True Noble's Garden

 When the memory of the King finished his sentence, it clapped its hands, causing the light to head towards them and hit them.

 When they opened their eyes, they saw they were already at the previous spot, the others coming out of the Noble's Garden as well. 

 A loud voice boomed, "The second phase of Kilrun Duchy Hidden Realm shall begin. Try your luck as more treasures shall appear," 

 Hearing the voice, the rogue cultivators and even the heirs looked excited, the prospect of getting more treasures is enticing for all of them. Without giving it a second thought, they began to scour all over the place, hoping to find the treasure.

 The only group that remained was the Duke's group, who remained in the place. Before Hylla could go to the exact spot again, the memory of the King appeared once more.

 "Don't worry. This is his and the Duke's opportunity. If he was able to claim the true treasure, the Duke would be able to ascend to the next realm. You youngster should seek your opportunities," the memory advised them before disappearing.

 Giving the location one final glance, the group headed out, hoping to find other treasures while at the same time, hoping that Ryker would be able to get out alive.

-x-

 Ryker opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a blizzard sight. Besides the fact the place he currently is in is similar to the Noble's Garden. Partially that is.

 After all, he was sure the Noble's Garden didn't have any black rifts, possible tears in space, gravity moving backward, and streams that go both forwards and backward.

 He was looking around for the others when the memory appeared right in front of his face, making him jump a little.

 "This is the True Noble's Garden. Here, there are countless anomalies related to the three Paths that governed the world and likely, the entire universe. While this is a great opportunity for you to comprehend any of the three Paths, it is also more dangerous as the effect is greater compared to the other part of the Hidden Realm,"

 Ryker tried to digest the information before looking at the memory, "So, those anomalies appeared when the True Noble's Garden was opened by somebody?" he asked.

 "Yes, though the True Noble's Garden can only be opened when the Duke or his successors used the alternative method. Though the fact it could cause some damage to the hidden realm makes it that it was not chosen unless the situation is truly dire," the memory answered.

 He then nodded, seeing the different anomalies with some excitement. He had been searching for something similar before, but now, with countless anomalies, his chances of comprehending the three Paths to Elementary Understanding are high.

 He then watched as the memory disappeared before looking at the anomalies, hoping to gain something from observing it.

-x-

 After some tough decisions, he first chose the gravitational anomalies, as it is considered the easiest to comprehend out of the three Paths. 

 His first target is a place where the rocks remain floating, not moving downward or upward. He poked the rock, watching as it drifted towards another, creating a chain reaction.

 Despite his standing in the area, he didn't float, likely because of his qi or because he was too heavy, as the only things in the area that float were small rocks that could fit in his hand.

 He began to sit in lotus position, spreading his Soul Sense as he tried to comprehend the Law of Gravity. He also circulates the Universe Control Mantra, increasing his ability to comprehend the Law of Gravity better.

 He spent nearly 10 minutes doing so before he felt the unstable anomaly slowly... stabilize. Opening his eyes, he realized he had used his qi along with his little understanding of the Law of Gravity to fix the anomaly, effectively repairing it.

 While it was not his intention, he realized doing so would allow him to comprehend Law of Gravity faster. He returned to his previous pose before focusing on repairing the gravitational anomaly. 

 It didn't take him long before the anomaly was repaired, mostly due to the fact it was a weak anomaly and didn't affect the Law of Space too much.

 Now that he had a way to effectively train his ability regarding the three Paths, along with the fact that there are countless such anomalies, it would not take him too long before he would be able to raise his mastery of the three Paths to the Elementary Understanding.

 He looked at the various anomalies, the ultimate question forming in his mind.

 "Which anomaly should I look for first?"

-x-

 As Ryker cleared the anomalies one by one, he could feel his comprehension of the three Paths increased by a lot, though it was still some distance away from the Elementary Understanding realm.

 However, he was not too concerned in that regard as with the number of anomalies in the Noble's Garden, it wouldn't take long for him to achieve his goal. He did wonder how long he was, though, as he couldn't tell the time in the Noble's Garden like he could at the other part of the hidden realm.

-x-

 Duke let out a sigh. It had been seven days since he sent the youngster into the hidden realm. He guessed in one hour or so, they would come out of the place. He was about to return back to his mansion, he had come to this place on a whim when he sensed a powerful aura heading towards him.

 However, he could tell they were not coming after him, instead, heading towards the entrance of the hidden realm. Growing worried over the younger generation, the Duke hid his presence as he flew to the top side of the wall, watching the incoming person.

 It didn't take long for him to realize the person was not friendly. 'Bandits!' he thought to himself. 'And not just any bandits, they're all at the Genesis Sea realm!'

 Fear gripped his heart as he called the rest of the Genesis Sea experts of the Kilrun Duchy, still remaining hidden as he watched their trajectory. He wished he was dreaming but the fact they headed towards the entrance of the hidden realm is real.

 When they get close, they bombard the wall. The wall could easily hold up against a Genesis Sea expert full-power attack. Several at once, that is a different story. The walls were destroyed, though he was able to save some of the guards stationed there, though some were lost in the attack.

 Roaring furiously at the death of his men, he is going to mourn them later, he unleashed his own aura and appeared in front of them, punching a weaker Genesis Sea expert and sending him flying towards a nearby mountain.

He glared at the bandits, snarling,

 "What are you bandits doing here?!"