Chapter 1164: 1164. Breakthrough

Noah had many adventures during his life, and he rarely stayed still. Having a safe place to cultivate had been a priority in his youth, but the search for incentives had replaced it once his level started to depend on his individuality.

Experiencing new struggles was the quickest way to improve, and Noah had always wanted to grow as fast as possible.

Yet, the world didn't have other secrets. Noah had explored the entirety of the surface, its depths, and its core. He only had part of the sea left before he could claim to know every inch of those Mortal Lands.

Noah knew that the dimensional tunnel led to a different world that could lead to another core, but something told him that the raw laws wouldn't be as effective as before.

His cultivation level matched the state of his individuality now. A sheer increase in its size would require some time to consolidate in his existence.

The raw laws would still quicken his growth, but Noah would consider making a journey toward an unknown plane's center only if he was out of other options.

King Elbas had taken care of most defenses during the mission in the separate reality. The journey there had been smooth and almost without any environmental threat.

Sword Saint had hinted that different planes would have different guardians, so Noah could guess that the other world's core would be far different than the explored one.

Noah wasn't King Elbas. He was terrific in his fields, but his expertise wasn't as vast as the Royal. He didn't have any confidence in the journey.

That was the same reason why no powerhouse had suggested a second mission. Without King Elbas leading them, going to the other world's mysterious core was too much of a gamble.

Noah could only continue his hunt for marine rank 6 magical beasts to increase his power. He had stashed four corpses already, but he planned to add two more before going back to his quarters and approach the breakthrough.

He had other projects in mind, but they required his body to be in the middle tier and the Demonic Sword to advance.

The only aspect of his battle prowess that he could still improve on his own regarded his spells. Noah could create sword arts to pair with his new abilities.

He knew that he wouldn't manage to complete the process for many spells, but there were a few of them that could become core assets of his prowess with enough work.

Noah spent one entire year to track his next target, but the power of the creature forced him to give up on the hunt. He found the whale-type beast that ruled over the sea north of the new continent, but it was in the upper tier.

His senses had allowed him to recognize the threat before it was too late. The last battle with the Kraken had shown him that his limit were opponents in the middle tier, so he retreated.

That setback forced Noah to waste more time, but he found the other two creatures signed on the map rather quickly. It took him only a few months each.

The first prey was a giant carp with black scales that protected the entirety of its body. It was only a beast at the beginning of the middle tier, but its innate defense forced Noah to spend an entire day to kill it.

Even his strongest attacks managed to break only a dozen scales with each blow. Those body parts had peculiar properties that Noah would study later on.

The second opponent was a giant piranha that had a tide of weaker beasts in its pack. They were mostly rank 4 creatures, but they were so many that Noah found himself submerged in violent waves that couldn't pierce his skin.

That kind of approach couldn't work on him. Noah's only weakness was that he was facing creatures with stronger bodies, but those attacks didn't even manage to bite him.

The piranha pack's leader was a specimen in the middle tier, around the halfway mark. Its innate ability consisted of subtle roars that echoed through the water and reinforced its underlings.

Yet, the weaker piranhas couldn't hurt Noah even after the roars made them enter a frenzy. The underlings launched suicidal assaults, but they could only explode on his body without doing any damage.

Noah charged straight at the leader, ignoring the smaller creatures that swam in his way. The battle lasted only a few exchanges since the rank 6 beast died in no time.

After Noah collected his last prey, he decided to head back to his underground quarters. He had left for less than three years, so he was sure to find nothing new there.

He had gathered six corpses of magical beasts in the middle tier of the sixth rank. The last three known creatures in that world were in the upper tier, so Noah couldn't go after them just yet.

Noah spent some time with June when he came back, and he studied with Thirty-seven the materials that were better off in the automaton's hands.

The Fog Demon was virtually useless in terms of materials, and the same went for the Megalodon. Its teeth were sharp, but they weren't as sturdy as other metals.

The Kraken's body was useless too, except for the organ that produced the oily green substance. Noah gave it to Thirty-seven since his expertise covered even alchemy and other fields that could help him identify the nature of the liquid.

The Mountain Dragon had lost most of its skin, but Thirty-seven took an interest in its remaining rocky skin, and Noah found no reason to keep it. The same went for the organs that the piranha used to empower its underlings.

The automaton showed interest in the carp's black scales, but Noah didn't let him take all of them at that time. Those materials could be useful to him too, so he kept a large share of those goods.

After he gave away all the useless loot in his space-rings, Noah spent many months following his usual training schedule. He spent most of the time fighting with Sword Saint, but he didn't neglect his dantian and mind.

The breakthroughs of his body had always taken a while. Noah preferred to make his centers of power ready for his long sleep before consuming the corpses acquired during his last mission.

He even improved the spherical rune again so that his mind could expand while he couldn't train. Only his dantian would remain still for a bit, but Noah guessed that a complete rest could only benefit his center of power after its leaps across the stages.

Once he set everything, Noah entered one of the deeper areas of his underground mansion and sealed it through the defensive formations deployed there by some expert.

Only June remained in the mansion, but she wouldn't disturb him during such a crucial moment. Those coming to visit her would do the same without question.

Noah began to eat the six corpses and continued until he left no trace of them. The drowsiness hit him as soon as the black hole distributed that energy through his body, and he closed his eyes to immerse himself in the warm feeling of the breakthrough.

No dreams appeared during his sleep, but Noah remained in a nigh-aware status for the whole duration of his breakthrough. The black hole in his chest would release violent flares when a surge of energy escaped its suppression, but it soon took back that power with its gravitational pull.

The membrane around the black hole also expanded from time to time, but it soon condensed again to give that energy to Noah's body.

Noah had to sleep for fifteen years before a surge of energy filled his body, and startled him awake. He didn't even have the time to check his improvements when the Demonic Sword appeared in front of him.

The living blade exuded an aura with power in the middle tier. While Noah was asleep, the Demonic Sword had advanced to match his dantian.