Torsten Hewson

v5c60: The Sparks of Lightning

Che Han had, over this past month, completely given up on what he had previously considered common sense. Clearly, his knowledge had all been wrong, and so now whenever anything new happened he found himself just nodding along.

It was an easier way to view the world and not get so worked up about the little things. It was better to “roll with it”, as Yun Ren liked to say, and so instead of being shocked and confused he could just be happy when Nezan revealed that he was a...

v5c59: Musings of a Sword

The morning after Shen Yu returned to Fa Ram

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It's raining.

“Victory!” somebody yelled.

He can’t feel anything.

“Victory! Victory!” the men around Shen Yu cheer. 

He can hear their happiness.

“Shen Yu! Shen Yu led us to victory!” somebody cried, raising his blade high.<...

Cloudy Sword Delivery Service

Not rain not snow not sleet not hail...

Lu Ri and Su Ge deliver the mail.

Chapter later today!

The Halloween Special

The Witches of Fa Ram are going to cast a spell on you...

v5c58: The Return of Uncle Fox

Nezan shoved Shenhe out of the way, starfire stabbed deep, and the world faded away.

It wasn’t the way he thought he would go… but when his eyes closed, Nezan found himself fine with his death.

He was old. So old, and so tired. He had gotten to see the day the Shrouded Mountain Sect was brought low. He had hope for the future—Yun Ren was less burdened by hate and the things he had done. Even if they couldn’t take back their moun...

v5c57: The Truth Laid Bare Part 2

Zang Shenhe thought that she was stronger than this, as she wobbled on her feet. She thought that she had conquered the feeling of despair that crawled into her guts long ago. She thought she had mastered her own feelings of weakness, for she had been hardened against it at an early age.

She had been insulted, belittled, scoffed at, and ignored. Her ability, her loyalty, her identity itself had been in question, all because of the actions of another. Her aunt, Zang Wen. The t...

Tsuudles: Cleaning up after the Battle

Tsuu thought these were funny, so here they are. Chapter tomorrow.

Scene 1: Jin, Bi De, and Gou step out of the bath. Xianghua, Yushang, Mei, and Ri Zu eat the eye candy.

Scene 2: Ri Zu's checkup.

v5c56: The Truth Laid Bare Part 1

Sorry for the wait. Canadian Thanksgiving was yesterday and I ate too much.

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To Zang Zeng’s great surprise, he was not dead. It had not been something he was expecting.

The last thing he remembered was giving it all, of that thing in his head using him like a lance at the man on the ground. He had asked the man to grant him an honourable death… yet it appeared that had been denied to him. For a moment, his...

BOC AU: Soaring Heaven's Isle 18: The Noodleshop

Uneditied as always:
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We awoke bright and early the next day, waved goodbye to the kids, and then set off on Ningjing—our girl was eager to get going.

Ninjing wanted to spend some time in the water, the river still being a new experience for her, and I had no reason to refuse. It was an interesting change of pace.

We unfurled her leaf-sail, and got to it, tacking left and right upstream under Seiyu’s dir...

v5c55: Wash Away Your Worries

“Oh, now that's interesting.” Ri Zu’s Master said, her eyes gleaming while she pored over the medical text Ri Zu had gotten from the Medical Pavilion at the Shrouded Mountain Sect.

“Right?” Ri Zu asked from her place, leaning on her Master’s shoulder. Her smell was muted, while she was human, but the smell of home was just…comforting.

Heavens, she had missed talking with her Master.

Yushang was speaking with Tigu�...

v5c54: For a Moment, Calm

“This is indeed Zang Zeng, Elder of the Shrouded Mountain Sect,” Shenhe confirmed as she looked at the slumbering form before her.

The man looked terrible. His cheeks were sallow and he was covered in sweat.

Shenhe… did not like Zeng. He was a bastard, and he always made sure to remind her that she shared blood with her traitor aunt. He was an arrogant, swaggering braggart. Strong, yes, but wholly unpleasant, especially in regards to Zang Li., yet it lo...

Chapter delay 10/3/24

Hey everybody, I'm sorry, I've come down with a nasty cold, so the chapters this week will be delayed until the weekend. I might also be taking this month's break from the 7th to the 12th.

You will stil be getting the remaining two chapters for this week before the break starts.

Just keeping everybody informed, and sorry about the delay for the anticipated chapters.

But I want to get these right, rather than just push them out while battling through this. Thank you for ...

Tsuudles 10/2/24

Tigu and Yin assert dominance.
Tigu goes fishing
Meimei tests out one of Jin's drawings for swimwear.
Jin is mildly upset.
Lu Ri and Su Ge.

v5c53: The Other Side of the Reunion

Another mostly unedited chapter.

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Yushang had been curious for a while about what kind of palace made people like Bi De, Ri Zu, and Yun Ren—she just hadn’t expected to see the place quite so soon.

She had spent the flight to the south barely clinging to consciousness. She was exhausted, had more holes than a net poked into her, and most of her ribs were still broken. She hadn’t told Ri Zu that last part, because her friend was out of m...

v5c52: Reunion

This chapter is unedited.

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The mood was tense as the Flying Sword cut its way south. Bi De had tried to meditate, but it was useless. He was too unsettled by the news of the attack on his home. The others were as well. Ri Zu was muttering dire portents under her breath as she attended to Shen Yu, who was standing at the tip of the blade.

Yun Ren’s face was tight, and his Qi in turmoil....

Update to Chapter 51

Hey everybody, there is an update to chapter 51, the first part. Somebody brought up a good point about Jin's injuries, and I agree, I did not properly address them. So the first part of the Chapter has been updated. The rest of the chapter is unchanged.

v5c51: The Cleanup Begins

Peppa’s eyes were still wet when she pulled away from the hug. She was still hurting. Something had obviously happened, and I had a feeling it had to do with what had happened to Chunky. He had a nasty puncture wound, but his eyes were shining with life. He did look a bit worried about Peppa though.

I wanted nothing better than to clear the air right now, to talk to her, to fix what was hurting her, but I felt like that's not what Peppa needed right now.

So...

v5c50: The Cracks Show

The dawn broke through the horizon.

The battles ended.

The raging emotions that had saturated Tianlan’s link to her Connected Ones faded, leaving a kind of numbness.

And at once, the exhaustion hit her like a hammer, as the dances fueling the formation slowed and began to stop, their duty complete.

Tianlan staggered, and a strong arm caught her. She looked up into Jin’s eyes, her Connected One full of concern.

<...

v5c49: The Most Reliable Senior Brother

Several hours ago:

Lu Ri let out a breath as the last demon fell and silence once more returned to the world. His Qi reserves had been depleted much less than anticipated thanks to Miss Yuanlin’s assistance. The protections around First Den were indeed formidable; Lu Ri could have destroyed ten times this number without strain.

The cold winter wind blew over the dark land, the sky heavy with clouds and devoid of stars.

“Looks like that's ...

Xiulan comic final image coloured

The previous end part of the strip has been completed, courtesy of Tsuu

v5c48: The Quiet Sets in Part 2

Yulong’s heart was in his throat as the explosions rang out. Thousands of tons of rocks smashed into the ground, while the base ripped itself apart. He moved as fast as he could, destroying everything he could behind him.

The scent was coming closer. It was faint and wavering, compared to the overpowering aura it had been, but the Blade was still sharp enough to make his nose start bleeding.

The Imperial Realm Cultivator had defeated his Master. The Imperia...

v5c47: The Quiet Sets in Part 1

Bi De fell from the Demonic Cultivator’s hand. He watched as the cultivator’s head sailed through the air. The man’s face displayed shock and befuddlement.

Relief swept through Bi De’s soul. His involvement had been a strike of pure desperation. He had put all that he was into that final blow. His target had been distracted, grievously injured, low on Qi, and had been struck with a fundamental truth of the world.

He had been a mere distraction—but it h...

v5c46: Reap the Harvest

The Spiritual Doctor who had aided Shenhe immediately pounced on the wounded disciples, going for Fenxian first. The disciple was in bad shape—bloody, broken, with a hole in his gut, yet he was smiling. His eyes met Shenhe’s and she knew that look: he had accepted his death, ready to die with honour and dignity.

Shenhe met his eyes directly and let him see her approval. She would honour him in his last moments.

Except the small woman declared him “treat...

v5c45: Cracked, but Unbroken

Crushing, crushing, heavy, dark.

Bi De lay on his back, breathing out in ragged gasping pants. A shield of moonlight flicked so close to Bi De’s face his beak touched it, holding back massive boulders. His Qi strained, pressing up against the rocks unsettled earth. 

Trapped, trapped, trapped.

In the dark, never to see the sky again.

His greatest fear realized.

He could hear h...

Chapter 44 Companion comic

Still a bit WIP . Tsuu's power went out unfortunately. Best viewed after downloading, the comic strips are very big!

v5c44: The Will of the Weak

The drum thundered. The blazing inferno approached.

Everything is connected.

That was the first lesson Xiulan learned from Jin. It was a simple, yet profound, statement. 

The fire began to dance in front of her eyes. The drums echoed in her head, yet they sounded like they were placed in a vast room, the sound bouncing off the walls, and trailing down hallways.

It was the fire dance of the solstice. The dance he...

v5c43: Crushed to Embers

Once upon a time, a great and powerful Demon captured an Old Soldier. He had been the demon’s greatest nemesis for an age, defying it with every breath he took. Now, injured and aged, he could not resist as the Demon pounced upon him.

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The entire mountain rumbled and shook. Dirt and rocks fell from the ceiling in a constant stream. Qin Peng, Formation Lead for the Northern Base, tried to keep his calm as another ripping explosion...

v5c42: Desperate Battle

[Soul-Shackling Commandment]

Ghostly blue fire erupted from the funerary tablet, bursting out and coiling into the sky. I could feel the ferocity and intensity of the Qi as what I was pretty sure was some kind of spirit took form. The cultivator, Huian, was throwing bits of what looked like armor into the air, which were attaching themselves to the energy as it continued to take form.

Transforming isn’t a free action… but it's also kind of hard to take ad...

v5c41: All Along the Homefront

Hong Meiling knelt within the fortress her family had crafted. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. She was meditating, just as her father had taught her. At first, it had merely been to calm her raging heart. 

But now, she could feel it building to something more.

The room was dark, and yet the sounds of combat echoed around them.

Meiling was not alone.

Zhuye was sobbing and tossing fitfully in her ...

v5c40: Sanctuary Breached

The entire operation was going to the Hells.

Master always said Luck was the most important attribute a cultivator could have; as always, his lessons rang true.

It was galling to have Luck be on their enemies’ side.

Huian frowned heavily as the damage reports came in from their forces. The vanguard was taking impressive casualties. The dragon in particular was proving to be highly effective and was using far, far less Qi than Huian had expec...