Chapter 677 - A Deal

*Sigh~!* 

"That was insane," said Ryuu as he fell on his butt, panting. "To think there is an abnormal 6-Star Martial Monarch like you… As expected from someone who was recognized by Great Elder Maxwell."

Alex looked at Ryuu without an expression before finding Maya coming to Ryuu. "Elder Brother Ryuu, are you alright?"

"Of course… I feel fantastic. I have understood my weaknesses and learned many things… In fact, I am very eager to start training right now. If only you can practice seriously too." Ryuu laughed while teasing Maya.

Maya wanted to pout, but deep inside her heart, she somehow considered this carefully. She never liked studying. Only this time, she thought it would be nice if she studied well. She realized it earlier when she saw Alex overpowering Ryuu with Sword Technique. 

Ryuu didn't fight all out this time because Alex was assessing him. Also, he didn't underestimate Alex by not using all of his techniques. Instead, he felt a sense of breakthrough in the way of the sword as he listened to Alex's lecture in the fight, so he couldn't really release all of his power.

Maya witnessed everything and got triggered in her heart. She looked down and said embarrassedly. "I will study seriously from now on."

Ryuu, who said it earlier in a teasing manner, was utterly shocked by her response. He blinked a few times and stared at Maya with empty eyes.

"Why do you look at me with those eyes?" Maya raised her eyebrows, slightly annoyed by his reaction. 

"Nothing. If you really want to practice seriously, then you can contact me or Master anytime, we will help you." Ryuu laughed, thrilled with the seriousness in her eyes. She wouldn't get annoyed if she didn't mean what she said after all.

Maya nodded and said, "Anyway, you should get up first."

Ryuu nodded, rose from the ground, and walked toward Alex.

"Your understanding of the sword is very deep. I think you only need a little more push to reach Sword Saint stage after overcoming your trauma." Alex nodded with a smile.

"I know. It's my heart that has been preventing me from reaching a higher place! It's all thanks to you that I can see this problem… No, I should say I have been avoiding this matter this whole time, and only now I want to face it." Ryuu cupped his hand and slightly bowed his head. "I am very thankful to you who made me realize this."

Alex shrugged and said nonchalantly. "This is only a transaction. Of course, I will do everything in my power to fulfill it."

"Even so, I am still thankful." Ryuu smiled and nodded. "Master might have known this condition of mine, but she can't say it because she is afraid it will break me. Only you, who don't know anything about me, could say it to my face bluntly."

Alex nodded before thinking. "Do you want to—!" 

Before finishing his words, Alex looked to the right, finding a Spatial Gate inside the field. Ryuu and Maya quickly realized this Spatial Gate as they ran toward it and bowed. "Welcome, Master."

"Good day for you two. How is training? Looking at your condition, it seems you have trained hard." Aileen smiled. 

"Yeah. I just want to say sorry for troubling you this whole time, Master. You have taken care of me either in the Cultivation Aspect or in the Spiritual Aspect." Ryuu thanked her from the bottom of his heart.

"You have come terms with the darkness in your heart?" Aileen gently smiled, patted his shoulders and asked with a soft tone.

"Half… I will finish this matter as soon as I finish the training here." Ryuu nodded with a solemn expression.

"That's good. I am proud of you." 

"Master! I also promise to be hardworking from now on." Maya raised her hand, trying to grab Aileen's attention.

"Hmmm?" Aileen had the same expression as Ryuu earlier and patted Maya's head a few times. "Good. I have been waiting for that line for one hundred years. I am glad I am still expecting it until now."

"And what is that silent earlier?" Maya pouted before glancing at Alex and Ryuu. She couldn't say that she wanted to practice just to entice Ryuu, right? She realized that Ryuu looked more mature now after his heart calmed down in this fight. He looked like a prince earlier as the raging storm inside his heart was replaced by a bright and calm sea. She had her enjoyment from the fight earlier and would call Ryuu when practicing to have more time with him. 

Aileen laughed it off before staring at Alex.

"What is it, Great Elder Aileen? Do you want something from me?" Alex furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's nothing. I just want to give you good news." Aileen gently smiled to lessen the burden of talking with Alex and prevent him from knowing the real intention. "I am sure you like it."

Alex looked at her with weird eyes, wondering if Aileen wanted to marry off Maya or something along the lines.

Fortunately, his worry was proven unnecessary after hearing Aileen's next word.

"There is a chance of you getting a Space Element for your disciple."

"!!!" Happiness began filling his heart before it abruptly vanished as he remembered a certain plot. 'Wait… Does she want to say we can't give it to outsiders? But she says I will surely like the news… It must be something that I can get without getting entangled with Freedom Sect.' 

"After discussing with the other elders, we decided to give you the opportunity to go inside Potential Tower one year from now," Aileen announced. 

The news confused Alex but shocked Ryuu and Maya.

"What do you mean?" 

"I will start explaining this event first. As scheduled, we will open the Potential Tower next year. This is a big opportunity for nameless disciples to impress the Elders and Great Elders. The tower itself can measure your talent and even raise your potential. That's why it's called Potential Tower." Aileen explained carefully.

Ryuu nodded in agreement before adding. "This was where Master took a fancy on me and asked me to be her disciple. I was a simple nameless person back then…"

Alex thought for a moment and said. "I still can't see how this will give me benefits… And why would the Freedom Sect give this chance to me."

"I know about your concern, but this tower is always opened at this point in time every three years. We only request you to complete the tower by reaching the highest level of the tower. After that, I will grant you a Space Element, so your disciple can get it anytime in this place.

"How does this benefit us? We only want to use you to stimulate the potential of our disciples. You know that sometimes seeing an unknown person might trigger someone, right? We will re-educate the rash ones while taking in the motivated one. That's why it is beneficial for us. Besides, we also want to know whether your status as Grand Elder Maxwell's disciple is justified…

"Your Master has entered this tower too in the past and completed all ten floors. Do you want to know the legend?" Aileen asked while smiling. 

Alex pondered and answered, "I can see the benefit… But I want to know the relationship between my Master and this tower first before deciding." 

"Sure." Aileen nodded and gathered all the records in her mind before opening her mouth. "This tower was built by a joint effort of all Great Elders to measure someone's potential. It's filled with complex arrays and trials. Your master is the one and only person who has completed this trial since its creation and become a God.

"In fact, I can say that this tower can measure whether you can be a God or not… If you reach the highest floor and conquer the tower, it can even enhance your potential, increasing your chance to transcend to divinity.

"I could only finish the eighth floor while Ryuu beat the ninth floor like Viola… That's why I have many expectations for him. As for Maya, she only reached the eight floor like me.

"That's all the benefit you can get from this tower. Isn't it interesting? Besides, don't you want to see whether you can become a God?" Aileen finished her explanation with provocation.

"You can stop taunting me." Alex shook his head. "I can see the benefit of me participating in this event… But do you truly want all of that? I feel that you are hiding your real intention from me."

Aileen closed her eyes for a second, admiring his sharpness in noticing something like this. "I am not lying this whole time. I will keep the Lesser Space Element for you, so your Disciple can get it when she arrives at this place later. She needs to pay the rest."

"Lesser Space Element?" Alex narrowed his eyes as he found this ominous word on his ears. "What do you mean by Lesser?"

"I have explained it to you about Space Element, right? It's ranked by its ability to attract Natural Space Elements in the air… So, a Lesser Space Element is a bit slower than usual." Aileen nodded. 

"So, you are not planning to say anything about giving me this Lesser Space Element despite knowing that I want the best for my disciple?"

"You will only know the Council's intention after beating the Potential Tower. That's all I can say." Aileen shook her head in disappointment, afraid Alex would reject him after knowing the truth.

Alex thought for a moment. 'It's true that Space Element is very useful to Rose, but it's not a necessary thing for her. However, the Potential Tower itself is quite interesting, and I want to test myself. Knowing too much can hinder one's cultivation and might even create a heart demon inside my heart, especially if I know that I'm not qualified to be a God.

'Albeit… I never cared about it. I once said that talent could give one's potential to reach the top, it will be one's effort that can take them to the top. Master even said that if I don't have enough talent, I can simply get it from some inheritance. If I am not qualified, it will only motivate me to grow even further… If I'm qualified, then I will be very happy because I can become a God later and meet Alicia and Lin Xingzhi.'

His answer was yes, but Alex tried to consider another aspect by asking her two questions. "I want you to answer these questions first. Knowing that you have some hidden intention, can I still back away after knowing it? The second question is… Will I get entangled with Freedom Sect after this?"

"For your first question, I can assure you that it is not forced. Just like how you come here, we will negotiate with you as someone equal to us. After all, you are the disciple of Great Elder Maxwell. We will respect your will. As for the second question… Yes and no. Yes, we are entangling ourselves to your matter for our own benefit, and no, you will always be you along with your Spirit Nest while Freedom Sect is Freedom Sect. We are two separate sides." 

"Spirit Nest? So, you want to get my influence in the mix?" 

"Yes. However, we are entangling ourselves in your matter… As I said earlier. In other words, our current objectives are aligned, but our end goals are not." 

Alex thought for a few minutes before nodding his head. "Alright. I will choose it later after defeating the Potential Tower. I won't be qualified to accept this agreement if I can't even beat that tower, right?"

Aileen didn't answer him. She only smiled before escaping through her Spatial Gate. "I have informed you what the Council wants, it will be up to you whether to accept it or reject it. For now, you can practice with Ryuu first since I need to take care of my job because of the meeting earlier. I will handle your training tomorrow."

Alex nodded as he looked at Aileen going through the Spatial Gate. After she was gone, he glanced at Ryuu.

"Ahaha…" Ryuu could only scratch his head, not knowing what to do. "Let's practice again."