Chapter 1627: 1627. Surprise

Noah and King Elbas had held their trump cards back. Their battle was only a friendly contest meant to establish how strong they had become.

Those who had seen Noah and King Elbas' battles knew that they didn't show even a quarter of their true power. Still, the fight had been a spectacle capable of inspiring many weaker troops.

That was the hidden meaning behind the tournament. The mission on the other side of the plane would probably last for entire millennia, and the Legion would lack a core part of its power during that period.

The underlings had to improve to ensure the stability of their organization, and inspiring them was the best way to quicken that process.

"Who do you think will win if we were to fight seriously?" Noah whispered while both experts inspected their injuries.

"I must admit that we both are resourceful existences," King Elbas sighed as his eyes fell on Divine Demon. "I'm still the same cultivator that you have fought in the Mortal Lands, but I'm also completely different. Deciding a winner between us would require a death, and that's something I don't want to see."

"Did the great King Elbas turn soft?" Noah tried to mock him, but King Elbas mostly ignored that remark.

"Soft is necessary, especially for a maker," King Elbas explained. "The matter is not the limit. There are realms beyond the mere logic, and I stumbled on them thanks to you."

"I don't have control over that part of my law," Noah said as his tone turned serious.

"And yet it's still part of you," King Elbas replied. "It's funny how things evolve. I have turned into the lone eccentric, while you have become the overbearing leader. The cultivation journey can hide surprises even after millennia."

"We have yet to approach the final stage," Noah added.

"Do you want it to end?" King Elbas asked.

"I would rather create new ranks than stopping," Noah laughed. "We are maniacs. Staying still doesn't suit us."

King Elbas chuckled before wearing his stern expression again. His challenging gaze went on Luke. He was ready to fight again and join the mission officially.

Noah flew toward the sidelines with a heavy mind. Various memories ran through his vision, and a smile eventually appeared on his face. His life had been incredible, but he wanted more. Those adventures never managed to appease his endless d.e.s.i.r.e.

'To think that I might end up helping Heaven and Earth,' Noah laughed internally. 'I can't wait to start this mission.'

King Elbas stepped into the battlefield again, but Luke didn't accept his silent challenge. Instead, one of the experts from the Balrow family decided to face him.

The two experts decided to avoid the pointless exchange of attacks since King Elbas' battle prowess was on the winning side. The duo showcased some of their best inscribed items and declared the best inscription master as the winner.

King Elbas won by a large margin, and the expert from the Balrow family requested a private conversation after the battle. The other members of that faction also joined that event since they saw in King Elbas an inscription master that could lead them toward new heights.

Jordan and Ian decided to ignore the mission. They didn't want to cooperate with the forces of the human domain, especially during such a crucial period for the Legion.

Theodora and Alexander had a similar mindset, but for different reasons. Theodora loathed battles, while Alexander was the living deterrent of the Legion. His decision to remain in the Outer Lands would ensure peace.

Other experts in the gaseous stage decided to fight. Luke, Pearl, and other cultivators wanted to join that mysterious exploration, but Noah felt forced to change the rules because of them.

Noah had initially stated that one victory was enough to join the mission, but he had to meet specific standards. Most of those cultivators would be useless with Gloria Sailbrird and similar cultivators around them.

Noah wouldn't deny that chance to gaseous stage experts, but he couldn't bring everyone either. Having a liquid stage battle prowess became the minimum requirement to join the mission.

Only Luke and another cultivator met those requirements. Noah was even surprised with the latter's battle prowess. He couldn't help but smile when he saw that Fergie could now unleash spells capable of touching the liquid stage.

A massive raging sun floated at some distance from the ground and sent destructive flares in every direction. Fergie sat on top of the fiery sphere while wearing a proud smile. His eyes found a similar smirk on Noah's face when he looked at him.

His opponent was one of the cultivators in Luke's team. The expert had his back on the ground and was staring at the massive ball of fire with wide eyes.

Fear and disbelief filled his expression. The cultivator couldn't understand how a simple gaseous stage expert could generate so much power without losing control of his technique.

"I have gone through desperation, death, rebirth, and anger," Fergie said without moving his eyes from Noah. "You granted me peace, so I had to put these emotions somewhere."

Fergie straightened his position and leapt to land in front of Noah. The expert wanted to kneel, but he respected his leader too much to ignore his rules.

"My anger becomes fire," Fergie explained. "My greed makes me d.e.s.i.r.e to consume the entire world. My ambition gives me control over these violent feelings and transforms them into a fiery star."

Fergie performed a bow before continuing. "This power belongs to me, but it is for you to use. I know that I don't quite fit in this mission, but I wish to accompany you anyway. Let me come."

Noah didn't expect Fergie to be so polite, especially after everything they had been through. However, it seemed that the mission really interested him. Also, Noah could guess that he had something to prove to the human organizations.

"Things usually get messy in these missions," Noah said while wearing a cold smirk. "You can even be certain of that since I'll be there."

"That's exactly what I want," Fergie replied.

"It's set then," Noah concluded. "We only have to wait for the others in the liquid stage before being ready to leave."

Both Noah and Fergie turned toward the battlefield. Two experts had stepped forward as soon as the raging sun vanished. Pure battle intent flowed out of Divine Demon and Wilfred as the duo decided to fight.

"Why do they even fight?" Fergie wondered. "They are already in the liquid stage, and their battle prowess is even quite amazing. There is no need to join this test."

"Let them be," Noah said while patting Fergie's shoulder. "Maniacs must behave like maniacs. I bet those two want to understand who has a better foundation."

"Do you think they will be able to stop themselves once the battle becomes too serious?" Fergie asked.

"Not at all," Noah laughed. "Actually, start warning everyone. We will definitely need to intervene."

A chill ran down Fergie's spine. He had seen Wilfred and Divine Demon fight on multiple occasions, and the scene had always been quite spectacular. Still, he didn't dare to imagine what would happen now that the two of them were opponents.