Chapter 486 The Challenge

Lothur was used to the idea of others wanting his head, as well as the problem of taking risks every time he tried to conquer something.

That was the way of life for cultivators, so he did not feel bad upon hearing that projection's words.

"What will this test be like?" He asked in curiosity, willing to continue with the challenge.

The creature looked silently at Lothur for a moment and asked. "What do you long for in this place? Why have you come here? I can sense that not many humans are around, and beasts dominate the area."

"What do I long for? Nothing much, to become strong enough to protect my family and my own peace. I've been trying to live like a normal person for some time now, but trouble keeps coming my way... That's how I ended up here." He said sincerely. "Other than that, I met this place through a beast. I wanted to return to my city as soon as possible, but my strength was not enough. That's why I'm here, to get stronger."

'Really?' It looked with its big brown eyes at Lothur, interested in this being with so much potential, but who just wanted to live away from the spotlight, peacefully. "How did you get this body?"

Gulp!

Lothur took a step back in surprise, not expecting such an intimate question as that. 'Does it know about me? How is that possible?'

As Lothur expressed panic on his face, that creature said. "Body and soul are entities that can be separated further in cultivation, but at first, they are one. In that way, they necessarily have to share the same characteristics and foundations."

"You, on the other hand, are an anomaly. Your body has a completely different imprint than the soul that inhabits it." Its eyes narrowed as it lowered its large head closer to Lothur. "Even more, your soul seems incomplete, yet you live. That shouldn't be possible unless some special possession ritual happened and gave you control of this body."

There were methods of changing bodies in this world. These were complex methods; they required high-level cultivators and rare resources for the possession ceremony. However, some had 'good' margins of success and were famous means for experts to extend their lives.

Strangely enough, body and soul had different limits on how far they could go. But souls could not live away from compatible bodies, so some high-level experts in this world used this alternative to delay their deaths.

Obviously, this did not come without cost!

In any case, this dinosaur knew that someone could steal the body of another being, and this was even more likely considering the situation of Lothur's body.

Since it was impossible for a soul to continue existing in that state unless a unique technique was applied, this being was confident in its theories!

After some time in silence, Lothur decided to speak the truth since he could not escape this creature anyway. "I... I don't know. One day, I simply woke up in this body with the memories of the one who was here before me."

"Oh? You don't remember?" This creature thought it was not impossible, considering that the chances of failure of possession methods were always above 50%. 'It is possible...'

"But what do you remember? What was your predecessor like?"

Lothur replied. "A useless person. He was incapable of cultivation, was an arrogant jerk who depended only on his good looks, and had no intelligence at all, despite his great anger..."

"He caused me trouble for quite a while. Luckily I managed to eliminate all his remaining will."

"Hmmm." The creature turned away from Lothur again, knowing all that was true, considering the heartbeat of this silver-haired young man. 'Someone must have put some seals on the predecessor, or he couldn't be useless.'

'It was probably the creators... They are quite idiotic.' He thought Lothur was not so bad and could carry the mission this place held for the one who passed the test.

"What do you think of the demons? I can see that you have killed one of them."

Lothur was surprised by this but said. "I think the same as anyone of my kind. A good demon is a dead demon."

"I want to complete my spirit body, so eventually, I will kill more of these opponents."

"Hmm, you are right. Every demon gets better when it becomes a Soul Bone." It shook its head and indicated the center of that area to Lothur. "Very well, I can see that your personality will not be a problem. Then the main part of the test will begin in a moment."

"That was already the test?"

"Of course, if there were no affinity between us, you would already be dead, haha." It laughed in its spiritual voice. "Anyway, your test will be to endure 24 hours of training with me."

"In this period, I will use strength equivalent to 50% stronger than yours, and you will have three 15-minute times every 6 hours to rest. In addition, you will not be able to eat, sleep, or anything else."

"You win the test if you are still breathing at the end of the 24 hours."

Lothur clenched his fists upon hearing this and expressed the seriousness on his face. 'It won't be easy!'

"What do I get if I can stand the challenge?"

The creature was already in its position of where the fight would begin and said. "You survive. You get one piece of information. One of the items on my master's skeleton, and I will send you to spend 24 hours in the training chamber of this labyrinth."

"Training chamber?"

"It is what the beings in the lake above consider to be the last chamber of the Immortals Well. That place cannot be accessed through the corridors you passed through earlier."

"Although there is a path to it, it only leads those beasts to the traps. There is nothing in that place where the local beasts have already passed. The training chamber is available only to those who complete the labyrinth." It said in its elderly voice.

"I see." Lothur took his staff and held it firmly with his two hands.

He looked at that creature and judged that he could only hold it for the next few hours.

'After that, I will stay 24 hours more in this place and then leave for Peters City.'

'I can't weaken now after all that's happened!'

Noticing Lothur's posture, the creature was silent for a moment, curious to see how he would fare. 'Considering his regenerative abilities, the chances of him surviving to the end are more than 30%...'

'Not bad!'

"You can start whenever you wish." It commented, allowing Lothur to make the first move of the challenge.

With those words, Lothur did not want to wait long and immediately activated his techniques, running toward his opponent.

When he did this for the first time after adding his new Soul Bone, Lothur immediately noticed the differences in his body.

'That feeling...' He felt the lightness in his body, but also something profound, which he could notice, but could not 'release.'

'What is it?'

...