Primal Edict

*The fate of the world is dictated by the deadliest predator.*

## Summary

Primal Edict is a path-bound supreme-quality E-Grade skill (although strong enough to be considered pseudo D-Grade) that Zac created for his Evolutionary Path while in Perennial Vastness. The skill fills a massive area surrounding Zac with moss from which an endless multitude of regenerating vines emerge to attack all enemies. As the vines regrow they utilize Creation Energy to change and evolve gaining different capabilities. Additionally, Primal Edict provides support for his other skills.

Zac gained the Title Runic Progenitor for creating this skill, and because of that title also gained Grand Achievement.

## Skill Creation

*Zac used a cultivation chamber in the Keys of Ascension to create this skill.* **Chapter 1,022**

* Instead, he found himself in an abandoned square under a tumultuous sky. Judging by the deep scars on the walls, it had either been a battlefield or a sparring area.
* ... there was an intense lingering aura of Conflict. It far eclipsed the Bloodwind Planet's atmosphere, though it lacked the corrosive bloodthirst you encountered on most battlefields. The truths were pure, aiming right at the heart of Conflict, ...
* It was completely overgrown, with hundreds of vines covering the walls and ground. Not two vines looked the same, but they all shared one feature. They radiated a terrifying amount of life force.
* there was just a densely engraved gemstone floating in the center, an emerald that seemingly had absorbed the environmental Daos for millions of years.

*Zac used two natural treasures to help create the skill:* **Chapter 1,022**

* Inside one was a slightly dried mushroom he'd found in the caves at the bottom of the Twilight Chasm. It looked like it was dying, but it exuded a vast aura of Life. Not only that, but it voraciously swallowed the ambient energy in the square to regenerate rapidly.
* The other box held a single stalk of grass. It was almost half a meter long and looked more like a sword than a herb. ... The stalk was one of the best Natural Treasures Kruta had found during his travels on the battlefields. ... so Zac had taken the opportunity to buy the stalk and some other conflict-attuned materials.

*Skill Creation Process:* **Chapter 1,023**

* But the momentum of decades of preparation combined with a raging sea of synthetic insight urged him on.
* Dozens of mental streams entered the large emerald, and Zac soon located the mysterious space within. ... it was far beyond his **[Fractal Framework Arrays]**.
* The emerald was incredible, a tool truly worthy of his undertaking.
* Cutting, stabbing, binding, consuming. Anything that entered his domain was prey, nourishment to his path.
* He extracted a wisp of Creation Energy from his body, ... New cracks and odd distortions appeared across the gemstone, but it managed to curtail the untamable energy as it was dragged toward the skill fractal.

## Skill Fractal Location

**Lower Back behind Cosmic Core**

Meanwhile, he cut off a section of his pathways on the low of his back, opening up the skill slot just behind where his Cosmic Core would be. **Chapter 1,023**

## Skill Window

[E] Primal Edict - Proficiency: Middle. The fate of the world is dictated by the deadliest predator. Upgradeable. **Chapter 1,023**

## Early Proficiency

* *Skill creation was so transcendent that this stage was skipped.* **Chapter 1,023**

## Middle Proficiency

* He'd already suspected as much during the formation process, but confirming that the skill had reached Middle Proficiency from the get-go was still nice. **Chapter 1,023**
* The emerald smoke released from his body had already permeated the whole dome, forming a beautiful moss that seemed able to live on just about anything. **Chapter 1,029**
* The moss didn't even need something to attach to. Floating clouds of green drifted about, or did for a second before getting ripped apart by the dagger rain. Even then, the surviving shreds just formed the cores of new clouds and began growing. Everything was consumed; everything became nourishment. **Chapter 1,029**
* Creaking sounds formed an ominous rattle before the world exploded with an exuberant hunger. Innumerable vines grew out from the moss, lashing out at anything that came close. They grew as quickly as Vivi's vines, covering the whole battleground in an instant. **Chapter 1,029**
* The vines ... were filled with as much Dao of Conflict as Dao of Life. As such, they weren't fully smooth. Instead, they had three protruding equidistant ridges, each forming a natural edge with powerful cutting capability. They weren't as strong as the blades of **[Nature's Edge]**, but the dome was already crawling with them. **Chapter 1,029**
* The tip of the vines was extremely sharp, and they had three barbs with far greater hardness than the rest of the vines. If they managed to pierce someone, it'd cost a chunk of flesh to rip them loose. **Chapter 1,029**
* Still releasing emerald mist, more and more vines grew around him, making him seem like an avatar of nature. **Chapter 1,029**
* Simultaneously, more than fifty fines [*sic*] suddenly burst out of the small tree, like deadly parasites emerging from their hosts. **Chapter 1,029**
* But they didn't just keep growing. Instead, dozens of regions in the dome grew dull as moss died and vines withered. They'd been robbed of all their energy and Longevity. In return, broken tips exploded with renewed vigor as new vines emerged from within, gleaming with a golden luster. It almost looked like a snake shedding its old shell, but what came out was not the same. **Chapter 1,030**
* Some vines looked illusory, as though they were made of light. Others seemed more metal than vine. A few had odd growths humming with unstable power, while some had actually grown axe-like protuberances. **Chapter 1,030**

## Peak Proficiency

* As he moved toward the third siege weapon, a golden haze spread around his body, attaching to every surface, even forming floating pockets of life in the air. **Chapter 1,070**
* It wasn't another talisman's work, but his Peak Mastery **[Primal Edict]**. **Chapter 1,070**
* Zac had pushed his Supreme Pathbound E-grade skills to their peak years ago while collecting materials for his Omnitool, knowing it would be a while before he managed to upgrade these incredibly complex fractals. **Chapter 1,070**

## Synergy

* Not only that, but he had added multiple sections at his height of inspiration that should create synergy with many of his other skills. **Chapter 1,023**
* The vines which sprouted close to **[Ancestral Woods]** wound themselves around the trees, forming secondary armor before they shot toward the sky. **Chapter 1,029**
* The magical trunks of **[Ancestral Woods]** were no longer limited to transporting just Zac. During his epiphany, he'd figured out a way to harmonize his two skills, allowing the vines to do the same. **Chapter 1,029**

## Commentary

* It was impossible to say exactly how **[Primal Edict]** would work without using it first, but it should be an explosion of vines appearing to rip everything apart. **Chapter 1,023**
* The naming sense also hinted it was a creation more in line with Evolutionary Stance than drawing upon the mythos of Arcadia. **Chapter 1,023**
* In a sense, the true alpha predators of nature weren't the largest beasts that roamed the lands. The true terrors were the smallest members of flora and fauna. Mossy was a prime example of that, and the unique creature had been part of the inspiration for **[Primal Edict]**. **Chapter 1,029**
* Between **[Adamance of Eoz]** and his high Endurance and Vitality, they [*the vines*] were extremely difficult to stop. **Chapter 1,029**
* he skill was already scaled to the point it could be mistaken for a D-grade skill ... **Chapter 1,029**
* There was even a bit of Creation Energy required to run the skill, which allowed the vines to accept anything and make it their own. **Chapter 1,030**
* Similarly, the vines had reached a deadly mass, even to Valsa's deathsworn. The vines would overwhelm her helpers if they no longer needed to counter the blade rivers. **Chapter 1,030**
* The energy across the battlefield stirred as innumerable deadly roots sprung up wherever Zac passed. **[Primal Edict]** contained the essence of his Evolutionary Path, and it fed on the aura of struggle that permeated the whole region. It became fodder for the cycle of destruction and rebirth, letting the roots grow at an accelerated pace as they joined Zac in his advance toward the defensive line. **Chapter 1,070**