Travis picked up the envelope holding Kevin’s reply with a deep sigh.
He loved almost every aspect of his new role, all of them except this one. Using the outsider as an unwitting spy on his sect was an awful thing to do. It went against his own morality and against the professionalism of the OIM.
Yet it was also a task he couldn’t ignore, not when it was a direct order from th...
2025-03-16 11:28:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, Kevin found himself with more Formation work left than he’d planned. As lovely as the previous night had been, he’d only finished a little over half his remaining flags.
Finishing would eat into the full cultivation day he’d planned, but there wasn’t anything Kevin could do about it. He needed those flags done by Monday morning, and there was no other time left ...
2025-03-08 09:43:43 +0000 UTC View PostKevin tugged at the hem of his shirt, suddenly feeling underdressed for the evening ahead.
It was still early for dinner after Amelia’s invitation, so they agreed to part for a couple of hours before meeting again. A night out might not have been part of his plans for the evening, but Kevin didn’t have it in him to refuse.
Not when Amelia was extending more trust by offering to ...
2025-03-03 08:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostSaturday morning, Kevin woke at dawn to prepare for another of Elder Fischer’s early morning classes. After removing the charged flag from his Energy Interface Formation, he replaced it with a new one and then left for a last round of lobbing practice.
He’d expected the Formation Courtyard to be empty when he arrived an hour early. Instead, there were two other figures already p...
2025-02-27 04:38:52 +0000 UTC View PostFrom afternoon to evening, Kevin struggled with the Twisted Script, trying everything he could think of to get it working. However, no amount of measuring, pre-planning, or pattern memorization was enough to get the damn thing working.
While the Qi drain continued to grow at a slow, steady pace, whatever effect it produced ruined everything he tried.
Now, long after dusk and nearing...
2025-02-22 12:46:00 +0000 UTC View PostKevin stared at the instructions in a mixture of bemusement and mounting worry.
After long consideration, he’d decided that the massive potential benefits of the Twisted Script far outweighed any extra effort he’d need to put in now. While the risk of complete failure still haunted his mind, he’d pushed it aside and made the purchase.
Now, reading through the actual styl...
2025-02-19 08:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostLucas Thresher, the teacher for FORM-101, held his class at the more reasonable time of 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The later start allowed Kevin to catch up on sleep and still make it to the library before class.
The Outer Sect Library was one of the largest buildings in the compound, more than half again the height of its tallest neighbor. Yet only a single floor of the massive structure was ...
2025-02-16 01:22:31 +0000 UTC View PostThis is Kevin’s full class schedule for the Fall Season (A three-month block of classes, much like semesters in our world).
Monday: 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM - FORM-101 theory (turned into private tutoring with Elder Fischer)
Monday: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM - MAR-101 theory with Elder Johnson
Monday: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM - TEC-109 theory with Li Yen
Tuesday: 9:00 AM to 11:A...
2025-02-12 05:19:57 +0000 UTC View PostThe lesson became a frantic blur after the elder’s ominous proclamation. Fischer threw out new concepts, patterns, and theories so fast that Kevin had to push his writing speed to keep up.
Yet Fischer never pushed so fast that she overwhelmed him. It was as if she’d calculated his ability to keep up and then kept him at that threshold for the next hour.
She sped up even fu...
2025-02-12 05:16:32 +0000 UTC View PostKevin’s second week at the Twisted Path sect began with his early morning FORM-101 class.
7:00 AM was an early enough start, but Kevin’s nervous energy woke him up almost two hours earlier than that. There were precious few chances for an Outer Sect disciple to impress an Inner Sect Elder, and he was lucky enough to have one of those few.
FORM-101 was the class he had to a...
2025-02-08 12:43:18 +0000 UTC View PostAmelia fought to keep the flush from returning to her face as she watched Kevin fiddle with his pocket watch.
It looked like one of the more complicated versions she’d heard were popular in the capital. One with multiple functions for tracking time.
The odd choice contrasted with Kevin’s otherwise plain attire, providing an intriguing hint into the enigma he presented. On any ot...
2025-02-05 09:00:13 +0000 UTC View Post“So you can make any talisman you want on the fly?” Kevin asked, eyebrows raising at the insane versatility.
Any talisman that I’ve memorized the pattern for, Amelia wrote with a shrug.
“Right,” Kevin nodded, calming down at that addition. He hadn’t memorized any of his formation patterns; it was complicated enough just copying them. Talis...
2025-02-01 08:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostSunday morning dawned with a light rain shower and a deep gray mist that swept through the sect.
Kevin took one look out the window, then went back to bed. He’d had enough mist for a lifetime, and he’d earned a break after such a productive week.
He enjoyed another hour of luxurious sleep and a second of quiet reading before heading down to breakfast. While the steady patt...
2025-01-29 08:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostKevin shifted his weight from foot to foot as Elder Fischer approached. A raised hand had been enough to attract her attention, and she was now striding over with purpose.
“Finished, Mr. Blake?” Fischer asked with a raised eyebrow. While she was as difficult to read as always, Kevin felt like there was a hint of approval on her face.
Approval that would be sure to vanish i...
2025-01-27 04:19:06 +0000 UTC View PostKevin scrambled to unwrap the twine binding together the Qi Rejection Formation’s flags. There were six in total: the control flag and five boundary flags.
Based on the pamphlet that came with it, you could use four flags to form a blocking line or all six to form a protective hexagon.
“We’ll be throwing in hexagon formation,” Elder Fischer called as she circled behind...
2025-01-22 08:59:36 +0000 UTC View PostThe FORM-115 practical was another of Elder Fischer’s early classes, though at least it was held at eight AM rather than seven.
Kevin woke up early and reviewed his notes over breakfast before heading to the Fire Courtyard. Confident in the safety of his ‘battery’ plan after the last two days of experiments, he filled his body to the brim with free-floating Fire and Earth Qi.<...
2025-01-18 07:29:13 +0000 UTC View PostBack in his room, Kevin cleared his mind and focused on the blank cloth on the desk in front of him.
The flags he’d completed over the last few days had been acceptable, but ‘acceptable’ was no longer good enough. Not if he was serious about impressing an inner sect elder.
No, he needed to do much better than acceptable to achieve that.
Once his mind was empty, he began....
2025-01-15 07:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostDr. Vaughan’s gaze pierced him as the man stared at Kevin’s chest. A few moments later, it was over, the floating golden seals from the doctor’s technique fading into nothing.
Like the previous time, Dr. Vaughan looked away for almost a minute before talking, his pen continuing to scrawl notes. Eventually, the man’s head snapped back, and he nodded with a pleased smile.
“G...
2025-01-12 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“Six months?” Kevin blurted out, unable to keep the shock out of his voice. He’d been struggling to believe it was possible in a year, yet she planned to do it half that time.
Swallowing, he tried to keep the dismay out of his words. “Is that even possible?”
While he wished her the best, his heart clenched at the idea. Six months was such a short time, and she might ...
2025-01-11 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“Give me a minute to get the visualization right,” Kevin licked his lips, anxiety growing within him.
“Sure thing,” James grinned back, his smile easy and free. No doubt the man was relieved to have gotten the technique down.
Behind him, Li said nothing, though he could feel her still lurking there. The extra attention did nothing for his nerves, but it wasn’t someth...
2025-01-08 05:40:16 +0000 UTC View Post“That’s nuts,” Kevin laughed, shaking his head. Immortality didn’t sound so ridiculous if cultivators could become that powerful. Unless it was a myth, after all. Even then, it was nice to imagine.
“Well, far be it for me to say anything is impossible,” he continued, nodding to Brad. “What happened after that?”
“The Xi’anian emperor ascended,” Brad shrugged. ...
2025-01-05 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostTravis slipped the thick stack of paperwork out of its folder and carefully examined each page. A week of meetings, reports, and endless forms had finally cumulated in the final pages in front of him.
It had been an exhausting time on top of his usual workload, but it had paid off.
Kevin’s tuition payments were now approved for a full year. Most sects gave their new disciple...
2025-01-04 07:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostAfter a moment of shocked silence, Elder Fischer pointed to a man at the back. “Yes, Mr. Becker.”
“But, ma’am, we can see where they’re taking us.”
“Can you?” the elder asked, cocking a head. “Does anyone want to try fielding that question?”
Kevin shuddered as he realized what she was getting out. If it was what he’d do, then it was quite the nasty move.<...
2024-12-31 09:22:50 +0000 UTC View PostElder Johnson vanished after finishing his explanation, and Kevin wandered back over to the desk with his mind a whirl. The Sinking Sands was just what he’d discussed with Foster when they’d thought up his combat style.
Using shifting parries and dragging motions, the style combined defensiveness and maneuverability. Which was what he needed to deploy formations and lead his opponents...
2024-12-31 09:06:26 +0000 UTC View PostThe following two hours were some of the most intense of Kevin’s life. First, he copied down the three elementary formations, which Elder Fischer made him repeat until he got them right.
An extensive discussion on creating traditional flags followed. That method, using actual cloth and wood flags, was still the first thing taught to beginners.
The elder insisted that he needed to ...
2024-12-31 08:46:10 +0000 UTC View PostKevin stared as the elder’s proclamation echoed through the room. He hadn’t known what to expect when he’d arrived this morning, but this was not in any of his predictions.
If she was really the head of the whole formations department, he could see why she wouldn’t want to teach a beginner class. Hell, teaching in the outer sect at all could be close to an insult for her.
He...
2024-12-31 08:30:26 +0000 UTC View PostThe conversation with Amelia wound down after that terrific start, and she soon made the excuse that there were other people here she needed to talk to.
She seemed the taciturn type who took a while to open up despite sharing something so close to her heart. It had to have been difficult for her to go that far, and Kevin didn’t begrudge the woman for taking her time.
He only sugge...
2024-12-31 08:05:06 +0000 UTC View PostIf you’re here, then you’ve likely come for the advance chapters. Fear not, they're only a click away.
Currently, I have a single tier available, providing seven advance chapters (three and a half weeks ahead).
The next goal is a third chapter per week at fifty members.
Further tiers and chapters per tier will arrive over time.
2024-12-30 02:35:40 +0000 UTC View Post