Noah wasn't the only one who had created chaos in those years.
The Hive had welcomed the soldiers of the Odrea nation, and it had provided them with the means to walk on the path that Shandal had blocked for millennia.
The sky above the territories of the Hive saw countless lightning storms happening while Noah was busy completing his project with the higher energy, and they didn't stop even when he moved his experiments in the separate dimension.
That wasn't an unusual sight in the years after the war against the Empire. Many rank 3 cultivators had gained enough experience in those battles and reached the point where they felt confident in approaching the Tribulations.
Yet, the Hive still had more of them thanks to the stream of experienced soldiers provided by Noah.
The other nations didn't fail to notice that peculiarity, and many experts even guessed that the mission in the Odrea nation had something to do with the high number of Tribulations.
However, there wasn't much that they could do after everything that had happened. The ambush had become the Hive's shield against the probing of the other forces.
It seemed that the three invading forces had sealed a silent agreement that prevented them from speaking about the ambush. None of them wanted to create discord before the war against the Empire was over.
They limited themselves to maintain their polite and friendly attitudes during eventual meetings while also respecting the borders that they had set once conquered the entirety of the new continent.
"The Hive has just obtained its one-hundredth rank 4 cultivator," Elder Julia said as she stared with a respectful expression at the Demon Prince meditating in front of her. "All of this was possible only thanks to you. We now have hope to match the other big nations even without the Copying Technique."
Noah and Elder Julia were in one of the branches of the separate dimension. The latter usually sent him reports concerning the situation in the outside world whenever he went in seclusion, but she wanted to convey that news personally.
After all, one hundred rank 4 cultivators put the Hive on a similar field with the other big nations that had always been a few steps above it. Its sheer number of heroic assets was finally meeting the standards of the organizations that were at the apex of those Mortal Lands.
Also, Elder Julia wasn't considering the assets that Noah had brought back from Shandal's separate dimension.
The two Ghostly Snakes and the River Beaver were hybrids in the fifth rank. Their value was priceless since they could theoretically become as threatening as Noah. Their hybrid status put them a bit above ordinary cultivators due to their incredible potential.
"That many?" Noah asked as he interrupted his meditation and opened his eyes.
He had always known that the soldiers from the Odrea nation were promising. Still, it had only been a bit more than twenty years since they joined the Hive.
That period was in line with the time required for a rank 3 cultivator to reach the heroic ranks, but that would mean that they had focused only on their training in those years!
"Prince, all the recruits in the third rank have gone in seclusion as soon as we provided them with the techniques that they needed," Elder Julia said as she summarized the events that Noah had missed while he was busy experimenting. "Even the oldest ones have shown unexpected improvements. I don't think there is a human cultivator in the entire world who has as much experience as them."
Noah nodded at those words. The soldiers of the Odrea nation had fought for their whole lives. Even Noah couldn't match their experience when he was just a human cultivator.
Noah could imagine how those soldiers had felt once they saw techniques in the fourth rank for the first time. It wasn't surprising that most of them had gone in seclusion.
However, he felt as if he had underestimated their potential. The Hive was trying to make up for the losses endured in the war, but those new arrivals had directly brought it to unexpected heights!
"They still don't have any experience when it comes to battles in the heroic ranks," Noah commented as he tried to see the only negative note on the matter. "Investing in that before the war resumes can't be a bad idea."
Elder Julia revealed a proud smile when she heard that, and she didn't hesitate to give Noah more details. "The other Elders have already started training classes that make use of the Copying Technique. We even handpicked a few of new arrivals for Thirty-seven lessons. Of course, his other students will manage them while the automaton stays with you."
"I'll give him back as soon as we solve my issue," Noah answered in a helpless tone.
"Keep him as long as you need," Elder Julia quickly replied. "There is no point in nurturing promising cultivators if we forsake our best one."
The Elder left after her answer, and Noah stood up to return to a teleportation matrix that was at a few meters behind him. The light of the inscriptions engulfed him, and he found himself in front of a black star when the halo disappeared.
"So?" Noah asked as he turned toward Thirty-seven, who was staring at the mass of darkness with an expressionless face.
Noah had recreated the black star when he returned in the separate dimension, but he had waited for the automaton to ideate a formation capable of containing it first.
The black star in front of him was a bit stronger than what he had created in the training area under the neutral city. Yet, a series of formations around it prevented its gravitational pull from affecting the separate dimension.
The formation had the form of a cube that isolated the dark star from the outside world and stopped its inevitable leakage of energy. A series of shining lines created an area that contained only Noah's darkness.
"Compressing it further isn't a problem," Thirty-seven said without moving his gaze away from the massive sphere. "It will create more higher energy, but I believe that you want that."
Noah didn't answer. He had contacted the automaton because he wanted a second opinion on the matter, and Thirty-seven was the maximum expert of the Hive when it came to inscriptions.
"The problem is the formation," Thirty-seven continued. "I can't create something smaller while maintaining its same power. I don't see how you can carry around something so strong without affecting your centers of power or the world around you."
Thirty-seven even proceeded to explain that most alternative methods wouldn't work either because the black star was deeply connected with Noah. It would need a personal touch if he wanted to avoid unforeseen consequences.
"This formation though can endure far more than this," Thirty-seven concluded as he turned toward Noah. "Chasing Demon has helped to deploy it. Anything below the sixth rank won't be able to break it."