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Silence filled the room, as Noah continued to stare at the standing figure of a slightly bandaged Nathaniel. The young master had refused to sit on his chair.

"How may I help you?" Noah eventually broke the silence. And he watched Nathaniel's expression flicker with uncertainty but conviction replaced it.

"I've come to apologize for my wrong actions toward you," Nathaniel announced going on one knee. An outrightly shocking turn of events.

However, Noah allowed no emotions on his face, for the time being, opting to nod his head in response. He wouldn't behave like the man hadn't done anything wrong, but they're also wasn't much his apology could do anyway. He decided to take the peaceful route.

"There's no need for that. Notwithstanding, I accept your apology. We are cultivators trying our bests to reach heights that normally wouldn't be allowed, it's normal that we try to get rid of obstacles," he started. "I understand that I may have been an obstacle at some point during our encounter, but all that is behind us now, we're guild mates," Noah smiled gazing at the bowed head of Nathaniel.

"Although I too acted out of hand, we both know it was as a result of your hostile actions and the opportunity left open by the guild itself. So let's leave all embarrassing events in the past," Noah ended.

Nathaniel had raised his head to glance at Noah's face after those inspiring words, and he saw that a soft smile lay on it. In truth, he had only come there since he desired to make acquaintance with the incredibly powerful individual. Whom even the guild acknowledged. And he also felt without a doubt that Noah understood that. Yet the smile on his face forced him into genuine guilt and apology.

Noah waved his hand dismissively at some point, and Nathaniel the son of a noble family rose at his actions.

"Don't get me wrong, I still do not fully trust you, but I'll put trust in the mark that you bear of the guild. Maybe sometime later real trust might develop." Noah shrugged, glad he had made himself clear. Nathaniel nodded at his words. "I understand," he replied, then his eyes suddenly narrowed, before widening.

Noah watched astonishment grow on Nathaniel's face and smiled inwardly. He had just noticed a detail about Noah that made his mouth drop in perplexion.

"Is... this the middle stage I sense?" Nathaniel muttered shocked. His eyes darted to Noah's wide grin and a tinge of fear erupted in his mind corrupting it rapidly. Fortunately, he regained his composure and vanquished a significant portion of his fear.

"Who exactly are you?" Nathaniel's head shook as he fell into a broken daze, realizing to his dismay that Noah had already become stronger than him.

A shrug followed his question, but Noah never wiped the grin on his face. He had to admit that he relished such moments in his life as one would relish delicacies of the highest quality.

The duo conversed for a bit, but even if Nathaniel had regained his composure, his mind never stopped falling into a daze at the quality of power his mind managed to pick up. Noah managed to bottle up practically everything of his power, and even his trained senses only managed to pick up whiffs, but they were enough testimony to the monstrous strength the astonishingly handsome man held.

Nathaniel eventually left Noah's room and went to the guild hall for quests, he desired something to clear his mind of what he had found out. Unfortunately, Noah's power never managed to leave his head throughout the missions.

The day of returning to Elder Sarah's abode quickly arrived, and Noah, wanting to get there early set out far earlier than normal, even if the environment of the city never actually changed.

He kept the ring given to him by the expert in his inventory and only wore it when he arrived at the gate into the central regions.

By this point, the guards of the gate knew him well, and each of them sensed his new power, even if his full might remained vague. Nevertheless, they all could sense that he now stood in the middle stage, and his power threatened their higher-stage might!

Noah eventually arrived before lady Sarah's mansion and it looked as beautiful as it always had. Unfortunately, the sadistic and troublesome entity dwelling within the range of the mansion's walls sucked dry all initial joy generated upon arriving at the mansion.

Like always the gates into the mansion's compound were open, and Noah strode in, ignoring the wonderful-looking plants placed all around him. He hadn't explored the wide court the lady owned, and he also felt certain that there were things behind the mansion itself.

A knock on the big doors into the mansion was all Noah needed, and the doors spread before him, revealing the interiors of the ground floor of the building. A place he would call a sitting room.

Shockingly but fortunately, the room was empty of his master allowing him to inspect the details of that place.

To his front was of course the door into the training room where he had spared with the elder, but he already knew that.

Upon entering that fancy mansion if one looked to their right their gaze would be met with a spiral staircase that led to the balcony. The balcony spread across the horizontal length of that large room leading to rooms and most definitely the back of the mansion.

The balcony stood at a height of around 6m and stretched across the length of that wide room.

To his left were two doors; one black and the other purple. The one to the far left which was black led to a hallway, one that stretched into the length of the mansion revealing places Noah had never been to. While the one on the right, the purple door, housed a teleportation room, Noah knew not two of these things, so he wondered what stood behind both doors.

Beneath the staircase, almost hidden away from public eyes, was a black door, and once again he could only wonder what it led to.

The cream, almost yellow walls of the room featured paintings depicting landscapes that looked so real Noah felt they were portals into the real thing. Maybe because of mana, he had thought. The different colored mana bulbs and even the three grand chandeliers above him gave the room a fancy and luxurious vibe, one that made the room given to him look humble.

Noah felt slightly anxious about sitting on the eight different couches of different lengths available in the wide room, but he sat on one anyway. And he had to admit how great and comfortable it felt to sit on it. Soon, out of curiosity he tried the others before returning to the one he sat on first.

'Should I announce my arrival,' Noah wondered after spending half an hour waiting.

Thankfully he didn't need to wait for a full hour before Lady Sarah's voice rang out from the balcony above him.

"Who told you you could sit on my couch!" she yelled rushing down the stairs.

'Here we go again,' Noah rolled his eyes, but quickly stood to face the raging woman.