Thread #6364209
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The world is flawed.
It is not imperfect though, just purposefully made that way.
Life is full of suffering and conflict, a race where the living fight to find meaning and solace, either by giving themselves and each other meaning, or by taking it from those weaker.
An unwinnable race, a race against time, a race against “The World”.
A losing battle from the moment one is born, the pure soul is slowly drained of its myriad colors, then cast away once it has been consumed.
There exists a gate beyond “The World”, and past that gate is the infinite.
A cold and unfeeling infinity, impartial and silent, an infinity where despite the existence of suffering, you witnessed the radiance of all souls of all ages.
So you, [????], decided to bring “This World” into the infinite.
Not for anyone in particular, you… don’t exactly have many people you care about to begin with, not out of resentment for the life you had to live, after all that’s just how life in this world is.
Simply because you felt like things should be as they are beyond the Gate.
Another five? joined you out of their own volition, together you worked for millenia to bring the world beyond The Gate, and failed.
The Gatekeeper sent two away, who knows where. Another had to merge with the world and keep it from breaking apart under the immense strain from The Gate… And you’re not sure if the other two even existed.
As for yourself, The Gatekeeper pushed the world away using you. Your cultivation burned away as it set the skies ablaze, your body shattered as it tore through the ocean and the world’s crust, and your soul was fragmented into infinite specks of spiritual energy, leaving nothing behind.
But that doesn’t matter, you reached the gate and went beyond it. You learned things that even The Gatekeeper itself is unaware of. Your existence is perpetual, it will simply resume some indeterminate amount of time in the future. Fate is simply ABSOLUTE, and your destiny is ours
"Next time... I will..."
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Axle Era, Year 3266
Your consciousness begins to awaken once more in a mortal’s body, who had been gazing at the stars after a long day’s work in their master’s estate.
You’ll run a check on your “Body” and “Soul”.
>roll a 2d20 for body and soul in that order.
The body is that of
>A male
>A female
You can ask yourself a question to refresh your knowledge about something (optional)
>write in
//If any of the old players from last year end up here, stuff happened and I lost everything noteswise, I will be re-using a few things from that first run, but you can consider this a complete reset for the most part, I can only apologize for not properly backing things up.
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Your body: 20
The first thing you do is check your “new body”, you’ve got the goods down there, and they seem fully functional, a welcome fact.
There is a sense of discomfort from the lack of true essence, but the body itself is excellent. Blood vessels, Meridians, Muscles, Bones, Nerves, everything is well suited towards physical and spiritual cultivation.
Superior than your first body in every aspect.
Your soul: 16
It feels faint… likely due to the awakening of your consciousness, but you can already tell that your compatibility with all sorts of spells and mystic arts is excellent.
“Who would win in a fight: a giant scorpion or a giant hornet?”
As mere beasts within the Earth Axis? The scorpion’s armor is too thick for the hornet’s stinger to pierce.
As spiritual beasts in the Earth Axis? The hornet will likely win as it is easier to reinforce the stinger with Qi, the scorpion would either need a larger amount of Qi to reproduce the same effect all over its body, or have the ability to perfectly calculate where the stinger will strike.
As awakened spiritual beasts in the Heaven Axis and beyond? It will depend on which has superior spells and techniques, the terrain, authorities, and so on.
You adjust your breathing and the fatigue of a mundane work day is gone in a matter of seconds, giving you time to contemplate further.
The memories of this incarnation are also mundane, twenty six years that pass by in an instant. Ming Bei, the illegitimate son of the estate’s lord, who kept you and your mother around at the madam’s request, a short lived romance between you and one of the maids, who was sold off to another house when the madam found out. Menial work, menial affairs, a comfortable life all things considered.
The incarnation’s ego was completely overwritten when you, Bai Hua, woke up.
An illegitimate child who left his clan after being cast aside, then a rogue cultivator taught by a famous swordswoman along with your martial brother, leading a life of struggle after struggle just to stay alive in a world that had been at war since before your birth.
As the centuries passed and the conflicts escalated, you became proficient in all kinds of weapons and a good amount of spells and mystic arts. After treading through the mountain range of failures and corpses that was called your life, the masses began to call you The Crimson War God among other names once you became an immortal.
You were first and foremost a swordsman, your Sword Dao was the Crimson Tulip Sword passed down by your teacher, a precise and delicate style best used with a Jian, every other weapon you picked up and learned was out of convenience or necessity. On the spell side you couldn’t do much, as the quality of your soul was rather poor, which limited the extent of your abilities.
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>>6364242
Cultivation, the absorption of energy and knowledge to sustain and elevate one’s existence.
It has always been part of “The World”, or at least long enough to have had a clearly set and mostly unchanged categorization for ages.
The Earth axis: Qi gathering, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Golden Core
The Heaven Axis: Soul Dividing, Soul Nurturing, Soul Fusion
Those who surpass both axes are considered immortals, the bare minimum for a being to attempt leaving “The World”.
Beings will, for the most part, choose a weapon or one of the five elements to cultivate.
They follow said Martial or Elemental “Dao” as the catalyst to direct energy into themselves, to seize it from the world and transform it into their own, to obtain knowledge and enlightenment.
The five elements are Water, Fire, Metal, Earth and Wood. As for weapons, having lived long enough you’ve come to understand, and partially embody the idea that anything can be used as a weapon in the right hands.
As a former immortal, you’re also privy to unorthodox paths that do not follow the standard methods.
Spectral Dao: The practitioner cultivates the Eight Passages, and taps into the power of the underworld, they can turn their very soul into a weapon, and in the later stages, command ghosts and other spirits. All seventeen Chief Underworld Judges have followed this Dao and reached immortality.
Extreme Yin/Extreme Yang: The practitioner cultivates only one of the Two Forces of Yin and Yang, and two of the Four Aspects (Great and Lesser Yin, or Great and Lesser Yang).
Spells and Mystical arts of the chosen power will be greatly amplified, weapons and treasures of the opposite power are needed to achieve balance. Six Supreme Absolute Immortals have ascended through this path.
Dao of Starlight: The practitioner will absorb energy directly from the stars and use it to cultivate, this stellar energy’s purity is poisonous to most living beings, and will also encroach on most weapons and treasures. It is a path that few have dared follow, no Immortals have ascended through this Dao.
There are other methods in this category, but they are paths that are not open yet, if the conditions arise, you could abandon your Dao, shoulder the backlash and start over in the future.
You can re-tread the Martial Dao, if you choose another weapon, your enlightenment with the sword one will carry over to some extent, cultivation will be relatively simple and safe.
If you choose one of the five elements, you will face more difficulties, mainly because you didn’t have much talent for the arts, but the breakthrough and ascension rituals, as well as the cultivation formulas remain the same.
Following any of the unorthodox paths will be difficult in many ways but you will be stronger than your peers.
>Choose a Dao to follow (specify which)
>Ruminate on a specific aspect of cultivation (free question, write up)
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>>6364243
>Choose a Dao to follow (specify which)
Dao of Starlight. Since hardly anyone has dared to follow this path, we'll have to learn about or invent the techniques, shortcuts and pitfalls through personal experience, but it also has the advantage that most people won't be prepared for the methods we may have at our disposal, especially at the Immortal level.
>Ruminate on a specific aspect of cultivation (free question, write up)
Cultivating two or more paths at once (not just having a side path). How common is it among orthodox and heterodox cultivators, and have any immortals ever ascended through dual paths?
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>>6364282
Since you chose Starlight, there will be no shortcuts.
Generally speaking one could
>look for or refine divine elixirs, the concentration of energy allows for a rapid jump in cultivation stages, with the downside being a long period of time where the gains are unstable and other elixirs and medicines will have noticeably lower effect.
>look for or forge a Dao Treasure to accummulate power along with yourself, these tend to double as weapons or defense artifacts
>Practice dual cultivation with a partner that is willing to give up part of their cultivation
>Possess someone with a better body or soul and destroy their consciousness and take over them.
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You weigh your options carefully, a safe trip back to the minimum standard, an Elemental Dao, or the esoteric and dangerous path of the Unorthodox.
“Cultivating two or more paths at once...”
Multiple Dao cultivation has always remained a theory, it is possible for a being to follow two complimenting paths of the Martial and Elemental methods because the formulas and rituals are the same, but in the Heaven Axis and beyond one will always be surrogate to the other, should the surrogate Dao reach the same attainment as the primary, it will “switch places” and a large amount of progress will be lost.
It should be possible to embody the enlightenment of two paths in the same realm. Every scholar who has researched this in depth has come to that conclusion, but not even immortals can explain why it can’t be done in practice… A deeper principle must be at work.
“Starlight… If I can reach Immortality through this Dao, then it may be possible.”
The Dao of Starlight has seen two practitioners above the Earth Axis, the “Silver Body Saint” who was hunted down and suffered a miserable death after breaking through to the equivalent of Soul Dividing. And the “Seven Miseries Star of Calamity” who terrorized the cultivation world for a short one hundred years before dying when trying to advance to the equivalent of Soul Nurturing.
Neither of them had the chance, or the will to leave their insights behind, you’ll be on your own just like the ancestral primordial cultivators before the Orthodox method appeared. This means that there is no path ahead, only in your wake.
There is an instinctive structure across all paths, one first refines the body to extend their lifespan and better channel energy. Then one refines the soul, attuning oneself with the principles of the energy being cultivated to better manipulate it.
This still applies after one surpasses the axes, but there is more importance placed on elevating one’s consciousness, diving deeper into the principles and laws that shape the world.
For starters, you must decide on what to refine first, this will determine what supplies are needed.
>Refine your body
>Refine your soul
Do you have any ideas on how to take that first step?
>write in
What will you do about your current situation? You may have awakened as Bai Hua, but to the world you’re still Ming Bei.
>write in
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>>6364320
>Refine your body
Easier done without being noticed as odd.
>First things first, we need to find a place where starlight QI collects. An island in the middle of a lake perhaps? The water always catches the moonlight, but it may be tainted by association. So clearing an area in the island should allow a higher density than normal without obstruction to the heavens or the construction of a gathering array.
>Get a sense of Ming Bei's life, do him three kindnesses for taking over his body.
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>>6364320
Oh sweet, new cultivation quest. Always lonely running Heretic on its lonesome
>Refine your body
We mightve gotten a god roll on that, but we can always go further and a strong soul needs a stronger body to support it. So I feel if we get our physical side tougher first, we can get our spirit up faster
>first step
Well, body refinement...starlight path, how about we, as the other anon suggested, search for a place where we can bathe in starlight while we refine our body.
But as for the practice, I think we should start with hand strengthening practices, punching sand, gravel, glass...etc. need to get them tough if we're going to reach for the stars
>Get a sense of Ming Bei's life, do him three kindnesses for taking over his body.
And this is just showing pur gratitude
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You begin to carefully look through Ming Bei’s memories,
“Ming Bei Ming Bei, had it pretty good so far, eh?”
As the hidden son of the Ming family’s master, his role is that of a servant that doesn’t actually need to do anything, he was coincidentally ordered to attend the young lady in most of her lessons, mathematics, astrology, calligraphy, he’s had the opportunity to learn these topics.
Coincidentally being left in charge of maintaining the family’s archive, coincidentally being ordered to attend to the master on his business trips and meetings with other clans. Coincidentally finding the house’s Metal Dao cultivation method. These arrangements have all been made by the master, Ming Xuegang… And while the Madam doesn’t agree with some of them, like that of cultivation, she does not openly protest either.
Ming Bei has always been well aware of his situation, so he has been diligent in his indirect studies. He supports the young lady, looks out for the servants, and has not cultivated in an attempt to keep both sides happy.
As for the family as a whole, there are three powers in Guang city, the Ming, the He and the Yuan.
Yuan has the better cultivators with two brats at the Golden Core stage, the He have more cultivators as a whole with seventeen Foundation Establishment and three Core Formation members.
Meanwhile the strongest in the Ming clan is actually the Madam, at the grand perfection of Core Formation, the master doesn’t fall too short, at mid Core Formation. The two elders at the grand perfection of Foundation Establishment, the young lady in the middle stage along with a few stewards, and the rest aren’t really worth mentioning.
The house is recovering from the incompetence of the previous two patriarchs, while the current master managed to get the Ming out of crippling debt, recovering the markets that were once held has proved difficult, and to make matters worse, there hasn’t been much in the way of cultivation talents in a few generations either.
It seems he is aware of the body’s potential to some extent, and has been making these arrangements in hopes of raising a third figure.
You face a bronze mirror placed in Ming Bei’s room, clasp your hands and perform a deep bow. You will grant this boy three kindnesses, with this vow, you lay in bed and take a short nap until the sun rises.
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Morning.
You stand before the bronze mirror again, about to change into a clean set of clothes.
The body’s potential is excellent, but it is still that of someone who hasn’t cultivated so there is work to be done, nothing that good old exercise won’t fix.
“The very first thing I would need to do is ‘perceive’ the energy of the stars. This is achieved by first taking in the Qi of the five elements and ying yang at night, and expelling them.”
Not just these, if one can also experience Ghostly Qi and Devilish Qi then it becomes even easier to accept the starlight, after all, it is a matter of “filtering” energy into oneself.
”It is a good thing he didn’t do anything, or I would have needed to disperse all the energy accumulated, perform a ritual to cleanse the body and only then could I really get started.”
A body of water with a dark bottom will greatly help the first stages where the body, soul and consciousness are getting acclimated to the process of filtering and absorbing, since it will reflect and capture starlight.
A cup of tea, a vase, a puddle, a pond or a lake… the middle of the ocean would be most optimal, but it looks like you’re landlocked based on the memories you’ve absorbed. Fortunately there is a lake behind the residence in the mountain, that should do it.
Once the accumulated starlight reaches a certain concentration - the equivalent of the late Qi Gathering stage by your estimates- it will be impossible to hide and you will stand out like a sore thumb.
You can either be honest and explain your plan to the master and madam, or keep it hidden and hope you’re able to jump from middle Qi Gathering to middle Foundation in one go, that would put your weight class in the same level, as well as give them some face if you have to fight your way out of the Ming clan.
You could also subdue both masters right now as you currently are without much effort and escape the clan, but that will invite trouble in the long run.
Whatever it may be, it is necessary to have a serious talk with the masters.
How do you want to proceed?
>Look for the patriarch’s official support
>Negotiate with the madam
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>>6364398
>Seek the Patriarchs official support.
See, the main thing here is that the madam has the most power by virtue of her superior cultivation.
For our first kindness, repay the father and the clan. Point out some tricks we know, correct some failures in his style, and explain away our new knowledge as having a vision.
Once we have established that we bring benefits, we can leverage them into seeing that we have the wisdom and power that should be nurtured.
The peak of power here is Golden core, peak of earth axis. But we only need to get to core formation to threaten them.
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The master is the master in the end, and his weakness should be something that can be addressed anyways.
You get dressed and help a little in the kitchen, the head maid hesitating for a moment when you offer to serve the master’s breakfast for her, something the young master would never do, but that hesitation transforms into a nod of acknowledgement in an instant, and she smacks your back.
“I’m leavin’ it to you then, tell me how it goes later.”
You leave the kitchen and walk across the garden, open the doors to the master’s building and swiftly arrive at his chambers. The door is opened, and you borrow this body’s muscle memory to place the tray in a table near one of the windows, move the silk blinds aside and open the window.
“Ming Bei greets the patriarch.” A bow is offered at the perfect angle.
“Bei’er? Did something happen?” Ming Xuegang wastes no time and gets out of bed, he quickly puts on some clothes and reaches for a flower made of metal.
Ming Bei would always keep his distance unless it was an order from himself, the young lady or the madam. He only sought the patriarch of his own volition when his mother passed away and made a single request at that time. For that child to once again seek him, it must be something very important.
“I will start cultivating today.”
“...That’s it?”
“...”
“Who do you think put you to work in the archives and gave you the Orchid Garden Manuals in the first place? You don’t need my approval a second time.”
“I won’t cultivate the Orchid Garden.”
“Come again?”
“I… had a vision, I saw the Silver Body Saint calling out to me… So I will practice the Dao of the Stars” You hold your tongue and give Ming Xuegang time to process your words.
“Why seek death? I can talk with Tan Shu if you just want to leave.”
“Madam Tan will not allow it, she doesn’t trust you anymore, why would she trust me? Just grant me an opportunity.”
“An opportunity to kill yourself?”
>No, I can resolve your bottleneck.
>No, give me a black teacup and I’ll break through to the Qi Gathering stage tonight in front of you.
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>>6364551
>No, give me a black teacup and I’ll break through to the Qi Gathering stage tonight in front of you.
Don't promise too much, give ourselves an out by appearing as an arrogant young master so people won't question why we're doing weird shit/ or different training/ cultivation. OR we prove ourselves to be a once in a however many generations talent and get fed materials by our sect.
Win win really
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>>6364696
“No, give me a black teacup and I’ll break through to the Qi Gathering stage tonight in front of you.”
“Zhou’s divine emperor lineage, the Vermillion Bird clan in Qian, the dragon race as a whole, all sorts of beings and experts in the Heaven Axis and beyond have tried and failed miserably, what makes you think you can succeed where they did not?”
“I have never cultivated before, there won’t be any dregs of other Daos in my body, and the Silver Body Saint in my vision showed me their method to to invite starlight into my body… I won’t die.”
“I would have compromised if you said you wanted to practice any other Dao, but this is just suicide. Tell me what you really want, this isn’t something to joke about.”
Ming Xuegang puts down his chopsticks and turns to look at you, it’s clear he doesn’t believe a single word you’ve said, but he’s still giving you room to retreat.
“I want a black teacup and your company tonight… If I do fail and live to tell the tale, I’ll diligently study the Orchid Garden and give my life for the clan.”
“And if you don’t?”
“Then the patriarch and the madam will have one less secret between them.”
“...
You’re the same as ‘her’, in the end neither Tan Shu or I could change her mind.”
“Pardon?”
Who is this 'her', Bei's mother? There's no gaps in his memory so this might as well be something he was never told about.
“We can talk about it if you survive… One black teacup, is it? I’ll have it prepared, Tan Shu and both elders will accompany us as well.”
“Good, then we’ll talk about it when it is convenient for the patriarch.”
“You can leave now.” Says the Patriarch as he uses his Qi to pull a jade slip from somewhere, he’s likely going to be making preparations today.
You have the entire day to yourself, do you want to
>Check the Clan’s Estate
>Check the lake behind the mountain, Ming Bei’s mortal senses and understanding are unreliable
>Give the young lady a visit.
And roll a 1d20
In the meantime, the method you will use is so simple it borders on stupidity. All you need to do is let the teacup filled with water rest under the night sky for an incense stick’s worth of time, dip your finger to separate the other energies, and drink the resulting product.
You can proceed this way or you can think of a way to make it look more interesting and profound.
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Rolled 6 (1d20)
>>6364740
>Check the lake behind the mountain, Ming Bei’s mortal senses and understanding are unreliable
as for the method, maybe we could improve upon it by splitting the water between smaller teacups arrayed in the formation of a constellation? That sounds like it'd have an effect
Also, light some incense to, to gauge the time more accurately and help us enter a flow/ meditative state during it
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>>6364740
>Check the lake.
I like the formation idea, check what formation is in the sky and arrange it. Maybe check meanings perhaps?
We have mirrors, could use those to focus moonlight on the array or our body. Silver mirrors probably work better than bronze.
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Blessed rolls as usual, locking.
>>6364742
>>6364760
>>6364758
The use of smaller cups is actually an excellent idea, you'll get a bonus in the ritual roll because of this. Mirrors can be prepared as well to bring in more starlight, but will make the dice check harder, remember that starlight energy/qi is poisonous.
If you're confident in your fortune they can be used.
As for the sky and constellations, this can wait until the ritual is taking place.
If we're going by biblically accurate chinese timekeeping standards then an incense stick is 5 minutes or half a cup of tea.
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>>6364771
Hmm.
Maybeeeeee, hmm. Use the mirrors later. Gotta build up our tolerance.
I feel like the ice has a place here but I can't see it. Maybe later we can have small pillars of ice that melt to fill a teacup. But for now the idea can be discarded.
What other attributes does Starlight share with others?
Hmm.
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>>6364791
Use of star-lit water to produce a paste to daub on our bodies in specific constellations to allow for more specified reenforcement?
Drinking the water stripped to the waist? We are imbibing energy but having our skin exposed surely helps our awareness.
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>>6364793
Use a flower or a seed with Yang connotation, or just "anti-poison properties" at the bottom of the water.
Might concentrate the energy a little, using opposite attraction theory [a little Yang attracts yin] or gives our constitution a slightly easier time.
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>>6364796
Varying the amount of drinks we take to match the constellation to use as a means of measuring our power.
To use irl, Orions belt tier is 3 drinks for 3 stars.
Orion body tier is 7, orion the hunter is all 81 and would require 81 drinks or so?
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You decide to check the lake behind the mountain, there is enough time for a round trip and a few other preparations, as the agreed time is a little after sunset. Ming Bei’s mortal memories can’t be trusted for matters of immortal cultivation.
You exit through an old door, covered with weeds and grass located in the northern side of the estate, clearly not used in a long time. A narrow dirt trail that has been slowly taken back by grass and vegetation guides you deeper into the mountain.
As you ascend, you notice the thickness of the trees begins to increase, the trail is consumed by grass and moss, the singing birds and other small animals exude rich spiritual energy and are full of vitality. The forest itself pulsates with life, and so you decide to follow these pulsations.
Fortuitous encounter - DC 15
Rolled 19 (1d20)
It takes a bit of time, as the path was full of vines and grass even taller than a horse but the source of these pulsations is in front of you. A small bottle, green in color and exuding a faint glow. Its design is quite different from anything in Ming Bei’s and your own memories.
It is completely empty, but it still contains a rather staggering amount of wood qi, the vines and grass seem to be trying to reach into it, and it doesn't take much strength to remove it from the moss bed it was resting on top of.
With the bottle in your hands, you swiftly make your way to the other side of the mountain.
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The lake itself is rather small, it was bigger in Ming Bei’s memories, but then again, he was younger when he first visited this place.
The waters are somewhat turbid, with the weeds at the bottom being dark enough to make its depth deceptive. There is a lot of residual wood qi, likely a long term consequence of the little bottle in your hands, you’ll have to look for a way to deal with that residual qi.
The place can be developed into a meditation platform, and with enough resources the surrounding area can be turned into suitable training grounds.
It is time to return home, you have just about enough time to walk down the mountain and take a few extra teacups to try an idea you had while walking up the mountain.
You will
>Bring the bottle in, you can give it to the patriarch or the madam.
>Hide it and come look for it later
How many additional cups will you bring in?
>List a number between 1 and 11
Do you want to make any additional preparations such as mirrors, ice, write-in?
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>>6364830
>Hide the bottle, It will be a bargaining chip later.
>Take an additional 6 cups.
7 is a good number.
8 is fortuitous. I don't know enough about astrology to see if there are better contenders.
Does anybody we know use Wood Qi to cultivate?
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>>6364830
>Hide it and come look for it later
>How many additional cups will you bring in?
8 extra cups, which makes 9 total. 9 is always a good number in China.
No other preparations, we don't want to concentrate too much starlight qi for our own good.
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“It’s best I don’t bring it in yet.” You bury the little bottle a ways away from the opposite direction it was found in, you will have time for this later.
You determine 9 cups will be necessary and borrow some more from one of the guest rooms along with a few incense sticks to track time, and a tray to carry everything. While the cups are not black, they are dark enough to compliment the one you asked the patriarch to procure for you.
The agreed place is the garden in Ming Xuegang’s residence, and you are met by six people.
Patriarch Ming Xuegang
Madam Tan Shu
Western Hall Elder Ming Liuxian
Eastern Hall Elder Ming Yimu
An old man that reeks of medicinal herbs who Ming Bei saw on occasion but doesn’t remember the name of.
And one of Guang city’s coroners, if he’s here then there is a casket somewhere you can’t see.
It looks like the patriarch prepared as best as he could at a short notice in his own way, and you extend your greetings to everyone, the elders’ look at you defeatedly, the old man and the patriarch are tense, and the madam looks like she’s holding back the urge to strangle someone… you’re not quite sure who will be first between the elders and Xuegang
A wooden table and a single chair, a black teacup and a pot of water were prepared for you, where you place the other cups and prepare the incense sticks.
You reaffirm part of the process in your mind.
Based on your long life and the experience from fighting with and against Elemental and Unorthodox Dao cultivators, you understand that the right kind of energy must be absorbed, something that is not as important when following the Martial Dao. The first cup will be used to “capture” starlight, then you will use your body as a medium to remove the other elemental energies before consuming the remaining energy.
The other eight cups will be used in a ritualistic manner, mirroring an asterism to support the flow of energy.
As there are nine stars, you can
>Mirror the Little Dipper asterism
>Mirror the Exotic Bird asterism
And using the other cups you will
>Leave them as is and consume the energy from the first cup
>Split the water between smaller teacups once the starlight has been captured
>Try something else (write in)
Roll a 2d28 for the result of your asterism mirroring and the absorption of energy in that order.
You will have a +2 from the constellation idea for the mirroring.
For the second roll
+1 if you consume the energy as is
+3 if you split the water
+? If you come up with something else
>>6364927
Thank you, that aside I'll be here all day so the quest can move fast if we get fast votes
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Rolled 10, 16 = 26 (2d28)
>>6365022
>Mirror the Exotic Bird asterism
Like the sound of this one....
>Split the water between smaller teacups once the starlight has been captured
It was my idea, I need to stick with it!
So +2 for the first roll, and +5 to the second if Understood right...
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Rolled 21, 13 = 34 (2d28)
>>6365022
>Mirror the Little Dipper asterism
>Split the water between smaller teacups once the starlight has been captured
Both of these are southern asterisms, adapted from European star charts. Would've been nice to have one of the four classical animal asterisms, too bad I called it wrong.
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Rolled 6 (1d6)
Locking
>Exotic Bird
>Split the water
And rollan for something.
>>6365039
The best answer for this was an additional six (for a total of 7) as >>6364837 had suggested, it would have allowed to represent a complete symbol (azure dragon, black tortoise, white tiger, vermillion bird.)
Second best would have been 9 in total to represent the Three Enclosures and their surrounding asterisms referred to as the walls (each enclosure has two "walls", so 3 and 6)
After that 3 for just the enclosures, other numbers lead to a southern asterism.
Any number apart from 8 is good, I would have made you explode a little if that was voted for.
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>>6365060
You're a big boy immortal grandmaster, you can take a few 1s every now and then (Yes we're auto-locking nat 1s).
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You light one incense stick and pour water into the black cup, you’re confident in the bare minimum of results, which is successfully inviting starlight into your body without immediately dying, what’s left is to see how good your results will be, and how accurate your insights are.
The cups are arranged into one of the southern asterisms, rather esoteric formations that are said to exist, but that haven’t been fully witnessed past a few accounts from geniuses and madmen. They called this one the “Exotic Bird”, which you feel is fitting for a young master being arrogant about cultivation.
As the first incense stick is done burning, you light a second one and tap the water’s surface with your finger and begin expelling the other energies that are mixed in the water.
Ming Xuegang wants to say something but holds back, Madam Tan has been getting closer and closer to you, it would have been unnoticeable if you were a mortal, but her movements are clumsy in front of someone who earned the title of War God. The elders are preparing what seems to be a high grade movement treasure, the old man reaches into his storage pouch, and the coroner’s eyes are fixed on yours.
The water begins to boil, and seeing this change, the coroner’s expression turns solemn, while the others grow nervous as the incense is consumed.
You remove your finger from the cup causing a tiny drop to fall into the cup, this drop is accompanied by sweat drops from everyone around you, the third incense stick is where it really begins.
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>>6365095
The water is split evenly across all cups and by the time you finish, it is cold and an unexplainable “scent” rises from the cups, the incense stick fully burned so you light a fourth incense and begin to drink them one by one.
Asterism dc 15: Rolled 3 (1+2)
The arrangement worked to some extent, that much you can tell, but by the time you are drinking the fourth cup you can’t suppress the ominous feeling in your mind, and the coroner comes closer and closer, unnoticed by the others.
You drink from each cup and it feels like your throat is on fire, forget elixirs and spirits, it’s like you are pouring alcohol on a wound that runs bone deep. Did you start with the wrong star? Did you mirror the wrong location? You’ll need to absorb the energy and use part of it to stabilize yourself and then go back and see why this is happening.
Absorption dc 10: Rolled 28 (23+5)
Other than the pain and the sense of dread, your absorption is leagues better than what you expected in the first place, you can tell there was no energy wasted and starlight begins to flow through your blood vessels. There is not enough to do any serious body modification, but you feel strong enough to contend with a Middle Qi Gathering stage junior at a slight disadvantage in terms of pure Qi.
In the time it takes for the last stick to burn,you finish absorbing all the starlight and turn towards the coroner, now a dark shadow. The shadow stands right next to you, their hand almost touching your left shoulder.
Time has stopped for everyone but the two of you, as their understanding of certain concepts is too low, even if they could follow you and the shadow, they would foam at the mouth and faint at best, or simply go insane.
>What brings such an esteemed guest to a poor servant’s desperate gamble?
>Feign ignorance (write-in something you'd say)
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>>6365061
>Any number apart from 8 is good, I would have made you explode a little if that was voted for.
Wew fortuitous my ass, picrel.
>>6365095
>You're a big boy immortal grandmaster, you can take a few 1s every now and then (Yes we're auto-locking nat 1s).
Damn I was hoping it wouldn't count thanks to the bonus. Oh well.
>>6365096
>What brings such an esteemed guest to a poor servant’s desperate gamble?
Interesting, also what effects does the Asterism roll have exactly?
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“What brings such an esteemed guest to a poor servant’s desperate gamble?” You close your eyes and ask with your mind, it is hard to maintain eye contact with this physical body so you can’t quite tell where this being belongs to.
“Was the esteemed guest moved by one’s humble resolve?”
The shadow’s hand stops just a hair’s breadth off your shoulder. He is clearly startled.
“It was not a coincidence…Who is the one possessing the boy? Reveal your name and accept judgement!” The shadow’s voice is strong, but its hand does not budge.
“Can the judge bear the weight of this one’s name?”
“I will be the one to decide!”
“‘Crimson’...”
“!!!!” The hand that had been about to touch you repels itself with enough speed to break the neck of a Golden Core expert in its way, the figure staggers back two steps, and then prostrates itself before you,
“This junior… This Junior was in the wrong!
I had been keeping an eye on young Ming Bei’s excellent body and soul. When the father came looking for me I thought I would have an excellent present for my master!”
”...Wa-”
”Please O Venerable One! Do not continue, I beg of you!” The shadow’s forehead hits the floor to keep you from finishing your name.
”Very well… let us pretend this servant made a poor joke in front of the judge.”
”Thank you for your benevolence, Venerable One! This junior will see herself out!”
”Wait. This one has given the judge face and a way out, no? The judge should also offer something in return."
”That…” The shadow, which had half melted into the floor halts.
>Ask the shadow a question (write in)
>Ask the shadow for compensation (write in)
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>>6365164
>Ask the shadow for compensation
>Ask him to give us any information he has about the Starlight cultivation and its dead practitioners like Silver Body Saint and Calamity Star (if they left any legacies and such and such).
Can't let an opportunity like this slip by!
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”Your name, and your master’s” You ask.
”This junior serves the twentieth Chief Judge of the Underworld, Compassionate Worldly Life Emperor Immortal Du Xinyi. And this Junior’s name is Du Wenqian, third direct disciple.”
The position of Chief Judge has a rule of two, but this judge is running her mouth saying she is the third disciple… and twentieth? A chief judge is only replaced on death, either something happened or a disproportionate amount of time has passed before you could “revive”. Knowing any more than this will get you swept into bothersome politics, it might be better to look into the rest by yourself.
”Silver Body and Seven Miseries, do you know about them or other Starlight Dao practitioners? Did they leave anything behind?"
”...”
"This old fogey has given junior enough of his name to piece it together. I believe it is only polite to return the favour."
”They do not return to the underworld, that is all I can say without facing harsher punishment.” Du Wenqian answers, and as soon as the words are transmitted, her shadow flickers and begins to dissipate, she tries to transmit more information, but disappears faster than she expected.
…
As the flow of time normalizes, the old man rushes over and seizes your wrist, then begins to check your pulse, pupils, tongue, hands, knees, hair. The other elders move further back and suppress their Qi in an attempt to lessen the burden on you, a consideration with the expectation you’re severely injured.
“He has sores in his throat and will have an upset stomach for the next few days, but nothing more… Madam, may I bring him to the gambling house in Danyang city? If he is this fortunate we can make it big and buy the Yuan and He out of the city!”
The West and East Hall elders are dumbfounded, but soon agree with the old man, all three, and Ming Xuegang are swiftly smacked in the back of the head by Tan Shu right after.
”Nonsense! If you take him we’ll lose the part we hold, he used all his fortune just now… Ming Bei, you go rest, there are things that must be discussed with the patriarch.” Tan Shu sends you and the old man away, he accompanies you to your quarters, and will stand guard for the rest of the night, you won’t be able to do much without raising suspicion.
By inviting and absorbing starlight, you have taken the first step of the Dao in this new life. The fledgling judge did not confirm the existence of a legacy left behind by the others, but she did not deny it either.
You will need to create your own cultivation system, rituals, formulas, mantras, techniques, mystical arts, treasures and training methods.
Research has been unlocked, the option will be available most of the time, unlike others that will appear later.
The current topics of research are
>Elemental Daos
>Constellations
>Clan History
>Write in (always available)
Choose one and roll a d20.
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The next day-
As you make your way to the clan’s archives, you can’t help but notice that the atmosphere in the estate has changed, it is deathly silent for the time of the day, and maids and stewards hurriedly make their way through the halls and gardens. The head maid gives you a courteous bow as soon as you see her, but does not speak.
You grab various star charts and books on astronomy and begin to look through them.
At first you check the records and charts for the Exotic Bird asterism, it should be in the southern section of the sky beyond all recorded and visible stars, but fail to find the stars that were used as reference to locate any of the asterisms.
Rolled 12 DC 8
So you look for said stars instead… and find them in the east. The directions are not mislabeled, the entire Vermillion Bird Symbol is charted on the eastern section of the chart, under the name “White Turtle of the East”.
This would explain why you could not use a ritual to increase your chances of success, you were “mirroring” empty space, or perhaps whatever unseen constellation lay there had its stars in a different configuration, which caused that minor backlash.
For some reason, the firmament and its categorization is scrambled compared to your era, the other charts all show the same information, and the books speak in a matter of fact fashion, as if the sky had always been this way, and do not contain any more useful information.
You borrow the oldest chart and leave the archives, it is now noon, and the head maid is waiting for you.
“Young Master, the patriarch would like you to visit him when it is convenient for you… Madam asked me to relay the same message, and the young lady wants to see you too.“ She gives you a meaningful look and leaves to continue her work.
Who will you visit first? Or will you make an excuse to avoid everyone and do more research?
>Visit (Patriarch/Young Lady/Madam)
>Come up with an excuse, roll 2d20 and pick a research topic. (first roll is for the excuse’s success, second for the research results)
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Rolled 20, 12 = 32 (2d20)
>>6365274
>Come up with an excuse, roll 2d20 and pick a research topic. (first roll is for the excuse’s success, second for the research results)
Research topic Ziwei doushu/ Purple star Astrology
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I will abuse my authority as the QM and default to the excuse in favor of that god roll if there are no more votes by the timemy xianxia donghua slop is finished
>>6365288
Fellow daoist, you might want to think of what to say to bullshit your way out of social obligations.
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Rolled 20, 1 = 21 (2d20)
>>6365274
>Come up with an excuse, roll 2d20 and pick a research topic.
The excuse I propose is that we need to stabilize our cultivation base using a method the Silver Body Saint imparted to us in the vision.
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The patriarch is the leading figure on paper, things go through the madam before a decision is made, and the young lady’s status is peculiar as well. The only internal factor that had kept the status quo was Ming Bei’s inaction, and now that you have started cultivating that is over.
You would rather research some more today, and with such an idea in mind, you call for the stewards.
”Please let them know that I must stabilize my cultivation base using a method from the Silver Body Saint, I can discuss with all of them tomorrow.” Without waiting for an acknowledgement, you turn around and lock yourself inside the archives once again.
Rolled 20 There is no opposition, and no one comes looking for you, whether to not appear weak in front of the other two, or understanding that you’re at a crucial point in your cultivation, you’re not sure. Perhaps a combination of both.
If the constellations are a mess, then how is this affecting divination?
With such a thought, you switch your focus from astronomy to astrology, and gather a few books, there are far less than you expected… The Ming seem to be more focused towards historical preservation than divination.
The Bazi system is largely unaffected, all documents are still using a sexagenary cycle and the months are being counted in the same way… Ziwei Doushu, based on the moon and stars, should technically supplement the readings from Bazi.
It is when you’re looking at your selection of texts that you realize…
Rolled 1
…There is a grand total of absolutely nothing on Ziwei Doushu in the Ming clan’s archives, even in the texts that mention Bazi, there are no mentions or suggestions about it, not even an implication of an additional system. You spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about the possible implications of the change of position in the stars and their effect on divination and make three hypotheses.
The first hypothesis is that the “interpretation” remains the same, and the new stars are given the meanings that belonged to the previous ones, despite the change in position of some stars nothing changes and fate can be read the same way.
The second is that the interpretation moves with the stars, this doesn’t change the way they are individually read, but changes divination and the perception of mansions and symbols as a whole.
The third is that the “interpretation” is lost due to the shift, this would invalidate the divination method as a whole.
You can’t prove anything without more divination related texts though, this will have to be looked into later.
Now you’ll have to decide who to visit first tomorrow.
>Patriarch
>Madam
>Young Lady
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Early in the morning, the weather is clear and the estate remains as quiet as yesterday.
As you leave your small residence, you notice a few stewards are caring for your garden and pond, when they see you they all extend polite bows instead of the usual friendly greetings Ming Bei remembered.
You make your way to the Madam’s residence, which is separate from the patriarch’s and surrounded by a few short walls, where the wall ends, flowers and small trees are arranged to make a living fence. A tasteful design choice that clashes just enough with the rest of the estate.
You’re taken deeper inside by the madam’s personal maid, who has other maids go prepare you a light meal.
”Lady Tan is currently meditating, I will let her know that you have arrived… Young Master”
It doesn’t take long before both the madam and the meal arrive, no strong flavors, nothing too hard or chewy. She took the old man’s advice to heart and is looking out for the after effects of your ritual.
”Have something to eat first, I know you didn’t eat much yesterday”. She says, and watches over you in silence until you’re done eating. It is only when you place your chopsticks down that she signals her maid to leave the room.
”I spoke to Ming Xuegang, you went to him first.” She uses her spirit sense to bring over a tea set, and then, with her own hands, begins to prepare tea.
”Correct.”
”And you’ve chosen to follow a Dao that is not the Ming’s.”
”Yes.” You respond, the warm water is poured and mixed with tea leaves, and other aromatic herbs, the madam keeps both cups in the center for a moment before continuing.
”Ming Xuegang’s ‘disgrace’ will be hidden, will not cultivate the Orchid Garden, will not engage in house politics, and will not leave Guang city unless the sect is leaving as well… That is what was agreed to twenty six years ago in exchange for everyone’s safety, not just yours.
Here we are despite the agreement, you are now a cultivator. Is this your way of rebelling against him? Do you think you’ll stick it up to me if you practice a different Dao?”
She presents one of the cups and you receive it with both hands, ignoring the pot pointing towards you. The scent is gentle, and there is a slight tang to the taste.
”I never had a talent for tea and other pleasantries, but I have been practicing lately. It is not heavenly starlight, but I hope it is to your liking, Daoist Ming Bei.”
Tan Shu falls silent and the two of you take turns sipping tea, she does not break eye contact, it looks like she wants you to continue the conversation.
>Ask her a question (write in)
>Speak your mind to her (write in about what)
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No wrong answers btw, don’t feel pressured.
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>>6365589
>The Madam has been most gracious with this Ming Bei. This Junior can assure the Madam that he has no intention of offending her or breaking any agreements he has been party too, But with the vision of the Silver body, it is fated.
>This Junior will cultivate the dao of stars, and he shall repay the clan for the kindness it has done to him, and he shall not be scheming to win favour or sway the stagnant pool of politics beyond existing within it's depths.
>Does the Madam find personal fault with this Ming Bei?
It's not meant to be dismissive, but I'm not going to be overly deferential given we can outfight them
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”The Madam has been most gracious with this Ming Bei. This Junior can assure the Madam that he has no intention of offending her or breaking any agreements he has been party to.
The agreement states that I am not meant to leave the city unless the sect moves… But will the sect even be able to move away if things remain as they are?” You pause for a moment.
”We are certainly lacking in manpower, but it is not something that cannot be solved. And you’re dancing around part of the agreement.” The madam’s reply is swift, she has a way of solving the issue but is withholding it it seems.
”Certainly, but does the madam find personal fault with this Ming Bei? From daoist to daoist, would lady Tan Shu ignore the legacy from a legendary figure?”
”...”
She wouldn’t, save a few exceptions, no one still within the heaven and earth axes would let such an opportunity go.
”This junior will cultivate the Dao of the stars and repay the clan, as well as the madam for the kindness that has been given.”
”That is acceptable, but what will you do about the situation inside the clan?”
”I shall not scheme to win favor or sway the stagnant pool of politics beyond existing within its depths.”
She taps the table with her finger once, twice, then thrice.
”Just existing within its depths makes your every move stir the waters… And no one will let this chance slip by, I know my daughter and Xuegang are inviting you separately, and I believe the two halls will try to make a move as well.”
Tan shu refills the cups before continuing.
“If you take my side, the Ming will quickly become a Tan branch. If you side with Xuegang, the truth will get out and the clan’s reputation will plummet.
If you side with my daughter, the two halls and Xuegang will work to suppress you two, and the matter of succession must also be decided sooner or later.
If you side with the elders, Xuegang and my daughter will die, and I will be banished. ”
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Petty politics from a mere earth axis clan, had it been back in your day, a single name would have made all other members kill themselves with a smile on their faces… Since you already vowed to do Ming Bei three kindnesses, you must see this matter through to the end.
”In favor of your feat from two days ago, and because I was the first one you decided to visit. I will let you leave and think about how to proceed. The others will probably not let you go until you cross or burn the bridge.”
”This Ming Bei is thankful for the madam’s grace, if you excuse me I will take my leave then.” You offer a deep bow, and quickly make your way out of the residence.
You will only be able to interact with one of the three remaining parties, think about any questions or negotiation tactic. The decision of who to back/join will be made at the end of that interaction through a vote.
>Visit the Patriarch (question/negotiation write in)
>Visit the Young Lady (question/negotiation write in)
>Wait for the elders of the halls to reach out (question/negotiation write in)
//
We'll cultivate soon I swear, we just need a bit of court intrigue to set the mood.
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>>6365741
>>Visit the Patriarch (question/negotiation write in)
He's our father and our biggest supporter since the start. I'd say come clean about our intentions to not remain in the family once matters are settled. Make shit about pursuing the legacy of the Silver Saint or something. This way we'll remove ourselves from the politics all together.
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>>6365752
We can tell him we intend to leave, but I have zero intention of allowing our father pr the Madam to be executed.
So I say that we should side with him, Tank the reputation hit, then kill the elders if they try to suppress us or leaked the rumour, and then kill a prominent figure of the other clans to cut out their legs.
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>>6365778
As an aside, we should ask the Patriarchh to collaborate the Madam's assessment of the political angle. In his own words ideally.
Oh and ask about his bottleneck. Maybe drop some wisdom that could be feigned as incidental.
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You go towards the Patriarch’s residence, the Young Lady and the elders will just get you even more involved in things.
The head maid greets you and heads into the building to inform her master about your arrival. After a little bit of time, you’re guided to Ming Xuegang’s study where he is waiting, and you take a seat.
”Did you meet Tan Shu?” He says, putting away the paperwork he had been looking at.
”Yes.”
”Then let’s get to the point, she will not take action, she must not be allowed if she tries either.”
”That seems to be the case, she only gave me information and did not try anything, at least on the surface.” You share her assessment of the situation, and Xuegang nods.
”Right, the moment the other two parties can’t get their hands on you, it will become known that you are my son… The elders will try to remove me because of my actions, and my daughter will claim that you are not the legitimate child, and join in on their effort to get rid of me.
If she’s fated to, she will outmaneuver the elders and the outsiders backing her.”
”And Tan Shu?”
”If you join her, we’ll be fully absorbed by the Tan clan, if her daughter inherits the sect and marries another Tan, we’ll be absorbed by the Tan clan in twelve years give or take. And if the situation spirals out of control and she is killed, or the elders kill me… The Tan clan will step in with the excuse of helping quell a rebellion, then devour us whole.”
Ming Xuegang pulls out a pipe from his sleeve and begins to smoke.
”My father didn’t think ahead and now we’re paying for his mistakes.”
”I didn’t want to get involved, and now that this legacy is in my hands I have my own intentions.”
”What do you want to do?”
”I will leave and cultivate, but I won’t abandon the clan that has raised me either.” You look him in the eye and state your intention.
”If you lend me a hand, I will help you remove the elders and strengthen the clan so it can stand up to the Tan… After that you can turn your full support to the young lady and get her to burn the bridges with the outsiders if their intentions aren’t good.”
Ming Xuegang takes a long drag, shifts his attention towards the madam’s residence and holds his breath.
One, two, three breaths pass before he lets the smoke flow out, closing his eyes. ”You make it sound so simple.” he says.
”Finding the path is winning half the battle, now you just have to walk it.”
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>>6365852
The room goes quiet and he continues to smoke, he uses his spirit sense to write on a piece of parchment, then a few letters that are then sealed and stacked on top of each other.
”Ming Lifu.” He calls.
”Yes, Master.” And a young maid responds.
”Deliver these, and put the parchment on our estate’s entrance.”
The maid nods and rushes out of the study, he turns to you again and continues.
”I will enter seclusion for a year, East Hall will be sent on a mission to Northern Dui, while the other goes to Southern Gen… Clan matters will be handled by Tan Shu.”
”Are you trying to break through the bottleneck?” You ask.
”Yes, and I have tasked the elders to find the materials I need to do it” -He chuckles and takes another drag- ”They will be unable to find them despite all their blood, sweat and tears… What a shame hahaha.”
Before you can say anything, he gently pushes you out of the study with his spirit sense and shuts the door, not before slipping a jade seal into one of your pockets, thinking you wouldn’t notice.
”Ming Lifu will be supervising you, ‘complain’ to her if you need anything…”
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>>6365853
As you leave the patriarch’s residence, you can sense four figures hurriedly making their way to their respective masters. With half the day remaining, you decide to visit the archive again to continue your research and as you make your way to the main courtyard, the notice of the seclusion is announced through an artifact.
It doesn’t take long for you to run into the head maid and a group of servants and family members in the main courtyard. The head maid has a piece of parchment on her hands and when she notices you, she begins to read its contents aloud.
“Ming Xuegang is an incompetent patriarch who allowed the Tan to take over the house, he ran to the madam with his tail between his legs at the first sign of trouble and became her lapdog.
Even as a dog, he failed to serve his master and had affairs with other women after selling the clan off, this ungrateful wretch sired a child with one of those women and sloppily hid his existence from the world.
I cannot remain hidden while the clan is being eaten inside out by the Tan and Ming Xuegang does nothing about it. A bastard I may be, but the ming is still my house.
Ming Xuegang you dog faced trash, come out of seclusion and get the clan’s seal if you dare face your family.
Ming Bei.”
And not long after, an announcement comes from the madam’s residence.
“Ming Bei has committed a grave offense, but his words are the truth. In terms of seniority he is the rightful heir of the clan and the seal, however, his actions cannot be ignored.
As a member of the Tan family, this madam cannot act on behalf of the Ming, and as the hall elders are not present, the punishment is to be decided by the clan patriarch once he comes out of seclusion… Until that day comes, he will be under Ming Lifu’s supervision and is not allowed to leave the city under any circumstances.”
The head maid laughs and shakes her head, while other clan members joke about how unexpected and unbelievable the whole situation is. A few people have hardened expressions and some discretely clench their fists.
Ming Xuegang and Tan Shu have put the politics of the house on hold for a year in a sloppy and shameless collaboration.
Your main objective will be to reach middle or late foundation establishment at minimum within 12 months.
Deciding to strike the iron while it’s hot, you
>Visit the young lady and come clear about your intentions before there is a misunderstanding
>Start researching (Choose a topic, and roll a d20)
>Absorb starlight (Choose how to use the cup method and roll a d100)
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>>6365854
>Make our stance clear to the young lady.
We have no designs on the seat. The safety of the Patriarch and madam is the priority. Do not allow the clan to be absorbed by the Tan.
If we align, our support is firm.
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>>6365854
>>Visit the young lady and come clear about your intentions before there is a misunderstanding
Get this female dog out of the way so that we can focus on what matters most, refinement of the mind, body and soul.
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With four people out of the picture, the only one left is Ming Xiaoliang, Bei’s half sister and the young lady of the clan. The declaration Xuegang forged and madam Tan’s lukewarm response will lead to a misunderstanding if you don’t act now.
By the time you reach her residence, Ming Lifu is back by your side.
”Young master, any complaints?” She asks.
”Not yet, I will talk with Xiaoliang first.” You reply.
”Understood.”
Instead of meeting a servant that informs their master, Xiaoliang is waiting for you by the door to her residence.
”Ming Bei.” She does not extend a greeting or offer any courtesy
”Ming Xiaoliang, we need to talk.” Neither do you, she and Bei were so close that names and positions only mattered in official settings.
”Speak.”
”In private.”
”We’re already in my residence, h-how more private does it need to be?” She speaks in a forced nervous tone.
”Just you and me.”
”...Come in.”
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>>6365918
Instead of her study or the guest room, the two of you head directly for her room. You lock the door, she closes the windows, you move the carpet and she opens a hidden door on the floor, then both of you enter the secret space.
The space has a few large cushions, a table and piles of novels all around, half of which have been smuggled in by Ming Bei over the years. As soon as the hidden door closes, she relaxes and throws herself into the embrace of one cushion.
”Is it true?”
”Yes, I am patriarch Xuegang’s bast-”
”Not that! I already had my suspicions. Did you really start cultivating?”
”You can see for yourself, I saw the Silver Body Saint in a vision and learned part of their Dao, I don’t plan to take over the clan.” You spread your arms and let her fully perceive your cultivation while you speak
”Where’s my heaven defying inheritance? I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in the middle of rural Li.”
”Me neither, which is why I plan to secure the line of succession before leaving.”
”So you come here to show me the shackles and the bridle? You’re so cruel.” She pretends to cry, but her expression is too bright for anyone to believe it. ”What’s the plan?”
”I cultivate and support the patriarch to tip the scale away from the Tan, we remove the hall elders and their followers and then break the legs of the Yuan and the He.”
”Then mother and father use the seal as an excuse to exile you? He’s going to have it rough for a while after that.”
Both Xiaoliang and you shake your heads, Xuegang’s name will be ruined by then, but at least he will not die.
”The elders have been trying to get me to side with them for a while, but I either pretend I don’t get what they mean, or ask father to send them somewhere for a while…”
”So, will you help?” You ask.
”...Haah, I can play along and set them up, as much as I dislike this place, I don’t want to imagine what would happen if either of them end up on the seat.”
”Good, I’ll use Lifu if I need to contact you. ”
”Right, you better get out of here before I change my mind.” She practically pushes you away from the secret room, and you leave the residence immediately after.
In the end you met everyone you needed to, and with the politics out of the picture for a while, you can finally cultivate, so you will
Research
>Continue looking into astrology/astronomy (what do you want to look into), 1d20
>Reference an Elemental Dao: Metal Orchid Garden available. (anything you want to look for in specific) 1d20
>Refresher on Rituals, no DC as you’re recalling existing knowledge (QM's lazy exposition dump!)
>Refresher on Martial Dao, no DC as you’re recalling existing knowledge (QM's lazy exposition dump!)
or
Cultivate
Absorb starlight, current method is Teacup Capture (placeholder name)
>Choose how to use the cup method and roll a d100
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>>6365920
>>Continue looking into astrology/astronomy (what do you want to look into), 1d20
Sympathetic materials on the earth. Some gems are thought to be captured starlight, and perhaps there is a resonance there that may help your cultivation?
I do not know if it is possible (or a good idea) but perhaps through sympathetic materials we can create a full five elemental cycle that can capture starlight? Gems represent earth, and water represents water, perhaps a highly reflective metal can represent metal. Lost for wood and fire though.
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>>6365999
I mostly just want the info dump put the way in one stroke.
"Crimson war god" taking twice the time to remember is preferable for us who typically have 1 post a day, and spending 2 days to learn foundational information
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>>6366015
To expand on >>6365925
what if we went with something like this?
>Gems
>Starfruit plant infused with the residual wood qi from the bottle
>Set of 20 teacups (probably more than we need) made from decent quality metal or better and painted with yin materials
>Pure water from a pond reflecting the nightsky
>Flammable yan materials put in the shape of the sun and lit with us in the center
Even with it not doing what we expect I think that might be worth a shot
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Rituals are a crucial aspect of cultivation whether one follows an orthodox or a heterodox path, it helps accumulate energy faster, it can reduce the backlash of techniques and medicines or increase their effect. They are also used when advancing through certain stages to manipulate heavenly tribulations in certain ways.
A ritual consists of a set of actions, things like gathering, preparing, positioning, consuming, destroying or creating can all be parts or the ritual as a whole.
It is only in the Middle Heaven Axis realm that one begins to understand the real purpose of these actions, and one of the core aspects of cultivation along with Absorption (accumulation), Resonance. The practitioner’s rituals have the objective of amplifying or disrupting their resonance with energies, beings or concepts.
Said energies, beings or concepts are not limited to things “higher” than oneself either, there are rituals that can be made to resonate with lower existences after all.
A practitioner can be called an Immortal when they either forcefully integrate their existence into the world, being accepted as a part of it that must always exist, referred to as “Engraving Oneself”, Or by reaching perfect resonance and assimilating into the world, which is reaching Buddhahood and breaking the cycle of reincarnation.
The first one requires an absurd amount of power, rituals and feats to be achieved, while the latter can be done as early as the moment one gains sentience… However, this state of perfect resonance and assimilation is impossible to maintain for beings with an ego, so they are consumed by the world or “spit out” if assimilation can’t be completed.
The elemental daos focus on resonance with one of the five elements to reach that Engraving stage; due to this, the others are disrupted… This is why it is not possible to perfectly cultivate two or more elements.
The martial dao on the other hand, is about reaching the engraving stage through dissonance. The rituals and practices focus on accumulating energy and making it one’s own, then amplifying it to the extreme.
Weapons are chosen mainly because conceptualizing “Sword Qi” “Spear Qi” or “Fist Qi” is easier than the specifics of conceptualizing oneself as a source of energy… This creates a dissonance with the elemental energies and makes a Martial practitioner largely incompatible with them.
“Why is it impossible to reach elemental unity, and why is the Martial dao unable to harmonize with the elements?” The strongest and wisest immortals have always set out in search of answers, but no one has come back to tell them. There is a piece of information in your memories that is sealed, and approaching it gives a very ominous feeling. It would be better to see this once you’re at the Heaven Axis realm.
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For now all that is left is cultivation, with a few ideas in mind, you have Ming Lifu bring you a few things, she will leave as soon as your complaint is made.
Do you want to give Lifu this shopping list >>6366032 as is, or do you want to add/take something off? (Roll a 1d6 and state what gems you want, only two.)
You can always ask for something else in a write-in if you have another idea.
And start thinking how you’ll be using the materials that are asked for.
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>>6366083
>There is a piece of information in your memories that is sealed, and approaching it gives a very ominous feeling. It would be better to see this once you’re at the Heaven Axis realm.
hmm interesting...
>>>6366085
Well since the library was a bust and we're unlikely to leave this place any time soon, we might as well. I thought of some tweaks to the original idea by>>6365925.
>Earth: gem (star sapphire)
>Fire: gem (star ruby)
The best choices I've found, based on this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterism_(gemology)
>Metal: Silver mirror
We're unlikely to access to meteorite currently so lets just go with this.
>Wood: Starfruit, starflower, aster, cosmos flowers. Any of these would do.
I hesitate to use the wood bottle since its extreme elemental nature is likely to disrupt the entire ritual formation.
>Cup of pure water
Self-explanatory.
>Yang: Sunflower or light concentrated via the silver mirror.
>Yin: Dead body of a small animal.
I had the idea of adding Yin and Yang materials to complete the auspicious number 7. I'm not very satisfied with Yang materials I came up with, if anybody has a better idea go ahead.
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Rolled 6 (1d6)
>>6366085
>>6366097
Let's go with what this guy came up with. Ideally we stumble upon a different method then the cups of water method, one that uses the materials here.
Otherwise, hollow out the materials as necessary to turn them into cups that can hold water for the cup method. Drinking from a dead animal body is kinda guh, maybe we can simply integrate a breathing process to it for that? Inhale for yang, exhale for yin?
>>6366015
>This is a good idea but it won't do what you expect it to
something something astral separate from material cycle most likely, still we can try
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Rolled 3 (1d6)
>>6366085
I second A silver mirror
I also suggest that we get a well made Jian.
Our talent for combat should make a secondary/complimentary weapon focus easy enough, we just need to be careful not to over-level it.
Another thought is that given we are imbibing a toxin [star light], we could look at poisoner paths for inspiration for how to endure.
such as focusing the energies in certain prepared parts of the body? or taking milder poisons to condition ourselves to endure more?
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Hoho, good, very good.
I'll be cleansing my soon to be ancient bones we can lock once I return, if you want to take some time to finish ironing out the ideas you can go ahead. Go crazy, be bold, the worst that can happen isQM giving you vague advice about something.
>>6366139
Clear waters with a dark background or deep waters are an optimal medium, not the only one, and you're not limited to a teacup.
You don't need to chug off a dead body or dip it in the water if you don't want to either, it'd be really funny if you do it for a couple reasons, but having the source of yin energy nearby should be good enough. You'll have to think of a way that doesn't use the cups, remember you have the entire clan residence and its surroundings at your disposition.
>>6366173
It only acts as a toxin on the early stages, trying to endure or resist it will actually slow down your progress long term.
Combat will be touched after this cultivation session.
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>>6366190
Make sure the carcass is that of a decayed nocturnal animal, like a bat or owl to stay true to the star theme. Yang is really tricky, since the most yang thing possible is sunlight, which clashes with the nighttime needed for starlight. I was thinking either bull testicles for that life/masculinity association or just sunflowers.
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You give Ming Lifu a list of things to bring, and she leaves right away. After two shichen, she and a couple servants deliver everything.
A silver mirror to represent Metal and reflect starlight.
A few starfruits to represent Wood.
A jar of clear water, as pure as can be found in the city.
Gem DC: 5 - Rolled 6
A polished sapphire to represent Earth.
A polished ruby to represent Fire.
A freshly cut sunflower to represent Yang.
And the carcass of a bat to represent Yin.
You’re also brought a Jian from a renowned blacksmith in the city, the design is minimalistic and the materials are not that great, but the quality should be enough to accompany a swordsman through many battles from Qi Gathering to Foundation Establishment.
You find a suitable place in a dark corner near the archives where no one else will pass by, and ask Lifu to leave the sword in your room, as its materials can affect a Ying Yang Five Elements ritual. She returns with a table and a chair, and you begin to set up each object.
The carcass is left under the table.
The sunflower is cut into seven pieces and arranged to represent the White Turtle of the East, a teacup is placed on top of each piece.
The starfruits are cut into seven thin pieces each, that are then placed inside the seven teacups.
The polished Ruby and Sapphire are put inside the water jar at the same time.
The mirror hangs at an angle from an eave.
Ming Lifu dismisses the other servants, who reluctantly pretend to leave and peep from behind a wall, and then the time comes.
You pour the water that has resonated with Fire and Earth into each cup.
The starlight reflects off the mirror and resonates with Metal, which is then captured by the water
The table blocks most of the ghostly energy left in the carcass, and the Yin and Yang energies meld and flow into the cups.
You look at this… Ying Yang Five Elements Star Elixir, and
>Remove the Ying Yang Five Elements just how you did the first time, and drink the resulting starlight
>Drink the Ying Yang Five Elements Star Elixir
Roll a d100.
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Fuck my wagie incel life, I'm worthless.
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You decide to remove the other energies, tapping the water’s surface with your finger, waiting until the energies of Ying Yang and the Five Elements are expelled,when you’re done with the last cup, the first has cooled down a little.
A faint multi-colored mist surrounds you and Lifu who unconsciously absorbs the Metal Qi, and the moment she does, she sits down and circulates her Qi at a rapid pace, beads of sweat form in her forehead, a serious expression on her face.
You also begin to drink from the cups, this time the starlight goes down easily, and the burning sensation is weaker, like that of drinking a well aged wine. Around the fourth cup you feel yourself drunk on starlight, not physically but spiritually drunk, something that shouldn’t pose much of an issue.
Rolled 71 (1-25 Early, 26-50 Middle, 51-75 Late, 76-100 Grand Perfection)
In this drunken stupor, you take the fifth cup and gently grasp at nothing with one hand, to hold a sword that no longer exists and offer a dance to those dear to you that are no longer here, the first twelve forms of the Crimson Tulip Sword, those of the Earth Axis flow seamlessly into each other.
The starlight flows throughout your body with each movement, and part of impurities your body has are expelled in the form of murky sweat. Your power reaches the early Qi Gathering stage in two breaths and continues to rise.
You reach for the sixth cup and drink, this time firmly gripping emptiness and perform the twelve forms of the Crimson Tulip Sword’s Heaven Axis as you drink, a dance offered to those who stood in your path and clashed blades with.
Having permeated your entire body, the starlight begins to accumulate in your lower dantian, filling it at an unbelievable speed and flowing into your middle dantian, your every breath now infused with a fraction of starlight.
The last cup is drunk in one gulp, and you offer the last few moves, those you made in the immortal realm to the five people who you challenged the Gate with…
Or at least you try, the moment you attempt to dance the first move, your body loses its balance and all you can do is fall on your butt.
”The starlight is too intoxicating…”[i/]
You sit down and stabilize the rampaging starlight qi that has settled on your lower and middle dantian. The rest of the night is spent in this process and by the time you can move again, the sun has long since risen, its light caressing your skin and helping evaporate the sweat you exuded.
Apart from the few servants from yesterday, a group of clan members are all curiously watching over you and Lifu, who has been standing guard by your side. It seems she was able to stabilize faster.
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”Hmm… Lifu, how are you feeling?” You ask, disregarding the audience.
”I absorbed the Metal Qi and made big progress in my cultivation thanks to the Young Master.”
”Good, tell me if anything feels off.”
”Understood.”
Your idea to integrate all energies and their subsequent removal purified the starlight to an extreme degree, while the removed “impurities” themselves are also purified by the starlight.
The most crucial part was the use of Yin and Yang in the ritual, and while the quality of the gems isn’t heavenly, it was enough to fully nullify the remaining ghostly Qi from the carcass.
Perhaps consuming the Ying Yang Five Elements Star Elixir would have led to a completely different result, but you can instinctively tell that it is no longer possible to pursue this path.
You can now use the Ying Yang Five Elements ritual to cultivate, the materials can be improved and the ritual can be modified once you reach Core Formation.
Having reached the late stage of Qi Gathering in one day, you won’t be able to cultivate for three months. During that time you can focus on refining your body by researching other Daos for reference or coming up with your own original method… You also need to adapt this acquired power for combat.
You could integrate your knowledge of the sword to this new path, you could forego the sword and use your power in a different way.
>Begin refining your body (write-in your idea)
>Combat training (write-in your idea)
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I hope you're okay with me dropping this many write-in options, if you want I can dial it back and add more clear choices, I just like seeing people come up with their own ideas and working it into the setup.
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>>6366540
I get the appeal for you, I have a similar like of seeing people come up with new ideas.
>>6366536
>Combat training.
So yes yes, better body means better base and everything but we are in a vipers nest and the ability to smash heads is also really valuable here.
SO
the qualities of starlight are "poisonous to others", "Yinish aligned?" and more. . . powerful by it's diagrams.
I recommend we create a Sword dao varient, with the specialities of piercing/death by cuts method of killing. Breaking defences type deal. Maybe incorporate some "draw the diagrams in the strokes" to empower certain moves.
At this low level of cultivation, I just want us able to turn the starlight into star lit venom, and the forms of the crimson tulip will probably be a decent enough base.
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>>6366536
>Perhaps consuming the Ying Yang Five Elements Star Elixir would have led to a completely different result, but you can instinctively tell that it is no longer possible to pursue this path.
Ok now I'm kinda curious, QM please humour me and tell what's this path we missed out on. Is it the ability to cultivate all 5 elements plus yinyang and stars? and is it superior in any way to the star purist path we're currently walking?
>Combat training (write-in your idea)
We're good at swords, so just stick to them for now. I like the sword stroke star diagram method proposed by >>6366542. My own idea is for our venomous star energy to embody the concept of "Purity" rather than just generic poison. Anything that isn't "pure" or tainted gets cut down into nothing.
I also find the Constellation Body Acupuncture idea by >>6366409 really cool, but I want to save that until we have more knowledge about astrology/astronomy.
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>>6366542
If we go by qualities then it would be something like
>separate from the five elements
>purification
>energy is very concentrated
>balanced yin/yang
The toxicity comes from the first three, it is a somewhat alien substance to those living in this heaven and earth, the purifying properties expel/cleanse the impurities within the body/energies, a minuscule amount is needed to purify and and going higher just fucks you up.
A variant sword dao is possible, the crimson tulip sword would have to be remade from the ground up.
>>6366551
>Is it the ability to cultivate all 5 elements?
Bingo, it would have created an elemental seed within you body that you could nurture.
>is it superior in any way to the star purist path we're currently walking?
They're about equal, if the five elements gives you the option to exploit the dynamics between elements, the purist path gives you the option to overpower them through pure force.
And yes, it's about purification.
The accupunture idea can be explored later if you delve some more into astronomy.
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>>6366559
Hmmm.
This would make us very good against poisoner's and decent for expelling demonic possession/other exorcist arts.
Maybe even a healer[?].
About sword arts. . Yeah, this knowledge seems to mesh with a more refined/soft style of swordsmanship, since the power can come from the energy concentration. Really focus on the delivering it into killing blows rather trying to add power to power to overcome other defences.
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>>6366559
>Bingo, it would have created an elemental seed within you body that you could nurture.
I see.
>They're about equal, if the five elements gives you the option to exploit the dynamics between elements, the purist path gives you the option to overpower them through pure force.
Well in that case I'm happy we went with star purist path. The other sounds really resource extensive and also kinda generic.
>And yes, it's about purification.
Nice. Purity is one of the most powerful concepts in Daoism. I wonder if we make a technique that purifies our soul to attain even a higher spiritual sensitivity.
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Since this granddaddy has you all here, I'll ask without an update.
Do you want to look for trouble outside the clan, or do you want to spar with someone inside?I totally didn't forget to put that in the combat training option I swear (I did forget to put it in the option)
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>>6366577
I'm weary of showing people the full extent of our skills, both inside and outside. Its clear that the estate is full of spies for the hall elders and the Tan.
Can we go hunt some beats in the wilds? that way we can make some cash as well as remove the rust.
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>>6366577
Look for trouble outside the clan.
Either some juniors from He or Yuan. Get their measure, see what styles they prefer. We'll be cutting out some of their strongest members later, be good idea to sow a few grudges now.
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>>6366607
True, I don't have any doubt we could eradicate anyone Qi Condensation or lower. I'm more concerned at the risk of multiple of their Formation Establishment friends or seniors jumping us later if we're not cautious.
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I'll throw you a bone, right now it's harder for you to not kill things so you'll have to be very careful, if they survive it could prove beneficial to them though.
>>6366617
Would you let your backyard have stuff that can kill your jobber clan members? It's clean of spirit beasts that could pose danger to people, you could experiment on wildlife.
>>6366623
It's their way of keeping you safe, if you leave the city you can get jumped by anyone and no one will be able to tell who did it.
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Let's list three options then
>Look for trouble ouside the clan (Choose between the He and the Yuan)
>Spar with someone from the clan, you'll have to make extra preparations (Xiaoliang/Lifu/Faceless Clan members)
>Experiment with animals in the mountain
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>>6366637
If we're going to attack another clan, I agree with anon that it should be the He. They have more Foundation Establishment juniors that will get involved before their stronger elders do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to an uphill fight, I just want to refine our new cultivation methods before we go all-in.
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>>6366678
>>6366640
>>6366649
QM said that if our opponents survive us they'll benefit. So its either kill or make them stronger in the future. Do we really want to start a blood feud? or potentially strengthen our enemies? Both options are unappealing to me.
>>6366637
>Spar with someone from the clan, you'll have to make extra preparations (Xiaoliang)
At least this way we'll only benefit ourselves.
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>>6366682
Reread what he said in the context of the power of moon.
"It's hard to avoid killing someone. If they survive they will benefit."
This is because our Starlight purifies.
So go for the kill, start the blood fued, let the tension grow until they come for our heads and cut it off in turn
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>>6366686
I think you're being overly invested in this.
We're only doing it to repay the owner of the body. For us there's no glory nor gain in slaughtering juniors over petty grievances. In fact it would even harm our original purpose by escalating, was is essentially a political squabble into a full on war. Remember that we will not be here forever. As soon as we leave anybody seeking revenge can just come back and slaughter our weak family. Its better to strengthen the heir so that she could protect them herself after we leave.
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>>6366692
It's very simple.
Strengthen the patriarch. Give some tips to the heir. Slaughter the upper ranks of the other two clans, until they only have early stage foundation cultivators or push it further to mid-qi gathering, then we can leave.
We are the crimson war god, I have no intention of being cowed and subdued about a bunch of earth axis ants.
Who's gonna avenge them? all those golden core cultivators they don't have?
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Soon my ass, Ihadn't decided in the name of the other two choices
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You have half the mind to go out and cull some juniors from the He while testing a few things with the sword, the house could handwave it as a trifling fight between juniors if you kill one or two, so long as you don’t mess with an heir or a dao child. Since you’re not completely sure if Madam Tang would actually support you de-escalating the situation, you abandon the idea.
Sparring with someone in the Ming also crossed your mind, passing down some pointers to Xiaoliang is something you need to do anyways before leaving, and you’re curious how Lifu will perform after absorbing the purified metal qi.
The issue is that you’re similar to a snake or scorpion right now. Fighting without knowing just how much starlight is too much means you’re more likely to kill them in a single move than you are in imparting any knowledge. Using other means to spar with the young lady will give the two halls more information on Xiaoliang, and would also defeat the purpose of experimenting with starlight.
In the end, the only option left is to test things on spiritual beasts, but anything still alive around the city would at worst maul a mortal without killing them, merely Mid Qi gathering, it will do for now.
You pick up the sword in your room and leave the estate through the back door to roam the forest for a bit, you’re aware Ming Lifu follows soon after, she skillfully stays just outside of the perception range of a Qi Gathering cultivator’s spirit senses, but the control of her qi still needs work, and the pure metal energy she absorbs is not doing her any favors. Even if you can’t perceive her directly, you can feel her close.
Since starlight is separate from the five elements, it shouldn’t be impossible to integrate your knowledge of the sword dao into it, its properties as a mostly alien substance makes it highly poisonous in large concentrations, and its ability to forcefully purify energies can disrupt their flow if the opponent’s qi isn’t pure enough.
You go over the styles that would best match these properties and settle on three:
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The first twenty four moves of the Crimson Tulip Sword passed down by your teacher: Precise and delicate, creating an uninterrupted flow to outmaneuver the opponent and slice off their limbs and heads in one swift motion at close range.
The Blood Immortal’s Sword Canon: A flying sword style that eventually allows the cultivator to wield tens of thousands of blades with their mind as if they were just part of their body, incredibly tough on the defense. The Blade God could easily exterminate everything in the battlefield with himself as the centre, or from a great distance… Annoying bastard.
The Agate Blood War Mandala: The Grand Dragon God had been blessed by the heavens so that only the blood of a mortal human could kill him… And he had to die. The Agate Bodhisattva, the Blood Immortal, and the Crimson War God put together a sword style for this. You pierced through the god’s forehead with a single needle made of bone, bound his divine body with threads of blood and held him in place until he was tainted to death.
A deer is your first target, it notices you and puts up its guard… Before it has the chance to run away you will Roll a d20 and
>Rush at it, infuse your sword with Star Qi and use one of the Crimson Tulip Sword’s earth axis moves.
>Envelop your sword with Star Qi and direct your sword from a distance.
>Make a needle of Star Qi and shoot it at the deer.
How much Qi do you want to use?
>A handful, what you would get from cupping water with one hand.
>A spoonful
>A pinch
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What a week huh.
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You shift your weight to your right leg and then let yourself fall forward, kicking off the ground with your left, a few steps cover the distance and you begin to unsheathe your sword with the first move of the Crimson Tulip Sword. Your inner starlight moves, your heart ignites… You can do it, you can do it.
Rolled 20
The first move of the Crimson Tulip Sword Style resonates, not with the starlight, but with your will to wield the blade even if the path is different.
Enough Starlight to be contained in a spoon flows into the blade, a thin layer of energy coats the edges and the steel begins to sizzle and drip the very moment it leaves the scabbard. You would normally cut diagonally from left to right in a way that buries at least a third of the sword into the target’s flesh. As you need to test the toxicity of the star qi, you jump back so only the tip of the melting sword makes contact with the target’s hind leg. The amount that makes contact with the deer because of this last instant adjustment is about enough to coat one’s fingernail.
The deer attempts to flee and jumps away, it loses balance in the second breath, is immobilized in the third, and after the fourth breath its heart stops.
”Well, it's a little bit more potent than I had expected… Nice body, Ming Bei.”
Extrapolating a spirit beast this weak to a cultivator is hard, but it is enough to start calculating… Based on size alone… This can kill a mortal human in a little under three breaths, early Qi Gathering juniors should have issues, if anything it would be up to how long they take to try to counteract the starlight.
You turn to look at the jian and find that it… has become a long cudgel, your motion of pulling back at the last second caused all the melting steel to rush forward, resulting in a spiked rod of metal that has a pointed tip which won’t be able to stab anything, as it is too deep.
There was a loss in mass, but what was left is now purified metal, you can have it re-cast, or cast it yourself into another sword, or something different.
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Rolled 95 (1d100)
While you’re musing about how to use this purified metal, you can hear a fight breaking out towards the eastern side of the mountain. The loud clashing of steel against a hard surface scares the nearby birds and small animals away.
It doesn’t take long to find Ming Lifu, who is holding a flower made of metal with petals floating around her, and two young men, one with a few talismans and one with a peachwood sword. They’re wearing the Yuan clan’s uniform.
Lifu uses her spirit sense to guide the petals towards the one with the sword, but they are blocked by a barrier of thick wood created by the other. When she switches targets, the talisman user interrupts her by trying to set up a formation around her.
”To think we’d run into your Ming Lifu, on this trip, it looks like fortune is on your side, Young Master!”
”Ming Lifu! Today is the day I’ll bring you back to the Yuan as my wife!”
The one with the peachwood sword boasts, while the talisman wielding young master breathes heavily. Lifu doesn’t answer and keeps looking for a way out of this attack, as soon as she notices you, she begins to move in an attempt to bring their attention to her.
Seeing this you think
>That beating them black and blue with the sword-cudgel from a distance might cool their heads
>That this is actually a good chance to experiment with the dosage of starlight with a Mandala Needle
Roll a d100
Anything you want to tell these two youngsters?
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>>6367159
Nice one me, absolute dogshit rolls as usual.
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Rolled 80 (1d100)
>>6367144
>>That this is actually a good chance to experiment with the dosage of starlight with a Mandala Needle
needle time
>Tell the youngsters 'The Yuan clan clearly doesn't know proper courtship'.
good luck with the rolls.
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Rolled 85
While Lifu is trying to break out of the formation again, you use your spirit sense to shoot the lump of metal at the young master’s head with the intention of knocking him out in one hit. The sword turned cudgel turned projectile flies at a speed that is hard to react to by common kids.
Rolled 95
But the peachwood sword wielder reacts at the last second and manages to stop the cudgel just in time, he intended to casually stop it to show off but ended up having to hold the sword in front of him with both hands, he plays it off by repelling the weapon in a heroic looking way.
“Who dares!” He screams, rather than asking a question he is challenging the attacker to name themselves.
“The Yuan clan clearly doesn't know proper courtship, does it?” You ignore him and speak to the young master instead.
The young master cannot answer, as he is busy countering Lifu’s offense the talismans are sliced by metal petals, the metal petals are deflected by wood qi barriers and it quickly becomes a battle to gain control of the surrounding space.
“Fine, don’t answer if you don’t want to, this senior will make you speak!” The sword brat takes a stance and begins to run towards you.
You continue to use your spirit sense to get a hang of how your cultivation interacts with it, and it’s pretty unwieldy so far, the star energy is too thick and too strong compared to what you had to work with in your past life.
The cudgel moves around in erratic patterns because of this, and you quickly integrate these errors into your offense, sometimes aiming for his footing, other times trying to get the hand that’s holding the sword. He, on the other hand, does a good enough job of coping with your assault by evading, blocking and taking some hits he cannot avoid. Whenever he’s hit, he tries to play it off as if it were nothing.
He closes in sluggishly and tries to land a hit with his sword as a feint that changes into a kick at the last moment. Which you side step to continue assaulting him with the piece of metal. In the background, Lifu and the young master seem to be at a deadlock, and with enough leeway he speaks.
”I’ve never seen you before, are you the bastard?“
”You’ve never seen the Underworld’s Chief Judge either, who’s to say I’m not him?“
”You want to meet the Chief Judge? Good, just stand still… I’ll send you to him!“ The swordsman talks back and focuses a large amount of qi on his legs, he closes the distance again and thrusts at your chest with his weapon.
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These kids are pretty good for mere rabble, this meathead’s attitude is very good too.
”Heh, a little Chief Judge wouldn’t dare meet me.“
You deflect his thrust with the metal lump and push him away, the cudgel bounces back and you grab it with your hand, nonchalantly twirling it while Rolling a d100 and
>Planting it in the ground, you’ll try the Agate Blood War Mandala this time (choose between 1 to 3 fingernails worth of starlight)
>Resting it on your shoulder, you’ll beat him up close with the Crimson Tulip Sword this time. (choose between 1 to 3 fingernails worth of starlight)
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Rolled 53 (1d100)
>>6367270
>Planting it in the ground, you’ll try the Agate Blood War Mandala this time (choose between 1 to 3 fingernails worth of starlight)
I'm rather liking this starlight energy so far, brothers. Once it has been refined it will be a weapon to be feared.
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Planting it in the ground with your hand resting on the pommel, the other hand in the mudra of wisdom with starlight gathering in your index and thumb. You look the swordsman in the eye and gesture with your eyebrows, no words are needed, just a smile.
”You’re courting death!“ he shouts, exploding his qi for a burst of speed.
He’s pretty fast… but his qi control isn’t too good, the sword qi in the peachwood sword is no longer as sharp as it was, becoming more like a dull and jagged saw. He’s too green to grasp how to use that configuration, it’s just a sign he’s trying to get to you in one step and finish it in one blow and doing poorly in both.
”Ming Lifu! You will be mine! Mine!“ The young master performs a series of hand seals and coughs up some blood, which dyes the talisman in his hands with a tint of red. A bloody aura envelops the other scattered talismans and his array quickly overpowers Lifu’s metal orchid. Lifu’s orchid is destroyed and she is sent flying, the young master suffers the backlash of the technique he just used and kneels on the spot unable to move.
Putting your life on the line for a pretty maiden, declaring your love to the world… ah to be a kid in love.
You’ll try the Agate Blood War Mandala this time to wrap things up, enough starlight to coat two fingernails swirls and forms a small and shiny needle in your mudra, the swordsman is seven steps away from you, his qi completely circulating into the weapon, rather than getting closer he intends to kill or injure you then run to the young master and leave.
You aim at his lower dantian and flick the needle, it leaves a trail of qi as it whistles through the air like a shooting star. The swordsman tries to block it with the peachwood sword and all the sword qi accumulated in it.
Swordsman: 45 - You 92
And it doesn’t work… his effort is commendable, sure, but he’s not stopping an immortal killing technique if he can’t even run and swing at the same time. The needle pierces through his lower abdomen and melts into his dantian, quickly spreading through his entire body.
It takes him two breaths to realize what just happened, in the third he falls face first screaming in pain and the next few breaths consist of him trying to regulate his breathing and qi flow to expel the unknown energy.
“Two fingernails can incapacitate an early foundation establishment brat, not bad.” Now you have a real measurement for your starlight energy.
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The swordsman will die in an incense stick if left alone, he just doesn’t have the talent or stubbornness to survive. The young master isn’t looking too good either, and Lifu has hit her head pretty hard and is suffering from a concussion, in addition to the injuries from the young master.
You get ready to carry Lifu back home, and also go pick up the green bottle on the way back, but before that you’ll
>Finish off the Yuan kids
>Leave the Yuan kids on their own, if they’re fated to live they will live.
>Extract the starlight in the swordsman, he’ll figure a way to carry his master back home
>Write in
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>>6367320
>Extract the starlight in the swordsman, he’ll figure a way to carry his master back home
While doing so, use this opportunity to see how the starlight interacts with his dantian more closely. Could be valuable data for later.
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You walk up to the swordsman and roll him over with the cudgel, he’s too busy circulating his Qi to retort but his pained expression to retort. The starlight that remains in his dantian begins to forcefully purify his energy, which then seeps into his blood and causes a chain reaction. When his face turns red and his veins bulge you can tell it has already entered his bloodstream from the meridians, you know it is affecting his nerves when he turns purple.
The middle dantian should affect breathing and the high dantian perception and consciousness, giving you a few ideas you can try in the future. Looking back at the kid, he has an expression full of despair and the light in his eyes is fading out, but at least he hasn’t stopped struggling, you can respect that.
”Stay awake.“ You help pump his chest with the cudgel and form the wisdom mudra again, the starlight that was still pooled in the dantian is removed through the injury and gathered in the form of a needle half its original size.
”Wh-“
”Don’t talk, focus on your meridians instead.“ You leave him alone and walk past the young master, who now has a semblance of lucidity and trembles as you pass him by.
”This… Junior is Yuan Ji-“ ”If we’re fated to meet we’ll meet again, get out before I change my mind.“
The young master nods and limps over to the swordsman and helps him sit up, popping a pill into his mouth, then channels some qi into his back.
Lifu is a ways away from the group, her injuries aren’t life threatening like those of the other two, so you can leave right away and she notices you as well, trying to stand up but being unable to. You can’t really blame her, back in your early earth axis days you’d also be out of commission after a concussion or two.
”Let’s go.“
”...Yes.“
You lend her your shoulder and the two of you walk towards the estate, retrieving the green bottle which was already causing the vegetation around it to grow at a faster rate and somewhere along the way, you see a flying artifact shoot towards the south western side of the city. The two kids are heading back home as well, the moment she sees this, and feeling the crisis to be over, Lifu's legs give out.
”Ah… Young… Master… I’m sorry…”
>She’s just a kid, carry her piggyback the rest of the way
>She’s a young lady, only a princess carry is proper
>She’s a cultivator, her injuries aren’t that bad either, lug her over your shoulder
Anything you want to tell Lifu? (Write in), you can also stay quiet.
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>>6367436
>Carry her piggyback
>"Good form, but you should consider developing a movement technique, transmutation of foliage underfoot into a ski and using the properties of metal lightning to move quickly perhaps. If you cannot halt a strike, dodge it."
just some basic suggestions so she doesn't get her ass whooped again by these clowns.
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>>6367436
>She’s just a kid, carry her piggyback the rest of the way.
We may be in the body of a youngster, but we are an old, olllld man.
>"Don't fret over your failures, Lifu. Instead, use it to fuel the furnace inside. There's only one thing to be done for the shame. Practice, practice, practice. But in the meantime, rest. You hit your head pretty hard back there."
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You squat and offer her a piggyback ride which she accepts reluctantly, you hold her legs and she holds onto your shoulders. The way to the estate is quiet, the little animals that had been scared by you humans resume their lives and the calls of birds and insects dominate this time of the day.
Lifu’s grip on your shoulders is strong enough to turn her fingers white, her body is still trembling from the rush of the moment and her bated breath ruins the sunset mood. Getting beaten up and needing to be bailed out by the person you’re supposed to look after is something you can’t fully relate to, but you still try to reassure..
”Don’t fret over it… there’s only one thing to do when you lose and survive, practice and improve, step forward and don’t let the shame keep you in place.”
”Thank you…”
”Just rest for now, you hit your head pretty hard back there.”
”...Okay.” Her hands relax and she leans closer, this is where you notice she wears a few layers of clothing more than others, the heat makes your back feel stuffy, but thankfully it doesn’t take long to return from there.
Lifu is taken to the clan’s doctor while you report to one of madam Tan’s maids, she bolts towards her residence and comes back with a simple “This madam is glad to know you’re both safe, we shall wait and see how the Yuan react”. The maid looks like she wants to ask something else but in the end chooses not to, so you don’t give it any more importance.
The Ming clan (yourself included) lets a few days pass by to see if the Yuan do anything, but there’s no movement, no statements, not even a petty squabble in the city, Lifu recovers after three days of rest and is back at your service. She lost her treasure since you left in a rush, madam Tan will give her a better quality treasure, in recognition of her effort, or so she said.
In the meantime, you borrowed a few of Xiaoliang’s novels, some of the spicier ones and gave them a read over the week... To think that she would have so many books about romance between young men, how peculiar. A good bunch of them are just cheap and vulgar, but there’s a few that have neat premises, there’s also a couple with well written interactions, which you end up coming back for more.
It is when you’re reading one of these books, where the flute playing devilish cultivator is sharing a flying sword with the righteous young master, that you decide to break the silence.
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>>6367584
”So, Lifu.”
”Yes, Young master?”
”I was thinking back to that day, your form with the orchid is good, but you should consider movement techniques, whether it is lightning based movement or just pure Qi… A lot of the time the best way to defend from an attack is to simply avoid it” you motion for a maid to serve some tea, and another brings a plate full of sweets.
”Understood, I will not let the Young Master down.”
”Good… and what’s your history with that Yuan brat? Come come, sit down and have some tea, I’m in the mood for some gossip.”
”...” Lifu sits in the chair next to yours and stares at her cup for a few moments before speaking.
”We grew up together in a small town… to the east near the border, our parents were poor so… we would all make food together, in the winter we would all move into a single house for warmth.”
The two hunter families would take turns looking after the children, and because of this they spent a lot of time together, he would always say that one day he would become a cultivator and make it big, come back for all of us and how he would like to marry me that day.
”My parents decided to sell me off to the Ming as a maid so I would have a better future, I’m really grateful for that.” She sips from the cup, her voice carries a profound longing and tears build up in her eyes for a moment. There’s no need to ask so you shift the subject a little.
”It seems like he thinks he’s making it big then.”
”Yeah, the Young Master might not be aware of it, but he’s one of the Yuan’s dao children. Wood Qi spiritual roots like his are seen once in a century, and he also has talent for cultivation so… he’s surpassed his peers and seniors.”
”That wasn’t the first time you’ve run into him, was it… Has he always been like that?” You serve her some more tea.
”No, there is something wrong about him, he has always been gentle with me.”
You ask her about the swordsman, but she doesn’t know anything about him. The rest of the afternoon goes by without anything worth noting.
There’s still time before you can cultivate again, your little combat training escapade helped you get a better grasp of the capabilities of the star qi and its compatibility with your Sword Dao and a celestial slaying technique.
Your current options are.
>Look into the “current” constellations, you want to refine your body through acupuncture.
>Work on your spirit sense and your control of star qi (write in)
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Soon my ass!
--
Two days later, you’re deep in the archives looking at astronomy texts again. Lifu made an excuse of looking after you to come along, but she sneaks out to the section that holds documents and essays from other clan members about the Orchid Garden. It will be fine as long as she doesn’t take any of the books with restrictions on them.
After some reading, what you can confirm is that:
The physical positions of the stars have rotated counter clockwise based on the charts you’ve seen, the southern mansions are to the east, east to north, north to west and west to south.
The Four Symbols have also changed, each beast has rotated clockwise, while their colors have been inverted. Leaving them as White Turtle of the east, Black Tiger of the North, Azure Bird of the East and Vermillion Dragon of the South
The mansions are counted backwards well, so the ”current” first mansion is what you knew as the twenty-eighth.
”Strange.
Placing the texts back in their shelves, checking on Lifu who is buried nose deep in an essay from an elder 5 generations ago, you now realize that there are a lot of these essays and treatises on the Orchid Garden, it feels more of a collective effort than practicing the technique passed down by a single strong cultivator.
You find an acupuncture manual, and a commentated treatise that consists of the letters between two medical sect masters who would share their findings and consult each other for complicated cases. There were no medical records to reference, but you weren’t much of a doctor either to begin with. The comments are of a third and fourth individual, likely another pair of doctors.
What catches your attention is the passing mentions of a patient that would always bring his own set of needles made of a strange blood-metal alloy, who would always ask to have a young woman treat a different pressure point rather than a group. The doctor points out that he was initially a foundation establishment cultivator, but had not opened any of his Seven Spiritual Points, but eventually became a Golden Core expert.
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>>6367882
You take a moment to leave your own comment behind, “This patient is clearly using the treatment in a ritualistic manner”
The other doctor replies it could be a severe injury that was not treated in time and caused cultivation loss, which the first turns down stating that the patient did not show any signs of damage to the points, however subsequent letters focus on the other symptoms this patient experiences.
The section has a notation explaining that it would be impossible to possess a golden core without opened spiritual points, and the other handwriting agrees, listing it as a potential branching of the Transcendence Constant.
The methods may vary, the energies and rituals may be different, but the overall progression is the same, whether it was dictated or if it’s simply a case of convergence into the path of least resistance is something you have no answer to.
The Transcendence Constant goes as far as the Soul Fusion stage.
Qi Gathering: Absorbing Qi to fill in all dantians.
Foundation establishment: Use the absorbed Qi to unlock the “Seven Spiritual Points”
Core Formation: Transforming the lower dantian into a core of concentrated Qi.
Golden Core: Turning the core into a “vessel”.
Soul Dividing: Dividing one’s soul into two and pouring half into the vessel.
Soul Nurturing: Nurture the divided souls until they are identical.
Soul Fusion: Integrate the twin souls.
At this point one is a quasi immortal, but it has become a habit to call anyone who successfully reached Soul Fusion an immortal.
There are records of cultivators skipping stages, but during stabilization they complete the “step” to retain their realm, you have seen a few yourself. But never heard of someone not completing a step or branching out at all.
This is a new possibility.
It is the dead of the night by the time you’re done, you have to drag Lifu, who has been taking notes nonstop out. She carries about six pages full of her own insights and you grab something to eat from the communal kitchen. The maid gives the two of you a look, but saying anything will just look like you’re making excuses.
Your body refining will focus on rolling a nasty, heaven defying double crit 2d100 through
>Multiple pressure points (choose a body part and a number of points)
>A single pressure point as a ritual (what do you want to try resonating with)
And the needles will
>Be made of high quality silver (No DC)
>Repurpose part of the cudgel for them (DC 57)
>Be made of pure starlight (DC 71)
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Rolled 90, 84 = 174 (2d100)
>>6367883
>A single pressure point as a ritual (what do you want to try resonating with)
The White Turtle, white for stars and tiger because turtles are cool.
>Be made of pure starlight (DC 71)
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Rolled 97, 14 = 111 (2d100)
>>6367883
>Multiple body parts [White turtle, our right arm our 'east'] and 7 accupoints to form the turtle
I want to turn all our body into a canvas of the night sky. I think this is how we do that. Or should we use the arms as "fences"?
I'm trying to see the vision here.
>Pure starlight
and lets do some crit fishing, please no 1's/
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>>6367912
so let me see.
The white turtle of the east, in this new configuration, should be made up of the old southern mansions, which are former territory of the vermillion bird of the south [who is now the azure bird of the west].
That means. . . Mansions, Well, ghost, willow, star, expanded net, wings and chariot [formerly 22 to 28, now 7 to 1.]
Well is made up of 8 stars.
Ghost is made up of 3
Willow is made up of 8
Star is made up of 7
Expanded net is made up of 6
Wings is made up of 22
Chariot is made up of 4
Using this wiki as my source, the total here is 58 stars in the mansion of the turtle, plus 7 for 65 to get the turtle itself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_constellations#Three_Enclosures
the body has 3 principle meridians, 12 ordinary meridians and 8 extra ordinary meridians as well as 15 arteries and the total amount of unique points of in the body is something like 361.
so what I'm saying is, if each one has a similar number of stars, we can dedicate an accupoint per star.
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>>6367922
using acupuncture, the art of using needles to pry open and clear meridian flows, a previous cultivator forwent the usual method of stimulating a [group] of nerves/meridians in specific parts of the body and picked singular, specific pressure points to open and focus energies on as a ritual, like the ritual we used with the tea and the wuxing/yinyang elements earlier.
uhh think the two options are something like "tattoo ourselves with spiritual energy" and "do what aang did to open his chakra's for the avatar state, with needles".
If I'm wrong, then sorry. I'm still trying to wrap my head around chinese astrology.
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>>6367924
Good insights, but if you use this logic you will actually have over 170 points left over, even if you were to represent each symbol with seven stars every time.
>>6367922
It's pretty much what the anon said,
1 = stimulate a number of nerves/meridians in one part of your body to enhance their energy flow.
2 = open a single meridian/pressure point, and through a ritual you will make that only point resonate with "something" of your choice
Anon chose to try and make choice 1 resonate with an asterism/symbol like a little smartass, but I like smartasses so I will allow it.
>>6367936
>Agh, what a mess
Now that you think about it, you've never seen a map have you?Where did the sun rise from again?
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>>6367948
You would have to make that pressure point resonate with something else, but you will only be able to... respec? resonances once in earth axis, once in heaven axis and there will be some conditions past that.
I'll drop two hints for that option since it didn't make much sense compared to the other.
1. What you resonate with is not limited to just the firmament or physical things, you can think outside of the box.
2. What you resonate with is not limited to a single time, you could technically make all 360 points resonate with the same choice, 180 with two, etc.
Like the elixir choice, it's a branching choice and there's no right or wrong... Perhaps I should put a branch warning next time.
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Three ideas for extra points in the acupuncture. Could YoungMaster please weigh in on these?
1. The sun, moon and planets. Advantage of the planets is that they move, so we can potentially have moving acupuncture points or something that relies on switching states.
2. What about the inverse or space between constellations?
3. What about making your own stars? Or a metaphysical representation of yourself upon the firmament?
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>>6367964
If you canresonate with the other players,yes.
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>>6367959
>we can potentially have moving acupuncture points
Moving acupunture points would need you to physically be a either an amorphous blob of guts and skin or a mist of blood and veins.
For the use of planets and the moon... it is a valid option, but it will be weaker in the long run. As for states, you'll learn more later. Both choices I gave have something similar. One will see it immediately after the choice, the other won't happen until golden core.
2. I'm not sure what you mean with this question.
>What about making your own stars?
Possible, but it will cause you great misfortune (I'll be out for your ass on every DC)
>a metaphysical representation of yourself upon the firmament?
This can't be done within the earth or heaven axes, but it is a thing.
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Right arm, 7 points, white turtle of the east
Starlight needle
Locking
>>6368191
>So our talent with the sword seems to be one thing, we could probably recover more if we resonate with ourselves.
Something like that.
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>>6368191
>>6368227
So basically if we resonate with ourselves we'll become Crimson War God 2.0. Which is not what we want since we're trying to chart a new path. I think a better idea would be to resonate with the Silver Saint and Seven Miseries, that way we can hopefully get some of these accumulated knowledge about the Star path.
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>>6368247
The self resonance kind of ties to the Agate Blood War Mandala's origin,
>But QM you haven't really said shit about it
Yes, just think about it as deranged vagueposting for now.
Silver Body and Seven Miseries resonance is an interesting idea.
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>>6368253
We can resonate with inanimate objects and disembodied concepts, I don't think cultivation stages have anything to do with it.
>>6368250
>The self resonance kind of ties to the Agate Blood War Mandala's origin,
Alright now I'm confused. Fuck it just leave it for later. Its Turtle Time!
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>>6368250
yes but the inanimate objects and disembodied concepts are parts of the world, elements and aspects we can amplify and make significant in relation to ourselves.
You want to resonate with failures? the idea of the failures, since they never became immortal?
Oh and our former friends, Agate boddhistvah [buddah who fused with the world] and Blood god [who engraved himself] and we made a method to kill a Dragon God.
this relates to the feat's/rituals mentioned needing to engrave oneself in the universe, so we would probably attune to whatever we were most like when we did that.
That's my expectation anyway
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>>6368259
You're right in that branding failed cultivators on our body is doing too much. But my idea was to use the resonance to track any legacies they left behind. But honestly now that I think about it we just need some Divination Methods for that, and stars have extreme association with divination but we need to either repurpose a divination method of another dao or make one up from scratch.
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>>6368259
You can resonate with failures actually, you won't gain a direct increase in power immediately, but it does have a profound meaning.
>feat's/rituals mentioned needing to engrave oneself in the universe
Mmmnyes it's very close, good insights.
>>6368270
These are also very good ideas, I appreciate my fellow daoists.
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The night passes by uneventfully, and you wash up and change your clothes in the morning. Since there’s still time until the starlight fully settles and there are no other matters that need your attention you prepare a few things to help with your body refinement.
You make some space on the floor of your room, and have Lifu bring in a bucket full of cold water and a small piece of cloth, she locks the door to the room and you close the windows before sitting down in the lotus position.
”Master, what will you be doing today?” She asks.
”Body refining.”
”Pardon?”
”When you cultivate you let the Metal Qi refine your body and soul as you practice the Orchid Garden, right?”
”Yes.”
”Right, this is an additional step… there are methods to further refine one’s body and soul besides cultivating one’s own Dao.”
Cultivators generally let their method passively refine their bodies, on the other hand, someone who actively refines their body through means separate from the cultivation method will have a far stronger physical body. It reduces the backlash of some techniques, and makes one more resilient in the face of certain mental attacks and heart demons.
The difference is most apparent in extended combat, the number of times you managed to get away with things because of your resilience would take a few days and nights to count.
It comes with its own downsides, for one, the cultivator will be a more attractive target to beings that plunder or devour to cultivate, one will also encounter resistance in certain rituals, and the engraving process will be incredibly hard compared to someone who did not refine their body.
You give Lifu such an explanation, while leaving a few things out for convenience.
”Our archives did not have anything related to this… Is this also the Silver Body Saint’s legacy?”
”That’s right, I can somewhat understand why it is not in the archives too… You’ll see why soon.” You pretend to be shocked, and Lifu tenses up a bit.
You emit starlight and begin to shape it in the form of needles 84 (DC 71)... seven long needles are perfectly crafted and float down to settle on top of the piece of cloth. The starlight's glow adds a new source of light to the room, quickly outshining the candle that had been lit.
You take off your robe and expose your upper half… It’s so skinny. Lifu covers her face and stammers a little, but you pay her no mind, instead taking the bucket and pouring some water over yourself, the natural reaction of this untrained body is to tense up and gasp for air, which you can’t really do anything about.
Grabbing one of the needles with your index and thumb, then using the other three to tap a pressure point in your right arm before inserting the needle. The needle easily enters your body and remains in place.
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>>6368295
”Ugh.” The body groans, and you feel a sharp pain.
The second needle is placed in a different pressure point, and the pain in both points doubles, this repeats each time a new needle is inserted. You can’t really help but scream while inserting the sixth, even if you’re an immortal, you are still capable of feeling pain.
Lifu tries to get close to help, but you stop her.
”L-listen Lifu…” You groan and speak through ragged breaths, pouring the remainder of the cold water on your head. ”Don’t move me from here no matter what happens, and don’t take the needles out.”
The reason why body refining is not widespread is precisely this.
All methods or rituals involve putting the body through extreme strain and pain. We living beings capable of feeling pain are averse to it, the dao already makes one stronger by simply practicing it, why subject oneself to so much suffering for more power?
One has to have a loose screw, a mountain that must be climbed, a goal that must be achieved no matter the cost, or no other way to survive to willingly suffer.
”Watch closely.”
”Yes” Lifu steps back and clenches her hands as you insert the last needle.
The pain is too much to voice, so you grab the piece of cloth and place it in your mouth. Biting on it with all your might you start “dispersing” the needles and guiding the starlight into your pressure points one by one.
The configuration is the White Turtle of the East, each point representing one of its mansion’s main stars and you disperse the needles in the order of Chariot, Wings, Extended Net, Star, Willow, Ghost and Well.
Your consciousness becomes faint as it always does when refining your body, and you instinctively move your hands, making various mudras as the starlight moves through your nerves and muscles.
97
The seven pressure points are full of star qi and you feel your arm fully resonate with the symbol, which roars with a disgusting jumbled sound and a mix of shame, grief, pain and anger flow into your “heart”.
The word desecration engraves itself in your mind, and in the moment the starlight from the last needle is exhausted, you pass out.
You see a faint light as you dream, and in this light there is
>A memory of Despair
>A memory of Hope
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>>6368300
>A Memory of Despair
Let us learn from mistakes where we can find them, who-so-ever's they may have been.
>>6368301
There is no shame in a misstep every now and then. Calligraphy is, after all, a delicate art.
>>6367946
...
That Gatekeeping bastard rotated the entire heavenly firmament on us, didn't he? Fuck me. This changes everything.
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The sun shines over a large city bustling with cultivators, and you watch over it from the top of a mountain, next to you stand your sworn brother Peng Shuren, and a very special person to both of you. After almost a hundred years of conflict, as well as many compromises and concessions made by both the righteous and demonic factions, Jianan was finally unified, an alliance of cultivators and sects set in place to oversee the region and ensure the safety and prosperity of all cultivators.
Both you and Shuren each carry a small box, the same item, with a few differences, is inside them.
”Yue’er, it’s time you decide.”
”I’ve decided I can’t decide yet, don’t bug me about this today!”
”No, it has to be today… You know that this will lead to instability in the future.”
”Haha, come on Shuren, just enjoy the ceremony.” You try to mediate between both of them.
The ceremony is the tenth anniversary of Shuanghua (霜花) City’s founding, and the three of you, as their founding members, are hosting a festival.
”Hua you bastard, don’t try to play it cool I know you brought yours as well.”
”Well, you’re not wrong, but I’m not about to ruin the festive mood either.”
”Alright alright, let’s just enjoy the day… I’ll give you two a clear answer once the celebrations are over.” Liang Yue, the Great Forest Sword Hermit answers.
The two of you accept her words and go down the mountain, spending time visiting alliance members, shops, hospitals… and having some noodles from a street vendor. You remember this warmth feeling of anticipation that was also eating away at your sanity little by little. Whether it is you or Shuren, you don’t mind. Whether it is him or you, Shuren doesn’t mind… Liang Yue knows this, and can’t bring herself to make a choice.
…This is when it begins.
The once clear sky turns dark and lightning begins to crackle and run through the clouds. The five elements, the yin and yang and your intuition as martial daoists tell the three of you that someone is breaking through to the Golden Core stage.
”Someone’s pretty bold, I thought we declared that no one should try to break through today.” You comment.
”Right, we even chose a day that wouldn’t be auspicious for any kind of Dao, yet there’s still someone trying to show off.” Liang Yue seems upset, but both of you can tell she’s looking forward to meeting the cultivator.
”Let’s hope for the best, I can overlook it if we can have another Golden Core expert.” Shuren is clearly angry, but he holds expectations as well.
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>>6368452
Tribulation lightning falls, and a man wielding a spear does his best to endure it, the lightning grows fiercer than anything the three of you had seen before, and before long the man is consumed by the lightning. He failed, but the sky does not clear up… The lightning becomes more intense and takes the form of a man with large horns protruding from the sides of his head, a thick, golden scaled tail extending from his back, and his arms are also scaly with thick claws.
The man raises his hand, and a large spell formation expands to cover the entire city, when it is activated, the barrier that had been the city breaks, and twenty humanoids similar to him, along with a myriad of reptilian creatures begin to descend.
What follows is a massacre, the beings begin to murder and devour everything in their path, each and every single one of them at least as strong as a perfection foundation establishment cultivator, the twenty humanoids at the grand perfection of the golden core stage, and the horned man at a stage of the heaven axis you can’t measure… it is impossible for most people in the city to oppose.
All the cultivators and the representatives of the various factions fight against these creatures, the three masters of the city split, each one of you taking a different direction to try and help anyone escape to no avail.
The hands you reach out to are burned, the children you try to protect are devoured, the fellow cultivators you stand with are overwhelmed and eaten, leaving you all alone. All the while, the beasts who devour humans offer themselves as nourishment to the humanoids, and the humanoids to the horned man.
You need to get away from here, Yue’er is the strongest of the three so you rush to group with Shuren.
Peng Shuren had been captured and put inside an amalgamation of flesh, which you had to destroy, he barely kept himself alive by absorbing the life essence of other weaker victims… There was no time for words, but you understood what the other was thinking, he controls the flying swords of fallen cultivators, and you switch your dull and broken sword with someone else’s, and both charge together into the depths of the horde.
Shuren soars into the sky and commands his swords, part of his soul separating and pouring into his golden core, granting him a burst of power. Your soul splits into two even halves and you detonate one, igniting the other, your body overflowing with energy.
The two of you, despair invading your hearts, fought and killed your way through the sea of beasts chasing after a presence that was starting to fade. When one fell or their defense faltered the other would make a mad charge to buy time; When one used a strong technique, the other would cover their back to let them complete it.
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>>6368456
It is only after two days of hell on earth, when the city is empty save three people, when one of the remaining humanoids lays dead at your feet, and when the horned man is satisfied with his meal that they disappear.
The three people were Shuren, you and a young buddhist monk who saved your lives from the brink of death… Yue’er was never found, you never got closure and never had a chance to say your farewells.
The young monk set out to create rituals and techniques that could let humans stand up against the dragon race and the heavens.
Shuren went completely insane, taking a lump of flesh he claimed to be Liang Yue, and he set out to preserve it, becoming a devilish cultivator in hopes of resurrecting her when he became an immortal.
And you declared war on the entire dragon race, vowing to destroy even the heavens if they stand in your way… You went insane as well.
Shuren and you became enemies, you could not stand his killing and devouring of humans. Shuren couldn’t stand your hypocrisy as someone who killed and devoured dragons. Yue’er’s death was never brought up for you both knew neither was at fault... Anytime you met you’d fight to the death, both wanting to put the other out of their respective misery. But whenever you stood back to back, you were unmatched under the heavens.
…
…
As the dream fades away, you feel a voice calling out to you.
”Young master!” Ming Lifu notices you’re awake, her palms are placed on your back, and a somewhat pure Metal Qi flows into your body.
You cough up a mouthful of blood and regulate your breathing, your arm feels far stronger than any other part of your body.
”How long was I out for?” You ask.
”Almost two days… The sun is already setting.”
”I see, what are you doing?” You point to your back with your thumb.
”Ah! I’m sorry… I saw the master scream unknown names, so I thought you were suffering from a heart demon and wanted to help. She quickly rises and offers you a deep bow, while trying to hide her palms that have burns from expelling too much Qi, and her pale complexion. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
”It’s fine, I appreciate the sentiment… but be careful next time, if I suffer a strong backlash you could be hurt as well.” It should be because she took in that star purified metal qi, but she survived in this room full of diluted starlight. You absorb the starlight energy and order her to visit the clan’s doctor again; she needs treatment immediately.
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>>6368457
After she leaves, you clean your body and lay down in bed, starting to drift away once more… You’re too exhausted to do anything else right now.
Tomorrow you will impart knowledge on Lifu, it is the least you can do to repay her resolve.
The sense of helplessness from that day still follows you to this day, you learned to accept it after a very long time, but it still hurts… What you had learned back then was that only the strong would survive in this world, and you separated yourself from the world, because that way you wouldn’t have anything to protect… or be hurt by when you couldn’t.
This time, as you begin to fall asleep, you:
>Reaffirm your belief
>Maybe… (write-in)
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>>6368458
Ahhh, Shuren... Poor, poor Shuren. How bitterly we fought, how stubbornly he clung to abomination. Once a friend, we came to know each other's techniques like only hated enemies can. Then there were the dragons. Hated, detestable, lower than the dirtiest pig wallowing in shit. Let us not think of the dragons. Instead, let us reflect, and think of ourselves from a new perspective.
The dragons forced themselves onto our people. We couldn't resist them for any lack of talent or passion, merely a lack of that same force. The urge to seek vengeance and distance ourselves pushed us to incredible heights.
And what, friends, is more distant than the stars? Distant and separate from the world, set apart and above, watching in all cases. Yet, is it not the stars that inspire the poets? Not the stars that enlighten the sages? It is the stars that bring wisdom and exalt man, and they do this from the heavens.
>Maybe... we should retain our distance, but act as an inspiration to others. We must set ourselves above and apart, and use that status to elevate those we care for into their best and strongest selves... We must be like the stars above... We must be ateacher.
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>>6368468
You humble this junior.
>>6368481
So sharpened are we by hate and battle, we know every in and out there is to know of the blade, of discipline, of strategy. These are valuable lessons to give. The best part is that we can teach by doing. I don't think we should go out of our way to teach others or change our ambitions, but if the stars guide a pupil with potential our way, who are we to deny them? We can start our three good deeds by making sure Lifu can defend herself and do well by our clan.
This perspective could lead to wider insights. Deeper explorations than we delved in our old life. How many shades of the Crimson War God went unknown, even to us? Again, we should not seek out lessons, but keep an open mind, learn where we find the chance, and learn again by teaching. In this way, our understanding will be forged twice.
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>>6368465
>>6368487
If you aren't actually planning to teach people directly just inspire, wouldn't something like "idol/icon", "paragon" or even "hero" be better than teacher? I like your idea but if you're going to claim the title of teacher you must commit to it, otherwise it just comes off as pompous and empty. On the other hand if we do commit to the role, other players may not be happy with such responsibility. For this I think you should change teacher to something that actually means what you want to convey.
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>>6368649
That is fair, unless we took a couple of apprentices or tried to start a sect we wouldn't be a true teacher. As for inspiring, I mean less in the mass idol sense and more trying to set an example, to improve others as we encounter them. For example, forcing a lazy junior to hone their sloppy sword technique via sparring with them in a way that helps them learn. I am not sure what word is best for it. Somebody that people encounter briefly but are changed by, for the better.
>>6368651
Wandering master is a good word for it. It is rather similar to our current philosophy, just with an emphasis on bettering others rather than staying distant from them. The stars inspire people but they're also mysterious and clear portents are rare.
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>>6368721
>I am not sure what word is best for it. Somebody that people encounter briefly but are changed by, for the better.
Exemplar, Eidolon, Ideal. All fit I think. But unironically I think the best word to use is just "Star", it has all connotations you are looking for as well as supreme relevance to us.
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>>6368458
>In our previous life we became distant out of despair, in this one we shall keep it out of hope. Hope for a better future. After all, have we not given our life in order to bring this World into the infinite beyond? To act as an inspiration to others. We must set ourselves above and apart, and use that status to elevate those we care for into their best and strongest selves... We must be like the light above... We must be a Star.
A slightly tweaked version of >>6368465. Tried not to change too much as I like the original write-up already, just added our tragic backstory and our wish to breakthrough the gate in order to give it more meaning. Also changed teacher for star, because I feel it just fits so much better and exemplifies our motivation and path perfectly.
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>>6368728
That is a good point. Distinct from crass celebrity or influence chasing, a Star exists and guides/inspires others by that existence. At least in the Xianxia context, kek.
>>6368738
I will support this. Let's be a guiding Star for the people around us. Come to think of it... Is the North Star now in the South, or is there now a new North Star? This rotated cosmology is something else.
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In your previous life, you became distant out of despair, but the sight beyond the gate gave you hope for a better future. In this life you will remain distant to set yourself above and apart, becoming a guiding star that inspires and elevates others into becoming their best selves… You will be like the North Star in the firmament, well… would it be the West star now?
With a renewed belief, and a few idle thoughts, you fall asleep and do not see any dreams.
…
…
The next day you bring Lifu to the clan’s training grounds. This time there are a few clan members looking at the two of you, what happened a couple days ago with the Yuan got out… Probably on the madam’s order.
”Lifu, you helped me yesterday so I would like to return the favor.”
”I serve the Young Master, there is no need to trouble yourself like that.”
”I’m not buying it, show me what you can do with the Orchid Garden, we’ll find a way to make you stronger.”
”...Understood.” The little lady stifles a chuckle and takes one of the flowers on a shelf.
”The new one isn’t ready yet?” You ask, thinking back on it, the original weapon’s materials were of good quality, but the craftsmanship was poor.
”The madam said the city’s best blacksmith is busy right now… This Lifu doesn’t mind waiting knowing that such a person will make a new treasure.”
Lifu holds a metal flower with five petals and steps to the center of the area, when she channels her Qi the petals are detached and leave the receptacle in her right hand. She goes over the moves that she knows so far, which are inspired by floating sword formations, the metal qi enhancing the cutting power of the offensive moves and the resilience of the defensive forms.
”Oh, is that miss Lifu practicing?”
”And she’s with the… New Young Master… They have been pretty close these days, haven’t they?”
”Aiyaa to think our Lifu would be taken away by him, I’m so unwilling!” Says a female family member.
”Instead of being unwilling, why not answer me a few questions?” You approach her and speak casually.
”EH!? Ah no young master don’t mind us we were just-”
”It’s fine, I didn’t hear anything about being close, not one bit. Putting that aside, are the moves of the later earth axis and heaven axis also based on flying sword techniques?”
The three people look at you like you’re an idiot, then at each other, back at you, then the confusion in their eyes clears and they look at each other once more like they’re idiots.
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>>6368901
”Ah…”
”That’s right! The young master never cultivated!” One of them smacks their own forehead, and you nod.
”The young master may not be aware of it yet, but those are all the moves of our Orchid Garden.” Another follows up, counting a total of thirteen moves.
”All clan members who can cultivate, study the ten moves, and use the artifact to aid in their cultivation… Then from the late Foundation Establishment stage, we begin to explore and propose new moves and cultivation methods.”
”Huh, then the method goes up to Core Formation?”
”Not yet! all patriarchs have used the foundation establishment ritual so far, isn't that outstanding?”
”...”
You calmly analyze Lifu's movements in your head, coming to the conclusion that… This style is too green! No wonder the clan can’t stand up to the other two, it’s clear that the previous masters just had outstanding talent and could defend the clan by themselves. The metal qi’s properties aren’t even being used at all, there are only offense and defense techniques!
What good is it to follow the dao of metal if all you’ll be doing is playing pretend sword dao!
It’s not that Xuegang has a bottleneck in his cultivation, he’s completely lost!
Focus on Lifu for now… Focus on Lifu for now before you break into the patriarch’s residence and pull him out for a sermon that even his ancestors will hear from within the cycle of reincarnation.
Roll a d20 for our maid and
>Advise her on the use of Metal Qi to correspond to “Heaven” or “Lake”, and how they could be used for a technique (movement/overwhelming offense)
>Teach her a complimentary sword technique to go along with her use of the petals (movement)
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>>6368902
The center of their Clan doesn't even have provisions for Core Formation!? Absurd! We need to correct this immediately. Well, not immediately. Lifu yet has need of us.
>Advise her on the use of Metal Qi to correspond to “Heaven” or “Lake”, and how they could be used for a technique (movement/overwhelming offense)
Lifu's abilities will be vastly improved by proper use of her metal qi.
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Rolled 4 (1d20)
>>6368902
>Advise her on the use of Metal Qi to correspond to “Heaven” or “Lake”, and how they could be used for a technique (overwhelming offense)
Between mere mediocre movement and overweening offence its clear which one is the winner.
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”I… see… Lifu, come over.”
”Yes, young master?”
”Remember what I said the other day, about how avoiding can be the best way to defend most of the time?.”
She nods, so you continue.
”Today I’ll teach you something fun, you lot should pay attention as well.” You look at the other clan members and begin to give a short lesson on the dao.
You can’t tell how much these people know, since you never bothered reading the texts in the archives, so you give them a brief refresher.
The general practice of elemental dao consists of familiarizing oneself with one of the five elements and absorbing its energy, then understanding the gates they correspond to, then learning the relationship between all elements. Afterwards you want to use all elements to maximize the one you practice, and through this manifest the eight gates and all phenomena through a single element.
”Metal corresponds to the gates of Heaven and Lake, for now we will simply work with a single gate, and a simple interaction, yeah, let’s call it that… I want all of you to focus on Heaven, as ‘Force’.
You assume the same stance as Lifu had when using the orchid, and demonstrate. Star qi flows through your body and settles in your palm. You push your hand towards the sky, and a burst of qi explodes and travels for some distance before dispersing.
”Rather than just shooting your Qi, use it to ‘create force’ instead and then quickly ‘bestow’ it in a small area… Give it a try”.
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Lifu Rolled 11
Lifu is the first to try, she has great difficulty grasping the creation part, but manages to produce good enough results for a beginner after a few hours. The burst of Metal Qi that leaves her hand almost blows the courtyard’s wall off. The others have issues with the whole process, but with Lifu’s own insights, you can see that they are getting the idea.
”Now, if you bestow yourself with that force in a certain way, you can move in a pinch”. You repeat the creation of force, and its bestowal is now immediately in front of your hand, which pushes you away.
”When you have a hang of it you’ll be able to integrate it into the control of the orchid petals, for now you can bestow a large amount of qi on your opponent’s face”.
‘Creating’ ‘Force’ and ‘Bestowing’ it… Since they’re all young, they won't know the meaning behind bestowing the force rather than forcing it.
They also won’t understand that you’re having them cause three phenomena at once instead of a single one, or that they are causing them by imposing their will on the world around them. It will be fun to see their expressions in the early heaven axis.
”Young Master, what is this technique called?” Before leaving, the clan members kowtow, and the unwilling girl asks.
”I don’t know, Ming Garden Hospitality? If someone comes too close to your liking, if someone tries to mess with your property, beat them up and say you’re just giving them a warm welcome.”
”Thank you, young master!” The clan members now bow to you, and leave the training grounds.
Lifu thanks you too, and you give her the rest of the day off, from what you’ve been learning about her, she will probably write her insights and practice some more on her own.
The patriarch’s bottleneck is actually an issue everyone in the clan will face as a whole, to repay Ming Bei, a solution must be found… You’ll think about it after you’ve reached foundation establishment.
For now, there is still some time left before you can cultivate, so you will.
>Gather texts from outside the clan about the four symbols (roll a d6, dc is 4)
>Meet Madam Tan Shu and drink some tea. (Info gathering, write in what you want to look into, and roll a d20)
>Check on your half sister (friendly spar)
>Keep training with Lifu (friendly spar)
>Laze around (Skip two months)
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Rolled 5 (1d6)
>>6369048
Yo QM, is that rolled 1 locked in? if yes then;
>Check on your half sister (friendly spar) teach her the insights we've just imparted on the youth.
If the not however go with;
>Gather texts from outside the clan about the four symbols (roll a d6, dc is 4)
Its the superior option but I don't want to waste a vote on certain failure. I'll roll for it anyway though.
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Rolled 97 (1d100)
You make your way to Xiaoliang’s residence and invite her out for training, she reluctantly agrees and leaves her room after making you wait for a whole shichen. She holds a flower with larger petals, closer to daggers and stands on the other side of the courtyard.
It doesn’t take long for clan members to arrive and watch the two of you, there are faces of the older generation you don’t personally know, and some Ming Bei had seen only once in passing.
”I heard you’re teaching around, is that also from the legacy?”
”You could say it is, I want to see what I can pass along to the young lady.”
”Well, the young master can take the first move, I’m confident I can stop anything you throw at me.”
She takes a stance and begins to circulate her qi, the five flower petals rotate around her at the chest level and Xiaoliang stands in place. The senior members are looking at you with curiosity, some of them gossiping amongst each other, and in the distance, Lifu and the few clan members you instructed the other day begin to sweat.
Roll a d100 to:
>Test the defensive power of Xiaoliang’s Orchid Garden through force
>Test Xiaoliang’s reactions through speed
Will you use the cudgel, or your freshly refined right arm?
--
Sorry, I was dead all day long.
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You decide to take her up on her offer and close the distance, since she’s confident in her defense, you’ll see how good her reaction speed is. Qi flows into your legs and you reach close quarters in a few steps.
Once you’re close enough, she launches an attack with one of the petals that were directly behind her from above, you avoid it without much effort and throw a light jab at a gap in her petal formation.
Clang!
Your hand makes contact with the edge of a petal and it is slightly pushed backwards, taking this chance, you jab at a few other gaps that were created by her interception, then jump to her side and attack a few blind spots.
Clang clang clang!
With these few petals it is easier to create and exploit gaps in a defense formation. Xiaoliang is aware of this and works around it by pumping each petal full of Qi and accelerating it as much as she can to intercept her strikes, her method is different from Lifu’s in that she doesn’t give much importance to the known forms and plays it by ear.
Her reactions are on point and she doesn’t have issues defending, even pushing back against your force to injure your hand, but you can tell that she’s adjusting the rotation speed of the petals after noticing there are a few dents on them.
”Well, are we done?”
Her defense seems fine, and her reactions are good too… You could give her an introduction to the eight gates, but it is something you could also cover when Xuegang is out of seclusion. You could try to disarm her and see how she adapts, or you could call it here and elevate her reputation with other clan members.
>Disarming (30 DC for partial, 56 for full)
>Call it here and get ready to
>>Research (a topic and a d20)
>>Visit the madam and see what you can get out of her (write in a topic)
>>Lay low until you can cultivate again (QM will roll for an event before/after)
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Rolled 1 (1d20)
>>6369790
Improving Xiaoliang's reputation will improve her chances of getting better as a cultivator. This is enough for now. In the meantime, I agree with anons that we should research the four symbols.
>Research (4 symbols)
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>>6369970
Eh, if it was an important vote like in the middle of a fight or breakthrough or something then yeah sure, I agree. But this just be another "yeah you found nothing whatsoever, what do?". I don't want to waste a precious once-a-day update on yet another nothing burger, its a waste of the QM's time and ours.
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”Hoho, this Ming Bei just wanted to show off a little… but alas, the young lady is out of reach, I learned much today.
”Huhuhu… the young master won’t take long to catch up, our sect has a bright future ahead with him here.”
You clasp your hands and offer Xiaoliang a greeting along with some pleasantries, which she humbly accepts while jabbing at your intention to leave, and the two of you shortly excuse yourselves. She goes to her own residence, while you make your way to Madam Tan’s. The best thing you can do for Xiaoliang right now is begin laying down the foundation for her eventual rise to leadership.
Lifu accompanies you and the madam takes some time before inviting you in, there is tea ready and it looks like she had been meditating, as she is wearing clothes made to assist with her cultivation ritual rather than the usual clothes she would use.
Both sides go through the motions, having some inconsequential small talk and enjoying the tea served by her personal maid. Tan shu is the one to break the formalities.
”What brings the young master over? The house may look calm, but things haven't been this tense since I got married.”
”The madam knows that I’m following the dao of the stars, and while I have found some success in these few days thanks to the saint’s legacy, I cannot rely on them for the rest of my life.”
”Hmph, so you come here for support, even when you have such a legacy.”
”That is the case, I have studied the clan’s texts that delve into astronomy and astrology, but have not found much beyond the basics… The saint’s legacy is incomplete and I will need knowledge from the outside to complement it.”
”This Ming clan certainly lacks specialized texts, and because of Guang city’s location, it will be hard to get your hands on anything specific without paying a high price.” While she doesn’t outright say it, it is easy to tell that she intends to have you pay in some way, so you try to haggle.
”Is meeting someone knowledgeable on these topics living in Guang city a preferable alternative?”
”It can be arranged, I will have someone brought over in the evening.” The madam signals her maid, and she steps out of the room along with Lifu, likely to arrange the meeting.
”I am most thankful.” Seeing that she has not dismissed you yet, the two of you continue to enjoy the tea, you’ll give her time to bring up whatever she wants.
”I had expected you to start exerting your status as the successor, but you have not taken any actions so far… Not gathering followers, not establishing your authority or even leveraging for better accommodations.”
>>
”I have no designs on the position of clan master, as such it is better for me to involve myself in family politics as little as I can.”
”You don’t have intentions of remaining in the city either, do you?”
”No, I plan to use the legacy to help the Ming regain their status and ensure Xiaoliang can succeed the clan in the future.” You don’t elaborate on the details, which Tan Shu picks up on and doesn’t pursue the topic further either, sending you back shortly after.
You pass the time before the meeting watching the clan members who you taught about gates blindly feeling their way around to varying degrees of success, Lifu is giving them pointers while also taking notes herself… her own practice is bestowing her blades with force, and making minute adjustments to the output.
And so the evening comes.
”Young master, the person the madam arranged for has arrived, the meeting will be held in the Tan residence.” Madam Tan’s personal maid leads you to the Tan guest room and you can see that there is an old man and one of the kids you beat up the other day, the swordsman.
Tan Shu introduces you to the two visitors, who offer you a polite greeting. ”These are elder Ma Xiaolong and his grandson, Ma Xing from the Yuan clan, if it is related to the stars, you can ask him any questions you have in mind.”
The swordsman’s eyes look like they’re about to pop out of their sockets for a few breaths, but he manages to suppress his reaction and only looks a little awkward in front of everyone. The elders notice this and glance at you, Tan Shu’s gaze is curious, the elder’s respectful, and the swordsman seems to have a hint of admiration, the elder speaks.
”it is an honor to meet the Ming young master, this Ma Xiaolong will do his best to satisfy his curiosity.”
”The honor is mine, had I known I would have the chance to meet with a Yuan clan elder, this Ming Bei would have prepared something in advance.”
The four of you take a seat, and with Tan Shu as the host, the meeting begins.
What would you like to ask Ma Xiaolong about?
>Write in.
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>>6370144
>Tell me about the 4 Symbols, those weasily fucks. Tell me their story, tell me their symbolism and their use in divination or sorcery!
>A generalised history of their charting and movements, did they not used to be in different positions in the sky?
>Tell me good elders, have any of you taken leave to count them beyond the constelations?
>Whence are the guiding stars, the brightest and the most ever present
>Which constellations are summer and which are winter, which are year around.
>What is their relation to the sun and moon, if you know much of it.
>Where is the knowledge of star gazing and cartography most explored in the region/Are there any notable experts in the region.
I can't think of any more specifics. . . Buuuuuut
>Ah, Junior Ma Xing, I also have a question for you. How do you feel?
Because I am a shit. And if he keeps behaving, we can tell him that he should feel much better and a small bunch of beneficial side effects.Or offer to hit him again with it.
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”Then for starters… Tell me about the four symbols, I am interested in their symbolism and their use in divination and rituals.” You ask.
”Well, the White Turtle of the East represents the fall season, the harvest, the evening and the element metal… Stability, longevity, and endurance.
The Black Tiger of the North represents bravery, intuition, unconditional love, focus, the element water, the winter and the night.
The Azure Bird is the element of wood, life, sunrise, spring and health…. freedom, self-confidence, spontaneity… Some scholars attribute the five human qualities to this symbol, but it is not widely accepted.
The Vermillion Dragon represents summer, the element fire and vigor, strength, luck, fertility, vitality and power ”
Ma Xiaolong explains the meaning of each symbol slowly, when he finishes he takes a sip of the tea that has been served, and gives everyone time to process the information. Seeing that there are no questions so far, he continues.
”For rituals one should look for a concept the guardian embodies, and through that concept look to resonate with it, it is why you will see many rituals being offered to the Vermillion Dragon… Divination on the other hand is difficult and inaccurate, reading the stars is not forbidden by the heavens and earth, but it feels like men are punished in some way for trying it. I would not recommend it.”
”Thank you for your advice, elder, if one is looking for a guiding star, what direction is to be looked at?”
”It would definitely be to the west, the guiding star is to the west of our sky, towards the great Zhou and the sea.”
”This Ming Bei has never been one to pay much attention to the skies, believing them to be out of reach until just recently… The world is always changing, and through that perpetual change some things may appear permanent… Are the stars the same? Has the elder seen any changes made to the star charts over time… any movement?” This is where you start to ask the more sensitive questions using ignorance and neglect as an excuse.
”Junior Ming Bei’s words contain wisdom, however… The stars could be said to be the only absolute, unchanging factor in the world, they have never moved.”
”I see, not even once in ancient history or as a legend?”
”Not even once, but you bring up a very interesting topic, if the world is permanent in its changing nature, why are the stars exempt? This old man has a theory of his own, but I believe the younger generation could come up with something else… Ma Xing, why don’t you tell us your ideas?”
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Ma Xiaolong turns towards his grandson, who has been stealing more than once glance at Tan Shu so far. The madam looks at the young man and smiles, and you turn your attention to him as well. Ma Xing is caught off guard and takes a moment to react, clearing his throat and then taking a sip of tea before speaking.
”Ahem, I don’t really have a way to prove it, I just saw it in passing in a few texts and it resonated with me, but I believe that the stars are changing as we speak, we just can’t see it because of how far away they are.”
”How about daoist Ming?” asks Xiaolong.
”Brother Xiang’s idea makes sense, and he is more informed than me so I will choose to align with this until I have more knowledge.” You give the boy some face and agree with him, there’s clearly more at play, but who knows how much can be said.
”Are there constellations which can only be seen during the winter or summer? I noticed some stars I could not see during certain times of the year.”
”Ma Xiang?” Xiaolong, noticing his kid’s gaze is fixed on Tan Shu’s cleavage, shifts the question to him.
”Ahem, yes, those are called the Three Enclosures, the stars you can see all year around are the Purple Forbidden Enclosure in the north, and depending on the season you can more clearly see the Supreme Palace during spring, and the Heavenly Market Enclosure in late summer and autumn.”
”What is their relation to the sun and moon, if you know much of it?”
”As objects of supreme Yang and Yin, these two celestial bodies grant our land and all living beings the energy to live and nourish, as the moon is smaller, the heavens have made the stars complement them as yin nature bodies.” The elder explains with a matter of fact tone… it’s not exactly what you know, but the effect is the same, so it can be ignored for now.
”Has anyone taken leave to count the stars beyond the constellations?”
”That I cannot give a definitive answer to, many cultivators have left for the sea of stars, but none have returned, and all the stars that can be seen have been accounted for.” Xiaolong’s expression changes to one of longing, perhaps he wishes to visit the sea of stars himself one day.
”Thank you elder Xiaolong, I have learned much today… As a final question, where is the knowledge of star gazing and cartography most explored? Are there any notable experts in the region?”
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”Let’s see let’s see… If you want a location then I would say the country of Dui attracts people with its tall mountains, then the Great Desert spanning southern Li, most of Zhen and parts of Kan and Qian.
Lastly is the far north and south near the icelands, but these locations are even more inaccessible than the desert, there are two cities in the north, and a few more in the south.” Xiaogong counts with his fingers, nodding or shaking his head every now and then before answering the second part of the question.
”As for notable experts… I would say we don’t have many, these old bones look at the sky as a pastime, if the young master wants to wholeheartedly study the firmament, this Li might not be the best place to do it.”
”Even if the elder is also well versed on these subjects?”
”The young master may not have voiced it, but these bones can see a certain seed in the questions… To study with me, or any of us old folks for that matter, I fear it would crush that seed.”
”Elder Ma, it is rare for us to meet without nuisances, why not take this opportunity to look at some clan matters?”. Ma Xiaolong accepts Madam's invitation, and writes a few names on a piece of paper for you. With all questions answered, the two elders move to another room to discuss clan matters, leaving you alone with Ma Xing who grows tense as the doors close.
”Ma Xing, was it… It’s good to see you, how do you feel?” You have one of the maids bring food for the two.
”Senior I’m not sure what you did back then, but I feel better than ever… I have been able to practice my sword forms for longer, and my sword intent is starting to manifest!” He speaks in excitement, to manifest sword intent in the foundation establishment stage is an uncommon thing, one normally uses Qi until core formation, where intent develops naturally.
”That is great, and your young master? He looked really bad back then.” You personally place food on his plate as you ask, and he serves the drinks.
”The young master is still recovering, but his life is no longer in danger. We don’t know when or where but he learned an enhancement devilish technique… Grandpa Xiaolong is waiting for him to make a full recovery so he can beat some sense into him hahaha.”
”Ma Xiang, is the young master a friend?.”
”We’ve stuck together ever since he joined the clan… I think so, at least he is someone I see as a friend.”
”I see, make sure he doesn’t feel isolated from life… We may all walk alone in our paths towards the dao, but we can’t ever be lonely, lest we lose to the devil in our hearts.”
”Haha where did you hear that from, Senior?”
”An old man’s ravings in a book I read once.”
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Perhaps it is because you were also a fellow sword daoist, but you easily find a discussion topic and the two of you talk and eat while the elders negotiate for the rest of the evening. Ma Xiang is just a normal young man interested in girls, swordsmanship, and who dreams of being a great hero, even knowing his odds of making it there are small.
It is the dead of the night by the time the talks are done and Tan Shu’s shoulders look a bit lighter, she calls you over for a few words before sending you back.
”Your act of mercy on that day created this opportunity, let this madam handle the politics with the Yuan and focus on yourself.”
Before resting for the night, you write down your findings, and include the information in the piece of paper the elder gave you.
The beasts still represent the meanings you remember, the colors as well. The Three enclosures exist but were not shifted along with the stars. This along with all other changes makes star divination incredibly inaccurate.
The stars have been “fixed” to this configuration for a long time, perhaps far beyond “recorded history”
The stars are being counted as Yin celestial bodies, which is inaccurate.
No one has returned from the sea of stars.
The points of interest are: The Heavenly Canopy Sect in Dui’s tall mountains, the Great Desert’s nomadic tribes, the Scholar Groups in the southern cities Rusnah and Malsi. The Clear Sky Temple in Shimo.
He did not write any names.
The following weeks are uneventful, Lifu continues her training with other clan members, Xiaoliang shows up a little more often, and you let your body finish stabilizing until it can cultivate again.
You can now roll a d100 and
>Cultivate with the Yin Yang Five Elements ritual
>>Will you use the same materials as last time (Silver Mirror/Starfruits/Clear Water/Asterisms/Sunflower/A yin beast carcass)
>>Will you experiment with other materials?
>think outside the box and try a different ritual (write in, rolls will be done after something is decided)
Or
>Research (topic, d20)
>Spar with someone in the clan (who)
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Rolled 83 (1d100)
>>6370461
>Cultivate the ritual again, Use the same ritual
>Apply additional silver mirrors to increase the intensity
If we can strengthen our body again after this, then I recommend we use a different animal. The Azure bird of the West so that we maintain the "balance" with our previous attempts with Eastern turtle.
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Rolled 91 (1d100)
>>6370461
>The beasts still represent the meanings you remember, the colors as well.
That is good.
>The Three enclosures exist but were not shifted along with the stars.
That is... less than good, but could be worse.
>This along with all other changes makes star divination incredibly inaccurate.
That is catastrophic, and will be a bitch and a half to deal with. We'll need to improve our insights and try to relearn the lost arts of astrology.
>>6370466
This is a good idea. I will support it, so that we can counterbalance our arm.
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>>6370494
Four mirrors would be an auspicious way to kill ourselves, hahaha. But seriously, I'm unsure. Perhaps two? As this is our second serious ritual, and to represent the Horn constellation, assuming that it corresponds to the Azure Dragon. Although if it is two mirrors that have two meanings, wouldn't that also add up to four and thus be deathly? Hmm... a wiser astrologer anon should weigh in.
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>>6370503
Multiplying everything by seven is extremely audacious, but might work, unless the difficulty increases far higher from the additional complexity. I don't know. I'll abstain from the vote whether or not to add more ritual elements.
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So, you want to 7x everything?
I won't stop you, do you want to cultivate home or outside? Asking for a friend.
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>>6370526
You're right. Only a decisive cultivator can go anywhere under heaven.
>>6370520
At anon's advice, and my own misgivings, I'm going to vote against the sevenfold ritual. It's a cool idea and probably has an insane amount of power, but we are not ready yet. This could easily cause permanent damage to our meridians.
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File: 1758726950273433.webm (2.4 MB)
2.4 MB WEBM
I won't be able to do a second update, so I'll be locking in the morning, feel free to second guess as much as you want.
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It is the early evening, and you’re in the courtyard with a new set of materials, you follow the motions of the Yin Yang Five Elements ritual, arranging the cups to match the Azure Bird of the East instead. Lifu, along with the other three clan members you gave insights, are standing guard, and other clan members are starting to watch in interest.
The carcass is left under the table… The sunflower is cut into seven pieces and arranged to represent the Azure Bird of the East, a teacup is placed on top of each piece. The starfruits are cut into seven thin pieces each, that are then placed inside the seven teacups. The polished Ruby and Sapphire are put inside the water jar at the same time. The mirror hangs at an angle from an eave.
Water resonates with Wood, Earth and Fire, Starlight resonates with Metal and is captured, resonating with the other three elements. Yin and yang meld together and flow into the cups.
The water is consumed in the order of Wall, Encampment, Roof, Emptiness, Girl, Ox and Dipper.
The starlight does not rampage, neither does it cause you to enter a drunken stupor. All you feel is the energy flowing through your body and settling on your upper dantian at an incredible rate and as soon as all your dantians are full, the excess starlight flows directly into your right arm.
This time Lifu leads the clan members in absorbing the purified metal energy, two struggle and the last one foams at the mouth the moment he absorbs the Qi, but is stabilized by Lifu and the other two. You also watch over them and there are no issues throughout the night… A gain for everyone involved if you have to say anything about it.
Having become accustomed to the ritual and the starlight, you easily reach the grand perfection of Qi Gathering, your next step is to at least partially open one of the Seven Spiritual Points to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and then use that point to open the other six.
You recall that back in your previous life, you forced a large amount of qi into the point and used a sword to “pop” it open… It worked, but it was a rather painful experience. Now however, you understand that forcing them open is a detriment in the long run, it has to be done through resonance.
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The normal way is to begin with the first point and work your way up to the seventh, the easiest way would be to work out of order with one of the points that overlap with one of the three dantians, or you could start from the last and work your way down… Or maybe you could pick one you fancy.
Right now you can wait for your cultivation to stabilize and then perform the ritual, or you can strike the iron while it's hot and break through within the next couple days, using the energy that hasn’t fully settled to increase your odds of doing it in one single try.
>Wait to stabilize and
>>Refine your body
>>Research (topic and d20)
Or
>Prepare to break through immediately by rolling a nat 100 and!
>>Start from the bottom (DC 40)
>>Start from the top (DC 70)
>>Gather objects of one color (what color?) [Mystery DC]
>>Gather objects of one element (what element?) [Mystery DC]
>>Use a dantian to resonate (which dantian?) [Mystery DC]
As for what would have happened,you’d have drunk all 49 cups of starlight, had a seizure and pissed, sweated and puked out all the water and starlight of about 35 into the lake, which would have become an irradiated zone that kills all life in a range of almost 1 Li but could be used to help yourself and the entire city if you did some research. No death or poisoning/crippling since you rolled so high.
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>>6370923
Excellent work. Our cultivation progresses at a fine pace.
>>6370924
Hmm... after a bit of thought, I think we should-
>Refine your body
Ming Bei's biggest asset is his incredible body. We're safely at the heart of a local clan and have no pressing demands. There's no reason to rush when we can start hitting the gym and laying down a proper foundation for our, uh, Foundation Establishment.
>that spoiler
Holy shit that would've been hilarious. Now part of me regrets voting for the regular ritual, although that doubtless would've killed many innocent mortals, which would've been a severe karmic demerit.
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>>6370924
>Refine your body
I'm also curious about Soul refining, how does it work QM? can we attempt it? I assume yes since it was offered as an option in one of the earlier votes.
>spoiler
I mean we could still do that, by just pouring the purified star energy of the ritual directly into the lake right? minus puking and pissing ourselves part of course since we're not drinking it beforehand.
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For the Foundation Establishment breakthrough we should resonate the Seven Spiritual Points with the seven stars of the Big Dipper. Also where should we go after we leave the sect? The Mountain Sect sounds like your standard xianxia sect experience, I have no idea what to expect from the desert and the icelnads but I'm mostly intrigued by the latter. Arctic biomes are rarely explored in xianxia and they make for the best stargazing locations.
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Rolled 32 (1d100)
>>6370924
Wait. . . WE COULD SKIP THROUGH FE?!
Once we open all 7, we are in core formation. And we can try to bust through it all at once. . .
Like it needs a nat 100 to go all the way, but we can JUMP to near the top!
>>>6370992
change this to
>Use danitan to resonate/Lower danitan that will become our golden core
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Locking body refining
>>6371015
Soul refining is a little more delicate, since body refining was already picked the option will be locked out for a while. For the spoiler, it can still be done yes, you just have to find a way for these people to use it.
>>6371021
>what to expect from the desert and the icelnadsOne is cleansing and the other is exploration, not saying which is which
>>6371026
>>6371039
Technically you can go through the stage in a single sitting (open all seven points at once, then turn the dantian into a core through compression) or find a way to make your dantian a core without opening any points using the tools that you have.
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>>6371079
It is only now this dumbass realizes he didn't include options for body refining, so I will list them.
Roll a 1d100 and choose
>Multiple pressure points (choose a body part and a number of points)
>A single pressure point as a ritual (what do you want to try resonating with)
The needles will be made of starlight, as you already succeded using them once.
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>>6371081
Left arm, Pheonix of the west.
A thing qm. You keep calling it the bird of the east. I ignored it the first few times but now I'm getting concerned, Is it the bird of the east or West?
I'm not going to roll again though, use that 32.
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Rolled 10 (1d100)
>>6371079
Yeah I figured, we'll leave soul refining alone for now until we reach the heaven axis.
>spoiler
I'm partial towards exploration, since have no idea what "cleansing" entails.
>>6371081
>left arm, phoenix of the west
I propose the Tiger/Dragon be imprinted on our Back/Chest respectively. Chest for North and back for South.
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You’ll wait until your cultivation stabilizes before breaking through, there’s still the matter of deciding how you will go about doing it and preparing any necessary materials to aid. Putting this in the back of your mind for the time being, after doing some stretches under the sunlight of dawn, you have a light meal and head back to your room.
The door is locked and the windows shut, you wash up and make space to sit on the floor. Since Lifu is assimilating the pure metal qi, you give the order to be left alone and for the room to not be entered under any circumstances before putting the piece of cloth in your mouth and beginning to produce the needles.
After half an incense stick’s worth of time, you hold seven long starlight needles in your right hand, because you already resonated with the symbol of the east, you offer this ritual to the west, and start inserting the needles into the respective pressure points.
Wall, Encampment, Roof, Emptiness, Girl, Ox and Dipper… The pain doubles with each needle, but having acquired a rough idea of Ming Bei’s pain threshold, you adjust your breathing and circulate some energy to make the experience slightly less miserable… It still hurts like hell.
Once all needles are inserted, you disperse them and guide the starlight into the pressure points, it doesn’t take long for you to notice that the points you had unlocked last time are forcefully absorbing and redistributing a considerable amount of starlight; The starlight flows into the constellation of the white turtle, and guiding it back into the configuration of the Azure Bird of the West would cause damage to your nerves and meridians, so you can only helplessly let it flow.
Your consciousness fades out little by little, and you perform the same mudras as last time to guide whatever starlight you can into the Azure Bird pressure points… You feel a strong resonance with the symbol, and the same slight sense of disgust and indignation takes root in your heart, slightly less pronounced than last time, but still present.
This time you don’t see any memories, simply letting the pain and emotions simmer as the energy unlocks the points, and this state only lasts for one day…
As you clean the sweat off your body, you estimate the extent of your gains while putting on some clothes and conclude that…
Rolled 81/100
Four fifths of the starlight was absorbed by the pressure points in your left arm, the rest flowing into your right arm and then circulating into your high dantian. As a silver lining, you feel it helped in stabilizing the energy you had just absorbed through the Yin Yang Five Elements ritual, you’ll likely be able to attempt the breakthrough or continue accumulating power in the Qi Gathering stage faster.
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The left arm is still slightly weaker than the right though, but this issue can be resolved with some time. As you’re about to leave your room, you see a piece of paper under the door, a letter that was slid into your room while you were performing the ritual… You pick up the piece of paper and let Lifu, who has just returned from her own cultivation, into your room.
With unremarkable calligraphy, the contents are very straightforward.
“Guang City’s clan gathering will be taking place in the following days, seeing that the Young Master could rest and cultivate thanks to the might of the Ming family, this madam believes it is only fair for him to attend this gathering on behalf of the clan.
The young master will have the opportunity to exchange pointers with other promising cultivators, and perhaps make valuable connections for the future.
This madam is looking forward to the young master’s performance.”
”A clan gathering, she says.”
”Yes, the young master was never informed as there was no need, I will explain... ”
The three clans have been established in Guang city for about a thousand years, they have been fighting for total control over the territory ever since, the conflict was short of an all out war for the first three hundred years, but the clans were almost wiped out by external forces on one occasion. To prevent this from happening again, a dao oath, a written contract and this gathering were set up.
The oath prevents the patriarch/matriarch of a clan from taking direct action unless another head, or at least two elders from another faction are involved. The contract binds the clans and prevents mutual destruction, but the wording is loose enough to let a clan be “swallowed” so long as it still exists.
The gatherings are hosted as a way of having the clan youths and members below core formation interact with each other in hopes of creating a positive connection. These gatherings are composed of three different events: A dao debate, a tournament between the three clans, and a three day festival where dance and rituals are offered to the heavens.
”The young lady said she will participate in the festival, and a few juniors have volunteered for the debate… I did not think the master would sign up.”
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You have been signed up for the Youth Gathering tournament, it looks like Tan Shu wants to get a good grasp of your capabilities… According to Lifu, the strongest opponents will likely be in the middle-late Foundation Establishment stage.
You will have one to three turns to make preparations, will you...
>Deceive her and impose limitations on yourself to appear weaker
>>Limit yourself to just sword techniques with the cudgel (next turn is technique selection)
>>Limit yourself to just martial arts with your physical body (next turn is technique selection)
>>(write in)
Or
>Don’t bother and blast everyone away as they come along (this skips to the tournament)
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I wonder if it would be a good idea to make the most central pressure point of our body resonate with the sun, other ideas for resonating that I have are luck, guidance, light and future and not related to stars but how about sword, tulips, reincarnation and war given our past life
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>>6371509
The sun is extreme Yang, which we are not affiliated with. In my opinion we shouldn't rush further resonance after the 4 Symbols until we've delved deep into star lore. Who knows? we may be able discover some super special invisible star that only Starlight Cultivators can see.
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>>6371541
Orions sword, is the only one I can find. 3 stars and part of the larger orion asterism.
The modern constellationOrionlies across two of the quadrants, symbolized by theWhite Tiger of the West(西方白虎,Xī Fāng Bái Hǔ) andVermilion Bird of the South.
For us this is the tiger of the north and and bird of the West.
So doing some detective work, we can find the specific stars making up the sword.
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>>6371558
The stars are It comprises three stars (42 Orionis, Theta Orionis, and Iota Orionis) and M42
And iota Orionis is named "hatysa" but has an Arabic name originally meaning "brightest one of the sword".
I just can't find the Chinese name for it.
For those looking at a star map, it's south of orions belt, in the middle of the trapezium the lower stars of orion make.
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It is about time you test out this physique, you’ll limit yourself to just martial arts and battle with only your flesh and bones… With this in mind, you borrow a practice dummy from the training grounds and play around with it while others are focused on their own training.
You think of two styles you studied the basics of, but never got the chance to use in combat, as your lack of mastery would have turned them into a fatal weakness… The Cloud Herding Finger and the Heavenly Demon Fist.
The Cloud Herding Finger, created by an elemental Dao master who was crippled and had no choice but to walk the Martial Dao, his Qi was poor and his body frail because of his injuries, so he chose to specialize in footwork and the concentration of power into small areas. He was known for easily intercepting and stopping techniques and mystical arts. Even stopping the first step of your Annihilation Advancement with just two fingers.
The Spectral Demon Palm, created by a devilish cultivator who was enlightened and sealed the Devilish Dao to live a life of repentance, using a body forged by evil to punish evil. The devilish nature of the martial artist is reflected in the moves, destroying the opponent’s techniques, body and will through a vicious and relentless assault. He was one of the few cultivators in the heaven axis who could keep up with immortals.
The Cloud Herding Finger is divided into two components: “Walking in the rain”, the footwork and “Plucking dew”, the techniques. While the Spectral Demon Palm has no footwork, its techniques are divided into “Ghostly Pursuit” and “Spectral Punishment”, to clash and to strike at the exposed opponent respectively.
You warm up with the training dummy, throwing palm strikes, shoulder checks and various kicks that affect large areas in the wooden frame.
*Thud Thud Thud*
Then you shift around with peculiar footwork stabbing with your fingertips and knuckles, elbow thrusts, using your knees and heels.
*Thunk Thunk Thunk*
You refresh your knowledge of the basics for both styles, seeing clan members come and go, practice their petal control and feeling their way around the style with too much freedom… Some of them use the petals separately like Lifu, some focus on a single petal and use the others as a supporting weapon… Treating them similarly to throwing knives. A smaller amount is using them as catalysts to cast mystical arts, and others to take hold of the terrain.
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After a while some of them turn their attention to you, some looking at your footwork, some observing the way you strike at the dummy… The unwilling girl from last time, whose name you’ve never bothered to remember, along with some others clumsily imitate a few of the rain walking steps, she takes this chance to strike a conversation.
”Ming Bei… Ahem, the young master started cultivating just a few months ago and already reached the grand perfection of Qi Gathering, even participating in the Youth Gathering.”
”I was not aware I would be participating, so I don’t have much time to prepare.” You strike the dummy and point out a flaw in her step.
”Is that so? Then as a senior I can give some advice… Since our clans are rather small, the tournament is held in a single day and will have a total of sixteen people, five from each house and the final spot is rotated every meeting.” She starts correcting her flaw, but it will take her some time for muscle memory to kick in.
”You should also look out for the Dao Children of the He and the Yuan, since our Ming does not have one, they have won for the last ten tournaments… I wish the young lady would participate sometime. I believe she should be as strong as Yuan Jianyu but is hiding it, I just can’t prove it yet.” She continues to gossip about other members you don’t know, and people from other clans you couldn’t bring yourself to commit to memory, but you don’t cut her off, instead pointing out other flaws in her movement.
After about a shichen, she is exhausted and leaves to take a break with the rest, you’ve fully recalled the moves of both styles by now and head back to your room. You learned from her that the tournament has four rounds, every participant is given a protection charm to prevent fatal wounds, and victory is decided under three conditions.
Push the opponent out of the combat platform.
Knock the opponent out.
Destroy the opponent’s protection charm.
The He practices the fire dao, and the Yuan practices the wood dao. Normally the Ming would have an advantage over the Yuan and be at a disadvantage when facing the He… but since there are no high quality talents, the Ming are at a disadvantage as a whole, being suppressed by the young geniuses of the other two clans. Since you’re joining this time, the Ming is certain to get some of their face back, you simply need to choose a style and play a little with the other kids.
You will participate with
>The Cloud Herding Finger
>The Spectral Demon Palm
Will you make any preparations (write in) or Skip to the first match and roll a d100 (DC20)
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Rolled 49 (1d100)
>>6371674
I think Cloud Herding Finger's focus on precision and concentrating power will make it more useful for our pseudo-poison. That, and the defense is useful. Spectral Demon Palm is potent but leans less into the strengths of our method. For that reason, I've got to back-
>The Cloud Herding Finger
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Rolled 8 (1d100)
>>6371674
>The Cloud Herding Finger
>skip
This has better synergy with Starlight. The Spectral Demon Palm is cool, but its still a devilsh art at heart, its aggressive and emotional core clashes with the pure and cold intent of star qi.
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There’s no need for additional preparations, so you take the last few days to finish internalizing the foundation of the Cloud Herding Finger. The Spectral Demon Palm’s destructive power might be too much for these juniors, precision and control will ensure you don’t accidentally cripple someone. The other four members of the Ming clan, Lifu included, also take this time to finish polishing their recent insights. Sparring with each other and some of the stronger members and taking various medicines and elixirs to be in top shape during the day of the tournament.
The first day of the gathering is marked by the start of a festival that celebrates the collaboration between the three clans and their efforts to keep outsider barbarian clans out of the shared territories. People from nearby cities and minor schools and families, as well as those within the city partake in dance, food and drink. Specialty dishes from other regions in Li are brought and goods from outside the territory are also being traded at relatively cheaper prices.
The celebration includes a few plays, of which Xiaoliang participates in two, her role in the first is that of the founding He matriarch, a strategist who was a leading figure in the expulsion of the barbarians from Li towards western Shimo, the lady was betrayed and sent to the north to keep guard, even after disaster struck the land of the barbarians, she was not allowed to return. This play also included the origin of the other two clans, which weren’t that grand, the Yuan settled from the south and the Ming came into existence within Guang city.
The second role she plays is that of an ancient being that was unleashed upon the world by a hateful mad genius. This play featured the biggest number of performers and featured a prince of the Zhou Divine Empire setting out on an adventure to gather allies and defeat the cursed being.
You paid some attention to this story to try and get a sense of what the people consider “ancient”, but the people and the events in the play are things that you don’t recall happening, you might actually be more ancient than these ancients. The being itself was human-like, but not quite, it had a unique appearance, snow white hair, red eyes and strange red colored garments. A red crown floated above its head and it stared down at the world with a cold gaze.
Various cultivators outside the stage joined hands to create bizarre sights to mimic the being’s power, the impeccable acting of both mortals and clan members had everyone at the edge of their seats, and when the prince sealed the being, the audience gave a standing ovation.
You couldn’t figure out what kind of power the being held, perhaps the legend never mentioned it, perhaps it was left out on purpose, but the crown should be a manifestation of power above the Heaven Axis because of the emphasis it was given. The first day goes by in a cheerful tune, and the bracket for the tournament is made public in the evening.
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The tournament begins early the next morning and you’re last, amongst the list of names you recognize Ming Lifu and Ma Xing, who are both in separate groups from yours.
The first match is between Yuan Jianyu, who you now see is the young master from that time and one of your Ming clan cultivators, it is Jianyu’s total victory. His use of Wood techniques looks the same as the time you saw him face off against Lifu.
Ma Xiang makes quick work of a He clan member without manifesting his sword intent, Lifu outmaneuvers a cultivator of the Yuan and pushes them out, a He youth burns every wood technique his opponent launches and wins after a slightly longer fight. And then comes Ming Unwilling… Well, Ming Biya is her name according to the plates, her opponent overpowers her with a basic mystical art before she has the chance to bestow force on him.
”That’s our young master! He’ll make it all the way to the finals this time as well!” Some clan members nearby cheer for He Jianying as he sends Biya flying away in a few moves.
A kid from the Yuan defeats another from the He in a long fight, and it is finally your turn to step into the platform.
Your opponent is of the Yuan family, Yuan Yuan according to the plates. He takes a stance with a peachwood sword and both sides offer a salute before taking his stance. You return the greeting while observing his body, qi flow and the way in which he holds the sword.
Unremarkable to the extent you know he’s not even hiding any tricks. You hold your left hand in front at neck level, fingers spread and palm facing towards the opponent, the right hand guards your dantian and its palm is facing upwards.
Once the judge signals the start of the match, the youth infuses his legs with Qi and runs at you, then stabs the sword towards your chest while circulating his Qi back into the sword, there is a faint trail of Qi left behind by his movement, but that is the extent of it.
DC 20, Rolled 85
The opponent’s thrust is too slow and you grab the sword between your index and middle fingers, redirecting it at an angle away from your body. The young man tries to pull the sword back, only to struggle and fail as your grip is too strong. With the weapon immobilized, you simply concentrate your force on the tip of your middle finger, which pushes against his collarbone, and gently walk him all the way to the border of the platform before letting the sword loose.
Your finger contained enough force to send the brat flying away from the platform and into the nearby wall, he’s pushed out and knocked out at the same time.
The audience goes quiet for a few moments before erupting in cheers, the winners that you know had already expected this result, while the young master of the He and the others’ expressions turn serious. A pause is called to let the winners recover… And most likely for everyone else to gamble on the second round.
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The second round has Yuan Jianyu and Ma Xian face against each other, the fight is long, and Ma Xian dominates for the most part with his sword intent, but is ultimately defeated by Jianyu because he couldn’t break out of the formation that had been set up throughout the fight. The audience cheers on both the entire match.
Lifu has no issues beating a He clan member, rather than clashing her metal petals against the fire techniques of the opponent, she targets the protection charm directly and shatters it within an incense stick’s worth of time. The spectators were mostly silent for this fight, waiting in anticipation for the moment the charm was destroyed or Lifu lost.
He Jianying has to face a member of his own clan, who goes all out but has his flames consumed by the young master’s mystical art and is quickly knocked unconscious by the explosion.
After the gambling break is finished, your name and that of a Yuan clan member is called. This time your opponent is using a fan and you can feel strong wood qi emanating from it. Each side takes their stance and waits for the opponent to make a move.
”Please instruct me, daoist Fenfang.”
”Likewise, please instruct me, daoist Bei.”
It looks like Fenfang’s style is also reactive in nature, you can
>Wait for him to make the first move and counter it (2d100, dc 110)
>Take the initiative and attack him, target the charm (1d100, dc 60)
>Take the initiative and attack him, you’ll push him out (1d100, dc 45)
>Take the initiative and attack him, you’ll knock him out (1d100, dc 65)
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Yuan Fenfang and you smile at each other for a few moments, both waiting for the other to make the first move, you can tell his attention is fixed on your legs and he is preparing a mystical art with the fan as catalyst... Since he won’t make his move, you will make yours.
You perform the basic steps of Walking in the Rain to approach the opponent, and he activates the mystical art when you have taken your ninth step. Wood Qi concentrates around the youth’s legs and quickly spreads out in all directions, it transforms into thick vines with sharp thorns. The vines thrash wildly both to smash into your legs while keeping you at a distance, a formidable defense for a grand perfection Qi Gathering cultivator that also doubles as an offensive technique if someone approaches.
”Daoist Bei, you might have been able to defeat my junior, but this is as far as you go. Someone who cannot even circulate Qi has no place in a fight between cultivators!”
DC 45
Rolled 92
He would have a point if you were a normal cultivator, unfortunately for him, you’re anything but. You continue approaching and step on top of a vine, your whole mass is supported on his technique and he immediately tries to swat you away with the other vines, you tiptoe your way from vine to vine, skipping and hopping like a child playing in the rain trying to not get their new shoes dirty, ten skips, two hops and nine steps is all it takes for you to arrive in front of him.
He tries to use a different Mystical Art with the Qi that had been gathered in the fan but is too slow, you jump down the vine with a spin landing on one foot, continuing the rotation and rising with an elbow strike aimed at his stomach right below the fan. Your left hand pushes your right arm and the force that was transferred sends Fenfang flying out of the stage before he can react.
Like the previous match, he too flies into the wall, and crashes into it in the same section as your first opponent, now full of cracks and the outlines of two people. The part of the audience who didn’t bet cheers, while those who did curse or grit their teeth.
You step off the stage and listen to some nearby conversations while everyone prepares for the first semifinal match between Yuan Jianyu and Lifu.
”Uncle, who the hell is that Ming fellow? It’s my first time seeing him, is he a Dao Child?”
”I wouldn’t know, the few times I visited the Ming I never saw anyone who looked like him, maybe they were hiding him all along.”
….
”Senior, did you see the way Miss Lifu moved just then? I’m kind of glad I didn’t volunteer this year”
”Her movement played a part in her victory, but her control over the petals is what is most frightening… Her Qi was very stable and she did not make any mistakes… If that guy could have disrupted her control he would have had a chance.”
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….
”Aiyaa I’m going back to the betting table I just gotta put some for that Ming dude.”
”Don’t bother, you seen Jianying when he gets serious? This is as far as he goes! Place a bet on whether the Yuan Dao Child will make a scene this year again or not, now that’s the real bet.”
…
Ma Xiang sits next to you, and drinks from a gourd… full of wine if your sense of smell doesn’t play any tricks.”So, wanna make a bet?” he asks.
”You’re that confident in your friend?”
He lets out a hearty laugh when he hears your question and replies ”Hahaha not at all.”
”Listen fellow Bei… I’m betting on you winning instead.” He takes a swig before continuing.
”Really?” You lead him on.
”Well, I can only say it because I saw what I saw… I don’t really have much hope for Jianyu, you know?
For one because he’s fighting her, and also because I can tell she hasn’t played all her cards… If you’re behind any of them he’ll have a hard time… So it’s easier to bet on someone I know will definitely win, don’t lose me money now okay?” He gets up and leaves as quickly as he arrived, the little brat.
…
The time of the third arrives when Ming Lifu and Yuan Jianyu are called, Lifu jumps into the stage and Jianyu steps up from the side, using his Wood Qi to make a path. People cheer at his display of power and others call out Lifu’s name when she prepares her orchid.
”Li-Lifu, about the other time… ”
”...”
”I…”
”Daoist Yuan, please instruct me.”
The tension between the two is palpable, Jianyu has a conflicted expression on his face, while Lifu, who is normally serious, shuts down his attempt to strike conversation.
”...Okay, please instruct me.” Jianyu sighs and pulls a handful of talismans from his sleeve.
The judge calls the start of the fight and Jianyu jumps back while spreading talismans directly in front of himself, performing hand signs to activate them. Ten stakes made with Wood Qi fly towards Lifu at high speed while other talismans are being controlled into position around her.
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Rolled 1 (1d2)
Lifu evades the projectiles flying her way and controls her petals to intercept and destroy the talismans trying to encircle her, Jianyu protects the talismans with small barriers of wood qi and increases the rate at which he is shooting the stakes.
Lifu’s movements are very rough around the edges, and many stakes tear parts of her uniform away, but she gets closer and evades every stake sent her way, making Jianyu fall back again.
”Listen Lifu...”
”I won’t listen, Jianyu.”
Petals and barriers swirl around each other and clash endlessly, barriers are broken and talismans are cut. Petals are repelled and a small storm of wood and metal engulf the arena, Jianyu uses the same ground as technique Fenfang to keep Lifu away. The vines are thicker and densely covered in thorns making it harder to move around.
Lifu’s response is to lower her stance.
”Argh, look I just want to apologize!”
”I won’t accept it!”
And she begins to dance a three step dance. A step to stab, a step to cleave, a step to create distance, the steps repeat over and over, alternating as the thickness of her metal qi threads increases and boosts the cutting power of the petals, which manage to destroy some of the barriers around the talismans, but cannot fully break through before Yuan Jianyu completes the same formation as last time. A large amount of wood qi builds up within the enclosure between the two of them.
(rolling a 1d2 to see what side wins, will Lifu job against the young master again?)
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(Lifu didn't job!)
Lifu recalls the petals into a cross formation with the final petal pointing towards Jianyu and creates “force”. The wood qi transforms into a deer with large antlers that charge towards the opponent, Lifu fails to “bestow” the force into the front petal, but it is nonetheless shot at a speed faster than any foundation establishment cultivator can react to- the other four petals shoot out to the sides and Lifu is sent flying in the opposite direction due to the recoil.
The petal clashes with the antler and slides right through it, tearing a hole through the technique and burying itself deep into Jianyu’s shoulder, who is carried away by the force of the projectile and painfully pinned on one of the arena’s walls… Lifu barely recovers in time to avoid leaving the platform, and the match is decided.
The crowd roars in excitement, Lifu’s name is chanted and some of the spectators -men and women- even declare their feelings for the young lady at the top of their lungs, the judge as well as some of the other clan elders respectfully salute Lifu as she descends the stage, and she glances your way for a moment.
Her expression is dark.
...
Without any time to check on Lifu, He Jianying’s and your names are called to begin the second match. In a similar fashion to Jianyu, he covers his chubby arms and legs in flames and jumps into the stage. You take the steps like a normal person and greetings are exchanged.
When the judge signals the start, he speaks again while performing hand signs.
”Hah, to think the Ming would bring in more than rubbish this time, but Qi Gathering rubbish is still rubbish!”
The flames coiling his body spread through the platform, leaving you a small space of two steps in all directions.
”Give up now and tell your friend to quit.”
”Or what?”
”Or I’ll make you surrender without breaking your protection charm.” He smiles as he says this, trying to look the part of a menacing madman, but his chubby looks just don't help much, he would have been scary if you were a kid but he simply looks like a spoiled kid in your eyes.
Since the dao child of the He is talking with his ass you will
>Wait for him to make the first move and counter it (2d100, dc 70)
>Take the initiative and attack him, target the charm (1d100, dc 55)
>Take the initiative and attack him, you’ll push him out (1d100, dc 80)
>Take the initiative and attack him, you’ll knock him out (1d100, dc 65)
>>Taunt him for a +10 bonus if you pass your check, but increase the dc by 5 (write in your taunt)
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Rolled 43, 75 = 118 (2d100)
>>6372360
>Wait for him to make the first move and counter it.
>Taunt: "For a man named He, the only harmony you seem to hold is with your gluttony rather than between skill and hubris."
He apparently means "harmony" or "and"
So I think it's clever.
Anyway, lowest DC here is counter. since a 2d100 is easier to get over 75 than 1d100 over 55
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>>6372372
Oh, the joke was meant to be
"Your name means harmony/balance, but you are fat and lack skill while overflow with hubris" with the secondary pun being that as this would be spoken in Chinese, incorporating his family name again "Skill He [and] Arrogence"
But apparently I got the wrong He anyway, so the joke doesn't make sense.
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File: HAVE ROCK.jpg (27.7 KB)
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>>6372843
I forgive you
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Is there an update today QM? I need my cultivationslop fix.
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It’s clear he paid attention to your matches, he intends to turn you into a practice dummy by sealing your mobility and staying away, the flames look manageable… and you can always take more drastic measures at the cost of the platform’s integrity anyways. For now you will play his game, and since he’s talking with his ass, you’ll respond in kind.
You break stance for a moment and turn to the side, striking a thinking pose and closing your eyes as if pondering really hard.
”Hoho, how scary… but fellow Daoist, for a man surnamed He, you only seem to be in harmony with your gluttony and hubris, how about you quit the dumplings?”
”You bastard! That’s the wrong He!” Jianying’s Qi flares as his face grows red, he creates sharp toothed, carp-shaped spheres of fire on each hand and jumps high into the air before throwing them your way. The heat is a little intense, but there are flaws in the way it is being concentrated.
The carps move their bodies and tailfins from side to side, leaving a trail of embers in their path as the audience marvels at the faint orange light that emanates from each scale and the bright red eyeballs that are fixated on you, their mouths open and close and sparks are created when the fangs meet.
That’s what he’s concerned about?
You turn your hand around, palm facing upwards and reach for the first carp. The flame construct makes contact with the tips of your index and middle fingers, and you gently guide it away from you into the fire outside your little circle, and as it crashes into the ground, it causes a pillar of flames to rise.
While this is taking place, you extend your other hand putting it inside the other carp’s mouth, and before it can explode, you tighten your grip on the construct’s lower lip and lug it back at Jianying, who is just starting his descent. The fish-like fire flies at him at a speed faster he can react to, slapping him right on the face with its tail and exploding on his belly, destroying the protection charm and burning off his hanfu.
The dao child hits the floor with his back and struggles to get up, when he manages to stand on his feet, he immediately creates another set of carps, this time larger and hotter as he yells. Right when he’s about to throw them at you, he’s stopped by the judge and dragged away.
With a charred tummy and a face redder than his mystical art, He Jiaozi– He Jianying’s loss is announced, he spouts profanities and keeps asking for a rematch while cultivators and mortals alike wonder at and praise your technique.
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Rolled 82 (1d100)
The He kid is not bad for his age skills wise but his attitude is not suitable for someone that weak. If he’s fortunate he’ll grow out of it… or get humbled out of it without much loss.
Ma Xiang doesn’t give you a quick visit before the final match starts, but you can see him gambling, he points your way and shakes his head repeatedly, putting on a play of a scholar with his hand behind his back, likely trying to dissuade people from betting on you.
The conversations nearby naturally shift to you, who you are, where did you pop out from, why you’re not using the orchid and how you could handle a mystical art like throwing a fish into a basket. Some wonder if you’ll be able to stop Lifu’s decisive move, and others wonder if she has more cards to play.
”The final match! Ming Lifu! Ming Bei! ” You’re both called and the judge explains the rules one last time.
Lifu’s expression is a little darker than before, her breathing is irregular and her hands are trembling slightly… Her eyes are not entirely focused either, she’s pretty nervous. The judge signals the start of the fight and the audience cheers on both sides.
You will
>Wait for her first move and counter it (1d100)
>Get close and put pressure on her (1d100)
>Go for the protective charm (1d100)
>>You can say something to Lifu, depending on what you say her DC will increase or lower
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Rolled 37 (1d100)
>>6373225
>Wait for her first move and counter it (1d100)
This is what our style is good at.
>>You can say something to Lifu: "Don't hold back on me now, show me what I've taught you. Bestow Force"
Judging from the her roll she doesn't need the DC boost, but still. This is an opportunity to level up her technique and create a rising star for the ming clan.
Losing isn't much of concern to us, since the Ming will win either way.
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This won’t do, she’s too nervous… You take your stance and call her name, causing her to flinch and fix her gaze on you.
”If you're nervous in a real fight you'll lose your life.”
”Ah… I’m sorry…”
”Don't hold back on me now, show me what I've taught you.”
”But what if I hurt the young master?”
”What are you talking about? We’re opponents here, Daoist Lifu… You’ve seen how I chose to fight today, so you have the first move.”
Lifu closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, the audience cheers her on to fight and she responds to your words and their chant by jumping back and creating a distance of 60 zhang. The moment her feet touch the platform again, the petals have already begun to circle her left hand.
Four petals align in the form of a cross with the fifth pointed towards your chest, the cross rotates and a large amount of Force is being concentrated on the back end of the fifth. Daoists and mortals alike clamor, the judge’s expression turns solemn, Ma Xiang’s gaze is fixed on your hands, while Yuan Jianyu is paying attention to Lifu’s artifact.
”Then, please instruct me!” Lifu shouts.
Lifu is able to successfully bestow force on the petal thanks to the opportunity you gave her by waiting for an attack (Rolled 82)
When the rotating cross reaches the maximum speed she can grant it, the air directly in front of her is torn and a large shockwave pushes the dust on the floor away. The last petal closes in at a speed that Foundation Establishment cultivators can’t follow, and is caught between your thumb and index fingers.
Bang!
Force flows through your body and you redirect it towards the floor with the Cloud Herding Finger’s Plucking Dew technique. Your hand is pushed back and hits your chest, and you’re further pushed back by the petal.
“Miss Lifu!” other daoists spectating call out to her, “You can do it!” The young ladies are especially fired up in this match.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
The tiles break and crack around your feet as you take three steps back and begin to redirect the force to break her technique. You raise your other three fingers and mirror the gesture with your unused hand, six steps should allow you to completely neutralize the attack.
“Don’t lose!” “Stop it like the others!” A few people including Ma Xiang cheer for you and match the ladies, while other guys join in on their cheering for Lifu.
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>>6373791
Rolled 37
And as you are taking the fourth step… a second petal strikes the first at an angle! You’re briefly lifted off the ground by the force the second petal imparted, then a third petal strikes the other two and you’re sent flying out of the platform before you can stabilize and stop the petals.
The crowd’s cheers grow louder and louder, the young ladies are practically squealing, while the number of people supporting you grows. You manage to adjust mid air and manage to dissipate the force but the match has long since been lost. All you can do is land gracefully on your feet and hold the first petal up for everyone to see.
When you raise your hand, the cultivators gasp before cheering even louder, and when the sunlight reflects off the petal, the mortals notice it and join the cultivators. Representatives from the three clans make their way to the platform and greet Lifu, presenting her with some materials and artifacts as the reward for winning the competition, praising her performance and following what you assume are the formal steps for the closing ceremony of the event.
All participants are then called up to the stage and guided to stand next to each other, the representative of the He gives a long winded speech about the importance of the tradition and then the Yuan representative emphasizes the need for the three clans to stand together. The representative of the Ming, Madam Tan Shu, finishes the speech by wishing the three clans for prosperity.
As everyone is leaving the platform and the arena, Lifu is dragged away by the madam and her maids while Ma Xiang and Yuan Jianyu call out to you. Xiang doesn’t look too distressed… He probably bet on both sides and made a profit.
”Hey! How the hell did she do that, and how the hell did you stop it?” He asks.
”Just a couple family tricks, nothing special.” You answer, this should remain in the Ming for a while.
”You lost, but you don’t look bothered at all?” Jianyu speaks, his tone is a little distant, somewhat melancholic even.
”What is it to me? Winning means the Ming wins, losing means the Ming wins anyway, it’s nothing to be concerned about.”
”Right…”
Jianyu goes quiet and his eyes shift between the place Lifu had been at just now and you, Ma Xiang, knowing that the young master won’t speak if he’s not being forced to, loses his patience and smacks him right in the head after a few breaths of silence.
”Damn it! Jianyu you fool! Just ask him!”
”You! Well, fine… Ming Bei, I want to apologize to Lifu for what happened that day… But you saw how she was… Please help me meet her, I’ll do anything to make it happen.”
As things stand right now, she’s more of a danger to him than he is to her so you turn him down, Jianyu becomes silent and does not push the topic any further.
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>>6373792
Ma Xiang looks to the sides and then grabs your shoulders to pull both of you closer, speaking in a hushed tone as he keeps looking around every now and then.
”Good, good! Now that we’re done with that, do either of you want to visit the Silken Teahouse with us? A couple of fellows from the He and I are sneaking out after the banquet tonight.”
”I’m not going, you might not have one, but I have a reputation to keep, and the last thing I want is for rumors about me going to a house of pleasures to reach Lifu.”
What do you want to do?
>Take him up on his offer and visit the Silken Teahouse, there’s bound to be something useful
>Take him up on his offer, but leave him and do your own thing in the city (write in where you’d like to wander off to)
>Decline and stay for the banquet.
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>>6373793
>Take him up on his offer and visit the Silken Teahouse, there’s bound to be something useful
If we won, we'd need to stick around for the sake of the clan's face, but since we're second-place- Hey! Why not? No harm, no foul.
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Evening comes and all tournament participants, along with other clan members as well as people from smaller families and representatives of outsider sects are partaking in casual chatter with some tea at a teahouse of the Yuan, Lifu awkwardly shares a space with the madam who is talking to a member of the He clan.
You sit next to Ming Biya, who is paying more attention to the candied dates on the table than anything else, and serve tea for both to pass time until the final guests arrive. The long winded speeches start again, friendship, unity, collaboration and pushing their own clans up higher than the others when their turn comes.
All pleasantries that you have seen countless times, words that ring hollow and actions that are self serving. It takes them a full two quarters to go through everyone who wants to have a word, including Lifu as the winner, hers was too well crafted to be made by herself, and she’s uncomfortable while speaking… At least the tea is passable.
Then come the servants with plates and trails full of delicacies, pots of wine are given to everyone and the celebration starts as people shuffle around to other seats. You take advantage of this moment and sneak out with Ma Xiang, unlike Jianyun, you don’t have a reputation to keep. Ma Xiang smiles and guides you out of the building where you meet up with the two He brats he mentioned.
”Ming Bei, these are He Wei and Fu Zixin. You two, this is Ming Bei, the guy I talked to you about last time”
”Daoist Bei! Pleased to have you come with us today, we’ll make it well worth your time, we-”
”Yeah yeah, let’s get going before we get caught and brought back in.”
”Hahaha, let’s go then.”
The two introduce themselves and Fu Zixin interrupts He Wei before he says anything else, Ma Xiang, seemingly used to their antics, steps in before they can start fighting and leads the way.
The streets are bustling with people and many lanterns and mystical artifacts light up the city, street stalls are still open and people are haggling here and there.
Ma Xiang takes the group from the main street into a smaller one, making a few turns before arriving at the destination, a large teahouse adorned with long silk curtains and various lanterns carved of exquisite cedarwood, in the middle of the courtyard is a six floor tower draped in a silk canopy that extends to the rest of the building, making the whole thing appear as a sort of tent.
Patrons go in and out of the building, looking in all directions as they do, all but a few leave with satisfied expressions and those who don’t look rather dejected. Fu Zixin is the one who leads everyone inside, he gives the boy at the entrance a medallion and you’re quickly brought deeper into the building by a young lady who gives you a light bow and a well practiced smile.
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”You see daoist Bei, Zixin here is the nephew of the master of this Silken Teahouse, so we’re getting the best attention today.” Ma Xiang comments, his steps are light and he’s already giddy like a little boy.
”Right right, mister Bei is not familiar with this place, is he?” He Wei comments, and you reply by shaking your head.
”Hmm okay, then let me continue from before Zixin cut me off…” The young man speaks as a fair skinned young lady at the early Qi Gathering stage guides you towards the tower.
The Silken Teahouse is both a business and a power that has locations all over the world, be it any of the countries subordinate to the Zhou Empire, or the independent territories to the east, if you look enough you will find at least one Silken Teahouse.
Ma Xiang nods, and the young lady, reading the mood, compliments his explanation with a warm and very courteous tone.
”Master Wei is right, our Silken Teahouse offers entertainment of all sorts, for all people… You can visit during the day with your sweetheart or your children, in the afternoon for business and at night for leisure~” The girl slows down a little as she speaks and lets you catch up, gently approaching you and placing her hands on your right arm, her motions are still being practiced and there is a little awkwardness to it, but that in itself can also be quite charming as seen by Ma Xiang’s reaction.
”Little Dandan, you’ve gotten pretty good recently eh?” She giggles at Ma Xiang’s offhand comment, and offers the group a natural smile different to that she had been wearing so far.
”That’s because Mister Xiang bullies me every time he visits! But it’s okay, we love that side of him too hehe.”
The two of them chatter and tease each other a little, and the group enters the tower.
The first floor has about fifty tables where patrons sit and chat with each other, or simply enjoy tea in solitude. Attractive maidens and good looking men walk to and fro carrying trails with various snacks and teapots, you notice that no alcohol is being offered despite being the evening, and the patrons as well as the feel of the location is quite modest and reserved.
”Everyone calls the tower in the center the silk roll, even though the Divine Seamstress, the master of all teahouses has not given it a proper name” Zixin comments, he is greeted by both workers and what seem to be regulars, who also greet the other two youths.
Little Dandan, who is still gently holding your arm, leads your group higher up the tower. The second floor offers alcohol, and the patrons are engaged in friendly banter and games, cards from the eastern territories, dice, mahjong… and you can’t help but notice that there is no gambling involved.
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The third floor is where you see why it has Silken in its name. There are a few curtains here and there, and through them you can see wealthier individuals being kept company and served drinks, food and dance by members of the teahouse.
The fourth floor is vastly different, made up of separate rooms with various spells applied to them, the entire floor is under the influence of a minor array to make the inside larger than the outside. Despite the array, you can feel a strong mix of Yin and Yang energies… wafting in the halls.
”Well, I’ll see you guys later, hope you don’t mind, Bei.” Ma Xiang holds Little Dandan’s hand and they leave for one of the unoccupied rooms.
Zixin continues to lead you and Wei higher up. The fifth floor has a similar structure to the fourth, but rather than the mixing of energies your nose is assaulted by a mix of strong residual medicinal auras and smells, it doesn’t take much guessing to tell this floor is for recreational elixirs. This time Wei walks into one of the empty rooms, leaving you and Zixin alone.
”Well brother Bei, you’ve seen all five floors… As for the sixth, it’s our seamstress’ office and where we do book keeping and all the boring things that come from managing a business, I’ll be greeting my aunt and then heading to the second floor.” He Wei speaks nonchalantly and puts one foot on the first stair.
”You can come along, or you can hang out on whatever floor you want. It’s all in the house today.”
>Head to the first floor
>Head to the second floor
>Head to the third floor
>Head to the fourth floor
>Head to the fifth floor
>Follow He Wei into the sixth floorAll choices are very valid, just be yourselves
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>>6374161
Hmm... Do we want to fish for rumors with the oldheads on the second floor, or see what Zixin's aunt has to say? As the proprietor of a teahouse, especially one of this kind, she surely sees plenty of comings and goings. Let's see if we can get an in with her.
>Follow He Wei into the sixth floor
We aren't positioned to make much use of such a contact right now, while we're training with the Ming proper, but later, when we're less indisposed, it might be as profitable as it is informative.
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>>6374161
>Follow to the sixth floor
I want answers on other locations and interesting things.
But then I'm really rather interested on the second floor. Even if they don't gamble, it's a good place to relax with a game.
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My apologies fellow daoists, this QM was watching donghuas and lost track of time.
”Then I’ll come along if brother Zixin doesn’t mind.”
You decide to follow Zixin and meet the Seamstress, the distance from the fifth to the sixth floor is a little longer than that between the others, the decorations and the energy flowing around, as well as the scent of the sixth floor is quite calm.
The sticky light is replaced by clear lanterns and the silken curtains are near the windows instead of all over the place, causing the room to be colder than the previous floors. There are shelves after shelves stacked with scrolls and books all over the place, just like in the Ming’s archive, and in the center is a large desk with piles of pending paperwork.
You sense two presences in the room, one behind the mountain of papers… Of whom you can only see a hair ornament peeking out from the pile, and a second further back behind at least 12 shelves… The presence is that of a low rank member of the dragon race.
”Auntie, I have come to visit as you asked.” Zixin speaks, he bows in front of the pile of papers and you also offer a bow, remaining quiet.
The seamstress’ arms raise as she stretches, ”Nnnnnnnh. Little Zixin!” she says, and once she takes note of your presence, she peeks out from the left side of the desk. Her features are refined, there are no imperfections on her skin… her lips are full and the small amount of rouge adorning them brings just the right amount of attention.
”I’m happy to see you, and this is?” You can feel two waves of Golden Core spirit sense spread across the room almost at the same time, and when her beautiful green eyes meet yours, her expression changes greatly.
”This is a new friend, Ming Bei… I was introduced to him by Ma Xiang.” Zixin doesn’t notice it, but his aunt and the one in the back are reading both your and his cultivation, as well as reading into your bodies.
”Oh I see! It looks to me like you two got lucky, Zixin. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, daoist Bei, I am Fu Ning.” The seamstress introduces herself as she stands from her chair to bow before quickly returning to her seat.
The presence in the back retreats until they’re completely out of your range of perception.
”I’m really sorry, but I cannot give you much of my time today, a lot of work has come in. But do make yourself comfortable, all floors are open and I believe Zixin has already treated you.”
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>>6374621
”Is it really that much you can’t even sit for some tea?” Zixin asks, being answered by a simple ‘Mhm’ and the sounds of scribbling and paper shuffling. As there’s no further response, you two make your way to leave the sixth floor… Just before you take the first step down the stairs, a voice transmission technique reaches you. ”Let us meet again in the future, daoist Ming Bei.”
You did not get a chance to make conversation, but you now understand there are at least two more golden core cultivators in the city… And you got the chance to make a first contact, you can work something out moving forward.
For the time being you will relax and
>Head down to the first floor
>Head down to the second floor
>Head down to the third floor
>Head down to the fourth floor
>Head down to the fifth floor
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The two of you head down to the second floor and as you’re walking down the stairs Fu Zixin explains.
”There are a few unspoken rules in these teahouses, one is neutrality within the building and its proximity, another is no gambling, and a third is referring to each other by their given names or titles.”
In other words, don’t drag your conflicts in, don’t start trouble in, and don’t rely on achievements that are not yours.
”Interesting, but why the second rule? Seeing the other things you offer, you could easily take over the gambling scene in major cities.”
”We tried and it was not worth it, it is declaring war on every gambling house in the world and it would be too expensive to win.”
”Then what about the others?” You ask.
”There are a few agreements and other rules for members of the teahouse that let us coexist with smaller businesses, it’s not my place to bother with these things anyways, the Silken Teahouses can only be led by women.”
”Do you have a relative who will take over, Zixin?”
”Not really, Auntie will pick someone talented from the girls here and pass along the skills and management of the place; It’s how she was chosen in the first place after all.”
According to him, his current plan is to make connections and rise a little in the He to save resources and move out of Guang city before that happens. In his eyes Guang City is too small to do anything, and he’d rather go to Zhou or one of the large cities in Kun.
”I’m going to meet with some regulars, you should look around.” He leaves you behind, as he’s not inviting you to tag along, you check the tables and their players.
The second floor’s lights are brighter than those of the upper floors, but warmer than the sixth. The workers walk to and fro with bottles and pots of different kinds of alcohol, some carry snacks with them as well. In some table to the back you see Zixin sitting down with some old men and dealing cards.
Almost all the people in the room are quite normal, for cultivator standards, the average stage is mid foundation establishment, and they’re mostly from orthodox sects and daos, even their clothes are the usual daoist robes, just with a few variations in color and decoration. There is however, one table that breaks the rule; completely opposite from the place Zixin is playing at, there is a table with four cultivators playing with a set of tiles.
A lightly dressed man with tan skin and light brown hair, multiple earrings in one of his ears and other jewelry in his hands. A man dressed in thick animal furs involuntarily exuding a cold aura, and an old man with roiling clouds embroidered in his daoist robes, all at the golden core stage.
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”Fellow cultivators, you don’t mind if I join your game, do you?” There is an additional seat prepared, and seeing that no one is walking up to it, you casually place your hand on it.
”I’m good, you two?” The man in fur answers with a question, and the other two give their approval as well. ”I’m fine with it.” ”Sit down boy.”
The tan man is dealing, he organizes the tiles while the cloud robed daoist signals to a young man for tea… When the worker returns, the man in fur mixes in some liquor with the water and serves everyone.
”This old fart is Haoran, the pretty face is Blue Priest, I’m Mad Hawk.” You introduce yourself as Bei, at least for now, and the game starts. The table is quiet, your arrival no doubt interrupting whatever conversation they were having, so you ask under the guise of youthful ignorance to try and break the ice.
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”Senior Mad Hawk, your and senior Blue’s clothes are different to everyone here, where are you from?” Deep Blue discards a tile and takes one from the pile, then Haoran does the same.
”I’m from a tribe in Shimo, and he’s a Zhen Nomad.” He answers, taking the tile Haoran just discarded.
”You could say we’re here for business, but the fourth is taking her time showing up.” Blue Priest follows up while you discard a tile and take a new one.
As the game progresses and tiles are grabbed, discarded and stacked, everyone drinks… but no one really talks. Instead the three men exchange glances all the time while prodding at you with their spirit sense. The first game goes by relatively quickly, you’re able to get your hand stacked up and win without much contest from the others.
Probably giving the junior an easy win so he goes back and they can keep talking business… You signal a young lady to bring higher quality liquor and serve everyone, since it’s in the house, you’ll make use of the Fu’s hospitality. You offer to deal this time, mixing and organizing the tiles and walls.
You play first and the table follows, as the tiles are swapped around you
>Ask Blue Priest a question, he’s from the nomads which means he lives in the Great Desert (write in)
>Ask Mad Hawk a question, he’s from Shimo (write in)
>Ask Haoran a question (write in)
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>>6375103
>Ask Blue Priest a question, he’s from the nomads which means he lives in the Great Desert
> Is it true you use the stars at to help you navigate at night and if so can you tell me something about that?
Could probably be worded better but it gets the point across
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Update soon, pic unrelated.
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”Senior Blue Priest, is it true that the Great Desert tribes use the stars to navigate at night?” It doesn’t hurt to ask.
”You could say it is, we first find a specific star in the direction we want to head towards, and then establish a temporary resonance with stars leading to it through a simple ritual, then reference the ‘pulling’ of the path we created.” It’s more complicated, he says, but still gives you the gist of it.
A path using the faint attraction generated by the resonance.
”The spatial distortions in the Great Desert make it hard to move from one place to another, so you have to rely on the nomad methods, skirt around the desert where the distortions are minimal, or try to brute force your way through.” Haoran compliments.
”I was not aware that the space in the desert was distorted, do you know why, seniors?”
Mad Hawk intervenes after stacking tiles ”The shrine maidens from Clear Sky say that it’s because of a fight that happened hundreds of thousands of years ago.”
”Our people believe that it is an otherworldly relic somewhere in the desert that is causing it… And the great Zhou attributes it to a curse from the gods.” Blue Priest says while sipping the mixture of tea and liquor.
”We’re still not sure, there is evidence supporting all the ideas so there is still research to be made.” Says Haoran, looking carefully at the tiles in his hand. ”Still, quite rare to see youngsters interested in the stars eh, Mad Hawk?”
”You don’t need to tell me, it’s always them kids wanting to be the Supreme Khan, or learning Mystical arts in Zhou, but they never bother looking up… Not like I did either hahaha.”
As the games go on, the three men become more comfortable and crack jokes, and you get a few more questions in. Daoist Haoran is a rogue cultivator from Zhou, and Mad Hawk is the leader of a small barbarian tribe, the three were here to meet someone from Malsi.
Blue Priest constantly counts with his hands, and when he’s called out for counting tiles, he rebukes by saying he’s calculating that person’s route. In the twelfth game, he just says the person won’t make it, and the other two take this as a cue to finish things and leave.
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You notice the change in pace and go along, this final game taking less than one quarter of a sichen. The first to leave is Mad Hawk, then Haoran, their goodbyes are the usual daoist pleasantries and a simple ‘stay alive’ from the barbarian.
Blue Priest is the last to leave, and after staring at your arms, he leans in and whispers in your ear before leaving.
”Junior, whatever it is you’re trying to do, Zhou must not find out… We didn’t meet today and you didn’t see anyone from Shimo either.”
Enough time has passed for the sun to begin rising, you didn’t feel it while you were playing, but you’re quite drunk from all the liquor you consumed with the three men. Sunrise should be happening soon, and while the tables are still busy, they are not as busy as they were earlier.
Fu Zixin is… Still going, now he’s playing dice with other patrons, Ma Xiang will probably stay longer and who knows when He Wei will come out. You wave goodbye to Fu Zixin from a distance, not wanting to interrupt his game, and make your way out of the Silken Teahouse. Now you feel like you want to
>Wander the streets before going back to the Ming Estate (anything in particular you want to look for?)
>Head back to the Ming estate and
>>Skip to cultivate, you will accumulate more starlight while in the Qi Gathering stage
>>Prepare to break through to Foundation EstablishmentI'll never say "update soon" again, always jinxes it
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>>6375666
>>Wander the streets before going back to the Ming Estate (anything in particular you want to look for?)
Some maps like the anon above said, and also maybe some more information, resources or tools to better our acupuncture
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>>6375666
>Wander the streets before going back to the Ming Estate (anything in particular you want to look for?)
I'll support the others, a map and maybe a quick browsing at the library.
I'm interested in the blue priest's calculation technique seems like a gateway to divination. Also this country seems to have something again starlight cultivators.
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Map it is then.
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You leave the teahouse and begin to circulate your Qi, it helps clear up your head and your body absorbs and processes the liquor faster. As you stretch, you notice a couple people from the Ming snooping around, most likely to keep an eye on you.
As the night sky makes way for the sunrise and the cold of dawn begins to recede, mortals and low stage cultivators leave their homes and inns to start the day. The melody of peddling and haggling begins, accompanied by the harmony between firewood burning, knives chopping away and coins and spirit stones changing hands.
After some walking around you find yourself before a large bookstore with various patrons coming and going, as you enter, the musty smell of haphazardly thrown around books invades your nostrils. Your objective this time is to find a map, and perhaps some books on acupuncture to aid your body refining method.
The place is big enough, and busy enough for you to make your way deep inside without anyone paying attention to your presence. Their books aren’t organized, requiring you to dig around, grabbing and eyeing a multitude of books and scrolls. Most are daoist texts, analysis of known books, commentaries on events, but nothing out of the norm. By the time the attendant changes two long measuring sticks, you manage to find a map dated to the Year 3226 of the Axle Era. Forty years only matters in small scale sect conflicts and mortal led cities or small states.
And…
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1.9 MB PNG
It’s a mess, for starters, the structure of the land is completely different.
All landmasses are smushed together, with two oceanlike lakes or perhaps two lakelike oceans placed right in the middle. To the extreme east there seems to be a third mass of water barely mapped, and the west ends abruptly.
Whether this means the rest has not been mapped yet or simply cannot be mapped is something you’ll have to see for yourself.
The map is divided into ten major territories, eight named after the trigrams, and two with independent names… The Holy State of Zhou and the Khanate of Shimo. Furthermore, of the trigram named territories, two have a prefix that separates them from the rest. The Union of Dui and the Dominion of Gen.
Lastly, in the very edges of Shimo, bordering on the northern snowlands is the Clear Sky Temple, a minuscule independent territory. Accessing Ming Bei’s residual memories gives you a very basic idea… To his knowledge there was only Divine Zhou and its vassal territories, and Shimo, the land of barbarians.
You quickly locate Guang city in the territory of Li and realize it is beyond a mountain range, being closer to Shimo than the rest of the Zhou’s lands. This, in combination with the desert located in Southwest Li that engulfs most of northern Kan and almost the entirety of Zhen, as well as a “small” portion of Qian, makes the city very hard to access.
”It’s locked out of Zhou.” You mutter under your breath.
From the perspective of a mortal or someone within the lower end of the earth axis, procuring goods from any of the western territories might as well be impossible if the distances are the same as you remember. Trade with Shimo does not seem too feasible due to their tribes living to the east, leaving Northern Kan, Gen and Dui as potential sources. This explains the lack of talent and riches, and how clans that don’t go beyond the Earth Axis can flourish as they have.
Giving the map one last check before purchasing it along with about five acupuncture books you find, you see that the other locations Ma Xiaolong mentioned… Rusnah and Malsi are all relatively far from Zhou, even if they are still closer.
The bill is, of course, footed by the magnanimous Ming clan members who have been following you since you left the Silken Teahouse. You arrive at the Ming Estate, have something to eat and lay down. Your body with limitless potential is still that of a mere insect after all, no matter how long your consciousness can stay active, the rest of you still needs some rest.
You find this
>Vexing, there’s so much to be done.
>Natural, even immortals like to sleep sometimes.
Once you wake up you will
>Skip to cultivate, you will accumulate more starlight while in the Qi Gathering stage
>Prepare to break through to Foundation Establishment
Do you want to check on Lifu or Xiaoliang before you do anything?
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>>6376022
>>Natural, even immortals like to sleep sometimes.
And who knows what a daoist loses when they begin to divorce themselves from things such as sleep and dreams? I wonder if Daoist dreams are more powerful than mortal dreams.
>>Skip to cultivate, you will accumulate more starlight while in the Qi Gathering stage
While we are at it, put those acupuncture books to use. Ideally we can have every part of our body enhanced.
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>>6376022
>Do you want to check on Lifu or Xiaoliang before you do anything?
Ah I missed this. No not at the moment, though perhaps we can congratulate our tournament winner on her newest crown? Perhaps with some suitably vague mystery that can help her grow? I don't know lol
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Gonna drop the options, feel free to choose and I'll be back later with actual writing later in the day, hopefully before midnight.
>Will you use the same materials as last time
>Experiment with other materials (list what you think you can use)
>Any changes to the amounts?
>Will you add other steps?
>think outside the box and try a different ritual (write in)
rolls will be done after something is decided
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You let yourself fall into a deep slumber, enjoying the sensation of the world fading out as you go over the day in your mind, you were able to give your body some combat testing, were finally able to put the Cloud Herding finger to use and saw Lifu make progress it would take others years in a few months. Granted, a good part of it is because of your teaching, but she’s quick to get a grasp of things. She could be a hall elder, or maybe a Dao Protector with enough time, just more things to work out with Xuegang.
You got an idea of the world’s layout and where you currently stand, had a chance to make an initial connection with some interesting younglings, and the desert kid’s navigation method might be something you can reference to do some divination in the future… You’re almost halfway through the year and have completed half of your objective, reaching grand perfection in the Qi Gathering stage, all that's left is getting to middle Foundation Establishment.
...
...
It’s late in the afternoon when you open your eyes again, still feeling slightly sluggish, but you welcome a sensation that hasn't been felt in many centuries. After a good meal and listening to clan members prattle on about Lifu’s hard earned wins, your overwhelming presence in your matches, and her "stellar performance" at the banquet after a few cups of wine, you prepare everything to cultivate again.
Lifu seems to be sleeping in, so you perform the method alone.
You follow the motions once more, now familiarized with the whole process. Arranging the cups to match the asterism for the Azure Bird of the West. The materials are set up and mixed as usual. The starlight resonates with the metal mirror, is captured by the Water and further resonates with Wood, Earth and Fire. Yin and Yang melt into each other and flow into the cups.
The water boils as the Yin Yang Five Elements are removed, and when the last cup has been cleared of impurities, you begin to drink from the first in order... Wall, Encampment, Roof, Emptiness, Girl, Ox and Dipper.
Roll a 1d100
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>>6376534
The only mention of them I remember is this:
>The middle dantian should affect breathing and the high dantian perception and consciousness, giving you a few ideas you can try in the future.
from when we observed the effects of the starlight needle on the sword brat.
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>>6376540
Sure I don't see why not. It should also help with Divination. There's also the not opening the seven points and just skipping straight to golden core stage thingy. But I have no idea how we would even start with that.
I'm hoping the QM would have mercy on us and throw us a hint.
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>>6376514
By the heavens.
In service of the nat 100 you'll get an explanation of the seven spiritual points, as well as the orthodox/heterodox methods of opening and the analogues that I had previously listed.
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The Starlight energy absorbed leaves your dantian and perfectly covers your entire body in thin layer after thin layer, there are no secondary effects and you don’t feel a single speck leaking out. This went perfectly, and you’re convinced you’ll be able to cultivate again tomorrow, seeing how your body is now fully accustomed to the ritual.
With so much energy in your body you see various paths ahead, to remain within Qi Gathering for a while longer and accumulate more starlight is an option, you can fully focus on refining your body through the acupuncture technique… That said, you can simply break through and keep going, there is not much benefit besides remaining a small fry for longer and it opens the possibility to try and imitate that cultivator from the texts you read before.
The actual combat power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is not all that higher than someone at the grand perfection of Qi Gathering, but the difference is in their use of that power, be it conscious or not.
The real purpose of Foundation Establishment… as someone who has gone beyond the heaven axis, you can summarize it as “Elevating the consciousness to better resonate with existence as a whole, increasing one’s affinity towards spiritual matters and mystical arts, artifacts and techniques.” Each spiritual point is associated with a color, a vague location in the physical body for the sake of conceptualization, an “element” and an aspect it governs.
The first point is Root of Existence, Red, Earth and the Physical World. Unlocking it frees a mortal from most diseases and increases their vitality.
The second point is Self Establishment, Orange, Water and the Subconscious Self. Unlocking it grants a mortal great mental stability and partial control over their subconscious feelings and emotions.
The third point is Jeweled City, Yellow, Fire and Will. Unlocking it allows a mortal to become fully aware of their desires and lets them begin separating their “Will” from the world… This amplifies one’s determination.
The fourth point, Stainless, is associated with Green, Air and Purity. A mortal who unlocks this point is able to begin “acting and deciding” outside their karma and destiny.
Purity is the fifth point, Blue and associated with Space and Creativity. Fully opening this point greatly improves a being’s creativity and their ability to communicate with other sentient beings.
Command is the second to last point, Indigo and associated with Light-Darkness and Perception. This point allows a being to perceive things mortals are unable to.
The final point is Thousand Petals, Violet, Time-Space and Divine Sense. This point, normally considered the last step, prepares a being to accept concepts, energies and laws that would destroy a mortal’s mind, as well as restoring the degraded “spirit sense” into divine sense and allowing a wider range of use.
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>>6376590
The orthodox method, even within heterodox cultivation methods and Daos is to start from the first point and work one’s way upwards. Heterodox Daos or methods may choose a point that is better suited to their practice and then work on opening others through that specific point.
Core formation is achieved when you use the boons of every opened point to compress the dantians into a single point one by one, starting with the lower dantian. It is possible to skip the stage altogether, all one really has to do is compress the cores with their spirit sense or any other means, it’s just easier with divine sense and the other benefits.
Already having elevated your consciousness once, and then further up by breaking out of the heaven axis, you’re not sure what would happen if you follow the process once more. Time goes by as you ponder how to move forward, and you decide to…
>Break through to Foundation Establishment: Choose up to two spiritual points and roll a 2d100, you’re guaranteed at least one point unlock (DC is 160 for two unlocks)
>Start Compressing your Lower Dantian, you’re stepping into Core Formation today instead (Roll a 1d100, DC 60)
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Following the standard order elevates consciousness from the physical to the “divine” (divine here meaning higher than mortal, not in a true divinity sense) in a natural way which makes the process easy and lowers dice checks for each subsequent unlock, but your body and soul rolls invalidate a few of these boons.
Starting from the top is only an option for people blessed by the heavens or those who have already done it before, it gives the most immediate combat/cultivation applications, which is why the original DC was high.
Starting out of order maximizes the boon given by a point, and you have to use said boon it to open the others (you’ll have to interpret a way to do it).
If you had gathered objects of one color or element for the breakthrough during the first time the prompt was available, you would have unlocked the respective point or whatever was “closest” to the color/element.
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Rolled 50, 31 = 81 (2d100)
>>6376592
>Break through to Foundation Establishment: Choose up to two spiritual points and roll a 2d100, you’re guaranteed at least one point unlock (DC is 160 for two unlocks)
>Purity is the fifth point, Blue and associated with Space and Creativity. Fully opening this point greatly improves a being’s creativity and their ability to communicate with other sentient beings.
The fourth point, Stainless, is associated with Green, Air and Purity. A mortal who unlocks this point is able to begin “acting and deciding” outside their karma and destiny.
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Rolled 28 (1d100)
>>6376592
>Start Compressing your Lower Dantian, you’re stepping into Core Formation today instead (Roll a 1d100, DC 60)
Lets just skip to Core Formation. We'll open the seven points after gathering objects for them later.
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>>6376685
Hey, I'm currently running!
It's just not cultivation but the third phasis of my xeno redux thing, and with an asthmatic slug pace.
Anyway, ill try to catch up this thread to play along, liked last year's quest
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>>6376692
Dr! I still have to finish catching up on normal cultivator quest, glad to see you around.
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The last teacup rests in your hand as you softly run your thumb over its smooth edge, you keep playing with it for the time it takes an incense stick to burn until you make your decision. You place the cup on the table along with the rest and stand up.
You spread your arms wide, palms facing towards the sky and begin to move just your spirit sense, no, your Divine Sense… You’ve decided, skip Foundation Establishment and step into Core Formation tonight. You perceive your physical body from slightly higher above and extend your right hand, its palm facing your body and begin to gather the starlight flowing in your dantian into a single spot.
The combination of an immortal’s will and divine sense, as well as the large amount of energy you have just absorbed create an overwhelming force of attraction that causes the floor below to cave in and be riddled with deep spiderweb-like cracks, of which one cannot see the end of with the naked eye.
A loud droning hum engulfs the entire Ming estate and the Madam’s Divine Sense immediately homes in on your location. The buildings tremble and creak as mortals and cultivators alike in the clan run outside towards the source of the commotion ready to fight or away from you for safety, anything not bolted to a wall or heavy enough flies about inside the houses.
The madam hastily makes her way out of her own residence and stands watch Metal Orchid in hand, then after a few moments a fraction of Ming Xuegang’s Divine sense also hesitantly watches over, both aware of your attempt to break through.
As the attraction force compresses the dantian, three waves of Divine Sense wash over the city from the He state, and two bursts of Qi can be felt rising from the Yuan, heading in your direction. You meet Tan Shu’s gaze and give her a slight nod, her expression is tense unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, and she rushes out to meet the two Golden Core elders. Fu Ning’s and the unknown dragon race member’s gazes, as well as a ghostly presence are also fixed on you, the dragon retracting almost immediately when it reaches your soul.
The sudden compression causes a vacuum that starts absorbing all energy specially starlight around you, the courtyard begins to darken under the starlight as it collapses, and the ghostly divine sense is purified. Your lower dantian is now the size of a fingernail, and in addition to the gazes from the earth axis powerhouses in the city, you feel three locations “observing” you from afar, two trying to establish a link, and the third trying to pull your soul towards it.
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>>6376701
Above all else…
The sky darkens and is quickly covered by storm clouds where lightning gathers endlessly, the thundering clouds announce their intent to stop you… This shouldn’t happen until one reaches Golden Core, but you will have to face heavenly tribulation for your act of defiance against the heavens. The elders of the Yuan lower their altitude and rein in their divine sense, while the three locations intensify their efforts.
You will face it head on by...
>Enduring it, show the heavens you can stand anything it sends your way
>Neutralize it with the Cloud Herding Finger, show the heavens you can resolve anything it sends your way
>Destroy it with the Agate Blood War Mandala, you’re not letting the heavens play around with you this time
>Destroy it with the First Step of Annihilation Advancement, and announce the return of the Crimson War God
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>>6376702
>Neutralize it with the Cloud Herding Finger, show the heavens you can resolve anything it sends your way
I feel like this is more thematic with our path. Ideally shoot a beam of pure starlight to meet the tribulation lightning.
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>>6376702
So lets count.
from our stay, we have Madame Tang, Patriarch Xuegang.
As a reminder, she is core formation perfection and he is at mid-core formation and trying to breakthrough in seclusion.
3 divine senses from the He estate. [These guys are the core formation]
2 bursts of Qi from the Yuan estate. [These are probably 2 golden cores]
Fu Ning and the Dragon race member from the silken tavern.
Then we get the weirdo's. A ghostly presence possibly the 20th emperor of the underworld?
3 distant locations watching, one trying to pull our soul to it and 2 trying to establish a link.
now by default assumption, we [I] assume the soul one is the underworld.
But it could be the stars, where the Gate is.
OR it could be the three eyes of our distant companions, the friends and allies who had gone with us into the fray.
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I'm calling it now. The reason the dragon race member's divine sense retracted from us is because we have slaughtered so much dragons in our previous life we gained a type advantage against them. I bet he's currently shitting bricks.
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>>6376956
pretty sure it's a She.
and beside the point, apparently the whole dragon race has tried to harness star light and failed.
And while we might not have killed so many dragons, we did kill a draconic immortal who could only die to mortal blood.
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>>6376957
>pretty sure it's a She.
>and beside the point, apparently the whole dragon race has tried to harness star light and failed.
Interesting. Is that from the old quest? I don't remember this being mentioned in this one yet.
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You’re confident in your ability to simply endure the lightning and survive, but there’s too many eyes on you and there’s no telling what anyone will do right after. The Agate Blood War Mandala, and the first step of Annihilation Advancement can be used but will bring too much unwanted attention, especially the later. Diverting it is an option, but you’re right in the middle of the clan… You’ll neutralize it instead, it’s just a Golden Core tribulation after all.
The storming clouds roar and exert pressure as you feel the will of the heavens trying to bury you deep into the earth, then in the next moment a multitude of lightning beams rush towards your location, searing the air in their path. You immediately switch your stance, left hand in front of your lower dantian performing the mudra of wisdom while the right begins to raise towards the descending lightning. A large amount of starlight from the surroundings, along with other elemental qi and your own power converge on the tip of your index and middle fingers, taking on the shape of a small sphere.
There are various ways to deal with a heavenly tribulation, one is to give up so the heavens will forgive the offense, another is to endure the punishment by one’s own means, this includes preparing rituals and materials as well as any manner of artifacts to either survive or resist until it ends. The last way is to suppress it, and just like the previous way, it has to be done by one’s own means.
Receiving external help amplifies the strength of the tribulation to unreasonable levels, and aiding someone on their breakthrough brings in unnecessary risks upon oneself, because of these factors, not interfering in tribulations is an unspoken rule… You can see the elders of the other clans using mystical arts in your direction, and activating their own defensive measures, while Tan Shu desperately circulates her own qi to respond.
When your arm is fully extended, the sphere shrinks further and from its center, a ray of starlight as thick as your pinky travels through the air and meets the tribulation lightning as it descends, the power collides and your attack is pushed back for an instant. The location trying to pull your soul in takes advantage of this and exerts even more power, while the other two are still trying to connect with you. Fortunately, the purifying properties of the starlight begin to cleanse the heavenly will from the lightning strike, and once the purification builds up enough momentum, the ray of light pierces through and pushes the tribulation back before both forces are fully nullified and dispelled into thin air, along with the pulling force and the “eyes” of the other two locations.
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The mystical arts from the Yuan elders are a beat slower and cannot “help” you in time, a sphere made of Wood Qi barriers surrounds you and a large tree trunk emerges from the ground to stand directly in front of you, the residual starlight and sparks of lightning make contact with the tree and cause it to bloom spectacularly as the sky clears up, its canopy blooms and is filled with white flowers.
While it takes some time to describe, your tribulation started and was resolved in the span of twenty breaths. You knock on the tree’s trunk and look towards the elders, who are now flying closer; Tan Shu stands in their way, and does not make any effort to hide the poison in her words.
”This humble madam is thankful for the Yuan elders’ generosity, but our Ming does not need any help today, we shall discuss this transgression at a later date… And you, we’ll talk later as well, get some rest and stabilize your cultivation.”
The two elders do not respond, instead sneering before heading back where they came from. Everyone’s divine sense lingers on you for a while before retreating, they’re definitely looking for any gaps in your cultivation or injuries from the breakthrough, unfortunately for them, this is not the case.
When the chaos within the Ming estate subsides a little, cultivators and mortals alike rush to the now destroyed courtyard and fix their gazes on you… Xiaoliang is looking your way from the eaves of her residence, Xuegang’s divine sense retracts to his chambers, and Lifu covers the distance from the entrance to your side in a single jump.
”Young master! What happened, are you okay!?” Instead of her uniform, she’s wearing a simple dress and her hair is quite messy, it looks like she was jolted awake by the commotion just now.
>You’re fine, this doesn’t amount to much
>Pull her leg, pretend you’re injured but do a poor job at it
Write-ins welcome.
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>>6377280
Other minor harmless pranks.
"Oh no, the tribulation effected my eyes, I need my green hat from young master He. I need to count the stitches but I loaned it to him for his comfort, please go and ask him to return his green hat."
"My lips, they are numb, heavens oh heavens, the tribulation is stealing my taste. Quick, hurry, I have to keep it working, I need some of the kitchens perpetual stew and a pitcher of merchants wine"
Do a handstand, and explain our blood is flowing in reverse, so we will need to remain walking on our hands for the rest of our lives.
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>>6366298
Of another priority, here is the ritual of purified yin Yang five elements.given we are two stages up now, we could increase the amount of timed we drink the water OR we can upscale to commandeer the lake for our purposes.
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>>6377337
Possibilities.
X7. We know what that does in Qi condensation, maybe core formation is different.
My sketch for a smaller and self contained system on the island in the middle of the lake.
Dig some holes in the arrangement of the northern Tiger, we can replace the earth gem with the dirt of the bowl, star fruit with some kelp or lotus pads or something, Some oil/alcohol over the top that we can set alight for fire, Yin I want to bury several people either criminals of the city or our two hall elders, or the golden cores of the Ye or, ect ect for Yin.
Balance that out with the Yang of some strong ginger spices maybe? Yang is kinda sun related, spicy, red, metal and stuuffff- copper? Does copper work? Copper mirrors to do Yang-metal?
And water of course is the lake water.
I have ideas for using the whole lake but one thing at a time.
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>>6377346
I personally see no reason to diverge so much from the original ritual just because we advanced stages. The replacement ingredients you mentioned all seem worse than the originals to me. Sapphires, Rubies and Starfruit weren't just chosen because of their association with the 5 elements but also the starlight as well, which stuff like dirt and kelp would lack, probably impacting the potency of the ritual as a whole. Also using human remains to cultivate seems like a demonic path thing to me, even if they are dead.
I would agree with a slight alteration to the ritual if superior ingredients were presented but just dropping altogether because we advanced doesn't sit right with me.
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You hold your chest with one hand and hold your forehead with the other, lurching forward and wobbling from side to side. Lifu is startled and gets close to you, she’s not sure if she should touch you at all, so she stands in place a bit awkwardly. The rest of the clan members also get closer, and someone can be seen rushing to the clan’s medicine hall to bring the doctor.
”Haah, Lifu… come closer…” You say.
”Young Master?” Lifu comes closer.
”Closer… I…” You beckon her.
”W-what is it?” She asks, this time holding your shoulders with her delicate hands, and you place one of yours above hers.
”I fear the tribulation has seared shut my inverted draconic wing meridian…”
”...” ”...” Lifu’s expression changes and she lets go of your shoulders.
”Young Master… That meridian does not exist.” She harrumphs and puts on a frown as fake as your acting.
”Haha, you’re right. I was cultivating and saw an opportunity to break through to Core Formation, but I’m okay.” You pat Lifu’s shoulder and stretch a little.
”Pardon?” Not just her, but other clan members are dumbfounded by your statement.
”The young master!?” ”But- But he was at grand perfection Qi Gathering just yesterday wasn’t he?”
”Don’t worry about it, more importantly… You did very well yesterday Lifu, congratulations on your victory.”
”Ah… we-well, it was thanks to the young master’s advice, I was so nervous I had to fight the young master I didn’t know what to do.” Lifu fidgets a little and looks around, she’s not used to being complimented.
”So, what happened after I sneaked out? I overheard some clan members but didn’t get many details.”
”Err… That’s… That’s a secret! If the young master didn’t leave, he would naturally know what happened.” She has a point, you’ll have to gossip around if you want to find out.
The clan members run around as you talk with Lifu, some cleaning and others doing basic repairs on nearby buildings, a third group is bringing in pots of wine and there is light coming out of the kitchen, followed by steam, smoke and the smell of freshly cooked meat. It didn’t take long for the realization of your breakthrough to dawn on them, or perhaps they were just looking for an excuse, but the destroyed courtyard becomes the grounds for an unofficial celebratory banquet thrown together haphazardly just like your breakthrough.
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You share drinks and food with everyone under the canopy of the large tree, seeing how a few maids go back and forth taking things towards Xiaoliang’s and the Madam’s residences, they won’t partake but do not do anything to stop things either. The rest of the clan members are quick to start playing drinking games and fool around while you watch over them, pot of wine in hand.
A few girls come looking for Lifu after a while, but leave as soon as they notice you’re sitting next to her, this happens a couple times, so you tell her it’s fine to go have fun with the rest.
”It’s okay… I’ll watch with the young master instead…” She answers, her face flushed red and her hands holding a teacup from one of the guest rooms.
And so you spend the rest of the night enjoying a pot of wine, filling Lifu’s cup when it empties, and pretending you don’t notice the glances she sends your way.
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...
An order from Ming Xuegang comes the next day, all clan members are to keep their off-sect activities to a minimum for a while and concentrate on cultivating or repairing any damages caused by your breakthrough. Artifacts fly to and from the couple’s residences, as well as outside of the sect for a few days, but nothing worth mentioning happens.
You use your divine sense to look at yourself, the Azure Bird and White Turtle meridians in your arms are fine even if the left arm has a slight imbalance, and your core… Is less of a core and more of a nebulous mass of starlight surrounding a small concentration the size of a fingernail, the cloudy starlight, as well as the concentration are colorless.
The core formation stage is the combination of the three dantians into a single unified core, this is achieved through compression of the lower dantian and is complimented by absorption of Qi, which is also greatly compressed to both strengthen the cultivator, and to increase the pressure. When the lower dantian is fully compressed, it becomes a “Red” core and one can be considered to be in the middle stage.
When the middle dantian is integrated and compressed into the Red core, it becomes orange and the cultivator is now in the late stage. And lastly, the integration of the upper dantian turns the core yellow, signifying the grand perfection.
Having a colorless mass means you broke through to the early stage, and your attack to neutralize the tribulation drained most of the excess energy you had accumulated, so you’ll have to gather energy from zero to finish compressing your core. The amount of energy required is exponentially higher than that of the Qi Gathering stage… With your current Yin Yang Five Elements ritual it would take you… About a hundred years to fully compress the lower dantian, two hundred to integrate the middle, and another hundred years to integrate the upper.
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Not too shabby… but for someone like you, it’s a waste of time. There are always three trains of thought when it comes to these situations: Optimization, Upscaling and Innovation.
Optimization is keeping the ritual the same for the most part, but improving the quality of its components, be it materials, practices or mystical arts to increase the quality of the energy to be absorbed.
Upscaling is… Just that, making a bigger funnel to absorb more energy… Of course, there will always be considerations at the time of making your ritual bigger, so it will dip a little into the former.
Innovation is best put as largely modifying an existing method or coming up with a brand new one, the downsides are that one has to think outside of the box, then test the idea and see how it works, rinse and repeat.
A normal cultivator who is part of a sect that has been established for a long time, or by a strong cultivator in the heaven axis won’t have to worry about any of this, most will live their lives and pass away or be killed in mediocrity. A handful of outstanding individuals will make contributions to their sect’s rituals, and one or two one-in-ten-thousand-years talents will completely reinvigorate their sect. You’re not a normal cultivator though, so you’ll have to deal with these issues yourself. And as the Ming are not an ancient or powerful sect, they also have a similar situation in their hands.
You overachieved past your short term goal of being in the Middle Foundation Establishment in a year, and you still have time left before Ming Xuegang’s seclusion ends, and the return of the Hall Elders.
You might as well
>Focus on your own cultivation method, the current Yin Yang Five Elements ritual will not cut it.
>Drag Xuegang out of seclusion, the Ming’s cultivation method has to be addressed.
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>>6377592
>Focus on your own cultivation method, the current Yin Yang Five Elements ritual will not cut it.
It worked for a while, but I've been wanting to do something different for a while. Variety gives us more ideas on how to improve things in the future too.
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>>6377592
>Drag Xuegang out of seclusion, the Ming’s cultivation method has to be addressed.
The other clans will be moving soon enough, and it would be remiss if the Ming wasn't ready to deal with them. We won't be around forever, either, and the sooner they improve the sooner they'll find a strong footing.
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>>6377337
>>6377346
You're on the right track, chugging more starlight-rade is just a different way of upscaling.
>>6377381
Diverging or dropping are also perfectly valid options, this QM is generous and more than willing to play fast and loose so long as things make sense in-setting. If they don't I'll gladly let you know without having you waste a turn chasing completely empty leads... unless you're into that hoho.
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>>6377644
Yoinking him out of seclusion seems a hasty move. It means facing the punishment much sooner than the whole year we were given to grow. It's not even really possible for the other clans to make a push into the Ming without starting an outright war, which goes against the established overt politicking actually occuring. It makes more sense to me to just solidify our own cultivation with the time given to us right now.
And as for techniques... well, we have two of the beast constellations on our arms, so perhaps we can try resonating with them? Perhaps it's possible to purify starlight? Bathing in starlight does seem to be a good idea yeah.
For that, what about a mirror array condensing starlight and reflecting into a pin-point, right into the constellations on our body, or dantians? Or even just into an acupoint? That to me seems like a highly effective method of getting starlight into our body.
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>>6377647
He's wasting time in seclusion. The man has no great talent, so he needs guidence. His stymied progress is due to having no guide or aid, because all previous protectors were geniuses who grew in spite of the clan's lacking nature, not because of their bounty of insights.
The elders won't be back until later anyway. And the quicker they come, the faster we kill them.
Now about this body idea. I like it, but we only have the pheonix of the west and the turtle of the east. We are missing the tiger and the other one to form the 4 major signs.
Wouldn't that stymie our progress or unbalance it if we don't have all of the things engraved first?
Which again I remind, we should finish off the Pheonix. Doing it directly after a breakthrough helps stabilise the condition.
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>>6377654
Alright that's some good points, so
>>6377592
>>6377594
Swapping to
>Drag Xuegang out of seclusion, the Ming’s cultivation method has to be addressed.
Yeah we should stabilize the Phoenix and engrave the remaining signs before a resonance to ensure there's no imbalance for sure.
But now that I'm thinking about it, the array wouldn't even need to be that complicated, right? 2 mirrors per point at the least, one to reflect the starlight into one curved mirror which naturally coalesces into a point of light at the proper distance, and that should be scalable in whatever manner we deem fit, right? Or maybe just the single curved mirror per point at the least, even?
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>>6377658
>We could send the energy directly into our body or we could try to collect several nights worth into a container and absorb that, that way we could even set up several arrays and containers at once or absorb the energy directly and have it collect in containers. Heck we might even be able to improve our collection if we finish the constellation acupuncture and absorb one container worth of energy each through the phoenix, dragon and turtle, maybe modify the array to better connect the energy to the constellation we're using it for
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>>6377658
Well we really want a pure and even mix, so pure star light plus some Yin and Yang,
How about 2 sets of 7 mirrors, copper and silver, focusing the starlight from the moon onto an array of a constellation and that constellation bouncing onto us.
I think we can fly now so this sort of meditation should be possible.
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>>6377592
>Drag Xuegang out of seclusion, the Ming’s cultivation method has to be addressed.
>>6377644
>>6377647
>>6377769
hmmm... This talk of ritual innovation and bathing in starlight got me thinking, why not just do this: >>6370924?
>As for what would have happened, you’d have drunk all 49 cups of starlight, had a seizure and pissed, sweated and puked out all the water and starlight of about 35 into the lake, which would have become an irradiated zone that kills all life in a range of almost 1 Li but could be used to help yourself and the entire city if you did some research.
My theory is that the Lake will become a sort of starlight nexus that perfectly mirrors the starry night sky. Basically a natural cultivation treasure.
The QM already told us the precise amounts needed to turn the Lake into a starlight cultivation bath. Not to mention he explicitly said it would be a massive help to us and the entire city. Probably because the purification powers of the lake would be of immense help to cultivators (remember what happened to the Sword Brat) and also to mortals in regard to its healing properties. Imagine how profitable it would be to our clan if they get monopoly of such a resource. It basically guarantees our clan will become the biggest regional power.
Of course, they'll have to keep it under warps until we finish using it for our own cultivation and they become powerful enough to protect themselves.
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Alright, caught up.
>Focus on your own cultivation method, the current Yin Yang Five Elements ritual will not cut it.
Can we :
1/ Keep tatooing us constellations?
We lack North and South right?
Chest and back to match our arms?
2/ Balance the imbalance we'll have
3/ Go back to the lake. Use a spiritual art to walk on water/not drown. Go in the middle.
4/ Make an array matching the sky. This will let us have a threeway starry night : Big one is Sky, middle one is array, small one is our body
This is to match our three dantian and work on coalescing them together.
Thoughts?
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>>6377966
we can tattoo our arms, we do lack those, we need to properly finish our Pheonix tattoo though, it's unbalanced.
I don't know about our back. My thought is "upper chest/pectorals" for north and "naval/groin" for the south constellation. So we can use our hands to do it.
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There are no tattoos yet, you've just been unlocking accupunture points inside the body so far.
I have also kept the topic of character appearances and your own looks quite ambiguous now that I think about it, I hope it hasn't been an issue.
Anyways, update soon.
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>>6378011
Not by much, there is a heirarchy to body modification, the deeper in the "ritual" is performed the more resonance it will create/add. The body modification you're doing right now is higher in the list than tattoos.
You would see better results getting a tattoo to do a ritual towards something you're not already resonating, if that makes sense.
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You’re satisfied with your results so far, and you already have some ideas on how to move forward with your own cultivation, so it’s time to help Xuegang figure a direction to set his clan towards. You put one of those court dramas from Xiaoliang back on the table and leave the room, Lifu is still looking after you whenever she’s not training, and since the clan's gates are technically closed, she’s had plenty of free time.
The sky is clear and the sunlight carries warmth but it is quickly overcome by the cold of autumn’s winds blowing from the west, carrying the dried leaves of many trees in the sect, the only exception is the one left behind by the Yuan that is still standing in the destroyed courtyard.
Other clan members and mortal servants stop whatever they are doing and greet you as you pass them on the way to the patriarch’s residence, you are being given the respect of a senior, something that you had enjoyed for a few decades in your past life… It is a nostalgic feeling.
You reach the patriarch’s residence and walk a few steps into its private courtyard, two stewards in the middle foundation establishment stage block your way, they do not hide their power and while it is not a complete fighting stance, they hold their metal orchids at the ready.
”What brings the young master to this place?” Asks one of them.
”I’m here to see the patriarch.” You answer.
”It can’t be done, the patriarch is still in seclusion… The young master should continue working on his cultivation.”
”Then call him out? Or is he okay with me entering the heaven axis and taking over the clan while he’s still hiding in his room?” They’re just doing their job, but it would be preferable if they just let you pass, there’s always the option of subduing them, but that’s best left for last.
”You!” The two’s expressions harden and they take their stances, Lifu also reaches for her weapon as you send your divine sense into the building, where it meets Xuegang.
”Ming Bei is here to see the patriarch.”
”Bei’er? What brings you here?”
”We’re finding a solution to the Patriarch’s bottleneck before the hall elders return, please come out or let me in."
”... Come in then.” Ming Xuegang’s voice echoes from the building, and the two stewards step aside, bringing Lifu in since she has insights on the creation of phenomena.
The inside of the residence is dark and dusty, a thick metal qi permeates every surface and grows thicker as you go deeper. Ming Xuegang sits in the lotus position at the center of a large room, all the furniture and floor tiles inside have been ground to dust, and around him float ten metal petals, he has been endlessly repeating the ten moves ever since he went into seclusion and using this ritual to absorb and circulate metal Qi into his body.
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But that is all it is, if your Yin Yang Five Elements ritual takes five hundred years to reach the grand perfection of Core Formation, he would need to have a royal dragon’s lifespan to barely make it there. Qi gathering is simply bringing in a specific type of Qi and making it yours, Foundation establishment is opening the spiritual points.
You bow to the patriarch and sit down in front of him, Lifu follows suit, sitting next to you.
”Before anything else, I’m… very surprised to see you break through to core formation so quickly, are you feeling well?”
”I am, I appreciate the patriarch’s concern… Is the patriarch feeling well?”
”One could say that, setting aside my lack of progress. Hmm… I must also congratulate you Lifu, I have heard of your great results in the clan gathering.” Xuegang shows you and Lifu a bitter smile as he praises her before changing the subject. ”So then, what does Bei’er think this patriarch’s bottleneck is?”
”The patriarch’s bottleneck… The Ming’s bottleneck is the Orchid Garden itself.” You explain.
‘Core formation is using the opened spiritual points to begin perceiving the interactions between the elements, and the… world through the eight gates. The first step is to comprehend the trigrams corresponding to the element being… followed. If one cannot do this, the integration of all cores is impossible.’ You change a few words around to not raise too many suspicions, the rest you can call a revelation of sorts.
”As the method lacks any insights or ways to begin perceiving the interactions and gates, the only way to move forward is by means of sheer potential or fortune. This means that the patriarch has reached the ceiling of the Orchid Garden.”
”...Right, the train of thought of the last three patriarchs, myself included, is to continue using the ten moves of the blades and search for an eleventh, repetition will bring results.”
”You will need a genius who can see through the fog, it doesn’t end at just one new move, but an entire cultivation method for the core formation stage… And what if they can only go as far as core formation? Wait for another genius to pop up and hope they make it past into golden core?”
”Such is the world of cultivation.” Xuegang sighs, his emotions are turbid and he doesn’t bother keeping them in check.
”The Ming will be consumed and the Orchid Garden will be forgotten long before any of that occurs, patriarch Ming Xuegang.”
”Then, what does the successor of the Silver Body suggest?” Successor of the Silver Body, he says.
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The relation between the elements is composed of nurture and restraint.
Earth nurtures Metal, Metal nurtures Water, Water nurtures Wood, Wood nurtures fire, and Fire nurtures Earth in an endless cycle.
Fire restrains Metal, Metal restrains Wood, Wood restrains Earth which restrains Water, and Water restrains Fire.
And the trigrams, or gates that correspond to Metal are Heaven and Lake.
Heaven corresponds to creation, force and continuation
Lake corresponds to polarising, opposition and separation
There are two ways for the Ming to move forward, but you can only offer Xuegang one… Mentioning the existence of the other path will become a heart demon and lead to his eventual destruction, along with the rest of the clan.
One is to continue as a Metal Dao clan, you can provide Xuegang insights on one of the two gates as you did with Lifu, as well as the general relation between the elements, and leave the rest to him… You can’t guarantee his success in the Golden Core stage.
The other is… teaching him Peng Shuren’s - The Blood Immortal’s Sword Canon, the Ming will have to abandon the Metal Dao and cultivate a Martial Dao from the beginning, but if it’s that guy’s Dao, you’re sure they can enter the heaven axis without any issues. Lifu, Xiaoliang and Xuegang himself show great potential for this, and the Orchid Garden itself bears many similarities with the flying sword techniques of the Sword Dao, so a transition is feasible with enough time and care.
Shuren’s opinion is of no concern, he’d probably see it as a favor assuming he’s still alive anyways.
You will
>offer him insights in the Metal Dao, the rest is up to them.
>Pass down your friend’s Sword Canon
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>>6378071
Can we give him the metal dao insights and pass down the sword canon only to talented juniors like Xiaoliang and Lifu? Starting the patriarch's cultivation from scratch in this critical time could be bad for the clan. If not then:
>Pass down your friend’s Sword Canon
There's no reason to go with an inferior path when a superior one is available.
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>>6378207
The faster he recultivates, the better.
Leaving it to later will just leave him stumped at the top of earth axis.
What you propose is to give him a hand on his dao of metal and leave the rest to chance.
He isn't a prodigious learner or innovator.
I understand the issue of losing a mid tier core formation expert.
But for the long term benefit of the clan, this is the move to make.
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>>6378221
You have a point. The reason I'm so reluctant is because waiting for everyone to learn the sword canon and regain their cultivation will take some time. Which will postpone our plans to leave the clan for the foreseeable future.
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>>6378235
It doesn't seem like the art itself is demonic, he just did demonic shit to power up.
And eh, what's the matter of the clan taking a while?
We can spend a year and a bit, and if we get bored slaughter the upper ranks of the other families so they are at a worse point.
Or if you want to be less murder happy, tell them we will be back in a decade. And we crossed core formation in less than a year.