The Rise of the Black Plain

Another four days went by, and the group of Minos was already arriving in Dry City. They passed quickly in the Maritime City, but since none had anything to do there, they continued their journey without stopping to rest in that place.

And Minos, who had stayed longer than usual for him at level 33, finally had a breakthrough three days ago. He was now at level 34, which would allow him to finally use the grade-2 sword that he had purchased more than a month ago.

Of course, to do that, he would have to use all of his techniques in combination, which required a lot on his part, but it would be worth it. With his current level and this sword, he could even defeat someone at level 42!

Incidentally, spiritual weapons were not just instruments used as a support for techniques. No, if it were the case, they would not be so expensive! The weapons could have different effects, but in general, they could increase the strength or spiritual conversion of the technique that the user was using!

That is why these weapons were valuable. Otherwise, cultivators could very well use sticks or stones during a fight. Of course, that could also be used as a weapon but would have no amplifying effect.

Some weapons could also have innate attributes, but this only happened in weapons above grade-3…

Anyway, the sword that Minos bought had no attribute, but it could still increase his proficiency in fights.

Without it, he could fight at most someone at level 41.

The difference could be slight, but that's because Minos hasn't even reached level 40, where he could use the sword without limitations.

Anyway, when they were on Stone Island, none of Minos' soldiers made any progress. It wasn't easy for someone like them to move as fast as Minos!

To get an idea, even talented people, and with many resources, increasing a single level in the Spiritual General stage could take five months!

So, it would not be easy for these soldiers who had only Blue talent and did not have large amounts of resources with them.

Although they had excellent salaries in the Black Plain Army, there were few resources like spiritual pills or arrays in the Dry City. And in the period that they were traveling, with the prices charged on the Stone Island, they could at most buy three pills, with all the crystals that each one had.

So, until Minos managed to attract several alchemists to the Dry City, who would charge more affordable prices, these soldiers could not increase their cultivation speeds so much.

…

Hours passed, and the group of carriages quickly approached the Dry City.

They were a few dozen kilometers away, but seeing some details from this distance would not be difficult for cultivators like them.

Soon, Elen and Eduard, who were in another carriage, spotted a large green patch near the Dry City. There were different types of plants being grown in that place, and not far away, there was a lake almost as big as the city itself, which was not far from there.

"Wow! This place truly grew a lot in just over a year." Eduard said while observing the landscape from a distance.

"Hmm, surely. When we came here, this place had just started farming, but now it has reached that point in such a short time!" The young Elen said as she analyzed the situation.

It did not take long, and the beasts that carried the carriages traveled the distance left for the group to reach the eastern entrance to the Dry City.

That was a place of control created during many of the transformations that the Dry City had undergone. At this point, about 30 soldiers were guarding this entrance to the city, and anyone who had to enter here would have to pass through them.

"Look, it's the young master's carriage. He's back!" One of the soldiers standing by at the checkpoint spoke loudly.

"Hehe, it looks like soon the forces of the Black Plain Army will be able to increase!" Another soldier, who was at level 39, said anxiously.

He was one of several soldiers who had reached the bottleneck in cultivation, with Blue talent and level 39. That way, only with outside aid could he continue to grow stronger.

And that was what Minos was bringing!

Upon entering the city, Elen and Eduard had a big surprise. The Dry City was completely different, almost as if they had entered another town!

Now the place didn't look as humble as it used to. Now there were some well-organized avenues to facilitate contact between the various parts of the city and space for the passage of many carriages simultaneously.

And although there are none other than those of the Minos group going through its, in the future, there would be. So, building such infrastructure in advance would certainly make the future development of this place much easier.

Now, there were also several trees scattered around the city, which gave a much more pleasant feeling when someone looks at this place.

'Wow! It seems that Mr. Minos truly spared no effort to improve this place!' Elen thought to herself as she felt even more secure with her partnership with Minos.

With so much determination to improve the Black Plain, Minos would undoubtedly succeed. And with that, Elen would also gain a lot by having such a reliable partnership with him.

And although Minos did this to increase the city's attraction and, as a result, expanding his force, he also wanted to create a pleasant place for him to live.

Some rulers may think of just exploring their territory, investing the least in the place, and taking almost all or even all the resources to themselves. But Minos didn't think that way.

He didn't want to limit himself to just his mansion. He wanted the whole city to be pleasant to be in.

He certainly had goals that would compel him to travel throughout the Spiritual World, but in the end, he would still spend most of his life in this city. And when he has accomplished his goals, he would like not to travel to other parts of the world to get what he wants. It would be better if he had everything in his territory!

That is comfort and quality of life when the rate doesn't change as you leave your mansion and walk through the city.

If you can only have comfort in your home, then even if you have millions of crystals, you will still have your life negatively affected by your own corruption.

The group then arrived at the beautiful mansion redesigned in the meantime that Elen had come here and now. "Ms. Elen, now that my residence has been expanded, we have some areas for visitors. You don't need to stay in a hotel in the city. You are welcome here." Minos said with a smile on his face.

Not only was he polite to the beautiful Elen, but it was also because there was no hotel chain like the Olson in the Dry City. And after the redesign of the city, there was only one hotel left in the entire town!

Many of the earlier locations have become residential buildings for residents who lived in other parts of the city, unaffected by the spiritual gathering arrays. As a result, the few hotels in the city have decreased to just one, the Four Seasons Hotel.

And because of that, it could be that there were no vacancies available for Elen and her bodyguard. That is why Minos had to make this polite offer.

"Hmm, thanks for that." Elen answered sincerely.

After that, the group split up. Elen and Eduard were guided to the area reserved for visitors while Minos and Ruth proceeded to the administrative part of the building.

The soldiers who accompanied Minos on this trip were also released from their services, receiving a few days off.

...

Not long after, Minos spotted secretary Mia.

Mia looked even younger and more beautiful than before. That's because she had reached level 30 in that period that Minos was in Stone Island.

In the past year, she had reached level 29, and in that little more than a month that Minos was traveling, she finally managed to break through to the beginning of the Spiritual Warrior stage!

As for why she looked younger, this is because her body had undergone the changes that occurred at each stage of cultivation. With that, her vitality had doubled, resulting in an even younger and more beautiful appearance than before.

Then the previous one looked like a young adult woman. Now she looked like a teenager. But this was completely normal. Everyone was going through such changes in this world.

Just to give you an idea, the butler Dillian who looks like a middle-aged man now, if he reaches level 50, his appearance would be considerably rejuvenated!

"Oh! By changing your appearance, you must have moved on to the next stage of the cultivation. Congratulations, Mia." Minos said with a smile on his face as he headed towards his office.

"It is good to see you again, young master. And thanks for that." Mia replied cheerfully.

She was pleased. Getting stronger was very good, but the change that someone's body went from one stage to another was delightful.

Imagine if you have felt discomfort for years, and suddenly it goes away. That was the feeling of having your cells improved by spiritual energy and the expulsion of toxins.

It was as if life became much more comfortable!

In addition, there was also a considerable increase in the life expectancy of the cultivator. And that was the main reason for the people who cultivated. After all, who wouldn't want to be able to live longer?