Let's talk. Let’s talk?! Really, that was the best I could come up with?
I kept my face as calm as I could. There was a gross feeling in the back of my throat. It felt a little bit like I was gonna barf. I really wasn’t cut out for acting stern, and I may have overdone it. Mostly because I had no real clue what I was doing.
I had rehearsed the conversation in my head while working on the demolished shop. I’d have to watch where I stepped next time. What...
2022-01-25 02:32:40 +0000 UTC
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Bai Huizong, Director of Spiritual Ascension Affairs, sat in the crystal room, staring at the secret passage. The Elders had left to explore its inner reaches not long ago, delving into ancient depths in search of secrets.
Of course, Bai Huizong wouldn’t be caught dead going down some strange, unknown tunnel in the Dueling Peaks, no matter how many Elders went along with him. He had too much common sense. Better to profit off whatever they dragged up later, rather than risk his neck.<...
2022-01-23 03:27:46 +0000 UTC
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[Break the Rocks]
The words echoed in the air. The world shuddered. And then, it was over.
Master Jin turned to Xiulan and Bi De. His eyes were calm and serene.
Xiulan coughed. Fire erupted out of her mouth. The burning in her chest tore the breath from her lungs, she collapsed. Master Jin’s eyes widened and he hurried forward to catch her.
He slung one of her arms over his shoulder, and carried her with him, Then she felt him ...
2022-01-21 02:10:03 +0000 UTC
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Tigu shifted her hips and twisted, sending the piece of rubble into the wheelbarrow. It landed with a thunk. Absently, her eyes travelled back to where Loud Boy and Rags were working with the rest of her friends. Bi De was helping as well. Master had relieved him from his watch over the mountain, so he was spending his time talking to Xianghua, Loud Boy, and Rags. She could hear him asking them about where they had come from.
Loud Boy, after his initial shock, seemed to be the most anim...
2022-01-19 02:26:39 +0000 UTC
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You guys must be sick of hearing this by now, but the chapter is going to be delayed until tomorrow.
HOWEVER! While I don't have a new chapter at this moment, I do have something I'm happy to report. I finished all the big edits for Volume One. It took me a while and it was quite the grind, but this weekend I managed to do it. Most of it was cleaning the book up, fixing the early installment weirdness, and adding and fleshing out scenes.
And lots and lots a...
2022-01-18 03:55:03 +0000 UTC
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I checked in on Xiulan while everybody else was getting ready to head out. She was laying in a bed and for all the world just looked like she had slept a bit longer than she should have.
But she was asleep. Asleep and not waking up. She didn’t react as I entered.
At least there weren’t any tubes sticking out of her. The smell of Meimei’s herbs instead of a harsh, antiseptic tang like if she were in a hospital. And her cheeks were still full instead of gaunt and pallid.
2022-01-15 05:54:27 +0000 UTC
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Bao Wen sighed, as he jabbed the maintenance rod at another crystal. The ancient stone rod, inlaid with crystal, pointed directly towards the black, lifeless gem, and once again it did nothing. It was part of his duties, his superiors said. It was an ancient and necessary tradition!
He was sure it was. The crystals sometimes flickered and hummed when they did it, but did the little dance they had to do have to look so silly? It was embarrassing.
Bao Wen grumbled, irritated.
...
2022-01-14 02:29:35 +0000 UTC
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Alright. some patch notes. I unfortunately had to do a small retcon, and remove the last section with the elders coming out with the dawn. That is the retcon that was made, and I apologize. in addition, this chapter has been completely reworked. The old version of this chapter will be swapped to DEFUNCT.
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Xianghua felt hollow.
She always did after a fight. Like her insides had been scooped out and her emotions were more...
2022-01-12 22:29:05 +0000 UTC
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I showed the jade token to the proprietor of the inn. He looked twitchy and shell shocked, his eyes flicking to the cultivators behind me. It was still two hours till dawn, and it was probably a really shitty time to check in. But the man had been awake, and this place suited my needs.
“Yes, sir. There are vacancies left. I’ll prepare my finest rooms—”
“Just normal rooms are good. Sorry to spring this on ya.” I told the owner. The Shrouded Mountain Disciples shuffled i...
2022-01-11 03:25:51 +0000 UTC
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There was silence in the square as the Shrouded Mountain Sect disciples left. Yun Ren watched them go with mixed feelings. Part of him wanted to chase after the bastards and stab them all, but that would obviously be a bad idea. He could barely fight one of the guys with the support of a super artifact and a spirit fox. Charging into the rest of them? Stupid.
After all his resolve, he hadn’t needed to do anything.
Kind of anti-climactic, really. He glanced around at the broken u...
2022-01-08 02:37:07 +0000 UTC
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Yingwen sucked in a deep breath as he deflected three rapid spear thrusts, and struck his opponent in the arm. The other man snarled in pain and retreated. His fellows struck back. The plaza was shrouded in smoke and covered in scorch marks. There was blood splattered across the ground. The cultivators of the Azure Hills, once roused to righteous anger, were finally starting to falter.
The difference in power was telling. Even surrounded and outnumbered, the quality of the Shrouded Moun...
2022-01-05 23:50:56 +0000 UTC
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The first sense that something was wrong was the itching down my back.
I had been in fairly good spirits when I departed the town. My belly was full of good food and there was the possibility of making it, of managing to congratulate Xiulan and Tigu. Something nice instead of days of sitting still and feeding energy to a crystal.
Each step had made me more energised. Each moment had washed away some of the exhaustion. But.. it also started to seem urgent. My excitement transitione...
2022-01-03 22:38:28 +0000 UTC
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Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to everybody!
Another Small Scene by Tsuu, of Jinta Claus coming to town.
Thank you everybody for your support over the year, and I'm looking forwards to the New Year!
2021-12-25 05:14:39 +0000 UTC
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I shall now embark on my break.
Thank you, everybody, for your patience, and for reading.
See you in the new year.
2021-12-19 04:48:29 +0000 UTC
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The night was beautiful and pure. Almost as beautiful and pure as the sound of clinking coins entering his money purse. It was a busy night as his customers drank and celebrated. The inn, his Jolly Fatty, was jam-packed with people.
Ming Mao was in his element. He poured drinks into cups and slid them down the bar into eager hands. He took orders and carefully labeled them down, checking them off when complete. Three of his employees cooked in the back, and delicately plated the food to...
2021-12-19 04:47:08 +0000 UTC
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Xiulan’s heart pounded in her ears as she raced across the town around the Dueling Peaks, towards a small, forested hill just out of town.
“Yeah, they said they were headed for Little Pimple. A bit far for us to get to tonight, but they should be back soon.” The mortal friend of Rags had said.
She sped onwards to the hill, focused on the objective. A little creature hung on in her shirt, shaking slightly.
“Where are the brothers?” Xioulan asked he...
2021-12-17 00:54:11 +0000 UTC
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What would the Shrouded Mountain Sect want with me?
Xiulan pondered the development as she was led back to the manor by Bolin. The question whirled in her mind.
The Shrouded Mountain Sect had called on her personally. Such a thing was not done. Sects from out of province rarely, if ever, ventured into the Azure Hills. They disregard them completely as beneath their notice. A Young Master or Mistress her age in those provinces would be nearing, or within ...
2021-12-15 05:37:43 +0000 UTC
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Hello! Unfortunately.... this is not the new chapter. I spent most of my time instead being dissatisfied with the fight scene.. so I ended up near completely rewriting it instead, so hopefully it gives a bit more punch.
Though after the cliffhanger and the weekend... well, I can understand if this is a bit painful.
There will still be three chapters this week, but....not tonight. things will have to wait until tomorrow, at least, so I can get the things I want to get ri...
2021-12-14 03:20:01 +0000 UTC
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The day was bright and sunny. Tigu stood on the roof, her eyes peeled as she watched the horizon.
“Still watching for Jin?” Gou Ren asked as he clambered up onto the roof.
“Yeah.” She said, before sitting down and sighing. “I don’t think Master is gonna be here.”
Gou Ren looked to the horizon too, before he reached over and ruffled her hair. “He must’ve got stuck in the city, or held up by something. Maybe Bi De ran into a bunch of bandits again and he had ...
2021-12-11 05:08:00 +0000 UTC
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“Ha! We’re on top of the world!” Loud Boy shouted. His voice echoed off the mountain, and down into the valley below.
Tigu grinned wildly, up in the cold. They stared together from the top of the Dueling Peaks. The Earthly Arena was directly below them on one side, and the other stretched off into the distance, a field of verdant green that rolled into the horizon.
“Hello!” Tigu shouted, her voice echoing down. She giggled.
Rags rolled his eyes from beside her. “...
2021-12-10 04:07:05 +0000 UTC
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Hey everybody, just letting everybody know. Chapter is getting delayed till tomorrow evening (hopefully) while I rework some stuff. Its not working how I thought it would, so I need some more time on it.
Sorry for the ping, and for people waiting, but better to let people know.
2021-12-09 06:52:55 +0000 UTC
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Xiulan entered the meeting room, and bowed to her Elders. They were arranged as they always were, but there was something subtly off about their demeanor. Her father especially almost seemed annoyed, before his face smoothed out, and he acknowledged her.
Xiulan got the feeling that something was amiss.
“Forgive us old men for calling you so late in the day, daughter.” he stared off, “but there are things that need to be addressed.”
“As the Elders will.” She state...
2021-12-07 07:11:34 +0000 UTC
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There was a click. Then, once more, connection. A girl wearing a yellow helmet panted, smiling at the little pristine golden pathway that traveled here. She was getting better at this.
This part of the road…. It was bad. Terrible. It was some of the worst she had seen. Well, that wasn’t quite true. There was a patch near where the Connected One, Her Connected One had gone, near that Cursed lake, where there was just nothing left at all. The road was so torn and shattered th...
2021-12-04 03:51:58 +0000 UTC
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Cai Xi Kong, Sectmaster of the Verdant Blade, had almost completed calming his beating heart. Beside him, his cousin’s breath was heavy. Yi’s stern face was hard as he collected himself, seated to Xi Kong’s right. Lifting the Earthly Arena was always difficult. Managing the enormous chains, locking in the support pillars... In truth, the defeated contestants did little. Lifting hundreds of thousands of tons of stone as well as a hundred thousand people was quite beyond the Younger Gener...
2021-12-02 03:51:15 +0000 UTC
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Okay. There has been a small retcon that's going to be added to the last chapter. Namely, that the slow and steady way isn't completely guaranteed like it was last chapter. That it has a chance to fail too.
Secondly, this chapter has not yet been through the edit squad.
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Bi De and Miantiao were silent, as they walked together. Both were deep in contemplation over this place. Miantiao had his eyes on Yin, as she provoked the monkeys into play. She bounced u...
2021-11-30 00:37:05 +0000 UTC
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Its been a wonderful birthday so far, and I just wanted to say thank you to everybody for your kind words.
I just wanted to share this as well, a present I got from Tsuu and Sam.
2021-11-26 16:05:52 +0000 UTC
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Hey everybody! Just informing everybody now, that I will be taking DEC 20th to DEC 31 off from posting, as a way to (hopefully) rest and think about this crazy year.
The first 3 weeks of DEC will be as normal, but I just wanted people to have a heads up before the month ticks over for DEC patreon payments. I don't want to suddenly spring this on people.
Things will resume as normal after the break in December.
Just giving everybody a heads up, and if anything needs clarifica...
2021-11-25 23:24:14 +0000 UTC
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I’d have to admit to having a bit of a spring in my step as I set off in the direction that Master Jing of the Crystal Emporium had laid out for me. We moved at a decent clip without the cart, eating the distance once more.
I just… felt good.
Relaxed, I suppose.
I hadn’t had to fight anyone, and while the fact that the Cloudy Sword Sect still had business with me was a bit bothersome Senior Brother Lu Ri seemed content to let things lie.
There were...
2021-11-25 00:43:14 +0000 UTC
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Cheng Lianji, of the Plum Blossom’s Shadow, was nervous. Master Scribe had called a full assembly for the first time in months. Had they failed somehow? Was their lord displeased?
They had found this ‘Jin Rou’. Their lord had spoken with him and then he had been spotted leaving the city. Had the meeting gone well? Had something unfortunate happened? They were all questions that had no answers.
There were soft murmurs as they all stood at attention in the hall of the building...
2021-11-23 03:24:29 +0000 UTC
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Another day, another short fight. Xiulan was starting to understand where Tigu was coming from. It was unbearably boring, sitting in her seat, with nobody to talk to. She had given leave to the Petals to sit in the crowd with the Xong Brothers, and watch the tournament from there.
The rest of them were up in the stand. Gou Ren and Yun Ren were in their usual seats, along with Bowu, and a strange looking man with a bunch of patches on his clothes. Gou Ren’s look of panic when ...
2021-11-20 04:09:55 +0000 UTC
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