Seven days later…

A lithe young girl wearing dark training gear and with two sword scabbards resting on her hip moved nimbly between trees marked with white crosses, a pitch-black katana, that radiated a menacing aura, held firmly in her grasp. As she moved past each marked tree, she would cut at it just once before moving on. If you looked closely, you would see a series of parallel cut marks next to where she had just cut, each mark the exact same distance from the adjacent ones.

While Kira had started to grow accustomed to the weight of the unsheathed black sword and was able to use it with some degree of precision, the toll it took on her stamina to use it throughout the exercise was still too much for her to bear as she came to a stop about three-quarters of the way through the white-marked trees, breathing heavily.

A few days after the training began, she had begun to wonder when she would break through to the next rank of Life Energy cultivation. She knew that she was extremely close to the pinnacle of Skin Tempering and that the breakthrough was at her fingertips but just out of reach…until now, the day of her personal deadline.

While Kira was catching her breath after her most recent run, black sword sheathed, she noticed something unusual about how her Life Energy was circulating.

‘Is this it? Am I finally breaking through?’

Instead of just the usual vigorous circulation that followed intense physical activity, the speed of her Life Energy as it circulated through her body was intensifying at an alarming rate. Tetsuya, who was watching her from nearby, noticed the reddening of Kira’s skin and calmly backed away, knowing what was to come and wanting to let Kira have her privacy as she faced it.

Having read many scrolls on cultivation, Kira knew what to expect and believed that, this time, things would actually proceed as planned…hopefully.

Taking a deep breath, Kira closed her eyes and immersed herself in her inner mental world to observe what was happening more closely. The pressure from the rapidly-accelerating Life Energy was reaching a peak and, all at once, all the pores on Kira’s body opened as wide as they could go as an explosion of blood burst from her body.

Although Kira was ready for it, the pain of the explosion still caused her to grit her teeth as she focused. Instead of falling to the ground, the blood hovered in the air like a dense fog, completely hiding Kira from sight. Within the blood mist, Kira could feel all the Life Energy from her body pulsating with the same rhythm as her heart. Reaching out with her mental strength, Kira expanded her awareness until she found what she was looking for.

Within the mist, hidden from the naked eye, were panels of Life Energy. Compared to the liquid Life Energy that travelled through her veins, this energy was almost solid. If not for the natural unwillingness of Life Energy to be forced into a form, to Kira’s mental grasp, the panels instead had a gel-like texture.

The plates of energy were all of different sizes, each one representing a time that Kira had trained her physical body and, with it, her Life Energy. After ascertaining the positions of all the panels, Kira mentally reached into the blood mist, withdrawing some of the thread-like Life Energy which was in excess. With it, she narrowed the strand and compressed it so that it was like a needle and began the slow work of carefully stitching all the panels together.

In some sense, it was easier than what she had to do when changing cultivation routes but, at the same time, it pushed her mental strength, stamina and energy control. Life Energy wasn’t as easily controlled as Soul Energy due to its nature and, with every panel she managed to link to another, the amount of force with which the panels tried to split apart would increase. Not only that but she also had to plan what arrangement the panels had to take to fit the form she wanted.

As Kira finally finished sewing together the two major sections of her Life Energy quilt together, its shape finally revealed itself. If you were to put the quilt and Kira side-by-side, it would be tough to say which was the real thing, apart from the obvious pulsating red colour coming from the quilt. What Kira had created was, of course, a second skin made of Life Energy.

With the energy-skin floating just a centimetre away from her skin, the blood mist abruptly receded back through her pores. When the last of the blood reached the energy-skin around Kira, the skin, too, was drawn into Kira’s body where it melded with her actual skin, irrevocably fused with it.

What Kira felt as her breakthrough completed was a sense of security as a cushioning feeling settled around her, making her feel as if nothing could harm her, as well as a sense of satisfaction on achieving the goal she had set for herself. As she lifted her leg to walk forward, she almost fell over right there, all the strength in her muscles feeling as if it had left in an instant.

“Easy there, kiddo. Let’s get you somewhere to rest. Gratz on breaking through by the way.”

Tetsuya appeared in front of her, catching her as she fell, before carrying her back to their camp.

When Kira awoke it was already the next day. Rubbing her eyes, she recalled how she came to be there and mentally reprimanded herself.

‘I’m an idiot. I forgot the lack of available Life Energy would leave me this weak.’

Hobbling out of the tent with her blanket still wrapped around her shoulders, Kira smelled the warm scent of burning wood and walked towards it. Tetsuya was sitting there, stirring a small pot that was hanging over the fire.

“Here, some tea.”

Tetsuya handed her a steaming cup with a green-liquid inside.

“No sake?”

“Hey, you’re still underage. Besides, looks like today’s gonna be one of those days I need to have a clear head.”

Kira nodded, barely holding in her excitement. She would finally be able to have the knowledge she needed to bring to life all the techniques that had been swirling in head since she had learned about Weapon Skills and figured out how to use Twin Energies.

“Before we start, I need to give you a warning. My sis told me about what happened to you when you awakened your Burning Soul. That experience alone should tell you that it’s very easy to exceed your current limits while experimenting and you’ll probably only have a few attempts each day to get it right, assuming that you successfully create something within your current energy limits.”

“I understand.”

“Then let’s begin.”

Tetsuya took a deep breath and began to explain.

“The first thing that you may not know is that the Activation paths that Quintessence follows when using Skills aren’t random. They are set paths that run parallel to your Soul Energy system. If you haven’t already noticed, all Skills start and end their Activation at the same place, near your Core. From there, as the route begins, you must choose between one of the four Greater Activation Paths: Earth; Air; Fire or Water. After that it may flow through any number of the Lesser Activation Paths. These are categorised into Lesser Paths of Property, such as Swiftness, Resilience, Power and Flexibility, and Lesser Paths of Shaping which include Stretching, Splitting, Melding, Twisting and Compression.

The Greater Paths define the Skill’s general nature and elemental affinity while the Lesser Paths iron out the details. As the Greater Path is chosen first, there isn’t much to worry about there but the order of Lesser Paths can greatly affect the Skill you create. Mentally you need to visualise the state the energy will be Released in at any point during its Activation. This is how you try to make sure that you can get the desired effect.

In general, the more paths you lead the Quintessence through, including using the same path multiple times, the more complex and the higher the rank the Skill will be. In turn, its energy cost and ratio precision will also increase accordingly. Don't try and use more than one Greater Path for now, your current ranks aren't enough to sustain Skills on that level.

I can see a lot of this seems to be flying over your head so let’s take a practical example…”

In truth, Kira was deeply fascinated by Tetsuya’s lesson and was hanging on to every word, which may have led to her having a blank-faced look, different to her expressionless mask, towards him which he took the wrong way. Regardless, it would be interesting to see the knowledge put into practice.

“Ok kiddo, use a Skill for me. Doesn’t matter which really.”

Mentally skimming her small repertoire, Kira chose the one that she, personally, found the most amazing. Taking a firm grip on the handle of her dragon-motif sword and, after drawing it, Kira brought it to her side before cutting forwards horizontally, a light surge of wind rising from around her.

“Wind Rending.”

A ripple passed through the air as a blade of energy flew from her sword through the trees, leaving not much more shallow cuts on the thick trunks. Having used a Skill for the first time since changing cultivation routes, Kira was amazed at how little energy the Skill seemed to expend from the total energy pool in her Core.

“Hmm, not bad for your level I guess. Let’s see now…”

A dark shadow flickered around Tetsuya’s hand as a simple, unadorned, sheathed katana appeared in his hand. Mimicking Kira’s actions, Tetsuya faced forwards as a mild wind slowly arose around him. However, he didn’t cut forward immediately but instead spoke aloud so that Kira could hear.

“Mid-ranged so about 65:35 favouring Soul Energy…fast and light so Greater Path of Air…long, thin and sharp so Lesser Paths of Stretching and Compression…”

As Tetsuya spoke the air around his grew more and more violent and Kira could feel the level of the Skill rising gradually until it reached what she was familiar with. When she expected Tetsuya to release the Skill, something else happened instead.

“Hmm…let’s see now. Lesser Paths of Power and Swiftness as well as another round of Compression…followed by a Twisting and Replication should do it.”

Hearing this, Kira was forced back a step as the winds around Tetsuya surged strongly. Kira’s mouth widened. The Wind Rending she had learned was a high-level Basic Skill but, from these energy fluctuations, the Skill Tetsuya was about to release was definitely Advanced-rank!

After a few more seconds of focus Tetsuya’s body exploded into action as he cut into the air at multiple angles. Kira could actually feel the ripples of power as the energy blades sliced through the air and she covered her eyes to shield them from the rising dust. When she lowered her arm what she saw surprised her.

The tree in front of Tetsuya appeared to be completely unharmed…no, on the extreme edges of the trunk there were very small yet deep gouges. Kira looked questioningly at Tetsuya. He motioned for her to check behind the tree. She did so and what she saw shocked her.

In the tree behind the one she thought was meant to be cut was a clean asterisk-shape, the three cuts all perfectly bisecting each other and embedded deeply in the wood. While Kira knew that, as a ranged attack, Wind Rending was effective at hitting distant enemies, within this range, she wouldn’t be able to display this level of power. Not only that, but this wasn’t the Wind Rending she knew. Curving the energy blades around a target and unleashing more than one blade wasn’t part of the Skill she’d learned.

“Uncle, what did you do?”

“Kiddo, let me tell you, one of the best parts of learning about Skill creation is seeing the look on people’s faces when you use better versions of their Skills against them, a similar face to yours right now. Haha!”

In that moment Kira could see clearly the young and mischievous boy that Tetsuya once was. Seeing this inner side of him as well as what he gave her more confidence in that, in this area at least, she would learn something valuable.

“Of course, something like that is more of a party trick than anything else. To identify a Skill and everything it does then replicate takes a lot of knowledge and experience, not to mention the amount of time it takes to figure it out in the middle of a fight. I just hope this gave you a taste of the kinds of things you can do if you learn Skill creation properly.”

Kira nodded, her own excitement and enthusiasm rising. Her dreams of bringing Takanashi sword arts to this world were no longer just a dream.

“So kiddo, are you ready to begin?”

“Finally, you’re here.”

Oda Takaharu rose from his seat at the head of a spacious hall as two purple-robed figures entered through the large doorway.

One of the figures was tall with a rather broad figure and, although he carried a walking stick, he moved forward steadily and with perfect posture, exuding a calm yet imposing aura. Beside him, almost lost in in his shadow, was a second, smaller figure. While not having anywhere near the same level of presence as the first figure, this second person still carried himself with dignity and control.

The Oda Clan Leader started slightly and you couldn’t blame him. Compared to the wild manner of the previous purple-robed clan member, the difference between them was like that between heaven and earth. What was most concerning to him, however, was the sense of danger that made the hairs on the back of neck stand on end, as if a wild tiger was watching him intently, waiting to pounce. He gulped perhaps a little too loudly at that point.

“Honourable guests, please, if there’s anything you require, I will personally see that it is done.”

“No need to be afraid, all we require is information.”

Oda Takaharu let his shoulders relax slightly but didn’t drop his guard. He knew that while, within this city, he would be considered one of the strongest, before these people, he was nothing more than an ant.

“Please, go on.”

“It has come to our attention that one of our members stationed here has come to an…unfortunate end. We require everything you know on the matter.”

Oda wasn't sure what to expect when he'd heard that two purple-robed figures had entered the city but an interrogation certainly wasn't on his list. That said, he could never turn down an opportunity.

“You see, I’d made a generous proposal to another clan within the city, a second-rate clan mind you, and they had the gall to refuse me. So I sent my son and his friends to teach their daughter a lesson. The next thing I knew, half the forest was torn up and my son, his friends and your man were all dead. A few weeks after that, the same girl left for the west with a ragged man with a pipe.”

“This girl, is there something special about her?”

“I’ve heard rumours about strange happenings during her early years but those who actually know the truth never admit to anything. However, one thing that I’ve confirmed is that she reached the Core rank of Soul Energy…at seven years old.”

The tall man’s face twitched imperceptibly but otherwise he showed no sign that that was anything strange.

“Is that all?”

A memory flashed through Oda Takaharu’s mind of a strange energy fluctuation on a particular day but the rumours surrounding that event were far too incredible to be believed.

“Yes, it is.”

“Then we shall be taking our leave.”

“Wait.”

Oda Takaharu bit his tongue. He was a prideful man and this may lead to his death but he had to ask. The tall man’s back was towards him as he made his plea.

“Please, help me take revenge for my son and my young clansmen. Whoever that ragged stranger is, he must be connected to the Suzuki Clan. So please, assist me to wipe them out.”

The tall man stopped but didn’t turn around.

“If you have the strength then do it yourself. It's likely that the ragged one you spoke of was acting alone. You’ve already given us adequate information to start searching for him and the girl so there’s no reason for us to remain here.”

Oda Takaharu dropped to his knees as the purple-robed pair walked out. His mask of sadness quickly burned away to reveal his true face, anger. Never had he felt so powerless or pathetic. While he didn’t feel nothing for the death of his son, he had still intended to raise a worthy successor for the Oda Clan.

When the purple-robed pair left the gates of the Oda complex, the shorter figure looked towards the older one then spoke up.

“Master, what’s so special about getting Core Rank at seven? I managed to get it at eight. That’s only a year’s difference right?”

“Understand this, my student, although you are naturally talented, you’ve had the full might of the Murasaki Clan supporting your growth. Can even you count the number of Elixirs of Foundation Building you’ve drank or baths filled with dissolved Heavenly Acceptance Pills you’ve cultivated in?”

“Of course not. But how is that important?”

“That’s why I’ve decided to take you with me this time. Your view of the world is too narrow. Think. How can a girl from a backwater city on the edges of the Moonsilver Empire, living in a clan that no one knows- or cares about, manage to cultivate to Core rank faster than you who is talented and has the backing of a great clan behind you?”

“She must be a genius or…something else.”

“You're beginning to understand. So, while finding Fushiki’s killer is our main target, that girl is also equally as important. If she’s not a natural genius and we can discover her secret, it may push our clan above the Nine Heavenly Clans that have looked down upon us for so long.”

“Master is always considering the bigger picture, isn’t Master?”

“The bigger the picture you can see, the more aware you become of the consequences of actions that may seem insignificant. Remember that, Hideyoshi.”

“Yes!”

“Tch…”

Kira tutted as she cleansed the excess Quintessence from her system through using Burning Soul for the fifth time that day. Tetsuya had made it look so easy, casually taking his time and talking as he did it, that the actual difficulty behind the process was completely hidden.

After giving Kira the demonstration, Tetsuya taught Kira the positions and routes of the four Greater Paths and the most basic Lesser Paths before asking her to create a simple Skill right then and there.

“Let’s start simple. Make me a Skill that’s close-ranged and hits like a hammer blow. The Release method is up to you as long as it comes from your sword and makes a circular impact. Got it?”

If only she knew that it wouldn’t be so simple.

Before, she used to spend an entire day just to learn a new Skill before she could execute it with any degree of skill. Now that she wasn’t given specific instructions and had to decide on things for herself, she found it surprisingly difficult to experiment with things that she wasn’t sure was 100% correct.

If she had to describe the process, it would be similar to making a cake. Only, you were given a wider variety of ingredients than you needed and were only told what type of cake to make. Most ingredients you could rule out but some weren’t so obvious and of those you added, you weren’t sure of the order to combine them and in which amounts.

Although switching over to the Flame Blossom Trail had come with the added benefit of more finesse in controlling her Soul Energy, Kira still struggled to combine the Twin Energies into a ratio that she thought was appropriate as her uncertainty caused her to continually add bits of each energy for as long as she remained unsatisfied.

After settling on the Greater Path of Fire due to its explosive and forceful nature, Kira moved the energy through the Lesser Paths she thought would be appropriate, trying hard to match the energy she controlled to the image in her mind of the effect she wanted to create.

In the end, for her first attempt, Kira stabbed forwards as a flicker of gold passed over her eyelids and the energy shot forwards before spreading out and looping back on itself and knocking her to the ground. Also, within Kira’s body, there was excess Quintessence that threatened to go on a rampage which she had to quell by using it for Burning Soul, a process which exhausted her further on top of the pain it caused.

“Usually, that excess energy dissipates and is wasted but you can at least work on your Burning Soul with it.”

Kira looked up him with a blank face but her golden pupils told him that she still didn’t find it a pleasurable experience. When the golden glow finally faded from her eyes, she tried again.

For the next few hours, Kira ran into problem after problem as she struggled to complete the challenge Tetsuya set for her. At times it was because the ratio of Twin Energy was out but most of the time it was due to her Activation set causing the energy to behave in ways that she didn’t expect. The closest she got before deciding to call it a day was a sphere of energy that exploded in all directions just ahead of her. Her energy fatigue had gotten the best of her.

“Not so easy, ey kiddo? Here’s a tip, turn up the Life Energy a bit so that the energy doesn’t leave your blade until the moment of contact.”

“Uncle, I have a question. Why would people want to create Skills when it’s so difficult? Surely it would be easier to simply find new Skill scrolls or inherit them through one’s clan.”

Kira asked while breathing heavily. In her mind she was certain that the Skill she was asked to create was a mid-level Basic Skill at best and yet the amount of effort she needed to put in was several times the amount she needed to learn Wind Rending, a high-level Basic Skill.

“Because…where do you think those hand-me-down Skills came from?”

The contempt was thick in Tetsuya’s voice as he said “hand-me-down”, enough to make Kira flinch involuntarily.

“Don’t get me wrong, I respect those original Skill creators more than you realise. Some of the Skills I’ve seen…works of art with no equal. What I don’t acknowledge are those who simply learn the Skills from a damn scroll and use them to achieve fame, even to the point that they claim the Skill as their own.

The problem with cultivators these days is that they have no imagination. They learn some passed-down Skills and use them to fight others to steal their passed-down Skills, building their strength by standing on the works of the giants of the past. No one wants to put in the effort to create something truly unique that they can proudly claim as their own because it’s too difficult.

That’s why Skill creation is a dying art. Scrolls on how to do it these days are so rare, teachers even rarer. I’m one of the few that are still qualified to share that knowledge. Well, not qualified per se, but not many people can match me in Skill creation knowledge. In case you were interested, the Skill I used against that purple bastard is the same as the task I gave you now, just cranked up a few ranks.”

Kira recalled the massive trench that rent the bamboo forest and her heartrate leapt slightly. The image still sent chills down her spine and renewed her motivation. If creating something like that was achievable, surely by learning from her uncle, she could achieve her goal of bringing her Takanashi Clan techniques to life and then pushing them to the next level.