Supreme Theif had stolen countless techniques throughout his life. All of them carried an aspect or the existence's core of cultivators and hybrids, so he could find something suitable for Wilfred and Steven.
Wilfred's issue came from how simple his existence was. He only cared about his physical strength, so he had instinctively developed long-range techniques that allowed him to send that immense force toward his opponents.
Still, mere physical power wasn't enough to reach the ninth rank, not when it wasn't at the true peak. Noah was already stronger than Wilfred, and Alexander could overcome him in that field through some abilities.
Supreme Thief had to add depth to that power. He had to make it worthy of the ninth rank, which involved smarter ways to apply physical strength. He wouldn't give Wilfred anything too complicated, but the hybrid had to learn how to deploy his ability correctly.
Wilfred's punches were brutish expressions of his energy. They could send the entirety of his physical power toward distant opponents without losing even an ounce of energy. Still, they were too simple, and everyone could counter them easily.
Moreover, the same amount of physical strength could give birth to techniques that surpassed the sheer energy input if used correctly. That was the purpose behind abilities in the end. Yet, Wilfred had never resorted to anything similar. He only threw his power forward.
Supreme Thief tried to fix that issue by providing Wilfred with an understanding of many techniques that involved physical strength. He picked the simplest abilities in his memory, but their lack of intricate moves didn't lead to weaker effects. Actually, they were even stronger than the others in terms of pure output of power.
The new understanding filled Wilfred's muscles and mind with power and stopped the shrinking of his body. He regained his previous size, and azure light shone in his eyes as numerous techniques fused with his mental sea.
Wilfred felt incredibly dumb when looking at that sea of techniques. They weren't hard to learn, and their requirements in terms of physical strength weren't even too high. He could have expressed far more power if he had stopped once to study abilities meant for experts like him. It even felt surprising that he had reached that step of the cultivation journey without them.
The process for Steven ended up being far different. His issue came from how vague his determination was. His foundation was a mass of various drives vaguely stuffed together to generate enough power. That wasn't nearly enough to step on the ninth rank, but it also meant that Supreme Thief had to decide which aspect he had to empower.
The decision eventually fell on Steven's anger toward Heaven and Earth. That feeling had not been his main drive in the past, but the recent events had empowered it. The cultivator had gone through the destruction of his cells, Robert's death, and the last defeat against the liquid stage expert.
Heaven and Earth were basically playing with his life. Steven had felt hopeless to change that trend, and the last defeat had even enhanced that feeling. His anger was ready to become the main part of his foundation.
Supreme Thief only had to choose how to empower Steven's anger. He had stolen many abilities that used that feeling as their foundation. After all, Heaven and Earth suppressed every cultivator and hybrid that dared to remain outside of their system.
Supreme Theif sent countless memories inside Steven's existence. He had collected an almost endless number of stories that involved experts who had struggled against the rulers, and their thoughts could bring Steven's determination to new realms. They could transform him into the embodiment of that rebellious feeling.
The transformation happened right in front of the liquid stage expert. The young-looking cultivator didn't move as he tried to understand what to do in that situation.
Heaven and Earth had given him a clear task. His recent victory had almost brought the results that the rulers needed, but Supreme Thief and Great Builder had interrupted that process.
The young-looking cultivator could still make the process succeed. He only had to defeat Wilfred and Steven after they grew stronger to give Heaven and Earth the understanding they sought. His victory could even lead to better knowledge since Supreme Thief was tinkering with the two experts' laws.
At the same time, Heaven and Earth might gain nothing if the young-looking cultivator were to lose. They would lose the knowledge that they had obtained until then and even suffer another major defeat. They would also create two more threats.
The young-looking cultivator struggled to make up his mind about the situation. Heaven and Earth couldn't help him decide due to their dormant state. They could provide energy and understanding, but thinking was outside of their capabilities now. Everything was up to the expert, but only doubts filled his thoughts.
"Shouldn't you trap me here?" The young-looking cultivator eventually asked. "I can easily run away."
"You idiots never do," Supreme Thief commented while continuing to send understanding to the two experts.
"He is right," Great Builder added. "I can already see that vague ambition in your eyes. You might be a puppet of the rulers, but you remain a cultivator, so you desire to reach the higher ranks. Don't even pretend to struggle."
"You know nothing about us," The young-looking cultivator sneered.
"We have fallen at the hands of the rulers already," Supreme Thief laughed. "Do you think we didn't learn anything? We know how you think. You rodents have chosen the easy path, but you still want the rewards."
"Rodents?!" The young-looking cultivator gasped.
"They don't want the punishments," Great Builder continued while heaving a helpless sigh, "But they want the power. They really believe that Heaven and Earth will let them live after they succeed in reaching the tenth rank."
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"You are awfully cocky for existences who have already lost to the rulers once," The young-looking cultivator laughed. "Do you think you can reach the peak with those flawed worlds? Heaven and Earth have already proven their superiority."
"Why do you think we are taking it slow this time?" Supreme Thief snorted. "I swear. These rodents are so dumb."
"We are hindering the rulers instead of attacking them directly," Great Builder explained, "At least for now. Defying Demon has a better chance to succeed, so we are letting him do the hard work."
"You are using them," The young-looking cultivator laughed. "You came back to life only to exploit your saviors."
"He is really dumb," Supreme Thief sighed.
"He is probably thinking that we are giving him vital information due to our arrogance," Great Builder added before glancing at the two experts. "How long?"
"I'm almost done," Supreme Thief replied. "Everything else is up to them."
"You are revealing your plan," The young-looking cultivator repeated. "I honestly expected something more from the famous Supreme Thief and Great Builder."
"We are still here, aren't we?" Supreme Thief laughed before focusing on the two experts. "It's done."
Intense auras flowed out of Wilfred and Steven. The two experts widened their eyes as cries escaped their mouths. They shouted due to the massive surge of power that filled their insides.
Their existences were still crumbling, but Supreme Thief had made sure to patch them up with his understanding. Those fixes wouldn't last long, but they would allow them to complete their battle.
"What is this?" Steven asked as his angry gaze converged on the young-looking cultivator.
Steven was feeling different about the world and his opponent. He was experiencing something that Noah had also noticed after absorbing Robert's anger. Heaven and Earth's power had become clearer in his mind, and his existence appeared unable to ignore it.
"To think that the ninth rank would have required me to walk the human path," Wilfred sighed as he tightened his hands into fists.
Understanding filled Wilfred's mind. Countless simple forms raged among his thoughts and taught him better ways to deploy his physical strength.
"Steven, let me try something," Wilfred whispered.
"Be quick," Steven replied while gritting his teeth. "I don't know how long I can hold back."
Wilfred took a deep breath while turning toward the young-looking cultivator. His muscles bulged as he raised his arms and punched the air a few times.
His attacks were slow, and they didn't seem to release energy. However, Wilfred nodded and threw another punch after confirming that his new technique was working.
The young-looking cultivator inspected the scene, but his eyes widened when a massive force appeared at his side. His body shattered as soon as that power touched his skin. The whiteness in the area also broke to open a giant hole connected to the void.
"So, I can fuse multiple attacks before releasing them as long as my body can endure the increased pressure," Wilfred announced while scratching the side of his head.
"As I said, you are incredibly dumb," Supreme Thief commented while heaving a helpless sigh.
"He's coming back," Steven exclaimed, and a white pillar followed his words.
Wilfred's attack didn't leave anything of the expert, so Heaven and Earth had to rebuild him from scratch. The young-looking cultivator appeared among the whiteness and revealed his stunned expression to the four rebels. He couldn't understand how a single attack from a peak rank 8 hybrid had managed to kill him.
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Author's notes: I slept for 12 hours. I need this longer chapter to meet my daily word count. I will use this chance to take it easy, so no additional chapters today.