Reaching the Core

  As he ascended the stairs, he could spot the other trial challenger. While there is still a barrier blocking them from reaching one another, they can still see the other people. As for the reason, Ryker blamed it on the fact this was only a part of the secret realm, likely cut when the Earth Source expert was injured badly.

  Still, he was plagued with one question. Why did an Earth Source expert, someone who could rule over a part of the continent, come to such a place? It didn't make any sense whatsoever to him as there were no resources that would help raise the cultivation of someone at that level in the area.

  He assumed the expert was chased by another expert or a group of one, as that would be the more likely option. Still, he couldn't help but feel his assumption is wrong, and there is something bigger in play.

  He ignored all the complicated thoughts for now as he focused on another more important thing, namely, trying to gain the inheritance, or the reward of beating the other challenger as while it said inheritance, this part of the secret realm is merely a small part. 

  He looked at the gathered cloud, almost similar to the previous test. While he was not sure of the test of the other peaks, it was either the same as the first one or there would be different trials for every peak. He wondered which one was true.

-x-

  'The trial is the same as before,'

-x-

  'Despite looking similar, it's likely there is some difference as it was the final trial,'

-x-

  'Whatever the trial is, this young master would pass through it and claim the final rewards,'

-x-

  He looked at the trial ground, seeing a thin but, most likely, very powerful barrier separating them from the mist. They wondered what they had to wait for but decided to be patient now. All of the trial challengers took the chance to meditate, calming themselves as they prepared for the final trial.

  Soon enough, the barrier disappeared, though the mist remained still. Without waiting any longer, the six people began to enter the mist. As soon as they did so, they could feel them being squeezed from all sides.

  The six endured, focusing on absorbing the errant energy, though with how they were under great pressure, it was a hard thing to do. Still, they didn't pass the trial for no reason after all, so they were able to refine the energy while moving closer to the core.

  They moved closer and closer, preparing to claim the most important treasures.

-x-

  They looked at the core in despair. They had been inside for nearly a day, yet they still didn't come close to getting to the core. They barely even reached half of the distance, the pressure and concentration of energy too much for them.

  However, to their relief, the one that could be the most threatening out of them all seemed to be stuck in place, unable to move a single step.

  "Hah! He must be someone who gets lucky to get the mark. But with the true geniuses here, he wouldn't stand a chance," Horo didn't miss the opportunity to insult Ryker.

  "That's right, he must be lucky. Now that he's facing the real challenges, he wouldn't be able to get the right to the inheritance," another one of the successful challengers joined in the fun. 

  As for the rest, they didn't have the time nor desire to insult someone else. Still, it bothered them that someone who could challenge people above his cultivation realm by a major would struggle so much.

  It never occurred to them that the person in question was spending most of his time comprehending the energy around them. After all, why bother holding back when the inheritance is so close?

-x-

  Ryker could hear the insult. Like most things coming from Horo's mouth, he treated it like mere air, not worthy of being recognized. Still, the effort he put into understanding the energy is paying off. With the ability to comprehend the energy, he felt like he could easily reach the core of the place.

  However, he held himself back, wanting to see if he could get more benefits by comprehending the energy, maybe even being able to increase his mastery over the Law of Metal. Even if he didn't get his mastery to the 2nd level, he could still get close enough to that stage.

  Unfortunately, even with the energy-rich in Law of Metal, he couldn't able to get close to the 2nd level. "Huh, the 2nd level is much harder. Then again, it was hard enough to get to the 2nd level of mastery of any Path, so it was understandable,"

  Still, he found it to be a pity, as further improvement would make it easier for him to get to the 2nd level mastery of Law of Metal. Now that he knew he couldn't get any more benefits, aside from raising his cultivation realm, he decided to get to the core now.

-x-

  As the other challengers had reached the halfway point, they heard someone walking. They turned their head in the direction of the sound, surprised to see Ryker finally making his move.

  "So what he could finally move? In the end, he is still at the star-" Whatever Horo's about to say went unfinished as Ryker keeps walking, seemingly undeterred by the energy. It didn't take him long to reach the others, taking about 10 minutes for the distance that took them an entire day.

  The young master of Alquim Duchy was about to say something else when Ryker kept on walking, entering deeper than the others did. They could only watch in despair as he reached the core, only a short distance separating him from the inheritance.

  They watched as he seemed to contemplate something, before putting his hand at the core.

-x-

  Ryker could feel his consciousness being sent elsewhere. He couldn't even stop it, praying that whatever caused it would not do him harm. By the time he could feel something, the light returned and he could see a figure bathing in metal energy looking at him with a smile.

  Ryker bowed to the figure, "This young one greets elder," the man merely smiled at him before motioning him to go to his side. Not hesitating a bit, he reached the side of the man, who began to talk.

  "This thing is merely a soul manifestation, kept by the power in this one's hand. This entire place was created by this old master's hand, literally. You must be the one to find the finger this old master cut off. The one that holds the key to this place,"

  "This old master would not say anything else, just the reward for this place is the location of this old master's true body,"