Maksym Pachesiuk

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 90: Stimulants and Strategies

Kim swore he didn’t know anything about anyone. I cut him off and told him he had two weeks to find out at least something. In the meantime, he could enjoy a special session in the Chamber.

That was it — my social duty was fulfilled. I’d redeemed myself in Liang Shi’s eyes — shown him I was working on the Hall of Order’s tasks. Now it was time to take care of myself. And I had a reassessment coming up. So: music, the greenhouse… Without Zola! No need to draw extra attentio...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 89: Drug Leads

Liang Shi was tearing into us in the same duty room where he’d once served tea after Marek’s suicide attempt. He had to hold himself back to avoid raising his voice, as his colleagues were watching. The cadets were pretending to read from their tablets, but in truth, all ears were on us. So instead of shouting, Liang Shi hissed. It felt less like an overdose had occurred, and more like we had personally driven poor Varga to suicide.

“From this evening, from this very second, you a...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 88: Unclear Afterthoughts

Novak ‘invited’ me over. Still, he was fairly gracious about it, taking into account that I had a session with the ‘mutual support club’ — in other words, dodging Bao Feng’s wooden mace. But he didn’t let things drag on for too long, and I had to bow out earlier than the other cadets.

Kate and I ran into each other on the way, and Lina was already waiting for us there. Vaclav had gathered nearly everyone involved in the recent incident, with Kate replacing Bat-Erdene. I ha...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 87: The Ring Again

I was walking back from the Armour Hall, thinking over the changes the new suit brought with it. This wasn’t my old plastic shell anymore, but real armour — something I could easily wear for several days outdoors in the thin atmosphere of Verdis. And one particular joy: no sand down my back or in other, more delicate areas! Though, I’d still need a shower — Kate had made sure I’d break a sweat.

There were no formations on it yet, but I wasn’t in a rush. I was thinking of goi...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 86: New Armour

After the Wood, I moved on to the Mace simply because I already had the necessary ampoules, and my extensive plans involved all types of qi.

After the Wood, I moved on to the Mace simply because I already had the necessary ampoules, and my extensive plans involved all types of qi. The more I learnt to distinguish between them, the better I’d be able to defend myself in combat. In the arena, that could cost not only points, but bones. Not to mention that in a year, I’d have a stalker...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 85: Club Practice

Two days after our stroll in the greenhouse, Zola actually shaved her head. Not completely bald — she’d used a 0.5 guard, so the skin didn’t shine but remained rough, like sand on coarse stone. Still, the effect was… noticeable. Very noticeable.

First, the look. She’d never resembled the graceful-lady cultivators from dramas or web novels. I don’t remember seeing a single Black one among them, or even anyone with curly hair. Horned ones, red-skinned ones — sure. But Black ...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 84: Some Problems

I’d gotten over Arnaud. After all, I’d just been a random witness to his collapse — I wasn’t involved in any other way. Besides, I had my own problems to deal with, like the metaphorical beating my arse had taken from Cinar. Metaphorical, since it was actually my chest that suffered the most.

I even had to spend three points on treatment at the infirmary.

The infirmary was the main points sink for cadets — and the Academy’s favourite method for draining our points.

⚠️Schedule Update⚠️

I finished the latest chapter just a few hours ago. For various reasons, I’ve burned through my chapter buffer. Not all of those reasons were bad — for example, I got distracted by Operation Spiderweb and the Kerch Bridge explosion. Both brought me great joy!

Still, that puts me in a tight spot and adds a lot of pressure. One unexpected hiccup, and I’d be left apologising for having nothing to show. I’ve got enough pressure in my life as it is, and I’m afraid of burning out �...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 83: Split Focus

Scenes like the one in Rene’s hall always break the rhythm of life. It goes on, sure, but it’s like a mental stumble, like stubbing your pinky toe on a doorframe. Not serious, but damn it hurts and throws you off. Although, the ‘not serious’ part is debatable. I wasn’t hurt, but that cadet probably just wrecked his life...

And there I was, thinking about him, instead of focusing on my next session with Kate, Piper, and Cinar.

I even showed up late, which immediately earn...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 82: Fatal Flaw

The Rene Hall was far from empty… The more cadets broke through the first bottleneck, the more of them trickled in here. Those only managing the breakthrough now were, more often than not, the kind of losers who wouldn’t make it to Second Period — but they weren’t giving up. Life had a funny way of turning things around, and Rene didn’t charge much, so lately the hall had started to feel like an anthill.

I arrived later than I’d planned and could already hear the rhythm from...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 81: Vials and Snakes

Twenty-four vials of Fist Essence lay in my locker like dead weight. Twenty-two, if I counted on Omar — and he didn’t seem like someone who’d go back on his word.

I could trade the rest for something useful.

I thought of Hakim.

A cocky conspiracy theorist from second period. He claimed he could get hold of anything that could be gotten. Ha! Should I ask him about a qi crystal?

I wasn’t sure how much of it was true, but he gave the impression of someone who defi...

⚠️ Promoting my fellow author, Dominick R ⚠️

You may have seen his book Mage Steel alongside mine on the Rising Stars list.

It’s a Western cultivation series that pairs well with my Moon Cultivation.

Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/125542596?collection=1419016

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 80: Motion and Strategy

"Let’s go like yesterday — start on the third step," Rene said.

"I preferred it from a standstill," I replied.

"You’ve already mastered that," Rene said. "Let’s see it in motion."

He’d cleared a lane for me from one wall of the hall to the other. That was generous, considering how packed his training space had become lately — so many wanted to train techniques under his supervision that he’d begun turning people away.

A straight line wasn’t the best pat...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 79: A Taste of Point

Piper and I took one corner of the hall, while Kate and Cinar went to the opposite one. I had no idea what was happening on their end. I refused to stand with my back to the wall, not wanting to give Piper the chance to pin me. So Kate and Cinar ended up behind me.

“After you,” I said, gesturing her toward the corner.

“How chivalrous,” she smiled. “Think that'll help you?”

“I think it'll give me more room to move.”

Piper stepped closer to the corner —...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 78: Truths Unveiled

In the evening, Kate and I were invited to Novak’s. Since she already had access to his quarters, there was no need for Adam or Lina to escort us from the station or take us upstairs.

No bourbon this time. The air held the scent of honey, pine, apples, and roasted nuts — a clear sign we were having tea.

Novak was already waiting, dressed formally but without a jacket — just a vest over a crisp shirt, which gave the meeting a slightly more informal tone. Two teapots and three...

Moon Cultivation [Book 2] - Chapter 77: Everyone Moves Forward

Sand crunched beneath my feet. I stepped forward half a pace, slid left, shifted my weight — and snapped my left hand out. The first projection flew, followed by a dozen more hurtling toward Kate.

She dodged them all effortlessly, dancing between them like a gymnast, and fired back with an lightning bolt.

I had to choose — dodge or keep up the bombardment.

Screw it. I’d spent enough time just dodging in the past.

I pulled the invisible wall toward me, and a momen...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 76: She Won't Forget

Zola Thembeka Dlamini — that was Nur’s new name. Her primary root was a point, 23. Second, third and fourth places were taken by earth, lightning and water. The fourth with a value of 14, though, was a fist. Something tells me that’s the one she’ll cultivate most actively. She’ll have to learn to distinguish that kind of qi from the very start. Then again, doing it a second time should take less time, now that she knows what to expect.

Her energy cultivation, however, was a wh...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 75: Trapped by Ink

In total, I gained +4 to my Fist Root.

The first one came almost instantly — before I even left the tech room. The second — about five minutes later. The third arrived after ten minutes of slow wandering between platforms, watching other cadets practise their techniques.

But the fourth... the fourth came when the timer was already flashing red, down to the last few seconds.

I was standing by a patch of everlastings, hypersensitivity formation active, trying to focus on t...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 74: Fist Essence

Breakfast matched my mood — bland and unappetising.

There was some lazy chatter around the table about training schedules, shift changes, the usual noise. None of it stuck. The guys had already bought into the cover story that Nur was in the infirmary thanks to another of her brutal migraines, so they weren’t pushing me for details.

And I missed that damned ring. Vaclav had said I was prime bait even without it now. Especially with Thyzreth on the run.

After breakfast ca...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 73: Tasting Truth

Tall, dark skin, slightly curly hair in a stylish short cut, double stripes on her collar. She was casually spinning a trinket in her fingers, looking amused.

Another demon?

Didn’t seem like Nur’s hitchhiker was expecting her. Nur’s face, or his face, looked just as surprised.

“I’m your backup,” the girl said, giving me a look. I didn’t get it right away, so she rolled her eyes theatrically and added, “Lesbian porn.”

“Ahhh,” I exhaled in understan...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 72: Fractured Mind

I hadn’t slept.

Not just a lack of sleep — it was like sleep had deliberately avoided me, like an old friend you’ve had a falling out with, now crossing to the other side of the hallway when they see you. Too many thoughts, too many images from the night before. Blood in the shower. Marek, eyes burning with hate. I can understand death in battle — at the hands of an enemy. But suicide feels alien to me. I couldn’t find the logic in Marek’s actions, no matter how I looked at ...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 71: Cold Shower, Hot Blood

The dream shattered into fragments with the sharp blare of the interface. A shrill beep tore through the thick fog of sleep, and I sat up in bed, still half-conscious, staring in confusion at the flashing red signs before my eyes.

This signal was more insistent and far more unpleasant than any I had heard before.

Cadet’s life in danger!

Immediate response required!

My heart thumped loudly, and all traces of drowsiness vanished in an ...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 70: Vrhakzun and Thyzreth

When Johansson finally left, Liang Shi dismissed the cadets, and the block exhaled. But I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate.

The supervisor stayed behind. He gave me his usual unimpressed look, then jerked his head toward the door.

“Let’s talk. You three — out,” he ordered, glancing at my roommates.

Marlon, Denis, and Bao exchanged a look, then turned obediently toward the vending machines. Smart move. When our supervisor wants to talk in private, arguing is a bad id...

⚠️ WARNING: MOON CULTIVATION LORE UPDATE! ⚠️ All first-year characters are now officially 18 years old. I’ve gone back and updated all chapters where this was relevant.

All first-year characters are now officially 18 years old. I’ve gone back and updated all chapters where this was relevant.

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 69: Truth, or Something Like It

Cultivation went… perfectly.

I felt like a tourist on holiday — somewhere warm, bathed in sunlight, completely at ease. The flow moved through me without resistance. I slipped into trance at the very start and only surfaced when the stream weakened.

My plexus-reactor was working flawlessly. I didn’t just avoid breaking a sweat — I didn’t even feel tired. That could change in a few minutes, of course, but… maybe I was ready for a reassessment? I’d have to check how to...

Dawnfall

So, my fall on the Rising Stars list at Royal Road has begun — down to #5 from #3.

If you’d like to help me extend my RS run and haven’t yet, you can like, rate, or even leave a short review for Moon Cultivation here: [ https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/113262/moon-cultivation-sci-fi-xianxia?utm_source=home&utm_medium=rising-s...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 68: Too Much Essence

After Marek’s humiliation, we assistant supervisors regrouped by the vending machine. Dubois was treating us again.

“I was expecting more action,” Kowalski said — disappointed, but smiling. “Apart from the opening slap, nothing really exciting happened.”

“The victims spat on the bully, and he didn’t say a word in return — and you don’t call that exciting?” Lin Jiao shot back.

“More like disgusting,” Sun Hao countered.

“But we were aiming to ...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 67: Penalty Play

Marigold tea still held the crown as the number one horror in my morning routine. And yet — habit is a strange thing. Today I woke up already anticipating the taste of that yellow filth. My body reached for the kettle before my brain could protest, as if it had decided that if the horror couldn’t be avoided, it was best done quickly and without thought. Quick brew, three sips — three steps through hell — and I was human again. More or less.

At least breakfast, following the infu...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 66: Whispers Before the Wave

Marigold tea – what an abomination!

Its flavour could best be described as ‘an infusion of a marathon runner’s damp socks’. And you had to drink it twice a day for a consistent effect. Ideally before bed – since recovery peaks at night – and again first thing in the morning to prolong the benefit. Morning was the hardest. I managed the first sip through sheer willpower, squinting and losing faith in myself. The second I took with open contempt for my own weakness. The third....

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 65: Brewing Resistance

I took it easy that morning. My energy had only recovered to 81 out of 156, so I went back to basics and worked on movement drills using the hologram. It went fairly well — the red flashes were showing up far less often than before, though I was still far from perfect. I didn’t spend as much time on qi projection, but I did manage to push my continuous fire rate up to 8 out of 9. I could now release a volley of 15 to 20 strikes without serious risk of qi detonation. Two or three of them w...