More than one month had passed since Noah entered the Inheritance ground.
David's team needed to rest after each trial which wasn't a simple matter of hours.
The centers of power of the cultivators in the team needed time to be refilled and their mental spheres were under heavy pressure due to the walls of the labyrinth, they couldn't just rush through the trials.
Yet, the hurried feeling caused by the passing of the eighth trial from one of the exploration's teams forced them to accelerate their pace, they wanted to be proper contenders for the rewards of the ninth test.
The seventh trial put them against a horde composed of many kinds of dragons.
David's team was forced to fight its way across a large area of the labyrinth, the cultivators in the group had to change their battle tactic according to the kind of dragon they were facing, a fixed battle formation would only fall in front of the might of the different types of attacks coming at it.
Yet, they managed to win even though some of them suffered heavy injuries.
Resting and healing took them two weeks, some injuries were severe, it took time to heal them before they were ready for the eighth trial.
Then, they moved toward what seemed the deepest part of the labyrinth, where the next test was held.
Noah could personally witness the reason why the cultivator that occupied his position previously was slow in the activation of its token.
The walls in the square of the eighth trial were black, they radiated a pressure so heavy that the mental processes of the cultivators inside it were affected.
Noah found himself thinking at a slower pace as he fought against another peak rank 4 beast, the responses of his body were slow due to that peculiar environment, the claws of the Earth dragon managed to scratch his body many times before it died.
Earth dragons had a powerful body and a seemingly endless resilience, their dark-yellow scales had an innate weakening effect toward the attacks that landed on them.
David had to buy a large number of precious elixirs to boost the vitality of the cultivators in his group, even Noah who had a body that emphasized regeneration was forced to drink it.
It couldn't be helped, the Earth dragon was too strong and the pressure radiated from the walls slowed their movements, every team needed an external help if they hoped to succeed.
Nevertheless, David's team was already experienced with that trial, they were prepared to pass it at that time.
In the end, the Earth dragon was killed but the cultivators had to deal with the aftereffects of the elixirs.
Pale complexions and tired expressions could be seen in the square where the eighth trial was held, their bodies seemed devoid of any energy, it was obvious that a long period of rest was needed.
'We have finally reached a turning point!'
Noah felt extremely tired but he was still eager to approach the ninth test, that feeling was shared with his companions, they had just crossed the point where they had escaped during the last exploration, heated gazes could be seen under their ill bodies.
It took them some weeks to dispel the aftereffects of the elixirs and recover from the trial, David made an inspirational speech before advancing in one of the passages connected with the square.
"The pressure coming from the walls of the labyrinth is increasing and the trials are becoming harder to pass, I believe we have reached the last part of this separate dimension."
David had a tired expression but his body had recovered, only a dense battle intent was radiated as he spoke.
"I don't know what we will face in the next trial nor where it is, yet, our team is ready for any situation, we just have to calmly analyze the environment before engaging in risky measures. Don't hesitate to activate your token if you feel that your life is in danger."
Those words were the last ones spoken after the eighth trial was passed, David's group advanced silently through the dark walls that made the deepest part of the labyrinth.
That structure was huge but they had spent more than two months inside it, they were fairly sure that the trials were coming to an end.
'I hope there won't be another test faculty after this one, there is only so much that a cultivator in the human ranks can sustain.'
Noah evaluated in his mind, the separate dimension was accessible only by cultivators in the human ranks, it was obvious that its difficulty had to be tuned according to that restriction.
Yet, the fact that teams were allowed made the harshness of the trials somewhat accessible even to weak cultivators, David's team was an example of how even rank 2 mages could help in each trial.
Then, as they marched through the various passages of the labyrinth, a big door appeared in their vision.
Noah didn't take part in the first explorations but David did, he knew that every trial that they came across counted as the next one.
The labyrinth was huge and filled with test rooms, its deeper parts became accessible only after a test was passed.
That indicated the difficulty of the trials, it had been already attempted to pass more low-level trials in one exploration but it was soon discovered that they weren't summed, tests of a higher difficulty were needed to progress in the labyrinth.
"Be ready for anything and good luck!"
David spoke again before raising his token toward the door, a metallic sound resounded in the area before the door began to move.
A dark room appeared in the cultivators' view, it resembled the fourth trial due to the dark environment but the amount of danger radiated from its insides forced them to wear stern expression.
David's team was extremely excited, that was the ninth test after all, surpassing it would give them rewards!
As the last cultivator in the team entered the dark area, the door closed behind their backs.
David acted quickly, he took a few shining orbs from his space-ring and injected his "Breath" inside them to activate those items.
The orbs illuminated the area, the floor of the room became visible, as well as the more than one hundred rank 4 dragons staring at them with hungry eyes.
"Don't fear the depths."
An aged voice resounded in the room, David's team could only be slightly surprised by that before their attention went back on the dragons, they had begun to move as soon as the phrase ended.