Hui introduced the phoenix fire to his dantian and watched closely, ready to eject the herbs at the slightest sign of misbehavior.
Almost as soon as the heat touched the life-absorbing leaf, it burst into action again. Hui pulled the heat back, and the absorption lessened, buying himself a ...
2023-08-27 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostA bitter flavor assaulted Mortal’s tongue. He pulled his hand away from his mouth, pursing his lips in disgust. Oh. Ugh. That’s not good.
Following the bitter flavor, a wave of heat flowed through his body. It flared for one moment, almost unbearably hot, then faded away. Morta...
2023-08-26 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostMore and more singleton herbs joined his original set. At last, the list stabilized. Even as the other clones progressed, herbs rarely joined Mortal’s set. He looked over the herbs, looking them up and down.
Currently, I’m looking at eight herbs. Judging the pill’s difficulty by t...
2023-08-25 14:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostOut into the light. In the distance, the cartaurs’ engines growled. Zeke glanced left and right, then went to run left.
Ryan grabbed his arm. “Right, let’s go right.”
Zeke hesitated. He looked at Ryan. “Foresight?”
Ryan hesitated. He nodded. “Yeah.”
Zeke na...
2023-08-25 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostPresorted information flowed into Mortal’s brain, all the extraneous bits removed, and only the essentials remaining. He focused on nothing but the information, blocking out all else. The other clones and his own thought clones accomplished all the menial tasks, while he alone drew all their in...
2023-08-24 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostWildman glanced over. What’s Mortal doing?
Who cares? At least he’s quiet, Rogue responded, focusing on the information.
Wildman shrugged. Fair enough, I suppose.
Focus, guys, Sectgoer called, sighing.
Deep within his network, Mortal...
2023-08-23 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostA metal-on-concrete squeal echoed through the warehouse. Zeke held his breath, listening silently, the mist blocking his view outside. The cartaurs individually aren’t that bad, especially with Manipulate Wires, but if one of them sees us, it’ll call the rest… and whatever else is out t...
2023-08-23 13:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostI’m back!
We’re all back. You aren’t special.
Hey, everyone! Good to see you.
Technically, we see each other every day in the mirror. In the end, we’re all one person.
That’s true, but it’s boring.
One pers...
2023-08-22 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostAs Hui stared at the pill furnace in silent dismay, a half-dozen beams of sword light lit the sky, hurtling toward him. The Tier Master, Wan Lu, landed beside Hui. Five disciples in neat, identical robes landed beside him, creating a small formation. Wan Lu squinted at Hui. “Where is Xi Sanji?...
2023-08-21 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostWith a flourish, Xi Sanji tossed a final blade of Wind Pavilion Grass into the pill furnace. Hui watched as the grass wilted in the heat, smoothly processing into a drop of dark green liquid that quickly integrated with the flowing proto-elixir in the heart of the furnace. He applauded. “Elder ...
2023-08-20 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostXi Sanji pursed her lips. “If you need it, I guess we can follow the recipe.”
“Yes, yes,” Hui said, nodding. I don’t care that much about waking the cultivators, but if I don’t stop Elder Sister, I’ll end up dead from her, er, genius pill cultivation! For example,...
2023-08-19 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostXi Sanji stoked the flames beneath the furnace. Watching it intently, she waited, red-blue leaf held tightly in her hand. She held her breath, her eyes narrowing at the pill furnace.
Hui squinted at her. There’s nothing in there. You’re just preheating an oven. What are you being so...
2023-08-18 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostHui laid there, waiting for the other cultivators to wake up. I don’t have to wait the longest. Even though I was gassed last, I can simply explain that I received less of the gas, and use it to escape early. So all I have to do is wait for someone else to wake up.
Time passed sl...
2023-08-17 14:10:00 +0000 UTC View PostHui deactivated his body cultivation technique as he stepped into the second tier, dismissing the crystalline form with a quiet ping.
Looking at his hands, he pressed his lips together thoughtfully. What if I created a large body, then condensed it down to normal size? If I cou...
2023-08-16 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostLight swirled just outside the closed door. Hui appeared moments later, dressed in his new robes, still in his crystal form, his hands behind his back. He smiled up at Shuhang Han. “Senior, you didn’t have to wait for me!”
Shuhang Han stared. “You survived?” And hold on, where...
2023-08-15 13:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostHui tensed, waiting for the pain to hit.
Aches bit into him, but they quickly quieted. After a few moments, he let out his held breath. Phew! I thought that was going to be way worse. That wasn’t actually that bad. Huh.
The blades hurtled toward him. Hui quickly activated h...
2023-08-14 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostHis body instantly crystalized. Between his smaller body and the highly concentrated compressed qi, the technique activated faster than ever before. The crystal glistened, nearly translucent, its structure more dense than before.
Ah? Is this because of the compressed qi? It’s condense...
2023-08-13 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostSlowly, his tiny body took shape. Tiny hands and tiny feet, tiny legs and tiny arms, a tiny torso and tiny legs, and a tiny head to top it all off.
Hui jolted to life for a moment, gasped half a breath, and immediately keeled over as his tiny heart stopped. Immense pain blasted through his ...
2023-08-12 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe voice sounded out, echoing outside the room.
“Failure. Round Two.”
Outside the room, Shuhang Han sighed. “So much for the disciple with the greatest potential in the history of our sect. I suppose I’ll have to apologize to Jizhi Zhimei. She’ll have to find a new hostage....
2023-08-11 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe wall of blades slammed into Hui’s skin. They skidded off his crystalized body, sending shocks flying. Little bits of crystal chipped off of him, but the blades did little damage. It grew closer and closer, pressing his arms against his body, then pulled back abruptly. The blades spun away f...
2023-08-10 13:59:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Well? What are you waiting for? Jump on in!” Shuhang Han said, gesturing him on enthusiastically, for all the world reminding Hui of the way his gym teachers used to smile before demanding he do a dozen pull-ups, the whole time knowing for sure he couldn’t do a single one.
Hui gazed ...
2023-08-09 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostHui reached the entrance to the Tier and looked around, considering his next move. Which Tier is which again? I want to go to one of the manly tiers. Body cultivation or sword cultivation are the best, but beast cultivation is no problem, pill cultivation… I’ve had no karma with it ever, ...
2023-08-08 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostWithout looking down, Tseng Caihong caught Zhubi out of midair and put him around her neck again. Hui reached out toward Zhubi in despair, and Zhubi leaned down toward Hui, letting out a mournful hiss.
“So the demons snuck into one of our secret realms and attacked our disciples as… ret...
2023-08-07 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe yin in the valley had diminished by the time they reached the exit of the deep ice cave. Light spilled into the valley’s depths, illuminating the bare stone floor, and the frost cloaking the walls melted, dripping to the floor with a quiet plink… plink.
Hui looked around, t...
2023-08-06 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“There they are.” Swishing the blood off her sword, Ai Tuzi chuckled. She gestured.
Force gripped Meimei and Hui, dragging them out of the passage and into the light.
“No!” Tian Mo shouted. He reached for them powerlessly.
Zhang Zhisho gave the two of them a look, but co...
2023-08-05 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe yin-elemental woman impacted Hui’s chest. He jolted backward, his eyes half-closing. Icy cold shocked through his body, freezing him to the core. A shiver ran through him from head to toe, freezing his entire body.
The second she entered him, she began infiltrating him. Icy cold yin, ...
2023-08-04 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostBright white light shone from all around him. All around him, pure white. Ice walls whiter than whitest jade, snow floor, crunching underfoot, paler than finest silk. Thick yin still swirled around them, but now, the light was so bright that he could see clearly through it. Chandeliers of icicles...
2023-08-03 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe path wound into the earth, spiraling slowly downward. The deeper they grew, the thicker the yin became. Ice coated the floor, and formidable icicles descended from the cave’s roof. More than once, Hui had to put his arms out to the narrow walls of the passage to catch himself before he fell...
2023-08-02 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostDeep inside the valley, Hui let the tree dip to the ground and float to a halt. He hopped off, and the other disciples followed. With a wave of his hand, Hui cut a board off the tree, then slid it under Zhang Zhisho. Another wave, and she floated alongside them on the board, still unconscious. 2023-08-01 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
The killing chord sounded out from dozens of zithers at once. The root strings leapt forth, flying toward Ai Tuzi.
Ai Tuzi flinched back. The first of the strings barely missed her.
Hui halted the tree, turning it roundabout to charge at Ai Tuzi. In the same moment, he adjusted his to...
2023-07-31 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View Post