It really depends. It used to be at least 48 hours, then it was around 30hours, and nowadays it can be as fast as 24hrs. Week updates usually take a bit longer to write though. I'd say don't expect an update for another 30hours.
Man, when the vote you want but sure isn't going to win triggers a mass defection to your second favorite plan away from the one you liked the least. It's not what I consider ideal, but the final stretch of this vote was amusing in it's own way.
Spirits are simultaneously one of the greatest troubles facing the empire and one of its greatest assets. Spirits serve as powerful companions and multipliers of a cultivators power, and in many cases, serve as a final and terrible warning against infighting amongst ourselves, lest the losing parties ancestors, Sublime or otherwise, decide that there is no longer anything left to lose.
That… Ling Qi thought she was missing something. She was pretty sure Gu Xiulan's family was lower status than Han Jian's, but shouldn't they be higher if that was the case. "Alright," she replied slowly. "So that explains the speech, what about the insults?"
Gu Xiulan scowled, and the air warmed slightly. "My esteemed ancestors actions may have been necessary, but they were hardly without ill effect. Much of Golden Fields remains an ashen wasteland to this day, and in the first millennia after the event the surviving houses of the province… struggled to stay competitive with the rest of the empire," she crossed her arms again. "Of course, my family has worked long and hard to ensure that we are no longer poor vagrants scrabbling among ruins, so such words betray the speaker's lack of knowledge and poor education."
So, huh. The Lu family is considered 'Extinct', though the Gu Family was a branch. Likewise, the status of her family seems lower than Han Jian's currently, but the Lu family should have been higher. I'm almost certain this has to do with Han Jian's family having an acestor spirit beast, and Gu Xiulan seeming not to.
It seems the Lu family not only lost its Sublime Ancestor during the battle that destroyed most of the Golden Fields, but they probably also lost every part of the family that truly made it the 'Lu' Family, hence why the Guy family could never make claim to the name. This probably means at least all the spirit beast side of the family was massacred, and maybe even they lost all their familial arts.
I'm going to guess that it's possible the ritual to awaken a sublime ancestor creates huge risk for the spirit beast side of the family and the battle turned worse than even expected so they couldn't recover any of them at all. Likewise, I am going to guess they did not lose their familial art: Gu Xiulan's recalcitrance to go in Elder Su's class might very well have to do with this. While her family is no longer a High Noble family at all, it probably keeps secrets that are typically only ever seen by the High Noble families, and she knows better than to cultivate such arts next to an Elder.
There is also a possibility that Gu Xiulan, in particular, had an incredibly lucky encounter and managed to grab some of her ancestor's arts that were believed lost.
So, my question to you all: what do you think was the spirit beast of her family? We haven't seen any 'magical' ones, so it shouldn't be a phoenix or some such, but it should definitely be heavily yang. Crow seems like the most likely choice, to me.
So, huh. The Lu family is considered 'Extinct', though the Gu Family was a branch. Likewise, the status of her family seems lower than Han Jian's currently, but the Lu family should have been higher. I'm almost certain this has to do with Han Jian's family having an acestor spirit beast, and Gu Xiulan seeming not to.
It seems the Lu family not only lost its Sublime Ancestor during the battle that destroyed most of the Golden Fields, but they probably also lost every part of the family that truly made it the 'Lu' Family, hence why the Guy family could never make claim to the name. This probably means at least all the spirit beast side of the family was massacred, and maybe even they lost all their familial arts.
I'm going to guess that it's possible the ritual to awaken a sublime ancestor creates huge risk for the spirit beast side of the family and the battle turned worse than even expected so they couldn't recover any of them at all. Likewise, I am going to guess they did not lose their familial art: Gu Xiulan's recalcitrance to go in Elder Su's class might very well have to do with this. While her family is no longer a High Noble family at all, it probably keeps secrets that are typically only ever seen by the High Noble families, and she knows better than to cultivate such arts next to an Elder.
There is also a possibility that Gu Xiulan, in particular, had an incredibly lucky encounter and managed to grab some of her ancestor's arts that were believed lost.
So, my question to you all: what do you think was the spirit beast of her family? We haven't seen any 'magical' ones, so it shouldn't be a phoenix or some such, but it should definitely be heavily yang. Crow seems like the most likely choice, to me.
Well with these types of fics there's always some weird animal like 10000 year old owlbear, or crowhound or something so it could be a firebird or firehawk or something who knows
The rest of the week began with Ling Qi's investigation into what if anything had happened to her friend Li Suyin and the girls room mate. It began rather poorly, with her arrival at their house to find the door broken in and what little was inside ransacked. The shattered inkwells and torn pages scattered on the floor painted a grim picture, and one that lit a worry and anger in Ling Qi's heart.
It wasn't as if it was an uncommon sight either, now that she paid it more attention the entire residential area looked worse for the wear. Walls and roofs were damaged, windows were broken and craters pocked the streets. It wasn't even over, as Ling Qi had passed several open duels in the streets. The only place completely free of damage was the storehouse where everyone got their food and supplies, which she supposed counted as 'Sect Property' in a way the rest didn't.
The atmosphere was tense and violent, and the air clouded by smoke from the occasional uncontrolled fire. To Ling Qi it resembled the half remembered stories of barbarians raids she had heard when she was very young, and whichever girl mother had asked to watch her would use scary stories to keep her obedient and in bed.
Naughty and disobedient children brought misfortune after all, and got snatched by spirits or monsters. The thought brought a self deprecating twist to her lips as she exited her friends ruined house. She didn't even bother hiding her movements as she would have, perhaps she was feeling overconfident from the day before, but she just couldn't muster the desire to slink away into the shadows.
She met the stare of a pair of girls from across the street who were watching her with difficult expressions and scowled, her fingers itching for her knives. If someone here wanted to start something, they were welcome to try. To her surprise though, there was no snide comment, or disdainful whispers from them or the other scattered passerby. The girls she scowled at simply lowered their heads and scurried on, hurrying away from her with a flapping of soot stained gowns.
She huffed irritably and glanced down at herself, thankfully her own clothing seemed to take care of it's own cleanliness, and for all that she still felt awkward and out of place in the shimmering, smooth fabric, she couldn't help but be grateful to Xiulan for it. It didn't matter right now though, so she turned instead to investigating what had happened to her friend.
It turns out to be a frustrating thing. She can't exactly track them, and for all that the open hostility directed her way has been toned down, no one was exactly interested in talking to her or answering questions. Her search took her from the residential area out to the main plaza, where she continued trying to get more than terse non-answers out of her fellow disciples. It proved fruitless though, and after a few hours she was feeling frustrated and irritable on top of increasingly worried.
So it was perhaps unsurprising that she reacted poorly when she saw an all too familiar head of gray hair approaching her as she stood, trying to calm herself in one of the plaza's miniature gardens, with his hand waved in greeting.
"Go away Huang Da," she snapped, one of her knives appearing in her hand as she turned to face the approaching boy. "I don't have time to deal with your obnoxious, unwanted advances today. I had enough trouble with the damn fiancee you apparently have yesterday." Her voice was harsh, and her more vulgar words slipped through without notice.
He came to a stop a few meters away, that irritating, creepy little half smile still firmly in place. "I apologize for the trouble that ogress gave you, my lovely night lily," he replied smoothly, making Ling Qi's eyebrows twitch in irritation. "Let me first assure you that I have no feelings for that brutish girl, it is merely a business arrangement," he added dismissively, crossing his arms and leaning against the cherry tree he had stopped next to. "I wish I could have seen you dancing circles around her that day," he added with a sigh.
She continued to scowl at him, fingering the blade of her knife. "Because that's so much better," she replied snappishly. "Seriously. I don't have time for you today. And stop making up weird nicknames. I'm not your anything." She deliberately turned and began to march away, hoping he wouldn't follow.
"Are you not interested in the well being of your followers?" He asked to her back. "I had heard you were looking into Li Suyin's well being," he added in that obnoxious, too cheerful voice of his.
She stopped dead, her qi churning in time with her anger as she turned around. "If you hurt her. I won't forgive it, you creep," she said coldly her heart beating fast. "If you think you can use her as some kind of hostage…" she didn't know what she would do exactly, but he wouldn't like it.
He frowned, looking a little hurt. "Of course not," he replied dismissively. "Truly if it were not for the fact that it is what allowed me to see your beauty in the first place, I would regret my first impression, if that is what you think of me," he replied sadly. "No, I simply helped them escape their pursuers as they fled, a bit of misdirection allowed me to guide them away from the cave that the beast girl lead them to hide in." He cocked his head to the side slightly at her dubious expression. "Come now, why would I lie about something so easily disproven. I can tell you where they hid away, and you may ask them."
"And what are you going to want for that," she asked suspiciously, even as her heart pounded. Were they really alright?
"Well, a kiss for the heroic one wouldn't be amiss," he replied with a slight widening of his smile and with a bit of hope.
"Go drown," Ling Qi responded instantly. She knew they were out in the wilderness, she would track them down herself first.
"I thought not," he replied sadly. "But no. I require nothing of you, lovely Ling Qi. Nothing but a word of gratitude from your lips."
She scowled at him, but she couldn't sense any duplicity. As he said, his story would be easy to confirm, and if he lied about where they were hiding… Well she might not be able to hit him now, but she could certainly do it later. "...Thank you, Huang Da," the words left a bad taste in her mouth, but it was too small a thing to refuse.
He closed his blind eyes, seeming pleased with himself. "Ah, how wonderful," he mused. "I shall have you speaking my name breathlessly yet."
"Don't count on it, you're still a creep," she responded darkly.
His expression fell a bit, but he didn't stop smiling. "As you say, for the moment," he replied. "Now, I took the liberty of writing down the location, wouldn't want anyone hearing us after all… and I suspect you would not appreciate my leading you there." He pulled a crumpled scrap of paper from the pocket of his robe and held it out to her. Ling Qi took a few short steps closer, eyeing him warily as she took the note and glanced over it. It did indeed contain directions to a location deeper in the mountains.
...It could be a trap, but she was too worried about her friend to not check up on it. She… thought that the obnoxious boy was probably sincere in his creepy, two timing way. She still despised him, but she thought it unlikely that he was entirely lying about things.
Ling Qi found the place about an hour later, after winding her way through a particularly maze-like ravine that ended in a narrow crack in the mountainside. She had scouted it out of course, climbing the cliffs to get a better look and make sure it wasn't a trap, so she was reasonably confident when she approached the crevice and called out, hoping they hadn't left yet.
"Li Suyin?" she called, coming to a stop a few meters from the cave entrance. "Su Ling? It's me, Ling Qi, can I come in?"
Her voice echoed in the ravine, and for a minute there was no response save for her own words calling back to her. Ling Qi began to fidget, should she just go in anyway?
Then she caught a sound from inside, the scuff of a shoe on stone, and she saw a shadow in the entrance. It soon resolved itself into Su Ling, peering warily out of the cave. She… doesn't look great, her gown and her skin were filthy and bloodstained, and Ling Qi could see that her right hand was badly swollen, her fingers wrapped with makeshift splints and bandages. She was fairly certain the girl's fingers were broken.
The only other obvious damage was a chunk of hair missing from the right side of her head, making the vulpine girls profile look uneven as she regarded Ling Qi tiredly, dark circles obvious under her eyes.
"Huh, guess it is you. Guess jackass decided to tell you where we were," she says without energy. She narrowed her eyes, studying Ling Qi, who was all to aware of her new garments all of sudden… it felt more out of place than ever. "Guess you managed to come out on top if you can afford stuff like that."
"It's a pretty powerful talisman," Ling Qi murmured, feeling guilty and awkward. "After yesterday… I figure I need every advantage I can get," she added, but it sounded like a rationalization to her own ears.
"Tch, you won't hear me argue that," the girl replied gruffly, stiffly straightening up and spitting on the ground. "I guess you want to see Suyin, right? She's further inside."
Ling Qi nodded, and stepped after the girl and into the narrow 'room' beyond the entrance to the cave. "What happened?" She asked quietly.
"A bunch of girls apparently decided they could use our stuff more than we could," she responded with a growl. "Not much more too it, they busted down the door barely an hour after that stupid announcement," she continued flatly. "I told her we should have just camped out that night," she muttered under her breath.
Ling Qi clenched her fists and looked down, she had been so worried about getting her stones and getting out, and then later cashing in her winnings… some friend she had been.
"You were right," Ling Qi heard Li Suyin's voice before they rounded the corner into a larger chamber. "Trusting in civility was a mistake," her friends voice sounded dull and tired, and when Ling Qi got a glimpse of her she understood why.
Li Suyin was seated on a flat stone platform, her shoulders sagging tiredly. The whole right side of her face was still streaked with blood, and more was crusted in her unkempt blue hair. The shoulder of her gown was torn and hanging loose, exposing a new scar on her upper arm. What really drew her eye was the makeshift patch tied over her friends right eye, and the four jagged scars emerging from beneath it to cross her cheek and neck, which didn't indicate anything good.
"Shit, Li Suyin," the girls name escaped from her lips unbidden as Ling Qi stepped past Su Ling and into the small chamber, which contained a scattering of things. Li Suyin's writing case, looking cracked and battered but intact, a small stack of texts wrapped in beast hide, and some of Su Ling's hunting gear. She fell to her knees in front of the seated girl, checking her over for further wounds. "What the hell, no one is supposed to be crippling people," she snarled angrily.
"It was my own fault," she replied with a listless shrug. "Or I'm sure that's what that girl would tell anyone," she added a little more bitterly. "I should have just held still while my friend was being kicked in the dirt," the wounded girl continued, a hint of anger that Ling Qi had never heard in the quiet girl's voice before.
"I coulda handled it, wouldn't been the first time I've been stomped on a bit," Su Ling replied sullenly. "But you made the witch pay for it, didn't you," she added with a bit more cheer. "I even managed to light the other two bitches hair up before they ran off for their friends."
"Yes, I did," Li Suyin replied absently, looking off into nothing. "I wonder how long it will take to fix that many burst veins…"
Ling Qi clenched her hands so hard that she could feel her nails biting into her palms. "I'm sorry," the words escaped her lips before she could think about it. "I… I should have checked in on you guys. I'll talk to Bai Meizhen. I'll owe her, but… I'll ask her to pay for you to get your eye fixed, and your hand…" She was babbling a bit, as sadness and fury warred for dominance in her heart.
"No," Li Suyin replied sharply, causing Ling Qi to blink in surprise. "I will fix it myself," she added determinedly. "I… broke through with my technique, so it's not impossible," she shook her head. "And its not your fault… I-I am not a child you need to care for, and neither is Su Ling."
"Yeah, I got this covered," Su Ling grunted, waving her wrapped hand. "Suyin fixed up the rest, and did a good job on this. I can sell some cores and get the healing finished up."
Ling Qi lowered her head, anger slowly winning out over her other emotions. "Fine," she ground out. "I won't… I won't involve Bai Meizhen," she added haltingly. "But I still want to help you. You're my friend Li Suyin. At least let me…" she recalled the talismans she had kept intending to give them to these two afterward. A thought brought them into her hands, the hairpin and and the anklets. "I… was going to give you these anyway. They're from my fights yesterday. I thought you two could use some talismans of your own. I wanted to thank you for helping me as much as you have so far."
It felt kind of lame now, but as Ling Qi began to calm herself with a well ingrained breathing exercise… she could admit that Li Suyin was right. While she might have been able to help, she wasn't responsible for the other girl. Even if she still wanted to stick a knife in the gut of whoever had hurt Li Suyin so much. For her part Li Suyin fidgeted awkwardly as Ling Qi pressed the gift into her hands, looking conflicted. "I-I don't really deserve this. It… wouldn't it be better if you…"
"Just take it," Su Ling said gruffly from over Ling Qi's shoulders as she plucked the offered anklets, looking them over with a critical eye. "I'm done playing nice, and I can use whatever advantage I can get," she replied flatly, giving Ling Qi a single nod. "...We could have used the help yesterday, but you can't rely on others in the end," she added with a shrug. "Still, thanks. You need help with something, let me know."
"I'll accept it then. Thank you Ling Qi, it's lovely," Li Suyin relented, still sounding a little unhappy as she toyed with the hairpin in her hands, staring at it intently with her uncovered eye. "I… thank you very much for being my friend," she added, her voice trembling. "I… don't think I could have stayed here after this if you hadn't…"
As her voice choked off, Ling Qi spotted Su Ling retreating from the cave looking intensely uncomfortable, and after a moment she understood exactly why as she felt Li Suyin's arms close around her shoulders and the girl's tears soaking into her gown. She stiffened awkwardly as her friend hugged her and cried, not really knowing what to do beyond pat her comfortingly on the back.
Several awkward minutes passed that way, until finally Suyin's shoulders stopped shaking and her tears stopped flowing, and she spoke again, voice muffled by the fact that her face was still pressed against Ling Qi's chest. "I-I won't be weak anymore. I'm going to destroy that girl, Xu Jia, and her friends. I won't let them get away with this," her normally meek voice was filled with determination.
"I'll help as much as you want me to," Ling Qi replied quietly, rubbing a circle on the girls back as she added a name to the list of people who were going to regret crossing her. She would let Suyin have this if she wanted though, in the end, this was her grudge far more than Ling Qi's.
The three of them left the cave some time later, when Li Suyin had cleaned up a little, and stopped first at the medicine hall to finish Su Ling's healing, before heading up to the vent, where Bai Meizhen still meditated, having apparently changed into a new gown in the interval. She no longer wore the customized disciples uniform she had, but instead a conservative snowy white gown with a deep blue sash and embroidered wave patterns.
She spent less time on her own cultivation that day than she probably should have, but Li Suyin was determined to learn more unarmed fighting from her, so Ling Qi spent time teaching her the basics that she had learned in Zhou's class
Still, even with the reduced cultivation time, she found the Argent Qi soaking into her body growing more solid and complete, and felt her spiritual cultivation reach the same blocking point that her physical had. By the time the sun was falling, she felt like she would be ready to breakthrough… but first Meizhen and she needed to get a home again. She brought up the subject of walking her other friends back, but was rebuffed. It seemed the two of them intended to stay where they were for now.
Given the savagery of the fox girl's grin when she said it. Ling Qi believed her when she said she would make sure anyone approaching the place would regret it by the time she was done.
Which lead her to where she was now, walking alongside Bai Meizhen as the sun sunk below the horizon, re-entering the residential area. She found herself glaring at the other girls, wondering if one of the 'ladies' even now walking around in the streets had been among those who had hurt Li Suyin. It wasn;t a productive thought though, and so she turned over her thoughts for something to talk about with her silent friend to take her mind off of it. "So… what exactly should I know about what happened yesterday?" She asked, turning to practical things
Bai Meizhen pursed her lips, glancing her way as the other disciples parted before them. "It did not involve you… but I suppose that man has made it your business when he chose to strike at you," she responded slowly and thoughtfully. "I am going to kill him of course," she added without a hint of hesitation or thought, as if she were merely commenting on the weather.
Ling Qi almost came up short, blinking rapidly. "Are you… sure you want to commit to something like that?" She asked, even Li Suyin didn't want to kill her target as far as she could tell, it seemed… excessive.
Bai Meizhen regarded her silently for a moment, until Ling Qi began to feel uncomfortable under her slit pupiled gaze. "It is not excessive at all," she replied flatly. "But do not be mistaken. I am in no hurry. A Bai must always have patience," she added serenely, Cui slithering out of the collar of her robe to coil loosely around her neck, once more shrunk to her tiny size. "As for the situation… what do you know of the inner provinces."
"It's where the tax carts go after they hit our capital, and it's where the Imperial Court is," Ling Qi responded with a shrug. "You know I don't exactly have much education about that kind of thing." It felt easier to admit ignorance to Bai Meizhen now.
Meizhen arched an eyebrow. "Quite," she replied dryly, ignoring the duel going on in the street to their left. "Well, there are three 'Core' provinces, which have no foreign border. My families Thousand Lakes is one, the Imperial homeland of Heavenly Peaks is the second, and the third is the Ebon Rivers province, that Huang fellow you have grumbled about is from a prominent family there."
Ling Qi's expression soured. She would put that one last on any hypothetical list of places to visit then. "Okay, so all of those people were from the other core provinces?"
"Yes," replied Bai. "As you are no doubt aware, my family is not well liked for a number of reasons. Suffice to say that many look upon the rich hills and lakes of my homeland with greedy eyes, in addition to… other reasons best not spoken in a public street," she continued considering, turning narrowed eyes to a girl who had been slow to move out of their way. "My presence here is actually a… concession, made by my clan in order to increase unity between the provinces," the sneer on her lips told what she thought of that. "Obviously the disciples from the scavenger clans around us have taken it as a chance to strike at us. I doubt my cousins are faring better in the sects they have been sent too."
"So I should avoid people from the inner provinces then," Ling Qi replied simply, scratching her cheek. "Why are you so hostile to Sun Liling and she to you then? The Western Territories aren't core."
Her expression soured. "Suffice to say Sun Shao is a large part of the reason these problems exist at all. This is not the appropriate venue for such a history lesson. Do you have a preference for what we seek out?"
"One of the nicer homes I think," Ling Qi replied, feeling a stab of loss at the memory of their first house. "I just… don't think staying humble is going to help. Not at this point. So many people are after us at this point… we should make a statement."
Bai Meizhen's lips quirked upward slightly, her expression almost warm for a moment as she nodded at Ling Qi's words. "Well said. While I have little use for frivolous luxuries. It seems that I must remind these others of the truth of our positions," she replied. "I had intended to find something similar to our previous domicile, but perhaps this is better."
Ling Qi nodded, her expression determined. "How about something nearby to Gu Xiulan's home. She's a friend, and it can't hurt to have another ally close by, right?" Xiulan lived in one of the second best tier of houses, the ones with multiple rooms and full yards. The only nicer one was the near mansion in the center, occupied by Sun Liling.
"Gu…" Bai Meizhen deliberated. "From the Golden Fields?" She asked curiously. At Ling Qi's nod, she made a considering sound. "That is a good family, if one that has lost much, and regressed somewhat into… mercantilism," she added with a slight disdainful twist of her lips. "Acceptable, do you know where she resides then?"
Ling Qi nodded again and took them down the street. Once they had reached the inner street, it was simply an issue of selecting a target. It didn't quite go down as she had imagined though. Instead it simply came down to Bai Meizhen having a very… calm discussion with the current owners, and an exchange of a pouch full of spirit stones for their inconvenience.
Even Ling Qi picked up on the unspoken threat of what would happen if the two girls they evicted didn't take the payment and clear out though. For all that they left white faced and trembling with their things packed on their backs… they didn't seem too upset though. That had been a pretty large pouch. It seemed her concern that Bai Meizhen would do something excessive were unfounded.
Which left the two of them to settle into the well appointed home, and allowed Ling Qi to finally retire to a proper meditation room. She had told LI Suyin and Su Ling what she would be doing at the vent, and had asked Bai Meizhen to convey her intentions to Gu Xiulan should she see her. With those final worries out of the way, she had little to do but begin working on her breakthrough.
Roll one. Target number 65
16
Breakthrough success
Roll two. Target Number 65
40.
Breakthrough Success
Over twenty base qi
+5 Bonus Qi
+2 Auto Successes on Spiritual and Qi cultivation
1 Mental or Social attribute dot to assign
+1 Action
Argent Soul Mastery
Multiply die bonus of natural sites by 1.5(rounded up)
Dark Mastery
One dot added to stealth
Wind Mastery
Initiative increases by one
??? Bonus
Wind Techniques require ten fewer successes after initial mastery
Ranged weapons require one fewer experience per mastery dot
Basic
Cap on attributes and skills increased to six
As she meditated, turning her perception inward, her sense of time faded away. The little aches and pains leftover from yesterday's exertions faded away, even niggling things like hunger and thirst, reduced as they were faded away. All that existed was her spirit, embodied by the shining silver orb that was her dantian, and the narrow branching channels that flowed from it. Blacks blues and soft, nearly translucent greens flowed through her being, mingling and separating in time with her heartbeat.
As she cycled her qi, feeling it strain against the invisible barrier that prevented her from growing further, she contemplated her experiences as a cultivator so far. The initial wonder, what little there had been, had faded quickly. She had been thrust into a hostile environment, where she had many enemies and few friends… yet that was more than she had before. She was more free now, despite the restrictions that remained, than she had ever been on the streets. The shackles of base need had fallen away… but had been replaced by new ones. The desperation for resources, the driving need to grow stronger so that she could not be pushed around by her peers.
The friends she had made. Those too were a shackle, in their way. If one she wore willingly. Her guilt about leaving mother alone was another. Her thoughts churned on that. She desired freedom, the ability to choose as she willed, and the ability to go where she wished, drifting on wind. Yet… there were limits to that. True, complete freedom… it was an impossible ideal, and one that she could not truly decide whether she even wished to achieve. What would it really even mean?
She couldn't really comprehend such an existence, for all that her spirit yearned for the endless open sky, the thought of abandoning the things that bound her to those around her was… something she feared, but so was allowing them to truly bind her. Was this what the well spirit had referred to when it spoke of her broken wings and damaged roots?
Ten cycles
Twenty cycles
Fifty
One hundred
Five hundred
The strain she felt grew greater with each one, blossoming pain somewhere in the body she could barely feel. The contradiction in her own nature still twisted her thoughts though. Here in this state, she could think clearly in a way she could never manage while concious, and she wondered if she could truly have both. Her Wings and her Roots. Freedom and Connections. Would trying to hold onto both hinder her path?
Ling Qi did not know, but… faces flashed through her mind's eye, and feelings shook her concentration. She wanted to try. If not for simple freedom though, why did she desire power?
[][breakthrough] To ensure that none would shackle her unwillingly
[][breakthrough] To ensure that any who brought harm to her roots would be punished
[][breakthrough] To ensure that her wings could carry as much weight as she wished
[][breakthrough] To ensure that none would dare strike at her or her roots in the first place
With the answer, came a distant feeling of chains broken, and spread wings. Her Qi surged, and LIng Qi opened her eyes to a world that felt richer than ever before.
When she emerged, she found that three days had passed. She would never admit afterward that her first thought was the simple, overwhelming hunger that struck her. At least Bai Meizhen had politely ignored the way she had wolfed down every edible thing in the house after congratulating her on her breakthrough.
Yet things had not remained still, and as the rest of the week passed and she stabilized her cultivation and taught Li Suyin. She found many things competing for her interest. The rewards for that could be purchased for Sect points were enticing, and drew her eye to the job board. On top of that, word got around that Cai Renxiang had made her intention to bring order to the escalating violence clear… she intending to hold a meeting, and Meizhen had been invited.
Ling Qi could not help but feel that she had only just finally taken her first real step on her path of cultivation.
Resolve 1/20 Suyin
Composure 3/20 Suyin
Investigation 1/ 3 Suyin
Politics 4/6 Meizhen
Intimidation 2/3 Meizhen
Unarmed 5/9 Suyin
You now have Six Actions to choose from. However, due to concerns on my part about update bloat, the sixth action must be a personal training action. This will go for future additional actions as well, so FIVE will remain the cap for social actions.
Please choose a Social or Mental Attribute to increase by one. Incremental progress will be maintained. In addition do not forget to vote for Ling Qi's answer above. Use the format
[][breakthrough] to indicate this, as separate from plan votes.
[] Spend some time with Gu Xiulan, to celebrate your breakthrough, and see if she might be willing to tone things down in regards to Li Suyin
[] Train with Han Jian and his group
[] Help Suyin train and cultivate at the vent
[] You are still worried about Suyin, perhaps you should spend sometime doing something less martially inclined with her
[] Spend some time with Su Ling, perhaps you can learn a little bit of hunting tactics from her
[] Talk to Han Jian about your recent troubles, and see what advice he has. He is rather more grounded than your other friends
[] Discuss with Meizhen what you can help her with
[] You are grateful to Guangli for saving you...maybe you could do something for him? You can cook a little.
[] Look into sending some money to mother
[] Go along with Meizhen to this meeting Cai Renxiang is calling.
[] Head to the market for some shopping
[] Try to puzzle out the tokens left from the test
[] Take a job
-[] Specify
[] Visit the Archive
-[] Search for a technique
-[] Study formations
[] See about getting some payback, start scouting out the homes of those who have offended you
[] Breakthrough to Silver
[] Cultivate on your own
-[] Physical
-[] Spiritual
-[] Qi
-[] Meridian (which one?)
-[] Art(Which one?)
The job board and sect rewards have been added to the shop list, which are now part of the 'informational' threadmarks. I will probably work on setting up the omake in a different track as well tomorrow. Job board and shop lists contain only those entries that Ling Qi found interesting, others may become available as circumstances change.
So, my question to you all: what do you think was the spirit beast of her family? We haven't seen any 'magical' ones, so it shouldn't be a phoenix or some such, but it should definitely be heavily yang. Crow seems like the most likely choice, to me.
[X] To ensure that her wings could carry as much weight as she wished
[X] Manipulation +1
Action plans waiting to see first, but our Dex would be the best push I feel. Manipulation should help FVM?
And to grow to be able to do what we want seems a finer goal
[X] To ensure that none would dare strike at her or her roots in the first place [X] Help Suyin train and cultivate at the vent
[X] Cultivate on your own
-Spiritual
[X] Visit the Archive
-Study Formations
[X] Look into sending some money to mother
[X] Spend some time with Gu Xiulan, to celebrate your breakthrough, and see if she might be willing to tone things down in regards to Li Suyin
[X] Increase Intellect
I want us to finish AS before we breakthrough Spiritual.
We've already broken through spiritual. Physical is the one we have left. Also, prof Su straight-up told us that there wasn't any advantage to mastering AS before Silver. I think she can be trusted on that one.
Oh, hey - this is the sort of information that Su Ling and Li Suyin might find useful in their own cultivation - especially if they're planning to mostly do the "hiding out in the wilderness" thing.
It's good that she's willing to fight back now, and that might help her issues with Xiulan, but I'd rather she recieved that lesson in a way that didn't involve severe bodily harm.
[X][breakthrough] To ensure that none would dare strike at her or her roots in the first place
