>>5040335

Ambitious men, seeking bloody revenge against their longtime rivals or to claim the mandate of heaven from a weak and unworthy lecher of an emperor marched to war. And so the lands and their people wept and suffered as all was thrown into turmoil.

The Martial world and World of Cultivation remained Content in the serenity of their lives, unaware that soon they would suffer the same plight as the ordinary and mundane folk they had risen above. A storm of discord and spite was soon to swallow all three realms, born from the misguided efforts of benevolent and wise men.

Righteousness was soon to be challenged by "Evil" as it had been centuries ago. Bold and wildly ambitious men gather to form the first of many "Wicked sects", unearthing and rediscovery the Unorthodox and Forbidden Dao. And so in away, the natural state of the world returns, carried upon the backs of those unloved by the heavens.

For is it not in the nature of cultivation, in seeking immortality, to go against the will of the heavens? Is it not in the nature of men to desire what is forbidden, what is outlawed? Is it not the nature of order and balance, to create disorder and chaos?

Hubris is a poison more potent than any produced by the ritual of Gu. Virtue ferments easily into villainy.

In the shadows, beneath the notice of the Cultivators and gods alike, newly formed Sects, Clans and Cults practicing the Heaven's Scorned Traditions of the Past or pioneering a new road towards immortality and the very heavens that sneered at their plight and suffering, sought worthy acolytes. Those rare individuals with the innate potential and conviction to endure the rigors of cultivation to grasp for immortality. Those with the ambition to take godhood from the heavens themselves.

Remarkable men and women, with strange destinies ahead of them. Those who are unloved by heaven, those who were scorned by society, those who were cursed from the day of their birth!

Those, who shall become Cultivators of Heretical Laws!
Cont

>>5040337

https://youtu.be/yvFgNP9iqd4
_
Which Remarkable Mortal will begin their Unorthodox path to immortality?

>"The Ogre's Daughter" Líng Yāonān (妖囡, Devil's Daughter). -Feared and Reviled from birth as the child of an Ogre due to her unusual height, pale skin and hair, and blood red eyes, Yāonān is the heir of the minor noble family Ling (陵, Tomb), Born to its Patriarch Ling Li and his unfortunate & addled wife, Yun Ehuang who was the only one to show affection to her odd daughter, Ling Yāonān's life has been one of neglect and abuse. Upon the death of her mother, she grows tired of being treated as a monster, steals a heirloom sword and escapes into the night to find her own destiny by the strength of her arm and character!

>"The Bewitched Monk" Jingyǔ (静雨,Quiet Rain, Art/adopted name).- A man whose life has known no end of misfortune, abandoned by his promised bride as a young man, Jingyǔ abandoned his old life as a Poet to live the Austere life of a monk, seeking solace and enlightenment in the forest temple of the Winter Blossoming Wisdom Sect (冬䓵智, Dōngfūzhì), though over the years he learned he lacked the innate talent and potential to cultivate. Heartbroken once again, Jingyǔ was seduced by a fox demon and tricked by it into sabotaging a Sect Elder's breakthrough! Outcast and branded a traitor, Jingyǔ yearns for death.

>"The Newborn Cat demon". Huānliúxuè (欢流血, Happy Bloodshed), was once an ordinary stray cat, an unintelligent beast fed by the children of the riverside hamlet she and five generations of her lineage had been born into. When war ravaged the countryside, between the rival families of Ling and Chuān, the cat was instead fed by the bodies of the dead and as she grew fat on the blood and fat of men, a grudge formed in her heart as her body grew. Seeking revenge against the soldiers who killed her "friends", she carried out a bloody slaughter against them and thus became a demonic beast. Prowling the countryside, Huānliúxuè searches for new prey.

>"The Lonely Blacksmith". Fèiqīng (㔗青, Vigorous Youth). Cursed with a hideous face, Fèiqīng was blessed with a connection to metal, and quickly surpassed his father's skill in smithing Fèiqīng toiled in quiet isolation until he grew to be a young man, where upon his talents were recognized by a passing tax collector and the "Ape like" young man was brought the imperial court to serve the Young Emperor. However, his desire for companionship led him to join a wicked cult in search of a method to bring life to the weapons he forged. Caught up in a plot against the imperial family, Fèiqīng fled into the wilds, fearing execution.

The three that are not picked will still exist in the world. In fact, all four are within the same region currently! But that does not mean they will be comrades or friends.

>>5040338
>"The Bewitched Monk" Jingyǔ (静雨,Quiet Rain, Art/adopted name).- A man whose life has known no end of misfortune, abandoned by his promised bride as a young man, Jingyǔ abandoned his old life as a Poet to live the Austere life of a monk, seeking solace and enlightenment in the forest temple of the Winter Blossoming Wisdom Sect (冬䓵智, Dōngfūzhì), though over the years he learned he lacked the innate talent and potential to cultivate. Heartbroken once again, Jingyǔ was seduced by a fox demon and tricked by it into sabotaging a Sect Elder's breakthrough! Outcast and branded a traitor, Jingyǔ yearns for death.
Our's is a winter without end.

>>5040338
>>"The Ogre's Daughter"
I don't like cringey female MCs, but this one seems cool as you don't see a lot of monsterous cultivators. Plus our "heirloom sword" might end up being an artifact weapon.

>>5040338
>"The Newborn Cat demon". Huānliúxuè (欢流血, Happy Bloodshed), was once an ordinary stray cat, an unintelligent beast fed by the children of the riverside hamlet she and five generations of her lineage had been born into. When war ravaged the countryside, between the rival families of Ling and Chuān, the cat was instead fed by the bodies of the dead and as she grew fat on the blood and fat of men, a grudge formed in her heart as her body grew. Seeking revenge against the soldiers who killed her "friends", she carried out a bloody slaughter against them and thus became a demonic beast. Prowling the countryside, Huānliúxuè searches for new prey
Come on guys, let's eat some cultivators!

coomers and prototrannies begone

didnt read

>>5040338
>"The Bewitched Monk" Jingyǔ (静雨,Quiet Rain, Art/adopted name).- A man whose life has known no end of misfortune, abandoned by his promised bride as a young man, Jingyǔ abandoned his old life as a Poet to live the Austere life of a monk, seeking solace and enlightenment in the forest temple of the Winter Blossoming Wisdom Sect (冬䓵智, Dōngfūzhì), though over the years he learned he lacked the innate talent and potential to cultivate. Heartbroken once again, Jingyǔ was seduced by a fox demon and tricked by it into sabotaging a Sect Elder's breakthrough! Outcast and branded a traitor, Jingyǔ yearns for death.
he roams the land eliminating roasties in penitence

>>5040338
>"The Newborn Cat demon". Huānliúxuè

>>5040338
>>"The Newborn Cat demon". Huānliúxuè (欢流血, Happy Bloodshed), was once an ordinary stray cat, an unintelligent beast fed by the children of the riverside hamlet she and five generations of her lineage had been born into. When war ravaged the countryside, between the rival families of Ling and Chuān, the cat was instead fed by the bodies of the dead and as she grew fat on the blood and fat of men, a grudge formed in her heart as her body grew. Seeking revenge against the soldiers who killed her "friends", she carried out a bloody slaughter against them and thus became a demonic beast. Prowling the countryside, Huānliúxuè searches for new prey.

As the kind of faggot who reads Beware of Chicken, I am amused by this option.
I care not for your laws. I'm a cat. Even the heavens are below me. Now bring me fish or die.

>>5040338
>"The Bewitched Monk" Jingyǔ (静雨,Quiet Rain, Art/adopted name).- A man whose life has known no end of misfortune, abandoned by his promised bride as a young man, Jingyǔ abandoned his old life as a Poet to live the Austere life of a monk, seeking solace and enlightenment in the forest temple of the Winter Blossoming Wisdom Sect (冬䓵智, Dōngfūzhì), though over the years he learned he lacked the innate talent and potential to cultivate. Heartbroken once again, Jingyǔ was seduced by a fox demon and tricked by it into sabotaging a Sect Elder's breakthrough! Outcast and branded a traitor, Jingyǔ yearns for death.

>>5040338
>"The Bewitched Monk" Jingyǔ (静雨,Quiet Rain, Art/adopted name).- A man whose life has known no end of misfortune, abandoned by his promised bride as a young man, Jingyǔ abandoned his old life as a Poet to live the Austere life of a monk, seeking solace and enlightenment in the forest temple of the Winter Blossoming Wisdom Sect (冬䓵智, Dōngfūzhì), though over the years he learned he lacked the innate talent and potential to cultivate. Heartbroken once again, Jingyǔ was seduced by a fox demon and tricked by it into sabotaging a Sect Elder's breakthrough! Outcast and branded a traitor, Jingyǔ yearns for death

>>5040338
>"The Newborn Cat demon". Huānliúxuè (欢流血, Happy Bloodshed), was once an ordinary stray cat, an unintelligent beast fed by the children of the riverside hamlet she and five generations of her lineage had been born into. When war ravaged the countryside, between the rival families of Ling and Chuān, the cat was instead fed by the bodies of the dead and as she grew fat on the blood and fat of men, a grudge formed in her heart as her body grew. Seeking revenge against the soldiers who killed her "friends", she carried out a bloody slaughter against them and thus became a demonic beast. Prowling the countryside, Huānliúxuè searches for new prey.

>>5040338
>"The Newborn Cat demon". Huānliúxuè (欢流血, Happy Bloodshed), was once an ordinary stray cat, an unintelligent beast fed by the children of the riverside hamlet she and five generations of her lineage had been born into. When war ravaged the countryside, between the rival families of Ling and Chuān, the cat was instead fed by the bodies of the dead and as she grew fat on the blood and fat of men, a grudge formed in her heart as her body grew. Seeking revenge against the soldiers who killed her "friends", she carried out a bloody slaughter against them and thus became a demonic beast. Prowling the countryside, Huānliúxuè searches for new prey.

>>5040350
Catchads are voting for the cat because she's a cat, not because she's female.

Voting for the cat.

>>5040338
>"The Newborn Cat demon". Huānliúxuè (欢流血, Happy Bloodshed)
But male.

>>5040337
>"The Newborn Cat demon". Huānliúxuè (欢流血, Happy Bloodshed), was once an ordinary stray cat, an unintelligent beast fed by the children of the riverside hamlet she and five generations of her lineage had been born into. When war ravaged the countryside, between the rival families of Ling and Chuān, the cat was instead fed by the bodies of the dead and as she grew fat on the blood and fat of men, a grudge formed in her heart as her body grew. Seeking revenge against the soldiers who killed her "friends", she carried out a bloody slaughter against them and thus became a demonic beast. Prowling the countryside, Huānliúxuè searches for new prey.

Ending the vote, tallying the results

The Newborn Cat demon wins with a total of 8 votes

The Bewitched Monk comes in second place with 4, and so will probably have a bigger part to play than the other two going forward. Particularly the Lonely Blacksmith, who in this world and the fictional one, is loved by no one.


Update will arrive shortly, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them. Wasn't expecting this many votes, so I am ecstatic rn

>>5040460
booooo, when faced with a cool male character that would be interesting to play as vs kawaii female waifu, /qst/ will always pick the weaker option.

lame

>>5040468
seethe

As the Ling army continued its march into Chuān controlled territory, rumors began to spread amidst the ranks of the invading force, originating from panicked deserters from their own number and the peasantry that tended the lands they had taken from their long time rival across the river that acted as the border of their lands. Ghost stories of a cat like beast, larger than any farm mouser nearly the size of a wolf with a coat as red as the shades of a summer sunset or freshly spilled blood, except for an undercoat of red hued white that was nearer to pink and a notch in one of its ears. From the terrified accounts give by the treasonous deserters before their heads were loped from their shoulders at the behest of the general spearheading the invasion, the Demonic beast had massacred entire regiments of forward scouts, emerging from the smoke of a village razed in the opening days of their relentless assault. Some wept, begging to be executed before the bloodthirsty cat emerged from the night's mists to tear them limb from limb, devouring them to the very marrow of their bones.

Ling Meng, was not a superstitious or fearful man and knew these stories for what they were! The tricks of a coward terrified to meet his army in honorable battle, degrading themselves by stooping to sowing wife's tales and rumors to weaken the morale of his men. Doubtlessly, the worms of Chaun hope this crooked tactic would send him fleeing back to his uncle's court, babbling about monsters, ghosts and devils! So the Ling army continued its march, leaving behind graves filled with the survivors of the horrible cat's predations and entire villages made lame from the lashing of their whips!
-

The morning sun rises, illuminating the forest where you have sought shelter for the night. Your once white coat glows in the radiance of dawn as you lick dried blood and fat from your paws. Before you, the half eaten corpse of your latest victim, dressed in the same colors as the brutes who hurt and defiled and murdered your friends and caretakers stares at the clear blue skies with empty eyes. An expression of horror contorts his pale face, upon which verminous things like beetles and ants crawl and march along. A scraggly black beard hangs down to his chest, soaked with blood and the mud you dragged him through the prior night, when you took him from his post for supper.

Just looking at the human fills you with a deep revulsion, a rage that burns at the edges of your mind, urging you to mutilate his body and scatter its limbs and remaining organs to the four winds. Plodding across his spilt entrails, you leave your former meal behind, its blood congeal beneath the heat of morning while you follow a stream to the lake it flows from.

The still cold water cools your mind and revitalizes your body. You meet your reflection in the water, and for the first time since you've began your quest of revenge you have the sense of self to wonder.
Cont

>>5040475

Why are you red now? Why are your thoughts so much clearer? Why can you speak the tongue of men? How do you know that they are "Human" rather than just an odd, hairless breed of cats? And why does their meat fill your belly better than any other?

Sitting on your haunches, you preen yourself, starting with the fat and blood soaked fur around your face. You pause midlick, realizing that those questions don't matter in the grand scheme of things. All thinking on these mysteries that surround this new existence will achieve is impeding your revenge! Phantom images of the children who used to play with and feed you being butchered like animals flash through your imagination, a nightmarish theater play of the days before your rebirth.

'No...no, I cannot rest until I've avenged them, and devoured the men who took them away from me', you think as you resume your grooming. Until they have been killed to the man, you will know no peace, of mind or soul.

Satisfied and cleanse from yesterday's hunting, you settle upon the lakeshore, serenaded by bird's song and the wind's soothing whisper as you consider your next move. The man you ate wasn't one of the brutes who took your home and family from you. But he was the same breed.

A face surfaced from the mire of your thoughts. A man dressed in finer, more resplendent regalia than the rest. The alpha of the marauding pack. He needed to die, only his death could satisfy your hunger for revenge and meat.

'The General of the invading army...he's my target'. You realized as a ray of sunlight fell upon the centermost spot on your forehead.

'But, how do I find him? And am I strong enough to kill him like the others?'

Well Huānliúxuè? What do you do?

>Practice your killing technique, upon both the creatures of the forest and the soldiers of the nearby fort. You must be ready, you cannot die while your friends remain unavenged!

>HE MUST DIE! No waiting, no planning! Follow the soldiers, Track the General and take his head and devour his heart!

>A voice inside of you is warning you that soon you'll become the hunted rather than the hunter. You need a home, a sanctuary, a lair. Seek one out before continuing your revenge.

>Lonely...Lonely! SO LONELY! You need companionship! You need praise! Or perhaps you want underlings instead of friends?

>Write in

>>5040476
>A voice inside of you is warning you that soon you'll become the hunted rather than the hunter. You need a home, a sanctuary, a lair. Seek one out before continuing your revenge.
We should be careful.

>>5040475
>a notch in one of its ears.
Our girl's had her shots, good, good.

>>5040476
>A voice inside of you is warning you that soon you'll become the hunted rather than the hunter. You need a home, a sanctuary, a lair. Seek one out before continuing your revenge.

>>5040476
>>Lonely...Lonely! SO LONELY! You need companionship! You need praise! Or perhaps you want underlings instead of friends?
>>5040468
Shut up or I'll eat your vote's face.

>>5040476
>HE MUST DIE! No waiting, no planning! Follow the soldiers, Track the General and take his head and devour his heart!

>>5040476
>HE MUST DIE! No waiting, no planning! Follow the soldiers, Track the General and take his head and devour his heart!
We should do this while the general still doesn't believe we exist. The longer we wait, the more likely we'll become the hunted.

>>5040476
>HE MUST DIE! No waiting, no planning! Follow the soldiers, Track the General and take his head and devour his heart!

I think this is the best course of action, but we must be swift in our execution. And, if possible, stealthily take out as many soldiers on the way and devour their flesh so we can power up as much as possible before our confrontation/ambush with the general.

>>5040476
>Practice your killing technique, upon both the creatures of the forest and the soldiers of the nearby fort. You must be ready, you cannot die while your friends remain unavenged!

>>5040476
>>Lonely...Lonely! SO LONELY! You need companionship! You need praise! Or perhaps you want underlings instead of friends?

Ending the vote, tallying the results now.

Hunting the general, Ling Meng and soothing your smoldering grudge: 3
Find/ make a lair somewhere safe: 2
Search for companionship/ Underlings: 2
Practice techniques: 1

The Cat Demon Huānliúxuè will continue indulging her hunger for revenge and manflesh

Update will arrive shortly

'It doesn't matter, hesitating is akin to inviting death to your home' You decide, after considering the multitude of choices you can feasibly take considering your current intellect, knowledge and power. There's a gnawing in the dark corner of your skull, an instinct a warning born from the blood given to you by your mother. It isn't unknown to you. It is the same sensation as is felt when, as a kitten, you were shadowed by hungering slavering hounds or owls! Accursed beasts, may every owl that is born experience a thousand lifetimes of suffering matched only by the torments of hell itself.

Composing your thoughts and regaining focus and clarity of mind, you flick your now fluffed up tail across the lake's surface, sending ripples cascading across it. Every idea that crosses through your head is marred by anger, a hatred so potent and virile it pollutes every other sensation or thought that you experience. Living, flourishing, growing, all is impossible while this grudge that made you as you are now dominates your soul. It may be the center of your new being, but it must be tamed lest you return to the simplistic, feral form of life you once led! You enjoy being able to think and understand the world around you, pondering the questions life brings to you and the mysteries of existence. The flesh of men is tasty but without the wine of victory to wash it down there's little enjoyment to be had.

"Might as well be eating ash and drinking mud" You spit, growling in your throat as you saunter back to the corpse of yesterday's dinner, and ponder the meaning of the colors he wore and the symbols upon them. In the lulls of fury at seeing them, and between session of mauling the already fermenting and rotting meat, you come to understand that they must be a signifier of allegiance. The colors, the Crow winged skull gracing the chest plate your claws tore through. It's white...was it painted in bird droppings or bone ash? How disgusting. Peering closer, upon the shoulder you tore and crushed between your jaws, you make a character carved in the painted surface of his cheap armor.

You've seen it before! Upon the banner flown by his general! The Alpha! the Bastard who took your idealistic life of comfort and plenty from you! It must be the name of his clan or breed! Upon Comprehending this, you realize how easy it will be to track your quarry! His kind is prideful and smear their territory with all sorts of signs and symbols! All you have to do, is follow the soldiers wearing this character, dressed in the same pale yellow and eventually they'll return to their masters like the loyal dogs they are!

Its so simple! Having a sharper mind truly has its benefits! Were you your old self, or the you from yesterday ever, you would have been unable to comprehend the meaning or purpose of any of these markings! Thinking! Comprehending! Its all becomes easier with every second that passes by! Incredible! Truly incredible!
Cont

>>5040640

Thoughts come to your attention with increasing intricacy and clarity. It feels as if you've awoken from a long slumber, refreshed and revitalized. Why, you cannot say or know. But what is clear is that you're becoming smarter, wiser with every moment that passes.

But there's still a lingering, annoying dullness to your mind. A throbbing irritation that returns to cloud and impede every thought you have. A haze, not unlike intoxication. It is both terrible and wonderful. A slide back towards living as an Animal and A blissful return to ignorance simultaneously. Awful, Awful.

Perhaps as you were awoken to true awareness of self and the reality beyond self by the burning grudge that now controls and guides every component of your being, leading your reasoning as though it held your mind's leash, if you do not fulfill the grudge and end it by having your revenge and sipping from the veins the lifeblood of your nameless nemesis, you will return to the mindless bliss of ignorance that all beasts enjoy.

That cannot be allowed to transpire! You must remain as you are! You cannot turn back into a base animal!

He must die! There is no time to plan or scheme or plot! The General cannot be allowed to live, otherwise you may lose all sense of purpose and self! His very life is a poison to you! A poison you will swallow and refine into energy and life in your gullet! Yes yes!

Leaving the forest, unbothered by the trembling lesser beasts that populate it, you return to the trodden earth paths that snake through the vast forest. Lurking within the shadows cast by the ancient arms of towering trees and meandering clouds, you return to your current hunting ground.

The fort built upon the hill, surrounded by a ring of sharpened logs lashed together with bands of irons set in place with nails longer than your tail. Creeping through the undergrowth, you near the gate and watch the prey hiding behind its walls.

"Hu is still missing? You say that when you searched for him at dawn, you saw drag marks leading into the woods that were washed away by a morning shower?" A man, grey around the cheeks and scalp, old, weak, tired and gamey looking states with fearing sweetening his words "Were it not for the tales I've heard whispered throughout the ranks, even as far back as our staging ground, I would think you were covering for his dereliction of duty and that he'd be found in the arms of some village whore rather than the belly of a monster"

He ran his fingers through his beard, as his shivering underlings looked at him with familiar eyes. Eyes widened and drowning with the fear of death. It brings you great joy to see your foes shake and quiver like newborn kits at the mere thought of your presence.

Smiling triumphantly, you lift your ears to hear the now hushed and quiet words of the aged officer.
Cont

>>5040642

"Gen, Dong. Take a party of seven men and return to the main encampment with haste. Tell Ling Meng we require reinforcements, DO NOT, mention the reason. Allude to guerilla fighters in the forests, pockets of resistance dug in like ticks" He whines and hisses, eyes watering as he glances towards the tree lined horizon, unaware the beast he dreads is right outside of his door "If you speak a word of the Demonic Cat, Huānliúxuè, he will have you killed and then he will have ME publicly shamed and stripped of my prestigious titles. If necessary, present my seal. I'll concoct a more detailed story for when our new troops arrive, now go!"

You resist the urge to drag one of the three men beneath the trees, to eat their most delectable pieces of meat and organs. You, after all, haven't eaten since last night. Instead, licking your chops, you return to the base of the hill and conceal yourself in the tall grasses growing inside of the trench dug around it.

Folding your paws one over the other, you watch as a carriage the soldiers commanded to lead you to your prey march from the fort, astride two jittery horses.

In their own, primitives way the beasts of burden seek your approval as a higher beast to pass by, halting and whining as they reach the trench you've been lounging in for the past few minutes. With a nod of your head, you give them permission, as they wordlessly continue on

'Stupid animals' you think to yourself as they carry their confused riders down the westward road, joined by the seven soldiers their commander assigned as their escort. One carrying the same banner as the General.

Humans are such noisy creatures, bumbling their way through life and the world they inhabit. It makes them easy to follow, and so you keep your distance to avoid spooking their horses or sending them into a panic if they prove perceptive or fortunate enough to spot you as you trail them away from the forest.

Across smoking fields, and empty villages. You follow the party for a week, subsisting on the flesh of lower animals despite its taste and lack of "Energy". It just doesn't satisfy you like human meat! Less nutritious, but why would it be. Another mystery to seek an answer for once you have dealt with Ling Meng and can at last be certain you will not lose your newly gained intelligence and cunning.

At last, after a seemingly endless journey, you arrive at the Main Encampment of the invading army, where your prey, The General Ling Meng, waits to be introduced to your fangs and claws.

But there's one problem

There must be hundreds, thousands of soldiers here. All armed with sharpened spears and swords. And there are fires burning, as many as their are stars in the sky, between every tent hoisted throughout the flat plain. Yet, instead of feeling hesitant, your skull throbs with the urge to kill. Like a mantra, beating itself against the walls of your mind.
Cont

>>5040643

Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill Ling Meng! Kill them all! Kill! Kill! Keep Killing! Bathe in blood, feast on their entrails! Swallow their hearts!

So close to your quarry, the grudge that gave birth to you has grown thrice as strong as it was before.

Drool wets the fur below your lips and chin.

What's your plan of attack, Huānliúxuè?

>Wait patiently until the camp goes to sleep, and then sneak inside of it and DEVOUR LING MENG [Stealth trial, as a demon cat, this trial is trivial and you automatically succeed)

>Make a corpse into your puppet and use it to infiltrate the camp and the general's tent...wait how do you know how to do this? [Magic trial, roll 1d100 Bo3 DC 75]

>KILL! *Butcher your way to the general without any regard for your life or subtlety* [Martial test, 1d100+10 *the soldiers are terrified of you already* DC 50]

>Cause a little chaos, and lure the general into the open before pouncing and ripping his neck out! [Mischief trial, 1d100 DC 40]

>Write in?

>>5040646
>>Cause a little chaos, and lure the general into the open before pouncing and ripping his neck out! [Mischief trial, 1d100 DC 40]
Cut the head off the snake, but don't let ourself get surrounded

>>5040646
>Make a corpse into your puppet and use it to infiltrate the camp and the general's tent...wait how do you know how to do this? [Magic trial, roll 1d100 Bo3 DC 75]

>>5040646
>>KILL! *Butcher your way to the general without any regard for your life or subtlety* [Martial test, 1d100+10 *the soldiers are terrified of you already* DC 50]

>>5040646
>Make a corpse into your puppet and use it to infiltrate the camp and the general's tent...wait how do you know how to do this? [Magic trial, roll 1d100 Bo3 DC 75]

>>5040646
>Wait patiently until the camp goes to sleep, and then sneak inside of it and DEVOUR LING MENG [Stealth trial, as a demon cat, this trial is trivial and you automatically succeed)

>>5040646
>>Wait patiently until the camp goes to sleep, and then sneak inside of it and DEVOUR LING MENG [Stealth trial, as a demon cat, this trial is trivial and you automatically succeed)

>>5040646
>Set fire to their food using their own lights.
>Let them them starve and search for food while you choose a moment to eat your fill of general

>>5040646
>Wait patiently until the camp goes to sleep, and then sneak inside of it and DEVOUR LING MENG [Stealth trial, as a demon cat, this trial is trivial and you automatically succeed]

>>5040646
Supporting >>5040918

>>5040646

>Wait patiently until the camp goes to sleep, and then sneak inside of it and DEVOUR LING MENG [Stealth trial, as a demon cat, this trial is trivial and you automatically succeed)

>>5040646
>>Wait patiently until the camp goes to sleep, and then sneak inside of it and DEVOUR LING MENG [Stealth trial, as a demon cat, this trial is trivial and you automatically succeed)

>>5040646
>Wait patiently until the camp goes to sleep, and then sneak inside of it and DEVOUR LING MENG [Stealth trial, as a demon cat, this trial is trivial and you automatically succeed)
I fail to see why we'd pick anything except the autosuccess option, unless the others carry some unmentioned benefits?

>>5040646
>KILL! *Butcher your way to the general without any regard for your life or subtlety* [Martial test, 1d100+10 *the soldiers are terrified of you already* DC 50]
>>5041124
Being rad as fuck

Ending the vote now. Tallying the results

Cause a little chaos:1
Make a corpse into your puppet:2
KILL!:2
Wait patiently until the camp goes to sleep, and then sneak inside of it: 6
Set fire to their food using their own lights.:2

So You'll take the stealthy approach, the ghost they imagine you to be

Update will arrive shortly.

Through the haze of grudge born rage, motes of wisdom float to the surface of the boiling pond within your thoughts. Surely to challenge an entire army merely to remove its head, would be courting death! Before you, lies a force that together is a mountain of blades and a sea of fire! Humans are easy prey when alone or grouped together in small packs but you have only recently been born into this world! Can you truly be certain of your body's strength, and your ability in wielding it to pridefully assume you could butcher an army as easily as you would crush dry weeds and smash rotten wood? You recall a littermate of yours, who was devoured by a swarm of rats after becoming certain of his prowess and might. What terrible noises he made, the poor animal.

Nightmare visions flash through your minds' eye, depicting the scenes that may follow if you allow you pride and hatred to fully consume you and cast aside all reason and logic from your thoughts. Shuddering, you lower yourself to the ground, hidden beyond the distance men's eyes can see. Your skull throbs like a band of drum players has taken residence within it, but you control the murderous and wrathful desire that lead you here. It feels like betraying one's own father, or striking one's own mother with the back of their hand but it must be done.

Your friends, the cheerful little children, they would weep bitterly in the afterlife if they knew you had died. Avenging them is but one half of your purpose! The other is to live in their stead! Or maybe it is. You are not yet certain. Everything is still so confusing. All you know now is to fear death! Even while pursuing blood-soaked satisfaction.

Reluctantly, you remain patient and as calm as your able to while lingering so close to your quarry, so hungry. Drool flows freely from your gnashing fangs, turning the dry soil beneath you into mud as you struggle to keep your eyes averted from the tent in the center of a forest of them.

After hours of quietly going mad, the sun begins to mercifully set upon the warcamp and the wider plains it is sat in like a bloated tick. As the sky is painted by the strokes of evening, a beautiful array of reds, oranges, golds, and purples, you can hear the rabble begin to quiet. As the moon rises over the hills and casts the dried grasses in its veil of silver light, the fires between the tents become the only source of light beneath the night. The sky is clouded, overcast, even the light of the moon is smothered and dimmed.

The perfect opportunity to slink in, sneak beneath notice AND DEVOUR LING MENG! Unable to resist the pull of vengeance and hunger, you creep upon your belly to the boundary separating the army from the wilderness outside of their encampment.

Strangely, salt has been scattered in a thin line, circling the tents like the trench dug around the forest fort. What a peculiar thing to do! Truly mankind is mad!

Cont

Gracefully leaping over the line drawn in salt, you pause to watch a camp follower entice two watchmen to mate with her and resist the urge to be a little mischievous and scare the very souls out of the three's body by appearing before them and giving a yowl while baring your fangs and claws. Flicking your tail, you wait a breath of time until the lustful three have left to find somewhere more private to mingle their flesh and warmth and then continue on your way, deep into the encampment, closer to Ling Meng.

Ignoring the rumblings of your stomach as you pass by spits of roasting meat and bubbling, black stews, a task made all the easier by the abhorrently overwhelming aroma of alcohol being imbibed by the cooks, you make haste to your quarry and the origin of your new existence. The man in the center of the black sea of your hatred, The general who took your people from you.

Accursed Ling Meng!
-

Ling Meng sat, considering a golden edged feather he had been gifted before his march into the Chuān family's territory. Through the tips of his fingers he could sense a great, sealed power within it. Like a stone warmed by a fire. When he held it like he did now, the feather would glow with a light not too dissimilar from that of the morning sun. It was a curious trinket, but not as curious as the man who gave it to him, who seemed so familiar for reason the general could not place. He had been told by the old, yet youthful seeming man to prove himself, to make a legacy that would endure for generations and pass into legend. The dull anger of a sceptic confronted with the supernatural, rose in the dark corner of Meng's mind. The man had vanished in a cloud of feathers and leaves, after promising him a position much more respectable than the seat the Ogre's spawn was set to inherit.

"Foolish" Ling Meng Chided himself, stowing the queer feather in a small chest he kept hidden in his dresser "To believe in fairytales like immortals and gods, I must be going mad. The lunacy of my men is infecting me"

And so, the Butcher of Ling decided to sleep earlier than he was accustomed to, to give his mind time to relieve itself of stress in the realm of dreams and whimsy.

He paused as he opened his personal lantern, to snuff out the flame within. A sudden gust of wind had sent shivers down his spine and gooseflesh across his sturdy, powerful arms. His heart raced, pounding in his chest as if it sought to flee some unseen danger. With wide eyes, he gazed into the darkness, squinting in search of.

In search of what!? Ghosts? Laughing at the ridiculousness of his fear, Ling Meng blew at the light guarding him against the night, and marched to his bed's sheets as if he were heading into battle.

Had the skeptical man looked for a breath longer, or a cat whisker's length closer, he may have seen a ghost. Or a wolf sized house cat with fur as vividly red as freshly spilt blood upon a blade's edge.

For, despite his potential, Ling Meng could not see mount tai.

>>5041175

And his disbelief would be his death.
-

The stench roiling from the general's tent is all too familiar to you. An miasmic air of reeking polishing oils, sweat masked by perfume, and hands soaked in blood that have never been cleansed of it. It is the scent of Ling Meng. Boldly, you saunter past the guards station before the front of your nemesis' den, and instead use your claws to cut a hole into its side. Striding past a table covered in scattered maps and records of past wars and the generals who fought them, you follow the invaders scent to his personal quarters.

Smoke from an oil lantern flows from it, carried by a breeze and to your nose. A man would be blind in such darkness, but you are not a man. You are a cat that has surpassed all others of its kind. Savoring the steps remaining between you and your prey, you stalk into his room, flicking your tail to scatter the maps and plans he has drawn into the air.

The embers of hatred smoldering in your heart ignite! Growing into a storm of fire and contemp. Instinctively, you draw your claws and bare your fangs as a truly wicked smile spreads across your lips. A feeling of unmatched joy begins to cloud your senses, dulling the hammering beating of your heart and the heat of your blood as you enter into the General's room.

He shifts in his bed, beneath silken covers. A child of plenty who imagines himself austere. It makes your stomach twist in on itself, but it will not sour the taste of his FLESH!

Coiling the muscles in your haunches, you compress yourself like a spring. But before you can pounce, a snarl escapes your lips. But the blunder will not save the general. Like falling lightning, you pounce upon him. From his collar bone to his belly, you rake your claws, soaking the silks of his blanket as red as your fur as he struggles and flails. His arm shoots from beneath his coverings, reaching for the resplendent and well maintained saber propped against his bed, still in its sheath. Pressing a paw upon his wrist, you trap his arm beneath your weight.

He only thinks to scream as you place your jaws around his head and begin to bite down, slowly crushing it in your mouth like an overripe peach.

Swallowing his eyes, you lap up the brains leaking from his shattered skull, and open up his ribcage with a few tugs of your jaws and feast merrily upon his five Viscera, starting with his killer's heart. Soaked in blood and fouler fluids, you do not stop to clean your fur and preen yourself, and start to sample his six bowels, starting with his stomach.

'How Generous of you General! You've spiced your meat for me' You think, exulting in the death and devouring of Ling Meng, tasting the stew he had eaten for dinner before clarity returns to your mind from the haze of bliss brought upon by his killing

He screamed.

There is an army outside of his tent and even the deaf would be aware of his horrid demise once word spread.
Cont

>>5041177

How long can men panic while surrounded on all sides by their brothers, fathers and uncles. How long do you have before they rally and charge to their general's defense.

Chewing a mouthful of stew soaked offal, you ponder these quandaries, while slashing your claws across Ling Meng's pale neck to sever what remains of his head

What is Huānliúxuè's plan?

>Finish your meal, trusting that the men are too cowardly to immediately interrupt it

>Flee into the night! Make haste for the wilds! Spears, swords and fire are leveled at your back! you must flee!

>Utilize the fear born from the stories men tell of you, and intimidate the soldiers into scattering themselves on the four winds by showing yourself to them, bathed in their general's blood and viscera

>Oh to hell with it! All of them are guilty of the same crime as Ling Meng! And his flesh has energized you! SLAUGHTER THEM (Martial Test, +20 *Panic* DC 60)

>Write in

>>5040335
Haven't read this yet, but good shit qm. Been looking for cultivator content. Keep it up.

>Oh to hell with it! All of them are guilty of the same crime as Ling Meng! And his flesh has energized you! SLAUGHTER THEM (Martial Test, +20 *Panic* DC 60)
We can do it!

>>5041180
I like to imagine that despite being a demonic hellspawn we still retain the mannerisms of a housecat, and did that cute butt wiggle before pouncing on the general.

>Utilize the fear born from the stories men tell of you, and intimidate the soldiers into scattering themselves on the four winds by showing yourself to them, bathed in their general's blood and viscera
And carrying the remains of his head in our teeth for additional effect.

>>5041180
>Cut off his head, and carry it with you to strike fear in their hearts
>Topple fires as you run, then speak of your vengeance and if they wish to join their master

>>5041180
>>5041205
Support. Sounds fun.

>>5041205
+1

>>5041180
>>5041195
+1

Ending the vote now. Tallying the results

Attempt to Slaughter the army: 1
Scare the army away: 5
- Use Ling Meng's head to strengthen your already intimidating presence: 5
-Topple Fires as you go: 3


So the intimidating the Ling Men into running from rather than fighting you wins! As does carrying What's left of Ling Meng's head for additional effect

I'll also include starting some fires into Huānliúxuè's plan, since the majority of the votes for scaring the men include it and it has half the total as well.

Not certain if that'll be a rule when multiple actions can be taken across one update. Works for some quests. If I do include it, I'll signify the votes when it's in effect. That makes sense to me

If you don't like it, tell me and I'll drop it as a rule. In fact if you have any critique/ suggestions, tell me and I'll listen. Quests are supposed to be fun for their players and QM, after all.

Anyways.
Update will arrive shortly. Just figured I'd explain my reasoning/ stance here.

>>5041180
>Flee into the night! Make haste for the wilds! Spears, swords and fire are leveled at your back! you must flee!
We have revenge, now we need to survive. Eyes forward, Huānliúxuè will not be denied!

>>5041328
Little late there, sorry

>>5041331
Took too long copying the name down, curses.

>>5041335
Happy Bloodshed is a blight in reality as well, it would seem lol.

>>5041182
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it going forward

Sniffing the air, you can smell the fear radiating across the camp like a fire spreading across a field of dried straw. The men here are already terrified of you, they see you as some undefeatable beast, a demon from hell itself and instead of rushing to their general's defense despite holding every advantage of you, both in terms of number and experience, they fled away to the safety of their firepits and fellows. The fear that has rooted itself in their hearts, from the stories they tell of you, of the man eating ghost cat Huānliúxuè has provided you more than your name. It's given you the perfect path of escape! Fear is a tool like any other, and in the hearts of men there are few forces as effective in weakening their morale and washing away any courage they may possess!

You'll utterly break their spirits, shattering their morale and driving them to scatter themselves on the four winds to escape the unstoppable force they imagine you to be! Rather than the sharpness of your claws and strength of your jaws, you'll overcome this trial with cunning and wit alone! Hopefully. Cornered mice are more willing to bite and fight back, when they lose all hope of escape and can only envision their survival by boldly throwing themselves at their attacker. The fear of death can make even the most cowardly of beings as courageous as lion. You'll have to be careful and find a balance between Panic and hopeless fear. They must believe that escape is possible, that there is more hope in survival in running away rather than standing their ground and fighting for their lives.

Glancing down, your gaze falls up the crushed, split open head of Ling Meng, with bloody sockets staring at nothing while a look of agony and breath stealing terror has set itself across his horrible, distorted expression. Strange pale liquid mingles with the dark scarlet blood dripping from the cleft in his temple, down to his beardless chin.

"Perfect" You purr, before sinking your fangs into the flesh still fastening the mauled face to the shoulders below it. With a few hard snaps of your haw, you sever his spine from his back, leaving its vertebra to dangle freely, dripping blood like a soaked paint brush. Maneuvering the head, turning and rotating it with you palms, you take it into your mouth by biting into the back of its scalp like you were carrying a kitten by its scruff and hop from the bed. Wearing a very a stratified grin, you mentally praise yourself for you cleverness and sharp wit as you fearlessly walk out of the tent.

And find that the men Ling Meng had trusted to protect his life and watch him as he slept, were the first to run away. Cackling wickedly, you lift your nose to the air, following the signs of fear you can perceive beneath the heady aroma of Ling Meng's blood, still fresh beneath your nose and soaking into your fur.

Is that why your beautiful fur turned red?
Cont

>>5041364

You chase the wayward thought from your head, and follow your nose to the largest gathering of men, who have packed themselves into a tight ring around the largest of the lit bonfires. Along the way, you terrorize the smaller pockets of soldiers by leaping from the darkness and knocking over the braziers they huddle around as if they were the skirts of their mothers. By sheer happenstance, this leads to the half of the camp behind you being set ablaze! Thus preventing you from harboring second thoughts or retreating! Fire is scary, after all! Careful to not singe your tail or whiskers, you follow the mob of fleeing, babbling men as they sow fear by shouting they're being chased by the Mighty and fearsome Huānliúxuè !

You'd laugh uproariously if you didn't need to keep hold of Ling Meng's head. Leaping from tent top to tent top, you collapse the smaller one's beneath your weight and take the time to tip or otherwise knock over any lanterns or charcoal pans you pass by in your flight through the camp.

OH THE WIND HOWLS! THE NIGHT DARKENS! SCREAMS FILL THE NIGHT AS THE FIRES OF HELL BURST FORTH FROM THE GROUND WHEREVER THE DEMON CAT STEPS! HOW TERRIFYING IT MUST BE FOR THE PREY RUNNING BEFORE YOU.

Perching yourself on a sturdy pole, you remain just beyond their vision, shrouded by smoke and the natural gloom of a moonless night.

One of the men has stepped before the bonfire, with his back towards the flame. It seems he's trying to encourage the other men, which must be the majority of the men who have not already fled from the mere idea of your presence. His armor is more finely made and maintained than the others, not as gaudy and expensive looking as Ling Meng's, but it is clear he is an office of not insignificant rank.

The respect and admiration the men feel for him may be the only force capable of matching the fear your name and appearance spreads. Glowering you listen to the rousing speech he's giving, to raise his men's morale and end their panic so they may find the courage they lost on their flight away from you and the inferno you've accidentally created!

"You call yourselves men! You call yourselves soldiers! What would your father's think were they present to see you fleeing from rumors and hearsay! This is another of Lord Chuān's tricks! Can you not see! He's planted the seeds of a man eating monster in your minds" The man roars, raising a tasseled spear towards the heavens to give emphasis to his words "So when all of you were jumping at the sight of your own shadows and the sound of the wind, he could strike at our heart! At noble General Ling Meng! You've abandoned your lord in the flames! Abandoned him to the enemy's merciless blade! And why?! Because you believed in the outrageous story of a HOUSE CAT! TURNING! INTO A DEMON! How foolish you all are, how cowardly! Come, march with me or be known throughout the lands as craven trai..."
Cont

A flash passes across your golden eyes as you lean forward, shifting your grip of the severed head to hold it by its long hair.

A young, freckled faced soldier with jutting teeth spots it and then you through the smoke and gloom. He raises a hand, stuttering and crying as Urine seeps through his trousers and flows down his leg.

The officer turns to see what he's pointing at, valor replaced with confusion.

And then you drop Ling Meng's head onto the head of his spear.

For a breath of time, the two of you lock gazes. The officer staring dumbfounded at you, as if his brain has been burned out trying to understand what is sitting above him, perched like a hawk. A drop of blood falls between his eyes, and slowly, with dread replacing confusion, he looks to his spear.

And into the empty eyes of his beloved general!

The spear clatters to the ground, revealing the severed head to all the men who have gathered here for the safety of numbers or the guidance of their commanding officer.

An officer who is now shrieking like a maiden bride on the day of her wedding night, hands pressed against his cheeks and shaking legs crossed.

Fall to his ass, the man scrambles away from his spear and the head stuck to it, mindless with panic!

"Runaway! Runaway!" He cries as he struggles to stand and slips upon and falls into the mud below "The demon cat is here! Huānliúxuè has come to devour our souls! Retreat! Retreat for the border! Ling Meng is dead! Hope is lost! We'll die if we fight it!"

To deepen their terror, you give chase for a few seconds, biting at their legs, snapping at their cloaks and pouncing just near enough to miss them as their screams of raw, animalistic panic carry into the night and send the rest of the camp into a blind flight away from the fires and smoke where you "hide"

In truth, you escape from the flames by running for the south, while they flee westward. The mere specter of your presence should keep them running until their legs give out. Some may keep running until they kill themselves with exhaustion.

Providing you ample time to feast upon those trampled by the others and enjoy the delicacy that is Fire Roasted General.

Flicking your tail, you walk into the night, leaving behind a chorus of screams and the crackling of fire.

For some reason, you feel much fuller eating General Ling than you have after any other meal. Perhaps you'll leave the bodies to the ravens and vultures instead. Perhaps you ate your grudge alongside his heart? Hmm, no. You still feel enraged at the thought of men wearing the colors of the Ling, or the character used to spell the surname itself.

But, that seething hatred no longer dominates your thoughts. You can rest, peacefully, without being driven to a frenzy by the whispered urge to maim and kill those bastards.

In away, it feels like you've put the caretakers and friends you had in your old life to rest. But now that you have, what is there to life? What purpose do you have in living?
Cnt

>>5041366

Before you had revenge, the desire to kill and devour Ling Meng to his bones. But with the clarity of mind his death brings, so to comes the realization that you have no goal, no drive left now that he's gone. Before, when you were a simple cat, all you desired was affection, fish, and a warm lap or fire to nap besides.

Now that you are able to think, and perceive and comprehend more than basic urges, a question that irritates you thoughts like a thorn stuck into your paw keeps rising to the surface of your mind.

What now. You need to do SOMETHING to occupy your time, living like an animal is no longer a satisfying existence. You need MORE! More out of life! Just eating and sleeping are no longer enough to satisfy and make you content now that you're wise and intelligent. You need something to fill the void of purpose and ennui filling your mind.

What will you do now that you've had your revenge, Huānliúxuè'? (Two actions can be taken this vote!)

>Make a lair, find a home. Somewhere safe you can ponder the many questions you have pertaining to your existence. But where? (You will be presented a choice of locations and their benefits)

>Train your body, exercising to ward away the thoughts that are troubling your mind. (You will choose the method of your exercise)

>Make a point in asking the humans you devour the purpose of life while you hunt down any Ling Stragglers you come across.

>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead

>write in

>>5041367
>Make a point of asking the humans we devour for the meaning of life.

Sphinx cat who plays with her food.

>>5041367
>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead
>Make a point in asking the humans you devour the purpose of life while you hunt down any Ling Stragglers you come across.

>>5041370
I'll add going home. We can eat the stragglers on our way home.

Though being a cat, I think it's rather obvious that the true purpose of her existance is Threefold. To be worshipped, To be fed, and to enjoy herself.
Such is the mantra of Catdom.

So this means that we should probably find a young Master or young Lady who kills at will and cuddle up to them. They may feed us, and life will be good as we knock over anything ever put on top of a table.

>>5041367
>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead
>Learn about society. What drives men to give you care, and yet moves them to slay one another? In this moment, you have ruled through fear, but a single cat demon will not be able to grow to fill that fear forever.
>Also it's going to be damn hard to find conversation partners if you only work with lesser beasts.

>>5041367
>Make a point in asking the humans you devour the purpose of life while you hunt down any Ling Stragglers you come across.
>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead

>>5041367
>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead

>>5041367
>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead

>>5041367
>>Make a point in asking the humans you devour the purpose of life while you hunt down any Ling Stragglers you come across.
>>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead

>>5041367
>Make a lair, find a home. Somewhere safe you can ponder the many questions you have pertaining to your existence. But where? (You will be presented a choice of locations and their benefits)
>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead

>>5041367
>Make a point in asking the humans you devour the purpose of life while you hunt down any Ling Stragglers you come across.
>Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead

Ending the vote now. Tallying the results.

Make a point in asking the humans you devour the purpose of life: 5

Return to your home village and ponder this new found lack of purpose/ drive, as you tell the graves of the children who loved you Ling Meng is dead:9

Learn about society. What drives men to give you care, and yet moves them to slay one another?...etc:1

Make a lair, find a home. Somewhere safe you can ponder the many questions you have pertaining to your existence.:1

So you will return to the ruins of your birthplace, to ponder this new found lack of purpose and to tell the graves there that Ling Meng is dead, while hunting down any Ling Stragglers you come across and asking those humans you devour the meaning of life

Update will arrive shortly

Having a blast writing this, hope you're enjoying reading it as much.

The advance of the Ling army was unstoppable. The unprepared Chuān were unready for war, and reeled in surprise when struck by their long time rivals in the imperial court. While The Ling Family had retained their martial and military traditions through the long peace, the Chuān had allowed themselves to be completely tamed by prosperity and plenty received without strife or bloodshed. The Lord's hid behind their walls as the lands of their ancestors was razed and ruined, but they were not idle. The common folk named them cowards, but in truth the fleeing nobility had hid away for a singular purpose.

Learning the method and art of warfare anew. Expending His treasuries, his inherited fortunes, and even no small amount of face, Chuān Jianjun purchased the patronage and support of scores of renowned scholars and old generals, training his sons and nephews to match the talents and cunning of the ambitious Ling Meng, A natural genius when it came to tactics and battle, a man born for an age ten generations past.

However, as he gathered the men from what remained of his untouched, undefiled lands into levies to support his more professional though similarly hastily trained soldiers, Lord Chuān was shocked to find the enemy fleeing before he had a chance to march, abandoning their hard fought gains over the course of a few nights. The difficulty then became finding answers for his foe's sudden outburst of madness, which proved more difficult than learning how to be a general himself!

The only reason he could gleam, came from yarns of the humble laborers, fishermen's wives and orphaned children. If their fantastical tales were to be believed, a spirit of vengeance heard the cries and prayers of his people and emerged from the rivers that dominated his domain to slaughtered the villainous Ling Invaders! And this avenging spirit had gone and devoured Ling Men whole before turning into a sea of fire and devastating what remained of his army! Jianjun was a superstitious man, and had long studied the occult arts to impress his peers and juniors in society. Amazed and relived he would not have to enter into battle personally, Lord Chuān announced this "Huānliúxuè" Spirit to be a friend of the Chuān and all who pledged their allegiance to them.

For, Jianju was adept at social manipulation and influencing the opinions of others and saw in this sudden windfall a chance to earn back the trust of the masses and bolster their spirits. Now the peasantry sang that the Chuān were favored by the heavens rather than being a clan of cowards and simpletons. And all it took was proclaiming a miracle by way of divine intervention and decreeing all cats were to be allowed refuge in temples and shrines, and treated with the utmost respect. How simple the strings of the hearts of men are pulled!

The tide of the war turned, and not in the Ling's favor...but that is story yet to unfold.
Cont

>>5042150
-

"Tell me, wretch, what is the meaning of life?" You coo as you press a paw down upon the neck of the man who had not the good sense to toss away his Ling Uniform. He reeks of sweat and mud, blood pains his lips, pushed from his insides when you landed upon him like a heavy stone.

"Children! Children! The meaning of life is to be fruitful and continue your bloodline!" He cries out, wincing as he sees your eyes narrow with disappointment. Another cynic. He has no nothing to give you besides his meat! No wisdom! No knowledge! No worthwhile conversation

"As insipid an answer as wealth!" you snarl, unsheathing your claws directly into the flesh of his throat, piercing the artery and showering yourself in a geyser of his lifeforce. Blood drips from your ears and whiskers as you pause to clean yourself and lick your vivid red fur clean of the filth of a fool's life.

'Though' you consider as you tear a strip of skin and fat from his face 'I suppose having children was a better answer than screaming and begging for your life, and it at least had more merit than "I don't know" '

This exchange repeats itself again and again as you travel back to the village of your first birth. And none of the men you devour can give you a worthwhile answer! Be they the remnants of the scattered Ling invaders, bandits preying upon the defenseless and poor. Unfortunate wanderers who had the supreme misfortune of meeting you when you were hungry and the odd tax collector or two. You had a dim view on tax collectors since one trod upon your tail when you were still nothing but a simple animal.

"What is the meaning of life?"
"Art! Art! Creating beauty from the ugliness of life!"
"What is the meaning of life?"
"Devotion! Piety! Worshipping and thanking the gods who watch over us!"
"What is the meaning of life?"
"Pleasure! Good food! Beautiful girls! Plentiful wine!"
"What is the meaning of life?
"Itself!"

The last one gave you pause. But the man was dressed in Ling yellow, so you ate him anyways even though he answered with actual wisdom. It was a shame his intellect was wasted upon a worm of Ling such as himself! And while eating him down to the marrow of his bones and the gristle behind his ears, you noticed something peculiar.

Or rather, his death gives to you a greater understanding to a mystery that had been lurking in the further recesses of your thoughts.

When you ate human flesh, still warm on the bone and oozing delicious blood, a surge of energy would rush through you, empowering you in body, mind and spirit for a time before it began to fade away. You knew this mysterious energy made you stronger and was desirable almost innately. It was why you preferred to prey upon men rather than beasts. They had more of it inside of them. What is was, you were not certain. Their essence? Their souls? You never considered what it was you were seeking out, until it became hard to find.
Cont

>>5042152

Before you had devoured Ling Meng, every life you claimed was like a cup full of this energy. Ling Meng was like an overflowing bowl of it, himself! But ever meal you've had since has only contained a tear's drop amount of this energy. Their meat was still filling, but it was unsatisfying, like it lacked nutrition entirely.

But your wise victim. He was like a cup again! The energy he gave was only slightly less than Ling Meng! But just as quickly it faded away, like the sand of a river's shore.

This questioned widened the void in your heart, joining the quandaries of purpose and meaning that had afflicted your thoughts since you satiated your desire for revenge.

Flicking your tail in irritation, you chase the mysteries of life and the "energy" you crave from your mind, emptying it to regain clarity and a sense of peace.

Trotting along through the burned ruins of your home village, you step over piles of bones and rotted cloth as you begin your solemn and respectful approach to the holy site positioned at the other end of the small fishing hamlet.

Simple, meager graves made of piles of stones and the treasures the deceased held dear in life, sit in a field of flowers that has sprung and flourished over the mounds of dirt and rocks you had piled over those who loved and cared for you in your prior life.

Kind children, whose names you did not know, who loved you as their own sibling, showering you with praise, attention and treats they played games with you since you were a kitten and let you into their houses at night and even protected you from predators or bullies.

You felt ashamed you did not know their names. You had heard them spoken countless times but did not have the intelligence to understand their words, nor the comprehension to realize what a name was at the time. The only legacy they had, was the features that separated them from each other in your memories.

Sitting on your haunches, you look over the nine graves, the last beds of Pinwheel girl, wart nose, The Fat one, Too clingy, Little soldier, The swimmer, Toy maker, Terrible singer, and Ear puller. Kneeling down to pray for them as best as a cat can, you raise your head from your paws, with tears wetting your fur.

For a single moment, you feel as if you were the small, helpless white cat and swear you can see the nine of them gathered together, laughing and praying in the flowers above their remains. They pause as they notice you, as substantial as steam. Gentle smiles grace their innocent faces as a westward wind blows, turning Pinwheel girl's pinwheel and making Little soldier's scarf dance in the air.

Giggling, laughing, they approach you and bow, one after the other before they surround you, patting and petting you as they did before the Ling came and butchered them like animals. Tears fall, simmering like distant stars as you close your eyes and look up to them.
Cont

>>5042158

"I've avenged your deaths! Ling Meng is dead! He died a dog's death at my hands! I've punished your killer!" You cry out, yowling in pain as your heart aches and wilts at sight of the cruel trick your eyes are playing upon you "Our revenge is complete, you have been avenged! The oath I swore before your corpses has been fulfilled! I've repaid your kindness and love but I only wish you were still here with me"

"Notched ear is still the same kitten as she was, beneath all the blood" Pinwheel girl giggles "I hope we can meet again in the next life"

The nine ghostly figures suddenly transform into balls of golden light, like drops of sunlight, before they fly away off to the heavens! Shooting towards the clouds like arrows from an archer's bow. Dumbfounded, you realize that they were no trick of the light or delusion! They were here! They had waited for you before passing on! they had waited for you!

You yowl, crying after the friends who have left you behind as more tears fall to soak into your fur. They had waited for you! All this time!

Grieving, you bow your head in reverence to their graves, knowing you will never see their ghosts again. But, something is odd, the graves have changed! There are offerings laid out upon them! Toys, sweets wrapped in lotus leaf, babbles of all kinds. Each grave has a single stick of incense lit beside it, and prayer beads wrapped around it held in place by paper talismans.

And behind them sits a wooden statue of a house cat with a notch in one of its ears! You! Its a statue of you yourself! How did you not notice it as you sat before the graves! A Shrine! their graves have been made into a shrine!

"Heh-Heh-Heh" Toad like laughter breaks you reverie, intruding upon your private mourning

"Now this is a surprise! Who could have imagined that the stories would be true, that it was indeed cat rather than a father who sought to avenge these innocent souls. Who buried them here" the voice croaks, as you glance, and find a.

A giant toad wearing a dress? A toad woman? No just an old, withered human woman with a toad like face, covered in wrinkles and liverspots. She has six moles under her eyes, three beneath the right, three beneath the left in two perfect lines. She wears prayer beads around her neck and wrists, a shawl hiding her stringy white hair and protecting her against the wind's chill.

"I though the malevolence I sensed here was the grudge of the dead and those who mourned them, but it would seem it was the child of that grudge instead" She says, tapping an opium pipe upon her knee as she laughs like a croaking toad once more "What a marvelous, beautiful thing you are! A magical beast born from a pampered kitten. Oh little one, just looking at you brings back memories of my youth!"

"Who are you! What are you doing here! What right do you have to stand by their graves!" You snarl, angered by the crone's intrusion
cont

She places her pipe between her weathered, fat lips and takes a ponderously long draw of its smoke into her lungs.

"Oh, forgive me" She says, cupping her hands together in greeting as she holds her smoking pipe in her teeth "I forgot to introduce myself I was so awed by your magnificence! The quality of your spiritual roots alone is worthy of praise! Why, I am certain if my eyes were better they'd appear even more impressive! To think a magical beast of such splendor could be found in civilized lands! Incredible! Truly Incredible!"

'what on earth is she babbling about' You wonder as you look at the toad woman, confused and unable to follow anything she's saying

"Oh right, my name, forgive this old woman, her senses fled her long ago" She croaks, laughing that terrible ugly laugh once again "I suppose you could call me Mónǚ (魔女, witch), for everyone I meet calls me as such, though it is not my name"

She throws back her shawl to reveal her face, and you recoil in disgust as you see one of her eyes has been torn from its sockets, and a brand with the characters for witch has been branded upon her forehead, and as she adjusts the pipe with her left hand you see she's only has three fingers upon it.

Tapping her pipe on her knee, ignoring the effect her mutilations have upon you, she spits out a ring of smoke

"As for why I am here. I heard tragedy had befallen an old acquaintance of mine and he was nearing death" The Toad witch says as a malicious mirth spreads across her withered feature "And though returning would mean my own demise, the desire to dance upon his grave was too strong. I've come to rest in this village, out of the goodness of my old heart. I sensed the ghosts of the innocent ones here would become vengeful spirits if they were not appeased, so I tended their graves. Thankfully, it would seem the grudge that kept them bound here had birthed a remarkable existence into this boring world, and you carried their hatred upon your back and"

She laughs again, croaking as she throws her head back.

"Avenged their deaths, thus severing the last remaining tie these youngsters had to the material world, allowing them to pass on and be reborn" She says, clapping her hands together in prayer, still puffing clouds of opium smoke as she does so "You truly are outstanding. Why, if left alone to hunt as you pleased, I am certain you'd reach Qi Condensation stage in a few years, though your method of demi-cultivation is quite ineffective and leaves much to be desired in efficiency and effectiveness. Have you absorbed a portion of refined Qi perhaps? But how? You are not strong enough to threaten a cultivator of any level...but a prospective one? Perhaps...perhaps"

'Spiritual roots? Qi? Cultivation? Magical beasts? What is this addled crone rambling about. none of this is making any senses!' Your thoughts complain as you stare, befuddled and utterly lost trying to follow the conversation the toad witch is having mostly with herself
Cont

>>5042167

"Oh, such vast potential in one so young! Were you human you'd be a prize for sects and schools from the barbaric north to the mysterious southern seas!" She cries out, slapping her three fingered hand to her forehead, covering the brand upon it "But alas! Because you are a beast who devours men you will be labeled a demonic beast a hunted the moment you achieve any power! Like my poor daughter, Ooooh my poor daughter Xuěbái!" (雪白, Snow white)

And then the toad witch begins to weep and sob into her hands, wailing as if she is witnessing the death of her daughter for a second time

What do you say to the toad witch, Huānliúxuè?

>"Cultivation? Qi? Demonic beasts? Spiritual Roots!? you're speaking nonsense! Explain the meaning of these things at once! You've intrigued me, Toad witch! You're the first interesting human I've met!"

>"What happened to your daughter! Who killed her! Who will hunt me! Tell me! Tell me! I can't die yet! There's so much left in life for me to achieve!"

>"You said I'm magnificent did you not? Explain how amazing I am! What makes me beautiful to your old, tired eyes, Mónǚ?"

>"You're clearly mad. To speak with you, or to eat you is to risk being infected by your insanity. but you have my thanks for caring for the graves of my friends"

>"Tell me, what is the meaning of life"

>write in

Sorry the update took longer than usual.

>>5042168
>"Tell me, what is the meaning of life for you! Tell me, what was the meaning of life for you daughter!"
>"I lived life with inner harmony as a cat but now if I am a demonic beast I desire to achieve inner harmony once again!"

>>5042168
>Explain these terms.
>Why am I beautiful.

I dont want to ask her the meaning of life. To do so is to court death

>>5042168
>"Tell me, what is the meaning of life"
>"Think carefully, before you answer."

>>5042168
>"Cultivation? Qi? Demonic beasts? Spiritual Roots!? you're speaking nonsense! Explain the meaning of these things at once! You've intrigued me, Toad witch! You're the first interesting human I've met!"

>>5042168
>"Cultivation? Qi? Demonic beasts? Spiritual Roots!? you're speaking nonsense! Explain the meaning of these things at once! You've intrigued me, Toad witch! You're the first interesting human I've met!"

>>5042168
>"Cultivation? Qi? Demonic beasts? Spiritual Roots!? you're speaking nonsense! Explain the meaning of these things at once! You've intrigued me, Toad witch! You're the first interesting human I've met!"
just caught up, very promising so far!

>>5042168
>"Cultivation? Qi? Demonic beasts? Spiritual Roots!? you're speaking nonsense! Explain the meaning of these things at once! You've intrigued me, Toad witch! You're the first interesting human I've met!"

Ending the vote, tallying the results now.

Tell me, what is the meaning of life:2
-What was the meaning of your daughter's life: 1
-Think carefully before you answer: 1

I lived life with inner harmony as a cat but now if I am a demonic beast I desire to achieve inner harmony once again!: 1

"Cultivation? Qi? Demonic beasts? Spiritual Roots!? you're speaking nonsense! Explain the meaning of these things at once! You've intrigued me, Toad witch! You're the first interesting human I've met!: 5

You said I'm magnificent did you not? Explain how amazing I am! What makes me beautiful to your old, tired eyes, Mónǚ?: 1

So you'll ask the old witch to explain what she's babbling to herself about

Update will arrive shortly

>>5042231
Merely a frog in a well

>>5042276
Thanks

It takes you a few moments to regain your composure in the face of the strange antics and pitiful appearance of the old self named witch. Cautiously, you take a step closer to the wailing woman sitting besides the graves of your friends upon a large, flat topped boulder. You inborn instincts warn you that any creature that acts as bizarrely as she does should be avoided, to avoid catching whatever sickness has addled them so terribly. But you cannot help but to feel, if not pity for the old crone, curious of her. Why would an old woman seeking her death stop to tend the graves of children she never knew, and then proceed to all but throw herself to the ground in praising your magnificence. Such an oddity deserves further study and the terms she throws around like rice grains have greatly intrigued you, as you have never heard of them before though they sound like the nonsense of a lonely old woman turned mad through the tragedies of her long life.

"Cultivation?" You question, realizing how unintimidating your voice sounds, as if you were cowed by the toad crone's mere presence. Standing your ground, you strengthen your will and bolster your spirit, and dare to look her in her single eye.

The sensation that immediately strikes you is that you are stood before a predator, like an owl, that has for some reason or another decided you were not fit to be its meal. But how could that be? She is elderly and weak! You sense no hidden power or strength within her, yet the aura that surrounds her is one far older than her already withered appearance! One far more dangerous than her present state. It is as if the Old Witch is but a shadow cast by a greater existence that has been lost to time, a mere echo of her past's glory and power.

"Qi?" You question after weathering the storm of emotions brought upon by merely meeting her gaze "Demonic Beasts? Spiritual roots?! You're speaking nonsense"

"Yes I do believe I mentioned all of those things. And none of them are nonsensical, at least by nature" Mónǚ says with a wry, amused grin, sensing your momentary trepidation in approaching her and find it humor in it "What does a Youngster like you know of nonsense! I have lived a life fool of it Heh-Heh-Heh!"

Her croaking laugh echoes across the riverside valley, carried by winds through the ruins at your back.

"Like the nonsense of a creature not knowing what she is" She cackles, inverting and tapping her pipe clean of ash before wiping it with a filthy rag. You narrow your eyes, and she smiles genially. The urge to strike and kill her for that insult is overpowered by the desire you hold for the knowledge you KNOW her to hold. What an odd human. Most would have taken flight the moment they spotted you in the distance.

"Explain the meanings of these things at once!" You hiss as the old woman nods thoughtfully, running her tongue across her polished pipe's head,
Cont

leaving it hanging past the few teeth she still has before reaching into a pouch at her side to pour a fine, azure powder inside of it.

"Heh-Heh-Heh, the boldness of youth! I adore boisterous children" She says merely, pulling the pipe past her teeth with just her tongue wrapping around it, making her look all the more toad like "Cultivation, is a life long pursuit of power, health and longevity. The first step on that painful road, requires an innate talent that you can only be born with. Few men possess this gift, and fewer beasts. It is called cultivation because it is accomplished by the cultivation, gathering and refining of Qi"

"And what is Qi?" You ask, sitting peacefully before her and tilting your head to turn your notched ear closer to her

"Oh it is all around us! It exists in all things! From the flowers around us, to the pipe in my hands, to the stone I sit upon, and it is inside all of us! It is the vital energy of all life!" She exuberantly explains, dramatically waving her arms around to motion towards everything that exists around the two of you "Some poets have even gone so far as to name it the "Breath of the universe", but for me, Qi is resplendent of a term for it. Qi is power. Qi is Life. Qi is all things. And in cultivating it inside of yourself, you refine your existence and surpass the limits of your birth"

A bell chimes in your head! Realization dawns!

"So it is spiritual energy?" You cheerfully asks

"And you have tasted the meager amounts of it that exist in the flesh and blood of men! Unrefined Qi. The Qi of blood and the Qi of death. Why, it could hardly be called cultivation but with a little guidance a demonic beast like you could surpass even the most gifted of cultivators" Mónǚ explains merrily, leaning closer and politely moving her pipe away from your nose as she does so "given enough time. Which is a commodity Demonic beasts such as yourself have in short supply!"

"That term is no insult. Is that what I truly am? A demon like men fear me to be?" You ask, she adjusts her posture and leans back, closing her single eye.

"Is it righteous for a man to scorn wolves for eating sheep? Is the act of predation evil? To denounce the cycle of life because it inconveniences or terrifies you is to become blind to reality" She says, blowing three rings of off blue smoke from each of her nostrils "Demonic Beasts, are merely Magical Beasts, animals who can cultivate as men do. But the distinction made by mortal men and cultivators is"

She looks down at you, not changing her posture or even craning her neck to do so

"Is that Demonic Beasts devour men. But it makes little difference, though the elders name all demonic beasts as malevolent, evil beings, they will hunt all magical beasts to claim their core once they have begun on the path of cultivation" She says, pouting as she pulls her pipes from her lips, her eye glistening with fresh tears "Like my poor Xuěbái! The smiling bastards! The ignorant devils!"

>>5042567

"They call it heresy for animals to reach for the same power they so jealously guard and keep to themselves! They rip out their cores to fuel their own progress and cultivation but then are aghast when others do the same to them! to men! Arrogant, self righteous fools all of them!" She rages, veins popping and cheeks reddening before her chest shuddered and she suddenly coughed up blood.

Lurching, you wonder if she's about to keel over dead from the shock of such strong emotions and if you should help or at least comfort her in her passing! She sighs, and wipes her face clean with her whole hand.

"Count yourself fortunate, youngster, that your grudge was so easily satiated" She says bitterly shaking her head "Seeing you reminds me of my tragic history, and reignites the embers of this old crone's hatred! But, to answer your final question"

She sets her pipe down, and press a sharpened, claw like nail to he wrist. A flicker of light crawls down her arm before she winces in pain and it fades away.

"Spiritual roots are the very foundation of a living beings body and soul, through them, their qualities can be divined and their potential for cultivation can be discovered. Mine were once nearly as magnificent as yours, aligned to Water and Pure Yin" She says sorrowfully shaking her head "But now they are withered, one of the many punishments carried out against me for the "Crimes" that have seen my name stripped away from me"

Blinking twice, you ponder all that she has taught you and find yourself hungering for more! She's not as mad as you thought her to be at first glance. Rather, she is both wise and knowledgeable and has already answered some of the questions that have been plaguing you since Ling Meng died by your jaws! You must know more!

"You've intrigued me, Toad witch! You're the first interesting human I've met!" You exclaim, feeling an odd sort of kinship with the old crone.

Her eye narrows to a slit, and she smiles as warmly as your mother's fur.

"Thank you, you are quiet the interesting specimen yourself. It is rare to receive such a compliment" She cackles before glowering and shaking her head "Sadly, my days of cultivation are done, so if you're seeking a mentor to begin your own journey all I can do is tutor you. The Sect I had served for over a hundred years has robbed me of my power, crushed my meridians and poisoned my spiritual roots and stripped me of my potential. And left me alive, to linger with the little knowledge of the Dao I was able to grasp. They plucked out my eye! Chopped off my fingers! Branded me and killed my daughter for being born a fox!"

"Is the soon to be filled grave you wish to dance upon destined to belong to one of those cruel cultivators" You ask slyly

"Yes, an old lover of mine who betrayed me and exposed my efforts to raise Xuěbái" She states, a sick sort of triumph filling the dark corners of her eye
Cont

>>5042570

"Word spread through the heavenly realm he had failed to breakthrough to a higher state, and was doomed to die a most inglorious death. First, his meridians will fill with frost, freezing the veins that carry his blood. His limbs will lock in place, slowly transmuting into ice. And at last his heart will shatter and he will die after perhaps years of agony, if he clings to life ferociously enough' She explains with the same gusto with which you devoured Ling Meng "I dream the last thing he will see is my victorious smile"

She cackles, howling with laughter and nearly falling from the rock before she regains her composure.

"Say, Youngster, they call you Huānliúxuè, the happy bloodshed, correct?" Mónǚ asks with a truly wicked grin, and the light of madness in her only eye "My foundation may be ruined and destroyed, but I still know all of the lessons of Cultivation and insights into the Dao I gleamed in my youth. I said I could only help as your tutor, but for a rarely blessed existence such as yourself that would be more than enough, don't ya think?"

You narrow your eyes, searching for deciet and trickery in her movements

"Come on, youngster, we share an enemy. Do we not?" She purrs, trying to sway your answer for her own benefit. For revenge. Revenge against the world and those who've wronged her. A motive you both understand and deeply emphasize with

What do you do, Huānliúxuè?

>Accept her offer of teaching and guidance. if even a fraction of what she says is true, you'll need to be prepared. Besides Power and Longevity are too tempting to resist.

>Ask why she would offer such a boon so freely. Make it clear you will not be her attack dog or puppet.

>Notice she feels affection for Magical Beasts such as yourself, and will thus provide the Praise and Love you yearn for! Accept her, but as your underling rather than teacher!

>Pridefully spurn the offer and state you'll find your own way. A sentimental old crone would be a poor mentor anyways!

>Write in

>>5042572
>I will not be an attack cat nor puppet, but in revenge and loss of those we love, we have a kinship.

I think that she is an adequate replacement for the little children. She did help them.

>>5042572
>>Accept her offer of teaching and guidance. if even a fraction of what she says is true, you'll need to be prepared. Besides Power and Longevity are too tempting to resist.

>>5042572
>Set some conditions
>You have no name, for your vengeance is complete. If she is to teach you, first she must create a new one for you.
>By the end of your training, her vengeance shall also be complete. At that time, you will choose a new name for her. Whether it is given casually, or carved upon her grave, it will be the name that lives on.

>>5042572
>Accept her offer of teaching and guidance. if even a fraction of what she says is true, you'll need to be prepared. Besides Power and Longevity are too tempting to resist.

>>5042591
support

>>5042572
>Ask why she would offer such a boon so freely. Make it clear you will not be her attack dog or puppet.

>>5042572
>Ask why she would offer such a boon so freely. Make it clear you will not be her attack dog or puppet.

>>5042572
>Ask why she would offer such a boon so freely. Make it clear you will not be her attack dog or puppet.

>>5042572
>Ask why she would offer such a boon so freely. Make it clear you will not be her attack dog or puppet.
I get kinda intimidated by such long multipost updates lol. The writing itself is top notch though.

>>5042572
>>5042591
Support.

>>5042572
>Accept her offer of teaching and guidance. if even a fraction of what she says is true, you'll need to be prepared. Besides Power and Longevity are too tempting to resist.

Ending the vote. Tallying the Results
Happy Halloween!

I will not be an attack cat nor puppet, but in revenge and loss of those we love, we have a kinship.: 3

Accept her offer of teaching and guidance. if even a fraction of what she says is true, you'll need to be prepared.: 3

Set some conditions: 1

Ask why she would offer such a boon so freely. Make it clear you will not be her attack dog or puppet.: 4

So you will ask her why she would offer such a boon, while making it clear you will not be a tool/ underling to her

Update will arrive shortly

>>5043016
Thanks, and yeah I do get a little carried away, but that's cause writing this is so much fun!

However, despite the connection you feel for the old toad witch, knowing she to has suffered the tragedy of losing the one she loved the most and even worse abuse at the hands of those she considered her friends or even lovers, you remain wary of the old woman and her intentions. She says she is prepared to die, to merely dance upon the bones of the man who betrayed her and had her cast from the world of cultivation so roughly and cruelly. However the darkness that shadows her eyes is one all too familiar to you! for it once inhabited your own, and still does whenever you think or hear the name Ling or see the peculiar shade of pale yellow they wear. It is the kind of black conviction and spite that only a grudge that has taken root deeply in one's own living heart could summon forth.

Murderous intent, seething rage, destructive gloom! The loss of her daughter has driven Mónǚ mad, if she was not mad before her death. It is the madness of vengeance, the lunacy of pure hatred that can not be quenched by anything but the death of those who have so gravely wounded her. The same madness that still lies hidden in the darkest corner of your mind, satiated by the slaughter of Ling Meng. Despite her weakness, she is dangerous. She has lived many of your lifetimes and has spent most of them stewing in her own rage.

It is clear her offer is genuine, but you cannot help but feel that it is driven less by generosity or kindness and lead almost entirely by her yearning to see her old sect torn down, ripped apart from its peak to its roots before being scattered to the wind as ashes. And in you, she has found the perfect weapon to carry out such bloody revenge. You will not throw yourself into the net and risk your own existence for another's benefit, let alone a strange like Mónǚ. But if her offer is indeed made out of genuine sense of comradery and kinship rather than from her personal vendetta, then there is nothing to fear.

The Toad Witch's true intentions must be revealed before you can give an answer to her offer of becoming your teacher in Cultivation and a guide to its world and the societies within it.

"That is truly a priceless boon, to be educated by one as knowledgeable and wise as yourself, Grandmother Mónǚ" You purr, talking sweetly and softly as you pace and stalk around the flat bolder she is seated upon, still puffing on her pipe and spewing pale blue smoke towards the heavens "To be trained by one so skilled, so talented without paying a price of wealth or loyalty. Such guidance would be truly invaluable, for if I am as innately talented and magnificent as you praise me to be, with you as my teach I need not fear any hunter"

She rolls her pipe with her lips, single eye narrowed as she immediately catches onto your hesitation and its source with a mere glance.

"But, you do not wish to be bound by oath or mislead to fight my battles in my place. Like a loyal attack dog. You fear" Mónǚ says,
Cont

>>5043421

Sticking her ash coated tongue out before plucking her pipe from it with two fingers "That I'll make you my puppet, lower a rare prodigy like yourself to nothing more than a tool to be used in my quest for retribution"

"You are as perceptive as you are intriguing, Granny Mónǚ" You giggle, narrowing your eyes as you lock your eyes with hers. She grins ears to ear, looking exactly like a fat toad sticking its head above a pond's surface

"But yes, that is why I hesitate. Us cats are independent creatures! We do not fetch like dogs, or come when called! The idea of serving another like a dog would, or being made a stepping stone to their ambitions is abhorrent to prideful creatures such as I!" You proclaim, puffing your chest out and flicking your tail dramatically as the Witch curls her tongue back into her mouth, ponderously "We have a kinship of sorts, but I recognize that you may have ulterior motives in seeking such a student with as much potential as I possess"

"Wise, wiser than most disciples who come clawing for immortality or power to shake the heavens" She cackles "You have the sense to understand the conditions of your tutelage and the character of your prospective teacher. But know, Young Huānliúxuè! My kindness is no façade! My praise is no lie! In you I see"

She pauses and grins like a grandmother would, warmth and love radiating from every pore of her being, polluting the air like smoke as you feel as if you've just been struck by her kindness. She wields it like an iron rod!

"I see no tool, or servant. I do not see a beast to unleash against my foes. Nor do I see a weapon to sharpen and wield against the world. I see no demon, I see no spirit" She explains gingerly, eye filling with tears "I see a young girl without a guardian or guidance, who will grow to be harried and hunted by those who would name her monster. In you I..."

"You see your daughter" You interrupt, bowing your head "That is why you've approached me with such a selfless, generous offer"

"Precisely! She was much like you! When I sought to break through a bottleneck in my cultivation in the ice capped peaks my sect called home, She, still a mere snow fox, came and gave me warmth and companionship and allowed me to climb to a higher rank!" She proclaims energetically, eye opening fully to reveal a manic excitement "As you took the bodies of these poor, unfortunate children and gave them warm beds in the earth! And honored them with gravestones to immortalize their memory! You appeased their spirits, out of a sense of duty to those who cared for you in your simpler life! As I sought to show my gratitude to Xuěbái by making her into a magical beast and adopting her as my own daughter"

The old witch frowned deeply and bowed her head

"We are both woman whose lives have been dictated by tragedy. Even with what longevity I retained after the shattering of my cultivation, my life is nearing its end" She sorrowfully continues,
Cont

>>5043422

tears flowing across her withered face from both her eye and the socket of its missing twin "I failed in raising a daughter once before, but in seeing you, I see a chance at redemption. A chance to achieve something and leave a lasting legacy in the three realms. Huānliúxuè, I swear upon my ancestors of five generations and the memory of my daughter, I have no hidden agenda or ill intent in offering to be your teacher"

She places her whole hand above her heart

"But, if to earn your trust and confidence, I am willing to part with my dearest treasure to prove the honesty of my words and oath" She says mournfully quiet, as she fishes around her neck "A tuft of Xuěbái's tail fur, taken when she achieved her first breakthrough. Would this token be enough to earn you trust, Young Mistress?"

What is your reply, Huānliúxuè?

>Deny the gift and accept her as her teacher, her words alone proved her trustworthy in your eyes. Begin your training with the Toad witch without delay! [Good Karma]

>Accept the treasure given as a bribe, and apologize for taking such a prized possession in return for your trust. Ask about the fox demon Xuěbái

>NO! The witch can not be trusted! Scorn her both of her offers and chase her away before searching for your own path in cultivation!

>Strike her down! Mock her for trusting a demon and eat her flesh! She revealed her weakness before a predator! The utter fool! [Bad Karma]

>Write in

>>5043423
>Deny the gift and accept her as her teacher, her words alone proved her trustworthy in your eyes. Begin your training with the Toad witch without delay! [Good Karma]

>>5043423
>>Deny the gift and accept her as her teacher, her words alone proved her trustworthy in your eyes. Begin your training with the Toad witch without delay! [Good Karma]
Let her know that if she was lying she's getting ate

>>5043423
>Deny the gift and accept her as her teacher, her words alone proved her trustworthy in your eyes. Begin your training with the Toad witch without delay! [Good Karma]

>>5043423
>Deny the gift and accept her as her teacher, her words alone proved her trustworthy in your eyes. Begin your training with the Toad witch without delay! [Good Karma]

>>5043423
>Deny the gift and accept her as her teacher, her words alone proved her trustworthy in your eyes. Begin your training with the Toad witch without delay! [Good Karma]
I like her so far.

Ending the vote. It's unanimous, so no reason to tally it. All five votes are in agreement.

Huānliúxuè will deny the treasure/ petty magical tool Mónǚ offered in return of her trust and faith, as her words alone already won her over

And thus you will begin your training with the toad witch without delay!

Update will arrive shortly, as I am not on trick or treater duty, so I am free to drink Tea, Shiraz and write this quest!

With her maimed hand, she presents to you a small calligraphy brush. Delicate and loving carved from an odd white wood you have never seen before, covered in miniscule engravings of poems speaking of love, great destiny and devotion that are filled with an unmelting ice. A ring of blue agate, polished to be as reflective as a silver backed mirror, sits between the handle and the fur affixed to its end. Fur which is luxuriously soft and fluffy, like a miniature fox tail growing from the snow white wood. It is most peculiar object, for two reasons. The fox fur used to form the brush's bristles is, rather than white flecked grey or black as one would expect the hide of a snow fox to be colored, is instead interwoven with a azure that matches a spring sky in its vividness. The second odd trait of this brush, is that it radiates cold and is surrounded as if by a cloud of frigid air. How Mónǚ can tolerate keeping it so close to her chest at all times is a mystery to you.

Focusing and looking closer at the brush, you can see it glows with an unearthly light. It must be Qi, radiating from within the core of the brush and from every strand of fur at its end. It looks similar to the few motes of Qi Monu was able to show to you in her short explanation of the energy itself.

Suddenly, you are struck with an intense sorrow and guilt. Your conscious asks you, are you willing to steal away an old woman's only treasure and sole record of her dearly departed daughter's existence? Is that truly the price you'll ask for in exchange for your trust. Is your apprenticeship worth such a high price? Pride whispers that, if you truly are as astounding a student as she claims you will be, that if you existence is something to revered and worshiped that a babble like the brush is barely enough for you consider the offer. But Pride can poison and mislead the heart, Kindness and empathy warn at once. Has she not suffered enough in her life? What has she done to deserve having her daughter's sole keepsake and prized memento of happier days taken from her?

In taking it, would you not be degrading yourself? Lowering yourself to an existence not dissimilar from a common thief or bandit, stealing away something that, while valuable, is far more precious in the possession of its current owner? In accepting such a gift, even if freely offered, would be stooping to the level of trash and scum! You are a prodigy! You possess an innate talent! A rare potential! Why should you demean yourself to torment an old, grief haunted woman! The mere idea of accepting the brush now sickens and enrages you! She's groveling before you, wetting the ground with her tears, and presenting you the last sign of her daughter's life to you to just earn your trust, to be privledge to raise you as her student! If the children saw your momentary consideration of taking the brush from her gnarled hands they would be disgusted by you!

Cont

>>5043722

Surely even Ling Meng would be disgusted if you accept the token as a bribe! The bond between a student and teacher must be made from honest trust and strong faith! Real emotions to serve as the foundations for a earnest relationship, rather than one built upon bribery and pleading! She offers you power! Guidance! Wisdom! Knowledge! and all she asks for in return is companionship and a chance to impart her legacy unto you.

Pawing at your face to brush away the tears you now shed as well, you use the same wetted paw to push away the hand held before you as gently as you can.

"No, there is no need to buy my trust. Your words alone were enough to prove to me the sincerity of your proposal, enough that I feel ashamed to have ever doubted the benevolence of your intentions" You say, struggling to maintain your composure in the face of such a supremely selfless gesture "I may be a demonic beast, but to commit such a sin as stealing a mother's last keepsake of her child would be unforgiveable in the laws of both the heavens and hell! I will not steal away such a treasure!"

You bow your head, and struggle to mimic the respectful way she clasped her hands in greeting you as Monu holds her keepsake tightly to her breast.

"And certainly not from one who I would accept as my teacher! Forgive me grandmother, for this cat's impudence!" You proclaim shouting your words as the witch bows her head, to show to all beneath the heavens the conviction behind the statement!

"See? Just because you're a man eater, does not mean you're a being of sheer wickedness and unremitting evil! The world is wrong in naming you monster, Huanliuxue! I am honored to take you on as my last disciple, oh Child of the bloodstained grudge!" Monu proclaims with as much earnestness as yourself if not more so "Without delay, we'll begin your tutelage and hand in hand, take the first step on the road of your cultivation against the will of the heavens and all their gods!"

A long silence follows as you look expectingly up at your teacher, awaiting to be imparted profound wisdom and secrets alike, before she awkwardly cleans her pipe and with a sheepish smile stands upon her shaking legs

"After dinner, of course. And not here, amongst the dead and rubble. The Qi here is thin and while my meridians have been sealed , I still retain my spiritual sense. We will begin your cultivation in earnest after traveling to a locale where the Qi is denser and we are lest likely to be stumbled upon" She meekly explains, tapping a finger to her lips in a childish fashion "Forgive this old hag for her absent mind. But for training to be effective, the environment must be suitable and pristine!"

Your ears flop in disappointment and you look away with a mulish expression. Fretting, Monu slides from her rock, waving her bead heavy arms in the air in a panic.
cont

>>5043724

"But that does not mean we will be idle! I'm sure in our travels together, we can fit in some basic foundational training and exercises, so when we arrive at our sanctuary you will already be prepared for the trials ahead, my student!" She says with great haste and worry "I do not want you to believe me to be a lazy toad of a teacher, after all"

Your ears perk up and you smile radiantly, excitement burning in your yellow eyes.

"I would never think of my treasured teacher in such an insulting term" You teasingly state to the toad witch as you flick your tail in the air playfully.

The two of you laugh together, like old friends meeting at crossroads.

[Double vote]
What is the focus of your training during your journey to the "Sanctuary"?

>Body strengthening exercises and martial arts adapted to a cat's form and movements! Improve your stamina and physique!

>Mystical studies, drawing talismans, practicing the simplest of spells and hexes! Learn how to wield your innately supernatural existence

>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation

>Alchemy, learning how to make medicines and poisons alike. Start attempting to craft the weakest of spirit medicines and pills

>Write in

And where does Monu take you, Huānliúxuè? (Remember, you can always relocate)

>The Primordial Forest of the Tragic Lovers: An ancient woodland, populated only by lonely monasteries of monks and priests and Magical beasts like yourself! Monu says it is rumored to hold many rare Spiritual herbs (Dominant Qi type: Wood)

>The Basin of a Thousand Rivers and lakes: The center of the Chuan lands, a vast lake made by the decent of a drunken goddess. Said to reach the upper layers of hell, and be fed by a bottomless wine cask! Your Teacher says its deeper waters are rich in Qi. (Dominant Qi type: Water)

>Catacombs of the forgotten king and the bloodless war: A vast subterranean tomb hidden from prying eyes and filled with vengeful spirits and hungry ghosts! Monu speaks of treasures and secrets in its lower depths (Dominant Qi Type: Metal)

>Viper Pass Canyon, Cliffs of Despair: A inhospitable wasteland, populated by nomads, bandit clans, magical beasts and the odd oasis town. Monu claims to know the location of mines still rich with veins of spirit stones (Dominant Qi Type: Earth)

>The Forge Devil's Furnace: And even more inhospitable wasteland! Said to have been lair of favored servant of the demon lord Zhìzūn-Móxīn, this accursed place is only inhabited by roving packs of cultists and the most devilish of spirits and Demonic beasts! Your teacher advises against this destination (Dominant Qi Type: Fire)

>Write in

Had an amusing typo I caught. Wrote Dominate rather than Dominant lol.

>>5043726
>Alchemy, learning how to make medicines and poisons alike. Start attempting to craft the weakest of spirit medicines and pills
She is called a witch and a toad. This is likely where her expertise lies.

>Viper Pass Canyon, Cliffs of Despair: A inhospitable wasteland, populated by nomads, bandit clans, magical beasts and the odd oasis town. Monu claims to know the location of mines still rich with veins of spirit stones (Dominate Qi Type: Earth)

>>5043730
>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation
>Viper Pass Canyon, Cliffs of Despair: A inhospitable wasteland, populated by nomads, bandit clans, magical beasts and the odd oasis town. Monu claims to know the location of mines still rich with veins of spirit stones (Dominant Qi Type: Earth)

>>5043730
>Mystical studies, drawing talismans, practicing the simplest of spells and hexes! Learn how to wield your innately supernatural existence
>The Basin of a Thousand Rivers and lakes: The center of the Chuan lands, a vast lake made by the decent of a drunken goddess. Said to reach the upper layers of hell, and be fed by a bottomless wine cask! Your Teacher says its deeper waters are rich in Qi. (Dominant Qi type: Water)

>>5043730
>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation
>Catacombs of the forgotten king and the bloodless war: A vast subterranean tomb hidden from prying eyes and filled with vengeful spirits and hungry ghosts! Monu speaks of treasures and secrets in its lower depths (Dominant Qi Type: Metal)
Metal is associated with grief and courage, sounds like us.

>>5043730
>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation
>Catacombs of the forgotten king and the bloodless war: A vast subterranean tomb hidden from prying eyes and filled with vengeful spirits and hungry ghosts! Monu speaks of treasures and secrets in its lower depths (Dominant Qi Type: Metal)

>>5043730

>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation.
>Catacombs of the forgotten king and the bloodless war: A vast subterranean tomb hidden from prying eyes and filled with vengeful spirits and hungry ghosts! Monu speaks of treasures and secrets in its lower depths (Dominant Qi Type: Metal)

>>5043730
>Mystical studies, drawing talismans, practicing the simplest of spells and hexes! Learn how to wield your innately supernatural existence
>Catacombs of the forgotten king and the bloodless war: A vast subterranean tomb hidden from prying eyes and filled with vengeful spirits and hungry ghosts! Monu speaks of treasures and secrets in its lower depths(Dominant Element:Metal)
>Ask the Dead what the meaning of life is/was.

>>5043730
>>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation
Devour Qi from living targets, remove their ability to resist before they even see you

>>5043730
>Catacombs of the forgotten king and the bloodless war: A vast subterranean tomb hidden from prying eyes and filled with vengeful spirits and hungry ghosts! Monu speaks of treasures and secrets in its lower depths (Dominant Qi Type: Metal)

>>5043730
>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation
>The Primordial Forest of the Tragic Lovers

>>5043730
>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation

>Viper Pass Canyon, Cliffs of Despair: A inhospitable wasteland, populated by nomads, bandit clans, magical beasts and the odd oasis town. Monu claims to know the location of mines still rich with veins of spirit stones (Dominant Qi Type: Earth)

Either earth or wood should be attractive to a cat. Quick feedback OP: Post length is fine but it would be nice if you could throw in the odd picture for illustration. This is an image board after all.

>>5043730
>Body strengthening exercises and martial arts adapted to a cat's form and movements! Improve your stamina and physique!
>Viper Pass Canyon, Cliffs of Despair: A inhospitable wasteland, populated by nomads, bandit clans, magical beasts and the odd oasis town. Monu claims to know the location of mines still rich with veins of spirit stones (Dominant Qi Type: Earth)

>>5043730
>Meditation

I'm really bad at this Wuxing thing, but we are aligned with blood, which is Water I THINK, so we should go to
>Catacombs
because metal collects water? thus empowering us?

>>5043730
>Meditation, breathing exercises.
>The Primordial Forest of the Tragic Lovers

>>5043730
>>Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world! The very foundation of cultivation

>The Basin of a Thousand Rivers and lakes: The center of the Chuan lands, a vast lake made by the decent of a drunken goddess. Said to reach the upper layers of hell, and be fed by a bottomless wine cask! Your Teacher says its deeper waters are rich in Qi. (Dominant Qi type: Water)

Ending the vote now. Tallying the results.

Training vote

Alchemy, learning how to make medicines and poisons alike:1

Meditation, breathing exercises. Learning how to circulate your Qi through your meridians, refine it and draw it from the natural world:10

Mystical studies, drawing talismans, practicing the simplest of spells and hexes!:2

Body strengthening exercises and martial arts adapted to a cat's form and movements!:1

Sanctuary Location Vote

Viper Pass:4
The Basin:2
The Catacombs: 6
Primordial forest: 2

Extra votes
Ask the dead what the meaning of life is/was: 1
Learn how Devour Qi from living targets, remove their ability to resist before they even see you: 1

Alright, so Meditation Focus and the Metal aligned Catacombs of the forgotten king and the bloodless war Win!

Update will arrive shortl

>>5043922
Alright! I'll try to do so when I feel its fitting. . May commission some pieces for characters or landscapes if I find a nice artist for that XIANXIA feel. Hard to find pictures I like, you see.

Luckily, found a nice picture for this update, among a few others

File: xx.png (560 KB, 1000x1600)

560 KB PNG

>>5044334

>>5044373
Nice edit! Good work, anon.

Far from the shrine erected before nine graves in the ruins of a nameless, worthless fishing village, and far from the witch and demon cat laughing together by the spray of the rive and fragrant smoke of incense. Across the border drawn at the river's center, away from the regions controlled by the noble Chuān family and into the provinces and lands held for ten generations by Lords named Ling A temple shrouded by clouds and mists, hidden from the eyes of mortals and those uninitiated into the world of cultivation and the mystical arts, cast in the golden radiance of the summer sun's light. In the garden courtyard of the resplendent mountaintop retreat, elders of the ascendant Sect of the Guardians of the Celestial Sunlight (监护人-天日光, jiānhù rén-tiānrìguāng) met to debate amongst the lily pads and cranes.

All wore the shimmering, golden silk woven robes as befitting their station and in accordance to the traditions of the ruling Clan, wore masks of jade styled in to mimic the appearance of ogres. Each elder's mask was made from a different color of jade, to denote their favored type of Qi as well as the law they had earned their esteemed titles through their peerless mastery of its techniques.

"The Prodigal son of the mortal Ling family, Ling Meng, a once in three lifetimes genius in the arts of war and combat has been slain" The Elder wearing a black masked stated to his peers, who all bowed their heads in a show of mourning, keeping their hands hidden in the sleeves of their resplendent robes "And the inheritor of the ancestral blood, Ling Yāonān, has gone missing, fleeing from her simpleton of a father"

"So we have lost two prospective disciples! So soon after the ascendance of the grandmaster and the naming of his heir!" The scarlet masked woman snarled, stomping her foot in irritation before flicking her sleeve "Such misfortune! The lesser disiplces will surely begin to gossip our sect has entered a inauspicious period! The Young Master's leadership will be fraught with peril!"

"Calm yourself, my sister" The man wearing the jeering purple mask cheerfully laughed "Young Yaonan still lives, our subordinate schools in the rivers and lakes speak rumors of a pale swordswoman butchering bandit clans! The Inheritor of the ancestral blood is still amongst the living!"

"But that is not what troubles me, brother" The Scarlet mask hissed "All five of us gathered here know the circumstances of Ling Meng's death! He was devoured to the bones! Before his fool of an uncle executed half of the earthbound line's army for treason, they spoke a giant cat wreathed in the fires of hell! We all know what these tales imply!"

"A Demonic beast" The sullen white mask exhaled sorrowfully "A most dire omen, for such an existence to spring forth from so civilized a land! We are lucky the beast did not steal away the token we entrusted to the young general or else it may have grown into a catastrophe"
Cont

>>5044457

"It still will" The scarlet masked elder spat "The beast has been glutting itself on the essence and blood of mankind, if it continues it feast it will..."

"Cultivate to a level worthy of being hunted and harvested" The purple masked laughed "no reason to trouble ourselves with earthly affairs just yet, besides the Demonic beast is in the territory of another sect! Even if we decided to subjugate it we'd"

The until then silent Crimson mask, the most senior of the gathered elder flicked his sleeve

"We'll invite an influential inner disciple to our most extravagant retreats, secure their favor and have them pention their sect's head to grant our sect permission to interfere in this domain" The head spoke sternly, red eyes burning behind his emotionless mask "This impudent beast has insulted both our sect and the Ling Clan greatly in its murder of Ling Meng, who we had groomed since birth to join the Heavenly line of the Ling. The Demonic Beast cannot be allowed to begin its cultivation in earnest"

"I will organize a martial tournament for the outer ring of our disciples to participate in. The victors of each bracket will be offered the chance to be made an inner disciple, by bringing us the head of this "Huanliuxue" and being permitted to consume its beast core" The black mask meekly suggested, falling to prostrate himself before the furious Ling Clan Patriarch "So we may at once execute the impudent beast and nullify the loss of such a prodigious student"

"Your cunning reveals itself yet again my junior" The Crimson mask sneered, storing his hands once more in the sleeves of his robe "I permit this course of action, the rest of you, leave at once! Return to your duties! and have our connections amongst the masses alerted to watch for any rumor of Ling Yaonan's passing!"

As one, the four junior elders exclaimed with one voice "As you command, grandfather"
-

The Journey to the locale you decided to make your sanctuary alongside with Granny Monu is long and ponderous. For a former cultivator, the old witch has weak stamina and often has to rest. However you are more than willingly than to march at her pace and tend to her needs, treating her with the respect and care as Student should give to their teacher, especially one as elderly as the Toad witch. Besides, the early rests and stops along the road to your new, shared home are welcome for they offer an opportunity to focus on your training and infantile cultivation.

While Granny warms herself by the campfire, she instructs you on the most basic exercises and training techniques to begin your breakthrough into the first and least layer of cultivation. That of Qi Condensation, which you had naturally neared through your consumption of the flesh of Ling Meng and the Rank and file deserter who also possessed the potential to cultivate. However as you have learned, the Qi you absorbed from the unrefined blood and meat of your victims was of the poorest quality.
Cont

>>5044460

Thus it added almost nothing to the cultivation base you had started to form. What Qi the flesh of men yielded could be measured only as a drop of rain, and imparted little if any power. If you had been left to your own devices, your cultivation would be sedated and trash. But with Monu's guidance you will be able to achieve a far higher level than you would be able to naturally reach!

Knowing you already possess a greater than average quantity of natural Qi, you devout the majority of your training in learning how to refine the Qi already absorbed and flowing through your body within its meridians. Meridians that before your training, went unused and are thus need to be trained and strengthened.

In your initial lessons and clumsy attempts at refining Qi, Granny Monu teaches you of the location and purpose of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Principles Meridians. Her lessons focus at first upon what she calls the two most important of the Extraordinary Meridians, The Governing Vessel which runs from the lower of the three Dantian along the spine and up to the head and The Conception Vessel which runs opposite of the Governing vessel up the front of the body to meet it at the head, thus forming a complete circuit in front of the upper Dantain!

With this new knowledge, you are able to perceive the movement of Qi through your key meridians more clearly, overcoming your first and pettiest bottleneck on the path of cultivation. Oh how your heart swells with pride to be praised by your teacher. You hold your head high in the days that follow, becoming more aware of and accustomed to the improved flow of Qi through your body's meridians as you methodically open their gates and map out their direction.

Slowly, you gain an intimate understanding and knowledge of meridians and the flow of Qi. Your body feels lighter, every step more graceful and elegant, and your five senses become clearer! As if a fog was lifted from the world, colors have become more vibrant, the scents and tastes upon the air have become more vivid and you can feel deeper textures and sensations upon every material you set your paws upon

When you have tired against rubbing your face against stones, testing their new feeling, you realize you have unlocked a sixth sense! That of consciousness! Spiritual sense! The ability to scan and know your surroundings that all cultivators possess!'

Overjoyed, you tell Granny Monu of your progress as she returns from acting as a beggar in a nearby city, bringing with her the supplies you'll both need for the rest of the journey and your stay at the Sanctuary you have chosen to take as your own! With a grandmotherly smile, she sets down her groceries and prepares a space to guide you in your first, true refinement of Qi.

It is a divine sensation! Power surges and grows within you like flood waters roaring down a river, washing through your meridians and bolstering your body, mind and spirit alike!
Cont

>>5044463

But, the exultant sensation is quick to fade, and you realize just how meager of a reserve of Qi you had gathered truly was. If you were a cup and Qi was water, The Qi you had gathered, refined and condensed within yourself would scarcely wet the bottom of the cup. Disappointed, Monu's assurances that that is more Qi than most living creatures possess naturally do little to lift your spirits.

Gloomily you return to your training. Having to make do with what little Qi is present in the vast plains leading to the tomb that will become your home, as you begin practicing your meditation and breathing exercises in preparation for your arrival there. The Qi present within the Catacombs of the forgotten king and the bloodless war is several magnitudes more rich and dense than the thin, pitiful Qi elsewhere.

There is just enough for you to make noticeable progress, while obtaining a more serene state of mind through your daily meditation and exercises. It becomes easier to control your emotions, desires and thoughts, but until you enter the Catacombs your cultivation might as well be stalled as you will get no closer to the next rank or stage of cultivation until you reach a more suitable environment for it.

Realizing this, you devout the last steps of the journey to other forms of training. Doing what you can to strengthen your body to accommodate its new bounty of Qi, and to learn how to identify the most common of spiritual herbs and grasses while studying the simplest applications of magic and alchemy. Luckily, Granny Monu is particularly skilled at making poisons and the art of using them.

And through her tutelage, a fraction of her knowledge becomes yours. Just enough to learn how to refine a natural irritant found in Poison Ivy into a maddingly painful oil, but it is more progress than you've made in the fields of sorcery or martial arts! You decide to keep a small quantity of it in a vial tied around your neck, just in case you need to dip your claws into it to ward of a opponent you can overcome through might and guile alone.

Though it is useless against ghosts or other forms of undead or spirits! So, the Stinging oil has little use or purpose for the time being.

"So an immortal burried a ill mannered and evil natured king beneath this mountain?" You ask Monu as you walk the treacherous path down into the Catacombs of the forgotten king, which is only revealed in the transient period of twilight between night and dawn "Alongside his entire army as it marched to war? Sealing their souls in the stone tombs he crafted with but a flick of his wrist? Such incredible power! Truly even the gods must've been awed by such a show of force!"

"He became a god, and is now worshiped by the grateful locals here in the seven generations that have passed since then" Monu explains further, holding onto your scruff to keep from falling down the ravine below the rough hewn road leading down into the roots of the mountain.
Cont

File: The Catacombs of the forg(...).jpg (225 KB, 1500x766)

225 KB JPG

>>5044465

"Aren't you afraid we'll draw his attention? Squatting in the tomb he made to punish mortal pride?" You ask cautiously as the path suddenly moves ends at a small hole in the cliffside, that itself leads to a pit with four stairways leading into its stygian depths

"Why would the heavens be concerned with the affairs of mortals?" Monu sneers as she raises her torch, lighting the ancient sconces surrounding the small chamber before descending down one of the stairways. You fearlessly follow after her into the green, bone numbing fog that spills forth from the pit's mouth.

You cannot hide you awe as you emerge into the catacombs themselves, and look upon their entrance. Marble statues of guardian lion dogs line the walls, as a hole through the mountain allows sunlight to stream in from many miles above. The floor of the subterranean temple has fallen through, revealing an open system of caverns and stalactites connected to by bridges, all shrouded by the same grave fog that flowed up and out of the entrance

Monu lights a crooked temple lantern, as you step to the edge of the stone outcropping and marvel at the vast gate that leads into the catacombs proper. It is styled like a temple's door and bares a time weathered statue of a demon's face snarling down at any trespassers. In the far end of the temple's boundaries, before it gives way to the open and seemingly endless cavernous tombs of the forgotten king and his soldiers, you see a golden lotus pedestal. A shrine of sorts you imagine! And the perfect place to meditate.

"Welcome to your new home, Huanliuxue!" Granny Monu exclaims as she sits down to rest and indulge in her vice of smoking various narcotics she's refined into drugs so potent they could knock out a dragon "We'll make our dwelling in this upper level, a safe sanctuary from the crypts other inhabitants"

"I can feel the grudges of the dead in the air! It's so soothing here! There must be nowhere else on heaven or earth as comfortable as this god's scorned tomb" You purr contentedly, curling up beneath the lantern to take a nap.

When you awake up, what do you do Huānliúxuè? Two actions can be taken this vote

>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]

>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]

>Explore the deeper reaches of the catacombs [Chance to find a treasure or a hidden feature of this location, or encounter a ghost]

>Leave the catacomb to search the surrounding villages for underlings or victims [Chance to recruit mortals as servants or slaughter them for cultivation materials]

>write in

>>5044467
>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]

>>5044467
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]
>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]
A prudent start is best, probably

>>5044467
>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]

>>5044483
Support.

There is really no sense in making our home easy to find and enter.

>>5044467
>>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]

>>5044467
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]

>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]

>>5044467
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]
>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]

>>5044467
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]
>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]

>>5044467

>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]

Do as cats do, make sure our new abode is comfy and safe before we start exploring our territory in earnest.

>>5044467
>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]

Ending the vote now. No need to tally the votes, since the result is unanimous!

When you wake from your catnap, you will create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying your new home and hiding it from prying eyes before starting your true cultivation and training early and without your teacher's aid, at least until she wakes up as well

Your sleep is fitful, and you are harried from the beginning of your catnap to its end by visions of death and suffering, nightmares drawn from the final moments of a hundred snuffed out lives. A bone gnawing chill cuts through your fur, rousing your from your sleep as you wake to see the temple lit by the fires of hanging lanterns and what little moonlight flows down from the heavens through the mountain that seals the catacomb beneath the earth. Stetching and yawning at once, you blink, feeling oddly refreshed and at ease despite the harrowing experience of reliving the destruction and cataclysmic punishment that befell the souls that still linger just beyond the gate across the gorge from the lantern your curled around in your sleep.

But as your senses return to you, and the fog of tiredness give way to the clarity of wakefulness, you are struck by a dread born from an entirely different source! You and your teacher are entirely exposed here! Though the temple is safe, and judging from the talismans stuck on the gate, Granny Monu has warded against invasion from any wandering vengeful spirits or hungry ghosts that smell warm blood above their graves, from more material dangers you are wholely unprotected! Though the path to the catacombs can only be found in twilight, all it takes is one fortunate peasant or wandering cultivator for your location to be discovered by those who wish to kill you for simply being born a cat.

Clenching your jaw, you brave the bone chilling miasma, shivering all the way as you walk the stairs leading out of the pit and walk the path back up the cliffside to its entrance at the mouth of the vast ravine it runs along. Methodically, you fell younger trees and push stones in front of the gateway to the catacombs, shrouding the already obscured path with debris and plant life. Stepping back to admire your handiwork, you realize the deception would be discovered with a little scrutiny and frown. Carefully, you reposition the larger stones and logs, setting them up to appear to have fallen from landslides or during earth shaking storms.

Inspecting the façade you have made to hideaway the road leading to your Sanctuary, you are pleased to see it is much harder to spot the false barrier and see the trail behind it. If only you knew had to weave illusionary landscapes or encourage the growth of living plant life, or even shape the stone and soil to your will! But alas, you have not progressed far enough to possess such abilities or learn the mystical tricks to enact them. Flicking your tail, you brush it across the ground to wipe away your and Granny Monu's tracks, before returning to the wilderness to gather the materials you require to build a crude but serviceable defense to fortify your sanctuary proper.

And build a more comfortable abode for both you and your teacher. You may be content sleeping on tiles and stone, but Monu is elderly and such a lifestyle would be detrimental to the old witch's health.
Cont

>>5044917

Even though she bundles herself in three layers of fur before going to sleep. Usually it is the teacher's responsibility to provide logging for their disciples, but it'd be most unbecoming to ask an old woman to build herself a house. So it falls to the student to ensure the comfort and well being of her mentor.

The work is tiresome at first, but with the new perspective given to you by your Qi sharpened and Spiritual senses, it quickly becomes as enjoyable as any game or hunt. Before dawn approach, you have gathered a suitable supply of stone, resin sap, lumber, and fresh animal furs to carry back to the catacombs upper lay to begin making your sanctuary a home worthy keeping!

First, you make a door to block off the cave entrance leading into the pit, but binding a few thin logs together with a rope you took from the supplies Granny Monu purchased for the journey. This proves to be the most difficult labor of all, as it is very hard to tie nots without opposable thumbs, but you manage to tighten and bind the wood together with your teeth and a clever system of running the length of rope between rocks to hold it in place while you work and tie it.

The door is sturdy enough, and is fitted to the width of the cave's mouth. It can be opened on either side by pulling on the length of rope left unwrapped around the last log in either direction. With a sore and aching jaw, continue on your work, by creating a wall of stones around the pit, gluing them in place with sap resin and wet clay so they will not tumble down upon your heads while you climb the stairs. Making it tall as a man from his toes to his brow, you leave the stones to set and return back to the catacombs to build something that resembles a functional shelter.

Thankfully, the temple is sturdy, so all you have to do is build three walls of stone, lumber and furs for installation. Its an ugly hovel, that looks like a fairy tale witch's hut, with a roof of straw and fur, and without much of a defined shape. More a collection of stones, logs, clay and soil stacked together to vaguely resemble a man made cave or half collapsed hermit's cottage. It is only large enough to hold around ten people, not including yourself and doesn't have any comforts or amenities besides a thick layer of furs laid out on the temple floor for warmth and softness.

Gazing upon your work, it is times like these you wish you had hands. Pouting angrily, you prod Granny Monu, to move her from the corner of the temple she has made her bed and into the Witch's hut you have made. But she just rolls over, and continues snoring sounding like a toad in search of a mate.

Shaking your head, you add a few more bundles of dried grass and split logs to her fire and leave her to her sleep. Knowing how she lives, she'll wake up no sooner than the later half of morning and more probably only stir in the afternoon, considering the exhaustive hike the two of you made to reach the catacombs to begin with.

Cont

>>5044919

Gazing down into the open caverns beyond the temple's half collasped floor, you consider your options. The Sanctuary among grave is secured. A wall has been built before the easiest to hold choke point, A door that can be locked shut with a few stones that is already difficult to open from the approaching side, and you have even taken the time to line the already treacherous, dew slicked path with spears at its thinnest and most unstable portions to slow any would be intruders should they happen upon the gateway revealed only at twilight which is now hidden behind a diorama of fallen mud, stones and timber

While you do not feel completely defended, you at least feel safer and more sheltered than before. And having a house, even if it is a shapeless hut made of stones, clay, and old logs and still drying furs is better than trusting the temple's nonexistent walls to keep your warm and protect you from the inhabitants of the lower catacombs.

There is much you can do to improve either the defenses or your shelter as, you only have paws, a tail and a fangs to work with. And you have most of the day to yourself, before your teacher wakes up and can return to a more acceptable schedule after the long and arduous journey to your shared home.

Almost reflexively, you begin to train. First by testing your knowledge of the native flora that grows in the subterranean expanse and the ravine above it, and taking a the leaves, roots and seeds of a few plants to practice making mundane medicine and poisons in the manner Monu taught you to. And then you take to wandering the temple, drawing mystical diagrams and caligraphy in the dust with your tail as you recite mantras and prayers, memorizing the simple, petty magics you were practicing before sampling your now finished medicines and attempting to refine the poisons by boiling them

Repeating this cycle some twelve times, you change your methods when you can stomach no more bitter herb and you have brushed the entire temple clean with the fur of your tail.

After a quick, and disgusting grooming session that ends with you search for fresh water to lap up to remove the taste of bone dust and centuries old dust from your tongue and sinuses, you spend the following hours exhausting your body.

Clambering, climbing, leaping, pouncing, you exercise your body in ways only a cat can, running through every nook and cranny of the temple complex, darting between the four stair ways leading out of the graveyard, and precariously balancing yourself upon stalagmites and the frayed ropes hanging above the temples, wrapped in bells and talisman papers turned yellow with age and dampness.

When your muscles ache, and your stomach growls, you stop your physical training, panting and feeling as though you've been beaten by ten iron rods. Resting just long enough to be able to walk straight again, you eat the raw meat of the animals you skinned and struggle to grab incense sticks in your mouth.
Cont

>>5044920

Granny Monu rolls over in her sleep as you dig through her belongings to find them.

The heady fragrance of incense dulls your mind.

Sitting in the center of the golden lotus dais, you find its centered to be made of polished steel lined with silver. The air is heavy with Qi! Static runs along your fur, puffing it up as if you had just narrowly avoided being struck by lightning. Your fangs vibrate as you hastily light the sticks of incense and set them to burn around you as you sit on your hind knees and hold your front paws directly in front of you, stiff as boards.

Straightening your tail, you emptying your mind of all conscious thought and earthly desires. Slowly, cautiously, you begin to circulate your meager supply of Qi throughout your meridians, moving it from one channel to another and running it through the entirety of each. Starting, of course with the Governing vessel and then the Conception Vessel before branching outwards. Then, you circulate through all meridians simultaneously, never slowly or pausing the flow of qi as it passes through your form like water down a stream.

You can feel your stamina replenishing, Internal energy strengthening as the what little Qi you gathered on the Journey here is refined and purified before being added to your cultivation base. Breathing out, you steel yourself and harden your will, hesitating as you wonder if your meridians have been strengthened enough to draw in and absorb the potent Qi that suffices this house of the dead and forgotten.

It is thick with Yin Qi, and the Qi of Metal.

Pausing to draw another breath to your lungs chilled by the grave air surrounding you, you clench your jaw and furrow your brow.

And pull the dense Qi surrounding you into your body.

At first, it is agony. Blades splitting flesh, spears piercing muscle. Maces shattering bone. Lightning coursing through your veins. The chill of death crawls into your marrow as your perceptions slow to a crawl. You become nauseous. It feels as if your brain is softening while your body is destroyed by some vast cosmic forces.

And then, something within your clicks into place and all pain fades away, leaving the chill of metal to flow into your meridians and settle into your Dantian as you find it remarkably easy to refine and integrate into your cultivation base. Of course! Granny Monu taught you that every existence is natural aligned to one of the five elements! Either you are like granny herself, and naturally inclined towards water. Or you are instead of a metal nature!

The toad witch did say your spiritual roots appeared to have a special, unusual quality to them she was unable to ascertain with her weak eyes. Perhaps this is what she meant?

Or perhaps you are wrong and this is just the sensation of denser and purer Qi! Whichever theory is correct, the sensation is incredibly empowering! You are so energized you feel you could run the length of the world twice before Monu wakes up!.
Cont

>>5044922

And then you stop. Content with the Qi you have gathered, which has more than doubled your current reserves but has not yet come close to filling your cup.

You remember Grandmother Monu's warnings of building a poor foundation, and though you are still merely in the beginning of your Qi Condensation stage, your cultivation remains crude and unrefined. You have no guiding principle. Every cultivator follows one or more Laws, that embody aspects of the universal Dao, and from these divine the path and guidelines of their cultivation. Without a concrete method, a binding concept to coalesce your cultivation around, you would be as a blind, limbless infant.

Presently, your technique was colorless, undefined. And would only become trash and a pitiful shadow of its true potential. Like most other magical and demonic beasts. Wasted potential leads only to a pitiful death and early grave. No, you would be different

You would follow a proper law, train and perfect its technique and grow the seeds of potential the toad witch saw within you into a mighty tree of power and might!

But there's one problem. You can't join a sect, and even if they were willing to sell their mysteries, you doubt you could afford even the most pathetic of manuals.

This is a troublesome impasse you have met in your cultivation.

Ending your meditation, you see Granny Monu observing your progress with a stern look in her eye, which softens as a beaming smile filled with pride graces her age worn features. She must have been watching you, testing to see if you hastily chased after empty progress and hollow power or if you would make the realization you did and pause.

How will you find a law/ technique to cultivate with, Huānliúxuè?

>Humbly approach your teacher, and request to be taught one of the laws of her old sect. An effortless solution for your self imposed bottleneck

>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!

>Court death, and find a foolish low level cultivator or unguarded Sect nearby and steal their manuals! Bold, and probably not the soundest of strategies.

>Decide to approach this obstacle in the way of further cultivation later, and devout your energy and attention to other training

>Write in

>>5044923
>You will study the ways of the ghosts! Though their power pales to what they could do in life, their methods remain the same. Though they lost to the gods, still can you use them to disguise your identity as a beast.
>Should that be lacking, you can explore deeper in search of manuals among the dead, or supplement with your teacher's advice.

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!
Might as well try, worst case scenario we can try something else.

>>5044467
>Begin your real training and cultivation in earnest and early, using all you've been taught to perform the various exercises alone [Bonus to your next training or cultivation roll]

>Create a more proper shelter for yourself and Granny Monu, fortifying the entrance and path to the catacombs [Improves your sanctuary's defenses and lessens the chances of it being found]

>>5044955
An update late friend.

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!

ignore earlier slowpoke vote lol. I'm not sure the ways of the sects are even fitting to us, what with us being a cat and everything.

>>5044923

>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!

>>5044927 isn't a bad idea though, if we can figure out how to strike a rapport with the local ghosts.

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!


>>5044962
agreed, laws designed for humans are surely incompatible with us, ask granny for inspiration but do not blindly follow. She knows about teaching magical beasts cultivation after all.
Clearly we need an opposable thumbs technique which no human would ever conceive of needing, just as we have no need for a "see in the dark like a cat" technique.

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!

>>5044923
>Court death, and find a foolish low level cultivator or unguarded Sect nearby and steal their manuals! Bold, and probably not the soundest of strategies.

>>5044923
>Ask granny how she set about teaching her daughter
Additionally is granny actually a toad who has achieved humanity or just looks toad like?
>>5044979
I mean, it is not as though we can court death anymore by making up a Law than we already are by being a cat

>>5045116
>Additionally is granny actually a toad who has achieved humanity or just looks toad like?
She's probably human, she was a member of a sect before being crippled for raising an awakened fox as her daugher.

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!

>>5045128
Yeah, though the way she spoke of how humans eating beast cores I thought she was implying that she was not entirely human, though maybe I read too much into it

>>5045177
She's just bitter because they are hypocrites that killed her adopted daughter.

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!

>>5044923
>Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend
In hushed tones shall they sing of the way of Huānliúxuè, a law into herself and a life that makes its own meaning! She shall not be denied!

Ending the vote now. Tallying the results.

You will study the ways of the ghosts!: 1

Undertake the difficult task of pioneering a law! If you are the prodigy Monu claims you are, establishing your own path of cultivation should be simple! And should you complete and perfect it, your name is surely to become as legend!: 10

Court death, and find a foolish low level cultivator or unguarded Sect nearby and steal their manuals! Bold, and probably not the soundest of strategies.: 1

Ask granny how she set about teaching her daughter: 1

So You will make your own technique/ Law of cultivation! Stepping outside the boundaries of the orthodox to find your own, unique path!

Meaning that your opponents will have no idea what to expect! But having no resources besides your own intuition and instincts.

Update will arrive shortly!

"Wisdom beyond your age is a blessing greater than all of the treasures of heaven" Monu cackles, smoking rising from her lips as she taps her pipe upon her knee as you step from the lotus pedestal and pace closer to her "Self control and discipline are virtues every cultivator should seek to both embody and master, otherwise they invite tragedy into their lives and catastrophe into their future! To begin a journey without a map, one is certain to become lost. The first real trial you have faced, you have passed magnificently"

"The praise of my teacher is a greater treasure yet" You answer cheekily, smiling joyfully as you return the witch's grin in kind "But my decision is one even a fool could make. It would be more difficult to see my nose than it was to realize the folly of cultivating without technique. Talent is useless if one does not train their skill, like painting without passion. I'd be unworthy of being your student if I was simple minded enough to proceed without focusing my efforts and refining them upon some sliver of comprehension of the Dao"

You flick your tail and bow your head, eyes narrowed like a viper's. Incense smoke clings to your fur, its aroma muddling your sense of smell as you sit before your mentor, who nods in approval of your words after seeing the wisdom within them.

"I'd be unworthy of being your teacher if I allowed you to make such a terrible folly" She replies simply, replacing the end of her pipe in her lips, wrapping her bloated tongue around it as she presses her knuckles to her chin in deep thought "However, I doubt the fading memories of the techniques I achieved would be worthwhile for you, nor would the unfinished practice I had designed for my daughter align with your character, ambitions or body. The way of life of a fox and cat, while similar at first glance, are as different as heaven and earth, after all"

"I already realized that the techniques used by men would be worthless to a cat!" You say, lifting your head up high as you curl your tail around your hind quarters "And would not be so pitiful as to accept a gift intended for another! Besides I'm a prodigy aren't I? Even if I was a young fox or human girl, there'd be little reason for me to follow the footsteps of those who came before me! I, Huanliuxue, have a greater destiny than mimicking others and attempting to take their glory as my own"

Haughty laughter passes your lips, as you flick your tail back and forth like a reed in the wind, snickering as Granny Monu grins with a mixture of delight and boundless pride.

"Oh if my snow white was alive to meet you, I am sure she would have accepted you as her little sister! Such bravado! Such conviction! it reminds me of my youth!" Granny Monu exclaims, sticking her oversized tongue out until it falls past her chin as her eye narrows and practically begins to glow with excitement "Damn orthodoxy! Damn the laws of the heavens! Dictate your own path!"
Cont

>>5045529

"Follow only the commands of your heart, the laws of your spirit! To make one's own way in the world is a far more respectable choice than listening to what old coots and stagnant schools have to teach! The cultivation is meant to break the boundaries between heaven and earth! Yet its adherents have bound themselves in codes and laws" She sneers, before rolling her tongue back into her mouth

"Precisely! From your words they fear true progress and dread the power that could be achieved beyond the walls of rules and edicts they have erected around themselves!" You proclaim confidently, puffing your chest out and tapping a paw on the temple's floor "and if I am to be their prey, it would be shrewd of me to grasp for techniques unknown to them! Power they cannot or will not comprehend! To become a beast whose movements and tactics cannot be anticipated!"

"A prudent strategy, the unexpected cannot be easily countered or maneuvered around, let alone circumvented as many orthodox laws of cultivation easily are" Your teacher cackles, as if she's become intoxicated by the sheer wild ambition of your decision to pioneer your own, unique law.

"And so, should I find success in this endeavor beyond the accepted boundaries of cultivation, my name will become a legend not only in the mortal realm, but in the world of cultivation and even the heavens as well!" You exclaim, caught up in the witch's excitement "Though I have no delusions that this will be a labor easily finished, the road I have chosen will be frought with difficult and peril. Hoooowever"

You flick your tail

"That just makes it all the more exciting doesn't it" You cackle, closing your eyes as your teacher adds her laughter to your own.

When the two of you regain your composure and tranquility, there is little more to be said. You've made up your mind and decided your stance. All that is left to be down, is to find the beginning of the technique born from your own heart.

"I will only interfere if requested to, take as much time as you need searching for enlightenment and inspiration" Granny Monu says sweetly, patting your head as she totters back to the hut you built to prepare herself breakfast, Congee with preserved fish and dried pork judging from the smell lingering in the catacombs entrance "I will not judge the answers you find, nor the path you choose to follow. For, what would an old fool like myself know of a prodigy's judgement"

"You are no fool, grandmother, you are simply the victim of fools" You answer solemnly, eliciting a honest smile from the crone.

She enters the hut, and leaves you alone outside of it to ponder your options and consider what may produce worthwhile results. You must approach the basis of your yet unformed law methodically and carefully, seeking to hastily complete its foundation or carelessly choosing its dominant concept and inspiration would only lead you towards disaster.
Cont

>>5045532

And having some brat take your beast core to fuel their own cultivation.

A fate you utterly refuse to even consider accepting.

So, you meditate on these thoughts for awhile, separating useful ideas from the worthless ones and organizing them before repeating the process again until the only avenues left for you to pick between are far more likely to achieve actual results than the vast collection of half baked and meek concepts, ideas and inspirations that had filled your mind before.

And all of them come from the depths of your soul, born of your natural wisdom, lifestyle and instincts. Whispers of illuminated knowledge and enlightenment, hints of deeper mysteries of the world. Mysteries that draw you to them like a moth to the flame, that entice and mystify you at a primal, instinctual level.

What will you construct your self trained techniques around, Huānliúxuè?

>Ghosts and Grudges. The catacombs are overflowing with Yin Qi! And the spirits of the dead are the source! Through studying and exploiting them, your law will find its roots and begin to flourish!

>Blood and Slaughter! The freshly spilt blood of your victims was the beginning of your cultivation. By gathering and refining the life essence of others, the foundation of your law will be laid!

>Breath and Fortune! Cats are often said to steal the breath of infants or the dying, yet are often said to bring good fortune! upon this contradiction, your law will be built!

>Control and Lesser beasts! You are royalty of the wilds! All lesser creatures should bow in your presence! Make your law based upon this imagined nobility and privledge!

>Write in

>>5045534
>Breath and Fortune! Cats are often said to steal the breath of infants or the dying, yet are often said to bring good fortune! upon this contradiction, your law will be built!

>>5045534
No contest
>Ghosts and Grudges. The catacombs are overflowing with Yin Qi! And the spirits of the dead are the source! Through studying and exploiting them, your law will find its roots and begin to flourish!

>>5045534

>Ghosts and Grudges. The catacombs are overflowing with Yin Qi! And the spirits of the dead are the source! Through studying and exploiting them, your law will find its roots and begin to flourish!

Not gonna lie, Breath and Fortune is also a very tempting option, but I think this works the best with our location and origin.

>>5045534
>Ghosts and grudges.

We can work in stealing the last gasp of our foes, but it is ultimately grudges and the spirits of our friends that guides us.

>>5045534
>Ghosts and Grudges. The catacombs are overflowing with Yin Qi! And the spirits of the dead are the source! Through studying and exploiting them, your law will find its roots and begin to flourish!
I am tempted to vote for blood & slaughter, but Grudges are our real wheelhouse.

>>5045534
>Ghosts and Grudges. The catacombs are overflowing with Yin Qi! And the spirits of the dead are the source! Through studying and exploiting them, your law will find its roots and begin to flourish!
Breath and Fortune are ultimately constructions of human culture, and would restrict the cat to human perception.

>Find the differences between Grudges sated and unfulfilled
We might have to check out peaceful graves as well

>>5045534
>Ghosts and Grudges. The catacombs are overflowing with Yin Qi! And the spirits of the dead are the source! Through studying and exploiting them, your law will find its roots and begin to flourish!

>>5045560
Seconded for the write in, if only because I very much like how this wise senior thinks

>>5045560
I'd argue a normal cat has more of a concept of "Breath" than it has of "Grudge" or "Ghost". It's only because we were imparted with grudges that a cat would otherwise never have, that we have awakened. Still justifies a vote for grudges best though, especially considering the locale.

>>5045560
I will back this. If we in a different location I would choose Breath and Fortune instead. Alas we are ultimately a creature born from grudges of the dead innocence in a graveyard full of ghosts and grudges. Not to mention cultivators are notorious assholes who will slaughter entire clans for the most petty of reasons just because someone pissed them off one time. Being able to tap into the grudges of the dead that they slaughtered is no joke against their perpetrators and would fit.

>>5045560
Also supporting the write in.

>>5045571
>I'd argue a normal cat has more of a concept of "Breath" than it has of "Grudge" or "Ghost"
Cats are one of the few living animals that hold grudges. And are prone to staring at seemingly nothing, which less enlightened societies have taken to be staring at ghosts. Hence
>>5045534
>>Ghosts and Grudges. The catacombs are overflowing with Yin Qi! And the spirits of the dead are the source! Through studying and exploiting them, your law will find its roots and begin to flourish!
Also supporting
>>5045560
>Find the differences between Grudges sated and unfulfilled
This may amount to talking to a wall; but people have done more for far less.

>>5045692
>people have done more for far less.
uhh what? I'm just maintaining the separation between the grudge of ghosts to the cat's own grudges, which will go a long way to staying sane.

>>5045534
>>5045560
+1

>>5045534
>Blood and Slaughter! The freshly spilt blood of your victims was the beginning of your cultivation. By gathering and refining the life essence of others, the foundation of your law will be laid!

>>5045534
Supporting >>5045560

Ending the vote now. Tallying the results.

Breath and Fortune:1

Ghosts and Grudges:10
-Find the differences between Grudges sated and unfulfilled: 6

Blood and Slaughter: 1

So, Your self made law will focus/ be built around ghosts and grudges.

And you will also find the difference between grudges sated and those unfulfilled.

Update will arrive shortly

And, through the shroud of your mind's night, you spot an ember still smoldering though the fire it had once was has burned away and left little more than ash in its wake, to fertilize the new found clarity and purpose of your life. Yet the ember still burns, despite having fulfilled its purpose of fire and being usurped by a new, much grander conviction.

The grudge that gave to you your knew life and intelligence, the hatred that turned the notched eared cat into Huanliuxue. Your origin, your original purpose. The seed of your existence. It still remains by your side like an old friend, whose own road in life has parted from your own. By devouring Ling Meng, ending the murderer's life, it has served its purpose and retired to the darkest corner of your soul. Yet you cannot abandon it without abandoning yourself. Returning to the force, the emotion of your birth reveals to you your path. Through a single revelation that gently enters your mind as if it were returning home.

Currently, you are among peers. Granny Monu, and the ancient ghosts lurking just beyond the demon's head gate, are like you were the days, weeks and months after your rebirth! Their existence in life and death are dominated by their grudges. They hang in the air and in their eyes like the blackest of curses. And yet, is it not natural to scorn those who wrong you? to seek to harm those who harm you? Resentment is as natural as any other feeling. But when the embers of ill will burn brightly enough to form an honest, deadly grudge one can surpasses their limits in their pursuit of revenge and justice. Those who fear such things would name such energy malevolent, but you know it to be a source of great power and terrible resolve. So mighty is the force of a properly cultivated grudge, that its subject could only believe it to be the manifestation of a thousand curses. The ember within you flickers, as the taste of Ling Meng's entrails fills your mouth.

And then, a second revelation strikes you! This one like a bolt of lightning crashing to earth! So sudden it pulls you from your meditation to gasp in shock as your eyes open, a little wiser than before. Ghosts! That's it! Ghosts and Grudges! The two concepts are so closely intertwined it is as if they were lovers! Ghosts often linger in the world of the living due to unfulfilled grudges seeking to see them done, and successful or failed grudges both often create more ghosts! Its a cycle! A self fueling cycle! Like a fire that feeds upon itself, or water that turns to ice without depleting!

And there are thousands upon thousands of ghosts just beyond the gate across the chasm in the temple! Your tail flicks, as your fangs peak beneath a most wicked smile. To harness the power of grudges and spirits, that shall be the basis of your self taught technique! One aligned innately with your existence. Drawn from the very core of your being!
Cont

>>5045956

The road of cultivation is riddled with corpses, if one could only tap into the dreadful potency of their dying curses , they would become unrivaled under the heaven. Like with your caretakers, the grudges of the departed and living alike shall become your spear and shield. And ghosts, wicked spirits, Hah! they will become a source and inspiration of your power as well. If cultivators can bind magical beasts to their wills as familiars, then a demonic beast shall leash the souls of men to themselves or else take from them their Yin!

You shake your head, driving away such idle, worthless fantasies. To envision techniques which have left to be formed is foolish! While you are certain you can harness grudges and ghosts alike, you have no idea how effective such methods will prove to be or the abilities they will allow you to cultivate. However, you are certain of one thing.

You feel both kinship and pity for the ranks of the forgotten king's legions. Unlike you, they were unable to carry out their dying wishes of vengeance and curses of retribution. Unlike you, they were unable to free themselves from their grudges nor release their compatriots from their cruel fate beneath the grave dug for them by a god.

And it is there, a third revelation strikes you, like a knife sliding between your ribs. It is more subtle than the first two, a warning rather than wisdom gleamed through self reflection. The empathy and bond you feel for these ghostly soldiers is dangerous, your nature as a grudge born demon will leave your mind open to being influenced by the grudges of others, be they held by the living or the dead. While a yearning for vengeance or justice can lead a mouse to slay a lion, it also invites madness. If you are not careful, you may be driven back to an existence dominated by a hunger for retribution, carrying out the grudges of others.

A grudge sated is very different from one that still burns brightly. A sated grudge brings peace and clarity to the mind, while one unfulfilled brings turmoil and madness. Perhaps, should your studies and trainings upon ghosts and grudges prove fruitful, you can poison your enemies with the corroding turmoil a grudge inflicts upon it's hosts mind?

You shake your head again. More idle fantasy, keeping your mind from wandering away in its excitement is proving difficult. Taking a long, ponderous breath, you practice your breathing exercises to achieve a serene state of mind and clear it of all distractions.

An unguarded mind is a grievous weakness, especially when dealing with ghosts. And you intend to study and learn how to exploit scores of them and the grudges they hold.

"Granny, my training will take me into the lower tombs. I will return by morning each day, while I test my yet unrealized technique amongst the dead" You state with a wave of your paw
Cont

>>5045959

"A graveyard dwelling cultivator? How wicked the world will see you now. However, has it not already condemned you for being born of the grudges of innocent lives unfairly ended?" Granny Monu muses as she peeks her head out of the door of your witch's hut "what do you hope to find among the dead?"

"Graves, crypts and tombs are all rich in the resources required for my imagined law" You reply coyly and with smirk "Why, I hope to find the dead and the grudges they still hold"

"How wicked, how truly wicked a student I have taken under my wing" Your teacher teases, waving a ladle through the air "But, a clever one as well. From a grudge you came, and so from the grudges of others you will refine yourself. Shall I prepare a portion for you for dinner, or do you intend to eat the ghosts beneath"

You frown. They are rich in Yin Energy. Drawing or siphoning it from them would be prudent, but would refining them into Raw Yin Qi entirely be more effective? Surely the world would name you a villain more nefarious than any other if you began to eat the souls of men as well as their flesh.

"I intend to study and find ways to exploit them" You answer, avoiding the question "Perhaps I shall make them my underlings, perhaps I shall seek to emulate them. Perhaps, I will find a balance upon the boundary between life and death, cats have peerless balance after all"

Granny Monu twirls her ladle, before nodding once.

"I see, I see" She mutters "Well, a prodigy is sure to find the answers they seek. I am certain you will discover a method worthy of being immortalized in manuals and praised by all who have eyes to see mount tai!"

And with that, she returns to her cooking, humming a lullaby as you race away from the hut and toward the demon's head gate. With an elegant leap, you clear the chasm cutting it off from the rest of the temple and slip through the hole in the sealed door.

Some of the talismans have been torn away or soaked through, and the air is frigid. A shudder races down your back as you glance up and see the back of the gate is covered in deep gouges and grooves. The dead have been trying to escape for centuries. Just thinking about it is unsettling. Clenching your jaw, you step forward, seeing a pile of moldering bones still dressed in their armor.

You freeze, as a pale blue flame flickers to life in their empty sockets. A few of them rattle as if struggling to rise.

"Free us. Free us. Release us" They moan as you watch the most complete of them grasp out to touch you before falling apart.

"Curse the gods, curse the king" The now decapitated skull wails "Curse life itself, and the heavens"

You trot away, heart racing as you keep your head down to avoid drawing unnecessary attention and almost immediatly stumble upon the phantom of a ghost swinging its axe into a pillar, chipping the marbled stone with its dull axe
Cont

>>5045961

"SHIT! SHIT!" He screams "I'll take their heads! I'll butcher their families! How dare they condemn me to such an existence! I will be free! I will have justice"

Unlike the corpse bound spirits nearer at the threshold of the gate, this spirit could actually pose a thread. His head turns at an unnatural angle, snapping his neck as you see the wound that ended his life. His head and the helmet upon it was caved in by a falling stone.

"A demon? A spirit?" He hisses, before a grim smile curls across his pale blue lips "How curious! I sense a killer in you! A malevolent air surrounds you! though you are living, you and I are the same! hah! As a general of the great northern army, I welcome you as a guest! For you can be no friend of heaven, with a body like that Hrrrk!"

He howls with laughter before suddenly his neck snaps into place and his face contorts with an all to familiar rage.

"FUCKERS! The gods can lick my ass!" He screams as he returns to pointlessly hacking away at the stone pillar "I was destined for great things dammit! Now my lines is ended! Ended by the whims of a shit eating god!"

Is this what you were like before? How scary. You tilt your head and watch the Broken Skull general tantrum and rampage around the tomb, kicking the bones of his compatriots and slamming his fists into their tombs while screaming like a wild animal.

"Will avenge myself!' He bellows, raising his axe into the air "I will have justice for my death!"

"haaah? How'd a cat end up here?" A elderly ghosts asks, pulling at the mists of its beards "How straaange"

Another, snarling leaps to tear at your throat. You flee deeper into the tombs to escape the feral spirits, as dozens others rises from their tombs and stand at attention. Luckily, a regiment blaming each other for their demise begins to brawl, rip and tearing at each other and distract the mindless wraith long enough for you to slip away.

Sighing, you peek out, and see a group of officers drawing a map in the dust, giggling madly as they direct beetles like soldiers.

"This is going to be more troublesome than anticipated" You hiss, flicking your tail to clean it of grave dust.

The first night you familiarize yourself with the layout of the initial layers of tombs and passageways, mapping them out to find your way through and out of them. You meet with a few familiar phantoms in the days that follow, as you watch and study the "Lives" of the ghosts.

The Broken Skull General, the unconcerned geezer, the beetle officers, the wild regiment, and of course the feral specter, who you avoid by tossing animal bones near its haunting places. Watching the dead, you begin to understand them, and through your spiritual senses find that you can vaguely see their grudges manifest as clouds of black miasma when you focus intently upon them.
cont

>>5045963

The rampaging general, who you have learned calls himself Xióngjī (雄鸡, Rooster) as he has forgotten his name and thinks the blood on his head resembles a rooster's comb.

Of course, it takes you several meetings to learn this, as he has little thoughts besides his seething grudge for seemingly everything beneath the sky. Particularly the gods, their followers and the king he served.

Who you learn still holds court in the lowest depths of the catacombs. And is no longer human in any sense. A chilling description of the man struck down by the heavens themselves. The Unconcerned General doesn't have a name for himself, the beetle officers are senseless drooling simpletons, and the regiment will not cease brawling long enough to hold a conversation with you.

After the first few, initial days of observing the ghosts and wandering the graves nearest to the demon's head gate, you travel lower into the catacombs, following the grudges of the dead as you go.

It is a week after that, that in the dark, you dare to try and absorb the Yin Qi heavy within the tombs. And to your surprise find that doing so soothes the ghosts you draw it from momentarily, bringing them a sense of transient peace while you absorb their spiritual energy.

A curious discovery, and a useful one. Using this knowledge, you are able to study the maddened spirits more intimately while cultivating upon the energies of death festering in the halls beyond the gate. And through this diligent study and the conversations you have with the dead soldiers, you knowledge of death increases. Turns out, speaking to ghosts of their tortured state of existence is an excellent way to learn of one of the most mysterious forces in life!

By time you've become comfortable and confident in traveling to the third layer of tombs, and take to meditating and refining your Qi amongst the dead and their graves, you find you are able to draw on not only on the Yin of the ghosts but their grudges as well.

Breathing in and swallowing the miasma reignites the grudge within you, but you subdue it once more with meditation.

These two discoveries prove to you that making a law based on grudges and ghosts, can be achieved. And so, you can begin forming it in earnest.

Now that you are certain this method has merit, what is your first step in forming your technique, Huānliúxuè?

>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results )

>Form your own martial style, inspired by the ethereal, floating movements of the ghosts (Martial trial. +10 from practice DC 60)

>Learn how to control grudge energy and use it to curse and bewitch living victims (Magic trial. +10 from practice. DC 60)

>Devour the weakest ghosts! [Extreme bad karma]

>Write in

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results )
Then we can get ourselves checked by granny for lingering side effects

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results )

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results )

While I'm not a proponent of active hunting and eating, I don't think we should flee the ghosts either. Next time this feral bitch comes at us, we should eat it to establish dominance.

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results)
Foundation before technique

>>5045964
>Form your own martial style, inspired by the ethereal, floating movements of the ghosts (Martial trial. +10 from practice DC 60)
>>5045997
What are the martial arts, if not the foundation of comprehension in both mind and body? I feel a meditation on the ghostliness of ghosts is warranted to determine their, spirit, if you will

>>5045964
>Form your own martial style, inspired by the ethereal, floating movements of the ghosts (Martial trial. +10 from practice DC 60)

>>5045964
>Form your own martial style, inspired by the ethereal, floating movements of the ghosts (Martial trial. +10 from practice DC 60)
Can't very well fend off a cultivator by breathing on him. Or can we?

>>5046034
Way I see it, we're different from human cultivators who start of weak and flimsy. We already are a killing machine by mortal standards, what we are lacking is cultivation. I agree though that martial arts should remain high on our agenda as soon as we have a solid base to build on.

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits

I prefer this first, so we can get the most use out of that +10

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results )

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results )

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results )

>>5045964
>Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way (Cultivation trial. +10 from practice. Higher number = More progress/ results )
Why do we need a martial style if we can't even enter a tavern to meet a rude young master to teach humility?

Ending the vote now. Tallying the results.

Calm the spirits by taking their excess Yin energy and devouring their grudges, cultivating in your own strange new way: 10

Form your own martial style, inspired by the ethereal, floating movements of the ghosts (DC 60): 3

So you will begin the formation of your law with its cultivation method, practicing it to see its effects and of course start cultivating your yet unformed/ named law to see the shape it will begin to take by constructing its most basic and important pillar.

Roll will be after the update, which will arrive shortly

>>5046421
As is the primary purpose for martial arts.

Of course you begin by laying the foundations of your yet formless technique, by seeking to both improve and refine its method of cultivation. As your sanctuary and the catacombs further beneath it are replete with dense Qi of both Raw Yin and Metal, as well as other resources you believe will be necessary to the formation of the unformed law's cultivation practices, it is prudent to begin with this first step before devising martial arts, spells, and other skills to accompany the infantile law. Once you have progressed enough to be confident in the framework of your self taught technique, you can begin experimenting with ways with which to express and utilize the unique forces it draws its power from.

After all, you have yet to advance beyond the initial stage of cultivation, the beginning of Qi Condensation, though you have progressed through your daily rituals and experimentation with the ghosts and miasma of their grudges. Ghosts who have no become used to your presence and the mysterious comfort it brings to their otherwise tortured existence. When you walks admits the grave's beyond the demon's head gate, most of the trapped souls greet you cordially or otherwise ignore your presence. However the moment you begin to cultivate upon the potent Yin from which they are all formed, they flock and gather around you almost instinctively. As if they were pensioners at a temple's shrine, begging its resident god to answer their prayers and ease the suffering of their lives. A few, like Xiongji, stand at attention by your sides almost as if they have become your personal guards, while others prostrate and kneel before you. The weakest appears as balls of ghostfire, hanging and circling you in increasingly complex arrays as you expand your knowledge of this new and strange method of cultivation.

You must appear as the queen of the damned and lost, sat upon her thrown of bones and grave markers, surrounded by burnt out incense and offerings of relics taken from the hands of the dead. Adopting the Lotus position as well as any feline body can, you ponder the road you now follow that has been walked by no other. In a way, this method of cultivation is similar to Closed door training as besides the company of ghosts its practioner would find themselves alone among the graves and corpses. And when they begin refining the Qi they absorb from the local flock of ghosts and their earthly remains, they become attuned to death itself. And when they breath in, drinking deep of the spiteful miasma that hangs around the vengeful spirits they herd, they dye their cultivation base and Internal energy with the potent force derived from their dying curses.

In your secluded, graveside meditation, you lose all perception of time and the material world. At times it feels as though you to have become an incorporeal spirit, at times your sense of identity muddles with that of the dead before you reclaim your sense of self and individuality.
Cont

>>5046537

Their grudges flare, grow, wither and are quieted within the crucible of your mind as you shepherd them through your body to refine them in the core of your being. The catacombs become both your spiritual retreat and garden, as you sooth the agonies of the ghosts by siphoning away their excess Yin energy, while breathing their grudges as if it were air. In this silent audience between the living and dead, you begin to sup upon the vital breath of death and enmity alike.

And you refine it within your meridians, enduring the stillness and chill of the grave as it begins to radiate from and crawl into you from every pore. As the essence of death and despair fills your three dantians, you achieve the tranquility of death while still living.

For days, you sit in a state of ceaseless meditation and cultivation, surrounded by the souls of the dead and the dark clouds of the grudges they carried from life into death. Stillness, negativity, darkness, destruction, softness and a thousand other sensations.

You can feel your essence transfigure as it becomes dominate by and aligned to Yin. The end of the first week of your seclusion in the catacombs comes to a close, while to your perceptions only enough time has passed for an incense stick to burn....

Roll 1d100. Best out of three. Add 10 to the final result

Rolled 3 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5046538

Rolled 27 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5046550
good job retard, here's how a real heaven chosen prodigy does it

Rolled 33 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5046538


>>5046550
DAMNIT ANON!

End result, 43. Moderate progress. Not stalled but you have also not advanced by Leaps and Bounds.

Update will arrive shortly

Rolled 56 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5046538

>>5046563
fuck

You open your eyes, and stretch out yawning as you consider your gains and progress of this inital period of cultivation and internal refinement! You've made noticeable progress and improvements in your form and technique. The Qi of Death suffices your body and fills your meridian. The ghosts, in a gaze, begin to depart from your company to return to their territories to continue their centuries long interment beneath the god forged mountain. Xiongji and the Nameless old man remain at your side, basking in the tranquility your cultivation brings to their otherwise pitiful and meaningless afterlives, if their haunting of this crypt could even be called as such.

Leaping from the tomb you've taken as your altar, you take the time to more intimately examine the results of your cultivation. Your body feels lighter, more graceful and ethereal seeming than any ordinary cat. The cold no longer bothers you and lingers in your flesh or within your bones. It would seem you've achieved a variation of the Lightness skill, Qinggong! one of the basic fundamentals of martial arts and cultivation alike! However the variation you have acquired through a week of meditation is different from how Granny Monu described Qinggong. When you utilize it, it does not feel as though your body is becoming lighter, but rather is becoming less corporeal and substantial, as if you are turning somewhat ghostly while remaining flesh and blood. With a little practice, you find you can, with great concentration, clumsily plod through the air like a feather in the wind. With a little more practice, you are certain you can move as agilely in the air as you do on the ground, or as naturally as a spirit would. What an incredible skill! Who can be certain how it will develop as your cultivation progresses and your talent improves! For now, you will refer to this unique variation of Qinggong as the "Specter Lightness skill" [幽灵-轻工, Yōulíng-Qīnggōng]

While you are intrigued by the alteration of your internal energy, you are more curious and excited to find the other skills and innate improvements your progress may produced. With a little concentration and focused effort, you find that manifest spiritual energy is now much easier than it was before. And that the unaltered essence of the forces you summon forth from the Qi circulating in your meridians has been transformed! Rather than an undefined ball or veil of pale, uncolored light, it is now manifests as a shroud of shadows or a sphere of condensed darkness surrounding pale silver moonlight. It's top trails with smoke like the feeblest of ghost do while in the shape of free floating fire. How curious, it would seem that cultivating upon Yin Qi and Death has altered the simplest expression of your own internal energy! With a little more concentration and expenditure of Qi, you are able to alter the spiritual energy to align it with Metal, crackling arcs of lightning emerging from within its core of moonlight.

Cont

>>5046624

Testing the destructive potential of this transmuted energy, you throw it from your paw at the nearest wall and watch it erupt into a swirling storm of inky blackness, that is soon washed away by silver light as it collapses inwards and cracks the marble wall, breaking a hole through into another chamber. The ghost resting inside said chamber turns to a ball of fire and flies away with a shriek. Sighing, you realize just how exhausting such magic is in your current state. But, from what you have already learned from Granny Monu, you can use this energy to augment and empower your strikes as well, but that is but one of its many potential uses.

As you catch you breath, you find you are able to unleash the grudges you have gathered within yourself with your breath, creating a a thick cloud of materialized resentment. Another useful ability, once you figure out how to best use it and further refine it. Yawning again, you stretch the soreness out of your back and pause as you notice you're able to more clearly perceive the ghosts and their grudges without first focusing your spiritual sense. A great boon, considering how closely tied both are to your cultivation.

Satisfied with the results of your initial cultivation, you are certain you've achieved the next rank of the Qi Condensation stage. And, decide that as it is the first step take for your self made law, it deserves a epithet to signify this prestigious if minor milestone. While the technique itself will remain nameless, its first stage will be called "Entering the Ghost Courtyard" [入鬼院, Rùguǐyuàn]. A fitting name considering the practices of the forming law. Thus, the earliest foundations of your cultivation technique have been laid!

What is your next course of action, Huānliúxuè?

>Search the catacombs for cultivation materials, braving lower graves for rare resources and treasure and risking being assaulted by more "inhuman" hungry ghosts

>Practice your newly obtained skills and search for a worthy opponent to test them upon. A wandering martial artist or exorcist should provide a worthwhile challenge.

>Befriend the Ghost Xiongji, and claim the uppermost levels of the catacomb as your property, expanding your sanctuary into the land of the dead

>Ask Granny Monu for advice on how to progress further and refine your practice. It is natural for a student to seek the wisdom of their teacher, after all

>Write in

>>5046626
>Ask Granny Monu for advice on how to progress further and refine your practice. It is natural for a student to seek the wisdom of their teacher, after all
It's important to check on her, she could kick the bucket after all

>>5046626
>Ask Granny Monu for advice on how to progress further and refine your practice. It is natural for a student to seek the wisdom of their teacher, after all
Grandma is always helpful.

>>5046626
>Advice first
When we have free time after
>Befriend a ghost and claim the upper.

Wait, wont granny become a ghost if she dies with the grudge unfulfilled?

>>5046626
>Befriend the Ghost Xiongji, and claim the uppermost levels of the catacomb as your property, expanding your sanctuary into the land of the dead

>>5046653
Probably

>>5046629
reading this makes me imagine Huanliuxue and Granny Monu recreating this scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DscJ5PFkZxQ

Oh! just realized, that before I hit the hay I should explain that Qinggong and Energy materialization are basic cultivator abilities.

However, The variation of Qinggong Huanliuxue acquired, and the specialized Yin+Death Aligned Qi she possesses certainly are not and are unique to her (currently). As is her ability to absorb, store and release grudges.

The improved cold tolerance and "Ghost/ spirit sight" are more uncommon at the level of Qi Condensation.

Just figured I should explain that, since I realized it might be a little confusing.

>>5046626
>Befriend the Ghost Xiongji, and claim the uppermost levels of the catacomb as your property, expanding your sanctuary into the land of the dead

>>5046626
>Ask Granny Monu for advice on how to progress further and refine your practice. It is natural for a student to seek the wisdom of their teacher, after all

and also

>Form your own martial style, inspired by the ethereal, floating movements of the ghosts (Martial trial. +10 from practice DC 60)

>>5046626
>Search the catacombs for cultivation materials, braving lower graves for rare resources and treasure and risking being assaulted by more "inhuman" hungry ghosts

>>5046626
>Befriend the Ghost Xiongji, and claim the uppermost levels of the catacomb as your property, expanding your sanctuary into the land of the dead

>>5046626
>Ask Granny Monu for advice on how to progress further and refine your practice. It is natural for a student to seek the wisdom of their teacher, after all
>Also, Show off.

Ending the vote now. Tallying the results

Ask Granny Monu for advice on how to progress further and refine your practice. It is natural for a student to seek the wisdom of their teacher, after all: 5

Befriend the Ghost Xiongji, and claim the uppermost levels of the catacomb as your property, expanding your sanctuary into the land of the dead: 4

Form your own martial style, inspired by the ethereal, floating movements of the ghosts (Martial trial): 1

Search the catacombs for cultivation materials, braving lower graves for rare resources and treasure and risking being assaulted by more "inhuman" hungry ghosts: 1

Show off: 1

So You will ask the toad witch for advice concerning the further development of your law.

Update will arrive shortly

I think we also need a new name and appearance, 欢流血 and blood red fur don't really match our gig anymore. I'm thinking fur either pitch black or pale white and for the name maybe something like Si Ling 死灵 (death spirit)