《Black Heaven Ascension》Return to the path(21)
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The nameless ravine didn't offer much when it came to company. The whole place seemed like an antithesis to life and only life forms with the most resilient of bodies continued their residence there, well, there were also those that had no bodies at all. Spectral shapes, echoes of the lives that abruptly ended, ghosts. They listlessly floated untethered by the world and heavenly laws. They appeared from the ground and passed through walls, the freedom of their existence rivaled only by its pointlessness.
Yet now the ravine held an obstacle they couldn't pass through, in fact, it absorbed any ghost that dared to float near it. It was a pale youth in a ragged black cloak that sat in a meditative position with his eyes closed. Han Bei carefully refined a ghost that had strayed too close to him and used the ghostly qi to bolster his own aperture. Han Bei briefly opened his eyes after he was finished. " Much easier to refine than the young master of the skeleton manor but also less powerful." He took out an immortal compass to check if he truly was at the best spot for cultivation.
An immortal compass looked much the same as its mortal counterpart, It simply guided people to something different. Instead of a tool that indicated the directions, it indicated elemental affinity and intensity of Heavenly energy. A crystalline needle rotated in a palm-sized box. The color of the needle indicated the elemental affinity and the speed of rotation indicated just how powerful Heavenly energy was. It was a blunt instrument but one that was useful for low-level cultivators.
Han Bei scrutinized his own immortal compass. The needle was dark green and sluggishly whirled around until a ghost came along, then its speed abruptly increased, and as he refined the ghost the rotation of the needle gradually decreased again until it returned to its initial sluggish speed.
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Han Bei judged in a composed manner, " Probably doesn't matter which spot I pick as long as there are ghosts nearby. " A short while later another ghost floated nearby and Han Bei closed his eyes as he immersed himself in cultivation. With the old monk currently gone doing whatever things stupid old monks tend to do, and with the silence of his new neighbors, Han Bei finally had a quiet moment he dedicated to cultivation, and by the heavens, he was glad he could cultivate again.
The world around Han Bei disappeared. No sight, no sound, no smell, the only thing he could sense was a glowing emerald orb surrounded by green mist. That was his very foundation, his aperture. Currently, its surface was still rough and jagged while a scar ran across its surface as a result of some injury Han Bei couldn't remember. Some memories still alluded him.
As Han Bei refined the ghost he erased the phantom's will while its power was added to the walls of his aperture, as they healed and became stronger. Once his aperture was healed, he'll be at the qi completion realm and then it's only a matter of time before he reached the 1st realm and became a proper cultivator, but right now Han Bei counted as a nascent cultivator at the qi solidification realm. At times when no ghosts were around, he refined the sluggish dark heavenly energy that was naturally found in the ravine. It aided him only a little, but it was better than at the cursed stage where he retained no heavenly energy at all. Now he embraced the tainted power of ghosts and monsters that coursed through his very core.
Han Bei's sense of time disappeared, as his concentration was fully overtaken by the joyous act of cultivation. Questions of his own humanity retreated to the back of his brain as he utilized all of his own will to wash away the remnants left behind by the ghosts. Like before he saw the broken pieces of the things that once were, fragments of the world through the eyes of long-dead man and woman. But there was nothing there, through death and time their truths were crippled into gibberish that melted away like snow under the unforgiving gaze of the sun and left behind nothing but power for him to use.
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Like a starved beast Han Bei feasted on any ghost that dared to get close. He bled them of their wills and devoured all that was left. Things of nightmares for some became nothing but fuel for him as he reforged his aperture. " There it was," he could sense it. The first step, the great beginning. After he refined 3 more ghosts finally, he reached the qi completion realm. The container of his power was ready and no more would there be a risk that it dissolved if he used just a bit of his power.
Han Bei felt that a dark emerald sun burned in his chest, its core was empty but like any void it begged to be filled up, and once its complete... A smile bloomed on Han Bei's face, not one stained by derision or sarcasm but one of true joy. He doubted that there was greater joy for a cultivator than reaching a new realm. Previously he was like a bird with broken wings, but now he could almost touch the great sky up above.
Han Bei opened his eyes and let out a single long breath. Both excitement and desperation twisted in his gut, a part of him wanted to continue more than anything, but there was a single lesson he couldn't forget. Nailed deeply inside his brain, it cautioned him, " If you try to run when you can't even walk properly you will only stumble and fall." He just made a breakthrough, and he needed at least some time to adjust to his new cultivation realm.
Han Bei stopped this cultivation session. He stood up and stretched, even if he didn't feel sore it felt like the proper thing to do. He took out a mechanical watch the old monk bought for him at Last light and concluded that this cultivation session lasted for 8 hours. There was a wry, a bit self-deprecating smile on his face. " How many days has it been since I last slept? How many days since exhaustion affected my body? One really does have to wonder if I'm still even human? "
Power coursed through Han Bei's body and a gnarly specter that resembled a human form manifested in front of him. Every second that he sustained the ghost, power was drained from his aperture. After a few seconds, the ghost disappeared as Han Bei exhausted his qi, yet he shook his head. " It just isn't the same, as moving my body." His lack of exhaustion wasn't the only point where his humanity could be scrutinized.
He recognized that some might also deem his power unrighteous and its source demonic, but he had no thoughts of relinquishing it. It wasn't just fiery anger that guided his need for vengeance but cold fury that burned bright. And that light alone scattered the darkness that lies on the path that he chose. That was his truth, and it wasn't just an impulse that guided his actions. A simple display of anger died soon after it was born, a greater goal guided Han Bei's hand. Like a sun he will never lose his light and those that opposed him will be burned to cinder and ash.
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Shatter the Heavens; Slaughter the Gods
Arminius of the ancient era stood over mankind with the ability to perform magic. His ability allowed him to triumph over mortal armies and carve a domain for himself. Then, the martialists attacked. Their individual strength was lower than that of magicians, but the sheer number of them made them an unstoppable force. In the wake of tens of thousands of martialists and hundreds of thousands of mortal warriors, one lone magician was unable to stand against the tide. But, the powers of a magician allowed Arminius to escape the cycle of reincarnation, landing him an eon into the future. In the new age, magicians are entirely extinct, and the martialists from the old era have perfected their martial way, allowing them to attain godly powers that far surpass what Arminius was ever capable of. So, what else should Arminius do except learn their method and use it against them?! Reincarnated as Andric, he seeks to gain the powers of the martialists and reclaim his position at the throne of the world! A fossil of a bygone age where magic was rampant and he ruled with an iron fist, Arminius is reborn into a world in which magic is fading. The non-magical revolution successful and his rule long over, he must master the new ways of martial arts to rule anew.
8 148Hero Delivery
Is your world about to die?The all-consuming chaos coming to destroy your world?Demon King winning?Why not summon a Hero?Heroes come from another world and are ready to solve your world's problems. Each one comes with their own powers that, as long as they are nurtured, can be used to save your world (or at the very least, improve life!).Choose from one of our own popular delivery services: isekai, transmigration, reincarnation, or custom summon them. Hero Delivery is here for you. Warning: Treat your Heroes right. Join us and follow the story of the one responsible for delivering quality Heroes to worlds in peril. Journey with us to learn all there is to know about delivering Heroes to another world. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 153Money Making MMO
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8 120A Step Behind Death
Please share your thoughts about the story! Feedback and criticism is welcome, it'll help me improve my writing. "The final year of high school is the most difficult." This statement has never been truer for Damis, a student attending one of the many schools in the City of Sundridge. He never wanted anything more than to live a peaceful life, going so far as to avoid having large group of friends, indulging in dragged out conversations, or being involved in any other activity that requires him to invest a large amount of effort to accomplish. Instead, he poured all of his efforts into studying, dwelling in his internal monologues, and complaining about the things that annoy him to his one and only friend, Noah. Before long, he ended up as one of the best students in his class. As far as he was concerned, he was content with how he lived. But, after a confrontation with an eccentric girl named May, one of his classmates since the first year of high school, things have suddenly gotten out of hand. And as a result, his life became a lot more hectic than it used to be. Bound by a deal he could not refuse, his life as May's assistant began. At this rate, can he still spend the final days of his high school life in peace? Welcome to the life of Damis, the boy who's always A Step Behind Death. The cover art is made by friend of mine. I plan on making this novel into a webtoon once it becomes the best it can be. English isn't my first language, so expect some grammar bumps along the way.
8 105Authority: The Prequel
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8 267Enemies With Benefits
What would you think if you shared a birthday? Okay...what if it was with a jerk? What if he make your birthday a living hell every year? But worst of all...What happens when you both are secretly like each other?Selena Brians is falling head over heals for Kevin Brooks. Kevin apparently likes her but she's not convinced enough. I'm scared to experience heart-break and love. I'm scared to find out the truth. And most of all, I'm scared that I could be in love with him.Why am I talking like this you may ask? Because I'm Selena. And that's what scares me....
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