The Tribulation raged with power while creating a barrage around the orange core. Noah could sense lightning bolts flying toward its insides and converging on June's true self, but similar attacks shot out from the tiny world.

Noah knew that June's future was at stake. He had yet to understand what had happened to her, and his instincts even begged him to help her. However, he stood still and suppressed his desires since his influence would only hurt his lover.

The level of both players had stabilized after June exploded. The barrage of lightning bolts was part of a mere Tribulation in the lower tier, while the tiny world barely touched the peak of the eighth rank.

The event resembled a proper Tribulation meant to stop the ascension of a new rank 9 cultivator, but Noah didn't dare to fuel his hopes. He actually feared what his influence could do if he allowed himself to get emotionally involved in the process.

Noah even had to rely on the dark world to suppress random flares of energy that shot out of his body whenever his instincts stirred a reaction in his power. The issue reached the point when he had to retreat to avoid influencing the process.

Meanwhile, the barrage of lightning bolts and the orange core fought to defeat each other. The battle appeared one-sided, with Heaven and Earth having the upper hand. Yet, both sides began to grow stronger as their conflict continued.

The level of Heaven and Earth's lightning bolts slowly increased. The Tribulation grew inside the lower tier, but something similar happened to the orange core.

The tiny world released energy that Heaven and Earth couldn't match when deploying something at the same level. Peak rank 8 orange lightning bolts could stand their ground against attacks in the lower tier, and that difference only increased as both players improved.

Noah began to understand what had happened to June while inspecting the Tribulation. He had initially thought that Heaven and Earth were trying to destroy the orange core, but the matter turned out to be different after studying the event for a while.

Heaven and Earth were attacking the orange core, but their offensive had a hidden purpose. They didn't want to destroy its structure. They were trying to suppress it and envelop it in their light.

Noah let potential flow inside his mind to enhance his study of the process. Heaven and Earth were imitating the orange core's ability during the Tribulation. However, it was clear that their version of the sky was far inferior to the original.

The suppression tried to build a membrane around the orange core. Noah saw patches of white sparks appearing around the tiny world and draining its power without damaging its structure. Understanding dawned upon him at that point. He wasn't the only one busy studying the event. The rulers also wanted to contain June's true essence to learn how it worked.

'Is this the new approach that June had mentioned?' Noah wondered as everything started to make sense in his mind.

The privileged cultivators were the strongest assets on Heaven and Earth's side, but they didn't belong to their system, not entirely at least. The rulers had to provide resources and benefits to those assets as they studied those unique worlds. In theory, those assets could become a potential weakness.

Moreover, the many benefits seized by the privileged cultivators cost a lot. They didn't only receive materials at the peak of the ninth rank, which were basically priceless in the higher plane. They also gained access to the arrays of laws past the sky.

Heaven and Earth only retained weak control over those assets, but they were basically free to act as they wanted. It felt normal that the rulers wanted to change their approach toward privileged cultivators, and Noah understood that he was witnessing that new process.

June had never created her world. Heaven and Earth had built it before putting her true self inside it. Noah could guess that the weaker version of her power would slowly improve as the rulers learnt more about her true existence. They had created a cage that studied its prisoner and gradually transformed according to what it understood.

'My surprise wasn't misplaced then,' Noah concluded. 'It only makes sense for June to have the potential to become a privileged cultivator, but Heaven and Earth had a different approach ready for her.'

Noah still couldn't explain everything. June's true self appeared relatively intact, while her fake version was nowhere near her real power. It seemed that Heaven and Earth didn't learn much about her, which only implied deeper issues that he couldn't answer right now.

The orange core didn't let the white patches remain on its surface for too long. It even let them seep into its structure to absorb part of their power.

June and Heaven and Earth were fighting over each other's resources. The rulers wanted to understand how the orange core worked, while June needed to absorb the white lightning bolts to complete her world.

'Her past technique required Heaven and Earth's sparks,' Noah thought as the battle continued. 'I wonder if she is trying to do something similar.'

That guess led to another idea. If June required Heaven and Earth to reach the ninth rank, there was a high chance that she had put herself in that situation on purpose. Still, that also implied that the previous fight had been part of her plan.

Noah couldn't help but reveal an amused smirk when those thoughts filled his mind. The sole idea that June had created a plan that involved him felt funny beyond reason. He couldn't wait to joke with her about that, but he had to wait for her to overcome the Tribulation first.

The exchange of attacks between June's true self and the Tribulation appeared endless. The orange core and the barrage of lightning bolts enhanced their power on their own, without requiring additional energy. It didn't take long before the white sparks touched the middle tier and continued to grow.

Then, a change happened. The orange core finally stepped into the ninth rank and released a crackling storm that pierced the barrage in multiple spots.

The orange lightning bolts didn't even disperse after the attack. They remained stuck inside the white barrage as sparks spread out of their fabric. The orange shades tried to expand, and the Tribulation didn't seem able to stop them.

Noah could finally realize that the barrage had some inherent flaws. Its ability to enhance its power was imperfect, which led to a consumption of fuel that the orange world didn't suffer. Instead, June's true self could reach higher levels without investing large amounts of energy, giving her better endurance and overall flexibility in using her skill.

Everything started to shatter as the orange core began to stabilize in the ninth rank. The barrage crumbled into pieces with the shape of small sparks that tried to disperse throughout the void. Most of them remained attached to the orange lightning bolts, and Noah let go of the others as he waited for the process to end.

The orange core expanded as it absorbed the energy attached to its lightning bolts. Its color paled before darkening even more than before. The mass of energy slowly morphed into a familiar figure, and Noah could only smile at that sight.

June regained her original form. Her body brimmed with power after her successful breakthrough to the ninth rank, and the desire to fight also intensified.. She didn't hesitate to raise her head and point her hand toward Noah before a thick lightning bolt flew out of her palm.

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