"Can you understand what functions they perform?" Cile asked while trying to identify the formations inside this section web with no result. It was thinner than Inero-ie's Threads and on top of it was filled with at least more than 10 formations that had been weaved into one another creating a jumbled mess. She had been squinting her eyes, trying her best but their size made it difficult.

"Yes."

"How?" She asked, she had been trying this for a few hours now but without any results. Maybe if she had some equipment with her, she would have gained some results.

She watched as two Threads connected to the web further branched into even smaller Threads that then made connections with each individual formations that were jumbled together to create this impressive detection system.

'How did he create these Threads?' Though much thicker than this web, it was filled with even larger numbers of formations among which she had been able to identify a hundred unique formations that were in the outer layer.

Average humans were barely able to sense Qi but he had somehow copied the specters, an impressive feat in of itself. ‘No he had gone beyond that,’ she thought while remembering how versatile these Threads were.

The report Sline had presented came to her mind. His parents had been on the verge of attaining the status of Seeker and they had been working with a Seeker at that time. 'Did they do anything?' Cile wondered. Unfortunately, there was no data, as it had been lost during the purge of that whole section.

'Curious, is grand uncle there because of this?' After all, the whole event had been suspicious to say the least and if not for the rules restricting them, maybe he would have gotten rid of all of those rotten nobles. Most of the nobles were nothing but parasites, actively hindering the goals. Though they did enough to make sure these same rules kept them safe.

"Focus," she heard his voice, for the first time during this journey, hoarse and gritty and she refocused her wandering mind to the present. He explained how each formation worked, his Threads activating them while he explained while he created a larger, easier see version of the formation on the ground.

A formation for collision detection, another that passed that coordinated to the network, other that made it difficult to detect them, formation that regenerated the web when it broke and many many more.

***

The straight section of web was floating next to Cile, her Qi keeping it alive. It was quite easy as she had learned how to finly control Qi when she had started experimenting. The only problem had been with making a connection with the hundreds of formations that were stuffed inside this very thin. Then there was also the problem that these fromations worked in tandem with each other to give rise even larger number of and even more complex type of formations. It had taken her quite a while to understand that all.

Controlling her Qi and triggering various effects while thinking how she could use this in her current project, she asked, “How did you create these Threads?”

“Observing the Specter.” At that moment he was focused on creating an experience that would give the princess an idea of how their sprint through the forest would be like. They had to be fast, at most he could delay the effects of the forest for quarter of an hour an most, in this small time frame they had to get out of the forest while killing the monster and avoiding being drained to death.

‘No choice to overload the core,’ he could not see any other way to get out in that time frame while also quickly killing the monster that they would inevitably come across. Then there was a hoard that would be waiting once they cross the forest, he would have to cut throught that all the while protecting the princess. With the armor suit, this was the only thing he could fall back on.

“Observe? How? Regular humans can’t do that. I don’t think you can do that even after undergoing 1st Shedding. Did you use some specilized equipment?”

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“Though not to the extent of your Highness, I am quite sensitive to Qi. I just spent quite a lot of cycles just observing the specters,” he still did not talk orally, manipulating the Thread to pass on his replies, while thinking it had been a good decision. Using the Thread to communicate was much much easier and less cumbersome.

“You kept observing them and then eventually created these things?” Cile asked not convinced. If it had been that easy, she would have done so but despite have come across them and having observed them before in external laboratories, such thought had never come into her mind.

“I stumbled upon that castle during that time and that… senior helped me with it. From then on, I have been refining constantly,” Inero-ie stood up. He had finalized a plan on how to create a mock sprint.

Climbing out of the crack and onto the surface, he activated Qi-location and the world around him changed. It was like seeing even though he was not actually using his eyes. In front of him was a bright land, bright enough to be spotted from ten to twenty kilometers away, the forest. The strange thing was that he could not really sense the Grand Formation, something he had come to accept. That did not mean there was nothing that alerted of its presence

Above, the perpetually black sky was swapped with a bright sky, with humongous waves of Qi rushing towards the Grand Formation only to be absorbed without any disturbance, then refined. Each time he saw this scene, it made him think how small he was, how insignificant. Whoever had created this massive structure could most likely kill him with a thought alone. A reassuring feeling when he returned alive time and again. There were many things that could kill him.

Refocusing his wandering mind, he searched and found no monsters nearby. Then he chose a location where he started creating the track for the mock sprint.

Cile followed, observing as the ice headed his command, morphing into the shapes of trees and grass as she had seen in the forest. She kept following as he moved at crawling speed, judging his skills and finding them inefficient. It was unlike what she had experienced until now, unique and incredibly refined abilities.

"Why?" She asked while moving around, stretching. After sitting for such a long time her body felt restless.

"To give you an idea what the sprint will be like."

Once she felt the numbness go away, she stood still, remembering what she had seen of the forest and the next moment, all around her, a miniature forest sprang up, filled with thousands of trees and even larger quantities of crystalline grass. Then there were webs that filled the whole place just like she had seen in the forest.

Inero-ie stopped, turned towards her, his Threads gathering around her creation. "Can you help with this?"

"Length?"

"1 kilometer."

Cile nodded and started from where Inero-ie left off. The world responded to her imagination, morphing to make what was in her mind a reality, as though it wanted to make her happy. Despite doing what he was doing, despite their cultivation being the same, she walked faster and faster until it became a jog that then transitioned into running.

What would have taken him hours was completed in a few minute.

His face was blank, always hiding whenever the sparks of emotions appeared in his desolate mental escape.

The way she had controlled, manipulated ice, if it could even be called that, was completely different. A difference so great that he did not understand despite focusing with all his effort. He had sensed not even a single strand of Qi leaving her body all this while but somehow what she had imagined had been transmitted and then acknowledged.

His affinity with the ice element was high originally just like with darkness, and both had been taken to a greater height once he had mastered the Melding. But despite his affinity, when trying to morph the elements outside the Grand Formation, it was as easy as it was for a child to mold a cold piece of steel, incredibly difficult.

He wanted to ask: "how did you do that?" But then he sensed the emotions trying to taint his mind so he stopped, instead gathering all the disturbances and shoving them into the dark recesses.

"So, what next?"

"Wait. I will get it ready."

Then he started from the start once again, engraving a formation that would imitate the webs and act as a detection system.

Cile followed, watching while he engraved the formations. This too was like his other skills, incredibly polished. Like a sponge, her mind absorbed what she saw, giving birth many ideas on how this could improve her own skills.

***

"So, I just need to run through?"

"Yes, while you do that, I will puppet these to create an imitation of the forest."

"Can I use anything to pass through?"

"Yes.”