Kai ate dinner, but he felt guilty about it.
Even though he didn't eat at any of the most expensive restaurants, every single meal would have been an unfathomable feast to the workers in the mines. In an ideal world, everyone should have been able to eat like he did. But he didn't live in an ideal world, and he couldn't stop thinking about how this luxury was based on the enslavement of s...
2024-01-04 18:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostMoving across Krysal, especially on foot, meant that Kai had less time for Physique training. It was a bit of an adjustment, after all his time exercising in the mines, and he thought he could understand Zae Zin Nim's desire for a vehicle a little better. But another part of him welcomed the chance to experiment with everything he'd been suppressing among the workers.
One of his first ord...
2024-01-03 22:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThanks to her judicious purchase of the crystal ship, Zae Zin Nim's trip across Krysal was in no way wasted time. She had taken small but highly significant steps forward in every aspect of her cultivation. If anything, she was slightly disappointed not to have any reason for detours, but without Kai there was no reason to spend time anywhere else.
Most of the other cities where she stopp...
2024-01-02 18:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostKraetius didn't know why he was waiting for the fool. He'd seen the terrible power of that thing - the best anyone could hope for was that Kai managed to survive and get back without permanent injury. Maybe it was just sentimentality. After so long training alone in the mines, being with all the workers had softened him up more than he wanted to admit.
It was hard to know what to think ab...
2024-01-01 18:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostOne very restful week later, Kai was ready. When he examined his soul, the symbols said that he was literally one point away from fully recovered and he no longer felt the slightest pain while moving. Yet he wasn't going to trust either one of those, not before he potentially put himself up against the most dangerous people in the entire nation.
No, he had in mind a real test.
"I'm ...
2023-12-31 18:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostIn the end it took over a week to dig the tunnel, despite the fact that Tyrant's Claw could easily destroy the crystal walls. He needed a stable path out, not a collapsed column of rocks. For all that people claimed power was all that mattered - whether it was Kraetius or Zae Zin Nim - it couldn't solve every problem.
Now he had a crevice that had almost reached the surface. Kai could eve...
2023-12-30 18:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostTo Kai's surprise, both Kraetius and the workers took to training quickly enough. For the workers, they saw the benefits of the training to reduce their aches and pains, not to mention the promise of not being torn apart by the crystals while working. For Kraetius, Kai suspected the old man was glad to be able to boss people around and have others looking up to him.
Everything had gone sm...
2023-12-29 18:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostAt first Kai thought about it like any other fight: dodging and striking and maneuvering. It would have been a challenging one, because the old man was as tough as his Physique suggested and the dark pit was a dangerous environmental threat. But, after Kai fought enough to realize that he wouldn't be overwhelmed, he realized that he was thinking about this wrong.
His goal wasn't to win, h...
2023-12-28 18:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostAfter two weeks of searching, Kai hadn't found the alleged old man, but he didn't even care. Exploring the deepest of the tunnels was the most fun he'd had since he'd been thrown into the mines.
In the vast central caverns, there were large empty chambers that contained a wider variety of monsters, which had been good for his training and recovery. None of them had been true challenges fo...
2023-12-27 18:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostWhen she cultivated, Zae Zin Nim was supposed to completely clear her mind and focus on nothing but her qi. Perhaps Kai had infected her, but that wasn't as easy anymore. Instead she continued cultivating, still at reasonable efficiency, while her mind churned on other topics.
First strategy, of course. Advancing her cultivation at a reasonable speed meant gaining access to qi, which mean...
2023-12-26 18:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post(Cognosticon here. I'm not sure how the average author does it, but I guess I'm going to do daily chapters straight through the holidays. Will obviously understand if people don't read right away. At the time time, if enough people don't like it, I could defer the chapters for a post-holiday bundle or something.)
Making so much progress, Kai was tempted to just keep training, but he knew ...
2023-12-25 18:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostAfter months in the Krysali cities, Kai had felt as though he was still a foreigner. Accepted for his strength, but always on the outside, always just a guest in their society. It was something that had slowly grown in his awareness the longer he stayed.
After less than a single month in the mines, Kai felt like he was their hero.
That wasn't exactly the same as being accepted as on...
2023-12-24 18:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAs soon as Kai heard about the monsters in the lower levels, mining crystals started to feel like a chore. His goal wasn't to join the workers, it was to help them, and he could help them far more by dealing with their monster problem. The only thing that kept him from going straight down at the first opportunity was that he wanted to do it right.
When he delivered all the crystals from h...
2023-12-23 18:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostEach time anyone struck the crystal walls, they risked serious injury. Certain planes of the crystal were tougher than others, so their pickaxe might bounce off at a dangerous angle, or the area might shatter and send shards of crystal into their legs. Every day there were were injuries from just such accidents, and down here without proper medical care, they could lead to losing a limb.
...
2023-12-22 18:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post(Cognosticon here; we're back. I've made a host of changes, but the relevant big ones I went back to alter are Chapters 150, 151, 152, 153, and 156. Future chapters should also be compatible with the edits. I hope that the schedule can proceed smoothly without future delays.)
Though Zae Zin Nim had scoured the countryside and investigated the local institutions as a precaution, she had ne...
2023-12-21 18:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostApologies for no chapters the next three days. I want to say that I read every criticism and consider them all carefully, even if I don't agree with all of them. In the recent few chapters I believe there may be real continuity errors produced in haste. I also have some planned edits to make in response to various feedback.
All of this takes time, and more importantly it takes a lot of my...
2023-12-18 18:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostAt first Kai wondered where the light was coming from, since he didn't see any lanterns, then he realized that the walls themselves glowed softly. They were a dark gray, like the cloudiest quartz, but they were emanating light at a level he almost didn't perceive it.
That light allowed him to see the miserable people clustered around him. They certainly looked Krysali when it came to thei...
2023-12-17 18:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostFor a very brief time, Kai had hoped that the conflict might end without violence. But when he saw the behavior of the cultivators, he understood that they were playing by Zae Zin Nim's rules now. There would be no quarter given and begging for it would only lead to mockery before death.
When Zae Zin Nim cried out to him, begging for him to help, he knew what had to be done. More than any...
2023-12-16 18:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostNormally Zae Zin Nim trusted Kai to take care of himself. Even if he was idealistic to the point of naivety, he was strong and he could be trusted to fight or kill when necessary. But now he was dealing with Omilaena, who she didn't trust, and sect cultivators, who would be more ruthless than he could understand.
Technically she was supposed to be cultivating, but her focus repeatedly wav...
2023-12-15 18:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post(Cognosticon here. While I still have a buffer of chapters, as a whole maintaining the story has worn me down. I think I will need to take a small hiatus [2-3 days] at some point. Apologies.)
Kai strained against his bonds as Omilaena leaned closer, truly testing their strength for the first time. He'd pulled a little when he first awoke, still loose from the poison, and now tried with re...
2023-12-14 18:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe battle between Omilaena and Tareth moved aggressively around the room, but Kai thought she had the edge. She was primarily using her pipe as a blunt weapon, somehow reinforcing it with chakra so that it could equal his blows. As strong as Tareth's Spellword Class was, she seemed to be adapting, taking fewer impacts from his shockwaves with each exchange.
Eventually Tareth let out a sh...
2023-12-13 18:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post"Oh, and look for any crowns," Zae Zin Nim said. "There are certain magical artifacts that can enhance your ability to sense qi."
Kai sighed and nodded, yet again. "It's starting to sound like just about everything can be enhanced. Do I just need to write down every object I see?"
"We prefer to integrate our enhancements into our clothing on Cloudspire instead of using bulky equipme...
2023-12-12 18:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostLeaving on the assignment turned out to be a little more awkward than that, because apparently Tareth had been hoping that Zae Zin Nim would come along. Kai couldn't blame him: she looked like she was nearly at the level of the Diamond Crystalliers, while he had only just broken 200 Power. But Zae Zin Nim was still paranoid about the Brightwind cultivators finding her and wouldn't budge, so Kai...
2023-12-11 18:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post"I'm sorry that I cannot join you." Zae Zin Nim apologized, then to his shock got down on their knees in the courtyard and put her forehead to the ground. There was no one but the two of them, but he was still stunned to see her lower herself like that. "You were there for me when my cultivation was blocked and I most needed allies. But I can only guide you this far."
"Is that why you've ...
2023-12-10 18:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostOnce they had gotten back to Orillia's estate, things should have calmed down, but Zae Zin Nim radiated constant tension. Kai made sure that Orillia had everything she needed and the supplies were secured, then he headed back to their chambers. When he sat down opposite Zae Zin Nim his intention must have been obvious, because she took a deep breath and spoke quietly.
"I am even more cert...
2023-12-09 18:00:15 +0000 UTC View Post"Wait, wait, your father?" Kai helped Zae Zin Nim through the back corridors while trying to remember everything she'd said. She'd told him about her family in the past, but it had been a long time ago. "Are you sure it's not a coincidence and they're just trading with Yulthens?"
"If they did, it's true that I wouldn't have known," she shook her head sharply, "but it cannot be chance. He ...
2023-12-08 18:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostDespite everything Orillia said, auctions turned out to be boring. Oh, the merchants yelled at one another and gasped at bids, but it was all just merchant infighting. There weren't even that many cultivation items, with many of the lots being dedicated to other items of value that apparently threw themselves in with the new trade from Cloudspire.
So far he had only fought two crystallier...
2023-12-07 18:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostWith the dragon craze finally dying down, Kai returned home by carriage. He hadn't received a dragon's blessing, but Behemoth's Heart pumped within his chest and that was more satisfying. Along the way back he finally let himself relax and take time to contemplate his next steps.
Technically, he should have been thinking about his cultivation. With his final payments he had almost 76,000 ...
2023-12-06 18:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostFor one beautiful second, Kai thought that the flames were filling his soul, then he realized that he was burning alive. The dragon was unleashing a torrent of flame while simultaneously roaring, trying to burn him into a crisp. If not for his Physique he would have already been dead.
The raw power bound him in place, so Kai roared back. Instincts deeper than any human intuition told him ...
2023-12-05 18:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostKai and Graetri fought a proxy battle over the desert for over a month. They never once exchanged blows, for all that they threatened from time to time. Instead they fought over merchants, soldiers, and above all the investigation of dragons.
When the first golden dragon had been spotted, Kai had been relieved that it wasn't all a false errand after all. After so long, he was beginning to...
2023-12-04 18:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post