Chapter 1404: 1404. Preparations

Noah recovered and prepared for his second attempt in the trial after he returned to his cave. His black hole of power washed away the tiredness that afflicted his centers of power, and his mind planned strategies that would help him defeat that challenge.

He had to overcome two major problems to win the trial. One involved his energy, and the other the power of his attacks.

Noah's battle prowess didn't reflect his actual level, but the quantity of energy contained inside his centers of power did. He could defeat the peak middle tier golems, but long battles against those opponents would exhaust him.

His attacks were also unsuitable for that type of battle. The golems were resistant to the "Breath" and mental energy, which ruled out most of his spells and martial arts from the list of abilities to use in the trial. The damage that he could inflict with them didn't match the energy needed to cast them.

At his current level, Noah couldn't improve his centers of power drastically. Even the raw laws would lose their effect at some point, and abusing them would only hurt his individuality in the long run.

Noah had to find the solution to those problems in his techniques. He had to rely only on stronger abilities to save energy and be more efficient during the battle.

The last fight didn't feature Noah at his peak. Night was hibernating, and he didn't use any fake core with his workshop, so the ability didn't express its true power.

The dark matter didn't perform any specific task either. Noah had used it to create the fiendish armor, but that protection was almost useless against the golems. It could only defend from the shockwaves. It couldn't stop their massive punches.

Noah could express far more of his power now that he knew what he had to defeat, and he didn't waste time in completing his preparations. A new blueprint formed in his mind and the Steeled Boar's skin transformed into multiple fake cores while he waited for Night to wake up.

He even studied his martial arts. The golems were theoretically resistant to those techniques, but Noah backed his forms with his incredible physical strength. His slashes and lunges were far from useless in the trial.

'I have always planned to do this,' Noah thought as his Divine Deduction technique helped him reviewing his martial arts. 'I can't limit the higher energy to the passive empowerment of other abilities. I have to make it a core part, just like my physical strength, my "Breath", and my mental energy.'

The workshop and the dark world were the only techniques he couldn't activate without dark matter. His martial arts and spells could still work without it, and that had to change.

As much as Noah liked being versatile, he recognized that he couldn't treat his dark matter as energy separate from his existence. The dark matter was part of his individuality, so all his techniques and spells had to feature it.

Noah had done something similar in the past already when he had fused his martial arts and spells to create a personal school that only hybrids could perform. He only had to do it again but on a broader scale since that project would theoretically update his whole battle style.

That project required a lot of time and many tests, but Supreme Thief's inheritance was the perfect training area, especially since he had to wait for Night to wake up.

The Crystal City and other eventual bounty hunters couldn't reach him in that place. No one on the entire human side could find the inheritance since the Legion kept its location a secret and moved it whenever the cultivators became too close.

The environment inside the second layer was also perfect for his level. That separate dimension had the same quality as the outer world. It was even better at times since it didn't feature any unexpected danger.

Noah was even alone now since most hybrids weren't aware of that location. He could train in complete safety and without external hassles to handle.

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Night was a rank 7 creature in the lower tier that Noah had improved. Its mind had also experienced the ascension twice, so it surpassed most magical beasts at his level when it came to his experience in the divine ranks.

It was only normal for Night to need years to wake up. The length of its hibernation reflected its power and the might that it would wield after the breakthrough.

Noah could rejoice twice when he saw that Night had continued to sleep for entire decades. That time allowed him to focus on his abilities and showed how the Pterodactyl's potential surpassed any other magical beast in the Immortal Lands and made it closer to the hybrid realm.

"I have to say, Master," Night voice suddenly echoed in Noah's mind while he was training, "I didn't expect to reach these peaks after you destroyed part of my mind. I'm glad I've sacrificed it now."

A deafening roar filled the separate space when Night finished speaking, and the massive figure of a peculiar Pterodactyl shot out of Noah's chest right after.

Night flew out of the cave and rose high in the sky before bathing in the second layer's pale-azure light. Trails of darkness followed it since it had yet to learn how to control its new power. The companion cut and transformed the matter on its path due to its newfound sharpness.

'Are you ready to jump in a battle?' Noah asked through his mind as a cold smirk appeared on his face.

"I only need to understand how strong I have become before," Night replied. "I can cut anything you want afterward."

"Have fun," Noah replied before focusing again on his abilities.

Night flew through the second layer in the following months. It avoided the areas featuring members of the Legion to focus on the few powerful specimens that inhabited that environment.

Noah kept the Pterodactyl's movements in check through his mind, but he didn't apply any major restriction to its behavior. He only asked the creature not to start a war because of its need to test its power.

After Night felt satisfied with its tests, it flew back to the cave and returned inside the separate dimension. It was ready to hear Noah's battle plan and eager to face the golems.

'This is the best I can do for now,' Noah thought as he focused on bringing his centers of power back to their peak. 'I will handle the other spells another time.'

Noah couldn't succeed in his project in those years, not completely at least. He had to ignore some spells and finish the improvements on those that he planned to use in the trial. The others would have to wait for him to go to the next tower.

Once his centers of power were ready, Noah left his cave and jumped off the cliff to reenter the trial. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he saw the army of golems turning toward him again. Those creatures had even returned to their original position after the previous battle.

Noah behaved like the last time. The Demonic Sword flew in his hand, and he crouched as he pulled his blade back. Still, the golem fell backward when his attack hit its chest.