The Rise of the Black Plain

The sun was shining on the horizon as the day slowly set in.

There was a medium-sized boat traveling northwest of the Black Plain region. This boat was very well maintained, and although it was not luxurious, it had the basics to accommodate a group of 15 people and was very clean.

At that moment, it was sailing calmly, while the sea had a calm and beautiful appearance.

The water was crystal, clear to the point of seeing a few meters of depth. Anyone could see several fish coming and going. The noise of some seagulls could also be heard in the distance.

There were 14 people on the boat. These were the group of Minos, plus the boat crew in question.

They had left the Maritime City very early, even before sunrise.

For this part of the trip to Stone Island, Minos and his group would spend three days traveling on that boat. Unfortunately, this was long-distance, and they didn't have the most potent boat available.

However, this was not a problem for Minos, but perhaps it was for some of his guards…

Some of the group were traveling by boat for the first time and were very sensitive. Even for this slight stretch with calm waters, some of them were already feeling sick.

Of course, if their level had reached the General Spiritual stage, none of this would have happened. That's because being able to use free energy in nature improved the cultivator senses to the point where people could ignore certain sensations around themselves.

But it was a pity that none of them reached this level, despite the small distance from the current cultivation of each of them. However, this would be resolved when they arrive at Stone Island.

Minos planned to buy several spiritual pills, which could help his subordinates to level up. With that, at least on the way back from the trip, they wouldn't have this problem…

At that moment, a young woman dressed in a cook's uniform, with a decent appearance, brought some delicacies and drinks for Minos to try.

"Young master, try this meal that I prepared." The young woman said in a lovely tone.

There were several sliced fruits on the plates placed on a table, some pasta that looked like different types of bread with jars of jam and pasta on the side.

There were also two different types of juices.

"Oh! It looks delicious." Minos exclaimed in surprise.

Although he paid a good amount of crystals for this trip, he did not expect much from the services offered. Consequently, he was surprised to see such quality.

Crunch!

"Hmmm, this is very good. May I know your name?" Minos asked as he enjoyed his meal.

"This humble one is called Wendi, young master." She answered.

"So, Wendi, do you know where these products come from?" Minos asked curiously.

He, of course, was interested in knowing where these items came from, which had a decent amount of spiritual energy.

"I'm not sure, but I believe it came from the Cromwell Kingdom, as it has a great spiritual quality." Replied Wendi.

"Oh! I understand…"

"By the way, are you from the Maritime City or somewhere on Stone Island?" Minos asked with a smile on his face.

Anyone who saw how he was talking to this girl would think he was interested in her, but that was not the case. Despite being a young man who had his interests, Minos had many commitments and had not yet been involved with anyone.

And, while he is not opposed to having multiple women or casual relationships, Minos was not doing so in an attempt to initiate a relationship with someone he had just met. So, he was trying to learn something from her.

"I am from Maritime City, young master."

"Hmm, how is your life over there? Any major problems that common people often face?" Minos asked curiously.

"Nothing critical, just the usual. Although the city is within the Black Plain, it still has a better spiritual concentration than the surroundings."

"It is also not easy to go to other places when you don't have a high talent. Despite paying a higher tax, living in the Maritime City provides numerous opportunities for residents of this region, and there is also nothing better nearby." She said sincerely.

"I see…" Minos said thoughtfully.

"Why does the young master ask about this?" She asked curiously.

"Curiosity… I heard that there was a place around here by the Black Plain, which had good opportunities for people with less talent." Minos spoke vaguely.

"You should be looking for such a place within one year. Then, maybe you have an opportunity to improve your life." After hearing this, the young woman returned to the kitchen inside the boat.

She did not understand this young master very well. There was nowhere like what this young master had said as far as she knew.

Apart from the Maritime City, there was nowhere with opportunities within thousands of kilometers.

…

While Minos and his group traveled slowly to Stone Island, there were three people around a well-dressed young man in a hotel in the Maritime City.

Three of them were standing on the balcony of the room they were in while the young man was sitting in a chair. The young man was eating calmly while the three people around him gave him the critical information he needed to know.

"Young master, I discovered the identity of that person who bought the low-level grade-2 sword at yesterday's auction."

"And to my surprise, he is someone that the young master already knows." Protector Philip said with a smile on his face.

"Oh! Of which big family is he? Maybe from the Miller?" Asked the young Darell.

"No, hehe, actually, that person has no support."

"He is the brat of former General Albert Stuart!"

Gulp!

"How can it be? How could this guy get in my way? Isn't he afraid of dying for offending someone he can't?" Darell started to speak as he grew more and more irritated.

He could hardly believe that the person who made him lose his face the night before was that ant!

Such a worm spent an incredible six years in an unconscious state while losing the best time for cultivation! So, naturally, the young Darell was increasingly irritated by this.

"That worm must have spent his father's entire inheritance on buying that sword. But, why would he do that?" Darell asked out loud.

"He should hardly have started cultivating. Even if he were a genius at first, it would take a few years before he could use such a sword."

"Hehe, maybe he is being used by someone. From what I heard, there were ten other people in his group. But none of them had the profile of the butler Dillian. So, maybe he was kidnapped or something."

"Regardless, I knew that the strongest one is not even at level 40. So, picking up this sword will be like taking candy from a child, hehehe." Protector Philip said with an evil smile on his face.

Philip was confident of being able to destroy the group of Minos easily. After all, there were three Spiritual Generals in his group, at levels 41, 42, and 43, counting on him.

Even if the opponents' numbers were greater, which gave them an advantage when they combined their strength against each of the protectors, there was still the fact that the three Silva family protectors possessed one more technique than their adversaries due to their higher cultivation stage.

The number of techniques could be a great advantage in a fight, which could turn the result!

As for Minos, Philip did not care for such a person. Even if that boy had started to cultivate when he woke up, he should not have been above level 19...

"That's right, haha. It makes things easier for me. Not only did I not spend my precious medium-grade crystals, but I can also get this grade-2 sword, for free and very easily." Darell now had a dazzling smile on his face. "Where is he now?" The young master Silva asked anxiously.

Protector Philip then answered. "He and his group left the Maritime City earlier today. They were going to Stone Island. Tsh, they know how to get away…"

"This is not bad at all. I was already going there. We go immediately. As soon as we get there, we have to hunt and kill that idiot and the group with him."

"Hehe, now I will have the grade-2 sword, and I can still get a spiritual pill to level up. It seems that I will do very well in the Spiritual Tournament." Darell spoke with great anticipation.

After saying this, Darell Silva and his three protectors left the hotel and headed towards the port of Maritime City. They would start following in Minos' footsteps from then on!