Khepri14
Thus kindly I scatter...
- Location
- Following the wind
So can words and they're not wielded by hands but by mouth.
Welp, let's go kidnap Sun Liling.
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Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
So can words and they're not wielded by hands but by mouth.
Welp, let's go kidnap Sun Liling.
When a line is not a line
- Pronouns
- He/Him
When a Line is not a Line
Time.
Time truly is the enemy.
This is what Yu Shijian thought as he began his greatest work. A way to trick Time and truly become immortal.
No matter how strong, wise, or beautiful one was, Time could not be turned back. Stopped briefly, yes. Slowed down or sped up, possibly. Eventually however it always moved forward and brought one closer and closer to their End.
Yu Shijian did not want to End.
For 800 years he studied Time and became more powerful through cultivation. He had learned much about Time and how it worked and had come up with a metaphor he believed adequately explained what Time was.
Time was a very strange river.
The past was the river frozen, unchangeable but could be viewed and learned from. The present was rushing waters moving forward, unstoppable and only just ahead of freezing over and becoming the past. The future, Yu Shijian liked to think, was soft loam. It was where the river could cut new paths but technically was not the river yet.
So, what were people in this metaphor? A rope or perhaps a fishing line, anchored into the river at birth and then unwinding forward until there was no more material to unwind, dying, and becoming frozen over by the past. These lines could be extended and added onto to a degree but they all eventually came to an End.
Everything that had a Beginning had an End.
How did one truly become immortal? Eternal?
Yu Shijian had contemplated that most of his life. As he had reached the Prism realm and realized he would not be able to make it to White, let alone ascend himself, he had to find another way. Yu Shijian had done too much, come too far, to let himself End. That's when he realized how he could beat Time itself.
When was a line not a line?
When it's a circle.
With that realization it was only a matter of making the correct calculations, preparing the space, and then executing the plan. It would take a total of 10 years for Yu Shijian to inscribe the correct formations and imbue them with qi and shen. It would have to be done in a Space cut off from the rest of the world. The Space would have to be bent, stretched, and squashed together to help with the twisting of Time.
Once he was done though Yu Shijian would have no Beginning or End. He would be truly immortal.
He had taken a room, severed it's Space from all else, warped it's geometries until a mortal mind could not hope to understand it and then began the 10 year process of taking Time and tying it to itself.
For 10 years Yu Shijian moved slowly across the impossible room, checking and double checking each formation he inscribed. It had to be perfect, a single mistake would be his end. 10 years of work with his only company being himself, he was quite good company he had to say. 10 years and then he would have eternity.
After 10 years passed Yu Shijian had completed his work where he had started it, right at the entrance he had originally come in through.
He took a breath for the novelty it had become to him and let it out slowly. Yu Shijian would surely cry if he still could with all the emotion he was feeling.
Then for the 462nd time Yu Shijian felt his very reality and being begin to shake and fracture. There was only one thing he could do.
Time.
Time truly is the enemy.
This is what Yu Shijian thought as he began his greatest work. A way to trick Time and truly become immortal.
Time always moved forward and brought one closer and closer to their End.
Yu Shijian did not want to End.
A.N.
@yrsillar Omake for the Omake throne!
A little thought experiment about what might happen to a cultivator that tried to get smart with time and got exactly what they wanted if not in the way they thought. Also wanted to try keeping it short and to the point this time.
- Pronouns
- He
Nah, kidnap Gan's sun spirit.Welp, let's go kidnap Sun Liling.
Future Days: Trial
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Future Days: Trial
Green flames warmed Gong Yun's body, keeping winter's chill at bay. Little else was. The cabin he was in was old and worn. Wind pushed through empty windows while holes in the roof let snow fall in.
That was fine though. He wasn't here to stay, he was here to take the trial. Gong Yun didn't know what was ahead and could feel his stomach shudder at the thought of the unknown.
The unknown didn't scare him, but it did make him uneasy. It couldn't be planned for or prepared for. The unknown couldn't be researched. Only once before had the unknown disrupted his life and though Gong Yun enjoyed his time at the Argent Sect, he wasn't sure if he was ready to face a second unknown so soon.
He didn't have to take the trial, something whispered in the back of Gong Yun's mind. Taking risks wasn't like him. Besides, how did he know he would even succeed? Profit was assured if he went back to the sect and sold the information. How many red stones would an elder's trial be worth? Quite a few.
"I'm not sure. Ho Zhang isn't really attractive. At least to me. I would prefer a risk taker. Maybe if he challenges a trial."
Lady Ling Ai's words drifted back into his mind. Whispers of an overheard conversation accompanied by the scent of flowers and lightning. Gong Yun's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, the carved dragon pressing against his palm. With a breath Gong Yun repeated the mantra he had adopted with his very first step upon Argent Sect's cobblestone. The mantra that had earned him a place in the advanced physical class. The mantra that kept him from falling back on old habits.
Charge forward.
He pushed his hand into the fire, and the world burned away around him.
Gone was the old ruined cabin. Gone was the winter sky. Gone was the forest.
Now Gong Yun stood on a cliff's edge. Behind him he could feel the heat of a bonfire and hear the low conversations. Those took a secondary priority to what was in front of him.
Burning with green fire was a set of instructions. The instructions were simple.
You have three days.
You have three attempts.
Kill the Titan.
The Titan. What else could it be but the beast devouring a mountain as a man would eat an apple? It was the shape of a bear, but with six legs instead of four. Three eyes as large as the moon burned a sinful red shifted towards him as it paused in its eating. The Titan didn't see him. How could it? Gong Yun was too small, too insignificant.
The Titan had a coat of pure white. Whiter than snow. Most of the fur though was hidden behind armor, armor crafted out of an enormous city. As the Titan turned away from the mountain, leaving it half eaten and discarded, the stars quivered in rage. Those in the Titan's path were forced to move as the Titan's bulk passed by. One star didn't move fast enough and the Titan caught it in its mouth. There was a snap that Gong Yun heard, and a flash. Scintillating sparks fell upon the world. A thousand stars born from the corpse of one. Then the world was one star darker.
Gong Yun turned away from the Titan, turning towards the heat he felt at his back. An enormous funeral pyre had been constructed. All around it people walked. Each one was clothed in somber clothes. Each one Gong Yun recognized.
His parents were here, his brothers and sisters. Friends, from the sect and from Zuihou, muttered in low tones with each other. Even Ling Ai was here, her flowers changed from ivory and cerulean to stolid ebony. This wasn't just any funeral, Gong Yun realized. This was his funeral.
He moved without thought, limbs refusing commands. Step by step he approached the pyre. Step by step the heat on his face increased. Step by step Gong Yun felt flames eat away at what he was.
Between one blink and the next the pyre was gone. Wood panels replaced the snow covered cliff edge, windows replaced mournful faces, and winter's chill replaced the heat of the flames.
Stretching out in front of Gong Yun was a great hall. Banners fluttered from the ceiling, each one having a weapon stitched on it. Past the windows Gong Yun saw the world stretched out. He was on the Titan, inside one of the cities armoring it. There was a shift and a shudder as the hall moved with Titan.
At the end of the hallway was another funeral pyre, far enough away that Gong Yun could not feel its heat, but close enough that he could see the flickering of flame. Somehow Gong Yun knew that he needed to step into the pyre again if he was to progress in his task.
Kill the Titan.
The words echoed in his mind and Gong Yun had to blink away the tears the words caused. Yes it seemed as if he needed to reach the pyre. That might be easier said than done though.
Between Gong Yun and the pyre were eight rats. They stood like a man, but were shorter than Gong Yun, only coming up to his shoulder. Spears clanged against bronze shields as the rats stared him down. As one the spears lowered, and in lockstep the rats advanced.
Reds and whites smeared across the world as Gong Yun triggered his perception art. It took half a second to stabilize, earning a grimace from him. That would need some work. For now it was enough.
The rats seemed to be at the earliest stage of Red, just barely awoken. A full realm and stage below him. This would be a massacre.
Gong Yun stepped forward, flames spilling out of his sword's sheath as he drew it. In a single motion that he had practiced a thousand times Gong Yun dashed across the space between him and the rats. Sparks drifted in his wake. He would pierce one of the middle rats. That would disrupt their formation and send them scattering.
The blade glowed white hot and Gong Yun stabbed forward.
Three shields intercepted his blade. Four spears lashed out at him.
Eyes wide Gong Yun twisted out of the way, clothes tearing as spears ripped through them instead of his flesh. A single shield wouldn't have been enough to stop his strike, even two would have buckled under the difference in strength. But three, with qi flows that distributed the strike evenly amongst all of them, was just enough.
Another swing proved Gong Yun's theory. This time two shields blocked his weaker strike and the four closest spears lashed out again. As Gong Yun danced backward to create distance he realized that this fight would not be as easy as he thought it would be.
It took another three assaults before Gong Yun managed to down his first rat. Quick footwork had tripped up a rat at the very edge and before the other rats shuffled in to defend, a strong blow shattered the shield and caused the rat to dissolve into flickering green flame and shadows.
At least that answered his question if these rats were real or not.
Minutes ticked by as Gong Yun whittled away the rats. Four more rats died before the formation crumbled and he was able to leverage his overwhelming cultivation to crush the remaining three.
Still as he watched the banners around the room burn away from the flames he had unleashed Gong Yun couldn't help but grimace. He had spent a large part of his qi just in this fight. Hopefully there wouldn't be too many more fights like that, but better safe than sorry.
The pill he took tasted like salt and ash and brought up his qi back to about half capacity. Then he stepped into the pyre once again.
Once more a hall stretched out before him. Banners hung from the ceiling. Gong Yun knew he was in a different hall because the windows showed a different part of the world. If he had to guess he had switched to the opposite side of the Titan. Another pyre was at the end of the hall and seven rats this time stood between it and him. Each rat was at the second stage of the red realm and to Gong Yun's sight formations churned on the shields and spears.
This was going to be painful.
It was essentially the same fight as before. The only difference was that the spears stretched out when thrusted forward and the shields could take even greater punishment.
In the end the same trick took down each rat and Gong Yun used far less qi, but that still only left him with about a quarter left. Another pill, his last, and his qi surged again. How many more of these fights were there?
At least one more Gong Yun realized as he stepped through the pyre once more.
This time six deer faced him. They stood on their hindlegs and held a quarterstaff in their strangely shaped hands. A warcry erupted from them, a bellowing sound that ended in an eerie, almost human, laugh.
Gong Yun charged.
In the end he bested all six of them. The fight was more straightforward than the previous fights. No trickery needed. There was no formation fighting, no covering for each other. Far closer to Gong Yun's experience in the sect. Still fighting six late red opponents was far from simple. When the final deer fell Gong Yun was out of qi, and one of his arms hung limply at his side. Thankfully it didn't hurt, it just ached and itched, but he couldn't move it and Gong Yun knew that the blow it took should have broken it.
Surely that was the last fight though, right?
Gong Yun's first attempt ended in the fourth fight. Five early yellow deers was just too much for him to handle with such low qi left. He tried his best, managing to take down two, before a blow he never saw coming cracked his skull.
Before he hit the ground though Gong Yun found himself back at the first funeral pyre. Around him he saw his friends, his family, his crush, and he had control of his limbs. He didn't have to try again, he realized. He could stay here. Talk to those he hadn't seen in months. Laugh with Ling Ai. Hug his parents.
Gong Yun walked into the pyre.
The first four halls were the same. Rats with shields and spears first, followed by deer with quarterstaffs. Thankfully his qi and even his pills had returned to him after his first failure and Gong Yun was much more careful with both.
He still took blows, even one from the second hall when he let down his guard, but he carried on and soon the last deer in the fourth hall dissolved away.
Bruises covered his body and his head rang from a stiff blow that he only partially absorbed with his qi. He had done well though. Half of his qi was left and his pill chute still had both of his pills. Time for the next fight.
The next two fights had wolves instead of deer or rats. Heavy daos shattered wood paneling as the wolves attacked. They only attacked. Bestiality shined in their eyes and their attacks. Opponents from the previous fights had a hint of bestiality in their movements, but nothing like this. No thoughts of teamwork or defense entered the minds of the wolves. Aggression was the only thing they knew and Gong Yun was pushed to his limit by it.
Flames roared around him and in his heart as Gong Yun pushed his qi further and further. Steel chipped and cracked as more and more qi flooded into his sword. By the end the fight had become a dance, one of the ritual dances he sometimes saw at the temples. It brought clarity. Each step was known in advance. Each blow predicted. Finally the last wolf in the sixth room dissolved, its dao falling to the floor with a soft clatter before it too was undone.
Gong Yun looked at his last pill as flames ate away at the hall around him. There was little choice but to take it. His qi was guttering out, and he knew more fights awaited him.
It tasted like salt and ash.
Once more Gong Yun stepped through the pyre, and once more he saw another hall. The previous halls had all been the same. Banners hanging from the ceiling and wooden panels covering the floor. This hall was different. There were no banners hanging from the ceiling, for there was no ceiling. Stars gazed down upon the hall while snow drifted in.
But it wasn't the winter's cold that chilled Gong Yun's heart. No it was this room's opposition.
Two bears surged to their feet when Gong Yun entered the room. Jians were held in their mouths and unlike the previous enemies there was nothing human about them. They ran on four legs and their growls held no human note in them. They were also at the first stage of green.
Gong Yun charged.
Once more Gong Yun opened his eyes to the funeral pyre, once more words echoed in his mind.
Kill the Titan.
There were more people here now. Faces he didn't recognize but instinctively knew. Children and grandchildren wearing mourning clothes. His children. His grandchildren. Nephews and cousins. His family. He could stop here. He gave it his best shot. No one could expect a mid yellow to face down two greens. It was impossible.
Gong Yun walked into the pyre.
Once more Gong Yun charged through six rooms. Albeit more carefully. Qi was a precious resource, and he only had two pills. Each step needed to be precise, each attack a killing blow. Nothing else would give him a chance.
In the end he managed it. The first, second, third, and even fourth hallways were completed flawlessly. In the fifth hallway he stumbled and earned and earned a nasty blow across the ribs for his trouble. At the end of the sixth his qi was almost gone. He had needed to spend more than he wanted to take care of the three late yellow wolves. He stared at his pill chute and felt the two pills inside.
If he took them now he might, might, have a chance against the two bears. But beating the bears wasn't his goal, killing the Titan was. If he used both pills now and there was another fight he would be crushed. If he didn't use the pills then he would be crushed in the next fight. He would just have to hope that there wasn't a fight after the next one.
Just before he popped both pills in his mouth Gong Yun looked out the now shattered windows. It was still night. His hand froze. It was still night. Through both attempts morning had yet to come.
You have three days.
Without a second thought Gong Yun dropped to the ground, twisting his legs around the shattered floor into his meditation pose. His breath deepened and quickened, imitating a forge's bellows. The sparks of qi in his dantain flared to life and began to steadily climb higher.
Time passed strangely. Hours dripped past, running together like paint, inseparable from the next. Dawn broke, evening came. Then words echoed in his mind, almost tearing Gong Yun from his meditation.
You have two days.
With a stuttered gasp, Gong stopped his breathing and his meditation to check his qi. Full. Full to near bursting. Fuller than it would have been if he had taken both pills. Now he had a chance.
Gong Yun stepped into the next pyre.
Once more the two bears surged upwards, their four paws shattering wooden panels as they rushed towards him.
Gong Yun charged.
The fight had a dream-like quality. What he was doing the previous moment was hard to remember. Gong Yun only knew what he was doing now. Sidestep, strike. Roll, ignite.
Burn.
Each second Gong Yun unleashed a new technique. Flames crisscrossed, woven together into a tapestry of heat and smoke. In previous fights Gong Yun had rationed his qi, careful to preserve as much as he could. That restraint was gone and Gong Yun felt like the noon sun. Radiant and powerful.
Fur burned, flesh boiled. His sword strikes were the unpitying rays of the sun and left no shade.
Yet the zenith of the sun lasts but an instant, and Gong Yun was no sun. As a mid yellow he could only emulate the sun. He lasted less than an instant.
But it was enough.
Gong Yun felt raw, as if he had a sunburn across his body. Each step was uncomfortable, a reminder of how far he had pushed himself. He stumbled past the two smoking and dissolving bodies.
It was strange Gong Yun thought, as he collapsed into his meditation pose again. Those two bears, while certainly strong, didn't fight like greens should. There was no intelligence like a green should have. They had fought worse than the rats in the first room, impeding each other as much as they fought him.
There was no question that if they had fought together they would have crushed him.
Another day passed in meditation as Gong Yun recovered his strength. Time passed quickly, far too quickly and before he had even realized it words echoed in his mind once more.
You have one day.
His body still tingling with discomfort, but with his qi back to full, Gong Yun stepped through the next pyre.
There was no hall this time. No wooden panels. No pyre. At his feet white fur rustled and swayed in the wind, like grass. Above him and to his sides stars quivered, some seemed close enough to touch, but their light was cold and distant. At the end of a slight slope was a symbol, burning with green fire. The symbol floated a steady amount above the fur, no matter how the muscles tensed or twisted under it.
This was the Titan's neck, Gong Yun realized, and somehow he knew that if he could destroy that symbol the Titan would die. Now he just had to deal with the beast.
The bear stood on four legs, and was twice as tall as Gong Yun. Unlike the other beasts that he had fought this bear had no weapon. There was no jian, no dao, no quarterstaff or spear. All the bear had was its natural weapons, but Gong Yun knew that it was no less dangerous for it.
To his perception arts this bear stood at the second stage of green.
As the bear turned languidly towards him, Gong Yun gripped his sword tighter and fiddled with his pill chute. This was his last chance. He doubted he was fast enough to try and destroy the symbol before the bear caught up to him. Speed had never been his focus, power had been. He really had only one answer to the fight before him.
Gong Yun charged.
It wasn't even a fight. The first blow from the bear shattered his sword as Gong Yun tried to parry. Fur and claw cleaved through steel and flesh, severing Gong Yun's arm at the shoulder. Before he even had a chance to stare in shock at his missing arm the second paw whipped into his side, crushing bone and sending Gong Yun hurtling through the air. There was a pop, then darkness.
It was the crackle of the fire that roused Gong Yun from sleep. With bleary eyes he sat up and snow fell off him. He was back at the cabin, but he wasn't alone.
Eyes snapped to focus as he turned to face the new addition to the cabin. Rest and sleep forgotten as his heart began pounding in his chest.
An old man sat in a rocking chair by the window. White wiry hair fell in strings and his dagger beard was unkempt, almost patchy. There were no ornamentations on his black clothes. Only a tuft of white hair, tied together by a red string and tucked under the black belt, colored the outfit. To Gong Yun there was no hint of cultivation from the man.
"Elder," Gong Yun said as he prostrated on the cold snow, "I can only apologize for failing the trial."
"Did you?" The Elder asked as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "What was your objective?"
"I was to kill the Titan, Elder." Gong Yun said.
"No, no." The Elder said, cutting Gong Yun off. "That was the objective you were given. What was your objective? Why did you challenge my trial?"
There was a beat of silence as the snow fell and Gong Yun organized his thoughts. "I wanted to test myself." He said.
"And impress a girl." The Elder drawled out.
Gong Yun's face burned, worse than the worst sunburn he had ever received.
"There is no shame in that." The Elder said, eyes drifting to the shattered window and hand drifting down to the tuft of hair on his belt. "Love is one of the strongest passions after all. Even if yours is unrequited love. But enough melancholy thoughts, let us return to my first question. Did you test yourself?"
"I feel as though I did, Elder." Gong Yun said.
"Good, now what did you learn?"
"Elder?"
"Tests are meant to show us what we know, and what we do not. So, what do you know, and do you not?"
Again Gong Yun scrambled for an answer. This wasn't how meeting an Elder was supposed to go. Elders weren't supposed to feel like strict grandparents.
"I have power to spare." Gong Yun settled on. "But my endurance is lacking."
"Hmmm… an adequate thought." The Elder said. "I would prefer a more specific answer, but yours is sufficient. Now, for your rewards."
"Rewards?" Gong Yun asked.
"Killing the Titan was a lure, an impossibility to keep you focused away from the real trial." The Elder said. "The real trial was if you would keep going after failure."
"Life is full of failure." The Elder continued. "Cultivation will only magnify it, just like everything else. A cultivator who gives up after only one try would not receive anything from me, someone who tries twice is eligible for a small prize, but someone who uses everything to the maximum is worth investing in."
A jade slip flew through the air, landing on the snow in front of Gong Yun.
"Next week present yourself here." The Elder said. "You have earned a month of tutoring from me."
"Elder, I am honored." Gong Yun said, voice choking. A full month of training would be invaluable, both to his cultivation and his other pursuit.
"We'll see if you say that once the month is done." The Elder said. "Oh, and as a final reward, my niece greatly enjoys chilled Primeval Root tea. Use that tidbit as you will." Then the elder dissolved into shadows and green flame leaving Gong Yun frozen on the ground.
A few moments later, once he was sure the Elder was gone, Gong Yun groaned and sat upright again. His back complained at the motion, stiff from the cold and sleep. How long had he been laying here?
On his way back to his house in the sect Gong Yun peered into the jade slip the Elder gave him. It was a wood based art, which was frustrating, but the deeper he read it the more impressed he became. It might not have been his first pick in fixing his endurance issues, but it would work well.
For now he was going to take a hot bath, eat some roasted chicken, and stretch out the kinks in his back.
Enduring Taiga Truths
Despite animals, war, and seasons the taiga remains unchanged. Gird yourself in this unchanging enduring nature to turn away blows. Even when flames scorch the world, or snow buries it, the trees of the taiga endure. Always green, always alive.
A.N
@yrsillar Omake!
I really enjoyed writing this one. It went through several drafts before it ended up with this version. I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Green flames warmed Gong Yun's body, keeping winter's chill at bay. Little else was. The cabin he was in was old and worn. Wind pushed through empty windows while holes in the roof let snow fall in.
That was fine though. He wasn't here to stay, he was here to take the trial. Gong Yun didn't know what was ahead and could feel his stomach shudder at the thought of the unknown.
The unknown didn't scare him, but it did make him uneasy. It couldn't be planned for or prepared for. The unknown couldn't be researched. Only once before had the unknown disrupted his life and though Gong Yun enjoyed his time at the Argent Sect, he wasn't sure if he was ready to face a second unknown so soon.
He didn't have to take the trial, something whispered in the back of Gong Yun's mind. Taking risks wasn't like him. Besides, how did he know he would even succeed? Profit was assured if he went back to the sect and sold the information. How many red stones would an elder's trial be worth? Quite a few.
"I'm not sure. Ho Zhang isn't really attractive. At least to me. I would prefer a risk taker. Maybe if he challenges a trial."
Lady Ling Ai's words drifted back into his mind. Whispers of an overheard conversation accompanied by the scent of flowers and lightning. Gong Yun's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, the carved dragon pressing against his palm. With a breath Gong Yun repeated the mantra he had adopted with his very first step upon Argent Sect's cobblestone. The mantra that had earned him a place in the advanced physical class. The mantra that kept him from falling back on old habits.
Charge forward.
He pushed his hand into the fire, and the world burned away around him.
Gone was the old ruined cabin. Gone was the winter sky. Gone was the forest.
Now Gong Yun stood on a cliff's edge. Behind him he could feel the heat of a bonfire and hear the low conversations. Those took a secondary priority to what was in front of him.
Burning with green fire was a set of instructions. The instructions were simple.
You have three days.
You have three attempts.
Kill the Titan.
The Titan. What else could it be but the beast devouring a mountain as a man would eat an apple? It was the shape of a bear, but with six legs instead of four. Three eyes as large as the moon burned a sinful red shifted towards him as it paused in its eating. The Titan didn't see him. How could it? Gong Yun was too small, too insignificant.
The Titan had a coat of pure white. Whiter than snow. Most of the fur though was hidden behind armor, armor crafted out of an enormous city. As the Titan turned away from the mountain, leaving it half eaten and discarded, the stars quivered in rage. Those in the Titan's path were forced to move as the Titan's bulk passed by. One star didn't move fast enough and the Titan caught it in its mouth. There was a snap that Gong Yun heard, and a flash. Scintillating sparks fell upon the world. A thousand stars born from the corpse of one. Then the world was one star darker.
Gong Yun turned away from the Titan, turning towards the heat he felt at his back. An enormous funeral pyre had been constructed. All around it people walked. Each one was clothed in somber clothes. Each one Gong Yun recognized.
His parents were here, his brothers and sisters. Friends, from the sect and from Zuihou, muttered in low tones with each other. Even Ling Ai was here, her flowers changed from ivory and cerulean to stolid ebony. This wasn't just any funeral, Gong Yun realized. This was his funeral.
He moved without thought, limbs refusing commands. Step by step he approached the pyre. Step by step the heat on his face increased. Step by step Gong Yun felt flames eat away at what he was.
Between one blink and the next the pyre was gone. Wood panels replaced the snow covered cliff edge, windows replaced mournful faces, and winter's chill replaced the heat of the flames.
Stretching out in front of Gong Yun was a great hall. Banners fluttered from the ceiling, each one having a weapon stitched on it. Past the windows Gong Yun saw the world stretched out. He was on the Titan, inside one of the cities armoring it. There was a shift and a shudder as the hall moved with Titan.
At the end of the hallway was another funeral pyre, far enough away that Gong Yun could not feel its heat, but close enough that he could see the flickering of flame. Somehow Gong Yun knew that he needed to step into the pyre again if he was to progress in his task.
Kill the Titan.
The words echoed in his mind and Gong Yun had to blink away the tears the words caused. Yes it seemed as if he needed to reach the pyre. That might be easier said than done though.
Between Gong Yun and the pyre were eight rats. They stood like a man, but were shorter than Gong Yun, only coming up to his shoulder. Spears clanged against bronze shields as the rats stared him down. As one the spears lowered, and in lockstep the rats advanced.
Reds and whites smeared across the world as Gong Yun triggered his perception art. It took half a second to stabilize, earning a grimace from him. That would need some work. For now it was enough.
The rats seemed to be at the earliest stage of Red, just barely awoken. A full realm and stage below him. This would be a massacre.
Gong Yun stepped forward, flames spilling out of his sword's sheath as he drew it. In a single motion that he had practiced a thousand times Gong Yun dashed across the space between him and the rats. Sparks drifted in his wake. He would pierce one of the middle rats. That would disrupt their formation and send them scattering.
The blade glowed white hot and Gong Yun stabbed forward.
Three shields intercepted his blade. Four spears lashed out at him.
Eyes wide Gong Yun twisted out of the way, clothes tearing as spears ripped through them instead of his flesh. A single shield wouldn't have been enough to stop his strike, even two would have buckled under the difference in strength. But three, with qi flows that distributed the strike evenly amongst all of them, was just enough.
Another swing proved Gong Yun's theory. This time two shields blocked his weaker strike and the four closest spears lashed out again. As Gong Yun danced backward to create distance he realized that this fight would not be as easy as he thought it would be.
It took another three assaults before Gong Yun managed to down his first rat. Quick footwork had tripped up a rat at the very edge and before the other rats shuffled in to defend, a strong blow shattered the shield and caused the rat to dissolve into flickering green flame and shadows.
At least that answered his question if these rats were real or not.
Minutes ticked by as Gong Yun whittled away the rats. Four more rats died before the formation crumbled and he was able to leverage his overwhelming cultivation to crush the remaining three.
Still as he watched the banners around the room burn away from the flames he had unleashed Gong Yun couldn't help but grimace. He had spent a large part of his qi just in this fight. Hopefully there wouldn't be too many more fights like that, but better safe than sorry.
The pill he took tasted like salt and ash and brought up his qi back to about half capacity. Then he stepped into the pyre once again.
Once more a hall stretched out before him. Banners hung from the ceiling. Gong Yun knew he was in a different hall because the windows showed a different part of the world. If he had to guess he had switched to the opposite side of the Titan. Another pyre was at the end of the hall and seven rats this time stood between it and him. Each rat was at the second stage of the red realm and to Gong Yun's sight formations churned on the shields and spears.
This was going to be painful.
It was essentially the same fight as before. The only difference was that the spears stretched out when thrusted forward and the shields could take even greater punishment.
In the end the same trick took down each rat and Gong Yun used far less qi, but that still only left him with about a quarter left. Another pill, his last, and his qi surged again. How many more of these fights were there?
At least one more Gong Yun realized as he stepped through the pyre once more.
This time six deer faced him. They stood on their hindlegs and held a quarterstaff in their strangely shaped hands. A warcry erupted from them, a bellowing sound that ended in an eerie, almost human, laugh.
Gong Yun charged.
In the end he bested all six of them. The fight was more straightforward than the previous fights. No trickery needed. There was no formation fighting, no covering for each other. Far closer to Gong Yun's experience in the sect. Still fighting six late red opponents was far from simple. When the final deer fell Gong Yun was out of qi, and one of his arms hung limply at his side. Thankfully it didn't hurt, it just ached and itched, but he couldn't move it and Gong Yun knew that the blow it took should have broken it.
Surely that was the last fight though, right?
Gong Yun's first attempt ended in the fourth fight. Five early yellow deers was just too much for him to handle with such low qi left. He tried his best, managing to take down two, before a blow he never saw coming cracked his skull.
Before he hit the ground though Gong Yun found himself back at the first funeral pyre. Around him he saw his friends, his family, his crush, and he had control of his limbs. He didn't have to try again, he realized. He could stay here. Talk to those he hadn't seen in months. Laugh with Ling Ai. Hug his parents.
Gong Yun walked into the pyre.
The first four halls were the same. Rats with shields and spears first, followed by deer with quarterstaffs. Thankfully his qi and even his pills had returned to him after his first failure and Gong Yun was much more careful with both.
He still took blows, even one from the second hall when he let down his guard, but he carried on and soon the last deer in the fourth hall dissolved away.
Bruises covered his body and his head rang from a stiff blow that he only partially absorbed with his qi. He had done well though. Half of his qi was left and his pill chute still had both of his pills. Time for the next fight.
The next two fights had wolves instead of deer or rats. Heavy daos shattered wood paneling as the wolves attacked. They only attacked. Bestiality shined in their eyes and their attacks. Opponents from the previous fights had a hint of bestiality in their movements, but nothing like this. No thoughts of teamwork or defense entered the minds of the wolves. Aggression was the only thing they knew and Gong Yun was pushed to his limit by it.
Flames roared around him and in his heart as Gong Yun pushed his qi further and further. Steel chipped and cracked as more and more qi flooded into his sword. By the end the fight had become a dance, one of the ritual dances he sometimes saw at the temples. It brought clarity. Each step was known in advance. Each blow predicted. Finally the last wolf in the sixth room dissolved, its dao falling to the floor with a soft clatter before it too was undone.
Gong Yun looked at his last pill as flames ate away at the hall around him. There was little choice but to take it. His qi was guttering out, and he knew more fights awaited him.
It tasted like salt and ash.
Once more Gong Yun stepped through the pyre, and once more he saw another hall. The previous halls had all been the same. Banners hanging from the ceiling and wooden panels covering the floor. This hall was different. There were no banners hanging from the ceiling, for there was no ceiling. Stars gazed down upon the hall while snow drifted in.
But it wasn't the winter's cold that chilled Gong Yun's heart. No it was this room's opposition.
Two bears surged to their feet when Gong Yun entered the room. Jians were held in their mouths and unlike the previous enemies there was nothing human about them. They ran on four legs and their growls held no human note in them. They were also at the first stage of green.
Gong Yun charged.
Once more Gong Yun opened his eyes to the funeral pyre, once more words echoed in his mind.
Kill the Titan.
There were more people here now. Faces he didn't recognize but instinctively knew. Children and grandchildren wearing mourning clothes. His children. His grandchildren. Nephews and cousins. His family. He could stop here. He gave it his best shot. No one could expect a mid yellow to face down two greens. It was impossible.
Gong Yun walked into the pyre.
Once more Gong Yun charged through six rooms. Albeit more carefully. Qi was a precious resource, and he only had two pills. Each step needed to be precise, each attack a killing blow. Nothing else would give him a chance.
In the end he managed it. The first, second, third, and even fourth hallways were completed flawlessly. In the fifth hallway he stumbled and earned and earned a nasty blow across the ribs for his trouble. At the end of the sixth his qi was almost gone. He had needed to spend more than he wanted to take care of the three late yellow wolves. He stared at his pill chute and felt the two pills inside.
If he took them now he might, might, have a chance against the two bears. But beating the bears wasn't his goal, killing the Titan was. If he used both pills now and there was another fight he would be crushed. If he didn't use the pills then he would be crushed in the next fight. He would just have to hope that there wasn't a fight after the next one.
Just before he popped both pills in his mouth Gong Yun looked out the now shattered windows. It was still night. His hand froze. It was still night. Through both attempts morning had yet to come.
You have three days.
Without a second thought Gong Yun dropped to the ground, twisting his legs around the shattered floor into his meditation pose. His breath deepened and quickened, imitating a forge's bellows. The sparks of qi in his dantain flared to life and began to steadily climb higher.
Time passed strangely. Hours dripped past, running together like paint, inseparable from the next. Dawn broke, evening came. Then words echoed in his mind, almost tearing Gong Yun from his meditation.
You have two days.
With a stuttered gasp, Gong stopped his breathing and his meditation to check his qi. Full. Full to near bursting. Fuller than it would have been if he had taken both pills. Now he had a chance.
Gong Yun stepped into the next pyre.
Once more the two bears surged upwards, their four paws shattering wooden panels as they rushed towards him.
Gong Yun charged.
The fight had a dream-like quality. What he was doing the previous moment was hard to remember. Gong Yun only knew what he was doing now. Sidestep, strike. Roll, ignite.
Burn.
Each second Gong Yun unleashed a new technique. Flames crisscrossed, woven together into a tapestry of heat and smoke. In previous fights Gong Yun had rationed his qi, careful to preserve as much as he could. That restraint was gone and Gong Yun felt like the noon sun. Radiant and powerful.
Fur burned, flesh boiled. His sword strikes were the unpitying rays of the sun and left no shade.
Yet the zenith of the sun lasts but an instant, and Gong Yun was no sun. As a mid yellow he could only emulate the sun. He lasted less than an instant.
But it was enough.
Gong Yun felt raw, as if he had a sunburn across his body. Each step was uncomfortable, a reminder of how far he had pushed himself. He stumbled past the two smoking and dissolving bodies.
It was strange Gong Yun thought, as he collapsed into his meditation pose again. Those two bears, while certainly strong, didn't fight like greens should. There was no intelligence like a green should have. They had fought worse than the rats in the first room, impeding each other as much as they fought him.
There was no question that if they had fought together they would have crushed him.
Another day passed in meditation as Gong Yun recovered his strength. Time passed quickly, far too quickly and before he had even realized it words echoed in his mind once more.
You have one day.
His body still tingling with discomfort, but with his qi back to full, Gong Yun stepped through the next pyre.
There was no hall this time. No wooden panels. No pyre. At his feet white fur rustled and swayed in the wind, like grass. Above him and to his sides stars quivered, some seemed close enough to touch, but their light was cold and distant. At the end of a slight slope was a symbol, burning with green fire. The symbol floated a steady amount above the fur, no matter how the muscles tensed or twisted under it.
This was the Titan's neck, Gong Yun realized, and somehow he knew that if he could destroy that symbol the Titan would die. Now he just had to deal with the beast.
The bear stood on four legs, and was twice as tall as Gong Yun. Unlike the other beasts that he had fought this bear had no weapon. There was no jian, no dao, no quarterstaff or spear. All the bear had was its natural weapons, but Gong Yun knew that it was no less dangerous for it.
To his perception arts this bear stood at the second stage of green.
As the bear turned languidly towards him, Gong Yun gripped his sword tighter and fiddled with his pill chute. This was his last chance. He doubted he was fast enough to try and destroy the symbol before the bear caught up to him. Speed had never been his focus, power had been. He really had only one answer to the fight before him.
Gong Yun charged.
It wasn't even a fight. The first blow from the bear shattered his sword as Gong Yun tried to parry. Fur and claw cleaved through steel and flesh, severing Gong Yun's arm at the shoulder. Before he even had a chance to stare in shock at his missing arm the second paw whipped into his side, crushing bone and sending Gong Yun hurtling through the air. There was a pop, then darkness.
It was the crackle of the fire that roused Gong Yun from sleep. With bleary eyes he sat up and snow fell off him. He was back at the cabin, but he wasn't alone.
Eyes snapped to focus as he turned to face the new addition to the cabin. Rest and sleep forgotten as his heart began pounding in his chest.
An old man sat in a rocking chair by the window. White wiry hair fell in strings and his dagger beard was unkempt, almost patchy. There were no ornamentations on his black clothes. Only a tuft of white hair, tied together by a red string and tucked under the black belt, colored the outfit. To Gong Yun there was no hint of cultivation from the man.
"Elder," Gong Yun said as he prostrated on the cold snow, "I can only apologize for failing the trial."
"Did you?" The Elder asked as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "What was your objective?"
"I was to kill the Titan, Elder." Gong Yun said.
"No, no." The Elder said, cutting Gong Yun off. "That was the objective you were given. What was your objective? Why did you challenge my trial?"
There was a beat of silence as the snow fell and Gong Yun organized his thoughts. "I wanted to test myself." He said.
"And impress a girl." The Elder drawled out.
Gong Yun's face burned, worse than the worst sunburn he had ever received.
"There is no shame in that." The Elder said, eyes drifting to the shattered window and hand drifting down to the tuft of hair on his belt. "Love is one of the strongest passions after all. Even if yours is unrequited love. But enough melancholy thoughts, let us return to my first question. Did you test yourself?"
"I feel as though I did, Elder." Gong Yun said.
"Good, now what did you learn?"
"Elder?"
"Tests are meant to show us what we know, and what we do not. So, what do you know, and do you not?"
Again Gong Yun scrambled for an answer. This wasn't how meeting an Elder was supposed to go. Elders weren't supposed to feel like strict grandparents.
"I have power to spare." Gong Yun settled on. "But my endurance is lacking."
"Hmmm… an adequate thought." The Elder said. "I would prefer a more specific answer, but yours is sufficient. Now, for your rewards."
"Rewards?" Gong Yun asked.
"Killing the Titan was a lure, an impossibility to keep you focused away from the real trial." The Elder said. "The real trial was if you would keep going after failure."
"Life is full of failure." The Elder continued. "Cultivation will only magnify it, just like everything else. A cultivator who gives up after only one try would not receive anything from me, someone who tries twice is eligible for a small prize, but someone who uses everything to the maximum is worth investing in."
A jade slip flew through the air, landing on the snow in front of Gong Yun.
"Next week present yourself here." The Elder said. "You have earned a month of tutoring from me."
"Elder, I am honored." Gong Yun said, voice choking. A full month of training would be invaluable, both to his cultivation and his other pursuit.
"We'll see if you say that once the month is done." The Elder said. "Oh, and as a final reward, my niece greatly enjoys chilled Primeval Root tea. Use that tidbit as you will." Then the elder dissolved into shadows and green flame leaving Gong Yun frozen on the ground.
A few moments later, once he was sure the Elder was gone, Gong Yun groaned and sat upright again. His back complained at the motion, stiff from the cold and sleep. How long had he been laying here?
On his way back to his house in the sect Gong Yun peered into the jade slip the Elder gave him. It was a wood based art, which was frustrating, but the deeper he read it the more impressed he became. It might not have been his first pick in fixing his endurance issues, but it would work well.
For now he was going to take a hot bath, eat some roasted chicken, and stretch out the kinks in his back.
Enduring Taiga Truths
Despite animals, war, and seasons the taiga remains unchanged. Gird yourself in this unchanging enduring nature to turn away blows. Even when flames scorch the world, or snow buries it, the trees of the taiga endure. Always green, always alive.
A.N
@yrsillar Omake!
I really enjoyed writing this one. It went through several drafts before it ended up with this version. I hope you enjoyed reading it.
- Location
- CA
Ah, but Gan could be said to contain the spirit, right? Since it resides within him and doesn't typically display its light.
So cut the middleman and just kidnap Gan. He'll be a good sport about it.
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
Jesus you guys are shooting omake left and right
A mirror works.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hehe, truly the thing the Ling clan shall be known for is the invention of iced tea.
Alphaleph
The Firstiest of First
For some reason, I thought these would be corny. "The picture of the Lady smiling" corny.
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/They
Misspelled and missing period: nauseously.
- Location
- Chicago
- Pronouns
- She/They
So, thoughts-
The breath of a dragon, fresh and encased
I'd almost say this sounds like a food, something spicy. The hints would be "fresh", implying something that can get stale, unlike the fire or lightening of real dragon breath, and "encased", which to me implies a dough or crust wrapped around it. I think we are looking for super spicy dumplings, fresh, that will give the eater breath like fire.
A flower born of mountain stone, sparkling and hot
Crystal, as our new sis understood.
The sharpest blade, wielded by no hand
This one is tough. My instinct is to say time is the blade that slices extremely finely each moment and eventually fells us all- but as far as collecting a bunch of it goes, we need an object. Therefore clocks, with that little wink at clock hands there. But I don't think cultivator clocks are gear work with hands- do we know what they use to measure time?
The light of the sun, captured and radiant
A mirror fits well here, as mentioned above.
A Lady's laughter, bright and pure.
I think perhaps bells. I've heard ladies' laughter called bell-like before, and 'bright and pure' describe the notes given off by a good bell quite well. Plus, a small bell is a thing that can be collected in bulk and hidden in various places, like mirrors.
The breath of a dragon, fresh and encased
I'd almost say this sounds like a food, something spicy. The hints would be "fresh", implying something that can get stale, unlike the fire or lightening of real dragon breath, and "encased", which to me implies a dough or crust wrapped around it. I think we are looking for super spicy dumplings, fresh, that will give the eater breath like fire.
A flower born of mountain stone, sparkling and hot
Crystal, as our new sis understood.
The sharpest blade, wielded by no hand
This one is tough. My instinct is to say time is the blade that slices extremely finely each moment and eventually fells us all- but as far as collecting a bunch of it goes, we need an object. Therefore clocks, with that little wink at clock hands there. But I don't think cultivator clocks are gear work with hands- do we know what they use to measure time?
The light of the sun, captured and radiant
A mirror fits well here, as mentioned above.
A Lady's laughter, bright and pure.
I think perhaps bells. I've heard ladies' laughter called bell-like before, and 'bright and pure' describe the notes given off by a good bell quite well. Plus, a small bell is a thing that can be collected in bulk and hidden in various places, like mirrors.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Some really cool ideas, but I don't think the dragons breath is food. There was some talk about it being rain given that Chinese dragons are often associated with it.
Epsilon Rose
The King of Unrest
Part of the problem with trying to play along with this kind of riddle contest is that the list of potential answers doesn't line up with things that exist in our world —The Breath of a dragon, fresh and encased could very well refer to the actual breath of a dragon that's been freshly encased in some sort of formation.— nor do we know what might be available in the palace.
Sixiang means thought, hee.
This is Ling Qi's Wild Ride.
Choo Choo~
My thoughts on these:
1) The Leigong brings the thunder with his hammer and chisel. The Dianmu brings the lightning, shining upon her target with her mirror. The Dragon's breath is the rain, bringing water and life through the land.
2) The indicated Yu Nuan answer was crystal, but another answer comes to mind. A spark in Chinese is Huo Hua, Fire Flower. What blooms when flint strikes flint? The flower that is flame.
3) The cutting wind is but the simplest form, the piercing chill a blade that pierces armor to strike the core, but the razor tongue and sharpened wit cuts the deepest, where none other can reach.
4) The mirror captures the light of the sun, but so too does a painting grasp at its beauty and radiance.
5) The Lady sits in the hall, judging the hunt. Amuse her and the prize is yours indeed.
- Location
- S.E.A
The breath of a dragon, fresh and encased
Clouds.
Fire clouds are a thing, right?
The sharpest blade, wielded by no hand
Grass?
Race you to the ground
The light of the sun, captured and radiant
Would a lamp work here?
A Lady's laughter, bright and pure.
Oh boy, can we make the lady laugh?
Clouds.
Fire clouds are a thing, right?
The sharpest blade, wielded by no hand
Grass?
Race you to the ground
The light of the sun, captured and radiant
Would a lamp work here?
A Lady's laughter, bright and pure.
Oh boy, can we make the lady laugh?
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It's still fun trying to come up with ideas before the next update. Not much else to do rn
1. Cloud in a bottle might work like mentioned. First thought was lightning though since I associate thunder with dragon roars. Don't know what a fresh cloud or lightning would entail though.
Oil would be most literal for a modern and western interpretation though.
2. Mountain stone was a nice pun, misread sparkling for sparking though.
3. Words could be said to be held in a hand through a pen. Light is pretty sharp, out there though.
4. A modern and literal interpretation would be the lightbulb. It's brightness is often compared to the sun and captured and radiant is an apt description. Betting on it being either a bright lantern or a mirror though.
5. Initial thought was a tickling feather like in cartoons but remembered that those don't probably exist in China. Tickling her directly would lose us brownie point too ):
Would people laugh if Ling Qi laughs because she counts herself as a bright and pure lady? Remember that the main competition was her 2 sons.
If the solution to 5 was Ling Qi laughing that would score her so much brownie points.
glances at Zhengui's parents, Zeqing, also maybe the Hui spiders.
Accurate, lol.
It's simple, really.
They are intimidating, so less people/beasts/spirits bother them, they get more bored and either craft or train to kill time. When someone is brave/stupid enough to bother them, they get entertainment and if the intruder leaves a good impression, they will be more generous, because entertainment is high value for them... And they can clear out some of the clutter they accumulated over the time.
I am surprised it took me this long to realize this. (;;;・_・)
They are intimidating, so less people/beasts/spirits bother them, they get more bored and either craft or train to kill time. When someone is brave/stupid enough to bother them, they get entertainment and if the intruder leaves a good impression, they will be more generous, because entertainment is high value for them... And they can clear out some of the clutter they accumulated over the time.
I am surprised it took me this long to realize this. (;;;・_・)
Epsilon Rose
The King of Unrest
It's simple, really.
They are intimidating, so less people/beasts/spirits bother them, they get more bored and either craft or train to kill time. When someone is brave/stupid enough to bother them, they get entertainment and if the intruder leaves a good impression, they will be more generous, because entertainment is high value for them... And they can clear out some of the clutter they accumulated over the time.
I am surprised it took me this long to realize this. (;;;・_・)
Also, more directly, they tend to be intimidating for a reason.
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I don't think we'll actually be doing anything ourselves. We managed to beat every reward threshold for this scene so it's likely we'll just get to see LQ kick ass next update.
- Location
- being near locations is my passion.
This mini-arc is refreshing.
It's nice to be along for this with Yu Nuan. Tbh, I'm not fussed either way if Ling Qi gets loot - a lighthearted update or two more; and we've already got some concept XP.
I do hope Yu Nuan gets some sort of trinket, just because it'd be nice - on top of whatever insights she might move towards.
Not everything that is meaningful is heavy.
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Pretty off topic but I really hope we at least visit heizui one more time before we leave, not even to cultivate, but just to see if he's caught up to us and if anyone else has discovered him. Beating him was a really big moment for ling qi where it sunk in just how strong she had gotten and I'd be interested to see the scene where either he caught up to us and wants a rematch or we've pulled farther ahead of him and see his reaction.
Maybe that's the ???? of the Argent Sect Paying Respect action. Or not. Who knows?
That's why I want to do that action in the 3rd-4th month instead of in the last 2. In case it turns out to be a chain quest.
I also want to see our little river dragon reuniting with our "stupid, pretty girl".
That's why I want to do that action in the 3rd-4th month instead of in the last 2. In case it turns out to be a chain quest.
I also want to see our little river dragon reuniting with our "stupid, pretty girl".
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