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.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

ehh, with background would be who were their parents or what is their personality and stuff like that?

with references what would it be? something like what are the consequences of the "ritual" or something like that?

pd: i'll post that in a moment

Click to shrink...

That's part of it, but take a look at this example that has pretty much become a template.
Hmmph... this junior is a good seed [Cultivation Management Quest] Original - Fantasy

 

[Fluffy_serpent]

Hou siren​

Pin on Mmm (something like this would look like, but a bit taller and with clothes that are not modern...)


I'm sorry, I'm not used to putting images so I put it like this.

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son of a forgotten lineage, his ancestors lacked any birth advantage and were almost equal to ordinary people in cultivation talent but they compensated for that with their ability to absorb a fragment of the soul of all the beings they killed and with this they would acquire a fragment of their power and instincts... and even in very rare cases also the abilities of the slain...

but these also had the frequency to go mad and become berserkers who killed without stopping until they were killed or died of natural causes...

due to this fact they ended up being massacred, leaving only their young newborn master who was frozen in time until everyone would forget their clan, all in the hope that he would kill all those responsible for the massacre.

This young master would be found many millennia later by an old hunter of a small village and then named Hou Siren.

over time hou siren grew up as a handsome but very wild and free-spirited boy who was very overprotected.

on his 12th birthday a cultivator came to his village who claimed to stay near the area to say hello, something the cultivator noticed was that huo might have talent and therefore decided to take him as a temporary disciple...after the first training there were 3 things that were clear...huo in everything involving the brain was a useless concern, on the other hand in everything involving the fight was a genius of those who only appear once in history..and finally, he has a very large will.

after a month of training, his master jealous of his talent decided to use an ancient dark ritual that supposedly allows you to steal someone's talent and give it to yourself.

While the ritual was being performed due to huo's bloodline and great compatibility with the ritual, it goes wrong and boosts his soul absorption, killing everything 200 km around huo...

unbeknownst to anyone, a siren relic that huo always used is activated and is used as a seal to prevent huo from falling into madness due to the large amount of memories and instincts that fused in his soul...but as a side effect it sealed the memories of everything that had happened that night.

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Overall High Concept: the archetypal goku or shonen protagonist..someone who has no common sense and is only interested in fighting and having fun.

starting perk: berserker's soul: allows him to absorb the soul of whatever he kills, which gives him a part of the power, instinct, abilities and a tiny fragment of potential and life expectancy.

Cultivation Goal:13th Heavenstage

omakes:
introduction of backstory (416 words,life save treasure)
a old hunter and a baby (880 words)
Sǐzhě rìjì 1 (100 words)
The first death, death of the heart (1400 words)
the legend of werewolf (570)

 

[Alectai]

Rina Callista
Interlude: Redmoon 5​

The day had arrived.

Her journey into the war-torn lands of Qiguai had proven to be a worthwhile endeavor. While she did not complete her adventures there without loss–[Rosethorn] in particular exerting much of its stored up energies to parry the assault of a newly risen Expert–the trip had earned her a fair amount of combat experience under the light of the Tyrant Above, and the newly risen Expert proved to be an opportunity to secure her second Guard for when the time came to forge her Pillar.

Her power continued to swell in this era of gathering weight, new Cultivators rising up from all corners as the Heavens began distributing gifts to any who would take them.

Of course, the question then comes to mind. "Why here, why now?" Redmoon found the sudden upswell of support in this age to be… Frustrating.

Where were they when the War raged on? Where were they when the realm cowered under the weight of wicked tyrants until it died. How many innocents died when this support could have seen them strong enough to stand?

This realm was wrong, a thing of counting coup and ego tainting what could have been a place of wonders. That she had an opportunity to change that may be a grave responsibility–but it should not have been her to do so. She could not have been the only one to see the twisted nature of the world and rail against it–how was it then that they had all failed? That the realm had fallen to its current benighted state?

Only because the wicked clung to their pearls even as all things collapsed, wicked ties of karma binding them to the way of things, unchanging even as the world rotted, inside and out. The tales of things being better once–the legacies of ancient times that had never been surpassed, even by the greatest geniuses that had risen. From end to end, the only trajectory history held was a steady race to the bottom, as every generation was weaker and more wicked than the last.

The so-called Righteous Path squabbled for advantage, leaving their juniors to suffer and die for their politics. The Demonic Path lacked ambition, merely grasping straws at whatever profited them in the moment, feasting on the entrails of creation and never using their freedom to improve matters.

In nearly a century of travel, the only thing Redmoon had found was disappointment, as her resolve purified in the face of the battles she had fought.

And so here she was, the Thirteenth Layer of the [Paramita Covered Shores]. She felt the eye of Heaven upon her, waiting for her to surrender and cast aside her enlightenment for a promise of survival, or to strike her down for the temerity of reaching beyond her station.

For it was the will of Heaven that all things remain as they are, that things can never be made whole once broken, that even those who seek to defy it can only do so in carefully marked out, harmless fashions.

She stood then in the place where her journey began–the ruins of an ordinary mountain village. Her followers had already scouted the region out–there were no signs of new inhabitants in this place. The region was nominally claimed by the Qiguai Clan, but few cared about what mortals did, as long as they remained beneath cultivator notice.

This was the right place, she felt–to begin the contest in earnest.

[Rosethorn] was drawn, the ivory greatsword glittering in the light of the fading sun. She rose it before her, closing her eyes as she adjusted her state to the peak. To reach the Thirteenth Layer of Qi Condensation through any method is to invite apocalypse upon oneself, a Tribulation that would devour all who sought to fuse Dao and Qi into a Single Pillar. Five Elements would descend, feeding upon one another until the supplicant was annihilated, no force in Qi Condensation could hope to survive more than a single revolution of this unaided.

Yet the scripture guiding her path was clear on the matter. The Tribulation must be surpassed to provide sufficient tempering to enable a Single Pillar to stand upon its own. It speculated however that if Qi Condensation's strength alone was insufficient to cross this barrier, that perhaps the next Realm would have better luck.

However, the Heavens were not fools. For any to interfere with Tribulation–whether it be the gentle rain intended for the Favored, or the fierce calamity of the Ones Opposed—is to court execution. One must surpass the Tribulation with one's own strength and tools. Yet the Five Element Tribulation was beyond the strength of Qi Condensation.

The [Paramita Covered Shores] had a solution. To defeat four Foundation Establishment Cultivators with one's strength alone, to bind their body, blood, and soul to a talisman, capable of drawing forth their full potential for a single battle. It had strategies and techniques to achieve this, leveraging the strengthened Soul of the Twelfth Layer to bewilder any such Experts for a critical moment, before making them sacrifices to the cause, conscripting them as Dao Protectors when the moment arrived.

[Rosethorn] glowed at that thought, four mystical designs glimmering in arterial red across its face. She had grown more proficient in defeating Experts since those early days, choosing her battles carefully to find those with significant might, but weak souls. Each a foe who could be brought low with a single, clean blow to the neck once bound by the [Bloody Flower Bloom] Technique. Four tributes, four cardinal directions, and four guards.

The diagram flashed to light beneath her feet, and she reversed [Rosethorn] and drove the ivory blade into the keystone of the spell. White and Red Qi blew in from the skies, and clouds began to gather in the firmament above. Her challenge was offered, and accepted.

Redmoon met the gaze of Heaven, cocked her head, and smiled softly. "Come then" She whispered–and the first bolt of lightning descended.

Only to be met with an outstretched arm, burning with hellish wrath. From the first cardinal direction rose a great ogre of hellfire, two horns and singular eye slavering with untold hunger as it shifted its grip, grasping the divine lightning in its hand–and devouring it whole.

The skies shuddered, and Redmoon felt the pressure on her redouble. Her smile never waved however–and the second attack descended, water gathering from all directions to wash this blemish upon creation away.

But from the second cardinal direction rose a behemoth of dust and moon, eyes glowing with a ruddy light as it breathed in deeply–the water pouring into its gullet without end, for this was a Divine Guard of the Pure World, a sentinel who existed on a level beyond the gossamer nature of this material realm.

It drank deeply and greedily from the power of Water–and so the Heavens sent their next champion forward in haste, animating the overgrowth of the ruined village into a lumbering giant, empowered by sacred water magic.

For only a moment though, as the third cardinal point glowed—a maiden of liquid metal emerged, her train woven of blades and jewelry severing wires. She danced, illuminated with the fiery glow of the setting sun, and the giant of Wood was no match, in either grace or potency.

The sky darkened further, and Redmoon could feel the touch of frustration that was filling the air. Good. It was proof that her strategy was effective. For at the end of the day, the Five Element Tribulation must begin with 'Merely' the force of a Qi Condensation cultivator–if one at the uttermost peak of the realm.

To harness the power of body and soul to forge a coterie of Guards to devour the forces sent down. This was the solution the [Paramita Covered Shores] had to the final Tribulation. For the Heavens are ultimately bound to rules, and while they can break them–they are loathe to do so when they can simply count on their servants and advocates to punish a dangerous element themselves.

Which is not to say, of course, that this method is safe. For the method to qualify as one's 'Own Strength', one must slay four Foundation Establishment Experts with the strength of Qi Condensation alone, to receive any assistance would taint the resulting Guards with the Will of another–and be recognized by the Will of Tribulation as an external force.

The Giant fell, igniting as it gave rise to a being of primordial Fire–matched by a single-horned demon sage, his third eye glowing brightly as he rose a chalice in one hand. Clear water poured from it, transforming into strands as it bound the flame-construct piece by piece. It gave roars of crackling embers as it strained mightily–but once bound by the bane of its existence, it could not even self-detonate to escape.

Slowly, by inches, it was drawn into the Demon Sage's chalice, and consumed as wine.

The earth rumbled, and Redmoon's eyes flashed as she drew [Rosethorn] from the ground below. The four symbols now glowing bright with the power of the consumed Elements, and as a Titan of Stone tore itself loose, roaring in anger and rage at the fall of its kin–it found itself chased by a prismatic blade of divine light.

Oh how it screamed! How it raged! But a single Element against a quorum of the other four could not hope to stand. Red Spiderlillies sprouted throughout its form, and it fell to a knee, crumbling slowly to dust as the power of Earth was drawn out in its entirety.

Redmoon inhaled deeply, basking in the Qi she had subsumed, and drove [Rosethorn] back into the ground. She looked up to the sky once more, and cocked her head once again.

"Your tyranny will not stand" She whispers. "Your malice and rage will be consumed and made whole."

She extends her arms then widely. "Come then, enter my embrace and become part of the Pure World, lay down your grudges and be at peace, and you will find that these times were little more than a sad memory, set aside."

A boom of thunder, and white lightning began to crackle in the Tribulation Clouds above. Redmoon closed her eyes, and sighed. "But no, you could have done so at any time, couldn't you?" She wonders, as the second Cycle begins, the Blazing Ogre crashing against the Lightning once again. "Is it fear? Do you fear man so much that you must see them suffer? Is it hate? Vengeance for some slight none can recall anymore?"

She shakes her head. "At any point, you could have stopped, and let go of your malice." Redmoon continues, her Guards cycling as a well oiled team, preventing the Five Element Tribulation from gaining a head of steam beyond what their powers could muster. Normally, this would never be possible, no treasure capable of sustaining so many different forms at the same time, in the same place.

But Redmoon's technique, her devotion, and her heart ensured that her Guards could each act independently, countering the clever tactics of the Tribulation piece by piece.

It was a battle of a single, careless mind against the collaboration of the Pure World To Be. The outcome was never in the slightest doubt from the moment she had secured her fourth Guard and completed the final layer of the [Paramita Covered Shores].

"But you did not, you clung to your Karma and visited it upon all who fell within your reach." She continues, the third cycle collapsing under the weight of [Rosethorn]'s empowered blade. "It is for that reason that those like myself have risen–for you have garnered a debt of uncounted blood from the oppression, the suffering, and the misery you have allowed to happen. No longer can there be peace, for the debt has grown too heavy to be something you can repay."

The Tribulation grew more frantic as it entered the fourth Cycle, attempting to accelerate further, to exhaust the Guards that throttled its power so greatly–but denied of its ability to suffuse the environment with the power of the Elements, and facing foes who could empower themselves in turn with what was sent to face them, it could not match them–not without breaking the rules that they were constrained with.

And at the end of the day, the Heavens cannot justify violating their own rules to stop a Cultivator from advancing, especially one only entering Foundation Establishment.

"But the offer remains open, even now." Redmoon adds, continuing to speak even as the carnage unfolded. "While there cannot be peace in this life, even you may have a place within the Pure World, should you discard your hate and malice, and work for the betterment of all, instead of merely suffering."

The skies boomed, and thunder crashed, the Tribulation straining and screaming at its inability to seize the initiative. But it could not change reality, not here, not now–for the officials of a tyrant are ever bound to the whims of their master. It could not change strategies, even as it recognized the current one to be a certain form of defeat.

"I'm glad we had this discussion." Redmoon mused, as she cut down the eighth Cycle. "I'm glad that you couldn't defend your own position, for at the end of the day, it is wrong, beneficial only to those who are already mighty. While the weak must suffer and die, unseen and unheard."

Her eyes flash crimson, and her Guards give salute, dematerializing and entering [Rosethorn] once more. It shines with the light of five Elements, and the image of a blooming red flower of exotic shape flashed into view behind her. "Come then, Five Element Tribulation. I grant you this chance–change my mind"

Divine Lightning Fell.

It was met with an uppercut from [Rosethorn], the impact blasting what little ruins survived the previous conflict to splinters. It shattered on contact, water spreading through the landscape–but thorn-covered vines lashed out from the Dao Image behind Redmoon, drinking deeply from the elemental energies as it gained greater solidity.

Wicked vines attempted to battle over the remaining divine water, but found themselves torn apart by thorns sharper than any razor, shining like metal in the darkness of the fading day. So it was then that they sought to ignite, spawning a protector who could feed off of these powers instead.

Yet without vitality, without life, how could Wood give birth to Fire? Stray sparks and embers flashed out from the fading vines, but nowhere near enough to singe the germinating [Flower of Hell]. A great titan of mud and dust sought then to bring it low, the Land Itself rising to bury this offender.

But it had grown too strong, too mighty, fed and made fat from nearly a century of growth and the unwitting blessing of Heaven and Earth. The [Flower of Hell] bloomed—a scarlet lotus, brighter than the sun and gleaming an arterial red.

The mere act of its blooming caused the great titan to wither and die–and finally, the Heavens could justify no further assault.

It would wait, until the next opportunity, it had time, it had the advantage. Ever had it claimed victory in all conflicts before.

This would be no different.

But today, Redmoon stood, undaunted from a Tribulation that had broken so many other aspirants in the past, eyes closed, and feeling the nature of the [Flower of Hell] in this moment of enlightenment.

On this day, a new King was born. One who would see the world broken to feed a new one.

Her eyes snapped open, and at that moment, Redmoon knew what she had to do. A secret contingency, buried in the depths of the scripture she had studied until now, a spell activated the moment the [Flower of Hell] bloomed, and the Tribulation brought to an end.

She understood then her purpose, the nature of the one who gave her this opportunity, and the danger she was in as a result.

It seemed there was a certain someone she needed to meet, if she was to gain the tools to achieve her Dao.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

Hou siren​

Pin on Mmm (something like this would look like, but a bit taller and with clothes that are not modern...)

Click to shrink...

This is great. What bonus do you want for your first omake? I recommend a Life Saving Treasure

 

[Fluffy_serpent]

This is great. What bonus do you want for your first omake? I recommend a Life Saving Treasure

Click to shrink...

if this is your recommendation, I'll take it

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

if this is your recommendation, I'll take it

Click to shrink...

What is your current plan for Hou? Do the orthodox route or try for some of the special realms? By the way if you have discord you should join the server. The link is pinned.with the other stuff on top of each page

 

[ReaderOfFate]

Cultivation Goal: fight with strong people (or beings),have fun and find out what happened to the people of a his village

Click to shrink...

By the way, this section is intended to show which stage you want to hit before breakthrough.

(If you want to ascend from the Ninth as per standard, pick Default.)

 

[Fluffy_serpent]

What is your current plan for Hou? Do the orthodox route or try for some of the special realms? By the way if you have discord you should join the server. The link is pinned.with the other stuff on top of each page

Click to shrink...

By the way, this section is intended to show which stage you want to hit before breakthrough.

(If you want to ascend from the Ninth as per standard, pick Default.)

Click to shrink...

mmmm, I'm not really sure...hou's ability I think has a great synergy with the blood demon thing, so if I wanted to get stronger as quickly as possible that would be my path...on the other hand it sounds fun to go the orthodox route.....

I'd probably prefer to wait and see how it all progresses before I decide.

but seeing the personality I put on the mc, the most likely thing that will happen is that if he discovers the blood demon cultivation (I don't know if that's the right word) he'll think something like "how cool, I get stronger fighting and I don't have to meditate or do other boring things".

so I think he would go the route of a blood demon cultivator, who seeks to fight strong beings and have fun and if he helps people all the better...but he wouldn't kill the weak just to get stronger because it would be boring and not cool....

and if he meets someone with potential/strong that he likes/is a good person he probably won't kill him unless it's necessary (and he may even help).

pd:would the goal be short term or long term?

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

pd:would the goal be short term or long term?

Click to shrink...

This is less plot and more quest mechanics. From what I understand, you're undecided so orthodox is fine for now until you pick up more of the quest

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 14, OMAKE 5 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 39: Simon Euaerizo & Lipita Delphi – Standing on the Brink of Perilous Glory​

Sitting cross-legged on his Harmonious Spirit Prayer Mat, Simon Euaerizo looked out blank-eyed towards the bare walls of his quarters in the Underworld Devil Palace.
While the contents had long since been put towards the clan budget, the extensive empty space of it could not be sold abroad. The intricate carvings and gold filigree remained, and the walls were practically soaked with traces of its former master's qi. She, he could feel it, had been wealthy and powerful.

He turned his focus back inward, away from the grand chambers he'd received as part of the reward for the successful expedition, tracing the flow of spiritual energy within his body. Picking up a thread of thought that his mind oft returned to in such moments, Simon considered the nature of the act of cultivation.

Spiritual cultivation was a curious thing, at once fundamentally simple and yet fiendishly complex. Cultivation was taking for yourself the energy of heaven and earth and progressively refining your mortal existence into something greater and more rarefied. The Three and One Ways, as they were known to educated cultivators, were similar, but not identical paths to this same destination. The triune orthodoxies of Beast Core consumption, Spirit Stone integration, and Pure Spirit absorption were ever set against the cannibalism of the Demonic Blood Path's heresy. Perhaps in other lands of the Nine Turtle Seas or even stranger realms beyond, there existed less or more cultivation means, but these were the paths known in Virtuous Flipper Region.

Simon had personal experience with only one way but he had witnessed all four, the predation of the Blood Path being the most familiar after the Spirit Stone cultivation he himself practiced. He cast his mind back to his childhood, reliving his experiences as Qirong mortal son of Berserk Slayer. His nose flared as the metallic hints of spilled blood rose up from memory, together with the stink of spilled offal and the fragrance of cooking flesh. Mother had always been a neat eater, never dainty in taking apart the slaves and mortal prey, but always fastidious in her manners and never wasting a morsel. His brothers had been less circumspect, Mad Dragon most of all, enjoying the spectacle of violence as much as the replenishment of their strength in feeding. In his time in the Golden Devil Clan, he had come to recognize that the means his family had employed were unconscionable but that did not make them any less effective. Strength had come to them as they had feasted on mortal and cultivator alike, strength with unique pitfalls and advantages but undeniable strength nonetheless.

Simon pulled delicately at the qi that circulated through his body, layering the energy into his bones and flesh as the Legions had taught him. The strange smell and taste of heated bronze that never truly went away strengthened with his efforts. A ghostly cadence of marching feet and singing columns bubbled up in his mind washing away the reminders of who he had been. The beat of his heart echoed in his ears like a mighty drum, and he dismissed the fanciful thoughts of paths he was the better off for never having walked. Perhaps, the Blood Path would have given him strength far beyond what he had now, but that was no guarantee. To be powerful in the Blood Path was merely an encouragement to others that there was value in your ruin. Had not his mother, powerful and experienced as she had been, fallen to his brother Mad Dragon because of that very strength she possessed? His strength as it was had been enough to carry him through through everything that had come at him and his path to advancement was not yet exhausted.

Looking deeper within himself, Simon touched at the answers he had memorialized to the questions he had asked of his life and the purpose to which he would commit it. The ephemeral cord in his spirit rotated in an endless cycle, a braid of multiple colors within his dantian. It was as yet incomplete, but the music of its unified motion sang an off-key but discernible chorus of the path of Bronze. Five threads were wound together so far. Each was a lesson learned, a truth accepted, an oath made, and much more.

He had received the love and affection of parents and siblings who had taken him under no compulsion and called him their own. He had fought side by side with fellow legionnaires that had come to be a family he had chosen. He had challenged death, blinding and animalistic, twice over without regret because his Clan sent out the call. These and much more were the experiences that had made him who he was and he would not have had it any other way. He would always love the mother who had sent him to safety on the eve of her death, giving him a chance at his present but were he to meet her today, he would cut her down and only mourn what might have been for the monster that she was.

***

"Two for two, eh Boss? I don't know how you do it, but I wish I could have as charmed a life as you," Thekia said with a frown, "I haven't accomplished much of anything between recovering from qi deviation and then having to make up the cultivation I lost. I was so close to forming my second Dao-Pillar but now it's like I'm starting all over again."

The stocky red-haired woman clenched her hand around the handle of the mug she was holding. Frustration, it seemed. Sitting across the table from her, Simon took a slow draw from his own mug and wiped away the beer froth before responding to his subordinate. They were meeting in a quiet corner of a taproom opened up in a converted section of the Underworld Devil Palace. Around them, other individuals and small groups sat around their own tables, drinking and conversing.

"Though it sounds cliche even to my ears, you should remember it could have been worse," he said quietly, meeting Thekia's gaze in a direct look, "Yes you lost quite a bit of progress in your cultivation and had to spend time in recovery. That's painful to anyone, especially someone just making the push to advance through the early stages of a supreme realm. Nonetheless, you are alive and now fully healed up, ready to return to the work necessary if you are willing."

Thekia drained her ale and placed the cup to her side, sighing after hearing Simon's words. "I know I'm lucky. I didn't die in the Bloody Mists or get crippled or worse. I know that but…"

She continued after a brief pause, nodding towards Simon. "I see you and I want what you have. You dive headfirst into a meatgrinder that chewed up and incinerated sixty other Experts only to come out unharmed with the prize and win the personal commendation of the Grand Elder himself. Then you somehow manage to replicate the feat of clinching the success of another major operation as a follow up."

"Sir, you're an inspiration to all of us and I'm proud to be on your team," Thekia said frankly, "But sometimes you cast such a long shadow that it seems I'll catch match up."

"Of course you can't match up, that's inevitable considering the difference in where we stand," Simon replied to Thekia, "I was at the mid stage of Foundation Establishment when I made my attempt to seize the core of the All-Blinding Array. I was able to progress to the late stage with five Dao-Pillars before I went on the expedition into the depths of the Underworld Devil Fortress. I was several time stronger, faster and had larger reserves than you. My capacity for action was so much greater than yours each time."

"But that difference only counts if you're trying to be me and not you," Simon added on as he saw Thekia's face turn blank, "I have led you for several decades now, so I can honestly say you could accomplish everything I did. If you had similar means. This last expedition was a success because of many people other than myself. Several other Experts cleared a path to the containment chamber and at the very end it was three of us that worked together to obtain the outcome you laud me for. Aliki Floros would not have been able to transport the Light Qi out if Lihua Kokkinos had not held off the hordes of light-beast while I disabled the containment system. They call me the Glorious 61st. Rightfully so. Without learning from the sixty others who went ahead of me my only glory would have been an honorable death."

Thekia relaxed backwards into her chair, frustration in her voice. "I know all this in my head but in my heart I still feel inadequate."

Simon chuckled. "Let me tell you a secret. I feel that way all the time. During the expedition, I met up with Minvervina Barda, the Poison Witch of the Indomitable Thirteen. If you think I cast a long shadow, what would you say about her? Sure I managed to get commended for my actions in the end but she managed the incredible feat of forming eight Dao-Pillars and ascending to become an Elder. I have no hope of repeating such an accomplishment but that doesn't mean I don't feel the hunger as well. Don't compare yourself to others. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday. That's all you can ever do. Well that and pray, but last I heard neither the Fates or the Imperator are taking audiences."

Thekia crooked a smile at Simon's last words. "I suppose I have been getting all up in my head. All that time to myself in recovery had me spinning in circles and winding myself up in a knot. It would be good to get out into the field with the team, boss. Nothing like cracking heads and stomping kneecaps to simplify life."

"If that's what you need, you have a lot of that to look forward to," Simon said, "Valens and Sophia are back from seclusion and raring to get back into the heat of things. Manuel, our lovable bastard, is off right now checking out a mission recommended for a four-man squad."

Thekia pounced on that last comment. "Four-man squad? Why aren't you deploying with us?"

"I might not be able to match up to Minervina Barda's ability to achieve unorthodox cultivation but that doesn't mean that I'm lacking in ambition myself," Simon replied, "I'm planning a visit to the Qiguai secret realm because I'm willing to bet my life against the opportunity to hasten my advancement. I had previously dismissed the option because of needs at home and wariness of the Blood Path rebellions in the mountains but I have reconsidered. The Great Scion Purge appears to have settled things down and I'm confident that the team has recovered back to fighting form. You guys might have to shake off some rust but you should be able to handle yourselves while I'm gone."

"You sound very confident," Thekia said slowly, "I've heard of the reputation that the secret realms of Yuan and Qiguai have. Why risk it on the even of the Hundred-Year Trials?"

A grim smile came onto Simon's lips. "It is in truth because of the upcoming Trials that I feel the need to make the attempt. I'm too weak as I am now. I need strength to protect myself and mine, certain overreaching juniors included."

Thekia snorted and stood up, mug in hand. "Well then if you're going to be leaping off cliffs chasing your fortune, I insist we drink well today. The rest of the drinks are on me."

Simon gladly handed her his mug. "I will take you up on that offer though this celebration unfortunately won't be that long."

Thekia cocked an eyebrow at his words. "Oh, anything fun I should know about?"

"Nothing much to it," Simon admitted, "I received some artifacts as reward for my action in the last mission and I wanted to test them out with an interested party."

Thekia shrugged and walked off to the bar for refills for the both of them. Simon watched her go, and grew more confident in his decision to journey to Qiguai. As much as he personally sought out opportunities there, his decision had also been motivated by a desire to encourage his squad to grow. His presence was security and support but his four juniors could do with a little tempering themselves without his strength. A laugh slipped past his reserve as he morbidly considered that should the worst happen and Qiguai claimed his life, Manuel was going to be stuck doing the thing he hated most, having to be a responsible leader. That would be fitting payback for the nickname Manuel had festooned on him.

***

Lipita Delphi carefully pulsed qi through her hands into the back of two reflective discs hovering beneath her palms, floating in mid air and facing each other. The air in the narrow gap between the disks shimmered oddly. If you looked with your eyes. She kept hers closed during this exercise, letting her spiritual sense dominate her perception as amplified by the artifact she wore around her neck. Quietly she hummed to herself, letting her mind relax and her spirit plumb as much of the objects as it could penetrate.

Seated to the side in a camp chair, Simon Euaerizo loudly chewed on a strip of dried jerky as he left his junior to her task. The two of them were outside the Underworld Devil Fortress, to the south of the great Spirit Stone mine where the black qi-draining sands of the deep Organ Meat Desert were not a concern. The land around them was largely bare, sun baked earth dotted with a few hardy growths of vegetation and not much else. It was a perfect place to test out potentially dangerous qi workings. For that reason, they'd come here regularly for several days now.

"Huh," Lipita said, still with hey eyes closed, "I still can't figure out how these things remain fixed in position. I can tell that they are very closely connected but are not a bilocational unity, so effects have to propagate between the two."

"Why is that important?" Simon asked her, savoring the jerky.

Lipita opened her eyes and lifted her palms off the disks. The mirrors, for that was what the discs were – two seemingly plain mirrors of polished silver metal, remained just as they had been, floating mid air at just below shoulder height. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts before she replied, Lipita said, "Well today I wanted to explore the idea that the paired artifacts that make up what we know as the Twin Mirrors of Time were also under the effect that they produce."

Pointing to the hovering discs, Lipita recounted, "From our own investigations and what the Office of Disciples could determine, these are rather modestly powerful time manipulation artifacts and I still can't believe I'd describing them as such. It feels odd to consider something that can affect such a fundamental force as modest in any fashion."

Simon looked on bemusedly as Lipita muttered further on about fundamental principles of existence and how her ideas about time and gravity were being overturned by the artifacts and the low-gravity causeways set up by Clan.

Simon flicked a piece of jerky into her mouth. "Ugh, how can you eat this stuff? It tastes so gamey," Lipita spluttered, broken from her digression. She resumed talking while chewing on the tough meat. "Where was I? Right, I was addressing the mirrors' utility. Sure they are not particularly easy to deploy and very finicky to use but the effect they produce is simply incredible. Reducing a thousandfold the flow of time experienced by objects caught between the two mirrors is not a common observation."

Lipita swallowed and began to gesticulate excitedly, waving towards the mirrors, "Sure the field of slow time doesn't affect the longevity of a cultivator but that leaves a whole host of uses. It's easy enough to imagine using the mirrors as temporary prison or even a wall of sorts, but that's ignoring a wealth of possibility in favor of shallow pickings."

Simon interrupted Lipita at this point. "I always find your excitement fascinating but you were saying something about the mirrors' affecting themselves. I would like to hear about that."

"Oh right," Lipita calmed down and answered Simon, "So we know that when inactive the mirrors aren't really anything special besides being fairly tough disks. However when you activate the mirrors, you can freeze them in a fixed position and they remain that way, impossible to move without deactivating the whole setup."

Lipita saw the disappointment on Simon's face and shrugged, "What did you expect? These are specialized artifacts. At least they make for very useful shields while active. Even excluding the slow time field, whatever keeps them locked in place makes the mirrors very resilient."

"I liked it better when you were theorizing how to use the mirrors as explosive containment or qi evocation accumulators," Simon said grumpily.

"Hey, I enjoyed seeing the blasts from the Spatial Ring Cannon caught by the mirrors too," Lipita shot back, "We only learned how tough the mirrors were because somebody turned off the capture field while we were testing out the explosive talismans when I wasn't ready."

"The way I recall it I deactivated the mirrors exactly as and when you asked me too," Simon said back to his spirited junior.

"I don't know about that, Simon Shushu," Lipita said with a grin at how Simon twitched when she addressed him affectionately, "Between the two of us, only one has a permanent mental enhancement technique for perfect recall."

Simon rolled his eyes and decided not to pursue the matter any further, "So what's next for today?"

Lipita cracked her knuckles and stared fiercely at the floating artifacts, "More testing as always. I want to test possible shearing effects on moving objects, not wholly within the capture field."

"How long do I have you before you head back to the core territories with Centurion Kokkinos," Simon asked while Lipita moved to review her preparations for the next tests.

"Ehh, a couple of weeks maybe," Lipita said, looking up from a jade slip she was perusing.

"Why are you going to miss your cute niece?" Lipita teased.

Simon scoffed, "Please, I've had far too much of you this time. No, I wanted to speak with her about traveling to Qiguai together. Safety in numbers would be useful with the Qiguai Clan just coming off their internal purge."

Lipita nodded in agreement, "Sure that shouldn't be a problem. I had hoped to speak to you about the idea anyway ever since you talk me that you were going also. Kokkinos Laoshi is off gathering materials for the armor she wants crafted but we should catch her back in the Devil Fortress."

"Alright, that's a plan," Simon said, "Now I have to go restock on jerky. You okay over here while pick them up?"

Lipita lifted her arm up then paused before dropping it, shaking her head. "I'm not going to ask where you're getting jerky all the way out here. I won't blow myself up if you're worried. Feel free to go do your thing."

Simon flashed her a broad smile and sauntered off to pick up his jerky and certain other materials a contact of Manuel's was supposed to drop off in a hidden cache nearby. Nothing illegal, just frowned upon. Berserking pills and cultivation burning boosters were not easy to find for good reason among the junior ranks of the Legions but Experts had their privileges. Everything was needed to make sure that this trip was survivable if not necessarily profitable.

AN: (3450/2=1725 words) This is a collaboration with @Sol Zagato. Certain minor elements have been edited for clarity in April but nothing too substantial was changed.

 

[Fluffy_serpent]

This is less plot and more quest mechanics. From what I understand, you're undecided so orthodox is fine for now until you pick up more of the quest

Click to shrink...

umm,question to help me choose between orthodox and demonic

what would it affect and how?

choosing one only limits me on relationship issues and things pertaining to the other side?

If I choose one, is it permanent or is it possible to change it after a long time or a specific event?

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

umm,question to help me choose between orthodox and demonic

what would it affect and how?

choosing one only limits me on relationship issues and things pertaining to the other side?

If I choose one, is it permanent or is it possible to change it after a long time or a specific event?

Click to shrink...

Alright let me take my time. First I recommend you read the pinned posts and every entry in the informational tab but the gist of it is that when I am talking about orthodox I'm talking about the limit of your character's progression up the cultivation ranks. The difference is orthodox vs unorthodox (demonic is an in story concept that doesn't apply here, Demonic Cultivators can be orthodox or unorthodox), that is whether, you are going for the bare minimum to progress you character or you want to try for additional bonuses. You can change your mind anytime until your character moves up a tier. But as I said earlier, check out the pinned posts at the top of each page for more detail

 

[adamashield]

orthodox and demonic

Click to shrink...

I think orthodox in this case is the 9th heavenstage. if you choose 10 to 11th heavenstage you get impact (there a info post of cultivation in the info tab for more info) 12th give you fluff. and if you reach reach nascent soul you get double speed. 13th is the realm of crazy but give plot relevance.

I think if you want impact you can just go 10th, since even that is a lot harder than normal 'orthodox'.

Still basically the lore will always make orthodox the faster way to ascend to the next great realm (QC > FE > Core > NS)

BUT. and this is a important BUT. in the turtle world you need to go 'unorthodox' in the FE stage to reach above SS in the post epilogue. but in terms of quest is just that. (as far as we know).

I hope this help^^.

Oh, in each TURN, Remember to ask a 'senior' (a author with a FE good seed) for a teaching collaborate omake. since that give you free cultivation until the 9th heavenstage.

edit: ninja'd ^^.

 

[Fluffy_serpent]

I think orthodox in this case is the 9th heavenstage. if you choose 10 to 11th heavenstage you get impact (there a info post of cultivation in the info tab for more info) 12th give you fluff. and if you reach reach nascent soul you get double speed. 13th is the realm of crazy but give plot relevance.

I think if you want impact you can just go 10th, since even that is a lot harder than normal 'orthodox'.

Still basically the lore will always make orthodox the faster way to ascend to the next great realm (QC > FE > Core > NS)

BUT. and this is a important BUT. in the turtle world you need to go 'unorthodox' in the FE stage to reach above SS in the post epilogue. but in terms of quest is just that. (as far as we know).

I hope this help^^.

Oh, in each TURN, Remember to ask a 'senior' (a author with a FE good seed) for a teaching collaborate omake. since that give you free cultivation until the 9th heavenstage.

edit: ninja'd ^^.

Click to shrink...

I know this is obvious but just in case I ask...if for some reason I decide, I don't know to give an example, to go up in 9th heavenstage but I put as a goal the 11th heavenstage...I could still go up or not?

i know i explained wrong

Alright let me take my time. First I recommend you read the pinned posts and every entry in the informational tab but the gist of it is that when I am talking about orthodox I'm talking about the limit of your character's progression up the cultivation ranks. The difference is orthodox vs unorthodox (demonic is an in story concept that doesn't apply here, Demonic Cultivators can be orthodox or unorthodox), that is whether, you are going for the bare minimum to progress you character or you want to try for additional bonuses. You can change your mind anytime until your character moves up a tier. But as I said earlier, check out the pinned posts at the top of each page for more detail

Click to shrink...

hahaha, yeah my fault, I'm not used to reading everything else, I jumped straight to reading all the threadmarks....

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

know this is obvious but just in case I ask...if for some reason I decide, I don't know to give an example, to go up in 9th heavenstage but I put as a goal the 11th heavenstage...I could still go up or not?

i know i explained wrong

Click to shrink...

Sure no problem there. Like I said you can always change it up within a cultivation tier

 

[adamashield]

if for some reason I decide, I don't know to give an example, to go up in 9th heavenstage but I put as a goal the 11th heavenstage...I could still go up or not?

Click to shrink...

So, if I understand this, you mean breakthought to the next great realm (FE) at 9th heavestage, after deciding that you don't want to go futher?

In short, Sure you can, you just need to ping the Collaborators (the names in the first part of each page) to change things to you in the google doc.

In the long explanation. I will give a example, you cultivated and went to 10th stage. you ask to go to the 9th and (with a omake) buy yourself a treasure. and you breakthrough in the end of the next turn (or at the start if you have 20k of omakes material).

Let continue with another option.

You decide that you don't want to use a treasure, and don't want to make 20.000 words/art (I don't know how much art is worth in words).

In this case you ping the collaborators. and wait two turns. since each turn you character 'burn' 20k equivalent.

Another example. which is rare here. you decide to ask our GM to 'roll for breakthought', you either die, get permanent cripples (and IS PERMANENT) as a 'false FE' or succeed.

Edit: Just remember to ping the Collaborators. otherwise you will not 'prepare for your good seed breakthrough' until you reach the 'goal' that you post.

and that the 'orthodox' is the easier one. with 40k of material (or two turns). doubling for each lvl above.
so. 10th is 80k (or two treasure for one turn breakthought),
11th is 160k (really).
12th is 320k (Really).
13th is 640k. which as far as I know only one had meet half this goal.

I hope this helped^^.

 

[ReaderOfFate]

Edit: Just remember to ping the Collaborators. otherwise you will not 'prepare for your good seed breakthrough' until you reach the 'goal' that you post.

and that the 'orthodox' is the easier one. with 40k of material (or two turns). doubling for each lvl above.
so. 10th is 80k (or two treasure for one turn breakthought),
11th is 160k (really).
12th is 320k (Really).
13th is 640k. which as far as I know only one had meet half this goal.

Click to shrink...

As a brief heads up to @Fluffy_serpent, each treasure halves the requirements. That's how you can feasibly break through at Unorthodox Stages without taking forever. (There are writers that manage to write enough to reduce treasure requirements, but you don't strictly have to do so.)

 

[Quest]

Xiao Yingzi 45
[Turn 10]
[The Song Continues]​

Like ripples upon the surface of a lake, her thoughts stirred into wakefulness. Then feeding into each other, those ripples grew, turning into waves that broke into reality and suddenly, Xiao Yingzi found herself aware of her surroundings, trapped between continent-eroding currents, tossed and turned as the dark ocean was churned. Yet though the forces around her were titanic in their scope, they carried her with a gentleness that left her completely untouched by that heaven-shaking strength.

Then as if sensing her awakening, the forces began to slow, forming what felt like a protective cocoon around her. A beam of light struck her face like a bolt from the heavens and the shadow under the ocean was suddenly banished. Rising to full alertness, she looked up at the image of the sun above her and realized that she was not in the depths of the ocean as she had initially surmised but on the surface of it, and the light of the sun had previously been blocked.

Blocked by…

A single eye blinked as it watched her and suddenly, what she had dismissed as part of the surrounding came into sharp focus. A beast so large, that the one eye that bore down on her was alone ten li in diameter. Elder Teleos had compared the Qiguai Secret Realm to a mere soap bubble but he had spoken metaphorically. In the vastness of both size and power, to this creature that metaphor may be literally true. Such was the weight of its gaze that the realm would have popped if the being were to stare into the realm.

A bubble…

For a moment, that thought felt strangely important but she truly could not not understand why. Shuddering, she turned her eyes from the creature's own and closed them, focusing inwards into the sudden need that had arisen in her. It was as if closing one's eyes while staring into the sun, she was still blinded but the gaze was gentle upon her and it was enough for her to turn her attention to her body. She felt it then - the burning in her lungs as it ran out of air - had run out of air long ago, with only her cultivation keeping her alive.

She opened her eyes, keeping it carefully angled away from the eye that looked upon her curiously and she turned to the surface of the water above her. She was undoubtedly far closer to it than she was to the depths, yet to her it was still as heaven and earth - an icarian task she immediately dismissed. Instead, she followed through on the initial thought that she had - the bubbles that had led her here, allowing her to breathe while traveling the depths.

As if summoned by her need, an enormous bubble of air descended on her. It traveled through the monstrous waves around her without even a ripple, the water gently pushing it into her. Larger than any of the bubbles she had been in before, it was as if a small world of its own and it swallowed her whole. She closed her eyes and she breathed in, absorbing the life-giving element into her lungs.

After a few moments of solace, she opened her eyes once more, feeling the surface beneath her give strangely but not break with her weight. Such was the lack of force upon her that she could imagine she was sitting in dry land, watching the illusionary recreation of the ocean through the thin film. Only then did she think to seek the source of the bubble and she followed the rapidly dispersing trail of smaller bubbles that had formed in its wake, eyes falling upon the creature's body and then following it to it's back.

No, to its hump.

This beast was of an easily recognizable strain. A great whale of incredible size and the bubble that she was in, as well as that endless trail of bubbles that she had followed had come from the creature's outward breath. No, that wasn't its breath. Only what remained after the ocean and its own movements had torn the air bubble from its back apart. She turned slowly and met that eye, whose gaze she could still feel upon her.

She could hear it now, at least when she strained to hear. That familiar hum in the water - an echo of that song. The whale wasn't singing it, not right now. But that did not truly matter. Its will suffused the water and the beat of its heart sent trembles up her feet. The song was a part of it now and there was no way to miss it in its presence. Not for her. Not when the song had become a part of her as well. She could feel the echo of it in the cycles of her qi - it was merely a note of the Song, but it called to her.

How strong was this whale, that it could bear the full weight of that Song? Even the Archigetes himself would be but an ant in comparison. It was unfathomably strong and… looking into its eye, she was suddenly aware of the sheer age of this creature - old enough to have an ecosystem evolve underneath its unmoving body. She had grasped only a portion of the song, twisted through her own shallow understanding, but if what she had seen was this creature's history sung to her in that song of incomparable despair, then…

Her heart beat faster as she turned away from its eye, to once more look at the beginning of its back but she did not stop there this time. Looking further as the sun rose from its back like from behind Mount Tai itself, she saw it. There, slicing the light of the sun apart in a dazzling brilliance was a brutal bronze weapon, the shining bronze from the blade still cracked and shattered, lodged into a great cut that was thousands of li long - a cut that was still healing.

Further down, a massive chunk of flesh had been removed from its body and then more cleanly healed. The shape was so regular that she could almost imagine the assault… as if something had simply scooped out part of the whale's body with a spoon. A strange feeling filled her - pure, unadulterated emotion that she felt she had the context to describe. The heady lightness many associated with high altitude somehow merged with a sinister dread that dragged her right down to earth - it was awe and fear.

It was to be expected after all.

This, Xiao Yingzi realized while uncharacteristically trembling in its presence, was the Dao Protector of the Third Turtle-child.

That princess she had dreamed of was the embodiment of the very continent that she had grown up on, that ancient rotting corpse that was all she knew and all she could imagine. This creature was older still, having watched it grow and then despairing as it died. This was a creature who had stood at the vanguard of heaven and seen the Sea Conquering Army at its height. It had stood before even the Demonic Soup Chef in his final rampage and though it had failed to defeat him, it had survived even that.

It had always survived.

That indeed was the source of its despair, having lived when its charge had died, having failed in all things it had held dear and then still lingering on. As she took in the entity before her, she felt her emotions shift once more - as if unchained by the Song and let loose in ways she couldn't understand. It wasn't defiance she felt, that strange mix of spite and anger she had experienced when she had first encountered tribulation. It wasn't even the utter despair of the Song, that deep pit in the gut that could only be dug by a being that had wallowed in its failure for ten thousand years.

No, this was a deep bone-chilling fear.

After all, everything this impossibly powerful, incredibly broken creature had lost was because of her clan. The bronze blood that had once flowed in her veins was the very source of the failure that was at the center of its despair. It hated the very existence of her people, considering their golden bodies to be facsimiles of living beings, hateful entities that must be destroyed and rooted out. Understanding that and being at its mercy, how could she not feel fear?

And with that fear came clarity.

No longer was her mind a calm, unmoving lake whose ripples were hidden away underneath but a lake frozen by fear - but both were equally unmoving. For a moment, she was in her dao palace, that desert of glass, staring up at that pillar of melted sand that had attempted to breach the heavens. Within its twisted coils, she saw her true self reflected back at her, that little orphan girl with the hint of bronze now in midst of panic. Yet, that may have been her true self but that wasn't the face she showed the world.

Her fear melted away, taken by reflection and her shadow, leaving her mind clear as she crafted a mask - the mask she needed to use here. There was no trace of blood in her body, burnt away by her tribulation in accordance with the machinations of Elder Teleos. The very Elder who had put her here, depriving her of the spear she relied upon - a spear that was obviously a weapon of the Sea Conquering Army. In that case, it was impossible for the whale to know what she was - not unless she gave it away with her own actions.

And with that insight, she did what she had always done.

She lied to herself.

She was a child of the third sea, mourning the fallen princess with its guardian. With that understanding her fear eased. This was the creature that protected the very continent that she grew upon, serving it to the very end. They both mourn its passing. Closing her eyes, she bowed to it, feeling it's song reverberate through her and she mourned with it, repeating the song back to it in her own clumsy manner.

The wave of emotion that filled her surprised her and it took her a moment to understand that the emotion was not her own. It came to her from the song they shared, the song of souls - the technique known quite ironically as Demonic Tunes. Though the hollowing despair remained, it was tinged with an undercurrent of heart-aching relief.

The whale had been alone for ten thousand years, wallowing in its own failure and the very song it sang, hoping that another could understand, had destroyed everything that might approach it. The very life around it had evolved not to think to avoid it. How lonely must such a creature be, after losing the one thing it loved? Her shadow had allowed her to bear the song and make the journey to it, even comprehending its anguish to the smallest degree.

Only a single note of its song.

But even that much was enough.

It had called to her, hoping for solace in the shared despair that she had understood. Xiao Yingzi clasped her hands together and bowed deep, thanking the whale for its service. The whale's response mirrored her own, gratitude layered within the muted currents of despair. For a short eternity, they looked into each other's eyes with only the muted tones of the songs in their hearts as their only means of communion.

But that moment passed.

Xiao Yingzi reeled as the connection broke and then she realized that she had been changed. Not merely by the song that now reverberated within her, but there had been a quantitative increase in her power. The amount of power and comprehension in that casual exchange had imparted upon her enough power to equal sixty years worth of cultivation and philosophical understanding. Once more, she was struck by the amount of power the creature held. Not even nascent souls could wield such power so casually. What level of power was this?

And could she one day reach those heights?

A part of her sought out more, but the whale turned its eye away from her, afraid of hurting or overwhelming her. As it moved, it caused the sea to churn and her bubble to tremble. With a single casual swell of its aura, it encompassed the limits of her senses and then reached even further. The song they had shared now granted her a sense of the creature's enormity in comparison to her, not out of arrogance or disdain, but the simple truth of her in its reality. And the emotion that accompanied this observation was simple concern.

Were she to remain here any longer, it would mean that she would be lost to the song. And so, it offered to return her to where she came from. She bowed once more, deeper and in a flash of insight, she attempted to sing her gratitude in the manner she had comprehended. The whale's response was mirth at her awkwardness and then a terrible nostalgia that built up like a volcano before erupting into despair. She felt her heart break at that and she knew that her emotions were beginning to affect her.

Realizing her sudden urgency, the whale's attention returned to her and with a swish of its fin, it sent her a wave that shoved the bubble she was in away from it. Tears began to drop from her face as she was pushed away and a scream left her face. She tried to reach out with her hand, unable to bear to be away from it after the intimacy they had shared.

But hurtling through the ocean, she was unable to move. She felt the whale watching her as she left, even as it shrinked in her vision, though it never truly faded. The bubble she was in twisted and warped from the force, but it didn't break and held her tightly, leaving her physically unaffected by the speed with which they moved.

She felt the speed at which she was moving begin to slow and the bubble began to finally break apart. As she slowed to a halt, she found herself plunged into the water and then a moment later, she was in the open air with the smell of sea spray in her nose. Instinctively, she adjusted her body and landed on the corals below.

Then the rest of her senses adjusted.

The rough feel of coral reefs beneath her feet stood out to her mind and then the sound of roars and a snarl filled with utter shock reached her ears. She had returned to the midst of her enemies. The flow of qi in the air opened itself to her mind and she could see past the song now to sense the entirety of the army of the sharks arrayed before her.

Glancing to the side, she set her eyes on the turtle sea-beast that had harried her, its long neck contorting as it recoiled back from her, its blue carnivorous head hanging open in surprise. The nine limbs still anchored her Banner-Pole Spear to the ground with long spines, but it held now with some degree of hesitance.

Xiao Yingzi drew her gladius to defend herself and then began to walk, humming a tune that was so familiar to her now. The horde around her froze in place as if she were whispering a spell and even the sea-beast stared in alarm. It was torn between dual desires, to deny her the spear and to leave it behind, fleeing into the ocean.
She glanced at the beast, studying it for a moment and then she held out her free hand with fingers splayed out. Though she did not speak, the meaning of her gesture was clear and finally the creature fled, abandoning the spear to her. All around her, the shark-men began to scatter, taking the example of their fleeing leader.

As they ran, she began to walk towards the spear that had been left behind. Foundation improved to the equivalent to the Fourth Pillar, with qi entirely restored. Consolidation required, said a deeper logical part of her mind. Still outmatched by the enemy, survival due to psychological disability. Suggested destruction of the army, followed by capitalisation of enemy weakness.

And how to destroy the army? She wondered, as she grasped the spear in the ground. She felt the many fragmentary core wills within as they empowered her, granting her skill and poise that belonged to beings centuries her senior. However, the one Nascent Will that held them all together did not make itself known.

She ignored him for now.

Instead, she sought more specialized knowledge. She'd lacked the capacity of many of the abilities the spear could provide, yet now there was one hole in her skillset that she could fill however crudely. As she continued to hum, she walked towards the rapidly fleeing enemies, the sea-beast even running away from the sea because she blocked that path.

Finally, she had it.

She remembered the song she had heard, a tune that would perhaps remain with her till the day that she would die. It was a rhythm so easy to fall into, with even her heart beating to it. Yet she could barely remember its substance. Even as she thought of it, her recollections seemed to blend together until it was a simple tune - but she could still remember some parts of it.

Xiao Yingzi took a deep breath, steadying her emotions and then breathed out once more a single note from the song she'd heard.

"[Despair]"

What left her tongue was a sound hard to describe. It resounded across the waters, leaving a moment of silence in its wake. If she was forced to describe it, then maybe it was something like glass shattering or steel suddenly bending. Something tense and strong, seemingly unbreakable that seemed like it could resist for an eternity suddenly and irrevocably giving way.

It was the sound of shark-men screaming, blood spilling out of their eyes and the foam oozing out of their mouths as they tried to roar into the heavens of their soul-crushing despair. It was the sound of a scream cut short as a creature of the sea bit out its own tongue and coughed up blood, but was still unable to stop the tears flowing from its eyes.
It was the sound of a little girl, standing and watching all her powerful heroes cut down, a man who seemed to embody them die defending a gate long before thirteen heroes could avenge them. It was the sound of a woman, suppressing her own desires, cutting out pieces of her own soul in service of her clan, in the hopes that others would survive where she might not.

It was the sound of a junior, betrayed by her elder.

The sound of despair.

She felt an emotion come over her, causing her to shudder and fall but for the moment she ignored it. Instead, she walked towards the sea-beast who had perhaps not survived the note, but still hadn't finished dying. It began crawling away from her, but there was no will behind the act. The fragment of the song she'd sung had broken some part of it.

Gone was the hunger and the wariness. Gone was the refined will and many machinations. All it knew was despair and that she was the source of its despair and so it sought to flee from her.
Xiao Yingzi spun her spear in her hand as she walked towards the creature. It was too weak to run fast and this wasn't an environment it was suited to. She didn't even need to run. Then, with a boot to its neck she pinned it in place and held up the spear, aiming it carefully.

Then with a single blow, she sunk the bronze blade into its heart.

It struggled as soon as it was pierced, not dying quickly from that hit and in that final moment before death, determination filled its eyes. The spines on its limbs all sharpened and with the last of its strength, they wrapped around her, attempting to avenge itself. However, she was ready for that. She leaned in and spoke once more.

"[Despair]"

The Note of Despair leapt from her tongue. It exploded between them, rushing to fill the empty space and the beast froze mid-attack, gurgling ineffectually before Xiao Yingzi sent a burst of lightning through its heart and burnt the last of its life away. As its body collapsed like a puppet cut, she almost felt a sigh of relief from it - release from its torment. Xiao Yingzi sent another blast of power through it, just in case it would arise once more.

When it lay there unmoving and there was nothing else but other corpses besides her, she collapsed to her knees. Touching her face, Xiao Yingzi found tears streaming out of her own eyes and she had to take a moment to spit out the blood from her mouth. With it came a pink muscle and she realized that at some point, she had attempted to bite her own tongue off.

It was strong, she decided, but the technique had a powerful backlash on her as well.

Forcing herself to her feet, she looked around. The sharks had all perished, even those far beyond the range of her voice. That she realized was the true strength of the Song of Despair. It made you want to spread your despair, like any song. It made you bare your soul to others, wanting to be justified and understood.

And with that understanding you awakened an equal despair within them, causing others to sing in turn. She had comprehended only a little bit, a tiny Note of Despair, but even that much was enough. Now that note echoed within her forever, echoing in her heartbeat, giving rhythm to her breath and even driving her cultivation. She would be chasing the echo of the song forever, hoping to recreate it in its entirety.

Even now, her mind sought to unravel its mystery.

It was the nature of the song to spread and ruin. Yet, in a flash of insight she realized that the song had not originated from the whale that had sung it to her. She remembered the song of its history, how it was a cultivator of the clan who used it upon the whale to begin with. What moment of despair had the clan experienced, that its notes echoed through the eons to meet her?Though she understood a note of it, it was only an echo of an echo of the original event.

It was beyond her for now.

For now, she could only use it as a weapon, an army killer - but as she drew upon the Ring of The Dead to heal her severed tongue, she knew she couldn't use it lightly. She was certain that she could use it to shatter entire armies of her peers as she had just done, but it would affect her as well, rebounding on her and eventually leading only to her own destruction.

If you thought of it in that manner, it was likely that of all the wounds that had been made on the whale, the song was the greatest wound of all. A wound that she now shared. No, she decided. It was a tool to be used but sparingly and even then only when it was absolutely necessary. Still, she took a moment to thank the nameless elder whose inheritance she had received in this round-about manner before moving on.

Taking a breath, she turned and looked around at the corpses lying around her - all beasts in Foundation Building. They were all valuable parts and there was no point in letting good corpses go to waste. She began to pick them up, starting with the sea-beast that she had murdered and began to carefully skin it and preserve all of the useful parts, placing them into her storage ring.

As she worked, she extended her mind into the spear. Elder Teleos? She asked, her tone devoid of any inflections.

Xiao Yingzi. He replied, in a similar manner. I see that you have succeeded in acquiring the fragments of the song - a Note of Despair, as you seem to have called it. I suppose you would have questions, now?

Yes, Elder Teleos. She replied, nodding at him. If I may attempt my own deduction beforehand? She felt his encouragement and began her explanation in the familiar manner of a report. Then, I would like to clarify my assumptions. Would it be fair to assume that you had encountered the whale during your time in Qiguai?

It wasn't I who encountered it, but one of my centurions. He did not survive the encounter but was able to send a piece of his will to me to inform me of what occured.

I see. Did you plan on me encountering the whale from the very beginning?

It was one of many pieces that I felt was important. In fact, one of the reasons I designed your tribulation was to remove your bloodline in case the beast took offense to it.

I see. And the beast attacked me because of a prior encounter as well?

No, He answered, sending her an apology. I hadn't intended for you to encounter the whale at least until you were Core Formation. This was… very early, the heavens smoothing our way as it were. In fact, had the beast not forced us, I would have at most had you meditate upon the song in preparation for the future.

The Song is a fantastic weapon and I thank you for it, but I cannot imagine the weapon was the only reason for all of this risk. What else were you seeking, Elder Teleos?

It was a necessary part of your path. You needed exposure to the true history of this world and the realm that you had to pretend to be aligned with, in order to better deceive the heavens. He replied, and then there was a hint of pride in his voice. I had been worried about the emotional effect but you bore it with minor issues. I had expected at the very least a resurgence of your emotional self.

I felt my emotions. Xiao Yingzi clarified. But I had an insight towards dealing with it.

Is that so? He asked, curious about it. What method did you employ?

I imagined a scenario where I reacted in the manner that was ideal for what I desired and then I believed in it enough that I became it. She replied, her voice steady. She took a moment to stop her work and then stand. As I am doing right now.

Xiao Yingzi, I am-

Why didn't you share this with me beforehand? She asked, her voice trembling with anger as she began to stalk the corpse-ridden corals.

It would have put the plan into jeopardy. What if the whale sensed your intentions? No, it was far too much risk.

I see. Xiao Yingzi replied, before stopping and taking a moment to breathe. You told me that once I reinforced my pillar, we would forge my path together. Have I not fulfilled your condition?

This was necessary-

Have I not? She interrupted him a bit more forcefully, a touch of heat in her mental voice.

There was a moment of hesitation from him. You have not.

Explain. She said, the word nearly a hiss.

No. That would put my plan into jeopardy. He replied, shaking his head. Some knowledge must be kept from you until it is time, even if you can hide it perfectly.

"Answer the question." She demanded out loud and then glancing at the sea-wall near her, she held out the spear. "Or I will speak of all of your plans and then release your spear into the sea."

Xiao Yingzi. He scolded, voice filled with reproach. You are losing control of yourself. Calm your mind and speak with it. You never know who might be listening.

"Do not push me, Elder Teleos." She told him, the tip of the spear piercing the water.

For a moment, neither of them budged. Then the Elder spoke carefully and precisely. I lose all future possibilities with either choice. It is up to you to choose your future.

Her hand wavered and then gritting her teeth, she pulled it back. Fine then. She replied, walking back to her previous spot, as her angered steps caused the coral to crack. It was only after sitting there for many moments, her anger draining away as she considered what had happened that she thought to ask the last question. Perfection was your dao, wasn't it?

Yes, it was. He answered, confused by her sudden question.

Would it be alright to assume that you never embarked upon the path that you chose for me?

No, He said, the word almost forced out. No, I did not.

So you have not walked the path you intend for me yourself?

No, I found out too late the limits of my own initial path. This was in the end, what allowed me to shatter my core. However many others who I knew did walk similar paths, as did some of those who I taught.

Xiao Yingzi considered that, feeling her anger and emotions finally fade completely. Then she nodded to herself and spoke frankly. This may not be my path, Elder Teleos. Wisdom is but the dao and aren't we all but slaves to it? I must walk my own path to the end.

I understand your frustration, but I also cannot freely share what I wish to because of concerns that you are very well aware of. He told her. Then after a moment's hesitation, he spoke once more. There exist rare items - the Waters of Lethe for one, that can erase memory even from the soul.

I see. She answered, considering that as she worked. How difficult would it be to acquire something like that?

At least, decades of effort from a specialized Core Formation. He told her. If we want to ensure minimal side-effects.

I see. She replied, and then nodded to herself. I will have to see if there is any method to acquire it then.

 

[Quest]

Antonius Emmanuel Eleanora Extra 2
[Turn 14]
[The Dao of The Underworld]​

Before all things there was Oceanus, the endless ocean. A swirling tide of light that held within it all the heavens and the earths. But then was born Erebus, the eternal darkness. A dark tide of death and shadows that threatened to swallow all the worlds. For eons they struggled against each other, neither bringing forth a victor until this simply became the state of existence.

In the place where the two forces met, there was a strip of earth that had been long reduced to ash in the conflict. Only the simplest of life could grow here, eking out a meager existence as it struggled against the interplay of light and shadow. Though mere ghosts of what they could be, their lives still had meaning and perhaps the smallest ripple could turn the tides of this endless war.

It was into this world that the boy was born, destined to be yet another casualty of this timeless struggle. But he did not die when he should have. He lived where others died and he watched as their lives slipped through his fingers. Even the smallest life could have meaning, he had been told. But for those who had been lost, there was no one to remember them.

The world lost its meaning for him.

When he looked at the once-beautiful skies, he saw only the cold, hard stone of Erebus. When he looked around himself, at the lives that had once seemed to matter, he only saw the light of Oceanus guiding all things that it touched. He saw the truth of the world, the meaninglessness of the lives that so many others had forgotten.

He would remember them.

Where others sought to fix the world, or to completely tear it down, the boy saw the beauty in it and sought to preserve its memory as best as he could. He took that strip of earth and from the light, he formed five rivers and let them flow through the lands. Fed with those waters, the world that had been reduced to ash began to beget life.

Knighted by an ancient power, the King was born to rule this land. Though it was only an echo of what was and what could be, the life born from this earth still shone with its own light. This, he decided, would be his kingdom and he would be its King. Even if it should be changed forever, he swore that he at least would remember it.

The first river he made was the Styx, the River of Will. The first child of this endless struggle, it was concerned with the living. Forever circling this ashen realm in hopes of protecting it, allowing only those with the greatest of wills to force their way past. It empowered the living, granting strength and resilience to their limbs and weight to their words, so that none of those may ever be broken without consequence.

The second river was the Acheron, the River of Memory. The twin of the River Styx, parted from its source due to concern over the dead. It echoed the wills of the lost and it sang the songs of the fallen, so that they may never be forgotten. From its banks, the living could learn of their history and be inspired, channeling the dead to aid them in their struggles.

From them, the immaterial was given weight for both good and for ill. But not all souls rested easy, seeking to affect the world even from beyond the grave. The third river was thus Cocytus, the River of Ghosts that flowed through this world to take them all in hand. Those of the dead who would not rest were carried by its current, to be judged by the King and to be put to use, so that they would not wander forever.

But not all souls easily surrendered and even bound some continued to resist, whether living or dead and so was born the fourth river Phlegethon, the River of Punishment. It was a stream of fire, coiling around the world like its eldest brother and flowing into the very depths of existence. However, where the Styx gave protection, the Phlegethon was the fire that burned the soul.

The last river was concerned not with this world, but with the one after it. The Lethe was the River of Oblivion, and in time it would wash away the wills and memories of the dead for nothing lasts forever. Only the King stands against the all-eroding currents of light and shadow and wrests them into a usable form, but in time even he will succumb and step into the river of oblivion to be forgotten forever.

And at the end of it all, the very power that crowned the King lay waiting. Born from the world and reaching beyond it, Tartarus stood ever hungry. It grasped for the very souls of the fallen and sought to consume them, until the brightest lights and darkest shadows lay within its grasp. The deepest of secrets lay there - and should he not pass through the Lethe, the day would come when the King would seek that power or turn his face away from it forever.

 

[Fluffy_serpent]

chi yung, an old hunter from an unimportant village was currently hunting near the complex of madness, this was an ancient complex of what is believed to have been a small clan in the past, at first its discovery caused many growers to come in search of their possible treasures, but quickly became a place of hardship, this was because all who entered ended up falling into a madness where they would wander aimlessly through the complex looking to kill anything that crossed their sight ... all this until they died.


This fact and the fact that apparently it did not have great treasures caused all the cultivators to quickly lose interest.

As he went down looking for his next prey and at the same time reviewing the history of one of the few interesting things that could be found in the surroundings, he began to hear a small cry that apparently came from the complex.

Intrigued and worried about what was crying in the chi yung complex, against his instincts, he decided to go inside the complex...

The first thing he noticed as soon as he entered the compound was that everything was full of what looked like blood stains and a strong odor that he could not identify.

He carefully made his way to the source of the weeping, on the way he saw houses and all those things that cultivators usually have...

But as he approached the weeping fountain he found to his immense surprise not an injured child but a baby, something that seemed as illogical as the fact that he had not yet suffered any of the rumored effects that he was told in ancient times were suffered by all those who dared to enter the complex...

but ignoring that his concern took the lead and ignoring the illogicality of the baby's existence in this place, he took him in his arms and tried to calm him down...as he did so he noticed that on his neck there was a small stone that seemed to change colors constantly...intrigued by the stone he began to bring his hand to it, but a second before he touched it he heard a roar nearby.

He immediately cut off almost all rational thought and the instinct cultivated over the years took the lead, tying the baby to his chest so that it would not occupy his hands, firmly took his spear and began to flee the village...after all, although normally he would go to fight this time he was carrying the weight of a life other than his own.

---

As he fled to the village, the beast came closer and closer to chi yung...until the time came when he could no longer run away and was forced to fight the beast.

When chi yung turned around and saw the beast, it was a large bear, about 5 feet tall, with a fur color similar to blood and claws so dark that they seemed to absorb the light.

When he saw the thing up close, the first thing chi yung thought was that he would die at that very moment, which filled him with fear and made him cower and think of the many things he was afraid of, but all that was erased from his mind when he saw the baby...he could not cower, a life that had not even begun and was full of potential for either good or evil depended on him, he could not afford to die.

Full of determination he tightened his grip on his spear and ran towards the beast with all his strength, when he was almost face to face with the bear he slid backwards passing between the bear's legs and thrusting his spear into its face, while at the same time he pulled out his skinning knife and slid it cutting the lower part of the bear.

After finishing his momentum he quickly stood up and kept his distance from the bear, hoping that it would have died.

But to his surprise the bear was fine despite having a spear stuck in its face.

which confirmed his theory that it wasn't just a Rarity with red fur.

He quickly drew his bow from his back and from his qajaq a blue arrow that emanated a mystical aura.

He quickly put the arrow in the bow and with all his strength he shot it, immediately the arrow flew towards the bear, leaving a blue trail in its path and upon impact out of nowhere it disintegrated the bear and in turn the arrow itself disintegrated.

relieved that the arrow had killed the bear, but somewhat saddened that both the arrow and the bear disintegrated.

quickly but somewhat calmer he continued to the village.

And so ended a small story, one of no importance in the grand scheme of things, but of great importance to all involved.

---

Since that day, that baby, now named huo siren, has lived in relative peace in the village, living in blissful ignorance.

although his peculiar way of being has caused him to have several problems, those little stories are for another time.

---

I felt bad about my very bad first omake so I wrote this one which represents my horrible writing skills somewhat better.

words:880

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

I felt bad about my very bad first omake so I wrote this one which represents my horrible writing skills somewhat better.

Click to shrink...

Don't put down your work. You made the effort and have definitely improved. Keep it up and you'll see more progress. This is a very low requirement quest

 

[Swordomatic]

I felt bad about my very bad first omake so I wrote this one which represents my horrible writing skills somewhat better.

Click to shrink...

Hey, listen. No writer starts good. In fact, I daresay that all writers start bad. But the important thing is to put your stuff out there for people to see, and to be open to feedback so you can get better. Sometimes that feedback is personal, when you read what you write and realise a better way to do it, or finally put that feeling you have into words. It can also be people telling you about your stuff, about what they liked and did not like.

So write, write, write! And don't let anyone get you down about it.

 

[Xantalos]

I felt bad about my very bad first omake so I wrote this one which represents my horrible writing skills somewhat better.

Click to shrink...

The feeling of your writing skills not being able to transmit the ideas you have in your brain as well as you'd like never really goes away - perfection is never reached, only eternally strived for, much like the great mountain of cultivation itself. You've improved already, all that remains is to keep moving forward, and to learn to love the feeling of frustration, letting it spur you to greater heights in your craft! We are all imperfect, and have nowhere to go but up.

 

[Insane-Not-Crazy]

TURN 14, OMAKE 6 [Lipita]
Lipita Delphi 40: Preparing to Take the Plunge​

How does one prepare to journey forth through a gate in time and space that is the cast off scale of a dead demigod into a land cut off from the reality you know where everything wants to kill you, and we do mean everything, all for the mere chance mind you that you might possibly get to spin the wheel of fortune between cheap trinkets and awe inspiring treasure? Well the first thing you do is pack clean underwear, add on a heap of sanitary supplies and make a will for the likely event of your passing. You know what? Scratch that last portion. Having a plan in place for your demise is just good common sense for anyone masochistic and foolhardy enough to think that becoming a cultivator is a good idea so you should already have that in place irrespective of any life threatening expeditions you decide to tack on to the suicidal trajectory of your life as a cultivator. But those first two, they are critical. Why are cleanliness and comfort important? That's because they mean you've resolved to live. The first hurdle in risking your life is believing that odds are for losers and you are a winner whether the cold equations of probability are in your favor or not. The will to live can carry one far in places where near certain death is the attraction. Of course, the next most urgent priority is bringing along enough firepower to convince would-be death to look for easier prospects elsewhere.

You'd think that this got easier after having done it before, Lipita Delphi thought to herself, but of course it isn't. In her room in the Delphi estates in Emporikipolis she surveyed the veritable storehouse spread out across multiple tables and her bed. Crossbow bolts, charged talismans and throwing knives jostled for space with rations, medical supplies, Spirit Stones, refined pills and other more mundane items. Lipita's room was quite expanse, almost an apartment in size and practically every inch of it was occupied. The problem currently facing the young woman was that considering she was soon to be heading through the Qiguai Realmgate, anything here could prove essential but trying to transport everything would definitely prove fatal.

As a cultivator in the 10th Heavenstage of Qi Condensation Lipita had eighteen times the strength of a peak mortal and something on the order of tenfold the stamina. That meant she could carry a lot of material with her in theory but quantity came with a cumbersome burden at least for someone not blessed with the more advanced storage capacities cultivators employed. Lipita looked down at the plain black ring perfectly fitted to the index finger on her right hand and rubbed at the smooth dark surface.

"It would have been nice if you were able to contain more than just Spirit Cannon artillery," Lipita grumbled considering the Spatial Cannon Ring, "Then all my troubles would be over. All the firepower in the world I could support and the logistics train to supply it in one perfectly sized dimensional pocket."

Lipita sighed and knuckled her eyes, the ebon orbs itching after staring for what seemed like hours at varied configurations of supplies to take with her.

"Take a step back, Lipita and look at this objectively," Lipita said out loud to herself, "The last time you did this with senior Gaius the destination was the Yuan Man-As-Mountain-Array but it was still an expedition into a secret realm. Forget the specifics and look at the principles."

Picture perfect, the scenes of her time spent with Gaius Antonius preparing for their venture into that first secret realm replayed in Lipita's memory, every detail etched into her mind by the [Erudite Sibyl's Stairway: Palace of Memory]. She reviewed the conversations they had had in training, with storeowners in the Dawn Fortress and even the final preparations in their rented room in an inn in Seven Tourneys City. The conclusion from that exercise was simple.

She already knew what was required and the abundance of choice was causing her to dither over inanities rather than any true dilemma over provisioning

Lipita recited the simple methodology she had been taught, "Prioritize the needs, rank the wants by urgency and put off the likes till everything else has been addressed."

Refocusing her attention, Lipita drilled down what was available to her and selected what she was taking with her. Sturdy and comfortable clothing was a must, when she might be forced to wear the same outfit for an indeterminate period. She was not so removed from mortal concerns of chafing and the less energy needed spent fending off parasites and vermin, the better saved for more urgent priorities. Hygienic products were a must for this trip, particularly excretion and egestion concealment applications. The last thing she needed was some Spirit Beast or cultivator picking up on her spoor from her leavings and coming to find the person at the end of the trail.

Lipita considered the lamellar armor and chainmail offerings from the Delphi armory and dismissed them as suitable for her plans. Kokkinos Laoshi's father had promised her a set of leather armor with metal inserts personally customized to her preferred style of ranged combat so there was no need to opt for the mass produced alternatives from her family.

Looking over the melee weapons accessible to her, she decided on a brace of throwing knives, a sword as backup and finally a spear as her main close combat armaments. Previous experience with the kind of desperate tussles that could occur in a secret realm let her know that between a sword and spear, the longer reach of the latter favored her keep-away preferences. She idly rubbed at her side remembering the firm lesson she'd received that passable swordsmanship only delayed the inevitable against a better skilled opposing sword user, and there were many of those roaming about. She was no 'gentleman' so the 'king' of weapons was more to her liking.

Picking up the spear she had surreptitiously borrowed from the weapon stores on the authority of Councilor Chemos, she pounced the weapon in her palm feeling the exquisite balance and heft to the polearm. This was a fairly simple artifact weapon, made from wood harvested from century old Imperial Rosewood and treated for flexibility and durability, with weapon enchantments applied to make channeling qi through it easier and faster for added reinforcement. The spearhead was a little fancier being made of Jadesteel quenched in the blood of a Steel Wingblade Hawk. The forging process and later work done by family artificers had given the spear the ability to form a qi projection around the spearhead, invisible to the eye and subtle to spiritual sense while being keen enough to cut through rock. Stun an opponent with the [Mind Seizing Binding] and they were wide open to being gutted by an edge they never saw coming. Lipita returned the spear to its leaning postion against the wall and briefly examined the sword she'd picked out, merely pulling the blade halfway out of its sheathe. Nothing too fancy here since she'd blown most of her favor on the spear, just a simple durability and minor weight enhancement to the blade.

Eyeing the holster of throwing daggers hanging from a wall hanger, Lipita smiled at the visible crimson sheen to the metal of the blades. Weighted for throwing and serviceable for handheld use, the daggers had an anticoagulating curse embedded in them to make even minor injuries from them progressively serious concerns to enemies.

Lipita picked up the sturdy crossbow she'd practiced with and personally made upgrades to from a table, checking the windlass was in good order and the cable was shipshape. Sure the Spatial Cannon Ring packed a punch that blew anything the crossbow could deliver out of the water even with the enchanted bolts she could swap in but the crossbow was an entirely mechanical and qi-less ranged weapon. As good as the portable artillery battery was, subtlety was not what it optimized for. Besides the bolts offered a variety of options she was lacking with the concealed Spirit Cannons. Poison delivery, tracking tags, stun charges and more special bolts expanded her tool set to increase her chances against the many threats she was likely to come up against.

Lipita kicked the small wooden chest she'd brought back from Senior Mechanikos Adephos without opening it, not trusting herself to refrain from spending another hours long session trying puzzle out the secrets of the arrays he'd given her. A full set of array-plates and flags had been provided to her free of charge by one of the most renowned Array-Engineers in the Clan at present, all thanks to tat old coot Chemos. She was absolutely loving the experience of having a golden thigh to hold on to, even forgiving her old mentor of the many grievances she'd kept from her apprenticeship. There was a dizzying spectrum of variety in the arrays Achille Adephos had prepared for her, mostly utility schema like warding, alarm and concealment patterns but there were also restraining and offensive ambush designs included. The bounty in arrays had allowed her to save up on minor talismans and but a proper life-saving treasure to add on to the one she already had.

Lipita was checking through the list of alchemical resources she wanted, deliberating if an even spread of combat qi replenishing pills was worth including in her limited pace considering the Spirit Stones she would be lugging to replenish uses of the Spatial Cannon Ring, when a knock sounded at her door.

Not expecting any visitors, Lipita was mildly disgruntled at having her packing interrupted and went to answer the door. She was very surprised when she opened the door to find a ridiculously large candy on a stick thrust into her face. While Lipita fumbled with the surprise offering, her unexpected guest slipped past her into her room.

Standing in one of the few open areas in the room clear of piled equipment, the intruder looked around him with a whistle on his lips. "I thought those pesky underlings of Pelagos were being as useless as ever when they came complaining about a writ of authorization in my name being abused but I see they weren't blowing hot air. What did you do brat? Clear our the storehouse for a hoard? You do know that the Delphi have no relation to dragons despite that idiot child's rhyme?"

"And who was it that taught me said idiot child's rhyme?" Lipita scoffed, closing the door and facing her old mentor.

Biting back her initial response to Chemos, Lipita reminded herself that the wrinkled old man currently rummaging through the stacked contents of her room was a generous patron to her and one of the head councilors for the entire Delphi family. She had to be respectful of his status and treat him accordingly, despite what instinct prompted her to do.

"Master Chemos, while I would love to receive you as an honored guest, as you can see around you now is neither the appropriate time nor place," Lipita said with forced politeness.

"Oh, fancy underwear," Chemos commented, holding up a strapless elastic breast binding in both hands and pulling on the material, "Though I don't see why you'd bother. It's not like you have much off a bust to worry about in movement."

"Oh, that's it you old miserable bastard," Lipita swore, immediately forgetting her resolve to be genteel, "Put that down before I shove it down your throat. And stop bringing me candy like I'm still thirteen."

"You say that but you still eat it all up," Chemos said with a smile, putting the underwear down under a sustained glare from Lipita, "No harm intended by my observations."

Lipita sniffed curtly, annoyed both by Chemos' nosiness and the fact that he was right, damn that old bastard. He'd brought apple cherry candy, her favorite flavor. Putting aside the stick of candy, Lipita eyed the Expert and asked, "So what brings you out of secluded cultivation? I thought you were busy preparing for the breakthrough to Core Formation. The last time we met you only had enough time to hand me the writ of authority, which by the way I only used under the clear instructions you gave. I believe your exact words were: 'Go wild and take everything you need'. No take backs now so any problems with the administrative staff is your problem too."

The smile on Chemos' face broadened and he tucked both hands behind himself, affecting a manner of total innocence like a child. "Why? Can't an old man simply come by to see his former apprentice before she goes on a quest for fortune and treasure?"

Lipita lifted an eyebrow in question. "Really that's why you came? To wish me well?"

The look on Chemos' face took on a more somber cast. "Yes it is, is that so hard to believe coming from me?"

Walking closer to stand by Lipita, Chemos said to her, "I have never been anything less proud of you and what you have achieved, as my apprentice and afterwards when you left my supervision. That also means that I care when you put yourself in danger. I understand why you are going to Qiguai but I still remember the outcome of your last expedition to a secret realm."

Looking up at his junior, Chemos continued concern in his voice, "A crippling that could be so easily healed by effective if very expensive attention by an Elder is a very good outcome among the dangers of a secret realm. However that was in the Yuan Man-as-Mountain array with a genius companion by your side, one who proved his mettle in becoming a Single Pillar King. The Qiguai Realmgate is a different peril altogether. Mere entry can see you dead if your luck is poor. Even if access alone doesn't see you dead, you will be in a treacherous land where its inhabitants, other entrants and the very elements can and will see you buried in a grave if you give them the opportunity. All this with no guarantee of allies or safe refuge. So yes, I came to see you because you are walking into the maw of a violent beast and you very well not walk out."

Taken aback by the unabashed emotion that Chemos had expressed, Lipita found her words only after several confused moments.

"Thank you for caring so much. I know and am very grateful that you have such an interest in me," she said bowing her head in gratitude, "You've assisted me over and above what I deserve, between the materials from Senior Mechanikos Adephos and the access you have provided to the family's stores. I don't know how I can repay you."

"Bah, no need to bend your head to me," Chemos dismissed her thanks, "You pay it back by coming back alive and then paying it forward. You think I want to take up a stuffy councilor's position or try to ascend to become chief councilor just because? Sure I always had the goal of reaching Core Formation but I'm doing it as a councilor because an old sadist once saw potential in me and gave me a push I would never had otherwise received. The least I can do is look out for the younger generation and repeat the favor."

"Besides your mothers would kill me if they knew I didn't do everything I could to help you," Chemos said shuddering, "Those two can be absolutely terrifying if they get riled up enough."

Lipita shivered in remembered sympathy with Chemos at the calamity that was an aggrieved Augusta and Philomena Delphi working together.

"Rest assured, you old goat," Lipita said confidently, "I am not dying in the Qiguai Realmgate whatever else may happen. Someone has to show you senile seniors how it's really done."

Nodding with happiness at Lipita's confidence. Chemos cast glances around at the stuffed room. "Well I'll hold you to your word. You certainly seem ready to throw everything and the kitchen sink at the secret realm."

"I'm not taking everything but I'm going in loaded for hellfire and damnation," Lipita replied.

"I took at the list of items those paper-pushers were complaining about and I saw that you went light on the talismans. Want some help preparing some extra spicy surprises for anyone you meet?" Chemos asked wiggling his eyebrows in a comic manner.

"If by extra spicy, you mean life-bound vitae talismans then yes. I absolutely want your assistance," Lipita eagerly replied.

Chemos blinked in surprise at the strength of Lipita's response, "Well well, look who's coming round to her old teacher's way of thinking. I remember you being all squeamish and frightened when we went through this part in your apprenticeship, though oddly enough only when you were the subject."

Lipita gave Chemos a blank look in reply. "Of course I was squeamish. Being flayed alive is a wholly different prospect from being the one doing the flaying. Besides you insisted on singing that ghastly tune every time you were peeling the skin off my back."

Chemos whistled a few bars of an upbeat cheery tune and smiled bemusedly as Lipita shuddered on hearing the song. "Huh, I always thought you grew beyond that reaction. You should work on that, you know. You can never entirely secure your psyche from mental attacks but you should prioritize dealing with known weak points."

"Oh great, advice from the person who created those mental scars in the first place. How joyous." Lipita said sarcastically.

"That Kokkinos girl should teach you better how to talk your seniors. It's the least she could do after replacing me," Chemos said in mock offense.

"Kokkinos Laoshi is helping with the competition in the Spirit Oasis in honor of Minervina Barda. Seniors Simon Euaerizo and Achille Adephos are also in attendance. Either of those three could and have been better teachers in manners than you ever were," Lipita shot back, "I distinctly remember you making me memorize an entire tract in the Old Tongue using the Memory Palace which was supposedly an eulogy for fallen heroes of the Clan but instead turned out to be a collection of raunchy recountings of brothel patrons when I recited it to my mothers."

"Why don't we forget old miscommunications and focus on the sublime art of turning your very body into powerful agents of inscribed thaumaturgy?" Chemos hastily changed the subject.

He quickly strode out of Lipita's room, only sparing a moment to call back to her. "Well what are you waiting for? I'm quite literally burning Spirit Stones being here. Hop to it and let's get the skin off those muscles. You look like you could spare enough pints of blood right now to have a full set of life-bound talismans ready by tonight."

Lipita rolled her eyes but followed after the older Delphi cultivator. Call it a callback to a simpler time in her childhood, but having Chemos take such direct involvement in her preparation for her trip into Qiguai made her think better of her prospects. He was an inspiring presence, Lipita thought, but still an absolute pain in the behind, she tacked on hastily. It was comforting to have her old master with her in even this small capacity. It made the approaching plunge easier.

AN: (3325 words) This is the last for Lipita as well.

 

[Wiggy]

Chivalrous scorpion knights being a thing is really fun. I'm glad that exists.