Hmmph... this junior is a good seed [Cultivation Management Quest]

Side-Omake: Butchery With a Dash of Elegance

The following are several exerpts from the novel 1001 Ways to Cook a Golden Core, written by Sun Diaxing. Despite all efforts by Jingshen and Golden Devils alike to censor the text and destroy all copies, it remains in print as a hot black market item.

However, those ambitious folks who get their hands on a copy expecting a guide on how to supercharge the Blood Path and become a mighty Nascent Soul will find themselves disappointed. Nowhere among its extensive pagecount does the book offer any advice on battle or cultivation. It really is just a book of recipes. Nonetheless, efforts to destroy all the copies continue, under suspicion that a hidden code might be somewhere within.

#103: Dao Kebab

I first learned the art of kebab from a man who claimed to hail from the Fourth Sea. His name was Ahmed; his beard was thick and curly and he dressed in robes of beautiful yellow and white. The two of us had a wonderful evening together, but alas, all things must come to an end. He was delicious, and it was that meal that allowed me to finally reach Great Circle Core Formation all those centuries ago. It is in Ahmed's honor that I present the following recipe.

Cutting a preserved core into pieces before eating it is liable to make the qi leak out. Specialized techniques are required to prevent such a disaster, and thus this will be an advanced recipe. I recommend that only Nascent Souls attempt it.

What you need:

One Golden Core above the Pressurized Stage and below the Hyperdense Stage.

2 lbs of green onion, pepper, shallot, watercress and cabbage, apportioned to your tastes.

One spit for roasting, rated for 2000 degrees farenheit. If you do not have such a spit, a pan can be substituted.

An assortment of Fourth Sea spices. Alternatively, substitute a spiced wine-based sauce for a similar flavor.

Honey.

Vinegar.

Rub the spices, honey and vinegar into the core until it is evenly coated. If you are using sauce instead, marinate the core for 24 hours. Pierce the core on the spit and roast it vertically over the fire. Continuously turn the spit to ensure an even roast. Once the core is cooked to your preferred doneness, slice off strips of meat and garnish with the vegetables.

The result, if successfully cooked, will have a gamey, deeply savory taste. It is a mature palate which lingers on the tongue for several minutes after you swallow, so much so that you'll swear the person you just ate came back as a ghost to attack you.

I recommend cooking the core of a Cultivator with a gentle, kind, or altruistic Dao. The milder taste of such a Dao will help bring out the flavor of the spices, whereas the bite of a more cynical or aggressive Dao would muddle the balance of flavors.

----

#588: Luck Drop Soup

The Eight Pillar Parth is a deeply mysterious method of advancement. Whereas the Single Pillar Path is a newer innovation, the Eight Pillar Path is one that has been known since time immemorial, being a reward for those who can properly align their Dao with the Heavenly Daos.

Most interesting of all is that the Eighth Pillar does not actually come from submission to heaven, but from Fung Shuei. By properly aligning the Fung Shuei within one's own dantian through the symmetrical alignment of eight pillars rather than seven, a deeper connection of the universe is achieved, and heavenly luck will slowly, continuously manifest through the practitioner.

But enough of that bullshit, we're here today to talk about how to eat one of those bastards.

So, you've defeated a Core Formation Cultivator who ascended after having previously achieved the Eighth Pillar: congratulations. You've defeated a true great talent, and should be proud of your victory. But don't rest easy yet: you only have a day to eat their core before all of that accumulated luck disperses. What's more, because the Eighth Pillar is so rarely achieved, you will probably never get this chance again.

Be warned, the following recipe has not been tested in the field. It is one which I created based on my own understanding of Fung Shuei, after I experienced the disastrous karmic backlash of eating an Eight Pillar Core raw.

This is a difficult recipe, but the techniques involved are not themselves especially difficult to learn. The hard part is the implementation. Therefore, it is recommended to Late-Core Formation and up.

What you need:

One Golden Core, harvested from a Cultivator who ascended after building the Eighth Pillar. Ideally, the core should be above the Cloud Stage. If it is not, there exist techniques and regents which can congeal the gasseous core into a jelly with a similar consistency to bean paste.

Sacred Beast or Golden Pheasant bone soup stock. DO NOT substitute any other kind of bone stock, as this will provoke a karmic backlash. If you must substitute it for a vegetable stock, be warned that the luck boost will be weakened somewhat. Make sure it has a high amount of alkaline, so as to maintain Feng Shuei in the molecular formations of the broth.

Green onion and other mild vegetables of your choosing.

An acidic, preferably vinegar-based sauce. Choose what you like, but it must be acidic to cancel out the alkaline in the stock.

Extra virgin sesame oil

Sea salt. DO NOT substitute rock salt. It must be from the sea, not the Turtle Child's body, or you will provoke a karmic backlash.

Heat the stock to a simmer over 1000 degree heat, then add the salt, sauce and oil. Stir until there are no layers in the broth.

Next, dice the vegetables and set them aside.

Finally, raise the temperature to 2000 degrees and steep the core in the broth. Monitor the pot until the core has mostly but not completely melted; this takes longer the higher its cultivation stage.

Lower the heat to 1000 degrees again and add the vegetables. Continue to steep the core until it is fully melted, regularly stirring the soup to prevent clumping.

Serve while hot and eat it quickly, and if every step has been properly performed, a portion of the Eighth Pillar's luck enhancement should flow into your body, enough for at least a century of good fortune.

----

#672: Million-Year Core

Before you start to sweat, this term does not literally refer to a Golden Core which has been preserved for one million years. Instead, the name comes from the method of preparation, which speeds up the fermentation process such that it's as if the core was aged for that long.

This is a fairly easy recipe; all that you need are standard core preservation techniques and the means to maintain those techniques for ten years. This is recommended for Mid-Core Formation and up. In addition, those with a poor affinity for earth techniques should not attempt this recipe.

What you need:

One Golden Core, above the Liquid Stage but below the Fortified Stage. The higher the stage of the core, the less runny and more solid the final product will be.

First, increase the intensity of the preservation technique, until a solid, protective coccoon is formed around the core.

Next, use an earth technique to reinforce the coccoon further with an outer layer of clay.

Finally, entomb the core underground for several years, allowing it to ferment. Not only will this prepare the dish, but depending on the Dao it can actually increase the amount of cultivtion gained from eating it.

Upon being excavated, the semi-solid core should have now congealed. Eat it on the spot, either on its own or pairing it with any side-dishes of your choice.

When eaten, the Core will have a very potent and sharp tast, which combined with its creamy texture can overwhelm the taste buds. It is recommended to eat the dish slowly, so as to saver the sharpness.

Whichever Dao produced the core will have its natural taste amplified, so pick whichever kind you like the best. A Dao of Spite will be spicy enough to blow your sinuses wide open, a Dao of Noblesse Oblige will be as sweet as chocolate and a Dao of Excellence will carry a pungent sweet-and-sour kick.

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#888: Circle Side Up

So you've just killed a Cultivator in the Great Circle of Core Formation. Congratulations! Either you are at least Late Core Formation, in which case this meal is likely to push you into Nascent Soul, or you are already a Nascent Soul and this is just another evening of gourmet dining. Either way, a treat like this requires special preparation. After all, a properly fused Golden Core is stable on the molecular level. While breaking it is possible, you are likely to break your teeth if you bite right into it. Hence, this recipe.

After all, the Dao stored in a genuine Fused Stage Golden Core is different. It is more purely realized than in other cores; it represents the height of human determination, just before one is meant to double back, ascend to Nascent Soul and begin the journey all over again. Because of this, the sheer focus and identity present in the flavor is actually more intense than that of a Nascent Soul, which has a more mild and complex taste.

Without careful management and preparation, the taste of a Fused Core can become sensory overload, pure noise on the tongue. In some cases, the Dao can even manifest physically and harm the one who ate it, though this danger is far less if the eater is in Nascent Soul already.

This dish is recommended to Great Circle Core and up, as eating the core of someone above your level can risk adverse effects on your Dao. That said, if you're in Late Core I would say: take the risk anyway.

What you need:

One Golden Core in the Fused Stage.

Five ounces of Thought-Suppression Oil.

One needle's worth of Degeneration Dew.

That last ingredient is incredibly rare, but crucial for the preparation of this dish. So as an aside, if you cannot procure Degeneration Dew, then I recommend sucking on the core like a hard candy until the outer layer is worn down, then chewing it. It's not as safe and far less delicious, but a Great Circle Golden Core is not an asset to be wasted.

First, use a sword technique on the needle to pierce the outer layer of the core and deliver the drop of Degeneration Dew. This will turn the inside of the core into a soft, runny substance which is much easier to spritually digest.

Next, coat the pan in the Thought-Suppression Oil. Do not pour it too thickly, but make sure there is an even sheen.

Once it is ready, crack open the core and pour the liquid contents into the pan. If you've properly prepared the core, then it should be clear, runny and thick, but still pour smoothly. Cook the core over 4000 degree heat, lowering the heat to 3000 degrees after the first five minutes. Keep an eye on the core and move it around in the pan to prevent sticking.

The heat will harden the core and cause it to change color, though the exact colors will depend on the Dao. A weapon-related Dao might produce a steel gray, for example. Once the dao is finished cooking, put it on a plate , garnish with vegetables and season to taste.

This dish is designed to not augment the core's flavor too much, since the intensity of the Dao flavor is the appeal.


----

Xie Xinya poured over the large book yet again, scanning through the contents at less than 10% of the time it would take a mortal. Yet this speed was incredibly slow for a Core Formation Elder.

"Old Cannibal, you mother fucker. I know you hid something in here. Even if the Archegetes can't figure you out, I swear I will!" She ranted, eyes beginning to grow bloodshot from frustration and fatigue. This was Sun Diaxing's legacy, circulated in hundreds of copies through black markets, most of them transcribed by hand. Something had to be here, some trick or information hazard or secret message.

Maybe Old Cannibal had brainwashed himself to forget his own secret message and invade the Archegetes' powers. Maybe it was something which would only reveal itself when multiple copies were brought together(she had four other copies piled up on her desk in case of this possibility). Maybe he had told his subordinates to encode the secrets themselves without telling him how they did it.

One thing was for sure: this couldn't just be some fucking cookbook; no Nascent would bother making something so mundane!

"No matter how long it takes, I will not fail this mission!" Xinya vowed. "I will find your secret!"

----


I wrote this as a quick little thing because I thought it would be funny, and also I wanted to post something while I was focusing on finishing a collab.

Earlier, I idly thought "I wonder if a person's Dao makes them taste different to a Blood Cannibal" so I wrote this as an expansion of that concept. Three of them ended up being based on egg dishes because, well, a Golden Core looks like an egg, and has the consistency of one in several of its stages. I had a few more ideas but I didn't want to wear out the novelty.

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The art of living sand chapter 3 :Sand body
By Placus Cassius Firminus

The sand body level of the art of living sand is not for anyone below the level of foundation or preferably core. The obvious reason for this is that if you turn your physical brain into sand without being able to think and reason without the need of a physical brain then this technique is nothing more than an elaborate method of suicide. If you are still dependent your your physical brain then please read no further in case it causes you to get dangerous and very stupid ideas. I would really hate for someone that bought this essay to kill themselves with it from sheer idiocy.

The first step of the body of sand technique is turning your body into sand. This can be done a number of different ways with their own upsides and downsides. The safest (comparably chance of death still certain if your mind is dependent on your brain) and most sure way is to embalm yourself in desert marrow elixir (recipe costs 20 Cp). As your body slowly turns to sand, take control of each part with the blood sand technique that you learned in chapter one. The real advantage of this method despite its slowness and expense is that you don't have to embalm your entire body all at once. You can test your technique with as much of your body as you are willing to risk.

Another way to turn your body to sand is to simply drink desert marrow elixir (recipe costs 20 Cp) this will turn you into sand rapidly fast enough to even be viable in the middle of combat. Of course this is all or nothing. You might be better off convincing your opponent to drink it. Desert marrow elixir after if made for the purpose of mastering this art does not contain the ill intent of a poison.

A less expensive way to transform yourself into sand is to simply lay your body out in the sun until you become one with the desert.

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If you found this article helpful we recommend.

The art of living sand chapter 4 : Meat body turning back from sand body. 1000 CP

_________________________________
@Alectai, @TehChron, @Humbaba, @ReaderOfFate, @Kaboomatic

I found myself compelled to write this. Most purely for the sake of the punchline, but also at the same time to take an idea far too seriously.

Author notes: the brotherhood are not accurate narrators.



xxx

The Clan victory in this trial was so significant that a week-long party was done by the decree of the might mayor! The participation of the brotherhood in the saga of the 'next 13' was noticed. More resources are coming for his brothers and more requests of constructions was being send to us.

Even networking with the cultivators' family and the trade of information and other value tips got easier. And best of all the builder look at the statue of senior and now captain of the brotherhood, Diomedes Cestus.

The statue got a place of honor in the 'heart' of the 'eternal building' of the brotherhood, yes getting a patron that is an elite scion, a genius that reach the 12th​ heavenstage and that had succeeded in breaking into the next great realm. That patronage, that protection. Is make one really wants to pray to the ancestor in gratitude. All is good.

The builder now only needs to wait a little bit in this place of rest, of reunion, and warm or serious talks. His brothers are finally beginning to gather around on comfortable chairs, sofas or in the ground with some kind of blanket and heater combo that the oldest mortals and cultivators present favor. He of course was in a solid build chair, one that even a horde of small kids jumping, escalating and/or doing other stuff like pulling his beard, would not make the chair shake. A particularly important thing when so many little ones are gathering to hear his story and are still hyping from all these victories and from the city party.

Yet he waited, since the young still have energy to burn, the food is not yet here and not all brothers are present, the first brothers look around once more. Many happy and pleased grandparents showing of 'cool scars', raising their grandchildren with muscles still firm from training and cultivation life, the three 'big brothers' returned wounder and scared, but certainly alive. Well big brother and big sisters to be more correct. around there is also 'mortals' grandparents telling their contributions for the war that the brotherhood went, serving as eyes and hears in many cases and a final way of having a logistic train to send help in the trial.

Some of my 'mortal' brothers had even guarded the juniors and made sure the next generation of the brotherhood did not go with the rest of us, when the next 13 called.

His entire generation that had become cultivators answered the call, of course, but only the elite of the second generation was allowed with us in that battle. The rest stayed in those tunnels full of traps. We expect to die to the last man, woman and child (even if they are already adults). So, I hope the next 13 do not take insult from this if they ever learn that.

Finally, the food has come, many kids made an, very controlled, line. Because the third 'brother' would not allow any kind of mess and/or practical 'jokes' involving food. And because the 'scary grandpa' that is the is my fifth brother is watching carefully at their direction.

Looking once more to the rest, I see cultivators and 'mortals', children, parents and grandparents resting close to one another at easy. I also look at the warm tapestry, the beautiful mural art, the impressive statues, that show moments of glory and victory of the clan and/or from the brotherhood, the fabric was made with hair, 'mortal' hair and cultivator hair. Of those with the blood (of bronze) and those without that. With most of the hair being green. But even within his generation of cultivators there is multiple other colors that exist, his golden hair is a good example or the white hair of fifth brother.

Anyway, here, in this room, only our hair can be used for art. This Is the only place where donation from the clan cannot be used. The builder looks to the newest of the tapestry, that was yet to have the full series of scions of the clan. The victory of the next 13 one of the arts focus on Ulysses, had him on battlefield with some form of knife on his hands saving the lives from his brother with the other one hand, while the still throwing knives, one said throwed blades was slapped the face of the 'disappoint one' in the flat part of the weapon, in another art he was healing one of his brothers wasting incredible amounts of riches with a giant smile and a light aura which my brother that was under his care swore that the senior have.

There only a single art, at the moment, of Amaranth, give it size, in there was the ten thousand spirit beast slayer, showing some of many of his slaved ghost of spirit beast that he killed in all these years, with a good focus on frogs. So many villagers saved. The center point was, of course, the frog slayer himself, throwing might punch after might punch on the brat hunter. Giving a bit of time to Great Zeno, so that he could unleash another esoteric art.

Another art, with their second in command, the Mighty Gaius, show him doing planning using the brotherhood's maps, the light of the sun reaching the seeker. Another shows the Seeker swimming like a fish with the sun making him and the other elites shiny like gold. In the final art, at the moment, show Gaius easily blocking the talismans. His enemy, that poor woman, bleeding from many wounds.

Of course, their new boss, senior Diomedes Cestus had some art too already. In one him is masterful leading his troops, those nice boys and girls that are true legionary. In that art they use the shadow warrior to fight some unholy fusion of turtle and man that the hunters had summoned. All those brave legionaries showing a firm resolve.

In another the famous, in the brotherhood, beatdown that Diomedes did to the disappoint one. Not a single piece of crap had hit him while doing so.

In the final piece. Diomedes giving an opening to one of the original 13, the immortal phoenix to break the hunters' leader token. With the disappoint one wailing in the background in defeat.

After using so much time, it was no surprise that the next, and final, group to enter this area, looking like were summoned by thinking so much about the next 13 scions of the clan. Because the 13th​ brother, the 13th​ junior brother and 13th​ little brother, all their 'crew' of 'subordinate brothers' and some of their weird pets too. they were, finally, satisfied with the security and had made the necessary full locking down of our 'fortress' by using the 'pillar raising art' and some other mechanics that we created in all these years.

With some very small gestures the 13th​ brother give us the all clear sigh, They have seen nothing out of place, which means a lot of checks (an insane amount in his eyes) were done to the 13th​ satisfaction. So, some of the pet snakes out there (and the ones here) did not give a signal of warm body hiding themselves from our eyes, the doggos did not give a signal either from smells or noises, the cats continue to be little shits, why so many of the little ones like those? Oh, yeah, they are good at pest control, never mind. Some other pets that 13th​ had including one very paranoiac and Qi sensitive rabbit that we had buy from from one of the subordinates of the glorious Destasia Duca from one those experiments (that survive to the end) that said subordinate did. The second and fifth brothers wish to buy some of the experiments from the the great elder herself. I not sure this a good idea. At most we will buy some of those scorpions and help the clan by creating another farm. Still the problem is the scorpions are stronger than a cultivator, at last compared to all the brotherhood. One should always remember that a mortal bull is stronger than us. Else we try to train and care for beings far stronger than us that don't have the instincts that mammals have to care for the young. But his mind is going for a tangent for too long already.

So since only using pets was not enough to please my paranoic brothers, the 13 crew all have at last one small trick in the base, like a single hair in a hall or a ball of material like dust or sand that will fall if some door are open. We of course made far easier to hit the treasury and the next 'easier' route was where we keep our reports, compare to some more important place like where we live or were we keep the food/water.

Well, we are all present now, and the fifth, the 100th​ (the elder hunter) and 13th​ had finally relaxed. And the little ones are already getting warm bellies from all that food, so let share our last tale. Less epic than the 13 scions. But one closer to said fight.

"So", with a baritone voice I start slowing when I was sure to not scary any children that was escalating (so they don't drop), "I already share the epic of the next 13 scions, and the glorious victory of our enemies, and the dangers that even a single of those evil, scum, so called hunters represent." I let the tension raise a little more. "So let me share with all, specially you little ones, what your parents and grandparents had thought would be our last stand. Were we would die to the last brother and sister present, to allow you all a better future". "let me share the tale of the first generation of the brotherhood and our own Scions".

Xxx

This is a fight way above their level, still they were willing to die to make openings for the more talented brothers in the clan. So why not, to try to shoot to the moon?

"I suggest the roasting and grandaddy formation" said the first brother with a deadly serious tone.

His sworn brothers nod to him and all other brothers start to move.

"Guess I will go first, brother dear" said the fifth going ahead of the formation. Since so long as we do not punch, they cannot punch back (and kill us) when they are in different realm.

"Ha, after all this talk, I, 47th brother, will be your protector, your salvation" only to be forced moved by 'brother' 50th "I want to die looking to the sun, you go to the other side".

"But 50th" tried the wimpy elderly to his wife. "No backtalk, go there dear". With fallen shoulders 47th moved, while getting gentle pats from all brothers close by.

"ALL ready?" asked the first brother. Getting an affirmation from all gathered.

"So, all together now! We only had one chance of doing this, let make it count" "1, 2, 3,"

Then with one voice they yelled "I, your grandfather, will offer you some tips" they pointed to the childish one there. What a disgrace of a 'senior'.

The 'hunter' looks at them with distaste and focuses on his fight with their senior, the formation activating to make the shadow warrior appear.

The mighty formation's shield is already moving to throw all the excrements and other things they prepare for this distraction. And threw it in his direction in the moment when their senior was far enough. They, of course, failed to hit. But the smell? Oh, the smell was a 'GREAT' one and dodge that is a bit harder.

So angrier for our actions the 'hunter' was, that he decided to throw some kind of 'art/skill' at us only to pause again before finishing. Shame, I guess someone as strong as him discovered our strategy.

"Yes, dear" started the fifth brother with an extremely weak voice. "Life is suffering, don't you want to help your grandaddy by ending this life?" he looked with his best grandfather eyes (which are the worst in all brotherhood).

"No," said, 50th 'brother', "I, his grandmother, am the oldest here. My baby boy will kill me and teleport us back home".

Senior Diomedes had most of his attention, but every bit helps. Still, that 'senior hunter' is getting really red. So strong family bonds? Can we get under his skin using other insults? Let us continue to get a feel before a proper 'roasting'.

So, with my baritone voice, I truly projected it at him and said "Hahahaha! no, our dear boy is working for our kin's ascension" I lied a little bit. So, laughing annoyed him, being called a boy annoys him and he certainly hated the insinuation that we are family from his reaction. Yeah, I can work with this.

"Use sub formation 35 in the roast, while laughing!" I comment with a small voice. Which was, interesting enough, something that 'hunter' could still hear from the small pause he took.

Sub formation 35 is the 'disappointed grandfather/mother comparing your success to others in the family' so some will act like that and some will do the mocking laugh. Something inside me says that this will make him truly angry.

Xxx

After laugh and enjoying the 'show' the youngest brothers and sister present had fallen sleep, so we move them to the communal living room of the little ones. Were we keep the of the few arrays that we use, one that use many lesser evil stones to in a year. And that all our victories will allow us to use even more so that next generation have a better future that ours did.

After securing them, putting blankets on them, checking that those that have stronger requirements to be alone or to be closer to some particular blanket, pillow, brother and/or pet. Which remember me. I make a truly horrific angry face look at that little shit cat, king of his shitty breed present, move two fingers to my eyes and to it. Then I look to brother bull two, the sacred beast of the brotherhood. And nod with a warm smile. We all quietly move out. I go to one of the walls of the hall and knock on it (lightly), receive the two knocks back. The night crew of the 11th​ and 13th​ brothers are reading to watch and protect the little ones. Good.

After a little walk, and locking the doors, the older kids, the 'mortal', the cultivators, the adults, the parents and grandparents present all make a circle, with all of us closer to one another.

"So, I will continue the report, so that all presents here can know what is require to kill a scion hunter honor guard and prepare us to the massacre that will come when the Disappoint One command his minions to exterminate us in the next trial". I said with grave tone.

xxx

So, this is it, the brotherhood's final battle. I could not be prouder of my brothers and sisters. Thought the builder.

Around them, their betters finish their own preparations to invade the fortress and the battle to come, while the brotherhood finishes moving the parts needed to our mad rush of a job/construction that we will use to distract and hold some of the honor guards in their own realm of power.

Said construction was made by combining the 'final protector' that they would have used in the tunnels, if not summoned by the clan to fight here. They added to said protector some rocks and materials of this desert.

They were almost ready now. But like the fourth brother likes to say, presentation was key, and like the second, the third and the fifth have said in the past - Battle is preparation and knowledge. The enemy knows only that we fight in a fanatical way when we are desperate and that we can use the most basic of formations that the clan has.

In exchange, we now know many things about their weaker fighters. And with that knowledge, they could finally hold some of the honor guard's full attention while the clan's elite stormed the fortress and avenged our kin.

Ahead of the little dune where the brotherhood was hiding their work, the fourth brother and some other brothers prepared the field.

With two giant pillars of rock made by their 'pillar raising arts' and all the material from the tents they prepared… a construction like an open theater. There they would hide their greatest weapon outside of a suicide technique.

The first builder looked around himself and saw only eyes full of determination. He nodded while making as much eye contact as possible with his brethren. With a baritone voice, he spoke. "Remember. Senior Diomedes commands us to live. Let us not disobey his orders." And then he breathed in until his lungs could not hold any more air and then let it all out in a few words. "Let's proceed!".

With the same energy, his brothers answered. "Yes, first brother!"

The Fourth brother nodded at him one last time and then showed us why he is the one responsible for our public relations and job hunting. With two iron boots, he made his way to the top of the 'theater'. He hit the pillar making a loud sound, then with his hands using the 'iron hand' art he slapped them together making another.

He was making a scene.

Taking our signal, we started to stomp while we worked, those that held spears, smashed them at their shields as loudly as possible. We all sang, though incredibly bad and with no harmony with each other. Many selected songs that clashed horribly with each other. Yet it was the fourth brother that is the one that was the best at hiding our work.

"Come here, come here, you cowards!" He said in the foul language of the fifth sea. Among us, he was the only one who did not have a horrible accent. Fitting since, when he wants, he can sing well.

Well, I could too, thought the first builder. But why would I put any kind of distance between my songs and his brothers? No, we all sing together. If it needs to be bad, then so be it.

His brother was getting the effect we wished for. The smarter honor-guards, the stronger honor-guards and the richer looking honor-guards. They were moving to other directions looking for more 'normal' legionaries. They do not want any of or shit. Ha! Just like we planned!

With some more subtle movements, my brother certainly was drawing the attention of those two we wanted. He was already making a gesture to us to start to 'boo' the 'cowardly hunters'. And with his other hand is making the gesture to us to prepare our first movement in this fight.

"11th brother, now it's your time to shine" My brother nodded at me while saluting and moved to the center of the (small) formation while the rest still made as many sounds as possible and continued to booster our best weapon with some last touches.

The 11th brother is our best warrior (or maybe is 13th, but 13th is not here, since he is not a golden devil), and we got him as much time as possible at the center of the Hoplite formation in these decades. So, it is not a big surprise that he is skilled with the use of the shadow one. He already is moving the spear to the rope made of (bronze) hair while getting some aid from our brothers to tie those.

I focus on the fourth brother again and prepare myself to help with this first movement.

"I am not talking to you, I mean the strong hunter there," the fourth brother said. So, with this (code) phase, he means that we have two hunters, and my brother decides to anger the 'meathead hunter'? Seems all is moving according to the plan. 'Heaven' usually breaks those by now. Weird.

"Just look at his arms, then back at you, look at his posture, then back at you. You could be like him; you only need to die here and reincarnate to be that awesome" My brother is moving his hand. Now is the time.

"Do it," I said.

The hoplite warrior directed by my brother explode in movement. And use his shadow body to only allow its 'eyes' to pass the 'theater' curtain. With a higher arc he moves his spear and shield with the net made of hairs that we have tied to them between both armed hands.

"Haaaa-" We all hear the 'hunter' yell being interrupted. We got one of them! No matter how strong he is or how fast he is. If he is not using his brain one cannot dodge in the middle air. And he had to jump to try to kill my beloved brother.

The warrior made of shadows started to move his mighty arms once more to throw the net as far as it could. We could not see the hunter inside of the net. But we could listen. He is yelling with all the shit and other stuff we put in that net. Until the scream stopped.

My heart stopped, then I said "throw him now" I commanded.

My brother did so, by cutting with the spear while throwing with the other arm by moving the shield. What was that? What Old Gold damned was that?!? An invisible art? A ghost shape art? Another heavenly treasure?

"Enemy has broken his own token," reports the 11th brother. The shadow one has superior senses allowing the one in the center of the formation to see far more than our weak senses could.

Not missing a beat, the fourth brother starts taunting once more while running/jumping away like the fire of heaven (hell) was here "that was it? I guess you two are also disappointing grandchildren".

Said hunter is already throwing (literal) lightning and burning our 'theater'. My brother succeeds at jumping at the giant shield and both start to retreat to here.

I nod and yell once more. "Launch the Little Dawn".

This is how the 'hunter' meets us behind the curtains. With walls being raised from the sand with ropes made of hair that connect each rock and each wall to each other and making sure that even if we failed to do some good cuts to the stones, they would stick with each other. And we certainly made sure they were well cut to allow them to 'glue' to one another.

Said hunter was still speechless. While the shadow one put the roof and threw with his weapons the ropes full of shields and arrays plates around the fortress. Our enemy was still in the same spot when the construction ended.

So, with my prepared speech and with a voice full of malice I started. "Life is full of predators, mister hunter, and some of them will go hunting you too. Meet the second greatest cause of death and failure of your kind here, one of your natural predators". I make a small pause "you so called 'hunter' witness a fully operation golden devil fortress" I lied, it has weak arrays, but we have a lot of evil rocks to power those, also we have food here for only two weeks of fighting, we would need to go to our boltholes to get more resources if this fight took that longer. Still, we have crossbows, we have some places to rest. While our enemy was alone. Also, we have lots of material to repair our fortress.

Still a final taunt is needed since we notice something particularly important. "Son, where is your core elder to save you now?"

The little hunter started to throw more lightning, which was absorbed by the stones, by the hair, by the patina plates, by our shields. Doing some damage. Still, it would take more time than this to break our walls and we have some other tricks.

Like our cannon that we renamed "Abel's vengeance,'' we have finished tying it with ropes to the shield of the shadow one. And all these distractions allow it to make a beautiful (to us) shot and break the 'hunter' token. One cannot dodge all those small balls of iron being thrown that fast without using their brains. And our presentation made him thunderstruck.

The battlefield was a bit silent after that. Not missing a beat, I yell. "Move our fortress closer to the other honor guard, I want to hit them with our Hoplite" then I repeat that in our language.

Will an almost pure 'wave' of sound my brothers yelled in confirmation, with the shadow ones using more ropes to throw pillars ahead of us to help the pillars already below this fortress.

We all gather our strength, boost our muscles with Qi, many send prayers or other forms of thanks to our seniors for the soup and other help. With that the brotherhood, bull two, the horses and even the shadow warrior using his weapon made our fortress move forward.

I decide to repeat my taunt before we join the greater battle. '' Where is your core elder to save you now? I yell with all my strength.

I just hope this is enough of a distraction so that our seniors can save our juniors.

Xxx

"After dealing with the runts of the runts of the runts of the litter, we faced some of the real hunters there" the brothers that were in that battle cringed and touch some of the new scars.

"And even with our fortress we could only resist and offer the little amount of help in that fight, specially after the scions of the clan fight the elder hunters once more". His brothers were quiet, absorbing once more what a hunter can do. Even the weakest ones.

"So I will prepare myself in this week, and use the opportunity of being mistake as a good seed" I raise a palm to stop my brothers protest, there good seed and there Good Seeds "to be one of the first to go in a generation long term mission by the higher ups in the clan".

Giving a pause so that his brothers could endure he continue "I will do my best to continue to show why some benefits could be direct at us. With some luck, I will get enough points that will allow us all to be strengthen before the next trial".

Xxx

Xi-Wang, the first builder, did not return alive to the brotherhood. But a senior did find what he so desperate want for his brothers. He could not be happier. His soul is with his dead family and his will still helping his living brothers.

In his resting place (the little that was not used in a armor) inside the brotherhood home reads:

'One for All'.

word count: 4581 (counting everything)

@Alectai, @TehChron well another one to help us reach 2kk.

Feeling invigorated from Elder Ypsilanti's parting words, Victor practically ran back to the training grounds to continue his cultivation. But when he arrived, he found the area filled with fellow Aspirants going through basic training. It was at this point that Victor remembered that the orientation was still going on.

His group's instructor was not happy he was late.

The only thing that kept him from being put on permanent latrine duty was how understanding Instructor Constantinus Vatatzes was after Victor explained everything… which is why Victor only got a month instead.

Too kind, really.

Ignoring Victor's indignation Constantinus said. "Now that that is taken care of..." he took a moment before pointing at a seemingly random trainee: "You! Get Aspirant Victor caught up on the past hour!"

Surprised at the sudden declaration, Victor looked back and forth between the instructor and the oddly nonplussed girl. He was a bit apprehensive — he didn't want to impose on anybody else's training after all.

Besides, Victor was confident he could catch up by himself. Right as he was going to say exactly that, however, the instructor shouted, "Well! Get a move on Aspirant! We don't have all day!"

On instinct, Victor answered, "Sir, yes, sir!" And saluted.

Looks like he better get moving. Approaching the girl, Victor gave her a once-over. She looked like a fairly normal member of the Clan. Bronze skinned with golden hair. Except for one detail: her eyes were completely black. It was almost enough to make me pause. Did she have a bloodline? Dumb question. What bloodline was it? Was it new? He didn't think so, there was something familiar about it. Which means it's probably an older one. What does it do?

How much better than his was it?

He put those thoughts aside. He'd think about it later. Instead, he introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Victor, Victor Wulf. Sorry you got dragged into this. I'll try to get out of your hair as fast as possible."

At his words, the girl looked… amused? Did he say something funny? "It's nice to meet you too, Victor, I'm Lipita Delphi. And don't worry, reviewing everything will be good practice for me. But enough pleasantries — let's get started now. There's a lot to review."

Outwardly, Victor just nodded and started following Lipita to an empty spot in the training grounds. But inside, he was shocked. Her name is Delphi? Like of the Delphi family? One of the most widespread families in all of the Clan? Guess that answers what bloodline she has.

Looks like he wasn't the only aspirant dealt a bad hand.

He shook those thoughts away. He shouldn't be happy about that. Besides, there were more important things to do. Like, quickly catch up on what he missed so that he could leave the Delphi scion alone. He didn't want to take up more of her time than he had to. It shouldn't be too hard.

Really, how much could you miss in an hour?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

A lot.

It turns out you can miss a lot. Victor had thought that orientation day would be like your first day of school. Where they go over the basics to make sure everyone was on the same page. That was not the case here. As soon as the Aspirants were done with the receptiveness test, they were rapidly put through their paces.

The massive crowd of Aspirants was divided into different groups, each doing different things. How instructors knew who belonged to which group with so many people around was a mystery to Victor. But clearly, they did. His group was currently going over the structure of the Legions. And when Victor heard Lipita say that, he was confident this really would be quick.

It was not.

There was far more to the structure of Legions than he had thought. Lipita covered everything from the types of Legions that existed, to how different sub-groups within a Legion worked with each other vs their parent group. And she was summarizing. Apparently, he'd learn more once he knew what type of Legion he was assigned to.

By the end of their thirty-minute review, Victor had learned more about the Legion than he had in his entire life! Admittedly, that was partially his fault, as he had focused on the more practical side of his studies. But still, it was a lot.

As the mini-lecture came to an end, Lipita asked, "Are there any questions or subjects you need clarified?"

He shook his head "None. You explained everything really well." He wasn't just saying that either, she clearly knew what she was talking about. "Thanks for doing this, by the way. I know the instructor told you to, but I still appreciate it. So if you ever need something, just ask."


She answered, "I'll hold you to that," with a polite smile, and walked back to her spot.

As soon as he couldn't see her, Victor let out a deep sigh. It was time to integrate back into the actual lecture. Settling into the crowd, Victor did his best to focus on Instructor Constantinus' words. He didn't want to be left behind again.

He couldn't afford it.

Thankfully, Lipita was thorough in her explanations, so it didn't take long for Victor to figure out what the instructor was talking about. In fact, he's pretty sure Lipita went ahead of the lecture. Did she do that so he wouldn't be lost when he rejoined? If so, he definitely needed to find a way to pay her back.

To his surprise, an opportunity to do so came far sooner than he expected. As just a few hours later, the lecture ended and his group moved on to the second half of orientation day one.

Combat Basics.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

When Victor heard what their next class would be, he was both excited… and worried. While combat was the one few things Victor thought he truly excelled at — today had also been an eye-opening experience. In that, he now knows how little he really knows. So he couldn't help but wonder if he was behind in that regard as well.

Turns out, he had nothing to fear.

In the first two hours, they were put through a series of basic drills and taught the Legion's martial styles — all of which Victor had ample experience with. His biggest struggle here was working with the other Aspirants. But he got used to them quickly enough.

Afterward, they transitioned from the drills to practicing with the spear and shield. At this point, Victor was starting to get bored. He knew these moves by heart at this point. Step, thrust, retreat into formation. Block up, counter-attack, retreat into formation. Always keep your stance wide and legs bent. Move with the formation. Never let go of your spear. Don't become complacent. Always stay vigilant. Never fall into your opponent's flow.

These lessons had been repeatedly and painfully drilled into him.

Going through the motions, Victor jumped when Instructor Constantinus suddenly called out, "Aspirant Victor! Get over here!"

Complying, Victor ran over to the instructor and said, "Yes, sir?"

Instructor Constantinus looked him over. "I can tell you aren't getting much out of this. Go find someone that's struggling and give them some pointers for now. I'll put you in a more accelerated combat course tomorrow." Without waiting for a response, the instructor went back to guiding the group in front of him. Accepting the obvious dismissal, he turned away.

Now he just needed to find someone.

Scanning the crowd of Aspirants, it wasn't hard for Victor to spot the people who needed his help. Their flawed movements giving a number of them away immediately. These were the ones Instructor Constantinus hadn't personally gotten to yet. But he just wasn't sure who to start with. The worst ones or the ones who just needed a tip or two?

A glimpse of a familiar figure in the crowd made the decision for him. Lipita Delphi. The girl was diligently practicing her moves over and over again. Trying, and failing, to copy the instructor's original demonstration. The effort she was putting in would've been commendable to most. But Victor could only think of one thing as he watched her.

Her form is atrocious.

Everything about it was wrong! Her stance was off, her center of gravity was off, even the way she wielded her spear was off. It wasn't even due to inexperience, either. It wouldn't be that bad if it was. No, her form was wrong because she was used to a different one. Maybe it was some Delphi family martial art? Why would they teach her a conflicting style? Maybe she just isn't doing it right?

Victor didn't know. He just knew she needed help.

So Victor walked over to her and did what his instructors always did and said, "Your stance is wrong."

She did not like that.

Seeing her expression, Victor quickly continued, "I mean, you're legs are supposed to be farther apart. And your center of gravity needs to be a bit lower."

"And why should I listen to you?" She seemed pretty annoyed.

Victor rubbed his neck: "...Instructor Constantinus told me to help people?"

Lipita gave him an inscrutable look.

"It really should help?"

She let out a long sigh before following his instructions. Looking her over, Victor pointed out a few more flaws. And that's pretty much how the next hour passed. Lipita would silently practice some moves and Victor would correct any issues he found. He wasn't a very good teacher, but he managed. It helped that Lipita was a quick learner.

As the drills came to an end, Lipita finally spoke up: "I'm sorry about my attitude before. Thank you for your help."

He smiled: "Nah, don't worry about it. I was being rude. Besides, you helped me out before. So now we're even."

"Shame. I was going to use that favor to ask you a question later."

His eyebrow rose: "I mean if it's just a question, go ahead."

She smiled, before bluntly asking, "Do you have a bloodline?"

Victor's eyes widened, "Ah… uh yeah, I do. How did you figure it out?"

"I was at your receptiveness test."

"You were?" He hadn't even noticed.

She nodded, "I was. I went right after you, in fact. Could you please tell me about your bloodline?"

Victor frowned as he thought of how to answer. Should he reveal it? It's not like it'll be secret for very long. And he didn't have any real reason to hide it. Besides the fear of how the Delphi scion would react to hearing he was basically a cripple.

"I understand if that question was too personal. You do not have to tell me."

But a Delphi might be the only ones who would understand.

He sighed: "No, no, it's fine. It's just… it's not very good. I have the Dull Bronze Bloodline. It makes me highly resistant to qi… at the cost of reducing my cultivation speed."

"So that's why you're so difficult to sense. Interesting. Could you tell me more about how it works? You said you were qi resistant. Can you explain what that feels like?"

Victor was surprised by her sudden enthusiasm, but tried to answer as best he could: "Sort of? It's reduced, I guess. As if the effects are halved. They still affect me, I'm not immune or anything, it just takes a lot more qi to do so. Elder Ypsilanti actually did an experiment where she put me under peak 1st Heavenstage pressure, which just shows how much I can handle."

She didn't seem very impressed.

"I'm mortal, Lipita."

Now she looked surprised. But before she could say anything, the instructor announced their next activity for the day.

Formations.

"We continue this talk more later."

She nodded, "Absolutely."

Joining the rest of the group, Victor was feeling pretty happy with how the day's been going. It had been a rocky start, but things are starting to go his way. He even made a friend! Now all he had to do was learn formations. They were the only thing Victor didn't train in yet. You couldn't exactly practice formations on your own after all.

He just hoped his bloodline wouldn't make things too difficult for him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

@occipitallobe

Note: This was my very first collab! And while it was a bit of a struggle, I was really nervous about writing another person's character—I think it came out pretty good! At the very least, I had fun.

Victor got to interact with another Good Seed, which was just as interesting as I hoped it would be, and I got to stretch my writing muscles. So I'll call this collab a success.

Edit: Collab link. @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark. I realized I didn't have this linked to my sidestories.

Good to see the Wulf take his first steps. It was good to work with you too

Abel's personal tricked out bike part 2
So many ideas for my bike just were not practical. I had thoughts about adjusting my surface tension array to work on air to basically allow me to fly, but my CalCs quickly disabused me of the idea. The qi cost would be insane. If I was willing to spend that much qi to fly, why even bother putting the array on a bicycle anyway?

Why indeed. I haven't even considered trying to make an airplane because one of the few things I can remember about them besides wing design and how propellers work is that designs for making an airplane were actually made decades before they actually were feasible because there didn't exist a powerful enough lightweight engine for it. And I have great doubts that I can make such an engine. At least not without using qi and if I am using qi that would be quite a bit of work to make yet another method of qi powered flight.

Leaving flight off the table for now. It is possible that I could add some wings to the bicycle, but carrying them around all the time would be a pain. If I ever try to make a plane it is going to be a dedicated project not a mishmash with my bike design.

So is there a way I can make my bike more resistant to fall damage? Not flying, but falling with style. My wheels can definitely handle terminal velocity. If I also got supper shock absorbers. Does flubber exist in this world?

The answer proved unexpectedly easy. Slimes are one of the most common and weakest spirit beasts there are. Even mortals can beat them if they go in prepared. And their bodies made such a perfect shock absorber that cultivators in the habit of flying that still have to worry about gravity often put some of their gel into the soles of their shoes. In other words, how to deal with falling damage is something of a solved problem for anyone that cares to be prepared and I can now join their ranks.

Actually that might make it seem a bit too easy. Most groups don't have a contribution board to easily look things up. They have to search through libraries of dusty books and scrolls. Also the contribution board makes ordering items far easier. I think in another clan if I wanted to buy a foreign good, even a relatively inexpensive one like this, trying to find one would be a whole mini adventure assuming that I even knew what to look for.

Being used to having the internet from back before I found the contribution board a little clunky with long wait times, but compared to other sects every Golden Devils has unlimited knowledge at the tips of our fingers.

_____________________________
@Alectai, @TehChron, @Humbaba, @ReaderOfFate, @Kaboomatic

Gaius Antonius Omake #59: Clack-Clack-Clack

"Use the tracking array to get the storage ring back from the smugglers who stole it. Time limit of three days."

That wasn't exactly what the mission posted on the Contribution Board had said, but that was the gist which stuck in Gaius' mind. Easy, simple, low-stakes. A quick little breather before he went back to pushing himself.

"I'm telling you, it's not a coincidence." Gaius politely informed the travelling merchant for the third time. "I know you think you sold normal rice wine; that was part of the con. You haven't comitted a crime, but I do need to see your sales record."

Finally, the man relented, ushering Gaius behind his stall and retrieving a long sheaf of parchment; evidently, he'd had a successful day of selling. Gaius read through the papers, cafeful not to smear the ink at the bottom of the list, which was still fresh.

Life was funny sometimes. Gaius, a man in the Twelfth Heavenstage, soon to be a member of the great Quintia family, was combing through the sales record of an unramarkable Fifth Heavenstage merchant. Not every mission could be glamorous, but this one was close enough to his home that despite the mediocre payout, it had been worth taking simply because he could get it done quickly.

Gaius also supposed that this was a sign of how well the most recent Trial had gone. They had weathered the storm so flawlessly that someone as overqualified as him could be doing busywork, rather than taking a constant stream of Foundation-level jobs. Not that he didn't prefer to take said jobs, just that doing something easier for once didn't make him feel guilty.

The merchant had sold rice wine to about a dozen different people throughout the day, but given how recently the storage ring had been moved, Gaius could narrow it down to just three. Now that was an interesting little brain teaser. Would a smuggler take just one jug, so as to seem beneath notice, or many jugs, so as to more easily cloak the ring's presence?

Thankfully, The Seeker was not alone, so there was no need to puzzle this one out. He let out a qi pulse, signalling for two squads of Legionnaires to return to his position. "Everyone fan out. We're looking for anyone transporting rice wine. Search the town, turn over every stone if you have to." A simple order, but one that was unlikely to be overwhelmingly wrong. Sometimes that was better than searching for the perfect course of action and potentially making a misstep.

As the troops under his command ruthlessly searched the town(what was it called again?) Gaius took off toward his own destination: the local physician's office. For reasons he couldn't place, he felt a very strong hunch that the smuggler would be hiding there.

The building was unremarkable, a squat little thing that filled as much space as perhaps five houses, this was more than enough to service the medical needs of one town. Without hesitation, Gaius pushed his way through the doors.

----

Now this just didn't make sense at all. Wasn't Gaius supposed to be in a physician's office? It couldn't be so big, and it wouldn't have so much marble, right? He looked around, trying to get his bearings, but he couldn't even tell where the entrance was, so large was the room. And endless, seemingly-random arrangement of marble columns stretched out before Gaius, filling the room like trees in a forest.

A space-bending treasure? A portal? Or was this even real at all, rather than just an illusion?

...why was he here, again? He was chasing... a criminal? Of course, a criminal trapped him in this temple. A powerful opponent, no doubt. Gaius stretched out his senses in all directions, drawing his sword and stepping lightly. He went from one pillar to another, peeking around them and searching every blind spot.

That turned out to be a foolhardly mistake; in minutes, Gaius was completely lost. Not only could he not remember where he started out, but none of these pillars were in the right place anymore.

The only thing Gaius knew for sure was that someone other than him was here. Somewhere in the smoke(since when was there smoke?), someone was hiding from him. The weight of a living body pressed upon something beyond his six sense, on a kind of awareness so primordial that he didn't have a name for it.

The clack-clack-clacking of claws on marble alerted Gaius to the other presence's location. Walking on the cieling, a humanoid figure began to come into view, the smoke parting around its body as it came closer. "Gaius Antonius! Stay far away from the Yuan lands!" It declared, voice reverberating strangely, as if muffled by many thick layers of steel wool. "What you find there will only bring doom and madness!" The strange being ranted and wailed, finally coming into focus.

On the figure's feet were not claws, but smooth, sturdy sabatons, stylized to look like clawed feet. Its body was fully clad in silver armor which left guessing its species and its sex, if it even had one, impossible. The armor had no visible seams, but raised segments ran along the limbs, converging in the torso where they swirled together into an orange orb in the chest. The helmet was also mostly smooth, with a two-pronged crest at the top of the head and an opaque orange visor over the eyes. Its movements were strangely jerky; either they were badly injured in some way or there was something else unnatural about their body.

"Calamity, calamity..." Came the moaning. Could this be a ghost? Gaius once more cast his eyes over the bizarre, polished material of the figure's armor. It was like no earthly substance he was aware of, it flowed too smoothly. A technique, then? Either way it didn't matter - there was too much solidity to be a haunting phantom.

"For all of us, for yourself, you must stop!" The figure begged, voice rippling strangely as it passed through the smooth, seamless surface of their helmet. The mouthpiece vibrated slightly as they spoke. "Do not enter the Yuan lands. I will tell you the truth you Seek, to calm your soul."

The figure said more; clearly it did, as the mouthpiece continued to vibrate, but no coherent language reached Gaius' ears. It was nothing but harsh white noise, the words, if it spoke any, evaporating into the air between them. Something seized the figure then, as if all of Mt. Tai's weight had fallen upon their broad shoulders.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Gaius retorted, brandishing his sword - and suddenly he realized it was the sword, the one which so freely came to him in these dreams. "You invade me in my own mind and tell me to give up on my Dao? To a Cultivator, such things are a declaration of war!"

"Ukq wna ynawpejc ukqnoahb! Znk hkzxgegr oy Seeker uct jkyomt!" The mysterious invader impotently shouted, its voice still incomprehensible gibberish but for that one fateful word, and slowly stalked toward Gaius. The claws on its boots continued to make that aggravating noise with every step.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Each step closer seemed more difficult, more agonizing on it than the last, as if a tether were stretching tighter and tighter around its waist.

"Wtf Qpt td esp afaape zq-" Streams of light, glittering painfully bright, erupted from all over the figure's body, and it screamed. The dreamscape began to collapse, like a Secret Realm imploding in on itself, as all of Gaius' senses were bombarded with information from the waking world, stirring him further.

----

"Damn you, wake up already!" Axia yelled, striking Gaius on the back of the neck and driving a small burst of qi into his spinal cord. The reaction was as immediate as it was visceral.

Gaius' eyes opened suddenly, almost violently, his keen blue orbs peering at nothing at all. Sweat soaked the sheets, and he clutched Axia's hair in a shaking, white-knuckled grip. He was back in reality, as safe as any Golden Devil ever got.

Unclenching his fist was surprisingly difficult, an endeavor which went one stiff finger at a time. Axia, now freed, cupped Gaius' face with both hands and looked into his eyes. Her gaze was comforting but stern, equal parts father and mother in that moment, and wasn't that an uncomfortably genuine thought? Gaius crushed it in his metaphorical hand like a piece of clay and buried it deep within his psyche.

"Sorry. Bad dream." He stated plainly, not in the mood to discuss this particular visitation.

"You need to take sleeping pills; they'll knock you out more deeply and prevent that kind of thing." Axia stated firmly, still holding his face. From the crease between her eyebrows, she was nearing the limits of her patience. "It happens enough to be a medical problem. Treat it like one."

Gaius sat up and rolled his neck. He thankfully had not urinated himself, as that strike tended to cause sometimes. He could thank the slight advantage in cultivation for that. "These insights can be useful, dear. I mustn't waste a resource."

"Perhaps if you were better rested, you would have such insights in the waking hours." Axia shot back, thoroughly unimpressed. "Isolated mystics in the Verdant South can afford to lose themselves in mania, but the Golden Devils need warriors, not oracles."

Theoretically, Gaius was Axia's Senior at the moment, which meant he could dismiss the suggestion out of hand. But pulling that card on his own fiancé was obviously out of the question. He slumped over and meekly responded. "Yes dear, I'll take a sleeping pill."

That little spat having ended before it could flare up, Gaius turned to the nightstand to check the time on a little brass clock; he wasn't sure how it was miniaturized so much without the use of arrays, but he supposed with enough money all things were possible. He'd been asleep for two hours and forty minutes, out of the recommended three hours that a post-Tenth Heavenstage Cultivator needed. Gaius sighed; it probably wasn't worth going back to sleep, then. He would just oversleep and lose a precious half-hour.

He wouldn't think about that dream. The Seeker had long since learned how to guess which dreams had useful information, and that one was worthless. His mind couldn't actually tell him things he didn't know, he wasn't Zeno. His rare visions of the future were more like fate pulling on threads that had already been weaved in his head, telling him which of the things he'd considered was the best option.

No, Gaius was no true diviner; the only way he would reach the truth was by personally seizing it. Deliberately, perhaps a little bit spitefully, he allowed all memory of the armored intruder fade into nothingness.

----

As a nice little aside, I decided I wanted to get weird again, and experimented with writing dreams again. This time, rather than pure symbolism, I tried to emulate the feeling of a dream that feels like day to day life, where things are illogical but you don't have the capacity to notice unless the break from reality becomes extreme. Hence the extremely barebones descriptions in the first part. Yeah, definitely not just me being lazy and justifying that ad-hoc... >.>

As for who that weirdo was... stay tuned. For a very long time. Its vague warnings are perfect for a secret realm, since the highly variable outcomes mean that multiple interpretations of the warning are all potentially true based on how the rolls go.

Apologies in advance if the prose is sloppy. I wrote the whole thing over the course of a couple of hours and finished it while very tired.

Missions are now available on the Omake Rewards sheet!

Select a Mission for your Good Seed (or don't, and get a more generic Fate). This turn we'll be starting out with three, and they're all more generic. For now, if a Legion-leading Good Seed picks a mission, their Legion can just come along. In future I'll look to have specific Missions headed by Good Seeds to really make the story work, but for now it'll be the more basic version.

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Welcome to the public terminal of the Contribution Points Board, Legionnaire.

Select mission... finding past missions relevant to your present power and skillset for research purposes...

Three missions found. Listing follows. Please note all information is private, and must not be released to outsiders.

The Thousand Song Siege:

Grinding to a halt, the siege in the Great Battlefield was a mere formality that the Noble Devil Alliance would be pushed back until the raids in the south happened. With massive withdrawals of elders and experts, the power that had been painstakingly built up by the Righteous Path for a second counterblow evaporated, leaving a defensive triangle in the north, as well as another grinding siege line in the south. The Fearless Line that had been retaken suddenly fell, the massive exodus of forces to the south making it no longer tenable to hold. With a huge number of Righteous forces having broken through to relieve the north, the Song Empire suddenly found itself becoming a main battlefront once more.

The plains around have been denuded of mortals, refugees pouring into Thousand Song City. Almost four and a half million mortals are in the city, with no way out. A column of relief troops - including array-masters and formations from the Golden Devils have been sent, two Legions in their entirety deployed to hold the city alongside the various Righteous forces. If the city falls, it will mean the death of millions as Blood Path cultivators gorge themselves on the human qi of the mortals.

It must be held.

Qi Condensation cultivators will be deployed to the One-Boat, One-River Pass, working to evacuate these two towns. Both are under attack, but only sporadically - the main Blood Path forces sits at Thousand Song City. Success would mean an evacuation of one or both cities, saving nearly a hundred thousand mortals per city. A Failure would see the destruction of both cities, and few enough mortals would escape.

Foundation Establishment cultivators will be deployed to the Thousand Song Siege, their status as Experts making them crucial in the various sallies that must come out of the city if supplies and reinforcements are to be brought in. Success would mean an extension to the time that Thousand Song City can hold, perhaps enough to let the Righteous Path reorganise their forces and retake the Fearless Line. Failure would mean that the city would begin to fall. While it has seven walls, one or more might fall, depending on how poorly those defending the city perform.

Joie De Banditisme:

While Lady Yao seeks out new bandits, many among the Golden Devils seek to help her, both as recruiters and as part-time bandits themselves. Her temporary bandits will look to recruit new experts and the like, seeking out those in surrounding territories of the Golden Devils to let new Flood Dragon Gang members rise and grow. In agreement with Manuel, this mission will take place primarily in the Heavenly Bandit Kingdoms - a group of rebels who already are righteous bandits in their own right, and also stand against the Jingshen, a double advantage.

Qi Condensation cultivators will attempt to raise up cultivators of their own level, and will raise cells in various nearby powers. Success would mean a major cell of bandits will be raised in the Heavenly Bandit Kingdoms. In time, that cell will develop into a larger group, and in a few centuries might offer bonuses to the Clan. Failure will mean none are.

Foundation Establishment cultivators will attempt do the same, raising up a group of bandits in a nearby power. Success would mean a major cell of bandits will be raised in the Heavenly Bandit Kingdoms, with said cell offering bonuses to future Clan intrigue actions there. Failure would mean the attempt fails, and no new groups of bandits are raised.

The Hong Xuan Debt:

Much of the Hong Xuan repayment is not happening in simple coin, but much is in contributions in-kind. Labour and assistance from Clan cultivators makes up a substantial portion of that repayment, and those cultivators willing to go south to assist the Hong Xuan will earn Contribution Points for their labours.

Qi Condensation cultivators will go to Seven Tourneys City, as part of those that the Hong Xuan must test themselves against. Success would mean closer relationships with many Hong Xuan juniors - in a few centuries, this will trickle up, and we will find ourselves with more loyal Hong Xuan scions in positions of power, though only a few - most of course will never reach Foundation Establishment. Failure would mean we insult or even cripple such juniors during their tests, damaging our relationship with our vassal directly.

Foundation Establishment cultivators will be deployed to Pyre City, where they will be tasked in hunting down a powerful rogue Fire Spirit, a creature that has taken the life of three Hong Xuan Foundation experts already, and wounded a Core Formation elder. It ravages various forces and consumes Qi from arrays, causing huge amounts of damage. Such spirits are far weaker against the Clan with their Blood of Bronze, and so hunting this creature down will be an important matter. A Success would mean the thanks of a Core Formation Hong Xuan elder directly, strengthening our alliance with the Hong Xuan and guaranteeing us an additional Core Formation elder in our next conflict to repay a debt of gratitude. Failure would mean the Hong Xuan face a drop in economic activity as Pyre City faces a Spirit weakening it, and the Hong Xuan are likely to look on us with some contempt as we are unable to resolve a matter as simple as this.

A brief vote on maps.

I have resolved to add in the Heavenly Bandit Kingdom as one of the turn's maps, as it's too relevant to everything we're doing.

However, a vote on the second map is now live. This doesn't guarantee a complete faction map! Sometimes I'll map out a piece of the faction I've thought about I find interesting, sometimes an entire map makes more sense.

[ ] Yuan Clan

[ ] Bear Enslavement Sect

[ ] Noble Knowledge Sect

[ ] Chuan Clan

[ ] Gao Clan