First without his path he was literally just on a grey rocky slope The globe of his awareness showed the gentle rise of the ground beneath him but Randidly didnÆt intend on walking directly upward he wanted to feel confident in the current pattern before he reached the halfway point of the Third Step and had to deal with intermittent force spikes
Congratulations Your Skill Tide of the Void has grown to Level 399
Secondly once he was immersed in it that sense of depressing melancholy grew stronger It directly tried to influence him Randidly happily allowed the foreign emotion that attempted to worm its way into his heart to be devoured by the Stillborn Phoenix With such a constant pressure from the outside the Egg of Depression could finally open its wide maw and feast to its heartÆs content
As he moved further away from the starting point the remnants thinned out But there were still about a hundred shades that lingered in the fake Nether around him repeating their endless final struggles on the mountain
After sifting through about twenty most of which were quickly slaughtered with upsetting regularity Randidly finally latched onto a single remnant and observed it closely The figure was a short woman with spiky hair As she moved forward she effortlessly stepped around the various wind blades that lashed at her The orientation she dealt with was different than RandidlyÆs but her confidence was palpable It was clear that she had a deep understanding of the pattern
The mist continued to churn above evidence of the growing movement of wind blades above him Watching her movements was a strain on RandidlyÆs attention because he truly could not slacken his guard against the wind blades Their edge would cut him deeply if they landed on his body Yet he could glimpse a deeper understanding of the Grand Pattern by watching her decisive steps
The corner of RandidlyÆs smile curled upward as he continued to wade forward in the mist gradually imitating the womanÆs shade and responding to the wind blades as soon as they cut into his bubble of perception He spoke out loud enjoying the way his voice echoed on the empty mountainside Of course avoiding the Grand Pattern entirely is not my path But having this ability in my back pocket can only be a good thing right
Congratulations Your Skill Philosophy with the Boundless Deluge has grown to Level 414
The mist began to churn with the accumulating force of the storm The Grand Pattern shifted toward a more difficult segment Wind blades cut through and crashed into RandidlyÆs surroundings as he lightly waltzed forward But as the intensity picked up Randidly raised his right hand and began to drag his fingers through the thick air As he did so he couldnÆt help but chuckle the conducive fake Nether made it comically easy to accumulate and retain natural energy
Plus with the raw force contained in these extremely sharp wind blades
Alright then You think you know how to brew up a storm Well let me show you what Randidly Ghosthound can do He grinned upward and began to swirl force around him in a very particular pattern
Wind blades began to rain down more quickly a sign that the consciousness sensed what he was doing and wanted to stop him but Randidly had observed the remnants for long enough that he could predict the general shape of the responses Even as a fragile framework of energy flows emerged around him he climbed the mountain with just as much evasion as a phantom
The wind above began to howl and the blades came more quickly aiming for his vitals They traveled so quickly from the edge of his perception to his body that even Randidly would have struggled to just rely on Reaction to cope considering the physical restrictions
Yet RandidlyÆs eyes danced He truly began to see the Grand Pattern And as long as these wind blades obeyed their own rules they could not hurt him
After he burst several steps forward to avoid several dangerous ambushes the energy flows solidified Randidly grinned from the middle of his own wind blade orb empowered with the dangerous force of the Third Step As soon as it came into being the wind blades cut toward it not even worrying about hurting the Randidly strolling within its framework Since all he was doing was twisting the forces to balance themselves out he didnÆt even need to worry about the wind blades being more dangerous
He redistributed the natural energy he had gathered from the vicious attacks and allowed this storm to grind against itself
Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 516
LetÆs begin Randidly said lightly Natural energy churned around him dragging more and more mist together into a hissing maelstrom
Chapter 1810
Number One dragged himself up through the empty stone tunnels scowling as he wondered whether this would be a waste of time The noise of his cane bounded off the walls back and forth seeking an escape from the rock tomb The interior of the mountain might seem like a more mild alternative to the Paths of Blood and Spirit but the Path of Bone had its own dangers
Especially to those who lingered too long out of the cleansing winds of the Grand Pattern The mental fatigue killed more disciples than anything else in this mountain
Ignoring the whispers in the darkness Number One continued his ascent He reached into himself and found the feelings that had been stewing for so long ready for this chance to be seen Righteous indignation Pride Condescension And considering that he was heading to meet with Number Four the slightest prickle of fear
How strong am I A more detached part of Number One wondered When was the last time I needed to struggle to survive
Those emotions arrayed themselves on his face as he reached the mouth of a tunnel and knocked his wooden cane against the wall After a few seconds of silence a voice answer Come in
Number One walked forward mildly curious despite himself to see how the obnoxious Number Four lived He walked into the low illumination of candles and was stunned even though he had long suggested that the boyish Disciple Number Four was a deviant
Number Four sat at the other end of the cave peering out through several small holes he had bored out from his cave system to the surface of the mountain Restrictive mists and the dangerous winds of the Grand Pattern seeped through those holes gradually dispersing in the rather spacious cave But what caught Number OneÆs attention were the long shelves that Number Four had carved into every inch of the cave walls
Each bit of space had a glass jar that contained a dried flower As Number one looked around he saw a hundred different varieties each flower had its own shape its own faded color its own size and bloom Roses and chrysanthemums tulips and daisies wildflowers and carnations They were arranged by colored creating a slow shifting rainbow tainted by the grey and brown of stalled decay
Number Four acting the part of the dedicated disciple turned as though only now noticing Number OneÆs presence He was short and slight looking more like a gangly teenager than the seven hundred year old schemer that he was Following Number OneÆs gaze Number Four grinned Ah my collection I offer entrance tickets to the training camp for any flower that IÆve never seen before After a few camps here and there weeding out the repeats IÆm quite proud of my collection ItÆs my one indulgence here
Number One walked slowly forward deciding to ignore the wall of preserved life He didnÆt need to ask what weeding out the repeatsÆ meant He said When I heard that you wished to return my book to me I was quite motivated to get it back Only now have I recalled how much IÆve missed its contents
Number FourÆs expression didnÆt even flicker at the sarcasm of Number One He pulled the book where it had been tucked at the end of one of the shelves Of course As one of our MasterÆs favorite novels there are certainly profound lessons to be found within the story
Number One walked over and grabbed the book Number Four didnÆt release it so both remained frozen with the book bridging the distance between them