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

[occipitallobe]

Good Seed and Omake Spreadsheet Rules:

Firstly, if you have questions about Good Seeds and the like please read here. If that doesn't answer your question please ping me in thread, or on Discord.

If you write a new Good Seed, or write an omake, please update the spreadsheet if you have access.

If you do not have access, please ping a collaborator (Swordomatic, Alectai, Quest, TehChron, Insane-Not-Crazy, Humbaba, ReaderOfFate, Kaboomatic, no., BungieONI) letting them know what you want and they will update the spreadsheet here. To gain access, you will need a gmail account of some kind. Throwaway emails are fine (I'm using one for the spreadsheet), but to gain access it's as simple as sending me either your email via PM, via DM in Discord, or just in Discord's #spreadsheet-requests channel.

This is mandatory. If a Good Seed does not record their omake by pinging collabs (or just requesting access and editing things themselves - this is the preferred option), I won't give out awards. If a new Good Seed is not recorded here, they won't advance. By doing this it makes the whole thing manageable for me - it's gotten pretty unwieldy!

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Omake Writer Instructions:

There are four fields you need to fill out.

Omake Link, which is just a link to your first omake for the turn. This makes it easier for me to read them as I do the update - without this it's tough to know off the bat which omake were written this turn, and to properly

Requested Bonus, which is your requested bonus for your omake. You can leave it up to me if you like. You can see more info in the Good Seed infopost here.

Cultivation Aims. For those following unorthodox paths - higher than 9th Heavenstage or later than 7th Dao Pillar paths. Please put in what you are aiming for before you break through. I have left it as 'default'. If you do not edit it, I'll go with that.

Turn Notes - Do you want to do something specific? Enter a Secret Realm? Help the Clan out in some way? If you have something specific you want to accomplish on this turn, put it in turn notes so I can adjust your Fate around it.

All other fields are for QM use to record character information to properly run the flow of the game.

 

[fictionfan]

Abel Angelus​

Preparation for going to the secret realm
I am going to the Qiguai Clan Doorway. I really want to get to 12 heavenstage and for that I am going to need to push things a bit. I really want to be able to effectively defend my qualia forge, maybe even effectively manipulate it myself. However I don't plan on taking any unnecessary risks. As soon as I come through that doorway I plan on finding a safe place and just drawing up a qi gathering array around me while I just sit and cultivate. No going out and adventuring for rare herbs or treasures and certainly no hunting rare powerful spirit beasts. Just sit, fortify and cultivate.

I check the pack I have put together so far. I have a carefully designed Archimedes screw/jackhammer. Qi powered. Normally I would not even consider making an item that requires so much qi to work, but the only constant from all stories about the Qiguai secret realm (not exactly a secret is it?) is that the ambient qi levels are high. Also most parts of it regardless of the environment have a ground. So if I can't find a cave I will simply dig a hole to fortify.

Really all the items I am bringing are incredibly profligate in their qi usage. But I don't really care if I drain the Qiguai secret realm dry. That might not be very environmentally friendly of me, but so what?

I have a dehumidifier that will suck up all the water in a li radius. Then drain all the life from any microorganisms unlikely enough to be in that water and finally filter out everything that isn't water. The qi usage is silly. I don't think that it could work to full capacity even in the verdant plans, but in the Qiguai secret realm there should be no problem.

For food I am bringing air fruit seeds. As the name suggests so long as there is enough qi they can grow just feeding off air. Also rock fruits seeds as a backup and to provide a little variety to my diet if worst comes to worst. I have trained in how to live off the land in many different environments, but not all of them if that is even possible.

There is no way I can bring enough ammo so I am just going to feed Cinder as much gunpowder as s/he can stand before going in and use Qi substitutes for everything else. Really my handcannon is going to work more like a flamethrower for the duration of my stay unless I happen across a good source of metal to use for bullets.
-----------------------------------------

When looking deep into the archives to learn arrays without any consideration for qi usage I find a neat variation of the qi gather array. If I add a recursion to it this version is endlessly extendible. So once I finish making the first circle I can then have it make a second circle and a third and so on draining qi from a wider and wider area. This array wouldn't be able to sustain itself anywhere in the 3rd sea, but in the secret realm. Hmm if my calculations are correct by the time it got to creating the 10th circle the qi drain should be so great as to suck the life out of anything trying to enter the area. I am going to create my own Mordor. And one does not simply walk into Mordor. A life sucking Mordor with a tiny patch of super oasis inside.

Shame creating a giant tower would be stupide. I will have to content myself with an ever improving underground bunker with a tiny squat tower to shoot from. It isn't as if the expanding area of death will go unnoticed. I am really glad that my family pressured me to go. There is no way I would have bothered to search this section of the archive otherwise.

There is no way that I can cultivate all of the qi that my arrays will drag in. In fact if I just let the qi build up it is likely to kill me from shear qi overload as well as making the gathering array pop from too great an qi imbalance. To that end I have to not just cultivate, but find as many uses for the surplus of qi that I possibly can. I can tell that I am going to be spending every contribution point I can beg or borrow for this trip.

Rubber slime. It has another name, but it's too long. A tiny spirit beast at least for now. If exposed to water and qi it can grow and the slime it produces is amazingly strong and springy once dried. Far more so than the rubber of back home. If I cover my walls in it many possible attacks should just bound back. Also makes my underground lair very resistant to earthquakes. Going to have to kill it and harvest the core before it becomes too big or I will just be killed by an uncontrollable slime monster. As soon as I finish covering the walls and maybe make some furniture as well.

My utradensifying bullet array. Not the most inspired name, but if I throw in anything material and a bunch of qi a ultra dense version of that in the shape of a bullet comes out. I can just use all the earth that I dig out for my fort to make ammo. And if that earth isn't enough then I will use the next item on my list of incredibly profligate gadgets.

The super scooper! A sort of cannon that shoots out a clockwork claw on a rope. The cannon is powered by qi. The clockwork claw which is likely going to have to operate in the dead zone does not. I just shoot the claw out, grab something and drag it back. Useful if I need to gather more materials. Also to collect the dead bodies of any spirit beasts that get too close. I also make a sticky scooper where I can apply glue on the end for grabbing stuff that I might worry about damaging.

And lastly, a spirit stone crystallizer. I have to pay the Qiguai Clan for the use of their realm somehow. Really inefficient, but when you are going to be drowning you don't worry about wasting water.

All of this stuff is far less tested then I would like being far too expensive to use outside of the ultra qi rich environment that I hope to create but it should all work in theory.
______________________________________________________
@Alectai, @TehChron, @Humbaba, @ReaderOfFate, @Kaboomatic Please give me a threadmark and help my darklord dreams come true.

 

[no.]

This is not a strategy RPG, this is a quest. However, if this were a strategy RPG, specifically one with an emphasis on lavish, spectacular attack animations, it might look like this:

Super Devil Wars​

Gaius Antonius:

Lines include: "The Seeker shows no mercy to those who block his path." and "I will overcome this."

Knife Barrage(Gaius throws several knives into the enemy. Each knife perfectly hits the last one, driving it deeper until it bursts out the other side of the enemy.)

Sliding Cleave(Gaius uses Earth Gliding to slide around the enemy and slash them over and over with two swords. He ends the combo by diving down, emerging behind them and cutting them in half.)

Middle Punch of Destiny(Gaius dives into the ground and bursts out in front of the enemy, knocking them off balance. He strikes the enemy several times with his fists and feet, then plants his feet and throws a middle punch that pierces through their body. He has a brief flashback to himself striking the post as a child, and looks down at his clenched, bloodstained fist.)

Clear The Path(Gaius throws several knives into the enemy, then uses Aegis' repelling force to launch them into the air, then uses Earth Gliding to dive down and leap up to them. He knocks them down to the ground and lands in front of them. He stabs them in the midsection, twists the blade and cuts them half horizontally. "CHEEESTOOOO!" An image of a still-distant pillar is shown behind the enemy, and he slashes downward along the path of the pillar, right down the enemy's meridian line.)

Zeno Angelus:

Lines include: "No matter the cost, I will protect the future." and "That doom will not come to pass!"

Scorpion Swarm(Zeno uses his staff to summon several giant scorpions, which sting the enemy and juggle them in the air.)

Dreamland Orb("Relax. Let the end take you peacefully." Zeno forms an orb of prismatic smoke in his hand, then launches it at the enemy, which paralyzes their body. He appears behind them and slits their throat.)

Dance of Summoning("The true strength of an officer is his leadership. Observe." Zeno summons a Century's worth of Legionnaires from portals. Together with them, he performs the Hoplite formation and impales the enemy.)

Strange Journey(Zeno releases the large resevoir of qi stored in his Jingshen slip, using it to empower his technique. Streams of multicolored smoke emerge from his sleeves and strike the enemy from all sides, trapping them in a scintillating spacetime bubble. He fires off a small blast of sword qi, disrupting the bubble and causing it to implode, banishing the enemy to the dream realm.)

Wei Feng:

Lines include: "I will protect them... I will protect all of them!" and "Instead of the innocents, don't you hit me instead?"

Vengeful Kung Fu(Wei Feng launches himself into the air with a gout of fire, then crashes into the enemy with a diving kick. He pummels them with several punches and kicks, before uppercutting them into the air.)

Exploding Strike(Wei Feng runs at the enemy, charging his fist with energy. He punches them and detonates his own arm for more damage, launching them into a large boulder. He then charges at the enemy and dropkicks them, detonating his legs and making the whole boulder explode along with the enemy. His limbs quickly reconstitute themselves from the ashes.)

Blazing Flap(Wei Feng takes a stance, then flaps his arms several times. Heat builds up to an insane degree all around him, setting fire to his surroundings. "Hotter, hotter... burn even hotter!" He then rears back and punches with both hands, launching a huge torrent of fire that consumes the enemy.)

Phoenix Dive(Based on Getter Robo G's Shine Spark. Wei Feng charges up for a little while, then Leaps into the air and assumes the form of the Phoenix in a flash of light. He flies into the enemy and causes a huge explosion. He reconstitutes himself, lands and skids to a stop on the other side, panting and letting off smoke.)

Ulysses Nemo:

Lines include: "I'm a healer, not a killer. But if you're forcing my hand..." and "Let's begin the procedure.".

Perk Up(Ulysses downs a combination of several strange pills and glows with a golden light from within. He thrusts his spear repeatedly, riddling the enemy with qi bolts.)

Pillar Raising Art(Ulysses stomps the ground, sprouting a spiked pillar underneath the enemy that hits them from behind and below and launches them into the air. He then sprouts another under his own feet that flings him at them, and impales them on his spear in mid-air.)

Hazardous Dosage(Ulysses takes a small handful of pills, coughs up some blood, and begins to turn a splotchy green. He charges at the enemy, throwing away his spear and punching them repeatedly. Each time he makes skin contact, their body sizzles and corrodes. He knocks them away with one last hit, then vomits up the concoction, returning to normal.)

Maria:

Lines include: "I will never be helpless again.(Maria)" "Hahahaha! Show me a good time!(Lyssa)"

Vicious Pummel(Maria beats the enemy repeatedly, and halfway through she sees a vision of the Red Room. Her attacks grow more vicious, slamming the enemy into the ground and tearing them apart like an animal.)

Bloody Fire(Maria punches the enemy into submission, then grabs their legs and flings them into the air above her. As they come down, she inhales deeply and breathes a concentrated beam of fire at them, incinerating them.)

Twin Flare(Maria summons Lyssa. Each of them summons a fireball, one red and one white. They blast at the same time and the two attacks swirl together into one much bigger one, which strikes the enemy and violently explodes.

Sibling Rivalry(Maria summons Lyssa. The two launch themselves at the enemy, juggling them in the air as they compete with each other. Maria leaps up and grabs the enemy in mid-air, bringing them down in a piledriver. As the pair fall down together, Lyssa positions herself below them. With a roar of bloodlust and anger, she swings an uppercut with all her might, and the enemy is obliterated by the impact. They dash away and bicker over whose kill that was.)

Amaranth Castellanos:

Lines include: "I'll do it, damnit! I'll take my shot!" and "You won't take one step further."

Toad Leap(Amaranth bends his knees deeply and concentrates qi into the ground beneath his feet before leaping high into the air, hitting the enemy with a powerful diving kick.)

Orichalcum Punch(Amaranth strikes the enemy several times, draining their power. He uses this power to charge up his fist, then blows them away with one final hit.)

Burning Rush(Amaranth burns up his bloodline for greater power, draining his own energy for a short, dramatic power boost. His skin takes on a reddish tint and his hair catches fire. He charges the enemy with incredibly speed, pummels them from all angles and ends it with a hand chop that cuts them in half.)

True Orichalcum Punch(Amaranth enters Burning Mode and beats down the enemy. He sends them flying and chases them down, punching them through several rocks as he goes. He charges up a much bigger Orichalcum Punch, and hits them so hard they explode.)

Magnus Centennius:

Lines include: "Time to test out some new projects." and "Observe the fruits of my labor."

Cutter Arm(Magnus runs up to the enemy and slashes at them with his whip-swords.)

Rocket Punch(Magnus takes a deep, wide stance, then fires his strength arm, which punches the enemy, grabs them and pulls them back, where he uppercuts them into the sky with his other strength arm.)

Rocket Punch Swarm(Magnus fires a rocket punch, which hits the enemy and lifts them into the air. He then fires his other hands at the enemy one at a time, launching them higher, and the last one punches through their body.)

Mad Genius Barrage(Magnus summons a bunch of different puppets. The long ranged ones barrage the enemy from afar with venomous projectiles, then a large puppet charges into the enemy and launches them into the air toward Magnus. He slices them in two with his whip sword, not moving from that spot as the quickly-dissolving halves of his enemy fly past him on either side. "This is how a scientist fights.")

Yang Fangxu:

Lines include: "Get out of my fucking kitchen!" and "I'd cook you if that wasn't Blood Path, asshole!"

Transformation Soup: Eagle(Fangxu drinks a bowl of soup and sprouts a pair of wings. She flies around the enemy, slashing them repeatedly with a large meat cleaver.)

Transformation Soup: Snake(Fangxu drinks a bowl of soup and transforms her arm into a python-sized serpent. She uses it to repeatedly whip and bite the enemy before constricting and crushing them.)

Transformation Soup: Crocodile(Fangxu drinks a bowl of soup and transforms her head and neck into that of a crocodile. She rams into the enemy and bites them, before rolling at incredibly fast speeds to rip them apart.)

Transformation Soup: Ape(Fangxu drinks a bowl of soup and becomes incredibly muscular. She leaps onto the enemy and savagely pummels them into the ground, then breaks them over her knee.)

Xiuying Ten Jiang:

Lines include: "I'd rather be cooking, but if you want to do this now..." and "I'll give you a taste of the Sword Law Method!"

Perfect Cooking(Xiuying looks around anxiously. "Oh no, oh no, where did I put my sword? Damnit!" She charges at the enemy and slashes them several times with different kitchen knives, tossing them away after each cut. "No, no, not this one... there it is!" She takes out her sword and cuts the enemy a final time.)

Perfect Cut(Xiuying takes a stance, her sword tracing an beautiful arc through the air as she moves it into position. She charges past the enemy and cuts them diagonally, space seeming to warp briefly at the moment of impact. They slowly slide apart behind her.)

Perfect Meal(Xiuying takes out a bowl of Thousand-Year Noodles and chows down on them. Once she finishes, her body glows from within with a blinding white light. In a flash of movement, she's behind the enemy, and cuts them. She cuts them over and over from every angle, moving so fast she seems to teleport, before returning to her original position. "There is nothing I cannot cut!")

David Pupilus:

Lines include: "Do we really have to do this now?" and "No need to be flashy, let's do this right."

Massive Leap(David summons several clones, who work together to launch him into the air. He comes down on the enemy with a massive swing, smashing them down into the ground.)

Wicked Snare(David strikes the enemy away, causing them to land on a snare trap which hoists them up into the air, where several clones descend on them and beat them senseless.)

One-Man Squad(David strikes the enemy into the air, then produces a clone which knocks them back down, where a second clone hits them into the original David's attack. The three pummel the enemy between them, and then three new spear-wielding clones vault over their backs and impale the enemy.)

Xiao Yingzi:

Lines include: "Recieve the judgement of heaven upon your body!" and "A true Devil won't be scared of the likes of you."

Lightning Spear(Xiao Yingzi summons a spear of lightning into her hand, rears back and throws it, impaling the enemy. She then throws several more, which rain down on them and explode.)

Shadow Blast(Xiao Yingzi summons up a shadowy ball and blasts the enemy, trapping them in a zone of hazy, disorienting darkness. Undetectable, she slashes them several times before exiting the zone and detonating it.)

Release The Beast("No choice, time to let it out!" Xiao Yingzi strikes the opponent with a flurry of spear-thrusts, stunning them befor releasing her shadow demon, which leaps onto them and mauls them.)

Carvos:

Lines include: "Small fry don't interest me, I want the whale." "You guys want to fight too? This should be interesting."

Give Me More(Carvos throws his axe, embedding it in the enemy before charging at them. He kicks the enemy, then grabs the axe and completes the cut, cleaving through them. He finishes with a punch that knocks them away.)

Overdrive(Carvos charges up his axe, then swings it, releasing a powerful arc of sword qi. It strikes the enemy, then drains their energy to grow larger, exploding and destroying them.)

Passionate Swing(Carvos draws all of the qi expended in this battle into his axe, creating a gigantic energy projection several times his size around it. He rears back and, with great difficulty, swings the beam-axe through the enemy horizontally, then vertically. The projection dissipates, and he walks away as the enemy detonated behind him. "Whew... feels good to release some tension.")

Diomedes Cestus:

Lines include: "Will I make it in time?" and "Looks like it's my turn!"

Crazy Ricochet(Diomedes charges at the enemy and shoulder-checks them into a field full of debris. He throws handfulls of knives, caltrops and assorted strange objects, which bounce around and hit them repeatedly.)

Reckless Charge("You'll find I'm quicker than most." Diomedes takes off toward the enemy, kicking up a cloud of dust as he runs. Suddenly, he speeds up drastically, blurring past them as he cuts them faster than they can follow.)

Lucky Shot(Diomedes stomps the ground, using an earth technique to make big stone spikes shoot out of the ground in seemingly random patterns. He then throws his sword, which ricochets off the pillars, striking the enemy repeatedly from unpredictable angles before bouncing back to his hand.)

Anuka Vatatzes:

Lines include: "No choice then, I'll engage personally!" and "I'd much rather be working...".

Quick Deployment(Anuka throws several small slips, which land around the enemy and produce large, complex arrays on the ground beneath them. Each array summons one of the five elements, and the enemy is smashed between them.)

Custom Gadget("I wanted to test this out anyway!" Anuka pulls out a strange oversized crossbow which shoots jade slips. She fires at the enemy repeatedly, bombarding them with colorful explosions.)

Cursed Blood(Anuka uses an art which sucks out some of her blood and compresses it into small spears, launching them at the enemy. They are struck repeatedly, and tormented by strange visions as an inky blackness creeps up their body. The amplified Bronze curses then attract a bolt of lightning from heaven, which strikes them.)

----

Minervina Barda:

Lines include: "Come here and melt into my arms." and "You're brave to face the Poison Witch. Brave, but stupid".

Toxic Barrage(Min summons several dragons made of toxic smoke and sics them on the enemy. They whip and bite the enemy several times before merging into a cloud which envelops and dissolves them.)

Venom-Eater Constitution(Min drinks a flask of horiffic-looking liquid, causing her veins to distend and her muscles to pump up. She charges at the enemy and rips into them with clawing attacks, continuing to attack until they turn to sludge in her hands.)

My Dear Sweet Child(Min opens her mouth wide and Emilia crawls out, striking at the enemy with incredible speed. She blitzes them several times before constricting them and biting down with all her might. Min then bombards the enemy with toxic gas, finishing them off.

Jin Muyi:

Lines include: "Let the duel begin." and "Here's some words for you: 'protect the weak'."

Nightmare of Pleuron(Muyi unravels a large portion of his body into tendrils, which slash and stab the enemy as he menacingly strolls toward them. He restrains them with his vines, then pierces them with his ji.)

Blood-Array Dance(Muyi lashes out at the enemy with his ji, slashing them repeatedly. Each strike sprays blood into the air, which forms a large array symbol. Muyi jumps away and activates the blood-array, calling down a firestorm which consumes the target.)

Giga Laser("This thing isn't really my style, but it sure does work!" Muyi anchors himself with several vines and takes out his cannon. He fires an enormous blast at the enemy which pushes him back several feet. The enemy is quickly obliterated.)

Sky-Splitting Saber(Muyi stabs his ji into the ground, restraining the enemy. He then extrudes his cannon from his arm. "You know, it takes all kinds of ammunition. Here's a variation." He fires a blast of Saber Qi, causing it to create a huge beam saber, and slams it down on the enemy. Muyi turns around and slings the cannon over his shoulder. "I'm starting to get the hang of this thing!")

The Ninth Prince:

Lines include: "I will show you my justice!" and "Sally forth, everyone!"

Venom Extermination(The Ninth Prince attacks with a series of spear strikes, before impaling the enemy, hoisting them into the air and pumping them full of venom, causing them to melt.)

Venomsteel Battle God(The Ninth Prince summons his Venomsteel Battle God, which throws a barrage of spears at the enemy, hitting them repeatedly and hemming them into a small area. He then throws his own spear, impaling them, and the Battle God pummels them with its many fists to finish them off.)

Great Snake Combination(The Ninth Prince summons all of his serpents at once, who attack the enemy in a coordinated fashion, juggling and throwing them around. He finishes by throwing his spear, which impales them to the ground, and summoning his huge snake to eat them. "Ulo, no! Don't eat the spear!" It spits out the spear, causing it to fly back into Princey's hand.)

Rina Callista:

Lines include: "For the new world." and "I'll clear a path!"

Merciful Batons("No need to be excessive; these will do." Rina sheaths her sword and pulls out two batons. Leaping at the enemy, she strikes them with a powerful combination of hits, her final strike embedding the enemy into a crater in the ground.)

Muqin Guo(Rina rides on top of Muqin Guo, slashing at the enemy several times as she zooms around them. She then leaps off the pot, which strikes the enemy from below and pushes them into the air. Rina then cleaves the enemy in two and lands back on Muqin Guo to fly away.)

The Lord(Rina unleashes her Dao Emanations. The image of a massive bronze ring is shown behind her and the enemy is paralyzed in place. Rina charges at them and cleaves them in two; the strike is stylistically depicted as a small planet falling on the enemy.)

New World(Rina summons the auras of the New World's elements to empower her strikes, in the same order as she did in her tribulation, ending by launching the enemy into the air and summoning a bolt of lightning which obliterates them.

Peta Condos:

Lines include: "Wajo, let's crush them together!" and "You can't beat our teamwork."

Rolling Crash(Wajo curls up and rolls into the enemy, crushing them into the ground. He then gets up and pummels them repeatedly before getting on all fours and mauling them.)

Flashing Spear(Wajo throws Peta, who thrusts her spear into the enemy repeatedly as she flies over them. She then lands, impales them, and uses the spear to fling them toward Wajo, who swats them out of the air.)

The Ultimate Teamwork(Peta rides on Wajo's back, impaling the enemy on her spear and continuing to charge. She smashes them into a boulder, where Wajo repeatedly mauls them. Then, she vaults over Wajo and kicks the butt of her spear, driving it further in and breaking the boulder, which crumbles into rubble and buries the enemy.)

Ferenike:

Lines include: "I will pierce through anything and anyone who threatens my Clan." and "Whatever kind of monster you heard I am, I'm even scarier than they say."

Shard Storm(Ferenike fires a wave of glass shards from her hands, piercing the enemy several times.)

Scorpion Style Kung Fu(Ferenike takes her iconic stance, and the image of a huge, gold-plated scorpion is seen behing her. She stabs and claws at the enemy repeatedly, eventually siezing them by the next with one hand and stabbing them through the heart with the other.)

Invasion(Ferenike enters her glass form and slashes the enemy repeatedly. She concentrates energy into her spear-hand and impales the enemy. The screen goes red and renders the characters as black silhouettes, as glass spikes graphically explode out of the enemy.)

Achille Adelphos:

Lines include: "My calculatios are never off." and "Your resistance has already been accounted for."

Thunder Bomber(Achille throws a jade slip above him, manifesting a localized thunderstorm. The enemy is repeatedly struck by lightning.)

Gravetic Storm(Achille throws several jade slips, which burst, forming a very complex array in mid-air. The enemy is lifted into the air, thrown about by a chaotic vortex, and finally crushed into a pulp.)

Masterstroke(Achille gestures down, prompting the enemy to look at their feet and realize they're standing on an array he planted. With a snap of Achille's fingers, a steel cage is conjured around the enemy, and bursts of lightning, fire, ice, water and more explode within the cage, obscuring the contents from view. "This is how I fight." Achille snaps his fingers and the bars retract, then the top and bottom of the cage slam into each other, crushing the enemy.)

Tassos Basilakes:

Lines include: "If you dodge one of these, you're a master. If you dodge two, you're the strongest man in the world." and "Pierce through, Skycarver!"

Straight Shooter(Tassos grabs a dozen arrows from his quiver at once, gripping them between his fingers. He fires them off in rapid succession, riddling the enemy.)

Round Trip(Tassos shoots several arrows past the enemy, then uses magnetism to pull them back toward him. They hit the enemy in the back, carrying them toward Tassos, who summons his Pig-Iron Squealing Dagger, which flies straight through the enemy's heart.)

Storm of Terror(Tassos reaches into the Thousand Arrow Mirror and retrieves an arrow, brimming with power. He draws it back and shoots high into the air, where it splits into one thousand arrows which home in on the enemy. They're first pincushioned, then crushed by the sheer mass pressing in on them.)

Sovereign("Alright Skycarver, let's give them a taste of the good shit!" Tassos retrieves the Sovereign Arrow, a beautiful silver masterwork, so powerful that just holding it causes him pain. He draws it back, trembling from the sheer power. He lets it fly, and the act creates a huge shockwave, the arrow blasting a huge hole in the target and shattering a large hill behind them.)

Eirene:

Lines include: "Quietly drift away..." and "I won't forgive those who threaten my fellows."

Galactic Dance(Eirene performs a beautiful dance, summoning chains of light which bind the enemy in place, then explode.)

Dance on the Wall(Eirene performs her dance from Pleuron. Empowered by the vivid emotions of that momentous day, it bombards the enemy with psychic waves which shut down their mind entirely.)

Calamitous Illusion(Eirene weaves an elaborate illusion. The enemy is beset on all sides by terrifying visions: cruel Nascent Souls, angry dragons, huge meteors. Suddenly, Eirene is behind them, embracing them. "There there, it's all a bad dream..." She stabs them in the heart.)

----

This... thing came together when, in the DVD screensaver that is my brain, the logo perfectly hit the corner and I made a series of associations. We're currently working on a massive crossover event --> Super Robot Wars is also a massive crossover event --> What if Good Seed Quest was Super Robot Wars?

I gave everyone featured here either three or four attacks. For some of them I could have gone higher than that, but I didn't want to get too granular. Most of the seeds here are the participants in the current megacollab. In the section after that I included the rest of the Indomitable Thirteen(plus Minervina and Muyi) who weren't already included. If I missed somebody let me know.

 

[Quest]

Xiao Yingzi 31
[Turn 10]
[On The Use Of Glass in Combat]​

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On The Use Of Glass in Combat, a Primer by Xiao Yingzi

In order to be a skilled warrior of the clan, one must be aware of many things. They must be aware of the limits and capabilities of the body. They must strengthen and hone their skills until it becomes second nature. They must be aware of their weapons. They take care of them and train with them until they become second nature, lest it fail when one needs it. They must be aware of their enemies - investigate their strengths and weaknesses so that you may prepare properly before you face them.

But there is also another equally important aspect to battle - the environment. Bad footing can weaken the strike of the most capable fighter. Resistance can prevent a weapon-user from giving their all and if a mortal enemy can dictate where you fight, then you have already lost. All of these examples give us an idea of the importance of one's environment and so one must know how to use it and set it up in their favor.

There are many ways to do so of course and the book 'The External Factors' by the late Legate Alcaeus goes into depth about how each of the common environments used by the clan to their advantage covering everything from the personal level to the legion level along with an incredibly large number of expansions from his legion - a number that has only grown higher with his untimely demise.

This article covers a more specialised use of a single environment type - though as a golden devil, it is the environment type we most frequently find ourselves in. Let us consider that environment, the one in which we most frequently find ourselves in - our home, the Organ Meat Desert. And the thing that comes to mind most with the desert is sun and sand. What is the dessert but endless supplies of sand?

Now, an astute reader must be looking at the title of this document and putting things together. The particular method we are speaking of is indeed about using desert sands and transforming them into glass for use in combat. However,this does not mean that we would forge the sand into artefacts of glass to wield in battle. This is a far simpler suggestion - transforming the sand into spikes or planes of glass to hurt the opponent mid-combat.

This is not a set of tactics unheard of. The techniques described by the Centurion Terra in her book "Sand: An Aspect of Elemental Earth" use the element of earth in a similar tactical role. By infusing the sand with the element of earth, she could create mud to affect footing, raise walls to protect or create spikes to penetrate an enemy's body. She also suggested uses of water and wood but her suggestions for metal and fire were sparse.

This article expands on her ideas by using the transformative aspects of fire. It can also be used with any other transformative energies. It was initially discovered using heavenly lightning and then recreated with earthly lightning before being codified using fire techniques as those were judged to be more common among clansmen.

The core of the technique that differentiates it from any other method of glassing the earth is a particular way of focusing the heat such that most of it gets absorbed by the sand. This is a variation of a common forging trick that results in the glass being reinforced by the qi in order to improve its strength. Unlike the forging technique which works slowly and creates long-lasting structures, the glass structures are best described as 'quick and dirty'.

However, they remain strong enough to worry someone in the same realm as oneself. With practise, one can get a feel for the technique allowing one to control the shapes the glass appears as by controlling the physical force. While complex shapes require incredible skill, simple shapes like walls, spikes or merely turning the ground into glass are not so difficult.

The technique can be applied in two major ways. The primary use is utility or simply gaining extra options - gaining the option to conjure qi-infused solids on demand cannot be underestimated. Examples of previous use have been to create walls for defence, extending glass as a bridge or glassing the ground so that underground creatures unused to glass may be stopped. There also have been suggestions of its use in rapid construction though this has yet to be put into application.

The other use is as a surprise secondary attack. Many fire elementalists who may not wish to specialise in this niche application of their element may still be interested in this particular use of it that requires little training besides perhaps an evening of practise before you might need to use it. To completely understand what this use entails, we must first consider the use of fire or lightning in a battlefield.

Fire is well-known in its destructive capabilities and every cultivator has faced or is wary of a thundering bolt of lightning. It is an incredibly enticing power to wield but by that same nature, it is a terrifying weapon to face. More often than not, it is also bright and incredibly obvious. Such an attack almost invariably draws the enemy's attention, forcing them to dodge or counter.

That distraction can be taken advantage of - perhaps as a bluff to make the opponent think you have committed when you haven't or by having an ally at hand to strike from the shadows when they focus upon you. Such flashy abilities often function incredibly well as distractions and for many reasons, inexperienced warriors often assume that the users of such techniques are unaware of deceit.

These sort of tactics and how to account for them from the other side are covered in the book 'Flash and Thunder' by Centurion Victor who was a contributor to this project. In this particular case, the technique is useful for taking advantage of such tactics when you are alone and don't have any allies to deliver the secondary blow. This would be similar to using a fireball that is more a bluff than a true attack with full commitment of your energy.

Such a fireball - often known as a false flare - merely gives the appearance of incredible heat and power and when an opponent reacts by committing fully back whether by dodging, blocking or striking back they leave themselves open. As the user hasn't truly committed as the opponent believes they have, they can take advantage of this deception by attacking the enemy when they aren't expecting it.

When using this glass-forging flame, it will be similar but also different. To begin with, it will not be a total bluff. The fireball or lightning bolt produced will in fact have a powerful heat element and a powerful impact element that if the enemy takes on, they will take a fair amount of damage. However, it will not be designed to maximally hurt an enemy but instead, the focus would be transforming the sand beneath them into spikes of glass.

The most basic use of this technique is meant to be when an opponent blocks or dodges an attack, at the moment they believe that they may be safe the sand would generate spikes of glass from the sand at their blindspot and pierce him from where they don't expect it. At the very least, it can be a shock that does some damage and allow you to follow through with another finishing strike.

Learning the technique is not hard so long as you have the requisite element as a part of your arsenal. Mastering it can be difficult but as discussed, even when barely trained the technique can be used to put enemies off their game. And for those who lack the requisite elements we have talismans of lightning or flame available that can be tossed into the sand to create this effect. These would be useful even outside of a sandy environment, as the ability to create an explosion of flame or lightning is always dangerous.

To gain access to such talismans or to gain access to the techniques that this article mentions, please contact Centurion Yingzi in order to use these tactics yourself.

 

[GardenerBriareus]

For us, 'cultivation-ending' injuries are simply that, and are not divided further. For the Devils, there are six entire classes of these injuries, as those we consider an end to a cultivator's journey to immortality is for them a speedbump.

Click to shrink...

I wonder how much of that is due to the Optimatoi descending from a polity which once challenged Heaven itself, and thus even the scraps of medical knowledge they've retained put them Realms above what passes for medicine in the weakest Region of the weakest Sea. The Blood of Bronze obviously helps tremendously, but as always I tend to read Righteous lore entries skeptically.

As the trade flows in, it goes through Tent City, a city of refugees, injured cultivators, those who could not be healed, and so on. Many who were made mortal again or were crippled live here, eking out an existence by performing basic missions, winning the rights to bathe in the Oasis to continue their lives. A sad place, but not one we are able to fix.

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JFC. I sincerely doubt that the most prosperous and powerful Righteous Sect in the Region - people who are hypothetically blessed by Heaven itself with unnatural good fortune - is somehow powerless to help.

However, there are limited numbers of spots that crop up, and so our cultivators there identify them and auction them off, with large discounts for those injured in the War.

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Orrrrr they could just be shitsucking slime. Seriously, there's no connection they can see between a shantytown forming in the region they recently (in cultivator time) took control of and them totally monopolizing the local resources and selling them off to the highest bidder?

The Sunrise Mountain Sect is the Sect of the Sunrise Mountain King. The Twin Mountains formed the old resistance against the Cannibals, and originally were ruled over by the Sun King. He was slain, however, and those who remained went deep into their peaks, and after they emerged found they were no longer the same.

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I want details on what you mean by "no longer the same", Strength Purity Sect. "No longer the same" could mean anything from 'they're sad now' to 'they're Morlocks now'.

The Sunset Mountain Sect is the Sect of the Sunset Mountain Queen. The Twin Mountains formed the old resistance against the Cannibals, and originally were ruled over by the Sun King. He was slain, however, and those who remained went deep into their peaks, and after they emerged found they were no longer the same. Sunset Mountain were mostly a Clan in , but reordered themselves as a Sect to win our favour, taking on massive numbers of disciples. Their numbers are almost four times that of Sunrise Mountain. Much like their former eastern allies, they live in a massive mountain which is also a Spirit Stone mine, they delve for Spirit Stones there and use said stones to empower themselves. However, their greater numbers have allowed them to delve deeper and they also gain Beast Cores from the beasts far below.

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... Are the Twin Mountain Clans xianxia Tolkienian dwarves?

The Forge Madmen Sect was founded by Ba Lu, an old woman from the Joyful Blacksmith Sect. Disagreeing on forging matters so violently she was expelled from the Sect, she took her followers and founded a new sect around a giant abandoned forge in the desert. Bringing it back to life, they refuse to forge weapons or armour, and instead forge prosthetics - both for themselves as they remove their own arms and legs to become one with the metal, and for those too badly injured to be regenerated who have come to the Oasis for healing.

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They sound like good people, and I don't doubt that Tent City would be even more miserable without them.

 

[occipitallobe]

I wonder how much of that is due to the Optimatoi descending from a polity which once challenged Heaven itself, and thus even the scraps of medical knowledge they've retained put them Realms above what passes for medicine in the weakest Region of the weakest Sea. The Blood of Bronze obviously helps tremendously, but as always I tend to read Righteous lore entries skeptically.

Click to shrink...

This is actually true. The Golden Devils practice triage really well but in terms of medicine we're so-so at best - and that's treating Golden Devils. If we had to compete in treating those without the Blood of Bronze, we'd probably rank as the worst in the entire region by some margin. The main reason of course is the supernatural vitality and regeneration - if you're not dead, chances are good you recover eventually.

I want details on what you mean by "no longer the same", Strength Purity Sect. "No longer the same" could mean anything from 'they're sad now' to 'they're Morlocks now'.

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This is my fault, and I'll edit it. They're no longer under the same banner and no longer consider themselves one Sect/Clan.

... Are the Twin Mountain Clans xianxia Tolkienian dwarves?

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They haven't delved too deep!

...yet.

 

[Gore17]

This is actually true. The Golden Devils practice triage really well but in terms of medicine we're so-so at best - and that's treating Golden Devils. If we had to compete in treating those without the Blood of Bronze, we'd probably rank as the worst in the entire region by some margin. The main reason of course is the supernatural vitality and regeneration - if you're not dead, chances are good you recover eventually.

Click to shrink...

I'm imagining a scene where a Golden Devil medic on the frontlines is working with some Righteous healers, and both get confused at the tools, medicine and techniques the other use:

"Why so you have a hammer?"
"To hammer the bones back into shape?"

"Wait, you don't open up additional cuts for the blood to leak out while you flood them with oil infused with copper?"

 

[BadAtScreenNames]

"Wait, you don't open up additional cuts for the blood to leak out while you flood them with oil infused with copper?"

Click to shrink...

"...don't you?"
"I- NO!"
"Well that's your first problem! Here, move, I need to reshape his skull. Give me the pickaxe, would you?"

 

[adamashield]

The first brother in the brotherhood to become a "war doctor" probably could be amusing then.
Having another one in some far more distant turn will certainly be.
*looking at a crippled mortal*
"We can rebuild him, faster, stronger and better."
And so was (re)born a brother with a body that had bronze worth of 6000 golden coins^^.

 

[BadAtScreenNames]

Maria and the Three Masters (Part Three)
Maria Turn 10 Fourteenth Omake
​

"Alright. Now." Book gives Maria a skeptical glance. She colours a little. "Look, it'll work, alright? Just – do it."
"You're sure this is what it said to do in the training manual?"
Infuriating man.
Shut up.
"Yes. Now will you stop going on and do what I asked you?"
The Flood Dragon raises his hands in defeat, steps back, and lights the torch. Maria settles herself again, breathes, and cycles. After a moment, she directs her meridians up, around, and out into the world. She's good at this bit. The Contemplation of a Single Point might have been annoying, but credit where it was due, it had done wonders for her control.
She sets them twisting into each other a foot from her, tightening the air and locking it off invisibly. She opens her eye, and nods.
Book – face still doubtful – flings the torch overhand into the sphere.
*whumph*
The flames immediately leap a foot and a half into the air. Maria grits her teeth, and puppeteers the meridians as carefully as she can. The sphere opens, one side spitting out smoke, the other pulling in clean air. The point was to try and keep it constant, feeding the fire enough to keep it alight and close to the sphere without letting it shrink or grow. This was the Contemplation's big brother – ' A Feast for the Hungry Guest". 'On the Mastery of Flame' had called it the central requirement of the true master.

So when, for the ninth time in two hours, the sphere almost immediately spun out, scorching Maria's face and taking off what little remained of her eyebrow (singular – the other had been lost the day before in similar circumstances), it doesn't exactly fill her with joy and goodwill to all men.
"FUCK!"
She spits char out of her mouth and snarled in painful irritation. The burn was already starting to heal, but it'd take weeks before her eyebrows grew back. Book laughs.
"Oh, fuck yourself, will you?" she mutters. He doesn't stop. "Look, it's what the book said to do!"
"Book is clearly useless then," he answers, around chuckles. "Gods. Two days in and that never stops being funny."
"Fuck off."
"You look like you've been kissing a scorch-snake."

Maria growls in irritation. Since her run-in with Cao Pai Mei, most of the fort has been treating her with an uncomfortable combination of respect, deference, and outright fear. It's not fun. Book-Of-Names (or Wei Shi, as he was currently calling himself – the bounty was apparently pretty good on that one), by contrast, gives her the same good-natured ribbing he gives everyone else. Normally, she preferred it. Now, though, she'd very happily take some terrified obsequiousness if it'd get him to stop fucking laughing.
"The book," she growls, patience stretching thinner and thinner, "is the central text for almost every act of fire cultivation in the last four centuries."
"So you're just shit then," says Book-of-Names, grinning.
"I- Fuck you."
"Buy me dinner first, we'll talk. She's back, by the way."

Maria doesn't turn around. There was no point. It'd just go the same way it had since she'd started practicing her fire techniques again. Shanshu would be glaring at her in undisguised annoyance. If Maria said anything, she'd leave, fuming but silent. If Maria stared her down, she'd do the same. There was no damn difference no matter what she did, it seemed – even ignoring her just led to fume, leave, but at least that way no time was wasted.
Book is giving her a considering look.
"I could say something," he says.
"No."
"Just something simple. Ask for a few pointers."
"She set my dormitory on fire last time I tried."
"I'm more charming than you."
"Fuck off."
"See?"
"Book. No. I'm good."
He raises his hands in surrender.
"Well, you need to do something, because your manual isn't working, and I have a patrol."
"Manual's working fine," she mutters, as he leaves. Book doesn't answer. Nor does he need to.
Fuck.
---

She hadn't exactly stopped her study of fire techniques, but she had shifted focus for a while. The Black Bull's Dance had taken up most of her attention. But in the last few months, the Sibling had seemed… she wasn't sure 'satisfied' was the right word, but comfortable enough with her progress that she'd been willing to split her attention.
It wasn't going well. She'd gotten good enough at Contemplation of a Single Point that most of the time it didn't explode, but that wasn't translating as well as it should. Worse, 'On the Nature of the Flame' was no damn help. The only thing she could really find was a paragraph on mindset;
"The true master of fire is hollow. Externally, all is burning and chaos. Internally, there is only stillness, serenity, and understanding. In this lies understanding; one must master the fire within oneself to master the fire within the world."
She'd remembered the stillness she'd found, at the heart of the Black Bull's Dance – the simplicity of it. Hollow. It wasn't an exact description, but… it wasn't a million miles off, either. So she'd tried to reach for that as she worked. And that was where the problems began. 'Nature of the Flame' had prescribed the usual tricks for this; breathing exercises, meditation, seclusion if possible. It had seemed like the kind of thing she struggled with, but then, what else did she have? So she'd tried.
And tried again. And again. And again. And now she's starting to dream of just beating everyone to death, because it wasn't fucking working.

"Book might have a point," says Letha. As always, these days, she's surrounded by paperwork – Alexandria from the Diviners had sent on something important.
"About the Manual?"
"Yes."
"Maybe," says Maria. "But I'm a little short on alternatives."
"What about the library?"
"Tried that. Every damn thing in there just harks back to 'On the Nature of Flame.' See the problem?"
Letha nods sympathetically. "I do. You couldn't try asking a senior?"
Maria shakes her head.
"We're short on fire specialists. There's a handful on the Line, but not here, and it's been a while since we moved around."
"Thus complicating matters further."
"Yeah."
"…You… could send Shanshu another letter?"

Maria gives her friend a look. Letha winces.
"Yes, even as I said it I was regretting it."
"It's on my own or nothing, Leeth." She sighs, and runs a hand through the (scorched) tangled mass of her hair. "I just have to get on with it."
---

So she does. Every day she's not training with the Sibling, she splits her time as best she can; Black Bull's Dance gets a third, squad gets a third, fire gets a third. In the evenings, meditation. This has to be a matter of perseverance, surely. With enough time, she'll get it to stick. Granted, her appearance in the training courtyards is starting to scare everyone else away for fear of exploding fire techniques, but hey, she'd never been particularly social anyway. And she was not going to let her life be dictated by a fear of losing her hair. Scorchmarks would fade. Presumably.
The meditation has to be the key, she decides. That idea of hollowness – being still inside to control the havoc outside. That's what she's missing here. She benches the Feast, goes back to the Single Point, and tries for stillness. Nameless, she remembers, had once asked if her breathing might be the problem, so she starts there.
It ruins everything. The Single Point either sputters out within seconds, or explodes. She goes back to her old breathing pattern. It's disheartening, but she can-

"OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Shanshu's bellow sends Maria's spark skittering across the room, where it cuts a bright line through the air in front of a Bear Enslaver. (He pelts out of the courtyard in fear of the inevitable detonation. He's not alone.) "What are you DOING!?"
Maria turns to stare. She's gotten so used to the silent, fuming rage dogging her practice that she stopped registering the old pyromancer was even there.
"…Contemplation of a Single Point?"
"WHY?!"
"I- to learn how to-"
The question was clearly rhetorical, given the way Shanshu just shrieks over her.
"THE CONTEMPLATION OF A SINGLE POINT IS AN IDIOT'S WAY OF MASTERING FIRE! YOU USE IT TO PUNISH YOUNGSTERS! WHY THE *FUCK* WOULD YOU TRY AND- AND- I DON'T EVEN HAVE WORDS, YOU IMBECILE!"
Maria feels her temper rising.
"I was short on fucking alternatives, wasn't I?"

Shanshu's jaw shuts with an audible click, but she doesn't stop glaring.
"And the meditation? Is there a reason you're doing that?"
"Book," replies Maria, her tone just short of hostile (and even that costs her effort), "says a true master needs to master the fire inside of them first. I'm having trouble with the technique, so-"
"Master… the fire-"
Shanshu buries her face in her hands.
"It wants you to try fire techniques while calm?"
Maria blinks.
"…Well yeah."
"And all that nonsense with the air, it-"
"Feast for the Hungry Guest."
"Right, it told you to do that too?"
"…it's central to mastering fire."

Shanshu stares at her. Whether she's about to cry, laugh, or kill everyone within reach is anyone's guess.
"Idiot. Answer me honestly. This manual. Has it even mentioned fire qi?"
"…Yeah."
"What did it say?"
"That you needed good foundations before going near it."
Shanshu's face contorts. Laughing has fallen out of the running. Killing everyone within reach has now grown to include 'starting, but not stopping, with herself.'
"…Foundations. You need… foundations… before approaching fire qi."

There's a long moment of silence where Shanshu is staring into the air and Maria is waiting uncomfortably for literally anything to happen.
"…Are you doing this on purpose?"
"What?"
"Are you doing this – and by this, I mean following this utterly asinine training regime pioneered by an idiot for whom all knowledge of fire was clearly surgically removed – to purposefully annoy me?"
Maria blinks again. She's been doing a lot of that. There might be something in her eye.
"…No, Shanshu. I'm not."
"It's working, if you are."
"I – okay, but I'm still not."
A long silence.
"You're not going to stop, are you?" asks Shanshu, eventually.
Maria shakes her head.
"Why?"
"…I don't know. I just want to learn fire techniques." There's another silence that Maria feels compelled to fill. "They're cool," she manages, lamely.

Shanshu laughs at that. Then she realizes she's laughed, and stops, startled. Then she thinks.
"We start tomorrow," she says eventually. "Here. I have patrol in the evening, so I can't give you more than an hour. Skip your lunch."
"I – what?"
"My first order, as your master, is to take that book and burn it. Without using techniques, I have enough damage to repair as it is."
"It's not my book."
"Burn it anyway!"

The next day, she gets to the training courtyard ten minutes early, only to be grabbed by her sleeve and dragged after her new master, who mutters about tardiness and poor timekeeping. Thus begins her first lesson with Shanshu. A large portion of which seems to consist of a very angry lecture.
" 'On the Nature of the Flame' is trash," she says flatly. "Do you understand?"
"…Yes master."
"Idiot. No you don't. You think, at least right now, that it's an acceptable way to train. You're not the first person to think that. In fact, most everyone agrees with you. This is why they are idiots, and only the Xin have ever produced fire sorcerers worthy of the name."
Maria makes herself nod.
"Yes, master."
"Shut up. I will not be teaching you the deeper mysteries of my order. I don't care that we're vassals of your clan. I don't care that you can destroy us. It doesn't matter. Fire is our path to enlightenment, and that's private. Are we clear?"
"Of course, master. I wouldn't-"
"I said shut up, girl. Gods, grant me patience to ignore the prattle of idiot students. What I will teach you are the basics. The rest you will develop yourself."
"…I-"
"You're clearly capable of self-directed learning. I'll intervene if you pick another brick wall to bang your head against. Now."

They've arrived at another training courtyard – smaller, and currently empty. Shanshu closes the doors after them and locks them.
"Let's start with the basics. Flare your qi."
Maria's starting to grasp Shanshu's teaching style, so she does what she's told, silently. The sorcerer furrows her brow.
"Bronze, under that fire, under that wood," she mutters. "We can work with that. Alright. What do you know of qi transfiguration?"

"Elemental technique," Maria answers. "Shifts your qi's alignment."
"Can you do it?"
She hesitates.
"…The manual-"
Shanshu's lips thin. Maria winces.
"No, master."
"Alright. I suppose we'll be starting there, then."

What follows is one of the most gruelling hours of Maria's life. Shanshu's good at explaining things, but she's not willing to repeat herself. Every screw-up is dissected with withering scorn. The technique itself is complex as all hell; half of what they're doing boils down to forcibly running her qi backwards through her meridians until it shifts in some imperceptible way. Worse, she can't force her calm.
"Gods," growls Shanshu, as she brings her hand around in a rough slap to Maria's ear. "Stop that."
"It's supposed-"
"No. It's not supposed to do anything. It doesn't belong here. Does fire strike you as a calm element? Of course not. It's passionate. Furious, joyful, excited. How, precisely, do you expect to get anywhere if you keep hamstringing yourself?"
There's a polite cough from the doorway. They glance up. A runner from the dispatch office bows deeply, and Shanshu curses.
"I'll see you again tomorrow," she growls, before stalking off for her patrol.
---

And so, things shift. Maria finds herself with a second master, and a new course of study. The days take on a new rhythm. Patrol. Bull Dance. Transfiguration. Squad. Sleep. Patrol. Bull Dance. Transfiguration. Squad. Sleep. Over and over. She finds herself dreaming of katas, and muttering training koans in her dreams.
Her fire techniques do improve a little, but she can tell Shanshu's irritated by how slow they're going. The calm. That's the sticking point. Maria knows she should follow instructions, but she can't see how to do it without fucking up the Dance. How can she be angry and still find that serenity?

She ends up explaining the issue to the Sibling as they're sparring one day.
"I don't see the problem," they say. Maria snorts.
"Come on, master."
"I promise, student, I'm not being facetious. You're talking about a conflict I don't understand."
"The Bull Dance is supposed to be simple. Every time I've ever really made it click, I did it by… by being calm. Letting my thoughts out."
"Yes."
"So how do I do that and also get… angry?"

She goes for a grab. The Sibling steps aside, catches her wrist, and yanks. She staggers into a knee to her gut.
"Like that," her master answers mildly. She curses him. "You've built this up in your head, student. Serenity is a route to… how did you put it, 'letting your thoughts out?' But it's not the only one."
"Helpful," she grunts, dragging herself to her feet. The Sibling shrugs.
"Accurate. You've intellectualized the problem."
"So what, then, just-"
"Yes."
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
" 'Just get mad.' "
"…Lucky guess."
"Perhaps." The Sibling smiles again. "You'll manage, I suspect. Now. Hands up."
---

It's two months later, back in the training courtyard with Letha, Book, and Nameless, that she finally figures it out.
"You can't just pretend this will go away," says Letha, quietly. Maria glares. "If you're struggling this much-"
"I'm not struggling."
"-Then perhaps a different set of techniques? Water, say."
"Wood might work," says Book, watching her move. Maria glares at him, too. She's working her way through the Sixth Kata of the Black Bull's Dance – has been since before this little intervention started – and trying to focus on it and the conversation is starting to get to her. "You have that aspect too. Won't be as strong as fire, but maybe-"
"Perhaps the elements are the problem," says Nameless. She shoots off a third glare in his direction. It shatters in the face of serene smile #646, worried fussing. "One of the unaspected sets might work better. Direct qi blasts can be – "
"I'm not changing shit," Maria growls. "I can get this."
Letha gives her a searching look.
"I don't want to give offence," she says quietly, "but the trials are not that far away."
Maria snarls. Book's face darkens. Nameless is giving them all quizzical looks, but no-one's in the mood to explain.
"So?"
"So, perhaps you need to accept this weakness before an invader uses it to kill you?"
"They might," mutters Book, uncomfortably. "I've heard stories."
"Do you think I haven't?" snaps Maria.

Nameless raises a hand.
"What are the trials?"
"Not important right now," says Maria. Letha shoots her a disapproving look.
"That's not true."
"I have twenty-five fuckin' years, Leeth."
"Which might be better spent trying something less… difficult."
She stops. Breathes angrily. Turns.
"Letha. You know what I'm trying to do. Turning back just because something's difficult won't get me there."
Letha meets her gaze.
"Then perhaps you should try something else?"

And that's all it takes. The Red Place is a roaring, furious mass in her head, pumping anger through every inch of their body. The potency of it drags her into her lungs, her veins, her heart, every thought drowned out by the thumping of her heartbeat. She can't think. She doesn't think. She just is, potent and furious.

Which is why it's a surprise when someone throws a damn brick at her head.
She moves before thinking, her arms (still heavy in her Black-Bull sleeves) snapping up to punch directly through it. The brick is dust the instant she brushes against it, but it's not enough; there are dozens of others hurtling at her.
She turns. Shanshu watches, impassively, as a handful of Itinerants fling brick after brick at her.
Maria's head is still full of bile and fury, but even then, it's obvious. Too many of the damn things to break with her hands. So she doesn't bother. She opens her arms and pushes. Her qi comes pouring loose in a cleansing wave. It combusts the instant it hits the air, and a wall of searing white-blue flame rolls across the ring, searing the air clean of projectiles.

There's a beat before she realizes what she's done. Then it clicks.
Shanshu smirks.
"Good," she says. "Thank you, Mistress Devil, Masters Dragon and Purity, for your assistance."
Maria turns. Her friends nod respectfully back. A set up. She laughs as she looks to her master, and sees a sour smile glide over Shanshu's features.
"Trust your master yet?"
---

And thus Maria finally gets fire techniques to work, yaaaaaaay. As before, I did Shanshu up in heroforge when she first showed up in my head; here she is. Hopefully I captured the "Done with your shit" look that so characterises her in my head. @ReaderOfFate @Kaboomatic @Humbaba , may I have a threadmark please?

 

[fictionfan]

Abel Angelus​

Computer science part 3
My addition of tiny amounts of qi to use as signals for my computer has been very successful. For less qi then you find in a single mortal breath I have managed to increase the computation speed ten times over. In fact I had to cover the computer with alchemical glass to keep ambient qi out. That is how little qi it needs to function.

I have the computing power. It is time to fulfil a long time ambition of mine. I am going to recreate Excel spreadsheets. I immediately came across a problem. How do I create a screen with clockwork? I suppose it might be possible to create micro RGB pieces that can be switched out, but no. Making clockwork that small even with qi help just isn't feasible for me right now with my current tools and even if it was it seems like extreme overkill.

I guess I could just bite the bullet and create an illusion array that interfaces with the computer. Visual Illusion arrays are even very common and I would have plenty of examples to work from. Which should come as no surprise when you consider just how qi responds to thought and how optimized human brains are for visual stimulus. But I really hate the idea after coming so far barely using any qi at all on the project.

I am inspired by my memory of a combination lock. Each cell of the spreadsheet is it's own combination lock. I am so enamored with the idea I am halfway through sketching a design before I realize that I have a much easier way to do this.

Rainbow ink from the chameleon worm is the same stuff I used to find my acupoints. It changes color when exposed to even minimal amounts of qi. True it means that the screen will technically be qi powered, but such a small amount is hardly worth considering. The ambient qi around Apoikía Bucephalus is more than enough to power it. Might be a problem if I recreate this in the desert without proper Feng Shui, but the lack of good rivers is likely to be a bigger obstacle.

At first I start setting up tiny packets of rainbow ink to act as pixels. I actually spent 3 hours making 10 of them before actually doing the math and figured out that I would need multiple million. Amazing what I took for granted in my old world.

Since I don't hate myself I decided to leave the idea of pixels for later. Likely when I have more skilled permanent workers that I can fost the work onto. Maybe the builder brothers are willing to learn? Instead, I just put
____
|___|
| |
____

In the place for each number digit of the excel cells. Like a digital clock. That way I can make all the numbers without having to manage millions of pixels. Just 7 packets for each digit with 9 digits in each cell. I am making the spreadsheet a 32 by 32 grid. So I only need 64,512 small ink packs. I say small, but this packet are much bigger than the pixels and hence easier to make meaning I can foust the job off to fairly quickly trained mortals. They actually were really grateful for the training as if I am sharing a bunch of hidden knowledge.

Lastly I add in a keyboard and make each spreadsheet cell touch activated and the user interface falls into place. My computer isn't quite up to being reactive enough to auto update whenever numbers are typed in so instead you have to pull a big metal lever whenever you want the spreadsheet to recompile. I personally find pulling the lever very satisfying. It makes a great CLUNK.

It is not nearly as flexible as I would prefer. The only functions are Sum,Subtract, Multiple, Divide, exponent, Average, Count, Min and Max. I can add more functions later, but these should be enough for common officework problems. A bigger problem is that the computer is the size of an office and has to be close to a waterwheel.
________________________________
@Alectai, @TehChron, @Humbaba, @ReaderOfFate, @Kaboomatic If you want to advance the cause of computer science than please give me a threadmark. It is the waterwheel to the computer that is my fate bonus.

 

[no.]

Gaius Antonius Omake #46: Poacher

When Axia Quintia first heard of Gaius Antonius, it was shortly after the end of the Seventh Cannibal War. A Qi Condensation Cultivator inventing a Core-level technique was the kind of thing which inspired some reknown, after all. In truth, however, it was the man's well-known boasting in conjunction with this gossip which truly drew her attention.

A would-be King; far from the first of such things. In the wake of Rina Callista's ascension, many had claimed they would acomplish the same feat. Universally, they gave up, almost all before reaching the Eleventh Heavenstage. Still, Gaius was somewhat infamous in the Dawn Fortress for the sheer casual conviction with which he made such claims. This, combined with his intense work ethic and seeming natural talent for drudgery led some to speculate that the unusual prodigy might actually make it.

Then Axis did some digging, and saw that he was from a destroyed noble house. The Antonius family had become landed nobility a mere 150 years ago, when the Centurion ___ was awarded twenty thousand acres of land to govern as a reward for a lifetime of exceptional service. A seemingly impressive number, but in the Organ Meat Desert all that meant was a few towns, an oasis and a small mine.

Now, however, that young family was nearly wiped out, leaving Gaius legally a noble heir but with no more wealth or politcal power than a common Devil. That was when she got really excited.

An investment, then - high risk, high reward. If he turned out to be nothing special, then she could just call things off and very little would have been lost.

Obviously it wouldn't do to just stalk the poor man like some kind of hungry animal. She had people for that! A few weeks later, and Gaius' most common paths of movement were mapped out, sparce as they were; the guy didn't do much outside of missions. He was certainly a dilligent cultivator at least. No wonder he had reached the Ninth Heavenstage at the age of thirty-three.

All she needed to do now was be in the right marketplace at the right time and things would fall into place. She dressed in her finest, of course, a striking blue and gold dress which perfectly matched her hair and eyes. First impressions are important, after all.

---

Gaius hummed an old melody to himself as he looked some fresh cuts of meat. He could probably cajole some junior into doing his groceries for him in exchange for tips, but it was a good opportunity to get outside when he wasn't on a mission and none of his friends were around. Besides, a good diet can help squeeze out a tiny bit more cultivation speed, and he found that you can't really know what your qi wants unless you're the one picking it out.

"Oh, why hello there!" A clipped, pleasant voice called out to him from nearby. He turned to look, seeing a tall, woman in a gown that looked like it was worth as much as he made in three months. There was an elegance to her movements, but the type of elegance which was paired with an open display of confidence and strength.

An honest person, then; not the type to hide their fangs from view and pretend to be harmless.

"Why, if I'm not mistaken, you're that fellow who's always tutoring the local Aspirants below market value. How nice to meet you here."

"Um, hello, I... Oh, you're Axia Quintia, right?" Gaius responded as realization dawned on him. Even he recognized one of the scions of the third wealthiest family in the Clan.

He probably looked stupid, standing around without responding; that's what he got for coasting through his routine, he supposed. "Uh... nice to meet you, Young Patrician?" he greeted lamely, not sure where to go with this. He gave an awkward smile, trying to read the noble's face for the right way out of this.

She giggled, yes, giggled daintily, in a way very much unlike what her demeanor might suggest. "I must say, you cut quite an impressive figure wherever you go, did you know that? I love the hat."

"Er... I don't really know if I would describe myself in such a way, Senior..." Gaius stammered. And with that, he was effortlessly swept up in Axia's momentum.

Axia smiled warmly, but the steel at the core of her expression was still clearly visible. "Give yourself a little more credit, Gaius. You're a cut above the rest." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving The Seeker baffled.

----

That wouldn't be the last time she showed up in the middle of his day either. Soon enough, Gaius found himself learning quite a lot about the Young Patrician through very little initiative of his own. Apparently they were friends now. Wack.

Gaius had no clue why such an important woman would want to speak to him of all people, but he obviously obliged her. You don't just say no to someone with that much money and influence, after all. So his schedule was disrupted, and he just had to live with that. Was he unhappy? Eh... maybe a little bit annoyed, at first? But this development was nothing if not interesting, so he made some time in whatever tiny ways he could think of, so as to facilitate this new connection.

It usually went a little something like this: Gaius would return from a mission only to find some kind of gift basket, or little present, or strange bauble, or interesting medicine. One time he even found a bag of tobacco, specifically the kind he liked; that was an especially odd coincidence. Some time later, usually within three days, he would wind up crossing paths with Axia again on one of his routes, though he could never quite tell how intentional these meetings were on her part. She would ask how he enjoyed what she left for him, and he would answer positively, because he always did. Then she would treat him to tea or a meal, or show him some interesting historical building.

Speaking of history, she never seemed to quite talk about the present. She was always asing him about either the past - his exploits in the cannibal war, the Antonius family's meager history, his academy days - or the future - how far he hoped to take his cultivation, where he would like to settle down later in life -, with discussion of the present mostly taking the form of small talk or idle chatter.

The enigmatic noble would also send him letters asking how he was doing, explaining a little bit about her own life(but never any compromising secret, he noticed.), that sort of thing. Gaius, who considered himself a friendly person, responded in kind, even though he wasn't really the type to casually send letters. It soon dawned on him that he was a bit of a boring person; he didn't have much to write about besides his latest mission, his philosophical wanderings and current events. Thus, The Seeker ended up looking for new, low-commitment hobbies simply to have more to write about.

He wasn't sure why, but he really wanted Axia to think he was interesting. Even that wasn't the end of it; soon Gaius found himself mailing small gifts to Axia's apartment the way she would to his, without really considering his motivation. Probably because the animal part of his brain associated the Young Mistress with food and nicotine, and wanted him to get further into her good graces. Yeah, definitely that.

Another notable event was when Axia took him to go see the public crucifixion of several traitors. Unable to take the intense fighting on the southeastern front, these criminals had deserted from the 193rd Legion during the cannibal war and attempted to flee the territory, offering their services as mercenaries along the way. Now their crimes had come back to bite them, and they would die upon the cross before being rendered down into raw materials.

Gaius didn't have any problem with this; treason was the death of civilization after all, and had to be treated as harshly as possible. What he found odd was going out of one's way to see the spectacle; that seemed a little overly sadistic. Axia reassured him, explaining that crucifiction is an important cultural practice, and every Clansman worth their bronze ought to see one from time to time, so as to reaffirm their loyalty and resolve.

In truth, once one got past the grisly shock value, crucifictions were... boring. Sure, occasionally you'd get a criminal begging the crown to save them, but usually by the time the execution rolled around they would be too mentally broken to do anything more than let death take them. Those who struggled particularly hard against the qi-draining nails would be restrained with more brutal and elaborate measures, after which they would soon die of shock. All in all, definitely not Gaius' cup of tea.

In general, dragging Gaius around to see things became something Axia did a lot. For a relatively unadventurous sort like him, it wasn't hard for her to keep him on his toes with new experiences. Festivals, strange towns, old ruins, things like that. It all began to blur together as Axia(somewhat forcefully) injected a greater degree of saturation into his life.

And the strangest thing was... he didn't dislike it. He should have - he was losing time. His average daily cultivation time had dropped by nearly an hour due to the chunks Axia was carving out of his schedule. Yet, once the Young Patrician had carved out a niche in Gaius' life and squeezed her way into it, Gaius was left wondering how he had ever survived without her there before.

----

It was then that she acted more personal with him than ever before, inviting him to visit her apartment. Her place was a good deal larger than his and even had a contribution board terminal; her family had apparently arranged a minor, slightly illegal favor to have her given Centurion-level lodging as her fifty-fifth birthday present. Gaius was just surprized she got yearly presents this many decades into her life. It wasn't until he found himself being let into said apartment, however, that Gaius started to wonder what was going on.

For about an hour, nothing much of consequence happened. They had tea, they discussed current events and Gaius cultivated for a little while(Because he would lose his mind if he let this 90% drained spirit stone degrade without using all the qi himself. No it didn't matter that he had stones to spare, this one needed to be fully consumed.). It wasn't until he was preparing to leave that Axia finally made her move.

"I'm so glad that you've turned out to be such a kind person, Gaius." Axia cooed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "You're so focused, but deep down, your heart is enormous."

Gaius blinked in confusion at the sudden shift in tone. "I... I'm glad you think so, but why are you talking like that? What's the meaning of all this, Axia?"

"I appreciate your sense of decorum, but at some point we have to talk business." Axia stepped back and crossed her arms. "You're a wonderful man, but you're too closed off, you don't think about your future enough."

"What kind of business!?" Gaius asked, throwing up his hands. "I'm begging you, just say what you mean!"

She sighed in disappointment. "I'm talking about our relationship, Gaius. Commoners have more freedom when it comes to these things, but politics is a 24/7 job; we must always consider how our actions affect our standing."

Oh.

Oooohhhhh. That... that explained a lot of stuff, actually. How had he missed that? Obviously that's why a mega-rich heiress would go to so much trouble to befriend him.

Gaius quietly rebooted his brain to adjust to this new situation, and it went a lot faster than he expected. Perhaps he had always known, subconsciously, that this was happening. "Please forgive me, Axia. I didn't quite understand what was going on the past two years."

"You honestly didn't know I was courting you at all?" Axia asked with a look of disbelief. "You're nobility. Are you telling me that you don't know how to play the game at all?"

'The game', she called it - it felt strange, to be given an inside look at the inscrutable scheming of the upper crust. "Hardly." Gaius scoffed. "No one really cared about the Antonius family. I suppose we had land and wealth, but the family was wiped off the map when I was nine. So, my education didn't really get past table manners, body language, penmanship, stuff like that."

"Ah, I see. I knew something like that had happened, but I wasn't aware it had been so early in your life." Her face fell, and a supremely awkward silcence descended over both of them.

"Honestly, you really didn't have to dance around so much." Gaius shrugged. "I'm would have preferred to just communicate."

"It's not the way, to be so open in courtship." Axia said plainly, as if that explained anything at all.

"Well, maybe it should be." Gaius said with a roll of his eyes. "I've got absolutely no reason to refuse; House Antonius is ash and dust. This is alliance is a fantastic opportunity for me. And I'm not so pure-hearted as to marry for love alone."

"Oh, so you don't love me, then? Or has my money filled the hole in your heart before I could?" Axia teased, running her fingers through his hair.

Gaius froze up for a moment. "Hmm... I think I love you." He muttered, pondering his own feelings. Did he love Axia? ...that depended on the definition. Did she matter to him more than anything else? No. Would he betray the Clan to save her life? No. Would he give up the path of The Seeker for her? Even thinking the question to himself made something in his brain squeeze painfully.

Love. This warmth, it was probably some sort of love. Not the storybook kind, but the kind you build like a house, brick my brick, until it's sturdy and comfortable. Like cultivation.

"Yes, I do love you." He concluded, leaning in to kiss Axia.

This was fine, right? Marrying into the Quintia wouldn't be unpleasant. Yes, this would do just fine indeed.

----

This omake has been a nightmare lurking in the back of my mind for nearly two months, and especially for the past week with my attempts to finish it. It went through several revisions as I tried to get it right. More dramatic, less dramatic, shorter, longer, etc.

I finally managed to get it into a state I could tolerate by taking a long tangent and splitting it off into its own chapter. Now I can finally start posting Quintia family-related content.

Gaius and Axia's romance isn't a particularly fraught one. They're not fairy tale lovers but they're not one of those constantly fighting couples either. They're attracted to each other but there is very much a cynical political aspect to it, for both of them. I'm glad I can finally work it into Gaius' character, even if I am starting way later than I wanted to.

 

[occipitallobe]

Bhrigu cursed, and limped. Twenty years after being driven out of the benighted Third Sea by that worthless whore and the traces of lightning still lingered.

He hated them. Hated the old man, hated the dead woman.

Most of all, he hated Anush Naag. The other man had almost killed him at Jharkand, and would have if his grandfather hadn't interfered.

Everything had been going smoothly. His friendship with Anush, the luck he had when he had found the Imperial Heavenly Star. From being his grandfather's least-favored dog of a grandson to someone of might, someone of worth. Cultivation had gone from difficult to nothing but ease, his path smoothed in front of him. Breaking through to what the savages called Core Formation had been easier than he could've imagined, the Star allowing him to walk the path of Heaven's Prince. Beloved by the Heavens themselves, every barrier was made as nothing to him, and Nascent Soul - he reminded himself to think as the savages did to prepare for the next Hunt - had not been overly difficult.

He remembered seeing it. The Firmament Key in that hands of Anush's little sister. The girl who had been so annoying growing up, who had seen him as a brother.

He had longed for it, the Star within his dantian making him desire it constantly, making him feel a hunger, a desire he had never felt. A need to claim it, no matter the cost.

In the end, the choice had been easy. Remain a nothing and a nobody, or take everything, no matter the cost to the people he chose to step on. First had come the girl, and from there he had claimed the Firmament Key. It could draw on the power of Heaven itself, a direct link to the light and fury of the stars above. For the Naag, it had merely been a key. For the Heavenly Prince Bhrigu, on the other hand, he could draw on the Imperial Heavenly Star, turning in to a weapon of unimaginable worth. It was dark, now, however. A few minutes every century, but it was enough. He suspected even his grandfather would have some difficulty dealing with him while he was using the Key.

No matter.

He would return in but a year's time, and now the time was close he could draw on the powers of the Key to begin opening the way for himself. He was not, according to the rules of the Iron Pillar, technically supposed to be involved in the Trials. Only by using the Firmament Key could he reach the Third Sea. But with it... he felt the desire rise in him. The promise that the Heavenly Star had made, the glory he had felt slaughtering the devils that inhabited those benighted lands. The power not yet gained - for Anush Naag was the rightful heir to the Firmament Key.

For now.

Once the last of the Naag was dead, it would fall to him, and everything would fall into place.

He began preparing the visions, opening the way between the Seas. It was easy enough to open doorways enough for Qi Condensation fragments of his consciousness to enter, and so he did. A massive portal of shifting, swirling space, all purples and oranges and blues and yellows, the colour and shape changing from moment to moment. At the very end, a tiny doorway leading into the Third Sea, the desert shining in the morning sun below.

Widening the doorway with the power of the Key, he saw...

The Naag!

The hated Prince, striking out with snake and spear.

No.

The hated Prince, impaled on an iron pillar.

No, it was...

The hated Prince, closing the doorway in front of him, laughing scornfully.

All three visions merged, and the fear he had felt at Jharkand rose in him again. He pushed with his will, and-

He fell backwards, two fangs neatly puncturing the skin of his hand. He cried out in fear, and the way began to close.

The Key flickered, and the light within it died.

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

All seven Sage Clans had gathered there to demand an explanation from him, that year. Old Bhrigu himself took his name from the Sage Clan he was descended from, though his own personal dynasty - the Randhawa Dynasty - was far greater than the other remnants of his Clan.

Most Clans were like that - the bloodlines of the Sage Clans could not be compromised, but they were mere extra identities on top of the dynasties they ruled. The era of the Saptarishi was long gone, and while that bloodline granted advantages, and brought alignment with certain Karmic Treasures, one's power was far more important.

He still remembered the day his foolish grandson had attacked the Naag, and the reprisals that had come. While the Naag were not popular, they had allies among the Sage Clans. Their nature as guardians of the Bronze Demon Hunt had made them valuable, and Old Kutsa and Vasistha had both challenged him. If the matter had not been a fait accompli by the time they had arrived... he suspected there might have been war. But Anush Naag had disappeared, believed dead until recently. His grandson had managed to activate the Hunt without the Naag, and the war that was brewing had disappeared. He had paid tremendous fines, of course, and Old Kutsa had personally seized the mani-chaka he had spent the last three thousand years condensing from moonlight.

His idiot grandson had wasted all that time and power for some Naag girl, and had almost died to Anush before he'd intervened and wiped out the rest of the family. He still wasn't sure what had happened to the Ninth Prince, but he had, at the time, doubted it would matter.

This year, however...

He had found his namesake screaming, in the midst of killing his servants when he had entered.

"Boy!", he shouted, Old Bhrigu's power rising within him. His grandson had not been able to resist, though Old Bhrigu had found it necessary to wipe the memory of the surviving servants before sending them off.

Pinning him in midair for a few minutes, he looked at the young man.

"What has happened? Tell me."

His grandson babbled, pointing at a snakebite on his hand, cursing at his peculiar keyblade artifact.

Old Bhrigu clenched his fist, delivering pain through his grandson's meridians. Enough to shock him out of his little lapse.

Tears sprung to his eyes, and Old Bhrigu casually slapped him across the face, once, twice, and three times.

"What is it, boy?"

"The Key. I... I can't enter the Hunt."

Old Bhrigu's blood ran cold. If the Hunt failed... there would be more reparations to pay.

"The Hunt will not happen?"

"No, no. The Hunt will happen. I will not be able to enter!"

He relaxed.

"So? I know you want to kill the Naag, but this is the Third Sea, grandson. Their Atman Manifest cultivators are weak, and take forever to arise. He will not challenge you for centuries. Take some time. Kill him at your leisure."

Old Bhrigu shook his head. Honestly. Taking another hundred years to kill an enemy wasn't exactly the worst thing, especially an enemy banished to the weakest Sea of all. Perhaps the fear would temper his grandson's will, something he desperately needed.

"No... he blocked me.... he blocked me from coming..."

Old Bhrigu shook his head.

"So? It is a thousand times easier to block travel between the Seas than it is to travel them. Opening a spatial corridor is the work of a master, or one with the correct artifact. Even a great fool can shatter such a doorway, however."

His grandson looked up at him.

"Use your power. Send me there."

He slapped his grandson again, a tooth coming loose. He had beaten him much worse than this when he had taken the Naag girl - the cost of it - but this was just entitlement.

"I am not weakening my own cultivation to open a spatial corridor between two Seas so you can hunt down your childhood friend who regressed to mortality."

He slapped him again. A jaw cracked this time. He pulled the next slap, though the broken jaw left his grandson weeping. So weak. The Heavenly Treasure he had obtained meant his path was smoothed and he did not suffer as other cultivators did, but his will was untempered entirely.

"Idiot boy. You cost me so much and now you think to ask for more? Without the protection of the Pillar of the Hunt, how do you intend to maintain your cultivation? Your power would leave you rapidly, and you would be weak and slain by the ants who live there."

He threw his grandson into the corner of the room, blood streaming from his mouth.

"Clean this up, and spend another hundred years in seclusion. If you can't figure out a way to kill your little friend, don't expect me to do everything for you."

He really had neglected his grandson's education. The boy would need to be tempered.

 

[occipitallobe]

The bells clanged.

Manuel felt it shrieking in his soul, the alarm he had heard fifteen times before. The first time he had been but a mortal boy, living in the foothills of the great mountains.

The second and third he had been a Qi Condensation cultivator, fighting desperately to survive, thrown callously into the front-lines to die to preserve better talents. He had hated the Elders for that then.

He chuckled wryly, though the noise stuck in his throat. He supposed he still hated the Grand Elder for that now.

The fifteenth he had lost his apprentice, a friend, and a friendship. He had sacrificed thousands upon thousands of cultivators for an end he could now begin to grasp at. A hope he had previously not dared to reach for. He had expanded the territory and power of the Clan, the first expansion of such size and power in well over three and a half thousand years. The cost had been immense, but perhaps... perhaps it could be worth it.

He sat and meditated almost eighty li beneath the surface of the desert, the bells screaming in his ears, in his mind. He remembered being a young boy, almost dying. The transformation into the butcherbird-man creature he had once become. The loss of cultivation, and his quest for a cure. Where he had first seen Alexios, though he had not known it at the time. He had thought the Core Formation elder a pompous bully, and nothing he had seen in the following thousand years had changed his mind. It was just that he was their pompous bully. There was something to be said for bullying those who wanted to kill you.

The horror of the torture he had suffered in Core Formation. Seizing his Cleaver from a cultivator he had slain when he shattered the tokens of seven in a single blow.

For all the tortures and the misery throughout the lower stages, Nascent Soul had been worse.

All the power in the world, and if he moved a finger he would doom the Clan. Watching and waiting by the side as his juniors perished one after the other, unable to act. Unable to do anything. He could shatter mountains, slaughter armies, and boil lakes into steam, all with less effort than it took an ordinary mortal to complete an ordinary day's work.

He loathed it, and the fear that gnawed at him now was greater than ever. Would he forced to move again? Forced to fight another Nascent Soul he had in truth no hope of equalling, one for whom the only counter was the sacrifice of a Core Formation elder willing to trigger the most powerful lightning she could? Even that would not work twice, he suspected.

The terror rose up in him like bile from his stomach, as the first set of bells continually sounded. They sounded in the ears of every Golden Devil, every last cultivator of the optimatoi. Though you could only hear those bells you were equal to - Qi Condensation juniors would not hear the bells for Core Formation.

His hands shook, and he worried. If Bhrigu returned, wielding the artifact he had a century ago, bent on revenge... what could he do to stop him? All the Nascent Wills in the world would not, and he was not about to throw away his life to chase after possible Spirit Severing artifacts in Turtlebone Mountain.

He had talked to Anush Naag, however. The Ninth Prince had devised a method, he claimed, that would help him avoid Bhrigu entirely.

He didn't pry - better not to know a secret if you were at risk. He had hidden himself deep beneath the surface, as well. Bhrigu would not be able to find him, and with that... there would be little enough for the other man to do.

The bells rang again, their ringing neverending.

He meditated some more. A week passed, and he assiduously did not leave his cave. Did not search out information. Did not take a single action that could be construed as helping his juniors, and did not look. Looking was what had killed Alexios, and being caught might spell the end of the Clan. He did not understand why Anush Naag was crucial to the survival of the optimatoi, only that he was in some peculiar way. Previously he had simply sat in the Dawn Fortress, but he could not afford to either be caught by Bhrigu or to draw the ire of one of their Spirit Severing Dao Guardians.

A second bell. Foundation Establishment. The fear continued to rise, and he waited.

He meditated further. A month, this time. Meditation was perhaps the wrong term. He simply waited, seeing if their doom was upon them. Even if Bhrigu could not find the Ninth Prince, could not find him... he would not fool himself into thinking the man would not wreak havoc. The end of the Clan was still possible if he was infuriated enough. Manuel could only hide, and hope there was some limit to his ability to slay those weaker than him. Or hope that he would not arrive at all.

A third bell. Core Formation. He breathed deeply, waiting.

Four months passed after this. In the last days of the fourth month the fear came upon him more greatly. Had he in his foolishness ended the Clan? Was he to be the last Nascent Soul to guide them, despite his best efforts? He had not been so terrified as Bhrigu had killed his Elders and nearly defiled and killed him, not been so terrified even when Alexios has died. He waited for the bell to ring, for their end to be pronounced.

He heard....

Nothing.

No more bells. He waited for another week, and yet there was nothing.

He shook all over, and wept in the dark by himself. They had a little more time. The Trials were a terror to his people, a wound bleeding endlessly, but they were not yet their end. They would continue.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

It begins. So the Ninth Prince has a hundred years to get good enough to either survive a vengeful Young Master or twist the Key to the Trials in some way beneficial to the Clan. Hmm... Justice as The Prince's Dao might have some balancing effect on the Trials if he is able to act upon them. The Heavens will certainly not cease the wound that is the Trials but they might dull the barbs.

 

[occipitallobe]

I'm aiming to start doing the Good Seed reports this weekend.

I'll probably start with those who are definitely finished - if you are, ping me or let me know on Discord and I'll do you first. After that will come omakeless characters, and then will come the rest.

 

[Alectai]

Also! For those who are interested in it, the Information Threadmark about the One-Pillar Path has been updated to include SP3's effects!

 

[uri]

Yan 11- unwanted diplomacy mission (380 words)



"THE AETOS FAMELY WONT ACEPT THIS INSULT, your harlot of a daughter seduced my son with spells and poison, ruined his engagement by getting pregnant, we won't allow this insult to go unavenged and reparations must be paid!" a 6rd​ havenstage women named Acantha yelled at the 5th​ havenstage man standing across of her.

"SLANDER, slender and lies, the daughter of the Baros family did no such thing, in fact it was your brute of a son that took my daughter purity and completely ruined her marriage prospects, honored arbitrator you must understand that it is our Baros family that was wronged here" the man going by the name Alexandros was quick to respond with his own shouts.

Yan signed, it was all he could to stop himself from smacking of his juniors on the heads for their stupidity, Yan was never good at diplomacy in his youth and as he got older he fund his patience for such things thinning, he was more proficient at killing things than he was at talking things out with people and reaching a compromise.

But unfortunately for him his commending legate –a new foundation establishment not yet out of her century of life- thought that his vast experience made him the most qualified expert for the job and continued to think so even after Yan voiced his reservation.

And he was right, when he arrived at the designated meeting points and started questioning people about the cause of the brewing feud, he quickly fund the truth of matter –not that it was ever in question with techniques like emotion seeing eyes and truth telling poison- unfortunately for Yan the thing he needed to solve was the exact thing he was bad at.

If their even a grain of truth about one sides version of the event, he would have just forced the other side to pay harsh fines but alas such a thing was too much to ask for because it seemed that the man and women who started this whole feud are madly in love with one another and were they to be find out they face the disapproval of both their families and now Yan needed to find a way to calm things before they spiraled out of control… joy.

 

[Shaper47]

Bhrigu cursed, and limped. Twenty years after being driven out of the benighted Third Sea by that worthless whore and the traces of lightning still lingered

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I think this is ment to be two hundred years not twenty.

This does totally show the difference in skill level between Manuel and him though.

 

[Siual]

Instead of a written omake, a portrait! Thanks to @BadAtScreenNames for the Artbreeder find and quite some hours in Photoshop.

Spoiler: Aristoteles Kalokagathos

 

[fictionfan]

Corpse Gulper negaverse quest Turn 6
You are Corpse Gulper, a heaven defying genius of the blood path. At only One hundred and thirty-six years of age you have managed to achieve nascent soul. Not everything is roses for you however. Your master Diaxiang that old monster is threatened and envious of your talent. He refuses to let you eat as you wish to advance your path, always making excuses about "sustainable farming" and other such rot.

Envoys from the Seven Divine Saber Palace sect have come to you with an offer. Normally you would just eat any cultivator from the righteous path out of hand, but their offer is tempting. They will distract Diaxiang. If while he is distracted you kill 50 core cultivators of Battle Blood Cannibal Sect or at least give it a good try, they will provide you with 2 nascent rank lifesaving treasures, access to many of their sword arts as well as the services of 3 core array focused experts to help prepare the battlefield for your inevitable fight with Diaxiang.

It is a tempting offer. Just eating those 50 core will increase your cultivation enormously and having 2 more life saving treasure will give you more room to gulp down large amounts of population denying them to Diaxiang. The fool likely wouldn't eat them anyway. He is weak and keeps trying to keep feeding sustainably. He doesn't seem to realize that there is a whole world out there.

[]Accept the offer: Betray Old Cannibal making him your enemy. Gain amazing cultivation progress depending on how roll to depopulate goes, 2 lifesaving treasures, access to many sword arts that can allow you to fight above your realm depending on roll and the aid of 3 core array focused experts to help prepare the battlefield for your inevitable fight with Diaxiang giving a bonus to the roll in your inevitable fight.

[]Decline: Diaxiang is right, sustainable is the way to go. With your talent you will surpass him eventually it will just take longer.

Time for our ascension is not now. The fool still has more to teach and while we can break his heart we still can't break his dao.

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What can he possibly have left to teach us worth more than all those sword techs?

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There are still cannibal arts he is hidden, the last times we backstab him, we did using things he knew that would not be useful to kill him, if we see him fight 'old rusty gold' (how gold can rust?!?) we learn. And we can backstab him in a moment of weakness.

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We can't count on a moment of weakness to come soon; we have to make one. The guy has been alive for more than 2000 years.

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We are less than 300 years old. We still can wait, lie and say we learn his 'ways' and grow stronger, just to break him whole. He will not break in a single war. 9 wars did not break him.

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But not as strong as we would be if we ascended now. We don't want to be trapped in this dying sea. Nascent is just the first step. A big step sure, but we have a long way to go.

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On this we can all agree, except Bob_one. Do you have any other argument? What about the third power in the desert? Would they attack old rusty gold or us? The aftermatch will be key to our ascension.

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We have the mountains. Also once we eat OC we should be strong enough to hold them off. Jingshen is a coward.

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The problem is that literally everywhere around us has either multiple Nascent Souls or strong defensive weapons. If we eat all the mortals here and kill Old Cannibal, then what will we eat afterwards?

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That is true, hum the idea of using the mountains to raid and eat all those meatshieds/'vassals' would be very nice. With the 'golden ones' being unable to help since they hate each other.

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Really after we eat OC we can go back to sustainability, but only sustaining us instead of having to share.

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breaking our own clan and consuming all like the old turtle cooker? Ohhh, now this is a xianxia prologue that I can go 200% with.

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___________________________________________________________
@Alectai, @TehChron, @Humbaba, @ReaderOfFate, @Kaboomatic, @no A negaverse mostly by me Abel Angelus, but with comments from @Adamshield The Builder and @wrecksalot.

 

[TheCount]

I think this is ment to be two hundred years not twenty.

This does totally show the difference in skill level between Manuel and him though.

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at most a hundred, but i belive it really is 20 years. please remember the trials are every hundred years, not 200.

 

[Kaboomatic]

I think this is ment to be two hundred years not twenty.

This does totally show the difference in skill level between Manuel and him though.

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Pretty sure that bit happened turn 6 actually

 

[Ambit]

I'm aiming to start doing the Good Seed reports this weekend.

I'll probably start with those who are definitely finished - if you are, ping me or let me know on Discord and I'll do you first. After that will come omakeless characters, and then will come the rest.

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I'm planning on posting my omake on Sunday, is that alright? (Hopefully I can still catch up by then...)

 

[SCDarkSoul]

It's a little strange being on this end. Normally in xianxia fics you see from the perspective of a lower level cultivator in the clan or the aggressor attacking the leader of a sect, and you kinda scoff when the sect leader or grand elder or whatever is willing to make whatever sacrifices to preserve their own life while not moving nearly so many resources to protect the rest of their sect. Seeing from this end really does show how precarious a position a cultivator sect/clan can be, and how utterly fucked they would be anyways if the top dog were to die.

 

[fictionfan]

Abel Angelus
Minervina Barda​

On the trip to Quigai
That was really exhilarating, but a sand ship can't make it all the way to Quigai so now Abel has to join a convoy at the Scorpion Road. It is an impressive sight. A caravan of a few dozen scorpion hauled wagons.

Wait, is that Minervina. She is coming on this trip? Well at least we should be safe on the way there.

Abel checks his pack again just to make sure he hasn't misplaced anything. His plan for Quigai is incredibly audacious; it made him nervous.

Minervina is interrogating what looks like the master of the caravan, a fat man swathed in gold chains. His 9th heavenstage Cultivation is impressive, but trivial compared to the aura of the infamous Foundation Establishment expert. After instilling her expectation of a fast and uneventful trip, "I don't expect to be needed, is that understood?" the woman known in some quarters as the 'Slaughter in the Sands' breaks away from the conversation. She spots Abel as she strides away from the sweating caravaneer. "The Angelos Scion, correct? A little young for this expedition aren't you?"

"Yes, but after the Lecture I really feel like pushing to get to 12th heavenstage. I never want that to happen to me again."

"You made it to the Archgetes latest lecture series? I heard this one was quite different from the one he gave in my youth. I was quite keen to attend myself but." She flinches a little "The Mistress of Disciples had need of my services with the Ranch project. I couldn't get away."

"What entrance test did he give for your class?"

"Hmm, it was a simple fee of Contribution Points If I recall correctly. I had recently tracked down a blood path bandit who was preying on some misbegotten little village in the Xin Kingdom. The bounty from that paid for my admission."

"Just contribution points? I guess Manuel doesn't always have a flair for the dramatic." Just saying without promoting feels like bragging. Which is especially silly when talking with someone as well storied as Minervina.

The Centurion shrugs "The whims of Old Gold are infamously hard to predict, for which I suspect we should be grateful. Lord Konstantinos relies on that reputation to keep our enemies at bay. I am sure your trials and travails served some deeper purpose of his. Furthermore, if the rumours are true and we really are entering a Heroic Age, a time when genius cultivators arise all over the region, well, more must be required from the leading disciples."

"I guess." Abel wasn't sure how to take this talk of heroic age. It seemed a bit like people alway talking about the second coming soon, but the reputation of being a new wave is useful. "I actually think I learned more from the trial than the lecture itself. Still would have been nice if they have just told us the lesson beforehand though"

They both walk onto a wagon while talking. It's a mighty affair, with sides a little over four metres tall and three broad bronze wheels on each side. It takes three bristling blue scorpions to move it, though they are stationary for the moment, a bored looking mortal boy feeding the Beasts large bugs from a bucket one after another.

"Cultivation is more art than science, it must be experienced, not just explained, if the lesson is to be etched into your students soul. The Archegetes could have merely passed on his wisdom, but I doubt you would have gained much from simple words. Things are rarely so simple. I would implore you to spend time reflecting on your experience during the journey. You might find lessons in it that are of greater value than you first thought."

"People should use more complex words. The amount of vague language people use when talking about cultivation just seems so silly to me." Maybe if people did in fact put in the effort to completely describe things cultivation would be a science. "Like people using the word soul to describe many different and district things. It's like calling both your liver and your heart your heart."

She smiles genuinely "I had similar thoughts once upon a time. It's frustrating isn't it? But you have to remember that each of us walks an individual Path. Even in Alchemy, I might find that certain reagents and mixtures work slightly differently for me than they would for another practitioner. We must remember that each of us walks an individual Path. If I or some other Senior were to simply dictate 'this is how it must be done,' if we were to scribe our Dao on tablets of stone and say 'Lo, this is the Way' we would swiftly find that our disciples grew weaker and stalled out sooner with each passing generation. It has been tried many times before. So take heart. You will find your own Truth, and some day, if the Heavens stay blind, you will get the chance to give pointers to your own disciples. Giving out little prods and pokes to keep a curious child on their rightful Path. It's a tedious chore, but I understand Old Gold and a few others enjoy it."

Yes Qi is annoying in how its bias results but it seems like most people aren't even interested in trying to be unbiased. "I feel like I have gotten more progress on my path from secular study then I have gotten from most lectures on cultivations. I have not gotten into alchemy yet, but I do have some experience with arrays. I feel like a perfectly done array would need no qi at all." It's a more diplomatic way of saying that Abel feels that qi is like using duct tape to shore up poor craftsmanship.

"Plenty of Cultivators find their greatest enlightenment from the natural world and seemingly mundane wisdom. How do you imagine the first immortals found their Path?"

"Personally I expect that they were a bunch of Solipsists that just believed so hard in their own importance and awesomeness that qi went along with it. It would explain the state of the heavens."

"Perhaps! Though I doubt it. I've met enough mortal kings, priests and chieftains to suspect that ego alone isn't enough to draw Qi into a Dantian." She pulls a talisman from under her dress, a birds skull, black with marbled lines of red. A scrimshaw pattern of glyphs highlighted in gold outlines a series of spells scribed into the bone. "It's always good to know the Clan's young masters aren't neglecting our traditional crafts. It's not my primary area of focus, but I have some small mastery in that area, at least where it borders my own speciality. I have seen plenty of Arrays that run on environmental Qi alone, though it is rare to find potent examples of such in the Organ Meat Desert. There is simply not enough ambient energy to achieve significant effects."

"Mostly I manage by using other parts of the environment" Abel gestures to his hand cannon "This draws power from sunlight to trigger gunpowder. Well that was the original design before Cinder. He shrugs "At least normally. Given that we are going to Quigai where the only constant is high environmental Qi I have been making a bunch of arrays to take advantage of it."

The poison mistress looks at the 'weapon' with a dubious expression. "A curious experiment, though I hope its not the only tool your taking into Quigai. By all accounts the locals are pernicious, and I expect our Righteous Path colleagues to be even worse once they are safe from public view." She taps the Xiphos by her side in a pointed way. "Even those of us who walk the Poison Path do well to keep steadfast bronze handy when going into such a chaotic environment. I wouldn't like to see a promising Good Seed trust their fate to an untested weapon turning on them at a crucial moment." She reaches into a rather tatty looking cloth pouch tied to her belt and retrieves three vials from it, each glimmering with inner power. She hands them to the junior.

"Just in case." She taps each vial in turn. "Confusion Concoction. It will turn your foes against each other, but does not make you proof from an enemies attention if you're the closest target. Forget Me Venom. It travels through the air and is drawn to the Qi in the blood of those without our Bloodline. It's like being invisible, but better, because they forget having spotted you in the first place. The effect lasts only a hundred seconds." The last she pauses, as if hesitating to hand it over. "Blackroot Yang Venom. If touched or drank, anyone below Late Foundation Stage will almost certainly die. Don't kill yourself with it."

Abel bows as he accepts. "Thank you very much, honored senior. If I might ask, do these require amibant qi to work? If you used them in the Deadsand desert would you expect the same effects? It is just that I am going to be making heavy use of qi gathering arrays and am worried about possible interactions."

She pauses thoughtfully. "I don't expect any of these to have been tested in a true Qi Void, such things are vanishingly rare. If I had to guess, the Yang Venom would work as normal, but the other two might be much slower to travel through the air. I would expect a reduced area of effect."

Abel takes a glass squirtgun out of his pack "Not a problem" Then he looks between the vial and his ammo packs. "Maybe a little problem. I am going to have to repackage these if I am going to use them".

Minervina already looks like she is starting to regret her largess. "That sounds like a fantastic way for you to get yourself killed. If you can't be convinced to leave them alone, at least wait until the Caravan stops this evening, I will show you how to decant them without causing a massacre."

"Always great to learn new skills."
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Thank you @Katana1515 for helping with this. @Alectai, @TehChron, @Humbaba, @ReaderOfFate, @Kaboomatic, @No