William continued to clear floor after floor of the trial tower under the incredulous gaze of the trial creator. The ancient Cultivator had even paused his experimental work to watch William fight against each Magical Beast that spawned on the floors.
Additionally, William wouldn't stop improving himself just because he could defeat the enemies in a single hit. No, the boy would take the time to rest and regain his mental strength after each fight within the first thirty floors.
He continued to improve his various physical abilities, even moving on to his Magic Ability. Using the Life Domain as a template, he was able to manifest various other domains after a few attempts, which made clearing the floors of the tower even easier.
After floor fifty, William was more than strong enough to suit his needs. He stopped spending his mental strength after each floor and flashed through the next hundred floors in a matter of hours.
Even though he was in an Illusory Realm, time didn't flow any differently now than it did before.
William spent a total of six days in the Illusory Realm, almost an entire day of it spent fighting a clone of himself on the 200th floor.
William imagined his copy accidentally cutting off its own leg, which set him up for a clean victory, but the clone continued to fight fiercely with the same abilities he had used his mental strength to gain previously.
I finally did it...William thought as he panted heavily. Newest update provıded by NoveI[F]ire.net
William was pulled out of the Illusory Realm at that moment, appearing in the center of the 200th floor. The only difference between this and the Illusory Realm was the three-foot tall old man with short white hair standing in the center of the room.
"Congratulations, Disciple Candidate William." the trial creator's voice spread throughout the trial tower, originating from the old man. It sounded a bit shaky for some reason, but William didn't think much of it.
He was more concerned with the old man in front of him, whose full height barely reached William's waistline.
"You're the midget- I mean, you're the creator in charge of these Ruins?" William asked.
The old man frowned, "Midget?"
That word had become taboo in Riyald's dictionary ever since his experimental accident that reduced his height by almost two feet. He had always been a short man, but his attempt to increase his height a few hundred years ago had severely backfired.
"No, no. I was thinking of someone else, Sir. You see...there's this midget from my old world-"
"You better stop saying the word 'midget', boy." Riyald's expression turned dangerous.
"Yes Sir." William opted to listen for once.
"I'll let this matter slide just this one time, only because you've impressed me thus far. Have you considered my offer that my Artifact Spirit extended a few weeks ago?"
William thought for a moment, "I have."
"And what is your response?"
"I..." William wanted to say no, or even not yet, but he couldn't come up with a reason why he would say no. Even the System said it was beneficial to his growth.
What's wrong with me, this is clearly a good opportunity! All I have to do is say yes, and I will have everything I need!
A powerful Master with many treasures and hundreds of years of experience, and a Ruin where I can hide from the rest of the world forever. I wouldn't need to worry about how I'm going to survive when I get out!
But when William thought of Charlotte, Yuming, and even Misha, he became a bit sad. He knew that if he made the decision to follow the trial creator as his disciple, his chances of meeting them again would be slim...
"You mean to say that the old man in charge of the Gravitas Ruins might have invited William to become his disciple?" the black-cloaked figure asked Sect Master Gu Dianlong, who was seated at a nearby desk drafting out a Cultivation Technique in a book.
"That's exactly what I mean. How could he have removed the Enslavement Array so quickly otherwise?"
"Hmm..." the figure was deep in thought as he paced around the room. The relevant information had already been reported to his superiors, but he couldn't say he wasn't concerned.
"Gu Dianlong, what do you think of this Riyald individual? You've seen him before, right?"
"He's strong, but only because of the Ruins that have hidden him for centuries. When I was a young man, I had the chance to enter just after he had gained ownership of the Gravitas Ruins. At the time, I wasn't nearly as strong as I am now and thought him to be omnipotent, but now..."
"Unless he has improved by leaps and bounds in the last five hundred years, he shouldn't be much stronger than I am. He's not invincible."
"Then he wouldn't bother to hide away for so long. We are at the peak of the World, so there are only two options for us.
Waste our years having fun in the Lower Realms or ascend and risk losing everything we have built up throughout our entire lives.
You're still much younger than I am, so it might be difficult to understand." Gu Dianlong set down his pen at those last words and looked at the black-cloaked figure.
"I get it. Who would leave behind their families, their Sects, and their achievements to ascend to an unknown environment? Who would give up their spot as number one so easily?"
The black-cloaked man said this, but he sneered inwardly when the Sect Master spoke of being at the peak of the World. At the peak of the World, but look at what condition you are in. Ha!
"Exactly. It seems you do know some things." Gu Dianlong nodded and returned to his work. He didn't seem to notice the disrespectful thoughts of the black-cloaked figure, despite Gu Dianlong's Cultivation being over a Realm higher.
"What would you do then?" the black-cloaked figure asked as he watched the Five Elements Sect Master.
"Me? I'm still too weak. There's nothing for me to do."
"Is there anyone that isn't too weak?"
"There are only two. Supreme Left and Unbreakable Right." Gu Dianlong replied flatly.
The room became silent for a while as neither party were willing to say or ask more. Gu Dianlong finished drafting out a copy of his Cultivation Technique, then handed the book to the black-cloaked figure.
The book was thrown into a Space Ring, where it would remain until it was passed to the higher-ups of Retribution. Such a valuable Cultivation Technique couldn't possibly be learned by a weakling that wasn't even at the peak of the world.
"Thank you, Sect Master Gu. You may return to your usual duties as a Sect Master after sending me to the organization." the black-cloaked figure said.
Gu Dianlong waved his hand and opened a portal as he had done hundreds of times, the black-cloaked figure passing through without another word.
After the man disappeared, Gu Dianlong's eyes changed slightly. He weaved a tiny amount of Spirit Qi into a small Array located on his right shoulder, wincing in pain at the backlash but refusing to stop until he had made some progress.