Eternal Thief

Five more days pass in a breeze, and only one day was left at the start of the Noble Tribe Title War. 

The Iron Demon City was completely turned into a fortress as every Iron Demon Tribe member was prepared to fight for their life and the life of their loved ones. Even young demon children were given weapons! 

Many high-level demons donned in armors were standing tall on the city walls, while the city gate was tightly shut and protected by a powerful array. 

Although there was still a day remaining before the war challenge, for them the war of life and death was already started!

--- 

Inside the underground secret chamber, 

Ace was solemnly looking at cross-legged Noa. She was emitting very powerful soul undulations, which was a sign of her being on the verge of a soul cultivation breakthrough. 

In the last five days, Ace was practicing heaven's stealer dismantler principles all morning while he scouted the iron demon city at night to monitor the current status of the Iron Demon City.

Ace had to admit the Iron Demon Tribe was far more powerful than he had thought, and they were quite rich as well. He thought of raiding their treasures many times but held himself back when he thought about the bigger picture.

Today was just like another day when he returned after scouting the city and observing some fresh developments, but he soon found out about Noa's peculiar condition and calmly observe her. 

'She's causing too many soul undulations, but this chamber is really marveled since there wasn't any sliver of it leaking,' Ace mused while looking at Noa's mask face. 

Suddenly, Noa's pressure started to increase. It was a sign of her successful cultivation breakthrough and an increase in power!

'Her True Soul is forming and then comes the turn of her soul foundation, slates. It's completely different from my soul cultivation technique since I only needed to create soul cores and my soul cultivation will increase just like normal but more powerful than the others.' 

Ace couldn't help but compare his own soul cultivation system with the traditional soul cultivation system of Sky Mortal Heaven. But he smiled bitterly when he thought about how difficult it was for him to raise his cultivation, and there were many restrictions and conditions as well. 

Nonetheless, Ace knew he will become the most powerful being of Mortal Sky Heaven eventually just because of his cultivation technique!

Even the members of the thief house didn't have the privilege to cultivate in both body and soul type cultivation manual like Heaven Stealer Technique, which was one of its kind. 

Noa's close eyelids finally snap open, revealing pitch-black eyeballs shimmering with a dark luster like an endless dark night. 

When her sight landed on smiling Ace not far away, her eyes lit up in ecstasy, and quickly greeted him, "Leader, I broke through to Soul Foundation Realm while creating a Nine-Slate, Peerless Foundation!" 

Five Slates mean Cracked Foundation, Six Slates mean Flawed Foundation, seven means Complete, and Eight mean Perfect foundation, while a Nine-Slate foundation called Peerless Foundation!

There weren't many presents with a Peerless Foundation in Golden Sky World because only truly talented individuals were qualified to create a Peerless Foundation, especially in the soul path. 

A cultivation manual that contains the secret of the peerless foundation was few in this world, while the soul path manual was almost none exist! 

Noa could be called a peerless genius of the soul path right now and if the news of her creating a peerless foundation were made public, even the Royal Zone would do anything to possess her or her cultivation method! 

Ace nodded in approval and said with a faint smile, "Congratulation, you're one step closer to your revenge." 

Noa's dark eyes shimmered with coldness at hearing this. She knew what Ace mean, and she was looking forward to the day she'll take revenge for herself and her tribe. 

"Leader, I think after I broke through in Soul Foundation Building Realm, I got an innate soul ability from my Thief Assassin Principles Cultivation Technique!" Noa quickly told Ace about her new discovery. She didn't want to hide it from him, since he'll find out, eventually. 

"Oh? An innate ability from your cultivation technique, not a skill?" Ace was astonished because he never thought Noa will get an innate soul ability as he will get from his soul cultivation technique. 

Ace knew about the cultivation techniques that grant skills on each realm breakthrough, but he never heard of cultivation techniques that grant innate abilities like his cultivation technique, yet. 

The difference between innate ability and skill was like heaven and earth because the innate ability will keep becoming powerful with the possessor, while skill will lose its effects eventually if you didn't find a way to strengthen it. Simply put, skills were replaceable, while innate abilities were not! 

This also made the Thief Assassin Principles at the same level as his 'Heavenly Black Wind Soul Cultivation Technique, but it was still inferior since he had Heavenly Soul Qi! 

'As expected from a cultivation technique that came from the system, it is heaven-defying!' Ace thought with elation since it will only make his thief house members more powerful than the masses! 

Noa nodded her head and said, "Yes, it's an innate soul ability, not a skill, since I can use it any time I want!" Her melodious voice was filled with ecstasy. 

Even she didn't believe that she'll get such a top-notch soul cultivation technique, which was probably the most powerful soul cultivation technique in this world!

"Tell me what kind of ability is it, if you don't mind, that is!" 

Ace was very interested in this ability since it was related to a thief, but didn't want to force Noa in revealing it. Everyone had their own secrets. Even he didn't tell her about his innate soul abilities and she only about soul probing, which was also just at a superficial level. 

"No, I don't mind, since it was all because of Leader that I got this chance. Even if you want my life, I'll give with no hesitation!" Noa promised, with no hesitancy in her solemn voice. 

She was eternally grateful to Ace, and she wasn't an ingrate who'll forget her benefactor after she became powerful. Her pride won't allow her to do this!

Ace felt hearted and said, "Don't mention dying again. We're fellow members and as a leader, it is my responsibility to keep you safe, not the other way around." 

Noa only nodded with glittering eyes, no one know what she was thinking. 

"The innate soul ability I got is called 'No-Kill'. It can completely hide my killing intent and aura. A godly ability for an assassin!" Noa excitedly told Ace about her ability, No-Kill. 

Ace was astonished when he heard about this No-Kill ability with a simple description. Although it sounded superficial, he knew just how deadly this ability was for a trained assassin. It was like giving wings to a tiger! 

Ace knew just how hard it was to hide your killing intent if you hate someone, furthermore, it was almost impossible to suppress the killing intent when you were about to strike a killing blow. 

Only those emotionless beings can probably kill without batting an eye, but even they were filled with killing intent from inside. 

No Kill didn't require something to become emotionless nor separate their emotion. That's why it was so scary! 

Besides, as Noa became powerful, her ability will increase with her. This was truly a godly ability of a Thief Assassin! 

"Good, since you're now an early stage foundation building cultivator, you should purchase skills from the shop and practice them." Ace suggested. He didn't want her to just cultivate all day long. It wasn't good for her foundation. 

She wasn't like him, who didn't need to worry about his foundation at all. 

"I was also thinking the same. I still have 1,800 House Points left after my previous purchases. I was just waiting to enter the soul foundation building realm before purchasing Thief Assassin's Soul Steps and Thief Assassin's Soul View, for one thousand house points."

Noa also explained her thoughts truthfully. She knew as an assassin the movement skill was the essential and with an eye skill on top of that she'll be like a perfect assassin. As for stealth, she still had that because of her bloodline as a night demon. It was the only thing she inherited from her Night Demon Bloodline. 

Ace nodded and said, "I also think these two skills are far more important than any other skills in the shop. Furthermore, tomorrow is a big event and I think we can profit from it." He pulled a thievish smile. 

Noa was bewildered, hearing Ace's mysterious words, and asked with uncertainty, "What kind of big events?"

"It's like this when I was gone out on a stroll…" 

Ace told Noa about how he encountered Nāgas and then told her about his huge thieveries string and how Iron Demon City was about to face a war challenge tomorrow. 

"… so, tell me, what do you think?"