development

Liang Chen and the others did not take long to enter the mountain. They were all martial artists and though their speed could not be compared to Liang Chen's, they were still fast. Liang Chen led them deep within the mountain and even though they were afraid during the journey they still stayed together knowing well that Liang Chen had lived here for some time and they had come to understand the strength he possessed. 

When they reached the territories of strong demonic beasts which Liang Chen would have difficulty defeating they finally stopped and started moving more cautiously. The first demonic beast they saw was a silver-winged eagle, very powerful and a tyrant of the sky. 

Liang Chen had already told them that when they saw a beast they wanted as their totem they should let him know and after only one hour in the forest Chief Ouyang pointed to the eagle and said he wanted it as his totem, he agreed and did not waste time. Told them Chief Ouyang to pay attention to their battle and brought him a little closer than the others then immediately attacked the beast. 

This was the first time Liang Chen was fighting a flying beast and knew he had to hold the beast down and not allow it the opportunity to take off into the air. He approached the beast stealthily but soon enough discovered he had already been discovered and since the beast did not escape immediately it meant it underestimated him and he had to take advantage of it.

He quickly moved in and delivered a punch. The image of a flood dragon manifested behind him, this beast had an icy white color and the air around instantly became chilly as soon as it appeared. When this aura along with the punch came crashing down on the eagle it knew it had made a mistake but it was already too late and the move it made was easily overpowered and it took a direct hit. It was injured and got up screeching with fury then realizing that Lang Chen had already approached it again it used its wings to cut at Liang Chen. As it approached Liang Chen it was as though a  sword slash was approaching him and even Chief Ouyang who was watching from a short distance away could swear that it was a sword if not that he had originally seen the silver wings.

Liang Chen did not want to back away because he knew if he moved back in other to avoid this move it would give the eagle a chance to soar into the air and then there would be nothing he could do. By now the claws of the flood dragon had merged with liang chen's hands and liang chen was eager to test if his hands had become that strong too so even when he saw this wing strike from the eagle he did not panic and just met it head on with his bare hands.

BOOM

With a thundering sound, Liang Chen and the eagle flew back. Liang Chen realized that only a little blood sipped out from his palm but he was still very happy with the result knowing well that he was still just getting strong and by the time he finished assimilating the power of the totem this strike would not even feel like an itch.

Right now however he did not have much time to think about things in the future so he dived straight at the eagle again without delay after every clash he would suffer a small injury but the eagle's injuries were more serious than his and it was quite clear that he was stronger than the eagle. 

Five minutes later the eagle was lying down dead and Liang Chen was panting beside it with a gleam of joy to be seen in his eyes. His reaction in battle had only increased since he started clearing his orifices and his ability to make decisions in battle was becoming more splendid and accurate.

He took out a soul-sealing talisman and activated it then placed it on the body of the beast and soon it shone with light signifying it was successful in the capture, he removed a container and stored some of the eagle's blood within.

He then left the area with the others—he was sure that soon this area would be crawling with demonic beasts who were attracted by the smell of blood. He led them to the first empty cave they saw and told Chief Ouyang to sit down and meditate in other to prepare his state of mind for the ritual.

After one hour Liang Chen had finished drawing the formation and now it was time for Ouyang to draw the image of the demonic beast according to how he perceives it. Chief Ouyang immediately started drawing and one had to appreciate his artistic talent. A full three hours later, Chief Ouyang had finished drawing and was satisfied with his work, and right now on the ground was the image of a majestic eagle with silver wings that resembled swords emitting a bright light. The image seemed alive. 

Liang Chen was very satisfied with this drawing because the chief captured the image splendidly. He quickly placed the talisman in its place within the formation and asked Chief Ouyang to take his place before putting the spirit stones. As he placed the last stone, a buzzing sound could be heard, and then pain overwhelmed Chief Ouyang. Liang Chen led the others outside and as they rested outside they kept hearing screams coming from within the cave. 

A day later the screaming finally stopped and about one hour later a stout man walked out of the cave from the way he was beaming it seemed he had succeded in receiving the totem mark and even the lingering injuries on his body were long gone. Liang Chen knew the chief would not see much progress immediately and needed time to train and absorb the power in the totem so all eleven of them went to continue the hunt. There were still nine people who needed to have their totems. 

Half a month passed and all of them had successfully acquired a totem each and they quickly made their way back to Purple Leaf City. Their speed of travel had now increased and it only took them half the time to return. During this period they had experienced a lot as Liang Chen had allowed them to battle some weaker beasts and they had come to see that many dangers lay within that mountain the only reason they survived and wandered around without fear was because they were with Liang Chen.

Liang Chen did this in other to prevent them from taking their time there for granted and rashly wandering into the forest and losing their lives. He also told them that they were just in the outer parts of the forest and even he didn't dare go further. This served as a wake-up call. So now that they had come back to a place they knew and understood, and with their increasing strength they knew it was only a matter of time before this city would be unable to contain them. They couldn't wait to see what the future holds.