《Renewal and Rebirth》Book 1 Chapter 20
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The chamber I was led to seemed more like a hospital room than anything else. Machines for monitoring my meridian channels and Dantian, the smell of antiseptic, a bed with rails and straps, and a tray where tools were displayed. Tools that looked more like instruments of torture than anything else.
No one had ever explained the process of fusing gem with the body, all that I had been told was that the process would allow the gem I selected to become part of and stabilize the boundary that protected my inner soul world and Dantian. An array formation would be inscribed and made a part of the very matrix of the latices and crystallized formations that comprised the gem as it was reformed and positioned.
I'd assumed a formation was used, something that would make the gem intangible and allow it to be restructured and made a part of me. But from the tools provided, it looked more like surgery was required, that an incision would be made to allow the Elder to manipulate the gem and gain physical access to my meridian system.
Waiting for any surgical procedure is difficult. Fears of the unknown, horror stories of death from botched procedures. The longer I had to wait the more I began to fret. I had gotten to the point I thought about leaving when a team finally entered the room. They had arrived before I started panicking or hyper-ventilating, barely.
I wondered if there were enough experts so that each new inductee was under-going this procedure at the same time, or if people would have to wait their turn. If waiting was required, I thanked Genesis for nudging me to the front of the line.
"Relax, Jayden," Tarrah said soothingly as the others began bustling around the room. "The procedure is more finicky than anything else.
"Elder Wol is an Array Master, Elder Dalis is a Herbalist that has specialized in medicines, and Elder Tinlie has performed this procedure countless times. You are in good hands," she said introducing each member of the team and explaining their function. Only Elder Tinlie paid any attention to the introduction, the others bustling about the cramped confines of the room making sure everything was prepared and in order.
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"Tarrah's correct," the Elder agreed, "what we are going to do takes precision and finesse, but it is not dangerous if you have been trained. We will create two small incisions, an opening in your lower stomach, at the site of your Dantian, another on your forehead the site of your soul realm.
"Once the incisions have been made, Elder Wol will use a formation array to breakdown the gem you have selected into its composite parts, stabilizing and preserving the gem's crystalline matrix and structure. I will rebuild the gem, creating a shell, an impermeable barrier that will be tempered and etched with an inscription that will allow the crystal matrix to resonate and attach with your soul realm and Dantian.
"The gems will draw a small amount of Qi continuously, making it impossible to shatter your Dantian and soul realm while those crystal lattices exist. Any damage those areas might sustain resonate with the gems. If the worse happens and the gems themselves are shattered, the array that Elder Wol has created will fuse each link, gathering the disparate pieces of shattered gem and piecing them back together.
"In over the ten thousand years since this method was developed there has never been a case where a Cultivator was crippled because the Dantian or soul realm was destroyed. Gems have been shattered, Dantians and soul realms damaged, but the Array that will be inscribed has never failed in restoring viability to those organs and re-creating the crystal shield.
"We need you to disrobe, Novice," the alchemist informed me as the hospital table was wheeled over and into easy reach. I shrugged out of my robe, I had swapped out my Hanfu soon after entering the room. I wasn't concerned about nudity or body image, or who might see as I disrobed. Elves didn't have the same taboos as I'd had indoctrinated into on Earth, issues of body image or dysmorphia simply didn't exist. This careless disregard for propriety or modesty was strangely liberating.
Once I was laying down again, comfortable as I could get without a pillow, the Elder began inserting silver acupuncture needles in a pattern around my belly button. I wouldn't be able to see the pattern he created on my head when he moved to that area, but the one on my stomach was geometric. His placement of the needles calculated, his actions were smooth and assured.
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I was able to discern the pattern he was creating. He was creating shapes and forms that represented the water and air affinities I had awoken. The shapes interlocked to create a fusion of energy that would help me to concentrate Qi when cultivating. There was no way to fill in or color the geometric shapes he was creating, not without the use of ink or a lot more needles than he was employing, but the pattern was strangely reminiscent of a Tibetan mandala.
As he finished the Alchemist that had been grinding pills and herbs in a pestle sprinkled the ingredients liberally making sure to get an even spread that included all the needles that had been placed. He had my close my eyes at this point and a cloth was placed over my face so that they could repeat their actions on my forehead.
I would not be able to see what they were doing from that point on, but I could hear. Most of the conversation had to do with requests for items. I never felt the incisions that were made, I could only assume they had made them when they asked for the gem that I had chosen.
I had vacillated between the Diamond and Ruby my parents had purchased. I knew intellectually that the Diamond was rated a slightly better gem and to cut and polish it was also considered harder. But there was an imperfection, a slight blemish in the Diamond that I was afraid would translate and be reproduced during the procedure.
The ruby on the other hand was pristine and perfect. The difference in hardness was negligible, so I decided to go with the pristine gemstone over the flawed. I opened my hand, the gem resting on my palm, offering it to whoever was tasked with receiving it.
I'm not sure what they did, but after an examination that was much more thorough than the amateur examination I had used when deciding, I heard words of approval. "Good choice," one of the Elders informed me. "The size is adequate, the color and clarity astonishing sharp, and the cut and polishing were performed by a skilled craftsman."
The next part wasn't exactly painful, more disconcerting. As the array was activated with the ruby firmly fixed in position, the formation master began the tedious process of breaking the gem down piece by piece and inserting those pieces into the surgical sites. The sound of the gem being destroyed had me clenching my teeth, forcing myself to remain still and endure the dichotomy.
As more and more of the stone began to encase and surrounded my Dantian and soul realm, I became aware of the process. My inner eye opened, and I was able to turn inwards and watch the process as more and more of the barrier was constructed. Eventually, I began to nudge the gem sections as the Elder placed them, helping the array to fill in the gaps, sealing any breaches I found, without disturbing the flow of Qi between meridians, channels, Dantian, and Soul Realm.
I was completely focused on my inner world, marveling as my soul realm began to coalesce and form a sea of Qi, slowing filling, waves of condensed Qi lapping at the walls that the ruby protected, and I had enabled. The Dantian began cycling the small amount of stored energy that I had accumulated simply by breathing and eating over the past few days.
There was no real pattern or thought behind the flow or how it cycled, that would have to wait until I selected a cultivation technique and decided if I wanted to focus on Dharmic spells or Martial techniques. But the difference was amazing, and my Qi perception expanded exponentially.
All Cultivators learned a bit of Dharmic and Martial techniques, but the most powerful, the ones that broke through to the highest realms, specialized choosing one over the other. I wanted to discuss my options with Tarrah, but if what I had learned rang true, that Pill formation required Dharmic spells and energies, energies to power cauldrons, then I thought it best to walk the path of Dharmic master.
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Deeper Darker
Set in the far future when humanity has reached the stars and finds it is not the first to do so. Alien technology has been left behind by a long dead race. Ancient cities, abandoned starships, temples and fortified bunkers all contain artefacts and devices far in advance of what humans have been able to produce. Technology that feels more akin to magic, so powerful it can allow a single person to dominate a star system. But these relics of another time have been left well-defended and behind bewildering and impenetrable security measures.There are those who are compatible with the alien technology, who can augment themselves to face the evermore extreme protocols in the depths of the alien ruins, and by doing so attain greater power. And there are those who just want to sell what they find to the highest bidder.The rewards are high, but you have to be prepared to go further and risk more to discover the greatest secrets of a civilisation that vanished long before the first human walked upright. Secrets that could irrevocably change humanity’s future, or end it.
8 456An Ode to Swordsmen
The country is thrown into chaos after the Emperor's Jade Sword, a symbol of his divine right to rule, is stolen by a powerful swordsman. An imperial army ravages the land in search of it, left only a few clues of its whereabouts. Martial arts sects look on in horror as their innocent brothers are cut down. Lakhuto, a gifted swordsman from the Mount Kunlun Sect, is forced into the conflict when his sect is attacked. Having little knowledge of the secular world, he must learn how to blend in as he makes his away across China undetected. His plans to warn other sects of the approaching danger are thrown into chaos when he runs into a wounded criminal and an enigmatic martial artist, who reveals to him a conspiracy spanning half a century. Surrounded by an army, with danger hidden in every shadow, he must discover who stole the Jade Sword and framed several sects, before the entire country is set ablaze.
8 91Reality Drift
Kaye's life always had been cruel to him, but then he met ava, his girlfriend. She spirited away every single problem from his life. Yet life laughed at him once again by taking his reason to live. It fully devastated him. He tried to commit suicide, but he heard her voice one more time while he was drowning in the water telling him: “Don't give up yet. Try to give life one more chance.” He did as her voice guided him and found himself teleported to another world. He started to live a normal life in a fantasy world. However, one day he found out that the world he had been living in wasn't even close in comparison to the previous one. He found the truth of the world that every single thing was possible in the world he had been living in. The same truth led him to believe that he could also bring back Ava alive. So he set off to the quest for finding a way to resurrect her, and his doings plunge the world into chaos without even him knowing.
8 752God Chef Rordon Gamsay
Rordon Gamsay is your typical, swearing, mean chef. Of course, that's all just an act, he has a wife and loving children. But one day, he is killed and sent to another world! This is the world of Beauchorus, where many great nations are located. After meeting with the main god, he gets special powers, in this world created by the cooperation of many other gods! This novel chronicles his adventures as a reincarnated individual. (Keep in mind, this is a comedy novel. I don't have scheduled releases, but once a week is a good guess. Have fun!)
8 134Changes
Changes is a collection of three stories that take place after the events of Edict. It would benefit the reader to read both Hy'Ruh-ha and Edict. Story one: The Monk and The Princess After a several months break from duty, Soletus, is asked to serve by the Patriarch as an escort to a conference the Brotherhood is attending. The only catch is he's acting as a second warden because someone wants him promoted. All he has to do is be at his best. However, his best is put to the test as he led surly men and then get whisked off to solve a disturbing plot with a determined and bored princess. Notice: Please note, that Soletus, aka main character is asexual. That is part of being a neth elf. This story delves into information about it neth and gets into the neth elf experience a few times in this story. You've been warned. Also note: As much as I didn't want to put it in this story, avoiding it was a futile effort on my part. There were things I needed to explain about Soletus and it's hard to write personal tales about character when avoiding talking about certain personal aspects of them. Story Two: The Sun and Stars - Summary and Date TBA
8 231They all want to put me in a small dark room (np)
author : can qiqiIntroduction: Jin Luan (Luan) has always had some unspeakable little hobbies. He loves those paranoid control freaks who look sanctimonious, but actually have a slap in the face, and is eager to experience being loved by those abnormal male protagonists. , and even the life of being locked in a small dark house. Finally one day, she was bound to a system called "Satisfying Shame Hobbies", and since then she has started her slow-wearing life....
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