After Wu Jian and Zhou Lihua returned, the ceremony to bestow the Heavenly Ghost Flame upon the winner had commenced.
Zhou Lihua had been forced to present herself before the Zhou Kingdom’s emperor. The man in question had remained seated on his throne, acting all high and mighty like Zhou Lihua was lucky to just be in his presence. Wu Jian did not like Emperor Cì Shā. He seemed like an arrogant jerk with something long and hard shoved up his rectum, but in either event, the man had...
2023-02-20 14:46:01 +0000 UTC
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I realize I haven't even shared this version yet. This is the art cover for volume 2.
For the curious, it does not mean I'm publishing this series yet. I'm just having my artist do the artwork.
STNS is owned by Tapas. They actually have the selling rights. The reason I'm working the Tapas angle so hard is because I want this series to do really well so Tapas will help me get it published with a company like Yen Press, sorta like how they did for TBATE.
Barring that, I'll con...
2023-02-17 20:40:51 +0000 UTC
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This is just an alternative version of the STNS cover. It'll probably go on the inside of the book once it's published.
Enjoy.
2023-02-17 20:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“There are only four of you left, and to the four who successfully refined a pill, I say: congratulations. It is no small feat to practice alchemy under these intense conditions. We alchemists spend our days locked away in our refining rooms. Rarely ever do we display our skills before a crowd. The pressure of refining pills before an audience is much different than refining within the quiet of your own space.”
Sao Yong’s words reached the furthest point of the arena. Zhou Lihua a...
2023-02-17 16:38:38 +0000 UTC
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The Three Layered Red Yin Yang Pill was both one of the most advanced and sought after alchemy pills for cultivators trying to break into the Human Limit Realm. It required ingredients that were exceedingly rare for a tier 4 pill. Not only were the ingredients rare, but they were difficult to refine, requiring a vast amount of time and chi.
Zhou Lihua didn’t know how much time had passed, but it must have been several hours, and yet she was still refining the first ingredient.
T...
2023-02-17 14:47:14 +0000 UTC
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The night passed. Zhou Lihua had not slept at all that night, instead choosing to spend her night in quiet meditation.
She had spent much of the night trying to center herself in preparation for round three, which would prove to be her biggest challenge yet. She was not only going up against two disciples of platinum rank alchemists, but she would be refining a pill she had never attempted before, and it was the hardest tier 4 pill to refine to boot.
As a cultivator at the peak of...
2023-02-15 16:24:26 +0000 UTC
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Zhou Lihua felt sweat trickly down her scalp as she removed the pill from her cauldron. She had just barely finished in time. If she had been even one second later, even a split second later, she would have been forced to forfeit.
She looked at the pill in her hand. It was a light blue color with a silvery sheen that made it seem luminescent. She could not see any imperfections on its smooth surface. That did not mean it was a perfect pill since there could still be imperfections undern...
2023-02-15 15:02:16 +0000 UTC
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“What’s going on? Why did everyone’s cauldrons explode?” asked Wu Jian.
He knew very little about alchemy beyond what Zhou Lihua had told him. Having watched the woman refine pills several times already, he knew that cauldrons exploding was nothing knew. She blew up several in his presence already.
This didn’t always mean the cauldron itself exploded. It was often the ingredients inside. Actual cauldrons exploding was not only more violent but resulted in the alchemist n...
2023-02-13 16:36:34 +0000 UTC
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After everyone who was participating made it to the arena, Sao Yong stepped forward. Wu Jian had been told only a little about this man. He was the head of the Zhou Kingdom’s Alchemist Association and a Gold rank alchemist. That made him one of the best alchemists in the entire world.
The man spread his hands out in a grand gesture. “Welcome, everyone, to this year’s Young Alchemist Competition! This is where young men and women who have chosen to study the Dao of Alchemy compete ...
2023-02-13 14:37:58 +0000 UTC
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Wu Jian couldn’t tell her not to worry. She was right. If she didn’t win this, there was no telling if they would be able to find a tier 5 alchemist with a heavenly flame in time to cure Emperor Hou Jun.
Most alchemists with a heavenly flame were already tied down to a sect or nation. Convincing a sect or nation to loan their alchemist would cost an exorbitant amount of money, and their little nation did not have the funds.
Hou Jingshu had already sent a request to the Heavenl...
2023-02-10 17:14:38 +0000 UTC
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Yun Chi was a famous Platinum rank alchemist known far and wide as the Alchemy Guru. He was one of only five Platinum ranks in the entire Xaio Continent, and this girl was his apprentice? It was no wonder her pill had turned out so amazing!
Zhou Lihua had confidence in her abilities as an alchemist. She knew she was talented. However, she suddenly had some serious doubts about her ability to win this tournament.
But what’s an alchemist of her level doing in a tournament like...
2023-02-10 14:51:23 +0000 UTC
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Good news! Lonwa delivered the artwork for Man Made God 005 just now! I'm about to begin formatting it for eBook and Print!
2023-02-09 00:03:47 +0000 UTC
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Yao Song waved his hand like he was about to play a zither. The ring on his index finger glowed before several thousand ingredients appeared around him. Each ingredient, encased in its own luminescent glow, flew toward the work stations. This was followed by a basic alchemy cauldron landing on the station as well.
It seems he wants us to use a standard cauldron to see who among us has the best alchemy skills.
Alchemy cauldrons were ranked just like profound spirit weapons...
2023-02-08 16:51:00 +0000 UTC
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Zhou Lihua woke up before the first light of dawn. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was a broad chest. She spent a long moment admiring it, then looked up, into Wu Jian’s sleeping face. His mouth was slightly ajar. He must have had trouble breathing through his nose. The slow rise and fall of his chest told her that he was still in a deep slumber.
“He looks so vulnerable like this,” she whispered.
She wished she could stay like this, but she had woken up so earl...
2023-02-08 14:34:42 +0000 UTC
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Patreon rewards have been sent via DM. You'll notice I did things a little different this time since I started using Mega NZ to send art rewards. Let me know if you're having trouble accessing your reward.
How do you like this month's art?
2023-02-07 22:13:18 +0000 UTC
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Kěnéng was a beautiful city. It had looked magnificent from far away and was even more beautiful up close. The buildings were all magnificent structures built to look like small palaces. The flora and fauna were colorful. Gorgeous pink sakura blossoms filled the skyline while colorful flowers took root around them.
Several arched wooden bridges crossed over numerous canals. Steam from the canals filled the air. All the water in this city was sourced from the natural underground hotspr...
2023-02-06 17:13:09 +0000 UTC
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The Alchemist Association in Kěnéng was very different from the one in Imperial Shang City. Not only was it much larger, but surrounding the massive pagoda was a sprawling complex of aesthetically pleasing edifices. Between the buildings was a beautiful garden with a variety of tropical flowers. Some of the flowers had petals that were almost as large as Wu Jian’s head, while others contained a plethora of color like a rainbow.
“Welcome to the Alchemist Association, Lady Zhou Lihu...
2023-02-06 14:52:28 +0000 UTC
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The luxurious room was filled with moans and sighs of pleasure. Cì Chuān lay with his hands behind his back, completely naked as a pair of equally naked and nubile young women pleased him with their mouths.
He had always had a higher libido than most--quite different from his father and older brother. The pair seemed almost asexual. It was a wonder their father had slept with his wife enough times that she gave birth to two children. His brother seemed to be going the same route as hi...
2023-02-03 17:01:57 +0000 UTC
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Immediately after leaving the Great Wall, Zhou Lihua’s caravan traveled east until it met the Snow River, then followed the river north before curving around and traveling south-east. They had to stop at several towns and villages along the way.
It was an enlightening experience.
“There’s something odd about this town,” Wu Jian murmured as he stared at it from within their carriage.
Zhou Lihua was leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder, but she sat ...
2023-02-03 15:02:28 +0000 UTC
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Patrons,
The new month is upon us and a lot has happened.
I'd like to begin this newsletter by announcing that I have completely redesigned my website. If you'd like to check out the changes yourself, please feel free to do so. In fact, 2023-02-01 22:00:03 +0000 UTC
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“This is bliss…”
“Is it really?”
“Yes, it really is.”
Wu Jian stared down at the woman using his lap as a pillow. Scintillating blonde hair several shades close to brown traced artful curves across her body and trailed down the chair like a curtain. He ran his fingers through those locks. Her hair was softer than the finest of fabrics. It was a clear indication that she spent a lot of time grooming herself. Most alchemists had greasy hair because of the chemica...
2023-02-01 16:24:32 +0000 UTC
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Zhou Lihua stood in her ingredient room. It was a large room within her compound that had shelf upon shelf of alchemy ingredients. All the ingredients were divided by tier, then further divided by name.
She had started with the tier 1 ingredients, then moved on to tier 2, 3, and 4. There were even tier 5 ingredients within this room, but she could not refine tier 5 pills yet, so she didn’t bother. After storing everything she thought she might need into her storage ring, she left the ...
2023-02-01 14:33:18 +0000 UTC
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Wu Jian sat with Hou Jingshu and Yōuměi in the mess hall, shaking his head as he stared at the pile of plates. All the plates belonged to Yōuměi. She sat at the table with them… sort of. It was weird. She couldn’t sit on the chair because her body was too massive to fit, but she had placed two paws on it and leaned over to scarf up food from her plate. Whenever she finished one plate, she would use the shadows to pile it atop the others and bring over the next plate.
And I t...
2023-01-30 19:04:28 +0000 UTC
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Wu Jian, Hou Jingshu, Jia Xinyue, Mei Xilan, Xian Fen, and Yōuměi emerged from the Sacred Grounds several days after entering. While there was no noticeable difference in Wu Jian’s and Mei Xilan’s cultivation, everyone else had received a powerful boost. Xian Fen and Jia Xinye especially had become much stronger now.
It was just like Wu Jian thought. The Sacred Grounds greatly benefited people of a lower cultivation or those who used more normal cultivation methods.That was why Xi...
2023-01-30 14:35:25 +0000 UTC
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Hou Gun was a man who’s meager talents did not match the expectations placed upon him. Born from the emperor of a small nation and a woman from the most powerful sect on the Xaio Continent, Hou Gun had many expectations placed on him from birth. His mother had desired him to become a powerful cultivator who could raise this nation to become even more prominent than the Xia Dynasty. His father wanted him to become an even better emperor than he was.
That was why both of his parents we...
2023-01-27 17:03:04 +0000 UTC
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“This is the Sacred Grounds?” Wu Jian asked of no one in particular. He wasn’t sure anyone would answer him anyway. They, like him, were left staring in wonder at the scene before them.
The Sacred Grounds was not very big. A small lake that was closer in size to a pond filled most of the space. Various blossoms and trees surrounded the lake’s edge, vibrantly colored like a rainbow. Wu Jian didn’t recognize any of the plants. He could feel the chi being emitted from them, howev...
2023-01-27 15:02:30 +0000 UTC
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Amber Lee Connors sent me the audio files for A Most Unlikely Hero, Volume 4. I'm going through the chapters.
I'm hoping to have this out within the next few weeks.
2023-01-26 16:29:17 +0000 UTC
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Here's a preview of next month's art. Liremi is working on it right now.
2023-01-25 19:37:10 +0000 UTC
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Mei Xilan was a persistent woman. She continued to make not-so-subtle advances even though he had rejected her. When he asked why, she didn’t say anything. It was like the woman was incapable of answering. Because of that, Wu Jian had no idea why she was pursuing him, but he and Hou Jingshu had spent much of the time on the Zhang Jian Tang simply trying to avoid her.
It was exhausting.
Since they were on an airship, one that did not belong to the royal family, Wu Jian and Hou Ji...
2023-01-25 17:17:29 +0000 UTC
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It took a full day before Wu Jian was fully recovered. He would have liked to say that his time spent convalescing had been relaxing, but the truth was that it had been anything but. Mei Xilan had been visiting him almost every day--much to Hou Jingshu’s frustration. He didn’t know why the young princess disliked Mei Xilan so much, but apparently, something about the cold woman’s attitude rubbed her the wrong way.
Wu Jian was smart enough to understand what was going on here, at l...
2023-01-25 15:05:50 +0000 UTC
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