Osric took a step and vanished, then took a step again and vanished, only to reappear a few hundred meters away from his previous position. His movements was almost akin to that of a leaf, aided by the wind, but uncontrolled by it, free from its restrictions.
The Unfettered Windy Strides made that possible.
Following his breakthrough into the Meridian Opening Realm, Osric had begun comprehending the Unfettered Windy Strides, or at least, the Normal Grade part of the whole movement technique.
But, he had taken him nothing less than some minutes to bring the technique to the Deified State. A fact that shocked him, but then, he had fully accepted the fact that his existence didn't apply to any sort of conformity. Hence, he could accept it.
However, when he decided to take a step upward and confront the Black Grade part of the technique, he had spent a mere half an hour to fully grasp its intricacies, bringing it up to the Deified State.
This was where his calm was shattered.
There were five States of Mastery universally used in the whole Martial Verse, each of which signifies the level of Mastery a cultivator had achieved in their comprehension.
The Heir State. Crown State. Throne State. Sovereign State. And Deified State.
Hence, the fact that Osric had cultivated the Unfettered Windy Strides, at least the Normal Grade part of it, to the Deified State within few minutes, while shocking, was still acceptable, within the Fahren Clan that is.
However, should such a news move past the borders of the Fahren Clan, the whole Dark Edge Realm would be drowned in tumultuous waves.
This was an inconceivable scenario. One that would shock the billions old experts of the whole Realm.
One had to know that, for the normal geniuses of the Dark Edge Realm, excluding the Fahren Clan of course, they would spend days on end to cultivate Normal Grade techniques to the Deified State, while some would never even achieve the Deified State before moving on to the next technique.
And yet, Osric had done the exact same thing within few minutes. But this… was just the beginning.
He turned towards the offensive technique he had chosen, and blazed through its secrets. His attention then switched towards the defensive technique, gobbling it up and pushing his understanding of it, the Normal and Black Grades part of it, to the Deified State.
This was unprecedented. To speak nothing of the Dark Edge Realm, even the Fahren Clan with their mysterious background, and near countless experiences to boot, had never heard of anyone, at Osric's cultivation level, who had achieved such a feat.
Three cultivation techniques, each with their Normal Grade and Black Grade parts, completely mastered in less than two hours, by a Meridian Opening Realm pup.
But the funniest part of it all was that while Osric knew what he had just done was incredibly noteworthy, the full scope of its impressiveness was out of his understanding.
In other words, he wasn't aware just how against the norms what he had done was.
Osric exhaled, then looked towards the horizon. The sun was just about to rise. It was about time he descended into the Mortal World.
*
Garbed in silk fabrics of colors black and gold, Osric stepped into the main Teleportation Hall of the Fahren Clan. Almost immediately, his appearance grabbed the attention of almost all that was present. But faced with the attention of these thousands of people, among which were no shortage of Immortals, Osric didn't flinch.
And in all honesty, how could he?
During his Awakening Ceremony, he had been the center of focus of thousands of Immortals and hundreds of Divines. Better still, as a mere Nascent Realm pup, he had withstood the presence of the Fahren Clan's Ancestors, existences whose weakest strike could rip the Divine World apart, without breaking a sweat.
So, really, how could the gazes of Immortals and Mortals faze him?
Unbothered by their stares, Osric walked through the crowd with ease. At some point, they all had shifted out of his way, subconsciously clearing a path for him. And, how could they not?
Most of the Mortals here had spectated the short battle between Osric and Conrad the previous day. And while most of the Immortals present here had not, has news ever traveled slowly?
Among Mortals, news was already so fast it could circulate throughout the whole world within hours. But, what about Immortals? The news of the defeat of the potential Young Master of the Fahren Clan, Conrad, at the hands of a non-Fahren, had spread so fast and wide, it reached the ears of the most reclusive of Immortals.
As such, the news, paired with Osric's picture, had allowed those who hadn't even heard of him to recognize him.
To this however, Osric could only smile wryly on the inside.
'It seems the defeat of Conrad at my hands is more serious than I expected.'
And then, so was the fact that he had gained two Natural Treasures, earning him nearly imperceptible, but clearly envious and dark gazes from a minority in the crowd.
But regarding this, Osric was unbothered. In fact, if he had the chance, he would even urge them to act on their impulse. But obviously, damnation would be their end. And if he couldn't damn them…
'Well, they would just have to face the wrath of my protector.'
Coming to this conclusion, Osric took great strides forward and quickly arrived at the Teleportation Platform that would ship him to the Mortal World.
Normally, only those of the Fahren Bloodline are allowed to use every amenities without paying. This was supposed to be case for Osric as well. However, as though forming a tacit agreement, none decided to stop him or impede his journey in anyway.
What a joke. Anyone who was capable of defeating Conrad in a direct confrontation, and walk side by side with Seina, was absolutely not a simple individual.
With that in mind, while they didn't converse with him, they didn't demand any pay either.
Osric stood for a while, trying to examine the myriad Formations engraved into the huge Teleportation Platform, however, it was at that moment an all too familiar voice sounded from behind him.
"Osric! Could you please wait a moment?!"
Who could it be if not Seina?
A smile stretched his lips unknowingly as he turned to face her. She was still as beautiful as ever. But then, he could also make out the worry on her face.
"Seina, what's the matter?" He asked, concerned as to the reason she had a worried expression.
"I… I learnt you are descending into the Mortal World?" Looking up at him, Seina's tone sounded worried and timid. Were it not for his reinforced senses, he might not have heard what she said.
"Yes?" Raising an eyebrow, the young lad asked.
"I… I… I just wanted to say good luck!"
Hearing this, Osric was baffled. Seina's voice was a little more high-pitched than usual. If before, he would directly ignore this subtle hint, now though, with his Talents and potential, he would embrace it.
Osric sighed, then stepped towards Seina delicate frame. For a girl her age, Seina was impressively tall, standing at 6 feet 1 inch. But before Osric's 6.5 frame, she was still delicate.
Looking down from his vantage point, Osric took his time to examine the perfect sculpture that was Seina's face. He then placed his palms on her shoulders, gripping it firmly, before pulling her into a hug.
This close to him, Osric could feel the trembling of Seina's delicate frame, the wild beating in her chest, and the sudden hotness that radiated from her body. But against his body, she might as well be warm.
"Seina. Your feelings, hold onto it firmly… tightly. Because when I return, your body, your heart, your soul, would be rightfully claimed by me."
Surrounded by people who were too stunned at the scene to care about his words, Osric let the words flow out of his heart. He didn't lie, he couldn't lie. This was just how he felt.
But for now, his age and experience was still too improper to truly court her, however, would that be the case come two years, five years, or a decade?
Osric withdrew from her and moved few steps backwards, staring at her shocked visage with a slight smile. He then proceeded towards the Teleportation Platform and stood upon it.
"So long, Seina."
His voice, laced with immaturity yet powerful, snapped the girl in mention out of her stupor. Her eyes widened slightly, her lips quivering as she took few steps forward.
"Wait! I–"
But it was too late. The Formation, a complex array of countless Heavenly Runes, all woven together in a beautiful and structured pattern to serve a single purpose – Teleportation across worlds, lit up underneath Osric's feet in a beautiful silver color.
And then, there was nothing but silver.
By the time the silver light vanished, Osric was gone.
Seina felt a pang in her heart as she looked at the empty Teleportation Platform. Her heart ached. She had wanted to give him something, something she so painstakingly prepared, something that would help him in his transversal of the Mortal World.
But, her emotion had caused her to forget. But, there was nothing she could do. She stared at the Teleportation Platform, as though deliberating if she should descend as well, but in the end, she turned and made her way out of the Teleportation Hall, leaving the crowd in stupored silence.
It wouldn't be until several hours later she discovered that the something she had intended to gift Osric was no longer present in her Spatial Ring.
*
In a flash of radiant silver light, a young boy appeared on a rocky plain. His bronze hair whipped softly across his face, obscuring his face, but doing nothing to conceal the golden eyes that shone with a regality few could match.
Donned in robes of hues gold and black, the appearance of the boy portrayed a certain type of imperialty none could match. At least, not in this World.
And who could it be if not Osric?
He squinted his brows, adjusting himself to the laws of the Mortal World before looking towards a certain direction.
There, in the distance, a gargantuan mountain, whose peak reached beyond his visual sight, loomed. He took a deep breath, his gaze becoming serious.
He then took a step, circulated the Unfettered Windy Strides, and then began his short journey towards the mountain. This would be his first location.
His adventure in the Mortal World had began, it seems.
*
End of Volume 1 – Fahren Clan.