Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
[X] A corridor seemingly composed wholly of roses and thorny vines, that split and twisted into the distance, forming a great labyrinth

I want to highlight a couple of things on this particular challenge which makes it easier for us:
-Its a maze. CDE, which we JUST loaded up, lets us summon wisps that can explore a maze for us, and can noclip the walls to solve it from an easier perspective.
-Its made of plants, which Zhengui can use to extend his perception through as one of his Xuanwu powers. This makes it harder to ambush us if something is in here.

The temple has laser/electric/Heaven barriers, which makes Sable Grace less effective, so we have to solve it the 'proper' way with Academics/Formations.
The boat...well its a boat. Any challenges will be occuring at close quarters with no way to deploy our spirits except maybe Hanyi.
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
 
[X] A corridor seemingly composed wholly of roses and thorny vines, that split and twisted into the distance, forming a great labyrinth
 
[X] A pier and a little boat tied to it, floating on a river that flows into the yawning mouth of an ominous cave.
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
 
A little disappointed that Seeking Moon's Eyes have not increased their range. I was looking forward to using them with shadow step to fast travel.
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
 
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[X] A pier and a little boat tied to it, floating on a river that flows into the yawning mouth of an ominous cave.

We're with Xuan. Boats are his wheelhouse.

We tend to be pretty good with spirits, so the temple is my second choice.
 
[X] A corridor seemingly composed wholly of roses and thorny vines, that split and twisted into the distance, forming a great labyrinth
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
Adhoc vote count started by Grigori on Apr 8, 2019 at 7:56 PM, finished with 95 posts and 70 votes.
 
[X] A pier and a little boat tied to it, floating on a river that flows into the yawning mouth of an ominous cave.

If this is really a desperat back to back fight I want to see it.
 
"Big Sister, are you done sitting around playing with lights yet?" One of her points of vision swiveled to see Hanyi sitting atop a crumbling stump of a wall, kicking her legs in irritation.
I hadn't realized before, that CDE is absolutely a great art for airhead Ling Qi. With the wisps, she doesn't need to retreat into her own head when she disenagages from caring about social inanities: Ling Qi can just summon some wisps to go wandering about while physically remaining present! She just needs to up their range to let her explore more than just the party environs.

"Is there any reason why we couldn't have just flown up there?" Ling Qi asked.

Xuan Shi gave her a mildly aggrieved look. "Without the stair, you would only exit the ruin."
...By which Ling Qi means, why couldn't she have just flown up there herself, not that she was bragging she got a flying gown that lets her fly even though flying isn't an option for mere plebs like Xuan Shi.

(I would guess that Xuan Shi knew the entrance was really the stairs or the puzzle, and not because he went through a bunch of trouble getting a cumbersome flying talisman, only to find out the door doesn't exist.)

Before them was stone gate, and in its center, rather than a latch or a lock, was the symbol of Yin and Yang, with circular arrays the size of a hand where the small circles of color would normally be.
This is really reminding me of the beginning of the Serpent's Treasure trial, where Meizhen was forced to take on Ling Qi to get access to the trial. I do hope we don't get split up, though. I don't think Ling Qi knows Xuan Shi well enough to see past an illusion of him. (Though Sixiang probably can help immensely with that.)

I doubt that Ying would be the Elder that might appear at the end of the trial — she's the Outer Sect manager — but possibly a relation of hers? Unless the whole forced-pairing thing is an Argent Sect thing, with its whole teamwork theming, not a Shi clan thing.

[X] A pier and a little boat tied to it, floating on a river that flows into the yawning mouth of an ominous cave.
The options are probably only a challenge typing, rather than reward sets, I think. The boat is thus best from the perspective of letting Ling Qi show off — Xuan Shi has basically no water qi in his arts, and in any encounter, Ling Qi and Hanyi should be able to freeze the entire water surface solid, if fighting space is an issue.
 
[X] A pier and a little boat tied to it, floating on a river that flows into the yawning mouth of an ominous cave.

Think of context- the whole setup as a romance area leans heavily on the idea that the novels were romance genre, which isn't actually known. We do know that they were voyages, so travel by boat becomes the most on-theme option here. Notice how the other two are both super bright and flashy? Go with the boat. Xuan knowes boats, I'm 90% sure we can freeze water surface as needed to dance over it, and it's the most likely to be the personal choice of the person who built this challenge.

Also, how certain are we that Xuan is straight? I thought the earlier conversations we had with him at the library hinted at a crush on Cai's subordinate, while his crush on Cai was relayed third hand... I'll have to go dig for quotes. Would kinda monkey wrench both the romance area thing and the husbando list. ;)

But a close male friend would be cool. Given cultural norms I suspect that getting that close to a boy would be an assumed romance track though.
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
 
"One which this one knows the solution to, and has completed before," Xuan Shi agreed. "The colors present are those of the voyaging heroes ship. The way does not remain open however, Miss Ling, this one will have to ask that you follow instruction."

For the voyages aspect, and...

"Thy mercy is as boundless as the heavens," he replied, unruffled. "Then, might this one inquire as to the status of thy ladies others hand?"

Ling Qi frowned, adjusting her balance as they started down a hill. "Gan Guangli has his own task, and the rules of the Sect mean that what can be done is limited. "I have left him my furnace for his use, and Lady Cai will fund his cultivation though. Were you friends?" She asked curiously. She hadn't spent much time with either boy.

"The right hand is a man of honor whom this one respects, and perhaps a friendly ear at times," Xuan Shi said, a touch of regret entering his voice.

"The big man was nice," Gui agreed guilelessly, with the earnestness of a child.

"I suppose he was," Ling Qi said, she would just have to hope her fellow retainer was able to tough it out. She was leery of the idea of a duchess chosen replacement for him in Cai Renxiang's circle.

"If it's not rude," she continued carefully. "Might I ask why you grew more distant from us?"

Xuan Shi reached up, tilting his shell patterned hat downward and shadowing his face further. "This one grew busy with his projects, and… realized the foolishness of certain childish impulses. Let it rest at that."

Ok, on second pass, this does read a lot more like talking out his crush on Cai with a friend than a crush on the boy.
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
 
[X] A softly lit temple, with sparking qi barriers blocking the way toward its rear. Behind them, you can see the looming shadow of a great statue of some forgotten great spirit.
 
Yes, so why do you think we should expect her to get the counterpart? I don't think we have much information at all about what sort of Art we might get.
......because Yin = female and Yang = male so why would it give an art of the "feminine" element to the one representing Yin in the seal especially when seal had them use their hands to fill in for the dots of Yin and Yang inside their counterparts as on the Yin-Yang symbol.
 
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