Ying Lin dropped down into a busy street. Elegantly, she extended her small feet and landed with barely a sound, her robes fluttering around her. Zhubi tumbled clumsily after her, flailing his newfound limbs wildly, his face still stiff but his eyes wide in panic.
All around them, cultivators stopped and stared.
Hui reached out and caught the small child with the long hair, not willing to appear as a child abuser in the middle of a busy street. A small, round face peered up at him...
2022-09-20 18:59:01 +0000 UTC
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Having had his fill of attacking Hui, Chen Wuya settled down on the spiderweb beside him. The taut webbing thrummed with his weight, and he bounced a few times, black wings fluttering as he adjusted his grip.
“Senior… that’s attached to my core. It actually hurts quite a bit,” Hui protested weakly.
“Oh,” Chen Wuya said, his voice flat.
Hui sighed, resigned to his fate. I shouldn’t have brought up Senior at all. Who’d know I’d invite calamity simply by m...
2022-09-19 15:59:01 +0000 UTC
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Hui flew along. He suppressed his qi as he flew, keeping it to the minimum as usual. The forest gave way to plains, which slowly grew scrubbier and scrubbier until the plains gave way to a desert. Bored, Ying Lin flicked through some of Hui’s spare spell manuals, the ones he’d stolen from the Fu Clan. Every so often, she made quick handsigns and blasted some kind of spell or another into the distance. As the spells only reached third stage, none of them travelled too far or carried too mu...
2022-09-18 16:59:01 +0000 UTC
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A day and a night passed, and Hui at last forced himself to his feet. His body remained in disarray, but compared to how it had been, it was a massive improvement. I can’t sit around here for too long. Han Qin might lock on to me, or All Heavens Sect might come investigate. The risk isn’t huge, but it’s non-zero, so I’d better move on.
Ji Taiyu walked over and handed Hui a few pill bottles. “Take these. I removed them from Song Weilai’s cave. They’re too high-leve...
2022-09-17 16:00:00 +0000 UTC
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“Hisss….”
Hui looked up. Zhubi loomed over him, a concerned expression on his face. Hui lit up. “Zhubi, the thorns, pull them out!”
Zhubi tilted his head. He dipped his head and tapped his upturned nose against Hui’s skin, but without his fangs, he couldn’t break through.
Zhubi’s fangs! Hui nodded. “Zhubi, bite me! Use your normal venom. Then, at least, I might… survive a little longer…”
Obediently, Zhubi reared back and bit. Hui’s ri...
2022-09-16 18:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Hui tapped the barrier with his death qi. A black hole instantly opened up in the shimmering barrier, growing rapidly as the death qi infected it. In the space of a breath, the barrier vanished, its qi all eaten away. The death qi kept going, devouring every bit of qi in the spell, and a moment later, the suppression from the spell array winked out.
Turning, Hui fired his finger gun and shot a death duck at Bao Huli and Zhubi each. The second the ducks impacted the barriers, Bao Huli’...
2022-09-15 18:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Up ahead, Jin Xian battled against two of the rough men. Their baskets were nowhere in sight, and instead they brandished swords against Jin Xian’s claws. She bared her teeth and lunged, fast as lightning. One of the men clasped his throat, while Jin Xian chewed with pleasure, blood streaming down her chin.
Elder Sister, you’re really that hungry, huh? Hui thought, petrified.
The man tossed back a pill. The wound on his throat closed. He and his friend rallied, launch...
2022-09-14 18:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Hui sat under the spring, busily cultivating. Fresh, pure qi poured into him, while old, stagnant qi poured out. He breathed slowly and evenly. An intoxicating, exuberant emotion rose inside him, something he’d never felt before. Is this like a runner’s high, but for cultivation? It feels so good. No wonder everyone wants to continue cultivating.
It reminds me of that time I was forced to drink by my father. He wanted me to understand… but how was I supposed to unders...
2022-09-13 19:00:00 +0000 UTC
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As they flew through the forest, Hui gradually began to notice a pure, cold qi seeping through the air. The further they flew, the stronger it became, until thick tendrils of mist began to snake through the forest below, and the air grew clean and damp.
Ahead, scenery like an immortal paradise appeared. A white waterfall, delicate as a skein of silk, descended from a rocky, moss-encrusted cliff and tumbled down into a series of round blue pools, as clear as gems, their stone floors visi...
2022-09-12 19:00:01 +0000 UTC
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The night passed peacefully. A large hog snuffled through the temple’s dilapidated gardens in the early morning hours, but Hui released a bit of his pressure, and it rushed off in fear. Aside from that, he encountered no monsters or dangerous animals, let alone any true spirit beasts or demonic creatures.
Well, putting aside my encounter with a certain demonic fox, anyways.
Ying Lin rose first, yawning and stretching as she emerged from the hut. She glanced down at Hui ...
2022-09-11 15:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Ying Lin finished her talisman and activated it, lifting a block of earth out of the ground. Hui glanced at his hut, finished in a single talisman, and stepped forward. “Ying Lin, don’t be disheartened. This is already a good start! For a second-tier cultivator—”
“Why would I be disheartened? Master is a great many realms above me. This much is expected,” Ying Lin replied. Ignoring Hui, she drew another talisman and continued, methodologically raising a hut one block at a ti...
2022-09-10 18:00:04 +0000 UTC
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They arrived at the abandoned temple before dark, with Ying Lin quickly gaining comprehension in the movement technique as they continued onward. Even Hui began using the technique toward the end, figuring practice couldn’t hurt. Bao Huli clung to Ji Taiyu the whole time, barely leaving his side as she made ‘mistake’ after ‘mistake’ and required him to step in time and time again to correct her.
As they approached the top of the peak, Bao Huli stumbled yet again. She looked up...
2022-09-09 15:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Hui rushed forward, interrupting Bao Huli’s line of sight. “Ying Lin, why don’t we disciples get in some practical practice?”
“I still haven’t finished lecturing,” Ji Taiyu said.
Bao Huli threw herself in front of Ji Taiyu, batting her long eyelashes. “This disciple doesn’t understand. Master, please explain it a second time, just for me?”
Ji Taiyu drew himself upright. “Ah, if you insist. You see here, disciple…”
Ying Lin frowned at ...
2022-09-08 19:05:00 +0000 UTC
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Ying Lin appeared in the sky. Leaves rushed by as she fell, toppling into a forest. She shrieked and curled up, protecting herself as best she could.
On the forest floor far below, Hui looked up. Why’d she end up way up there? Shit! He leaped into the air.
Tmp. Tmp. Tmp.
Two strong arms wrapped around her. Ying Lin fell against a powerful chest. She let out a quiet gasp and opened her tight-clenched eyes. “Master?”
“Falling from the sky? What ...
2022-09-07 17:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Hui flipped his hand over. With his entire arm rotted, barely hanging onto his body, the motion required every ounce of his strength. Still, he gathered the qi into his palm, then wrapped his qi around it, creating a parcel. A flick of his fingers sent the parcel into his body. A duck leaped out, draw by the intense, concentrated qi in the packet, and swallowed it up, but the rot qi remained sealed in the parcel. Rather than converting to death qi, it sat safely inside the duck’s belly, sea...
2022-09-06 16:00:07 +0000 UTC
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The sounds of battle faded behind him, until he walked in the silent dark, neither sound nor sight to break the monotony. Once, he lifted his hand and pressed it against a handful of worms, and at a point, he broke through into another tunnel and sent its furry resident scurrying in fear, but for the most part, he tunneled quietly along, unmolested. If it wasn’t so slow, I’d probably tunnel everywhere all the time, Hui thought to himself. Besides, making tunnels for small-me ...
2022-09-05 19:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Hui darted backward, blocking the flail and sword strikes with Moonlight Cutter. Han Qin shot a fireball from above. Hui slashed upward, meaning to deflect it, but Moonlight Cutter parted the fireball instead. The two halves of the fireball whooshed past him to impact in the dried leaves on either side of him.
Whoa. This sword is sharp! Maybe it is worth a life-debt…
The dried leaves flared into flame, raging high around him. Hui’s legs began to wilt, and his core ins...
2022-09-04 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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A shadow passed over the moon, and Hui flinched. Overhead, the spider and Han Qin fought back and forth. Red and acidic green blood dripped from the heavens. Argh! On one hand, Master’s teachings! I can't let an opportunity to gather new resources pass me by! On the other hand, I don't want to die to Han Qin or the spider. I can’t waste too much time here, while I still haven’t figured out what it is about this place is blocking Han Qin’s true form from descending. I haven’t eve...
2022-09-03 20:05:00 +0000 UTC
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Fire raged through the forest. Hui raced ahead of it, zig-zagging through the forest. The flames burned up the rot energy, clearing the air, but also scorched the trees. With the remnant inheritance inside him, Hui felt their pain, their wordless cries, their—smug satisfaction? He paused and looked over his shoulder at the smug tree behind him, then shrugged. I guess some trees do use fire to help them breed and expand.
There was no time to help the trees, or stop Ha...
2022-09-02 18:06:00 +0000 UTC
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Hui swept his awareness through the inn below. Aside from Ying Lin, who meditated studiously, and a maid and a laborer, who busily ‘dual cultivated’ in the inn’s basement, everyone slept quietly. He sent the ducks out to sweep around the inn and gobble up the bits of rot that spread from the forest. The ducks returned hungry, clacking their beaks at him.
“I know, I know, but I can’t leave any of that mysterious energy around Ying Lin. She’s still too low level,” Hui replie...
2022-09-01 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Hui cleared his throat pointedly. “Putting that aside…”
“It’s a lot to put aside,” Bai Xue protested.
“…I reached out to you to ask about the forest, and the talisman is burning down. There isn’t much time left, is there? If you can’t remember anything, best to save the rest for later,” Hui asked, looking at his own leaf. Already, only a quarter of the leaf remained. As far away as this voice transmittal spell is working, I’m not surprised it burns up q...
2022-08-31 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
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The sea of bamboo fell away, and they emerged into a field of wild grass. An inn stood beside a three-way intersection, alongside a small farm and the beginnings of a broad pasture. Chickens pecked at the earth, and a farm dog roamed in the distance, watching the herd. The little outpost settlement stood alone, three small houses and an inn at the shore of the lonely bamboo. Despite that, a few wagons already docked at the inn’s stables, proof of a thriving trade route.
Ahead, the roa...
2022-08-30 19:43:59 +0000 UTC
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Even if I did create a Lightning Palm talisman, what would I have then? A talisman of one of the lowest level techniques I have? Hui mocked himself. He closed his hand around the lightning, shaking his head.
But… it was Master’s ultimate move. Fair, he never learned any other spells, but… maybe there’s something more to the Lightning Palm that I fail to comprehend. In any case, it’s not as if I lose anything by adapting it to a talisman. If nothing else, I should ...
2022-08-29 15:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Ying Lin hovered at Hui’s side, scanning him anxiously. “You aren’t hurt?”
“No, no. Elder Sister, please. This small mortal will be fine,” Hui insisted. He circulated his breath and settled his qi, slowly pushing the pain down. Once his qi no longer rioted inside him, only the lingering feeling of irreversible loss remained. He rubbed his chest, feeling somehow less. His hand turned to a fist, rubbing harder. Did I lose a piece of my soul? My soul doesn’t feel...
2022-08-28 20:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Walking down a dusty path, Hui whistled a little tune to himself. He followed a caravan full of the local barley harvest at a short distance, a sword visible at his hip. A few other caravan guards stood in the near distance, dressed similarly in ragged civilian wear, not a scrap of cultivation gear on them. They chatted quietly amongst one another, dipping their reed hats toward one another to share whispers. For all the world, they looked exactly like ordinary down-on-their-luck martial arti...
2022-08-27 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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The elder two Fu Clan siblings raced toward the banquet hall, streaking toward it atop a beam of sword light. Hui ran a hand over his face and activated the snakeskin technique, taking on Han Qin’s face. He glanced at Ying Lin. “Let me do the talking.”
“Understood. I’ll act injured,” Ying Lin replied. She crouched slightly, pressing a hand to her chest, and put on a pained expression.
Good, good. She shows promise! Hui thought approvingly. He put on a frighten...
2022-08-26 20:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Hui leaped back, instantly flying to her side. He slammed his hand on her chest and called out the array. The second it appeared, he applied death qi to its runes. The energized runes blackened, and the array began to tremble and break apart.
“NO!” Han Qin’s eyes widened. He charged forward, flicking his hand even as he did so. A pulse of qi raced toward the knife in Hui's chest.
Hui pulled the knife out of his chest and held it up. It crumbled from the inside out, rotted by...
2022-08-25 18:00:07 +0000 UTC
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“Does knowing that put you at peace to face your death?” Fu Renyi asked.
Hui shook his head. “This small cultivator will never face his death in peace.” I don’t want to die at all! Can’t you understand that? I don’t think it’s a strange thing to say, either! Naturally, no one with the ambition to reach immortality will die peacefully. Those who do are fools who have lost sight of their goal!
“Then you shall have to die a death of struggle,” Fu Renyi de...
2022-08-24 18:00:06 +0000 UTC
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While the clones chattered in the back of Hui’s head, Gu Tian’s sword clashed with Fu Renyi’s blue energy sword. Hui tensed, half-expecting the blue energy to slice through his steel sword like a laser sword might, but instead, his qi blocked the blue energy the same as it blocked anything else. He leaped back, breathing a quiet sigh of relief. That’s what too many movies does to you! Getting all worked up over a glowing sword for nothing… it feels the same as an ordinary sword....
2022-08-23 18:00:08 +0000 UTC
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“She grabbed my veil. Was I supposed to stand here and not retaliate?” Bai Xue asked, tutting. She lifted her hand and examined her nails, drawing attention to her delicate and shapely hands that perfectly matched the palm-print on Ying Min’s face.
Did only a few seconds pass? It felt like a minute, at least, Hui thought to himself.
“Liar. You slapped me out of nowhere, after Mo… Bai Xue suddenly started paying attention to you!” Ying Min snapped.
“Oh,...
2022-08-22 19:00:04 +0000 UTC
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