Fenrir's Journey : I Shall Devour The Heavens!

Though she was kept waiting for a while, Fenrir didn't mind that much since the atmosphere atop the mountain was very relaxing. She could feel herself growing marginally stronger just by staying in this place, filled to the brim with Ice, Water, and Yin Elemental energy. From this, Fenrir could understand why the woman named Wen Xiulan chose to cultivate here, as the energy contained in the atmosphere was very similar to the ice bed she once used in her previous world...Thinking of the bed her Master had gifted her caused Fenrir to lapse into thoughts of the times she had spent curled up within his warm embrace. Even though she liked the cold, being next to her Master was always the most comfortable spot, no matter if it was hundreds of degrees above or below zero...Eventually, a woman with a pure white gown, long black hair, stark blue eyes, and unblemished white skin showed up at the gate. Upon seeing her, Fenrir couldn't help but feel that her Master would have been fond of such a woman, as she was almost on the level of some of the girls that stayed within the Manor. However, as there was also an icy cold feeling radiating off of her, causing others to naturally distance themselves, Fenrir wasn't so sure. She didn't believe this woman would be able to get along with the others, meaning she would have likely destroyed the happy balance everyone had worked so hard to create.At the same time that Fenrir was sizing her up, Wen Xiulan was doing the same, abjectly shocked to see the young woman before her. Though she couldn't sense the girl's cultivation, Wen Xiulan could sense the Qi in the atmosphere flowing into the girl as if it were perfectly natural, something others could only achieve with intense meditation. The most surprising thing, however, was the fact that the density of Ice and Yin energies around the young girl's body were beyond anything she had ever experienced before, making her own Heavenly Yin Body seem inconsequential in comparison.Though she didn't believe such an anomalous woman had come here to become a disciple of their Heavenly Moon Sect, Wen Xiulan still harbored a small amount of hope as she said, "Greetings, Little Sister...have you come here to join our Heavenly Moon Sect? Someone with your talent would be welcome with open arms. Though you would have to start off at the outer branch, I can give you a jade slip that would allow you to identify yourself as my personal disciple..."From Wen Xiulan's perspective, the girl before her was a talent that every Sect within the continent would fight over, especially those that used Yin and Yang cultivation techniques. For the former, she would become a phenomenal disciple that could easily rise to the rank of Junior Sect Master. As for the latter...well, such things were what plagued the nightmares of many women who cultivated such techniques. Anyone that cultivates a Yang-based cultivation method would stop at nothing to get their hands on such a capable 'furnace'...Remembering her own struggles in her youth, Wen Xiulan tried to put on a kind and inviting appearance, believing the girl before her knew exactly how unfair the world could be. If she chose to become a disciple of the Heavenly Moon Sect, Wen Xiulan resolved to teach her to the best of her abilities. She could tell that the girl, while having a cold and somewhat ferocious disposition, was actually someone whose heart was hurting. Though her scarlet red eyes cast an intimidating light, there was also a deep loneliness contained within, something only people with their constitution could understand...Fenrir, after hearing the words of the woman in front of her, immediately shook her head and stated in a firm tone, "I will only ever have one Master, and he is not in this world..."(Fenrir's Commentary: 'If she works hard, she might be able to become a maid...')

Hearing the young woman speak in such a manner, Wen Xiulan couldn't help but close her eyes for a few seconds, repressing the sigh that had nearly escaped her lips. She could tell that this 'Master' was something of unequaled importance to the young girl and, even if she were to lower her head and try to accept this lonely girl as her disciple, there was no chance of it happening. Still, she was impressed by the resolute response and the amount of fealty this young girl showed to her Master, finding it truly regrettable that none of her own disciples could meet such a standard...Seeing the woman go silent for a while, Fenrir furrowed her brows slightly and said, "I heard from an old man at the Flame Jade Sect that you possessed a cultivation technique that was suitable for people that used ice, water, and yin energies..." Hearing her own words, Fenrir felt a little strange to be essentially asking someone to give what was likely a very important technique to her, even though she had refused to become a student. However, she didn't want to stay in this world for too long and, if it meant she would be able to become stronger, Fenrir hardened her heart to do whatever it took to obtain a suitable method to increase her strength.Wen Xiulan was both surprised and incredibly confused by the request of the young woman before her, especially since the latter had already expressed that she didn't intend to join the Heavenly Moon Sect. Cultivation techniques were an absolute secret that few people shared with anyone other than their direct disciples and kinsmen. Asking for one was a great insult and it was something that wars had been fought over in the past, especially when it was related to powerful techniques. If not for the fact she could tell the strange girl had no arrogance in her request, Wen Xiulan might have 'demonstrated' her technique instead of humoring the request.Instead, Wen Xiulan released a light sigh, shaking her head as she turned her crystal clear blue eyes to match Fenrir's scarlet red, saying, "This request...I am afraid I cannot meet Little Sis' expectations. Forgive me, but my cultivation technique is something I inherited from my own Master and, unless it is to a direct disciple, I cannot teach it to you. I'm certain that there are things your Master taught you that you would never teach to others, correct...?" Since she knew the girl before her was a very loyal disciple, Wen Xiulan hoped she would see reason instead of finding trouble for her Sect. Ever since arriving, she hadn't even been able to glimpse the strange girls' cultivation and her instincts were telling her that, if a battle were to occur, the Heavenly Moon Sect may cease to exist in the future...Fenrir furrowed her brows deeply this time, understanding that what she was requesting was something she would never adhere to herself. If someone wanted to 'force' her to divulge any of the techniques and secrets her Master had taught her, Fenrir would rather fight to the death than betray him. Since she could tell the woman before her wasn't a bad person, Fenrir couldn't justify taking the technique from her forcibly, making her feel confused about what she should do now. She actually wished that Wen Xiulan had been another disagreeable and arrogant person, which would have made this situation a lot easier to deal with...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'Why can't things be simple...Master, what should I do...?')

Not caring about anything within Heavenly Moon City, Fenrir quickly made her way through the sky, heading towards the place where the city had earned its name, the Heavenly Moon Sect. It was located at the top of a massive mountain, nearly 300km in height, but Fenrir wasn't daunted by its size and quickly began ascending up the steep slope. Since it was very difficult to fly when you ascended higher, Fenrir ended up landing and used her instant movement technique, [Shundo], to race up the mountain like it was flat ground.Fenrir noticed that, the further she climbed, the greater the density of energy within the environment, especially those related to Ice, Wind, Snow, Water, and Yin elemental energies. At the same time, there was a higher concentration of Qi present, which Fenrir was able to suck in through her mouth, using her [Devour] skill to process it as simple as some people drew breath. She was trying to compensate for the expenditure of her energy while also increasing her strength, even if it was by a very marginal amount...Though it would have taken normal disciples several hours to ascend the steep slopes of the Heaven Moon Mountain, Fenrir had made the journey in under ten minutes. The increased density of energy made her feel very refreshed and, even though the winds were cold enough to freeze a normal person in an instant, she felt comfortable within the icy environment. This didn't last for long, however, as she quickly approached a massive wall that was several hundred meters tall and manned by several men and women wearing white robes with blue accents on them. Their sleeves had small moon emblems sewn into them while a jade slip was fixed to a loop attached to the sashes many of them wore.Seeing an unexpected arrival at their front entrance, a few of the gate guards came forward while their leader shouted, "Halt, traveler! State your business or leave this mountain. If you wish to join the Sect, you will need to go to Heavenly Moon City and apply through the outer branches first!" Since the girl before them looked very young, they assumed she was someone that wanted to joined the Sect and, though they were impressed she had made it up the mountain, there were procedures that everyone had to follow.Though their Sect Master advocated individual strength, their Palace Master still enforced the practice that everyone had to start from the bottom and work their way up. Those that didn't have the patience to rise through the ranks with hard work would also lack the patience to truly reach the peaks of cultivation. She believed that advancing too quickly, without going through the same experiences as your fellow disciples, would cause people to become arrogant and corrupt, causing more trouble than the investments into their cultivation would have been worth...Fenrir, unaware of these things, simply shook her head and explained, "I don't care about joining your Sect. I have come here to speak with the Palace Master, Wen Xiulan. Tell her that the Mercenary Queen, Fenrir, has come to speak with her..."Hearing the young girl before them refer to herself as 'Mercenary Queen', many of the guards were shocked while some amongst them couldn't believe it at all. However, none of them refuted her claim outright since offending someone at the Foundation Building Realm, especially when they looked very young, simply wasn't worth it.The head guard who had stopped her simply asked for verification of her status before sending a messenger to pass word to the Palance Master. They then tried to invite her into a small waiting area for tea but Fenrir refused them and said she will wait for Wen Xiulan to arrive. Seeing how she was behaving, many of the disciples began to worry that trouble had come to their Sect without warning...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'This place is very relaxing...hmm...')

Chapter 53: Empathy