Thanks to a few well timed warnings from me and Xerxes we avoided most of the monsters as we ran. Unfortunately the monsters were all massive insects. There were various kinds of beetles, Milli and Centipedes as well bugs that had no earth counters parts. Some of which seemed to be either undead or covered in death attuned energy. I decided not to ask about any of as to not risk my esteemed my reputation in front of these people.

  I was about to ask how much longer until we arrive when I started to see other people with my soul sense. Unlike the stiffness of the second prince's camp this one was much more active. There were two groups, less than half were guards who patrolled the perimeter while the rest were civilians. They were all cultivators but the noncombat people had energy around levels 10 to 15 which would have made them midtier on earth. Chances are if enough of these people got together they could take over a few cities assuming that I or the other top 50 or so weren't around to stop them.

  The guards weren't as strong as the trio escorting me. They were likely in the mid thirties. They all had auras though and more than a few had a Tao strand which was impressive. I still wasn't sure what the standard was in the multiverse so it was impossible to know if these people were strong or weak. We stopped sprinting as we entered another base camp. This one was much less impressive when compared to Scythan's. If his was designed for comfort and beauty then the first prince went for effectiveness. The trees had been cleared out in every direction and the most important tents were located in the middle. There was even a wooden wall that surrounded the whole thing.

  I was pretty sure it wouldn't stop a cultivator that wanted to get in but it should be more than enough to stop weaker beasts. It would also provide a short warning before an attack could begin. Xerxes and I were led to the base of a hill. At the top was what I assumed was the prince's tent. It was in the same inverted color scheme with the falcon on top. The woman smiled and bowed to us before she went in. I scanned the tent and saw another set of arrays. Only these arrays weren't part of the tent. Instead their were small array flags stuck into the ground every ten feet or so.

  Part of me wanted to ask the prince about that but I wasn't sure if these were secrets or not. Based on the way every had treated information so far I leaned toward the former. I could tell that the arrays were similar to Scythan's. They would isolate sound, smell and my soul sense couldn't pass through. Part of me wanted to test how strong they were but the prince had so far been cool. I wasn't willing to fuck that up just to test my strength.

  We were left waiting for a few minutes before the woman left the tent and gestured for us to follow. She stepped to the side and we entered. The tent was nearly identical in design to the other one but was more "normal". The table was made out of nice wood but still wood. Same with the chairs. The only interesting thing about the tent was the floating fire lights. They were fireballs that just flickered. All of that paled in comparison to the man seated at the table.

  He was thin and slightly feminine in appearance. His hair was tied behind him but was long enough to nearly touch the ground. He was in a dark blue robe and had no weapon. He didn't even have a guard in the tent. I was pretty sure that he could call for help if needed but the Eye of Heaven made something clear. Based on his energy there was a clear difference in strength between us. He took me in a for a moment and then got to his feet.

  He repeated the gesture of the woman only he didn't bow as deeply. "Greetings to the distinguished cultivator. I hope your journey was pleasant."

  I smiled and copied the movement. "Greetings to the Crown Prince. Your escort was more than impressive. I am thankful that you sent them."

  "It was no trouble. Please take a seat there are many things that I wanted to discuss with you." He gestured to the seat across from him.

  I nodded and took the seat. Xerxes took up a spot next to me. When I sat down the crown prince leaned back in his chair. "I have heard that you met with my brother. Have you agreed to his offer?"

  I smiled and shook my head. "I have not made any agreements as of yet. Is that why you wanted to speak with me? Is this your attempt to recruit me to your side?"

  He laughed before he shook his head. "No, no quite the opposite. I would prefer it if you stayed out of the conflict between my brothers and I. It is dishonorable for us to involve rogue cultivators and outsiders."

  That took me by surprise but when I thought about it a bit further it made sense. The Crown Prince clearly didn't need my help which meant that I was a wild card. "I see, if I refuse I might be forced into conflict with your brother and his followers. Are you asking that I avoid that or am I free to defend myself."

  "I can assure you that the battle between us will commence soon. From what I have seen you are a mentalist. Not to mention you have a portal based movement ability. I would like to be sure that you won't participate in that fight." He clapped his hands and the woman entered. This time she had another token.

  I glanced at it but I already knew what it was. "Are you not interested in the reward at the center of the trial?"

  "Oh I am but it is of secondary concern. This trial is a challenge from our royal father. I won't go into detail but until we deal with our own issues we won't proceed from this point."

  I nodded and held a hand out to the woman. When she gave me the token I placed into my ring and nodded. "Alright, I won't fight. I would like to make a request of you." He gestured for me to continue and I did. "I want the chance to fight you. If time permits of course. I wouldn't want to interrupt your business but I would like see if I can beat you."

  The prince glanced at the woman, then back at me before he tossed his head back and laughed. "That's all you want? Are you being serious?"

  I grinned and nodded. "Well the tokens are nice as well. They will make my journey from here a lot easier."

  "Very well assuming there is still time after this conflict I will do battle with you. I must ask who is your teacher? I don't recall anyone with your description in the Taesha Kingdom so I assume you are from outside?"

  I slowly nodded and briefly considered lying but I was likely to make some mistake in etiquette. I also didn't know anything about having a teacher or how to make one up. Instead I decided to be honest and let the cards fall where they may. "I don't have one. My world was recently assimilated."

  They both looked like they had swallowed a mouthful of chili peppers as they looked at each other. "You speak truly?" The prince asked and when I nodded he laughed again. "I suppose their is always something under the heavens. I would recommend you find a teacher sooner rather than later. I am not sure if you realize but this stage is when your path is most malleable. It provides the most directions for growth as result you are most receptive to teaching."

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I raised an eyebrow at that. "Should I do it before breaking through?"

  "I would suggest so but it isn't overly needed. I would suggest you take your time. Most people spend decades in the 1st realm to sure up their path and explore the things they care for. There is no need to embark on Heaven's path at a sprint."

  "I was told about competitions where people could join sects or at least try to do so. Do you know where one of those places could be found?"

  The prince smiled. "I do. If you manage to best me in our battle I wouldn't mind providing you a teleportation token."

  My eyes widened as I considered what he said. I already wanted to fight him but this way I would be killing two birds with one stone. "Alright, you have a deal."

  After that we settled into a smaller conversations. He provided us with a meal and some wine to drink. Both of which helped to restore my spiritual energy. He even provided a beast crystal for Xerxes. I wasn't sure how long we sat and talked before I decided it was time to go. We were still in a trial and there was no guarantee that there weren't other people who had collected all five tokens.

  "Thank you Crown Prince Menelan. I look forward to our battle and I hope things go well between you and your brother."

  "I wish you the best of luck and I look forward to hearing about your success in the greater multiverse."

  With that said Xerxes and I were led out of the camp and back through the forest. We traveled for what felt like thirty minutes before I gestured to a large tree. When we stopped I turned and bowed to the trio. "I thank you and your Crown Prince for your hospitality. I think this would be a great place for us to part ways. I would like to explore this part of the forest before I head deeper in."

  The trio smiled, nodded and then bowed. "Thank you we are pleased that you were able to come to terms with the Crown Prince. We wish you fortune and auspicious encounters."

  Xerxes and I watched the trio leave until they were too far away for any of my senses to the detect them. I then pulled out both tokens. One depicted a massive ape with multiple arms while the other was a swarm of horrible insects. I took a moment to appreciate both of them before I sent them away again. "Alright, lets see if there is anything else in this area before we go and see what else the forest has for us."

  Xerxes howled and for the first time since he had been given the beast crystal I took a careful look at him. His fur was much denser. I attempted to run my fingers through it but it was like being cut by small blades. That wasn't the only change either. His scales were much tougher. I rapt my knuckles across and I wasn't sure I could get through them without relying on the Tao of Compression.

  Once Xerxes saw that he I was admiring him he tossed his head back and let out another howl. Pride and contentment flowed down our bond. "Stronger. Lets find someone to test my claws."

  I raised an eyebrow and absent mindedly wondered if I was a bad influence on him or if he was influencing me. I didn't dwell on it. "Alright, lets see what we can find."

  I let my aura explode and Xerxes did the same. The forest came alive in response to our killing intent. The smaller and weaker creatures scurried to avoid us but they didn't draw our attention. We took off to the west in search of something fun to fight. I wasn't sure how long we had run before we encountered a massive centipede. The creature was the size of a bus and had a massive black horn. As soon as the creature sensed us it let out a hissing sound that grated on the ears.

  I was just about to expand my Tao field and prepare for battle when Xerxes leaped forward. A ball of red and orange flames formed in his mouth seconds before he blasted the beast. A halo of indigo blades formed above me but before I could launch an attack my haughty Qilin slammed into the bug. The bug slammed into the ground and barely had a second to react before Xerxes was upon him. Another blast of flame had already formed at the beast's throat.

  The creature was once again engulfed in fire its cries filled the air. Cries that almost made me feel bad for it. Not enough to spare it but enough to make me want to end the fight sooner. All six blades of psychic energy slammed into the creatures head and the fight was over. The majority of the kill energy had gone to Xerxes which wasn't a problem.

  "Well do you just hate those things or are you trying to tell me something?"

  Xerxes shook his head before leaping off of the beast. "I am bored. You wasted so much time with the pretty one."

  I laughed and then reflected for a moment on what he said. "You never call me pretty?" Xerxes snorted and squinted. "I will have you know I have a very impressive visage."

  Xerxes sniffed the air and turned to the northwest. "Something is coming."

  I nodded and formed six blades. Only three of which were visible. I then expanded my Tao field to cover both of us. We weren't forced to wait long. A massive bug with six legs and two long Antennae crawled into the clearing. When it saw us it let out a loud chittering sound that made my vision blur. When Intellect Fortress failed to activate I let out a sigh of relief. This thing looked like a tank but if it couldn't use mental attacks then it probably didn't have the best defenses.

  I was about to launch my attack when the beast's mouth began to glow an emerald green. My danger sense piqued and threw myself to the side. "Move!" I yelled to Xerxes who didn't hesitate. We narrowly avoided a spray of acid that was nearly five feet wide. The forest floor burned as caustic smells filled my nose. I bit back the urge to vomit and launched all six of my blades.

  I didn't bother to wait to see them hit. Instead I activated Psychic Aegis, a wall of indigo energy infused with the Strand of Adamance sprung up between us. Xerxes took the moment just after it appeared to unleash another ball of fire. The creature let out another cry as the attacks rained down on it. The ugly thing then charged forward and slammed into the wall.

  The wall cracked but managed to held back the bug. I unleashed Psionic Rain and imbued it with the Tao of Compression. Dozens of psychic blades fell and passed right through its exoskeleton. The bug let out a cry of pain. Its pincers snapped as if it wanted to split us in two. Xerxes unleashed another blast of fire and the bug had enough. It lowered its massive body and rammed through the wall. I barely had enough time to activate Apportation before it was upon me.

  Its pincer approached like a guillotine, just before they could claim my life I was yanked backwards and into the portal. I stepped out of the portal and onto a tree branch behind the beast. Psychic Blast shot out and exploded like a flash grenade. The light washed over the beast and for the first time it stumbled. The creature moved as if it had lost control over its body.

  Neither Xerxes nor I wanted to give it a chance to recover. Six imbued blades shot for the beast and were joined with the largest blast of fire yet. All seven attacks slammed into the creature. The monster let out another his of pain and then my danger sense lit up. "Fuck me!" I launched myself from the tree seconds before a gout of acid reduced it to goop. I tucked myself into a roll. I formed an orb of compressed space the size of a beach ball and launched it at the head of the insect. "Die already!"

  The sphere carved into the creature's skull and black ichor rained down onto the battle field. A second later another blast of red and orange slammed into the hole I created. I had just gotten to my feet again when spiritual energy surged into my dantian. The sheer amount of energy made me double over. My level increased to 42 which made the battle one hundred percent worth it. When I looked over at Xerxes I was pretty sure he had also gained a level.

  I took a minute to catch my breath and spend my free points. I was going to put them into strength when I rethought it. The Eye of Heaven was definitely based around perception so why not focus more on that? I wasn't sure if the attribute actually effected it but why not gamble on it. After all my Wisdom was already crazy and my intelligence wasn't far behind. With the decision made I took a breath, got to my feet and made my way over to the corpse. I placed a palm on its body and grimaced. I couldn't send this thing into the ring. The news wasn't a surprise but it still stung. I wasn't sure what to do now. I could either leave the body and all the good stuff it surely contained or I could try to rip it into pieces.