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

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 6
Lipita Delphi 6: Gaius Antonius & Lipita Delphi - Crash Course​

Two hundred miles north of the Dawn Fortress, an understated yet elegantly beautiful villa sat next to a large oasis, keeping watch over a small town with a population of 8,000. Within this home sat a well-furnished sitting room, in which two old friends sat and conversed.

"I really must thank you again for coming on such short notice." Centurion Xie Chin said pleasantly, swirling a goblet of wine as she reclined on a small couch.

"It was no trouble." Replied Gaius Antonius, sitting across from her in a comfortable leather chair. "It wasn't a long trip, and I needed to take a few days off anyway. I got stabbed in the side a few weeks back and I don't think I gave my lung long enough to heal. Must have-"

The Seeker caught himself, taking another sip of wine. It was sweet and powerful; undiluted too. Undiluted Devil wine was more like poison for mortals and Qi Condensation, but as a body artist with purified organs, Gaius could handle a bit. Still kicked like a mule though. "Apologies, friend. Don't just lie down and let me trample you." He chuckled quietly.

"You're still the same boy, deep down." Xie Chin tittered through painted lips. "It's only because I know that, because I know you're a kind and thoughtfu person, that I'm asking you for this favor."

Gaius mulled that statement over for a moment before he crafted a response. He liked to think of himself as kind, but 'Thoughtful' was just flattery - Gaius was a man prone to tunnel vision, which didn't exactly breed thoughtfulness. Still, after two cups of this wine, he had to admit that some flattery felt good right about now.

"About that favor…" he began in a neutral tone, finishing his cup and steepling his fingers. "Your letter wasn't entirely clear. You wanted my help instructing an Aspirant?"

Xie Chin seemed to consider weaving more florid words, before sighing and deciding on plain honesty. "Just so. It's an intensive endeavor, not something I could just ask anyone to do; you're someone I can trust… and you're in a sweet spot in your cultivation. Asking this of you is not as much of an insult as asking a Centurion."

"Oh?" Gaius' eyebrow perked up. "I do have a fondness for ambitious endeavors. "What kind of bizarre favor are you asking of me?"

"As you know, the Yuan Clan will activate their Man-As-Mountain Array in fifteen years." The Centurion began, in a tone Gaius recognized as the kind you use to ease a person into something ridiculous.

"That's correct, I'll be going there myself."

"I was certain you would be. There is an Aspirant under my command, a child of the Delphi family."

Those words alone hit Gaius like a brick. Of all the myriad bloodlines in the Clan, the Delphi were probably the most infamous. Whereas the average cultivator had between two hundred and five hundred meridians, the Delphi averaged two thousand, though they were smaller than normal. They not only had qi reserves nearly twice as deep as their Clansmen, but could command those reserves more efficiently and, most importantly of all, take in qi faster. Each and every one was a powerful mystic and valuable ally.

If only they hadn't been stricken with that curse of madness.

"A Delphi is already a unique asset. You'll need to manage her carefully so she doesn't lose her mind before she reaches her potential." Gaius shot back. Xie Chin obviously knew this, but he knew that she preferred to go back and forth with someone rather than monologue in their face.

"Surprisingly, I'm not as worried for her mind as you might expect." Xie Chin smiled proudly, taking another sip of wine. "She's extremely determined. Mentally, she's like an ox. Extremely ambitious too, says she wants to uplift her whole family."

"She wants to cleanse her bloodline of the curse of madness? And, I presume, do it while keeping its advantages?" Gaius blinked incredulously. "It's a curse born from a Turtle Child's death-rattle; she would have to become a Nascent Soul at least to have a shot. Even then it would be difficult."

"I've told the girl as much, and she's affirmed that she'll go as far as she needs to. I'm telling you, Gaius, she's strong." Xie Chin sat up, putting her cup down and looking Gaius in the eye. "She wants to go to the Yuan Lands when that array starts up."

"She'll die." The Seeker replied without skipping a beat. "If she's just an Aspirant now, then you know fifteen years isn't enough time to be ready. It's not just cultivation. Even if she's a prodigy and hits the Ninth… shit, even if she hits the Tenth by that point, raw power can only do so much. She'll need masterful instincts, a keen tactical mind; ideally she should go in with powerful protective treasures…" Gaius muttered to himself, pacing back and forth.

That damn Xie Chin, she really knew how to play him like a lyre. Already he was caught in a mental trap of his own making. "She'd need practical field skills, a suite of support techniques, support arrays too. Her spiritual senses would also be a double-edged sword, I'd need to inure her to soul-pain…"

"It sounds like you've caught on to my idea." Xie Chin laughed, standing and walking in front of Gaius, steely eyes pinning him in place. "For the next fifteen years, I would like you to try to get her ready for the Yuan Secret Realm. I'm not asking you to babysit her full time; approach this however you wish. And when the time comes, I would like you to take her with you into that place."

Gaius groaned and massaged his temples, as if hearing the words from the Centurion's mouth had made the situation become more real than it already was. "I don't suppose there's something in it for me, then?" He asked wearily.

"Ten percent of all Contribution Points made by both myself and my Century, paid to you in the form of mid-grade spirit stones for the duration of the fifteen-year period." Xie Chin spoke without a moment of hesitation. "That should cover all of the costs, both in things you buy for her and in lost opportunities. Unfortunately I can't rob my own subordinates any more than that."

Gaius rubbed his chin in thought. "That is a lot of stones…" Forget making up for the costs, Gaius would be turning a decent profit compared to if he hadn't taken the job. But even more than that, The Seeker could not deny a burning desire blooming in his heart. The urge to Seek, to discover just what lay within this ambitious Delphi girl.

"I suppose there's no harm in meeting the Aspirant. I'll give her a year, and if I like what I see I'll keep her on for the full period." Gaius nodded decisively. "I can't deny it; I'm intrigued."

----

Alchemy was as much art as science.There were entire libraries devoted to recording the observations of cultivators on how alchemical processes were sensitive to all manner of interactions between reagent components, equipment and concocter. It was a popular teaching amongst any who progressed any significant way along the discipline of pill refining, and associated endeavors that products developed from the fruits of the labors of other fellow practitioners were best tested on subjects not oneself just to be safe. It made comprehending the legacies of seniors in the path an exercise in frustration because so much of what distinguished a satisfactory outcome from disaster was in the minutiae of detail that somehow never got recorded in all the recipes and cookbooks.

Lipita swore fiercely enough to have had her mothers wash out her mouth with soap were they present as several days worth of contribution points vaporized in a cloud of oily black smoke. The pill furnace containing her ill fated attempt at a Meridian Scouring Pill jumped fitfully as the backlash from the released energies of the Spirit Herbs running rampant jostled the expensive equipment she was renting. Subtle arrays worked into the ceiling of the backroom of her workshop pulled the offending fumes away and out. Taking off the inscribed mask she was wearing, Lipita reviewed her actions in preparing the pill, comparing them to the instructions in the notes she'd accessed from the Delphi family archives.

This particular variant of one of the more common cultivation aids had the overly pretentious name of the Fierce Banks Overflowing recipe and was largely unknown in the popular circles of alchemists. It had drawn her eye though for using an interesting substitution of herbs and minerals than the more popular variants, attractive in their lower cost to an aspiring refiner who needed better than razor thin margins to fund all manner of projects. Lipita was quickly coming to the grim conclusion that the Fierce Banks Overflowing recipe was in disfavor because the damned thing was too finicky for the penny pinching mindsets of most cultivators. The recipe seemed simple enough on the surface but the ever evolving failures she produced despite following the instructions as provided indicated that some vital reference was lacking. In a sense, she was in effect reverse engineering the pill from repetitive failure but the pace of progress was cutting heavily into her bottom line.

A sharp buzz and flashing light overhead alerted her to a presence requiring her attention at the entrance. She stripped of her protective clothing, quickly but carefully taking care to avoid touching her bare skin with any of the outer surfaces as she disposed of the set in a bin for cleansing before reuse. Striding into the fore room of her rented workshop, she pulsed qi through the inscribed formation set into the wall with a slap and the warding protections on the portal relaxed at her command, the door to the workshop opening by itself. It was simplicity itself to set the last feature up but it had a useful effect in setting the tone for visitors.

Tall and lean, black cloak, big hat; a striking and memorable silhouette. Even after taking it off her unexpected visitor had to duck a bit to get in the doorway. Past the door, he placed his hat back on his head and looked around silently. Subtle probing gave her a tightly constrained aura, well into Qi Condensation. At least 9th Heavenstage; that was all she could tell without probing deeper, which would be rude.

"Are you Aspirant Lipita Delphi?" The man asked quietly, glancing first at her, then the cluttered contents of her desk. "Apologies, I didn't mean to disturb you while you were working, but I don't have much time to spare today. I need to ask you a few questions."

When she got up to greet the strange man, Lipita noticed something else which the cursory glance hadn't covered: this man was cultivating. He was doing it right now, while standing and talking to her. The efficiency was poor, of course; around 40% of the Qi was going to waste. But the fact remained that this man had a profound enough grasp of cultivation to do it while not meditating.

Lipita focused on the ingrained routines from the Delphi head family on interacting with respectable seniors. "Greetings, senior. This one is indeed Lipita Delphi. How may I be of service?"

There, a hint of humility and an invitation to open discussion.

"Centurion Xie Chin, your commanding officer, asked me to give you some instructions." The man said plainly, stroking his chin as he carefully considered his words. He frowned and tapped his foot a few times, lost in his own head. "You plan to enter the Yuan Realm in fifteen years, but the fact is that you were born at an unfortunate time. To be ready by the age of thirty-five will be very hard, so…"

There was a halting quality to the black-clad Legionnaires words as he hemmed and hawed over how to go forward. At least Lipita wasn't the only nervous person here. "There isn't an easy way to ask this, and I can't do anything at all with you until I know the answer. Answer this question not to me, but like you're looking in a mirror, admitting the truth to yourself. There will be no shame regardless of what you say." With all that said, he turned his gaze down to look Lipita directly in the eye, and in that moment, she felt something unfathomable brush up against her soul. Half-real; no, quarter-real as it was, it still made her shiver.

"Are you willing to endure profound pain and suffering far beyond the norm? Are you willing to put your pride aside when necessary, embrace danger, and walk straight into terror? Because that is the minimum needed to truly excel."

This strange man walks into her shop, apparently on the request of her commander and asks her if she is willing to suffer for gain? Xie Chen certainly knew how to pick them. Whatever offense she might have taken by his brusque approach was squashed by that lingering sensation of ephemeral examination. This man, whoever he was, had expressed the hints of a Dao so early in the progress of cultivation. This was no simple visitor and she would treat his inquiry in like manner.

Nodding briefly, Lipita replied, "I am young and acknowledge that I have barely grasped the depths of what it is to be a cultivator. But I am of the Delphi and even in my ignorance, I still know what it is to walk in lockstep with suffering. I will not bore you with a history well-known throughout the Optimatoi but I will share this of myself. To become an Aspirant inducted into the Legions, I wrestled a curse laid by the dying breath of an infant god. I did not overcome it but I bear it daily as it harrows my very being with each iota of progress I make in cultivation. Pain does not scare me for I have never been without it. Where else will I prove my will save in the face of terror and danger so I will not flee from them? I might suffer from an excess of pride I must admit, though. After all, I seek to undo the work of a god."

The man smiled brightly despite the grim statement. "Chin'er was right about you after all. You're remarkable. With an outlook like that, you might just make it." He ducked again to walk out of the doorway and motioned for her to follow. "My name is Gaius Antonius. Come with me; your first lesson starts now."

Oh… that was a name she recognized. After Rina Callista had demonstrated that the slim potential of the Single Pillar Path could in fact be grasped, a number of prospective successors had made waves amongst the Clan. Gaius Antonius was a noteworthy contender, having reportedly reached the 12th Heavenstage before he turned 100, and being backed by the Quintia family. Talent and wealth drew attention from powerful figures, not least among the Delphi looking to recover fallen glory. This promised to be interesting in every sense of the word.

Quickly locking up her workshop, she followed after her new teacher out into the enclosure of the Dawn Fortress. Lipita roused her Memory's Palace to active use, creating an indelible record of the instruction.

"I won't ask about how good your cycling is; you're a Delphi after all. Your family probably has their own cycling technique only they can use, just to keep up with their bodies." Gaius began, leading Lipita toward the outer wall of the fortress with long, smooth strides. From there, he launched right into a prepared lecture. "So from that foundation, we can begin with the most important lesson of all: time management. If you want to advance quickly, you need to use your time efficiently, not wasting any of it. This doesn't mean not taking time for leisure; that's an important time for maintaining your mental and physical health."

He fished several small, low-grade spirit stones out of his pocket and handed them to Lipita, as casually as if he were giving her some candy. "Cultivating while walking. Most people can't manage it, but a Delphi can. We're going to walk around the whole fortress, and as we do so I want you to cycle qi from those stones. Don't worry about waste - even if 99% of it dissipates into the air, that's fine. The important part is getting a trickle into your body and maintaining it. You can raise the efficiency with practice." Gaius then demonstrated, drawing another stone and pulling in qi as they walked. His intake was even less stable than when he'd been standing still; half of the qi slipped out of his channels and emerged from his pores as a heat haze.

"Boring, right?" He chuckled. "But get this down, and that tiny amount of progress will add up tremendously over the years."

Lipita felt a frisson of excitement run through her. Masochistic as it might seem, the prospect of extending the self torture that was her daily cultivation was exciting. She'd suffered to excel in the use of the Oasis Formation, even beyond the basics required by the trainers during induction because it was an excellent tempering experience for extended qi channeling and recovery for someone afflicted with her family's curse. Moving beyond recovery and maintenance to genuine advancement in her cultivation would be a heaven-sent boon to her race to power.

----

From there, Gaius' lessons continued in that same vein: difficult but practical. Not flashy new abilities, but the kind of hard work that showed itself over the course of years.

After teaching her the walking-while-cultivating technique(there was probably a proper name for that somewhere, but Gaius didn't know it), the lessons became something even more simple: physical training. Gaius would take the only key to her shop and put it somewhere out of her reach, and tell her to go get it before she could go home. Sometimes it was on a rock in the middle of a large, fast-moving river. Sometimes it was at the peak of a small but steep mountain. Sometimes he hung it from the uppermost branches of a very old tree, forcing her to chop the whole thing down with nothing but mundane steel axes.

"If you want to rank among the best, you can't have any glaring weaknesses." The Seeker had explained. "Your family draws a lot less strength from the Bronze because it's too busy holding those two thousand meridians together. Everything the Bronze didn't give you, you must take for yourself."

That wasn't to say she was slacking on other training to do this; he insisted that she put just as much time into cultivation, weapon training and her personal studies. Rather, it was more like her muscles were pushed to the limit of what they could take while still doing all of that.

On her weekly rest day, Gaius would take the time to lecture her on all manner of subjects; how to suture a wound without qi, which spirit beasts could be scared off and which would fight to the death, how to perform basic body enhancements more efficiently, how to regulate your breathing with a punctured lung, things like that. Again, he still didn't teach her any techniques, but strove to give her an education and foundation more solid than Gravebronze.

Much of what he taught she knew in theory but he had the benefit of experience to make up for the deficiencies that inevitably crept in when firsthand knowledge was being recorded for indirect transmission. Chemos, her old master, was a competent apothecarist for all his harebrained flights of fancy but he'd been a Foundation Establishment expert for long enough that in training a barely broken through youth he'd focused on general basics ignoring several stopgaps intended for when good enough was all you had and waiting for better was worse than doing nothing. Gaius' approach was much more in line with standard legion doctrine than the usual Delphi strategy. Sometimes you didn't have the means to put down your enemy from afar and fighting through pain and distraction alone was all you could do.

As Lipita clutched her knees, throwing up her breakfast after running drills for what seemed hours in end, she acknowledged that had this been a mere twenty years ago, she would never have made it in any way through this training. Crazy Elder Destacia had worked a miracle in boosting the strength of the Blood of Bronze in the most recent inductions. She shuddered to recall how her body had run riot as the infusion had first taken place but here she was. A Delphi managing to hold out in extended combat channeling qi with the resilience against the Harrowing that the family usually only saw in Foundation Establishment experts.

The elders in the family approved of the closer ties to a favored protege of the Quintia family and the archives had had their restrictions loosened. It was always interesting to surprise her senior with detailed follow up to introductory topics he brought up on her rest days. The Delphi might be fallen from their heights of glory but they weren't content to wallow in mediocrity. The family adapted and sought the power inherent to knowledge. When much of your strength relied on preparing your ground and stacking the odds in your favor, everything was fair game. There wasn't enough time to master everything but just being able to know and reference topics of interest was a hidden advantage.

By the time the first year of teaching was up, Gaius found himself pleasantly surprised. In that time, Lipita had shown a commendable work ethic, and grew more capable by the day. With this kind of promising start, she had the potential to go far(and all those stones he was making didn't hurt either). And so, he eventually got back to Xie Chin and agreed to go the full fifteen-year distance.

AN: (3800/2=1900 words) Threadmark please. @Alectai, @TehChron, @Humbaba, @ReaderOfFate, @Kaboomatic This is a collaboration with the excellent @no.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 7 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 7: Lipita & Victor - Tenderizing and Tempering Bronze​

The air in the workshop was cool and crisp, circulated by ventilation arrays newly tweaked for efficiency and effect. Sitting in the middle of the second partition of the space, Victor Wulf looked around trying to spot other new changes. His gaze roamed across the tables and shelves set around the central working area, tools and reagents seemingly disorganized at first glance but repeated visits had shown that there was a method to the apparent madness that had every item in place and ready at hand.

"The new ventilation arrays are a nice touch. The room feels less like an oven." He commented bored with his examination. "I think you changed the lighting arrays in someway, they seem different from what I remember."

Lipita Delphi responded distractedly, not looking up from the thick sheaf of papers she was scanning through. "You're developing an eye for arrays. I swapped out the emittance sequence to more closely resemble natural sunlight. It's useful practice on energy release mechanics. You missed the alarm augments I added in though, but that's not too bad for a casual eye."

After a few more moments of silence, Victor begun to feel a bit antsy, tapping his foot against the footrest of his seat. Fortunately he didn't have to wait much longer and Lipita put down the documents and stood up briskly.

Striding forwards, she clapped her hands and instructed him in a familiar manner. "Alright, you know the drill. Strip and get into a horse stance."

Rolling his eyes, Victor stood up and did as instructed. Taking of his outer coverings, he stood, clad in only his loincloths, feet set into a well practiced horse stance. Lipita walked slowly around him, examining his body. Someone a lot less certain in his physical condition would have been a lot less self-assured in being the subject of the critical scrutiny that followed. Every inch of his bared skin was examined. A faint tingling, barely perceptible, alerted him that he was under heightened analysis from Lipita's spiritual senses, qi testing and prodding at his aura and spiritual presence. Not content with just the perusal in the immaterial, Lipita quickly got physical, pinching, pulling and prodding at his bronzed flesh. His tongue was depressed to check his throat, ears peered into, eyes checked. Victor could only thank the Imperator that this time she spared his dignity and refrained from examining his privates. That had been a very awkward examination.

Soon enough, Lipita was done with that portion of her testing and moved on. Pulling out a full Spirit stone from a desk, she tossed it at him. "Start cultivating, Legion standard breathing pattern."

Shaking his head as he snatched the qi stone mid flight and cupped it in his hands, Victor mused. "If I didn't know better I'd think that you wanted me in your workshop as your boy toy rather than your patient with the way you manhandle me. I don't blame you, even I'm impressed with the condition of my physique. You know, Livia from our training cohort was asking me out the other day. Apparently, she finds my muscles intriguing."

Lipita snorted at that statement. "Hah, don't get ahead of yourself." Approaching his back with a set of needles, she continued, "If you've got the breath to chatter about your romantic prospects, you should put it to better use cycling the qi from that stone so we can get on with this."

Breathing in and out in a repetitive pattern ingrained into his being from long practice as an Aspirant, Victor fell into a meditative lull reaching out with his spirit to grasp the qi ensconced in the stone within his palms. Slowly, ever so slowly, the qi slipped free from its containment and drew up with his inhaled breath into his body where his will forcefully channeled it through his meridians in a cycle throughout his whole body with grueling sluggishness. From familiar experience during induction and afterwards, the awakened Dull Bronze Bloodline he inherited lowered his receptiveness to qi significantly to the Bottom Low tier. His cultivation speed was atrocious and his external manipulation of qi was poorer than average.

Focused on the effort of cultivation, Victor barely noticed the pain as Lipita inserted her needles into his body. The needles introduced new complexities to his cycling efforts, alternatively blocking off and opening meridians to constantly shift the flow of internal energies within him. He'd gotten better at this part of the examination and his cultivation, slow as it was, progressed as he adapted and moved the qi to accommodate the shifts.

Time passed and he only paused in his cultivation when Lipita instructed him to change cycling methods to the Elementary Qi Condensing Formula. This was a less practiced technique being a basic Turtle native development but he'd picked it up well enough. Further cultivation proceeded and Victor changed between a number of basic qi condensing practices that they'd found compatible with him to varying effect.

Through this, Lipita continued to circle him, using the needles to monitor his cycling. In addition, several cups were vacuum sealed to flesh and various ointments and tinctures rubbed across his skin at his chakras and acupuncture points.
He consumed several qi stones in slow succession until Lipita called his cycling to a halt, removing her needles and other materials from his body. Shivering slightly as he stopped, he took in deep breaths and brought his internal energy flows back to equilibrium as the last cultivation method he adopted was poorly aligned to his system. "You know, some of those breathing and qi condensation techniques are a pain in the ass to handle." He muttered coming out of his stance, skin slick with sweat.

Lipita hummed in agreement, seemingly staring into the air which he knew masked her use of her Memory's Palace to record and review what had just happened. "Sorry about that, but the minor deviations they cause are useful in mapping out your meridians and testing your affinity for less standard alignments than the usual Optimatoi fare."

Victor hopefully inquired as Lipita remained introspective. "Is that all for today? I think we got everything we need, right?"

Bringing over at a set of bottles on a table from near the entrance, Lipita replied. "Nope and you know it already. Go drink the tonics in the same order as last time and let's finish this. Don't be such a baby."

Reluctantly, Victor took the bottles and opened the first one. "You know, I think you'd change your mind about these things if you were the one who had to drink them. They make me want to scrub my mouth with steel wool. The only thing worse I've experienced is that Bandit-Finding Soup that Lady Yao prepared and not by much."

Quickly gulping down the contents trying to have the tonic spend as little time in his mouth as possible, Victor turned briefly green in the face but held his stomach, feeling the tonic work through him like a dull heat radiating from his innards. Lipita returned her focus to the sensory apparatus attached to Victor and observed as his body processed the tonic. When she was satisfied, she pushed forward a copper basin with her foot and handed him another bottle. "Purge now, and try to get it all in the bucket this time."

They repeated this cycle several times and then finally Lipita declared that they were done. After rinsing his mouth out with water, Victor wiped down his body and pulled on his discarded clothes. When he was done, Lipita sat them both down facing one another and presented her findings.

"I think we've got it now," she said, tapping her hands on the desk in a habit that Victor had come to know indicated suppressed excitement.

"Really? Thank the fates, I couldn't go through many more of those." He rubbed his stomach in remembered suffering.

"Let's review what we know. You have the Dull Bronze Bloodline, a variant of the Blood of Bronze that has not been recorded in at least ten thousand years. This variant retains the resilience and regenerative abilities of the standard Blood but adds on a pronounced unreceptiveness to qi which gives resistance to curses, enchantments, general techniques and qi overload. Unfortunately the same qi unreceptiveness makes deliberately absorbing and expelling qi a challenge which means your cultivation speed is sluggish at best and energy-intensive qi techniques are largely beyond you."

Victor lifted an eyebrow at Lipita. "I could have told you that from what Elder Ypsilanti first informed me and what the Office of Disciples provided after Elder Destasia's 'modified mutant bronze blood enhancement ritual experiment' took me on."

Lifting her right index finger into the air, Lipita interjected. "Ahah, but the exact mechanics and processes of that poor qi receptiveness wasn't really explored then. You were too much of a scrub to draw the full attention of those experts which is why you came to your esteemed colleague, myself. I could go on in great detail about mismatches in qi flows, blockages in your body that I've sensed, stagnant accumulation in your dantian creating dissonance, and more but I won't since you are clearly unable to appreciate my genius."

"Clearly, I haven't paid my respects to your venerable expertise." Victor countered sardonically.

"Keep laughing, you'll see." Lipita tossed an emptied qi stone at Victor who dodged the lazy throw. "Anyway, to keep it simple, if we want to boost your cultivation intake we're going to need to cook you first, then temper."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Victor asked warily.

Lipita rolled her eyes. "Pretty much what you'd expect, you'd be immersed in a heated medicinal bath in a closed steam casket under concussive arrays, then yu would dunked in a frigid medicinal oil quench to lock the qi in. Repeat in successive cycles until saturation. It's part Spirit Culinary and part Divine Blacksmithing and all body cultivation. Trust me it'll work."

Victor eyed Lipita hesitantly, unnerved by the earnest look of enthusiasm on her face, "Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be more trouble than you're describing?"
---------------
"I'm not getting in that thing." Victor said flatly, looking over at Lipita's shoulder at the monstrosity of dark iron she had dragged him to see. "It looks like a cooking pot sized for a giant." The duo were standing in the testing grounds of the 698th Legion, the Three Starred Furnace early in the morning before dawn. Lipita had showed up at his residence and dragged him off while he was still blinking the sleep from his eyes, chattering about how she'd gotten a good deal for their attempt to address his cultivation difficulties.

"It actually is a cooking pot. This, my dear, is a Seven Flame Iron Crucible. It's an artifact that Blood Path cannibals use to process their meals before consumption to improve the benefits from their cultivation by concentrating and refining the qi within the unfortunates to be eaten. The 63rd Legion picked it up in the Blighted Lands going through the Battle Blood Cannibal Sect's remains and traded it to the 698th. My old master Chemos got me an introduction and discount on renting out it's use from the Three Starred Furnace." Lipita declared proudly, seemingly giddy at having access to a tool that had been used to cook innumerable humans for consumption by Demonic Path cultivators. Victor Wulf wondered exactly how he'd come to be standing here with such a companion.

"That just makes me more certain that I don't want to get in. I like my body as it is, unrefined into a pill or meal for consumption." Victor said, crossing his arms.

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Lipita turned to face her companion. "Oh come on, I won't let you get cooked to death. It's just a light steaming to loosen you up so that you are able to take in qi faster. Come on, you went through all my poking and prodding to get us a options. You can't possible want to quit now. Think of the opportunities here."

Frowning slightly, Victor conceded that Lipita had a point. He did need a way to get around his poor receptiveness to qi if he wanted to advanced in due time. Sighing, he relaxed his arms. "Alright, let's do this but I'm warning you if I die somehow I'm cursing you with my last breath and with your curse I can make it stick."

It took them several minutes to get ready to start. Attendants from the 698th Legion were consulted and assigned to supervise them in their use of the legion's property. Lipita was in fine form discussing with the apothecarists of the legion the herbs and reagents she wanted to use to constitute the medicinal bath as well as the procedure for using the bath itself. The discussion quickly went beyond Victor's limited knowledge of Spirit Herblore but the gist of it he grasped was that he was in effect going to become akin to a dressed chicken put to boil, lathered up first in a seasoning of 'spicy' nature to soften him up. Then he'd be slow steamed in the thick walled cauldron of the crucible, essentially cooking in a medicinal soup of concentrated qi energies and absorbing the 'flavor' of the soup into his internal energies. Wastage of qi would be prevented by the artifact's mechanisms and the attendants would over time activate concussive arrays inscribed within to 'tenderize' his body, massaging his body and loosening up his meridians to boost absorption.

Stripped naked and covered head to toe in poultice, Victor clasped on the inscribed mask that would let him breathe within the cauldron and dropped into the crucible. The base solution was a Thousand-Year-Cauldron water and already filled the cauldron as he slipped in. Above him, Lipita and the apothecarists shoveled various spirit herbs in with and sealed the cauldron. In the darkness, he closed his eyes and begun to cycle feeling the water around him begin to heat up as the crucible activated. A breath, an inhalation and exhalation, and he focused.

Pulling at the qi around him, he opened himself up to the concentrated energies building up. Floating in the liquid, he felt the burn as fierce yang strength forced its way into him, scorching his meridians, seeping into bone and muscle, soaking tendons and organs. The Blood of Bronze within him hummed in resonance, bolstering him against an overload of qi, drinking in the strength about him. Inhale, draw in the energies slowly and steadily to ensure maximum absorption. Exhale, push qi through the dantian, into the lungs and out the breath, expelling impurities accumulated during cycling. Relax, let his body absorb the medicinal ingredients and strengthen his physique. Focus, expel waste ingredients, push out unaligned energies.

Repeat the cycle, inhale and then exhale. His qi bore through his meridians, into his dantian propelled by the vigor of the medicinal bath. Each moment, he was strengthening himself, wearing away at impurities, advancing the size of his dantian in the pattern of the Golden Devil's standard cultivation technique.

Time lost all meaning and it was a sudden upset when the cauldron opened releasing the concentrated energy within. He clambered up and out of the crucible and was hurried along by attendants to the second part of the body cultivation. A casket of soulsteel awaited containing frigid Ghostly Shrouded Olive oil. Clambering in, the attendants sealed the casket and he drifted off into a meditative cycle as the inexorable devouring yin force of the oil chilled his overheated body, quenching the Bronze withing him. The structures and alignments of his constitution shifted with the chill, settling into balance with stronger bonds like the crystalline structure of a metal blade fixing into proper shape when quenched after tempering.

Soon enough, his body reached equilibrium and he pushed against the casket's lid to rise out. Lipita sat a bit away, looking to have just finished cycling too from a qi stone. "So how do you feel?" She asked, left eyebrow quirked up.

Victor remained silent a moment, sending his inner eye through his body, examining his meridians and dantian. Finally, he replied, "A bit strained but overall almost a 100% more efficacy than conventional cycling."

"Ha, I guess you owe me, then." Lipita smiled. "The arrangement's set up that you can come during the week with prior notice and for a set fee of contribution points the 698th will organize the bath and quenching for you."

Uncaring of his nudity, Victor bowed deeply to Lipita. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. This is a favor I'll honor to my dying breath."

Lipita looked away blushing, "Don't worry about it. You're already paying me by letting me observe your bloodline. Besides I could always use a meat shield when I'm about."

Victor smiled at his friend, and hurried to put on clothes when he noticed others drawing near. This was the start of steady advancement in his cultivation, yes indeed.

AN: (2940/2=1470 words) @Alectai, @TehChron, @Humbaba, @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark. This is a collaboration with @Redikai

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 8 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 8: Delphi Family Operations​

The Delphi family claimed no single central holding within the territories of the Golden Devil clan. Scattered outposts of the bloodline littered the core territories of the clan and more had been seeded across the newly conquered lands formerly held by the Battle Blood Cannibal Sect. Nonetheless while there might not have been a sole hub, there were three prominent concentrations of the family's strength in the heartland of the Imperial Optimatoi. Unsurprisingly, these were locations where the Delphi family talents and propensity for the production of all manner of aids and tools for cultivation could be best leveraged.

The Shrouded Glade Arboretum in Pill-Forge Forest, Chimaera Echidna Ranch in the Beast-Raising Forest and the Daedalus Atelier in Emporikipolis. These were the axis upon which the Delphi clan had built up their power in the desert. The practice of the family was to have juniors build up a solid foundation in the basic production arts, shuttling between the various locations to have access to the veteran craftspeople of the family and training under their supervision. With the expansion beyond the core, scions of the bloodline who showed great promise were recalled home from the outposts to secure their place in their family and demostrate their worth. Success bought greater investment, failure relegated one to a future life of ignominy.

In a small room in the family's estates within the great trade city of Emporikipolis, seniors and experts of the Delphi gathered to consider the fate of their bloodline. These were the elders trusted to oversee the family's widespread interests and defend them against predation and subversion. Accomplished and respected craftspeople in their own right, each had proved exceptional and resolute cultivators in overcoming the blocks that the Delphi curse of madness had set before them. They were quite frankly eccentric weirdos.

Pelagos Delphi couldn't help but wonder if it was long exposure to the Delphi family council that had inured him to their idiosyncrasies or if, fates forbid, their peculiarities were somehow contagious and he was beginning to think like them. The room he was currently in was well lit despite being ensconced in the heart of the compound with no portals save the sealed door directly behind him. The lighting arrays that illuminated the meeting room skillfully replicated the clarity of early morning so he was not spared the sight of elder Calliope stretching skyclad atop the conference table he was standing at attention before.

The sole Core Formation senior of the family after the decimation of a truly crippling Hundred-Year Trials, she had volunteered for Elder Destacia Duca's program for rapid advancement. The results had been successful but not without consequence, foremost of which was her disdain for clothing. Her physique was certainly eye-catching, he noted face expressionless, lithe and lean muscled bronze flesh contorting with the physicality of the attainments of the third great realm.

Seated to her left and right, thankfully clothed in simple robes and tunic, were elders Thalia and Galen, twin cultivators who for all their shared bond were never seen together without argument. This day was no different and the two Formation Establishment experts were glaring at each other across the empty chair between them. To mortal perception, silent stares would appear to have been the extent of the confrontation but the heightened spiritual senses of a Delphi such as Pelagos, especially one trained in detailed observation as himself, revealed the space between the two was a battlefield of dueling qi, complex weaves of spirit essence striking and being deflected in a stalemate.

To Pelagos' far right on the table, loud snores reverberated from a slumped figure. Thick golden hair in a shaggy mane fell forward over a bent head as elder Linus wrapped himself deep in the embrace of Morpheus, seemingly lost the world around him. On the opposite end of the table, a gray haired matron stared unblinking at Pelagos, cradling and stroking a serpent with iridescent scaling, whispering under her breath all the while. Elder Agatha was a familiar disconcerting presence at these meetings, particularly with her boon companion of Stheno, a prodigiously venomous Seven Step Viper.

A subtle weight descended upon the room emanating from the shut-eyed Calliope seated in seiza atop the table. "Report, Pelgos." She commanded tersely and a sudden still silence followed.

Without missing a breath, Pelagos begun, "Greetings elders. We have received reports of good progress among our juniors from the most recent inductions since the Trials. In general, we have experienced the usual average stalled in advancement unable to progress in the face of the Harrowing beyond the first bottleneck but our crop for this year that have overcome this hurdle are proving exceptionally resolute. We do not anticipate any significant stalls at the second bottleneck withing QI Condensation. Those scions elevated for significant potential are bearing out their promise of greatness. Maximus has proven himself a well-regarded and competent apothecarist in his service to the 698th Legion. We can expect that should he maintain his rate of advancement, he would reach Foundation Establishment well before the norm."

That had been normal and expected. The next item was a more interesting junior. "Another of our prospects Lipita has also been proving quite successful. Her reports indicate an exceptional response to the bloodline enhancement that Elder Destasia has recently provided. As you know, we have been investigating the source and nature of this process but have had little success. We do not anticipate a change in this prospect since our inquiries indicate that the Archegetes himself wishes occlusion of the matter. The combat utility of this process is limited to Qi Condensation as it appears to thicken the blood of Bronze to the concentration that Foundation Establishment averages but we have great hope that we could adapt the enhancement to provide greater resiliency to juniors who would otherwise not surmount the Harrowing."

This notice brought only a brief reaction from the assembled elders. Ten thousand years had been spent searching for an answer to the curse that plagued the Delphi since the death of the Turtle-Child to Demonic Soup Chef. No miracle panacea had yet been uncovered but painfully slow and steady progress had been made in the passsing millennia through opportunities such as what he had just described. The family would explore this avenue to the utmost length as they had so many others before, whether it ended in a dead end or not.

"In addition to that, Lipita has reported that the Dull Bronze constitution has resurfaced in a fellow legionnaire, Victor Wulf. Our archives indicate that this bloodline variant is seemingly in contrast to ours, boasting strong resistance to qi without losing the standard resilience of the blood of Bronze. She has undertaken to assist him in overcoming the challenge to cultivation his poor receptiveness to qi creates using specialized body tempering cultivation. We have supplemented her budget for this research in exchange for access to the observations on the bloodline."

Reviewing his notes, Pelagos anticipated that the next portion was going to draw some interest. "Notes in her file from basic tuition in the family indicate that Lipita has declared her intention to step away from the Orthodox Path and pursue the Olympian Keystones. In furtherance of this goal, it would appear that Lipita is seeking to travel to the Yuan Secret Realm and has been provided patronage by centurion Xie Chin and personal tutelage from Gaius Antonius."

Hissing from Stheno paused Pelagos as elder Agatha leaned foward curious. "Gaius Antonius, the consort to the Quintia's heir, ehh? That has some promise. Foolhardy boy apparently wants to chase after the Callista girl and walk the Single-Pillar Path."

Galen cocked his head in consideration, reviewing the family's records on the junior identified as a good seed of the clan. "He's already at the 12th Heavenstage and with the backing of the Quintia, he has a chance at breaking through. Recommend that Lipita make every effort to avoid to firm up the relationship. Backchannels to the Quintia could be very useful in securing certain contracts."

Pelagos nodded at the councilor. "That is well in hand. Lipita has informed the family that she will be traveling to the Hong Xuan vassals to participate in a tournament for their juniors. The Contribution Board has commissioned it as a mission from the Office of Administration. This should provide a good opportunity to temper herself and deepen her contact with Gaius Antonius."

Several other figures of recent note in the family were brought up to the council's review. Chemos Delphi was a regular item in these meetings and this was no different. He'd somehow gotten the interest of Elder Destasia in a project that might be worth investing if its foundations proved sound after scrutiny.

Turning from matters of the family, Pelagos reported on certain matters of interest among the clan. "The legate Jin Muyi has been the subject of much speculation recently. He successfully killed two Core Formation Fifth Sea hunters and a whole host of lesser hunters at Pleuron during the most recent Trials. The means used however have drawn concern of Blood Path contamination and our intelligence is that he is in some disfavor with the Legions. We are considering options to offer him patronage in return for service. Successfully striking across great realms is no mean feat and he has gathered some repute for helping certain juniors develop the Legionnaire's Triune Formations into somewhat effective Self-Enhancing Spells. The estimated expenditure of political capital and resources should produce a net positive return in strength to the family and..."

A brief uplifted finger from elder Calliope interrupted Pelagos' proposal. "Leave Jin Muyi alone. The Archegetes himself has deigned to investigate personally. Let the matter be resolved before the family takes any action in this matter."

"Yes, elder." Pelagos briefly shivered in sympathy for the mutated cultivator. The Archegetes was a terrifying figure to one who could sense the hints of power retrained within the figure of an old man. "Moving on, the Pentekonter family is in some disruption over the inheritance of elder Theodosis Pentekonter. Apparently, the rumors about old Pentekonter taking a pigman as his heir before his death in the Trials were not idle fancy. This Choiros Pentekonter arrived in Emporikipolis with the remains and will of the elder. As an established Core Formation elder, his personal legacy is quite significant and there are expected to be challenges in probate. The distraction of the elder's death and sorting our his legacy should leave the Pentekonter off-balance a while and allow us a better negotiating position in bulk transport from the heartland to the border regions."

"Hahaha, I knew that old bastard was crazy what with his stubbornness about creating a great navy but this is certainly something else." Elder Linus guffawed heartily, slapping the table and shaking his head. "A pigman in the Pentekonter, huhuhu, I think I should go search him out and invite him out for a drink, welcome him to the Golden Devils properly."

Pelagos made a mental note to check the discretionary budget for compensatory damages. Elder Linus was not exactly a careful drinker or bar patron. Seizing back the reins of discussion, he proceeded to a particularly noteworthy announcement. "Reports from the Dawn Fortress indicate that the Archegetes has arranged an alliance with the Flood Dragon Gang. Assets within the Office of Administration inform us that roughly twenty million spirit stavraton have been provided to the Flood Dragons for use in rebuilding and in addition, the Gang is permitted to recruit any who wish to join from all the lands of the Clan."

That set the council abuzz. Sure there was a history of cooperation between the Golden Devils and the Flood Dragons, and there'd been rumors when Lady Yao Zhihao had retreated to the Dawn Fortress after the Gang had been massacred on the Great Battlefield by the Noble Devil Alliance. Still, this kind of support for another power was uncommon.

"Has there been any indication that there is truth to the rumors that lady Yao and the Archegetes are courting?" Elder Thalia asked, considering the situation.

"No councilor, nothing of that sort has been indicated." Pelagos replied, briefly wondering at what it would be like for two Nascent Soul masters to have a go at one another. He shook his head to get his mind off dangerous thoughts about his superiors.

"This secures our borders against those greedy Jingshen." Elder Linus declared. "Old Jingshen didn't dare strike at us when the raid on his fortresses crippled them even with his daughter at his back. With lady Yao on our side, I don't see them moving against us soon. Some good news indeed."

The council largely agreed and the next few minutes were spent discussing how to take advantage of this development. "What are the other factions doing about this?" Galen asked.

"The Callista appear to be taking no actions as at yet, the Quintia are sending envoys to the Dawn Fortress to secure markets as fences for the Gang and the Pentekonter are a bit distracted as aforementioned. The various Legions are as yet still reacting to the announcement." Pelagos supplied.

Elder Calliope hummed under her breath and then ordered Pelagos. "A Nascent power rebuilding and recruiting is an opportunity we cannot miss. Search the clan registry, find our lightfingered disreputable but loyal experts. They are being volunteered to serve the family in the Flood Dragons. Access to new markets and resources under the banner of the Gang would be very useful. Righteous Bandits are, in my experience, always open to tools and tricks that make their acquisitions easier."

Further discussion was postponed for after the meeting when full deliberation could take place. Much of the remainder of the meeting dealt with the mundanity of the family's operations. Stocks of herbs that needed to be replenished, arrangements with the blacksmiths and array-engineers to source their needed reagents, trade pacts with other factions for goods and services that needed confirmation or renegotiation, etc. One stand out was an order from the Rhodessias family commissioning the creation of Corpse Puppets. The Pure Bronze constitution was in many ways a less cursed legacy but its bearers were irrepressible zealots for the Golden Devil clan. Their physique and mindset made them excellent sources for Puppet Soldiers and the Delphi honored their sacrifice faithfully. The Trials, light as they had been, had still taken their scions and those bodies were being prepared to be transformed into Reanimated Puppets. Others who were ready to die but wanted a more active legacy than the ritual exsanguination to the Bronzegate were being hosted in the Delphi family enclaves in preparation to leave their bodies and cultivation bases as weapons in the hands of their family members in the form of puppets

The last item was on the agenda for the meeting, an unusual and most peculiar report. Even as Pelagos delivered it, he still marveled at what it portended for the era. "We have gotten wind that something strange has happened at Waystation Pleuron. As you all know, the city was the site of a confrontation between Rina Callista and a Heavens-favored Fifth Sea cultivator. The Callista scion was somehow able to seize the heavenly empowerment of the Fifth Sea hunter and in retaliation the Heavens sent down a retribution judgement. Legate Callista survived but the city of Pleuron was caught in the aftermath of Heaven's vengeance and remained inaccessible. Confirmed reports have come in now that appear to indicate that a Genius Loci has awakened from the City. A detachment of legionnaires was able to make their way into the city despite the lingering tribulation energies and encountered what has been confirmed to be the Genius Loci of Pleuron."

"A Great Era dawns indeed." Elder Agatha commented. "Three times at Pleuron, the Clan defied Heaven and its agents. Now it would appear that baptized in the fury of Heaven's strength, a seed has taken root and grown. I'll be departing for Pleuron soon. Awakened Spirits are a touchy thing and one born in the shadow of Heaven's fury at defiance should be most unique."

A loud clap echoed through the room. Elder Calliope opened her eyes and nodded at Pelagos. "Thank you for your diligence, Adjutant. The council will now enter a closed session to consider further the matters we have been made aware of."

Pelagos bowed and retreated from the room, leaving the council to further deliberation. The elders would take their own counsel, drawing on other reports he was not privy to and sources kept confidential. As he walked briskly down the hallway towards his office, his mind was busy with a multitude of considerations needed to get started on the preliminary decisions from the council. This promised to be a busy time for him and everyone in the Delphi family.

AN: : (2853 words) @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 9 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 9: Lipita Delphi & Jiang Chrysanthos - Mercantile Adventure​

Emporikipolis. The great trading hub of the Golden Devils was a bustling hive of mortals and cultivators. Here, travelers from across the Organ Meat Desert drawn along the Scorpion Road gathered, hailing from all manner of lands. In the lands of the Imperial Optimatoi, this city boasted the largest concentration of foreigners among a population of over two million souls. It was said that if you couldn't find it in the markets and bazaars of the city, it couldn't be bought with mere wealth.

At the moment, Lipita Delphi was cursing the great city's unique character. An abundance of trade meant a proliferation of merchants well-experienced in gouging buyers to the bottom of their purses. Standing in the foyer of the Chow Pei's Herbs, Minerals and More, she hid her frustration behind a mask of amiability wishing that the heavens would strike down the pain in her nethers obstinately ruining her plans.

"Surely, honored Chow Jin, the price for Screeching Thousand-Year Ginseng cannot have gone up so much in just these few months? The price per tael you are quoting is an increase of tenfold." Lipita gestured at the Average Spirit Herb set in a specialized preservation pot on the counter in front of her.

To look at Chow Jin, one would believe that the portly merchant was utterly distressed at quoting the new cost for his wares. An exaggerated look of anguish and excessive hand wringing seemed to communicate the depths of the man's despair. "A thousand apologies, young miss but it simply can't be helped. As you know, the spirit herb you desire is a rare treasure that is only found the Hard Shell Mountains where the rarefied spiritual energies of the Green Scale Plains can nurture them for centuries on end to full maturity. There has been a recent upset on the Great Battlefield and transporting goods across the distance has become inordinately expensive. Oh! Truly it strikes in my heart to demand such but I am barely breaking even as is."

The painful part of this farce was that there was enough truth to this cheat's story that Lipita couldn't outright call him out for extortion. The ginseng was as rare as he'd described and there had been dramatic changes to the Righteous Path's campaign against the Noble Devil Alliance with the raids by the Abyssal Bees in the Verdant South. None of that should have justified a price inflation of a magnitude of ten however.

A few more minutes of furtive haggling conclusively established that no matter how effusive Chow Jin was in declaiming his prices, he wasn't budging on them in the slightest. Lipita wasn't highly placed enough in the Delphi family hierarchy to cow the obstinate trader into lower prices. Besides, the Chow Pei enterprise was one of the oldest established merchant houses that dealt in trade within and beyond the borders of the Golden Devil Clan. They had sufficient influence and wealth that even with her family's full backing behind her, she would still be getting ripped of in some manner.

Paying out for her purchase with a tight-lipped smile, Lipita took the sealed container and hurried out. This had been an expensive outing but these herbs would allow her to explore some of the alchemical recipes senior Lihua Kokkinos had shared with her born from the expert's efforts to adjust conventional pills and concoctions to her unique physiology. There were some very interesting interactions recorded in the notes she'd been given which had promise from what her research had informed her of how the Yuan Clan's Man-as-Mountain array empowered fauna and flora within its effect.

She'd moved only a short distance from the storefront located in a more upscale district of the city when she was stopped by a cultivator carrying a rather large wrapped bundle. They were of clear Golden Devil stock, bronze skin and gold eyes standing out, as well as jagged branching scars on the left arm extending from the shoulder downwards. Notwithstanding the scars, their features were rather androgynous, a blend of feminine and masculine that extended even to their aura, their spiritual energies echoing a soft implacable flow rather than the normal steady march of bronze. They wore loose pants clasped tight at the ankles, cerulean blue tunic with a design of roses, green head scarf covering russet-colored hair and twin short blades in slung back holster at the hips. The expert, early Foundation Establishment from what she could tell, called out to her as she passed, asking for directions.

"Good morning, could you please point me to Chow Pei's shop? I was told it was on this street but my directions were a bit imprecise beyond that." He asked, his voice light and lilting.

Lipita turned and pointed to the store she'd just recently exited. "That's Chow Pei's Herbs, Minerals and More. A word of warning though, the storekeeper is a skinflint so watch your purse while you're in the there. You might find his prices a bit too rich for your blood."

They grinned at her words. "Thanks for the warning. I'm selling, not buying so I should be fine. Got a good harvest from a Foundation Building Fire Tortoise and I wager I can hold my own to get a good price for it."

Lipita's attention pounced on a portion of the statement she'd just heard. "Foundation Building Fire Tortoise? Did you manage to get the gallbladder and spleen intact? I'll buy them from you if they're intact and uncontaminated." Her manners caught up with her and she introduced herself, hastily. "I'm Lipita Delphi, by the way."

Hoisting the large package onto his shoulder with one arm, the stranger stretched out their arm in greeting. "I'm Jiang Chrysanthos. Pleasure to meet you. Now why would I sell to you rather than the merchant I'm already seeking?"

Lipita replied confidently, "I'll match market price and add 10% if you can give me more Fire Tortoise extracts of equivalent quality. Chow Pei will at best offer the market value if you manage to have the Imperator's own blessing in haggling and he specializes in products from foreign territories. Fire Tortoises are uncommon but a known quantity in Clan territory. Besides, stealing away a prospective customer from the guy who just gouged me and getting reagents I need at the same time is just too sweet a deal to pass up."

At her pronouncement, Jiang Chrysanthos smiled, "I like your style. It looks like you're in luck then. I run into an ornery tortoise during the Trials attacking a tribe of goatmen. Drove it off then but it turns out that there are quite a few in the area so I figured I could earn myself a tidy sum hunting them. Now, why don't we find a spot to examine my wares and finalize this deal. I have a feeling this is going to be a productive arrangement for both of us."

Lipita led her new business partner towards the Delphi family compound to formalize this deal. She'd gone a bit over budget to pay for the ginseng so she'd have to charm old Chemos into lending his cute former apprentice some support. That old fool owed her anyway for the headache that was her apprenticeship under him.

AN: (1268/2=634 words) @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark. This was a collaboration with @RyubosJ. I think this would be their first for this turn.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 10 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 10: Lipita Delphi & Lihua Kokkinos - Meeting Senior Cast in Metal ​

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

Whoops, got busy and then a couple of days went poof. TURN 11, OMAKE 10 [Lihua] Lihua Kokkinos 5: Lipita Delphi & Lihua Kokkinos - Meeting Senior Cast in Metal Sweltering in the heat of her workshop beneath protective leathers, Lipita stirred the thick mixture in the cauldron slowly and...

forums.sufficientvelocity.com

AN: (1243 words) @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark. This was another collaboration, this time with @veekie

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 11 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 11: Lipita Delphi & Simon Euaerizo - A Letter from Home​

Long, late evening shadows fell over the courtyard. Lipita Delphi's day was done, consumed by various labors. Crafting talismans at the workshop, helping adjust Victor's body cultivation routine, practicing her walking cultivation and more. The Blood of Bronze was an incredible boon for strength and recovery but sometimes mind and spirit were wearied where the body stood ready. The thought of taking to her bed entranced Lipita as she closed up her workshop, setting the alarm and sealing wards at the entrance. A quick approaching aura drew Lipita's attention in the nearly deserted courtyard. A quick whispered prayer that this would be someone else's matter went unanswered as a runner approached her.

"I have a letter for Lipita Delphi, workshop A-C1, Crafter's Court." The young man said tersely.

"That would be me." Lipita replied, mildly surprised. She wasn't expecting any letters and she wondered who the sender could be.

Lipita first signed for the letter and then impressed her will upon a jade slip for the courier, confirming the delivery and imprinting her qi signature onto the record. The courier handed over a small package and then took off with a light step.

The letter was a simple affair, a sheaf of papers and a jade slip wax sealed with a familiar array. A flick of sharpened qi and a drop of blood against the seal unlocked the letter. The familiar spidery script of her mother Augusta sprawled across the sheet. Homesickness bit deep into Lipita's chest as she read her mother's words, hearing her voice in her mind's eye as she devoured the missive. Philomena Delphi had an odd preference for paper even with the availability of jade slip recordings. Philomena's tales of her family's life back in Apoikia Hekatonkheires in the Blighted Lands brought a faint smile to Lipita's lips. The settlement of the new lands was moving along and everyone had all the work they could bear. Eustacia, her older sister, was convalescing. She'd had a nasty encounter with aggressive Spirit Beasts on an excursion to harvest some particularly valuable Spirit Herbs. A reference near the bottom of the letter caught Lipita's attention.

…I know that we cannot dissuade you from journeying to the Yuan Secret Realm to seek your fortune. You are now your own woman on your own path to advancement but my heart still cherishes my precious child who amazed and worried with her brilliance and still does same even now. Your letters have informed us that you are undertaking instruction from Gaius Antonius in preparation of your venture. I have been persuaded by Centurion Xie Chen and my own research that he is a competent cultivator but the danger of a Secret Realm is enough to overcome even competent. An old acquaintance of your mater and mine, Simon Euaerizo, is currently serving within the Dawn Fortress and has indicated his willingness to assist in your training especially in the face of experts ignoring honor and striking at juniors in the depths of a Secret Realm. He is an astute close combatant and saved our lives in the early years of the settlement of the conquered Battle Blood Cannibal Sect lands, standing together with us against a crippled Core Formation Blood Path elder called Mad Dragon. Seek him out at the address below and let him temper your skills to calm your worried mother…

Done, Lipita carefully refolded it and secured the jade slip that would be from her mater Augusta who much preferred the convenience of the recording instrument. She'd reread the letter at home, delighting in the reminiscence of home it brought. Simon Euaerizo, eh? There was no thing like too much preparation when risking your life in a Secret Realm and besides, she'd like to learn more about this battle against the Blood Path cannibals.

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

Getting beaten down into the ground was becoming a worryingly familiar experience for Lipita. Spitting out the dirt that had gotten into her mouth, she got up off the ground and reset her stance. Guard up, she circled slowly around the still figure in the middle of the training field looking for an opening. Watching her movements coldly, Simon Euaerizo was quickly becoming a figure of hatred in Lipita's thoughts. She let slip the reins on the Memory Palace, straining to find some defect in his guard that would let her get in one touch to complete this farce of a training exercise.

Her mind flashed back to early in the morning when she'd tracked down the address her mother had provided and fortunately found her target at his residence. He'd taken one look at her and identified her before she'd made her introductions. "You are Augusta and Philomena's child."

"Good morning to the honored senior." She'd bowed briefly. "I am Lipita Delphi as you surmised, daughter of Philomena and Augusta Delphi. My mothers informed me about your stay in the Dawn Fortress and…" Voice trailing off, she stared at the back of the man she'd come to meet.

Without pausing in his stride, he called out to her behind him. "Why are you dallying, girl? I thought you wanted to train to survive a Secret Realm?"

Hurrying after him, they'd headed unerringly for this practice field where an unconventional training session had begun. Standing at ease on the hard-packed earth, Simon Euaerizo had challenged Lipita. "Come at me with everything you've got. No consumables. Techniques and arrays are permitted. A solid strike to my torso or head are your victory conditions."

Lipita was a bit whiplashed by the speedy progression of events so she hesitated for several moments at the instruction. Simon cocked an eyebrow at her unresponsiveness and smiled, a memory that sent shivers down her spine now. "Ah, perhaps I made it seem too easy."

Reaching down to a pack she'd somehow missed in her haste, he pulled out a weighty censer dangling from a thick length of chain. "I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a Poison-Nullifying Incense Burner makes a pretty good flail. Now perhaps I'm enough of a threat for you to heed my instruction or do I need to go further?"

Snapping to attention, Lipita leapt into action, striking first with the Mind Seizing Binding to lock down the older cultivator and allow her to get in close past the chain weapon. Lipita had just gotten within reach when the threads of qi she'd used to implement the Binding snapped forcefully. A dull gong sang in the morning air as the vessel of the censer struck her head-on. Stars spun in her vision and she paid for her distraction with a series of heavy blows that dropped her to her knees.

"Initiative is vital, but deeper contemplation of the dynamics at play would serve you." Simon commented idly, swinging the censer in smooth arcs that rustled the wind about him.

Glaring at him, Lipita rose and considered her options then decided to try for feint and then attack. Again and again the censer cracked against her body, smashing aside her attacks. Trying to hold ground was equally futile as Simon advanced when he thought she'd been on defense for too long, battering away her futile guard and felling her repeatedly.

Harsh breaths caught at the pain her side as she reviewed her options. The Golden Devils were well renowned for the strength and resiliency of their Blood of Bronze and Lipita was no meager scion of the bloodline even as a Delphi. All the same, the stark divide between them in the realms of cultivation was an inescapable gulf that no cunning or exploit of Lipita's could overcome. Nonetheless, she grit her teeth and struck at Simon. Each time she fell, she rose again, her will pushing against bodily weakness trying for just one more chance to hit that smug insufferable bastard. Her vision tunneled and her focus narrowed as bruised body and exhausted mind strove for just one more breath, one more strike.

Lipita didn't notice she'd fainted until she found herself on her back, a leather canteen at her lips dribbling sweet precious water into her parched mouth. "Hey, take it easy, that was quite a workout." Simon said softly, squatting beside.

Lipita desperately gulped down the life-giving liquid, too exhausted to wonder at the change from the brutal sadist crushing her without remorse and this strange tender attendant.

"I don't suppose your mothers told you how we met, did they?" Looking at her face and noticing her lack of response, Simon continued. " No, then, I think you'll like this story."

Leaving the canteen in her hands now that she'd recovered some strength, Simon sat down on the ground and began narrating. "It was just after we broke the Battle Blood Cannibal Sect and split the territory with Jingshen. The Apoikia were being founded in the new lands and cultivators were needed to settle the claims. Who better to send to former Cannibal lands than an old slave who'd escaped there as a ten year old."

Lipita looked up at that and Simon caught her eye with a bitter grin. "Yeah, you didn't figure that I used to be a mortal living under the Cannibals. Anyway my past was considered useful for the settlement project so I was prioritized for the settlement mission. I met a couple of interesting women at the settlement outpost, married with a knack for artifice, your mothers. We spent a couple of months ranging from there to survey, securing the structures left behind, getting rid of the leftover masters that had been left behind when the Cannibals were defeated. One day we went out on what we thought was a routine run. Clearing ruins that had signs of Cannibals hiding out. Turns out someone had gotten to those Cannibals before us and that someone was Mad Dragon."

A strange look came upon Simon's face and a wistful tone crept into his voice at that name. Lipita didn't know what it meant, and filed it away for later consideration.

Simon continued on, "Mad Dragon was a Core Formation cultivator crippled when the cannibals fell. He'd not had much luck recovering since. That was the only reason we weren't instantly overwhelmed and taken to be consumed. Crippled or not he was still someone who'd broken in the third great realm, too much for us in a stand up fight. We fought and ran for fates' knows how many days and nights. I think I left enough blood out on those sands to make them a relation.... I practically lived on Blood Replenishing Pills your mother shoved down my throat. Mad Dragon tried to run us down, wearing us out with exhaustion, crippling our healing."

At this point Simon looked down at Lipita as pride filled gis voice. "We didn't give up, your mothers or I. We took the heat, the fatigue, the qi strain, everything that came at us and we endured. When we were down to nothing, but he was drawn down too, we lured that bastard into an ambush. Let me say that your mothers make a mean combination when defending prepared ground together."

Standing up Simon dusted off his pants. "You're weak now, no avoiding it. If a senior expert attacks you, odds are you won't be able to block them or strike them down. Run if you can, but never give up. If you have to face unanswerable might, look for every opportunity, every chance to fight. You aren't dead until your thread is snipped."

Bending down, he stretched out his arm. "Ready, to give it another go? This time I'll be showing you where you have the slightest opportunities against Foundation Establishment."

Considering his extended arm, Lipita asked, "What about Core Formation? What do you have for that?"

Simon chuckled. "Core Formation kills me and you without Heaven's own luck or a whole lot of preparation. Let's see what we have to spend for that preparation and we can pray to the Imperator for luck."

Taking his hand, Lipita rose to her feet and stretched out her sore body. It looked like she had a thing for brutal seniors who preferred to hammer weakness out of her along with sweat and blood.

AN: (2100 words) @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark. This was done with @Sol Zagato for their first turn omake

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 12 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 12: Lipita Delphi & Achille Adephos - At the Feet of the Master​

Achille Adephos was a genius with arrays. He knew it, the Mechanikos Corps knew it, and the Adephos family made damn well sure that every one their wealth and influence had access to knew it as well. The problem with genius, unfortunately, was that it left those graced with its blessing rarely able to relate to lesser advantaged persons. That and a distinct lack of social graces probably explained why Senior Mechanikos Adephos was flaying poor Ten Jin alive with his caustic wit.

Lipita Delphi kept a blank expression in place even as she stood at attention with the others watching sliently at the unsparing dressing down being delivered. She winced internally in sympathy for poor Ten Jin who looked almost tearful at his mistake being criticized. No one among the junior cultivators gathered in the Array Engineer Corps workshop had been spared the sharp of ire of their task leader for an error in the week that they'd been working together.

"...are you suicidal or just oafishly clumsy? The array sigils you carved are misaligned with the central energy transfer matrix which would result in a cascading failure through the sub-arrays for the evocation effect. Do you want to find yourself dead center in a firestorm cracking your bones after charring your flesh to ash because that's exactly what it seems you were working towards?" Achille Adephos glared coldly at the quivering Qi Condensation buffoon whose handiwork he was inspecting. "How on earth you earned your ergeilio, I can only imagine."

For all the harshness of its delivery, Lipita was in agreement with Achille's assessment of the situation. Even now, standing around the incomplete Array-Plate she would have sworn that the inscriptions etched onto the metal were adequate if not perfect. Only following the direction of Senior Adephos' critique and straining her senses had revealed several minutely misplaced runes that altogether would have produced the deadly backlash described once the Heaven's Furnace Entrapment Array was activated at full strength over time.

It was simply incredible how the Senior Mechanikos had taken just a brief glance at the Array-Plate while supervising the various workstations and caught the error. It bore out every hope Lipita had harbored when she'd accepted this task from the Contribution Board. Senior Mechanikos often recruited sufficiently interested and talented juniors to do the grunt-work for large projects, offering consideration in the form of hands on experience in advanced Array-work and close attention during the project to supplement a pittance of contribution points. Lipita hadn't committed fully to the path of the Mechanikos so she had declined formal enrollment into the Array-Engineer Corps after her induction into the legions. Access to the Delphi family archives and Array experts meant she hadn't stalled in the field but there was something to be said for the strength of the centralized institution for Array-work in a faction renowned for their aptitude for the specialty.

Turning away from the grateful Ten Jin, Achille Adephos, scrutinized his gathered subordinates. What he saw didn't seem to impress as his expression remained cold. "There is no tolerance for error or laziness in my workshop. You do it right or you don't do it at all. If you can't manage to keep your hands steady and your attention focused to follow instruction, leave now and give up Array-craft before you kill someone with your ineptitude. The door's open, any takers?"

No one moved to leave. Lipita was quietly impressed with her colleagues. Working under such a strict perfectionist as Senior Adephos was incredibly strenuous but it seemed that those with her were of stern conviction, even the most recent victim.

"Alright, let's get back to work. I'll be keeping a close eye on you all." Striding away from the workstation, Achille Adephos headed to the central work table where he was working on the more complex arrays to be integrated later. The juniors scattered in his wake back to their personal stations, freshly committed to not making any mistake deserving of chastisement.

At his work table, Achille paused a moment to check the progress of the work done in his absence by the drones of his Array Scribing Anthive. The intricate lattice of dense inscriptions sung to his senses, perfectly rendered in miniature on the stele of Yang Fire enriched obsidian sourced from the mount of the Watchful Father from the Hong Xuan Clan's lands. The ants from the Anthive were perfectly responsive to his will, as deft in his control as his own hands. The intent he had imbued in the central anchor for the slaughter array lay heavily upon the area, the promise of searing heat and swift death leashed to his will expressed upon the world. Oh yes, this Heaven's Furnace Entrapment would be a masterpiece but merely one more stepping stone in his advance to greatness.

Lipita paused briefly in inscribing an energy containment array with a metal stylus onto a plaque of Red Jadesteel, rolling her shoulders to work out a crick in her neck. The workshop around her hummed with focused energy from her colleagues hard at work, and ahead of her, the Senior Mechanikos appeared an expert orchestral conductor at work on a stele. A flash of envy run through her as she watched him masterfully wield an Array Scribing Anthive. She put the thought out of mind as she reminded herself that such resources were the fruit of success. The Yuan Secret Realm loomed ahead of her and great opportunities awaited her if she could survive the attendant dangers. Dallying about dreaming of unearned riches would not serve her there, best get to work.

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

The day's assignments were done by late afternoon, thankfully without another incident among the juniors. Putting aside their finished work, the commissioned workers gathered around the central workstation eagerly. The reward for their hours of labour was instruction from the accomplished expert himself and for those with the passion for Array-craft the promise of increased knowledge straightened aching limbs and steadied weary eyes.

Achille Adephos pointed to one of the more promising juniors among the batch. "Miss Lipita, would you care to review for us all the goal of this project?"

Lipita smoothly replied without missing a beat. "The aim of this group is to create a modified Heaven's Furnace Entrapment array. This is traditionally a static defensive setup used in entrenched emplacements to provide a prepared killbox for attackers who successfully breach fortifications. It consists of two effects, the entrapment activation and the successive slaughter process which both draw on the local leylines. The standard entrapment uses a Yang Earth aspected effect to manipulate terrain to create a foot ensnaring trap. Other configurations use Yang Lightning to paralyse and restrain targets for the primary effect to initialise. Once targets within the area of effect have been immobilised, a conflagration of Yang Fire and Wind is evoked in the form of a firestorm that scours the defined space of life. Our goal is to reproduce this array in a portable form using a central focus and subsidiary formation flags with plates."

"Adept summary, Miss Delphi." Senior Adephos nodded in appreciation. Looking to the stele, he pointed at the central inscriptions. "The Heaven's Furnace Entrapment is a well-regarded defensive array because drawing on the leylines of the land even in the sparse qi of the Organ Meat Desert, its power is enough to seriously harm and even kill Formation Establishment cultivators to say nothing of what it does to those weaker. A properly empowered version with auspicious siting can even take out Core Formation though that is limited to areas where strong Yang energies can be sourced such as from volcanoes."

Turning away from the table, he glanced over the group. "I have been able to reduce the power draw of the array by scaling down the area of effect, without reducing the average potency within that reduced area. Thus the array is now moveable and useful for rapid deployment. A quick fixation will allow for standard effect against weak mid-Formation Establishment and below while an extended set up will bring out the full strength. Ten Jin, what are the limitations of the portable set-up?"

Put on the spot, Ten Jin stammered out his reply. "Eh… the arrays, ehh… burn out quickly with use. The subsidiary nodes can't sustain the energy flow more than a couple of activations, sir."

"It seems that you do know something about proper Arrray-craft. Keep it up and maybe I won't be hearing news of your sudden unfortunate demise from foolhardiness." Achille commented, drawing a brief laugh from the crowd around a blushing Ten Jin. "Knowing the issue, we can reinforce the energy transfer connections. How? Well…"

As Senior Adephos accepted the response and begun explaining the details of the adaptations that had been put in place to mitigate the issue, Lipita listened with rapt attention. Her meridians scorched with activity as she roused the Memory Palace technique to full activity capturing every moment. She was tired after the day's labour but here was the wealth she sought and she didn't intend to miss a single iota of it.

AN: (1570 words) @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark. Collaboration with @ninjastar.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 13 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 13: A Primer on Production Specialties for Cultivators​

Welcome, Legionnaire.

This is a public terminal of the Contribution Points Board. You may request items, a total of your points, recommended tasks for Legionnaires with your skills, or record fulfilled tasks here. Please infuse a sliver of your will to access any function. If you are unable to properly separate a fragment of your will, you may use the Board terminal in the annex of the symposium. Please note there is a wait time of approximately 3 hours to use the other terminal at present.

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Purchasing an essay on the production specialties for cultivators?

Recommended: An essay by Apothecarist Chemos Delphi titled "How to Make Useful Things for Idiots", considered a simple primer to the subject from his "Basics for Dummies" essay series. This is the 3rd edition, revised, in 198 E. K. It costs 2 Contribution Points to gain access.

Your current Points Balance is 50 Points. There are ten essays in total in the "Basics for Dummies" essay series. A bulk purchase of the entire collection of the essays is available at the discounted cost of 17 Contribution Points.

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Please note you have gained access to the essay for the next two solar cycles. After that, access will reset. If you would like to purchase the text permanently, you may do so for ten Contribution Points. As a Legionnaire who has broken into the 1st Heavenstage, you are permitted to contact Apothecarist Chemos for distribution rights and negotiate a price. He has set a contact price on any replication matters at 15 Contribution Points.
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How to Make Useful Things for Idiots, a Primer on the Production Specialties by Chemos Delphi

So you figured out that just maybe you could do something with your newfound transition from the dregs of mortality that amounts to more than becoming a better killer, good for you. Mind you, I don't discount the value of good killers, seeing as I count myself as one. We killers are useful in all manner of ways in this barbaroi domain of endless struggle but there is something uniquely wonderful in being witness to the works of a craftsman that is not a carcass heap. That being said, you didn't purchase this essay to listen to an old fogey's philosophy so let's delve into the subject-matter proper.

The production specialties are simply any cultivator industry or activity involved in resource identification, maintenance, extraction and processing. These resources can come in the form of substances material and ephemeral like flora, fauna (yes humans and demihumans count here as well), minerals, crystals, and stranger things like luck and fecundity. These resources are fashioned for use directly in cultivation itself or as aids to the lifestyle of cultivation. The nature of the product, the process employed and the intended use of the finished work are what distinguish the various fields of production from one another.

In my lengthy experience as a cultivator and scion of the Delphi family known interests, I have dabbled in many common and uncommon fields of production. To my knowledge, among the fields of production are Beast Rearing & Hunting, Herb Gathering & Growing, Pill Refining, Alchemy, Spiritual Cooking, Divine Blacksmithing, Array-Engineering & Artifice, Feng Shui, Spirit Mining, Slave Mastery, Soul Rendering, and Karmic Accumulation. Each of this fields overlaps with others and is rarely distinct in its characteristics.

Your basic Herb Gatherer & Grower is an expansion of the mortal activity of farming and vegetation gathering with the influence of qi taken into consideration. They maintain farms of spirit herbs providing conditions needed to maintain and grow them under supervision. Certain plants require circumstances and opportunities that are inordinately difficult to reproduce with deliberate effort so wild specimens are identified and harvested. As any cultivator with experience will tell you, plants can benefit just as much if not more so from advancing in cultivating as humans and beasts. This is a path where martial competence and learned natural philosophy are often married for success. Cultivators in this field that produces raw foods to be utilized as is or processed further by other specialties. Notable factions that practice this specialty are the Noble Knowledge Sect and formerly the Thousand Arrows & Flowers Sect.

Beast Rearing & Hunting is the mirror to Herb Growing & Gathering, differing largely in the focus of fauna rather than flora. There are many species of spirit beasts in the Third Sea that possess value in the products of their bodies. Hide, bone, milk eggs and more, all have great utility for cultivators. The beasts themselves can be trained and bonded to form lifelong partnerships to a cultivator. It is important here to note that spirit beasts are distinct from Animal/Primal cultivators. The latter are thinking intelligent beings capable of conscious manipulation of qi with equal or often superior ability to humans. Imperial Beasts such as the True Dragons and Phoenixes are paragons of such. The greatest examplar of such classification would be the Heavenly Emperor Turtle and his Turtle Children upon which the civilizations of the Nine Seas are built. The Chuan Clan is an example of a sect that survives on hunting spirit beasts from the sea while the Abyssal Devil Bees are very successful Beast Tamers.

The art of Pill Refining is common to the mythos of cultivation featuring popularly in the tales and histories of many experts. It is akin to cooking or potion concoction but different in that it involves an application of the principles of Core Formation among cultivators to the natural resources of the world. It is the extraction of the innate essence of materials and the refinement of the natural Dao that suffuses all things condensed under great pressure in a furnace to produce a facsimile of a core which consists of a catalytic reaction stabilized and compressed. Beast cores, spirit herbs, and natural treasures are among the reagents used in the refining of pills. Every faction of note in the ream of cultivators employs Pill-Refiners though the only ones of note are those with abundant resources to spend on the expensive and inefficient process, the aforementioned Noble Knowledge Sect being the only extant example currently.

Alchemy is considered the cousin and father to Pill-Refining. Many of the concepts are cross-applicable across both fields but Alchemy has the wider breadth to its scope. Poisons, tinctures, potions and ointments; these are the province of alchemy as a whole rather than the limited focus of Pill-Refining. It is a great art that bring ruin and strength in equal measure. A competent alchemist can provide critical support to any cultivator effort, affecting those in great realms above with sound technique and great skill. One need only recall the Miracle at Pleuron, made possible only because of a masterful creation of a Core Formation felling poison by a QI Condensation junior. Refer to the notes on recognized experts in Pill-Refining for the same in Alchemy, but a good contrast would be to look at the Great Drunkard Sect whose Dao of Wine makes them excellent brewers.

Spiritual Cooking is often considered by many as the poor sibling of the Cauldron Arts as Pill-Refining, Alchemy and Spiritual Cooking are collectively designated. Its products generally lack the immediate potency of pills or potions and quickly lose effectiveness after creation. For all its faults, Spiritual Cooking is more accessible than either of its sibling specialties and much more forgiving of errors. The meals prepared by a competent Spirit Chef are still useful supplements in their own right and singular masterpieces can match or even excel the strength of Pill-Refining and Alchemy. Our esteemed vassals, the Simmering Soup Sect, are an excellent example of what this specialty can do with skilled application and one need only remember the exploits for which the great terror of the Third Sea earned his moniker of Demonic Soup Chef.

The twin inheriting sects of the Heavenly Blacksmith Sect are the foremost practitioners of the art of Divine Blacksmithing in the Virtuous Flipper Region. The Sorrowful and Joyful Blacksmith follow a path that elevates metalwork and smithing to supernal heights that produce weapons, armor and constructs that channel and manipulate qi to devastating effect. Divine Blacksmithing despite the name encompasses a wide variety of material craftsmanship from gemcraft to woodwork. Smiths divine the innate properties of materials and shape them in accordance with their comprehension of natural laws and their own Dao to harness the inherent strength into an artifact supplemented by the smith's own ability.

The pride of the Golden Devil Clan is in our mastery of Array-Engineering & Artifice. Similar yet distinct from Divine Blacksmithing, to craft an array is to imbue one's intent upon the world in a more permanent fashion than am expressed qi technique. Talismans, charms and sigils are means of impressing meaning upon a receptacle to contain and shape qi into a desired effect immediately or at a later time. Language and material sciences are the bedrock of this art. Comprehending the Dao of the world in its disparate elements and understanding the Akashic significance allows one to scribe, carve and weave intent and qi together in a record. All array-engineering consists of these effects: containment, transformation, transference and emission. From these principles are the meanest Alarm Ward to the mighty Shattering Glass Spear array formed.

Feng Shui is a curious profession, channeling the world and transforming its natural alignments of energies to ones ends. It can be thought of as Array-craft writ large in a sense, using an understanding of the natural energies in the environment as shaped by leylines, living beings and acts of significance rather than materials of manufactured artifice. I once encountered a most curious feng shui formation in a forest that produced an elaborate labyrinth of distorted perception using nothing but the positioning and typing of trees and rocks in the forest to accomplish the effect. The Qiguai Secret Realm, in my opinion, would be an example of such a Feng Shui arrangement or at least its binding to the realms of the Nine Seas.

The Organ Meat Desert as bereft of environmental qi hosts a bounty of crystallized spirit stones beneath its shifting sands. Prospecting and carving out this wealth is a niche profession dismissed by many. Certainly the great powers of the desert, Jingshen and ourselves derive much of their influence from their ability to mine spirit stone but to many it seems a simple effort of brute labor. Such shallow thinking ignores the intricacies of the art of Spirit Mining. Qi is a potent transformative and empowering force and to ignore the effect such concentrated power has on the environment is foolish. Dowsing out veins of spirit stone, teasing out every morsel of crystallized energy without dissipating the energies, exterminating and defending against beasts and stranger entities drawn to the revealed ore. Beyond just spirit stones, many potent spiritual metals, gemstones and minerals are formed within the bowels of the earth and extracting them is the work of trained professionals.

Slave Mastery is a vile and debased practice founded upon the predation of the Blood Path. Forget the lofty aspirations of philosophers who seek to elevate the state of man, mortals and cultivators alike are as useful as any other fauna in that their bodies can be rendered into raw and finished goods. The Great Battlefield has born witness to monstrosities and horrors formed from mortals by the hands of the mad genius of the Noble Knowledge Sect. Soulsteel and Gravebronze are our Clan's own products from enemy and loyal cultivators. The intelligence of humans and demihumans means that they have added value in being broken to service as trained labor to be used before being consumed for advancement. The late and unlamented Battle Blood Cannibal Sect maintained vast mortal farms in its territories in the guise of cities and towns, consuming mortals and one another in a cannibalistic frenzy. I mention this only for completion's sake and to remind you that the Optimatoi do not tolerate such habits within our reach. On this we agree with the tyrant Heavens and we will exterminate such industry with extreme prejudice.

I do not know of many cultivators who pursue the practice of Soul Rendering, perhaps only the Ghost Tree Forest Kings in the Heavenly Bandit Kingdoms being of note. Its processes remind most people uncomfortably of the desecration of Blood Path cannibalism. The easiest form is the creation of ghosts and that is itself not a simple effort. It takes great emotion for a dying soul to leave an echo as a spectral remnant in the form of a Will perpetuated by intense desires. Prolonged suffering before demise is the quickest means to achieve that end since vengeance and immense hate are the most suitable feelings to manifest and maintain a ghost. Perusal of archives held by the Clan and my own Delphi family hint at means by way of soul arts to grasp some strength from the passing of the dying but that is fragmented lost lore at best. In any case, ghosts as vessels of intense emotion and death qi can be gathered if found and processed into raw materials for use in other specialties or consumed directly to fuel ones advancement.

Finally, Karmic Accumulation is perhaps the most esoteric production specialty I am aware of. The weave and weft of the threads of life, the generative vitality of being and the subtle mysteries of fortune are not things easily grasped. Fecundity, lifespan and luck are ephemeral matters that seem to operate at a fundamental level of existence where the Will of Heaven itself is not absolutely supreme. The methods of capturing these things beyond individual accomplishment like attaining the 8th Pillar in Formation Establishment are very rare and precious indeed. The Stork Clans newly settled in the Clan's territories are a welcome presence for the addition of their means to the Clan's strength. Of course, there is one well known way of obtaining benefit in such matters, to submit to the Machine of Heaven. The dogs of the Fifth Sea who hunt all those of the Blood of Bronze in the Hundred-Year Trials do so because they receive a bounty of karma from Heaven itself for each life reaped in service to its bloodthirstiness.

This concludes this introductory essay on the production specialties. The list provided is not intended to be exhaustive because existence is immeasurably vast and there is more under the Heavens than I can claim to know. Nonetheless this should serve as a decent primer to help a young idiot such as yourself find their footing. I recommend that as you have acknowledged your ignorance and sought wisdom from this work, you persist in your quest for knowledge and purchase the rest of the "Basics for Dummies" series. Or don't, it's your choice and no skin off my back either way.

End essay.

AN: (2505 words) @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark. Old Chemos speaks again.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 14 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 14: Lipita Delphi & Anastasia Outi - On the Matter of Maleficarum, Pt. 1​

Anastasia Outi itched fiercely, the flesh beneath her skin and the channels of her meridians tingling and demanding blessed relief. The sensation was uncomfortable but she restrained herself from trying to alleviate the discomfort knowing the futility of the effort from past attempts. It was a familiar unpleasantness since the most recent Hundred-Year Trials and her encounter with that Fifth Sea hunter. Her physical wounds from being set ablaze with merely a glance from that terrifying opponent had long since healed but her body still carried a ghostly echo of that fierce consuming heat devouring her from within. Her convalescence in the aftermath had been sheer torture swathed as she was in liniment and bandages and feeling the scorched nerve endings regrowing absent a way to alleviate their newfound sensitiveness without setting back her healing.

Scouring her bronzed flesh with steel wool hadn't helped as had other increasingly drastic measures so she'd found herself diving into meditation and will-strengthening exercises to withstand the ever-present haunting. Surprisingly, tending and grooming her mount had proved a useful distraction probably because the Beast-Bond link gave her mind useful practice in processing unfamiliar sense experience. Thus in the pale light of dawn, Anastasia was outside in the stables of one of the many checkpoints scattered across the length of the Scorpion Road that traveled through the territory of the Golden Devils Clan in the Organ Meat Desert.

"Alright, how about Elaphia? It's a nice solid name of Optimatoi heritage. I believe there was once an Elaphia counted among the Nascent Souls of the Clan before we were driven to the desert." Anastasia suggested, slowly combing dust and sediment from the fur of her mount.

Crowned with a magnificent rack of antlers formed from exquisite orange red wood, Anastasia's bonded magical Yew Deer turned its head to look at her imperiously then back away dismissively. Through the link between their spirits, a clear sense of rejection flowed from the spirit beast.

"You know, we've been partners for several decades now ever since I rose into Foundation Establishment and I broke you free of the brute who'd enslaved you but I still have nothing better to call you than Deer." Anastasia grunted exasperatedly, moving around to the other side of the deer to attend to its coat. "You've rejected every name I propose and then some. You clearly haven't adopted Deer as your name but you are being remarkably picky about everything else."

As a bonded spirit beast, the Yew Deer benefited from Anastasia's cultivation base even as shallow into the second great realm as it was. Its intelligence and comprehension had improved from the union as in turn had Anastasia's stamina and ability to digest certain flora. True to its elevated status, Anastasia felt her mount consider the matter with surprising introspection and reply with a feeling of disagreement, exploration and anticipation of revelation.

"Huh, the names don't fit eh? That's why you reject them. You're looking for something that resonates with your being, your history and your will." Anastasia paused in consideration. "I can understand that. Surprisingly deep thinking for an idiot who let himself get captured by a mortal but maybe the heavens do have sympathy for fools." She grinned in reminiscence of their first meeting.

"Hey!" Spluttering, Anastasia stepped back and wiped at her face with the sleeve of her tunic, frantically trying to clean off the glob of poisonous spit that the deer had lobbed at her. He did not like being reminded of the weakness and treachery that had led to him being captured.

"Did you have to get it in my mouth, seriously?" Anastasia complained as she uncapped a canteen and rinsed out her mouth. "You're picking up bad habits from those camels. You could really kill someone mortal with that attack."

The deer was unapologetic, snorting in reply. It sent a clear sense of satisfied revenge for the insult and stamped a hind leg on the stone floor of the stable. Standing near even with the head of the average Third Sea native mortal, it was an impressive figure of primal strength, capable of easily bearing Anastasia even with the surprising weight the Blood of Bronze added to her slight constitution. Currently it radiated a sense of smug self-satisfaction as its rider sulked beside its bulk.

A slim figure in simple legionnaire armor entering the entrance of the stables drew the attention of the duo. The young man called out, "Pardon the interruption, ma'am. There's a letter here for you, Centurion Outi."

Taking the letter and thanking the courier, Anastasia opened the missive curious as to the unexpected correspondence. Maybe Matthaios was finally replying to the letter she'd sent him a couple of months ago.

For the attention of Centurion Anastasia Outi.

Greetings Senior,

Please forgive the unannounced dispatch of this letter. I am Lipita Delphi, the attendant you hopefully recall assisting you in your purchase of feedstock from the Chimaera Echidna Ranch in the Beast-Raising Forest in the early months of this year. I have begun preparations for an expedition of great peril but also immense promise in reward. In anticipation of this venture, I have sought to improve my grounding in some of the more esoteric aspects of cultivation. In our interaction you provided an illuminating insight to the nature of maleficarum or curses as they pertain to the workings of cultivators. I have independently begun exploration of the topic but I was hoping that you could provide greater elucidation on the subject particularly as you mentioned that you were familiar with an accomplished curse-worker. In addition, your heritage as a member of the Outi legacy is of great interest in the matter of the operation of karmic effects associated with curses and blessings.

I hope that this request finds favor with you and that it will not be too much of an imposition on your duties to offer such wisdom as you are willing in this matter. I would be most appreciative of any assistance you could provide. The favor would most assuredly be returned from my resources in my own right and my capacity as a scion of the most ancient and august lineage of the Delphi.

May the Imperator's grace ever be with you.

Your clanswoman and sister-in-service,

Lipita Delphi

"Huh, certainly a bold junior that one." Anastasia mused after reading the letter. "Don't know where she got the idea that I'm an expert on curses but it's very flattering to be sought after. I'll have to see what I can scribble down, definitely reach out to Matthaios if he ever gets around to replying my correspondence. It would be nice to talk to someone fun, you know, since Iphigenia's gone now."

A trace of mourning slipped into her voice as always when she thought of her departed friend. She pulled away from delving into memories of their time together and set to finding ink and paper. The reply wasn't going to write itself.

AN: (1206 words) @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark. This is part 1 of a collaboration with @AlphaDelta

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 11, OMAKE 15 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 15: Tournament in Hong Xuan​

Seven Tourneys City was a fine enough city Lipita conceded as she wandered through the streets. The carriage ride had been long and her cultivation during the journey had been as unpleasant as always so the chance to stretch her legs and explore the sights was a welcome diversion. Together she and Senior Gaius had taken up the large packs containing their belongings just outside the outer walls of the city and walked in on their power. Entry had been smooth with their obvious lineage and the paperwork meticulously prepared beforehand for this assignment saw them past the gatekeepers without a fuss.

Once they were within the city proper, Gaius had turned to her and offered, "I'm going to take a walk about, see how things have changed and get a sense of the lay of things. Want to join me or do you want to do your own exploring?"

Lipita had considered and then declined the invitation. "No thanks, senior. I think I'll find the experience of the city much more accessible when not shadowing a freakishly tall scarecrow."

She ducked down to avoid a large hand reaching to ruffle her hair at her pronouncement. Gaius grinned down at his impertinent junior. "Alright, enjoy the sights. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, we're guests here. Find us a place to bed down at least for the night, we can get more permanent accommodations tomorrow if necessary. Meet up back here in the evening after sunset."

So Lipita found herself strolling through the city, observing and recording everything in her Palace of Memory. The brick roads and high walls were well built and great thought had obviously gone into the design of the city evident in geometrically perfect buildings and partitioned districts. The people were a more typical representation of Third Sea nativity than she was used to in an urban environment. The one distinctive element was the prevalence of pigmen among the general population.

Huh, thinking about it apart from that aspirant adopted by the Pentekonter family she hadn't had much interaction with the race of demihumans. Emporikipolis had certainly had a few in residence as befitting its melting pot nature as a trade city but she'd never really spoken to them. Here, they filled the streets doing all manner of labour, bringing in the fruit of the land. The Weeping Children were immediately north of the city, seven active volcanoes spitting out all manner of wealth from their fiery interiors and only condemned men and the beleaguered pigmen plumbed its dangers to retrieve the great bounty therein.

Her tour of Seven Tourneys City brought Lipita to a trade district and she took to browsing the wares. Talking with the merchants was an interesting experience which highlighted just how foreign she was. The traders in Seven Tourney City were polite and very self effacing unlike that cheat Chow Jin back home. Her heightened senses and spiritual acuity made the mortals open books to her. Surprise, wariness, fear, caution, interest and more; an interesting melange of emotions colored auras and physical responses when she came up to stalls and make inquiries as to what was being offered. Even now as she conversed with the stocky middle-aged woman attending to a stall in the open air bazaar, she could make out ripples of consternation as others took notice.

"How much for those Scarlet Rushes, good lady? They look to be in excellent condition." She politely inquired, her appraisal honest.

The dark haired and dark eyed trader quickly responded. "These are ten pounds a tael, honored lady. The young mistress has a good eye. These rushes are of the best quality, every measure taken to preserve their potency."

Lipita made a low sound in surprise under her breath. The price quoted was a bit cheaper than back home but then again the Hong Xuan Clan had their prized Isles nearby and the floating islands were green with growth, herbs and crops growing en masse there. After a bout of brief haggling that followed, Lipita left with several purchases bemusedly noting that throughout the sale the stall owner had only looked her in the eyes once at the onset and afterwards kept her gaze determinedly elsewhere. The distinctive markers of the Delphi bloodline it seemed were very disconcerting here.

It was getting late in the day when Lipita took a break from her wandering. She'd followed the major arteries of traffic exploring districts of differing wealth and purpose, passing by estates flying colorful banners that indicated the residence of influential families and through streets of lesser graced homes. The city positively bustled with humanity which made sense. The time for the Vast Choosing, or the Flood Tournament as some called it, was upon the city. There were many mortal youths out and about, all focused on some task or the other. Lipita considered them and the difference between herself and their situation. These young men and women had gathered to compete in in a series of seven tournaments to earn the name of Hong Xuan and avoid the ignominy of becoming peasants fit only to serve their betters. She, on the other hand, was a scion of a venerable bloodline who had ascended beyond mortality before her first decade.

Standing in the long shadow of a building with her pack, she reminisced about the limits of mortality she'd left behind. Today, she'd born a large amount of belongings that had to equal her own weight, at least, for hours without rest while traveling and she was not weary. Her constitution, cultivation and constant use of the Century Oasis Formation made the effort light exercise. Across from her in a sparring yard, several youths were panting visibly strained as they'd practiced for such brief minutes. Such is the nature of cultivation,, she mused, to advance we become both more and less of what came before.

A sudden commotion in the yard caught her attention. Several youths led by a tall girl were ganging up on a boy, hassling him viciously until one of the supervising instructors - 4th Heavenstage she could tell - angrily came over and broke them up. A brief increase of the qi flow to her ears made her privy to the stern dressing down that all involved received before the whole group was dismissed from the yard. Lipita observed as the target of the gang scurried out just ahead of his attackers, looking backwards frantically at the following gang who looked very interested in continuing the events of the yard prior to the interruption. Out in the street, the boy looked in both directions of the road before surprisingly coming over to Lipita.

"Greetings, honored mistress of the Golden Devils, this lowly one would beg your pardon to share the shade in your company. Much apologies but this one is weary and would like a brief rest before moving on." Close up, the boy was not much more than 16 years of age. Deeply tanned skin, a well muscled figure and callused hands spoke of a person well familiar with manual labor and the outdoors. His speech belied his appearance, well-mannered with the clarity of competent tuition.

Lipita kept her gaze on the boy asking her leave, all the while studying the pursuing teenagers who has stopped as the boy made his request. A slight incline of the head in assent and the boy darted over into the shade simultaneously trying to get close her that any interaction with him would intrude upon her but not too close. His pursuers radiated frustration to Lipita's senses but it seemed her presence was enough deterrence as the leader turned away and went down the street, her lackeys following. Lipita could practically feel the tension leave the boy at her side as he followed the gang's movement down the street and out of sight. He remained in the shade for several more minutes, commendably wary of lingering ambush before moving to leave.

He stood in front of her and bowed deeply. "Thank you, most generous lady. This peasant is Lu Gan and this one is very grateful for the graciousness of your allowance."

Rising and turning to go, Lipita stopped him with a question. "Why were those youths after you and please drop the humble presentation?"

Clear struggle over responding to the request showed in Lu Gan's features, but he replied. "I am an entrant in the Flood Tournament and have been training with that group in preparation. They find my presence distasteful among them as I am a child of a contender who failed their Vast Choosing and lost the claim to the name Hong Xuan."

Lipita cocked an eyebrow at his response. "I don't suppose that's too common but it seems a bit much for all that group to be against you for just that."

A short pained laugh slipped out of Lu Kang. "Perhaps things are different in the lands of our great rulers, the Golden Devils, but here those who are superior do not like being reminded of the possibility of failure."

"That would be their folly then." Stepping forward, Lipita moved a way down the street. "Accompany me a moment, I believe we are headed in similar directions and I could use a local guide to a good inn."

Behind her, Lu Kang froze in hesitation for a moment before hurrying to catchup with her. "Why would you want or trust my guidance? You hardly know me. I don't even know your name" He asked as he walked beside Lipita.

Lipita smiled and looked at Lu Kang directly. "The name's Lipita Delphi. You're one of the few people who've looked me straight in the eyes, even when you were acting all obsequious. That interests me."

Lu Kang processed that in silence as he accompanied the strange Golden Devil that had saved him from a painful beating by Fang Xu and her gang.

------

Finding a suitable inn had been easy enough with Lu Kang's guidance. The Hong Xuan boy was interesting and Lipita had arranged to meet up with him early the next day at the sparring yard they'd first met. She'd returned to the agreed upon meeting place to await her senior only to be dragged along in a hurry into his dealings. Of course, Gaius Antonius would find a way to trade pointers with a Qi Condensation champion of the Hong Xuan tournaments.

The venue for the bout, Shield-Halberd Arena was not prestigious, if one was ranking Seven Tourneys City's varied fighting halls. With the capacity to hold about 5,000 people, it was little more than a sideshow, a place for juniors to test each other. In fact, that was the source of its name, an archaic bit of wordplay meaning "paradox" - because an arena with such few spectators isn't really an arena at all. Nothing particularly important went on here, but it was good enough for Gaius and Long An.

"Are you really sure about this, Senior?" Lipita asked nervously, eyeing her tutor's massive and imposing opponent on the other side of the arena. The man was very fit and everything that all her senses told her pointed to a disciplined and well trained fighter. His cultivation base was secure and well founded, no hollow core there. Long An stood among the forefront of cultivators in what the locals called the Second Tier , the 7th Heavenstage and above, and the difference in a single small realm that Gaius had wasn't a decisive advantage. Listening among the crowd as the fight was prepared had informed Lipita that the opposing fighter was well renowned for his mastery of the Ten Ton Swallow Style, used to great effect to sweep the competition before him in previous tournaments. It would be an embarrassing start to their mission in the Hong Xuan lands to lose immediately to a local and be seen as arrogant fools who'd overreached their strength's grasp.

"Of course I am, Lipita." Gaius grinned, continuing to warm up without skipping a beat. "What am I risking, a little pain?" He scoffed at the very idea. "Diplomacy isn't always done through words, my adorable Junior Sister. Sometimes all you can do is exchange pointers and build a connection with your body. Watch closely."

Lipita wanted to say more, but eventually swallowed down her protests and composed herself. "I'll do that, Senior. Good luck." With that, the Delphi dismissed herself and went back to her seat. There was no stopping Gaius Antonius when he got fixated on a goal, nearly a decade of training under him had taught her that very well.

The fight that ensued was a beautiful spectacle of martial excellence. Twin swords versus paired iron fans, Golden Devil against Hong Xuan; the two warriors wove and danced in a dazzling interplay of combat ability. Again and again the two men threw themselves against each other, clashing in the ring with ferocity that would have seen either dead if their weapons hadn't been dulled for the bout. For all that the floor of the arena became dyed with sanguine markers of the resilience on display. In the end it came down to a contest of qi techniques, Gaius' Aegis striving to hold out against the Form Transformation of the Ten Ton Swallow Style. Ultimately, it was the Aegis that broke allowing through an unrelenting throw of the qi enhanced iron fans that shattered Gaius' swords and threw him out of the bounds of the ring.

Lipita had been enthralled by the blistering pace of the challenge and the loss by ring out was a disappointment after seeing her senior push himself so hard. She reminded herself, the tournament rules prevented the Seeker from going all out. In a real encounter outside a duel, Gaius Antonius had the better hand. Concern had her standing up among the uproarious crowd looking for her senior. Thankfully, he soon came into view, waving casually as though he wasn't bleeding from several wounds. Foolish man, thinking he was invincible.

After they'd gotten Gaius treated and away from the appreciative spectators, they headed out for dinner. Gaius picked a restaurant that was apparently okay if not the best, Lipita in tow. Soon enough, Junior and Senior were seated at a sturdy oak table with big, hearty portions between them.

Gaius was clearly famished from his earlier exertion, voraciously devouring his meal. Lipita, on the other hand, didn't have much of an appetite. Staring into her wide bowl of noodles piled high with crab, leek, cucumber and more vegetables as though she were scrying some distant image, Lipita spoke up, carefully picking through her words. "If I may be so bold, Senior... I don't understand how you could find that fun. I don't hate violence, but... to me it's something I just have to do sometimes."

Gaius reached a hand over and mussed up Lipita's hair. It was a game he'd started using to teach her vigilance which she'd done well in avoiding his touches but this time she let him succeed. "That's because this wasn't violence, Junior." Gaius explained as best he could. "Sure, we were hurting each other, but something being violent doesn't mean it is violence. It was an enthusiastic and friendly expression of our arts, a pure exchange of ideas."

Lipita could only nod automatically, not quite sure how to respond to that. She could understand that perspective in part but she didn't share it as she was now. Enduring pain for gain, sure, but violence in a physical exchange was definitely not in a Delphi's preference.

"It's fine if it doesn't click for you, you know." Gaius said. "Every Cultivator is a little different and so is every Dao. I have no use for brown-nosers; you're here to learn, so don't mindlessly say yes just to get my approval, you hear me?"

"Yes, Senior!" Lipita exclaimed earnestly, before a slight flush of embarrassment reached her cheeks. Damn it, the man had a way about him that pulled at people close around which was at odds with his awkwardness. "O-or rather... I understand, Senior?"

Gaius laughed fondly and split his chopsticks, preparing to chow down. "Just eat the damn food, kid."

----------

Lipita escaped early in the morning from their shared room in the Traveler's Rest inn. Gaius was fired up after his fight with Long An and he was intent on getting her entrapped into training in body arts alongside other young Hong Xuan disciples. He explained it that there was only so much that one person could teach, especially someone as relatively young as him. Lipita had made obviously clear her wish to specialize in less physical disciplines, as her family tended to do, but Gaius declared firmly that he would be ashamed if he let someone under his care become a wimp. Apparently she may have been a nerd in his view, but by the time he and his father's people were done with her, she would be physically on par with her average Clansmen.

The desire to flee the physical torture Gaius had in mind lent wings to Lipita's feet as she sped through the streets of Seven Tourneys City. Her agreed assignation awaited and she intended to honor her word as given. Lu Kang was already in attendance when she arrived, running through staff drills. From the sweat that stained his clothes and the sense of his spirit, he'd been at the exercise for a while. She stood back unannounced merely observing for a few minutes before confirming her suspicion.

"You're bad at this." Lipita's voice carried in the early morning air startling Lu Kang who dropped his staff in surprise and tripped over it turning around.

"Ow, ow…" Lu Kang muttered as he rubbed his sore forehead from where he'd fallen. Lipita extended a hand to help him up, having picked up the abandoned staff.

"If you're dropping your weapon in drills, you're going to get slaughtered in the Iron Tiger Tournament." Lipita bluntly noted. "From what I've seen, my ten year old cousins could take you on and have even odds of winning."

Rising to his feet with Lipita's support with a downcast look on his face, Lu Kang didn't deny the observation. "I know already. My chances at earning any place in the Hong Xuan Clan with fighting ability are nonexistent."

"Why aren't you trying any of the other disciplines?" Lipita asked. "I know that the contests for the Choosing select for skill and worth in not just combat. Craftsmanship in stone and metal is also considered. The builders of the Grand Stairwell apparently select from such persons for their trade."

Lu Kang looked up at Lipita, frustration in his tone. "You think I don't know that. Learning craftsmanship good enough to qualify requires an apprenticeship and no one capable is going to offer it to the son of a failed peasant. I've some experience with blacksmithing and stonework but not enough." His voice trailed off at this point. "At least with combat, I thought I could work my way through the basics but even that I'm horrible at."

Oh, dear Imperator, he might actually be about to cry, Lipita thought. Well then that would certainly not do.

A broad smile stretched out across Lipita's mouth. "Well, it looks like you're in luck. You have won yourselves the instruction of a scion of the Delphi family. That name has earned its due regard in the production specialties and if anyone can whip you into shape fast enough, it's me."

Lu Kang was startled at this declaration. He stammered in confusion, surprised that anyone would make such an offer let alone one of the Golden Devils, overlords to the Hong Xuan. "Yo-you would d-do that for me? Why?"

Lipita shrugged in reply. "I'm here to participate anyway. I lose nothing valuable and potentially gain a well-placed contact. Besides, teaching you is a good excuse to get out of some of that sadist's torture." She shuddered, thinking of the hell awaiting her back with Gaius.

Hope began to lighten Lu Kang's bearing and he kowtowed ardently at Lipita's feet. "Many thanks great senior. This, Lu Kang, will never forget your beneficence and will certainly repay it back when he is able."

"Stop that and get up. You can repay me much later by getting yourself into the Low Forge and wrangling me an invitation. Those Spears of Flame they produce are interesting." Lipita turned away, embarrassed. We don't have much time to get you ready. The Bright Monkey and Solemn Mountain contests start soon enough and I'm going to need to brew a lot of potions to cram enough expertise into you. No time to waste, let's go!"

Clambering to his feet heedless of the dirt staining his clothes, Lu Kang followed after his new master.

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

Gaius was not impressed by his disciple's new commitment. The only concession he made to Lipita's newly assumed responsibility was to incorporate Lu Kang into the physical training he put Lipita through. Otherwise it was full press in training. Lipita made nary a complaint at the pressure, she recalled the commitment she'd made the first time Gaius had introduced himself in her workshop. The Yuan Secret Realm was coming up in a few more years and her life depended on being ready the extreme danger of the expedition.

All the same Lipita managed to establish herself commendably in training Lu Kang. Stamina boosting potions, memory enhancement tinctures and more alchemical products were brewed using the bounty of the Hong Xuan Isles. These were low level supplements that were of little use to a cultivator but to a mortal getting a crash course they were absolutely essential. Lipita rented out a small blacksmith and attached workshop for masonry and Lu Kang practically lived out of the building spending every moment practicing. His father the disgraced, Lu Tong, and mother, Lu Beifei, could not believe the good fortune that had fallen into their son's lap and did everything to assist him, providing food and clothing among other minor aids.

The most impressive teaching tool was Lipita's use of a supplemental technique to the Palace of Memory, the Courtyard Atrium. It allowed Lipita to share access to her Palace of Memory with Lu Kang in a vaguely lucid dream while he slept, imprinting information slowly like on a jade slip. Willing mortals had less resistance to invasive qi techniques than even cultivators with their mental defenses suppressed. Lu Kang might perhaps not have been so willing had he known that Lipita practicing the Courtyard Atrium technique on him in Qi Condensation risked his brain melting out of his ears if she got the slightest flow of qi wrong. Or maybe not, he was very desperate to avoid being condemned to die working the mines and Lipita was herself well practiced with the Mind Seizing Binding to avoid egregious mistake. A few painful migraines, misaligned senses and minor changes in personality were small prices to pay for such speed in learning.

Lipita herself prepared to complete the assignment from the Contribution Board. She had chosen to be part of those that the Hong Xuan juniors must test themselves against. A good performance here would create closer relationships with many Hong Xuan juniors. In a few centuries, this would trickle up, and the Golden Devil Clan would find themselves with more loyal Hong Xuan scions in positions of power however few remained through the attrition of advancement. To fail would be to insult or even cripple such juniors during their tests, damaging the Clan's relationship with their vassal directly. Gaius was aiming for the combat contests and leading her to participate herself to work out kinks in her fighting ability. Where Lipita aimed to shine was the crafting contests, an excellent display there would be a good boost to the Delphi name and draw interest and commerce from the most powerful vassal under Golden Devils. Good business meant greater support for her own advancement which she would certainly need to walk the unorthodox path. Gaius was a testament to the expense of the travail, consuming Foundation-level elixirs worth more than man mortal settlements like they were tea.

Her goal of relieving the Delphi of the Harrowing hang over the ever distant horizon but she worked to grasp that impossible dream. These were just the first steps in her journey.

AN: (4080 words) @Alectai @no. @ReaderOfFate Please threadmark.