The kite on hearing the man's warning quickly looked around in caution as if to see if there was anyone around who had noticed its earlier display. After confirming there was nothing around, it started gliding slowly toward what seemed to be the outline of the swampy region. With a green hazy fog covering the area.
The region covered by the swamp went on for miles. The whole region came to be known as the green fog region due to the green fog that was prevalent around this area almost all season long. The fog itself wasn't poisonous but it impaired the vision of all who stepped in. The impairment didn't only affect the physical vision but also restrained the spiritual sense of cultivators. If their range covered a 200-meter radius around them, once in the fog that radius gets halved to 100 meters.
When one broke through to the core formation realm they would develop a spiritual sense. It is a way of sensing their surroundings without using their physical eyes but through their spirit. In many ways it is even better than the physical, it's just that it causes a lot of strain on the user during the early stages. The cultivation world is treacherous. There are a lot of techniques and spirit beasts that are skilled in camouflage and invisibility. Even though the eyes of a cultivator are keener and able to see longer distances, certain techniques and spells can easily fool a cultivator's eyes. However, through the spiritual sense as long as the one using the camouflage/invisibility techniques are in the same realm as you with some careful attention you can spot them. Therefore most cultivators when roaming unfamiliar places, they use their spiritual senses most than their other bodily senses.
The green fog region however puts a damper on that advantage by reducing the range of visibility. The additional danger is the spirit beasts and even the cultivators who since they were young have grown in that fog. They have long grown adaptable to impaired visual conditions. They have perfected their means of attack using the effect of the fog to their advantage. They attack with extreme speed and extreme ferocity so that a spiritual sense distance of 100 meters gives little to no advantage to the user. By the time they sense something wrong, they would have already been struck. This is why most creatures in this place are extremely agile and poisonous.
The kite on reaching the green fog hovered directly above it without getting close. This was in line with the orders of the owner of the voice who had halted it once they were within spitting distance of the swamp.
"Ellie from here on out you need to take cover, I'll go in alone. In case a situation arises that you can't handle out here you don't need to force yourself and should just run to the nearest Order branch. The bracelet at your talons will grow warmer and warmer the closer you are to any Order branch. Ellie, Ellie quit daydreaming about the fish will you, pay attention to what I'm saying it's very important. If a situation comes up and you're not sure of solving it easily don't try and be brave, especially now. Lately, there have been reports of suspicious activity going on around the continent. Some members of the order have been attacked while they were out doing their duty. It's been a few skirmishes here and there with no fatalities but still, you need to be careful." The voice nagged on, with the kite showing a human-like nod showing it listened.
The figure soon jumped from the back of the gliding kite that was a couple of hundred meters above the swamp. The figure was floating gently like a feather as he made his way down. His long hair and robes gently fluttered with the wind. The figure had on robes that were half red and half blue with a long sword sheathed in a snow-white scabbard. It was Feng Xin. He was making his way to the Green fog swamp sect to apprehend Peng Zhen and the rest of the elders in cahoots with him before they emptied out the sect.
ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Feng Xin gently landed at the edge of the swamp before he calmly looked up to see the kite had flown higher up into the sky before a wave of clouds manifested around it and it disappeared from view completely. This kite was a cloud-swallowing kite. They are famous for their speed but also their camouflage abilities are drawn from their innate ability to manipulate clouds to their will. Their presence can meld completely within the clouds they're hiding in.
"Good at least she listened. Time to settle scores with Peng Zhen and the rest. They sure have dragon hearts to dare pull one over the sect. I wonder if I'll be able to bring some spirit rice samples in as 'evidence'. They better not have stolen them too." Feng Xin who at this moment was going through a mix of emotions which ended up with some drool escaping his mouth quickly made his way into the swamp at great speed. However, what was curious was despite the speed he was using no blade of grass or water was displaced in his movements.
He was using the shadow void steps. He seemed to be shuttling in and out of existence every time he moved. This movement technique was a gold-grade technique. Cultivation and meditation techniques were classified in the same way as the color of the core one formed in the core formation realm. And the same ranking involved in the cores was the same ranking the techniques followed.
The classification of techniques from the lowest to the highest grade was as follows; Red, Orange, Blue, Gold, and lastly Purple. The higher the grade of the technique, the higher the might it exerted but it also had higher requirements for one to even cultivate it to minor success.
The shadow void steps was initially an orange grade technique going by the name silent moon steps before a senior from the Order in his lazy time fiddled around with it before he managed to improve it to the gold grade and renamed it the shadow void steps. As for why that senior went through all that effort to improve an orange grade technique, rumor has it he was looking for techniques to help him sneak in and out of his courtyard to meet up with some elders for some chat without his wife knowing. Said Elder is now in a 50-year forced closed-door cultivation. Not entirely of his choosing.
The technique was massively adopted by the Order and achieving minor success in it is a must for one to be able to graduate as an inquisitor or a judge. It is now one of the defining trade mark techniques of the Order.
Feng Xin rapidly moved as he headed toward the western part of the swamp. This was where the green fog swamp sect was located. He was operating both the shadow void steps and his spiritual sense at maximum capacity. Feng Xin was at the late stage of the core formation realm and in a normal environment, his spiritual sense would cover 1km around him. For a late-stage core formation expert, this was an exceptional distance. This could only be achieved if either one had natural talents towards spirit sense from birth or if they train in high-grade meditation techniques that improve the strength of their spirit. In Feng Xin's case, it was the latter. Due to how high-risk an inquisitor's job is, strengthening their spirit sense range is one of the training regimens afforded by the Order to its members.
Within this fog, the range of his spirit sense had been reduced to a 500-meter radius. However, this was enough for him. He had enough confidence to be able to match whatever speed or trick the attacker might pull. This wasn't being conceited towards his enemies. The reason was that for years he has been facing two monsters in human clothing during his training. One was fellow glutton Yang Qing and the other was his boss Yi Jie.
Being pummeled on those trainings and that lazy look Yang Qing always had after beating him soundly irked him so much that it resulted in him honing his speed, reflexes, and his capacity to be a sandbag so that he could last even if it was just a minute longer.
He was certain no one could match the speed of those two in this swamp. And even if by some chance there was, he was confident to survive the first hit and even be able to retaliate swiftly. What were the odds he'd end up meeting someone who had the speed and power that matched Yi Jie's or Yang Qing's? If there was, they wouldn't be holed up in this swamp, they'd be a talent highly sort after or already a member of any of the major powerhouses around the continent.
The swamp was filled with vines, and trees that had thick stems with canopies that overlapped. The visual was already obstructed due to the green fog that not only hindered eyesight but also reduced the radiance of the sunlight shining in this place. Having intertwining canopies further added to the gloom in the place. The water on the ground was dark green and murky with bubbles occasionally popping. Feng Xin was moving in between those vines completely unhindered, barely touching any of them. But as he was moving around he had already drawn some unwanted attention from some of the residents whom at this moment were giving him the look he had secretly been giving Wen Chang.
Feng Xin was moving rapidly as if completely oblivious that he had already been targetted and booked to be an early breakfast. Though with his slim build, he was more of a snack.
"I wonder how tasty I seem to these beasts hehehe. Come closer, come closer then I'll let you experience the terror of the food fiend of the Order. We will see who will end up in whose stomach...slurp. Ooops focus focus Feng Xin." Feng Xin said with a malevolent hungry grin developing on his face.
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