The Road of Fate.
This is the road Xar sees whenever he has to make any important decision. The "important" part actually varies. Sometimes when he thought of something insignificant suddenly this road would appear, while sometimes when he decided to do something which he judged to be very important for himself the road refused to appear.
Because of this Xar still haven't figured out the logic behind it.
When he first perceived Cosmium and began his evolution journey this road appeared for the first time. The young him was smart enough to keep it a secret. Now that he has reached the Grandmaster Realm in his twenties this Road of Fate largely contributed.
"That road still hasn't shown up. It seems I can only go to the secret realm first. The next part of practice is tricky enough. If that road could keep helping me further then that would be the best of results."
Xar pondered optimistically before closing his eyes to feel the changes in his body brought about by the breakthrough in the realm.
Three days passed.
A figure appeared in front of a yellow planet out of thin air. The patrolling spaceships didn't pause to check the identity while the guarding evolvers bowed deeply before they showed the way forward.
Xar nodded and entered the planet. Soon he saw the figure of Saint Luskey in front of a space crack. Beside him were four people, two young men and women. He recognized them as someone from the Five Founding Families.
"Good morning, Granduncle."
"Xar, you're here. Come, let me introduce them. They will be going along with you for training in this secret realm. All of them are of same age as you so we thought it would be better for you to get to know some of your peers through this training. This young man is Wuryan Sol and he is Ryonen Zenith. The young ladies over here are Esmeria Asterisk and Irilea Stellar."
"It's very nice to meet you. I am Xar Umbra. I will trouble you later."
Xar politely greeted the four as he observed them. Energetic, prideful and bright, these are the words that come to mind on the first impression.
"Nice to meet you…"
They also introduced themselves one by one and revealed some general information about their evolution path so that later cooperation in the secret realm could be smooth.
In public Xar doesn't reveal his true realm of Grandmaster Realm. For obvious reasons Five Saints have forbidden him to do so. Similar to the four in front of him he faintly showed Level 4 of evolution.
The highest achieving one was Ryonen who was only half a step away from entering the Intermediate Stage of Level 4. While the weakest one was Esmeria who was still at Level 3 Final Stage. Wuryan and Irilea are both at the Initial Stage of Level 4. It hasn't been long since those two broke through.
Xar revealed the Intermediate Stage of Level 4 as his evolution attainment and it was shown to have progressed more than half in that stage. He obviously prefers ordering others with a higher realm than being ordered around because of hiding too much of his strength.
It has to be said that these four are extraordinary prodigies in evolution. Those of their age are still struggling at Level 2 or very outstanding ones have finally broken through Level 3 after much hardship. Here, on the other hand, weakest one is at Level 3 Final Stage while the strongest one is half-step Intermediate Stage of Level 4.
Of course, compared to them Xar is even more outrageous!
"Now that the introduction is over, here's the information collected by the advance team. If you have any questions about it don't hesitate to ask me."
Saint Luskey said with a smile as he waved his hand and five streams of light entered their forehead.
Xar carefully read the information that appeared in his mind. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he understood the situation of that secret realm. He then glanced at the other four and also saw the same look of amazement on them.
"Venerable Saint, how long should we stay over there?"
Wuryan asked with a tone of reverence. He obviously asked the question that Xar and others were thinking of.
"Since the time difference is 100 times compared to Cosmic Sea then all of you should make the best use of it. Though the realm is suppressed, your higher level vision would make sure that comprehension about the next part of practice wouldn't be delayed. If all five of you are satisfied with your gain then feel free to exit the secret realm anytime you want. You won't necessarily have to wait for others to be done with their training. Oh, take this by the way."
Xar and others each received a brown leather pouch that suddenly materialized on their palm. Saint Luskey explained,
"Since this secret realm's limit is Level 1 Final Stage then any object that exceeds this level wouldn't be able to enter it. Living beings are suppressed to the point of regressing to ordinary state but any external object brought wouldn't be so as long as it doesn't exceed the limit. These storage bags contain useful items to help you deal with troublesome matters when your strength is still insufficient."
Xar took a look inside the storage bag with his extrasensory perception. The storage bag in the shape of an ordinary brown leather pouch was only of Top-grade First-order quality with a storage space of 10 Gircil (ten cubic meters). This also conforms to the limit of this secret realm.
The design of it was kept so that it wouldn't be foreign in the eyes of natives.
Inside it was dozens of sets of local clothing for various occasions, an adequate amount of currency, stuff regarding identity issues, preserved food and drinks, and also a simple coin case.
This coin case was the most important thing given by the Saint.
"Alright, you may enter now. Remember, pay attention to your safety. We have already checked for any unstable factors but caution will never disappoint you."
With those final words of advice Xar led the other four to finally enter the space crack which is actually the entrance of this secret realm.
A sense of displacement washed over them before the scene in front of them was no longer distorted. As soon as they stepped on the ground an unavoidable pressure descended from all directions.
In the blink of an eye all of their realm was suppressed and the long forgotten feeling of being an ordinary human permeated their being.
Xar frowned deeply as he felt his changes. It's only been three days since he reached the Grandmaster Realm and now he suddenly became an ordinary human. The contrast was really a bit too big.
He observed his surroundings. A vast grassy plain. The white moon was high in the sky gently illuminating the land and driving away the darkness. The fresh wind with the smell of spring rustled his hair.
In the distance six figures were standing motionless, seemingly awaiting their arrival.
Noticing his gaze the figure who was standing in front of the other five bowed deeply with his right hand on his chest. The remaining five were a step slow in expressing their servitude.
The advanced team.
They were sent to check the situation of this strange secret realm which could even shield a Saint's perception. Of course, none of them are clansmen from the Five Founding Families as the risk factor of exploring first was too high.
Certainly, to prevent the situation where these commoners suddenly gained something extraordinary and hid it from the authorities, many restrictions and seals were placed on them.
Any disobedience would make them unable to live or die!
"Esteemed lords and ladies, it is our utmost fortune to be able to receive your nobel selves. I am Orion Seth, the team leader of this advanced team."
""It is our utmost fortune, esteemed nobles.""
The other five echoed after Orion.
Xar only nodded at them indifferently before putting his attention on the four who tagged along with him. Hearing those commoners' loud greetings they finally regained their senses. It obviously took them a while longer to get on track in comparison to Xar's near instantaneous adjustment because of his much higher realm.
"Let's go to the base first. We are too conspicuous with our current getup."
Xar said as he walked forward.
They didn't object. The feeling of being turned into an ordinary human was very uncomfortable for them. In their heart the first priority was to quickly reach the Initial Stage of Level 1 then they could have some combat capability. So being in a safe environment to practice is obviously the first step.
In the Cosmic Sea, being weak is the original sin and all living beings always strive to improve themselves. This is a kind of instinct deeply ingrained in the soul. Without strength, one can't even control their own life and death. They could only be at the mercy of others' whims and moods.
City-states Coalition.
Among the existing countries after the Great Catastrophe this nation in the northwest of the continent became a well-established overlord of the region.
Consisting of 86 city-states and spanning a huge landmass as its territory, the overall power of this country has earned them a permanent seat in the World Reclamation Council.
In the capital city of Ziviria, Headquarters of Adventurers Guild.
Five figures entered the guild building. Their entrance paused the bustling atmosphere of this place. The natural momentum and elegance this five figure exudes seemed to draw everyone's attention.
The leading figure was a very handsome young man with "dyed" silver hair. He was dressed in a standard adventurer's outfit and so were the other four behind him. He had a longsword sheathed on his waist and a simple satchel to store other necessities.
One of the young men behind him was far taller and muscular with long ginger hair and brown eyes. He wore two bulky iron gauntlets on his hands.
The other young man was of thin build with blue eyes and black hair but he had an equally handsome face comparable to that silver haired guy. He had a wand and on it was a floating purple crystal of mysterious light.
The two pretty ladies with blond and brunette hair were in simple adventurers clothing which highlighted their otherworldly beauty. Their green and hazel eyes pull the onlookers into a pleasant fantasy.
The blonde had a book on her hand which had pictures of many birds and beasts on the cover and the brunette had a wooden bow on her back and a quiver of arrows on her waist.
The leading young man came to the front desk and asked in a magnetic voice, "Good evening. I am Xar, a graduate from Adventurers Academy. I would like to register for a new adventurer party."
Xar handed over the certificate of graduation from his satchel and the other four behind him also did the same. The front desk lady was staring wide eyed at their face and when they finished handing over the paper she finally snapped back as she realized that she was a bit rude and unprofessional just now.
She hurriedly lowered her head to hide the blush and carefully checked the five certificates, "Oh? All of you are the five closed disciples of Teacher Orion!?"
Her words were a bit too loud as it caused a heated discussion among the onlookers.
"Orion? The Ghost Spear Orion!? Hiss… Isn't he one of the new S-rank adventurers who joined the academy last year!?"
"The five disciples of such a legendary figure. They must be extremely talented to be able to learn from him."
"Hmm? They graduated from the academy in one year!? Wasn't the graduation supposed to be in the third year?"
"Idiot! Obviously they have completed all the main exams within one year!! I have heard of such precedents before."
Under the noisy discussion Xar completed the registration as the party leader. He looked at the metal badge with the word "D" written on it. On the opposite side was the engraved words "Drifting Cloud" that he just chose casually as the party name.
"As a D-rank adventurer you can accept F, E and D-rank quests. The party must complete one same rank quest every four months or else the party rank will be downgraded by one. If the situation persists then the Adventurer License will be terminated. When ten D-rank quests have been completed within three years or the highest level of a party member reached Level 40 and average level of all party members is above Level 35 then your party will be promoted to C-rank."
Front desk lady patiently explained the basics and added, "D-rank adventurer party has the following privileges as stipulated by the constitution of City-states Coalition: Monthly salary is 3 million Ziv for each party member, Healthcare is free as long as potions and elixirs consumed are of D-rank or below, Can freely take three D-rank Skill Cards from the Grand Library of Ziviria till Level 40, Able to get three properties of their choice within the territory of Coalition as long as it's not owned by government or any higher ranked adventurer and finally, the right to refuse general conscription during wartime for maximum half a month."
Xar listened and checked that there were no discrepancies from what he had learned in the previously collected intelligence. He asked, "Where is the quest board? We will take a look."
"It's past that corridor, on the lounge."
She pointed to the direction.
Xar and the other four left the front desk. The five of them walked briskly and people on the way subconsciously moved aside. Though none of the five showed any cold attitude or indifference, the way they moved actually kept others at a distance from them.
Xar arrived at the lounge. The area of this lounge was moderately big. He glanced at the hundreds of people who were chatting and laughing or were busy planning their next adventure.
Without any nonsense, he walked to the quest board and took a look. Their arrival had already attracted another discussion but whether it be him or the other four, all of them were used to the public eyes of admiration and attention.
What's important is that he finally saw it!
As soon as he looked at the contents of the quest board, the Road of Fate appeared in front of him.