“You are really not fazed by this offer?” Gambler asked seriously.
“No. All I want to know is if you have any information about the next competition.”
“Okay then. If you really want to be like that, then I can’t do anything about it. It is your choice at the end of the day. As for the next task, there is not much that I can tell you at the moment. One thing I can tell you is that try to reach the requirements for the next task in 6 years.
After the task starts for you, don’t try to run for the first place, but being last is also not recommended. Within the deadline try to endure as much as possible before coming out. Because whatever you are going to gain in that time period will be helpful for your future. The longer you stay in, the chances of gaining will be more.”
“Is that all you can say? There is no context about the information. It is way too vague.”
“It might be vague, but that is the what I can tell you right now. But do remember these words, they will really help you after the competition starts and you will also understand what I meant by them, after you get more details.”
“If that is all, I would like to go back.”
“Yes, you can go back now. Anyway, since I revealed this info you are going to be part of the task. You cannot back out now. You are trapped for your life and even your soul is trapped in your death.”
“Yeah, I already know that. I guess that is how I ended up here in the first place.”
“In a way you are right. But I suggest that you remember my words. I insist. You can leave now. Goodbye. Also beware of your teammates. In a way, the lesser contestants that are in the next task, the better.”
Sam disappeared from the spot after that conversation is over and he went back to the spot he disappeared from.
His students are gone. His three friends came there and are waiting for him while still giving orders to the rest of the subordinates to deal with things.
They are sure that Sam would reappear here only and even if they couldn’t be sure about it, there is not much they can do about it.
They could only hope that he comes back here.
Sam came back making their hope come true.
“Where did you go?”
“To meet the Gambler. It is about the next task.”
“So, what is it? Do you need any help for that?”
“Not really. All we need to do is make it to the peak stage of the Astral Plane Consummation and we will be good.”
“That’s it? But it will take a lot of time right?”
“Of course, it will take a n awful lot of time. WE need to make it in six years though. So, get ready for some long ass grind. A grind for six long years. It is a hard thing to accomplish, but you do know that doesn’t matter one bit.”
“Okay, if you finish the preparations, then we can go ahead.”
“No, this time you are finishing up the major preparations. I am going to roam around and interact with some of our new friends.”
“You are going to the Gaja Clan?”
“Yeah, I will be there for a week. I need to ask Gail some questions and also I will go and meet Demon Soul Swordsman. They are the people with extensive networks in the Grey circle, I will try and get some information if possible.”
“Okay then. I wanted to ask, do you think Grivon and Giyon would want to join in for the training?”
Philip asked all of a sudden.
“Why do you ask?”
“Just for the sake of it. I like them. I would like to interact with them more.”
“If you are thinking of anything weird, I will fucking kill you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Make some believable threats. You will kill yourself before you can even think of killing me. Dumbass.”
Philip disappeared as soon as he said those words, to avoid a beating from Sam.
Sam just shook his head and left to Gaja clan immediately.
He didn’t want waste anytime.
He met with Gail and directly shot his questions.
“I would like to know if there is any major event happening in six years. Anything major. Anything that would make an impact that is on a level enough to affect the grey circle.”
“In six years?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing strikes me at that specific time period. Why do you ask?”
“Something related to my stupid competition. I would like to know as much information about it as possible. Most of the time when the gods created tasks, they made it so that it would impact realms at large.
Until now, we destroyed a lot of organizations that shook realms of various levels.
This type of task only came with gradual increment in the difficulty throughout the competition.
I believe the next one will impact the Grey circle next. If there is a way to know what might happen in the next six years, who do you think might know it?”
“You want a seer?”
“Nope. I am not a fan of Seers and their abilities.”
“Why?”
“They believe fate is absolute and from what I understood they gain the ability to look into the fate by bowing to it. I don’t believe in that. I would like to meet someone who can predict or even know about what would happen.
With a credible source or proof of information.”
“I heard about someone like that actually. But they are not from my generation. They are from the generation of the Demon Soul Swordsman. I don’t know if they know each other. But he is the only guy that would have any remote possibility of knowing that old man.”
“Thank you. I planned on meeting Demon Soul Swordsman myself anyway. I will ask him then.”
“That’s great. But I wanted to visit you myself actually. It is a good thing that you are here.”
“Okay, tell me what do you want?”
“I am leaving the clan in a few months. Not just me, even Gamin and Yuvana are leaving. Now the clan will only be left with three Peak stage cultivators and Saran just started out recently. Things will go bad if people come up with some plots to take them down.
I need you to try and take care of this place while we are gone. The three of the might not be able to amount much in a full on fight, but your presence and strategies, will help. I talked to the clan leader and he will give you full command over all of the forces of the clan.
I will do anything for you. It is just that I don’t know when I will return of if I even return or not. And I cannot leave this opportunity as it is way too rare. So, I need your help with this. I will do anything you want me to do.”
“Don’t worry. Gaja clan and Dusk are business partners, we can do this much.”
“Thank you.”
“But where are going exactly?”
“To the Divine Realms.”
“Divine Realms?”
Sam asked in a surprised tone.
“Yes, there is a complete void domain that seperates our realms from the Divine realms. Rumor has it that only Divine league has access to those realms and the reason being those realms are actually being occupied by Deities and gods.
So, they only gave them this chance because they are avid believers.
But there is a natural wormhole that has been locked in the divine graveyard and recently it has been unlocked because it was worn down with time.
So, we are entering it now.”
“Why do you want to enter it? Just to explore?”
“There is no growth in these realms. Astral Plane Peak, it might be grand, but it is hard for us to come this far and just stay still after we knew that there is a much vaster world waiting for us. This is a chance for us to improve by a lot, so there is no way we can lose it.
I am sure you can understand our situation. That place is going to open doors for us for a new stage of cultivation and we will be once again thrown to the bottom of the pyramids given a chance to raise again.
This is an opportunity that might not strike again.”
“All the best for endeavor then.”
Sam smiled and wished him the best before he left. He went to meet the Demon Soul swordsman.
But he had to wait for a while in the Blood Iron league as the old man was a bit busy. And he kept on thinking about the Divine realms. After all, Sam had heard of these realms a long time ago from Yanwu.
In fact, that was the main purpose of Yanwu. To guide Sam in those realms and because of this talk, he is very tempted.
