L.S. Easton

Chapter 2:9 Progress

Travis picked up the envelope holding Kevin’s reply with a deep sigh.

He loved almost every aspect of his new role, all of them except this one. Using the outsider as an unwitting spy on his sect was an awful thing to do. It went against his own morality and against the professionalism of the OIM.

Yet it was also a task he couldn’t ignore, not when it was a direct order from the assistant director. The best he’d been able to do was delay for as long as possible.

Firs...

Chapter 2:8 Breakthrough

The next morning, Kevin found himself with more Formation work left than he’d planned. As lovely as the previous night had been, he’d only finished a little over half his remaining flags.

Finishing would eat into the full cultivation day he’d planned, but there wasn’t anything Kevin could do about it. He needed those flags done by Monday morning, and there was no other time left to do them in.

So, after a quick breakfast, he settled down to plow through them as fast as th...

Chapter 2:7 - Dinner

Kevin tugged at the hem of his shirt, suddenly feeling underdressed for the evening ahead.

It was still early for dinner after Amelia’s invitation, so they agreed to part for a couple of hours before meeting again. A night out might not have been part of his plans for the evening, but Kevin didn’t have it in him to refuse.

Not when Amelia was extending more trust by offering to explain some of her advantages. Nor could he ignore how interested he was in spending more time with...

Chapter 2:6 - Tutoring

Saturday morning, Kevin woke at dawn to prepare for another of Elder Fischer’s early morning classes. After removing the charged flag from his Energy Interface Formation, he replaced it with a new one and then left for a last round of lobbing practice. 

He’d expected the Formation Courtyard to be empty when he arrived an hour early. Instead, there were two other figures already practicing. While they were spread far apart, he still recognized them as fellow FORM-115 students. 2025-02-27 04:38:52 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 2:5 - The Twisted Script

From afternoon to evening, Kevin struggled with the Twisted Script, trying everything he could think of to get it working. However, no amount of measuring, pre-planning, or pattern memorization was enough to get the damn thing working.

While the Qi drain continued to grow at a slow, steady pace, whatever effect it produced ruined everything he tried.

Now, long after dusk and nearing the time he needed to be in bed, Kevin cut one last flag to try. While exhausted after the long day...

Chapter 2:4 Bemusing Instructions

Kevin stared at the instructions in a mixture of bemusement and mounting worry. 

After long consideration, he’d decided that the massive potential benefits of the Twisted Script far outweighed any extra effort he’d need to put in now. While the risk of complete failure still haunted his mind, he’d pushed it aside and made the purchase.

Now, reading through the actual style manual, that worry had returned with a vengeance.

The issue wasn’t the difficulty of the i...

Chapter 2:3 Style Conundrum

Lucas Thresher, the teacher for FORM-101, held his class at the more reasonable time of 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The later start allowed Kevin to catch up on sleep and still make it to the library before class.

The Outer Sect Library was one of the largest buildings in the compound, more than half again the height of its tallest neighbor. Yet only a single floor of the massive structure was open to regular disciples.

The Reading Room was an open-plan area filled with studying tables,...

Kevin’s Class Schedule (E.B. Extras)

This is Kevin’s full class schedule for the Fall Season (A three-month block of classes, much like semesters in our world).

Monday: 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM - FORM-101 theory (turned into private tutoring with Elder Fischer)

Monday: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM - MAR-101 theory with Elder Johnson

Monday: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM - TEC-109 theory with Li Yen

Tuesday: 9:00 AM to 11:AM - FORM-102 theory with Lucas Thresher

Tuesday: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - FORM-115 theory with El...

Chapter 2:2 Frenzied Learning

The lesson became a frantic blur after the elder’s ominous proclamation. Fischer threw out new concepts, patterns, and theories so fast that Kevin had to push his writing speed to keep up.

Yet Fischer never pushed so fast that she overwhelmed him. It was as if she’d calculated his ability to keep up and then kept him at that threshold for the next hour. 

She sped up even further for the second hour, querying him with ruthless intent on everything they’d covered so far. ...

Chapter 2:1 - Moment of Truth

Kevin’s second week at the Twisted Path sect began with his early morning FORM-101 class. 

7:00 AM was an early enough start, but Kevin’s nervous energy woke him up almost two hours earlier than that. There were precious few chances for an Outer Sect disciple to impress an Inner Sect Elder, and he was lucky enough to have one of those few.

FORM-101 was the class he had to ace at all costs if he wanted any hope of Elder Fischer handing out bonus merit. Merit that was likel...

Chapter 48 - Week’s End

Amelia fought to keep the flush from returning to her face as she watched Kevin fiddle with his pocket watch.

It looked like one of the more complicated versions she’d heard were popular in the capital. One with multiple functions for tracking time.

The odd choice contrasted with Kevin’s otherwise plain attire, providing an intriguing hint into the enigma he presented. On any other day, it would have drawn her full attention; now, it barely distracted from the memory of her br...

Chapter 47 - Cultivation Troubles

“So you can make any talisman you want on the fly?” Kevin asked, eyebrows raising at the insane versatility.

Any talisman that I’ve memorized the pattern for, Amelia wrote with a shrug. 

“Right,” Kevin nodded, calming down at that addition. He hadn’t memorized any of his formation patterns; it was complicated enough just copying them. Talismans might be a little smaller, but it would still be tough to remember every little detail.

N...

Chapter 46 - Growing Closer

Sunday morning dawned with a light rain shower and a deep gray mist that swept through the sect. 

Kevin took one look out the window, then went back to bed. He’d had enough mist for a lifetime, and he’d earned a break after such a productive week.

He enjoyed another hour of luxurious sleep and a second of quiet reading before heading down to breakfast. While the steady patter of rain continued, the mist had cleared enough to no longer bring back concerning memories.

Chapter 45 - Training

Kevin shifted his weight from foot to foot as Elder Fischer approached. A raised hand had been enough to attract her attention, and she was now striding over with purpose.

“Finished, Mr. Blake?” Fischer asked with a raised eyebrow. While she was as difficult to read as always, Kevin felt like there was a hint of approval on her face. 

Approval that would be sure to vanish if he’d misjudged his readiness.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kevin nodded. “Yes, Ma’am...

Chapter 44 - Lobbing Flags

Kevin scrambled to unwrap the twine binding together the Qi Rejection Formation’s flags. There were six in total: the control flag and five boundary flags.

Based on the pamphlet that came with it, you could use four flags to form a blocking line or all six to form a protective hexagon. 

“We’ll be throwing in hexagon formation,” Elder Fischer called as she circled behind the group. “A four-flag line is faster for defending yourself but doesn’t require the lob techn...

Chapter 43 - Combat Formations

The FORM-115 practical was another of Elder Fischer’s early classes, though at least it was held at eight AM rather than seven. 

Kevin woke up early and reviewed his notes over breakfast before heading to the Fire Courtyard. Confident in the safety of his ‘battery’ plan after the last two days of experiments, he filled his body to the brim with free-floating Fire and Earth Qi.

Then he headed around to the back of the Formations building to Formation Courtyard One. Much ...

Chapter 42 - Completion

Back in his room, Kevin cleared his mind and focused on the blank cloth on the desk in front of him.

The flags he’d completed over the last few days had been acceptable, but ‘acceptable’ was no longer good enough. Not if he was serious about impressing an inner sect elder.

No, he needed to do much better than acceptable to achieve that.

Once his mind was empty, he began. As he’d thought the day before, the trick was to go even slower. Every stroke had to be near-perf...

Chapter 41 - Checkup

Dr. Vaughan’s gaze pierced him as the man stared at Kevin’s chest. A few moments later, it was over, the floating golden seals from the doctor’s technique fading into nothing.

Like the previous time, Dr. Vaughan looked away for almost a minute before talking, his pen continuing to scrawl notes. Eventually, the man’s head snapped back, and he nodded with a pleased smile.

“Good, good. I didn’t detect any glaring issues. Further, the growth of your sealed land matches the...

Chapter 40 - Merit Requirements

“Six months?” Kevin blurted out, unable to keep the shock out of his voice. He’d been struggling to believe it was possible in a year, yet she planned to do it half that time.

Swallowing, he tried to keep the dismay out of his words. “Is that even possible?” 

While he wished her the best, his heart clenched at the idea. Six months was such a short time, and she might not be the only one to make it.

If she thought it was possible in six months, then wouldn’t ...

Chapter 39 - First Technique

“Give me a minute to get the visualization right,” Kevin licked his lips, anxiety growing within him. 

“Sure thing,” James grinned back, his smile easy and free. No doubt the man was relieved to have gotten the technique down.

Behind him, Li said nothing, though he could feel her still lurking there. The extra attention did nothing for his nerves, but it wasn’t something he could change. All he could do was focus.

With a deep breath, Kevin closed his eyes and ...

Chapter 38 - Qi Shielding

“That’s nuts,” Kevin laughed, shaking his head. Immortality didn’t sound so ridiculous if cultivators could become that powerful. Unless it was a myth, after all. Even then, it was nice to imagine.

“Well, far be it for me to say anything is impossible,” he continued, nodding to Brad. “What happened after that?”

“The Xi’anian emperor ascended,” Brad shrugged. “It took a few more centuries, but it’s said that he grew so powerful the heavens forced him to le...

Chapter 37 - History Lesson

Travis slipped the thick stack of paperwork out of its folder and carefully examined each page. A week of meetings, reports, and endless forms had finally cumulated in the final pages in front of him.

It had been an exhausting time on top of his usual workload, but it had paid off. 

Kevin’s tuition payments were now approved for a full year. Most sects gave their new disciples that long to prove they were worth keeping, and the OIM had a similar philosophy.

If they ma...

Chapter 36 - Friendship

After a moment of shocked silence, Elder Fischer pointed to a man at the back. “Yes, Mr. Becker.”

“But, ma’am, we can see where they’re taking us.”

“Can you?” the elder asked, cocking a head. “Does anyone want to try fielding that question?”

Kevin shuddered as he realized what she was getting out. If it was what he’d do, then it was quite the nasty move.

“Yes, Mr. Blake,” Fischer said without even looking at him.

“Well,” he said, lic...

Chapter 35 - Classwork

Elder Johnson vanished after finishing his explanation, and Kevin wandered back over to the desk with his mind a whirl. The Sinking Sands was just what he’d discussed with Foster when they’d thought up his combat style.

Using shifting parries and dragging motions, the style combined defensiveness and maneuverability. Which was what he needed to deploy formations and lead his opponents into them.

The upcoming Combat Formations class should cover the deployment section, though h...

Chapter 34 - The Sinking Sands

The following two hours were some of the most intense of Kevin’s life. First, he copied down the three elementary formations, which Elder Fischer made him repeat until he got them right.

An extensive discussion on creating traditional flags followed. That method, using actual cloth and wood flags, was still the first thing taught to beginners.

The elder insisted that he needed to master the traditional method before he could try more advanced techniques, such as the tattoo on hi...

Chapter 33 - Elementary Formations

Kevin stared as the elder’s proclamation echoed through the room. He hadn’t known what to expect when he’d arrived this morning, but this was not in any of his predictions.

If she was really the head of the whole formations department, he could see why she wouldn’t want to teach a beginner class. Hell, teaching in the outer sect at all could be close to an insult for her.

He even understood the point about her fellow elders. If she’d been asking them for more resources, ...

Chapter 32 - FORM-101

The conversation with Amelia wound down after that terrific start, and she soon made the excuse that there were other people here she needed to talk to.

She seemed the taciturn type who took a while to open up despite sharing something so close to her heart. It had to have been difficult for her to go that far, and Kevin didn’t begrudge the woman for taking her time.

He only suggested that they meet again soon, perhaps after classes started. That would give her space while also ...

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