The Next Day,
While having breakfast, he told her about his plan to enter the Trial Today. The trial had no specific time.
Anyone under Beginner Seventh order Cultivation could participate in the trial. But a cultivator can participate in the trial only once in their life. This means everyone gets a single shot at clearing the Steel Dwarf trial.
"Be careful out there!" She was reluctant to let him leave. The Steel Dwarf trial is known to be very challenging. And since its creation, only a handful of cultivators have been able to reach Level 5. And level 5 wasn't the final stage of the trial. The Trial had a total of six levels or stages, and no one managed to complete the sixth stage, which is said to be the toughest and most challenging of all.
Laura did not know what kind of challenges he would face in this trial. Crossing the Sand Mirage desert to reach Mount Soulripper to participate in the Steel Dwarf Trial was never in their initial plan, so she did not bother to learn more about the challenges and difficulties that participants face in this trial.
All she knew was that the Trial had six stages.
"I will be careful." He was slightly excited. No one died from the trial. So without the fear of death, for the first time since reaching Peak Fourth Order, he could test himself without needing to hold back. Even if he failed to clear the entire trial, by the end of it he would at least understand how powerful he was and which areas he needed to improve to become even stronger.
"But while I am facing the Trial, I need you to stay in this room." Aditya was afraid that while he was away, something might happen to her.
"Don't worry." Laura nodded.
"I have told the receptionist to send three meals on time. If you need anything, just ring the bell and ask the staff members."
"Also, don't go looking for me if I don't come out within one day. I heard that sometimes it can take days for the trial to end."
She felt touched by how concerned he was about her safety.
"Don't worry, I will take care of myself. But you better return as soon as possible." Looking at her face, Aditya couldn't help but lean forward and pat her head.
Before she could say anything, he leaned even more and gently kissed her forehead.
When he was done, she touched the spot that he kissed and looked at him.
But he did not wait. He was already at the entrance, with the door open. "I am leaving now."
Click!!!
After the door closed, her expression changed.
Her cheeks slightly turned red.
Feeling embarrassed, excited, and happy, she hugged the nearby pillow and buried half of her face on it.
'He just kissed me!' But she had to admit that this was one of the most comforting things anyone had ever done for her.
•••
Scene Change____
Thirty minutes later, the Dragon Emperor stood in front of a triangular-shaped structure.
The pyramid was 30 meters in height, and all three sides were equal in length and size. Since he came early, there weren't many people here.
'This is good!'
'I heard that during peak hours cultivators would need to wait hours before they get their chance to participate.' The number of cultivators that can challenge the Trial at once was limited to just 10.
And 99.9999% always get eliminated in the first Round.
To get some kind of reward, a challenger must at least reach Level 3, which means the challenger must complete the first two trials.
The Pyramid was made out of gold. The entrance was small, and there were no guards outside. But there were several powerful figures inside the triangular structure.
Aditya could sense a few Peak Sixth Order cultivators and one Seventh Order cultivator.
As he stepped in, eveyone looked at him. Aditya felt the stares of many powerhouses.
'Even the weakest one here can flatten everything in the Six Continents.' Sometimes, Aditya felt grateful to the barrier that kept the Main Continent and the Six Continents separate and kept the power restriction to Peak 5th-order.
If a cultivator from the main Continent wasn't suppressed in the Six Continents, then by now, the Six Continents simply wouldn't exist. And if it did, it would only exist as tiny fragments.
Everyone here was a dwarf. Even the youngest one in this room was over a thousand years old.
The interior was straightforward. Opposite the entrance, on the other side, a table and chair stood. An elderly dwarf sat there, enjoying a drink. To his right, there were couches, chairs, and tea tables. On the left, a small library was located. The floor was adorned with a beautiful red carpet or mattress. Behind the mini library, stairs led to the Second and higher floors.
He could vaguely feel the presence of a few other powerful figures on the upper floors.
"Kid! Are you here as a challenger?" As the old dwarf was sitting at the table facing the entrance. The dwarf sounded drunk, but strangely, at the same time, his voice carried a sharp edge.
Aditya did not mind the 'Kid' part. In the eyes of an immortal, he was still a brat.
"Yes!"
"Alright! But first, you will need to pay 50,000 Platinum coins."
"Once paid, you will receive a token that will allow you to join the trial as a challenger."
Taking money from Challengers wasn't a tradition. It was something that the later generations added for two main purposes. The first thing they noticed was that, despite the harsh conditions, many weak individuals still managed to cross the desert and participate in the trial. Since almost every visitor wanted to participate in the trial, and the maximum number of cultivators who could participate at once was limited to 10, the elders and the patriarch of the clan had no choice but to make this change.
The entire Saint Mirage Desert itself was a trial designed to eliminate weak cultivators, allowing only the strong to reach the city. But with the location of all the scattered zones handed to all the travellers, it had become possible even for weaker cultivators to cross the desert and pass the unofficial stage of the trial.
The idea behind setting the charge at 50,000 platinum coins was that only wealthy cultivators could afford it; the weaker ones might struggle to earn that much, but the powerful would not bat an eye at the amount. Also, this money became one of the many sources of income for the entire clan.
He did not hesitate. He had already prepared a storage ring containing 50,000 Platinum coins.
He placed the storage on the table. The Dwarf did not even look at the storage ring and just called someone.
"Lahm, please escort him."
A young dwarf who looked to be the age of 30 came from the mini library. Unlike other dwarves that were muscular and short, Lahm was skinny and gave a scholarly vibe. The thick black frame glasses he wore only made him look more nerdy.
Lahm was about 4 feet 5 inches tall. Despite being skinny, compared to humans, he was still muscular. He did not have a beard like other dwarves. But he had curly short hair and slightly tanned skin.
"Please come with me."
Once both of them left, the dwarf took the storage ring and checked the amount inside.
"You should have done that when he was here." Another drunk dwarf commented. He was lying on one of the couches.
Cough....!!!
The first Dwarf coughed, feeling awkward.
"He was pretending not to care to make himself look more dignified." Another dwarf added.
The first Dwarf, whose name was Khan, refused to make any comment. "Let's bet! Let's see how far this one will go!" Khan changed the topic and said.
"Not interested!"
"Yeah! That kid was merely a Peak Fourth Order cultivator. It would be a miracle if he somehow managed to get to level 2."
"We shouldn't have allowed him to participate. Isn't this why we charge so much money?"
"I don't want to say no to free money. Besides, who knows? This kid might surprise us." But being honest, Khan did not expect much from him.
"Surprise? I bet he will be back within the first 10 minutes."
Meanwhile,
Through an underground tunnel, they began towards the Mount Soulripper.
"Are you sure about this?" Lahm couldn't help but ask.
"100%" There was no trace of doubt in his voice.
Sigh...!!!
'Another Recekless Fool.' Lahm thought in his mind.
"Is there anything that I need to know about the trial?"
"Well, the trial is different to everyone. There are about 200 kinds of tests and challenges. Each Challenger faces a random combination of 6 tests among 200. With each level, the test gets harder and harder."
"So far, no one has managed to clear the entire Trial. Only a handful of beings have ever reached Level 6, which is the final trial, but also is the hardest and the most difficult one."
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