On leaving ruin number 14, Ruth had a refreshed look on her face. Years had passed since her breakthrough to level 113 and she was reaching the end of her level. After several years of preparation following her success in ruin 15, she had felt capable and had come to challenge 14. Now she had completed it, having spent three months in such a place.

Seeing the tents of her harem sisters in the distance, the black-haired woman sensed Abby and Gloria in deep meditation, both nearing the end of level 112 and their eventual progress to level 113.

Just as Ruth had done, those two planned to challenge ruin number 15 as soon as they advanced to level 113. Ruth, however, planned to cultivate and advance to level 114 before attempting to challenge ruin number 13!

‘Where’s Minos?’ she asked herself as she switched her eyes between the different locations of this place, spotting Clexvog training with Leger in one corner of the area, as well as several Supremes meditating under the effects of Temporal Sands.

Apart from her two harem sisters and herself, no one else outside the ruins had 11th stage cultivation. Minos was nowhere she could see or reach with her spiritual senses and everyone else there were Supremes between levels 115 and 117.

‘It looks like Minos is challenging ruin number 5.’ She concluded as she considered that, before her last seclusion, he had defied ruin 6. As she approached Clexvog and Leger, she asked just to confirm her theories, “Hey, where’s Minos? Did he start challenge number 5?”

The two individuals fighting each other slowed down their movements, noticing that Ruth had returned in success.

“Yes, he started two weeks ago. He’ll probably be gone for the next year,” Clexvog said to her.

As one progressed through the ruins, the duration of the challenges decreased. But the number of challenges increased and the opportunities for winning them also grew more numerous and stronger.

In ruin 5 there were 11 tests to complete, each lasting 5 minutes. If Minos proved successful once again and took just over a month to enjoy his prizes, it would take him a year to return.

“Soon, the other ladies will finish their seclusion. You should get some rest and wait for them, Lady Ruth.” Leger said respectfully.

At the beginning of his agreement with Minos, they were supposed to be equals, allies. But after their time together within this independent space, he didn’t want to appear arrogant by putting himself on an equal footing with Minos and Tiolos’ group.

He had lost his crew and all he had was the group made up mostly of Armhands’ members. Naturally, he considered himself more of an important subordinate than an ally.

Ruth waved to the two of them, then stopped disturbing them and made her way to where some guild mates were resting.

She asked how things were going and about the group’s progress over the last few months. Nine members of the team were challenging different ruins now, while the others were cultivating, training or resting in the mountainous area they were confined to.

Apart from Abby and Gloria, everyone else had already beaten one of the ruins. As long as Minos completed the remaining ruins and Abby and Gloria challenged ruin 15, they could be free of this dimension.

‘Is the soul fragment really going to keep her promises?’ Ruth asked herself in doubt. Given the speed of their progress, it was obvious that they would succeed sooner or later.

‘Does she expect us to be stuck here because of the last ruins? Or is she confident that her challenges will kill us?’ That was a very likely possibility, in Ruth’s opinion!

While Ruth was thinking about the level 124 soul fragment, this essence did not know what the seized beings in her dimension were thinking or planning. She had her eye on Minos, who had already won the first challenge of ruin 5 and was using up the opportunity he had got with his own efforts.

‘He’s much more talented than I had previously imagined… No wonder he’s vying for the inheritance of a True Celestial and already has two body parts from such an existence.’ She considered to herself, feeling the entire space of her dimension, but focused only on Minos.

‘So be it. If you complete my inheritance, it will be to your credit, alien boy. That will be Uzira’s fate, I suppose. But overcoming my challenge won’t be easy. You’re going to have a lot of near-death experiences from now on.’

She was really determined to free Minos and his group from her dimension if they could carry out the challenge she had made. She wasn’t a protector of Uzira there to stop threats to the continent. Her goal was to find an heir and if Minos could accomplish all the challenges in the area, he would fulfill all the requirements to carry on her legacy!

What was more important for a specialist? A continent they were no longer a part of and had no descendants, or a powerful individual who could carry on their name into immortality?

She had affection for her fellow Uzira natives and the customs of the continent, but her commitment had a limit!

‘If you win my ultimate challenge, I’ll set you free with one special condition.’ Her bright eyes narrowed, her old memories working to reflect a certain place on the continent, making her see an area deep in the lands that Minos was so keen to explore to get more of the black liquid.

While she thought of the distant past, he did not know the thoughts of such a fragment of soul. Focused on seizing his opportunity, Minos was sitting in the lotus position, absorbing the energy and dense essence available in the underground chamber where he was now.

With a powerful level 114 cultivation, he was confident of facing even level 117 Supremes with no need of external help, such as the sacrifice of the Flashdrain parasite.

That wasn’t much, but he was still a Sovereign, nonetheless. Once he advanced to the beginning of the 12th stage, Minos was confident that no one below level 120 would be a challenge for him.

By then, he would be confident enough to protect himself from threats like Elder Navey.

As he grew stronger and more confident, the time for the second stage of the True Celestial Inheritance was approaching. The next stage would have 100 competitors and only 10 places for the last contest for the place to enter the Upper Realm!