The image of June's blush appeared in Noah's mind and caused a feeling that he had yet to experience since he became a magical beast.
'Am I aroused?'
Noah couldn't help but think that when he sensed what that feeling caused inside his body.
Of course, feeling something and letting it affect his body were two very different things.
Cultivators had incredible control of their bodies, especially those in the heroic ranks.
Noah easily prevented any effect of that sensation from appearing on his body, but that event still made his mind wander a bit.
'So much for a species of magical beasts with limited fertility! Damned Cursed dragons, how can your arousal be almost as intense as your hunger?'
Noah cursed in his mind while he kept on suppressing that feeling.
He wasn't surprised about his sexual interest in June, he had always known that he liked her character and that she was quite beautiful.
Yet, he didn't expect that the sexual drive of a magical beast could match its hunger!
'She even smells like a Heaven Tribulation, she should be the last person able to give birth to these sensations… I guess a beast it's still a beast in the end, no matter how powerful it is.'
Noah gave up on trying to suppress that feeling when he thought that and simply limited himself to control the reactions of his body.
His sexual drive was just like his hunger, something deeply rooted in instincts that were now part of him.
His hunger couldn't be suppressed, so the same had to be true for the former.
Andrew and Faith took their place too, and the four envoys became the corners of an imaginary square that floated in the air.
Andrew still stared at Noah with an intense battle intent, but Noah's mind was too messy for him to care about him.
'I hope this drive will go away at some point or I will need to take care of it once I return on the southwestern coast.'
Noah thought while shining lines appeared under the feet of the envoys and traced a shining square in the air.
The instructions for that exchange meetings were quite clear, none of the envoys was surprised to see those lines appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
The Papral nation had prepared the area beforehand and created an environment where the envoys could trust each other's words.
Taking a position to form a square would activate an area where the cultivators inside it couldn't lie nor taint the truth.
Of course, the trigger for that technique was Faith, but the same restrictions would bound her after the square was completed.
The three big nations didn't trust each other, especially when it came to the most important resource of that period.
The same obviously went for the Hive.
There was the need for an even ground where cheats and tricks were impossible to actuate, which was something that the Papral nation found quite easy to create.
After all, oaths and devices with similar purposes were something that every nation had.
The cultivation world was cruel, and trust was rarely found among forces with a different origin, it wasn't surprising that the oaths' field was so advanced in each country.
The shining lines under the envoys' feet spread, creating a luminous platform that radiated a peculiar yellowish light.
Noah felt his mind being affected by that light, but he didn't mind it too much.
The fact that the cultivators inside the square couldn't lie didn't mean that they were required to answer every question.
Remaining silent was an option, so there was no risk of exposing valuable information to the enemies.
The exchange meeting begun immediately after the square was completed.
Faith suggested simple rules which everyone accepted without complaining.
To put it simply, the value of a diagram had to be decided according to three factors: Its effect, its element, and its limit.
The last two factors were easy to evaluate.
The rarity of an element set the base value of a diagram, and the limits to its power defined by how much its importance had to be raised.
For example, a spell of the thunder element up to the fourth rank would be worth less than a diagram of the fire element that could be used till the sixth rank.
The first factor was harder to define by precise boundaries and had to be discussed for each specific case.
For example, diagrams like the Warp spell would be less valuable since their effects were hard to apply in battle.
Of course, some spells weren't battle-related but were still extremely valuable.
Noah saw a spell of the water element that was potentially able to entirely reconstruct a body as long as the sea of consciousness and dantian of the cultivator were intact.
Its cost in terms of "Breath" and mental energy was obviously huge, and only rank 6 mages could safely use it.
Yet, it was still a fantastic spell obtained by Faith at the price of five diagrams of the earth element with limits to the fifth rank.
Noah focused on obtaining the diagrams of the elements that Elder Julia had requested.
The Hive's main interests were the spells of the fire element, followed by water and wind.
It was needless to say that Noah had informed Elder Julia about his intention of obtaining as many diagrams of the darkness element that he could.
Elder Julia didn't oppose him, but Noah soon discovered that he was bound to be disappointed since no diagrams of the darkness element were mentioned during the meeting.
'This is too coincidental, and some of them are trading spells of the light element… They did this on purpose.'
Noah immediately suspected that, but there wasn't much that he could do.
The only method that the other nations had to slow down his improvements was to keep the resources that could help him for themselves, Noah couldn't force those countries to sell them after all.
The lack of spells of the darkness element though didn't bother him too much.
He was approaching the next step in his cultivation journey, he knew that he would create his own diagrams given enough time.
What bothered him was the constant need to suppress his arousal.
Noah tried not to look at June during the meeting, but their eyes were bound to meet when they traded.
Every time that happened, Noah had to enforce his control on his body again.
That was quite easy for Noah, but it was also a constant reminder of that feeling.
However, at some point, that drive suddenly disappeared.
A subtle tremor ran through the terrain below them, and the magical beasts inhabiting that area stopped moving.
The envoys didn't sense that tremor, but Noah felt the same sensations of the magical beasts below.
He instinctively turned to look toward the center of the new continent, but he could only see the beginning of the mountain chain in the distance.
Yet, another sensation took the place of his arousal, something that even surpassed his hunger.
He felt fear.
