Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1457 - 1456 - Breaking the Chains

Silvia had accepted she would never be fully healed long ago. The best experts she could afford all told her the same thing. Any pill or elixir that could heal her would have to come from a full Maester. Even then, such an expert would have to be especially familiar with the intent lingering in her skull.

She had been able to reclaim and surpass her martial prowess, but advancing had become extremely difficult. Her crystal had barely been able to safely absorb Laws or improve them despite millennia attempting to do so.

She was very unlikely to make it to the next tier.

She had accepted that but when the tournament was announced, she immediately applied for any chance to help her. Oddly, she was rejected from the tournament due to the risk to her health but told she might be able to help with another contest.

She would actually get a chance to be examined by a Maester! She could not pass it up but then the agreement and Oaths made her not volunteer the information. The expert had to find it and ask.

They had to, in fact, ask for everything. She could not request for it to be healed or anything at all. It would be up to the Maester what they would do.

She never imagined in over a million years, literally her life span, that the True Lord Lind Frey would be the one to examine her! He was a legend long before he created the Throne of Defiance.

His efforts had restored the 1st through 3rd layers being hampered by the Fiends. Hope had literally been carried by him and his forces to overcome the terror of what the Fiends had attempted.

Even so, not all of it was good. His actions in the Endless Peaks had made him a lot of enemies as well as being called a hypocrite but she dismissed it all as he was hardly the only powerful cultivator covered in rumors.

She was from a medium level sect in the arid lands created by the Fiery Salamander Sect long ago. Her own sect was simply focused on being warriors and martial skill in all its forms.

She had become a decent swordswoman and was on a path to ascend to at least the Radiant Tier with the resources the sect could provide if she proved her worth.

Battles had broken out due to the same Lind Frey and his Clan causing friction. The revelation that the Under Lands were going to recover essentially set the powder keg off and she had answered the call.

She had never understood the suppression but then she saw both peak Radiant and low Sovereign Tiers actually fight. Such battles did not care about the lower realms at all.

Crystal Tiers were just stick figures in a hurricane compared to that. They died in the millions after a single interaction! Worse, it took far more to contain such a fight then to let it run wild.

In fact, that was sometimes the point of one side or the other. Rather than simply fight, they would act to prevent containment of a single fight allowing many to die on both sides.

If such wars had been common, it was impossible to grasp how the landscape could ever survive let alone cultivators.

She had actually been saved by the near lethal injury to her head as the healing camps were kept far from all of the battles to avoid that very danger. There were still some agreements that protect official camps but she did not know that at the time.

Now, tears fell as Lind Frey stood over her. He could have chosen to ignore her injury and won his round but he refused. He instead tried to help her not only heal but to gain from the healing!

His aura was so precise and delicate yet the power was undeniable. She did not know much about elixirs as pills were her usual resource. She could judge a pill's quality and effectiveness before ever taking it.

Elixirs were much harder to evaluate not only because they were liquid but also because their effects varied by number and quality!

An elixir could have the same name as Recovery Elixir but have the possible difference of 2 to 3 effects of varying quality!

The liquid being administered to her was nearly colorless but she saw flares of each element at times. They were not random but structured that felt familiar to her. The aura of Laws was the same, yet there was a difference.

Some Laws were not familiar to her at all in such a concoction yet they worked!

The first elixir was administered and she allowed him to do all he could. She felt his profound power flow over her meridians and dantian before moving towards her skull. It was uncomfortable but tolerable.

Once the flow of energy got to her skull, the world became red. She wanted to thrash but he held her in place. Any movement would be worse than death. She would be gone but her body would be alive.

Even her soul would be damaged!

Another elixir seared into her body before she realized it was happening. The world was falling away but his voice suddenly pulled her back.

[You must face this. Do not let go or the energies will go randomly. Accept it.] The calm and powerful voice anchored her. She focused and began to feel the spear intent like it was fresh back at the beginning.

She began to feel something shift. Unlike usual when it felt alien and dangerous, but now she felt like she began to grasp a part of it. She was never a spear wielder but her sword was long enough to share some aspects.

In fact, she felt like new ideas she had never considered before on her techniques and Laws began to appear. She did not even notice the pain was slightly fading.

Her sword Art appeared in her mind. It was the Mountain Cleaving Art. It would increase the power of the user until it seemed like the sword would split the land.

Foothill Leveling was the first technique in the Art. It swung a sword with great power using the centrifugal force of twisting at high speeds. It cleaved a path as elemental Qi was added, usually of earth.

The Cloud Piercer technique was self explanatory as it carved up the skies. It was more delicate than the first but still required the first step to build the power.

The final step was Ravine Manifested. If the first 2 were successful and could be made to flow, it made a swipe able to cave a literal ravine into the earth. Walls had been shattered with the Art.

Silvia had only been able to master the first 2 steps but with the intent unraveling, the final step began to become clear. In her mind, her long blade was no longer a simple sword but the edge of a God!

Stone, earth, and metal were no impediment! Mountains were but chaff to be broken open with a single swing!

The image was so clear that she missed the sudden influx of Qi, Laws, and soothing feelings. She rose up and pulled forth her sword without thought.

Her feet were spread but not fixed as she built up the power of her whole body. The metal sang as it seemed to slice any obstacle on the surface. It then allowed her to flip up and pierce up with the momentum to clear the skies.

Thunder seemed to be heard as the blade sang in joy. Her intent became a sword aura! She had struggled to manifest it consciously but now it was easy!

She used the built up power to swing down and saw the stone part like a hot knife through butter.

The feeling suddenly shattered and horror filled her at what she had done but Sovereign Tier power reigned it in. The damage stopped short of leaving the platform.

She looked up to see an exhausted Lind Frey smiling at her.

"I would call that a success." Tears fell as she knelt with her head to the ground.

"I am forever in your debt, True Lord Frey." She meant every word. Her foundation that had been so difficult to move now seemed ready to explode forth.

"No need for that. I made the choice and I have always been a healer when I can. If you wish to repay me, then make sure to live a long life and bore your children to death with stories later." A blush covered her face but she solemnly swore to find a worthy Dao companion to make that a reality!

Both jumped as the judges spoke.

[Winner: Lind Frey.] Confusion filled them as they quickly turned to their counterparts to see a macabre display on the bed there. The body had been destroyed but an ephemeral shape floated nearby weeping.

The elixir Maester looked frustrated.

"It should have worked. Why did it fail?" Lind seemed to grasp something but he turned to the judge.

"Ancestor, you are correct. The point of the current contest was to accurately evaluate the subject and make them in peak condition if possible. Both of your patients had hidden and difficult injuries lingering. While there was no doubt they could be healed by a Maester, they had to be able to fight afterward." Lind had already explained the options to her and realized the older axe wielder had a similar injury to her.

His Maester had chosen to ignore it and focus on enhancement!

"Make sure he gets an appropriate body constructed. I will also look over his soul." The judge bowed as the round was over and Lind Frey was his leader once more.

"How are you feeling? Any issues?" She quickly did a short cultivation session and smiled as more tears fell. It felt so easy to improve now!

"The–the Laws sing in my meridians once more, True Lord." He smiled but then snapped out his hand and caught a dagger just a millimeter from her dantian. He turned slowly to see the other Maester looking enraged.

"You cheated! It is the only way! You made her stronger and healed her! It is not fair!" The judges were incensed but Lind held up his hand and the air shifted.

The once prideful old man staggered before he went pale.

"First, I chose to prioritize healing her. I gave up this round. I did not understand the goal but I did not care. She was my patient and he was yours. I simply tried to give her a better result than a forceful removal of an injury she had incorporated into her path. Even you should understand the normal result of that process." Blood began to flow from the old man's orifices as it was clear he was facing the wrath of the True Lord.

"Y–you can't kill–!" Lind sneered.

"Kill? Oh no, I am not going to kill you. I am simply letting your guild understand what you are. A petty and jealous old man who focused on winning over what you should be. An elixir master concocts creations to make their patient get the best out of them. Ignoring a hidden injury is a death sentence every time." His words were cold and clear.

It was only at the reminder that Silvia jumped and looked up at the weavings. They were still broadcasting! The aura lifted and he waved to the judges to take him away.

"He will recover physically, but mentally is on him." Lind Frey then bowed to her and left. Silvia would remember his words to her dying day. Her expectation of professionals shifted for her and many others that day.