Edward and his subordinates were moving at his top speed through the forest, under his protection from manipulating the arrays. Controlling the moister in the air creating a screen of light around the group, Edward is surprised that the array can make a mirror in such a way to mimic invisibility. Moving quickly was another way to test his subordinates, seeing who could keep up and how much they would struggle.
Edward whose body was rebuilt to slightly withstand the pressure from his soul had great physicality. Liam who had higher cultivation and had also tempered and been rebuilt was only slightly struggling to keep up as he recognized his master was testing them, he wasn't using his Chi. The group now on the cusp of entering the second zone Edward stops his sprint.
"Master, Liam, you guys are incredible. Moving that fast without Chi, and standing here full of breath. WHOAAA."
Wei Li who was impressed and singing praises become struck at Edward using his martial art. Bringing his leg out to the side of his body purple aura in the shape of a dragon tail, Edward kicks as hard as he could smashing and indenting the ground. A canyon twenty meters in depth and a mile long, a little terraforming to indicate direction.
"Wei Li, Jamir, the grounds of your training are just up ahead. Use this canyon to rest and retreat to if need be."
"Yes Master!" the pair bow as the duo head further into the forest
-
"Liam you can use your Chi now, I dont want to leave you alone and tired"
Edwards words were welcome news to the warrior. Continuing to stride through the forest Edwards heart begins to beat fast and loud, swallowing his instincts he keeps his head down and moves forward until they completely travel across the second zone.
"Stop. This is the place, I will leave a gift before leaving you"
"Master, you truly want to go deeper into the forest?" expressing worry Liam is asking for his master to bring him along
"Stand there and shut up" crushing a spirit stone in his hand and releasing its energy, Edward gathers the dispersing brio, summoning the ring of herbs from Lions right and releasing a few stalks onto the ground. Using the grasped energy to activate an array drawn from the spirit stones dust, the silhouette of a phoenix rises from the core. The silhouette swallows the herbs in its ascent and turns them all into liquid inside of itself. Switching hand signs, the phoenix loses its form and condenses bringing the liquid into a sphere. Another switch in his sign, summons a red dragon from the left central point of the array. The dragon flies and bites at the refined herbs, while Edward changes hand signs again. Summoning a white dragon from the right central point of the array. The dragons starting to fight, every clash meeting and impacting inside of the sphere holding the medicine.
"Master what am I watching?" Liam who is finding it hard to believe what he is witnessing is alchemy, and that his master wasn't just a low or mid grade array expert
"This is a rank 10 array designed and used solely for alchemy. Look, every clash the dragons lose energy, that energy goes towards the completion of the pill. Whichever dragon you summon first will decide what type of pill you will get, and it is usually always of high grade."
"Different kinds of pills... Master I am more confused now."
"Its not complicated, with the same exact same herbs you can make multiple different kinds of pills. There are a total of five dragons on this array, but the red one is the best for our purpose."
Watching the dragons fight and waiting for the pills completion, Edward knows that there are many people probably witnessing his array. The three he has left behind, the guests and inhabitants of Beast Pavilion, even onlookers from the estate could maybe see the light but not shape. What he isnt anticipating is the forest itself watching. A few more minutes and the pills are completed, but the process is not done. The red dragon who had little of its form left crashes into the dozen, and folds itself inside out over them, combing two pills into one repeatedly until only a single is left. The remaining pill shining and rigid was falling into Edwards palm.
"Liam this is a perfect rank 7 heaven ascension pill. This pill usually is used by tier 9 spirit forged cultivators to advance into heavenly core. This one however is a treasure, a tier 7 who has deep understanding of dao can directly advance to the next realm without side effects. That is not you though, your understanding is not deep enough. So, advance to tier 8 and breakthrough for our cause."
Falling to his knee in reverence and thanks "Thank you Master!"
-
"That kid is doing extravagant things again." Master Hao moving his pawn forward
"As long as my daughter is treated well, I have no qualms" Elder Dame starching his head thinking of his next move
"And what do you think Lord Patriarch"
Kayce standing still does not reply to the question, only holding himself in complexity
-
Edward midway to the fourth layer of the forest, stops and starts to inspect the arrays. Thinking that the funnel that feeds the rank 7 beasts had to push beasts of decent rank to stay their hunger. Old spirit beasts and ones that are too wild are controlled and protected on the way to the mouths of the rank 7s.
"Easy pickings" Edward smiling has come up with a devious plan
Running and searching for high ground, he finds a hill outside of the fourth layer. Looking down and unable to find the line of beasts on their way to slaughter. He meditates trying to sense the flow of the array.
[The array protects who it wants with water and air. The slight shifts in the breeze and water vacuumed into odd positions]
Snapping his eyes open and leaping from the hill, Edward found one of the funnels. Watching the spirit beasts, standing still and walking forward one length at a time, he remarks how they are like the dead walking.
[Rank 6 spirit beats in good number and vulnerable] summoning empty bottles and taking the lids from them, he lines them up. Taking back control of the array and using the surrounding air to sever the heads of six of the beats. Using his Chi he lifts and stores as much blood as he can. [I should have brought more bottles] Grabbing the hind legs of a Fanged Mongoose that is the size of a horse [This one was in good health, should be tasty] He activates his divine art to travel back to the hill and starts to skin the beast
"I was looking forward to this, so I could tame beasts and keep them in my ring. But what is this feeling? Ever since I stepped foot into the forest my instincts are warning me of danger"
Feeling his emotions while using his soul to cook his meal he looks through the pieces he left with his followers. Wei Li and Jamir were both fighting the same beast. While Wei Li was tossing her glove and appearing behind the rank 3 Wind Wolf to kick its skull open, Jamir took a simpler approach. Using his sword he has yet to nourish, uses sword arts that seem designed only to kill effectively, imitating the things he saw in Vinland. Rhea however was only sitting at the cliff Edward had left her, disappointed until he notices the pile of corpse behind her.
"I won't check on Liam yet, don't want to ruin the surprise. Everyone else is doing alright."
-
"I greet my Chieftan" a brown skinned warrior stepping into a Tipi consisting of rank 7 spirit beast
"Aluk, what brings you before me son?" Count Raintree smoking on a pipe made of hard gold
"The next lion is named, Chieftan."
"Yes... I have heard of the chain breaker. He is a problem."
"What do you will, Master?"
"I still need to think on the matter, where is my son?"
"He is still in Tera"
"I see leave"
The warrior stepping out from the Tipi, and woman steps out from Lusio Raintrees throne made from bone.
"My love, I know our son growing up socially in the other clans is advantageous to his future, but I miss him. I can't guide him when he is so far away."
Taking a sit in the lap of Count Raintree "My Chieftan, our son is the greatest spirit ever born in any of our people clans. We may share these lands now, but that is only cause of the vikings. If they didn't arrive in numbers uncountable, us three would have never came to union. Our ancestors walked coast to coast, snowy peak to the southern gulfs. This is our land, our son is learning the enemy, learning to think like them. He will be our knife that retakes all our people have lost."
"My love. You are the most dangerous person I have met." Grabbing the back of his wife's head and taking a kiss
-
"This beast taste like shit" Picking his teeth and unsatisfied Edward is still searching himself for why he is feeling pressured