《Cultivation Anomaly Type 7A Variation 3Z》 Ch. 1 - A Bizarre Rebirth
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE DIED!
Calculating Karma. Please Wait.
Calculating New World. Please Wait.
He stared at the little blue window before his eyes for a moment, trying to process the statement. Hazy memories of a mugging gone wrong, followed by a painful beating and being stabbed nearly a dozen times by a panicking mugger, slowly filtered into his mind. He groaned. What a stupid way to die. He should have just handed the bastard his money, but noooo. He had to be stubborn about it and make the guy panic. He sighed and looked around. Interestingly enough, the boxes didn¡¯t remain in the center of his vision, like they had when he¡¯d been focusing on them. Whatever else they were, they were well designed. And far more interesting than the blacker-than-black void around him.
NEW WORLD HAS BEEN CALCULATED!
World Type: Cultivation World, Variation I8
World ID: 8R3372U700EI1
How¡­ Engaging.
KARMA HAS BEEN CALCULATED!
Karma: 12912
See available options?
Yes/No
¡°Yes?¡± He said hesitantly. Immediately, a new window appeared.
PERKS/DETRIMENTS SHOP!
PERKS! DETRIMENTS!
Perk Karma Value
Retain Memories -10000
Superior Talent A -10000
Growth System A -10000
Detriment Karma Value
Worst Start Ever +50000
Talentless +45000
Demon¡¯s Slave +45000
He blinked at the two columns before him. Then his gaze flickered back to the box about his karma. He focused on it for a moment and, just like he¡¯d hoped, a new box popped up.
KARMA EXPLANATION!
Your Karma value is based on a calculation of all the good and bad things you¡¯ve done in your life, added to all Karma that was unspent during your previous reincarnation.
Old Karma: 3256
New Karma: 9656This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
See full calculations?
Yes/No
He declined. Then a question occurred to him. ¡°Why is reincarnation like, well, this?¡± To his delight, a new box popped up.
REINCARNATION SYSTEM!
The way each individual experiences reincarnation is different. For every person, it takes on a form that¡¯s easiest for them to understand. For example, the ancient Chinese had a mythology that involved reincarnation, so their process of reincarnation took on that appearance. For you, taking on the appearance of a video game is best. The system itself was created by thousands of benevolent celestials working together to manipulate the multiverse. This system is a work of art. The absolute peak of what magic is capable of. It is meant to allow people to choose their own punishments and rewards for their next life.
He wondered what is said about him that his reincarnation experience took on the appearance of a video game. A psychologist would probably say something like, ¡°It¡¯s because you can¡¯t handle real life, so you¡¯ve retreated into video games to cope!¡± Or something like that. But he wasn¡¯t his ass of a brother, so he couldn¡¯t say for sure. He turned his attention back to the lists of perks and detriments. He tried to crack his knuckles, only to discover that his body was missing. He was just a floating ball of blue-white light. Grumbling, he started going through the lists. Along the way, the reincarnation system very helpfully provided a notepad and a calculator. He didn¡¯t need food, water, or sleep, so the only thing holding him back was boredom. But his gamer senses were going too haywire for him to be bored. He was being given the chance to optimize his own life! He had no idea how much time passed. Well, more than minutes. Certainly more than several hours. Maybe even a few days, although he doubted it was more than a week. It was impossible to judge time, so it could have been centuries, for all he knew. But finally, he was ready.
SELECTED PERKS/DETRIMENTS!
PERKS! DETRIMENTS!
Perk Karma Value
Retain Memories -10000
Improvement System B1 -5000
Eye of Insight B12 -3000
Young Master E4 -2500
Detriment Karma Value
Enemy of Fate¡¯s Chosen +7500
Random Innate Talent +250
He looked over the list one last time. The first detriment was definitely a dangerous one. But the one bright side of it was that it wasn¡¯t guaranteed to be a truly terrible thing. The way it had been explained was that he would end up doing something that would make a Fate¡¯s Chosen, basically a classic xianxia protagonist, hate his guts. But if he played his cards right, it was completely possible for them to just hate him and move on without doing anything to him instead of having a burning need to kill him. It was a gamble. One he dearly hoped would pay off. As for the second, that was also a gamble, but a much less important one. Even if he got terrible innate talent, he could use his improvement system to, well, improve himself. And it was entirely possible that he would start off with something amazing. Vanishingly unlikely, but a guy could hope. He turned his attention to a certain box. One he¡¯d been ignoring until now.
REINCARNATE?
Yes/No
Taking a deep breath (or trying to; he couldn¡¯t actually breath and there was no air to breath even if he wanted to), he selected yes. Ch. 2 - A Brand New World! Age 0-5 Being born was something that he hadn¡¯t really stopped to consider when selecting perks. Sure, there¡¯d been a few perks that guaranteed a smooth and painless birthing process, but he hadn¡¯t given them much thought. After all, how badly could things go wrong? His young master perk meant his parents would be cultivators. More than that, it meant they would be the leaders of a cultivation clan and have a huge amount of authority in a minor sect. Given those resources and personal cultivation strengths, how bad could the birthing process be? His unasked question was answered when his mother died in childbirth. He himself only barely survived the process with the help of elixirs and doctors. Although having said that, there was no lasting damage. Something he was eternally thankful for. His father, Cadmus Starfall, was nearly broken from grief. It was to the point that it actually damaged his cultivation, turning him from a prodigy to simply above average. Although by that point, he was already a Violet Palace cultivator and one of the strongest people in the sect. As for himself? Well, he initially spent his time just trying to learn the local language. Something that was hampered by his baby self¡¯s body. As it turns out, a baby¡¯s eyes, ears, nose, and other senses take a while to properly develop. So for a while, he felt like he was trapped in his own body. The first thing he learned was his own name. Alistair Starfall. No middle name. Apparently those weren¡¯t used here. After that, he learned words like ¡°cultivation,¡± ¡°dad,¡± ¡°qi,¡± and other such things. But despite his slow start, he had the spoken language mastered by the time he was two and had begun working on his reading and writing skills. Something his idiot Uncle Jeffrey found great amusement in. ¡°Look at him!¡± He¡¯d roar, heedless of Alistair¡¯s sensitive baby ears. ¡°He¡¯s trying to read A Song of Twin Souls! Even I stay away from that damnable thing!¡± Apparently, nobody taught Uncle Jeffrey about inside and outside voices. For that matter, nobody had tried teaching Alistair that either. But Alistair preferred that. He would have hated being treated like the baby he appeared to be more than was strictly, absolutely necessary. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Age 6 Alistair was slightly giddy. Actually, more than slightly. He was almost vibrating with excitement. He''d finally convinced his uncle to allow him access to the clan library. He couldn''t actually start cultivation until he was thirteen, but he could still start working to understand cultivation and create the perfection cultivation scripture and a set of perfect techniques to go with it. He¡¯d make sure he knew exactly what he was doing when he started cultivation! "Now, Alistair," His uncle said, pausing in the act of opening the heavy, ornately carved and decorated doors. "What are the rules?" "No removing manuals, no damaging manuals, no copying down anything in the manuals and removing it from the library, no taking manuals out of sight of the librarians, no taking food or water into the library, no taking other people into the library, no shouting in the library, no running or playing in the library." Alistair recited quickly. Honestly. It''s like they thought he was six years old or something! His uncle narrowed his eyes at Alistair. "And don''t you forget any of it. Because if you do, you''ll be banned from the library until you''re eleven. And even then, you¡¯ll be under strict oversight. Understand?" Alistair nodded solemnly. As if he was going to jeopardize his library privileges! Although if they allowed a loudmouth drunk like Uncle Jeffrey to run the library, the library rules couldn''t be that strict. His uncle nodded back, then opened the door. Alistair walked inside, outwardly maintaining a facade of serenity. The only bit of his shock that showed was in a slight widening of his eyes. The library was huge! Not large, not enormous, but utterly gargantuan! It was at least as large as the Library of Congress. Alistair had been expecting an impressively large library, sure, but not this. He''d figured that, given how the Starfall Clan was a minor clan running a minor sect that was a vassal sect of a vassal sect of an actually powerful sect, their library would be pretty small. His uncle watched him, amusement battling with disappointment in his eyes. "I''d hoped for a better reaction than that," He admitted. Alistair gave his uncle a wan smile. "It''s very impressive," He said blandly. His uncle scoffed. "It''s nearly as big as the sect¡¯s library!" He said indignantly. "It''s more than just ''impressive''!" Alistair nodded amicably, then asked what he felt was the most important question. "Where''s the area with novice manuals and scriptures?" Uncle Jeffrey seemed to swell with indignation for a moment, then let out his frustration with a sigh. "Ehhhh, forget it," He muttered under his breath. "Just a kid, just a kid." Speaking more loudly, he answered Alistair''s question with a point of his finger. "Over in that direction. Ask any of the librarians if you need more help. They wear bright blue robes. You can''t miss them." Alistair nodded gratefully and began walking in the direction his uncle had pointed. He turned his head to ask another question, only for his lips to curve into a frown as he saw his uncle drinking from a bottle of booze. Probably pulled out of his uncle¡¯s storage ring. Interspatial storage rings, rings with little pockets of space and frozen time, were expensive. But everybody important always had at least a low quality one. Except Alistair. He was important, as the young master of the Starfall Clan, but deemed too young and stupid for such an expensive artifact. He scoffed internally. If his idiot uncle was allowed one, Alistair should be allowed ten! But sadly, his father didn¡¯t agree with that reasoning when Alistair had pointed out the fact, although Uncle Jeffrey had found it hilarious. That was a pretty low bar though. His uncle was easily amused. The bastard. Alistair¡¯s next attempt at getting a storage ring had been to go to his uncle and offer him a ticket to Red Blossom Pavilion. A glorified, high class whorehouse that his uncle was more than fond of. The Pavilion did have some excellent non-sexual parts to it that reputable people often visited. Their terpsichores, singers, and musicians were top class. But both Alistair and his uncle knew what part of the Pavilion he would go to. To Alistair¡¯s disgust, his uncle had seriously considered the offer. But ultimately, Uncle Jeffrey had declined. And when his father had found out about the attempted transaction, Alistair had been told in no uncertain terms that if he was found with a storage ring before he was thirteen years old, it would be taken away and given to Uncle Jeffrey as a present. Alistair had stopped trying to get a storage ring after that. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- It took Alistair nearly an hour of wandering around and asking librarians for help before he found the novice section. It had irritated him to no end when he discovered that his uncle had sent him the wrong way. Uncle Jeffrey knew the library better than the back of his hand, which meant the bastard had done it on purpose. Alistair would need to find a way to pay him back for it. But that was a project for a later time. Alistair subconsciously licked his lips as he looked at the shelves of cultivation scriptures and techniques. Iron Turtle Cultivation Scripture, Jade Dragon Cultivation Scripture, Sunfire Cultivation Scripture, the list just kept going. Alistair couldn''t be bothered to look through all of them, so he activated his Eye of Insight and started scanning them.
IRON TURTLE CULTIVATION SCRIPTURE
Quality: Complete Trash
Core Concept: Defense
Description: Cultivating this scripture makes the body as hard as mortal iron. It also makes you slow and useless. And mortal iron isn''t even that strong, so it''s just not worth it. This is a trash scripture, plain and simple.
Alistair pursed his lips, but pulled it off the shelf despite the "complete trash" rating. He was interested in how it strengthened the body. After all, he intended for his self created cultivation scripture to be holistic in its perfection. Which meant strengthening the body needed to be part of what it did. Although maybe he would make that a separate technique? He honestly didn¡¯t know enough to say whether or not he would. He looked around, then picked a table at random and put the book on it. Then he turned his attention back to the shelfs and began using his Eye of Insight again.
JADE DRAGON CULTIVATION SCRIPTURE
Quality: Complete Trash
Core Concept: Domination
Description: This scripture gives the innate ability to control the qi around you, allowing you to use it for spells and techniques. In theory. In reality, it has no method of purifying that qi and no method of converting it to the qi type you require. So this innate ability is useless. And everything else about the technique is worse than trash.
What a harsh assessment. Alistair sometimes wondered if the description about the Eye of Insight had been entirely truthful. The Reincarnation System had described it as a mutation of his Inner Eye. The part of the soul that could sense and examine the world. This mutation would allow him to examine something and get a summary of it using a mix of high level aura reading, divination, and just examining the target really closely. The description was supposed to be using a description that he himself would have used if he had all the information that his Eye of Insight did. Alistair just couldn''t imagine what would prompt him to be so harsh on the scriptures. He was honestly dreading finding out. It was probably going to be really, really frustrating. But he took the book and went to the next without saying anything.
SUNFIRE CULTIVATION SCRIPTURE
Quality: Complete Trash
Core Concept: Sunfire
Description: This scripture is supposed to allow you to take in sunfire qi and use it freely. Sounds great, right? After all, sunfire qi is pretty strong! But what the technique doesn''t mention is that you''ll slowly be cooked from the inside out while you cultivate. Or that it''s impossible to form a Golden Core. But that makes a twisted sort of sense. If anybody knew how worthless this scripture was, they''d probably hunt down the fool who made it!
Alistair sighed, took the book off the shelf, and kept browsing. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Cultivation scriptures all have three parts. A sutra, a breathing technique, and a qi flow pattern. Sutras were a series of Truths about¡­ well, whatever the scripture was about. Take the Iron Turtle Scripture as an example. The sutra would be a series of Truths about metal, turtles, and how the two were connected. But since the scripture was trash, the Truths were nonsensical at best. But if a sutra was created properly, it would resonate qi of the type and concept the cultivator needed and draw it to the cultivator as they recited the sutra. The Truths of a sutra were varied. They could be anything from universal Truths, like the law of gravity, to Truths about stories, to Truths about laws or the culture. Or it could be Truths about magical laws. Or philosophical Truths. Honestly, all that was really required was that, from your point of view, the Truths in the sutra were, well, true. Breathing techniques were what you used to absorb the qi gathered by the sutra. It was a mix of meditation and aura manipulation that sucked in the qi type corresponding to the sutra. Or at least, that was what it was supposed to do. For something like the Iron Turtle Scripture, it sucked in pretty much all the qi around you, not just the qi you actually wanted. Because of that, more effort had to be put in to remove the undesired qi. Qi flow patterns were the methods used to compact the qi in your body, cleanse it of unwanted qi types, and apply it to your cultivation base. It was the meat and potatoes of any cultivation scripture. The other two parts were absolutely important, but this was the critical section for any scripture. And for "Complete Trash" scriptures like the Iron Turtle Cultivation Scripture, this section was also complete trash! Alistair was fighting the urge to take the manuals out back and burn them. Using his Eye of Insight in a targeted way allowed him to get a list of flaws. This list wasn''t perfect and was largely based on what he understood to be a "flaw." If he didn''t know something was a flaw, his Eye of Insight wouldn''t call it a flaw. And it didn''t check for better ways to do something. Only whether or not there was a flaw in the way it was currently being done. But using it on the cultivation scriptures before him had immediately created a list of nearly a hundred flaws each! Some of them, like the Sunfire Scripture''s flaws, were outright lethal! He quietly seethed in his chair. Alistair knew that he barely knew anything about cultivation. It was why he''d wanted to get into the library. If he could, even with his total lack of knowledge, find over a hundred flaws¡­ well, it didn''t bode well. He turned his Eye of Insight on the Iron Turtle Scripture again, hoping against hope that it would be different.
IRON TURTLE CULTIVATION SCRIPTURE
Flaws
1. Drawing in qi will harden and solidify the meridians, reducing talent and making it difficult to move qi around.
2. The method used to harden the body will slowly solidify the body, making the user slow, stiff, and clumsy.
3. The method used to harden the body puts enormous strain on the body, leaving injuries that can only be healed through the use of expensive elixirs.
See full listing?
No, he didn''t want to see the full damn listing. He''d already looked through it, and it was a doozy. What he wanted was to have a cultivation scripture that wasn''t complete trash. But he should have realized that a "minor family" in a "minor sect" would only have trashy stuff like this. He knew he should have gotten that Top Tier Cultivation Manuals perk. So what if he''d needed to take enough detriments to earn 9000 more points? He wouldn''t have to suffer through this crap! Alistair sighed, then pulled a sheaf of paper, a brush, and an ink well. He gave the thin brush a slightly sour look. Learning to write with a brush had been a pain. It was just similar enough to writing with a pencil that muscle memory had kicked in, but just dissimilar that relying on muscle memory didn''t work. He shook the errant thoughts out of his head and started writing down the Iron Turtle Cultivation Scripture. His plan was to experiment with making changes to different parts of the scriptures, then use his Eye of Insight to see what changed. It would be slow and take forever, but it would allow him to dissect what made cultivation manuals tick. And eventually, he''d gain enough skill and knowledge to make a cultivation scripture of his own. One that was perfect and not complete trash. No, it would have a rating of "perfect." Or maybe "flawless." Alistair smiled dreamily for a moment, unknowingly making the librarians smirk to themselves. Alistair was completely unaware of it, but he was rather adorable. Especially when he smiled so happily. Most of the servants who knew him had a betting pool on how old he would be before some poor girl fell madly in love with him, only to get her heart trampled by the socially incompetent boy. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Alistair frowned as he looked down at the cultivation scriptures. A lot of the information in them talked about spiritual roots, meridians, and physiques. Basically, inborn physical talent for cultivation. He pursed his lips. It had been a few years since he''d used Eye of Insight on himself. A human''s meridians and spiritual root didn''t stop developing until you were twelve. Or thereabouts. Some kept developing for up to a year later than normal, which was why cultivation started at thirteen years old instead of twelve. Alistair had gotten tired of scanning himself and getting no real information, so he''d just stopped doing it. But now that his roots and meridians were halfway done with developing, maybe he could get some information? It was worth a shot. He quickly turned Eye of Insight on himself.
ALISTAIR STARFALL
Age: 6
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Spiritual Root: Unknown
Meridians: Unknown
Physique: Unknown
Bloodline: None
Cultivation Level: None
Occupation: Heir of the Starfall Clan
Description: A person who reincarnated with his memories intact. He gained a few other prizes from reincarnation, but was also cursed. He tends to be cold and distant towards others due to his inability to truly connect with them.
Alistair grimaced. That was another reason he''d stopped scanning himself. The description always reminded him of his social incompetence.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Oh well. Having gained nothing from his scan besides a slightly bruised ego, Alistair went back to the frustrating task of trial and error. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Age 8 He was finally getting to visit the sect! Finally! After eight years of wandering around the admittedly enormous clan grounds, he was finally getting to visit the sect! He wondered if it would live up to the image he¡¯d built up in his head. Probably not. The Falling Star Sect was an Immortal Cultivation Sect, sure, but it was also the vassal of the Viridian Flame Sect, which was in turn a vassal of the Radiant Heavens Sect. The Radiant Heavens Sect was one of the seven great sects of Lost Sky, the world they all lived in. So the Falling Star Sect did have a tenuous connection to a great power, but they themselves were still small and weak. Point being, Alistair couldn¡¯t really expect all that much. He knew that, but he still secretly hoped it would live up to his expectations. ¡°Young master, we¡¯ve arrived.¡± Alistair glanced at the soft spoken serving girl. Her name was¡­ Ella? Bella? Eh, something along those lines. She was a quiet, fifteen year old girl. Or was it fourteen? Alistair didn¡¯t really care, but she was still his serving girl. And had been for nearly three years. He used Eye of Insight on her.
ISABELLA RIVERS
Age: 14
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Spiritual Roots
Fire Root: 67% Purity
Light Root: 20% Purity
Water Root: 3% Purity
Meridians: Ordinary Mortal
Physique: Ordinary Mortal
Bloodline:None
Cultivation Level: Body Cleansing 3
Occupation: Personal Servant to Alistair Starfall
Description: A girl from a clan of servants that serve the Starfall Clan. She was trained from birth to be the perfect servant. Her talent was great enough to make her the personal servant of the Starfall Clan¡¯s heir, but not enough to change her fate as a servant. Although she doesn¡¯t mind her situation. She loves Alistair Starfall, seeing him as the little brother she always wanted, but never had.
Alistair winced. She saw him as a little brother? After three years of him not even knowing her name? He resolved on the spot to be nicer to the servants. Or at least, to the ones he interacted with more than once or twice. Or at the very least, to Isabella. Now that he thought about it, he was a pretty rude guy. Maybe he should work on that? Naaahhhhhh. Alistair had gotten off the flying ship he, his father, and his uncle had taken to reach the sect as he thought. Isabella, the subject of his thoughts, had naturally stayed behind. Only important personnel were allowed to actually disembark upon arrival. He idly watched as the sect elders greeted his father and uncle, then glanced around. Maybe they were looking for him? They clearly didn¡¯t care that much, since none of them used their spiritual sense. He shrugged. He didn¡¯t mind. He actually preferred this, since he wanted to explore the sect without anybody trying to control where he went or tell him what to do. He¡¯d just have to be careful not to piss anyone off. He was still 100% mortal, since cultivation only started at 13 years old. And besides that, Alistair was still struggling through creating his own cultivation scripture. About three months ago, he¡¯d bribed his uncle into giving him a copy of the Starfall Clan¡¯s secret cultivation scripture. The version that only core members, like his father and uncle, were allowed to cultivate. It had actually been really disappointing. Sure, the manual was interesting in a few ways, but it was still pretty terrible overall. Although he did have a few ideas on how to fix that¡­ No! He was here to enjoy and explore the sect, not think about cultivation scriptures! Alistair shook himself, then kept walking. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Three hours later, Alistair was well and truly lost. The sect had been built on top of a mountain, like most sects. Mountains had more qi than most locations, so they were good to cultivate on. The sect had been beautiful both as they were approaching and as he wandered around the inside. The grass and plants were all vibrantly healthy, thanks to the abundance of qi in the air. Everything was meticulously arranged for maximum beauty. Tasteful sculptures of immortals and famous figures could be seen here and there, and handsome and beautiful cultivators could be seen strolling through the sect. Alistair fought to hold in a smirk as he considered that last thought. He¡¯d never given it much thought, but it actually made a lot of sense that cultivation would make a person prettier. The body refinement realm was all about removing impurities from the body and strengthening it through different martial exercises. That would leave a person in perfect physical condition if it was done properly, which always made them look more attractive. Then three realms later was the foundation realm. To enter the foundation realm, and to progress through it, required threading qi through your entire body. The purpose was to reinforce and improve your body while storing qi in every part of yourself. But it had a side effect of slowly changing your body into what you considered to be your ideal physical form. It couldn¡¯t cause huge changes, but it would still do a little bit. Stuff like that happened through the entire process of cultivation. So really, it made perfect sense that all cultivators would be good looking. He shook his head and sighed. So many things about this world were silly in his eyes. But this was his new reality. He had to learn to adjust. A deep, cheerful voice sounded next to Alistair, making him jump and tearing him from his idle thoughts. ¡°Hello there, little one. Are you lost?¡± Alistair turned to see a¡­ Well, fat didn¡¯t do the man justice. He was an obese mountain of a man, standing seven feet tall and at least six wide with a massive smile on his face. Alistair tried to use Eye of Insight to scan the man, but only got a booming laugh for his efforts. ¡°A divination technique? But¡­ No, you don¡¯t have any cultivation. You¡¯re too young. An innate ability, then? Interesting¡­ You are the young master of the Starfall Clan, yes?¡± The man peered at Alistair, his eyes almost hidden behind rolls of fat and skin. Alistair swallowed. He¡¯d been caught using Eye of Insight before. One of the main reasons it had been so cheap was that it could be caught. But this was the first time somebody had realized it was him using the ¡°divination technique¡±. The man grinned at him. ¡°What? Nothing to say?¡± ¡°I was just thinking about how cultivation turns a person into their physical ideal,¡± Alistair blurted out. Then he realized what he¡¯d said and wanted to slap himself. The man looked startled for a moment. Then he started snickering, then chuckling, then outright laughing. Alistair looked on nervously as his deep belly laugh resounded in Alistair¡¯s chest. ¡°Are- ha!- are you ca- haha!- are you calling me fat?!¡± The man choked out between laughs. ¡°Ummm,¡± Alistair¡¯s brain stalled as he desperately tried to think of something not offensive to say. Then the man clapped him on the shoulder, hard enough to knock Alistair to his knees. The man blinked, his laughs petering off. ¡°Oh. Sorry about that. I¡¯m not accustomed to dealing with mortals.¡± He said contritely. ¡°It¡¯s-¡± Alistair winced as he shakily got back up- ¡°Fine.¡± The man looked at him for a moment, then snorted. ¡°It¡¯s okay, kid. I am fat. It¡¯s a side effect of my cultivation scripture. I¡¯m at peace with it, and don¡¯t mind when others point it out.¡± Then he grinned. ¡°But most people don¡¯t have the stones to insult an elder to their face!¡± Alistair¡¯s stomach dropped. He¡¯d just insulted an elder?! His father¡¯s political position could take a hit because of that! Not a big or lasting one, but it would still be unnecessary trouble. ¡°And,¡± The elder continued, ¡°I¡¯m on your father¡¯s side anyways. So you don¡¯t have to worry, okay? You look like you might cry and I¡¯d hate to have that on my conscience.¡± Alistair stiffened. Cry? Him? Never! The elder took one look at him and started laughing again. Alistair¡¯s face flushed with indignation, but he forced himself to stay quiet. He didn¡¯t want to cause any more problems thanks to losing his temper. ¡°Alright, best if you ran off back to your airship,¡± The elder finally said after he stopped laughing. ¡°They¡¯ve been looking for you for the last half hour.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Alistair yelped, his stomach dropping. His father was going to kill him! And his uncle would have new ammunition to mock him with! After asking directions back, Alistair ran off. When he got back, his father wasn¡¯t angry at all. He was livid. Alistair had embarrassed him in front of the entire sect. Or so he¡¯d shouted at Alistair after dragging him into his private quarters. Uncle Jeffrey had later corrected this to ¡°embarrassed him in front of Elizabeth.¡± An elder of the sect that Cadmus had been getting rather fond of lately. Alistair was happy that his father was finally moving on, but more than a little frustrated about the timing. Needless to say, Alistair did not get to go on any more trips to the sect with his father. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Age 11 A bead of sweat ran down Alistair¡¯s back, but he didn¡¯t break eye contact with his father. The tall, blonde, golden eyed giant of a man was holding their family¡¯s secret cultivation manual. The original copy no less. But Alistair wasn¡¯t interested in cultivating that manual. He used Eye of Insight on it again and winced.
STARFALL CULTIVATION SCRIPTURE
Quality: Interesting, but still Basically Trash
Core Concept: Starlight
Description: This scripture is pretty bad. Terrible qi flow, the sutra makes no sense, the breathing pattern is all messed up, and the method it uses to condense gathered qi into your cultivation base is shoddy at best. But it does grant the innate ability to sense the future. This instinctive ability to be honed to a shocking degree, making this cultivation scripture far more powerful than it has any right to be.
Yeah. It was definitely interesting, and he had considered using his Improvement System to¡­ well, to improve it. But¡­ Alistair willed his Improvement System screen to show up.
IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM!
Points: 4015
Current rate of point production: 1 per day
Select a target for more details.
He quickly selected the Starfall Cultivation Scripture and struggled not to show his dismay. Alistair didn''t want his father asking questions.
IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM!
Points: 4015
Current rate of point production: +1 per day
Selected Target: Starfall Cultivation Scripture
Improve Qi Gathering Rate: -500
Improve Qi Density: -525
Improve Qi Quality: -470
Improve Cultivation Base Creation Methods: -1360
Improve Sutra: -2320
Improve Qi Flow Pattern: -2550
Improve Breathing Technique: -1910
It was¡­ expensive. Especially since Alistair didn''t know how much they''d be improved by. It just seemed like a waste to use his previous points when he was slowly figuring out how to manually improve cultivation scriptures. No, Alistair wanted to spend those points to improve himself. Mainly his memory and cultivation talent. But he didn''t dare start improving his body until his cultivation stopped developing. Who knew what would happen if he did something now? Maybe it would mess up and outright ruin him! Or maybe he had amazing talent already and it would be a waste! Yeah¡­ Alistair didn''t believe that one either. "Alistair, are you even listening to me?!" His father said angrily, interrupting Alistair''s inner thoughts. "Yes!" Alistair said hurriedly. Perhaps a touch too quickly, since his father raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Oh? What''s the last thing I said?" He asked. Alistair winced and his father glared at him. "Pay attention!" He snapped. "I got this manual for you. The least you could do was pretend to be grateful." Alistair bit his lip. His father had made a very good point. He''d probably had to make some sort of deal with the elders of the clan to get the manual for Alistair, and here Alistair was showing disdain instead of gratitude. "Yes, father," He said meekly. "I''m sorry, it''s just¡­ Uncle Jeffrey snuck me a copy years ago." Cadmus Starfall''s gaze turned flat. "He did what?!" He asked, his voice a deadly quiet. Alistair had no qualms throwing his uncle under the bus. "Yes, I bribed him with tickets to the Red Blossom Pavilion." He said innocently. "He told me he loves the dancers and singers there. Something about them being really flexible and eager to please." Killing intent was rolling of his father in waves by this point. "I¡­ see¡­" He said, in a tone that could freeze the ocean. "I''ll have to pay him a¡­ Hmm. What''s the word I''m looking for?" "A visit?" Alistair suggested. Cadmus nodded gently, a happy, malicious smile spreading across his face. "A beating! Yes, that''s right. Pay him a beating!" Alistair blinked as his father vanished, having used a movement technique that moved him faster than Alistair could perceive. He hummed slightly as he turned and walked back towards his chambers. Maybe he should light a joss stick for his uncle? -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Age 13 Alistair grinned up at the enormous mountain. Would-be disciples were probably supposed to feel intimidated at the sight, but he just wasn¡¯t. Probably because he¡¯d already been up there before. Or maybe it was just that he knew taking the Trials was just a formality for him. He¡¯d already studied the exact information needed to pass the entrance test and was a master of the fighting style used in the exam. He smirked a bit at the last thought. He¡¯d started receiving some training in martial arts when he turned eleven. By that point, it was deemed that a person¡¯s body was developed enough that mortal martial arts wouldn¡¯t cause any damage, so long as they were trained in moderation. Well, he¡¯d trained in moderation alright. His version of moderation. But Alistair was the sort of guy who¡¯d spend seven years doing exhaustive trial and error testing of cultivation scriptures in order to learn everything he could about them. He had the sort of pig-headed stubbornness that others could only dream of. His version of moderation was a normal person¡¯s overboard. But Alistair had access to medicinal baths, elixirs, and spiritual herbs. Nothing all that high quality, but it was still more than sufficient to prevent any lasting damage. So naturally, he¡¯d taken advantage of it. He¡¯d learned a few forms of swordplay, spearmanship, archery, and bare-handed combat styles. It wasn¡¯t like he was starting from scratch. He¡¯d taken breaks from studying cultivation scriptures to examine different combat styles and qi techniques. By the time he was eleven and actually allowed to practice different mortal martial styles, he¡¯d perfectly understood what he was doing and why. So practicing them had just been a matter of training his body and muscle memory. Which was why Alistair didn¡¯t find the feat nearly as impressive as his tutors had. They¡¯d all said things along the lines of, ¡°Wow Young Master, you¡¯re such a genius,¡± or ¡°Wow Young Master, you¡¯re so amazing!¡± Alistair had long since given up on trying to get them to use his name. A gong rang out, interrupting his thoughts. Alistair blinked and looked around. For some reason, everybody else in the courtyard was giving him a wide berth, making it so that he was alone in a circle. He resisted the urge to rub his arm awkwardly. He was the heir of the Starfall Clan! He needed to maintain dignity at all times! He surreptitiously glanced around. Maintaining his dignity was normally pretty easy, since even in his previous life, he hadn¡¯t been in the habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve. But this many people staring at him¡­ He just didn¡¯t like it. Alistair gave an internal shrug. Oh well. Best to just try and ignore it. He focused on the test giver the sect had sent down, listening to what he said with a slight smile on his face. This was going to be easy. Ch. 3 - Entering The Sect! Alistair would have laughed if he wasn''t so busy being irritated. The test was completely different from what his father and uncle had said. There was no such thing as "The Trials"! There was no martial arts section, no test on herbal or alchemical knowledge, no tournament between aspirants. No, the Falling Star Sect was too cheap to spend that much on acquiring outer disciples. Instead, they''d created an artifact called the Stone of Ascension. It scanned your meridians, spiritual root, and physique to see how much overall cultivation talent you had. You''d get a score of 0-100 based on the results, while the test giver would get a jade slip with more detailed information. Alistair quickly used Eye of Insight on himself, a nervous flutter running through his stomach as he remembered selecting the Random Talent detriment during his reincarnation thirteen years ago. He hadn¡¯t scanned himself for years, having gotten used to the idea that scanning himself was useless. But now his meridians, spiritual root, and physique should be stabilized. Which meant scanning himself would actually give useful information.
ALISTAIR STARFALL
Age: 13
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Spiritual Root: Samsara Flame Spiritual Root
Meridians: Ordinary Mortal
Physique: Ordinary Mortal
Bloodline: None
Cultivation Level: None
Occupation: Heir of the Starfall Clan
Description: A person who reincarnated with his memories intact. He gained a few other prizes from reincarnation, but was also cursed. He tends to be cold and distant towards others due to his inability to truly connect with them. He has a single minded focus mixed with a sharp intelligence, allowing him to quickly master subjects others struggle with. But this same focus and intelligence is the main reason he struggles with social interaction.
Well. That wasn''t promising. His Samsara Flame Spiritual Root was fantastic. Probably. Mutant spiritual roots were almost always stronger than ordinary spiritual roots. Which meant that his Samsara Flame Spiritual Root should be of an even higher grade than a normal Fire Spiritual Root of 100% purity. Seriously, with a name like "Samsara Flame," it had better be better than a normal spiritual root! But besides his spiritual root, everything else was¡­ Well, it was terrible. Alistair considered for a moment, then bit his lip and opened his Improvement System. He''d wanted to see if there were any arts or techniques for improving his talent inside the sect before spending any of his precious points, but it didn''t look like he had much choice. He had no idea if his talent was enough to get into the sect. And he couldn''t risk not getting into the sect. He quickly opened the Improvement System screen.
IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM!
Points: 4782
Current rate of point production: +1 per day
Selected Target: Alistair Starfall
Category: Physical
IMPROVEMENTS! COST!
Improve Memory -550
Improve Thinking Speed -620
Improve Calculation Ability -670
Improve Spiritual Root -25000
Improve Meridians -490
Improve Physique -750
See different category?
Yes/No
Alistair almost grinned at seeing that it would cost 25000 points to upgrade his spiritual root. Almost. But that would ruin his image as an unflappable young master with the other aspirants. He made a quick decision, having calmed down enough to consider the problem logically. He''d scan the first person to pass to check their stats, then make his decision after that. ¡°Alright. All of you, form a line!¡± The test giver barked out. Alistair stayed where he was as everybody else quickly moved. After all, his plan wouldn¡¯t work if he was at the front. The first person walked up to the Stone of Ascension. It was a massive black and white stone, taller than a man and twice as wide. It was perfectly smooth, at least as far as Alistair could tell from where he was standing. It was shaped almost like a bullet, but with a flat side facing the would-be disciples. When Alistair looked closely, he could see that it glowed with a faint violet light. Did that mean it had been created by a Violet Palace expert? Or was there a different reason? ¡°Stand in front of the stone and place your palm flat against it,¡± The test giver instructed. ¡°It will fully examine you before assigning a score.¡± The boy licked his lips nervously. Alistair could see dampness on the back of his robes, probably caused by a nervous sweat. It was a wonderful temperature outside, so he figured it wasn¡¯t natural. The aspirant clenched his jaw like he was about to be struck, then pressed his palm flat against the Stone of Ascension. Everybody, even Alistair, couldn¡¯t help but hold their breaths for a moment as they waited. Then, a number made of gentle golden light flashed into existence on the stone. 17 The test giver grunted. ¡°Acceptable. Get behind me.¡± The boy let out a sigh of relief, then scurried to follow the order given. The test giver waited a moment, then glared at the next person in line until they hurriedly walked up to the Stone of Ascension. 9 The crowd stared at the score, then at the girl with her palm against the stone. Her whole body was stiff and she looked like she was about to cry. The test giver gave her a cold look. ¡°Failure,¡± He said, with all the cold, callous weight of an imperial decree. The girl immediately broke down into huge, chest heaving sobs as she fled. Alistair watched her go, a lump forming in his chest. He quickly scanned her, then the boy who¡¯d already passed.
MARIA TERRENCE
Age: 13
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Spiritual Roots:
Earth Root: 14% Purity
Water Root: 23% Purity
Fire Root: 7% Purity
Meridians: Ordinary Mortal
Physique: Ordinary Mortal
Bloodline: None
Cultivation Level: None
Overall Talent: 9
Occupation: Farmer¡¯s Daughter
Description: An ordinary girl who dreamed of becoming an immortal, only to have her dream crushed after discovering her lack of talent.
DEVON ISLES
Age: 13
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Spiritual Root:
Fire Root: 81% Purity
Light Root: 3% Purity
Meridians: Ordinary Mortal
Physique: Ordinary Mortal
Bloodline: None
Cultivation Level: None
Overall Talent: 17
Occupation: Outer Court Disciple of Falling Star Sect
Description: The son of an Outer Court Elder of the Falling Star Sect. He made it into the sect fairly, but knew that his father would have found a way to get him in even if he had failed. He¡¯s a petty, small-minded person who will gleefully punish others for his own failings and force others to do work he was assigned.
Alistair frowned at the description for Devon. It was honestly pretty pitiful. The sect clearly didn¡¯t have high entrance standards. Perhaps the test was only meant to weed out those who had absolutely no future in cultivation? In any case, Alistair could afford to wait on spending his points. His Samsara Flame Spiritual Root, whatever it did, was certainly better than what Devon had. If Devon could get into the sect, Alistair easily could. Much more relaxed, Alistair turned his focus on the other aspirants. Only about one in five passed the test, although there would occasionally be periods where nobody would pass for ten or twenty at a time or when several would pass in quick succession. As far as Alistair could tell without actually doing any math, the average score for those who passed seemed to be around fifteen. The highest so far had been a twenty-one. The girl had been the subject of many gasps and words of amazement, but Alistair couldn¡¯t bring himself to be impressive. She hadn¡¯t even gotten a fourth of the highest possible score. Although she had had a bloodline. A thin and weak bloodline, but still a bloodline. It meant her cultivation base would automatically be stronger than a normal cultivator¡¯s even if she didn¡¯t put in much effort. Add that to her 80% purity Fire Spiritual Root, and Alistair expected her to have a bright future in the sect. Then it was suddenly his turn. He walked up to the Stone of Ascension with a carefully measured stride, going neither quickly or slowly. Alistair was, after all, the heir to the Starfall Clan. He always had to keep his public image in mind. Honestly, Alistair wasn¡¯t expecting all that great of a score. Sure, he was pretty sure that his spiritual root was amazing, but that was it. Maybe somewhere in the mid twenties? That seemed about right, given the other scores he¡¯d seen. Under the impatient gaze of the obviously bored test giver, Alistair put his palm flat against the Stone of Ascension. He felt something pulse through his body, then a number appeared on the stone. 34 Huh. Would you look at that? He¡¯d been wrong. By nearly ten whole points. Looks like his spiritual root really was something special, if it was able to raise his score by such a drastic amount. ¡°Wh-what?¡± The test giver stammered. Then, suddenly realizing his loss of decorum, glared at Alistair. ¡°Test yourself again!¡± Alistair obliged, getting the same score of thirty-four. Whispers broke out amongst the crowd, but Alistair couldn¡¯t see what all the fuss was about. It was only thirty-four. He¡¯d barely gotten a third of the way to the top score. He¡¯d understand if he¡¯d gotten above fifty, or even above forty, but he was still in the thirties! ¡°Is there a problem?¡± He asked the test giver in his ¡°clan heir¡± voice that he¡¯d perfected over the years. The test giver, who was clearly somebody¡¯s well trained lackey, responded immediately to the tone without stopping to realize who was asking the question.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°A score above twenty-five is unheard of, at least for a sect like ours,¡± He said absently, his mind clearly mulling over something else as he spoke on autopilot. ¡°The Viridian Flame Sect will gather a handful every year and the Radiant Heavens Sect only accepts those with a talent of over twenty-five, but a little sect like ours almost never sees them. For someone to get a score of thirty-four¡­ Well, it¡¯s unbelievable.¡± Huh. The more you know. Good thing he¡¯d decided to wait on improving his meridians and physique. He might have gotten a lot of unwanted attention if he¡¯d gotten into the forties. Alistair waited a moment, then coughed lightly, breaking the test giver out of his daze. ¡°May I-¡± He nodded at the small group of people behind the test giver. The test giver blinked stupidly for a moment, then understood and flushed slightly. ¡°Yes, yes, please join them. We¡¯ll be going up to the sect as soon as these other four are tested.¡± Alistair nodded and walked over to the group. A few people tried to talk to him, but he casually disregarded them. Alistair hated to act arrogant, but he also just couldn¡¯t bring himself to care about a bunch of people who only cared about his talent. Maybe that was a stupid thing to think, given how so much of the world revolved around cultivation. But it was still his choice to make. Once all the aspirants were finished, the test giver turned his attention to the new disciples. "There''s a few rules you need to know before getting to the sect," He said, his voice deadly serious. "First, you''re the lowest of the low. The older outer court disciples are going to bully you. You''re going to allow it because you have no choice. You have no cultivation, while they do. If an inner court disciple tells you to do something, you do it immediately and without delay because they can and will make your life hell. And if an elder wants something from you, then you give it to them. It doesn''t matter how valuable it is. They can do whatever they want to fresh disciples like you. Understood?" A mismatched chorus of "yes''s" rang out. The test giver scowled. "Hey!" He shouted, real anger flooding his voice. "I''m telling you this out of the goodness of my heart! You will thank me for it!" He paused, then a frosty smile graced his lips. "After all," He said, "I''m an inner court disciple." The new outer court disciples glanced around at each other then, in unspoken unison, shouted, "Yes!" The test giver nodded. "Good," He said silkily. "Now, march! I want to be back at the sect before sundown!" Alistair blinked, slightly taken aback. He''d expected that the new disciples would be flown to the sect. It was something most sects did as a way to show off their wealth and power. And from what he knew, it was what the Falling Star Sect usually did. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the test giver. Perhaps the test giver had pocketed whatever tool was to be used to fly them all to the sect? Well, it really wasn''t his problem. Reporting the test giver would just be a hassle and Alistair would gain nothing from it. No point in bothering. A few hours of running while ignoring the others later, Alistair was at the sect gates. The run had been nothing special. Scenic, to be sure, but Alistair had experienced plenty of "scenic" back at the clan grounds. The gate was much more interesting. It, and the wall, towered over him. It was oppressive to his mind, body, and soul all at once, something Alistair suspected was a side effect of whatever formations had been woven into it. And it was guarded by a single, enormously fat man with a too-large grin on his round face. "Alistair!" He boomed. "Good to see you again! But, eh, why do you look so bedraggled?" Alistair shrugged ever-so-slightly. Enough that the high level cultivator could see it, but not enough for the other new disciples to notice. He intended to have a reputation of an aloof young master. Being seen shrugging at an elder would immediately put a sizable dent in that plan. "The test giver had us run here, elder," He said truthfully. Just because he didn''t intend to make a big deal about it didn''t mean he would lie to an elder. Especially not one that was predisposed towards liking him. The elder frowned. "Is that so?" He considered the problem for a moment, then shrugged. "I''ll mention it to Jasper. He''ll make sure little Benji doesn''t do it again." Alistair nodded, showing gratitude on his face. He didn''t actually care, since Benji (was that short for Benjamin?" had been polite to him. And Alistair didn''t mind the run. But since the elder was clearly doing this for his sake, it was best that he show some gratitude. The elder rolled his eyes at him. "You''re such a faker," He said flatly. "Relax! I''m not nearly as full of myself as all the other elders. Comes with being a mobile mountain. You get used to people whispering insults when they think you aren''t looking." "Do they really dare?" Alistair asked, startled. "If you''re out here guarding the gate, that means you''re one of the strongest people in the sect. Would they really just insult you like that?" The person guarding the gate was the first line of defense if the sect was attacked. And beyond that, the gate guard needed to be strong enough to completely humiliate any random person who attacked the sect or did something uncouth in front of the sect. If the elder was out here, then he was definitely strong. "Absolutely," The elder said flatly. "Also, my name is Han. Thanks for asking. You may call me Elder Han." Alistair flushed lightly, making the elder chuckle. "I''m just messing with you," He said with a full belly laugh. Then his face grew a little more serious. "So. What''s your plan now that you''re in the sect?" Alistair straightened instinctively at the shift in the conversation''s tone. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that all the other fresh disciples had finally left. Elder Han must have been making small talk while waiting for that. "First, I want to look through the library. Ever since I was six years old, I''ve been working on developing my own cultivation scripture. I want to see if there''s anything in the sect library that isn''t in the clan''s." "There isn''t," Elder Han said, bluntly. "At least, not in the sections that a fresh disciple is allowed to be in." Alistair felt a pang of disappointment, but nodded. He''d known that would probably be the case, but had wanted to check just in case. "In that case, I''ll immediately look for a place to stay. Once I''ve done that, I''ll work on cleansing my body. That will likely occupy me for a month." "A month? That''s all?" Elder Han raised a wobbly eyebrow. "It normally takes even geniuses a few months to get through the body cleansing realm." Alistair nodded. "Yes, but I''ve been eating spiritual herbs and medicines since I was a baby. My body is naturally stronger and cleaner than a normal person''s. Not enough to be considered a true Physique or anything, but enough to give me a head start in the body cleansing realm." Elder Han nodded in understanding and waved his hand to get Alistair to keep talking. So Alistair obliged. "After that, I''ll work on opening my meridians,¡± He said. ¡°I don''t expect that to take more than a few weeks, since those same medicines have primed all my meridians so they''ll be easy to open and clean. Once I''ve entered the Qi Condensing Realm, I''ll start going out on sect missions." Elder Han shook his head firmly. "No," He stated. "No?" Alistair questioned. "No," Elder Han affirmed. "Take a few missions before opening your meridians. That will earn you a few greater number of contribution points, since you''ll be at a lower cultivation level. Your strength will barely change from opening your meridians, so there''s no reason not to take missions before opening them.¡± Alistair blinked. ¡°I was under the impression that each opened meridian was about a ten percent increase to your base strength,¡± He said hesitantly. Elder Hand snorted. ¡°For a normal person, that would be true. But by your own admission, you¡¯ve been snacking on spiritual herbs and medicines all your life. Because of that, your meridians will have already been opened and cleansed enough that they¡¯ll barely give a two or three percent increase in strength. Which is still good and all, but you¡¯ll be able to take missions without needing to open them.¡± Alistair nodded hesitantly. Even if it was only two percent per major meridian, there were still twelve major meridians. A twenty-four percent increase in strength was nothing to sneeze at, even if it couldn¡¯t be compared to the one hundred and twenty a person would normally experience. ¡°Once you do open your meridians and begin condensing qi, you should start working on a profession,¡± Elder Han continued. ¡°Alchemy or blacksmithing would likely be your best options. Your spiritual root feels like fire, so either of those would make for good professions. And of course, you''ll need to work on your martial skills. Body refinement and empty handed martial arts are usually best for fire cultivators, but remember that everybody''s path is different. What works for one person might not work for you." Alistair nodded. "I''d originally planned to start working on a profession after reaching peak Qi Condensing and before forming my Foundation. That way I''d be able to incorporate my profession into my Foundation." "That''s not a bad plan, but doing it my way will give better results," Elder Han said. Then, after taking a look at Alistair¡¯s face, he began to explain. "Even in the Qi Condensing Realm, your Dao will begin imprinting itself into your qi. It¡¯s small and light, as though you¡¯re trying to use a quill to carve a rock. But there is an effect, however small. So having decided on your profession and gained some skill in that profession before even beginning to condense your qi will give slightly better results. It''s not much, but little things like this can have enormous effects when trying to advance further in the future." Alistair inclined his head slightly. "I bow to your greater intellect and experience," He said, with just the barest hint of snark in his voice. He¡¯d have never taken Elder Han for the lecturing type, but it seemed he¡¯d misjudged the man. Elder Han scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Away with you, cheeky brat!" He cried in mock fury. Alistair smirked as he dutifully scurried away. He suspected that Elder Han would be his favorite elder. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- The sect was enormous. Alistair knew that, conceptually, but he¡¯d forgotten just how big it felt. It wasn¡¯t just the buildings. They were towering, sprawling monstrosities for this world¡¯s standards, but plenty of buildings from Earth were larger in every way. It was¡­ something else. The way everything fit together. It made a person feel small and unimportant. Like they were an ant trying to comprehend a skyscraper. Alistair watched the people walking through the sect. He could see outer court disciples laughing, talking seriously, ordering servants, taking orders from inner disciples or elders, and one that was just making a sandwich. The servants were quietly cleaning and maintaining the courtyards and statues and walkways and walks. Everything had a place, Alistair thought. It was like an army of ants. Everyone with their own role, serving for the greater good of the colony. Or, he thought, his mind turning and swirling with an odd, inexpressible clarity, like a machine. Like they were all just tiny cogs in some unimaginably large machine. A machine that encompassed the entire world. Or perhaps it was the world? The Great Dao. Wasn¡¯t that what his uncle liked to talk about when he was especially drunk? The sum total of the universe. All things that had ever happened, were happening at this moment, and would happen in the future. Every action taken, every falling rock, every sun and star, every quark. The decisions we make, the things we create, the things we destroy. All of it fit together, forming the Great Dao. Sonder. The understanding that all lives are unique. That every person really is the protagonist of their own story. That every living being has their own wants, their own needs, and their own path to walk through life. Alistair stood in the yard, frozen as he thought. He felt like he was surrounded by a bubble, or perhaps he himself was the bubble. Every thought he had was like a needle poking into that bubble, trying to make it pop, but it just wouldn¡¯t pop! It felt like if he could just pop that bubble, he would be able to understand everything. Like the world would make sense in a way it never had before. Then the moment slid away, leaving Alistair frustrated and strangely empty. His fist instinctively clenched from frustration and he fought the urge to hit the tree he¡¯d been standing under. ¡°Horrible feeling, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alistair turned his head to see a girl dressed in the pale green robes of the inner sect. She had almost asian features, but with a hint of something else he couldn¡¯t place. Which made sense, given that this wasn¡¯t even Earth. No reason for the people to fit into the ethnic boxes he was used to. She brushed a strand of light brown hair away from her eyes as she looked at him. ¡°What?¡± He asked, then immediately felt stupid. But she just smiled at him. ¡°Not quite reaching Enlightenment,¡± She explained. ¡°It¡¯s like trying to climb over a wall you¡¯ve been trapped behind your entire life, only to slip and fall right before you see the other side.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Alistair exclaimed before he could stop himself. ¡°Or like there¡¯s a bubble around that you can¡¯t quite pop.¡± The girl smirked. ¡°I like my wall analogy better,¡± She said. Alistair raised an eyebrow. ¡°Honestly, I think a bubble describes it better,¡± He said. ¡°A bubble would distort the entire way you see the world. Sight, hearing, touch-¡± ¡°But a wall just sounds so much cleaner,¡± She interrupted. ¡°I know there¡¯s more accurate analogies out there. But a wall just sounds¡­ nicer?¡± She finished lamely. Alistair shrugged, not really caring. ¡°Whatever you like,¡± He said flippantly. The girl pouted at him, and a thought popped into his head. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He asked. She hesitated for a moment before speaking. ¡°Angelina Ulster?¡± ¡°Was that a question or a statement?¡± Alistair said with a smirk. She flushed. ¡°Yes?¡± She half asked. Alistair shook his head with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to flirt with you or something crass like that,¡± He said flatly, making her blush turn an even deeper shade of red. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me your name, then don¡¯t. I doubt we¡¯ll ever even see each other again, so it doesn¡¯t really matter, does it?¡± With that, Alistair walked off towards his quarters. He¡¯d stopped a servant earlier and asked them where the new disciples were housed. Apparently they each got their own room, although they slept in dorm-like houses. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Alistair absentmindedly scratched his nose, then scowled as he realized the ink on his fingertips would have spread to his nose from the action. He''d just finished going through his self made cultivation scripture and tweaking it to suit his spiritual root. For some reason, the idea of checking his root before this had just slipped his mind. No, that was a lie. A silly one at that. He knew exactly why he¡¯d forgotten, even though it embarrassed him. It was the same reason he hadn¡¯t used Eye of Insight on himself until he was taking the entrance test. He was so used to it not being useful that he¡¯d just forgotten to do it. But that didn''t matter now. His cultivation scripture had already heavily leaned towards fire, since the clan library predominantly had fire cultivation scriptures in it. And scriptures relating to things like reincarnation, rebirth, and renewal were a dime a dozen. So all he''d really had to do was tweak his scripture until his Eye of Insight gave him a perfect compatibility rating. Compatibility ratings were something he''d only discovered a few years ago. Really, it had been entirely by accident. He''d been reading yet another cultivation scripture when he''d seen a note in the margin. It had been a person bemoaning their lack of compatibility with the scripture. The concept had completely blown Alistair''s mind. For some reason, he''d never stopped to consider compatibility. His mental block on the subject had been so complete that even his Eye of Insight hadn''t made mention of compatibility. He''d had a hayday scanning various scriptures to see their compatibility with him. Speaking of which¡­ Alistair scanned his self-made, newly renamed cultivation scripture. It was a very creative name. Alistair was exceptionally proud of it. It definitely wasn''t named after his spiritual root. No sir.
SAMSARA FLAME CULTIVATION SCRIPTURE
Quality: Peak Mortal Grade
Compatibility with [Alistair Starfall]: 100%
Core Concept: The Fire of Samsara that brings Destruction and Rebirth
Description: A sophisticated, but clearly incomplete scripture. It forms an incredibly strong, dense, and pure cultivation base while giving the innate ability to create and control a Samara Flame. This Samsara Flame is capable of destroying or restoring the target. Despite these excellent features, the various areas where the scripture is lacking or incomplete means that cultivation using this scripture is extremely slow. Just as bad, it currently only has sections corresponding to the layers leading up to the Nine Tribulations Realm, although a foundation for this development has already been laid in the scripture. Further developments will need to be made if it''s to be used during and after the Nine Tribulations. Another flaw is that, due to this scripture having so many unique parts to it, it would be extremely difficult to switch to a different scripture after cultivating with this scripture for too long. Having said all that, this scripture clearly has the potential to become something magnificent.
Not bad at all, if he did say so himself. Having the Eye of Insight let him create a scripture that would have normally taken decades or even centuries of careful study, practice, and testing. His ability to just scan something let him skip the most time consuming parts of developing a cultivation scripture. But it was also far from perfect. By his calculations, it would take nearly two years for him to get through the Qi Condensing Realm using this scripture. The Foundation Realm could take up to twenty years, Golden Core could take nearly an entire century, Violet Palace could take over a thousand years, and he hadn''t even bothered finishing the calculations for any of the realms after that. Sure, he¡¯d be a lot stronger than the average Joe in each of those realms thanks to his super solid cultivation base and the innate abilities granted by the scripture, but he¡¯d also die of old age before he got through the Violet Palace Realm. A Violet Palace level cultivator only had a lifespan of five hundred years. His most generous calculations put him at needing seven hundred years to get through it. That just wouldn''t work. He''d need to keep working on the scripture. Especially since reaching Golden Core automatically graduated him to being an elder of the sect. And if he reached Golden Core at a young enough age, he''d be eligible to directly join the Viridian Flame Sect as an inner disciple. As in, if he reached it before he was thirty. Which was just a pipe dream with his cultivation scripture as it was. So he didn''t really hold out much hope for that. He''d improved his scripture about as much as he could with his current knowledge. He''d need new manuals to study if he wanted to improve it any further. Well, that or he could just start randomly altering stuff until he got an improvement. Which was what he was going to be doing until he got his hands on new manuals. Alistair sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Then he swore violently as he realized he''d just spread the ink around even more. Sighing, he jumped to his feet, pushing aside his uncertainty. It was time to work towards cleansing his body! Ch. 4 - Assignments and Preparations! One month later Alistair let out a deep, long breath as he slid into a crouch with his right leg stretched off to the side at a peculiar angle. As he rose, he breathed in gently. So slowly that it was like he was barely breathing at all. He twisted as he rose, ending with all his weight on his right heel. He could feel qi circulating through him as he moved. It swirled through his body and his meridians, forcing impurities out of its way as it cycled. Those impurities were expelled through his pores, his eyes, his eyes, nose, etc. Even his fingernails leaked a bit of black filth. Or at least, that was what it had been like when he¡¯d first started. Now, he couldn¡¯t feel any impurities blocking the path of the qi. It moved through him quickly and smoothly, without hitting anything. It was the most refreshing thing he¡¯d ever experienced, and he relished it until his exercises were finished. After bathing, he made his way to the Assignment Hall. This was the third day he¡¯d been unable to find and expel any impurities, which meant that he was definitely finished with the Body Cleansing Realm. Next up, he¡¯d be opening and purifying his meridians. Alistair had never gotten a straight answer as to which of the two initial realms were more disgusting. But no matter which it was, he was ready to be done with both. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- The Assignment Hall was large. Alistair would hesitate to call it enormous, but it was definitely a very large building. The exterior looked somewhat¡­ Rustic. Not enough to be out of place with its surroundings, but enough to stand out. Walking through the front door, Alistair found himself in a large, open space. Tables and chairs were scattered all over, with flickering and dancing candle flames providing light. Off to the right was a set of enormous boards with slips of paper detailing different assignments covering them. Straight ahead was the counters for turning in slips and completed assignments. To the left was a restaurant. Alistair considered getting something to eat, but decided to just turn his attention to the assignments. Herb gathering, escort, finding lost items, the list of potential assignments was basically endless. The Assignment Hall didn¡¯t have any qualms over what was offered. If a person had enough money, they could pay a Golden Core cultivator to find their lost cat. In theory. In reality, a Golden Core cultivator would never stoop that low. It would be beneath their dignity. Still, the Assignment Hall wouldn¡¯t stop them. Since Alistair was still technically a Body Cleansing cultivator, albeit a peak one, nothing was considered beneath his dignity. But he was still the young master of the Starfall Clan, so there was that to consider. Not that all that really mattered. Alistair already knew what missions he would be willing to accept. Demon beast hunting, herb gathering, alchemy assisting, or formation assisting. He intended for his Dao to revolve around martial skill, alchemy, and formations. Herb gathering was usually a big part of alchemy, since finding your own herbs was a lot more manageable than buying them. He¡¯d consider adding weapon forging to the list once he got some experience with it. There was basically nothing in the Starfall Clan¡¯s library on how forging worked, so he couldn¡¯t say one way or another whether he would be interested. Alistair scanned the notices on the billboards. The missions were organized in a very loose way. Basically, a clerk in the Assignment Hall would look over the information in the mission, then decided which cultivation realm the mission difficulty corresponded to. A normal Body Cleansing cultivator would be looking at the very first billboard. Beyond that, missions for each realm were ranked from D to S, with D class missions being possible for somebody who just entered that cultivation realm and S class missions being restricted. You needed to prove your ability before the sect would allow you to take them. But Alistair¡¯s attention was directed towards the second. After all, he already had over half of the strength that would normally be unlocked during the Meridian Opening realm. There was no real reason why he couldn¡¯t take the missions for that cultivation realm. It wasn¡¯t like the gap between Meridian Opening and Qi Condensing, where one could use qi outside the body and the other couldn¡¯t. No, it was just a difference in physical strength. Finally, after nearly half an hour of reading and using his Eye of Insight, one particular mission caught his eye.
Beast Hunting Mission
Cultivation Realm: Meridian Opening
Difficulty Grade: B-
Time Allotted for Completion: 5 Days
Description: An unknown creature has been terrorizing a farming village. The farmers have no idea what the creature is, only that it steals their chickens, sheep, and pigs during the night. They think it can¡¯t be too strong, since it flees when confronted. But they¡¯re too afraid to force it to fight.
Alistair liked the sound of that. A beast that was so weak it fled from farmers? Sure, there was obviously more to the story, considering that this was rated as a B- Meridian Opening mission. But still¡­ He grabbed the mission slip and walked up to the counter. Normally there would be a line, but today was a festival day. So the Assignment Hall was nearly empty. "Here to take this mission," He said simply, sliding the slip across the counter. The clerk glanced up from the novel she''d been reading, Tales of the Underlands, to look at the slip. Her eyebrows went up when she saw the slip. "Are you sure?" She asked. Alistair idly noticed how beautiful her voice was. Clear and resonant, like a well trained singer. "This is a Meridian Opening mission. You''re not in the Meridian Opening realm yet." Alistair just nodded, although he did wonder how she knew his level, so she motioned at a target mounted on the wall. "Punch it as hard as you can," She said. "It will measure the qi levels in your body as well as your physical fitness. If you meet the minimum requirements, you''ll be allowed to take the mission." Alistair nodded again and took a stance before the target. His whole body tensed for a moment, every muscle tightening as he exploded forward with every fiber of his being, his muscles straining from the sudden effort. His fist slammed into the target hard enough to make him grimace. He''d gotten used to hitting things that broke from the impact. Or at least rocked back a little. The target hadn''t so much as twitched. It was like a baby trying to crack a cinder block. The clerk winced as she saw him rubbing his hand. "Sorry," She said. "I would have warned you, but it would have thrown the results off if you were too nervous to punch as hard as you could." Alistair shot her a scathing look. "While I appreciate the sentiment," He said coldly, "Anybody who''s too afraid to punch a target has no business taking missions above their level." The clerk paused for a moment in her paper shuffling. "That''s actually a really good point," She said. She frowned lightly, then shrugged and tapped something in front of her. She waited a moment as lights flashed over a previously blank sheet of paper. Then she handed the paper to Alistair. "Here you go," She said. "Have the village chief sign this when you finish the task." Alistair glanced over the paper. It was a simple qi contract. It essentially checked to make sure that Alistair had completed the mission and hadn''t done anything horrible. "Alright," He said. "Is there anything else I should know?" She shrugged. "Not really. Just make sure to get it signed and bring it back here. We get a notice the moment it''s signed, but we like to have the actual contract." Alistair nodded simply, thanked her, and left. Now he had his mission. All that was left was supplies. He rubbed his spatial storage ring, a tiny bit of glee surfacing in his frozen little heart. Alistair would never admit it, but he loved spending money. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- The Talisman Hall was an enormous building primarily made from intricately carved stone with gold and made inlay and wooden accents. The carvings themselves were runic patterns. That is, geometric and symbolic shapes that were used in formations. All important buildings in the sect had these carvings, but most buildings had them hidden. But not the Talisman Hall. The designers of the sect thought the patterns being visible added to the ambience. Alistair certainly agreed. Inside, there were yellow lanterns hanging from the ceiling that provided a dim light to the entire Hall. Each talisman display had a more specific light shining beneath them, illuminating every brush strokes with perfect clarity. One of the clerks meandering around the Hall spotted him immediately and made his way over. He moved with the lithe grace of a dancer, making Alistair think of the girl from the Assignment Hall. Did all the clerks follow entertainment Daos? Or were they all following non-combat Daos and he''d just happened to encounter entertainers? Or was he just overthinking it? Did it even matter? "Hello!" The clerk said cheerfully, a winning smile playing on his lips. "How can I help you?" Alistair favored the clerk with a small smile of his own. Never let it be said that he couldn''t be nice! Just because he usually chose not to express his thoughts and feelings didn''t mean he had none! "Hello," He responded. "I''m here for defensive, offensive, illusion, and convenience talismans. Mainly the first three. And specifically the first two." The clerk nodded, his smile never slipping. Definitely an entertainer of some sort, Alistair mused. "What grade of talisman do you want?" The clerk asked. "Mortal ranks D through A would normally be most suitable for a Body Cleaning cultivator like yourself, but perhaps you have your own thoughts?" He trailed off leadingly at the end, clearly looking for input. Alistair was willing to give it to him, but only after he satisfied his curiosity. "How do all you clerks know my cultivation level?" He asked. "I''m normally able to sense when I''m being scanned." The clerk chuckled. "We have artifacts connected to our Hall. While in the Hall, this artifacts allow us to scan sect members and make use of some of the formations inside the Hall. It''s very useful. Especially when somebody''s being especially belligerent." Alistair took note of the hinted warning before moving on. "I''m fine with mortal grade talismans. Although I''m curious, do you have an S rank, like missions do?" The clerk nodded. "Yes, we do." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "I shouldn''t be saying this, but they''re typically overpriced and aren''t worth what you pay for them. They represent the peak of a realm. For example, Mortal S Rank talismans are the closest you can get to having an Earth realm talisman without actually having an Earth realm talisman. Which sounds great, but it''s really not that much better than most A grade talismans. Not that you''d know that from the price tags," He added with a snort. Alistair gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you," He said honestly. "But just for curiosity''s sake, I''d still like to see a few S rank talismans." The clerk''s smile thinned ever-so-slightly. Not enough that most people would know it, but Alistair had been trained to recognize micro-expressions like that. He couldn''t be an effective young master if he couldn''t recognize a person''s tells. "I''ll need to get Phillian for that," The clerk said. "Give me a moment." He walked off quickly, heading towards a door who''s outline was barely visible thanks to the lack of light. Ah. So that was how it was. Not worth the money, huh? Alistair wondered if he would regret his earlier gratitude. Not for the first time, he silently thanked his tutors for teaching him so well. He silently browsed his options as he waited for them to return. All the talismans on display were far beyond what he was looking for. Things costing 1400 or 1500 gold pieces. Alistair could afford one or two (he was, after all, a young master of the Starfall Clan), but it would be a waste of money. They were meant for Golden Core or even Violet Palace cultivators. Not itty-bitty Body Cleansers like himself. "Hello, hello," A jolly voice rang out, dragging the second word just long enough to be weird. Alistair could almost hear the grease dripping from it. Making sure to keep his face blank, he turned to observe the person he assumed to be Phillian. A portly, brown haired man wearing tastelessly expensive robes was sauntering towards him, a wide and expectant grin on his face. Behind him trailed the clerk from before, whose name Alistair had never asked. "Hello," Alistair responded in a carefully neutral tone. He could already tell he wouldn''t like this man, but it was a bad idea to show your dislike of the person you were trying to buy from. It was damaging to one''s wallet. "So, I hear you want to look at some real talismans, hmm?" Phillian rubbed his chubby hands together, looking the perfect image of the untrustworthy, unscrupulous merchant. "Proper S Rank talismans, hmm?" Yep. Alistair definitely didn''t like the guy. "Those, and other talismans of grades D through A. All in the mortal realm, of course." Alistair smiled wanly at Phillian. "As I''m sure you can see, I can''t make proper use of anything above the mortal realm." Phillian nodded, the tiniest bit of disdain appearing on his face as he looked Alistair up and down. "Yes, well, mortal realm is fine." His face brightened again, all traces of disdain vanishing in an instant. "In fact, I have a sample of all S rank talismans of mortal realm with me right now! Here, let me show you!" Phillian led both Alistair and the clerk over to an empty table, where he proceeded to lay samples of every S rank talismans on the table while expounding on their virtues. He ignored Alistair''s protests of only needing offensive, defensive, and illusion talismans. No doubt he was hoping that Alistair would feel the need to buy something unnecessary. "And this, ahhhh, this is a thing of beeeauuuty. An Earth Rupture talisman, capable of ripping apart the land and sending massive spikes of solid earth rocketing up from the ground into your foes!" Alistair gave up on trying to stop him and just opted to wait it out while scanning each talisman. Only five caught his eye.
Guiding Light
Rank: Mortal S
Type: Tracking Talisman
Number of Uses: Unlimited (unless damaged)
Use Timer: Once Per Hour
Description: Creates a ball of light that tracks a target using their qi signature. This tracking isn''t infallible, especially with the range and sensitivity of a mortal realm talisman, but it tends to be mostly accurate. The ball will only last for one hour.
Spear of Judgement
Rank: Mortal S
Type: Offensive Talisman
Number of Uses: Unlimited (unless damaged)
Use Timer: Once Per Hour
Description: Create a spear of light that rockets towards a target. This spear releases holy light into the target. As holy light is poisonous to demonic entities, this the perfect weapon to use against such foes. The spear is generally effective against Foundation Realm cultivators and below.
Holy Wall
Rank: Mortal S
Type: Defensive Talisman
Number of Uses: Unlimited (unless damaged)
Use Timer: Once Per Hour
Description: Create a spherical wall of holy light that works especially well against demonic attacks. The light released from the inside of the shell heals, repairs, and restores what is inside to a limited degree. The shell can ordinarily withstand attacks from the Foundation Realm and below. Although more than one or two Foundation Realm attacks will likely shatter it.
Shining Step
Rank: Mortal S
Type: Movement Talisman
Number of Uses: Unlimited (unless damaged)
Use Timer: Once Per Hour
Description: Moves the user at high speed to the desired location, provided there''s a path the talisman''s magic can understand.
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Angelic Legion
Rank: Mortal S
Type: Illusion Talisman
Number of Uses: Unlimited (unless damaged)
Use Timer: Once Per Hour
Description: Traps the target in an illusion where they''re on a battlefield fighting a thousand holy entities. Every time they''re damaged in the illusion, their own qi will cause the same damage to appear on their body. However, the foes they face in the illusion are all one realm below them or lower.
Seeing as how Alistair was off to fight a demonic creature of some sort, choosing holy talismans just made sense. Besides, his qi was naturally aligned with fire. Light and fire were similar enough to each other that the talismans would receive a small boost in strength when he activated them. Not nearly as much as if he had holy light aligned qi, or even normal light aligned qi, but it was still better than nothing. "I''ll take these," He said, picking them up one by one. "How much do they cost?" Phillian gave him a broad smile. "200 gold pieces each!" Alistair''s eyes widened involuntarily. "Isn''t¡­!" He paused, regaining control over himself before continuing. "Isn''t that a bit much?" "Normally, it would be far too much," Phillian agreed, to Alistair''s surprise. "But unlike normal, inferior talismans, S rank talismans have no use limit. So long as you don''t damage them, you''ll never need to come buy new talismans. So of course, we have to up the prices a bit." Well. That was a surprisingly honest statement. And it made sense, as much as Alistair hated to admit it. Alistair did a quick bit of math. He had 2000 gold pieces he was willing to spend on supplies for the mission, although that was only because he was intending to buy things that he could use for multiple missions. Five talismans for 200 each meant he''d be spending a full half of his budget here. Much more than he''d been planning. But considering the talismans had unlimited uses, it was probably worth it. They''d still be plenty useful even in the Qi Condensing Realm. So for the next five to ten years, he''d be making use of these. That was probably worth it. After all, if he didn''t buy these, he''d be getting talismans of D to A rank. Each had limited uses, so he''d end up buying another when one was used up. In the end, it would probably end up costing him more than if he just bit the bullet and got the S ranked talismans. Well then, he''d just have to reassess his mission budget. "I''ll take them," He said firmly, pulling stacks of gold pieces out of his storage ring. The ring itself was easily worth ten thousand gold pieces by itself, not including what was inside it. After all, spatial storage rings with a capacity of 100x100x100 meters were hard to make, even for those who specialized in the field. "Excellent!" Phillian beamed and clapped his chubby hands together, creating an unpleasant slapping sound. He waved his hand over the gold pieces, probably scanning them to see if there was the correct amount, then nodded. He smiled at Alistair and handed the talismans over. "A pleasure doing business with you," He said cheerfully. Alistair noticed the sour look on the original clerk''s face, who''d been hanging around the entire time. "Do you clerks work on commission?" He asked. Phillian blinked, then turned halfway around to glance at the clerk. He chuckled, then winked at Alistair. "I''m afraid we aren''t allowed to discuss details about how we operate," He said, in a tone that clearly stated "yes". Alistair smiled back at him. Perhaps Phillian wasn''t really all that bad after all. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Alistair was a bit taken aback when he got to the Treasure Hall. It was less of a building and more of an open space with walls. Golden grey stones created paths between stalls where people sold different goods. The "stalls" themselves ranged from being full-blown shops to dinky little tables under a tarp. He''d considered going to the Artifact Hall, since he was planning to buy artifacts. But the Treasure Hall typically had better prices, although the quality was also generally worse. Still, he wanted to try and keep to his original 2000 gold budget, if he could. Alistair had accepted that he''d probably end up going over, but he still wanted to try and stay under. He paused in one of the squares, looking around as he absorbed the sights and sounds of the Treasure Hall. "Golden Figs! Erudite Roots! Malevolent Ashwind Flower!" A bald, muscular man in a pale pink apron with little white flowers boomed out. "Black Iron Longsword! Validictus Steel Spear!" A skinny blonde woman called. "Veil Power! Blasting Powder! Truth Sight Lamp!" Cried a pale, black haired woman with piercing red eyes. It was too much. Alistair had spent the last month in solitude, basically never interacting with anybody. And he''d spent nearly the entirety of his time before the sect in the Clan library trying to perfect his cultivation scripture as much as he could. Even in his previous life, he''d never been what anybody would call a social butterfly. Generally, he had been described as, "A homebody who needs more god damn sunshine". Or so his older sister had said. But he''d stopped listening to anything she said after he caught her in bed with their step brother. You know, the more he thought about his previous life, the more he realized how incredibly messed up it had been. Even in his previous life, it was like he''d been living out the plot of a¡­ of a¡­ terrible tv show¡­ Alistair felt like a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind. Had he been living out the repercussions of previous reincarnation choices? Was that why he''d had such a shitty life? Was that why he''d had so much karma to spend?! "Hey there!" Alistair was jerked from his rapidly degrading train of thought by a too-cheerful voice. He glanced down to see a young girl with coal black skin, burning orange eyes with slit pupils, and pure white hair that went down to her waist in a single braid. An Evraedi. Weren''t they irrevocably bound to the Roaring Earth Continent? How was one here? "Hey yourself," He said amiably. He''d always like kids. "I suppose you''re here to show me around for a few pieces?" He asked. It was common for street rats to hang around complicated markets and wait for people like Alistair. It was a far safer way to make money than stealing. She nodded emphatically, striking a little pose. "Yes!" She chirped. "I know where everything is!" Alistair couldn''t help the little laugh that escaped his lips. She pouted at him for a moment, clearly distressed that he wasn''t amazed. Then she perked up and stuck her hand out. "My name''s Aliavar!" She said. Alistair smiled at her and he knelt a little to look her in the eye on level ground. He took her hand and shook it. "My name is Alistair Starfall," He said. Her eyes widened dramatically. "Wow! Really!" She asked excitedly. "Like, the Starfall Clan!?" "Yes," Alistair said, laughing. "Like the Starfall Clan." She poked him in the leg, glaring at him a little. "Hey! Don''t make fun of me!" Alistair snorted. "I wouldn''t dream of it," He said in the most serious, no-nonsense tone he could manage. Aliavar narrowed her eyes at him. "Really?" She asked suspiciously. "Really," Alistair said firmly, without the slightest quaver in his voice. Aliavar stared at him a few more seconds, then grinned. "Great!" She said. "Nobody ever takes me seriously! It''s so annoying!" "I can imagine," Alistair commiserated, remembering his frustration at being treated like a child by his father and uncle. "Now, you said you know the Treasure Hall pretty well?" He asked. "Oh, for sure!" Aliavar said, nodding her head. "What are you looking for?" "Well, let''s start with weapons and armor," He said. "I prefer to use a spear with heavy scale mail armor, with a sword for when needed. Know any good places to start my search?" Aliavar tapped her finger on her cheek as she considered the problem. It was honestly adorable to watch. She had to be near his own physical age (although obviously not nearly his mental age), but she looked and acted like she was younger. "Well, there''s a place down the path that sells good quality weapons of all sorts," She said. "But they''re only good quality, not great. Cheap, though. Great prices." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He shook his head and she nodded. "Well, in that case, we could try Ivan''s. He sells pretty much anything metal, but the prices are a little high. Top quality equipment, though." She glanced at him again and he shrugged amicably. "Let''s go," He said simply. "I''ll want to look at a few different places anyways." He tossed her a gold piece, making her eyes widen in shock. That one piece was probably more than she made in a week, and he was planning to give her a few more if she guided him well. As it was, he figured that just being such great company was a good enough reason to be given a single gold piece. "Yessir!" She blurted, grabbing his hand and tugging him along. Alistair pursed his lips at the touch, eying her hand like it was some sort of venomous serpent. In general, he disliked physical contact. Or mental contact. Or spiritual contact. Really, any sort of touching that wasn''t with a stick or something similarly impersonal. But he''d let it slide, just this once. "So," He asked as they walked in an attempt to make conversation, "How old are you?" "Almost twelve," She said, beaming at him. She glanced at, her slitted orange eyes flashing. Alistair blinked at the sight of her cheeks paling, then remembered that the blood of the Evraedi was white, not red. So she was blushing? He strained to remember anything else he''d read about the Evraedi, but what little he knew was only thanks to them being a footnote in a cultivation scripture about the Nine Underworld Flames. Apparently, the Evraedi were the only people to ever figure out how to cultivate all nine flames. Wait, what was he doing? Alistair quickly used Eye of Insight on her.
Aliavar Zatil
Age: 12
Sex: Female
Race: Human (Evraedi)
Spiritual Root: Perfect Fire Root
Meridians: Ascendant Mortal
Physique: Earthshaker
Bloodline: Nine Royal Flames
Cultivation Level: None
Overall Talent: 61
Occupation: Treasure Hall Guide
Description: An Evraedi girl whose family was killed by a rival sect. When she reaches thirteen years of age, she''ll be allowed to properly join the sect. But currently, she spends her days trying to earn money by acting as a Treasure Hall guide.
Alistair stumbled a little, making Aliavar give him an odd look. He didn''t blame her. It was weird for a cultivator to lose their balance for no reason. But in his defense, it wasn''t for no reason! She, a random street urchin, had almost twice as much cultivation talent as he did! Hell, she could probably get into the Radiant Heavens Sect with that kind of talent! He swallowed hard, looking at Aliavar with a suddenly greedy gaze. If he could get her to become his good and trusted friend¡­ He sighed. No, he couldn''t do that. For one, he didn''t have the stomach for cold-blooded manipulation like that. For another, the repercussions if she ever found out might be horrible. Also, that scan reminded him. He still needed to find some methods of gaining enhanced meridians, a physique, and a bloodline. He''d worked out a few potential methods over the last month, but those were just barebones ideas he''d come up with between training sessions. "We''re here!" Aliavar announced, knocking Alistair out of his thoughts. He glanced up to see a sign stating Ivan''s Armory in bold script. The building was simple, but surprising large. Walking in, Alistair could see all manner of weapons and armor all around. Some were on shelves, others on mannequins, and a bunch in barrels. Alistair immediately started scanning the spears, swords, and armor that immediately stood out to him. He had a natural eye for quality, at least, for weapons. After a ten or so minutes, Aliavar tugged on his sleeve. "Do you want to see the next place?" She asked. "No, actually," Alistair said. "The prices and quality here are fine." Looking at her, he saw her attention drifting towards a pair of long, jagged daggers. He scanned them and smiled at what he saw.
Dragon''s Fangs
Rank: Mortal S
Type:Daggers
Material: Fireglass Blade, Orowood Handle
Description: A pair of finely crafted daggers. They have a formation inlay that allows them to spew liquid fire from their tips. This fire is capable of melting the bones of even a Foundation Realm cultivator. Another formation inlay repairs the daggers of all minor damage and keeps them clean of all dirt and grime. The third and final formation inlay allows them to be bound to the owner through a drop of blood. They can then be summoned and dismissed from the soulspace of the owner at will.
"You have a good eye," He said, making her jump. She turned to give him a slightly guilty look. "I come by every now and then to look at them," She confessed. "Just to see that nobody''s bought them. I know I''ll never be able to afford them, but¡­" Alistair understood. He''d been poor in the childhood of his precious life. And most of his unfortunately short adult life. Sometimes, you just wanted to look at the item you coveted, even if you knew it would never be yours. Because as long as it was there, you could pretend that it might one day be yours. "How about I buy it for you?" He asked without thinking. His own words only registered in his own mind when she gave him a wide-eyed stare. "Are¡­ are you serious?" She asked. Alistair''s heart nearly broke at the tiny strand of well-concealed hope in her voice. "Of course," He said. "I''m the young master of the Starfall Clan-" Her jaw dropped at that tid-bit of information "-I have money to spare." It was true. He''d chosen to restrict his mission budget because he was used to being a penny-pincher, not because he actually needed to. He had a little over 5000 gold pieces total even after spending a thousand on the talismans. And if he needed more, it was easy to send a message to the Clan. So long as the request was reasonable, like an extra few thousand gold to spend, they''d give it to him without thinking twice. Even most unreasonable requests would probably be granted. "Yes, please," Aliavar said in a small voice. "I''d be very grateful." Alistair chuckled at her sudden shyness. Then he grabbed a sword, spear, and suit of scale mail armor for himself. The armor alone would cost him an arm and a leg, but it was all worth it.
Archon¡¯s Grace
Rank: Mortal S
Type: Sword
Material: Ovelian Steel, Orowood Handle
Description: A finely crafted sword. It has a formation that allows it to send out a beam of holy light that cuts through the target. Another formation inlay repairs all minor damage and keeps them clean of all dirt and grime. The third and final formation inlay allows them to be bound to the owner through a drop of blood. They can then be summoned and dismissed from the soulspace of the owner at will.
Dragon¡¯s Breath
Rank: Mortal S
Type: Spear
Material: Terbrethian Steel, Orowood Handle
Description: A finely crafted spear. It has a formation that allows it to launch a bolt of liquid fire at a target. This fire can melt even the bones of a Foundation Realm cultivator. Another formation inlay repairs all minor damage and keeps them clean of all dirt and grime. The third and final formation inlay allows them to be bound to the owner through a drop of blood. They can then be summoned and dismissed from the soulspace of the owner at will.
Inviolable Shell
Rank: Mortal S+
Type: Scale Armor
Material: Jothorunga Scales, Enemian Bull Leather
Description: A masterfully crafted set of armor that pushes the boundaries of what¡¯s possible for mortal realm equipment. In truth, it wouldn¡¯t be entirely wrong to call this a set of low earth realm armor. The first formation inlay allows for the healing of wounds. The second inlay empowers the user, increasing their physical ability by 50-75% so long as they¡¯re in the Foundation Realm or below. Another formation inlay repairs all minor damage and keeps them clean of all dirt and grime. The fourth and final formation inlay allows them to be bound to the owner through a drop of blood. They can then be summoned and dismissed from the soulspace of the owner at will.
The sword, spear, armor, and daggers totalled 1800 good pieces all on their own. It was enough to make Alistair realize that he had gravely underestimated how much quality equipment cost. He idly wondered how normal people made do, then decided he didn''t actually care that much. It really wasn''t all that hard for cultivators to make a few hundred gold, and that was enough to buy a decent sword or spear. With a sword or spear, a cultivator could hunt demon beasts to earn money more quickly, then use that money to further equip themselves. Of course, that was assuming that the cultivator had the drive, talent, and brains needed for such a venture. But still, it was definitely possible. Alistair took a moment to consider getting a few rings, enchanted gloves, boots, or some other such equipment. Then he strangled the thought. The boots might be a good idea, but he¡¯d wait to purchase any more artifacts until after he¡¯d gone on the mission and gotten a solid idea of just how hard a Meridian Opening mission was. "All right," He said to Aliavar, who was staring at her new daggers with a transfixed expression. "Where do we go to buy supplies for a long journey?" A few hours later, Alistair had a tent that set itself up and took itself down with the press of a wooden symbol. Besides that, he had a pair of bedrolls (one as a back-up), blankets, food, water, a firestarter, medical supplies, and books on recognizing poisonous plants and fungi, different beasts, and all manner of insects. He also had a detailed map with a red arrow representing where he was and what direction he was going. But he also bought a compass, just in case. "Well, this is goodbye for now," Alistair said to Aliavar. She surprised him by flinging her arms around him in a bone crushing hug. Or it would have been bone crushing if he hadn''t been a peak Body Cleanser. "Thank you so much," She whispered. Then she ran off. Alistair didn''t smile. But he did feel a little glee. The super talent was his new #1 fan! Ch. 5 - The Mission! Boring. That was the best word Alistair had to describe the mission. At least, so far. He was sure that things would get more interesting once he got to the village and started asking around. But until then, he had to deal with things like walking along a dusty dirt path with the hot sun beating down on him. Well, at least he had all his things stored in his ring. Alistair couldn''t imagine how the peasants dealt with carrying things around everywhere in this blistering heat and thick humidity. If only, if only he''d gotten some quality of life artifacts. Like a temperature ring. They stabilized the temperature on your body and clothes to whatever you desired. Or those boots he''d been thinking of before, the ones that would make him move faster. But alas, he hadn''t given comfort much thought, having underestimated just how unpleasant the journey would be. He definitely wouldn''t make that mistake again. It took Alistair a few days to reach the village. Lost Moss, named after a local nursery rhyme, was a small village of around 400 people. Give or take. Alistair had no interest in actually counting them, so the number was really just a guess. Following the main road through the village led him directly to the Chieftain''s Cottage. The chief being the person who was basically in charge. At least, to the point that he was allowed to speak for the village and make important decisions. The rank could be stripped in a single session of the Elder''s Council, so it wasn''t always a stable position to hold. But that wasn''t Alistair''s problem, so he didn''t care. He knocked on the door, taking care not to hit too hard. It looked sturdy enough, but he didn''t trust some peasant''s hut to stay form under his casual strength. Body Refinement normally only took a person to the peak of what was naturally possible, but he also had all his meridians partially open. He was a lot stronger than a normal human and had to keep it in mind. "Coming, I''m coming," came the voice of an old man. "Just give me a moment to¡­" the voice trailed off, leaving Alistair to stew and consider how badly he needed a proper bath. He''d washed in streams, but that was hardly a replacement for clean water and soap. He felt grimy. He hated feeling grimy. "So, what''s-" the wrinkled face of the old man froze, his hand trembling as it rubbed at his wispy beard. "C-cultivator?" He breathed. Alistair nodded, and his eyes widened in joy. "Excellent!" The old chief excitedly pulled Alistair inside, setting up a chair at the only table and moving towards the little kitchen area. "I assume you''re here to kill the monster?" "Yes, I am," Alistair confirmed. "Is everything the same as in the report, or has something new happened?" "No, no," the chief said, suddenly morose. "All more of the same. Ten chickens and a pig have been taken since we sent it, but it''s behaved the same way. Always attacking at night, sneaking past whatever guards we set up." Alistair nodded. "Has anybody caught a glimpse of it?" He asked. "Or outright seen it?" Regrettably, the chief shook his head with a sigh. "No, no. Jasp claims he saw it. Says it looks like a wolf. But before that, he said it looked like a fox. And before that, a cat. So I doubt he actually saw it at all. He''s most likely just making up stories to get attention. He does that sometimes. Erm- anything you''d like to eat or drink?" Alistair smiled gently and shook his head. "No, thank you. I have everything I need in my storage ring." "Right, right," the chief said, sitting down across from Alistair. He wrung his hands nervously as the silence stretched on between them. His gaze slowly sank to the table as Alistair''s gaze bore into him. "So," Alistair finally said, making the chief look up gratefully. You''d never have thought the chief was the elder of the pair, but facing somebody who could so easily kill you had a way of making a person timid. "Where''s this Jasp person?" The chief''s eyes widened. "Are- are you sure?" He stammered. "My lord, I-" "Don''t call me ''lord''," Alistair interrupted coolly. "I''m not a lord of anything and thus the title makes me uncomfortable." "Right, right, my apologies," the chief murmured. His gaze had sunk to the table again, making Alistair let out a small sigh of exasperation. "I want to speak with Jasp," he repeated. "Even if it''s all nonsense, it might not be. I want to have an idea of what I''ll be facing. That way, I''ll be better prepared." "Of course, of course," the chief said, sounding like he was going to collapse. Alistair considered the chief for a moment, then internally shrugged. Maybe the chief had a bad experience with cultivators before? It happened. When a person could do whatever they wanted, their true nature tended to show itself. Alistair was a pretty reasonable person, preferring peace to violence of any sort. But for another person, they might kill, rape, and plunder wherever they went. The chief might have run into one of those types. The chief slowly got up, the scraping of the chair on the wooden floor jerking Alistair out of his thoughts. The old man led Alistair out of the house, leaning on his walking stick every time he put weight on his right leg. They passed a series of wooden houses of various sizes before arriving at an especially small one. "No one wants to live with Jasp," was the only reply Alistair got from the chief after an inquisitive glance. The chief rapped sharply on the door with his cane. "Jasp!" He shouted, his voice cracking slightly from the effort. "I know you''re in there, you lazy layabout! Get out here! A cultivator is here to kill the monster, and he wants to talk to you!" The chief shot Alistair an apologetic look. "I''m sorry about this," he said. Alistair frowned slightly. "Sorry about what?" He asked. But before the chief could answer, the door was thrown open. "Hello, he-llo!" The newcomer sang out in a theatrical tone. He had dirty blonde hair, mud brown eyes, tan skin, and a sneaky twinkle to his eyes that made Alistair immediately understand what nobody believed his story about the monster. "You''re Jasp," He said quickly, wanting to cut the man off before he could build up a head of steam. Jasp was obviously the sort of person who loved talking and playing the fool. Alistair would be here all day, playing audience to Jasp''s acts, if Jasp had his way. "Yes, yes I am!" Jasp cried out, spinning away with shocking nimbleness. The chief moved with equally surprising speed, hobbling forward with his cane raised before walking Jasp with it several times. "Enough-" smack "of-" smack "your-" smack "foolishness!" The chief shouted. Jasp yelped with each blow until they stopped coming, at which point he whimpered and scooted away, looking decidedly less enthusiastic. "Alright, you wrinkly old coot," He growled, rubbing his arms and legs where the blows had landed. "Keep your whiskers on- or what''s left of them anyways." Jasp smirked as the chief flinched, his hand darting up to his thin beard. Then Jasp jumped away with a yelp as the chief swiped at him with his walking stick again. Alistair cleared his throat, drawing their attention. He''d been watching with detached amusement, but the show had gotten old and he wanted to move on to the reason he was here. "Jasp," he stated, making the young man''s gaze sharpen. "What did you see of the monster?" The playfulness on Jasp''s face fell away as he shrugged. "Not a whole lot, really. It was running away with one of Old Marn''s chickens when I saw it. At first, I thought it was some sort of huge cat. It slinked around like one, in any case. But it didn''t really look like a cat. More like a wolf, really. So I figured it was probably a fox, since foxes look like tiny wolves, but move more like cats. But then I remembered that there aren''t any foxes around, not in this season. So I figured it had to just be some weird sort of wolf." Alistair blinked. The chief was far less reserved. "Jasp!" He shouted, fury and indignation turning his face a splotchy red, "You mean to tell me that you could have described the whole thing that clearly this entire time!?!?" "Umm," Jaso trailed off as he met the chief''s enraged eyes. "Yes?" The chief let out a strangled cry of rage before swinging his stick wildly at the evidently infuriating young man. Alistair chose to let himself out and head back to the Chieftain''s Cottage to wait. His plan was simple. He''d wait for the monster to attack, then use his tracking talisman to, well, track it. Then he''d kill it and head back to the sect with the body after getting his mission slip signed. He''d rest for a day or two, then take another mission. Rinse and repeat. He just needed to tell the chief where he''d be sleeping and to send somebody to come get him as soon as the monster attacked. -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Alistair lay awake on his bedroll, looking up at the stars as he thought about the somewhat amusing conversation he¡¯d had with the village chief. ¡°Oh, good,¡± the chief had said, breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°I didn¡¯t know where you¡¯d gone and I- well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here.¡± Alistair raised an eyebrow at the man, but didn¡¯t comment on whatever the man had been going to say. Instead, he moved on to the reason he was here. ¡°The monster attacks every night, correct?¡± He asked for the sake of clarification. The chief nodded. ¡°Yes, every night.¡± He paused, then continued when Alistair just kept staring. ¡°We don¡¯t know how it manages it. No matter how many guards we set or how many fences we built, it just slips past all of them and takes what it wants.¡± That was less than ideal. It meant either the monster was intelligent enough to outwit them, or it had some sort of innate ability that let it slip by them unnoticed. Simple camouflage would be the best case scenario. But it could also be invisibility, illusions, impermeability, or even outright teleportation. Alistair, unfortunately, suspected it was illusions. Ever since he¡¯d heard that the creature looked like a fox, it had been the one thought he couldn¡¯t get out of his mind. It would make sense. All fox species had innate powers of illusion and enthrallment, no matter what other abilities they had. A demonic fox even more so than a normal fox spirit. It would be difficult for a Meridian Opening fox to fully mask itself, but not impossible. Especially when it was dealing with ordinary peasants. Alistair shook his head with a sigh, then looked the chief in the eye. ¡°I want all your people out watching tonight. Men, women, even children. As soon as something is taken, they come straight to me. I¡¯ll be waiting at the center of the village, just by the well. I¡¯ll chase down the monster alone.¡± The chief nodded hesitantly, a vaguely rebellious look in his eye. Alistair crooked an eyebrow at him, and the chief voiced his thoughts unsteadily. ¡°Even the children?¡± He asked. Alistair shrugged. ¡°Sure. Or not. What¡¯s important is that you discover the attack within half an hour. I have a tracking talisman that will lead me to the monster, but it won¡¯t work well after more than half an hour.¡± That wasn¡¯t strictly true. The time limit was a full hour. But Alistair didn¡¯t want them being lazy about it. Giving them only half an hour would keep them on their toes. The chief nodded again. An image of a bobblehead version of the chief popped into Alistair¡¯s head, almost making him grin in a rather undignified manner. ¡°In that case, then, I¡¯d like to leave the children out of it,¡± the chief said. Alistair spread his palms in an uncaring gesture. ¡°Whatever you like,¡± he said. That had been three days ago. Since then, the monster had snuck past the village three nights in a row, with the village only discovering the theft after it was too late. Tensions were running high, as the villagers had expected a quick solution to their problems after the arrival of a cultivator. Comments like ¡°useless¡± and ¡°what are we even paying, housing, and feeding the upstart brat for¡± kept getting thrown around. The villagers had seemingly forgotten that he hadn¡¯t been paid, had been eating his own food, drinking his own water, and sleeping on his own bed outside any of the houses. They hadn¡¯t given him a damn thing. Although admittedly, they had been getting a lot of sleepless nights thanks to his orders. But that was the one thing they didn¡¯t resent him for. And it was the only thing he¡¯d actually done! Alistair sighed, internally bemoaning the stupidity of humanity. Then he noticed the person running towards him. ¡°An attack!¡± The person, a young girl, shouted. She reached him as he jumped to his feet, doubling over and panting. Alistair waited for her to catch her breath before asking the one question he had. ¡°Where?¡± He asked in a strict, no-nonsense voice. The girl, who hadn¡¯t quite gotten her breath back, pointed in the direction she¡¯d come from. Obviously. What he meant was- ¡°Which pen?¡± Alistair clarified. ¡°Pig pen,¡± She gasped out. Alistair nodded sharply and took off.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. His feet left deep furrows in the earth as he ran, outstripping anything an ordinary mortal could achieve. A smirk crossed his lips for the briefest of moments before his face returned to its usual mask. He truly, truly loved being a cultivator. Dying horribly had been the best decision of his previous life! Sure, it had a lot of boring moments. Sitting around chanting a sutra while guiding qi through your body was hardly exhilarating. At least, once the initial rush of controlling a magical energy wore off. Alistair wasn''t certain he''d ever lose that hint of wonder he felt whenever he manipulated qi. Still, it got pretty mundane and boring despite being incredible in it''s own way. But this? The pay-off? It was what made it all worth it. "There!" A man shouted pointing at Alistair. A number of people ran over to the cultivator as he altered his course to meet them. "I was told there was an attack," he said, sliding to a graceful stop. "Where was it?" "Here, here," a woman said, guiding him by the arm to a specific pen. A bit of fresh blood splashed on the ground made it clear that the theft had been recent. Alistair immediately summoned his tracking talisman from his storage ring and pushed his qi into it. As a Body Refinement cultivator, it took him several seconds just to gather enough qi to activate the talisman. He had to carefully pull the qi out of his flesh, gather it in his palm, then move it to the activation key on the talisman. A tricky and somewhat dangerous move. It was easy to damage the body by moving qi through anything other than your meridians. It was why cultivation was said to only truly start after all a person''s meridians had been opened. At that point, it was possible to rapidly and easily move qi through your body as needed, thus allowing for magical abilities to be used far more easily than when your meridians remained closed. But this was good enough for now. A feral grin played on Alistair''s youthful face as the talisman rose into the air, forming a ball of light around itself. It made the villagers flinch to see. Suddenly, they all became keenly aware that they''d been harboring somebody who was both strong enough and skilled enough to slaughter every single one of them. The face of one of the older men, who''d been one of the people rabble-rousing the day before, completely drained of blood. Alistair didn''t so much as notice their reactions. His focus was entirely on the ball of light. "You all," he said, focusing his attention on the villagers. He was momentarily distracted by one man''s appearance. It looked like he was about to faint. "Are- are you alright?" He asked. The man stammered for a moment, then fell over. Alistair pursed his lips, then decided he didn''t have time to deal with the idiocy of peasants. He refocused on the crowd, making them flinch from the force of his gaze. "I want you to gather a hunting party and follow me," he said. "It''s possible this thing is stronger than we thought. If it''s too much for me, I''ll need support. If it manages to kill me, you''ll want to attack it while it''s tired and weakened. Meaning right after our fight. Understood?" They nodded and ran off. All in different directions. Alistair indulged in a moment of despair. These villagers were idiots! He sighed, shaking his head. Then he turned his attention back to the talisman. "Alright," he breathed. "Showtime." He moved towards the ball of light. As soon as he drew near enough, it moved towards the forest. Alistair''s wolfish grin returned. Perfect. He took off, following the light as it led him deeper and deeper into the forest. The forest was hardly thick. The trees were at least a dozen feet apart from each other at all times, and there was little to no undergrowth. The moon and stars peeked could almost always be seen thanks to the near-total lack of clouds. Combined with the soft white light of the tracking talisman, Alistair had more than enough light to see by. He slid to a halt as a low snarl reached his ears, the soft padding of paws on earth making itself known over the pounding of blood in his ears. An enormous fox, larger than most wolves, slid out from behind a tree, moving with eerie grace. As Alistair had thought, the monster that had been stealing livestock was a fox demon. Ah, the sweet feeling of vindication. The simple satisfaction of being right. Alistair pulled his spear from his storage ring, along with the Holy Wall talisman. His armor was already equipped. After all, armor couldn''t just be summoned on and off his body. He''d had to take his time getting each piece on just right, then made himself comfortable sleeping in it. He blinked the errant thoughts out of his mind, focusing on the impending battle. The fox was circling, darting from tree to tree. He gripped his spear with both hands. Normally, he''d say it was a poor idea to use a spear in a forest. But this forest was thin enough that it wasn''t a problem. The fox let out a low, warning growl. Probably the fox equivalent of "turn your stupid ass around before it rip you apart". Alistair wasn''t sure. Nor did he really care. If it was just the one fox, he wasn''t actually all that worried. Foxes weren''t especially good at straight fights. Not unless they were one of the higher class foxes, with some sort of bloodline ability to help them. But that almost certainly wasn''t the case here. Normally, a fox demon would rely on enchanting the opponent. Whether this meant illusion or enthrallment depended on a few factors. Enthrallment, for example, only became a factor after they''d formed their Golden Core and shattered their Mortal Shackles. At that point they''d gain a human form, like all spirit beasts, with human wisdom to match. At that point, nearly all fox spirits became devastatingly beautiful. It made it easy for them to enthrall most cultivators of the opposite gender. But for a fox of this level, the only real option was illusions. And the fox would have already spent most of its energy to trick the villagers. After all, that was the main reason Alistair had gotten so many villagers keeping watch. The more people it had to trick, the more tired the fox would become. As long as it hadn''t entered the Qi Condensing Realm, it would have to be nearly out of qi. So, full of confidence, Alistair cautiously advanced. What? Just because he was confident didn''t mean he was stupid. Even if it was an opponent he was almost certain to defeat, it could still injure him badly if he was careless. And he needed to keep his senses sharp in case of there being one or more foxes. Actually, maybe his Eye of Insight would tell him in the description?
DEMONIC FOX
Age: 8
Sex: Female
Race: Fox Spirit (Demon)
Spiritual Root:
51% Water Root
49% Fire Root
Meridians: Ordinary Mortal
Physique: Ordinary Mortal
Bloodline: None
Cultivation Level: Meridian Opening - Stage 5
Overall Talent: 12
Occupation: Monstrous Fox
Description: A demonic fox that has been terrorising a farming village. It has a single living kit that it will protect with its life.
Well. That was spectacularly useless. Alistair was sure he could get useful information if he played around with the Eye of Insight for a minute, but he didn''t have the concentration to spare. Or the time. The fox was growling louder and louder, moving more sharply and fiercely as it circled him. It was going to attack soon. Alistair made a sharp jab with his spear. The fox leapt back, despite the spearhead never getting anywhere near it. It made to lunge at Alistair, but he swiped his spear at it. The shape blade made a whistling sound as it cut through the air, making the fox retreat further. The fox snarled, then breathed out- mist? Alistair snarled and lunged, spear arcing towards the fox''s chest. It was an easier target than the head and would do a fine job of disrupting whatever illusion this was. The fox jumped back, the mist fading slightly from the distraction. But then it went back to spewing misting and the technique stabilized. Alistair pressed forward, planning to attack until it stopped trying to cast the technique. It wasn''t his preferred style of combat. He liked to fight defensively, letting his opponent exhaust themselves on his defenses before swooping in for the kill. But that wasn''t an option right now. The mist was already high enough to completely cover the fox and becoming denser by the second. If the fox created enough of it, Alistair wouldn''t be able to see through the mist, allowing it to attack with near impunity. Alistair thought he was good enough to win the fight regardless, but it would be stupid to take the chance. Alistair paused in his attacks for a moment, switching his spear for his sword. He held the sword, Archon''s Grace, in his dominant hand, his right, while pulling the Spear of Judgement talisman into his left. He then continued his attacks with the sword while slowly gathering qi in his left palm. It was difficult. Pulling qi from his body without damaging it was a lot harder when he was actively moving around. Trying to do it while also focusing on attacking the fox made it so it took nearly half a minute to gather the qi he needed. But then he had the qi and was activating the talisman. The fox let out a hissing noise as the spear, formed of holy light, formed off to the side of Alistair''s left shoulder. He let it sit there for a moment as he lunged at the fox. Predictably, it jumped away. Like it had every other time. With a thought, he sent the spear rocketing towards the spot where the fox would land. It didn''t have time to dodge. The spear slammed into it, knocking it off balance as it hit next to the shoulder. Alistair''s muscles screamed in protest as he lunged, moving and swinging his sword with all the speed and force his Body Refinement cultivation could offer. His sword slammed into the fox''s neck, completely severing it. The head hit the ground with a tiny, hollow thud as the body collapsed to the ground. Alistair breathed heavily, wiping the sweat off his face as he looked at the body. Slowly, a delighted grin spread across his face. He''d done it! He''d killed his first demon! Sure, it hadn''t been especially strong. But still! His first demon! He quickly stashed the head and body into his storage ring. Spatial storage rings, at least of this level, couldn''t store living beings. But they could store dead flesh without any issues. It was an easy proof of completion. Alistair glanced toward the ball of light generated by the tracking talisman. He moved towards it, pushing it towards where he''d seen the mother fox demon come from. The description had mentioned a kit. If it was a demon, he''d need to kill it. Otherwise it would grow up to become a new monster fox. He only had to walk for a few minutes to find the den. A large tree had fallen over, and the fox demon had created a nest in the branches. As the light soared over the branches, Alistair could hear a fox squeaking in protest. He poked his head into the den and scanned the fluffy red fox kit.
FOX SPIRIT
Age: 1
Sex: Female
Race: Fox Spirit
Spiritual Root:Firesong Spiritual Root
Meridians: Ordinary Mortal
Physique: Ordinary Mortal
Bloodline: None
Cultivation Level: None
Overall Talent: 24
Occupation: Fox Kit
Description: The offspring of a monstrous demon fox that terrorized a local village.
Alistair swallowed hard as he got a good look at the kit. No longer needing to worry about whether or not the kit was a demon in disguise, he was able to fully appreciate just how adorable the little bundle of fluff was. "It''s official," he murmured to it. "I''m keeping you." -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- The walk back to the village was slow. Mainly because Alistair had no reason to move quickly. He''d just killed the only monster in the forest capable or willing to attack him. Then he''d taken its offspring as his pet. Funny how the world worked sometimes. Alistair rubbed the little fox''s head, making her squeak in pleasure. He''d need to think of a good name. Luna? Ciara? Nimue? Or maybe something more common. He shrugged the thoughts aside and reflected on his fight with the fox demon. From the view of hindsight, Alistair could safely say that he probably should have used his Spear of Judgement talisman earlier. By the time he''d gotten enough qi to it, the most had been thick enough that he could barely see the fox. The only reason he''d actually been able to hit the fox was that he''d made it retreat enough times that he could guess where it would jump to. If he''d missed, he would have been forced to rely on activating the enchantments on his weapons. Which wouldn''t have been the end of the world, but using an artifact was a lot harder than using a talisman. Talismans charged themselves using ambient qi. All the person using them had to do was gather enough qi to trigger the activation sequence. But with artifacts, you fueled the entire thing. Alistair figured he''d only have one attack in him, using either spear or sword, before he was totally drained of qi. And that was disregarding how long it would take to gather the qi needed. Of course, if worst came to worst, he could have used his Holy Wall talisman. But that would mean he couldn''t use it later if he got hurt. He didn''t have any proper healing items- which was now on his list of Things To Buy, just above enchanted walking boots and just below a temperature control ring. Or maybe he should get temperature controlling robes? Or a sash? Sashes seemed to be all the rage these days. Everybody, even the elders, had fancy sashes showing how cool and elegant they were. Alistair had a plain black sash with gold trimming. Which was basically neutral, as far as sashes went. It was hardly unfashionable, but it wasn''t fashionable either. But Alistair liked it. He liked his black robes with their white edges and gold trimming too. Honestly, he just liked black, white, and gold. It was hard to go wrong with that particular color combination. He walked like that for a while, petting his new fox and thinking about totally ordinary stuff. Occasionally he''d stop to enjoy the scenery of the dew covered forest as the little specks and drops of water sparkled in the moonlight. Other times, he''d look up at the moon and stars. The night sky was so clear. So beautiful. There was no pollution, either light or gas, to fog up the sky. It was all crystal clear, especially to his Body Refinement eyes. He enjoyed a light breeze. Both the feel of it on his face and the sound of it rustling the trees. Yes, Alistair thought. Truly, dying in his old life and being reborn in this one had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. Planning things out (not a chapter) So if you''ve been reading the comments, you know that I''m planning to reboot the story after planning things out better. If you haven''t, well, that''s what I''m planning to do. But I''m a bit overambitious when it comes to worldbuilding. I come up with so many ideas that I think are pretty cool, and I want them all! But unfortunately, some of them directly conflict. So I''ve come to you guys to help me decide which one to go with. 1. The World System So this is about the general scale and sort of world we''re dealing with. Do you guys want a massive scale, with Alistair going from planet to planet, or do you want the whole story to take place on a single world? And if you want multiple worlds, would you prefer a Yggdrasil sort of thing or planets floating in space? 2. Do you want him to keep his memories or not? I was thinking of making his memories somewhat hazy. So instead of him having crystal clear memories of his past life, he''d have instincts, flashes of knowledge, dreams, and sometimes remember information. It''d be like when you have a dream that you remember, but is also hard to fully remember because it''s a dream. I figured that way I could play around with his character a bit more, making him more arrogant and stuff. But I could also do that regardless of his memories. I don''t know. It was just an idea I had that I couldn''t make a decision on.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. 3. Do you think he should have different perks/detriments? I''ve been thinking about those a lot. Trying to come up with perks he can''t exploit but are still genuinely useful is actually kinda hard. Detriments are easier, but I''d still like to hear your thoughts on them. 4. I want thinking of renaming this to One of a Kind. Do you like it? Do you think I should keep the current name? Or do you think I should change the name, but to something else? 5. Do you want him to have a different spiritual root? And what physique do you think he should have? So I''m planning to cut out special meridians altogether. That''s just too many fancy names to try and come up with. Spiritual roots will still work the same, as will physiques. Bloodlinesw essentially be pieces of a physique that can get passed from parent to child. They''re special because they can grow naturally and because you''re born with them and didn''t have to do any work to have them. I''m already planning to give him a bloodline. Just a small one, but it''s what distinguishes a clan from a normal family. So he has to have one. So do you guys think he should have a different spiritual root? And what physique do you guys want him to eventually acquire? (I already have pretty solid plans for these, but since I''m asking a bunch of questions already, I figured I may as well ask this as well.) EDIT 6. One person in the comments said to just make him OP. Do more of you want that? I''ll try if you do, but it''s pretty hard to write an interesting, engaging story with an OP protagonist. A lot of you would have to want that for me to try it. So. Yeah. Love you all. Give any and all input you want. One last poll as I start my rewrite Basically, I''ve given up on trying to plan everything out from the start. I have some general plans for the future of the world and a decent amount of the world planned out. But trying to plan everything out from the start is just preventing me from writing. As such, I just want one last poll before I start writing again. (Well, that''s not quite right. I''ve already started writing again, but it would be easy to adapt what I''ve written to match any of the options you guys select.) Anyways, I need to fill out the 500 word count so I can post. So here''s my general idea for the re-write. - He won''t be a reincarnation with a system. It''s just hard for me to mesh the whole "system" idea with the rest of the world. I''ve been toying with the idea of a story where a person is in a game world that follows cultivation rules and everybody has a system, but odds are I won''t end up writing it. (Or maybe I will! But it would definitely only be something I did after making serious progress on this story. I refuse to let myself be distracted out of re-writing this!)Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. - I''ve absolutely been influenced by a few other stories I''ve read. The most prominent influence some people will probably notice is Reverand Insanity. It''s a story I avoided for a while because the name, summary, and first few chapters made me think the story wouldn''t be something I''d enjoy. But then I finally tried it and it''s now one of my absolute favorites. Real shame that it''s on hiatus right now. Apparently it has a staunch group of haters in China that mass reported it, so the author is currently banned from writing any more of it. - A big part of cultivation is something called Remnants. So, when a person with a connection to the Dao dies, they leave behind a remnant. Cultivators use remnants to create and talismans and artifacts, as well as to boost their own magical abilities.