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ROB Used To Be A Knife Missile
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PRAISE STAB THE SUN!
Be The Icy Beauty! A Xianxia/Cultivation Tale
- Thread starter ninjastar
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Chapter 68: Time Passes
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 68: Time Passes
---
"An... insult?" Li Ji was confused. "Like, on purpose?"
Having been with Bing Meilu for a while, he was a little surprised. She would insult others in a backhanded way, simply telling them how little she thought of them, but he hadn't known her to go out of her way to be offensive.
"Yes," Bing Meilu nodded serenely. "Do you not think it worthy of one? The fact we need this ship in the first place?"
"I- I don't understand. Isn't the whole point to get a good ship?"
Bing Meilu sighed.
"It's traditional for the Armada's Daoships to be given great and grand names like 'Oceanbreaker' or 'Divine Sword'. Certainly, a Daoship made by me is far more worthy of such honour than the trash the average Captain or Commodore pilots. However, If you were strong enough, let alone needing a Daoship, you'd simply turn your hand, and the Grand Expanse Sea would become yours. Merely relying on this boat is an insult to our current capabilities."
"In other words, the degrading name of the boat is a reminder for us to not become dependant on the boat over our own Daos!" Ji Hui said, eyes sparkling. "Because one day we will transcend it, so it's better to not put it in our eyes, even if it might seem impressive to us now."
'Wasn't he supposed to be an idiot? This is the second time he's grasped my words before anyone else.' Bing Meilu shook her head. 'I suppose an empty vessel can be filled with the most water- My wisdom must have rubbed off on him somehow.'
"I see," Li Ji nodded.
---
'The Soul-Bridge Connects to the Qi Converter and the Fuel Compressor- The Spiraling Comet Harpoons all seem fine...'
Bing Meilu frowned as she stared at the detailed diagrams before her, hundreds of sheets of paper each detailing the proper construction for various types of parts. There were dozens of weapons systems, including cannons, harpoons, poison and incendiary devices. Formations for defence, for communication, for scouting, for transportation, for storage. Multiple fuel converters for spiritual energy, spirit stones, beast cores and more.
As a Celestial with eternal life, Bing Meilu had, over the course of her eons, studied countless topics to occupy her time, whether alchemy or flower arrangement, item forging or a niche board game present in a random corner of the Deathless Domain.
However, aside from her mastery of Yin-related topics, she only had a dabbler's level of knowledge of these various professions. Looking at the poorly constructed formations she had designed, she could only humbly admit her own skills were lacking. Even compared to some of her old subordinates, she could tell the designs before her were not up to snuff.
'If I wasn't in the lower realms, would I have to dirty my own hands like this? Truly, the Dao of Delegation is of utmost importance to any Sect Leader!'
Until Bing Meilu ascended to the higher worlds, she would have to make do with her own lacklustre formations because.. she was, ironically, the best formation master she currently knew.
"Whatever. This should do temporarily," she folded up her diagrams.
With hundreds of detailed diagrams, Bing Meilu had completed the design of her faction's first Daoship, the Captured Slave Galley.
The Daoships of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada were very unique magical treasures. Assuming one cultivated the orthodox methods of the Armada, they could actually connect their cultivation to the Daoship, turning it into a Soulbound item that would grow with the master, similar to Xin Shui, the liquid metal weapon Bing Meilu had created.
Daoships could also be upgraded with better materials and more powerful formations, but their true power could only be revealed by those who practiced an Armada cultivation manual.
They were divided into ranks based on the cultivation level they were designed for.
Schooners would connect to the Inner Core of a Captain.
Galleys would connect to the Nascent Soul of a Commodore.
Frigates were commanded by Division Commanders of the Transcending Impurity Realm.
Destroyers were powered by the natural energy of the world under the control of a Saint Strike Force Commander.
Dreadnoughts connected to the Law-Domain of Great Sages, who made up the leadership of the Armada.
Lastly was the rank of Colossus, which could only be piloted by an Ancient Sage, of which, within the Bird Talon Continent, there were two. First was Hua Wuying, the Abyssal-Depths Suppressing Ancient Sage, and her Daoship, the Void-Obliteration Colossus. Second was Ming Fei, The Heaven-Merging Ancient Sage, and her Daoship, the Sky-Queen Colossus.
Bing Meilu had been good friends with the two in her first life. However, after being injured in the God-Blood Crisis, neither had been able to break through to Dao-Seeking, and they had eventually died of old age, stepping once more into the cycle of reincarnation.
The level of ship Bing Meilu was designed was a Galley, equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm. That was because she intended for it to be piloted by Zhang, who was currently in seclusion. Once he finally converted his cultivation base to the Golden Qilin River Gate, his breaking through to the fourth realm was essentially guaranteed.
Once she had her Daoship and pilot, the waters of Ximu's Demise would open up to her and she could finally step into the real world of cultivation, out of the backwater port.
Bing Meilu left her office, a large pile of paper floating behind her. She waved her hand, dropping them at his feet.
"Here are the designs I've made. You may make use of members of the faction for construction."
Li Ji picked up one of the diagrams and froze in shock. He blinked several times before looking back up at Bing Meilu.
"Um-Boss, this seems a little advanced...Shouldn't we hire some skilled contractors to do the work instead?"
"Every spirit stone spent on construction is a spirit stone not spent on better materials."
"But the cost if we mess up-"
"Are you a cultivator or not?" Bing Meilu interrupted. "The Manyfold Good Fortune Dao-Enshrining Scripture I taught you can sense the flow of Karmic Wealth. Follow its guidance and my plan, and you should be fine. Before any mistake is made, you should be able to sense a discordance in the value of the ship."
"Ah-yes, Boss," Li Ji nodded.
He had actually never thought of using the scripture that way, but it did seem possible, now that he thought about it.
---
Xi Fu sat in a small cave, filled to the brim with swirling spiritual energy. His eyes were closed, mind focused on his Dantian.
A tiny, pulsing crystal sat within it, where his Inner Core should have been. This was the Embryonic Spear Heart, the seat of his Spear Cultivation.
Xi Fu had long been stumped on how to progress his spear heart, beyond simply advancing his cultivation base. But after exchanging pointers with Ji Longyi, he finally felt like he knew what he had to do.
His path had already begun to stray from the initial Heaven-Defying ever since what had happened in Redscale city.
'It's time to forge my path forward. I don't want to just defy others' rules. I want to impose my own. I have my own code, my own desires. I selfishly want to make the world follow my will. I will act freely, like the spearman defying Heaven. But I also want my will to rule the world like the domineering sun banishing the darkness without asking their permission.'
Rebellion, rulership, order. A will that aligned the outer world, an expanding principle of Yang. Everything in existence was the Yin that received, and Xi Fu was the sole Yang in existence, he would be the new Heavens, remake the world in his image until it satisfied him.
'Throughout all of Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honoured One! I'll follow my heart and my Dao no matter what. No rule will block me, whether from Heaven or Earth.'
He felt his Spear Heart begin to tremble, as faint characters appeared on it, in the natural runic language of Heaven.
'Divinity Usurping'
Xi Fu let loose a screaming roar. He felt his whole body tremble and shake. Blood exploded from him, from every orifice, his eyes, ear, nose and mouth. It was like invisible spears were ripping through every one of his internal organs.
He knew what had happened.
He had given his whole being to his Spear Heart.. and been judged unworthy. There was a doubt in his heart, holding him back from truly folding his will into his Spear Heart.
Xi Fu's eyes turned in the direction of Redscale City, and he nodded to himself.
'I suppose it's time to finally put an end to this old drama.'
---
And so the BMFS Faction seemed to fall silent. Bing Meilu returned to secluded cultivation, refining her Dao-Platforms further.
Months passed, progress made quietly.
Li Ji managed the faction in her absence, devoting most of his time to the construction of the Captured Slave Galley. No longer selling the resources from the Ashen Mountains and raking in money, his cultivation slowed.
Jiang Hu, who was charismatic and had experience with managing a faction before, was put in charge of recruiting. Many new members joined, including fifteen Lieutenants and fifty-five Privates. There was a reorganization. Those who had sworn the blood oath to Bing Meilu were now the core of the faction. The original outer circle, who had all reached Lieutenant and trained extensively in the Ashen Mountains, became the Inner faction members. The untested new members became the Outer faction members.
Chang Xili finally left the Port, to live out the rest of her life in simple luxury, as a wealthy mortal. She promised to practice the method Bing Meilu taught her.
After six months, Sima Yazhu began to give birth.
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 68: Time Passes
---
"An... insult?" Li Ji was confused. "Like, on purpose?"
Having been with Bing Meilu for a while, he was a little surprised. She would insult others in a backhanded way, simply telling them how little she thought of them, but he hadn't known her to go out of her way to be offensive.
"Yes," Bing Meilu nodded serenely. "Do you not think it worthy of one? The fact we need this ship in the first place?"
"I- I don't understand. Isn't the whole point to get a good ship?"
Bing Meilu sighed.
"It's traditional for the Armada's Daoships to be given great and grand names like 'Oceanbreaker' or 'Divine Sword'. Certainly, a Daoship made by me is far more worthy of such honour than the trash the average Captain or Commodore pilots. However, If you were strong enough, let alone needing a Daoship, you'd simply turn your hand, and the Grand Expanse Sea would become yours. Merely relying on this boat is an insult to our current capabilities."
"In other words, the degrading name of the boat is a reminder for us to not become dependant on the boat over our own Daos!" Ji Hui said, eyes sparkling. "Because one day we will transcend it, so it's better to not put it in our eyes, even if it might seem impressive to us now."
'Wasn't he supposed to be an idiot? This is the second time he's grasped my words before anyone else.' Bing Meilu shook her head. 'I suppose an empty vessel can be filled with the most water- My wisdom must have rubbed off on him somehow.'
"I see," Li Ji nodded.
---
'The Soul-Bridge Connects to the Qi Converter and the Fuel Compressor- The Spiraling Comet Harpoons all seem fine...'
Bing Meilu frowned as she stared at the detailed diagrams before her, hundreds of sheets of paper each detailing the proper construction for various types of parts. There were dozens of weapons systems, including cannons, harpoons, poison and incendiary devices. Formations for defence, for communication, for scouting, for transportation, for storage. Multiple fuel converters for spiritual energy, spirit stones, beast cores and more.
As a Celestial with eternal life, Bing Meilu had, over the course of her eons, studied countless topics to occupy her time, whether alchemy or flower arrangement, item forging or a niche board game present in a random corner of the Deathless Domain.
However, aside from her mastery of Yin-related topics, she only had a dabbler's level of knowledge of these various professions. Looking at the poorly constructed formations she had designed, she could only humbly admit her own skills were lacking. Even compared to some of her old subordinates, she could tell the designs before her were not up to snuff.
'If I wasn't in the lower realms, would I have to dirty my own hands like this? Truly, the Dao of Delegation is of utmost importance to any Sect Leader!'
Until Bing Meilu ascended to the higher worlds, she would have to make do with her own lacklustre formations because.. she was, ironically, the best formation master she currently knew.
"Whatever. This should do temporarily," she folded up her diagrams.
With hundreds of detailed diagrams, Bing Meilu had completed the design of her faction's first Daoship, the Captured Slave Galley.
The Daoships of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada were very unique magical treasures. Assuming one cultivated the orthodox methods of the Armada, they could actually connect their cultivation to the Daoship, turning it into a Soulbound item that would grow with the master, similar to Xin Shui, the liquid metal weapon Bing Meilu had created.
Daoships could also be upgraded with better materials and more powerful formations, but their true power could only be revealed by those who practiced an Armada cultivation manual.
They were divided into ranks based on the cultivation level they were designed for.
Schooners would connect to the Inner Core of a Captain.
Galleys would connect to the Nascent Soul of a Commodore.
Frigates were commanded by Division Commanders of the Transcending Impurity Realm.
Destroyers were powered by the natural energy of the world under the control of a Saint Strike Force Commander.
Dreadnoughts connected to the Law-Domain of Great Sages, who made up the leadership of the Armada.
Lastly was the rank of Colossus, which could only be piloted by an Ancient Sage, of which, within the Bird Talon Continent, there were two. First was Hua Wuying, the Abyssal-Depths Suppressing Ancient Sage, and her Daoship, the Void-Obliteration Colossus. Second was Ming Fei, The Heaven-Merging Ancient Sage, and her Daoship, the Sky-Queen Colossus.
Bing Meilu had been good friends with the two in her first life. However, after being injured in the God-Blood Crisis, neither had been able to break through to Dao-Seeking, and they had eventually died of old age, stepping once more into the cycle of reincarnation.
The level of ship Bing Meilu was designed was a Galley, equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm. That was because she intended for it to be piloted by Zhang, who was currently in seclusion. Once he finally converted his cultivation base to the Golden Qilin River Gate, his breaking through to the fourth realm was essentially guaranteed.
Once she had her Daoship and pilot, the waters of Ximu's Demise would open up to her and she could finally step into the real world of cultivation, out of the backwater port.
Bing Meilu left her office, a large pile of paper floating behind her. She waved her hand, dropping them at his feet.
"Here are the designs I've made. You may make use of members of the faction for construction."
Li Ji picked up one of the diagrams and froze in shock. He blinked several times before looking back up at Bing Meilu.
"Um-Boss, this seems a little advanced...Shouldn't we hire some skilled contractors to do the work instead?"
"Every spirit stone spent on construction is a spirit stone not spent on better materials."
"But the cost if we mess up-"
"Are you a cultivator or not?" Bing Meilu interrupted. "The Manyfold Good Fortune Dao-Enshrining Scripture I taught you can sense the flow of Karmic Wealth. Follow its guidance and my plan, and you should be fine. Before any mistake is made, you should be able to sense a discordance in the value of the ship."
"Ah-yes, Boss," Li Ji nodded.
He had actually never thought of using the scripture that way, but it did seem possible, now that he thought about it.
---
Xi Fu sat in a small cave, filled to the brim with swirling spiritual energy. His eyes were closed, mind focused on his Dantian.
A tiny, pulsing crystal sat within it, where his Inner Core should have been. This was the Embryonic Spear Heart, the seat of his Spear Cultivation.
Xi Fu had long been stumped on how to progress his spear heart, beyond simply advancing his cultivation base. But after exchanging pointers with Ji Longyi, he finally felt like he knew what he had to do.
His path had already begun to stray from the initial Heaven-Defying ever since what had happened in Redscale city.
'It's time to forge my path forward. I don't want to just defy others' rules. I want to impose my own. I have my own code, my own desires. I selfishly want to make the world follow my will. I will act freely, like the spearman defying Heaven. But I also want my will to rule the world like the domineering sun banishing the darkness without asking their permission.'
Rebellion, rulership, order. A will that aligned the outer world, an expanding principle of Yang. Everything in existence was the Yin that received, and Xi Fu was the sole Yang in existence, he would be the new Heavens, remake the world in his image until it satisfied him.
'Throughout all of Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honoured One! I'll follow my heart and my Dao no matter what. No rule will block me, whether from Heaven or Earth.'
He felt his Spear Heart begin to tremble, as faint characters appeared on it, in the natural runic language of Heaven.
'Divinity Usurping'
Xi Fu let loose a screaming roar. He felt his whole body tremble and shake. Blood exploded from him, from every orifice, his eyes, ear, nose and mouth. It was like invisible spears were ripping through every one of his internal organs.
He knew what had happened.
He had given his whole being to his Spear Heart.. and been judged unworthy. There was a doubt in his heart, holding him back from truly folding his will into his Spear Heart.
Xi Fu's eyes turned in the direction of Redscale City, and he nodded to himself.
'I suppose it's time to finally put an end to this old drama.'
---
And so the BMFS Faction seemed to fall silent. Bing Meilu returned to secluded cultivation, refining her Dao-Platforms further.
Months passed, progress made quietly.
Li Ji managed the faction in her absence, devoting most of his time to the construction of the Captured Slave Galley. No longer selling the resources from the Ashen Mountains and raking in money, his cultivation slowed.
Jiang Hu, who was charismatic and had experience with managing a faction before, was put in charge of recruiting. Many new members joined, including fifteen Lieutenants and fifty-five Privates. There was a reorganization. Those who had sworn the blood oath to Bing Meilu were now the core of the faction. The original outer circle, who had all reached Lieutenant and trained extensively in the Ashen Mountains, became the Inner faction members. The untested new members became the Outer faction members.
Chang Xili finally left the Port, to live out the rest of her life in simple luxury, as a wealthy mortal. She promised to practice the method Bing Meilu taught her.
After six months, Sima Yazhu began to give birth.
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Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
Huh I expected his doubt was due to Bing Meilu's oppression, but... it might be because of Xiyi?
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
That does make me curious how he aligns defying heaven with being Bing's slave, I would think that planning betrayal would be the minimum to cultivate his method.
A timeskip!
Won't be the last of those, I expect.
I was initially thinking that Xi Fu isn't rebelling against hierarchy in the abstract, and Bing Meilu isn't Heaven. His sleeping around doesn't seem to be that serious, compared to his care for Xiyu, so she might not have given him any orders he strongly objects to for all he's spent months cultivating rather than doing whatever in the moment specifically because he feared her reaction.
That is, I thought Bing Meilu might not be setting off his "defy heaven" reflexes because Xi Fu's conception of a "proper world" still includes domineering women.
But having all that laid out, that seems like more of a Yin trait? And Heaven is the most pure Yang, right?
Well, we might get a better sense of what's going on when Xiyu gets brought back into the story. Bing Meilu is undoubtedly going to have opinions about that, especially if it gets dropped on her by surprise.
If Xi Fu does decide to oppose Bing Meilu, though, I'm pretty sure it'll be openly. Outright rebellion rather than betrayal. Which means the preparations for it amount to cultivating as fast as he can, i.e. what she's ordering him to do.
Won't be the last of those, I expect.
Hrm.
I was initially thinking that Xi Fu isn't rebelling against hierarchy in the abstract, and Bing Meilu isn't Heaven. His sleeping around doesn't seem to be that serious, compared to his care for Xiyu, so she might not have given him any orders he strongly objects to for all he's spent months cultivating rather than doing whatever in the moment specifically because he feared her reaction.
That is, I thought Bing Meilu might not be setting off his "defy heaven" reflexes because Xi Fu's conception of a "proper world" still includes domineering women.
But having all that laid out, that seems like more of a Yin trait? And Heaven is the most pure Yang, right?
Well, we might get a better sense of what's going on when Xiyu gets brought back into the story. Bing Meilu is undoubtedly going to have opinions about that, especially if it gets dropped on her by surprise.
If Xi Fu does decide to oppose Bing Meilu, though, I'm pretty sure it'll be openly. Outright rebellion rather than betrayal. Which means the preparations for it amount to cultivating as fast as he can, i.e. what she's ordering him to do.
Probably because of this:
"Everything in existence was the Yin that received, and Xi Fu was the sole Yang in existence"
Well for one thing I imagine that as a high grade pure yang cultivator he's realized that at some distant point in the future he'll be a prime candidate to partner with her pure yin cultivation.
Plus there's the bit where she basically has just continuously showered him with benefits for the entire time he's worked for her.
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- Location
- Lost amidst hungry sheep
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Also, she has a killswitch for him so he literally can't rebel against her anyway.
samdamandias
Apprentice Plane Wizard
But what about card games on motorcycles?
She has a killswitch for now
Eeeeh...
... this.
Remember Essence Blood is not so much a killswitch as a direct line past most of a cultivator's defenses. It's a vector for inflicting really nasty curses and other over-the-horizon attacks on people, which means it's a very reliable means of killing people who aren't one-in-a-thousand-generations geniuses who might figure out ways to attack down the channel themselves or exotic defenses that still apply.
I wouldn't bet on it working on Bing Meilu herself, and while Xi Fu doesn't have her memories of having reached the Paragon Realm, he's implied to be a lot more comparable to her in talent than anyone else we've seen.
Bing Meilu notes that it's the best she can do at her current level of cultivation, so she might pull out others later, of course:
Might be an opportunity for character development; Bing Meilu obviously has issues with betrayal, and she's undoubtedly avoided situations where she might ever need to learn alternative methods of handling it.
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- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
He's Defying Heaven, not Defying Bing Meilu. He's not an idiot.
(A person can do one without the other as long as they recognise that Bing Meilu ranks above Heaven in the hierarchy of order.)
She's not setting off his instincts because his Spear Intent declares that:
-"I am the only Yang that matters"
-"All else is Yin"
Bing Meilu(and those under her shroud) are thus exempt, as the supreme Yin.
Yin recieving, guiding and manipulating Yang is inherently accepted by him as a fact of life.
-"I am the only Yang that matters"
-"All else is Yin"
Bing Meilu(and those under her shroud) are thus exempt, as the supreme Yin.
Yin recieving, guiding and manipulating Yang is inherently accepted by him as a fact of life.
Chapter 69: Sima Yazhu's Child
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
I was going to post this chapter yesterday, but right after I control x'd it to post, my computer crashed for the first time since I'd bought it and Grammarly doesn't keep a history, so I had to rewrite the entire thing. If the chapter feels weird, that is why.
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 69: Sima Yazhu's Child.
---
Bing Meilu sat within her throneroom, eyes closed in cultivation. Within each of Seventy-Two Psuedo Dantians, a Dao Platform in the shape of an ice-covered moon rotated. Beneath the fog of misty yin qi that swirled around them, each was covered in six layers of transparent ice, corresponding to the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Completely focused, the girl continually refined Yin Qi into ice upon the Moons.
As she cultivated, the ice grew, and a faint light began to seemingly pour out from the moons. In truth, a moon did not produce its own light. It only reflected the luminescence of the sun and stars. It was in that fact fact the secret to the Crystal Providence Tome's Core Formation lay. To use the Moon and the principle of reversion to call upon distant starlight.
The stars in question were the Yin portion of the One-Hundred-Eight Star of Destiny, the Seventy-Two Fiend-Stars. An ancient, metaphysical structure of the Yin Dao set into the Heavens in an epoch even before the birth of the Crystal Providence whose Absolute Tome Bing Meilu had inherited. She was still far from the point of calling upon their distant light and entering Core Formation, but when she did her power would rise drastically.
As the girl ceaselessly cultivated, a sudden rumble ran through her entire Meridian system. In her original, untouched Dantian, a red formation shattered. It had been programmed to do so once she reached the age of twelve, and now that day had come. The Meridian system and Dantian only finished maturing at twelve, and with certain exceptions, cultivating before then was impossible.
Years ago, not long after Bing Meilu had first transmigrated, she had used the core of a Demon to create a formation allowing her to cultivate before her meridian system had finished maturing. It was a shoddy, makeshift construction due to her limited resources, but it had done the job.
But now, it had served its purpose. The formation dissolved away, and Bing Meilu shuddered, for the first time in her new life, actually feeling Qi slosh around the channels and apertures of her meridians.
'I almost forgot what that felt like...' the girl sighed.
It was like living your entire life covered in cotton, only to finally feel the tactile sensation of gripping an object. But, however much the formation had limited her, it had been worth it. She had gained several valuable years of extra cultivation time.
'In my first life at this age, I was a peasant maid, serving my social betters. In this life, I am already nearing the Third Realm and command a large and growing faction of cultivators. In every curse, there is a blessing. I returned to this time in order to prevent my mistakes, but it was also a chance to perfect my foundation and reach heights I could not even dream of before. This time, when I reach the peak of Celestial, the barrier to the Paragon Realm will not stop me.'
Satisfied with her progress, Bing Meilu returned to her cultivation.
---
Li Ji walked through the halls of the BMFS faction headquarters. He arrived at the door to his master's throneroom and knocked.
"Hey Boss, Sima Yazhu has given birth. I uh, thought you should know."
After a moment, the door to the room opened. A wave of chilly air flooded outwards, causing Li Ji to shiver. The small form of Bing Meilu stepped out of the door. She had grown quite a bit since Li Ji had first met her. Before she had only come up to his thighs, but now she came up to his stomach.
The most startling transformation of all was her aura. The cold, fiendish power radiating from her caused Li Ji to uncontrollably shiver. She felt numerous times more powerful than before.
"Have you...entered Core Formation?" Li Ji asked, eyes wide.
"No," she responded. "At present, I am in the Seventh stage of Foundation Establishment."
Li Ji nodded in response. He was well into Core Formation, but still certain that his boss would demolish him should they fight. He could only imagine just how much stronger she would be when she actually entered the third realm. Then, the accountant frowned. He senses a strange energy hiding within Bing Meilu's aura.
"Boss! I think someone has cursed you!" he said in shock.
Li Ji came from the world of merchants and curses were a common tool in that environment. His own uncle had died from such a hex. As such, he was quite familiar with detecting cursed energy.
"Don't worry about it. It's just the result of a project I'm working on," Bing Meilu waved her hand dismissively.
She clamped down on her aura until the traces of cursed energy disappeared. Then the girl stepped forward, and a snow-laden breeze blew from behind her, propelling her into the air and out of a window. Dancing upon the cold winds, she floated high above her faction's territory and looked gazed down upon it.
It had transformed greatly from being an empty plain. Several large buildings had been constructed, including a dorm, treasury, armoury and more. She could see dozens of new recruits drilling in formation upon a muddy field, led by Jiang Hu. Each of the disciples wore a badge that read 'Faithful Slave' and signified their membership in her faction. In the distance, she could see the massive unfinished form of the Captured Slave Galley, floating in the arm and glowing with golden light.
Lastly, a row of large red houses had also appeared during her seclusion, and it was to there she flew. The buildings housed her female disciples, including Sima Yazhu.
Bing Meilu landed at the base of the leftmost of the houses and stepped inside. Within the house's living room, Sima Yazhu lay on a couch, clutching a small cloth-wrapped baby. Tang Wuhan sat by the new mother's side, holding her hand reassuringly.
Bing Meilu poked at the newborn with her qi, inspecting the child. Men were mostly of yang, with a seed of yin, while women were mostly of yin with a seed of yang. Though she was originally female, the consequences of having her congenital yin drained by her father's demonic technique had caused her body to possess yin and yang in equal measures. As a result, the child had traits of both males and females, in other words, hermaphroditism. The condition was rare, but not necessarily disabling.
Sima Yazhu's tired eyes looked towards Bing Meilu. It was a law of heaven that the higher one's cultivation, the more difficult reproduction became, lest the world be overrun by the children of immortal beings. Even in the mere realm of Foundation Establishment, childbirth was notably more difficult.
"Her name is Xin Yi. Sima Xin Yi" the woman said quietly.
"Have you made your decision?" Bing Meilu asked.
Sima Yazhu nodded, determination burning even in her tired eyes.
"I have. I'm going to keep her... and be the best mother I can be!"
Where before she had seemed empty, there was now a fire to her words.
"Very well," Bing Meilu nodded. "As you know, your daughter's congenital yin was drained during her development, leading to her current condition. If you wish, her body can be restored to a state more similar to the average woman, using medical herbs and surgery. On the other hand, there are certain cultivation manuals especially suited to her constitution. It may therefore be beneficial to leave her body as is."
"D-do I have to choose now?"
"So long as you decide before she begins cultivation, it doesn't matter."
"Then, I'll wait for my daughter's opinion when she is older."
"I see. On that note, have you decided where you plan to go next in life? In this world, only the strong enjoy peace. Calamites can befall even the innocent. If you wish to protect your child, you should become my disciple and continue your cultivation."
The woman bit her lip hesitantly, thinking over the offer.
"Shen Xinyue became your disciple?" Sima Yazhu asked.
"Indeed."
"Then... I will as well."
Bing Meilu nodded.
"Very well then. Then, henceforth, you are the Third Disciple of the Crystal Providence Heavenly Palace in this world. You'll have to cultivate hard to maintain our reputation."
Bing Meilu thought for a moment about what cultivation manual to give her new disciple. The Crystal Providence Divine Tome that she had given Shen Xinyue did not fit a mother. Chilbrith had altered the nature of her Yin. After a moment of observing the nature of SIma YAzhu's Qi, Bing Meilu waved her hand, creating a stack of ice tablets.
"This is the Queen Mother's Westward March, an Earth Trigram cultivation manual. With it, you can refine earthen Dharma Protectors to fight for you. There should be a section at the bottom about converting your cultivation into it. If you need any further help, you can come see me."
Sima Yazhu gratefully nodded.
With that done, Bing Meilu turned to face Tang Wuhan. the woman had stayed to be with the pregnant SIma Yazhu. Now that her friend had given birth, it would be time for her to leave and seek out her mortal family.
"Will you be leaving now?" the former celestial asked.
Tang Wuhan nodded.
"If you ever decide to continue cultivation, know you'll be welcome almost my sect," Bing Meilu said. "Farewell."
With that, she left.
---
Li Ji stood atop a hill overseeing the vast construction of the Captured Slave Galley. Hundreds of jade chains shot from his body, moving, holding and raising components as they were installed into the ship's frame.
Golden light shimmered and danced across his vision as he chanted the Manyfold Good Fortune Dao-Enshrining Scripture. Karmic wealth swirled and flowed, converging in the massive glowing sun that was the unfinished galley. It was by far the most valuable thing he had ever seen.
So long as he chanted the Dao-Enshrining Scripture he could predict and prevent actions that would reduce the value of the ship. However, even he was not perfect, and lower-level cultivators were not necessarily immune to being crushed by giant falling metal objects. So far at least two workers had been killed during mishaps alongside many lesser injuries.
"Hey Boss, why's the cannon beeping?" one worker called out.
"Fuck! Turn it off before it explodes!" Li Ji shouted. "And group C, why the hell are you putting that harpoon on backwards-No! Don't press that button!"
It hadn't even been a year, but Li Ji felt he had lost a decade of lifespan already managing the suicidal morons he worked with.
'This is what we get for skimping in labour costs and not just hiring a professional, dammit!'
But orders were orders. Bing Meilu wanted to spend every penny possible on outfitting the ship with top-of-the-line formations. Hiring professional builders simply meant fewer cannons in her eyes. As Li Ji worked, Jiang Hu approached from behind, his jagged draconic teeth ripping into a meaty shank of lamb.
"How's much longer till it's ready, brother?" he asked
"We're about eighty percent done. Just installing all the modules into the finished frame. With any luck it will only be a month or two more until I can get the hell out of this awful project! These morons have nearly shot me four times! "
"Ah, you're a big boy." Jiang Hu laughed, roughly slapping Li Ji's back. "I'm sure you can handle it."
"These are Nascent Soul level weapons, Jiang Hu! I'd be dead if I hadn't been paying attention. I can't believe I ever complained about paperwork. Paperwork doesn't have the chance to spontaneously explode and level the nearby mountain range!"
"Danger is like the spice of life! Things would be bland if they were too safe!"
"No wonder I've always hated spicy food!"
---
I now have a discord. If you want to join Join the Ninjastar's Story Emporium Discord Server!
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 69: Sima Yazhu's Child.
---
Bing Meilu sat within her throneroom, eyes closed in cultivation. Within each of Seventy-Two Psuedo Dantians, a Dao Platform in the shape of an ice-covered moon rotated. Beneath the fog of misty yin qi that swirled around them, each was covered in six layers of transparent ice, corresponding to the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Completely focused, the girl continually refined Yin Qi into ice upon the Moons.
As she cultivated, the ice grew, and a faint light began to seemingly pour out from the moons. In truth, a moon did not produce its own light. It only reflected the luminescence of the sun and stars. It was in that fact fact the secret to the Crystal Providence Tome's Core Formation lay. To use the Moon and the principle of reversion to call upon distant starlight.
The stars in question were the Yin portion of the One-Hundred-Eight Star of Destiny, the Seventy-Two Fiend-Stars. An ancient, metaphysical structure of the Yin Dao set into the Heavens in an epoch even before the birth of the Crystal Providence whose Absolute Tome Bing Meilu had inherited. She was still far from the point of calling upon their distant light and entering Core Formation, but when she did her power would rise drastically.
As the girl ceaselessly cultivated, a sudden rumble ran through her entire Meridian system. In her original, untouched Dantian, a red formation shattered. It had been programmed to do so once she reached the age of twelve, and now that day had come. The Meridian system and Dantian only finished maturing at twelve, and with certain exceptions, cultivating before then was impossible.
Years ago, not long after Bing Meilu had first transmigrated, she had used the core of a Demon to create a formation allowing her to cultivate before her meridian system had finished maturing. It was a shoddy, makeshift construction due to her limited resources, but it had done the job.
But now, it had served its purpose. The formation dissolved away, and Bing Meilu shuddered, for the first time in her new life, actually feeling Qi slosh around the channels and apertures of her meridians.
'I almost forgot what that felt like...' the girl sighed.
It was like living your entire life covered in cotton, only to finally feel the tactile sensation of gripping an object. But, however much the formation had limited her, it had been worth it. She had gained several valuable years of extra cultivation time.
'In my first life at this age, I was a peasant maid, serving my social betters. In this life, I am already nearing the Third Realm and command a large and growing faction of cultivators. In every curse, there is a blessing. I returned to this time in order to prevent my mistakes, but it was also a chance to perfect my foundation and reach heights I could not even dream of before. This time, when I reach the peak of Celestial, the barrier to the Paragon Realm will not stop me.'
Satisfied with her progress, Bing Meilu returned to her cultivation.
---
Li Ji walked through the halls of the BMFS faction headquarters. He arrived at the door to his master's throneroom and knocked.
"Hey Boss, Sima Yazhu has given birth. I uh, thought you should know."
After a moment, the door to the room opened. A wave of chilly air flooded outwards, causing Li Ji to shiver. The small form of Bing Meilu stepped out of the door. She had grown quite a bit since Li Ji had first met her. Before she had only come up to his thighs, but now she came up to his stomach.
The most startling transformation of all was her aura. The cold, fiendish power radiating from her caused Li Ji to uncontrollably shiver. She felt numerous times more powerful than before.
"Have you...entered Core Formation?" Li Ji asked, eyes wide.
"No," she responded. "At present, I am in the Seventh stage of Foundation Establishment."
Li Ji nodded in response. He was well into Core Formation, but still certain that his boss would demolish him should they fight. He could only imagine just how much stronger she would be when she actually entered the third realm. Then, the accountant frowned. He senses a strange energy hiding within Bing Meilu's aura.
"Boss! I think someone has cursed you!" he said in shock.
Li Ji came from the world of merchants and curses were a common tool in that environment. His own uncle had died from such a hex. As such, he was quite familiar with detecting cursed energy.
"Don't worry about it. It's just the result of a project I'm working on," Bing Meilu waved her hand dismissively.
She clamped down on her aura until the traces of cursed energy disappeared. Then the girl stepped forward, and a snow-laden breeze blew from behind her, propelling her into the air and out of a window. Dancing upon the cold winds, she floated high above her faction's territory and looked gazed down upon it.
It had transformed greatly from being an empty plain. Several large buildings had been constructed, including a dorm, treasury, armoury and more. She could see dozens of new recruits drilling in formation upon a muddy field, led by Jiang Hu. Each of the disciples wore a badge that read 'Faithful Slave' and signified their membership in her faction. In the distance, she could see the massive unfinished form of the Captured Slave Galley, floating in the arm and glowing with golden light.
Lastly, a row of large red houses had also appeared during her seclusion, and it was to there she flew. The buildings housed her female disciples, including Sima Yazhu.
Bing Meilu landed at the base of the leftmost of the houses and stepped inside. Within the house's living room, Sima Yazhu lay on a couch, clutching a small cloth-wrapped baby. Tang Wuhan sat by the new mother's side, holding her hand reassuringly.
Bing Meilu poked at the newborn with her qi, inspecting the child. Men were mostly of yang, with a seed of yin, while women were mostly of yin with a seed of yang. Though she was originally female, the consequences of having her congenital yin drained by her father's demonic technique had caused her body to possess yin and yang in equal measures. As a result, the child had traits of both males and females, in other words, hermaphroditism. The condition was rare, but not necessarily disabling.
Sima Yazhu's tired eyes looked towards Bing Meilu. It was a law of heaven that the higher one's cultivation, the more difficult reproduction became, lest the world be overrun by the children of immortal beings. Even in the mere realm of Foundation Establishment, childbirth was notably more difficult.
"Her name is Xin Yi. Sima Xin Yi" the woman said quietly.
"Have you made your decision?" Bing Meilu asked.
Sima Yazhu nodded, determination burning even in her tired eyes.
"I have. I'm going to keep her... and be the best mother I can be!"
Where before she had seemed empty, there was now a fire to her words.
"Very well," Bing Meilu nodded. "As you know, your daughter's congenital yin was drained during her development, leading to her current condition. If you wish, her body can be restored to a state more similar to the average woman, using medical herbs and surgery. On the other hand, there are certain cultivation manuals especially suited to her constitution. It may therefore be beneficial to leave her body as is."
"D-do I have to choose now?"
"So long as you decide before she begins cultivation, it doesn't matter."
"Then, I'll wait for my daughter's opinion when she is older."
"I see. On that note, have you decided where you plan to go next in life? In this world, only the strong enjoy peace. Calamites can befall even the innocent. If you wish to protect your child, you should become my disciple and continue your cultivation."
The woman bit her lip hesitantly, thinking over the offer.
"Shen Xinyue became your disciple?" Sima Yazhu asked.
"Indeed."
"Then... I will as well."
Bing Meilu nodded.
"Very well then. Then, henceforth, you are the Third Disciple of the Crystal Providence Heavenly Palace in this world. You'll have to cultivate hard to maintain our reputation."
Bing Meilu thought for a moment about what cultivation manual to give her new disciple. The Crystal Providence Divine Tome that she had given Shen Xinyue did not fit a mother. Chilbrith had altered the nature of her Yin. After a moment of observing the nature of SIma YAzhu's Qi, Bing Meilu waved her hand, creating a stack of ice tablets.
"This is the Queen Mother's Westward March, an Earth Trigram cultivation manual. With it, you can refine earthen Dharma Protectors to fight for you. There should be a section at the bottom about converting your cultivation into it. If you need any further help, you can come see me."
Sima Yazhu gratefully nodded.
With that done, Bing Meilu turned to face Tang Wuhan. the woman had stayed to be with the pregnant SIma Yazhu. Now that her friend had given birth, it would be time for her to leave and seek out her mortal family.
"Will you be leaving now?" the former celestial asked.
Tang Wuhan nodded.
"If you ever decide to continue cultivation, know you'll be welcome almost my sect," Bing Meilu said. "Farewell."
With that, she left.
---
Li Ji stood atop a hill overseeing the vast construction of the Captured Slave Galley. Hundreds of jade chains shot from his body, moving, holding and raising components as they were installed into the ship's frame.
Golden light shimmered and danced across his vision as he chanted the Manyfold Good Fortune Dao-Enshrining Scripture. Karmic wealth swirled and flowed, converging in the massive glowing sun that was the unfinished galley. It was by far the most valuable thing he had ever seen.
So long as he chanted the Dao-Enshrining Scripture he could predict and prevent actions that would reduce the value of the ship. However, even he was not perfect, and lower-level cultivators were not necessarily immune to being crushed by giant falling metal objects. So far at least two workers had been killed during mishaps alongside many lesser injuries.
"Hey Boss, why's the cannon beeping?" one worker called out.
"Fuck! Turn it off before it explodes!" Li Ji shouted. "And group C, why the hell are you putting that harpoon on backwards-No! Don't press that button!"
It hadn't even been a year, but Li Ji felt he had lost a decade of lifespan already managing the suicidal morons he worked with.
'This is what we get for skimping in labour costs and not just hiring a professional, dammit!'
But orders were orders. Bing Meilu wanted to spend every penny possible on outfitting the ship with top-of-the-line formations. Hiring professional builders simply meant fewer cannons in her eyes. As Li Ji worked, Jiang Hu approached from behind, his jagged draconic teeth ripping into a meaty shank of lamb.
"How's much longer till it's ready, brother?" he asked
"We're about eighty percent done. Just installing all the modules into the finished frame. With any luck it will only be a month or two more until I can get the hell out of this awful project! These morons have nearly shot me four times! "
"Ah, you're a big boy." Jiang Hu laughed, roughly slapping Li Ji's back. "I'm sure you can handle it."
"These are Nascent Soul level weapons, Jiang Hu! I'd be dead if I hadn't been paying attention. I can't believe I ever complained about paperwork. Paperwork doesn't have the chance to spontaneously explode and level the nearby mountain range!"
"Danger is like the spice of life! Things would be bland if they were too safe!"
"No wonder I've always hated spicy food!"
---
I now have a discord. If you want to join Join the Ninjastar's Story Emporium Discord Server!
Fellow Human
Verified Roado Rolla
Bro is in magical China, tough luck on non spicy food.
Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
Several Years? It doesn't seem like a full years has passed yet.
Given the ship's now 80% complete, I'm guessing there was a timeskip.
- Location
- Alice Springs, Australia
Timeskip was only a matter of months though, unless pregnancy takes longer the earth for some reason
I think she is referring to the amount of time that has passed since she went back in time
samdamandias
Apprentice Plane Wizard
That just means Li Ji hasn't dealt with the !!FUN!! paperwork yet.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
It's a cultivation setting. Months can pass in a relative eyeblink. Easy to lose track.
With cultivator babies, who knows?
- Location
- England
she is referring to that you usually start cultivating at 12
Went back to check the timeline.
So it's been over one year, under two, if possibly just barely. "Several years" of cultivation is thus an exaggeration, but it has been more than one.
Bing Meilu discovers her time-travel technique needs some work, and overshot.
There's a timeskip in which she trains up the MC in Luck-Fu. We get this indicator of her current age immediately before the Demon Boar attack.
She uses the Demon Boar's Core to create the formation within her Dantian the very next day. So, at ten years of age.
She's now twelve, probably exactly. Happy Birthday, Bing Meilu! Though it's probably not special to you, given just how many you've had.
So it's been over one year, under two, if possibly just barely. "Several years" of cultivation is thus an exaggeration, but it has been more than one.
- Location
- United States
It is several years because it is four years, since she previously only started at fourteen and now started at ten, no? Is several a specific number as a minimum?