27 A Challenger Approaches

Two weeks passed in a haze of cultivation and training marked only by a few significant events. Boneroot continued his attempts to improve his friends’ meditation, though only Guang was making significant progress. Despite that, Boneroot had more respect for Iris, who refused to give up, no matter how down on herself she inevitably got.

26 Combat Class

Boneroot ran into Guang on his way to the Combat class. The boy was shocked to learn of his and Iris’ misadventures in the woods just an hour previous. “A Wei bear?” He exclaimed, a hint of wonder in his voice. “I can’t believe I missed it. I didn’t need to recuperate my qi that

25 Exploration

“You have three minutes. Then we run.” Boneroot stood among twenty four other disciples, running through the drills that Kang barked out. Four Sect Experts and four classes, but he just had to get stuck with the only one in the Imperial Military.  For the last hour, the disciples in Kang’s charge had run. There

24 Ki Training

Not a fan of how this chapter turned out, but it has some important exposition and whatnot, plus upcoming chapters are better so we’re just gonna move past it. The morning after the trio’s experiments in cultivation, Boneroot had just woken up and changed into his sect robes when he turned toward the door and

23 Practicing Efficiency Efficiently

Outside the Grand Hall, Boneroot and Kuroki were playing an improvised game of catch the tail while they waited for Guang Yali and Iris to finish cultivating inside. Boneroot was losing about as badly as he always did when it came to physical competitions with his companion. He was mid-lunge when the first of the

22 Basic Cultivation

When Boneroot entered the Grand Hall the next morning, he was exceptionally grateful that the Sect Masters generally left teaching the Outer Sect disciples to the Experts. As such, he did not find Master Bo on the stage of the amphitheater, ready to teach the Basic Cultivation class. Instead, he found someone he didn’t know. 

21 Teammates

“Hana Shio is the winner!” Grand Master Yan announced in a stately, level voice. The audience was just as silent as after witnessing Jota Guling’s prowess, but this time for a different reason. Blood and viscera coated a wide swathe of the stone arena. Venh and Master Bo were applying copious amounts of healing salve

20 Fire, Paper, Water, and Light

Grand Master Yan allowed the audience to gossip freely for a half-minute before she announced the Orange-realm disciples and their matchups. Even after 800 years of life, she still enjoyed the frenetic uncertainty of youth. People above the blue realm, or anyone older than 200 really, were too sure of themselves. That made them too

19 Wood, Lightning, Mist, and Metal

Boneroot looked ahead of Iris as she approached her fight with Meiling Asa. They were heading toward Master Liling, who constantly covered her mouth with an intricately patterned, paper fan. Her light green robes were detailed with flowers of complementary colors. Little could be seen of her face, covered as it was by the fan

18 Masters and Experts

Boneroot and Iris joined the gathering at the largest open area on the plateau, behind the Grand Hall. Unlike the other training fields scattered across the sect, this one held a raised platform made from chiseled stone. The duo stopped in front of this platform, joining the group of fifty or so young cultivators waiting