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.
The Clan has absolutely no idea how that'd pan out.
It's fine to have a Core Formation elder! It's where I drew our new Elder of War from. That being said, please keep them in the early/mid stage of Core Formation initially - late/great circle Core Formation are such tremendous assets I keep track of their numbers and benefits specifically, if not their names and histories.
Put a note in about what Ferenike is looking for, but it's too rare and unknown to get as a Cool Thing. If she happens upon a particularly good Fate roll, though...
I'm planning on expanding on her bloodline in time with two techniques: one of them having Invasion of in the name (what its invading is hinted at in the omake) which is a refinement of this where its basically she strikes, and then as her hand is stuck in there she strikes from within millions of times. The other technique is something I haven't picked a satisfying name for yet which is meant to basically give her multiple arms and a radical increase in striking power.
Wow, getting a very body horror feel from the Bloodline. Leaving me the impression that the Trial survivors will past on the message to the next batch to stay away from the Four arm glass statue of death.
Hmm, well if you wanna stick to the theme of the moves being Military Tactics, " Barrage " or " Fusillade" could work ? Although i personally feel that something like Legion Of One or Thousand Reeds gives off a more stylistic ring.
One thing with the overall battle that I am a little eh about is capturing how wounded she actually was, since I glossed over the details in places for sake of pacing.
I thought it was fine, the fight itself convey the weight of the injuries although the lack of references to it after the death as a bit jarring. Maybe it could be referenced during the Training arc ?
Going from here will be the training arc and dealing with the Scorpion (she has some interesting thematic interactions with Scorpions that I want to explore)
Also during turn 6 I have an idea to use my Cool Thing for Lore hunting about cultivation stages. I have some ideas. @occipitallobe would it be possible for me to use my Cool Thing bonus on turn 6 to have Ferenike explore into parts of the Desert for Lore on the potential requirements for the Emperor's Pillar (9th Pillar) in Foundation Building.
Well that's a unique approach towards the Cool things bonus! My own thinking was more along the lines of using the 5 turn before the Trials happen again to rebuild the stuff like Life saving treasure etc
A potential cool thing bonus i was musing on was a weapon or artefact that i can devote future cool things to for more abilites. Kind of like unlocking the potential of the weapon + allows for fun stuff like a living or intelligent weapon.
@occipitallobe if you got the time, any dangerous locations and stuff on the way to the Door Trade city ? I'm kinda stumped on ideas so a prompt would help. But is cool if you want to keep that a secret!
Wow, getting a very body horror feel from the Bloodline. Leaving me the impression that the Trial survivors will past on the message to the next batch to stay away from the Four arm glass statue of death.
Hmm, well if you wanna stick to the theme of the moves being Military Tactics, " Barrage " or " Fusillade" could work ? Although i personally feel that something like Legion Of One or Thousand Reeds gives off a more stylistic ring.
If you've ever seen Hindu depictions of the Asura or Kali, or the main character Asura from the game Asura's Wrath that's the sort of vibe I'm going for. Forging limbs and faces of glass which hang about her in a panoply.
Ten Million Sword Hands that Divide Creation is unfortunately perhaps a bit too verbose for a technique name, for the simple fact I'd get tired of writing it.
The reason I'm going for it is to meet more of the visual aesthetic of the Shrike with its massive spiky form and four arms. (Also, feature of importance in referencing the visual aesthetic of the Shrike, it impaled people on thorns and spikes like its namesake bird did which is part of where I took the head impalement and the fate of Wu Gan from.)
I thought it was fine, the fight itself convey the weight of the injuries although the lack of references to it after the death as a bit jarring. Maybe it could be referenced during the Training arc ?
Scorpion as in the pet or scorpion as in the military weapon ? Cus the later will be pretty cool
That is a good idea! I tried to slip in some references to it but kinda missed. Aw well! In the next arc!
It was referenced more in the earliest training updates, but her spear strikes are Scorpion like, in terms of the animal. But in terms of the weapon Scorpion, its entirely likely I'll use that too.
Well that's a unique approach towards the Cool things bonus! My own thinking was more along the lines of using the 5 turn before the Trials happen again to rebuild the stuff like Life saving treasure etc
A potential cool thing bonus i was musing on was a weapon or artefact that i can devote future cool things to for more abilites. Kind of like unlocking the potential of the weapon + allows for fun stuff like a living or intelligent weapon.
@occipitallobe if you got the time, any dangerous locations and stuff on the way to the Door Trade city ? I'm kinda stumped on ideas so a prompt would help. But is cool if you want to keep that a secret!
The other cities in the region contain about fifty to one hundred thousand each, and another five hundred thousand mortals live in various towns and villages too small to mark on this map.
Ten Million Sword Hands that Divide Creation is unfortunately perhaps a bit too verbose for a technique name, for the simple fact I'd get tired of writing it.
The reason I'm going for it is to meet more of the visual aesthetic of the Shrike with its massive spiky form and four arms. (Also, feature of importance in referencing the visual aesthetic of the Shrike, it impaled people on thorns and spikes like its namesake bird did which is part of where I took the head impalement and the fate of Wu Gan from.)
Yeah... But i mean it'll be cool though. At a higher realm she can go " You have done well surviving 1 sword hand, can you survive Ten? a Hundred? or Ten million ? " AKA this isn't my true form.
It was referenced more in the earliest training updates, but her spear strikes are Scorpion like, in terms of the animal. But in terms of the weapon Scorpion, its entirely likely I'll use that too.
Hah. Guess i gotta read stuff more carefully. Admittedly, the whole desert and scorpion combo gave me flashes of the Rock as the Scorpion King from Mummy 2. So you know, that could be another battle form.
Now that's an idea! I can easily fluff it as materials from there, and with the nice shiny map indicate a group called Whipping Forge Sect, a quest to get it forged seems possible as well.
I was also considering the idea of stumbling across Sabers belonging to the Saber Palace when they invaded us or finding the body of one who died in the secret realm, and that the " unlocking " is the process of getting the sabers to acknowledge a new master. For added drama, the old owner was a young master and now Xiao Yi is being specially targetted for them.
But eh, i'll have to see if i can spare a bonus for Cool stuff.
You can all rest assured this has been done for no particular reason and there are no plans or rolls involved. (You may need to open the image on a new tab and zoom around in mobile to be able to read it properly).
In terms of a guide, blue is Clan fortifications, white is Hua Empire cities and such, red indicates Devil Bees, and black is peculiar magical things that aren't owned as such.
So @occipitallobe a question about Clan Formation tactics. In a battle with multiple Centuries or Maniples of the Golden Devil vs a large opposing force like the Battle Blood Cannibal Sect do the Maniples or Centuries all come together to form one big stompy Hoplite or Kataphractoi, or does each Mainple/Century form their own Hoplite or Kataphractoi to then act in unison or to go off and do their own thing?
How much of Clan doctrine contains ideas of multiple Clan Formations active in one battlefield.
So, 2 quick question, for the sand tower, is it any use for peak Qi cultivators?
as for the transformation portal, what happens when you throw in 2 or more animals, say a white-backed scorpion with a poisonous snake, or a swarm of poisonous bugs?
So, 2 quick question, for the sand tower, is it any use for peak Qi cultivators?
as for the transformation portal, what happens when you throw in 2 or more animals, say a white-backed scorpion with a poisonous snake, or a swarm of poisonous bugs?
Hmm, that is an interesting question. I always assumed that when the Clan fights together, they just spawn 1 formation to make full use of the numbers. But tactically speaking, having more then 1 Formation attacking makes sense as well.
Hmm, that is an interesting question. I always assumed that when the Clan fights together, they just spawn 1 formation to make full use of the numbers. But tactically speaking, having more then 1 Formation attacking makes sense as well.
I was imagining scenarios of a town being attacked by a Devil Bee formation, with several Maniples of the Clan in defense. If one big Formation is fast enough to kill all the Devil Bees before they threaten the town then it is reasonable to form up into one big blob. But it occurred to me that as the commander of a fighting force, Ferenike might not have the strength of numbers to form a Formation that powerful, and so must contend with a very large number of Devil Bees with a more limited number of Manpiles.
What then, but to have the idea to make a Phalanx of Hoplites, each Maniple forming and sustaining one and advancing as a unified force which can divide its focus to defeat the flood of enemies piecemeal. A Maniple may fall and their Formation go out, but the others remain to keep fighting.
What then, but to have the idea to make a Phalanx of Hoplites, each Maniple forming and sustaining one and advancing as a unified force which can divide its focus to defeat the flood of enemies piecemeal. A Maniple may fall and their Formation go out, but the others remain to keep fighting.
Hmm, i would think that coventional style tactics like this would probably only work if the attackers are on par with the defending Clansmen. Since Xianxia is true to the One Man Army ideal, i can see instances where the Clan has no choice but to sacrifice some parts of the town to the enemy since all the clansmen need to form up to stand a chance against the top attacker.
Then again, utility Formations like the Oasis or my Poison arrows might change that. Since it'll be worth the tradeoff from spinning these formations to provide support to the Main Hoplite, such as replenishing it's energy so that it can outlast the enemy that is poisoned. But purely from a Combat Formations only perspective, i think grouping up as 1 blob might be more useful since the stronger the formation the faster it can crush those infront of it before moving on.
I think ideally, for us to use a unified army style, the combat formations involved have to be less gather all Qi to manifest something and more buff each cultivator in the army.
Hmm, i would think that coventional style tactics like this would probably only work if the attackers are on par with the defending Clansmen. Since Xianxia is true to the One Man Army ideal, i can see instances where the Clan has no choice but to sacrifice some parts of the town to the enemy since all the clansmen need to form up to stand a chance against the top attacker.
Then again, utility Formations like the Oasis or my Poison arrows might change that. Since it'll be worth the tradeoff from spinning these formations to provide support to the Main Hoplite, such as replenishing it's energy so that it can outlast the enemy that is poisoned. But purely from a Combat Formations only perspective, i think grouping up as 1 blob might be more useful since the stronger the formation the faster it can crush those infront of it before moving on.
I think ideally, for us to use a unified army style, the combat formations involved have to be less gather all Qi to manifest something and more buff each cultivator in the army.
That was the general impression I got of Xianxia Formations as well, where its about blobbing up into one big Kaiju to beat on the other guy, with your Kaiju being able to mulch through enemy armies at ridiculous pace. Figured I'd ask though because it was very much a "Huh! That's going to get some kind of entertaining answer" type of question. Either it works or it doesn't and both of those are interesting.
That was the general impression I got of Xianxia Formations as well, where its about blobbing up into one big Kaiju to beat on the other guy, with your Kaiju being able to mulch through enemy armies at ridiculous pace. Figured I'd ask though because it was very much a "Huh! That's going to get some kind of entertaining answer" type of question. Either it works or it doesn't and both of those are interesting.
I've seen battle formations in xianxia described as an actual battle formation instead of blobbing up to create a qi kaiju construct. It was done to show how awesome the protagonist was for breaking said formation, but the point stands that battle formations in xianxia can be mundane battle formations.
That was the general impression I got of Xianxia Formations as well, where its about blobbing up into one big Kaiju to beat on the other guy, with your Kaiju being able to mulch through enemy armies at ridiculous pace. Figured I'd ask though because it was very much a "Huh! That's going to get some kind of entertaining answer" type of question. Either it works or it doesn't and both of those are interesting.
Hmm, a interesting take would be a Formation where a Higher Realm lends his strength out. Less gathering streams to form a mighty river and more the river dividing into streams.
But considering Xianxia and Wuxia is mainly about Power For Self, i think the above isn't going to be possible unless a cool thing bonus or Fate roll is allocated to it. I might go for this when Xiao Yi hits core. Since it will allow for that ideal Kingdom style Calvary unit i envisioned when i came up with Xiao Yi .
I've seen battle formations in xianxia described as an actual battle formation instead of blobbing up to create a qi kaiju construct. It was done to show how awesome the protagonist was for breaking said formation, but the point stands that battle formations in xianxia can be mundane battle formations.
So, 2 quick question, for the sand tower, is it any use for peak Qi cultivators?
as for the transformation portal, what happens when you throw in 2 or more animals, say a white-backed scorpion with a poisonous snake, or a swarm of poisonous bugs?
It's a crap-tier secret realm - it's nice for a minor vassal of yours, but for you personally?
The animals come out jumbled up and dead. It only works properly with a human and animal. Such hybrids can survive low-Qi environments better (and this is why the Goatmen Tribes occupy where they do), but are largely relegated to the poorest parts of the desert. They're virtually useless for Blood Path absorption as well, but their humanity makes them useless to Beast Path.
So @occipitallobe a question about Clan Formation tactics. In a battle with multiple Centuries or Maniples of the Golden Devil vs a large opposing force like the Battle Blood Cannibal Sect do the Maniples or Centuries all come together to form one big stompy Hoplite or Kataphractoi, or does each Mainple/Century form their own Hoplite or Kataphractoi to then act in unison or to go off and do their own thing?
How much of Clan doctrine contains ideas of multiple Clan Formations active in one battlefield.
It really depends. Ideal Clan doctrine involves being able to take down key enemy cultivators (using massed Formations to slaughter the strongest enemies, while using those Formations to defend meanwhile) and then using superior strength to crush the remainder.
However, formations get less efficient as more cultivators join them, so it depends a lot. In a battle with Qi Condensation only, you might see a quarter of the cultivators form one Hoplite and start killing the enemy en masse, and everyone else forms up into smaller ones to play defense.
You could in theory take direct control. However, strategically in a war Manuel might give a few commands, but mainly to support his own actions (or potential of future actions) which tend to be the most important thing in any given way. Being able to actually take action with the force of a Nascent Soul is far more important than trying to improve the performance of massed cultivators.
I've updated secret realm timings into the clan infopost, and put some brief information about them in the Good Seeds page. Sorry @Mochinator , I decided to make a small set of edits for secret realm stuff instead of more infoposts - didn't add any challenges or notions.
Falling from a great height is something that just happens sometimes when you're an aspiring demigod--you think everything is going perfectly fine, you step into a nice portal to a place where you can get some experience and treasures to help fuel your rise? And where do you end up?
Spat out in the middle of the air, overlooking a great island, gleaming with emerald light from the abundant life within. Rina's first breath in the Secret Realm was a bit of a shock to her system, Essence so rich that she felt her Cultivation stabilizing just from the power in the air!
For once, she wouldn't have to spend all of her Spirit Stones just to replace what she spends in battle! She could totally cut loose and everything would be fine!
Of course, while a nice distraction, the fact remained that Rina was currently falling down on a great magic island, the wind already whipping past her as her speed increased--at her current level, the fall wasn't going to be dangerous.
The risk would be the fall dropping her someplace she really had no business being. The section of the island she was falling towards was the Western Region--the area suited for Cultivatiors in the Qi Condensation realm--while she could see the even richer lands of the Secret Realm from here…
There was no getting around the fact it would be suicide to drop down in those areas, even assuming there weren't any obstacles that would rear their head for anyone who tried to cross the borders through a conventional method!
So no, she couldn't get greedy--she was falling from the sky as opposed to being spat out somewhere on the ground. This was a good thing at her level! Because it would mean she'd have the choice to land wherever she wanted!
And given how she should be as close to invincible as it gets as long as she doesn't get greedy and leave the Qi Condensation Region, she had no reason to be anything but bold! There was a great glass crater in the core of the region, with sheer walls impossible to scale and resistant to all magics that might otherwise try to evade it. From the ground? There was no way in there!
From up here though… Rina grinned as she adjusted her fall, her shield resizing to its full spread as she guided her descent over that way. A place that nobody could access normally was an area that hadn't been fully exploited kind of by definition! If there were any good opportunities to be had, it would be here!
Of course, there was the risk of being dropped into a barren wasteland and trapped there--but Rina didn't think it would come to that. A boom blows outward--it would have a gentler slope on this side. Worst comes to worst, she could walk to the edge of the crater and just hop down and go from there--easy as pie!
Heat began to lick off of her shield as the air and Essence concentrated further, Rina's velocity declining against the resistance. She crested the lip of the crater, and continued to descend into its heart--once good loam carbonized in an explosion of incomprehensible force, turned to glass. Was this a treasure that blew up or something? Or the site of some great battle of ancient times?
Light flashes off of the corner of her eye, and Rina shifts her gaze to meet it--the crater was empty for the most part, which was a shame… But not entirely empty. At the very heart of it knelt a statue, clad in ancient armor and wearing a great helm--any idea as to the make or origin of such was laughable, with all heraldry and physical structure having been worn away in the march of time.
It simply sat, motionless and lifeless--as Rina pushed down on her shield, transmitting a pulse of hot Essence through it, and breaking her fall, landing with a roll and a draw of her blade. Satisfied that no giant monsters were emerging in response to her incursion, she relaxed, and put her weapons away.
"It's pretty bright I guess?" She wonders out loud, examining the rest of the environment. She takes a deep breath, and wrinkles her nose. Something about the air here tasted… Off. It was sterile in a way she wasn't used to experiencing. Plenty of energy--but it seemed superficial.
Which is an interesting contrast with what she felt on the way down here in the first place.
Satisfied that there were no traps or beasts lunging out of the shadows though, Rina turned to the statue and advanced on it. The sense of sterility grew mightier as she drew closer to it.
This was a very… Strange object--she'd almost call it cursed, but there's usually a more bloodthirsty feeling with cursed tools and treasures. She put a hand on the breastplate, and brushed off some of the dust of the ages.
An engraving in the center, etched in a very familiar tongue.
The Thirteenth Legion of the Sea Conquering Army.
That… Shouldn't be here, should it?
She hadn't even heard of a Sea Conquering Army before!
But the script used was that of the Golden Devils--and if this was an ancient version of their own heraldry… Rina bit her thumb, drawing a small bead of blood, and smeared it on the emblem.
It flickered--dimly, the eyes of the helm began to emit a faint ghost fire, and the statue creaked to life, dust shaking off as it straightened its posture, a fossilized corpse fused into one form.
It turned its gaze up to meet Rina, took in her features.
And a rasping cough echoed off of the glass crater.
"Our efforts… Were not in vain" The voice spoke, and its coughing slowly changed, a laughter from behind the well of deep time. "We did not fail! You damned Heavens! You couldn't kill us all even with your best move!"
Rina backed off, but got to her own knees. "Ancient one?" She questioned in the tongue of the Devils. The statue's laughter continued, but it lowered its head to meet her gaze again.
"Ancient one… Accurate, I suppose. I have been trapped in this old husk for a very, very long time now." A cough, dust flying from its mouth. "Strange though, for a mere Captain to endure that long. Six Hundred and Eighty Thousand Years have I been bound to this place. Cut off in the final vengeance of the experts I doomed. One was willing to ignite their spirit before their death, to ensure my spirit rots here instead of joining the ancestors."
"Six hundred eighty thousand…" Rina repeated. "That's… incredible! You must know so much!"
"Some, perhaps more than others" The Ancient one whispered. "I apologize though, this remaining wisp of my spirit will hardly endure long enough to speak much. That you arrived before it expired is already more providence than we expect. If you seek an ancient legacy, or a great treasure--I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you child."
"That's okay though!" Rina shook her head. "It'd be greedy of me to expect that anyway. I just want to know how you got here! What you did! We've so few stories of heroes left now, if I can bring that back home…"
"Such a good child" The Ancient one laughed again. "That much… This old man can do…" He paused for a moment, his remnant will steadying itself. "I am Captain Aethos Kallistoi, soldier of the Thirteenth Legion of the Sea Conquering Army. I led my cohort to battle against the barbarians of this region, and found myself cut off from support by the machinations of the Striking Falcon Sect. We were encircled by their Nascent Souls, pinned into place by their Spirit Severing elders--and their Sect Master took the field to finish the job--our fortifications were rendered to dust beneath his fury, our formations scattered--and I was terribly wounded and forced to flee to this Outer Realm, in hopes of recovering soon enough to report to the Stategoi of the enemy's trap. It was in vain--the Heavens have ever tilted the scales against us since we began our grand campaign, and full half of their Elders discovered my plan and set off on pursuit. They cornered me here in this place, seeking my doom."
He laughed at that. "Fool them, to corner a Captain of the Legions in a place not of their choosing. My specialty has always been in the manipulations of space. I ignited my cultivation to warp the nature of this Outer Realm, twisting it so that Qi Condensation is the limit. Ahh, the screams they gave me, knowing I had killed them was a great balm--and a fine way to punish them for their ambush."
He huffed at that point though. "Shame that they could not accept defeat gracefully. Before their cultivation fully descended below the point where age would catch up to them, they cast a forbidden spell. Binding my soul to my armor and immolating it over time. I was stronger than most, and they lacked the time to complete it before they wandered off to establish their own legacy sites--so I have been working my way out of the bonds. Your attempt to access the war log of my armor was enough to aid in my escape."
A bitter laugh from him though.
"Alas! My soul has eroded down to the tinest wisp, the remains will be gone by sundown."
Rina bowed her head. "Have you any requests? Anything I can do?"
"Having the company of a kinsman is enough for this old Captain." His ghost-fire flickered. "I will profess to some curiosity though, was the Sea Conquering Army able to avenge us?"
Rina thought for a moment. "There's no Striking Falcon Sect that I know of--and I'm pretty sure we'd know if there was a Sect with several Spirit Severing Elders."
"Really? It's not that high." the Old Captain wondered.
"Yeah… Some lunatic apparently made soup from the Sea and hit the continent with a gigantic sword. Spirit Severing hasn't really been a thing since--all for the best I suppose, we're barely able to support Nascent Souls."
"Soup? That's absurd!" The old Captain rustled. "The Turtle Child is an asset! Even if someone had the power to kill it--easier said than done!--they'd be strong enough that they didn't need what they'd gain from it! It's just…" He groans, and slumps.
"The Heavens are unfair" Rina slumps in turn, that old refrain.
"To us, certainly--we have never been welcome, and when we chose to stand up--it continued to strike us down. No price too great to ensure that chaos is maintained and order a pipe dream." His eyes dim.
"But that doesn't mean we give up" Rina adds, raising her head again.
"No, it never does--if bringing peace and civilization to the world was easy, it would have been done by now." His eyes ignite once more.
"Child of my children, blood of my blood, I have little to grant you. My soul is near extinguished, my knowledge irrelevant to your time. But I can grant you two boons with my remaining will."
His eyes flash--and Rina feels a brief intrusion into her mind--a great map of the Secret Realm etched into her mind, markings engraved within.
"These places are the legacy sites of my foes, their cursed spell granted me insight as to their moves even as it tormented my spirit. Plunder them for any treasures that remain, and see to it that their powers be taken to strengthen yourself."
His eyes flare further then, and the sterile feeling of the land here fades, in favor of a single, purified spark.
"As for the second… I sense you seek the Olympian Keystones--few walked this path even in my day, the Heavenly Tribulation is simply too terrifying, and the greatest gains do not manifest themselves until much later in your Cultivation. Ordinarily, I would seek to dissuade you by granting you a sliver of my will to guide you through your Tribulation here at your current level… But if your story is true--that the Third Sea has become inhospitable to Spirit Severing and above… You have an opportunity--an expert who walks Cultivation to its absolute limit at every step, who reaches Nascent Soul at that standard… You could finish our work, and need not fear an unrivaled expert descending from on high to snuff you out in the cradle. So I will not give you a blessing for your Tribulation."
Power gathers--transcendent energies from one who had exceeded the current limits of the Turtle World.
"Instead, I will use what remains of my will to introduce a catalyst in your own Qi Sea! I will give you time! Time to complete your great work!"
His power surges, and Rina feels a spark of something transcendent settle into her Qi Sea--already wider and stronger than most ordinary Cultivators. It reacts with the power already gathered, and brings it to a boil--a reaction that spreads across the rest of her power. Her face flushes as her meridians burn--but reinforced as they are, they endure the pressure with ease.
The Second Olympian Keystone is Essence--to gather the power of the world, and place it under such pressure that it phase changes into a higher form of energy. Energy that flows smoother, that counts for more, and can be stored at greater degrees.
Transcend the Flesh
Transcend the Essence
Transcend the Soul
and finally, Transcend the Heavens
The four Olympian Keystones are feared by the Heavens--one who has the courage to set them in stone and the power to advance with them has the power to violate the very hierarchy that defines much of the World.
And Rina's Cultivation surged to height of the Second Keystone under the ministrations of her distant ancestor.
Eleventh Heavenstage of Qi Condensation! Qi Purification! The feat of half a lifetime compressed into a single day!
When the work was done, Rina exhaled, eyes opening and shining with a new light. The emanations of power coming from her body had changed under this baptism--gaining a sense of spirituality not seen in cultivators below a certain level of power.
She rose to her feet, and struck out into the air once--her fist cracked the air, and small spatial ripples were seen from the force of her blow.
"This feels like a bit much…" Rina muttered, flicking her wrist. The idea of twisting space if she had to strike seemed a little bit too much?
"Hah, if anything, it's just barely enough" The Captain whispered, teetering over in place. "It is done. Even should you acquire no further good fortune, with this blessing, acquiring the Four Keystones is only a matter of time and diligence. The greatest hurdle is gone.
Rina turns to him and gets to her knees once again. "Thank you for your blessing Ancestor. I won't let you down."
"I should certainly hope not" He laughs bitterly. "I can take peace in that, knowing that it was my will that set a potential peak expert on their path… But I have one final set of words for you."
His eyes flared one more time.
"Always seek the limit of power. The Heavens will not be moved by compassion, kindness, or civilization. It is an immature child, delighting in flash without substance. It is not clever enough to be subtle, and that is your great advantage. The more walls the Heavens set in your way, the more assured you can be that it considers them a threat. Tear through those walls, and build a world that needs not fear the whims of a divine child."
His eyes flare out for the last time, his armor crumbling to dust as the spirit abandons it. Rina bows her head low and wishes him well.
By the new day's dawn, she began the next phase of her expedition.
Rina enters the Qiguai Clan doorway, and is perhaps the luckiest to have ever entered it in millennia. Six hundred and eighty thousand years ago, a Spirit Severing Cultivator of the Imperial Optimatoi entered here as he was dying. Attacked by enemies at his level, he could only flee, during a major war of expansion for the Clan, one of the wars in which they would nearly seize the entirety of the Third Sea. He lured four enemies in the same realm in here, killing them all by unraveling part of the realm, making it only suited to Qi Condensation cultivators.
His enemies were trapped here and died of old age. Before they did, they imprisoned his soul to be tortured in order to punish him, and to prevent him from entering the cycle of reincarnation. Over time he had loosened those bonds, but waited for the right opportunity to shake them free entirely.
On meeting Rina, he decided that the last fragment of his will was best spent here. The final remnant of one of the ancient Kallistoi - an ancient name for a family of which the Callistas are an offshoot - would live again, in a sense. Upon meeting his descendant, he infused all of his remaining power into her, raising her to the 11th Heavenstage of Qi Condensation in a moment.
He gave her a guide to other useful locations within the secret realm, allowing her to navigate with ease.
------------------------------------------
The next few weeks were relatively uneventful compared to the dramatic start to her adventure. The lifestyle of jumping a full rank of Cultivation at her level in a single day was… Awkward.
Accidentally jumping over the lip of the crater on the way out and having to avoid pratfalling down the other side was just super embarrassing!
Especially when she ended up turning the first rock she tried to land on to dust and got herself all covered in it!
Still, there was plenty of water for baths and plenty of things of interest to find in this place! Of course, she only had so much space in her satchel, so she had to be picky and choosy about what she found, but on the whole, it was no great imposition.
And the important thing is that she could trade things around!
There was a little encampment on the outer edge of the Secret Realm, where Qi Condensation Cultivators from all across the Virtuous Flipper Region met, traded, and dickered over all kinds of treasures, people shopping around for items of interest to them.
And auctions of course.
Cultivators loved Auctions.
Rina couldn't help but wonder if it was some factor of their incredible conflict-drive kicking in, that you couldn't just buy a treasure from someone at a reasonable price--but that every place important treasures are sold has to become a battle of money of all things. Rina still needed her spirit stones, but she had picked up a good number of spirit herbs that weren't very useful for her at her current level that she could trade in, and ideally get something better.
Her current target was a Meridian Strengthening Bat-Blood Pill, apparently looted from some old alchemist's lab somewhere in the depths. Rina had been finding using her new Cultivation to be awkward, and the properties of this pill were apparently very good at loosening up the Meridians and allowing for better control of one's power--in other words, it helped shore up a foundation that got raised up unexpectedly. It was especially valuable because there were no side effects to consuming it!
But…
"Thirty Spirit Stones--I really want this object, so I hope you'll give me, Qiguai Ren face in this matter."
That smug little prick! Rina bristled under the chatter of the other Cultivators watching, but let that pass. Instead, she raised her hand.
"Fifty" She said, then crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, daring the smug jerk to push back. He shrugged, and sat back. "Well, I tried. Take care that you can keep these treasures for yourself then!"
Hah, joke was on him. Rina knew where this story went! So it was that she very clearly did not immediately eat the pill, but tucked its case into her satchel and made her way out of town--her purse emptied and ready to go for another run of stuff.
And there he was, Qiguai Ren--and his hulking brother Qiguai Chan apparently. The two were clad in soft armor, and carrying weapons that bristled with menace.
"For shame…" Qiguai Ren mused. "I did try to give you a fair opportunity to back out, but I really did need that pill." He gestures, and the pressure of a Cultivation Base in the Tenth Heavenstage of Qi Condensation fills the air. "Discovering that legacy has had all manner of advantages, but there's just no safety involved with this kind of thing."
His brother nodded, and released his own Cultivation Base--ninth heavenstage, but with a touch of something stronger… Some kind of special bloodline or other improvement?
"Mmm, so you want the pill?" Rina smiled and shook the case in one hand. "Fair enough, fair enough, if that's the stakes you want, it is what it is… But what do I get if I win this little fight?"
"You? A lone Golden Devil?" Ren scoffed. "You should feel thankful that we only require that pill of yours! If it wasn't for that twiggy body of yours we'd be demanding interest too."
Rina's eyebrow twitched at that. "So, I'll just help myself to your coin when we're through" Her smile took on a predatory cast, and she tilted her head. "Try to keep up if you can~~"
"Foolishness" Qiguai Chan crossed his arms. "This battle will have only one outc--"
Rina was already in their faces, grinning like a madwoman as her good old truncheon--a little dated by now but still perfectly good for exchanging pointers--flashed out.
The outcome really only had one possible outcome after all, he really did know best!
And as Rina smiled, tossing the pouch of Spirit Stones up in her free hand in the aftermath, she whistled a tune while walking away. "Thanks for letting me win~~" She singsonged, leaving the bruised and battered, now pig-faced and panda-eyed brothers behind, dumped inside the safe zone of the camp at least.
It's not like she was just going to murder them for being young and stupid after all!
She met two Qiguai Clan cultivators and exchanged pointers with them, seizing a useful number of spirit stones and a Meridian-Strengthening Bat Blood Pill from them, allowing her to use her new cultivation more easily.
Adhoc vote count started by occipitallobe on Sep 19, 2020 at 6:25 AM, finished with 318 posts and 20 votes.
[X] Plan Firming Foundations
-[X] Increasing Wealth - More trade, more mines, more growth. Aim to find more Spirit Stones, tax more from traders, whatever works to increase your Clan Wealth. Increases Wealth by an average of 5.
-[X] Economic Activity - Carve arrays, scribe useful cultivation techniques onto scrolls, hunt down useful opportunities that might be dangerous to a Core Formation Elder. Make some money for the Clan.
-[X] Invest in Colonisation (10 Wealth)
-[X] Rebuild the Golden Eye Array (7 Wealth)
-[X] Regain Full Strength (6 Wealth)
[X] Plan Sound Investments
-[X] Increasing Wealth - More trade, more mines, more growth. Aim to find more Spirit Stones, tax more from traders, whatever works to increase your Clan Wealth. Increases Wealth by an average of 5.
-[X] Lecturing - You can simply lecture your many juniors on cultivation. Spend your time helping them grow, using less resources and ensuring better growth for the Clan.
-[X] Invest in Colonisation (10 Wealth)
-[X] Rebuild the Golden Eye Array (7 Wealth)
-[X] Regain Full Strength (6 Wealth)
[X]Plan: Build up for War
-[X] Increasing Wealth - More trade, more mines, more growth. Aim to find more Spirit Stones, tax more from traders, whatever works to increase your Clan Wealth. Increases Wealth by an average of 5.
-[X] Economic Activity - Carve arrays, scribe useful cultivation techniques onto scrolls, hunt down useful opportunities that might be dangerous to a Core Formation Elder. Make some money for the Clan.
--[X] Focus on going for short but high paying jobs, one time contracts that can be quickly rushed through to make as much money as possible before the hundred year trials.
-[X] Rebuild the Golden Eye Array (7 Wealth)
-[X] Regain Full Strength (6 Wealth)
-[X] Build Engines of War (5 Wealth)
[X] Plan Turtle
-[X] Fortifying Earth Bounty City Spirit Mine
---[X] Revamp the security of the mine by instituting daily passcodes, build up arrays to hide and direct attention away from the mines. Prepare explosives to blow up the entrances of the mines to hide it while minimzing damage to the mining infrastructure.
----[X] Assign more Clansman to practice defending the mines and ensure that there is always a rotation of clansmen nearby
-[X] Lecturing
--[X] Lecture the juniors on common tricks and arts used by the Trial participants.
---[X] Teach them tricks and ways to survive against a stronger foe, such as the best ways to leverage the Clan's formations
-[X] Rebuild the Golden Eye Array (7 Wealth)
-[X] Build up the Scorpion Road (5 Wealth)
-[X] Regain Full Strength (6 Wealth)
[X] Plan Investment
-[X] Increasing Wealth - More trade, more mines, more growth. Aim to find more Spirit Stones, tax more from traders, whatever works to increase your Clan Wealth. Increases Wealth by an average of 5.
-[X] Economic Activity - Carve arrays, scribe useful cultivation techniques onto scrolls, hunt down useful opportunities that might be dangerous to a Core Formation Elder. Make some money for the Clan.
-[X] Build up the Scorpion Road (5 Wealth)
-[X] Rebuild the Golden Eye Array (7 Wealth)
-[X] Regain Full Strength (6 Wealth)
[X] Plan Maximal Investments
-[X] Increasing Wealth - More trade, more mines, more growth. Aim to find more Spirit Stones, tax more from traders, whatever works to increase your Clan Wealth. Increases Wealth by an average of 5.
-[X] Lecturing - You can simply lecture your many juniors on cultivation. Spend your time helping them grow, using less resources and ensuring better growth for the Clan.
-[X] Invest in Colonisation (10 Wealth)
-[X] Rebuild the Golden Eye Array (7 Wealth)
-[X] Regain Full Strength (6 Wealth)
Name: Chrysanthos Krimta
Starter Bonus: Cultivation talent
Profession: Merchant
Background:
The Golden Devils participate in all kinds of professions. Among alchemists, formation masters, herbalists, doctors and more, the one which everyone has to work with and grumble about are merchents. With their curse all members of the Golden Devil clan are hunted down for the karmic luck slaying one brings, and while several factions have negotiated a non-agression pact, not all cultivators in their lands respect the contracts established. Still, the trade must flow, and the the Merchant families must make their travels. With all the danger that includes.
The Krimta branch is one such family. With only a Foundation Establishment cultivator as it's leader, they are considered a very minor faction, which owns few caravans to transport goods through the territories of the Golden Devils and beyond. Often hiring other cultivators to pass through the danger zones, they net a small profit due to all the dangers and losses such travels bring.
Chrysanthos Krimta is one of the newborn descendents of this family. Named "The Golden Flower", he has recently entered first Heavenstage and is traveling in rather safe routes inside the Golden Devil territory, in a apprenticeship of sorts.
Current status:
Age: 16 Years (as of Year 60)
Cultivation: 8th Heavenstage
Starter bonus: Cultivation talent
There, made a good seed. Decided to pick cultivation talent, since while it does not make the good seed dangerous and actually makes him a big target, it does make the good seed very dangerous period (the very beginning of their cultivation) a bit lower.
CURRENT PRIORITY: Turtling up with defenses and traps. EDIT: Making traps and turtling up. Disguising his Thousand-Rune Lamellar Armor as something less people will want to kill him for. Then Yuan Clan Secret Realm if not wounded in the Trials.
previous priority: Earning sect points and networking
I am Festus Sarantapechos, a blacksmith of the family of the honored elders. Now you may ask what's so great about being a blacksmith. Is it the foundation of a stronger body upon which to cultivate? Is it the steady work and income? Is it being able to forge my own weapons? No. All of things are nice, but the best part about being a blacksmith is that unlike most cultivators, I can make myself some gods-damned armor to wear.
No billowing silk robes and banking on cultivated toughness of my skin for me. Spiritually refined bronze bloodforged with my own blood to attune it to my cultivation is the way to go. And as my cultivation progresses, so too will my ability to make equivalently stronger armor.
What? Not enough for you? You want my backstory? I'm a bloody fucking Sarantapechos, isn't that enough for you? Fiiiiine. But you're buying me a drink because I don't like talking about my parents much. See I was born from the union of my mother, Maria Flavius and some poor bastard cultivator from another sect she nursed back from deaths door. Sickeningly romantic and all that rot. Unfortunately the call of his distant sect proved more important to him than his loyalty to mother and he left in the middle of the night. Mother committed suicide not long after and I was adopted into the Sarantapechos.
Now go pester somebody else Basillios. And remember that you owe me a favor.
"Fool them, to corner a Captain of the Legions in a place not of their choosing. My specialty has always been in the manipulations of space. I ignited my cultivation to warp the nature of this Outer Realm, twisting it so that Qi Condensation is the limit. Ahh, the screams they gave me, knowing I had killed them was a great balm--and a fine way to punish them for their ambush."
Damn, that is a big legacy to live up too! It's stuff like this that really shows how far we fell. From a Captain being able to do this to our Nascent soul having to sit quietly during the Trials because of the looming Spirit Severing cultivators.
Cheers to Rina being on the Path to bringing us back up those heights.
I've updated secret realm timings into the clan infopost, and put some brief information about them in the Good Seeds page. Sorry @Mochinator , I decided to make a small set of edits for secret realm stuff instead of more infoposts - didn't add any challenges or notions.
No prob! Incidentally, would it be easier for you to split up the Rolls for Xiao Yi's Secret Realm experience like Rina ? I'm personally cool with waiting till the Good Seed Report is out, but anything that makes it easier for you is fine with me.
I was looking at the Current Clan & Personal Status informational and I was wondering if when you update it if you could keep past versions of it in a spoiler box or something, so people just finding this can see the relevant information to the turn their on and it lets people who are caught up see how we have progressed or just how much we've fallen but hopefully it will be how much we've gained.
