I exhaled heavily as I watched my senior sister vanish from the world of the living. When the light show ended, the pocket dimension change with a wave of energy. The rose field was replaced with a garden of heavenly treasures that reflected a plethora of colors and fragrances.
Under the canopy where I drank tea with my senior sister, three chests appeared. A Jade piece soon followed, emerging in the middle of the tea table. Finally, the bouquet of roses descended along with a silver arrow.
'What did you expect, Orym? You walked into a tomb.' I told myself. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Straightening out my thoughts, I deliberated what I want to do with the two soul weapons. After a moment or two, I figured Nimue could use the bouquet and I could take the arrow. My essence then took hold of the soul weapons and placed them in my interspatial ring.
Next, I grabbed the jade piece and injected my soul into it. In an instant, I fell deep into a wealth of knowledge. It was like skydiving without a parachute. Once I hit the ground, I had a whole new perception of the soul technique I had been cultivating for years. I understood the purpose, the ultimate goal that awaited me at the end of the technique. With the blood of a Faye, the six nature limit breaker could create a boundless existence.
It was this potential that made my senior sister believe her master could have ruled the Faye Clan.
Looking around, I stood in the center of an obelisk created by silver ethereal scriptures. Walking to the brightest section, I touched it with my senses, and a wave of Soulforce launched me into the air where I remained suspended in time.
My mind then flashed to an ancient environment once more. I Watched the young miss of the Faye Clan playing a well-crafted Ocarina -a wind musical instrument made of mysterious material with twelve holes and a mouthpiece. The melody was soft, sweet, and heart-piercing. And after playing two measures, my soul shook and I entered forced enlightenment.
'This...This the Dao of Sound!' I was mind blown.
Repeatedly I heard the two measures of music until the third repetition caused my sea of consciousness to ripple and lash the boundaries. The Young Miss of the Faye Clan looked at me with void-like eyes unraveling my existence.
"You are not ready," She said, sending a palm at me and knocking me out of the Jade Piece.
The moment my soul returned to my body, I bled from my ears, eyes, nose, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
I was terrified and learned nothing but that within the six-natured limit breaker, the way it was originally created, Five Daos must be comprehended to unlock the sixth. If this is done, the soul technique can reach its full might.
I originally believed the purpose of this technique was to break the shackles of the senses that hold back the true potential of the body. I was wrong. In fact, the purpose of the technique is the opposite. The Faye is a spiritual race, the purpose of the technique is to unlock the full potential of the soul by comprehending the Daos that stitch them together.
In the jade, the Young Miss introduced the first Dao, sound. Without sound, there is no hearing. The next four correspond with the remaining senses: Lightning for the electrical sensations that make up feeling, Light for the images that construct our vision, Wind that carries the scent of the world, Devour as the most extreme expression of taste. Together, they shatter the vessel and create a bridge to the Akashic Dao. A stage not even the young miss of the Faye clan could reach. The ultimate manifestation of the soul, raw, unhindered, and one with everything.
Cleaning the blood from my face, I put away the horrifying Jade Piece before moving to the first wooden made chest covered with emerald green veins. Opening the chest, I found a heaven-grade bow made of an ivory-like material, a quiver, and 100 arrows. Next to the was a single short sword with an elegantly curved handle.
'So she was an archer' I thought in my heart.
Opening the next chest, I nearly fell over after being hit with pure nature qi. 'So this is where she got it from.
In the chest were bottles of Lichen Heart Pills brimming with vitality that I happened to need. There were also Soul quenching pills, Nine turning pills for those who wished to step into nirvana, and three pieces of Blood Heart Licorice to help bloodline awakenings.
The final chest was simple, Spirit stones. Senior Sister was a simple woman. Besides the garden, those three simple chests were all she had to her name. What happened between her and the Lunar Demon King will always be a mystery to me. But I can feel that the little pocket dimension was her last piece of identity and gift to the world, or at least to those who could earn it.
Storing the chests away, a dozen Lichen Heart Pills remained. The purest Nature Qi that I had ever felt came from the pill that my Senior Siter used to heal my wounds. With a completely healthy body, I planned to use the pills to make a push for my first physique --Reflection of Nature.
Reflection of Nature is a physique the increases and generates vitality throughout the body, strengthening it, increasing my regenerative abilities, Enhanced my perceptive abilities, and make me lord of nature.
In the cultivation notes of my seniors, Lord of Nature meant many things. Beast friendly, beast taming, Nature Races' aphrodisiac', Nature elemental -control of water, earth, wood, and wind. The abilities varied between seniors. But no matter the ability, the physique was truly the Reflection of Nature itself.
Following the circulation of the Nature Sutra, I prepared my mind then swallowed all twelve pills. The pure nature qi erupted and my fermentation method kicked in to rustle the energy and disperse it evenly.
What made physique creation so difficult is the construction of a body within a body. Physique is the equivalent of the Soul's Martial soul.
Diligently guiding the energy, I grimaced while large beads of sweat wet my brow. The Nature Sutura was carving itself in elven script along my bones. from skull to toe I wasn't spared as cracks appeared in my skin.
My hands shifted through three new signs and the Natur Qi shifted its attention to my organs, blood, visceral system. My body felt cold, so cold that it burned and numbed me at the same time.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, Pah! I clap my hands together after the final hand seal sequence. Nature Qi exploded and converged in front of my body as I slowly turned into a mummy.
Slowly a bright green ethereal version of myself with strong deer antlers, a plant in my left hand, and a sword in my right hand appeared.
The green energy intensified, growing more vibrant as its glory spread across the pocket dimension breathing life into the heavenly treasures, causing them to grow at a visible rate. One thousand to ten thousand, ten thousand to one hundred thousand, and son. The Lord of Nature had arrived and everything basked in his glory.
In the far corner of the pocket dimension, Seven Colored Water Lily grew a lar pad and the flower itself grew three times its size. the colors then beamed as an eighth joined the fray.
The ethereal avatar then crossed his arms and the blade protected the plant and everything it represented. It then rushed into my body and my essence increased along with my bodily strength and soul. A physique mark then appeared. Two antlers on my chest, along my collar bone, and over my shoulders. On my right forearm, an image of a sword appeared while an oak tree appeared on my left.
I soon became lively and the qi in the dimension settled by the nature Qi that lingered marked the place as the sacred location of a Lord of Nature's arrival. Every senior before me wrote about their physique establishment being used to nourish the sacred lands of our people.
To leave my print in such a foreign place, made me feel sad and angry. I then began to wonder what the sacred lands are like after countless years without their protectors and caretakers. It was a depressing feeling that couldn't be put into words effectively.
I swore that my children, if they chose to cultivate the Nature Sutra would construct the Reflection of Nature Physique in the Sacred Land of our ancestors, giving nourishment to the Eleven Sages' Sacred World Tree.
Rising to my feet, I had no idea how much time had passed. I quickly stepped out from the cover of the canopy and walked through the garden. Sweet, bitter, spicy, sour. I smelt it all from various herbs, flowers, roots, and vines. Without enough containers to take everything, I didn't even bother to look. Especially since it was better for them to grew in the pocket dimension with dense Nature Qi.
Walking directly to the place where the new Eight Colored Water Lily was born, I couldn't believe my eyes. The aura it emitted and the mystery of new a treasure would deliver Wu Zexi to the ranks talented within the Mythic Races. Maybe she could even keep up with Nimue and mines grow when the time came.
"To break the chains of fate and start anew...Haa, Little Wu, I hope you haven't been slacking off. Master, won't let you off easily." I muttered while taking the rainbow glistening flower with crystal-like petals and lilypad.
Meanwhile, in the hunter's forest, Shane had appeared with Nimue. His fan had cleaved off the head of Purple Belly Python at the peak of Rank 1.
Alessia then appeared in a blur asher sword bisected a Razorback Boar. Just as the tail of a Pince Platapus was about to crush her, it was blown to meat chunks by the falling spear of Situ Qing.
"Clear?" Situ Qing shouted.
"We're good!"
"It's dead"
"I'm alive"
the small group eight replied one after the other. Eight people were all that remained. One by one they had met each other after the arrival of the seven-colored water lily made a beacon for them to race towards.
Each of them had undergone life and death, ingested heavenly treasure, and increased their strength.
"Nimue, search the area. We should be close to that beacon. Orym will surely go after considering the appetite of his cultivation." Situ Qing spoke.
Nimue stretched her soul which had shockingly reached the Ninth Expansion and Second Refinement. Four Expansions short of the most perfect soul foundation. Nimue's body suddenly trembled with fear. Her eyes snapped open and she sprinted away.
The group quickly followed as they zipped through the trees entering a mother climate zone. about eight miles further, Nimue flashed a small girl with a gripping a miaodao and a Mysterious Timber Bao.
Bang! Nimue's Elven Witch physique erupted. The moment it appeared. it activated a martial skill.
"Vines of Tiarmor!" Nimue shouted. Her Physique avatar formed claw hands and large tree trunk thick vines imprisoned the Mysterious Timber Bao.
Wu Zexi battered but not beaten smiled. With a destructive flash step. She appeared in front of the Daemon beast with a bloodthirsty vengeance. Her Miaodao swung and she completed her thirteen form sword art in six visible swings, four less than when she last fought with Orym. She then twirled over the beast's head as her blade moved again while she muttered a phrase that made everyone's heart shake.
"Crumbling Heaven Sword!"
Shing! Kachu! A bright sword arch was over layered with thirty-two more arcs. Her sword then spun in the air as swirls of essence trail from the tip.
"Master..." she spoke softly, "Watch Little Wu..."
Her body entered a frontflip in mid-air as a devastating heel of her ax kick hit the miaodao to finish the complete Crumbling Heaven Sword.
Everyone watched speechless as the spinning miaodao collided with thirty-two sword arcs and the pressure of the sky came down on the beast before turning to minced meat and destroying Nimue's Vines of Tiamor.
Nimue landed panting with her face skywards as blood and guts rained down on her. Even then she was happy. For the five months that I spent constructing my physique, Wu Zexi has fought and cultivated, sparing no effort. And finally, she had completed the skills I passed to her. They may not have been mastered, but it was the start and evidence she needs to dispel the doubts that she had about her qualifications to walk by my side.
"Wu Zexi's Sword..." Shane muttered. He had once displayed a plethora of puppy love for the girl, now his heart swelled with respect and support. Because he knew her motivation stemmed from the existence of his sworn brother.