Chapter 2086: Improving
"Don't blow up my landmass," Second Prince uttered. "Every formation here is part of a perfect mechanism capable of dealing with rank 9 threats. I had to touch a realm unattainable by mere cultivators to protect everyone during these years."
"Do you realize that I have created the very ground where you are standing?" Noah scoffed. "Also, your father has reached a realm that even I don't understand completely. You have a long way to go."
"What realm?" Second Prince asked.
"I won't tell you," Noah announced. "Don't get me wrong. I would give you the best explanations I'm capable of to help all of you. I simply think that learning about that realm would only distract you."
"You think that I can't achieve the same greatness, right?" Second Prince complained.
"I think that you should reach the ninth rank with what you are," Noah sighed. "Imitating someone would only turn you into an imitation."
"Not even a brief description?" Second Prince continued.
"That's part of the issue," Noah replied. "You don't deserve that power if you can't fathom its existence."
The last line convinced Second Prince to remain silent. Noah wasn't only an important figure in his life. He was also the embodiment of wisdom about the ninth rank in his current state. His feats during the apocalyptic event had earned him the respect of the entirety of the higher plane.
Noah and Second Prince were standing inside an underground chamber connected to multiple structures that reached every corner of the landmass. Second Prince could control and oversee all the formations in the area from there, which made it the perfect place where Noah could decide how to apply improvements.
Of course, Noah was beyond those assets. Second Prince had improved, and his formations seemed to differ from typical inscription methods. They were simple but oddly effective. They appeared able to talk to the very matter they affected, but Noah had a rank 9 mind capable of studying complicated worlds.
Second Prince showed various maps that depicted different features of the landmass. Noah could inspect everything thoroughly and fuse it with the quick study performed when he arrived in the area. Ideas quickly appeared in his mind, but he let them rest for a while to make sure that he found the perfect approach.
The main issue in the improvement came from his power. Noah was too strong for his companions, so his creations would be impossible to handle once he left. That would still be fine for a while, but problems would appear once the Tribulations managed to damage his defenses.
Noah had to create something that his companions could use and fix, which wasn't exactly easy considering the power obtained after his last breakthrough. The quickest approach saw him forcing Second Prince's formations to improve, but that felt far too little when his lifelong friends' safety was involved.
Other lingering worries existed in Noah's mind. He knew the kind of evolution that his ambition enforced on the matter. He didn't want the landmass to turn into a living being in desperate need of energy. Power was necessary, but it had to take a flexible and manageable form.
"Is this the best that your formations can do?" Noah asked.
"Are you trying to offend me?" Second Prince questioned.
"I want to understand how much I can push," Noah explained. "I can't give you weapons that you can't use."
"This is my current limit," Second Prince admitted. "I would never hold back my power when it comes to the safety of the landmass."
Noah nodded before recalculating everything inside his mind. He wouldn't have to hold back too much since Second Prince's formations could reach the ninth rank in terms of power. Still, he would have to make sure that his techniques didn't alter the natural functioning of the other inscriptions.
Potential flowed inside Noah's mind as he teleported out of the underground chamber and left the landmass' range to approach the weak sky. Massive chunks of the white material vanished as he gathered energy for his project. He didn't want to do anything complicated, but he planned to apply it multiple times across the many regions.
The defenses couldn't be too powerful, so Noah decided to create many simple structures that could solve most issues. They would be relatively weak to let Second Prince fix them, but they also needed to have the potential to express more might.
Noah had memorized the locations of the cores of Second Prince's formations. He knew which areas he could affect without disrupting the inscriptions, and he didn't hesitate to visit them.
Black pillars grew from the ground whenever Noah reached one of those spots. The structures didn't have runes or writings. They merely were blocks of a crystal-like material that radiated a dark glow.
The pillars didn't only grow on the surface. They stretched deep into the underground world and created a series of influences that allowed them to affect each other. That was necessary in case Second Prince and the others needed to draw more power from those structures, and it also opened the possibility for final attacks or similar techniques.
Noah didn't even hold back from pouring expressions of his existence in those structures. He didn't want to go all-out since his potential could create problems on inanimate matter, but he also desired to help his companions improve.
Finding balance in the project took a while, and Noah eventually created an array of pillars that required occasional inspections. That wasn't hard for Daniel and the others since the landmass had countless experts, so Noah disregarded the issue.
Noah then proceeded to create special training areas that only his potential could bring to life. He didn't hold back there since the very nature of those structures required to affect the experts cultivating in their insides. Restraining that influence turned out to be annoying, but he eventually succeeded and moved to the next project.
The other side of the landmass featured a series of formations meant to absorb the energy released by the sky. Noah didn't want to go against their nature, so he created stronger versions of the same inscriptions.
His greed was enough to build structures that had the sole purpose of gathering energy. Those pulling forces didn't like to share their gains, but Noah adjusted them accordingly and made them work together with Second Prince's creations.
The last improvement to the landmass involved its drilling properties. Daniel and the others couldn't remain still, so the ability to pierce the sky was mandatory. Second Prince had formations for that, but Noah built entirely new structures made of dark matter that imitated the dark metal's properties.
A series of tests and various explanations on how to use those assets happened after the new defenses went live. Second Prince, Daniel, and all the other higher-ups on the landmass memorized Noah's lessons and tested their effects a few times before gaining some confidence.
The end of those explanations led to more public speeches that Noah held to spread teachings about the cultivation journey. He did his best to remain honest and explain everything he could, but he could see how part of his audience remained oblivious to his teachings.