The Rise of the Black Plain

With the speed at which Minos could move currently at level 98, no one in his party could keep up with him if he didn't want them to.

Without realizing it, Minos moved with great speed to the place where he heard a beating heart that attracted him.

He didn't understand what was going on. Still, relying on what the conscience of the seraph who had helped him in the Spiritual World years ago had told him, he followed it, imagining that he would get something good out of it.

After the vision of the future he had had because of the jewel given to him by a level 110 Sovereign, the seraph's hint had been clear. He had narrowly escaped giving valuable information to a potential enemy. Still, he had managed to see something that would help him on his way to power.

Soon, Minos found himself in an area not far from his group's camp, a place shrouded in mist with many similar trees standing close together.

There wasn't much undergrowth. Because the trees there were very tall and prevented the sunlight from reaching the surface, there weren't many undergrowth plants. Most of them were small plants that didn't need light and used the dead leaves of the larger trees as a natural fertilizer.

Then, just as he could hear the sound of his heart beating louder and louder, he stopped 40 meters away from a tree that he could easily identify from his previous vision.

It looked exactly like the tree from his first vision years ago when he was at Armhand's headquarters.

Something inside that large tree seemed to be calling him, drawing him closer and closer to touch the trunk of the tree.

He slowly approached the thing while the seraphic wing tattoo seemed to understand where Minos was.

At the same time, the dragon power sensed that Minos was approaching something special and couldn't help but display the young man's terrifying aura.

Even the sealed power of Henricus Longus in Minos' body trembled as if it realized it was in the presence of something superior.

Minos then touched the trunk with his right hand and immediately felt a beam of energy enter his body.

His eyes rolled back, and his body tilted backward as he began to fall slowly, as if his consciousness was no longer in his body.

But amid Minos' fall, red flames appeared beneath him before his body stopped in mid-air, and the space around him changed as if reality was tattering to reveal a new face of itself.

The surroundings of that tree-filled area changed, and practically every direction was transformed into the night sky, with many stars decorating the surroundings as if Minos was floating in the void of the universe outside of any planet.

Then, a semi-transparent creature with a huge humanoid silhouette appeared near Minos and watched him for a moment in silence as if it recognized something in this small being.

"Heir of Panvuter, rise and receive my legacy." Said the being who seemed to be omnipotent and omniscient in front of Minos.

Minos suddenly felt his soul return to his body and quickly changed his position, hovering in front of this large, semi-transparent silhouette.

But Minos had no chance to speak as the silhouette moved his hands to create a seal inside the young man's body.

"From now on, you will compete with my other chosen ones for the opportunity to enter the Upper Realm. Your first test will be when you reach level 100. There will be three more tests along the way. As long as you continue to bear my mark, you will be able to enter the highest point of all existence sooner or later."

Minos listened as he felt the infinity symbol forming on his left chest, just above his heart.

"Don't let anyone find out. They'll try to kill you if they know you have one of the chances for the Upper Realm." Said the voice of that unimaginably powerful being that seemed to have power over reality itself.

As this being slowly disappeared, it advised Minos. "Look for the artifact I left in the tree. It will help you understand the situation better."

Minos then felt his surroundings return to normal as he found himself facing the tree he had fallen after touching it earlier.

Feeling his heart beating rapidly, he stood motionless for a moment, just looking from side to side, trying to understand the situation.

'Upper Realm...'

Gulp!

He then saw what looked like an energy box through the trunk of that tree and used his powers to reach it.

After cutting down that big tree, he saw the box made of a kind of white energy that made it look like a small star suddenly change, revealing an energy heart and a letter.

As soon as he saw these two things, the heart entered his body without him being able to do anything to 'defend' himself, and the letter turned into a ray of light and entered his eyes.

"Unknown cultivator, if you are reading this, you are one of the many natives of my small universe who have obtained the minimum requirements to begin my legacy.

Cultivate until you reach level 100. You will take the first of the 3 tests to reach the Upper Realm at that time. As your first prize for meeting the minimum requirements to compete for my legacy, I leave you the Incorruptible Heart. With this essence, your eyes will understand all that they see, your mind will be unshakable, your instincts will be perfect, and no lie will be able to deceive you.

Prepare yourself. Once you reach level 100, you'll be sent to an alternate dimension. There, you will fight the first Millennial Massacre of your journey.

The message left by this being disappeared as soon as Minos read these last words, and he felt this heart integrate perfectly into his body.

He could feel the impurities leaving his pores, and his cultivation became more solid than ever.

If his cultivation was as solid as a sand cake when he arrived in this world, it was as solid as an ordinary piece of rock before he absorbed that heart. But now, his cultivation base was as solid as a diamond!

Minos no longer felt any energy under his control. But he felt that all his senses had tripled in range as he seemed to have a sudden epiphany about his understanding of reality.

He stood still, his eyes vibrating, as he noticed various things about himself and others, even noticing what was around this area that his group had traveled through.