Chapter 400 - 400. Copy
First, there were the impossible trials in the labyrinth, a single rank 3 cultivator, no matter how strong it was, couldn't face them alone.
Second, the trials had specific requirements, be it flight, teamwork, or ability to fight in the darkness, the tests could be passed only by teams that were prepared for every situation.
Then, it was time for the ninth trial, where only those with the best survival instincts would survive.
Also, those cultivators had to have methods to slow their descent to survive the fall toward the seabed.
In the end, there was the journey toward the mountain ranges, where one had to survive against enemy ambushes and fight to protect its rewards.
Once inside the corridors, an opposing team that matched your level would appear.
'And now the corridor divides itself into five branches, which is precisely the same number of cultivators in our team. This can't be a coincidence.'
Noah's thoughts brought him to that conclusion.
'The creator was probably looking for certain types of cultivators, teams that could fight in a group but that won't panic when divided, teams that could fly and also fight in the darkness, teams stronger than their competitors and…'
His thoughts stopped at that point and his gaze sharpened as he looked at the five passages, he knew that the other requirement would be clear after the trial hidden behind them.
'Still, the creator could have just set different trials if he was looking for a small group of people, it would have been easier than capturing so many different dragons!'
Even if Noah felt that he had understood part of the creator's intentions, there was still a lot that he didn't comprehend.
"Are you suggesting for each of us to enter a different corridor?"
David asked as he turned his head toward the entrances too, Noah's theory made sense.
"Yes, the number of corridors matches ours, this can't be a coincidence in a place that can teleport us back at will."
Noah answered, he didn't give voice to all his thoughts but focused on those that concerned the current issue.
Time could be another requirement after all, he didn't want to waste more of it discussing his theories about the creator's intentions.
"I guess it's time to disband the team, I hope to meet all of you on the other side."
Nate exclaimed as he moved toward the rightmost passage, it was clear that he was leaving the central one to David.
Noah shrugged his shoulders and went to the leftmost one, he then turned to wait for everyone to take their position.
David neared the central entrance and Helga and Cora took those at his sides, everyone turned to David as they waited for him to give the order.
"Good luck."
David didn't shout nor instructed, he simply said those words in a soft tone before turning and crossing the entrance behind him.
At that gesture, the others entered their respective corridors.
Noah found himself in the same passage that he had already crossed five times in the previous days.
However, the light radiated from the inscriptions had stopped investigating his centers of power and was only illuminating the environment.
'I was right.'
That change proved that Noah's idea was on point, all he had to do now was reaching the area where the next test would be held.
'What will it be now? A single cultivator from an enemy team? One of my team?'
Noah's thoughts ran wildly inside his mind, he was quite sure that the next trial would feature a human opponent, he simply wasn't sure about its power.
It took him about two days to reach the end of the corridor where a dark-looking area appeared in his view.
The sandy walls closed behind him as he crossed the end of the passage, Noah warily watched his surroundings as he waited for his opponent to appear.
There was a formation at the center of the area and its lines lit up a few seconds after the arena was sealed.
The light gathered to form a human figure, it had a medium stature and a peculiar cold aura was radiated from it.
Also, it wielded a pair of black sabers which Noah recognized immediately.
'The cultivation level isn't a requirement then.'
Noah could be sure of that because the opponent in front of him was a rank 3 cultivator in the gaseous stage with centers of power at the exact level as his.
The trial featured a fight against a copy of yourself!
Noah calmly walked ahead, he undressed his upper body and stored his hood as he wielded his Demonic swords.
The copy did the same, Noah felt as if he was watching a mirror, white skin, delicate facial features, short black hair, the copy was identical to him.
Also, on the bare chest of the copy, the tattoo of a dragon could be seen staring fiercely at the incoming Noah.
'To think that I could test my own power!'
Noah's battle intent surged, he was finally alone and was facing an opponent that he knew was strong enough to be a threat to his life.
Black smoke came out of his body, Noah's figure vanished only to be replaced by a horned fiend.
The copy did the same, Noah soon found himself facing a fiend covered with inscriptions.
Demonic form against Demonic form!
'Let's see if I can defeat the spell that has allowed me to reach this stage!'
Shockwaves resounded under his feet as he shot in the direction of his copy.
The copy stood still, the smoke exuded from his figure created a black cloud that was almost about to hide his features.
When Noah was at less than five meters of distance from his opponent, a fuming Heilong came out of his chest and pounced his copy.
However, an identical fuming Heilong came out of the copy's chest and clashed with Noah's Blood companion.
The two dragons clashed and the smoke from the two Demonic forms began to devour each other.
Time seemed to slow down in Noah's eyes as the veins on his arms exploded due to the pressure that they were enduring.
His sabers became one and the most powerful attack that his martial art was capable of was performed.
An extremely quick fuming slash was released from his weapons, its ethereal proprieties traced a sharp line along its trajectory that was about to cut in half everything in the twenty meters area in front of him.
Yet, the Third Form met an attack that had its same proprieties and its same power, the copy had executed the Third form too!
Two sharp lines clashed, the air seemed to shatter under the power generated by that confrontation.