3 Gate Acupuncture

"Wei Li, Jamir your trial is over and you both passed. Get back to the canyon and rest until I come and fetch you."

"Yes Young Lord" Jamir picking Wei Li up and throwing her arm over himself, helping her move back to their resting site

Looking up at Edward flying in the same direction, the duo can't help but feel insignificant in the face of Edwards strength and rapid growth

Clinching her fist "Jamir, we have to get stronger. The Young Lord is going to continue at this pace, and eventually he won't need our support." 

Nodding his head "The Young Lord chose us for whatever reason, and we passed his tests. He said he would enable our cultivation, so just look forward to it and don't compare yourself him."

-

Atop Master Hao's pavilion, drinking tea and playing chess "Dame, your daughter is coming around, Haha!"

"Master Hao, what have you seen?"

"You couldn't see what's happened?"

"Don't tease me like that Master hao, she is hundreds of miles into the forest. With my meager cultivation, you know I can't watch her adventure."

"Well, I wouldn't call it adventure but the start of what you have wished. She has been throwing herself into danger, not to improve her martial arts but to prove them"

-

Out of sight from Wei Li and Jamir, Edward uses his divine art and travels to the cliff where Rhea is

[What she needs most right now is the body tempering of Roaring Dragons Fang, even though I have no intention to teach her the full art it is what she needs most. But she is upset with her inner energy and won't accept other forms of training right now]

While Edward was thinking about what was best for Rhea, his soul shifted and fell almost completely into his vessel and his mind became clear. 

He was slowly developing and accepting the fact that Rhea is his sister and caring for her, distancing himself from the thought that she is a tool to be forged unknowingly

The flame of his soul dancing in his palm Edward begins to understand the conflict between his soul and vessel

[It is this family, they are shackles that restrict me from acting how I want and force me to act like "Edward Albert", a son of his clan]

His left arm starting to feel slightly pressured from his souls manifestation 

[Even though my vessel is accepting my soul or my soul is accepting it, I still can't summon it without consequence]

Jumping the apex of the cliff using his ability of flight right before he hits the ground Infront of Rhea, snapping her awake from her meditation "Rhea, take a break"

"Brother, I don't need rest I am on the cusp of a breakthrough"

Closing her eyes and continuing to meditate until Edward hovers above her awakening her again "It is already late into the night, and you have trained without much rest for many days. Go to bed and I will help you break through tomorrow"

"Hmph, and why should I listen to a liar like you?"

Pressuring Rhea slightly with mild bloodlust "I am not asking"

Unintimidated Rhea only looks up at him before continuing her meditation again 

[Brat] Edward amused but also annoyed at Rhea, a paradox of emotions stirred inside of him he ascends the cliff 

Laying down an Essence Gathering array, an array similar the Deomic intermixing technique capable of absorbing the energy of anything on left side of the array, then gathering the energy into the middle for the user on the right side to absorb 

Placing the scared stone he stole on the array, with his soul active as faintly as possible from head to toe, Edward begins to shock his spirit veins. 

Using the Essence Gathering array to only mend his breaking body above the threshold where it would normally shut down, he uses the majority of the energy taken from the stone to refill his cores 

The minutes become hours and the hours days, until Edward has tempered himself for almost three days straight

The day before the trial is over and the four are slated to return, Edward brings his practice to a close with the consumption of his pills. Using the liquid melting from the shell of the medicine and mending his body, with the added help from the scared stones energy

Rising from his seated position and taking the stone into his artifact [My body is nearly twice as strong as before, I can match Shady and even peak Heavenly core realm experts in physicality]

"Come out" 

Shady popping out from Edwards shadow, intimidated by what he witnessed over the past few days. Sitting on his hind legs and bowing his head at Edward 

"Roar" 

"Come at me without using your Chi similarly I won't use mine either, try to knock me from my balance"

Shady confused by the sudden spar launches at Edward and attempts to bite his arm that is held out. Quickly moving his hand under Shadys chin and grabbing his throat, Shady is unable to move from the strong grip of Edwards hand. Holding the panther in the air by his neck, Shadys scratches at the forearm of the arm holding him.

Unable to break the skin and draw blood from Edward, Shady grabs the arm with both front paws and squeezes with his claws digging into Edwards skin. 

Unfazed by the pressure on his arm Edward stands and lets the panther squeeze his arm until it draws blood

"Enough" Shady falling into Edwards shadow then reappearing to escape his grasp

"So, my body can withstand about 80% of your strength before it bleeds. If we truly fought you would have zero chance of survival, whereas before you had a chance to escape"

Recalling Shady into his shadow Edwards descends the cliff to speak with Rhea

Rhea who is still meditating and still hasn't rested or broken through the bottleneck of her tier since Edward left her

"Rhea, you still haven't broken through?"

Not opening her eyes or greeting Edward "It is as you see"

[This is weird, her talent is above first rate, and she is at the very apex of her tier she should have defiantly broken through]

"Rhea, what is bothering you there must be something on your mind"

"Of course there is, I am anxious to show my ability to father and the rest of the clan"

[Ah, the hinderance all young cultivators go through]

"Rhea you must get thoughts like that out of your mind, recognition of your martial arts and praise of others can be motivating but also poison. Only the wielder of a power can judge the importance of it."

"I dont know what you mean, but our fathers acceptance and appreciation mean a lot to me."

"To make it simple, only a persons power signifies status and is what earns the envy and praise of others. Think of our clan and the Terrene Kingdom, we hold these lands by strength and if a jade slip is sent from anyone important to any of three clans, the receiver can recognize the sender just by the Chi on the slip. These people didn't climb the martial path to earn this recognition it is just a consequence of their effort. If you want our father to recognize you and your efforts, you can't chase it and must focus. Didn't I already explain this when we talked about mental training?"

"I remember you promised to teach me to "center" myself then didn't teach me"

"Haha, I suppose your right"

"Yet another example of you lying to me, you liar"

"I just hadn't had the time to teach it, we both have had to practice while in the forest but didn't I teach you martial arts?"

"You did, and I am thankful for that" still with her eyes closed but not meditating, only circulating her Chi to keep her spirit veins stimulated

"I also told you that I was leaving to get you something, remember that?"

Peeking with one eye open at Edward "I remember"

"I went and made the tools required for you to break through a tier maybe two if you can handle a bit of pain"

"Pain isnt an issue brother!" standing to her feet with a big smile 

"Well, your body isnt completely rested, it will hurt much more than it should"

"So what? Let's start already?"

"Sit down with your back towards me, then get ready to circulate and bring the Chi into your core. If you aren't focused the Chi that floods your spirit veins might shatter your core, and you will become useless"

"Dont try and scare me bother" taking her seat

Edward summons three needles held between the four fingers on his right hand, and throws them all into Rheas back at the same time

One into the top of her spine at the back of her neck, one into the middle of her back, and one at the base of her spine 

The needles stimulate all the spirit veins in her body and energy being to rush into them through every pour in her body

[What the heck did brother do to me, Chi is flowing into me on its own and my core is vibrating back and forth. I've never even heard of the stationary core moving like this, let alone the Chi in the air flooding my body without any effort]

[The 3 Gate Acupuncture is useful if used only when at the peak of a tier but it can't be used too often or for a long time, I wonder how long she can hold out through the coming pain]