For just a few moments, Luna found herself on a killing spree as she let more and more of her warrior self out. Her speed, her strength, and her mind were all in perfect balance as she moved in perfect harmony.

  Luna was also using this opportunity to study the changes the qi had gifted her. She couldn’t pull this off before because fighting under water was different from this because she had the ground to stand on and wasn’t focused on resisting the pressure as she was when going against the Kraken.

  Here, Luna was free of those constraints and she could move freely.

  The hood on her head was blown off by the wind, letting her raven black hair flatter wildly. Her pale face was even whiter now that she was in a forest surrounded by the pure whiteness of the snow. Her eyes were like black emeralds, reflecting only the faint light of the strange sun of this world and maybe the final look her enemies gave before her blade took their lives.

  The Jian sang, killing another cursed creature, blood splitting out but never reaching her face because she was already attacking the next. Her victims didn’t last even five minutes after their encounter as she switched between appropriate techniques…

  For the tricky ones, she used the Dancing Maiden. The unpredictable movements always came in handy in case her enemy was cursed creatures with powers similar to teleportation.

  For the large ones, The Whispering Titan came in handy due to its quickness. When she was quick, her opponent would rush to protect the vital spots of their body—not knowing that the technique was simply born for that purpose.

  For larger ones, the two forms of Wind Slash were enough to kill them in one go. Surprisingly, she was pulled to exhaustion. By controlling her breathing, Luna still had a lot of stamina left.

  The Sun Ember also played a great part in all this, truly it was a weapon worthy of being held by a god. It was not a replacement for the black katana—that sword was too precious to let go—but it was surely a better weapon. Especially for a person who was capable of using qi like her. It was sharp and only grew sharper each time she willed Qi into it.

  It withstood her powerful swings with most of her strength unleashed and fed her with essence each time she took the life of another cursed creature. It was not a lot, but the essence was playing a huge role in her cultivation.

  It was amazing.

  She cut through more creatures. Each swing, stronger than before. Each parry carried more purpose as she countered some attacks.

  Luna could feel it. This rush…this pulse of bloodlust and the other mixed feelings of excitement and desire. As the battle manic she was, Luna was excited.

  But desire for what, though? Power?

  Yes, It had to be. Luna had never been known for being strong. Luna, a member of one of the Great Houses and the true Heiress of her clan… has never seen herself as Strong.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  But now, the wheel of fate was spinning in her favor. Luna was on the path of ascension, a different and more powerful one. She was going to become strong. That’s what Lunaris Feng, the heiress of House Feng desired.

  If she was, then they would stop giving her those pitiful looks.

  ‘They will stop.’

  Luna’s last slash cut through the last two cursed beasts and an entire tree, severing it from its bark.

  “They will stop.”

  She stopped after that last attack and dismissed the weapon. It disappeared back into her body as the remaining essence flowed into her system. Her body had even heated up after pushing herself so far.

  “I have never fought like that in my entire life.” She looked at the scattered bodies and laughed lightly. So this is the rush of combat she often overheard the masters talk about. It was gone but still left a lingering impression on her body. She felt like she had peaked in the martial arts division.

  Luna took a moment to reflect on what had just happened. Strangely enough, all this felt like it wasn't her first time having this type of connection with essence. The way she used it felt oddly familiar.

  A strange thought that made her gasp suddenly crossed her mind. ‘Life Essence manipulation already existed in the Feng Clan before the fall and Yong Feng must’ve been a cultivator himself before the gates. It’s probably why his name was mentioned by That Person from the train station.’

  Luna was alive by the time her grandfather was alive so her Blood Traits could not have possibly gained something from Yong Feng. The mechanics behind how her memory inheritance worked were still a mystery but she was sure about this.

  The reason why she was a fast learner in cultivation could simply be because there were cultivators in her bloodline? Not everything needed to be a memory for her to recognize that it was connected to her clan. This sensation of manipulation energy like this had existed before and Yong Feng was probably aware of it.

  How sure was Storm Rider that everyone on the island died when the deity descended? What if a group survived?

  Or a person. And they started the Feng clan, under the banner of a martial arts focused clan. What if Yong Feng was that person?

  “That would make him very old. But someone on the path ages slowly. So maybe…”

  ‘No that can’t be right.’ She shook her head and let out a stifled groan. None of this made sense.

  ‘I’m missing something important. Yong Feng was alive for fifty more years before dying. Did he die? Why can’t I remember what happened to him?”

  “…”

  She froze once again before the thought finally hit her with the force of a rock. “Of course, the hex. It would make sense why we don’t remember his death. Gods…why didn’t I think of it.”

  Recently, Storm Rider mentioned that because of her blood, life essence will be more responsive. Luna assumed she meant the fact she inherited memories—one could say she was the same person living over and over again. But that wasn’t the case. Here, Luna inherited “Skills” through “Memories” of previous members of her clan. However, she didn’t inherit skills from every Feng but only the special ones who had a special connection with her—this was Luna’s theory. As for why life essence was more responsive to her, Storm refused to give a good answer.

  A cunning smile appeared on her face. “Why did it take this long for me to notice Yong Feng’s mystery? The clues were all laid out for me. Shit! The curse seems to be capable of drawing your attention from some things.”

  She was already shocked she had missed all of this. She only remembered Yong Feng by name and face and the fact that he was dead. Apart from a few simple facts, the man was a mystery to her.

  ‘I need to dig deeper into all of this when I return.’

  With that thought, she decided to put a pin on this entire conspiracy and turned her attention back to the fight against the cursed creatures. The alive ones left alive and already retreated and out of her sensing range.

  Luna didn’t bother chasing after them. She was already out of stamina.

  Storm Rider’s aerial fight was also getting less flashy, meaning she was done feeding herself with qi.

  “Mission complete.”

  ***

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the shore, a young woman stood in front of the corpse of a large creature she had just slain all on her own. Around her, the blizzard seemed non-existent in her presence. Its winds were weaker, and the snow had stopped falling around her.

  Her long silver hair was still, her once fancy tunic now tattered and covered in scratches, exposing more of her smooth white skin. No wind blew out around her. And even though it did, she wasn’t going to feel cold anyway. She was immune to it.

  She gave one last inhumane glare at the creature that had almost taken her life.

  She turned to the translucent sword in her hand. Then to the white walls of the giant crater she and the cursed creature had created during their fight. It had been a powerful foe with the ability to mess with the mind and her body. By the time she figured out its powers, her zenshi reserves were close to empty.

  How much time had passed since she was put in its mind prison? Hours? Weeks? Did it happen when she first appeared in this level?

  It was all a blur.

  When she had no more zenshi left, the translucent sword in her hand disappeared. She was too tired and too weak to continue forward.

  Her knees buckled and her vision started to darken. She closed them slightly and her body collapsed in the snow the next moment.