~~~
A long, winding passage deep beneath the earth connects the Punishment House to the Apothecary. There is no light down there, and the oxygen is so thin it might as well not exist. It is a relic of a different time and a scandalous affair. By the time he became an Elder, it had long since stopped seeing use.
Here he waits for her, wondering whether it would be better if she doesn’t show up at all.
Still, as heedless as to what he wants as always, she appears.
Her ...
2021-10-04 11:56:00 +0000 UTC
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This is something I have been meaning to do for a while. Occasionally, I’ll answer questions here, on Royal Road, and Spacebattles.
I thought it’d be nice to compile some of those in one post. Feel free to drop questions in the comments.
Q1: How does one determine the method for creation of a pill [Heartening Phoenix Pill] like this - trial and error seems too risky. You would explode if you tried to use a phoenix feather wrong. not to mention expensive....
2021-09-29 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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~~~
He is Feng Hao. A prodigy among prodigies.
Naturally, someone like him could not have been born from ordinary parents. His father’s strength is unquestionable, and his mother is at the peak of the Heaven Realm. That has never been kept secret from him. Indeed, his father once told him that it hadn’t just been his mother’s beauty that attracted him to her but also her talent in cultivation. It was the union of the two that allowed a talent like Feng Hao to be born into th...
2021-09-27 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Career Opportunities II
~~~
“That was actually pretty easy.”
“I know, right?” Tim said, nodding as he took a bite out of his donut. The two had already finished the assignment Gerald had given them and had ended up hanging out in the food court. Tim had bought a dozen donuts which they were quickly finishing up. Amanda told herself it was okay to eat this many sweets because she ran every day.
She had earned this.
“It’s like I said!” Tim went on in-...
2021-09-25 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
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As much as it pains me to say this, the Nine-to-Five update this week will be delayed until Sunday. The cause being that I've caught a pretty nasty flu I'm just now starting to recover from. Thankfully, it wasn't anything worse.
2021-09-22 12:01:34 +0000 UTC
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In case you missed it last week, we have a wiki now. And also a TvTropes page. They're both in the early stages, but I'm super flattered regardless. In particular, the wiki has a pretty extensive list of characters.
Now, here are the week's chapters:...
2021-09-21 00:01:01 +0000 UTC
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~~~
The nature of a day can only be ascertained at the very end. No one knows that better than Liu Jin.
Until the very end, the day Eastern Port City fell was just like any other.
“Precision, Young Master. Precision,” Liu Jin says as he weaves in between Feng Hao’s attacks. A piece of blue cloth is affixed to his robes, just above his heart. “Your target is in front of you. You just need to hit it.”
Easy to say, considerably harder to do. Indeed, irritation g...
2021-09-20 11:56:00 +0000 UTC
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In a stunning display of coolness, Nuit over at Spacebattles has started a Wiki for the story:
https://ave-xia-rem-y.fandom.com/wiki/Ave_Xia_Rem_Y_Wiki
2021-09-17 12:01:02 +0000 UTC
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~~~
The depths of the Apothecary contain all sorts of treasures. Some, like the Reverse Tree, are marvels that exemplify the might of the Eternal Flame Clan. Many powerful and influential people will go their entire lives without laying eyes on one, yet in the Apothecary, it is simply another plant to be grown. The quality and quantity of the resources harvested from the Apothecary every day are such that even a City Lord will be left looking like a pauper. Truly, the Apothecary is a pl...
2021-09-13 11:55:59 +0000 UTC
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Career Opportunities I
~~~
“I thought about this the first time we came here, but this place is pretty damn cool, you know? Like, when you get down to it, it’s really just a big room full of exercise equipment, but it’s a fancy big room full of exercise equipment. Like, Mr. Espinoza once went and bought himself a treadmill to use during his off-hours, but that thing was super flimsy. Nothing at all like the ones here. It’s all high-class here and stuff. You get it...
2021-09-10 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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A new month is here. To all new patreons, welcome. To everyone else, thanks for sticking with me this far. I hope you all enjoy yourselves this month.
Here are the week's chapters:
Chapter 139: Incompatible Visions is now out for Core Disciples. Also, make sure you did not miss ...
2021-09-06 12:01:02 +0000 UTC
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~~~
The Technique Hall is full of rows upon rows of shelves. Some are so tall they reach the ceiling. Others do not even get to Lu Mei’s waist. They are all full of books, pamphlets, and scrolls, all piled on top of each other and covered in dust. There is not even the slightest semblance of order in this place.
No order. No cleanliness. No elegance.
Only power.
The entire building drips with it. The things stored here are not plain paper and ink. They are the result...
2021-09-06 11:55:00 +0000 UTC
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~~~
Elder Xue told him to lay low and wait for introductions. That order was most assuredly given for Liu Jin’s benefit. He had distinguished himself far too quickly, and the Eternal Flame Clan is no longer the same place it was even a few weeks ago. Bu Jing’s actions showed how far some people were willing to go to remove Liu Jin. A harsher person might have confined him to the Apothecary for his own good.
“That woman is going to be cross with you for this.”
Liu Jin...
2021-09-05 02:10:59 +0000 UTC
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Interlude: The Busy Slate
~~~
There were over a hundred million pets in the United States. The exact number varied depending on the methodology used to determine it. Regardless, even if you narrow the scope to a large metropolitan area like Port Stanley, the number of pets would still be above a million.
Many of those pets went missing every year. Between 13% to 17% by his estimates.
Most were recovered. Some weren’t.
Conclusion: Thousands of pets never saw the...
2021-09-04 19:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Due to a set of circumstances involving the internet in my area suddenly being a jerk and my favorite chair being in dire need of replacing, all Friday updates will be moved to Saturday. Maybe even Saturday night.
Ave Xia Rem Y's regular Monday update will not be affected by this.
Probably not the best note to start the month on, but it's the one we're starting on. Apologies.
2021-09-02 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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So I sold my house this month. Well, not my house. The house grandpa left me and my cousins, and I didn't sell it, the nice lady we hired to do that did. Still, it was a pretty big moment. Lots of arguing.
Well, my cousins argued because cousins. I made friends with a house lawyer. Dude had some really nice work stories, which means a lot coming from me since I'm the work stories guy at social gatherings. All the crazy stuff happens to me, but it turns out some families do crazy e...
2021-08-30 12:00:07 +0000 UTC
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~~~
Loathsome though it is to admit, violence has undeniably become a commonality in his life.
Perhaps, Khong Hu should not judge himself harshly for it. After all, violence is a commonality in every cultivator’s life. People wiser than he have said so, so it must be true. Nonetheless, Khong Hu must question why it is so. Why must tribulation be placed on such a high altar when isolation is just as capable of producing results? Are the wisest of sages not the ones who seclude th...
2021-08-30 11:55:01 +0000 UTC
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~~~
His and Her Circumstances XV
~~~
As Regum escalated its operations, brushes against the many powers of the world would become an inevitability. Arthur Cadogan had always been aware of that. He knew there would come a time when it wouldn’t just be greedy businessmen hiring professional assassins from ancient cults he had to worry about. One day, even open warfare wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.
Still, he hadn’t expected his two new interns to get ...
2021-08-27 12:00:06 +0000 UTC
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~~~
Durable as the robes worn by the disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan are, Lu Mei’s fire has left hers in tatters. Her wild hair now falls freely past her shoulders, liberated from the ponytail it was kept in. Wordlessly, Liu Jin removes his upper garment and places it over Lu Mei’s shoulders, making sure to avert his eyes.
Even covered in sweat and soot, Lu Mei is beautiful.
“Always so proper.” Lu Mei chuckles softly but nevertheless holds on to the garment. “I...
2021-08-23 11:56:59 +0000 UTC
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Here are the week's chapters:
Chapter 136: Dangerous Nature is now out for Core Disciples.
Chapter 131: Strength and Weakness is now available for Inner Disciples.
Chapter 128: The Depths is ...
2021-08-16 12:01:03 +0000 UTC
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~~~
When Elder Chang told Liu Jin he was to deliver a message, Liu Jin had not expected the Elder to shove a clump of Qi into his Aura for Elder Xue to remove. Considering Nine-Headed Snake God and Old Jiang saw no issue with leaving things inside his soul, Liu Jin supposes this shouldn’t be surprising. Maybe it is common for high-level cultivators to hide stuff inside people.
It is still extremely rude.
“Is he an idiot?”
Unlike Liu Jin’s thoughts, Elder Xue’...
2021-08-16 11:55:01 +0000 UTC
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His and Her Circumstances XIV
~~~
Amanda didn't like herself sometimes.
Not always. Not even usually. Just sometimes.
Rarely.
Seldomly.
Sophie had once told her poor self-esteem was for the ugly and the dumb. By that admittedly flawed metric, Amanda should have no issues with herself. Her grades never once failed to impress, and while she wasn't a beauty queen—Sophie was the closest they had to that as her mother had made her participate in several pagean...
2021-08-13 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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~~~
The line between violence and bureaucracy is paper-thin.
After Elder Bi had quelled the fighting with his mere presence, it had been off to the Punishment House for everyone. The same disciples who had been at each other’s throats mere moments ago were made to stand in line, fill out forms, and submit to interrogation before being thrown to the cells. Only those who were seriously wounded were spared that fate, and even then, only temporarily. They’d have their turn in the...
2021-08-09 11:58:00 +0000 UTC
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I have wanted to talk about this for a while because I always see one word appear every now and then in comments, reviews, etc.
Deconstruction.
Full disclosure, I’m not a fan of it. Not the genre. I’m okay with that. I have enjoyed several works which are considered deconstructions. This is the part where I should namedrop Evangelion, but I’m going to say Nadesico because barely anyone mentions Nadesico.
Which is a shame because Nadesico is pretty cool despite la...
2021-08-06 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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There will be a delay in the next chapter of Nine-to-Five Villainy. As much as I want to post it on time, I will most likely push it to next week. I have finished with my seasonal round of medical tests, and that's eaten more of my time than I thought it would. While the chapter is already written, it's still in its draft stage. Posting it as-is wouldn't satisfy anyone. Apologies.
Ave Xia Rem Y will proceed as scheduled. Have no concerns on that front.
2021-08-05 12:01:03 +0000 UTC
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A new month is upon us. As always, I remain repeatedly surprised by how quickly time passes by. You wouldn't think so because passing by is the only thing time does. You'd figure surprise would be reserved only for if time decides to stop or something, but nope. Time has one trick, and I keep falling for it.
Oh, well.
To all the new patreons, welcome! I hope you enjoy your time here. To all the old patreons, thank you for sticking with me this long. It means a lot. You guys are aw...
2021-08-02 12:02:01 +0000 UTC
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