Death... and me

Mia then explained.

"That's one of the areas that the Imperial Family of our Sasamil Empire prepared for the young ones. There are quite a few of them around the Empire as well. This one, specifically, is a place where Decaying Energy is constant."

Mia continued to tell everything she knew about the Profound Abyss. How all the countries around would participate, and how a few young members of the Empire's Capital's Powers would also be present. She talked about the berserk demon beasts, the Vermilion Pools' effects on one's meridians, the Decaying Fog, etc. Last but not least, she talked about the surge. After she finished, Mia took out two pill bottles and threw them at Rean and Roan, who quickly grabbed them.

"These are Anti Decaying Pills. Usually, no one would get them since that was supposed to be a training ground. However, the surge is most likely to hit the Profound Abyss while it's open. Once that happens, the concentration of Decaying Fog will increase by more than ten times. There will also be several waves of Decaying Energy that will sweep the Profound Abyss, which are far more potent. With just the natural protection of your bodies and Spiritual Energy, it will be far from enough to resist it."

Roan opened the pill bottle, and a thin dark fog began to emit out of it. Inside, he could see a black pill emitting that fog. He then used his Spiritual Energy to grab that fog and looked closely at it.

"Quite a weird pill."

Mia nodded.

"Yes, but don't worry. The dark fog of the pills are quite different from the Profound Abyss. After you consume it, the pill's energy will spread through your body, especially the meridians. It will act as a barrier that will prevent most of the Decaying Fog's Energy from entering your body. Each one of you has five pills. Malaka will also have the same amount."

Rean then asked.

"The abyss will be open for two weeks, right? Are five pills enough?"

"There is no point in making more than it. This kind of pill isn't exactly that good for the body. Because of that, you will develop resistance against it. The first pill will last a day, the second will last half a day, the third 6 hours, the fourth 3, and the last one would only take effect for one hour. Any other pill after that will have no effect whatsoever. You would need to wait at least half a year before your body can retake it."

Roan wasn't surprised by that.

"That's just how pills work. Still, this one loses its effect a lot faster than normal ones. It seems like you used something from inside the abyss that also has that so-called Decaying Fog Energy. That's why it happened."

Mia nodded.

"Yes. Anyway, as long as you reach the Vermilion Pools, you don't need to be afraid of the Decaying Fog. Besides, it's not like you can't protect yourself against the surge without the pills. There are several safe spots inside the profound abyss where the Decaying Fog's Energy is weak. Most of the participants will probably rely on it to rest before they continue moving forward. You two should do the same thing and hold back on using the pills as much as possible. After all, this is supposed to be training."

Rean and Roan agreed with Mia's words.

"By the way, what are the rules of the Profound Abyss?"

Mia already expected the question, hastily responding.

"There is only one rule. Everyone is an enemy. There are only that many Vermillion Pools, far from enough to support every single cultivator. That being said, no one will hold back inside when it comes to the 'negotiations' regarding the spots. Others will attack to kill, and you should do the same."

"Well, there is also the fact that you must be out before the two weeks are over. Otherwise, the Profound Abyss will be sealed again until it opens once more. Simply put, you will be trapped inside."

Roan was quite satisfied with the 'rules.' That was the kind of environment he wanted to be in. There was no better way to test one's strength than life and death situations.

It was then that Rean thought about something.

"Right! What about Kentucky? He definitely will throw a tantrum if we leave him behind."

Of course, Rean could send him into the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm. However, no one knew about its existence, so it would be weird if Kentucky simply disappeared.

Mia shrugged her shoulders before responding.

"Well, you can simply lock him down here in the sect. Even if he throws a tantrum, we are more than capable enough of holding a Stage Two Demon Beast down. I'll see that he gets fed during this time."

However, Roan thought about another possibility.

"Do tame demon beasts use a slot as well? If possible, I would prefer to bring it with us."

Mia shook her head.

"Tame demon beasts are also considered part of the cultivator's strength. That being said, you can bring one with you without using a slot. Of course, the limit is a single demon beast for each cultivator. Also, they must not be above Stage Three, which is equivalent to Core Formation Realm cultivators. However, Kentucky is just a kid, right? Are you sure you want to bring him together?"

Rean was also surprised that Roan asked for something like that. After all, he isn't very fond of the Minokawa. However, Rean knew that Roan would never make such a request without a plausible reason, so he didn't ask why.

"In that case, we will bring Kentucky as well. This will be an excellent chance to have it gain some combat experience."

Mia narrowed her eyes. She and Droman were the only ones other than Rean and Roan that Reliance told about the Minokawa. If possible, Mia didn't want it to die since Kentucky might find other rare ore mines for them in the future. Besides, Kentucky isn't just a Metal Detector. He is bound to become a powerful demon beast in the future.

"I don't have any other Anti-Decaying Pills for it. You better reconsider it."

Roan shook his head in response as he replied.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

In the end, Mia sighed before nodding.

"Alright, but you better take care of it. Otherwise, Reliance will skin you two alive."

The twins nodded.

"By the way, the sect has five slots, right? Who are the other two coming with us?"

Mia already knew that question was coming.

"One of them is Tive Zu, a disciple at the Peak Stage of the Core Formation Realm from the Inner Sect. The last one is Weren Kalave, the previous Red Color Aptitude disciple that joined the sect before Agis Kexidor. He is at the Middle Stage of the Core Formation Realm. Don't look down on his Middle Stage cultivation, though. He can even fight Tive Zu to a standstill even though he is two stages below."

Rean and Roan obviously remembered Agis. After all, the Soul Gem System forced the twins to save Agis' group from the Stage Three Demon Beast during the entrance exam. At the affinity test, Agis was the one only to show a Red Color Aptitude, which would only appear every few years.

"So, he has the same aptitude as that kid back then. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Agis Kexidor ever since the exam was over. He never appeared in the fighting arenas, either."

Mia nodded.

"He was taken as a Legacy Disciple by one of our Core Elders, Ranka. Of course, the sect rules are the same for everyone, so he had to start in the outer sect. However, instead of training him in the sect, Ranka brought him to train outside. They only appeared in the sect when Ranka wanted Agis to take missions to gain Sect Points. Other than that, the only time they appeared was when Ranka had Agis take the Inner Sect test. He passed that quite easily after defeating one of the Inner Sect disciples. It seems like Agis is putting a lot of effort into his training, so Ranka quite likes him."

Mia obviously knew about Agis's steps. Red Color Aptitude disciples are very rare, so as the Sect Master, she had to keep an eye on them. Just like Malaka's Water Element, the sect didn't lack Fire Element cultivation manuals and resources. Thanks to that, Ranka was able to help Agis reach the Peak Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Well, that's probably because of what happened during the entrance exam. We killed the Alpha Wolf with lower cultivations while he could only watch without doing nothing. At that time, his cultivation was a stage higher than us, not to mention that he was very prideful. Seeing that we were far stronger even though we had lower cultivations definitely hurt that pride. Of course, this is just speculation."

Well, the fact was that Roan was spot on! If he saw Agis today, he might even ask if he is the same kid from a year ago.

"Alright. That is all for now. In forty days, Elder Reliance will bring you five to the Profound Abyss. I was quite surprised to see a selfish man like him volunteering to do it. Perhaps, he already knew that you would bring Kentucky together, so he wanted to guarantee its safety since there will be many experts there."

Rean and Roan nodded. They knew about Reliance's three demon beasts, so they would definitely be safe during the journey, at least.

After that, the twins left the hall. It was then that Rean commented.

"Now that I think about it, we haven't joined the inner sect yet."