Cultivation Through Artifacts

Once stepping inside the vortex, Khal watched as his sight was engulfed in a colorful light before the scenery around him changed, revealing a breathtakingly gorgeous sight.

Emerald green grassland filled with innumerable trees, flowers, bushes, and plants that differed in size and color while the sky above was azure blue with the sun was shining at the very peak with its warm and gentle light.

Khal closed his eyes and took a deep breath from the fresh air, while he enjoyed the breeze that hit against his face ever so slightly.

"This place... So this is the Zero Realm, huh?"

[Well, not completely as this is only a separate space somewhere inside it, but yes, you can say that.]

[However, if I were you I wouldn't stand around aimlessly and waste my time enjoying the sight. An hour spent here is an entire day in the First Realm, so make sure to collect those Soul Petals as fast as you can.]

Khal opened his eyes after hearing what Nova said and without hesitation began to look around with his Heaven's Eyes in search for Soul Flowers.

As far as he could remember, Soul Flowers were a type of flower that represented roses, but the exception was that they were much smaller and had a color of blue. But thanks to the fact that only a single petal grew on them every hundred years, giving them a unique appearance, Khal was sure he will find at least one without a problem.

"Though, this place is just simply amazing. There are so many herbs, fruits, and plants here that could be used to create magical pills that it's ridiculous. Anyone visiting this place would become rich in no time at all for sure!" Khal moved with fast steps while picking up and tossing things akin to herbs and different plants into his spatial ring one by one.

However, even after close to half an hour, he was incapable of finding a Soul Flower, which made his brows get lowered into a frown.

"Hey, didn't you tell me I will be able to find tons of Soul Flowers here? Then why can't I find any at all?" Khal asked Nova while he continued to collect different herbs and plants from around him without stopping.

[I said you will be able to find more here with better chances and not that this place will be full of them. Soul Flowers are exceptionally rare, so it is obvious you will have to search for them even in a place like this.]

Khal remained silent after hearing that and as nothing came into his mind he just shook his head and continued to run around the place.

Minutes passed away slowly, yet Khal found nothing but herbs that he identified as High-Grade herbs thanks to his book.

"Hm? A stone tablet?" As Khal ran around the place, his eyes suddenly spotted a piece of stone slab in the distance, this quickly went to check it out.

"Eternal Garden? So this place is called as Eternal Garden?" mumbled Khal before asked, "Hey, Nova. What place is this Eternal Garden?"

[Eternal Garden is a small portion of the Zero Realm, somewhere in a separate space which is only connected to the First Realm thus only those from the First Realm can enter this place.]

[As for what this place is or how it was created in the first place, that not even I know. It's a huge mystery even for me, someone that reached and traveled the Sixth Realms millions of years ago.]

"Then why did you say that it will be a dangerous place for me? Even though I am here for almost an hour, I have yet to see a creature that could threaten my life."

[Because you have yet to reach the deeper parts of the Eternal Garden, that's why. The deeper and further you go inside the Eternal Garden, the rarer herbs and plants will you be able to collect, while also meeting with terrifying beasts that you have never seen in your entire life!]

Khal seemed surprised when he heard this, as he could hardly believe that he was still far away from the center of this place. Even though he did not run at full speed, he still ran quite fast and traveled hundreds of miles!

Yet, even after that, he was told he was still far from the center! Was this place truly a garden because Khal hardly doubted it.

After a while, Khal just sighed deeply before shaking his head and turning around to continue his search.

Time flew away once again, and after another hour later, Khal watched as the herbs and plants around him became richer and denser in both aura and look, while the air around him became more profound!

"This is simply unbelievable! Just by breathing in the Essence Particles from the air, I can feel my strength growing in each second!" Khal widened his eyes as he watched his Talents getting stronger and stronger by the second.

[You don't need to feel surprised. If you successfully reach the Higher Realms, this will be only a normal case for you. What's more, if you are lucky enough, you can find a place where your cultivation not only doubles or triples, but you will be able to consume World Essence too!"

"World Essence? What is that?" Khal looked confused, but just as he could have gotten an answer his body froze motionless while cold sweat poured down his back in a flash.

'W-What was this feeling just now? It felt like my body had been cut in half from the abdomen a moment ago!' as Khal didn't dare to talk out loud, in fear someone or something would hear his voice, he decided to ask the question in his head, while his eyes scanned his surroundings with intense gazes.

However, even after using both his Heaven's Eyes and Bloodshed Touch to see what made him feel so dreadful, he saw nothing, not even a fly or ant! This made him feel even more worried as this was his very first time feeling so scared for no special reason.

[It seems you have finally reached the border of one of their territories, so make sure to keep your guard up. Though, it would be much better if you could deactivate your Talents and remain Talentless, avoiding the possibility of getting found out.]

"Their?" Khal raised the question quietly, but still did what Nova just said, and shut off his Talents immediately, causing his body to become completely neutral, without any profound aura that would tell others that he, in fact, was a cultivator.