Chapter 404: First Contac

The building was a wide cylinder, with a radius of five kilometres and a height of hundred metres. Situated atop it was a dome, creating a special environment inside.

The building was surrounded by a barrier that shone with a pale purple hue, flickering constantly from time to time as a group of cultivators constantly bombarded attacks onto it.

Situated above the tower's entrance was a massive plague, with the words, 'Essence Derby Palace' inscribed on it.

"Why are so many people gathered here?" A curious cultivator asked.

"This is the Essence Derby Palace, one of the infamous training spots of the Folkan Secret Realm." An excited cultivator was the first to speak, "Once we enter it, all of us would become participants of a certain contest. And the winners would be awarded with a variety of treasures."

"Treasures that raise your overall Origin Essence capacity, increase its quality, and in super rare cases, there are even treasures that's able to give you an attribute. There's many more within, so based on the ancient documents, this is where most cultivators arrive at first." The excited cultivator said.

"Heh, it's also because everyone that enters the Secret Realm are dropped a few hours of journey from here. So, this is the first stop for everyone." A serious looking cultivator muttered.

"Wait, who's that?" Suddenly, one of the cultivators shouted, pointing at the figure of Compass Carburettor that was approaching the crowd while riding the Claw Wolf.

"Someone already reached the Martial Origin Stage?" A cultivator muttered, frowning in response.

"Heh, that's foolish. Making a breakthrough after digesting the gains from here would result in a stronger cultivation base. Besides, the materials to fuse with in the Secret Realm are many times better than the ones available outside. So, it's foolishness of him to breakthrough so early." Another cultivator remarked, letting out laughter full of mockery.

Soon, quite a few among the crowd began to snicker in response, but none dared to move against him. After all, they weren't strong enough to fight against someone from the Martial Origin Stage yet.

The reason they assumed Compass Carburettor was riding his Martial Spirit was due to the reins that covered the Blood Vitality Grass growing on its forehead, causing it to resemble a normal Claw Wolf.

And as he was only considered as a Human Martial Spirit cultivator that had rashly made a breakthrough so early, there were gazes of disdain focused on him. Well, this was pretty much what he was hoping for.

If he was seen as a strong party at present with a weak future, none would bother with him for the time being. After all, they would be competing with their Origin Refinement peers that would grow stronger by consuming the treasures of the Secret Realm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Attacks consuming Origin Essence rained down on the barrier, causing its fluctuation to intensify.

"It's almost done! The barrier would fall soon after!" The cultivators shouted in joy as everyone contributed with an attack, causing the barrier to shake even more unstably.

Compass Carburettor observed the actions of those that seemed to have great knowledge about this place, noticing that they seemed pretty calm while hurling attacks at the barrier.

Normally, those that were smarter would conserve their Origin Essence, ensuring they were at an optimal condition to participate in the contest within. But, upon seeing that the ones that were the most knowledgeable about it attacking it the hardest, he frowned, passing by an attacking cultivator as he connected their minds.

Origin Art—Mind Transfer!

He stole the surface memories of the cultivator, going through it as his eyes lit up in response, 'I see, the contest has already started.'

Based on what he observed, it seemed that those that participated in breaking down the barrier obtained a greater advantage in the contest. The greater the damage they dealt to the barrier, the more their advantage.

And, the barrier was only able to soak up limited damage before shattering. So, the advantage they were able to gain was limited, with the one that began attacking from the start gaining the most profit.

Compass Carburettor clapped twice, causing the Claw Wolf to run away from the crowd, circling the barrier as he stopped at a secluded location, motioning for the Claw Wolf to go all out in its attacks.

Origin Essence congregated at its claws, causing them to shine as the Claw Wolf slashed at the barrier, racking up a lot of damage.

And at the same time, Compass Carburettor took out an energy blade sphere from his storage bracelet, aiming as he threw it with all his might.

Bang!

The energy blade sphere shattered upon coming into contact with the barrier, spilling out the contents within.

Dust Wave!

It was his Apocalypse World ability that he had stored a lot of in his earlier preparation. And indeed, he had already tested it before to see that it worked fine.

After all, the burst element could simply be considered as Origin Essence with the explosion attribute. At least, it wasn't rejected by the laws of the Gaider Realm. Some of his preparations like Darble spheres turned useless while these Dust Wave spheres still retained their ability.

The Dust Wave spilled all over the barrier, eating through it as the contact region began to flicker erratically, displaying the extent of damage he had unleashed.

The attack was significantly powerful as he had condensed a terrifying quantity of Dust Wave in that sphere. Smiling in response, Compass Carburettor hurled a second sphere of the same, seeing the majority of the barrier looking like it was about to vanish any moment as he hurriedly threw in the third, observing it dealing a lot of damage as the barrier was unable to hold on any longer, shattering into countless pieces.

Immediately, large fragments of the shattered barrier flew towards him, seeping into his body, causing a layer of the same barrier to form on his body.

"Ohh, this is surprising." He muttered, probing the strength of the barrier to see that it was pretty tough. Moreover, it seemed the Claw Wolf was indeed recognised as part of him as his barrier also covered it.

"This is great." He smiled, also wondering how this tower came into being. After all, the simple result it had displayed before should have required complex formations and calculations.

'Is it a naturally forming formation of the Folkan Secret Realm that resulted in this?' He muttered, soon returning to the crowd as he noticed their figures entering it, slowing down all of a sudden, gazing at a certain figure entering the tower.

And, the other party seemed to have sensed him, turning around to stare at him. For a short duration, the two people continued to stare as the people that were entering the tower shuddered, with a lot of them collapsing to the ground, unable to endure the pressure unleashed by a pair of highest Tiered Martial Spirits.