Birth of the Demonic Sword

"What?!" Noah exclaimed when he heard Thea's words.

He couldn't hide his surprise. He had guessed that his ambition would influence the creation of the robe, but he didn't expect it to reach the middle tier!

After all, Thea wasn't an ordinary expert. She was a tier-three inscription master in the liquid stage. Her power and expertise put her far above regular rank 7 cultivators. Her backing also made her a privileged existence in the Immortal Lands.

Noah was sure that she didn't commit any mistake during her inscription. Masters at her level would be meticulous about the number and power of the materials used during the procedure. The reason behind that surprising outcome had to come from outside her ability.

Still, Vagona city had rules that every shop had to respect, and many of them revolved around inscriptions. Noah had commissioned an item, and Thea had asked a maximum of two thousand Soul Stones. The law was on his side in that transaction.

"Something like this has never happened to me," Thea said. "The expenses for the new materials will be on me. I only ask you to wait a bit longer for your commission."

"Can't you give me the robe in the middle tier?" Noah asked.

"You don't understand," Thea answered. "Our robes are so powerful because they perfectly match the individualities of our customers. They link themselves to their existence. Having something far stronger than you risks to suppress rather than empower."

There was an issue with the overlapping of individualities. Noah would probably face similar problems if the Demonic Sword were to surpass his level. The weapon would become the core of his existence instead of being one of its branches.

Noah had questioned Thea because he was unaware of the features of those robes. Yet, he became interested in her creation after he had learnt about them.

"What if you sold it to me anyway?" Noah asked, and Thea showed pure confusion at his question.

The rules of Vagona city forced her to recreate the robe at her expense. That included purchasing materials and the time required to perform the inscription. Also, it would waste her first creation since it could only suit Noah.

Choosing to buy the robe in the middle tier was simply stupid in her eyes. Noah suddenly sounded like an idiot to her. She suspected that he underestimated the dangerousness that could accompany a divine item.

Of course, Noah didn't underestimate anything. He was betting that he could control the middle tier robe with his current power. If the task happened to be impossible, he would commission a new item.

"This is a rank 7 item in the middle tier," Thea said as her tone grew calmer. "Its abilities reflect that level of power, and even its innate defense is quite high."

Thea had changed approach after she saw Noah's reaction. She wouldn't complain about his alleged idiocy as long as it could solve her issue. Yet, she couldn't sell an item in the middle tier at the same price as a weaker one.

"The laws of Vagona city are clear," Noah replied as a cold smile appeared on his face. "You have told me that two thousand Soul Stones were enough for your robe, and I won't spend more than that. The choice is yours. Either throw this item away and inscribe a new one or sell it at the established price."

Thea felt surprised for the second time in that conversation. She didn't expect Noah to know the rules so well, and he had even instantly understood how to exploit that situation to his advantage.

No one would ever buy a robe inscribed for someone else. The clash between the individualities would lower its power, making it express weaker features.

Thea would have to sell that item at a far lower price or directly throw it away. She could contain her losses and even gain something out of her work only if she completed the transaction with Noah.

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Noah came out of the shop a few hours later. Thea had almost instantly accepted to sell him the robe for two thousand Soul Stones, and she had used the time after the transaction to explain to him how the item worked.

The shop had even given him a storage item that could contain the robe. It was a crystal-shaped black pendant with less than a few meters of space, so it was relatively cheap in the current market.

Noah entered a random restaurant and ordered some wine while he contacted Fergie. The cultivator had warned him not to return to Vagona city, so Noah wanted to understand how the secret organization had taken that news.

"You are in the clear," Fergie's voice resounded in Noah's mind as he held his inscribed notebook. "The division leader has lost interest in you after learning about your hybrid state."

Noah had to wait a few hours to receive that answer, but he felt happy to hear it. He could now leave and take his time in the wilderness without worrying about other sudden ambushes.

'I need to leave soon,' Noah thought as he felt gazes landing on him. 'I have become quite famous already.'

The cultivators passing in front of the restaurant and those sitting on the tables near him couldn't help themselves. They would stare at Noah as soon as they recognized him.

That wasn't a surprising reaction from the citizens of Vagona city. Noah had gone from completely unknown to one of the most promising inscription masters in the gaseous stage.

Selling the living weapon to the inscription hall had made his fame skyrocket, and his many interactions with the best shops had helped in that matter. The name "Defying Demon" was now quite known, and many powerful families had already made plans to recruit him.

Noah could guess that powerful cultivators would look for him in the next period, and he didn't want to go through that. He feared that he would meet someone who could force him to join an organization.

Those were the dangers of being at the bottom of the food chain. Noah had been lucky with his encounters, but any cultivator in the liquid stage or above had the power to force him to join an organization.

Chief Ash, Thea, and Saul had no intention to use violent methods, and Noah wanted to leave before he met someone that would. His acquaintances could also change their minds if he stuck around for too long, so he couldn't hesitate anymore.

Noah left the restaurant in a hurry after he heard Fergie's answer. Vagona city couldn't offer him anything else for now, so he set off as soon as he reached its borders.

He had planned the route to the Land of the Fallen, but he didn't want to travel just yet. Noah had to solve the issue with the robe before diving deep into the wilderness, and only a long period of training could increase his chances to succeed in handling that item.

The middle tier was slightly weaker than the liquid stage but quite stronger than the gaseous stage. That would put Noah in a tough spot if he were a simple cultivator, but his hybrid status gave him some hope in the matter.

Also, he had overcome his bottleneck, so he had the chance to increase his power again before testing how hard it was to control the robe.