"Are you headed to the next Black Tower?" I asked.
"Yes, there is a tower in Zhao, it's not that far, it will take us a week to arrive there." The cultivator said, "But I can't waste more time, I'll have to increase my speed, otherwise I'll be waiting forever just to have a turn at taking the medal." He said and nodded.
Almost immediately, he shot forward with more Qi than I would care to spend and moved like a shooting star.
With my cultivation level, I could do nothing but helplessly see cultivators moving at incredible speeds. While entire sects used massive beasts to carry their disciples as they flew high above.
'Damn, shit is really serious.' I mumbled.
"Lord, do you wish to arrive at the city in haste?" spoke Y.
"That would be pretty helpful since if I'm late just getting a token will have me wait in line for days…" I said. "What do you have in mind?"
"In mind? Nothing, but I can get you to the city where these people are headed." Y said.
"Good, then show them the meaning of haste," I said, and immediately, Y came out of the Poison God's Book and flew next to me.
"Would you mind sitting on my shoulder, it would be safer," Y spoke.
"Right, let's go," I said as I hopped off my flying treasure and onto Y's shoulder.
Once I was perfectly seated. I gave Y the command to go.
And boy did he go.
The world felt like it was stretching as Y blasted through the skies, flying faster than any cultivator. He was so fast that nothing but an afterimage was left, and not even Divine Sense could reach him in time to inspect.
And the best thing was that we were coated with a barrier that was fending off the cold and wind pressure. So I didn't freeze over in an instant.
Soon, Y moved up, and into the skies, where he now was contending against beasts of ridiculous proportions. Birds and wyverns, flood dragons, and there was even a flying turtle.
Each belonging to a different sect, and a few sects among them, I knew.
Mainly, the sect that was using a massive bird to move about. It was a dark crow, with three legs and it moved like it owned the skies.
However, with Y's speed, the cultivator on the massive bird could do nothing but watch as we surpassed them in speed, and left them in the dust.
Y's speed increased even further until it reached an extreme limit that he didn't want to go beyond.
"I'll have to keep this slow pace for now, lest that it will harm your body, master."
'This is a slow pace… damn. I really need to get my game on, I'm too low level and this event is the best place to grind up some levels.'
"Don't worry about me Y, I already have all the means I need to increase my cultivation level. Once I get the medal, I'll hurry and climb up. I can't be wasting time as a weak Core Cultivator can I?"
"Yes master," Y said and then soon dove down arriving to a city that looked dreary. Many high-level cultivators had already arrived, but thankfully it hadn't reached the point where it's crowded.
Y came down like a meteor, with speed fast enough to cause everyone to use their divine sense and try and see if I was friend or foe. The level of alert is already too high right now, and I better not try and cause any problems right now. So I had to ask Y to slow down once we saw the Black Tower.
Thankfully, seeing many cultivators flying through the city meant that the flight ban is lifted in cities right now and I could directly get to the tower.
Y moved down, with relatively high speed, enough that anyone that was next to the Black Tower's gate immediately moved aside thinking that Y will not be able to stop his descent and crash.
But as if gravity was a subject that Y didn't believe in. All of his speed was nullified the moment he was a few feet away from the ground and lightly stopped.
I dropped down, and called Y back into my side pouch, then among the many people who were wondering what was happening, and a slightly angry-looking Black Tower guard. I held up the golden insignia I got from the other tower, and that immediately rewarded me with a warm welcome.
"Please, come forward, we didn't expect a high VIP guest to arrive." The guard said and welcomed me in.
"What kind of treatment is this!" shouted a cultivator, "How come you allow a low-level cultivator to enter, while we're at the Nascent Souls and we have to wait for our turn?" spoke a random cultivator.
"A man who carries a Golden Insignia is more valuable to the black tower than an Ascendant, never forget that, and the next time you question the Black Tower's might, no one can guarantee your life," spoke another guard with a tone that meant business.
Gulping the cultivator moved back and had his head down. Not even willing to speak again.
No one wanted to go against the Black Tower, not only because the Black Tower's might expand through all over the Planetary Covenant, and has towers in almost all reaches and regions, but because, if one angers the Black Tower, then they can be banned from doing business in any of its branches, no matter the region, world or sector.
So everyone keeps a calm and collected mindset once the Black Tower's reputation is on the line.
Walking inside the tower, I realized that their buildings were always built the same way. The tower has one basement and one Auction house area, and several floors for guests and training facilities. It was an all-in-one facility that could allow a person to remain within it and train for years.
But right now, I need my medal. And to get more information on what's going on here.
"You must be the man who helped the Black Tower recently, I heard there was a problem in our neighboring city. How did that come to happen?" he asked.
"You heard what you heard, keep it that way, if you're from the black tower, you know well that you shouldn't be talking about what happened. Remember, the Black Tower doesn't like bad rumors, and the less you know, the better it is." I said firmly.
The man smiled, it was a test of sorts, "Good to know that you're a man of your word. Good, so tell me, what is that you need from the Black Tower?" he asked.
"I doubt that you're allowed to hand over the medals and give information about the incoming invasion," I said.
"Because I'm a guard?" he said."
I shrugged.
"Worry not, at times of desperation, it's everyone in the black tower's duty to help those who seek some aid. Here," he said and pulled a silver medal from his side bag.
"You should put a drop of blood on this medal, and it will be linked to you, even if you lose it or its destroyed in battle, you can still come back and get another one that will still keep your score. Points will be given to any cultivator you eliminate or capture. The higher the cultivator's rank, the higher the points that you'll be rewarded."
"What are the points like, I mean, the value of life," I said in a scuff.
"Ah, yes, the value of life. Ironically, a core cultivator's worth is ten points, and it increases by ten for every cultivation real he is in."
"Oh so basically, it's ninety points for a core cultivator of the ninth realm, and a hundred I suppose for a Nascent Soul cultivator of the first stage."
"Yes, but then, it becomes a hundred point per stage, and the increase is ten times every higher cultivation realm."
"So, a thousand for a Soul Formation and ten thousand for a Soul Transformation."
"And a million for a Half Ascendant."
"Oh, that's really tempting," I said.
"Indeed, but for you and I, a Half Ascendant would only need to sneeze for us to die, so try not to bite off more than you can chew." He said.
"Don't worry about me."
"What about the rewards," I added.
The rewards vary, and you need to exchange your points for the rewards. And since this battle is going to be taking long, the black tower allowed the exchange of points while battling, for materials and resources. I can give you a jade of all available rewards and you can see what you want and wish to obtain from them."
He then gave me a piece of jade that I put next to my head and immediately sent the available rewards a boy were there many and were they expensive.
Not only that some were limited rewards. Like the Law Fruit I just obtained, there were only ten of them and they cost 30,000 points each.
Then there were weapons, resources, and spiritual herbs that were extremely rare, and their value went up to the hundreds of thousands.
"This fight is going to be a long one."
"A deadly, long, and probably hopeless one, but we're doing all we could to help."
"Why is the Black Tower financing this?" I said, "I don't see any value here."
"The Fire King has a nasty personality, and he likes to enslave entire planets. All the resources and materials he obtains from those planets go to his personal pocket. As for the Black Tower, since we get a commission on every item sold here, in the long run, we're rather happy with a planet that is not under enslavement because it provides a passive income to the Black Tower. Thus, if we assist and help this planet in surviving the invasion, we'll be able to recoup on the losses in a couple of thousand years."
"Talk about long-term investment," I chuckled.
"It is the way of the Black Tower."
"I doubt that the Fire King is happy with this," I said.
"Oh, believe me, he is not, but he can't do anything, otherwise his entire planetary system will be banned from using our facilities. And you really don't want that to happen if you had a domain as big as his. So he has to suck it up and try and win. We on the other hand, even if we don't like what he is doing, cannot directly interfere, help or aid any of the cultivators. And once the battle is over, and if the Fire King is victorious, the black towers of this planet will be removed and all the materials within them will be pulled and transferred into another area, then we'll give up on the planet and everyone in it." he said.
Sighing, I said, "While the titans squabble, it's the mortals who suffer the most."
"Indeed, wise words junior cultivator. However, if you wish extraction, we can provide something for you especially. You own one of the few Golden Insignias that have been handed over by the Black Tower, which makes the Black Tower indebted to you. But that extraction can only happen if you don't participate in the fight."
"Oh, no don't worry about me, I'm not the kind who'll die in a random ditch nor hideaway, But I'll keep the thought in mind," I spoke.
Not that I'm gonna give up on this fight, the stuff in that jade is too tempting to just bail out on this whole fight. Also, I've just rebuilt Lucid Spring, though it's not the best city in the world, nor the greatest, it's mine, it's something that I made. Something that I spent time, effort sweat, and eighty years of my life in. Like hell, if I was gonna let it be ruined by some power-hungry creep.
"Right, so when is this invasion starting?" I asked.
"In a couple of months' time, the forces of the Fire King will arrive to Si Xue."
"Two months… that's more than enough prep time. Good, I'll be heading out, I need to make a few things. Impactful, and nasty things. But I need a place to stay, and I remember I'm allowed a stay in a manor if I have this token."
"Yes, I'll send one of the guards outside to show you your place, you can stay there and cultivate in wait. Godspeed."
"Thanks," I said and headed out.