'That would need a will powerful enough to create strong effects all by itself.'

Noah continued to think about the issue of creating techniques with his inscription method.

The Shadow sprint was a martial art that used both preexisting diagrams and personal meaning, each one of those elements alone wasn't enough to reach the level of the fourth rank.

Yet, Noah's conclusion was to use only the personal meaning!

'This isn't just a matter of strong wills, I would need for my sea of consciousness to dictate meanings that can match those of Heaven and Earth, this seems delusional.'

The "Breath" of Heaven and Earth carried their meaning which had no form.

Cultivators that created techniques and spells were able to write that meaning in the form of diagrams or inscriptions so that they could produce the wanted effects.

However, Noah was thinking about creating something completely from scratch, using his mind as the entity that generated such meanings.

'This is impossible, at least in my current state. I'm still a human, these are matters handled by entities or Gods, I can't hope to do something so amazing with my rank 3 sea of consciousness. I guess it's enough to have reached this conclusion for now.'

Noah ended his brainstorming and decided to put that issue in hold until his mind became stronger.

He then gave up on studying the diagrams of his spells, there was no need to waste time and risk his mental sphere if he was going to use another method in the future, he could just resume the isolation of the lines of the diagrams later on if he needed to do so.

His days became empty again, Noah would randomly practice in his martial arts as he waited to become used to his new cultivation technique.

A total of three months passed, Noah had never exited his cave in that period but he had succeeded in his objective.

He had become quite skilled in the Dantian's opening and he had ultimately decided to practice it only three times every two weeks.

The truth was that he could easily cultivate with that technique twice per week but he decided to go easy on his dantian: Not only the constant stress could be harmful, but it would also force Noah to stay locked in his cave for the whole time.

His dantian needed time to completely recover after each cultivation session and cultivating too often would put Noah in a state of constant healing.

Noah hadn't forgotten his position, he was a disciple of the Chasing demon sect and he was wanted by at least one big nation, he wanted to be ready to fight at any moment.

Three Dantian's openings in two weeks were the perfect compromise between a fast cultivation speed and a stable battle prowess.

The matter with his new cultivation technique was settled so he decided to exit his cave to complete some mission, Roy had warned him not to push the patience of Elder Iris after all.

The residential area for the cultivators in the second rank was quite far from the building containing the missions of the sect.

The disciples that weren't cultivating or busy in some mission would use the central space of the area to entertain themselves and engage in discussions accompanied by good food and drinks.

When Noah exited his cave, he was surprised to see a large table with fifteen or so cultivators happily sitting around it.

'So, they really gather here, I guess they prefer not to use the taverns on the surface too much.'

Roy had told him that, even if they had control of the archipelago, the representatives of the continent would still strike hard whenever they discovered traces of the Hive.

That's why it was safer to spend time in the sect rather than on the surface, there was no reason to risk being exposed just to have a drink under the sunlight.

The disciples on the table were silenced at the sight of Noah's cave opening, they were aware that a new disciple had joined their ranks but they had only seen him in the building with the missions, he had isolated himself right after he completed his assassination.

'There are even rank 1 cultivators, they should be outer disciples waiting to obtain access to the resources of the sect.'

Noah thought as he gazed at the group at the center of the residential area.

The strongest cultivator in the group was in the solid stage of the second rank but Noah had a rank 3 sea of consciousness, it was impossible for those disciples to stop his inspection.

Traces of envy and even arrogance could be seen on their expressions as they looked at Noah, it was obvious that they felt superior to that newcomer.

'I guess I should try a bit harder this time, I am their fellow disciple after all.'

Noah didn't care about their gazes, he could understand the reason behind their pride.

He had joined the sect because Roy had taken interest in his personality while most of the other disciples had to either pass a test or had some connection with the elders, Noah seemed privileged in their eyes.

Yet, he didn't want trouble as soon as he entered the sect and he also didn't want to isolate himself as usual so he thought about interacting with them a little.

His gaze was still on the disciples when he nodded before turning to leave in the direction of the mission's building.

""

The cultivators on the table sat speechless at that gesture and stared at his figure disappearing in the distance with wide eyes.

Normally speaking, a newcomer would pay its respects to the more experienced disciples and try to establish a peaceful relationship.

However, Noah had isolated himself for three months as soon as he completed his mission and, when he had finally come out of his seclusion, he just nodded.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

"Maybe he is shy."

"Shy? He stood still for five entire breaths before nodding!"

"I think that provoking him isn't the best approach."

"Do you think that we should invite him? Since when the older disciples have to take the first step?"

"We should still try to befriend him before the other factions do, he seems strong, we should try to make him join our team."