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...
2023-10-31 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostShe 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 Immo...
2023-10-30 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostDropping 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.
...
2023-10-29 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe 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 o...
2023-10-28 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostFacing 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 tra...
2023-10-27 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostHui 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...
2023-10-26 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“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.
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!
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 fl...
2023-10-23 15:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostTian 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 glit...
2023-10-22 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe 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 ...
2023-10-21 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostHui 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 fin...
2023-10-20 14:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostHui 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,...
2023-10-19 13:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe 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, ther...
2023-10-18 15:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostAs 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 yo...
2023-10-17 15:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostEven 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, e...
2023-10-16 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostStanding 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 ...
2023-10-15 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostCho 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?
“X...
2023-10-14 16:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostFamiliar 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...
2023-10-13 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostTime 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.
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 ...
2023-10-11 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostHui 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 wa...
2023-10-10 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe 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, thoug...
2023-10-09 15:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostReturning 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 be...
2023-10-08 15:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostAm 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 th...
2023-10-07 15:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostJie 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.
H...
2023-10-06 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe 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 ...
2023-10-05 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe 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...
2023-10-04 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostSunlight. 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...
2023-10-03 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostHui 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 struggl...
2023-10-02 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post