The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 94. Prana Pearls

Chapter 94: 94. Prana Pearls

The light blinded Tyler’s eyes. When he opened them, he was inside the next trial room. This time, the enclosed cave looked the same as before, but instead of a platform, there was a lake at its center.

People were gathering around it. This time, Tyler didn’t immediately walk towards them. Instead, he searched for the wall of instructions and quickly found it.

"To pass the Trial: Swim to the Bottom."

That’s all it said.

Tyler then headed towards the lake. Instead of swimming, many people were fishing in the lake. He caught a random guy and asked what was going on.

The man was initially irritated, but he answered when he couldn’t even sense any Aura from Tyler’s body, thinking that this mysterious man was too powerful to measure.

Tyler nodded and left without thanking him. The man was happy that the mysterious guy let him go.

It turned out there were many exotic fishes in the lake. These fishes were rare and would fetch a good price if taken outside. Because of that, many people divided the lake into two parts: one where they swam to the bottom to finish the trial and another where they continued to fish to make more money.

Tyler immediately lost interest. He also noticed that swimming to the bottom was not an easy task, as there were some hurdles in the trial. But he didn’t even care to check them out. He took a sheet of paper and tore it. The paper enveloped him, making him skip the trial.

He was teleported to a small cave. Tyler looked around; it wasn’t the same cave.

He quickly took the copper pot and copied a few more pages.

After 10 minutes, Tyler was sent to another trial. He saw people walking on a path filled with blades and swords. He quickly tore a trial-skipping page.

Just like that, he skipped three more trials.

Tyler appeared in a giant dome. The dome was a little bigger compared to the others. There was a huge waterfall at the end. Tyler couldn’t see the top of the waterfall; it seemed to be falling from the ceiling. The trial also seemed simple: people had to reach the top of the waterfall.

Tyler was more interested in why many people were sitting at the edge of the waterfall and waiting. He decided to ask them.

But suddenly, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

Tyler turned around.

"Oh... New mask?" Lily Gomes asked.

Tyler was surprised to see her here. Even though he skipped using the trial skip cards, Lily Gomes had reached the same level faster.

"Do I know you?" Tyler asked with a confusing tone.

"White, what—Ohh... You are in disguise? Should I come back again and act like I didn’t recognize you?" Lily Gomes asked seriously.

"Oh, no need... How did you recognize me?" Tyler asked.

"One—you are wearing the same dress. Two—your walking posture and the way you talk are still the same. Also, your copper pot on your waist... Don’t worry, other than me, nobody would recognize you." She patted his shoulder encouragingly.

Tyler looked a little dejected. He quickly took the copper pot and kept it inside the small bag he was carrying.

"What are they waiting for?" Tyler pointed at the people near the waterfall. Lily Gomes threw a pearl-like stone at him.

"What’s this?" Tyler caught it.

"It’s a Prana Pearl. There is no use for warriors, but for mages, it is a treasure. It’s like Aura stones for warriors," she explained.

Tyler has already learned about the Prana Pearl or stones and the Aura stones. They were just like Spiritual Stones from his previous world. This world contained two types of energy: Aura and Prana. In ancient times, people used these stones as currency, but now everyone used Lydia.

He wanted to ’accidentally’ drop the mana stone into his copper pot and then give it back to her, but her observation skills were too scary, so he decided against it.

"You can keep it. I have more," she simply waved her hand. Tyler looked at the people waiting for the prana stones to fall.

"Don’t try to compete with them. They can crush you with a wave of their finger." She wiggled her fingers cutely.

Tyler just thanked her and kept the stone. He could repay her later with hundreds of these if she wanted.

"Also remember the meridian mending method I gave you. I heard there is a tempering room in the further trials. If you reach it, it means repairing your meridians. You might even gain new attributes," she explained.

Tyler was moved. He got this opportunity thanks to Lily Gomes.

Lily Gomes then walked near him and whispered in his ear, "From my analysis, I concluded that to win this trial, speed is the key. Try to be fast. See ya."

Lily Gomes left after giving the advice. She was a little confused about how Tyler was able to finish the trials faster. The trials adjusted the difficulty according to the person’s level. For example, the second trial, swimming to the bottom, was more difficult for stronger individuals.

Everyone had their own secrets. Lily Gomes didn’t think too much about it. She jumped into the waterfall, and with a boom, she travelled like a carp under the water and disappeared at the top.

A few prana stones began to fall. People began to grab the prana stones quickly. Even if they were not useful to warriors, they would still fetch a lot of money.

Tyler understood that prana stones would only fall when someone passed the trial. He quietly took a trial-skipping sheet and tore it. Some people noticed him and were baffled.

Before they could ask anything, Tyler disappeared.

---

After Tyler disappeared, there was a little commotion because trial-skipping pages were rare. But someone really had one. They tried to get information about him. Some left the trial ground to collect the information.

The name ’Phantom Blackwood’ was making waves again because people in different trial areas saw him using trial pages. This made them wonder if ’Phantom Blackwood’ had stolen a book made of trial pages.

He once paid an immortal when he was a mortal to stomp him.

He is a descendant of the richest person in the world. He got betrayed and turned into an adventurer.

He likes to step on others.

Just like that, many rumours about him were spreading.

Tyler and Lily Gomes were not the only ones finishing the trials faster.

A young man walked towards the lake in the second trial with his sharp needle sword.

He jumped into the lake, and within a few seconds, he reached the bottom. Even the hurdles couldn’t touch him due to his speed.

Then he crossed the path of blades and swords swiftly, his speed so fast it was as if he was walking on air.

Just like Lily Gomes had predicted, in this trial, speed was the key.

He reached the waterfall trial, walked towards it, and looked up. Then he jumped into it. He travelled to the top quickly and disappeared. While disappearing, he saw some pearls falling. He quickly swung his hand and collected them all.

The people under the waterfall were still looking upwards with expectation. Some were ready to fight others who were trying to get the prana Pearls, but they were destined to be disappointed.

The young man appeared at the next trial.

He used his speed to quickly finish the trials one by one. He met a woman who was just as fast as him. He bumped into her and fell down during the trial.

"Are you alright?" The girl helped him up. It was Lily Gomes.

"I—I’m good." The young man was flustered.

"Oh, you are fast," Lily Gomes said.

"Y-Yeah." The young man blushed.

"That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend," she said.

"H-How did you know?" he asked in surprise.

"Just guessed." She didn’t explain the joke. Her silly personality switched at the last second.

She looked at the trial ground and cursed herself inside. She already had her own opportunity. Why was her other personality attending the trial? Because it was fun; that was the only answer. She sighed and walked to the exit.

"Are you not competing?" He asked in confusion.

"It’s okay... I’m pretty sure you will complete this trial." Lily Gomes smiled and said some words out of courtesy.

The young man’s heart skipped a beat.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"I’m Lily Gomes. What is your name?" she asked back.

"Ling Tian. My name is Ling Tian," he replied.

"Such a domineering name," she complimented.

Ling Tian blushed again. He then asked, "Where are you fro—"

But he realised she had already disappeared.

"Lily Gomes, huh..." He smiled like an idiot and disappeared from the spot. He decided to finish the trials faster.

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**Author’s Note:** For those who are wondering who Ling Tian is, just take a quick peek at Chapter 51.