Maximilian raised an eyebrow at the odd, sage-like woman. He still felt no danger from her, which was the only reason he was still having this conversation. Well, that and his fear that she could crush him like a bug if she wanted to. That being said, he wasn't about to agree to some mysterious "opportunity." That sounded like a great way to bind your soul to a devil or something. Assuming those things were real. He took a moment to gather the right words and smiled. "I appreciate you taking the time to honor me like that, but I would like to ask for more information on this opportunity."

  "I am sure that you have received the quest for this place. A quest that you have now completed. The reward will be distributed at the conclusion of our conversation. What I offer is an additional reward. One that would require you to complete a secondary trial. Though I must warn you that this one would be much more dangerous than the battle with the puppet."

  Maximilian nodded and considered the option. He assumed the woman was being vague on purpose, so he decided not to ask what the trial would be. If she compared it to the statue or he supposed the puppet, then it was likely a fight. He flexed his fingers. His hesitation wasn't due to fear but due to time. He wasn't sure anyone could have interrupted him during the last battle. His gut told him that sealed space was only for him and the statue. Perhaps someone like this woman could have broken through, but no one on Earth. "How long would it take? There are people on the outside who might need me."

  The woman gave a soft, almost motherly smile as she nodded. "That would depend on how long it took you. I can tell you that there are no people outside of this place. They have not come to you. I understand your concern, but you should understand that cultivation is a somewhat solitary path. Not in that you must do it alone, but in that you must walk your own road and they theirs." Maximilian was about to begin his rebuttal when the woman held her hand up. "It is not my place to argue your intent. My offer will take place in a separate location. It will have a unique effect on time and your perception of it."

  "You mean like a time chamber? Can you make years pass inside?" he asked, his excitement caused a smile to tease the edges of his lips as he considered the possibilities. He assumed something like that would have a price, the most obvious being spiritual energy, but so what. If he could spend a year or two mastering his dao, then he could get the levels later. Hell, he might be able to get strong enough that the levels were just a formality.

  "Not quite. Though I suppose your ideas are possible." The woman's words were like an ice bath on his mood. Not just because it stifled his idea but because of their implications. She could read his thoughts. Had she always been able to do? If that was the case, did she already know what he would do or what he cared for? Could she leave?

  "No," she replied to the unspoken thoughts.

  The word was simple, yet it answered all of his questions. He stared at the woman and forced himself to calm down. He wasn't able to stop her, but he didn't think it was his fault. At least, not completely. The woman was likely at a higher realm than him—probably two or three more, actually. Which meant his Wisdom attribute was too low. Assuming that was the one that saved you from having your mind read. He did try to protect somethings. Mostly by clearing his mind of any thought not related to the immediate. An exercise that was surprisingly difficult. It was an odd display of mental discipline. When he was somewhat confident he could do it, he turned his attention back to the woman. "I assume you won't tell me what the second reward is, but can you tell me what I've already earned?"

  "I can to an extent. The Network has taken control over the majority of my inheritance. Though it isn't as bad as it sounds. The vast majority of what was taken was for cultivation beyond yours. You wouldn't have been able to choose it either way. As for whether or not you can see what the rewards are before you make your choice. No, no you cannot. Though that is more my decision than that of the Network." The woman flashed a bright smile after that, which only made the situation odder. If he took it at face value, he could forget he was talking to a person that could be considered a god. At least by the ancient world's standards.

  "I see, so I have to make a dangerous choice without the required knowledge. If I must, then I will take the secondary challenge." No sooner had the words left his mouth than a black portal formed to the right of the woman. The portal was circular and looked like an inky black dot. One that started the size of his palm. One that expanded to the size of a doorway. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see through that darkness, which meant either it wasn't a window-type portal or that the woman was hiding what was on the other side from him. He considered asking but doubted she would tell him the truth. He glanced at her again and then stepped through the portal. For a moment, he was suspended in darkness. True darkness. A darkness that consumed all of his senses. For what was either a moment or an eternity, he had lost control of himself. Or rather, every part that wasn't his consciousness. A part of him connected to that darkness, and he was somewhat sure he could manifest a dao related to it. Not that he would. He didn't like it. He couldn't put the reason into words or rather thought, but something about it disturbed him. That and he was pretty happy with what he had. He was just about to focus on advancing his dao when the world of darkness was banished.

  The world returned and without the rest of his senses. His feet found solid ground while his eyes adjusted to the light. It took him a moment to process where he was. It was a barren battlefield, though he couldn't quite call it that. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing. He couldn't call it a desert either; it was just barren. The second thing he noticed was the monster in the distance. It was as big as a skyscraper and looked like an octopus on solid ground with ten tentacle tails. The creature had a single dark blue eye in the middle of its head and then a mouth big enough to swallow a jetliner. The creature had two human-like hands but no legs. He wasn't sure if the creature was an animal or some sort of plant, not that it mattered. He figured the universe likely had many different kinds of creatures. He figured that was the creature he was supposed to fight, though he doubted it. He couldn't tell for sure, but he didn't think that thing was at his level. It had to be at least a realm above him. It also wasn't moving, or to be more accurate, nothing was. It was like the world had been paused as he arrived. Which gave him the chance to survey the area. There had been a battle between two people that looked a bit like the woman. One of whom had lost and was in the middle of being eaten. The other was either the reason it was being eaten or was unable to do anything about it. He condensed a dart of electricity and tried to intervene, but the attack made it less than five feet away before it was stopped by a barrier of some sort.

  He decided not to stress about it. The barrier was there on purpose, which meant it was giving him a chance to prepare. A chance he wasn't going to waste. It was then that he realized he wasn't dressed correctly. He wore a robe similar to the woman's. Only his was more of a dull grey color that covered his entire body. That wasn't the largest of his issues. No, he was more concerned about the loss of his bag. He doubted that woman would put on an elaborate performance just to steal what he had. Which meant it was a part of the trial. He didn't get a copy of the woman's staff, which was slightly annoying. He wasn't going to become a staff fighter by any means, but it was a cool staff. He double-checked the rest of his body and confirmed it was fine. He could still use his energy and the Nine Lightnings Canon. He could use his dao with impediment, which should mean he could fight just fine. He was about to try to break the barrier when the world changed. The energy around him was reduced. It wasn't just the atmospheric power either; the beast got weaker, though to call it weak would be a misnomer. He could now feel the difference between them, and it felt like he was staring at a volcano. One that would obliterate the world if he weren't careful. After that, the barrier separating them shattered, and he was bathed in a primordial killing intent. A power that made it feel like he was staring at a beast god. The other two people were gone, though he wasn't sure when they disappeared.

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  The beast let out a roar as it compressed chaotic energy in front of its mouth. He had no idea what the attack was, but he knew he wouldn't survive if it hit. Maximilian pushed spiritual energy into his feet and blasted from the ground. A second later, the beast turned toward him and unleashed a laser of utter destruction. The attack tore through the spot he had been standing and erased it. The ground split apart, and Maximilian began his retaliation. He activated an imbued Severing Disc. Each one was pushed to its limit. He released them as soon as he felt his control slip. The buzz saws shot forward as Maximilian began the second part of his assault. He figured the creature was likely strong and durable but slow. He held out both hands and formed a dozen orbs of electricity, wind, and water. The attempt caused his head to throb, but that was much better than giving that thing a chance to eat him. He released and formed attacks with a speed that would've made the army jealous, and it meant nothing.

  The creature raised one of its oversized hands and waved it in his direction. The resulting gust of wind was akin to that of a hurricane. His attacks were dispersed. All but Severing Disc, which managed to split one of the tree-like fingers but even felt like a poor conciliatory prize. The idea that a creature like this would dismiss him sparked an irritation in him. One that drove him forward. He was forced to dodge another blast of wind along with two of the tentacles. He retreated a half step only to curse as the beast charged another of the beams. Crimson energy collapsed in front of its maw seconds before it blasted toward him. He dodged only for his danger sense to scream a warning. He had a fraction of a second. Barely enough time to bring his hands up before a third tentacle shot forward. Its sword-like barbs slammed into him with the force of a freight train. The impact launched him through the air. He rapidly unleashed a jet of wind behind him to slow his movements. When he slowed enough to land, he formed another ball of compressed air. He was about to launch it when he thought of something else. Why couldn't he copy what the beast was doing? Sure, he had no idea what energy the thing was using, nor did he think he could recreate it, but why did he need to? He had his own power.

  He held his hand and gathered all three of his daos. Each one pulled on a different part of himself. Each insight felt like it was diametrically opposed to the others, but they weren't. He knew they weren't. After all, they all belonged to him. His will fought against the four daos as he was forced to dodge another attack from the beast. Wind shot toward him like swords. He wanted to curse the woman for taking away his robes and their shielding ability, but he couldn't. If he hadn't had these, he likely would've died already. He swore as his danger sense exploded seconds before the compressed ball did. The dao, his dao, slipped from his control and dispersed into the surroundings. Surroundings that included his chest. His headache worsened as he activated Severing Disc. The discs tore through the air with a piercing shrill as they tried to cut the thing apart. Though he knew it was impossible. He wouldn't pack enough of a punch without his dao. He tried three more times to condense the ball only to fail each and every time. He wasn't sure what it was he did wrong. He knew that the dao of squall was weaker than the others, so he compensated by empowering it, but it wasn't right. The balance was off. Which only made the situation stranger. How did the creature do it? It hardly seemed intelligent, and whatever power it used was chaotic. Yet it could force it to obey. Was it just attributes? No, that couldn't be it. He was no expert, but none of his attributes related to controlling the dao. That should be training, and his affinities, perhaps your soul or heart could influen—

  His thoughts were interrupted as the creature started to form another beam. Maximilian's eyes brightened as he focused on the process. He could almost feel the creature gather the energy. The energy rebelled for a fraction of a second before it was compressed. A ball with a force mightier than anything pre-network Earth could've hoped to come up with was forced into a space the size of a cannon ball. Something that shouldn't have been possible. Maximilian swore as a horrible idea blossomed in his mind. He activated Prismatic Barrier and then formed a shield of each dao. With wind taking the first slot since it was still the weakest. He then pushed spiritual energy into every part of himself as the creature unleashed its beam. His danger sense screamed as he braced himself. The beam tore through the first barrier as if it were made of paper. Next came the shield of water. It held up better but only slightly. Yet there was something in the energy. Something that was stolen by the water. Maximilian tried to grasp it but failed before the barrier fell. Next came Static. He reinforced the shield with his mental energy as more of the energy was revealed. He was hit with a backlash akin to a whip to his mind when that shield fell. The rational part of his mind told him to move. That his skill couldn't endure it, but he refused. This was his best chance to understand, and that understanding would let him win. He couldn't explain why he knew that, but he knew it as well as he knew himself. A moment later, the attack slammed into his barrier.

  A latticework of cracks spread across the barrier as he marshaled every bit of spiritual energy he could. It wasn't enough. He studied the energy, yet it only seemed more foreign. His vision shrunk to a pinpoint as his final barrier shattered. The beam slammed into him like a mountain. It forced its way into his channels where it scoured everything it could touch. It felt like the core of his being was shredded as the energy sought to claim his life, his soul, and everything that made him him. He felt death press in on all sides and knew it was over. Had I been an idiot? Was my answer wrong? Should I have run away? His thoughts slowed as the darkness of death sought to claim him. When something responded. Something hidden in the deepest part of his very being. Suddenly, his body became the battlefield for two opposing armies. Both sought to destroy the other. Only one was fighting on in its home, and the other was an invader. An invader that had foolishly tried to take what didn't belong to it. The monster's attack was consumed and turned into fuel. Fuel for rebirth. The victor didn't fade. Only one part of its mission was complete. With the invader defeated, it turned its attention to the next stage. It spread throughout its former battlefield. Repairing what was damaged. Foundations that were cracked were rebuilt. Flesh, bones, and even the soul. All of it was lacking. All of it was improved. Power that hadn't been seen in millennia had returned to the world, and it had so much to do. After what felt like an eternity, the foreign energy was banished, and Maximilian opened his eyes.