Tian slammed into consciousness driven by the screams of dozens of monstrous insects. Like spiders stretched out a little too far- ten legs instead of eight, and their mandibles stretched out far too long. Worse, they were the size of large dogs. They didn’t give him the same prickly feeling as Gu, it was a sort of sinking feeling, cold, sticky. An overabundance of yin giving rise to, if not ...
2025-09-01 14:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostGood news, mostly. I'm not taking Labor Day off. In fact, next week there will be an extra chapter on Saturday. Yes, a week from tomorrow, an extra chapter will be running. Because I do read what you guys post, and I incorporate that feedback into my writing. Also because I'm taking the week after next off for a vacation. So September 8-12, Sky Pride will not be updating. We return full of vim ...
2025-08-30 01:34:56 +0000 UTC View PostIt seemed Tian had spoiled the fun. The Fried Dough Daoists stomped off. Oily fanned himself in a silent fury, while Doughy looked like he was sulking. The women from the Courtyard were giving him distinctly strange looks, though Daoist Mei slipped him a secret thumbs up and a silent giggle. The party came to a silent agreement that their break was over, and they returned to the march.&nb...
2025-08-29 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe party of “adventurers” consisted of the juniors from Ancient Crane Monastery and an equal number of talented youths from the Five Elements Courtyard. The stated goal was to traverse the jungle, reach the Ancient Temple of War King Cho, kill the ten-leg horrors infesting it, and return safely. What it actually was, Elder Feng took pains to emphasise, was a chance to show off and for the ...
2025-08-28 14:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post“I honestly thought I might have something going with Sister Su. You know, she’s got that cool elegance to her, and she said on a couple of occasions that she enjoys my company. Not something I hear a lot from jade beauties. Hit me like a thrown brick, in fact. But she never showed any interest beyond wanting to argue with me, and seemed to either ignore or dislike my flirting, so that was ...
2025-08-27 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe Fried Dough Daoists were eventually allowed to escape, but not before Tian extracted a promise from them to put on a demonstration for the whole delegation from Ancient Crane Mountain. He was quite sure it wouldn’t be honored, but that wasn’t the point. He had his instructions, and he was quite content to assist Oily and Doughy in understanding their inferiority.
That, and he coul...
2025-08-26 14:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostTian thought Level Ten of the array might be his limit, which was irritating. It really shouldn’t be this hard, teamwork or not. There was blatantly a trick to it, but his hosts didn’t volunteer what it might be. He just kept dodging and trying to use the techniques Lin had provided to keep the crane engaged.
It was the crane that inadvertently discovered the secret. Beams of fi...
2025-08-25 14:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostTian and Wang were invited to take a tour of some of the Five Element’s Sect’s points of interest. Lin, Hong and Su were going with some young ladies on a slightly different tour. Why they were being split up, Tian didn’t know. He was in a better mood this morning. The lack of any game playing at breakfast no doubt was a contributing factor, as were the ample portions of bread and mutton ...
2025-08-22 14:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostThere was one more round of fights before it was agreed that it was all quite enough for the night. The agreement largely seemed to be on the part of the Five Elements sect, and Brother Wang was able to persuade his martial siblings that it would no longer be sparring if they chased down their retreating hosts. Sister Su had been watching the whole thing while crunching sunflower seeds. She was...
2025-08-21 14:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post“Big Bro Wang, is it really okay to operate a gambling table?”
“It will only be a problem if I lose, Little Mei. Besides, I’m backing my sectmates to the limit. What could be wrong with that?”
“At ten to one though?” She looked concerned. Tian, who was observing from the corner of his eye, had to admit “concerned” looked adorable on Daoist Mei. Why she didn’t giv...
2025-08-20 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post“Waah! Little Brother is so handsome! Let Big Sis pour you a drink.”
Tian slammed his hand down over his cup while trying to smile politely. “No thank you. I don’t drink wine anyhow. Try my Brother Wang.”
The young daoist pouted at him. She seemed to be having trouble properly tying her robe. Nothing strictly inappropriate, but with a strong implication that things cou...
2025-08-19 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe Windblown Manor spent two days flying deep into a mountain range. They had to go slow. There were “atmospheric challenges” presented by the Primeval Giant’s Spine Mountains. Under normal conditions, there were currents in the air, steady streams that flowed in predictable ways and the Windblown Manor made use of them to fly further and faster than it would otherwise. The Giant’s Spi...
2025-08-18 14:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostThe morning after his first lesson with Daoist Steelshimmer, Tian rose before dawn and invited Sister Liren to cultivate with him in the garden. They both seemed to get something from watching the dawn rise as they meditated. Tian was cultivating almost constantly, but he still felt that dawn cultivation had that extra something that made everything go that little bit better. Besides, he had ul...
2025-08-15 14:00:20 +0000 UTC View Post[Author Note- Apologies for this going up late. I was sure I had it scheduled. I was wrong. Sorry!]
Tian stood in the garden facing Daoist Steelshimmer. Her beauty remained a puzzle that he picked at. It wasn’t an illusion, therefore what she was doing was in her presentation. The answer felt unsatisfying. There had to be more to it than her hair.
“I see why Daoist Feng ca...
2025-08-14 14:31:52 +0000 UTC View PostIt had been a few days since Lin and Tian spoke privately. She didn’t warm up, exactly, but she stopped giving the feeling of being actively hostile. It was progress, and he’d take it. It wasn’t a peaceful world. “Not actively hostile” was pretty good already. For example, there was this afternoon.
“OLD BITCH FENG, COME OUT AND GREET YOUR GRANNY!”
Hovering above the Wi...
2025-08-13 14:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostTian watched Lin make the tea. Her motions were skillful and practiced, but unenthusiastic. She had bluntly refused his hospitality, but understood that this conversation had to happen. Tian had noticed a recurring trait in all the hereditary disciples- if an elder said to do it, then it was done. No exceptions. Tian was quite obedient to his seniors, but with a few exceptions, it was an obedie...
2025-08-12 14:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostTian had guessed the Elder’s intention correctly. He was sure his sect siblings got the point eventually. The Elder confined him to his cell for three days after his “shocking display” at the dinner table. He was, however, allowed to keep the hunk of meat. If that didn’t get the message across, he really didn’t know what would. Three days of closed door cultivation for an immortality ...
2025-08-11 14:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostMy dog died on Thursday. His name was Samuel Phineas Snoot, and he was our dear friend for thirteen years. I first met Sam when he was launched at my still-sleeping chest from the foot of the bed. My wife disagrees with that part, claiming erroneously that I was already awake. I was not. I woke to a face full of tiny, highly excited dachshund and my wife telling me that “His name is Charlie, ...
2025-08-10 19:24:36 +0000 UTC View PostTian felt his muscles try to jump him to his feet before his brain had fully caught up. Yes. Ten thousand times yes! This sounded excellent. This sounded like the best deal he had heard in a long, long while. And then Grandpa coughed, cutting through the sudden surge of enthusiasm. Grandpa had warned him, repeatedly, that anything too good to be true probably was.
His mind started w...
2025-08-08 14:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostTian looked out across the green water of the lake, dotted with its white cranes and swimming ducks. Felt the breeze on his face and the remnant bitterness of his apparently diabolical tea. The call of the masses had become overwhelming. He would need to get better tea. Which meant the orderly job was out for the foreseeable future. That was okay. He didn’t want to go back to the desert at al...
2025-08-07 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostTian emerged from his cultivation with a happy sigh. He stretched slowly and luxuriously, feeling the wind on him. The smells of the lake, the marsh, the trees, all mixing together into something marvelously alive. He even thought he could smell birds. He sniffed again. He was definitely smelling something. Tian opened his eyes. Then closed them again. Clearly, his eyes had made a mistake. ...
2025-08-06 14:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostDear Daoist Shu
This is my second time writing a letter. The first person I wrote a letter to threatened to beat me until my shoes went flying off, which I thought was a very ungrateful response to me sending them medicine. I hope this letter goes better. Anyway. I want to tell you about this big tree I saw, and the monkey kingdom that lived on it. They managed to...
2025-08-05 14:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post
The next few months passed more calmly. Elder Feng had apparently become entirely exhausted by surprises, and was downright eager to keep her charges from any unfortunate conversations they might have with other sects. Or creating new local religions. Tian had a few sleepless nights thinking about all the elemental charm he had been pushing into his voice in Burning Flag City, and wondering the...
2025-08-04 14:00:12 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m sure I said something about the elders coming to an agreement. I remember my lips moving and everything.”
You are offering the opportunity for fire and earth cultivators to deepen their understanding of fire and earth, for free. His commanding officer would kick his ass up over his ears if he didn’t latch on to the opportunity with all four limbs. He’s being a ...
2025-08-01 14:00:21 +0000 UTC View Post“Ancient Crane Monastery comes forth! Who dares bar our passage?!” Elder Feng’s voice thundered across the rocky plain before the fortress, battered its gates and shook its defenders.
“Burning stones and burning hearts stand eternal! Prove you are worthy of them!” A warrior exploded from the top of the fortress, flying forward to land in a clash of smoking iron armor and p...
2025-07-31 14:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostThey were summoned to the main hall at sunset. The flying cloud was waiting for them. Tian was embarrassed to see that he was the last of the juniors to arrive. Fortunately, he was rescued from his embarrassment by the arrival of Jun. He paid his respects to his cousin, then handed Tian a dense package.
“Two and a quarter pounds of our fifty year old White Eyebrow Longevity Tea. I...
2025-07-30 14:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post“How long have you been sitting there?” Aunty Wu slowly opened her eyes.
“I don’t know. It’s around midday, so a few hours.” Tian smiled a little.
“I guess the better first question would have been ‘What are you doing here?’” Her voice wasn’t as strong as it usually was.
“Same as you. Healing. Except I’m touring around the Broad Sky Kingdom with...
2025-07-29 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostDisciple Shu sat with Tian at a little table outside the hospital. It seemed that where there were hospitals, there must be patios available for the exhausted doctors to cover their eyes with cool cloths, and rest.
“I just wanted you to see what we are doing.” Shu fiddled with her fingers a bit. “You seemed… so angry, and so sad. You said you didn’t want me to understand y...
2025-07-28 14:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostThey retired for an early dinner. Tian felt like a bully, and kept his head down. The others from Ancient Crane Mountain were all still barely concealing their anger. Tian suspected they shared his confusion. How was it possible for immortal cultivators to exist without knowing how to fight? He was sure they weren’t just relying on Ancient Crane Mountain for their defense. If they were, they ...
2025-07-25 14:00:17 +0000 UTC View Post
