Chapter 1172: 1172. Cage

Sword Saint was a divine will, but he had clear limits to what he could imitate. Noah's last slash had enhanced his individuality and brought it on a level that different laws couldn't copy.

There was an ambition that Sword Saint couldn't imitate. The powerhouses during the mission had remained speechless when they sensed Noah's drive. His main feeling had a boundlessness that they couldn't even begin to imagine.

Noah couldn't think of any other path capable of containing the entirety of his existence. He had poured his ambition into his last slash, and the result had left him amazed.

The slash had surpassed Noah's limits. It had touched on a level of power that Noah didn't reach yet. It was as if he had pushed his prowess according to what his ambition could imagine.

That wasn't theoretically possible. Every cultivator had a limit to how much they could express. They could deploy their existence, but that was it.

Yet, Noah had endless fuel. His ambition was intense enough to cast his abilities in their best form. His slash was already pure, but his main drive made it as strong as a law.

Sword Saint lowered his head before lifting his long eyebrows to stare at Noah. He had finally broken through the limits that bound the heroic ranks. Noah had expressed his law.

"Can you do it again?" Sword Saint asked, and Noah didn't hesitate to summon the feelings that had filled him when he launched his previous attack.

His ambition surged again and flowed into his slash while carrying every aspect of his existence. A pure meaning became part of his attack and made it surpass its average level of power as it flew toward the will.

Sword Saint inspected his opponent's attack thoroughly at that time. Noah couldn't sense it, but time slowed down in the will's eyes as the slash flew toward him.

Every detail of the attack became clear to Sword Saint, but he knew that he couldn't replicate it. Blades didn't matter anymore. Noah was finally pushing his individuality on a level that even Heaven and Earth couldn't imitate.

He still launched a slash, but his attack lost against Noah's blow again. There was nothing more that the will could do at that point. Noah didn't understand that yet, but he had completed his training.

"You did it," Sword Saint said. "You took your first step to become a law. This is your path now. Don't let doubts and uncertainties taint it."

Noah showed a confused expression at that announcement, but he remained silent. Every word spoken by the will was an enlightening line that he didn't dare to miss.

"The law of ambition!" Sword Saint shouted as his figure became fainter. "So intense that even cultivation levels give in to its power. You know that you can win on an even field, so your law makes you stronger than you are. Truly wonderful."

"Most cultivators have to give up on that feeling to advance," Sword Saint continued, "But you made it your core drive. Your path won't be easy, but you have decided now. Advance as much as you can. I want you to find me and unleash your best slash as a form of greeting."

Noah finally understood what was happening, and part of him felt some regret. He didn't want his training with Sword Saint to end, but he knew that he had reached the last of those sessions.

"My existence strives for perfection," Sword Saint explained. "I want to find the slash able to express every slash, even those still unknown. I desire to become the embodiment of the sword itself, and my goal is to expand its limits."

Sword Saint's sharpness reached a level that Noah struggled to contain. His mind felt like exploding, but he didn't dare to miss those last teachings.

"Your law focuses only on yourself," Sword Saint said. "You are aware of your power, but you want more. Your ambition will give you what you desire, but I don't know where it will lead you. I know it will have the shape of a sword, but I can't even imagine what it will carry."

"Reach the Immortal Lands and show me your progress," Sword Saint concluded as his figure was almost about to disappear. "Show me an ambition that can force me to advance."

The will's desires were selfish. He wanted Noah to express his individuality because he needed to advance on the sword path.

Noah didn't care about those promises, but he wanted to fulfill them for his reasons. He wanted to meet Sword Saint in the Immortal Lands and show him that his ambition could contain everything.

"Don't mention my name when you go up there," Sword saint said as his figure vanished to become thoughts in Noah's mental sea. "I have the habit of challenging everyone for an exchange of attacks. I've made too many enemies across the years."

Noah nodded as he watched Sword Saint vanishing inside his mental sea. Noah was alone inside his mind now, but his Companions and living weapon kept him company.

The insides of his mental sphere became ethereal too. Noah woke up in the outside world, but the emotions that he had felt during the last training session still echoed in his mind.

Noah knew what he had done and what he needed to do. He felt the need to cultivate to improve his current level, but he wanted to exploit those moments as much as he could.

However, Sword Saint's aura quickly disappeared as Noah reviewed his teachings. All the Elders and hybrids that were slowly learning about the various sword arts found themselves unable to establish contact with the divine will.

The training area lost its value after its divine resource had completed its training. Cracks spread on the Divine Cut's edges after Sword Saint's will vanished, and the whole world suffered because of that.

Those with some talent with sword arts found their connection with Sword Saint cut off, and Noah was the culprit behind those events.

He had shown the will that he could take the following steps on his own, and the world adapted because of his breakthrough. Noah had ruined the Divine Cut as a training area, but he had obtained Sword Saint's teachings in the meantime.

The world returned to its usual peace after a while. The Divine Cut's disappearance still burned inside the Council's mind, and the Shandal Empire didn't need to object to its treatment after learning about that.

A limited resource had disappeared forever, but Noah appeared stronger than before. That sight could only benefit those waiting for the battle against King Elbas.

They would be the first to die during normal times, but Noah's battle didn't involve the only cultivators. King Elbas had almost breached the entirety of the Hive the last time, so Noah had to make sure that everything was perfect.

The formations relying on Instabilities were ready. The troops had their living weapons, so Noah had only one last thing to do. After Sword Saint disappeared from the Divine Cut, Noah flew toward the southeastern coast and neared the Ape God's cage that was about to open.