Chapter 854: Chapter 854: The Next Section
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 was allowed to fight in the library, he would have been attacked during his meditation.
But even if they did, Noah had many failsafes in place.
Now, as his eyes opened, they held a clarity that hadn’t been there before. The Illusionary Heaven Steps had become part of him. He could perform the technique without even thinking much about it.
Noah rose to his feet in a single fluid motion; with a single step, his body twisted into the shadows and flickered like a wraith.
Even standing up looked different now, as if the space around him bent slightly to accommodate his presence.
Noah slowly walked toward the barrier between the sections while the illusionary heaven step technique activated without him even realizing.
Other participants who had been practicing nearby noticed his movement and watched with varying degrees of interest.
Some had seen him sitting in meditation for seven months straight and were curious.
Others simply recognized the Black-Haired Demon and wisely kept their distance.
Noah approached the translucent golden barrier that had stopped him months ago.
Standing before it, he did not prepare any special technique or intended to use force. He just raised his hand and touched the barrier.
Just like that, without needing any force, the barrier rippled like water, and his hand phased through it.
There were no dramatic visuals or destruction of barriers like some weebs might hope for.
It was just a simple barrier that recognized his mastery and allowed him passage as smoothly as if it had never been there at all.
Noah stepped through without hesitation, his form blurring slightly as he crossed the threshold. It was not clear whether it was because of the barrier or if it was his movement technique.
But once he stepped on the other side, his body returned to normal. Behind him, several participants who had been watching stared in shock.
"He... he passed through?"
"Seven months. It only took him seven months to master a movement technique to that level?"
"What kind of monster..."
"Does anyone know what rank of movement technique he practiced?"
Even though they had many questions like that, there was no one who could answer them. Even Noah was already gone, having disappeared into the next section before their whispers could reach him.
***
On the other side of the barrier, the moment Noah stepped through, he felt the space shift.
He looked back instinctively and found that the passage he’d come through was gone. In its place stood a solid brick wall, its surface covered with jade slips hanging from hooks embedded in the mortar.
’No going back,’ Noah thought, though it didn’t concern him. He only had to keep going forward.
He turned to survey the new section.
It was similar in structure to the previous one. Towering shelves arranged in rows, the same cold blue-white light illuminating everything, the same sense of vast space stretching in all directions.
But the atmosphere here was different.
The first section had been mostly empty, with only a handful of participants scattered throughout.
This section was crowded.
Dozens of people sat on the floor between the shelves, jade slips spread out before them, their faces twisted in concentration.
Others paced back and forth, practicing hand movements, their palms striking the air with varying degrees of skill.
The sound of pages turning, jade slips clicking, and the occasional grunt of effort filled the air.
Maybe it was because they rushed through the first section that many came to regret their reckless actions and were trying so hard to stay in this section.
Noah noticed something else too: there were guards.
’Were there guards in the previous section too?’ Since he was too lost in practicing his movement technique, he did not pay much attention to other things.
Cultivators in the white robes with black strips of the Demonic Cult stood at regular intervals throughout the section, their eyes constantly scanning the crowd.
These weren’t participants but actual disciples, placed here to maintain order.
As Noah watched, two participants got into an argument near one of the shelves, their voices rising.
"You... son of a bitch! I will kill you."
One of the guards moved with frightening speed, appearing between them before either could throw a punch.
"Fighting is forbidden," the guard said coldly.
His hand shot out, and both participants collapsed, unconscious before they hit the ground. "Violators will be executed."
He dragged both bodies away, disappearing down a side passage.
Whether they would wake up later or had just been killed, Noah couldn’t tell and didn’t particularly care.
’So they enforce the rules more strictly in the deeper sections,’ he observed. ’Makes sense. More valuable techniques require more protection.’
Noah began walking through the section, his eyes scanning the shelves and the participants studying them.
It didn’t take long to identify the theme of this area.
Palm techniques.
Every shelf he passed contained variations on the same basic concept—martial arts that focused on using the palm as the primary weapon.
Some were simple striking techniques, merely at the Yellow Rank.
While he could even see many Earth-rank techniques in the mix.
A few claimed to be able to shatter mountains or collapse organs with a single touch. But he knew the hidden dangers of practicing them.
Losing your libido was the least of the worries for those who practiced it.
Noah moved through the rows systematically, examining jade slips, reading technique names, and assessing their potential.
But nothing stood out the way the Illusionary Heaven Steps had.
’Of course,’ he thought. ’How could there be so many immortal-rank techniques in the mortal world? That movement technique was already exceptional. Finding another at that level would be unrealistic.’
Still, Noah tried to look for the next best thing he could find.
He knew there had to be a special palm technique he could practice, and so he looked.
He passed participants muttering technique mantras under their breath, trying to memorize circulation patterns.
He had to try his best not to look at their flimsy movements and flailing arms while searching.
In the end his ’Struggle’ paid off.
There it was... showing off its might right before everyone.
