It's been a few minutes since I took out those three, slowly recuperating my Qi first and foremost. It doesn't matter if I run now, since I might get caught in everything and anything. Be it traps, a crossfire or more assassins.

Which leads me to the issue I forgot in the heat of the battle. The challenge is far from over!

The difficulty said easy, which is understandable to some degree. Well, my scale might be a bit wonky, since the first challenge was also dubbed as 'easy'. "Pff!" I almost laugh out loud at the thought. So easy it gave me a trauma I sometimes have nightmares about.

Still, against those three, while I could've died if the owner's martial prowess was lacking just a tad more, I still held the massive advantage of superior cultivation. Also, which might make sense when I reach this level myself, it felt a bit strange how my Qi was so much more potent than theirs. The red guy had a cultivation not far from mine currently, and still had his Qi be unquestionably obliterated. When I snapped his elbow, I barely used anything, while his glowed so bright and dense, I could see it through the loose robes.

A few hours later, gone was the first dawn, myself paying more attention to what I explored last time. I ignored the rubbles around me from the fight, peering at my left. There I saw once again a giant castle up the green hills. I was walking through the wheat-looking crops, swaying along the cold wind. This came as a surprise, since thinking about it, such a level of cultivation shouldn't let me get cold with just any wind. But letting it go, I began to ponder, making my way past the crops and into a forest on the right. It was dense, filled with conical trees of dark shades, some broken, leftovers of my first passing.

Getting curious, I began asking questions about the scenario here. "System, where am I?"

[The challenge takes place on the Green Destiny World, a subsidiary world of the Dual Tower.]

We're getting somewhere already. "System, what is the Dual Tower?" I imagined it was some sort of sect or clan, at least in principle. Obviously it must be a tower. Hopefully.

[The Dual Tower is an ancient force of the Upper Realms, having lasted for eons. Its presence has however since diminished greatly, now only a remnant shadow of its past. Therefore, the amount of worlds under its influence has decreased immensely, while the remaining worlds they still control may escape their grasp due to their insufficient strength. The Dual Tower is in a pitiful state, only able to bluff their way out of danger.]

I didn't quite expect that. What a rollercoaster. At first it's an amazing place from the famous 'Upper Realm' that is so often seen in novels, but then gets dragged through the mud mercilessly. "System, where is the Dual Tower? How big is it?" I couldn't find something like a tower around me, so maybe it was in another world.

[The Dual Tower is a black tower that was previously rooted on the border of the Upper Realms, but has since then been relocated underneath the boundary of the Upper Realms, floating in space within the Lower Realms. The Dual Tower is approximately a hundred and fifty billion kilometers wide and twelve trillion kilometers tall.]

"That's... hard to fathom? Earth is less than fifteen thousand kilometers wide I think? The radius is like six thousand, so it should be around twelve in diameter. Yeah, there's no comparison here." Besides the sheer monstrous scale of the tower, I continued to ask about it, and was happy to find the system generous with the information. I only got more and more sucked into the lore.

[The Dual Tower's Tower Master is currently unable to perform as the previous Tower Masters due to the steady decline. The current Tower Master's cultivation is merely at the ??? ???, while the previous Tower Master was only one major realm higher. Compared to the founder at the ??? ??? ???, the current Dual Tower's state is considered critical.]

[The Dual Tower's founder, the Tao Ancestor, is ???.]

[According to the database, the Tao Ancestor ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???.]

[Due to the sharp decline in prestige, the Dual Tower has been unable to awaken.]

Such messages came after a few questions, which left me even more perplexed. "Awakening the Dual Tower? System, what is that about?"

[The entire Dual Tower is an artifact forged by the Tao Ancestor. Without a cultivation at the ??? ???, it cannot be awakened. The last Tower Master able to wield the Dual Tower was the 818th Tower Master, the Cobalt Prince, at the ??? ???. During his reign, witnessing the fall of the Dual Tower's prestige, he came to the only conclusion to save what remained. It was his decision to forcefully descend the Dual Tower to the Lower Realms and hide there until a worthy descendant would bring it back to glory.]

Reading this, I made a wry smile. Based on the earlier messages, it hasn't worked well. "System, how did the Dual Tower survive so long then? Can't a random cultivator just destroy it? Especially since it's so old. They can't be without enemies."

[Luck played a considerable role in the Dual Tower's survival through the passage of time. Its legacy has long since declined to the brink of collapse. Luckily, its old enemies have perished, unable to withstand the ravage of time opposed to the Dual Tower, which has lived since billions of years in hiding. To complement its luck, the current state of the Dual Tower is unappealing to superior forces and individuals. This results in weaker passersby being fearful due to their strength, while stronger passersby, aware of the Dual Tower's value, are worried about it being a subsidiary of a prominent force.]

It's already been a few questions, watching the surroundings get darker and darker. I didn't mind, heading deeper into the forest without fear. I've been wondering what to ask now, before finding a decent one as I kicked a pebble to a nearby tree. "System, what are the Dual Tower's ranks like? For example if there are elders and disciples and stuff."

[The Dual Tower has, besides the title of founder, four roles. Namely as follow, in order of most important to least : Tower Master | Elder | Inner Disciple | Outer Disciple]

"System, what are the requirements for each, and what's the body I'm in's ranking?"

[An Inner Disciple cannot be less than one major realm above the lowest standard of Outer Disciple.]

[An Elder cannot be less than one major realm above the lowest standard of Inner Disciple. An Elder must have crossed the Dual Labyrinth and conquered at least four levels of the Tao Dungeon. An Elder's influence is determined on their performance within the Tao Dungeon.]

[The Tower Master cannot be less than two major realms above the lowest standard of an Elder. The Tower Master must be accepted by the Dual Tower.]

[???'s role in the Dual Tower : Inner Disciple]

"I never asked before, but System, can I get more information on the guy I'm controlling?"

[??? is an Inner Disciple of the Dual Tower, half-way through the Foundation Establishment Realm. Due to his superior talent, he has been recognized by the Dual Tower's Second Elder, and been accepted as a disciple. The moment he reaches the next realm, he will attempt the Dual Labyrinth and Tao Dungeon. Succeeding in obtaining a position of Elder will let him overtake his master, the Second Elder, who promised him his spot. Becoming an Elder of the Dual Tower also grants one the authority of Commander during large scale wars, as well as two bodyguards in the peak Foundation Establishment Realm. A Commander will be tasked with leading an army of ten thousand cultivators between the Qi Refining Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm.]

Wow. It's all I can say.

Ten thousand cultivators at this level? Would Earth ever be able to survive this? Maybe, but anyone below A-Rank would be crushed without a doubt. Honestly, even S-Ranks and Star-Ranks might not be able to. Because cultivators, opposed to Earth's awakened, are all-rounders. A mid S-Ranker might have S-Ranked strength and endurance, but also only be B-Rank for speed. There are all kinds of S and above awakened with all kinds of mixed stats. A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator at the fifth layer is C-Rank everywhere. Without at least B-Rank in endurance, they would get defeated at some point due to the unrelenting onslaught. At the same time, with C for speed, one would need C as well to be on par. An awakened would also need C-Ranked senses to avoid backstabs and high B-Ranked strength to deal with an opponent quickly. If a group of a hundred A-Ranks were to get swarmed by five hundred cultivators at C-Rank, only the ones with sufficient endurance or effective combinations like strength and speed would be able to survive.

On Earth, I don't recall there being more than a hundred Star-Rankers in the world. Even with those in hiding, it would be no more than three hundred guaranteed. Compared to that, a single Elder level figure can command an army of ten thousand peak E to peak C-Rank cultivators. The Elders themselves should be at least B, if not more. The Tower Master as well, based on how exponential the stats get at higher realms, might even be able to solo Earth on their own.

And that's a critically pitiful Dual Tower, now too afraid to stay in the Upper Realms.

"If a cultivator force comes to Earth... Maybe I'll be the only one..." Realizing this, I also remembered the prompts from back then. Inside the beast's stomach, the prompt asked for a difficulty, which would indicate Earth's chances of survival. But shouldn't it always be zero percent? The Sun will one day expand, engulfing Earth without a shred of mercy.

"Wait. Don't tell me it said fifty percent knowing that? Could a cultivator actually be strong enough to do something about a cosmic scale event? Could I get so strong I could swallow the Sun like they boast in those stories?"

I like that idea.

"System, would it possible to literally swallow the Sun if I get strong enough?"

[An Immortal of sufficient strength, alongside specific skills, would be able to swallow a small star such as the Sun.]

"System, how long would it take at my current pace to get there? Just an estimate."

[It is currently impossible to accomplish. The Universal Principles have yet to be restored in your Universe, limiting the potential of Immortal Cultivation as a whole.]

What?

"System... what do you mean by that? What are those Principles, and how do I get them back?"

[Universal Principles are a combination of resources and Laws regarding a Universe, all related to the Heavenly Way. Being able to wield Principles can grant a being unimaginable authority toward the related elements. Your Universe has previously lost its Universal Principles and Heavenly Way, having been ??? ??? ??? ??? ???.]

Something happened to the Universal Principles, I get that, but that's not all I asked. "System, you didn't tell me how to get them back though?"

[The method of recovering the Universal Principles and Heavenly Way is part of the Main Quest. Please continue to progress.]

"Okay... not sure if I like that development. At least I know how to fix it, somewhat. Just that, no matter whether they were destroyed or not, those concepts are already way past my paygrade."