Fenrir's Journey : I Shall Devour The Heavens!

Unaware as to what was happening in the outside world, Fenrir found herself in a state of deep and focused meditation. A persistent sphere of stable blue energy surrounded her body as the sealed cavern, now bereft of oxygen in its entirety, rippled with spatial fluctuations. She had the appearance of a nebulous star but, instead of shining its light down upon the creatures of the world, only the fate of being devoured was promised to anyone witnessing this phenomenon.Even Fenrir didn't know how long she had been within her meditative state but, feeling that the density of the surrounding energy had started to dissipate, she released a slow sigh of stagnant air. With the devouring energy surrounding her body, not even air was able to reach her lungs so it had been a long time since she had even drawn a breath of fresh air.Accompanying Fenrir's exhalation, the energy surrounding her body retracted into her pores before she lightly landed on the ground with a gentle 'pa' sound. She could feel the pressure in the room had changed since the time she had entered into a meditative state, causing a powerful backdraft when she finally unsealed the chamber. Even with the sudden and instantaneous change in pressure, Fenrir didn't even flinch as she took slow and casual steps out into the cool mountain air. Though there was now a distinct decrease in the amount of Yin Elemental Energy in the surroundings, it was still very pleasant to feel the sub-zero temperature tickle her increasingly fair skin...With nothing better to do, Fenrir spent a few hours familiarizing herself with her newfound strength before ultimately deciding to descend the mountain. Though she didn't particularly care about the people of the Devouring Moon Sect, she was still supposed to be their acting Guardian. Until she had mastered the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix, she would look after them and make sure they weren't bullied by the other Sects located in the Western Badlands.Upon arriving within the Sect's grounds, Fenrir noticed that the number of disciples had sharply decreased compared to her last visit. This caused her face to scrunch up into a frown before she practically sent one unfortunate Disciple's soul fleeing from their body after appearing next to her with [Shundo]. Even if there were a number of people who had yet to see Fenrir with their own eyes, everyone within the Devouring Moon Sect knew what their Guardian looked like. After all, she was the only person with icy blue eyes and midnight blue hair that many of them had even heard of. The fact she had a wild and untamed aura which wasn't all that dissimilar to a blizzard descending upon you only completed the image of her 'natural-disaster-like' existence...Not caring about the young woman's surprise, Fenrir immediately questioned, "Where is everyone? Was there an enemy attack...?"While doing her best to control her breathing, the young woman gave a deep bow and saying, "Su Jiuli greets Sect Guardian!" Then, fearing that Fenrir might not be fond of her delayed response, the girl immediately answered, "Sect Master and many of Disciples have descended the mountain to observe the selection tournament within 'Devouring Moon City'. In order to reorganize the internal structure of the Sect, it was decided to hold a tournament to determine who would be recognized as official Disciples...!"Even with Fenrir just staring at her, Su Jiuli felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff with a blade to her throat, moments away from her death. Upon finishing her report, however, Fenrir just gave a small nod before vanishing like a phantom moments later. Then, like a marionette with its strings cut, Su Jiuli plopped down to the ground with a thin layer of sweat covering her youthful face...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'No backbone...')(A/N: For those who haven't been keeping up with EPIC, I have just transitioned to a different world around two weeks ago. Because I have been focused on the direction of that story, even reaching 112k words this week, I haven't been able to split focus on Fenrir's Journey. Since things are starting to reach a stable point, I will try to release a chapter here every 2-3 days. If possible, I will release one per day but I can't make that promise with EPIC being my primary focus.)

While seated atop a high platform that overlooked a large arena, Wen Xiulan had a contemplative look on her face as she watched another exciting battle play out before her. Due to the number of aspirants trying to join the Devouring Moon Sect right now, she was the one who came up with the idea of hosting a tournament. Though it went against her principle of establishing oneself through hard work, it couldn't be denied that anyone who was able to rise up through the tournament had, at the very least, a decent foundation.Since the number of official Disciples had dipped considerably during the previous 'purge', Wen Xiulan had made an exception in order to introduce some fresh blood into the Sect. When she learned that some of the contestants were around the Third and Fourth Stages of the Qi Refining Realm, Wen Xiulan had been pleasantly surprised. Her own Direct Disciple, Jia Cai, was only at the Fifth Stage of Qi Refining so, even though the aspirants were a little older than she was, it was still very promising to have such talent wanting to join the Sect.With her icy blue eyes glimmering indiscernibly, appearing as nothing more than a cold gaze to any observers, Wen Xiulan watched as a young man with uncharacteristically short black hair and burly muscles made short work of his opponent. He used a peculiar spear with a level of grace that his large figure would have belied, nimbly dancing around his opponent with a surprising amount of caution as he used the flat side of his spear to slowly whittle the other young man down.Seeing that the spear-wielding man showed due caution, even against an opponent two full Stages lower than him, showed that he was a very level headed and calm individual. Though he could have won the fight in just a few exchanges, he instead closely observed his opponent so as not to be caught by surprise. In this world, such a trait was relatively rare and, if he managed to rise to higher degrees of Cultivation, he would become a true powerhouse. After all, while some may misconstrue his actions as cowardice, Wen Xiulan could see a blazing fervor in the man's intelligent eyes.After failing to hit his opponent after tens of exchanges, the sword-wielding youth had a deeply set frown on his face as he mustered up all of his strength into a single thrust. Powerful winds began to dance around his body and, as if becoming a phantom, he launched himself forward with incredible momentum, using a speed that he had yet to master. In response to this, the spear-user, Zhu Qiu, twisted his body in a nimble circle, drawing a crescent with his graceful footwork as he swiped down at a low angle with his spear.Unable to arrest his own speed, the sword-wielding youth's eyes turned round as saucers as the spear swept his feet rather unceremoniously. Then, with his balance disrupted, he tumbled hard into the ground, crashing into the stage shoulder-first with a loud fracturing sound spreading throughout the small arena. Some of the awaiting contestants drew in sharp breaths when they heard this while, after tripping his opponent, Zhu Qiu brought his hands together, bowing respectfully as he said, "You can become even stronger in the future. When you master that technique, I will once again be your opponent..."Though the sword-wielding youth didn't appreciate the courtesy, many of the Senior members of the Devouring Moon Sect gave approving nods. Wen Xiulan had already decided to allow Zhu Qiu to join the Sect, regardless of his placement, so it was encouraging to see him show respect and try to encourage his opponents to improve. It had been apparent from the start that he wanted the sword-wielding youth to use all of his techniques, not in an effort to embarrass him but to polish his own skills, even against a weaker opponent.When Zhu Qiu left the stage, the next to come up was an uncharacteristically tall woman who, at a glance, had an uncommon disposition. Like Zhu Qiu, she was at the Fourth Stage of Qi Refining and, with her sharp gaze and uncommon purple eyes, it was clear to everyone witnessing the tournament that she was a contender for first place. Her aura alone would have allowed her to stand out but, when she pulled out a whip that began to dance with flames, there was genuine surprise in the eyes of onlookers, Wen Xiulan included...After looking at the brackets, the judge raised his hand, shouting, "The thirteenth match between Gong Xinyue and Quan Zhen will now begin...!" Immediately following this outburst, the young man who had been caught off guard by the flaming whip felt his scalp tingle as, like a living creature, the whip snaked toward him like lightning as the referee's words still lingered in his ears...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'Pretty flowers...')

After dealing with another tiring day of Sect affairs, Wen Xiulan was wondering whether or not she should promote someone to the position of Palace Head in order to free her from unnecessary duties. With the rapid changes occurring within the Sect, many requiring her personal attention, Wen Xiulan's cultivation was beginning to stagnate as she simply couldn't find any time to invest in the endless pursuit. What little time she could free up was spent monitoring the progress of her Direct Disciple, Jia Cai. The latter had started training with an intensity that her past self could never hold a candle to, causing the young maiden's Cultivation to rapidly increase. Though it was incomparable to the growth of Fenrir, Wen Xiulan was proud that her disciple had found the willpower to continue along her path without losing confidence after witnessing their Sect Guardian's ridiculous Cultivation speed...Thinking of Fenrir's progress, Wen Xiulan's blue eyes flashed with a curious glint as she wondered when, if ever, Fenrir would reach a bottleneck. From what she could discern, even though there were some 'instabilities' within Fenrir's foundation, there didn't seem to be any negative impact on her Cultivation. It was almost as if her body was correcting the flaws that could be found within every technique, causing Wen Xiulan to have slight doubts about her own path.Though she had never believed her technique to be the most superior amongst all Ice Elemental Cultivation methods but, seeing the proficiency in which Fenrir used the same skills, Wen Xiulan knew she had been too reliant on following a path set by others instead of blazing a trail for herself. Cultivation was, after all, the means in which individuals were able to oppose the very Will of Heaven. The path towards the peak could only be achieved through comprehending the Laws themselves and, while Cultivation methods helped you reach greater heights, it would never take you to the absolute peak that only a handful of practitioners could reach...Watching Fenrir essentially teach herself the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix, Wen Xiulan was gleaning insights of her own into the shortcomings of her own Cultivation. Part of her wished that she could watch Fenrir's closed cultivation, as it would undoubtedly provide her with even greater insights, but she lacked the courage to trespass the rather cold young woman's domain. What she didn't know was that, instead of tirelessly practicing the techniques contained within the Scroll, Fenrir spent most of her time in a deep state of meditation. Though she was still practicing the Sacred Heart of the Ice Phoenix, her primary focus was on the 'balance' of her heart and mind. In many ways, Fenrir was doing the exact same thing that a Master would do upon reaching a bottleneck, even though her reasons were entirely different...Unaware of Fenrir's unique method of training, Wen Xiulan raised a jade cup to her mouth before enjoying the calming aroma of her tea. After allowing her mind to settle, she savored the crisp taste of the medicinal herbs contained within before releasing a small sigh of satisfaction. Then, just as she was preparing to enter a meditative state of her own, Wen Xiulan could feel a vibration through the floor that alerted her to someone's approach. Before they could lightly rattle on her door, Wen Xiulan fixed her composure before uttering in a slightly tired voice, "Speak..." She knew the person outside the door was one of the servants, likely arriving to report yet another issue that required her attention, so Wen Xiulan's mood was a bit dour at the moment.After a bit of hesitation, the servant on the other side of the door answered, "Sect Leader, there is a group of 'irregulars' that wish to join the Sect. The Branch Head has requested your presence..." Having sensed that her master's mood wasn't the best, the servant's hands were trembling slightly as she tightly gripped the hem of her robe. Fortunately, Wen Xiulan wasn't the type to take her anger out on others so, after a few minutes of silence, the door opened to reveal the latter's cold face as she said, "Very well, Inform Jia Cai that I will be away for the afternoon..." Then, without sparing the servant another glance, Wen Xiulan quickly alighted from the nearby courtyard before beginning her quick descent down the mountain...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'Meditation, focus, balance....mmm.....')

Chapter 80: Exit