Fenrir's Journey : I Shall Devour The Heavens!

After testing her enhanced capabilities, Fenrir was impressed with the efficacy of cultivation as, even though it didn't seem as versatile as Eva's magic, it was much easier to use. Instead of having to form wards and create complex spell formulae, the only requirement was to have the right kind of energy and channel it in a specific way. Though there were ways in which the skills could be modified, it was mostly dependent on the experience and innovations of the user, not with how the techniques themselves were used. It was like the difference between firing a crossbow and having to design the crossbow from scratch in order to fire it. Though the latter gave you a lot of leeway in changing the final product, including modifications to strength and functionality, it was inarguably slower and less 'efficient' in the end.Now, Fenrir had three different ways she could fight enemies, greatly enhancing her capabilities and means to deal with each unique situation. If time allowed, she could use large scale Magic that was inordinately more powerful than most cultivation techniques. In other situations, such as if she were fighting against a strong cultivator, she had the option of using her instant movement techniques, [Shundo] and [Koku Shundo], while her offense would revolve around the attack methods of her cultivation technique and pure elemental manipulation. For defense, she could absorb attacks with her devouring shroud and, if the situation was beyond her base capabilities to overcome, Fenrir would be able to use her devouring energy offensively to defeat her enemies.The most important discovery Fenrir had made was that her Devouring Laws weren't simply external, as their origin was from her body itself. She was able to internalize the energy and direct it in the same way as the attacks derived from her cultivation technique. This allowed her to still fly through the sky, avoiding the situation where she tripped by trying to step on a foothold that didn't exist. Even now, with most of her emotions suppressed by her meditation and cultivation method, Fenrir could still feel her face get a little hot when she thought about Geng Chao laughing at her...Satisfied with her growth, Fenrir made a thin shroud of Devouring energy that clung to her skin like an extra layer, hidden beneath her clothing. Even when she wore her shroud around her entire body, Fenrir's clothing wasn't devouring, allowing her to quickly learn that her intent had some influence over the Devouring Laws. This knowledge gave her the confidence to 'conceal' the energy beneath her clothing, allowing her to use it more sneakily to deal with foes. Though Eva had taught her that it was important to display your strength, she also emphasized that you shouldn't constantly show people your limits. Keeping the full extent of your capabilities a secret would give you an edge against opponents you otherwise wouldn't have been able to defeat.Once she was satisfied with her appearance, Fenrir decided to check on Wen Xiulan and the Heavenly Moon Sect, completely unaware that it was now the Devouring Moon Sect. Though she noticed the banners that were on display had changed to display a wolf's head, Fenrir didn't think about it much as she flew towards the large palatial temple at the heart of the Sect.There were significantly fewer people moving about the premises and, after seeing Fenrir, they quickly bowed low, clearly afraid of offending her. This made Fenrir feel a little annoyed but she ignored them and continued toward where Wen Xiulan was located. Because they used the same cultivation method, Fenrir was able to sense her much easier than others, even if Wen Xiulan wanted to try and conceal her strength. Currently, Fenrir's perception of Yin, Ice, and Water Elemental energy had developed to the point that she could isolate the energies from the other ambient elemental energy in the environment. It was this reason that, instead of spending more than a year building her foundation, Fenrir had been able to achieve basic mastery of the first stage of the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix in only two months, a monstrous achievement for someone cultivating for the first time...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'I'm not a Glutton that would even eat clothing (&gt;,....,&lt;)~!'

Just as Fenrir had been able to sense her, Wen Xiulan had sensed Fenrir's descent from the mountain and already began making preparations to receive her. There were servants and disciples running around, pulling out various high-quality foods and teas. Wen Xiulan didn't know what kind of things Fenrir liked and, not wanting to offend their current 'Guardian', she had the servants prepare a little bit of everything. It wasn't uncommon for even high stage Cultivators to partake of a feast after exiting closed cultivation, so Wen Xiulan wanted to make a good impression by showing Fenrir how grateful they were for her protection...In no particular rush, Fenrir found her way into a large dining hall with only three seats, even though there was enough food to feed twenty people. At the very center, there was an empty cushion that was slightly elevated while the person she had been seeking, Wen Xiulan, sat on the right side. The other cushion had been occupied by a young girl that Fenrir had never met but, based on the 'feeling' of her energy, it was obvious she had some relation to Wen Xiulan. Though she seemed very young, Fenrir could tell that her mastery of the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix was at a higher stage than her own, even though she was significantly weaker.As soon as Fenrir entered the dining hall, both Wen Xiulan, and her Direct Disciple, Jia Cai, bowed in a respectful manner while synchronously stating, "Juniors greet the Guardian Protector, Fenrir...!" Like Wen Xiulan, Jia Cai also had silky black hair, impeccably fair skin, and an almost ethereal beauty as a result of practicing the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix cultivation method. Unlike her Master, however, Jia Cai had light-grey eyes that only had a touch of icy blue contained within, contrasting the icy blue eyes of Wen Xiulan who was at the sixth stage of mastery. When she reached the higher stages, Jia Cai would also have similarly icy blue eyes and, should they reach the ninth stage, they would become a stark bluish-white that could even freeze the energy in their enemies' bodies.Fenrir was a little bothered by the fact that the two were bowing to them but decided to ignore it, asking, "Has anything happened while I was training?" Because she had agreed to protect the Heavenly Moon Sect, Fenrir wanted to make sure things were running smoothly. She knew that, with how the 'girly men' usually acted, it was very likely that trouble had been stirring while she was trying to learn the basics of the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix. As expected, Wen Xiulan showed a troubled smile as she bowed her head slightly and said, "We have been working to restructure the Sect over the last two months. In that time, members of the Blazing Sun Sect have sent envoys into Heavenly Moon City, trying to ascertain the veracity of rumors regarding our Devouring Moon Sect..."Hearing Wen Xiulan mention 'Devouring Moon Sect', Fenrir's brows twitched slightly since she was positive the Sect had been called the Heavenly Moon Sect, just like the City that had borrowed its name. She felt that the name was related to her and wondered if this was Wen Xiulan's way of trying to establish a connection between the Sect and herself. Since it would take a while for her to master the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix, Fenrir decided to ignore it for the time being and just let Wen Xiulan do what she thought was necessary to protect the Sect. Instead of addressing the new name, Fenrir asked, "Do I need to teach them a lesson...?"Wen Xiulan released a small sigh of relief after seeing Fenrir 'accept' the new name, even though she could tell this wasn't entirely the case. In response to Fenrir's inquiry, she smiled politely, saying, "It should not concern the Guardian Protector, there is a chance the situation could escalate. With the recent changes, our Sect's strength has decreased by a great deal. In order to try and steal our resources, there is a chance the Blazing Sun Sect could attack if they believe we are an easy target..." In this world, it was extremely common for similarly powerful Sects to absorb each other when one party had been weakened after experiencing misfortune...Fenrir listened to Wen Xiulan's words attentively but, at the same time, she had already started thinking about how to deal with the Blazing Sun Sect. Waiting for the enemy to attack meant there would be unnecessary casualties while also showing other enemies that they were easy to target, even if not easy to defeat. This would become very troublesome in she let it get out of control so Fenrir nodded her head after Wen Xiulan finished speaking, saying, "Show me a map of where the Blazing Sun Sect is located. If they are thinking of attacking us, I will attack them to discourage other Sects from troubling me in the future...!"(Fenrir's Commentary: 'Sometimes, the best way to protec, is to attac...')

Without noticing the passage of time, nearly two months had passed when Fenrir finally made headway in her cultivation technique. In total, there were nine steps to achieve a basic mastery of the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix, with the first three steps focused on purifying one's body and soul to make it more adaptable to Ice and Yin elemental energies. Since she already had affinities relating to these elements, which had been refined through her use of the meditation technique, Heart of Eternal Ice, Mind of Still Water. Now, each breath she drew condensed the Ice, Water, and Yin elemental energies in the air while every exhale produced small particulates of ice that could freeze the surrounding air.Upon opening her eyes, Fenrir's nose scrunched up, not because there was a foul smell, but because there was a distinct lack of the expected stench. The first three stages of the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix were supposed to purify the meridian and expel impurities from the body. Now that she had achieved a basic mastery of the first stage, there should have been a foul black paste expelled from her body. Instead, Fenrir's skin remained unblemished and, other than gaining a soft glow that made her skin seem even fairer than before, there were no other changes.It would take a bit of time for Fenrir to understand just how different she was compared to others as, from the very beginning, her body had already been in a purified state. From the moment she had been named by Vahn, Fenrir's body had been comprised of Source Energy, the purest possible form it could take. Even if she had a normal metabolic process, requiring the consumption of food, Fenrir's body would break down anything she had eaten before converting it into Source. Though she wasn't able to make use of this incredibly pure energy, as even the most powerful entities in the record would be unable to sense it, Fenrir would have no real bottlenecks during cultivation.Though she failed to understand exactly why, Fenrir had a smile on her otherwise expressionless face as she ran her palm along her smooth skin and thought of her Master. She felt that, even though the distance between them was unfathomable, he was still somehow protecting her. In order to make him proud, she was determined to grow much stronger until there was nothing in the world that could endanger her life. When he finally showed up to retrieve her, Fenrir wanted to be able to show him around a world where people smiled happily instead of taking advantage of each other.With that thought in mind, Fenrir exited her seclusion and moved to a concealed area where a flat training area had been carved into the mountain. There were a series of techniques related to the first stage of the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix and, in order to reach the second stage, she would need to master the basic forms. Fortunately, compared to the complex structure of Magic that she had learned from Eva, most of the techniques listed in the first stage simply required channeling energy in a specific way. Instead of forming a magic circle, all Fenrir had to do was use Ice and Yin Elemental energy through certain meridians, essentially using her own body as the foundation for the structure of the technique.After stretching her body for a few minutes, as Fenrir knew it was important to make sure your body was warmed up before exercising, she adopted a neutral stance that gave her an elegant and static appearance. Instead of being 'flashy', which complex stances and maneuvers, the techniques related to the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix seemed to focus on 'beauty in simplicity', requiring very minute gestures instead of grandiose movements. As a result, Fenrir's eyes flashed with an icy light as she simply pressed forward with her palm, condensing Ice and Ying elemental energy into the shape of a misty white palm that shot out like a beam of light.After hitting the black slab that was meant to absorb even the attacks of an expert at the Golden Core Realm, the palm made a pure white indentation against the metallic surface before the entire thing became covered in a layer of ice. When Fenrir saw this, her eyes squinted, slightly pleased by the outcome, as she walked over and pat against the ice, causing the seemingly indestructible metallic slab to fracture as the energy from her attack had even penetrated the very molecular structure of the target, freezing it through completely...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'Very ice...(o,...,o)')

Chapter 70: Growth