Rise of the Midnight King - Rise of the Midnight King – Chapter 71

“What are you doing?” Qi Liqui asked, finally paying attention to me as I concentrated on the control panel.

“I can figure this out,” I told her.

I had always been a pretty handy guy. I had figured out how to fix my computer on my own countless times. I had even taken flight lessons. This looked simpler than a flight control panel, so I had a good chance of figuring it out. I tried pressing another button, and this caused a door to suddenly slide open. There was no monster behind this one though. Instead, it was a stairway that led to the next floor. A familiar face appeared on the screen. It was Jiang Bo.

Jiang Bo had finally made it to the second floor of the tower, but he had no confidence fighting anything he had encountered, forcing him to run every time. Of course, Jiang Bo had dreams of reaching the top and becoming an inner disciple, but he had no clue how many floors he’d need to travel. Furthermore, the enemies would only get stronger, and he might not be able to run from the next one he encountered.

That’s when a door suddenly popped open. Initially, he thought it was some kind of trap, but after carefully looking it over, he could see it was a stairway traveling to the next floor. He hesitated for a bit. Was it worth it? He wanted to go to the next floor, but he was afraid that the challenges would become more than he could handle. Then again, wasn’t that the point of cultivation? If someone didn’t take risks, how could they ever grow further? Every cultivator knew that the second you became a coward, your cultivation would no longer progress.

Taking a deep breath, he headed up the stairway. The least he could do was look around. If nothing else, he could say he made it to the third floor despite being one of the younger cultivators. That was worth some level of respect. What he didn’t know was that Bao bi was in another room, watching him go up the stairway. He had tested a few more buttons, gaining a better understanding. They were labeled by floor and wall. He could move walls at will.

He started adjusting the path so that Jiang Bo would not run into any traps or monsters, but instead pass all of the treasures. He realized that he couldn’t get the items himself, but if Jiang Bo became an inner disciple, he could probably help Bao bi find his mom just as easily as Bao bi could do it himself. In that case, it made sense in his mind to invest in Jiang Bo here. Someone needed to be the chair guy, and the other needed to be the adventurer. It just so happened that we ended up in our respective positions.

As Jiang Bo headed through the third floor, he remained extremely vigilant, but when he discovered a treasure chest, he couldn’t help but excitedly run up to it and open it. He immediately encountered a scroll with a technique on it, as well as a bottle of ancient pills. He excitedly stored them and then continued.

Around this time, Xi Mingyu also discovered the stairway that Bao bi opened up. He wasn’t as orderly as he was before. The unexpected appearance of the goat-headed sage beast caught him off guard, but he was ultimately able to defeat it. Still, his face was filled with determination. While Jiang Bo only had wild hopes of reaching the top of the tower, Xie Mingyu was determined. He would become an inner disciple, no matter what it took!

Bao bi could see Xie Mingyu following Jiang Bo’s path. Since he was moving ahead more confidently than Jiang Bo, it would only be a matter of time before he overtook him. If Xi Mingyu got enough points to become an inner disciple, he wouldn’t do anything for Bao bi. This was an opportunity Bao bi was giving Jiang Bo, not this other guy.

He also recalled what Qi Xue had told him. Xi Mingyu was the only one with a monster attractant. He must have put it on the girls to lure them away from some treasures he found, or maybe just to spite them. Bao bi couldn’t help but look at the unconscious girl and shake his head. He also said that if anyone asked for help, he’d take all of their stuff. Would he even wait for that? If he encountered Jiang Bo, would he leave him alone? Bao bi decided he couldn’t let the pair come into contact.

He immediately changed a few walls behind Jiang Bo. If he tried to go back the way he came, he wouldn’t be able to, but Xie Mingyu was being sent in another direction. He could still eventually catch up to Jiang Bo, so Bao bi decided to send him to a group of enemies. Xie Mingyu didn’t hesitate to fight them. Meanwhile, Jiang Bo passed several more treasures before going up to the fourth floor.

Qi Liqui watched as I manipulated the tower, but she didn’t say anything about it. She just watched along as the two disciples continued their trek up the castle.

“The fourth floor.” Jiang Bo said, a bit of excitement in his voice.

After running into several treasures and no enemies, he couldn’t help but grow a bit more confident. However, he reminded himself to stay cautious. It almost felt like he was being led on. He heard monsters several times, but they were always on the other side of a wall. Once, he tried to go in another direction, but the wall suddenly closed on him. Yet, he was a disciple of the Xaoi sect now and every item he recovered was more merit points.

He headed up to the fourth floor and soon discovered another treasure.  Meanwhile, Xie Mingyu seemed to run into enemy after enemy. Bao bi had been hoping he’d give up, but the more he threw at him, the more Xie Mingyu pushed forward. At first, the mobs were manageable for him, but after heading to the fourth level, the enemies were starting to become a challenge, even for someone of his level. His once pristine outfit was now filled with tears and rips. His hair was a mess and he was also breathing hard.

“With this many beasts in the way, the award must be coming.” He muttered to himself while taking a few moments to breathe.

Why else would someone protect this path so fervently if it didn’t lead to an equivalent reward? He believed that there was something at the end of this. With a renewed sense of determination in his eyes, he continued.

Other people managed to reach the second floor, but their progress was slow, even following in Xie Mingyu’s footsteps. There were other beasts that Xie Mingyu did not kill who were attracted by the blood and noise left from battle. Thus, these new arrivals didn’t have any easier time of it. In short, they’d never reach the top of the tower. There just wasn’t enough time left.

Hours passed by, and Jiang Bo continued to rise level after level while collecting various rewards. He had a small treasury in his storage ring. His sect badge had already been filled to the limit and he had to depend on his ring as well. The wealth he was carrying exceeded that of the Jiang Province. As a prince, he had seen his father’s treasury, and he was pretty sure he could build his own country if needed. It made him extremely nervous as he continued forward.

His greatest regret is that he wouldn’t be able to keep any of it. The sect would immediately search him for anything and confiscate it. All he would be left with was merit points. Yet, if those points allowed him to become an inner disciple, then it would be worth it. He knew that his father would happily pay his entire treasury to get a son as the inner disciple of the Xaoi sect. If Jiang Bo succeeded, then his family would be secure as the rulers of this province for countless years to come. They would have unprecedented power and sway. They might even be able to suppress if not conquer their rivals.

As such thoughts went through Jiang Bo’s mind, he only grew increasingly excited. Time was running out though. They were on the last day, only a single night before they would be kicked out of the realm. If he reached the top, forget inner disciple, he might even have a chance at being a personal disciple of one of the elders. That would be a dream come true. He might even have the power to change his little sister’s fate.

Yet, just as Bao bi smoothed out the path of the 9^th floor for Jiang Bo, he tried to open the door leading to the 10^th and final floor, yet the switch refused to function. He flipped it up and down a few times. He frowned. What was the problem? Was the reward not there? Maybe there never was a top to the tower.

Before he could say anything else, the monitor suddenly flickered, and in place of all the images of the tower was an eye on each screen. The eyes all glanced around before landing on Bao bi. Qi Liqui let out a small scream, falling back.

“Who is tinkering with my tower!” A voice roared out.

Bao bi’s mouth fell open. Of all the things he thought would happen, he never imagined that this abandoned ruin had a caretaker who would suddenly appear.

“Great Elder, this is a mistake. We didn’t intend to mess with your stuff.” Qi Liqui quickly spoke, but she was bowing her head down and not looking at the screens.

“A mistake?” His voice shook with anger. “You’ve been allowing cultivators to strip everything from my tower!”

Bao bi blinked. “Sir, isn’t that your intention for people to go up the tower? Your stuff is placed on treasure chests…”

Qi Liqui shot him a look of disbelief. Why was he so calm? It was pretty clear that the man in control of this tower was someone of mysterious power and background. Neither of them even had the right to be in his presence. He could likely destroy them with a wave. Merely the aura of his presence was enough to make it hard for Qi Liqui to breathe, but Bao bi merely stared at him with interest.

“Hmph!” The eye snorted. “The tower is a test! Only one who is worthy can make it to the top.”

“So, what? You want that Xie Mingyu guy to reach the top then?”

“None of them are qualified!”

Bao bi opened his mouth, but he didn’t know how to respond. This guy just seemed to want to be a gatekeeper.

“Great Master, we will leave without question-“ Qi Liqui cried desperately.

“Hmph, you think you can leave without properly compensating me?”

“Compensation?” Bao bi raised an eyebrow. “I mean no offense, but this entire realm is falling apart. Half your tower is collapsed. You have limited rewards to hand out, but the time available for you to hand them out is diminishing, right? I don’t know if you intend to hand some kind of inheritance or something, but Jiang Bo there wouldn’t be the worst person you can offer it to.”

“Bao bi!” Qi Liqui cried out in shock.

“What? I’m just saying… I’m not sure how long this tower has been here, but even I can tell that you should have already passed the deadline for your intended purpose.”

“Great Master… please don’t listen to him…”

“What Great Master? Isn’t he the tower’s spirit? He probably has limited control, otherwise he’d be in this room with us.”

Bao bi was naturally using his experience from when he entered the pagoda. He was guessing this guy wasn’t too different from his encounter with the Xaoi ancestor. He was just some leftover soul wanting to leave something behind to someone who proved worthy. Qi Liqui realized she couldn’t control his speech, so she backed away a bit, hoping the mysterious entity would treat them as separate people.

There was a long silence after Bao bi finished what he was saying, but eventually, the eye spoke. “Where do you come from, Boy?”

“Um… the Xaoi sect?”

“You have… a familiar aura.” He spoke slowly. “Perhaps you’re correct. Perhaps, it is time to pass it on. If it’s you, it might even be successful.”

Bao bi cocked his head. “Me, sir?”

“Normally, you should climb the tower to the top floor, but there is no time for that.” The eye disappeared on the monitor, and a new spot appeared along with a map. “If you can go to this spot on the first floor, there is a teleportation array. I will directly bring you to the top floor. There, you can inherit my legacy.”

“You’re giving it to me?” Bao bi asked in surprise.

“You meet my criteria, and you give me a good feeling. I’m willing to provide you with this opportunity. Take the girl with you. She will be needed. As for the unconscious girl, you can leave her here. She will be safe. No sage beasts can get close to the control room.”

“Ah, sir… we ended up here because of a monster attractant…” I admitted awkwardly.

He let out a sigh. “I have removed your scent. You can proceed unmolested.”

Bao bi let out a breath of relief. “In that case, I’ll see you shortly.”

“Come quickly, you will need the remainder of your available time here to finish receiving my inheritance.” With that, the screen returned to normal.

Bao bi exchanged a look with Qi Liqui before she asked. “Do you think… he can be trusted?”

“Aren’t you the one calling him Grand Master?”

She blushed. “That might be so, but just because he’s powerful doesn’t mean he has our best interest at heart. There are countless methods in which cultivators can consume the lifeforce of weaker cultivators, or even possess them. He may want to use you to escape his confines.”

“So, you think it’s not worth it?”

“An inheritance from someone as powerful as him? We have to at least try!”

“Then why think about it?” Bao bi shrugged, causing Qi Liqui to cock her head.

“What?”

“If the reward is worth the risk, we might as well take the risk, right? The worst case is that we die.”

“You… fine. I’ve already followed you here. Lead the way.”

Bao bi agreed and then reached out. She looked at his hand for a moment, but then she took it. He hoisted the storage bag over his free shoulder and then the pair headed out from the ruins. At first, he acted carefully, approaching the forest cautiously to make sure that they didn’t start attracting sage beasts, but when nothing came running, they started to pick up pace. This hidden transportation array wasn’t too far from the control room. It’d only take about fifteen minutes to reach.

Just as Bao bi and Qi Liqui started to pick up their pace, Bao bi suddenly got a bad feeling. He immediately shoved QI Liqui away from him, and in that moment a blade glinted, slicing right where the two had been standing. A shadow appeared between them. Bao bi pulled out his kunai and threw it. However, the shadow managed to dodge it and it went flying away harmlessly.

This was one of the more annoying things about his tendency to throw weapons. He couldn’t bring them back to him. He pulled out his spear just as the assaulting party attacked. His spear met the enemy’s blade. The pair exchanged several blows. The man was fast. He was clearly a higher cultivation than Bao bi, but Bao bi had always trained against Liao An, so even someone of this level didn’t catch him off guard.

On the other hand, his assaulter seemed to expect little resistance. His eyes widened as he found himself unable to kill Bao bi in a second. He suddenly let out a cry and leaped to the side. Qi Liqui had struck from behind and managed to narrowly miss a killing blow. It was still enough to knock back the hood of the person assaulting them. He leaped back a few times, leaving Bao bi and Qi Liqui facing him.

“He’s strong.” Qi Liqui warned. “He’s definitely in the mortal maturation realm.”

However, Bao bi was more taken aback when he saw the person’s face. He’d recognize that spikey protagonist-like hair anywhere.

“Chen Bao?”

Chen Bao made a face. “You’re more capable than I expected. However, it does not matter. You’re still too weak to defend yourself. It’s only a matter of time before I claim your life!”

“Why?” Bao bi asked.

“Heh, there are people who don’t want you to succeed in the sect. Your presence is an eyesore for several people.”

“Are those the people who took my mother?” Bao bi demanded angrily.

“Does it matter? You won’t live long enough to save her. You’re only in the lower level of mortal origin. Even if you team up with this mortal maturation, she’s also only at the lower level. I’m in the upper levels. Simply put, we’re leagues apart.”

“You’re giving up becoming an inner disciple for that?”

“They promised me a position as a core disciple if I succeed. Who cares about the inner disciple position? Of course, I didn’t want to do this so messily. I tried to get the dark sect to do the job for me, but it turns out they’re all incompetent! No matter, since you’ve decided to team yourself with someone from the dark sect, that will give me the perfect justification to put you down. No one will even question it!”

“Y-you’re from the light sect?” Qi Liqui looked at me in shock.

“You’re not?” Bao bi responded, surprised by the hurt look on her face.

“As much as I’d enjoy watching your drama, it’s time for both of you to die!”