Hui descended into the center of the formation, dropping toward the flint altar below. He released the snakeskin technique as he went, revealing his own face. Shards of Gui Yutong shredded away on the fierce wind, vanishing as he fell. His robes billowed after him. Gently, he came to a rest before the altar, his robes floating down around him.
As before, the flint altar jutted up out of the ground, almost akin to a blacksmith’s anvil, the whole thing roughly carved and little more tha...
2023-02-09 16:00:06 +0000 UTC
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For the first time in a long time, First opened his eyes.
No. To say it properly… I’m Hui. Or rather, the largest piece of what’s left of Hui.
He stood up and wiped his robes off, brushing off the dust and dirt that had accumulated in the time he’d sat there alone in the cave. He kept the flag carefully, hiding it in his robes.
The final fragment… or maybe, the first.
And now, there’s only one last piece I need in order to finish this ...
2023-02-08 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Bai Xue tapped her foot. “What’s taking him?”
A servant scurried up to her. “Bai Yizhen took him to get dressed. It might be hours yet.”
“It had better not be—”
The door flew open. Hui staggered out, draped in long red robes. Dragons swirled over the silk, embroidered in the same shade as the robe, so only the interplay of light and shadow as he moved made them visible. When he moved, though, the dragons seemed to fly around him, so fine was the embroidery. H...
2023-02-07 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Well, that about summarizes it, Healer said. Got caught by Gui Delun, met some depressing injured disciples… ah, Shen Aiguo never returned after that. I don’t know if she’s still processing it, or if she’s already dead, but I never saw her and the others again.
Rogue clicked his tongue. That’s pretty depressing, yeah.
Healer nodded. He looked around him. An empty room stood around him. Although the drapes still hung in the window, and the outsi...
2023-02-06 17:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Luo Guang looked around the palace, folding his hands behind him. “Yes, I suppose this is yours, now that you and Gui Yutong are wed.”
“Ah, no. Small cultivator misspoke. This is Gui Yutong’s. My palace is in the rear,” Hui clarified.
“Are you hated?” Luo Guang asked, laughter in his eyes.
“No, no, not at all. In fact, I consider it a mercy,” Hui said.
“A mercy?” Luo Guang asked, confused.
Hui nodded. “Otherwise, I’d be subject to ce...
2023-02-05 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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“What do you mean?” Shen Aiguo asked, confused.
Hui shook his head. How do I explain this?
In his third eye, Shen Aiguo’s body pulsed slowly, almost a sick beat. All her gold threads hung shredded, interspersed with scraps of black. Even the ones that remained gold, the tiny confetti-like pieces, faded in and out, darkening almost to black before the glimmer of gold returned.
Her threads are in absolute tatters. It’s amazing that she’s standing before ...
2023-02-04 15:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Gui Yutong’s palace on Gui Delun’s peak was a prim affair in white and pink, feminine without being overly so. Everything had its place, and every piece of décor sat perfectly where it ought to be.
“Gui Yutong!” A young man jumped up at the gates of her palace, eager as a puppy.
Hui blinked. Who is this?
Wait, no. I know. It’s her incestuous brother, Fan… Fan something.
Sectgoer rolled his eyes. Wu Fanyun.
Yes, yes, tha...
2023-02-03 15:59:01 +0000 UTC
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Decided to treat myself and get some nice art for Volume 2's Amazon release. :) Gonna get some lettering on it, and hopefully get v.2 on Amazon soon!
Art by kurapixelart!
2023-02-02 21:37:50 +0000 UTC
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The heat of the forge blazed at Hui’s face. The hammer rang out, one strike after another. Under his steady beat, the two ores slowly fused together.
Hui poured magic into the material as the sword took shape. He twisted the magic into a talisman, but bound the talisman to the metal. By putting the talisman into the metal, it won’t burn up when I activate the spell. The metal might slowly degrade, but that’s a problem for future-Hui. I need these weapons to last through the ba...
2023-02-02 16:59:01 +0000 UTC
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I’m a bit of a tyrant, aren’t I? Hui mused, sitting in a tree outside his forge. He glanced down at the peak below from his high vantage point, then sighed. If I seriously tried to raise these disciples, it would be different. But for me, the only thing I want is to use them to make money and abuse the sect’s resources before I destroy the sect. Because of that, it doesn’t matter how troubles are resolved, as long as they’re resolved before they get to me. Long-term, th...
2023-02-01 18:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hui spun the sword in his hand, tossing it and snatching the handle out of the air. He spun it one last time, and this time, caught the handle and threw the sword toward the far wall. It flew off, impaling itself into the back wall of the forge.
He let out a deep sigh. Thank goodness. It didn’t shatter.
Six months had passed. Most of the disciples had created forges. Those few who had failed utterly and lacked all karma with the forge trained under Ying Lin on her peak,...
2023-01-31 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Three months passed in relative peace. Hui worked hard in the forge, making one prototype after another. Slowly, they took shape, looking less like metal rods and more like swords.
Still, this isn’t exactly regulation grade. The mixing of the ore… Hui lifted the sword-shaped object and slapped it on the floor. The metal shattered.
Right. I’m still figuring it out. Practice makes perfect, though! Tossing aside his latest failure, Hui wandered into the supply...
2023-01-30 17:59:01 +0000 UTC
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Time passed. Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks. A month came and left. The female cultivator with experience in jadeworking sat happily under the trees, carving away with no need for a forge. Of the other cultivators, three of them had obtained forges of their own, and another two were on the verge of a breakthrough, most notably Hong Lu. Song Wei, the black lotus, struggled with his technique, and at the end of the month, he still failed to obtain the qualifications to cast ...
2023-01-29 15:59:01 +0000 UTC
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The low-level disciples harvesting spirit fruits stared up as an immortal boat descended onto their peak. One or two squinted, a bit confused. Aren’t immortal boats supposed to be flawless and gorgeous beyond belief? But this is…
Third- to low fifth-stage disciples dismounted from the immortal boat. A young female cultivator led them to a flat field just outside the orchard toward the peak, lining them up in an orderly formation. Hui drifted down after them, letting his hai...
2023-01-28 16:59:00 +0000 UTC
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One at a time, Hui healed the cultivators of the Clouded Pavilion. For the most part, removing the death qi infections from their bodies was enough for Hui to heal their wounds. A few had lost limbs or had more serious afflictions, but none were as injured as Fan Hulian.
Healer nodded to himself as he focused on healing yet another cultivator. I suppose they couldn’t be. She was only alive because Liu Guang kept her in stasis. It would be difficult to come across someone as badly ...
2023-01-27 15:59:00 +0000 UTC
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“Ha! Acting like you can fix this. I’ve been seen by every healer in the sect and the best healers money can buy. It’s pointless to bluff. Give up, already,” the young man said.
The old man leaned in, raising a sleeve to whisper to Healer, “Hong Lu is the young master of the Hong Clan, the only disciple with promise to be born in the clan in five generations. His clan went bankrupt trying to restore his leg, and could do no better but delay his death. It’s better if you give...
2023-01-26 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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As they flew, Hui looked at the disciple. “So how did these cultivators become injured?”
The disciple licked his lips. “It’s natural with a sect this size to have a few injuries along the way. There’s always those who fail to cultivate their chosen technique and fall along the way. In addition… our sect is an exorcist sect. There’s a great number of cultivators who become injured or tainted by the dark energies of the undead, and unfortunately, they cannot all be healed....
2023-01-25 16:57:01 +0000 UTC
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It looks like Predatory System has secured a narrow victory over TTMF! Going forward, Predatory System will be the new weekly series.
I'll likely continue to write TTMF, albeit at a slower pace, so never fear if you voted for it instead.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll, and thanks to everyone who gave me thoughts and opinions, too! As always, thanks for reading,
2023-01-25 14:44:33 +0000 UTC
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…me? Can anyone hear me? Someone? Anyone?
Healer sat up. Rogue? Is that you? What happened? Where did you go? It’s been months! We thought you died! Or at least played dead.
Ah, yes, yes, not much. I’ve just recruited Fen Long to my side, and possibly freed Chen Wuya too! Rogue replied boldly.
Sectgoer narrowed his eyes. Sure. Sure you have. Pull the other one.
When have I ever lied to you? Rogue asked, shaking his hea...
2023-01-24 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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I'm going to close the poll tomorrow at midnight, and go ahead with the chosen book. Whichever book gets chosen will update 1x week (or more as I please) in the "Other Book" and $7+ tiers, aiming for a Sunday release date. The first chapters may be shorter, but I'm aiming for 2k-4k for a weekly release size regardless of book chosen. The remaining book will update on an "as I like it" schedule in the Other Book tier, and might not update until the chosen book is finished, depending on time co...
2023-01-24 01:35:57 +0000 UTC
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As he walked, Vivian went over his inventory again. Nothing but clippers? You’d think I’d have a few more tools than that. What kind of [Gardener] am I?
He rolled his eyes at himself. The kind that clips an endless hedge maze. What do I need, aside from clippers? I could clip that maze for the rest of my life and never be done.
He pulled out a piece of the leather armor and strapped it on experimentally. Instantly, his arm dropped to his side, weighed down as...
2023-01-23 18:34:47 +0000 UTC
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Luka stepped forward just as the effects of [Stun] wore off. With a roar, the bandits rounded on him and Nico. Raising his arm, the nearest bandit smashed a rough axe at Nico’s head.
Nico stared it down without flinching. He threw out his hand. “Luka, protect me!”
[Danger Boost] +1 EXP
When your [Lord] is in danger or commands you to protect them, your strength is boosted!
Luka charged forward, swinging the narrow end of the bat ...
2023-01-23 18:34:26 +0000 UTC
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The wind struggled in his grasp. Exhausted, Hui let out a breath and fell back against Fei Hu. Even so, he refused to loosen his grip on the wind. He watched it struggling, forcing his third eye to lock onto the whisp. Dangerous, too dangerous! Even someone as experienced at playing dead as me almost fell to the final trap of this realm! If it hadn’t been for Fei Hu, I might have been destroyed by the wind, without a chance to fight back!
He put a hand on the beast’s should...
2023-01-23 16:54:01 +0000 UTC
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Between Predatory System and The Tower Must Fall, which one would you prefer to see more of?
2023-01-22 22:39:05 +0000 UTC
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Nico perched at the peak of the manor, looking down on the city below. The manor stood atop a hill, so from the manor’s peak, the city became a jumble of lights and glass, all tangled together amidst the vastness of the first floor’s dark expanses. Putting his hands behind him, he let out a sigh.
“What is it, sir?” Luka asked quietly. He barely resembled the straw-haired, wide-eyed farmboy who’d tumbled into the Tower six years ago. His hair had darkened, and his face had matu...
2023-01-22 22:35:50 +0000 UTC
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Oppressively huge, the Tower stretched to infinity. The massive white structure climbed to the heavens and stood as wide as a city, so huge that Luka couldn’t see its borders. He stared up at it, his eyes wide.
So this… is where I’m going to spend the rest of his life.
Luka shifted, adjusting his clothes. He wore his father’s best suit, hemmed down to fit him. The warmth of his mother’s hands as she adjusted the way it sat still lingered on his shoulders. He rem...
2023-01-22 22:34:54 +0000 UTC
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Roses. Dark hedges. The flash of a sword. Grass.
Dark.
…
Light. The roses. A sword. Dark.
Light. Dark. Light. Dark.
It hurts.
Light.
Dark.
Vivian opened his eyes. Before him, a man hefted a sword high and swung it down. His vision spun around, and he struck the ground. Pain struck him for a moment, and then—
Dark.
Light again. He stepped out of the bushes, the thorns clawing at his dark clothes. Vivian’s eyes ...
2023-01-22 22:33:29 +0000 UTC
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Snip. Snip.
A gray, overcast sky clad the world in dim gray light. Dark hedges snaked off into the distance, laden with heady white roses. In the low light, the roses glowed with a low phosphorescence, lighting the hedge maze in eerie pale green.
Snip.
Steel clippers shut with a snap, and another rose fell. The heavy flower bounced down the neat stone path, dropping petals as it rolled. As it rolled, the rose’s glow faded. By the time it came to a stop, t...
2023-01-22 22:32:22 +0000 UTC
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A yelp sounded from behind Hui. Startled, he half-retracted from the array and peered over his shoulder. Fei Hu came rushing at him, its eyes wild with concern. It stopped beside Hui and curled up protectively around him, whimpering at the destruction as the world crumbled. Stone tiles vanished into a void below. Cracks crawled up the walls. Pillars shattered and vanished into the depths. Concerned, Fei Hu pawed at Hui, wanting to pick him up.
Hui smiled. He put a hand on Fei Hu’s paw...
2023-01-22 17:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone!
I'm working on two new stories right now. Both are fantasy/tower/litrpg, but in very different ways. I can't decide which one to focus on first, so instead... I'll leave it up to you! Over the next day or so, I'll post the first three chapters from each story, and then you can vote on which one you prefer me to take on full time first. I'll continue to write both, but one will sit on the backburner (I'll write it as I feel like) and the other will become a new week...
2023-01-21 19:43:23 +0000 UTC
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