Chapter 853: Chapter 853: The Demonic Library

The truth was that she had noticed Noah from the very first day in the cultivation chambers.

She watched him from the shadows as he dominated the cave. The way he moved and killed anyone who stood in his way without mercy—she watched it all without actually stepping before him until now.

There was something about Noah’s coldness and wildness that drew her towards him.

She did not even realize how she was stalking him until it was too late. She would try to get a glimpse of his figure whenever she was free.

For a long time, she wanted to approach him and talk to him. To get to know him after getting close to him.

But now that she finally got the chance to say something to him, she opened her mouth and took a shit all over the conversation.

’Stupid,’ she thought bitterly. ’Stupid, stupid, stupid.’

The girl stayed in the same spot for a while, leaning against the shelf, before finally pushing off with a sigh.

’Next time,’ she told herself, though she had no idea what she’d do differently. ’Next time I’ll... I’ll... do better.’

Her confidence waned as she was about to finish. Because deep down, she knew she’d probably do the exact same thing.

Meanwhile, Noah had found an isolated corner of the library section, tucked away between towering shelves that created a small alcove of privacy.

He sat down cross-legged, recalling the contents of the jade slip, which he had already placed back in its original place, from his memories.

’Illusionary Heaven Steps’—with the information came the name of the technique.

The technique was far more profound than he’d initially realized. The footwork pattern was just the foundation, and the steps he took out of instinct completed the technique.

As he circulated his qi according to the method, Noah began to sense the technique’s true nature.

It was not that he was really moving through space, but instead it was an illusion created from his movement.

His body would phase in and out of the space, creating phantom images that confused perception.

But once he used this technique with his cultivation base of the Golden Core Realm, he would be able to stay in space fabric for a longer period of time.

An enemy watching would see multiple Noahs, each one potentially real, each step blurring the line between actual position and illusory afterimage.

’This technique is not of simple Heaven rank,’ Noah realized with certainty. Since he had already dabbled with many immortal techniques, he knew when he encountered a technique of that grade.

Each immortal technique touched upon the laws of the world itself. They manipulate the laws to attack or move.

The more laws involved, the more complex the technique and the higher its grade.

Heaven-rank techniques were the highest most sects possessed openly.

Above them were immortal-grade treasured techniques that were only passed down only to core elders or heirs of the hidden families.

’No wonder it was split between the jade slip and the floor pattern. If someone realized how powerful this technique really was and was exposed, the demonic cult would have long been eradicated by the union of the Imperial forces and the righteous sect.’

Then Noah thought about the restriction on the next section of the library.

Only those who had successfully learned a technique from this section to at least the mastery stage could advance to the next area, where other types of profound techniques await them.

From his brief investigation, Noah found out that there were only movement techniques stored in the first section and their numbers were so high.

But after thinking about how the cult was made by the union of several unorthodox sects, this level of treasury made sense.

Noah closed his eyes and began to practice the circulation method internally, memorizing every nuance, every subtle shift in qi flow.

’Half a year,’ he decided. ’I’ll spend at least half a year mastering this technique before attempting to break through the barrier. ’

It was a conservative estimate.

Had it been a lower-grade technique, Noah would have needed less time, but since it was an immortal-grade technique, reaching the mastery stage in proficiency was bound to take time.

Even most heaven-rank movement techniques could be learned to basic proficiency in a few months by the most talented individuals.

But the Illusionary Heaven Steps were different. Even someone with great talent would need at least a year to reach basic proficiency.

But Noah’s talent was beyond the bounds of normal.

Even when he decided to take his time to truly grasp every detail of the technique, to make it his second nature and integrate it completely into his fighting style, he only needed merely six months.

As Noah immersed himself in the technique, isolating himself in a corner of the library, more and more participants continued to arrive.

Everyone made their own decisions in the library.

Some of them took the same approach as Noah, focusing on a single technique that suited them and dedicating themselves to mastering it completely. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

But people like that were in the minority.

Some people wanted to learn a simple movement technique because they learned about the boundary between the two sections and wanted to cross it as soon as possible.

Their aim was to rush past the boring movement techniques and aim for powerful attack techniques or cultivation techniques that might be available in the further sections.

There were some even greedier than them; they wanted to get hold of as many strong techniques as they could; it did not matter if they learned them or not.

As long as they memorized it and made it out of the trial, they could spend a long time learning them.

It was after seven months and some days that Noah finally opened his eyes.

During this time, he spent most of his time in his mind realm, practicing the technique. Other times he would get up and practice in the library itself.

Had it not been for the rule that no one is allowed to fight in the library, he would have been attacked in his meditation.

But even if they did, Noah had many failsafes in place.