The improvements done to the Abyssal Needle weren’t enough to bring it to the third Rank.
There were several reasons for this. ｂ𝚍ｎｏｖ𝚕．ｃｏｍ
One, Liam couldn’t make something so intricate with Rank 4 materials.
Without a stronger core, manipulating, purifying and shaping Rank 4 materials was extremely difficult.
It had taken Liam 4 months to make the Dusk Blades, after all.
And even then, he had to center it around the Rhino tusk and horn’s curved shape.
Meanwhile, the Abyssal Needle consisted of complicated, small-sized parts.
It was no wonder Liam had to resort to weaker materials.
Secondly, the Abyssal Needle was a fairly new item.
The only reason Liam could make the Rank 3 Dusk Blades was because he had years of experience working with blades, daggers and swords.
And thirdly, Liam hadn’t advanced to the solid stage yet.
There was just so much work!
Shadow darkening and enlarging, Shifter studying, inscribing, forging, Blood Arts tinkering, raids, body devouring, and general cultivation.
Liam had to alternate between these responsibilities.
There was not even a second that was wasted.
With how umbral his Shadow had become over the past year, Liam understood its properties much better.
A Shadow was mercurial in nature.
Just like how its shape could change, so could its properties.
Liam could now submerge his entire body into the Sea of Shadows.
But that was the extent of his control.
Teleporting or swimming beneath the ground was still not possible, but he was getting close.
Liam had been practicing adding his blood into the Shadows.
For that, he needed to change the properties of his Shadow into a pulling, absorbing force.
That was extremely difficult.
When Liam added blood to his Shadow – or attempted to envelop the liquid – it simply fell through it and stained the floor.
Liam tried adding absorption Meanings to the droplet of blood, then attempting it again.
Unlike before where it went straight through, there was a reaction.
Momentarily, the droplet of blood gained a shadowy layer, enshrouding it, before dripping to the ground anyway.
Liam made a realization.
Both the Shadow and blood came from the body.
Only, they were completely different in source.
The blood was internal, the Shadow was external.
Liam had to bridge the gap between them if he wanted to combine the two.
And the key was probably his mental energy, since it gave his ichor special properties.
If anything, Liam now needed to think of something with a powerful absorption to add to his Meanings.
There was one thing that came to Liam’s mind when he thought that.
A black hole.
If Liam managed to ‘form’ a black hole…
Then there was a high chance both properties would combine.
Obviously, he couldn’t actually make a black hole.
To do so, for example, he’d basically have to condense the Earth to the size of a penny.
Instead, he’d just imitate the absorption abilities.
Even then, his mind wasn’t at a strong enough level for that.
All he could do as of now was practice, train and study.
Meanwhile, the Temple stabilized their gains.
And there were a lot of resources they could spread around the Sect.
Even the Elders had gained the necessary supplies to grow.
Also, the martial arts from every Sect didn’t actually go to waste.
In fact, the acolytes regularly picked out whatever they fancied from the annihilated Clans.
Some had even learned the Verdant Warrior Arts and Alluring Fairy Arts, among countless others.
There wasn’t anything that impressed Liam, so he opted out of those choosings.
The only thing Liam had his eye on was the Ravenous Leash martial arts.
Now, the amount of territory the Temple owned was 19%.
Almost a quarter of the western side of the island was owned by them.
Not all Sects were annihilated.
Some were just trade-centered Sects, which were a source of wealth for the Leashes.
If they were attacked, it would definitely raise suspicion.
Obviously, it wasn’t like the Leashes were stupid.
They were aware of something strange taking place within the island.
Specifically, how most of the western Sects had gone relatively quiet.
They still paid their yearly fee, which every Sect under the Leash’s rule did, but it was still a bit weird.
Naturally, they investigated.
They didn’t find anything wrong, other than a few irregularities that were too far-fetched to reach a conclusion with.
There didn’t seem to be any attacks or invasion, but there was still an eerie aura on the western side of the island.
First the Oracle’s coma-inducing vision, then the disappearance of so many disciples, and now this…
There were too many strange events taking place!
Nevertheless, with the arrival of Royals, there were meetings the higher ranking members of the Sect needed to attend to.
Every large-sized Sect had responsibilities to the Seven Great Clans.
Not to mention, there were several tournaments and events happening within the Main Lands.
Any time a Sect challenged another Sect for their wealth and land, it would be in public for the gangho to see.
Because of that, most of their investigations weren’t given a second look.
All the while, the Temple was slowly but steadily raising their kill count.
More months passed.
More attacks happened.
More martial artists were killed.
More resources were reaped.
More land was claimed.
22% exactly.
The dark, shadowy roots of the Temple were spreading in every direction.
Liam reveled in the period of peace, since he was able to grow his strength without anyone restricting him.
During that time, he was even taught a few tips and tricks by all the Elders.
Liam had given them more than two thousand acolytes, after all.
Even the stern-faced Elder Verium cracked a smile at him now and again.
Eventually, another attack on a mid-size Sect took place.
They had challenged a stronger Sect this time.
The Ravaging Flame Sect, the base of which was in a danger zone where Rank 4 fire beasts resided.
If they could claim this Sect, the Temple’s strength would grow to around 30%.
The battle between the Temple and Ravenous Leash Sect was coming close.