I like to think that Hua Yin is an over achiever, he will give it his best despite having no obligations to it, for example the medical class that he took and become the best and received the prize notes for it but never read it, while not the same with the tournament he will do his best to win it.
The Dao of the Awakened, a Xianxia/Cultivation Quest
- Thread starter warumono
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Yeah, one of hua yins most consistent character traits is that he extremely self driven and never half asses anything. Probably a consequence of naturally having peak human willpower, which has only gotten greater since cultivating
It's also kind of a vibe of the genre? We're supposed to shake the Heavens and spit in the eyes of the uncaring gods. Going "Eh, we should aim for the quarterfinals and no further" doesn't sit right.
Besides not getting handsomer, ie charisma up whenever they breakthrough like us awakened?
The QM has mentioned it's harder for them to cultivate by default as for us awakened 5s count as succses for cultivation but only 6 count as succs for mortals
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
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- They/Them
I approve of Hei Ma's gf
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@warumono I don't think this has been added to the character sheet as of yet. Numberless Stars' improvement was, but not this.
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- He/It/Argh!
Not yet no. But we also get 1 Agility, which is +1 Attack and Dodge die.
But more importantly, we get narrative about getting swole.
Another option would be more Qi Pool cultivation. Just being able to use Levin Step shocks more gives us more damage output. More CC for longer or multiple fights is also possible.
We are hardly over achieving at anything else lately though, except cultivation and combat training.
Does physical strength even matter for that though?
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Well, we were either top of the class or near the top for all the first year classes, had found a absolutely absurd amount of trial sites and other exploration goodies for a first year, recently completed a seeker task before even getting in, havd done so well at our archive job lately that are bosses boss is telling him to get us to stay on at any cost, and we're apparently are fairly popular with quite following in terms of first year sect politics/ clique stuff.
Edit: we also solved a spiritualist invite puzzle that was meant to take two weeks on our first real sit-down with it.
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Yzarc
The Spark of Madness
When was that done?Edit: we also solved a spiritualist invite puzzle that was meant to take two weeks on our first real sit-down with it.
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Week 41 part 1 - solving the mystery box
The bigger disadvantage is that mortal cultivators don't have much of a lifespan increase, having a harder time to cultivate is a lot worse when you also have less time.
Hua Yin was said to have roughly a 300-year lifespan when he was Early Spirit so mortals competing is even more impossible.
- Pronouns
- He/It/Argh!
The basic classes were over half a year ago. Even the advanced classes finished months ago.
We've only actually done two trial sites. (Admittedly, they were hard ones.)
Our boss wants to keep Hua Yin because he is Awakened and has done notable things. We aren't doing more than required at the Archives.
I'll admit that Hua Yin is somehow popular, but that is certainly not due to any effort he has put in. XD
Most of our exploration attempts fuzzled out but doing two of that caliber was noted as being pretty fortunate and impressive by the exploration division of the sect so I see it as a win for excellence.
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I don't think the classes should stop counting just because they finished, they were pretty huge Part of the first part of the quest and only stopped being so because, as you said, Hua yin literally graduated with top marks.
I included other exploration goodies in my assessment about our exploration, but also I'd like point out that my point still stands even if we hadn't found all the other stuff like the spirit beast, the cultivation sites, the spirit plants, ect.
I was ninja'd by tarumath, but the senior disciples called out Hua yin trial site performance as impressive. Keep in mind, most first years find a grand total of zero and a number just die out there. We even solved atleast one in a way that was supposed to be a impossible by a first year.
I'd also quibble about Hua yin only doing the bare minimum in the Archives. Are boss very often praises Hua yin work in terms of calligraphy, attention to detail, and professionalism.
As far as Hua Yin being popular. He absolutely puts a great deal into that. We've gone out of our way to be a good friend to the rest of the brother on many occasions, look after and help support our 'subordinates.' Outside Hua yin immediate faction, he's maintained a study group with the two most popular other people in his year, both gone too and hosted social gatherings where he networked with people, rallied most of the first year against a organized crime syndicate, played mediator in one of the biggest disputes this year, put the group first on the combat class exam, maintained friendly relations with the heads if multiple other cliques, has publicly extended protection to non aligned people against Mo's gang, and physically intervened to stopsaid gang shaking people down for pills last turn.
Hua yin didn't just stumble ass backwards into people liking him.
Also, since it didn't show up in your qoute of me, the very first chance we got to take real Crack at it Hua Yin solved multiple intellectual puzzles from the spiritualists that WoG were supposed to take two weeks but that we managed to solve in a single sitting.
It's hard to say that falls under combat or cultivation, and that was only a week ago.
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- Pronouns
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[X] Plan: Celestial Sword
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That one was too borderline as to whether he was just lucky or not.
And more importantly, it completely misses the point about the way we are only putting in effort towards excelling in the area of combat. We put minimal effort into that puzzle.
Just because we started with a character that is skilled in court etiquette, for example, does not mean that we are putting in effort to excel at court etiquette.
The question isn't about achievements, it is about whether effort is being made towards getting even better. In the case of anything outside of combat or basic cultivation, for the past few months, the answer has been 'No'.
I would not be surprised if seniors just assume that Hua Yin wants to be a martial disciple at this point.
Omake - WhiteNights - Spicy Fruit and on Puzzle Boxes
WhiteNights
Notorious Phoneposter
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2 vignettes that I wrote, its my first time posting omakes.
Spicy Fruit -
Inspired by a tumblr post
And
On puzzle boxes - a different perspective -
Inspired by working in an escape room.
Edit - forgot to tag @warumono
Spicy Fruit -
You weren't sure about this when you took the assignment that called specifically for mortal cultivators at the Hall, but it seems like you hit the jackpot.
"So I'm testing the difference in palate between mortal and awakened cultivators," Inner disciple Wei Xin explained to you, with his back still to you, distracted, as he put on the finishing touches on whatever he was working on, "This is the masterpiece of my tasting course. I need it to leave a lasting impression on whoever is tasting it, refined palate or not."
Finally, he presented the dish to you. It looked similar enough to the shaved ice they sold at the market in your hometown but somewhat creamier. Much softer and smoother looking.
The brilliant white was crowned with fruit. Glistening green grapes, fatter than any you have seen before. Bright, juicy-looking mango pieces.
And some exotic fruits you didn't recognize. A creamy yellow fruit that looked soft, and a bright glossy-looking red fruit, covered with small white seeds.
"I call it a parfait, it consists of cream from a jade grass-fed Black Crane cow frozen in an Ice Qi aspected environment. Served with a selection of fruits I grew myself."
At this point, Wei Xin handed you a spoon, and you stopped listening to his monologue about growing fruit in Qi fonts in favor of digging into the dessert with gusto.
You closed your eyes to savor it. The sweetness of the fruit, the tingling in your tongue, the smooth cool of the cream, the burst of energy in your meridians. It felt like your first taste of Qi.
Wei Xin was looking at you expectantly.
"So? How is it? Describe your impression with as much detail as possible." He badgered.
"It was amazing. The fruit was perfectly juicy and tender. The sweetness and spiciness balanced well with the cold cream." You said, gushing, "The texture was smooth and soft..."
You trailed off, growing worried as a concerned frown appeared on the Inner Disciple's face.
"Spiciness?"
What?
"There were no spicy ingredients in this dish."
What.
"Was that soft yellow fruit not supposed to be spicy?" You asked with a growing sense of alarm, the tightness growing in your chest.
Wei Xin sighed.
"Come, this Senior Brother will take you to the Medical Pavilion," Wei Xin said as he hauled you by the waist, "You'll be fine." He reassured.
It didn't help your distress, especially since your tongue was still tingling.
"So I'm testing the difference in palate between mortal and awakened cultivators," Inner disciple Wei Xin explained to you, with his back still to you, distracted, as he put on the finishing touches on whatever he was working on, "This is the masterpiece of my tasting course. I need it to leave a lasting impression on whoever is tasting it, refined palate or not."
Finally, he presented the dish to you. It looked similar enough to the shaved ice they sold at the market in your hometown but somewhat creamier. Much softer and smoother looking.
The brilliant white was crowned with fruit. Glistening green grapes, fatter than any you have seen before. Bright, juicy-looking mango pieces.
And some exotic fruits you didn't recognize. A creamy yellow fruit that looked soft, and a bright glossy-looking red fruit, covered with small white seeds.
"I call it a parfait, it consists of cream from a jade grass-fed Black Crane cow frozen in an Ice Qi aspected environment. Served with a selection of fruits I grew myself."
At this point, Wei Xin handed you a spoon, and you stopped listening to his monologue about growing fruit in Qi fonts in favor of digging into the dessert with gusto.
You closed your eyes to savor it. The sweetness of the fruit, the tingling in your tongue, the smooth cool of the cream, the burst of energy in your meridians. It felt like your first taste of Qi.
Wei Xin was looking at you expectantly.
"So? How is it? Describe your impression with as much detail as possible." He badgered.
"It was amazing. The fruit was perfectly juicy and tender. The sweetness and spiciness balanced well with the cold cream." You said, gushing, "The texture was smooth and soft..."
You trailed off, growing worried as a concerned frown appeared on the Inner Disciple's face.
"Spiciness?"
What?
"There were no spicy ingredients in this dish."
What.
"Was that soft yellow fruit not supposed to be spicy?" You asked with a growing sense of alarm, the tightness growing in your chest.
Wei Xin sighed.
"Come, this Senior Brother will take you to the Medical Pavilion," Wei Xin said as he hauled you by the waist, "You'll be fine." He reassured.
It didn't help your distress, especially since your tongue was still tingling.
Inspired by a tumblr post
And
On puzzle boxes - a different perspective -
Jiang Rong's week was not going well.
So this weird box showed up in her room. And it has been nothing but a source of frustration.
It was clearly a puzzle box, but the pieces were impossible to move regularly (she tried).
More forceful methods - like trying to pry it open with a stick, or direct hits with a large rock - didn't make any progress either.
After realizing that the loud sounds from her room were starting to attract attention, Jiang Rong had to hide the box somewhere safe and out of the way.
Which, of course, involved making the trek to the small and hidden pond she found while exploring a couple of weeks ago. A trek she ended up repeating daily between her administrative duties and that damn box not opening!
Being so far away from civilization did mean that she could try flashier ways to open the box.
And the sacrifice of half a bottle of fancy high-proof "immortal" wine to light the box on fire got her the first sign of progress, with a small piece flaking off.
That day ended with no more progress. And Jiang Rong dumped the flaming box into the water to douse it off and left it there.
The Pond, being a Fount, was rich with Qi. A long soak overnight turned out to be the key to getting two whole pieces to fall off. (And how stupid she felt for not thinking of Qi earlier, she was a damn cultivator!)
It did lead to Jiang Rong trying out her meager arsenal of Qi-fueled combat techniques on the box. But her two techniques were too costly to use more than once a day, leading to slow progress, picking off bit by bit.
Unfortunately, soaking it only worked once. And the only result this time was that Jiang Rong had to pick off the rainbow-colored snails that lived in the Fount and crawled on everything that stayed still for more than a minute. (Annoying for cultivation, but surprisingly good for the skin)O
So Jiang Rong reached the end of the week, still staring at a battered but mostly whole box.
It was then Jiang Rong realized had to take drastic measures.
Her gaze landed on a very large boulder, slightly uphill but still in the range of the font.
Sometime later, after heaving the boulder off the sorry remains of the puzzle box, she ended up with a mud-stained and splinter-needled piece of paper.
So this weird box showed up in her room. And it has been nothing but a source of frustration.
It was clearly a puzzle box, but the pieces were impossible to move regularly (she tried).
More forceful methods - like trying to pry it open with a stick, or direct hits with a large rock - didn't make any progress either.
After realizing that the loud sounds from her room were starting to attract attention, Jiang Rong had to hide the box somewhere safe and out of the way.
Which, of course, involved making the trek to the small and hidden pond she found while exploring a couple of weeks ago. A trek she ended up repeating daily between her administrative duties and that damn box not opening!
Being so far away from civilization did mean that she could try flashier ways to open the box.
And the sacrifice of half a bottle of fancy high-proof "immortal" wine to light the box on fire got her the first sign of progress, with a small piece flaking off.
That day ended with no more progress. And Jiang Rong dumped the flaming box into the water to douse it off and left it there.
The Pond, being a Fount, was rich with Qi. A long soak overnight turned out to be the key to getting two whole pieces to fall off. (And how stupid she felt for not thinking of Qi earlier, she was a damn cultivator!)
It did lead to Jiang Rong trying out her meager arsenal of Qi-fueled combat techniques on the box. But her two techniques were too costly to use more than once a day, leading to slow progress, picking off bit by bit.
Unfortunately, soaking it only worked once. And the only result this time was that Jiang Rong had to pick off the rainbow-colored snails that lived in the Fount and crawled on everything that stayed still for more than a minute. (Annoying for cultivation, but surprisingly good for the skin)O
So Jiang Rong reached the end of the week, still staring at a battered but mostly whole box.
It was then Jiang Rong realized had to take drastic measures.
Her gaze landed on a very large boulder, slightly uphill but still in the range of the font.
Sometime later, after heaving the boulder off the sorry remains of the puzzle box, she ended up with a mud-stained and splinter-needled piece of paper.
Inspired by working in an escape room.
Edit - forgot to tag @warumono
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I mostly blame it on the lack of commitment to something like Crafting, Alchemy or Medicine.
Hua Yin INT makes him better at becoming good at a lot of things than mastering one thing and with limited actions and the Archives being seen as sort of a waste then the willingness to spend actions on these three was low especially when there wasn't really a focus on one of them so it felt like actions spent on it would be split in three.
If we joined the Alchemy, Crafting or Medicine halls then we would have had a lot of mandatory actions spent on learning one and likely much more focused demand among voters to spend actions on it.
I think we've done a lot other things other than combat training, it's just that they're less tangible. The festival and searching for Pi Zu, for example.
Some training actions have also doubled as socials. With Jianshu, the ducklings, Gao Jin and the wolves.
So training has taken the lion's share of actions, but we haven't been monofocused.
I think a reason for combat to become so prevalent was because Mo Xiang rubbed on our faces the very first week that Hua Yin was too handicapped in that area and if he didn't improve fast it'd seriously affect his standing in the sect. It became the first main objective and momentum did the rest.
I also didn't realize mental qi techniques were a thing till Tao Yangyuan showed us the scholar retort. And I don't remember when we learnt that a competition for crafters was there as an alternative to the tournament. Many things contributed to the tournament dominating the scene.
Some training actions have also doubled as socials. With Jianshu, the ducklings, Gao Jin and the wolves.
So training has taken the lion's share of actions, but we haven't been monofocused.
I think a reason for combat to become so prevalent was because Mo Xiang rubbed on our faces the very first week that Hua Yin was too handicapped in that area and if he didn't improve fast it'd seriously affect his standing in the sect. It became the first main objective and momentum did the rest.
I also didn't realize mental qi techniques were a thing till Tao Yangyuan showed us the scholar retort. And I don't remember when we learnt that a competition for crafters was there as an alternative to the tournament. Many things contributed to the tournament dominating the scene.
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A part of the reason I'm big into investing in Hua Yin being good at beating people up is because aside from the aforementioned narrative arc, and the fact that warumoni is pretty good at describing fight scenes, is that bing good at fighting has allowed for a lot of really fun scenes and opportunities.
Standout ssandout scenes like the bandit fight, the inn duel the trial sites, the brotherhood of the peach formation mission, the team up fight with yang genji, fighting off these bullies.
It's hard to imagine a world where any of these play out anywhere near the same or in some cases happen at all was still a mediocre or even just middle of the road fighter. Hua Yin being badass directly shapes how a lot of people itneract with him and the narrative opportunities that are available, or at the very least available without playing russian roulette.
Even in the context of just our week to week planning, I don't think doing weekly attempts to find and solo a trial site would be nearly as possible if Hua Yin hadn't invested so much in making that less personally dangerous.
There's also the fact that the thread really likes exploring but was told that first years have a tendency to die doing that and early in the year, when hua yin found their first trial site, came to brink of death if not for a few lucky rolls.
People kind of had to make a choice between giving up exploring anything remotely dangerous and getting good at fighting at that point.
Standout ssandout scenes like the bandit fight, the inn duel the trial sites, the brotherhood of the peach formation mission, the team up fight with yang genji, fighting off these bullies.
It's hard to imagine a world where any of these play out anywhere near the same or in some cases happen at all was still a mediocre or even just middle of the road fighter. Hua Yin being badass directly shapes how a lot of people itneract with him and the narrative opportunities that are available, or at the very least available without playing russian roulette.
Even in the context of just our week to week planning, I don't think doing weekly attempts to find and solo a trial site would be nearly as possible if Hua Yin hadn't invested so much in making that less personally dangerous.
There's also the fact that the thread really likes exploring but was told that first years have a tendency to die doing that and early in the year, when hua yin found their first trial site, came to brink of death if not for a few lucky rolls.
People kind of had to make a choice between giving up exploring anything remotely dangerous and getting good at fighting at that point.
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@warumono Here's a letter for our long distance friends in Xiaoming City.
I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed that we're allowed to visit after first year and see people there treating Hua Yin as if he was Li Ren. Maybe even go with Gao Jin to visit his uncle and have an adventure in the turf of the gangs
I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed that we're allowed to visit after first year and see people there treating Hua Yin as if he was Li Ren. Maybe even go with Gao Jin to visit his uncle and have an adventure in the turf of the gangs
Esteemed friends Kwan Ho and Wan Ming,
How are you two doing? Am I already talking with the newest members of the Imperial Bureaucracy? If the answer is 'no', I expect that to change soon.
Has anything interesting happened in Xiaoming City and the Academy lately? New Year is coming soon and a city as wealthy as ours always gets busier, and visited my all kinds of people, when festivals draw near. The Lord Mayor has always gloated about offering his citizens spectacles only surpassed by those in the capital. Is there any gossip about that making the rounds through the grapevine? Wan Ming has always had a gift to ferret juicy rumors over a tasty snack from those he invites.
My adventures, and misadventures, in the Sect of the Broken tree have continued. After that fight against an automaton that landed me in the Medical Pavilion, I understandably took a long break from exploring the grounds. Now that we're reaching the end of First Year, I've decided to get back onto the saddle and look for at least one more treasure. I haven't had luck so far, but I enjoyed a couple interesting experiences.
No, I'm not giving you details. At least, not till I can tell them to you in person over a good drink. I'm not crazy enough to leave written proof.
That has been only a small part of my workload, though. Most of my time has been invested in a routine of training and studying. I've even gotten to try the legendary 'closed door cultivation' that has been glorified so much in novels and caused so many fantasies in young minds all across the empire. It works well enough and does its function, but it's not all it's cracked up to be.
That's not to say it isn't useful. I now have the second highest cultivation level in my year; the second disciple in my year to reach the fifth stage. And a lot of that has been thanks to that week of closed door cultivation.
As you can see, I've been working hard. We have a big tournament coming soon and I want to be as ready as I can for it. Wish me luck.
Sadly, all the strength I'm gaining may end not being only for a tournament. I've tried and tried to stay away from sect politics as I've been counseled time and time again, but they seem decided to drag me in. There's a noble from a house in the Upper Chamber that is obsessed with being the ruler of the first year disciples of the Broken Tree. The faction he has founded is trying to bully others into submission and they're prowling closer and closer to people in my circle. As if that wasn't enough, he seems to consider me and my friends some kind of roadblock in his dominance and I've heard rumors that he's planning something against me.
I wish nothing more than for our paths to remain uncrossed. Tangling with a noble can only mean trouble not only for me, but maybe even my family. But I fear the choice will soon be taken out of my hands.
I have to leave you now. Tomorrow I must travel quite a long way in the forests, following a map I've acquired after giving my brain a good workout. Whatever I find at the goal spot, I suspect I'll be tested by the sect one way or the other, so I'm going to bed early to be as rested and ready as possible.
I hope to hear from you soon, and hopefully visit after my first year in the broken tree is over.
Always your friend,
Hua Yin.
How are you two doing? Am I already talking with the newest members of the Imperial Bureaucracy? If the answer is 'no', I expect that to change soon.
Has anything interesting happened in Xiaoming City and the Academy lately? New Year is coming soon and a city as wealthy as ours always gets busier, and visited my all kinds of people, when festivals draw near. The Lord Mayor has always gloated about offering his citizens spectacles only surpassed by those in the capital. Is there any gossip about that making the rounds through the grapevine? Wan Ming has always had a gift to ferret juicy rumors over a tasty snack from those he invites.
My adventures, and misadventures, in the Sect of the Broken tree have continued. After that fight against an automaton that landed me in the Medical Pavilion, I understandably took a long break from exploring the grounds. Now that we're reaching the end of First Year, I've decided to get back onto the saddle and look for at least one more treasure. I haven't had luck so far, but I enjoyed a couple interesting experiences.
No, I'm not giving you details. At least, not till I can tell them to you in person over a good drink. I'm not crazy enough to leave written proof.
That has been only a small part of my workload, though. Most of my time has been invested in a routine of training and studying. I've even gotten to try the legendary 'closed door cultivation' that has been glorified so much in novels and caused so many fantasies in young minds all across the empire. It works well enough and does its function, but it's not all it's cracked up to be.
That's not to say it isn't useful. I now have the second highest cultivation level in my year; the second disciple in my year to reach the fifth stage. And a lot of that has been thanks to that week of closed door cultivation.
As you can see, I've been working hard. We have a big tournament coming soon and I want to be as ready as I can for it. Wish me luck.
Sadly, all the strength I'm gaining may end not being only for a tournament. I've tried and tried to stay away from sect politics as I've been counseled time and time again, but they seem decided to drag me in. There's a noble from a house in the Upper Chamber that is obsessed with being the ruler of the first year disciples of the Broken Tree. The faction he has founded is trying to bully others into submission and they're prowling closer and closer to people in my circle. As if that wasn't enough, he seems to consider me and my friends some kind of roadblock in his dominance and I've heard rumors that he's planning something against me.
I wish nothing more than for our paths to remain uncrossed. Tangling with a noble can only mean trouble not only for me, but maybe even my family. But I fear the choice will soon be taken out of my hands.
I have to leave you now. Tomorrow I must travel quite a long way in the forests, following a map I've acquired after giving my brain a good workout. Whatever I find at the goal spot, I suspect I'll be tested by the sect one way or the other, so I'm going to bed early to be as rested and ready as possible.
I hope to hear from you soon, and hopefully visit after my first year in the broken tree is over.
Always your friend,
Hua Yin.
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