Chapter 1105: 1105. Group battles

"Why is that?" Noah asked with a tinge of interest in his tone.

The fact that King Elbas had placed a limit on him spoke for his prowess, but Noah didn't care about fame. He only wanted the chance to seize rank 6 dantians.

King Elbas' gesture surprised the other guests too, but they could vaguely guess why he wanted to apply restrictions on Noah. His answer conferment their hypothesis too.

"You have already proven your ability," King Elbas announced. "You all have shown that you can deal with threats in the sixth rank. Those that have advanced while I was away didn't, so I want to test them before bringing them in my journey."

King Elbas didn't miss the chance to remind everyone that the mission was happening because of him. He could place all the restrictions and rules that he wanted. The others couldn't object after the last threat.

"Does that mean that we can't fight either?" Great Elder Diana asked, and King Elbas nodded to reply.

The Royal's idea became clear now. He wanted to hold a tournament among the newly advanced powerhouses to see if they were worthy of accompanying him.

The three leaders had to admit that they were quite pleased with those conditions. Except for Noah, their new powerhouses lacked battle experience at that level.

Still, they were proud of their underlings. The alliance also had many superfluous territories, so it didn't mind gambling them to train its future leaders.

Moreover, success in the mission would shorten King Elbas' time in the Mortal Lands. Once he ascended, the alliance would have no real enemy in the entire world.

Chasing Demon felt a bit sorry for Noah, but he didn't have any power over the matter. King Elbas had been quite clear. They could either obey or waste centuries of accumulation.

The meeting moved forward, and the group set the methods and conditions of the battles. King Elbas dictated most of them, but the other leaders managed to make him rethink certain aspects of that tournament.

Since there were only a few new powerhouses, the four organizations would engage in group battles. They didn't set a rule against killing, but they strongly advised against it. Also, cultivators could give up in the middle of the fight.

There was no need for oaths or similar methods to seal the agreement, and those involved in that meeting weren't easy to bound to inscribed pacts in the first place.

It would be up to the various organizations to respect the rules. That gave King Elbas the last say on every matter, but the situation would be the same, even with oaths.

What was happening there was positive in the minds of the three leaders. The Elbas family currently had the strongest cultivator in the world, so they had to avoid any frontal clash. Still, Chasing Demon and the others had managed to enlarge the areas that the tournament couldn't affect.

King Elbas had eventually given in to some of their relentless requests and complaints. The Hive and the Council considered themselves satisfied with the new dispositions obtained.

The Hive would keep all its essential territories even if it lost all the group battles, which involved many central regions.

Cultivators could quickly adapt to new environments, and the Chasing Demon didn't mind creating multiple domes in some regions. Yet, the hybrids needed their space.

The guests left and conveyed the news of the tournament to the powerhouses of their organizations. The battles would begin in five years, so everyone had time to prepare.

Noah returned to the tower next to the Divine Cut to train with Sword Saint. By then, he had completed the projects that he could finish without having a rank 6 dantian. He didn't need any special training before the battle.

At best, he could plan what he would hide during his group battle. He had already decided that he wouldn't show Night, but there were other abilities that he would rather keep hidden for now.

He didn't fear the other newly advanced powerhouses, especially after years of rigorous training with Sword Saint. Yet, the Royals were tricky to fight, and they probably had many countermeasures to his most famous abilities.

'I guess I can only avoid using my spells,' Noah thought before contacting Thirty-seven.

There was one small issue that he had meant to solve for a while but that he couldn't fix with his expertise alone.

The Demonic Sword and Night were living beings. They were both quite peculiar among lifeforms, but space-rings didn't allow them inside their separate dimensions anyway.

Noah had never minded that too much since the weapon and the Pterodactyl had tight links with his mind. Yet, he would venture to the center of the plane soon, and he didn't want to endanger them.

Of course, Noah didn't consider for even a second the possibility that he would fail to qualify for the mission. If the group battle became too tough to handle while holding back, he would go all-out.

"I heard about King Elbas," June said as she reached the roof of the tower. "Raw laws and the center of the world. Sounds fun."

The couple's interactions had become more peaceful after spending more than three centuries without hiding their relationship. They had lost their desperate craving to make the best out of their time together. Still, they didn't desire their partner any less than before.

"Peace is making you jumpy," Noah teased June as she sat next to him and lay her head on his shoulder.

June's aura appeared ready to explode. She could control it easily thanks to her improved Perfect Circuit, but that didn't make her less annoyed about that long peace. She had hoped that King Elbas' return would bring a new wave of battles, but the outcome of the meeting had disappointed her.

"I think I'll go in the other world while you are away," June said after the two of them had stared at the scenery for a while.

The mountains covered in a thin fog and the ancient vibe radiated by the Cut created a wonderful picture that the couple enjoyed in silence.

"Hoping for a new rebellion?" Noah asked as a peaceful feeling filled his being.

Noah stood in the last stage of the heroic ranks. His lover was next to him, and the Hive grew steadily. They had no real enemies and nothing else to wish for from that world.

That was life at the peak. Countless years of training to be one step closer to the Immortal Lands, and nothing else to do but perfect their arts.

Many would find that kind of life perfect. Noah could obtain everything he wanted, and he had already seized most of that. However, Noah and June were both bored of that situation.

The mysterious lower plane couldn't keep secrets from them anymore. They had uncovered everything there was to discover, and they had reached a simple conclusion: That wasn't enough.

Noah was a boundless ambition striving for the higher levels, and June an endless battle intent that couldn't stop craving for more opponents.

Staying still went against their nature, which was why they ended up joining one mission after another whenever they had the chance.

"There are many hybrids there," June replied. "Helping to clear the other world is better than remaining here where everything is so unchanging."

"I bet Faith will come with you," Noah said, and June nodded while wearing a warm smile.

The two of them had become real friends in the last period. Other than being her sparring partner, Faith had helped June survive her boredom in the previous centuries.

"She says good things about Elder Laura," June said while turning to look at her lover. "Try not to kill her."

King Elbas and the others had already planned the matches of the tournament. Noah would fight against Second Prince, Elder Laura, and True Speed, the new powerhouse of the Empire.

"I won't target her on purpose," Noah replied. "My real target is that puppet-user anyway."