Morning came. Hui still sat in the corner, contemplating the petrified wood and the severed plant leg.
The door opened. “Xie Hao—”
Hui gestured, sending the petrified wood and leg back into his storage ring.
Gu Tian stared. “Was that… the lotus girl’s leg? And…”
Hui stood and gave him a subservient smile, straightening his robes. “Elder Brother, how can I help you today?”
Gu Tian frowned at him for another second, then shook his head. “I cam...
2022-04-16 03:51:22 +0000 UTC
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Back at the palace, Hui released Gu Tian and slumped against the wall, panting. Scary, scary! He pushed his hair out of his face and glanced back up at the window. No one chased them yet. The night remained dark and quiet.
He breathed out. Thank goodness.
Something trembled in his other hand. Hui uncurled his fingers to reveal the lotus seed. The black seal carved into its surface, but failed to burrow through. Powerful life qi dwelled inside the shell, preventin...
2022-04-15 17:30:31 +0000 UTC
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The seed twitched. A sprout burst from the seed, rapidly growing into a lotus bud. Hui and the triplets jumped back, startled. After a second, Hui leaned in, curious. A rebirth ability? I could use something like that! If I can cultivate this technique, my playing dead can reach a whole new level!
Though… I might need to entirely become a lotus beast for that. This small cultivator isn’t willing to go that far. Transmuting my body is one thing, but becoming an entirely ...
2022-04-14 03:17:24 +0000 UTC
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Gu Tian lifted his flute to his lips. Hui turned back around and pressed his hands against the lotus blossom again. This time, he quietly reached out to the qi inside the blossom, sensing its composition.
Mostly qi, laced with life qi. Ah, oh well. I’ll take it. Any life qi is better than none, and I can always use the qi to advance my cultivation base.
Not too much, though! I don’t want to draw Senior Heavenly Tribulation before I’m ready!
Hui turned...
2022-04-13 23:49:47 +0000 UTC
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Night fell. Hui meditated, the picture of a studious cultivator. Gu Tian practiced sword forms in the open space of the room, full of energy. At last, a knock sounded from their window.
Hui’s eyes opened. With a gesture, he stored the piece of Mount Mu. Gu Tian sheathed his sword. Their eyes met.
Another knock sounded on the window. Hui opened the window and stared out.
The triplets stood on the branch opposite. One tossed an acorn in his hand, ready to throw. At the sight...
2022-04-12 01:02:28 +0000 UTC
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Hui ran back to the palace. The triplets chased after him, close at his heels. Hui glanced back a few times, but never caught sight of Ding Lao. Did it really shake him that much to see his cousin trapped beneath the tablet?
If he’s that shocked, does that mean… that the ordinary cultivators don’t know about the sect using disgraced cultivators’ souls and karma to feed the trees?
“He’s not chasing?”
“Why not?”
“Who cares? As long a...
2022-04-10 20:52:33 +0000 UTC
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As he drew harder at the life qi, more rushed to his hand. Now fully healed, his hand glowed with vitality. Life qi poured into his dantian, forming into songbird after songbird. They swirled in the void, fluttering around happily.
Immersed in absorbing life qi, Hui’s eyes went blank. He fell into the stream and descended past the tablet, into the earth beneath. Coldness closed in around him. Only a small ember of warmth remained, and even that quickly escaped toward the surface.
<...
2022-04-10 17:22:11 +0000 UTC
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Hopping back up into the trees, Hui surveyed the area. He tapped a finger on his chin, glancing around. Hmm… somewhere there aren’t many people…
Ding Lao isn’t still hanging around, is he? Closing his eyes, Hui circulated his qi to his ears.
“…good job, everyone! What impressive boulders…”
Hui’s eyes flew wide. Time to get out of here! He sprinted through the trees, away from Ding Lao’s voice. I had to check the tablet, but ...
2022-04-10 03:55:50 +0000 UTC
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“Come out!” Erlan ordered.
Instantly, the disciples leaped out of the palace. Gu Tian stood by the window, then looked back at Hui.
Hui climbed out from under the bed and straightened his robes with a decisive snap. Tossing his hair, he strode over to the window and stood beside Gu Tian, back straight, shoulders squared, the picture of a hero.
Gu Tian glanced at him. Under his breath, he muttered, “Who is this, and what happened to Xie Hao?”
Hui elbowed him.
2022-04-09 03:30:22 +0000 UTC
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Hui slashed the petrified wood. Rather than trying to gouge out a huge chunk or cut a piece out, he aimed at the edge, where little of the borderline immortal aura permeated. The death qi weakened the edge of the wood ahead of the blade. Even so, the wood resisted. Green light surged up, only to die back as black invaded it. The death qi cut off a slender slice of the tree, and Hui struck.
The green aura pulsed, pushing out the black death qi, but a second too late. Thin as paper, a sec...
2022-04-08 01:37:21 +0000 UTC
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Hui dug through the earth, burrowing deep into its depths. He glanced over his shoulder a few times. That Ding Lao, he isn’t following me, is he?
“Everyone, good work! I’m eagerly awaiting your boulders!” Ding Lao shouted.
Dammit, a little further! Hui dug at the wall with renewed desperation, carving his way through the earth. Argh, no, forget it! I’ll dig all the way back to the roots of the Black Asp Sect’s tree, then escape into our palace! Su...
2022-04-07 01:23:56 +0000 UTC
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Hui ran along. The instant he saw a boulder, he hurtled toward it and smashed it apart. All around him, cracks, snaps, and crumbling sounded as other cultivators did the same, all of them equally desperate to be free of the scourge of Ding Lao.
Ding Lao flitted from one to the next, his eyes gleaming. “What devotion! What determination! All of you… can it be? Have you finally seen the light of body cultivation? The one, true Dao of muscles? Ah! How wonderful!”
“Not enough!...
2022-04-05 00:51:33 +0000 UTC
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Hui raced on. His body moved automatically while inside, his mind churned. Body… transmute the body, gain incredible strength. Become something else. Something stronger. Something that won’t be obvious if I’m playing dead, even if my snake skin gets torn apart…
Steel is no good. Stone… white jade still looks strange. Crystal? I’d look strange for sure, but I definitely have ran into amethyst cicadas, creatures that are already made out of crystal.
2022-04-04 00:29:15 +0000 UTC
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The other cultivators sighed, full of the same despair Hui felt. He glanced around at them and felt a sudden burst of camaraderie, something he hadn’t felt in any of his lives; not in his first life, not in Starbound Sect, not in Black Asp Sect. He shook his head, exhausted. We’re all in this together, brothers and sisters. Together, we’ll get through this!
Though no one said a word, the pace of their running lowered a beat or two. The more muscular cultivators’ breathi...
2022-04-02 22:36:24 +0000 UTC
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Hui bounced from tree to tree. In the distance, a massive mountain rose, taller even than the tallest tree. Out of curiosity, he bounded toward it. Fewer cultivators appeared around him, until he once more ran alone.
Hui glanced around him. Another restricted zone? I wonder what I’ll find here!
Ahead, an opening gaped in the forest. Down below, a carved boulder laid flat under the sun. Ancient characters crawled over it, each one larger than a man. Hui glanced at it, an...
2022-04-02 15:15:22 +0000 UTC
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Hui looked down at his hands and at the black robes he wore. He hesitated, then stripped off the ghoul skin. If the triplets and Huang Yan think I’m dead… I should act dead. At least for now. I don’t want anyone to get suspicious of this small cultivator!
Instead… He closed his eyes and focused, circulating the snake shed skill. In his mind’s eye, he held the image of one of the cultivators he’d spotted in the lotus root room. As he focused, he changed the ...
2022-04-02 02:23:56 +0000 UTC
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His fingertips brushed the cool, smooth roots. The second they made contact, a strange energy surged through the roots, rushing toward him. Hui yanked his hand back, but found it stuck to the lotus root, unable to let go. Life and death qi surged under his fingertips, barely out of his reach. His own life and death qi surged, drawn toward the lotus root against his will.
Hui clenched down on his qi, killing it back. Vicious lotus, you aren’t going to eat this small Hui!
2022-04-01 02:03:59 +0000 UTC
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They bounded from tree to tree. A few times, green-robed cultivators called out to the triplets, who answered back in sync, though they rarely agreed on what to say. Hui followed after them. As much as he could, he repressed the aura of his death qi. Though some leaked out, none of the Mysterious Heavenly Forest disciples stopped them. He glanced out of the corners of his eyes as he passed. A few frowned or scowled as he passed, but most ignored him. No one took any note of his black robes or...
2022-03-31 02:18:10 +0000 UTC
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Hui stepped out onto the branch and looked around. He heaved in a deep breath. Qi flowed into him. Unlike Starbound Sect, where the qi smelled pure and clean, or Black Asp Sect, where it smelled of blood, here the qi carried a scent of pine and leaf mold, sap and woodsmoke. He closed his eyes, circulating the qi. It feels a little different, like there’s a second component to it, not unlike the blood qi. But rather than being a different kind of qi…
His eyes snapped o...
2022-03-29 00:46:29 +0000 UTC
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Sumptuous furniture filled the room, all of it carved from wood. Hui nudged one of the chairs and took a seat, then stood, nodding vaguely. It’s… good furniture, I guess.
Gu Tian hesitated. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Hui, biting his lip. “Er… Xie Hao, there’s only one bed.”
“You can have it. I’ll take the floor,” Hui declared distractedly.
“O…oh. Ah, yes. Of course,” Gu Tian said, embarrassed.
Hui frowned at him, then sh...
2022-03-27 23:43:55 +0000 UTC
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A huge forest rose up before them. Over a hundred trees stood close together, all clustered in close together. The smallest of the trees stretched easily a hundred meters around, while the largest reached over a thousand meters around. They soared into the sky, towering so far above that their verdant canopies blotted out the sun and blocked the fading stars. Deep below the canopy, the floor laid in deep shadow. A few low-level disciples in pale green moved around down there, barely visible i...
2022-03-27 20:39:45 +0000 UTC
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At the bottom of the vertebra, a small group of cultivators stood around. Among them, Hui recognized the girl with the stiff face from the inheritance zone, Liu Baozhai. Most of the others were seniors he didn’t recognize, in black robes with dark red hems. At the sight of Hui and Gu Tian, they turned away. One or two let out derisive snorts.
Gu Tian glanced at Hui. “Ah, Xie Hao… by all rights, you should have the same color hems as them. Why are you still wearing the second-realm...
2022-03-26 23:38:46 +0000 UTC
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Back in his vertebra, Hui paused. In the distance, a few disciples flew off on their swords, racing away at top speed. He closed his eyes and focused his qi, listening in.
“…broke the barrier! He’s getting away!”
“Who is it in his arms? Jing Aimei?”
“Don’t be stupid. Jing Aimei doesn’t have purple hair!”
“Quickly, catch him before any of the elders have to move!”
Hui snorted. So Bai Xue really did up and leave. I’m not surprised. She...
2022-03-26 16:24:39 +0000 UTC
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As he rode, Gale tipped back another potion. A refreshing feeling surged through him, and he let out a sigh.
HP: 139/175
Mana: 139/175
Damn, Blood Mage really takes its toll on HP. Gale considered another potion, then shoved it back into his bandolier. Potions restore about fifty HP. There’s no point taking one now and wasting those HP points. Every HP point is precious.
Ahead, the town appeared over the hill. Dyer ...
2022-03-26 00:57:06 +0000 UTC
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A liquid sloshed as Jin Xian climbed out of the coffin behind him. She walked over and stood quietly at Hui’s shoulder. Hui glanced at her, then nodded, welcoming her back.
Fa Chuyou put a hand to her chest. Her eyes burned with an honest, if hungry, light. “Don’t worry, Xie Hao. I understand. I won’t get between you and your beloved. I’m quite happy with—”
Hui lifted his hand before Fa Chuyou could say any more. He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. With ...
2022-03-25 01:11:14 +0000 UTC
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Hui stared down at the two interlopers, neither of whom showed any self-awareness, but who instead shamelessly stared back, openly stealing his qi. He sighed out and shook his head, giving up. It’s fine. Jin Xian isn’t absorbing much, nor is Fatty. I can still cultivate the ghoul skin despite their presence.
“I can’t find any… oh, you found something?” Bai Xue said. He set down the empty bucket he’d found and walked over beside Hui. His brows furrowed. “Er… wh...
2022-03-23 20:22:36 +0000 UTC
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A blast of power rushed through Jin Xian. Hui was forcibly expelled, and his vision blackened. Hui jolted out of his meditation and almost simultaneously spat a mouthful of blood. He jumped up and ran for the entrance to his vertebra, then hesitated. Dammit! Fa Chuyou has my ghoul skin. If I leave, I…
Wait. Yunxu knows who I am. Then—
No, he knows that I’m the one who used the gem in the Blood Mist Valley. Erlan picked me up after I got the gem. Unless ...
2022-03-23 03:22:41 +0000 UTC
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Nodding, Bai Xue took off. As the other disciples left, Hui stood on his tiptoes, craning his neck. He caught sight of Fa Chuyou and rushed to her side, grabbing her sleeve seconds before she mounted her sword to fly off. “Elder Sister!”
She shook him off her sleeve and tossed her hair, reaching for her sword again. “Hmph. Talk to that Bai Xue of yours!”
“Elder Sister, I… I, I—I got materials to refine into my skin!” Hui called.
“You can’t win me over wit...
2022-03-22 02:42:53 +0000 UTC
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Exhausted, Gale thumped down on the porch. The jacket he’d taken from the slavers drifted on the wind beside him, quilted cotton flying like a flag. He fell backward, splaying himself over the wood. “I’m… dead…”
Kino dropped down beside him, equally boneless. “So… tired…”
“What are you boys giving up for? It’s not even dinnertime yet!” Arthur said, stomping by, a bag of feed slung over his shoulders.
“Uncle,” Gale cried, then sat up. “No, wait...
2022-03-22 00:37:20 +0000 UTC
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Hui’s vision faded as he flew up. The last thing he saw was the snake ancestor, settling back down in her throne. His vision went black.
White. Blinding white.
Hui threw his hands out and barely saved his face before he slammed into the skeleton. He bounced and spun, rolling away down the top of the snake’s skull. After a few bounces, he slammed his feet down and bounced upright. Hui brushed his robes down and looked around casually.
Other disciples stood around on the s...
2022-03-21 03:34:13 +0000 UTC
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