David's group had no more reasons to wait.
They had learnt their new spells and they had also tested them in private, they were at peak form too, it was time to continue in the exploration.
The azure sand illuminated the environment, the rocky structures in the distance were the only stark change in the scenery, they were the only element that seemed to contrast with the seabed and the many hills placed along the way.
That's why they became the only possible destination in the cultivators' minds, they would just think of something else if even those structures led to a dead end.
The group of five moved slowly, they didn't talk much but they spent time exploring the caves on the surface of the hills that they passed.
Every cave seemed to have a dragon restrained inside it, its kind and aspect always matched those in the trials of the labyrinth.
Noah's hypothesis seemed accurate, even the others in his team were amazed when they learnt about it.
"No matter its restriction, a technique like that would be the best defense mechanism of every place."
David commented when he heard Noah's theory.
His words were on point, the ability to endlessly replicate restrained magical beasts was amazing.
After all, what if a mansion had the protection of an endless number of rank 4 creatures?
Who would have the power needed to break its defenses?
Also, how many losses would such invaders suffer during the process?
"It would be wonderful if we could get our hands on the theory behind these formations, our sect would likely become undisputed on the archipelago thanks to them. We would also be able to lay those formations all around the islands and finally isolate ourselves from the continent!"
David continued to evaluate the power behind that technique.
The creator of the separate dimension was able to set up trials that took almost three years to be passed with the joint effort of the strongest organizations of the archipelago, using the theory behind that technique to defend against the control of the continent seemed the chance that the Hive had been waiting for centuries!
Yet, his enthusiasm was suppressed shortly after, David knew nothing about inscription methods and he wasn't sure if Noah's theory was correct, he could only focus on the dimension for now.
The others were the same, they weren't knowledgeable in inscription methods nor did they have any interest in them, they would just pass down such a technique to the sect if they ever were to obtain it.
The group's march was usually silent, their senses were spread toward their surroundings, wary that other cultivators would discover them.
Truth to be told, the five of them were eager to find small groups of survivors from the ninth test, anyone on the seabed would have the rewards of the trial, their instincts as thieves would kick in as soon as they found a defenseless prey.
Yet, there seemed to be no more lone survivors there, they only met groups of cultivators that had a similar number of members.
Those encounters had been quite tense, the two groups would just stare at each other for a long time, probing the power of their opponents.
It was normal for any survivor on the seabed to have the same thoughts, who wouldn't want more valuable spells after all?
Noah heaved sighs of relief when he saw that the auras of the four solid stage cultivators in his team were able to prevent any battle from happening.
He was only a rank 3 cultivator in the gaseous stage, even though he was strong for his level and his battle prowess had recently increased by a lot, he would still have a tough time against liquid and solid stage cultivators.
The teams met along the way were mostly made of such cultivators, Noah preferred to avoid a battle with such strong opponents.
It wasn't a matter of fear, Noah was aware that he was weaker than solid stage cultivators but he was confident in surviving their assault at least.
The problem was in the reaction that his companions would have to a possible battle: He had seen how they acted in the ninth trial, Noah bet that he would be left behind without a second thought if the situation was to become too dire.
Luckily for him, everyone seemed to prefer going on their way rather than engage in battles.
"Seems as if all the small groups have been already taken care of. Only those with a strength similar to us remain."
Helga commented when they crossed another team wearing clothes similar to theirs.
They probably belonged to underground organizations like them but there didn't seem to be any friendly feeling coming from their behavior.
There seemed to be only one thing in the minds of those that had reached the seabed: Finding the end of the separate dimension!
Almost all the groups there were moving toward the rocky structures, they all had a similar idea about the layout of the dimension.
Soon, the features of the rocky buildings became clear.
They seemed to be some sort of uneven portals that opened a path inside short mountain ranges.
Each mountain range had a different portal but they were all linked to a huge mountain in the distance.
David's group inspected the structure, it seemed that to explore its insides, it was necessary to enter one of the portals.
Groups of cultivators could be seen in the distance, a few of them crossed the entrance of the portals closest to them before they sealed themselves, it seemed that each passage could accommodate only one group.
David and the others exchanged glances before nearing the portal closest to them.
It was without any hesitation that they crossed its entrance, the rocks of the walls behind them spread to completely block their way back, they quickly understood that it was too late to turn back.
Yet, that had never been their intention!
Cautious gazes went toward the insides of the mountain range.
An underground building unfolded in front of their eyes, pillars and straight walls made from the azure sand illuminated the way deeper in the mountain.
Inscriptions filled the entirety of the surface of the building, their quantity was something that Noah had never seen in his whole life!
The underground building seemed the core of the whole dimension!