The Rise of the Black Plain

"Julian, you have returned..." A man with many wrinkles on his face, white hair, and quite thin stopped in front of the two newcomers.

He had his eyes closed and had a slight smile drawn on his face. His all-white clothes matched the clouds surrounding this temple, which was on a hill in the middle of the big city that Minos and Julian had been flying over a moment ago.

Minos looked at this man and felt the vastness of the soul power of this person, who was certainly over 25,000 years old.

He was at the absolute peak of level 99!

'Impressive. This person must be as strong as Vico and Maximillian!' Minos looked respectfully at that man, who he felt was closest to becoming a God among those he knew.

Minos couldn't tell who was stronger, this old man or Maximillian. But he was almost certain that this old man was one step above that 'living mummy' he had released into the Seraphim Ancient Sarcophagus.

Amid his gaze at that person who did not hide his age with his powers, something strange but pleasing to some high-level experts, this old man had already seen everything there was to be noticed in Minos.

'That one looks like a good seed...'

Julian then replied. "Elder Aarav, I am back from my seclusion. But on my way back, I met this young man." He pointed to Minos, smiling at the elder in charge of bringing members in and out of the Pantheon Of Honor.

"That is Minos Stuart, a young man from the Central Continent who is passing through our lands."

"Oh? Central Continent? It's been a long time since I've been to those lands..." The elder smiled. "How are things going over there, young man? I hear war is going on between Vico Travisani and Maximillian Flamen."

Minos narrowed his eyes, taking in this news for the first time. "I've been away from that region for a few months now, and I'm afraid I don't have contacts as good as the elders. So I'm in the dark about the situation on the mainland after my departure."

"So that's it..." The old man already knew who Minos was, not because of Emperor Stuart's accomplishments, but because he already knew about the Black Plain Empire.

Julian became more serious and asked. "Elder Aarav, is there any chance to allow young Minos to join our organization? He has magnificent talents, and I think it would be a mistake not to bring him to our side immediately."

Upon hearing such a thing, Aarav finally opened his eyes, looking directly at Julian. 'Are you really asking me that?' He asked in this man's mind.

Seeing the serious expression on Julian's face, Aarav was silent for a moment.

He knew how powerful Julian's skill was and how accurate it was. Because of it, this man managed to become a member of the council of the Pantheon Of Honor.

In this case, perhaps Minos had a destiny that really justified his joining the group while he was still only a Spiritual Sage.

After a minute of silence, this old man said. "It won't be easy. But the other council members may welcome you depending on what you tell them. Minos Stuart is a ruler in the Central Continent, so that might help you too. But still... Sigh, his cultivation is really low."

Minos didn't feel bad hearing that. He knew that for these people, level 80 cultivation didn't draw any attention.

As much as only 19 levels separated Minos from this level 99 elder, the difference between them was more than 50 times, one technique more, one phase more in each of the techniques, but also in understanding the Natural Laws and ways to use the free energy in nature.

As one became stronger, what increased the most was not the internal power of one's soul but the understanding of the world. This gave the cultivator more control over free energy and the laws.

So even if the difference between them was 50 times in terms of soul power, the actual difference between powers was much greater than this!

This was so extreme that one could not estimate for sure the difference between the parties. One could only say that for a level 99 Demigod, a level 80 Sage was practically nothing compared to their powers.

Minos was fully aware of this, so he was not offended by that elder's comment.

"I know, but he is very talented. Plus, I believe he will become a Demigod in less than a century. It will be worth having on our side before then!" Julian insisted. "I would take care of the costs of adding him to our group while he is not strong enough to generate benefits for us."

Aarav was silent and said. "All right, I'll talk to our council colleagues, but I can't promise anything."

Julian thanked him, smiling in a satisfied manner.

He was part of the council, but to start a meeting, at least two members among the six elders that made up this group needed to use their rights to call a meeting.

While Minos was observing the surroundings of this temple, a place as rich or richer than the Seraphim Ancient Sarcophagus, Julian suddenly disappeared, leaving him alone.

A minute later, Julian reappeared in the area next to the elder Aarov and another person.

Minos saw this and judged that everything had already been decided. 'Demigods are really fast... None of them want to waste time dealing with a matter of a mere junior.' He laughed internally.

"Young Minos, the council has agreed to consider your case, but you will have to earn that special appointment," Julian said before indicating with one of his hands the level 99 woman beside him and Aarov.

"The council has assigned the elder Wren here to judge your case. She will test you, and depending on your results, you may or may not join us."

Julian had invited Minos to join this group, but after discovering the price of joining this group, Emperor Stuart did not care to take a test.

If the conditions were as promised by Julian, it would be well worth it for him to connect with these people. "Before proceeding with this test, are my freedom and autonomy guaranteed? I have my affairs in the northern region of the Central Continent, and I don't intend to spend much of my time in the Divine Continent in the short term."

"Yes, that may be done," Julian assured him. "Since you are still a Sage, you won't be charged for anything for the time being, so until you become a Demigod, things won't be so different for you than they are now. But even in the future, you will have plenty of freedom to continue running your empire."

"Hmm, if that is so, then I am willing to go ahead with this test."

With those words, Aarov indicated for Wren to move on.

...