~~~
A day passes by.
It does not do so quickly. It lingers. It overstays its welcome like a very annoying guest, making every second a test in patience. Liu Jin expects to be called back to Branch Master Ruan’s throne room at any moment, yet that does not happen. Throughout the entire day, he remains undisturbed.
Why? Liu Jin can only speculate. Perhaps, Branch Master Ruan wants to make sure Ren He—the disciple he wounded yesterday—is fully healed. If that is the case,...
2020-08-24 12:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
Characters are supposed to have flaws.
I was talking with a friend the other day, and the line came up. It’s a line that gets repeated an awful lot, and I think that’s to its detriment. Some things get repeated so much their meaning gets lost somewhere along the way. Someone goes, “This guy is an asshole and I don’t like him.” Then someone replies with, “Well, yeah. Characters are supposed to have flaws.”
But there is a difference between having flaws and being unple...
2020-08-19 12:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
There is no anger on Ruan Goutin’s face. There is no satisfaction there either. He does not care at all about what he has just done. The disciple gasps in pain and clutches his chest, writhing on the floor, yet to Ruan Goutin, it is as if he is not even there. The disciple he just wounded is not worth putting in his eyes.
Liu Jin cannot be so callous.
“It will be okay,” Liu Jin says, trying his best to sound gentle. “Hold still for a moment. It will all be ...
2020-08-17 12:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
“This is unexpectedly hard.”
Liu Jin looks at himself in the mirror with a furrowed brow. It is still not right. First, he tried making his features rounder, but that didn’t work. Then he tried making them harder and squarish, yet that felt off as well. In the end, Liu Jin settled for making minor changes. His red eyes are now a light shade of brown. His eyebrows are more pronounced, and his skin—which is usually quite pale and had remained that way even after days of ...
2020-08-10 12:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Powdered Lonefire Blossom.
Thrice-Burned Lotus.
Thundering Leaf extract.
600-Year Spirit Root
Many-Colored Lizard Scales.
The ingredients are all laid out before Liu Jin. He sits on the carpet, cross-legged, shifting around to make himself comfortable. For some reason, he is somewhat nervous. It is silly, of course. The complexity may be slightly higher than usual, but this is hardly the first time he prepares a pill.
How long has it been si...
2020-08-03 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
I have a small confession to make.
As I was about to post the chapter containing Liu Jianguo’s backstory (Chapter 64: In the Beginning), I decided to do a quick search. Nothing major. I was just looking for the term “Storm Dragon Empire” in the story so far.
I was completely shocked to discover the term only appeared once.
I was shocked because, in my mind, I had name-dropped it at least three or four times. My intention was for Liu Jianguo’s backstory to make ...
2020-07-31 12:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
I see we have a lot of new patrons lately. Like, a lot. The membership has spiked over the past two months.
Frankly, I'm a bit overwhelmed.
Incredibly touched as well.
I want to take a moment to thank you all for your support. Not just the new patrons but the old ones as well. All this wouldn't be possible without you.
Thank you.
I also want to make a small but important announcement. When this patreon began, only core and inner disciples got ea...
2020-07-30 02:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
The air whistles with each of Chang Wei’s blows.
There is a wide grin on his face as he throws himself into the fight, his body a whirlwind of fists, knees, and elbows. His form has been further refined in the months Liu Jin has not seen him. Chang Wei lacks precision but makes up for it with quickness and strength. It is not elegant, but it doesn’t have to be. The wooden floor of the training room trembles with each step Chang Wei takes, his Qi blazing around him, a...
2020-07-27 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Liu Jin and Lei Kong are each given a private room inside the Five Blessings Auction House. The building is well-equipped for receiving guests. Though it may be called an auction house, it is more accurate to call it the main headquarters of the Five Blessings Group in Five Bats City. The auctions just happen to draw the most attention.
The room Liu Jin is given is opulent enough for him to know he is being treated well, but not so much that it becomes overly gaudy and u...
2020-07-20 12:01:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
For eight days, Liu Jin and Lei Kong travel to Five Bats City.
For eight days, Liu Jin makes repeated use of Ground Contraction. Annoyingly but not unexpectedly, Lei Kong keeps pace with him, not showing any strain whatsoever. A few violent Spirit Beasts cross their path, but they are all dealt with rather quickly. Throughout this, nary a word is exchanged between Liu Jin and Lei Kong.
On the ninth day, Five Bats City appears on the horizon.
The city is surrounded ...
2020-07-13 12:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Liu Jin walks and walks and walks.
The sun falls and rises and then falls and rises twice more. Throughout it all, Lei Kong trails behind him. He does not say anything, and neither does Liu Jin. In fact, Liu Jin does not even seem to acknowledge Lei Kong’s presence, nor does he seem to acknowledge the world around him.
It is only when they come across a large rock formation that Liu Jin finally comes to a stop. He walks over to it, sits under its shade, and close...
2020-07-07 12:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
The Grand Mountain Range once divided the lands of what will come to be called the Crimson Cloud Empire. However, many awe-inspiring battles rearranged the land and necessitated new maps to be drawn. Many cities were founded in the area which once used to be full of mountains but was left as nothing but valleys and plains, the capital of the Crimson Cloud Empire not the least among them.
As for the Grand Mountain Range, it was split in two. Down south, one would find the Grand...
2020-07-06 12:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Let's talk about tags.
They've always been there, but I've never really bothered to explain them. Now that we have reached the point where a different chapter for each tier is uploaded every Monday, I'd say it's a good time to cover them.
Core Access : With this tag, you can filter out all the posts that aren't chapters for Core Disciples.
2020-07-03 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
I am pretty sure there are plenty of mixed feelings about the last few chapters. I expect even more mixed reactions once those chapters become available for everyone.
For that and many other reasons, I was nervous about writing them.
I was also really excited about doing so.
I wonder how many of my readers are familiar with xianxia and how many are experiencing the genre for the first time through Ave Xia Rem Y. I know there are plenty of both, but sometimes I wonder about t...
2020-07-01 12:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Awareness returns to Liu Jin gradually. He does not know where he is or how much time has passed. His mind is sluggish, so much that he can barely remember his own name. Someone is carrying him, yet it takes a while for Liu Jin to grasp this simple fact. It is as if his mind is far away from his body. For a brief moment, Liu Jin even manages to fool himself into thinking his father is carrying him home.
Then he remembers what happened to his father. Memories of fir...
2020-06-26 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Run.
Three miles go by in the blink of an eye with a single use of Ground Contraction. No longer is Liu Jin limiting himself by remaining close to the ground. Instead, he dashes towards his home as fast as he can.
The building he is about to land on crumbles.
His feet touch the street next to it as he shifts directions with Ground Contraction. A horse neighs in surprise. Liu Jin’s eyes flick over to it and see the invader riding it.
Meng Yu’s knife flashe...
2020-06-23 12:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
His neighbor screams as Liu Jianguo resets his leg.
Under different circumstances, the sharp, cracking sound would have made those around them flinch. This night, however, it is just one of many painful sounds.
The street outside Liu Jianguo’s house is well on its way to becoming a field clinic as people from all around bring their wounded to him. There are five rows of injured people laid on the ground, and they are growing longer by the second. Some...
2020-06-22 12:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Two Elders are dead, gone in a flash of white fire.
It is not often that Xiao Nan finds himself rattled, yet now, faced with the sudden deaths of two of their strongest, rattled seems like a rather apt word to describe him.
Xiao Nan had been shouting orders when an enormous gout of flame cut a swath of destruction from the center of the city all the way to the city walls, incinerating everything in its path. The two Elders just happened to be in the wrong place when the ...
2020-06-19 12:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
About a few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Patreon. Some of you may have already heard about this. Some of you might not.
Long story short, from July 1 onwards, sales taxes will be applied to some pledges.
Patreon even gave me a sample post I could use to inform you guys of this, but that sort of stuff is just not my thing. Never been the type who uses the company lines.
Instead, I'll try to go over what I think are the more important bits of this who...
2020-06-18 12:00:35 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
When the attack hits, Xiao Zheng’s first reaction is to protect the Xiao Sect.
The Xiao Sect’s compound is more than a collection of buildings. It is more than impenetrable walls and imposing gates. Multiple types of defenses have been layered into the structure over the centuries, and all it takes is a single push of Xiao Zheng’s will for a translucent barrier to come into existence around the compound. As fire rains from the sky, not a single spark touches the Xi...
2020-06-17 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
It has been one week since Xiao Fang left, and the city has seamlessly settled into a new routine.
Night has fallen, and most have already gone to sleep.
Over at the Xiao Sect, Su An is about to retire to her chambers. Her body is sore from the day’s training, but she walks with a satisfied smile on her face. Further up north, Xiao Zheng looks at a map of the Empire in his office, his mind busy at work. South of the main gates, Xiao Nan is sneaking back into the ...
2020-06-15 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
“You look tired, son.”
Liu Jin opens his mouth to answer but has to cover it when all that comes out is a yawn instead. The sky is already darkening, yet Liu Jin has only just now arrived home.
“It is nothing serious,” Liu Jin says once he has finished yawning. “It is just…”
“Tedious,” his father guesses with a knowing look on his face. Liu Jin can only nod in reply.
If his duties with the Xiao Sect could only consist of physical activ...
2020-06-12 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Liu Jin’s body twists, so instead of his back crashing against the ceiling, he lands on his feet, diminishing the force of the impact as he bends his knees. Three of his fingers touch the ceiling as his eyes zero in on his opponent, his red eyes almost glowing.
Before gravity can do its job, he lunges.
His body bounces off the ceiling. A sonic boom rings through the training room as Liu Jin breaks the speed of sound, flying through the air like a cannonball, his ...
2020-06-10 12:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Liu Jin groans as he rubs his eyes. He has his elbows on the table, and there are several stacks of notes looming before him.
Sighing, he shoves them to the side.
Some scatter to the floor, but Liu Jin can’t find it in himself to care. If he could set them on fire, he would have done it days ago.
“I give up.”
The words are said with complete certainty. They are the words of a man who has tried his best and found himself wanting. There is no fear o...
2020-06-08 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
His father waits for him by the city gates.
Liu Jin does not know what sort of face he is making when he arrives at Eastern Port City. All he knows is that his father takes off running with all his might the moment he sees him. Liu Jianguo falls to his knees upon reaching Liu Jin and engulfs him in a hug.
“I am sorry, my son,” he says. “I am so sorry.”
Why?
The question echoes in Liu Jin’s mind as his father pulls him closer, his hand against ...
2020-06-03 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi all!
I write this post from my very comfy chair, which I have missed for several months. Last month, I said I was going to explain some things later. It's later now, so you get to listen to me rant about my zany adventures.
Or don't. Your choice. This post is 100% skippable.
As some of you know, I had surgery earlier this year. What I didn't say was that I had to travel a pretty long distance to get that surgery since I wanted good odds of not ending up all pa...
2020-06-02 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Liu Jin throws up as soon as he’s finished.
He walks through Poison Fang Canyon in a daze. A minute. An hour. Liu Jin does not know how long it has been. He does not know how much time has passed since…
His muscles tense. His teeth gnash against each other.
Don’t think.
Keep walking. Keep walking.
Stay angry. Grab hold of it. Don’t let go no matter what.
If he does… If he does…
His fist lashes out, striking a tr...
2020-06-01 12:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
During one of the early chapters of the Eastern Port City Tournament Arc, one of the comments voiced a desire to see what Xiao Nan was up to. This was one of those moments where I had to bite my tongue because anything I could say in reply would either be a hint or just come across as really smug, which I’m not a fan of. I always hate it when the writers are all smug because they know stuff.
Writers are the worst.
Anyway, back to the post, I refrained from replying to that comme...
2020-05-29 12:01:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 67: To Court Death
~~~
Nothing happens during the first month.
There are no surprises and no changes. Liu Jin’s routine doesn’t change in the slightest.
Xiao Fang is the first to notice something is wrong, or rather, Xiao Fang is the first to confront Liu Jin about it. This leads nowhere. No matter how much Xiao Fang prods, Liu Jin keeps insisting everything is fine.
At some point, Xiao Fang stops prying.
Unlike his young cousin, Xi...
2020-05-25 12:01:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
~~~
Doctor Wu is dead.
The so-called greatest doctor of Eastern Port City attempted to flee the city with his son last night. Between waiting until the Xiao Sect decided on his punishment and trying to escape the city, the doctor ended up choosing the latter. As far as he was concerned, his life was forfeit either way, making the risk worth it. Doctor Wu might not have been wrong in that, but it doesn’t matter now.
Doctor Wu did not succeed.
“Where should I put thi...
2020-05-25 12:01:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
