“What other bit of news? asked Alaric.

“I’ve received an invite from the system,” Rowan grinned. “For the Tower of Trials.”

Alaric wasn’t really surprised. He had always expected Rowan to get the invite sooner or later. However, hearing the news from him filled him with joy.

“That’s marvelous,” He clapped Rowan’s back. “Congratulations and good luck on ascending the tower when you do.”

The ambiance inside the room visibly brightened as all of them rejoiced at the news. Gorge grabbed a plate of snacks and started devouring crispy chicken and salad.

All of them followed suit and discussed further.

Rowan had always aimed to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a strong adventurer. Captain Farrow had been a distinguished member of ‘The Twilight Hawk’ guild but departed from the guild due to some private reason.

He had ascended to the early mid-floors of the Tower of Trials - Floor 30 - and established a bond with an earth elemental entity. He had mentored Rowan since childhood to prepare him for this very moment, and now, Rowan was on his way to fulfilling his dream.

He would enlist in the ‘Twilight Hawk’ guild as an intern and train under them to scale the Tower. The time limit to begin climbing the Tower was 18. Most people embarked on their climb just before turning 18.

This allowed them time to develop a strong foundation and skill set to ascend as high as possible. Only the most talented prodigies or geniuses dared to climb the tower at earlier ages with their robust foundations and skill sets.

Tier 2s who conquered the Tower and forged a bond with a powerful entity became far stronger than Tier 2s who couldn’t. In fact, it served as the bedrock of their future progress in cultivation and in life.

They gained stronger elemental affinities and found it easier to master elemental skills and abilities depending on which type of entity they had bonded with.

Moreover, forming a bond with higher-floor entities provided additional advantages related to aura manipulation, bloodline abilities, and dao as well.

Nobody understood how the Tower of Trials functioned. The trials inside the Tower were tailored based on the ascender's bloodline, their capabilities, and other factors known only to the system.

However, a few facts were known about the tower. The difficulty level escalated as one climbed the floors, as did the rewards. The entity one could bond with depended on their bloodline.

That’s why it was common for family members sharing the same bloodline to form a bond with the same entity when all other factors remained equal.

Alaric felt a surge of competitiveness ignite in his chest. I’ll have to prepare for the Tower of Trials too, now. He shook his head and redirected his attention to the conversation with his friends.

“Hello, where have you been lost?” Rowan waved his hands in front of his face. “I’m sure you’ll get an invite once you are on the verge of ascending to Tier 2 as well.” All of his friends agreed with Rowan.

“What about you, Alaric?” inquired Gareth. “What are your plans for the future? You do have a plan, right?”

“Yes, of course,” Alaric smirked. “I have a plan.” His primary goal was to train and develop as strong as possible. Whatever opportunity arose to facilitate that, he would seize it. And, he longed to explore this new world.

As the son of a noble, there was no profession he wouldn’t be able to undertake. Although, it was yet to be seen how his bastard status influenced that. Still, he believed that becoming an adventure was a safe bet.

They should accept everybody as long as they are strong, regardless of their status.

There was just one slight headache. He would have to enroll in an academy once he turned 14. The count had already expressed his wish regarding this subject.

Usually, nobles were homeschooled till the age of 14, after which they endeavored to join a prestigious academy where they could gain in-depth knowledge about the wider world and advance further in their cultivation journey.

Alaric didn’t know what to think of it yet. On one hand, if he could crack the test of a prestigious capital city academy such as ‘The Stellan Institute’ or ‘Evercrest Academy’, he would gain access to resources that would enable him to prepare much better for his future.

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On the other hand, he wasn’t looking forward to interacting with teenagers and all the restrictions that came with being in an academy. However, this wasn’t something that could be avoided.

In fact, he assumed it would be essential to join a prestigious academy if he wanted to forge connections with influential people who would hold positions of power in the future. That is, if they could overlook his bastard status.

When Alaric shared his thoughts with his friends, all of them laughed. Gareth nudged him and said, “That is why you’re so different, Alaric.”

“What do you mean?” he countered.

“You aren’t anxious about joining ‘The Stellan Institute’ or ‘Evercrest Academy’ at all, are you?” asked Gareth.

Alaric shrugged. What could he say? He was confident he would crack the exams. It was only a matter of which one to choose.

“See,” Gareth continued. “While most nobles would be panicking, preparing rigorously for the tests to get into these academies, you remain unbothered.”

Alaric simply laughed.

“That’s why I said your path is different from ours,” George eyed him. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you have restrained your powers during the dives.”

Alaric winced. They had been delving into the Azure Caverns together for the past couple of days.

Although they couldn't get the precious one-time rewards any longer, fighting the monsters still netted them a good amount of experience and allowed them to hone their fighting skills.

Alaric had observed that George and Gareth couldn’t keep pace with him anymore. They most likely hadn’t succeeded in forming a liquid core yet - which restricted their mana output and skill potency - even with the aid of the Azure Pearl.

And, Alaric managed to outmatch their physical enhancement skills even without channeling a drop of root chakra energy. However, he restrained himself from unleashing his full potential when group-delving. It was no fun battling monsters while watching them struggle.

“Is that why you refrained from delving together yesterday?” Alaric glared at him. George sunk under his gaze and locked eyes with Gareth.

“We’re holding you back,” said Gareth.

“Nonsense, I..” Alaric faltered. The look in their eyes said it all, especially George. He couldn’t sugarcoat the truth. What they said was undeniable.

Alaric exhaled and playfully punched George’s arm. “Is that what’s been bothering you?” He flashed a grin and clasped his shoulder. “Even if I become some prodigious cultivator or renowned adventurer in the future, and our paths diverge,” he met each of their gazes, “I won’t forget about you guys.”

All of them looked embarrassed at his heartfelt expression and tried to deny these accusations. Alaric simply chuckled, happy to clear their doubts and ease their worries.

***

Alaric was refining his mana core in his cultivation sanctuary when he detected a disturbance that broke his concentration. Somebody is in my bedroom. Although his danger sense didn’t trigger, he felt someone scrutinizing him.

He broke his meditation and opened his eyes. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he swiftly turned around ready to fight.

It was Edgar, smirking at him while leaning against a side wall. Alaric clicked his tongue. The cunning butler had emitted a faint killing intent to throw off his senses.

“You seemed deeply engrossed in meditation,” he remarked, picking his ear with his pinky finger while surveying the bedroom. “Almost as if you were lost in another dimension.”

Alaric felt his emotions waver but quickly steadied them. No, there was no way he could perceive the existence of the cultivation sanctuary within my soul. Alaric pretended to be oblivious to his remark.

Instead, he asked, “What brings you here?”

“Come, the count has called for you.” Edgar offered a hand for him to grab.

Alaric stared at the hand. “What, are you going to hold my hand and escort me to the count?” he scoffed but grasped it anyway. The moment he did, Edgar smirked, and Alaric felt his vision distort as his entire body jolted.

The next instant, he found himself standing before the count in his study, under his intense scrutiny.

Portal-less teleportation. Alaric knew Edgar possessed a powerful stealth skill, but he hadn’t realized the man wielded such an advanced teleportation skill. Hmm…perhaps he has an artifact for it?

He dismissed those thoughts when he noticed Edgar and the count glancing at him oddly.

“You look surprisingly well,” said Edgar.

“What do you mean?” Alaric felt a little queasy but not too sick.

“Most children would nearly collapse when they teleport,” Edgar observed.

Alaric shrugged. “I’m used to delving into the Tutorial Rifts.” The truth was, Alaric frequently immersed himself in his cultivation sanctuary, which simulated the sensation of portal-less teleportation far more intensely.

By comparison, entering the Tutorial Rift felt significantly less taxing.

When neither of them responded, he pressed on. “So, why did you summon me, Father?” Alaric already suspected it had something to do with his identity, and he was proven correct.

Just not in the way he expected.

“Alaric, what do you say we take a little tour?” suggested the count, a playful smile tugging at his lips.

“Where exactly?”

The count didn’t answer. Instead, he gestured for Alaric to come closer. Edgar stepped forward, and all three of them clasped hands. In the blink of an eye, they teleported once more and emerged in a forest clearing.

Twisted, old, gnarled trees greeted his vision, their bare branches stretching towards the sky. The forest floor was littered with crisp autumn leaves. A gentle breeze wove through the woods, creating a symphony of whispers.

Alaric glimpsed the towering boundary walls of the city, barely visible through the tangled branches. He recognized this place — it was the vast expanse beyond the city walls, The Whispering Woods. He was almost certain. The count confirmed his suspicion when he asked.

He had longed to visit this immense forest one day, and now he was thrilled to explore it sooner than expected. To fight monsters and hone his skills.

At the count’s command, Edgar conjured an invisible barrier around them, silencing all external sounds. The count was not taking any chances.

“Alaric, it’s time you learn everything,” the count said gravely.

Alaric nodded, ready to learn what had the count so on edge.