As they soared over the landscape, Jia couldn’t help but appreciate just how much Seong Misun had been holding back on Jung’s account. It had taken months to reach the Goryeon capital of Songdo from the Yamato border, but only a week or so to return with Misun’s windwalking spell. Then, to reach Qingchuan province, they’d traveled for the better part of a year.
Even under Ja Yun...
2023-05-01 19:46:59 +0000 UTC View PostWhile the Geumji expedition needed more time to assemble forces and coordinate leadership structures, Shen Yu was pushing for the team going after the tomb to depart at the earliest opportunity. Barely a day after their treaty was established, they received word that they were to depart at dawn.
That night, Yoshika met with Master Ienaga and Princess Seong Misun under the strongest privac...
2023-04-28 18:03:05 +0000 UTC View PostJia nibbled sullenly on a leg of poultry while Misun berated her.
“I cannot believe how much food you were stashing in that thing, you kleptomaniac! You don’t even need to eat!”
The dimensional storage ring had been emptied of everything so that Misun could measure its capacity, then refilled to the brim with what Misun designated as important or useful items—mostly talisman...
2023-04-26 20:16:36 +0000 UTC View PostAs soon as the girls arrived back at Misun’s mansion, the princess practically ambushed them.
“There you are! Oh, good, you’re all here. I need to know the type and grade of your dimensional ring—Yan Yue said she doesn’t know.”
Jia blinked.
“The what?”
“Oh for—you’ve had it for how long and you don’t even know?! Fine—come here,...
2023-04-24 19:27:12 +0000 UTC View PostMeili was nervous as they arrived at the Purewater Spring. It was technically her first time being there, even though Jia and Eui had been staying at the peak for weeks. That thought only served to hammer in the problem that they were ostensibly here to solve—Meili wasn’t really Yoshika, just a designated representative at best.
Despite her excitement, she still had her doubt...
2023-04-21 18:49:03 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika could feel the undisguised animosity as the grandmasters of the great sects glared at her. In one short statement, Sovereign Shen Yu had painted a narrative that cast her as the villain—selfishly holding the fate of the realm hostage for her own benefit. A power-hungry upstart who would stop at nothing to rise above her station.
Nothing he said was false, but he was obv...
2023-04-19 19:12:24 +0000 UTC View PostThings moved very fast after Yoshika made her deal with Shen Yu. He didn’t waste a second before creating another portal like the one she’d seen before he kidnapped her. His magic was unlike anything she’d seen—an effortless fusion of arcane and spiritual arts that twisted the fabric of reality to the divine avatar’s whims.
If there was any doubt left in her mind about what Shen...
2023-04-17 20:03:35 +0000 UTC View PostSovereign Shen Yu was understandably skeptical of Yoshika’s proposal. She could sense his doubt as he chewed over her offer of cooperation. She usually had a hard time reading xiantian cultivators—especially spiritual artists—but even the divine avatar of an ancient deity couldn’t keep his emotions completely private while invading her soulscape.
“Just what would this ‘coopera...
2023-04-14 17:23:39 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika stirred awake to the warmth of the sun on her face. She sat up in her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then nearly panicked when she realized what time it was. She was going to be late for training!
She threw the covers off and scrambled out of bed, and was halfway dressed in her uniform before her mind caught up and reminded her of the previous day’s events.
“Oh ...
2023-04-12 19:12:07 +0000 UTC View PostJia was fuming after the meeting. She’d just met the legendary grandmasters of Qin’s great sects, the pride of the great empire that spanned half the continent—and found them wanting. How much time had they wasted on meaningless squabbles and posturing? They’d spent more time trying to make everyone else look bad than actually discussing anything of substance, then when they actually
“With the increased demonic activity in the east, cooperation with the beastkin mages could help curb the casualty rates.”
Half-spirits, not beastkin.
“Are you insane? We’ve already gotten reports of demons and awakened beasts working in concert—for all we know the beast tribes are already aligned with the demons and this is all some sort of ruse!”
It took...
2023-04-07 18:48:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Late again, sorry v_v
It's been a bit of a slow month, but the Yan Yue commission got finished, and it's beautiful! No poll this month because I've got something specific in mind and it would be disingenuous of me to give you the illusion of choice. Still, please feel free to make any suggestions if there's something you'd like to see brought to life by Tsuu!
The current backlog:
Even with her thoughts being accelerated by Absolute Awareness, Yoshika didn’t have a lot of time to think. The assailant was incredibly fast, and moved with grim purpose. Eunae was still deep in meditation, focused on her breakthrough, while Rika and Ja Yun had only barely started reacting to the man’s sudden appearance.
She flooded Jia’s meridians with essence, putting everything ...
2023-04-05 18:32:22 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika rose to her feet slowly. Though she was trying to suppress her anxiety she knew full well that it was a worthless effort in a room full of powerful empaths. She definitely didn’t belong there, and she had no idea how to defend her place at the table. All of Yue’s preparation and bolstering fled Yoshika’s mind as she desperately tried to gather her thoughts.
First, bow.
“Girls, it’s nearly time. We need you to be present for this.”
Jia ignored Yue and frowned up at the roiling cloud above. It was high above the rest of the clouds—some of which were even below the mountain peak—and unnaturally dark. She had never felt the power of a tribulation cloud from so close before—it was oppressive.
“Jia, did you hear—”
“I heard you,...
2023-03-31 22:08:59 +0000 UTC View PostOver the next week, more delegates arrived at the sect each representing the interests of their respective sects. The Bai clan patriarch was among the first to arrive, naturally joined by Bai Lin—Yoshika didn’t bother meeting with them.
As they arrived, Yoshika was forced to bear strategy meetings with Yue as they discussed the complicated political web they were about to walk into. J...
2023-03-29 20:42:42 +0000 UTC View Post“I don’t like this...”
Back at the mountain peak, Yue was chewing on her nails while she fretted about her father. Jia sighed.
“I thought you said that our meeting went pretty well.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t like! Not one mention of the artifacts you stole—sorry, won—from my brother, barely any mention of his death at all, and not a peep about ...
2023-03-27 20:31:39 +0000 UTC View PostYan De, the patriarch of the Yan clan and grandmaster of the Great Awakening Dragon Sect, the most powerful of Qin’s cultivating sects. He was a distant, lofty figure to Jia—always more of a far off idea than an actual person. That he’d been her enemy for nearly as long as she’d known of his existence had just been an academic footnote in her life. It didn’t matter because she’d nev...
2023-03-24 20:55:14 +0000 UTC View PostRika chuckled and shook her head.
“You don’t seem too worried. Doesn’t this really mess with your plans?”
Yoshika stared up at the gathering tribulation while she spoke to Rika through Eunae’s body.
“Not really. We don’t think this is our xiantian ascension. It feels different.”
“Oh, so it’s more like what happened with my tribulation?”
Lin Xi...
2023-03-22 17:03:57 +0000 UTC View PostHealing the shadow spirit was a strange experience. None of Yoshika’s aspects had ever used Soulfire or Shadowflame the way she was using it now, but it came to her naturally—as though she’d always known what to do.
They weren’t really tools for healing, but they were all she had, and Eunae had been practicing. With her experience and the cooperation of the Kumiho’s fragment wit...
2023-03-20 17:42:59 +0000 UTC View Post“Are—are you sure?”
Eunae was hesitating. Terrified of what her friends were offering, but strangely compelled. It was an incredible sign of trust. Though it was the basis of her cultivation, Yoshika was extremely selective about her joint meditation. Aside from each other, only Rika and Heian had ever joined them in fully merging their souls like that—and Heian was already part o...
2023-03-17 21:08:51 +0000 UTC View Post
This announcement is a little late because I forgot. Oops. Anyway, book 4 is out on Amazon! Paperback and hardcovers are also available for print-on-demand and the audiobook will be released...eventually. I don't actually have a date for that one yet, but it's in the works!
As al...
2023-03-17 03:18:46 +0000 UTC View PostChecking in with Eunae was mostly just an excuse to spend some time with her friends and give Heian a chance to play with Iseul. While Yoshika enjoyed tea and conversation with Ja Yun, Eunae, and Rika, the kids set up a Go board, of all things, and quietly occupied themselves. Yoshika was a little worried about the mounting frustration she felt from Heian, but was content to leave them to it fo...
2023-03-15 20:42:20 +0000 UTC View PostOne day of relaxation soon turned to two, then three, then a week, then a few weeks. Taking Jung’s lesson to heart, the girls took the time to focus on themselves for a while rather than worry about training or fret about the upcoming summit.
They resumed their regular sessions with Xiulan, who strongly approved of their extended break.
“It’s good that you’re taking a step b...
2023-03-13 20:12:43 +0000 UTC View PostQin Yongliang—the first prince and prime minister of the Qin Empire. He was Qin Zhao’s uncle—whatever that meant to a family thousands of members strong. Yoshika tried to recall everything of relevance, but quickly gave up—she was too burnt out to bother, and there was only one question on her mind.
“How are you doing that? I can’t sense you at all.”
Qin Yongliang rais...
2023-03-10 19:36:17 +0000 UTC View PostLee Jung had no idea what she was doing. She hadn’t for a long time, but this was an entirely new realm of unfamiliarity.
She was relying on senses she’d never experienced before, flexing metaphysical muscles she’d never known existed, and completely unable to interpret anything she was feeling. To say that Lee Jung was confused would be a dire understatement.
What she did kno...
2023-03-08 19:44:59 +0000 UTC View PostAs promised, here's another poll for what sort of art to commission next. Bear in mind, we've already got two illustrations in the pipeline, and they tend to take a little bit longer to finish.
As before, if you've got something more specific you'd like to see drawn, feel free to give me a suggestion in the comments!
The current backlog as of this post going live is:
Janu...
I'm really awful at remembering to post this stuff...
Tsuu has finished the backlogs for character designs from last year and they all look absolutely fantastic! She did an absolutely fantastic job at nailing down Sun Jaehwa and Li Meili's short statures (they're so smol!), and her take on Dae is definitely the goodest of boys.
Pan Jiaying, Qin Zhao, and Luo Mingyu are also excellen...
2023-03-06 20:53:11 +0000 UTC View PostLi Meili tried not to fidget nervously, afraid that she might wake her little sister quietly sleeping with her head on Meili’s lap. Poor Narae had put up a strong front at first, but hours after Jung had been taken away for treatment, she’d broken down crying and eventually worn herself out.
The oversized mansion had grown quiet, even with its occupants gathered in a single comfortabl...
2023-03-06 20:28:44 +0000 UTC View Post“Where is she? What’s happening?!”
Yoshika swept into the room like a storm, only for Lin Xiulan to block her way. She barely suppressed the urge to bowl right past her as Xiulan gave her a reproving glare.
“Restrain yourself, Yoshika—your domain is far too powerful to let your emotions run unchecked in the presence of mortals!”
Chastened, Yoshika retracted her dom...
2023-03-03 19:01:13 +0000 UTC View Post