Old memories resurfaced in Shuren's mind. A time in his youth, long ago when he and his family still lived in the Liu Clan. Surrounded by mountains and mines for Orichalcum Ore, they established their power with natural defences and resources and became one of the strongest clans of the central continent.
At rank 6, one was considered an Immortal cultivator that had broken free from the constraints of mortal realms. You gain extended longevity, and the first step in forming your own world; an Immortal Fissure.
It was simply one of the many aspects you gained after becoming a Grand Pathstrider.
The patriarch's Immortal Fissure was a floating isle surrounded by endless formations of flying swords. None would dare to invade this place. If you weren't recognised as a guest, the flying swords would cut you apart like butter before you could even approach within a hundred kilometres.
Shuren's grandfather held him on top of his shoulders, walking amongst his home.
"Old man, isn't it about time you stop hogging Little Shu for yourself?" A young man with eyebrows as sharp as swords said, his tarnished-gold blond hair floating even with the absence of wind. He pointed his two hands towards the young Shuren, goaded him to come in his arms.
"Come play with uncle, Little Shu. I promise we'll go flying together, not be boring like your senile grandad."
"Good! good! good! You dare to take my grandson away from me, you oaf?!" His grandfather yelled, slightly startling Shuren, but he didn't say a word.
Shuren tried getting off his grandfather's shoulders in response to his uncle. Even he had grown tired of being roamed around without being able to move.
His grandfather yielded, handing him over. "Remember, take good care of your sister's child. If even a hair is missing, I'm going to send you off to manage the sect admin work, you hear?!"
"We get it, old man. Stop being so boring." Shuren was plopped down, and his uncle manifested a wide sword for him to stand on. "Come on, Little Shu, today you're gonna learn how to fly."
***
The smell of petrichor. There was always a slight drizzle when the sword funeral occurred. An honour for their greatest members with immense contributions. Shuren would never forget the guttural cries of his mother, her face covering the silver coffin.
"To think they assassinated the Patriarch's son of our Liu Clan, and we still haven't found the perpetrator. The Divine Sword Saint and Limitless Blade, both gone! Our clan has gotten too weak."
The Supreme Elder held his cane with both hands, Sword Qi crackling as it almost broke from pressure. "To think the successor died like this, an unworthy death. If I don't have the heads of those who hired the demonic assassins by tonight, I swear by my soul…" His eyes were bloodshot, unable to endure.
"And why is the patriarch not here at his only son's funeral? What could have gotten even him held up for so long?"
"Give me the names of those last managing the sword formations now!" another higher up demanded in grievance.
Shuren's chilly hands were grasped by his father, warmth radiating within. Despite marrying into the Liu Clan, there were murmurs towards his appearance. Eyes were pointing everywhere like daggers sheathed behind their backs, brandished to slice at anything. Right now, outsiders of the clan were the prime suspect. It was impossible for a demonic cultivator to break through their defences otherwise.
The Liu Clan on this day, on the cusp of becoming a Rank 8 Clan, at their closest to joining The Great Nine of the Granxian Continent, had lost their strongest cultivator.
To a demon.
***
Shuren glared at the worthless bird that tried to flee. Not only did he face a powerful Qidense beast that already increased the difficulty of his missive, it dared to escape under his eyes? How was he going to convince an upgrade of his missive to gain more cloud sigils if the prime evidence ran off?
On top of that, it was a dogged fellow of the demonic path. Even if it was a beast, it dared desecrate its corpse and disrupt the cycle of nature; the breath of the Architect.
Veins bulged on his left hand as he gripped his Ruyi Staff even tighter. He looked to the Silvent by his side, but she didn't dare continue the fight any longer. He could only finish it off on his own. "Aerestia, about that ice skill of yours, its speed was quite fast. I won't ask you to fight with me, but do me this single favour."
She nodded in agreement. Shuren was glad for that, because he couldn't cover up his major weakness of only being a close quarters fighter.
"Can you throw a single ice crystal at that Pyros Eagle as fast as you can? And retain the same size as before, too." Shuren surged his Qi, cycling it while at the same time, feeding his Ruyi Staff once more. After breaking through to Stage 7 of Qidense, he noticed a qualitative increase in his efficiency.
Stage 7-9 marked the second half of the Qidense realm. He was now closer to being a Rank 2 cultivator than a mortal.
Aerestia brandished her staff, its tip adorned with a stunning sapphire gem, and she began her incantation. Shuren noticed it was quite a long procedure, and unpractical if she fought alone. Must be because she's in Qidense as well. After Path Foundation, she'd definitely be much faster.
Shuren slowed his breathing as he employed the breathing cycle that his grandfather taught him. His Qi rotating around his body like a flying sword, covering each corner with speed and consistency. Luckily for him, the dead Pyros Eagle was only about half as fast as before. On top of that, it couldn't dive to increase its speed, having to go in a straight line. Not like it could even manage that, flying like a kite with its string cut.
Shuren felt a quaint, chilly breeze on his left. The ice crystal was ready to launch, formed at its apex. As she breathed, cold mist came out during the process. Then she said her signal, opening her eyes as her branched horns stopped glistening with Qi.
"Go!" she signalled, her branched horns once more glistening with Qi.
Shuren leaped off as the ice crystal shot off in the distance, far faster than their flying nimbuses. This was the reason that Shuren didn't bother chasing it down with his own. He made sure his feet planted on both sides of the crystal to keep the balance, while still letting his staff pull in as much Qi as possible. As long as he condensed it, his staff's attack would ring out with a force like a catapult stretched back to its peak. Despite the speed of Aerestia's ice crystal slowing down a bit, it was still more than enough to catch up to the dead Pyros Eagle.
The Pyros Eagle didn't even bother looking back, its senses dulled. He supposed the demonic cultivator desperately wanted his familiar back, and was probably coming closer to see what's happened, wherever they were.
The ice flying spear below him dropped in altitude, only ten metres away from the dead Pyros Eagle. Shuren chuckled, readying a stance. "I'm going to rip out those wings of yours, you brainless bird!"
The crystal crumbled to dust as Shuren vaulted off it, now in a position where he had the higher ground. Or in this case, higher air.
The Qi that condensed in his staff went from a mess to expanding evenly, reinforcing its raw strength. He raised his staff above his head, ready to ram it down with an overhead swing like a brute.
If I try to incorporate Blitz Stride, I'll damage my arms. A simple swing is more than enough for this trash.
Cracks of its bone ringed as his staff destroyed every ligament and tendon at its torso, connecting to its wing, causing it to fall. Once more, using the falling eagle as a footstall, he vaulted off, aiming for his staff to stab towards the earth first. Shuren was confident he didn't need to bother taking out his flying nimbus for the landing.
Allowing most of the inertia to go through his staff, he leaned off its side to jump off. Having already reinforced the arm that held on his Ruyi Staff a bit, he didn't face the repercussions like last time. Stretching his neck and arms, Shuren let out a satisfying groan.
The dead Pyros Eagle lay on the floor, its single wing weakly floundering about. To be honest, Shuren wasn't sure if he needed to damage it any further, opting to aim for where its spine would be near the back of its neck. Surely by then it couldn't move, right?
It would be awkward trying to haul back a moving corpse.
Aerestia had already landed with the Ash Tiger, now calm. It stayed by her side, prowling along. Shuren still was shocked at how the Ash Tiger even helped along with the fight, and how amiable it became with Aerestia.
Is this the power of Beast Tamers? No, somehow I think it's not as simple as that. That Silvent has some unique abilities of her own.
He smacked at the bare neck of the Pyron Eagle once more, finally subsiding as its spine crumbled. The corpse and material of a high stage Qidense Beast were bound to be of some use, and he genuinely didn't want to damage it any further. Apart from the ripped wings and caved in head, most of it was salvageable.
Mortals supplicate to the heavens, and beasts prostrate to the earth. Many things born from the earth were useful in many things, be it for alchemists, refiners and even general cultivators. Especially beyond Core Genesis, when one had to develop their Talispirit, using many materials to change the quality of their body to suit their path. In this case, a Fire Path cultivator might need the heartblood of a Pyros Eagle as fuel to give their Talisoul properties to enhance Fire Path skills.
Talispirit was the act of transcending the limitations of your Talisoul. Everyone was born with a different grade, the higher being rarer.
For Shuren, he was born with a Silver Grade Talisoul. In a Rank 5 region like Cloud City, he had above average cultivation speed, with more Spirit Meridians opened up at birth. Of course, Spirit Meridians were simply the channels from where Qi would flow through, and the more you had, the further efficient your cycling methods were.
But the Heavens were fair and gave opportunities to all. After Core Genesis, you can upgrade and also transmute the conditions of your Talispirit.
Using materials to craft a vital spiritual object, you could tether it in yourself to reforge your entire body.
The Liu Clan members would often use Orichalcum Ore as their base, enhancing it with various ingredients. Gradually, even if their Talisoul was as low as Iron Grade, their speed of cultivation and mastery of their path would increase if it transmuted into a Sword Iron Grade. They would be on par with Silver Talisouls, even surpassing it in some conditions.
And after Rank 5, Nascent Soul, one could even upgrade their Talisoul quality entirely, as difficult as it was. In this world there were many ways to break through your boundaries, and more methods and Talispirit recipes were innovated every day across the world. Cultivators stood on the shoulders of their ancestors. Creativity and inspiration would bloom, and new geniuses arrive in droves.
"I've never thought my Ice Skills could ever be used like that," Aerestia said, holding her staff upright. "Er, by the way. I think the Nekron Path user is still linked to the corpse. Whoever they are, there's a chance they might come looking for it."
Shuren laughed heartily. "If that thing dares to, let them. This is still the turf of the Seven Clouds Sect. There's two of us, and killing us isn't worth enraging the Seven Clouds Sect." He gazed at the Pyros Eagle corpse.
"Mere demonic trash littering about. They're all cowards with no concept of honour or virtue. Why would they risk their life for a desecrated corpse of a beast?" He kicked the corpse as his irises constricted, cheeks tensed. "In fact, let them come. I'll merely give them the gift of death. It would be a benefit to the world."
Aerestia's eyes were blank as she involuntarily stepped back.
It's not that she disagreed with killing another human being when backed into a corner, especially an evil being such as a demonic cultivator. She had seen her fair share of strife and turmoil. But rather, it was the crazed blood thirst that dripped from his words, a man near her age, who was willing to pursue risk of killing someone else with such intensity.
She was at a loss for words.
Until Shuren almost staggered, holding on to his shivering right arm.