Hui paused for a moment, then shrugged. Lifting the curtain, he reentered the streets. I’ll go figure out the celestial beasts, and figure out Ying Lin along the way. And… and, I don’t know, ponder the power of time as I go.
Ugh. I wish I had any hints. The Immortal Realm is too tough. Can I go back to the tutorial, please? I think I missed a few essential commands.
He wandered to the edge of the city, then flew away. The celestial beasts won’t be in ...
2023-10-31 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
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She held her sword out in both hands, blade flat against her palms. “Take me.”
“Er, the sword?” Hui asked. A different kind of unease swirled inside him. He glanced at Li Xiang. She was originally a sword spirit. Does she know? Did she realize…?
“To become an Immortal, one must realize themselves. Controversially, to realize yourself, is to become an Immortal,” Li Xiang said.
Oh. I see. To ascend, she had to realize herself. To realize herself, was...
2023-10-30 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Dropping back into the lake, Hui flew back to the Azure Dragon’s palace. He called out to the clones he’d left behind as he popped up in the entrance hall, dismissing them.
And not a moment too soon. I didn’t know you could put that many braids in one man’s hair.
Fuck you, you aren’t the one who got braided!
The memories of Rogue, as Zhubi, and Mortal, watching him, flowed into his mind. Hui shivered. Rogue pretty much spent that whole time ge...
2023-10-29 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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The flame winked out. The wave rushed in, catching Hui by surprise. He fought against the water, kicking back toward the last place he’d seen Zhubi. “Zhubi!”
Even as he fought it, the water flowed smoothly beneath his hands, no longer off-balance. He looked down at it, then breathed out and forced himself to let go and get carried away by the wave. Zhubi’s made his decision. The energy isn’t out of control anymore. Whatever happens, it’s all up to him now!
He ...
2023-10-28 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Facing the enormous dark orb of energy, Hui put his palms gently on its surface. He injected his qi carefully into the surface of the energy. Inspecting it, he focused on the way the qi flowed, the shape of the orb, the type of energy. No matter what, I don’t want to interrupt Zhubi’s transformation. Zhubi needs to complete this on his own. All I can do is offer a gentle nudge in the right direction.
Though… interestingly, it’s a different type of qi than I’ve enc...
2023-10-27 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hui popped up in a pond in the black palace and heaved a deep breath. I don’t have to breathe, but it still sucks to have to hold my breath! Flying up, he landed on the floor in the center of the entrance hall.
Beside him, Zhubi shook his head. Water flew everywhere, and his long hair thrashed against Hui.
Hui took in the hallway. No grand waterfalls poured down, no fish swam idyllically. The water laid dead beside the pathway, dark and choked with black algae. Aside fr...
2023-10-26 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
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“Zhubi, I…” Hui put a hand on Zhubi’s head.
Zhubi knocked his hand away and ran, vanishing down the alleyway. Hui jumped up and chased after him. “Zhubi!”
White hair whipped around the corner. Hui ran after him. Dammit. I really failed that conversation.
I’m good at tearing people apart and building people up, but I have no idea how to break delicate news. I guess there’s still plenty for me to learn in this wide world.
“Zhubi, come ...
2023-10-25 14:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Hui looked around, lost in the massive azure palace. Er… I need to get to Zhubi, but where on earth is Zhubi? I’ve been in this palace for all of a minute! Should I know how to navigate it?
Now that we’ve reached this point… there’s only one thing I can do!
He cleared his throat. “Zhubi!”
A few servants hurried by. One of them looked at him and scoffed. Under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear, she murmured, “New Immortals, thinkin...
2023-10-24 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hui blinked. “Eh? Zhubi isn’t a dragon?”
Tian Chen shook his head. “Dragons come in three colors. Yellow, red, and the most beautiful and powerful color, blue. He is white. Therefore, he cannot be a dragon.”
“Eh? I met a black dragon in the mortal realm—”
“A flood dragon. Our inferior cousins can be many inferior colors. However, true dragons only appear in three colors. Any flood dragon who ascends to the Immortal Realm will change colors to become blue, r...
2023-10-23 15:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Tian Chen touched down and strode off. His feet tapped with authority, echoing down the long entry hall. Waterfalls flanked the hall, rushing down into the lake far below. Flowers grew out of the gem walls, glittering in bright blue, red, and yellow. Through the gem floor, the sparkling lake glittered. Carp swam around.
Hui glanced around, hesitant to touch the floor. Er, am I allowed to touch that? It looks way too fancy for me… If I break it, I can’t repay you, Senior!
2023-10-22 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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The man in blue rushed to Tian Lan’s side and wrapped her up in his arms, holding her close. “Tian Lan… Daddy was so worried.”
Tian Lan sobbed helplessly. “Daddy, Daddy, they… they—” She gasped, unable to keep speaking through her tears.
The man shot a murderous stare at the two lying dead on the ground. Even through playing dead, Hui felt the man’s killing intent pierce through him. Forcing his voice to stay gentle, the man asked, “What did they do, sweetie?...
2023-10-21 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hui pressed his fingertips together. Escape the realm… escape the realm. He sent death qi, rot qi, and every kind of qi he could think of circulating around him, just in case, then roped them back in when none of them reacted with the realm. No… that’s normal. I’d need to find the realm’s walls in order to trigger a reaction. Just blindly throwing my qi at things won’t help me here.
Hmm… I could try getting the golden hand to reach for me, then escape...
2023-10-20 14:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Hui jumped forward, surging ahead of Zhang Ming. Seconds before Zhang Ming stepped through the barrier, he crossed over it, landing with a thump on the far side. He sighed out, looking around. Alright. What does this city look like?
He stood in darkness. Only a single light blared, directly on top of him, illuminating his entire body, but nothing else.
Uh oh. This doesn’t bode well.
A second light cut on. A desk stood opposite him. Dressed in fine cream, ...
2023-10-19 13:00:02 +0000 UTC
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The ship touched down at the outer edge of one of the lotus’s petals. The soft surface gave a little as they stepped onto it, but not nearly as much as Hui might have expected from a petal. He knelt and pressed his palm against it. It has a pillowy softness at the surface, but beneath, there’s firm structure. I suppose there would have to be, on a petal this large, strong enough to support a city.
Huh. I always wondered how cultivators accomplished these mysterious arch...
2023-10-18 15:00:12 +0000 UTC
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As the ship soared on, Hui returned to meditation. The blue dragon on his arm crawled up to his shoulder slowly, as if he wouldn’t notice as long as she moved slowly. Unable to fully meditate with the dragon ‘sneaking’ upward, Hui pressed his lips together, somewhat annoyed. Whatever you’re trying to do, just do it! ‘Sneaking’ around on my body is far more annoying than simply attempting something, even if it’s irritating!
The small blue dragon lifted her nose up ...
2023-10-17 15:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Even as the dragon hurtled toward Hui, a familiar qi signature brushed against his senses. Hui sat up, eyes wide. It is! It’s— “Zhubi!”
Zhubi snatched Hui out of the air by his collar and flew away, zooming away from the blue dragon.
The blue dragon burst after him, eyes narrowed. It opened its mouth, and to Hui’s surprise, a childish female voice came out. “You won’t get away! You’re my mate! I’ve waited too long for another dragon!”
“Elder Si...
2023-10-16 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Standing on his tiptoes, Hui peered toward the horizon. “Zhubi…?”
Cho Haoli scoffed. “Are you talking to the dragons?”
Hui startled. “Senior, I didn’t notice you there!”
“Of course you didn’t. Unless I intend to reveal my presence, how would someone as lowly as you notice me?” Cho Haoli asked haughtily.
“Indeed, indeed. Ah, Senior is truly enlightened,” Hui agreed. I need to pay attention. If Senior snuck up on me this easily, while wearin...
2023-10-15 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Cho Haoli waved his hand. “Here they are. Shall we leave, before the stink sinks into our robes?”
Xi Muchen looked at Hui, then Zhang Ming, then back at Hui. He smiled mysteriously.
Sweat dripped down Hui’s back. He doesn’t know. He hasn’t noticed, right?
“Xi Muchen!” Cho Haoli called.
“Yes, yes.” Xi Muchen nodded at Hui and Zhang Ming. “Come along.”
He waved his sleeve, and an immortal boat appeared. Gilded in gold, it shone blarin...
2023-10-14 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Familiar with the routes after his months in the village, Hui cut through the forest and made it back to the village ahead of the emissaries. At the village’s edge, he paused, peering around. Where’s Zhang Ming? He never gets up, but he also isn’t one of the villagers. I don’t know if he’s beholden to the loop, or if he broke out like I did.
Based on the mysterious things he said when I first met him, I suspect that he knows about the loop. That might mean that he...
2023-10-13 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Time passed. At the end of every day, Hui woke up in his room, whether he returned to it, went to Jie Xinlei’s house, or not. As the days wound on, he developed a routine. Wake up, greet Jie Xinlei, refuse her offer, and walk to the barrier. Day after day, he studied the power of time.
I still haven’t grasped time. I can’t absorb it. I barely comprehend any more about it than when I started.
How long will it take to absorb time? To comprehend it?
...
2023-10-12 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Night passed to dawn, and dawn to day. The villagers woke and began their routines. The children rushed around. The shopkeepers set up shop. The workers headed out to the fields.
Hui broke his meditation and stood. Zhang Ming sat on the cot, continuing to meditate, ignoring Hui. Hui cupped his hands to the man in greeting, then froze. His brows furrowed.
Why does this feel familiar?
He walked outside. The villagers bustled around, just the same as ever. He tucked hi...
2023-10-11 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hui wandered back into town as the sun began to set. The street quieted by this hour, only a few townsfolk still out. Instead, the aroma of dinner began to fill the air as the various families settled in for the night. He strode down the high street, hands behind his back, walking along like a wandering cultivator.
Hmm, yep. Definitely just walking along the road to have a nice afternoon stroll. Definitely not aimlessly wandering because I don’t know where Jie Xinlei lives.
2023-10-10 14:59:01 +0000 UTC
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The sun beamed down. Brilliant blue blazed away, reflecting the sun’s light into Hui’s unprotected eyes. Hui resisted the urge to blink, even as his eyes grew itchy. I’m a cultivator. I don’t need to blink! Those are mere mortal limitations!
Damn, I want to blink, though. Itchy, itchy, itchy!
He waited. Frozen, staring at the sky, he waited.
And waited.
And waited.
The hell are we standing around for? I have no problem with committin...
2023-10-09 15:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Returning to his body, Hui stowed the lotus seed under the floorboards and settled in to meditate the night away. He extended his divine sense as he meditated, keeping a close watch on his surroundings, but nothing strange occurred. Night passed to dawn, and dawn to day. The villagers woke and began their routines. The children rushed around. The shopkeepers set up shop. The workers headed out to the fields.
Hui broke his meditation and stood. Zhang Ming sat on the cot, continuing to me...
2023-10-08 15:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Am I actually going to sleep? Absolutely not. I’m not into mortal LARPing. Already had a life of that, thanks. Not interested in a second round.
Glancing at the cot to make sure Zhang Ming wasn’t watching, Hui rubbed his hands together, then tossed a lotus seed into a gap in the floorboards. It bounced out of sight, vanishing into the crawlspace under the hut.
He settled in to meditate again. This time, though, he sent his soul into the lotus seed. Rather than growing...
2023-10-07 15:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Jie Xinlei led him through the village. “…and that’s where Zhai Shenyuan lives. She makes the best bao, you’ll have to try some sometime.”
“Do you need to eat, Elder Sister?” Hui asked politely, only half paying attention.
“I’m not hungry,” Jie Xinlei said.
Hui cleared his throat. “I mean, ever.”
“Ah… I suppose not, no. But eating is fun, isn’t it?” she said, tapping her lip.
“Yes, I agree,” Hui said, nodding. Ah… that ma...
2023-10-06 14:59:01 +0000 UTC
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The girl slid open the door to a hut near the center of the village. “Here! All new arrivals stay here, until they build their own house. You have a roommate right now, but he should move out any time!”
Oh? A roommate? Hui peeked inside.
The small hut stood empty, save a single cot. Atop the cot, a single man sat in lotus pose, long hair draped over his shoulders and all the way down to his waist. He wore the patched, tattered remains of what had once been fine robes,...
2023-10-05 14:59:01 +0000 UTC
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The girl led him into the village. All around him, villagers wandered around, living out ordinary, almost mortal lives. Some carried baskets full of food, while others carried babies on their hips. Dogs ran around, chasing small children. In the distance, a pair of chickens leaped, kicking at one another, then ran off in opposite directions. Primitive homes with thatched rooves and simple, wooden walls wandered along roads that weaved randomly through yards.
A small child ran up to him ...
2023-10-04 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Sunlight. Hui blinked, slowly sitting up. A grassy field stretched in all directions. In the distance, a small town sent a gentle pillar of smoke into the sky. He rubbed his forehead, frowning. What happened? Why was I sleeping? Where am I?
I remember… the Immortal Realm, and then…
The Immortal Realm! Am I Immortal now? Hui looked at his palms. He flexed his fingers and turned his hands over again. Black soot marked his body, and burn wounds slowly s...
2023-10-03 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hui hurtled upward at top speed, flying through the Immortal Realm’s tribulation even as it crashed down all around him. Zhubi flew around him, matching his pace even as his skin molted and his body changed. Even with phoenix flame constantly reinvigorating his body, Hui’s flesh still struggled to keep up with the pace of destruction bearing down on it.
At the same time, pain assaulted Hui’s brain as a mental attack tore into him. Doubts wound through his mind, while terrible whis...
2023-10-02 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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