness, with parts of the scales protecting them cracking, little by little with minor cuts growing.

Minos pressed his teeth together, not having imagined that, in his current condition, something would be able to make him feel pain at that level.

It must be said that he didn’t just have a dragon’s body, seraphim wings and a Physique of Celestial grade. He also had the passive ability of Devouring Art, Indestructible Body, and even Temporal Sand, capable of changing the speed of the air blades touching him, all of that acting simultaneously.

Even with all his tricks in action to delay the effects of the level 1 test chamber, he felt the cuts on his body increase rapidly, as he struggled not to scream in pain.

This was no ordinary test. If one didn’t have very strong defensive skills and mental resilience, surviving this challenge would be impossible!

Minos had to endure 11 minutes there, a shorter time than in ruin 12, where he had to endure 12 minutes in each test, but still much worse than what he had faced in that place.

Less time in ruin 11 was no easier than more time in ruin 12. Minos was sure that the difficulty from one ruin to the next had increased several times!

‘Shit! This ruin can’t be explored by Supremes below level 117! Only Tiolos can come here after me.’ Minos concluded in the middle of the first of the five challenges he would have in this place, the easiest of the challenges in Ruin 11.

If things were already this bad at the start, then he could already see that ruin 10 or 9, at best, would only be accessible to those with one foot at level 118, or who could fight at that level.

Neither he nor anyone else in his group had reached that level yet!

Minos’ luck was that he was still only in the middle of level 113 and could improve a lot over the next few decades!

‘It’s decided! When I finish here, I will begin a 10-year seclusion. I won’t attempt ruin 10 until I’ve experienced 10 years of meditation.’ He thought, considering the normal passage of time by Zocarro standards.