Transcending Dreams

B2 - Chapter 70

William followed Kae into the pitch-black room? He wasnt sure what it was. He could see nothing, even with his enhanced eyesight. The strange part was that Kae was fully illuminated.

His old fear of the void was creeping back to the front of his mind. The only thing that kept it away was the feel of a solid floor and Kaes presence.

Is this where we have to fight the beast waves? Williams echoed like he was in a massive, empty chamber.

No, this is the staging area, Kae kept a steady pace. Keep walking until you hear the voice.

What voice

Disciples Kae and Wei Liang. Shifting in three.

William tensed, not sure what to expect. It would have been nice if he had been informed of the process.

Two.

He looked to Kae for reassurance and found it. Or it was the boys permanent resting bitch face in play. He chose to believe it wasnt.

One.

His Qi was ready. He doubted that the leader of a beast wave would be the first thing he would face, but if that was the case, [Force Multiplier] was just a thought away.

The darkness rippled. That was the only way to describe what he saw. It faded into a vast landscape that looked the opposite of something called the Abyss.

William imagined fighting against a beast wave on a sterile floor that showed the sect's control over the Abyss. Or maybe it being true to the name 'Abyss' and have it held in a dark environment.

That wasnt the case.

This is still under the sect? William asked as he looked around, noting the mountain range circling like a barrier. He would say it was similar to the Inner Court, but it wasnt even close.

Yes. This is a fabricated area. Theres no formal name, but we call it Blood Bowl. It gets messy.

William looked around, making a good guess as to why it gained that name.

They were standing on the only raised surface in the otherwise mostly flat ground. It was a small plateau that let him overlook everything other than the mountains. He walked to the edge and saw a sharp cliff, though that was not much of a deterrent to anything trying to climb it.

William had been able to jump well over the height of the plateau when he was just a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator. That meant even the weakest spirit beast in the beast waves could do the same.

Is there anything special about this plateau? William turned to see that Kae had already pulled out a cauldron and was coaxing a fire to life. He knew that Kae was an alchemist, but it was still strange to see it in action. His personality kept tricking Williams mind into associating him with a bruiser.

It acts as a supply point to simulate the likely scenario in the real world. It opens every time two beast waves are eliminated.

Opens? William frowned.

Yes. The plateau is blocked once the beast wave is released. Nothing can enter its space, beast or human. Kae dumped a multitude of ingredients haphazardly, or thats what it seemed like to an uneducated observer. With the way Kae nodded with satisfaction, it was obviously planned.

William looked away and walked around the plateau, trying to see why it existed. It sounded useful at first, but really, it was redundant at best. He noticed that Kae had a band around his wrist with a spatial stone attached, and he had his ring that could be used in public.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Why bother with a supply point when they could just carry everything needed at all times?

Kae, what am I missing here? Why the plateau when we have spatial items?

Trust me when I say you will not want to take anything out in the middle of the beast wave. You become a beacon for the spirit beasts. They will attack you relentlessly and pretend I dont exist. And no, Im not sure why thats the case.

Huh, William scratched his chin before nodding, I can see why that would be bad. At least I can leave my egg here without worries.

Even though the mob in the beast wave was fairly weak compared to his current strength, getting ganged up would not end well. It wasnt that he was worried for his life, he really wasnt, but the only way to get out of the situation would be to attack with full force.

William would live, but the mission would fail. Those spirit beasts would be mangled beyond recognition, leaving little chance that they could be used as quality ingredients.

He placed his precious spirit beast egg near the plateau's center. It happened to be close to Kae, who he saw was looking at him with disbelief.

What?

Im not sure how I missed this, but you didnt know about the plateau.

Thats a given, William raised an eyebrow. I wouldnt have asked about it if I knew.

Yes, exactly. So, what did you intend to do with the egg? Carry it around as you killed the spirit beasts? ThatOh, Kae stopped, realizing that was precisely the plan.

Er, yes? I could have done it, William assured. He knew it seemed ridiculous, but he had little concern for his safety since he was confident in easily overpowering anything if needed.

This was mainly to feed the egg so beast corpses.

I guess Ill see if you were overconfident for a good reason soon enough, Kae went back to closely watching the bubbling liquid in the cauldron. I hope you can back up your words, Wei Liang. It bodes well for level three.

Ten minutes.

William didnt flinch this time, used to the similar voice that he had now heard multiple times, starting from the Auction Halls Qi refining room.

He placed the spirit beast egg gently on the hard rock and frowned. He should have taken the time to get a replacement chest for it. No matter. It would be fine.

What are you making? William asked as he walked closer to Kae.

Experimental elixir. Boosts stamina in exchange for Qi and minor injuries.

He stopped in his tracks, almost drooling at the bubbling liquid in the cauldron. S-Stamina Elixir?

Yes. It wasnt my intention at the start. I noticed how much time I was wasting sleeping in the Qi Gathering Realm. There were elixirs I could buy to make that unnecessary, but they were far too expensive. So I tried to make my own.

William still understood what Kae said, but his mind was stuck on Stamina Elixir. There were two things he wanted to find after his experience in the Shard.

Something that would help him recover Spiritual Energy and something that would do the same for Stamina.

I made some stupid mistakes in my initial process, Kae continued, but it worked for the better. Now I have this.

It clicked in Williams mind. This is how you beat the beast wave by yourself.

This, and another elixir that Im experimenting with, but that is only for my use. Its too dangerous for me to offer it to anyone else. Of course, you have full access to the Stamina Elixir.

Thank you, William truly meant that. It likely wouldnt be needed on this level, but it would be of help when they decide to take on level three of the Abyss.

He stayed silent to let Kae work without interruption, eventually sitting crosslegged and making a count of the Vitality Restoration Pills he had in stock to pass the time.

There were exactly twenty in his ring. When he completed the mission, he wanted to have the same count.

One minute.

Kae was finished. He bottled all the elixir in the cauldron into small stoppers, ending with a ridiculous number.

You think all of that is needed? William asked with a raised eyebrow.

No, Kae stored the cauldron back into his spatial bracelet, but its better to be over-prepared.

True, he nodded.

Three.

Lets go, Kae walked to the plateau's edge. William stood up and followed.

"Two.

They jumped off, falling nearly a hundred feet to the ground below before landing gingerly on their feet.

One.

William glanced up when he heard a static-like sound and saw a barrier surrounding the top of the plateau. That must be what blocked it off during the beast waves.

Begin.

An earsplitting crack rang through the empty landscape. A distant mountain split down the middle, blasting a thunderous boom that made his hair sway slightly even from that distance.

He narrowed his eyes in concern when the mountain crumbled like it was hollowed out and could no longer hold up its own weight. A massive red eye peered out from behind the cloud of dust for a moment before it blinked out of existence.

William heard a faint roar before hundreds of spirit beasts rushed out from the newly made gap.