54th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt slept poorly that night. Doubt haunted his soul, and he feared it might escalate into a heart demon. He almost gave up on going to Black Fist sect, only to realize that running away from his fears would turn his potential problem more substantial.
He left the clan w...
2024-09-27 06:40:41 +0000 UTC View Post46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt said nothing, because he did not know what to say. Elder Stronggrow had dedicated his life to the clan, sacrificing his own growth and cultivation to teach new generations. The notion moved him deeply. He wanted to help his respected senior, to provide the resources he ne...
2024-09-27 06:40:08 +0000 UTC View Post46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
“Teacher, there is something I wish to ask of you,” Newt lowered his gaze, his heart beating in his throat.
“What is it, Newstar? How can I help?” Elder Stronggrow offered an encouraging smile, motioning Newt to continue.
“Could you please take over as th...
2024-09-27 06:39:38 +0000 UTC View Post46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
While three men wept, six others stared without saying a word. Two of them had the decency to look away in shame, but the rest were just waiting for the sappy reunion to finish so they could pursue their own agendas.
“Teacher, I…” Newt hesitated through tears. “I...
2024-09-27 06:38:27 +0000 UTC View Post46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt’s whole body shuddered, his gaze glued to the blood pooling on the floor. Huddled against the mine’s rough rocks, he had dreamed about it hundreds of times; about killing his uncle, about executing the traitor, but he did not really mean to do it.
“It was an a...
2024-09-27 06:37:56 +0000 UTC View Post46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt stopped before the closed gate, wondering why his clan had allowed vines to smother and conceal the fearsome ancestral guardian statues which flanked the main gate. They spat on thousands of years of tradition for the sake of greenery blooming with white and purple flower...
2024-09-27 06:37:21 +0000 UTC View Post43rd of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Spiritual energy gushed out of Newt’s twin spirit roots, flooding his body, reinforcing and nourishing it. He was still scrawny, ten weeks of slightly better diet barely keeping up with the increased physical activity from exercises and mining spirit gems.
In two and a...
2024-09-27 06:36:49 +0000 UTC View Post57th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Cultivators defined the Perfect Realm as one free of heart demons, cultivated exactly according to its master’s wishes. Most cultivators ignored it, rushing forward, seeking power which comes with increased spiritual energy capacity, extended longevity, and refined physique.<...
2024-09-27 06:34:10 +0000 UTC View Post56th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
The only heart demons left were Newt’s old sparring partner and his uncle. Newt had not caught a glimpse of his uncle, and the fact scared him more than the velociraptors and Borhem combined.
Newt waited in his cavern, practicing and altering his techniques for hours, h...
2024-09-27 06:33:41 +0000 UTC View Post55th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Velociraptors’ howls washed over Newt’s body, shaking his bones. He tried to fight his irrational terror, but the fearsome shriek made his legs shaky, barely able to support his weight.
Calm down. It’s just a child’s fear. Your skin is impervious to dinosaur c...
2024-09-27 06:33:04 +0000 UTC View Post55th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Common velociraptors, often shortened to simply raptors, were small dinosaurs humans had tamed for hunting and as pets. The real, non-spirit beasts barely reached Newt’s knees. Snout to tail they measured around six feet and rarely weighed more than thirty-five pounds.
...
2024-09-27 06:32:29 +0000 UTC View Post54th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt sat in a dimly lit cave, staring at a wall he could hardly see. The jagged floor and debris bit into his butt, and the echo of a distant wind whispered into his ears.
“Was that a dream?”
Tears slid down Newt’s cheeks as he struggled for air. He was a mine...
2024-09-27 06:32:00 +0000 UTC View Post54th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
The pterosaur appeared less than thirty seconds after Magmin gave the warning. The behemoth had a wingspan of almost twenty feet, its body taller than Newt.
And yet, despite its imposing size, menacing red eyes, and the aura of terror it emanated, it was identical to the ...
2024-09-27 06:31:25 +0000 UTC View Post54th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt wanted to protest, to say he was not ready to confront the heart demon, but he knew Magmin would have none of it.
“Can we test my Magmin Scales one last time before I advance a layer? Please?”
The serpent snorted, then spoke. “Fine. We can test it once....
2024-09-27 06:30:57 +0000 UTC View Post53rd of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt could not believe it, but he got the Granite Crust on his first attempt. The technique was identical to Magmin Scales, but instead of covering him in fire-aligned spiritual energy, a solid shell of earth-aligned spiritual energy crept across his skin.
“Well, I neve...
2024-09-27 06:30:26 +0000 UTC View Post51st of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt paid close attention to the interaction between Magmin Scales and the flames trying to burn him. It took several attempts and several long breaks to recover spiritual energy until he understood the defensive technique’s principles.
He originally believed Magmin Sca...
2024-09-27 06:29:54 +0000 UTC View Post51st of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
“Do you think you can teach me Magmin Flame now?” Newt asked, but Magmin shook his head.
“No. You are a newt. You must first learn Magmin Scales, lest you burn yourself to cinders.” The serpent’s response landed like a hammer against a bell, snapping Newt from h...
2024-09-27 06:29:20 +0000 UTC View Post50th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt had slept for ten hours straight and woke up next to a pile of crystals. He devoured sixty before depleting the mound and closing his eyes while drifting into meditative trance.
He ignored his uncle’s insults and his former sparring partner’s taunts, focusing on ...
2024-09-27 06:28:41 +0000 UTC View Post47th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt closed his eyes and tried to focus on his third eye, the mind’s eye. He willed himself to observe the world through his glabella, but his world remained dark, with lava gurgling and bubbling in the background.
Newt’s parents lacked the mythical organ. In fact, th...
2024-09-27 06:27:33 +0000 UTC View Post45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt knew a lot about cultivation. His father had expounded on the topic ever since Newt was old enough to understand his words. The realm was a blank slate, a barren wasteland of mortal dust for the cultivator to sculpt, to cultivate.
Cultivators populated their realm wi...
2024-09-27 06:26:57 +0000 UTC View Post45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Magmin graciously gifted Newt with a total of sixty-four spirit gems, and the youth devoured them voraciously.
“How much time does a spirit gem take to form?” Newt asked, looking at the tree, counting six remaining fruits, confirming that this one too only had eight s...
2024-09-27 06:26:21 +0000 UTC View Post45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
“What would happen if I grabbed one of those spirit gems and absorbed its energy?” Newt asked, gazing at the shiny pinecones with undisguised longing.
“I would bite you for stealing.” Magmin glowered at Newt viciously, and the youth backed a step.
“No need to ...
2024-09-27 06:25:52 +0000 UTC View Post45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
The gargantuan creature swept the forest with its gaze, but its bloodshot eyes failed to find prey. The monster screeched in frustration, sending shivers down Newt’s spine, before it flapped its leathery wings and flew away.
The youth heaved a breath of relief and looked ar...
2024-09-27 06:24:48 +0000 UTC View Post45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle,
the day of summer solstice
The mine shaft was dim, illuminated by the dull glow of spirit gem detritus embedded into the walls. The dry air suffused with fine dust hampered Newt’s breathing, still, the young man’s worn out pickaxe struck the granite with a bang, sending ...
2024-09-27 06:23:48 +0000 UTC View Post