Noah had to start from the basics. He needed to find something that could connect martial arts and spells so that he could build the foundation for his school.
That part turned out to be easy. Only the body could be the core of each technique since it linked both dantian and sea of consciousness together. Also, the "Breath" and the mental energy were easy to control, while the flesh had limits to its movements.
The "how" wasn't an issue either since spells could have various effects, especially those of the darkness element. Noah only needed to pair a powerful spell with a martial art that suited its effect. The physical strength of his body would do the rest.
Creating a martial art was tricky, but it was possible. Noah had done it in the past, and his current Dragon's claw was something that he had made as soon as he had become a hybrid.
The main problem was making a spell from scraps.
Noah had done that too. He had studied the Will-consuming runes precisely for that purpose in the past, and his saber-shaped rune was his first original spell.
The spherical rune had helped him creating the higher energy, but it had acted more as a cultivation technique rather than as a spell. Noah didn't think that it suited his plans, so he didn't consider it helpful for what it wanted to do.
As for his other spells, Noah had only modified them to suit his needs and to match his individuality. They wouldn't accept his darkness as a fuel otherwise.
During his analysis, Noah found flaws even with his saber-shaped rune. It wasn't a matter of its structure or functioning. What bothered him was the fact that he had taken inspiration from Ravaging Demon's spell to create it.
'They are all copies,' Noah thought at some point, but a more profound understanding soon dawned upon him. 'No one is ever truly original. Cultivators look at the legends of the past before paving their roads. There is nothing wrong with using concepts that others have already used. No one would pursue the laws otherwise.'
That realization gave him some peace. He understood that he had spent so much time trying to find something original that he had forgotten his place.
Noah was only a rank 5 cultivator. That level of power put him among the higher-ups of a lower plane, but it was still nothing when compared to the might of Heaven and Earth.
He had yet to learn how to wield laws, but he wanted to create something entirely new already. His ambition was blinding him. It tried to push him on a path that only divine entities could tread.
Taking something from the world and reshaping it to your image wasn't a misstep in the journey. Dantian absorbed laws to push existences toward a unique state. Therefore, he could do the same with spells and martial arts.
As long as they suited his individuality, he would be on the right path.
His peace vanished when his focus went on the laws. It became evident that he needed to follow where his individuality was going, but he needed to wield the laws if he wanted to express it on a level that suited his rank.
'I should focus on what I have at hand before diving into another project,' Noah thought when he understood that he couldn't control when his mind entered the world of the laws. 'Enlightenments will come naturally as my expertise increases. I can't let my greed stop my improvements.'
Noah was beginning to understand what Chasing Demon and Shandal had warned him about. The intensity and vastness of his individuality wanted to push him toward projects that he couldn't approach yet.
There were two spells that he could work with already. He only needed to create martial arts that matched their effects so that he could obtain the same burst of power that he had with the second form of the Dragon's Claw.
It was better to focus on them and improve his expertise in the field for the time being. That would enhance his battle prowess immediately and still give him a good foundation.
'I need to learn how to create dust before creating a world,' Noah thought as his mind became calm again. 'I need to sharpen my destruction before spreading it through the Heaven and Earth's domain.'
The leaps in his power made him feel good, but they left him lacking in specific fields that were necessary for his journey. After all, he had seen it happening with his body since he didn't know how to find peace in his hunger.
Only half a year passed before the leaders of the armies summoned everyone again. That break had been necessary to gather more assets for the assault on the Empire's domain and to heal the injured.
The army didn't see many changes in its structure. There was only a sheer increase in the number of troops of various ranks. Even the cultivators in the fifth rank had seen some reinforcements joining them as they approached what was meant to be the last stage of the war.
There would be nothing else to conquest if the invaders took over the entirety of the regions in the eastern part of the central areas. Yet, they aimed to force the Empire to admit defeat and accept harsh terms for their surrender.
In that way, the invaders would salvage the researches and resources in its possession and gain more than a few regions that barely satisfied the needs of human cultivators. Total destruction wouldn't benefit them at all.
The massive army marched across the land that had seen its last battle until it reached the tall defensive walls that separate the area of influence of the Empire from its actual territories.
The human troops standing on the ground raised their heads to look at the figures walking on the sky at that point. They needed the help of the heroic cultivators to destroy that hindrance.
"Who wants to do the honors?" Andrew Elbas asked, moving his gaze between Elder Julia and Elder Regina. Rank 5 cultivators had joined the army in the six months of break, but those three were still the leaders of their respective factions.
Elder Julia shrugged her shoulders at that sight, and Elder Regina gestured to Andrew that he was free to act as he wished. The Royal felt satisfied with those answers and proceeded to cast a spell.
A torrent fell from his palm. The water created a cascade that gave birth to rainbows as the sunlight crossed it. Yet, when it reached the defensive wall, it pierced its hard material and dug a fissure right in the middle of its structure.
The fissure eventually reached the ground and spread, creating a large passage where entire platoons could pass.
That was the signal that the human cultivators had been waiting for, and they charged right through the passage. The heroic cultivators in the sky did the same, but they felt forced to stop their advance since they found a series of blue Tyrannosaurus of various levels waiting for them.