- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Awfully bold words for a hobbit who hid the One Ring from Gandalf!
-
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Even Further Beyond [Complete]
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
Legacy Scam
It wasn't long before Nameless knew of the winner of Atrius Vane's Legacy. Danz Vane, a Cultivation Prodigy who had reached the peak of the Soul Chryssalis stage in a mere 150 years of his life. Rumor had it that he would soon make a breakthrough into the Dao Cleaving stage.. The court was ablaze with speculation of the exact nature and powers of the legacy Atrius Vane had left. Danz Vane's star had already risen high before he'd even taken a step back into the Court of Vane.
Proud and swaggering with luck, fortune favored him with yet another catch on the road back to the Court. A weakling of the Ego Barrier Stage, only halfway through it, Danz estimated. Ordinarily he'd simply leave them alone, grovelling not worth his time, but the youth, seemingly about 14 years of age, wore a ring far too precious for his stature. It shone a bright blue, and Danz instant knew it was incredibly valuable. More valuable than anything he'd ever had before. And held by someone merely at the Ego Barrier..
Danz dropped down upon the road, startling the man, looking to be of some nameless clan somewhere.
"That ring is the property of House Vane. Cede it." He stated to the man. For all he cared, it already was.
"No.. it's mine!" The adolescent declared defiantly, backing up somewhat. He had his hand outstretched, making some strange symbols.. A Forgotten Art! The Ring allowed used of a Forgotten Art!
Danz immediately charged the boy, begining with a flying kick to break whatever art he was attempting.
Then felt his foot held in the air. In the next moment, he was slammed down to the earth. Then smashed down so hard he hadn't the time to even feel pain, even feel shock at being crushed by an Ego Barrier weakling - And then it was over, Danz Vane sprawled out on the ground. The battle had lasted all of two seconds.
All he could do was stare in a daze at the boy as he looted everything he had, as he protested feebly. Strength of the early Dao Cleaving Stage, his mind noted, and unconsciousness took hold.
AN: Just a thought on how we might steal the Legacy.
It wasn't long before Nameless knew of the winner of Atrius Vane's Legacy. Danz Vane, a Cultivation Prodigy who had reached the peak of the Soul Chryssalis stage in a mere 150 years of his life. Rumor had it that he would soon make a breakthrough into the Dao Cleaving stage.. The court was ablaze with speculation of the exact nature and powers of the legacy Atrius Vane had left. Danz Vane's star had already risen high before he'd even taken a step back into the Court of Vane.
Proud and swaggering with luck, fortune favored him with yet another catch on the road back to the Court. A weakling of the Ego Barrier Stage, only halfway through it, Danz estimated. Ordinarily he'd simply leave them alone, grovelling not worth his time, but the youth, seemingly about 14 years of age, wore a ring far too precious for his stature. It shone a bright blue, and Danz instant knew it was incredibly valuable. More valuable than anything he'd ever had before. And held by someone merely at the Ego Barrier..
Danz dropped down upon the road, startling the man, looking to be of some nameless clan somewhere.
"That ring is the property of House Vane. Cede it." He stated to the man. For all he cared, it already was.
"No.. it's mine!" The adolescent declared defiantly, backing up somewhat. He had his hand outstretched, making some strange symbols.. A Forgotten Art! The Ring allowed used of a Forgotten Art!
Danz immediately charged the boy, begining with a flying kick to break whatever art he was attempting.
Then felt his foot held in the air. In the next moment, he was slammed down to the earth. Then smashed down so hard he hadn't the time to even feel pain, even feel shock at being crushed by an Ego Barrier weakling - And then it was over, Danz Vane sprawled out on the ground. The battle had lasted all of two seconds.
All he could do was stare in a daze at the boy as he looted everything he had, as he protested feebly. Strength of the early Dao Cleaving Stage, his mind noted, and unconsciousness took hold.
AN: Just a thought on how we might steal the Legacy.
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RedV
Refuelling
- Location
- Right here
If we're strong enough to ignore the life saving measures a Vane has in place, we should probably just directly attack him? Should a dark lord really care about public opinion, of all things?
- Location
- Elsewhere
Considering we need the empire to remain standing? yes.
(Ok, an empire. This is jut the mot stable one.)
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
PR is important!
"I was attacked, I defended myself, then looted him for attacking me." is better than "Gib."
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
MP is obtained through slacking off, Baenlixnaier's Deliberation, and a potential reward from discussion.
Beyond Points are awarded from omakes/discussion/fanworks, trading 2 MP:1 BP, and a third, unknown method (Which I and some others speculate to be plot and/or fate related.)
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Make fanworks good enough to impress Rihaku. Once per in game year Mastermind Points(whatever those actually do) can be converted to beyond points at a 2:1 ratio. The third method is unknown but apparently fulfilling our oath to Baenlixnaire to screw over the Vanes will give us one.
Heroine (also the herolites, 100% the righteousness at a fraction of the
You think your role is your ally? You merely adopted it, I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't awaken until I was already grown, by then my fate was nothing but blinding.
*Buy 5 get 1 Celestial Orb free!
Wasnt it said that if we wreck our clan's rep gramps will kill us?
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OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
That's probably true to a degree regardless. We didn't take Grandfather as a mentor though so it is less true than it would be otherwise.
RedV
Refuelling
- Location
- Right here
Why would he not support trampling on the younger generation of other clans and cucking their treasures? It shows the might of Yong clan as the most superior clan and spreads the glory of the house, while promoting healthy competition between the younger generation.
Remember, we're all low level Soul Chrysalis guys in the zone. Not likely to cause wars for some mere juniors. Most Soul Refiners won't be too politically relevant for, like, a thousand more years, if they are lucky enough to become High Reality Forming/Grand Solipsist, which is itself very uncertain.
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Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
I wonder if we could have gone:
[ ] A Spoiled Brat
[ ] Mother, Violet Reaper
[ ] Father, Lord of Vermin
[ ] Grandfather, the Unbroken World
For the first vote. It would have been.. interesting. The implication is that the whole Yong family spoiled us to ludicrous levels! Hidden synergy!
[ ] A Spoiled Brat
[ ] Mother, Violet Reaper
[ ] Father, Lord of Vermin
[ ] Grandfather, the Unbroken World
For the first vote. It would have been.. interesting. The implication is that the whole Yong family spoiled us to ludicrous levels! Hidden synergy!
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Even at the second vote we still had the option for hidden synergy, but the voters just don't appreciate motherhood, poison, or swordsmanship
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
Strictly speaking, Baenlixnaier, Archmage, Throne, Mother, Granfather was a theoretical possibility. Of course, we entered Consolidation with only 1 BP..Even at the second vote we still had the option for hidden synergy, but the voters just don't appreciate motherhood, poison, or swordsmanship
Fulfilling our Oaths. See: getting BP for destroying treasure.
REDECORATING
Xiaoling raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about this?"
Nameless practically radiated smug. "Of course I'm sure. This is going to blow your mind, Ming. Behold the fruit of my labor! Isengard!" Making a bold gesture as if to open a door the young scion of Yong parted the world in front of him to show another.
The air around them immediately cooled, a welcome respite in the jungle like environs bordering Kong, and began gusting toward the doorway. The sun still shone brightly in the other world but the plant life seemed more like that of Yong. Huge, broad leafy trees dominated the landscape and in the distance a powerful river with a swift current rushed by.
In the midst of a large and clearly artificial circular section of the river where it calmed, linked by a series of oddly organic looking wooden bridges to the rest of the land, stood a craggy island with a monstrously tall shining white tower of ivory and stone built into it. And at the top of the tower...
"Yong? Why do you have a giant and menacing-looking eyeball made out of fire sitting on the top of your tower? It ruins the whole ambiance!" Xiaoling protested shrilly as Suizhen clutched her sword a bit closer and looked at the burning eye warily.
Nameless gaped in shock. "Ruins the ambiance? That eye is CLASSIC. It makes the whole tower. Without the eye the tower doesn't look nearly as impressive. Besides, it works as an almost perfect security system. Anyone who isn't supposed to be here the eye will see and then blast with soul-searing necromantic fire. The eye keeps everything here safe!"
Ming was glad to see that even Yong's lackey gave him a skeptical look at that. "I'm not sure if you're trying to be funny or compensating for something, but pink is not a good look for your tower, Nameless. It doesn't work with the green forest and looks perverted."
Yong eyed the tower himself. "What do you mean? The tower is white, not pink. Are you seeing things, Xiaoling? It's…. Only a little pinkish toward the top."
Xiaoling nodded smugly. "That's right, near your red eye. Red light plus white stone makes pink, Yong. It doesn't take a great artist to see that."
He pursed his lips in response. "It's classic, but… I guess the color would have worked with a black tower but I've already gone white. Okay. You know what? I can do blue. Blue fire will work with the stone pretty well. Just so long as it doesn't blend completely with the sky…"
Immediately the fiery eye at the top of the tower changed color to Kong Suizhen's eye color, the girl it resembled blushed furiously, and Ming Xiaoling squawked in outrage. "WHAT? You can change it's color? Well, that's good but that is a terribly ugly shade of blue, Yong. Try something a bit deeper. You need more of a purple color, less blue."
Nameless shrugged in response and the fiery eye became more of a purple color. Kong seemed to relax at that, and Xiaoling herself smiled happily, with an odd look in her eye. "Still, I must admit Nameless, even though this is a bit rustic it has it's charm... And I don't see too many servants so we'll have to hire some. And I hope that tower is properly furnished…Ming paused for a moment, and the Yong scion felt a strange dread rise within him as the noble girl's smiled widened. "Still, a place like this is impressive, and it's good to see that you can change the color of the eye. Is there anything else in here that you can change?"
Despite a feeling warning him against it, Nameless couldn't help but brag a bit. He was very proud of his accomplishment after all. "Not directly! But the neat thing is, in here I can control all plant life to an unnatural degree. I can make things grow at an insane pace and control the direction in which they grow. And I can control plant monsters as well. So indirectly, there's very little in this pocket dimension that I can't affect. It's also large enough that with the issue of food more or less solved, I can sustain millions of servants."
Xiaoing's smile widened even further, looking almost unnatural on her normally surly face. She glanced over at Kong Suizhen speculatively. "You know, I think you mentioned you were looking to learn a few things about flower arrangement. This strikes me as a great opportunity to instill you with some culture in a way even you can't mess up, Kong!"
And thus the Doom of the Tower of Barad-Dur was sealed again, this time in the lands of it's twin. Let all the men of all the races fear a similar Doom, for no stronghold is proof against such insidious threats...
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OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
That was great. Seriously. Thanks for fleshing out that idea.
Fanwork##3419 Words
Had to divide it into several parts since the overall size had gotten too big.
The mention of monks reminded me - what is their religion like in the Empire and beyond? One would rather think that Cultivation doesn't lend itself well to worshiping some higher forces, but there's hundreds of billions of mortals who would likely seek for an escape from their daily suffering in prayer. And Divinities are an objective existence around those parts, which brings me to the question: do these godlings actually care about having followers? And is it possible to find out more about them from religious scriptures?
It would also be interesting to know whether nature is this beautiful everywhere in the Empire (aside from Eastern Kong). The elves have an obvious advantage with their Naturalism, but Cultivators seem to often take a hand in adjusting the environment regardless. Since I doubt they'd do this out of the goodness of their hearts, could it be that such exceptional habitats lead to an abundance of cultivation resources? Might be part of the reasons why the Empire so far ahead - just look at those other barbarian empires squabbling among themselves in cultivator-blasted wastelands.
Of course, that conflicts somewhat with Kong's actions - he seems to go for 'dangerous beasties' rather than 'pretty flowers' when looking for cultivation resources, so maybe Cultivators simply have a good sense of aesthetics.
Still, what an interesting target Suizhen has chosen for her revenge. Every Titan appears to have a litany of titles (except perhaps the Sect one, as she might be too young for that), but their focus is quite curious here. Utility, Reason, Scholar, yet also Monster, Beast, Dragon... plus the Sky themes, of course.
There are multiple possible interpretations: he's probably very adept at manipulating wind/weather, as some have already suggested, and while the monster/animal references could be about his general lack of morals, they feel a bit too prevalent for that. When first hearing about his act of creating the Overgrowth, I'd thought his Arts were connected to creating and manipulating Spirit Beasts, but... now I wonder whether they're more about transforming himself into a Beast, as would be expected of the internally focused cultivation. Perhaps he's not simply looking for good cultivation resources, but for monsters that would help improve his combat forms or be otherwise useful for perfecting his Monstrous Form(s).
Hmm. Speaking of great-great-great-grandfathers, if Kong Zang is such an unfeeling bastard, just what urged him to start a family? Maybe there's still a beating human heart underneath all those layers of monstrous flesh? Or maybe he really wanted to experiment with eugenics...
The last sentence is quite a curious remark. We'd been making guesses about Cultivation's origins and its relation to the Divinities (perhaps they introduce new magic systems to commemorate new Ages?), but cludging together something ingenious from old and abandoned components sounds so quintessentially human that I have trouble believing the gods had any hand in it, to start with at least. They wouldn't need to go so far, I reckon, they'd just invent something whole-cloth if they needed to.
We'd also been told that we might find traces of even older civilizations in Southern Vane, which understandably didn't enthuse many people. They'd most definitely be losers, so how much could we learn from them? But now it seems we might need to reexamine the idea. If cultivation is a hack stitched together from their inheritances, we might find useful inspiration for our Arts in these half-forgotten places.
Also, 'no improvement without transformation'? Maybe he's just referring to the normal cultivation process (which has Transformation stages too), but it's also possible this is another hint at his ability to change his forms and abilities.
I see that Nameless takes care not to pronounce any direct lies if he can help it. Of course we're our father's project if seen from a certain point of view, and he's invested a non-insignificant effort into our upbringing. The Spirit Cocaine wasn't cheap either, you know? It's just that none of it has anything to do with our ability to simultaneously utilize the Three Arts, Nameless is simply letting her come to her own conclusions.
...Nah, bullying her is too much fun, she'll just have to get used to it.
Ouch, what a burn. I guess she doesn't usually think too much about the consequences of success, as it's too far away for her to consider the possibility seriously yet.
Perhaps something that would cut them off at the roots? A communal sort of magic that would grow in strength with the number of followers/adepts? Or maybe something that specifically aims at harming/destroying the Ego Barrier? Perhaps something much more adroit at manipulating Fate than the previous systems? Of course, it's entirely possible nothing of the sort will appear and Cultivation will continue its steady march towards Divinity.
Had to divide it into several parts since the overall size had gotten too big.
The reference to ivory towers worries me somewhat, as it is often used to refer to intellectual pursuits that are excessively divorced from reality and academics who don't notice the world pass them by. Unless we go by the biblical interpretation? Has Nameless taken to flirting with Suizhen when we weren't looking? Cause that sounds like a bad idea all around.
Bureaucracy as the sole force of good in the corrupt Imperial Center, struggling to hold their ground against the evil Sects daily. How noble! How self-sacrificing! Or maybe they're simply a bit less corrupt than the alternatives because they're afraid the sleeping dragon would wake up if they go too far.
The mention of monks reminded me - what is their religion like in the Empire and beyond? One would rather think that Cultivation doesn't lend itself well to worshiping some higher forces, but there's hundreds of billions of mortals who would likely seek for an escape from their daily suffering in prayer. And Divinities are an objective existence around those parts, which brings me to the question: do these godlings actually care about having followers? And is it possible to find out more about them from religious scriptures?
We might have dodged a bullet by avoiding the Imperia Center. If this is the sort of competition inspired by mere natural treasures, just what would these people do for an Artifact like our Ring? Of course, our father's reputation would have provided us with non-insignificant protection, making people wonder if we're wearing the Ring this way intentionally...
It would also be interesting to know whether nature is this beautiful everywhere in the Empire (aside from Eastern Kong). The elves have an obvious advantage with their Naturalism, but Cultivators seem to often take a hand in adjusting the environment regardless. Since I doubt they'd do this out of the goodness of their hearts, could it be that such exceptional habitats lead to an abundance of cultivation resources? Might be part of the reasons why the Empire so far ahead - just look at those other barbarian empires squabbling among themselves in cultivator-blasted wastelands.
Of course, that conflicts somewhat with Kong's actions - he seems to go for 'dangerous beasties' rather than 'pretty flowers' when looking for cultivation resources, so maybe Cultivators simply have a good sense of aesthetics.
Sometimes one needs to dance around the subject and slowly sketch out the limits of what is proper. At other times one needs the bluntness of a hammer to address the issue. Seems Nameless has judged her more receptive to this approach.
Still, what an interesting target Suizhen has chosen for her revenge. Every Titan appears to have a litany of titles (except perhaps the Sect one, as she might be too young for that), but their focus is quite curious here. Utility, Reason, Scholar, yet also Monster, Beast, Dragon... plus the Sky themes, of course.
There are multiple possible interpretations: he's probably very adept at manipulating wind/weather, as some have already suggested, and while the monster/animal references could be about his general lack of morals, they feel a bit too prevalent for that. When first hearing about his act of creating the Overgrowth, I'd thought his Arts were connected to creating and manipulating Spirit Beasts, but... now I wonder whether they're more about transforming himself into a Beast, as would be expected of the internally focused cultivation. Perhaps he's not simply looking for good cultivation resources, but for monsters that would help improve his combat forms or be otherwise useful for perfecting his Monstrous Form(s).
This is almost painful, Suizhen. Although this complete failure at subtlety makes her easier to manipulate, I still can't help feeling sorry for her. It's also kind of a strange feeling to be in the shoes of a socially adept character handling an awkward one after the litany of weirdos from the last few quests.
Hmm. Speaking of great-great-great-grandfathers, if Kong Zang is such an unfeeling bastard, just what urged him to start a family? Maybe there's still a beating human heart underneath all those layers of monstrous flesh? Or maybe he really wanted to experiment with eugenics...
Hmm. There's been some back-and-forth discussion about how Kong's death would influence the Empire's stability, but Nameless seems to treat the possibility with a certain degree of flippancy, doesn't he? It might be that he thinks he can convince her otherwise in time or that she stands no real chance, and is only humoring Suizhen, but that's not the feeling I get from his words. He knows that his task is in many ways even more impossible than killing the Elder Beast, and banking on being able to turn someone away from their life's goal would be unwise. To me it looks like he intends to fully endorse Suizhen's vengeance and exploit the results in his favor.
Scientific... cultivation. Oh wow. This just blew my mind. I mean, it has to have started somewhere, and the scientific method is a natural tool for discovering new knowledge, but that Arts centered on this idea still exist? Considering our focus on Diagram and its own scientific roots, this seems almost perfect for us. That we'd so luckily encounter a practicitioner of the Kong Arts who would be willing to teach us right as we started Cultivation... well, I don't want to bring fate and luck into this, but we sure are living a Charmed Life, aren't we?
The last sentence is quite a curious remark. We'd been making guesses about Cultivation's origins and its relation to the Divinities (perhaps they introduce new magic systems to commemorate new Ages?), but cludging together something ingenious from old and abandoned components sounds so quintessentially human that I have trouble believing the gods had any hand in it, to start with at least. They wouldn't need to go so far, I reckon, they'd just invent something whole-cloth if they needed to.
We'd also been told that we might find traces of even older civilizations in Southern Vane, which understandably didn't enthuse many people. They'd most definitely be losers, so how much could we learn from them? But now it seems we might need to reexamine the idea. If cultivation is a hack stitched together from their inheritances, we might find useful inspiration for our Arts in these half-forgotten places.
That the symbol of our father's love is Spirit Cocaine - toxic and strong in equal measure - is fitting, but sometimes there's no need to look too deeply. Not everything our father does has to have double meanings, sometimes the Spirit Cocaine is just that - a performance drug to help us cultivate.
This is kind of why I wasn't very interested in Forbidden Arts. They can enhance our cultivation speed and give a host of other advantages depending on the specifics, but they're called Forbidden for a reason, and that's not just to keep the cool stuff from us. Sometimes we can mitigate their disadvantages through various tricks (like being immortal), but there might be consequences we won't recognize until it's too late and will have to spend additional effort on correcting.
Also, 'no improvement without transformation'? Maybe he's just referring to the normal cultivation process (which has Transformation stages too), but it's also possible this is another hint at his ability to change his forms and abilities.
I don't know whether to be glad she is capable of enough impartiality to recognize genius even in people she doesn't like. On the one hand, it's a remarkably sober point of view, but on the other hand, she won't ever underestimate us should she change sides in the future. Though perhaps that was a given, what with our Thrice-Greatness.
...Surprise! You though we were a simple mage, but we were actually Thrice-Great!
I see that Nameless takes care not to pronounce any direct lies if he can help it. Of course we're our father's project if seen from a certain point of view, and he's invested a non-insignificant effort into our upbringing. The Spirit Cocaine wasn't cheap either, you know? It's just that none of it has anything to do with our ability to simultaneously utilize the Three Arts, Nameless is simply letting her come to her own conclusions.
The reaction would have been insulting if it wasn't completely justified. Maybe we should dial down on the hazing?
...Nah, bullying her is too much fun, she'll just have to get used to it.
:lol
Ouch, what a burn. I guess she doesn't usually think too much about the consequences of success, as it's too far away for her to consider the possibility seriously yet.
Eh, no need to go that far, we're probably going to announce it as soon as we decide on the best way to sell out.
I see that Nameless is trying to entrust her with at least a modicum of social acumen, enough to recognize his jokes perhaps? Or maybe he simply enjoys yanking her chain, it's not like we're going to seriously care about her debt by the time she'll be able to pay it back.
Shareing secrets is a pretty good trust-building exercise. First she entrusts us with her secrets, and before she knows it she'll be transferring all her money to our account to support the poor Yong heir in his takeover of the Empire.
That sounds suspiciously like a love confession. Don't do it, Nameless! Don't you dare fall for a Heroine, it never ends well for the villains! We might get betrayed, or worse, converted.
Some of these eyes' deeper abilities (the way she read Nameless so easily) and their effect on the owner's sanity kind of reminds me of the Scales Sign. It's probably not a real commonality, just a coincidence in certain parts of their functionality, but certain consequences migth repeat themselves. After all, it is all too easy to focus on the negatives, seeing only greed and selfishness in people around them. That Suizhen is so accepting of others despite the clarity of her vision speaks well of her, I think.
I think abstaining from casual cruelty just to gain a short-term advantage isn't something to be derided, but that might just be me. Baenlixnaire was a millennia-old lich that didn't care about anything except hsi vengeance, we want a bit more than that out of this life.
Ah, we wouldn't want to find ourselves at odds with her either, but that might not be entirely up to us. She's very accepting in many ways, but in some her views of good and evil are pretty absolute. Someday we might find ourselves making a choice she won't be able to tolerate.
We need a cat ASAP. Stroking a goatee is just not the same!
Hmm. Whatever Cultivation's true origins are, it's true that new magic systems seem to supplant old ones with each Age. Diagram butchered and replaced racial magics (though the Elves are a notable exception), Cultivation stomped the Age of Truth... so as a thought experiment, what kind of system would have a natural advantage against Cultivation, for it to successfully usurp Cultivation's place as the top dog? Truthfully, I somewhat struggle to think of something that would overcome xianxia's endless escalation.
Perhaps something that would cut them off at the roots? A communal sort of magic that would grow in strength with the number of followers/adepts? Or maybe something that specifically aims at harming/destroying the Ego Barrier? Perhaps something much more adroit at manipulating Fate than the previous systems? Of course, it's entirely possible nothing of the sort will appear and Cultivation will continue its steady march towards Divinity.
A self-adjusting cultivation method that is uniquely suited to each practitioner - the more I hear about it, the more I like the idea, the terrible dangers of taking the wrong road notwithstanding. One can't help but admire Kong Zang's genius for blazing such a path forward if nothing else. Still, he is only one of the Titans, so the Arts of others must have something going for them as well, even if they wouldn't be as suited to Nameless' current personality and abilities.
She's in good company then, for Nameless aspires to deicide. What is a Titan compared to that?
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...Just what were those guys thinking back when they pioneered Cultivation? 'Oh, those flowers certainly look pretty, and if the dragons eat those fruits, they're good enough for us' - were they insane? Since to build an Ego Barrier requires not having learned any other magics previously, they must have been mortals, so what in the world possessed them to do something like that? Or perhaps they didn't do it of their own free will at all?..
After all, super soldier experiments going rogue is a common trope, and it wouldn't surprise me if Diagram mages (or someone else) had tried to enhance their mortal soldiers through various means, succeeding beyond their wildest imaginations at last. Cultivation might not have looked like much to start with - just an AT Field made of willpower, and by the time they recognized what was going on it might have been too late.
Hmm, I thought the creation of a private Realm was something done in later stages of Cultivation, but apparently it's something that occurs right at the very start? By completely isolating oneself from the world, one tricks reality into thinking that one is a separate realm and thus gets the energy generation going? Because that's seemingly what happens to worlds - they automatically generate the Energy of All and Nothingness. Hey, would the same happen to a perfectly isolated pocket dimension created by a Diagramist?
Theoretically, it's possible to rely on external means to fortify the body for the sake of performing Organ Refinement (as long as those means don't dissipate when closed off from the outside world through an Ego Barrier), which is what I assume the Might spell to be doing when it is perfomed at a sufficiently advanced level.
So the first three stages set the foundation from which the following three build a new world. And Dominion... well, it's name suggests asserting supremacy over this Realm. I don't know how exactly this would happen and what would be required to succeed, but it's telling that Llewyn's Might helps here at the Further Beyond stage. Perhaps the Dominion stage requires elevating the self once more?
Hmm? This is a bit confusing. Do I take it to mean that the Ego Barrier loses (or changes) its isolating function at later stages of Cultivation? Perhaps it becomes less and less necessary to be completely separate after establishing the Soul Chrysalis and/or succeeding in creating a new world-self, or the ability to let some things through becomes increasingly important.
Sadly, it's far too likely that we and our allies won't be the only ones with access to this knowledge. Whether it's through recovering ancient knowledge or making a ridiculous new breakthrough, it's to be expected that the Heroine will acquire Beyond versions of cultivation stages at the very least.
Heh. We tend to rag on the Heroine a lot for her advantages, but seeing it laid out like this, we're quite the cheater ourselves, aren't we? It might be completely impossible for mortals to acquire our capabilities without divine intervention.
First thought upon reading about those legendary metals: we definitely want to get ourselves some of these. Don't know how they'd stack up against a high-level Cultivator's brute force, but it will be fun to find out. Maybe we'll have to go looking for liches to find them?
So we're finally starting on the road of exploring the full synergy promised by Thrice-Great. Don't know just how well our opposition will be able to anticipate the advancements we'd make on this path, but at least there's a lot of room for improvisation here.
Finding the necessary ingredients on the roadside... and that's just with Charmed Life, though we've probably utilized the Sign of Fate to some degree as well. I shudder to think what the Heroine would be capable of if she could manipulate her luck and destiny consciously.
I'm going to miss Charmed Life when we finally lose it. Perhaps there is a way to extend/enhance its function, or even replace it with something superior? It's a pale hope, and I doubt the Fate Sign will give us so much of its favor easily (if it's even capable of this, we'd probably need to cheat outrageously again), but there's something to be said for maxing out luck.
Don't tell me we've gotten so used to the Spirit Cocaine we never want to go back to the inferior, 'safe' materials! Drug addiction is bad for your health, y'know? Except when you're an immortal lich with golden Azoth flowing through your veins, apparently.
This is a ridiculous amount of effort to perfect the Ego Barrier. I'm starting to doubt even the Heroine with all her luck would be capable of fielding something of this level in the foreseeable future. Then again, what do I know? Where we have to do the work ourselves, she might just find the right materials and legacies that would push her along.
Btw, the yellow colors and alchemy themes kind of remind me of Chrysopoeia. Which is fitting, since it had certain similarities with cultivation, looking back on it. Perhaps we'll see the resurgence of the Shadow Spiral and its terrible (but tasty) fruit?
The last line sours the excitement somewhat, but it's not that much of a disadvantage. We'd mostly be using superior materials when we cultivate anyway, so the Auorium will hardly be going to waste. Of course, things might have looked a bit different with the Sarcophagus, but it's a far lesser problem with Quickening.
The heart rune? How cheesy. Still, whatever works. It's certainly very nice to have received an enhancement that not only helps us in battle but sets the groundwork for later development into something that can tilt the odds in our favor. It's more than I expected out of the option, that's for sure, and I'm now pretty grateful Archsmith won that vote.
The arguments for this one have been hashed over already, I'd say. I'm in favor of giving her the blade, but that's because I want her to do more than be our arm candy in our future endeavors. it would be pretty sucky having to chuck her into the Vault whenever the going gets tough.
Still, I understand where the opponents of the option are coming from. Any power lent to her is power we didn't use to enhance ourselves, and we can hardly afford to dither when it comes to our little competition with the Heroine.
Sadly, my least favorite option. Not because the choice itself is too bad, but we've chosen the build that can afford to adventure aggressively, and immediately heading for the parties after that sounds a bit boring. We can always go strut our stuff later, after we've scratched the adventuring itch.
Ah, the liches we've talked so much about when discussing Truthseeker. Of course, we'd have to find them first, but we might receive unexpected help from Fate if we turn out to be their Doom. It also immediately teaches us a spell, of which there can never be enough (I suspect it will be Vault rather than Potentation), and gives us access to lots of cultivation materials for our advancement.
A strong second choice for me, but still not my favorite, if only because it sounds too much like grinding.
Ah, that wacky Vane. I'd almost say it's nice of him to leave his legacy for all to take a gander at, but the 'gleefully sadistic' but puts things into perspective. Maybe it's just me, but my 'plot relevant' warning signs start going off when reading this option. Youngsters from all over Southern Vane will be visiting the place, plus we've heard that the Heroine might be in Southern Vane herself... I doubt she'll be in the Zone, but we might find a thread leading to her. Someone must know her, after all, a genius of her caliber wouldn't remain completely obscure.
Also, Beyond points don't grow on trees, so this opportunity is quite valuable.
If we can perfect it by that time, sure.
Enohthree
Hypersane
Something to consider is that despite Kong being the first on the path, using Cultivating that's perfectly tuned to his own growth, and trail blazing the most dangerous but fruitful path... Grandpa is both the first Titan and maybe strongest, possibly losing out only to the Emperor. Yong Clan arts OP even taking the non-attuned Orthodox route.