The group quickly made what few defensive moves they could. Tian’s first instinct was to pull out some barricades he had in a ring, but quickly decided against it. The Monkeys would be attacking from the trees, either coming straight down on top...
2026-01-09 15:00:20 +0000 UTC View PostTian didn’t watch the others cross. He sat on the ground, casually crossing his legs under him and cradling the pinecone. He felt an immense quiet, and like the null chamber in the Six Turns Cavern, it forced him to confront himself.
“We can start with the obvious- we must cross the river to progress. The river is covered with an explosive haze that condenses approximately six feet above the surface, while the ‘water’ is tiny snakes that explode with clinging, poisonous ...
2026-01-07 15:00:17 +0000 UTC View Post“This is not my fire. This is not the kind of yang qi I want.”
The fire poison was a vile thing, viscus, leaving a residue of itself wherever it passed that would grow and spread until it had reduced a human body into a seed bed...
2026-01-06 15:00:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Prior to writing Sky Pride, I wasn't a tea guy. I now have a whole tea brewing setup next to my desk. Currently got some white tea in the jar, but I ...
2026-01-06 03:09:16 +0000 UTC View PostTian’s first move was the product of years of careful, expert training, built on top of a couple of months running through the jungle. It might, to the uneducated eye, have looked like wild flailing. Nevertheless, he was prepared to argue that i...
2026-01-05 15:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostBrother Fu’s bamboo raft looked exactly like the ones Tian remembered from the Agate River- a single layer of thick bamboo poles, bound with cross sections of bamboo at the front and rear. The tips of the raft were tilted up slightly, and that w...
2026-01-02 15:00:27 +0000 UTC View Post“Physically, you are in decent condition. Your mentality seems strong, and your meridians are as they should be. The lower and upper dantian are working properly, and while your organs are out of balance, you aren’t at risk of sudden collapse....
2026-01-01 15:00:24 +0000 UTC View Post“How?” Liren demanded.
“Check the elemental flow going through your legs and your feet. It’s a powerful light body skill, so your weight is really nothing much. The hard thing is balance. Which explains why the manual puts so much em...
2025-12-31 15:00:53 +0000 UTC View PostTian let the dart slide from his sleeve. It still felt utterly amazing to use, but there were people around so he controlled his reaction. He let it hang just off the ground, then gave it a light kick. The heavy head swung forward and up, and Tian...
2025-12-30 15:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostTian looked at Sister Su, trying to figure out if he had heard what he thought he heard. She sipped her tea, and made a minute nod of approval. It seemed he had met her expectations. Tian glanced at Liren, who nodded casually.
“Not like it...
2025-12-29 15:00:55 +0000 UTC View PostTian looked enlightened. He slowly nodded, stroked his chin with a small smile, then went back to his breakfast of chicken and chillies paired with glutenous rice. He drank his particularly fiery red tea with a quiet satisfaction, though the tea d...
2025-12-26 15:00:28 +0000 UTC View PostIt wasn’t too hard to sort everything out. Tian’s heart dantian was damaged, which meant the fire qi and yang qi in his body was dangerously low. Tian was relying on his wood aspected vital energy to keep himself alive. It was the most yang en...
2025-12-25 15:00:35 +0000 UTC View PostThree months into his convalescence, he was visited by Brother Fu and a stressed looking senior who practically screamed “Overworked Scholar” with every move. He was introduced as Librarian Yan, one of their few remaining experts on archaic sc...
2025-12-24 15:00:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe hospital stay was originally supposed to be for a week, but was extended another week, then extended again for a month, minimum, and he was told not to fixate on his release date. He should just focus on getting well. His body eventually stabi...
2025-12-23 15:00:26 +0000 UTC View Post“Quite a special find. Well done, both of you. A spirit nurturing mountain, a wood-fire qi dragon and a metal-earth qi tiger, both properly raised and kept well balanced by the mountain. And each other, obviously.” Elder Duan stroked his long ...
2025-12-22 15:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostTian and Hong spent a couple of days not-quite-bedridden. It was very easy to take things very easy, and they had plenty of medicine. Their body cultivation sped up the healing process, but broken bones were broken bones- not quickly mended. They ...
2025-12-19 15:00:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe tea did, in fact, survive. For most of the brief battle, Suneater had confined himself to brainpower attacks. Tian’s tea set had survived too, except for the murdered cup. His tea pets… Tian had to admit, they did look more lively after th...
2025-12-18 15:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostTL:DR- What the title says. Also this cold is persistant as hell and screwing with my sleep. But mostly the title. And it's no longer the five directions palace but the eight directions palace.
Slightly longer version- I had my vacation, I h...
2025-12-17 19:57:43 +0000 UTC View PostLiren didn’t wait, lashing out with the blunt end of her spear to smash Suneater’s skull. An invisible hand flicked it away.
“Not even a trace of qi. Pure vital energy. This is pathetic.” Suneater laughed. “Let’s see-”...
2025-12-17 15:00:20 +0000 UTC View PostTian and Hong made their way down the rough stone path into the hill. The grey stone was rimmed with green. Moss, growing thick from the damp, made little forests next to lakes of lichen and the occasional rising mountain of stone. Tiny landscapes...
2025-12-16 15:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostTian, Hong and the crane set off from the Monastery proper, loaded with every sort of useful thing their limited budget could buy. It wasn’t all that much. The Monastery had never bothered stockpiling mortal or earthly goods. When Tian asked abo...
2025-12-15 15:00:29 +0000 UTC View PostTian and Hong jumped down the mountainside. Navigating Ancient Crane Mountain had become an interesting challenge for the forcibly sequestered daoists. The Monastery had never been designed for use by anyone below the Heavenly Realm. One of the si...
2025-12-12 15:00:25 +0000 UTC View PostTian and Liren weren’t the only two who had been growing. The Sky Grace Crane had been slowly transforming since they came to the mountain.
“Assuming transformation is the right word for becoming more of yourself, but better....
2025-12-11 15:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostTian groaned. “I didn’t think everyone knew about that.”
Sister Sia laughed, covering her mouth with her fair hand. “It’s a small monastery these days. The “secret prize” for winning the Earth Realm Tournament wasn’t much of ...
2025-12-10 15:00:24 +0000 UTC View PostA week passed since the tournament ended, but the martial square was being used for boxing once again. One cultivator was tall, muscular, manly and valorous, the other short, athletic, and leaning more towards pretty than rugged. Fast steps stirre...
2025-12-09 15:00:26 +0000 UTC View PostA slim white hand gently guided a heavy fist off to one side, fouling the axe blow chasing behind it. The axe wielder’s situation was made even worse when a heavy, if petite, foot smacked into their calf. The sudden loss of support saw the axe m...
2025-12-08 15:00:19 +0000 UTC View PostTL:DR, oof. Necessary break, very necessary, but I am bad at this kind of rest. Vol. 5 starts on Monday, 10 am Eastern US time.
Longer answer:
So after four days away from my usual schedule, I feel the anxiety of not writing creeping up on me. Still, the enforced stillness is good, because it makes me reflect on what I have written so far. I already see some major changes that need to be...
2025-11-30 16:10:27 +0000 UTC View PostThose of you who have been around for a while might remember that poll I ran about what kind of book I should write next. Sky Pride is what eventually came out of that, so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. But 'Classic Xianxia' was the seco...
2025-11-27 15:00:16 +0000 UTC View Post