The Innkeeper

Lex was not even remotely tempted by Bacterius' offer. As if the man himself was not suspicious enough, he was refusing to properly explain what the invitation was or who it was from. He also did not explain its purpose properly, and seemed more focused on teasing Lex.

Perhaps inviting Lex was just an excuse, and in reality he hoped that Lex would not attend. Something like this could be a shady way of ensuring the success of someone who would consider Lex a threat.

Of course, this was just a random guess Lex had, and was one of endless possibilities.

"I don't need to test my pride, nor validate my worth. Thank you for the invitation, but if that is all, I am not interested."

Maybe if Bacterius had gone about it a different way Lex would at least be curious about the tournament. After all, Bacterius himself had proved himself to be quite powerful, and yet he was only incharge of extending invitations. Clearly this matter was far from simple.

Moreover, if the tournament really encompassed everyone across the Origin realm, then Lex could make a few guesses of his own over who the tournament was being held by. But in his current mood, he was not the least bit interested.

Bacterius, who had been grinning in confidence earlier, froze upon hearing Lex's refusal. He had been sure that would work. He even watched a few marketing videos that said he had to bait his clients into developing curiosity before he could get them. He planned this out thoroughly, but it was not going well.

His smile faded a bit as he quickly thought of his next plan of action. Among all his peers, he had the lowest number of accepted invitations. If that did not charge, he would be humiliated.

"If you are not interested, that's fine," Bacterius said, feigning disinterest. He remembered the marketing video said he had to appear as if he did not need the clients business, but rather that his business was bringing benefits to the client.

"However, it won't hurt to know a little about the tournament either way. Afterwards, if you still remain uninterested, that is up to you. No one is forced to attend."

Bacterius felt that his shift in strategy was extremely flawless, and that Lex would not notice at all. But Lex, who spent countless hours dealing with guests and talking with people of all ilk, immediately picked up when Bacterius changed his body language and actual language as well.

He immediately made a judgment that Bacterius was someone with an incredibly high level of cultivation who had lived for a very long time, and thus was not used to speaking to people. He was more used to others sucking up to him and hanging on his every word, so that he never needed to make any effort at all.

"Some things you are genuinely not qualified to know, and are even better off remaining unaware of. But no doubt, you have heard of a few things. Have you ever heard of the war with the Fuegan? You've surely heard of the Henali Conventions. You probably feel like these things are too far away from you, and while that may be the case now, as long your cultivation keeps rising that won't always be the case.

"Well, this tournament is an opportunity to get a head start on these things, and secure the future of your cultivation by getting in contact with the peak of the Origin realm. The purpose of the tournament is to uncover the best of the best, and provide them with the support they need to properly flourish.

"You probably know how difficult it is to cultivate. For now, you can get by on the resources you accumulate on your own. But as your level grows, the resources you need will grow ever scarce. To accumulate them you will need the power of an entire organization or sect. When you enter the immortal realm, growing will be even harder. Entire galaxies are unable to give birth to a single Heavenly immortal all too often. That's not because those galaxies lack the necessary resources, but that they are too scattered and well hidden. It is almost impossible to regularly come across all your required resources on your own, let alone get your hands on incredible techniques and special items that can help you maintain the overwhelming strength you have in your current realm. After all, although you can surpass your realm now, there is no guarantee that in higher realms you won't become average.

"But through this tournament, if you can prove yourself, you will be given the best opportunities across the entire realm, let alone galaxy. Maybe someone of your skill has already been invited to Ventura. That is one path cultivators can take, but it is not the only path. Moreover, joining Ventura comes with its own restrictions, and is not suitable for everyone.

"This tournament, however, is an opportunity that comes with no strings attached. Of course, if you get selected, and become eligible for the next stages, then you can choose whether you want to continue or not. After all, at that point there will be a few conditions. But that comes later. Here, I'm leaving the entry toke with you. The tournament will begin in nine years. You can decide what to do by then."

Without waiting for Lex to reject again, Becterius disappeared, leaving behind what looked like a convention coupon. Lex… did not know how to respond. It seemed teleporting away to end a conversation was not just a habit he had.

He looked at the coupon and scanned it with his spirit sense, but discovered nothing extraordinary about it except that it had his name on it.

After considering it briefly, he decided to put it in his spatial bangle. He would leave it at the Inn for now. Nine years was a long time, who knew what the situation would be then.

He closed his eyes and began meditating. He had to wait for the confirmation from Hix, and for this planet to connect to the Inn.

He decided not to leave his room until everything was done, and he could leave this planet. There was already so much trouble, he did not want to attract more.

Slowly the day turned to night, and nothing worth mentioning happened - to Lex at least. On the border of the town, a pale elf was running as if his life depended on it. A few miles behind him, cloaked figures seemed to be searching for his tracks.