The Rise of the Black Plain
Chapter 87 - 87: Getting to the City of Flowers

Two days had passed, and at this moment, Minos and Ruth had already traversed almost the entire Valley of Beasts, which was between the City of Flowers and Santa Clara. During their through the valley journey, the two youths had already engaged in some training sessions together and also fought against various groups of spiritual beasts.

Till now, Minos had yet to even come close to causing any trouble for Ruth during their fights. He could only vent his frustration on the spiritual beasts that attacked them during those encounters.

But not all fights were like their encounter with the wild boars. On the second day of their trip, Minos and Ruth stumbled upon a group of Red Monkeys, a breed native to this region of the continent.

This particular group consisted of two spiritual beasts that were already at the 5th stage, forcing the young lady to assist Minos in battling against those beasts.

This fight ended up being very intense, prompting the two youths to rest longer than usual after dealing with the monkeys. This caused their trip to be slightly delayed, but it didn't make much of a difference to them.

Minos was not in a rush to reach the capital of the Cromwell Kingdom. After all, there were still more than two months before the Spiritual Tournament even started. As for Ruth, although she had been in a bit of a hurry to get to that city initially, now she didn't think like that anymore.

After starting to interact with Minos physically, she started to like to extend the time the two were together. Being together was undoubtedly a big bonus for both of them! Also, after the tournament concluded, she would most likely be stuck in her sect until she reached level 50, so this was the only time when she could relax next to Minos.

For this reason, neither of the two bothered to hasten to reach the kingdom's capital.

...

At that moment, the sun was directly overhead, and the winds blew hard through the trees, accompanied by the chirps and cries of several birds.

In an open place by a small river, the two youths and their big eagle were present in this place.

In this part of the Valley of Beasts, there were not many strong spiritual beasts that could threaten Minos and Ruth. This was because they were now in the region bordering the City of Flowers, about 200 kilometers from their current location.

And due to this, most of the spiritual beasts did not stay much in this region as hunting was very widespread among areas bordering human territory. Thus, Minos and Ruth peacefully cultivated their spiritual energy in the serene environment.

As for their safety, it was entrusted to the great white eagle. White was a 4th stage beast, so it could ensure their safety in a place like this.

Suddenly, a cracking noise emanated from Minos' direction.

Crack!

Though it was not as high-pitched as it had been in Ruth's advance, it could still be heard a few feet away from Minos. He was cultivating diligently for most of his spare time and had managed to advance to level 37 today!

After the momentous breakthrough, Minos opened his eyes and got up from his meditative position with a big smile on his face. After being engaged in battles so many times, he realized a slight increase in his cultivation speed!

And this was indeed one of the possible ways to increase someone's cultivation speed. Imagine the cultivation of an individual as a reservoir that would gradually increase its capacity at each. But to store more energy, one simply couldn't just cultivate for the whole day.

To illustrate, a person who gradually eats a lot can steadily increase the size of his stomach. But it happens slowly!

If it were to be done in just a single day, the person would likely die due to organ rupture!

The same principle was valid for cultivation. The reservoir of spiritual energy could not withstand sudden, significant increases at once!

The body had its limits and would not allow the cultivator to cultivate endlessly. Therefore, even Spiritual Demigods had to take breaks during cultivating from time to time. Of course, they could cultivate for a century without interruption, but going beyond that would be impossible.

Nevertheless, there was a way to shorten this interval between cultivation sessions. And that was by depleting all of your spiritual energy during a fight and then cultivating it once again to recover. However, doing this kind of training regularly won't work!

In regular training, cultivators focused on refining their techniques and compressing their energy. Therefore, this required more time to absorb what they had learned before continuing further. So, one couldn't utilize that method to speed up their cultivation.

Or they could, but the cultivator would sacrifice to improve the understanding of their techniques... And naturally, this was a choice that no one would make in this world.

While having a high level would be great, its power would be left severely impaired if your corresponding techniques weren't at the equivalent phase.

For instance, Minos' current attack technique was in the 3rd phase and could affect a user within a 40-meter radius. But if he were to advance to the 5th stage before reaching the 4th phase of the technique, his technique would still remain limited to 40 meters.

Minos' strength might correspond to his level, but the restriction on his technique would not change. And when he faced stronger enemies, they could undoubtedly evade the small area quickly, rendering Minos' technique ineffective!

After all, no matter how powerful an attack is, if it isn't able to hit the target, then it just becomes useless!

For this reason, a cultivator's mastery over their respective techniques was crucial.

...

After a few minutes, Ruth also finished her cultivation session and opened her eyes, finding Minos waiting for her beside the big eagle. She immediately sensed his elevated joy and soon decided to probe.

"Hmm, you leveled up once again. Congratulations on that. At this rate, you might even reach level 38 before we arrive at the Spiritual Tournament," she said with the corners of her lips slightly raised. 'Looks like he'll give me more trouble in the fights after today...'

"Hmm, thanks. Now let's continue to the City of Flowers. We have to buy a map when we get there, don't forget this," Minos reminded as he approached her.

After that, the two warmly kissed while feeling an intense desire for something more within their bodies.

During their days in the Valley of Beasts, as they had to sleep separately, the two could not engage in their usual 'game' as they did in Santa Clara. So, their sexual tension had reached a level even higher than before.

"Mmmm!"

After a while, the two finally broke their passionate kiss and climbed on the great eagle before taking off to the southern side of the region.

...

Some time passed, and the two were just a few kilometers from the City of Flowers and could already catch a glimpse of the city's impressive side.

Minos and Ruth had no information about this city, but they were astounded to learn that the population of this place had already passed over 1.2 million!

Although the Cromwell Kingdom was primarily known for its agriculture, there were still many well-established professions within this city.

And this city was a testament to a place developed through the diverse professions that thrived in the Spiritual World. Such a place was situated in a region with limited agricultural lands, but it had still flourished due to its robust local trade.

Array masters, blacksmiths, doctors, alchemists, poison masters, beast tamers, seers, cooks, and many other professions thrived within the city, contributing to what made this place so well-developed.

Upon landing outside the city, Minos and Ruth left White and began to explore the City of Flowers. And soon, they discovered the reason behind the name of this city.

Every garden and public building in the city was adorned with a colossal amount of flowers. It was indeed an interesting sight to behold and also brought a pleasant fragrance to the city.

And, since it was still daylight upon their arrival, the duo headed to a store in the city's central business district, where their carriage coach had informed them that they could obtain maps of this region.

They sought guidance to continue their journey, just as they did before going to the Valley of Beasts.

It wasn't long before Minos and Ruth arrived in front of a relic store, which had a bird symbol looking at what resembled a map!

'Hmm, this symbol is definitely interesting.' Minos thought with a smile on his face, finding the symbol a bit amusing while he entered the store.

As they entered the store, the two soon noticed several 'showcases' with different maps and each having its own price tag. There weren't many people in the store, but there were still six customers and an elderly man who seemed to be in charge of the store.

Noticing that the group was talking, Minos and Ruth decided to look around before seeking the old man's help.

It wouldn't be polite to interrupt their ongoing conversation upon their arrival.

At that moment, something of Minos' interest was uttered by the old man!