79. Test
Noah's liquid "Breath" in his dantian was below half of its maximum capacity.
Even though most of the beasts around him were rank 2, he still had to fight at full strength due to the encirclement.
From the start of the battle till that moment, he had released more than two hundred attacks fueled with his dantian and yet he still had some spare energy.
His body was recovering at fast speed and his condition was stabilizing while the powder entered his body.
'My limit right now is around three hundred and fifty full power attacks and I also have more than one hundred weaker ones due to the gaseous "Breath" in my body. Good, really good.'
He could have spent less liquid "Breath" if he used Assea but he was firm in hiding it.
'The higher the density of the "Breath" the stronger my attacks will be, but they will also consume more of it. However, these are just beasts. Against another cultivator, my only real advantage is Assea since it's a spell useful in any situation.'
Like he was in the liquid stage, so were many others.
Like he had a rank 3 martial art and a rank 3 body, so had many others.
His battle experience was something remarkable, as was his strong mind, but the first could be acquired easily and the other was useless without spells.
'I need abilities specific to my aptitude and talents and not anything that is simply one rank higher than the other.'
For example, Lena had the water bullet that was a versatile spell with a low cost of "Breath" added to her water whip that paired perfectly with her dexterity with that weapon.
Her foundation was stable and she might even have some other spells that Noah was unaware of.
Of course, that knowledge came from his days spent as a training dummy, during the previous battle he was too focused on the pack and didn't see the fight against the four peak rank 3 moles.
'I guess that if I had a darkness-type beast as a blood companion things would be different.'
He knew that the spell he had was very powerful, yet he still couldn't use its full potential.
'Dammit, everything always points to the academy.'
The light faded
Noah felt a series of new information in his mind that described a precise route toward a certain spot in the grassland.
He looked at the others in his group and from their whispers and gestures he understood that they had received the same type of knowledge.
'Even transmitting pieces of information directly in someone's mind is possible. Why do I even bother being surprised anymore?'
He shook his head while he sat on the ground to meditate to recover from the battle.
Trevor nodded to his behavior and gestured to everyone to do the same.
As the appointed captain, failing to obtain the entrance to the second stage against the Noorge family would have had a negative impact on his position so he began to view Noah under a different light.
He and Lena had done their parts going even with the Noorge family but it was still Noah who tilted the scales of the battle.
Lena looked at him for a bit while she sat and took out some medicines from her space-ring.
There was some wariness in her eyes and she decided in her mind to ask for advice to her parents on how to handle the situation when she went back to the mansion.
After all, she had already made sure that Noah hated her but only now she realized that he could actually become someone important in the family.
The group from the Noorge family looked dejected at the resting soldiers and decided to resume their march at a slow pace searching for another pack of beasts.
Lena was the first to recover thanks to all the potions that the family gave her and went to check the condition of the other guards.
Apart from a few injured ones, everyone could still fight at full strength.
Fabian and Neil had done almost nothing during the battle.
They both had a rank 2 body and since a big part of the pack was handled by Noah they had barely made any effort.
After half a day of rest, Trevor stood up and commanded everyone to move.
Noah lazily stood up, his dantian had refilled by a quarter of his full capacity so he was more than ready to march.
There was no need for directions or gestures as everyone knew the route they had to move to.
Hours passed and all they could see was the endless green plain which made them feel like they hadn't moved at all.
It had to pass another half a day before they reached the spot signaled in their mind.
It was still in the grassland but anytime they looked at the terrain forming the entrance, the ground would light up and color itself orange.
Trevor looked at the ground for a bit before facing the soldiers behind him and speaking.
"Here is the entrance for the second stage, we will all jump inside at the same time. Remember that this stage has no fixed pattern so you have to be ready for anything. Bring honor to the Balvan family!"
"For the Balvan family"
The soldier echoed Trevor's battle cry and positioned themselves around the perimeter of the ingress area.
Trevor had the descendants on both sides while Noah was in his opposite position.
He raised his hand to make everyone concentrate and then he lowered it with a fast gesture.
The soldiers jumped, while Trevor made sure that everyone went inside.
Noah had no choice but to jump because Lena's gaze was fixed on him.
He felt again the pressure of the teleportation and when he opened his eyes he found himself alone in a dark spacious area.
After a few seconds, a metallic male voice sounded in the place.
"Inheritance ground second stage: solo battle prowess test."