829. Strategy
Noah wasn't at his peak. The loss of his Blood Companion had removed one of his most reliable weapons, and he didn't have time to find a replacement during his period of healing. Also, he had to review the Body-inscription spell to understand why it didn't suit his darkness, which was something that didn't allow him to express its full power.
However, he wasn't too weakened either. He had already stopped relying on his Blood Companion in the battles against the rank 5 cultivators of the Empire because he had far stronger abilities at hand.
Of course, the lack of his last line of defense would force him to be a bit more careful in case another old monster snapped and unleashed their centennial accumulation on him. Still, he didn't plan to hold back or, rather, he wasn't sure that the situation allowed him to do so.