"The portal can't sustain the passage of too many powerful cultivators." Elder Julia explained as the groups gathered at the center of the region. "Each force can only send one rank 5 cultivator and ten cultivators in the fourth rank at the time."
"Is there any restriction on the stage of the cultivators?" Noah asked.
The possibility to form equal teams was intriguing, but the big nations could exploit the variety of their assets and deploy their best warriors. Instead, the Hive would have to restrain itself in that aspect to prioritize the defenses of its domains.
"Six in the gaseous stage, three in the liquid stage, and one in the solid stage." Elder Julia replied. "The rank 5 cultivator must be in the gaseous stage too."
Excited gasps resounded among the elders of the Hive after her words. Noah felt a series of gazes landing on him, but he ignored them even if he had understood the reason behind their excitement.
According to Elder Julia's words, the portal couldn't endure too much power. That led the five powerhouses to calculate the best possible arrangements for the exploration teams.
The portal applied limits to the four nations, but they still wanted to send the most powerful team on the other world.
Their calculations ended up in those numbers, but they had naturally taken into consideration only the dantians of those assets. After all, the "Breath" was heavier than the mental energy when it came to influencing the material world.
Yet, there was someone who ignored the common sense of the cultivation journey inside the Hive.
'Our faction will be the most potent in the exploration team.' Noah thought as he neared the center of the region.
He was a rank 5 mage, but he could fill one of the spots for the rank 4 cultivators in the troops deployed by his organization. That would give the Hive a significant influence once the team reached the other Mortal Lands since it would have two existences with a rank 5 battle prowess!
"The Patriarch of the Balvan family will join us," Thaddeus said as he neared the gathering area followed by June and other rank 4 cultivators.
He wore a proud smile as he said those words, and Noah recognized that expression. It was the same calm smile that he had worn after the entrance test of the academy when he exposed Noah's true identity.
Noah's aura began to spread toward the group from the Elbas family at his words.
He understood what he meant with that smile. Thaddeus was simply showing that he knew the truth behind the event inside the Balvan mansion.
Every organization would suspect Noah for the events in the mansion, but none of them had the proofs needed to incriminate him.
Secrecy had been a must during the raids, and the forces of the Hive had been cautious in hiding as much as they could. Noah had even used only new abilities too!
Accusing him would just lead to endless discussions, and no force was interested in wasting time in processes that would barely benefit them.
Thaddeus' eyes sharpened when he sensed the dense mental waves reaching for him, but his worry soon vanished when his father intervened.
Noah saw Cecil landing in the air next to his son and using his consciousness to disperse the destructive aura that was surrounding his group.
"Do you want to start a war so soon, Lord Balvan?" Cecil asked, but another rank 5 cultivator landed on the scene and sided with Noah.
"The Prince was just giving pointers to a weakling." Elder Austin said before turning and winking at Noah.
The air suddenly became tense, but the arrival of the other two groups forced the cultivators on both sides to divert their focus.
Noah made sure that June appeared in his vision as he turned his gaze toward the other forces.
The Shandal Empire and the Council had reunited the required troops for the team, and they were staring at the two factions that were about to start a conflict.
That was the whole point of creating mixed groups with troops from all four forces. Even if two of them had past grudges that could endanger the success of the mission, the other two factions could intervene and force them to cooperate!
Noah recognized only Gray Fury on the side of the Empire. He was the rank 5 cultivator that had negotiated the terms for the independence of the archipelago with Chasing Demon.
On the side of the Council, he recognized Faith among the cultivators in the liquid stage, and her Master, Elder Clara, as the solid stage cultivator.
The troops of the Royals had Cecil as rank 5 cultivator, Thaddeus as the asset in the solid stage, June among those in the liquid stage, and other gold-robed cultivators that he didn't recognize.
'I expected June to improve a lot in these years.' Noah thought as he analyzed the cultivators on the scene. 'But that Faith isn't normal. She reached the liquid stage before Daniel.'
The improvements in the heroic ranks without a personal cultivation technique were linked to the understanding of the individuality.
Daniel was still immature when it came to his understanding due to his lofty lifestyle, but his breakthrough was drawing near after the experiences accumulated in the raids. Yet, Faith had surpassed him even when her life should have been similar to his.
'The heroic ranks divide the real talents with those who have obtained their power thanks to their status.' Noah thought before focusing on his side.
Elder Austin would accompany him in the mission, but there were other familiar faces behind him.
Elder Jason stood proudly among the cultivators in the liquid stage, together with Elder Hope. He had managed to advance in the last period, proving that his centers of power still hid some potential.
Other rank 5 cultivators floated above the four groups to witness the departure of the first exploration team, and all the assets on the scene were waiting for further directives.
Then, a voice resounded in the air and filled the environment. "Those chosen for this journey, please land in front of the portal."
The voice belonged to King Elbas, and the eleven cultivators from each faction hovered toward the ground at his words.
They didn't mind following the orders of an enemy powerhouse in that situation, so they all grouped right in front of the portal surrounded by shining lines.
The fissure was still dark, but "Breath" kept on coming out from its insides.
The air around the group of forty-four cultivators suddenly became tense when the mission became imminent, and they fixed their eyes on the fissure as they waited for orders.
"Go and bring the pride of your Mortal Lands with you." King Elbas's voice echoed again through the sky. "But remember: It was the Elbas family that gave you this chance."
As soon as his phrase ended, the four rank 5 cultivators in the lead moved forward, and the troops behind followed them and entered in the fissure.