Chapter 1396: 1396. Mountain

Noah had chosen the "strength" tower because his body was far above the standards of the middle tier, but he didn't expect Supreme Thief's inheritance to reward his situation even more.

With the restrictions on the cultivation level, Noah didn't have to worry about the lack of rewards. The higher layers would have more contenders, but those limitations gave him a chance to overcome challenges that no one else had managed to beat.

Hybrids filled the first layer of the inheritance. Noah met many teams as he flew toward the white pillar in the distance. Those existences barely even glanced at him since they were too focused on searching for undiscovered tests.

The Legion had placed multiple signals throughout the layer. They were inscribed items that described the known undefeated challenges and even explained parts of their contents.

Noah couldn't test himself in that layer, but he spent some time gathering information about the types of tests that the "strength" tower offered. Still, he soon gave up on searching for something that could help.

The undefeated challenges in the first layer could feature any hurdle. They went from lifting an insane weight to facing creatures that lived in remote lairs without using "Breath" or mental energy.

Noah began to understand why the Legion had tested him in that peculiar way. Ian and the others wanted to see where his physical strength was compared to its other members. That information was useful when it came to Supreme Thief's inheritance.

'No point remaining here any further,' Noah thought before disregarding any signal and hurrying toward the pillar.

The white light began to fill his vision, and Noah could soon touch the pillar and experience its effects. The environment transformed again as a teleport started, and a barren land unfolded in his eyes when his mind managed to focus.

No runes appeared in front of him at that time. The inheritance didn't apply any restriction to him in that layer. Noah could finally search for a challenge that his superior physical strength could allow him to overcome.

The barren seemed to expand endlessly. It was far bigger than any region of the higher plane, so Noah couldn't even see its edges. Still, the second layer featured the same signals as before, so he eventually found something that aroused his interest.

'Lift the azure mountain. The reward is under it,' Noah read from one of the signals and didn't hesitate to approach the challenge.

A short mountain was a few kilometers away from the signal, and Noah landed at its base to approach the trial. A few hybrids were there before him, so he had to wait for his chance to test his strength.

The hybrids that saw him approaching the mountains revealed broad smirks. Noah's body had grown a lot, but it was still far away from the halfway mark of the middle tier. It was only normal for those existences to believe that he stood no chance against that trial.

'How do I even lift it?' Noah wondered as he studied the huge structure.

A crack ran around the mountain's base and signaled that it wasn't part of the ground. Anyone could stab their fingers in that fissure and see if their strength was enough to win the challenge.

Noah did exactly that. He inserted his hands and part of his arms into the crack and began to pull. The mountain shook and trembled under his physical might, but he could immediately sense that power wasn't enough to succeed in the feat.

A peculiar light began to spread through the crack as Noah continued in his attempt to lift the mountain. There seemed to be something hidden under that structure, but he couldn't understand what it was from his position.

'This won't do,' Noah thought when he saw that his physical strength allowed him to move the mountain only for one meter. 'Let's see what Supreme Thief says about this.'

Dark matter began to come out of his black hole and fill his black vessels. Noah's physical strength surged as his innate ability activated.

The mountain started to shake with more intensity when Noah poured the entirety of his physical might into his arms and legs. The tremors began to affect even the terrain nearby as he slowly lifted the whole structure.

His feet eventually had to stand in the air since Noah had managed to lift the mountain for more than three meters. He went under the crack at that point and began to push the structure higher as he reached for the center of its base.

The hybrids watching the scene remained speechless. They had seen how Noah's physical strength had skyrocketed once those black veins had filled his skin. They couldn't believe that a simple innate ability could give so much power.

However, the mountains continued to go higher, and it soon started to float on its own. The weight pressing on Noah's arms suddenly vanished once the whole base had left the ground.

'I did it,' Noah exclaimed in his mind.

The loss of weight of the mountain was a clear sign of his success. Moreover, he had discovered something helpful during the trial.

The inheritance had allowed him to use his dark matter. Even if the test was purely physical, he could use techniques to improve his prowess.

'Does this apply to every test?' Noah wondered as he descended toward the center of the crack.

A golden casket stood at the center of the hole previously filled by the mountain. Noah didn't feel any danger coming from it, so he seized it before returning to the surface.

The mountain descended after Noah took the reward, and an earthquake spread when it landed back on the ground. That chaotic event was unusual in the inheritance, but the hybrids on the scene completely ignored it to keep their focus on Noah.

The gazes of those hybrids didn't stop Noah from opening the small casket. The golden light dimmed once he opened the item and uncovered its contents.

Noah found a single red pill laid on a series of luxurious fabrics. A few runes drawn on the casket's insides described the nature of the item and its purpose.

The red pill was a life-saving drug meant for cultivators. It could fill them with a sudden wave of strength and made all their injuries heal. Noah guessed that it was valuable, but he couldn't really use it.

Since he was even above hybrids, most of the drugs meant for humans would have limited effects on him. His body required too much energy, so that pill wasn't a life-saver item in his hands.

'Selling this shouldn't be a problem,' Noah thought as he stored the casket. 'I might even decide to keep it for now. I don't have any valuable drug with me, so it might be useful.'

Noah left the area after seizing the reward, and the hybrids who had witnessed his feat decided to follow him. They wanted to see if he could overcome another challenge and reveal parts of the second layer they had yet to uncover.

His desire to seize as many resources as possible made Noah disregard the team of hybrids that had begun to follow him. He didn't care if he had an audience. He wouldn't change his approach toward the inheritance.

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Author's notes: I need another hour or so to complete the last chapter. I will upload it when it's ready.