Patrick Laplante
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PtM Book 17 - Chapter 28: Proving His Worth
🕑 Added 2022-12-17 22:41:01 +0000 UTC2/3 this week. More to follow ^^.
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Patriarch Blighted Heaven was an early law stitching cultivator, but unlike most cultivators in his sect, heâd cultivated both his qi and his body. Huxian had given Cha Ming an extensive portfolio on the major figures in his region. The Patriarchâs demigod bloodline was that of God-Emperor Blighted Heaven, who was famous in demonic circles for slaying the legendary Moongold Condor.
âAre you ready, Clear Sky?â the Patriarch asked Cha Ming. Storm clouds crackled around his body, filling the local area with an electric field that would make aerial combat difficult.
âIâm ready,â Cha Ming said. He barely had time to react before Blighted Heaven made his move. Cha Ming brought up his staff on instinct, mobilizing his 90% fused energy to block. Two pairs of wings burned brightly on his back as he activated Triune Soul Burn to boost his cultivation.
He barely caught Blighted Heavenâs fist as it came tearing out from one of his blind spots, faster than his eyes could see. The fist collided with his staff, and the impact sent them both flying back.
Cha Ming was the clear loser in the exchange. A burst of electrical energy had pounded through his body and damaged his internal organs. As for Blighted Heaven, he absorbed the blow by performing an artistic backflip.
âNot bad, Clear Sky,â Blighted Heaven said. âI specialize in assassination, and you were able to defend against a surprise attack. But letâs see how well you fare against brute force.â
A clone of wind appeared beside Blighted Heaven as he pulled his fist back a second time. The movements were fully telegraphed such that the entire audience could see what he was doing. He ran at Cha Ming full force, merging with his wind clone mid-charge.
Cha Ming countered like with like. A painted clone of wind appeared beside him and merged with his body. Wind clashed at their point of impact, though once again, Cha Ming lost out on the exchange. This time, his bodyâs composition was disrupted. âAgain!â Cha Ming said, and Patriarch Blighted Heaven nodded.
âYou can handle wind. But what of lightning?â said the Patriarch. A second clone appeared beside him, this one formed of bane lightning. Cha Mingâs painted lightning clone appeared to counter it and merged with his body. Wind and lightning collided, creating a unified storm energy that filled his staff with explosiveness.
This time, he did not fly so far back, and Blighted Heaven was less relaxed in absorbing the recoil. âYour wind and lightning arenât fully reconciled,â Cha Ming said to Patriarch Blighted Heaven. âBut I believe a few sessions of training in Bloodstorm Gorge will fix that weakness.â
âYou talk too much,â said Blighted Heaven. A third clone appeared, this one made of sound. It merged with storm, creating a violent mixture that emphasized speed and explosiveness.
Cha Ming countered with his blood clone. It interred his body, creating a temporary mixture of bloodstorm energy. Unlike Blighted Heaven, his superimposition emphasized harmony, but this harmony was no less lethal.
Their three layers of superimposed energies met, and this time, Cha Mingâs energies tore through Blighted Heavenâs. He even managed to break through the Patriarchâs defense. Yet there was a clear difference in their cultivation levels, and Blighted Heavenâs much large energy stores allowed him to envelop and overwhelm Cha Ming.
âThatâs an impressive technique,â Cha Ming said as his body reformed. âIs it your clanâs secret art?â
âI made up this technique myself, actually.â Blighted Heaven said. âI call it Storm Godâs Wrath. But itâs clearly not up to part with your own energy fusion technique.â
âI call the three-layer integration Bloodstorm Crush,â said Cha Ming. âWhy donât we exchange blows a few more times? Itâs a rare opportunity for the both of us to improve.â
Blighted Heaven did not refuse him. He appeared behind Cha Ming a split second later, using a non-telegraphed version of Storm Godâs Wrath. Cha Ming responded with Bloodstorm Crush, using the external pressure provided by Blighted Heaven to force all three energies to align properly.
All-Heavenâs Eye was perfect for such situations. Not only was he able to spot the weaknesses in his own technique, he was also able to decipher the inner workings of Storm Godâs Wrath and integrate its strong points into his technique.
Cha Ming and Blighted Heaven exchanged dozens of blows. Cha Ming made initial progress on Bloodstorm Crush and brought it to a level where he could double the strength of his staff strikes.
He was quite satisfied by such fast improvement, but Luther thought otherwise. Master, your control over lightning is simply⌠atrocious, said the lightning soul.
Come on, it canât be that bad, said Cha Ming.
Miao! said the two other kittens, Coral and Disaster.
Seriously? Youâre taking his side? Cha Ming said to them.
Master, you should incorporate us into your bloodstream to regulate these forces, as you clearly arenât capable of doing it yourself, said Luther.
⌠Fine, said Cha Ming. Show me what you can do.
Three portals opened up from the Clear Sky World, releasing the three elementals. They shot into his body, filling Cha Mingâs blood, muscle, and bones with frightening potential.
The energy was far too violent for Cha Ming to handle, but under the influence of the three elementals, it was made docile. Cha Ming saw an immediate improvement in his technique. The three forces overlaid in such a way that he could exert three times his initial strength.
The change took Blighted Heaven by surprise. Cha Mingâs sudden burst of perfectly harmonized bloodstorm energy smashed through his defenses, tearing through his fist and tearing off his arm. As a demigod, he quickly regenerated the damage, but the healing was much slower than normal.
âUsing elementals to aid in energy control,â Blighted Heaven said. âIâve seen it done before, but never with three separate entities.â
âDo we continue, then?â Cha Ming asked.
âYour ability to adapt is too frightening,â Blighted Heaven said. âI am not your match in this regard. Since I am not threat to you, I will yield the field to your next opponent.â
Blighted Heaven flew back to his platform, and a man with dark skin, white hair and a moon-shaped brand appeared on the stage. This cultivator was called Patriarch Crescent Moon, and he was the leader of the Crescent Moon Clan.
âWell met, Clear Sky,â Patriarch Crescent Moon said.
âWell met, Patriarch Crescent Moon,â Cha Ming replied.
âI am the fastest among the Tier 2 sect masters, so I will be responsible for testing your speed,â Crescent Moon explained. âLet us see how you fair against my star-breaking assault.â
A spear pierced Cha Mingâs back faster than he could react. A gaping hole in Cha Mingâs torso, though thanks to his powerful inner world, it was already regenerating. As for Patriarch Crescent Moon, he had vanished. He moved so quickly that Cha Ming could only see after images.
Cha Ming had already assumed Clear Rune Transformation, but hadnât yet sent out a Clear Rune Field. He did so now by spreading the blood heâd just shed, then used the field to execute Clear Rune Steps. Though it wasnât strictly teleportation, Clear Rune Steps achieved the same effect, but did not release spatial fluctuations that would give away his location.
Step. A spear screamed past Cha Mingâs forehead, barely missing it as he vanished.
Step. Cha Mingâs staff rose to defend against a rapid downward slash, but he was too slow, and his head exploded.
Step. This time, the spear was sweeping at his legs. Cha Ming angled a kick sideways but was too slow. His leg blew apart, forcing him to retreat and relocate.
Cha Ming continued stepping away, but he could never do so quickly enough to avoid all damage. In fact, he was struggling to comprehend how exactly how this was happening.
Itâs momentum, Cha Ming realized after a few exchanges. He has momentum, and I donât. Clear Rune Steps is a very good movement technique, but it has a few major weaknesses. One of them is that I canât conserve momentum.
Accelerating from zero velocity to fighting velocity was difficult to do, especially when the fight was a fast-paced one. Patriarch Crescent Moon knew this, and he refused to give Cha Ming any time to recover.
In the past, I would have tried using Savage Deity Rush in conjunction with Clear Rune Steps. But now that my energies have almost completely fused, thatâs impossible. Like Savage Deity Crush, I donât have anything explosive to rely on. Or do I? Memories of the last battle flashed through his mind. Bloodstorm energy was quite explosive and could be used to increase his offense. Couldnât he do the same with his speed?
No, I canât use the same approach, he concluded. But that doesnât mean itâs hopeless. He stepped again, but before the spear could land a hit again, he used Seventy-Two Transformations to dematerialize. His body turned into lightning, wind, and blood simultaneously, which then fused into explosive bloodstorm energy.
The shift was too quick, however, and his three elementals failed to stabilize his body. He exploded as Crescent Moonâs spear blasted him with moonlight.
Demigods were hardy, so the evaluation wouldnât stop after a single âdeathâ. Chaw Ming reformed a short distance away, where he tried dematerializing again. This time, Luther was prepared. He rallied his two helpers, and together, they were able to pull off a preliminary combination.
âTraining a new technique mid-battle is not wise,â said Patriarch Crescent Moon. âI am not Blighted Heaven. I will not give you time to succeed.â A beam of moonlight tore through Cha Mingâs incorporeal form, destroying yet another time.
âItâs a good thing Iâm not training, but creating,â said Cha Ming.
âThat is even more foolish,â said Crescent Moon. âCreation takes training and countless hours of repetition.â
âPerhaps for most,â said Cha Ming. âBut not for me.â
Cha Ming had as few advantages this time. Firstly, he had Savage Deity Rush to draw reference from. Secondly, he had three elementals to assist him. Thirdly, he didnât need to harmonize his bloodline, create a divine technique, or harmonize laws. He was a painter. All he needed was a painting. A story.
He painted with his body, first creating a smaller pair of wings, then shaping the bloodstorm energies into a rough form. Then he painted in the details, elements that couldnât be conveyed using runes, but that he as a painter could see in his mindâs eye as he put them down on the sky, his canvas.
Bloodstorm Rush was not a new technique. It already existed, for Cha Ming had already imagined it. It belonged to a unique species of bird that existed in the immortal realms, the bloodstorm falcons.
Bloodstorm falcons were from a kingly bloodline, but their dream was to produce an emperor. They did not reproduce naturally but were born of the blood of deceased immortals and demigods and demons that failed their calamities.
He infused this story into his blood and the essence of his three elementals. Every attempt he made drew closer to the image in his mind, until finally, he successfully evaded. Just for a second, but that second meant everything.
Bloodstorm Rush had not yet reached its full potential, but it was now quick enough to maneuver between clashes. Cha Ming alternated between incorporeal and corporeal form, dissociating to evade, then shooting back towards Crescent Moon for another bout.
Soon, only have of Crescent Moonâs blows connected. Then a third. Then a quarter. Finally, Cha Ming was able to block nine tenths of his attacks, assuming that he was seeking to clash in the first place.
âWeâll stop here for today,â Patriarch Crescent Moon finally said. âIn a prolonged battle, I would win a war of attrition. But according to my sources, you have a long-distance fleeing technique. I would never be able to catch up once you broke away.â
The Patriarch retired, and Grand Artificer Fei, having consulted with Patriarch Sacred Earth, called an end to their evaluation. âThe Puppet Lighting Region has no qualms with Warden Clear Skyâs proposal,â she said. âI suggest we grant him some time to rest before continuing the assessment.â
âApproved,â said Abbot True Blood.
âI dissent, but I am outnumbered,â Azure Tempest said.
âMany thanks for allowing me time to recuperate,â Cha Ming said. âI wonât take long.â He flew back to his platform near a worried Huxian and started recovering using the Clear Sky World.
Are you alright? Huxian asked worriedly.
Iâm fine, Cha Ming said. Itâll only take me a few hours to recover.
Donât lie to me, said Huxian. You used Triune Soul Burn. That damage doesnât just go away.
Cha Ming shook his head. Itâll take much less time than before. I wonât be doing much fighting for the next year or so if I can help it. I can afford this much.
Six hours later, Cha Ming flew off the platform to accept the next challenge. This time, it was Abbot True Blood who flew out to greet him. He did not attack as Blighted Heaven and Crescent Moon had, and even wore a smile on his face.
âWell done, Clear Sky,â Abbot True Blood said. âYouâve achieved far more than anyone ever imagined. Iâve been telling everyone that trade is far preferable to war for years now. Why fight when you can make money?â
âYouâre a monk,â Cha Ming said. âGreed doesnât become you.â
âEveryone needs to eat,â said the abbot. âAs the leader of all the monks in the monastery, I canât well let my people starve, can I?â
âWhere I come from, monks live off charity,â said Cha Ming.
âThen Iâm a hundred percent certain theyâre peaceful monks that donât shed blood,â said Abbot True Blood. âBut enough of that. Letâs talk about your test. The first test is a test of endurance.â He tossed out a handful of blood-colored seeds, which immediately sprouted and transformed into soldier constructs.
âPod soldiers?â Cha Ming asked. This was a very famous Buddhist path ability.
âA modified version,â Abbot True Blood said. âMy seeds are practically limitless. Letâs see how long you can last.â
The blood soldiers charged at Cha Ming, who immediately destroyed them with precise staff strikes. Only to discover that their number had doubled. It only took a few rounds for Cha Ming to realize that he was surrounded by dozens of pods soldiers, and those dozens would soon become hundreds, then thousands.
Cha Mingâs skillset wasnât exactly built for such battles, but he wasnât helpless. He first sent out Luther, Coral, and Disaster to buy him time. All three of them were able to showcase early law-stitching strength, and they made short work of the pod soldiers using wind, blood, and lightning.
Abbot True Blood was unfazed by their participation. These were Cha Mingâs elemental companions, and part of his strength. âNot bad, but not enough if youâre surrounded by an army.â He threw out another handful of seeds to add to their number.
Tens of thousands of red pod soldiers appeared every second now. The three cats were having trouble keeping up.
But Cha Ming was a painter and had several works on hand. He sent out completed paintings from the Clear Sky World before drawing on his ample ink reserves and painting a fresh army.
Paintings needed a story. They needed a theme. Instead of painting individually, he painted tens of thousands of heads, devils made of blood and storm.
Cha Ming had already thought up Bloodstorm Falcons. They were the concentrated essence of immortals that fell to tribulations. What of the dregs? These, he called bloodstorm devils, and they were legion.
Tens of thousands poured out of the canvas, yet their numbers werenât depleted in the slightest. Like the pod soldiers, they were endless.
âEnough!â said Abbot True Blood, pulling back his pod soldiers. âYou clearly have the endurance to survive even if surrounded. All that remains for me is to test your soul.â He summoned a glob of blood that morphed into a lotus that made ripples on the pattern of reality. âThink not of this as a test, but an opportunity. Realize that despite your advantages, you are not strong. You are weak, and in need of improvement.â
The ripples intensified, and Cha Mingâs heart began to pump wildly. One moment, he was angry, and the next, he was said. He didnât even know why heâd lost his temper, or why he was crying, or why his cultivation sped up one moment then slowed down the next.
It didnât take long for Cha Ming to realize his aura was compromised. Abbot True Bloodâs lotus had dominated him on a spiritual level without him even knowing it.
Cha Ming only had a single thing that could defend against such an attack: His Heartforge Spirit Flame. The three-colored flame shot out from the Clear Sky World, and the pressure Cha Ming felt lessened substantially.
âYour aura strength and quality arenât bad, but your control is lacking,â Abbot True Blood said. âThis flower is the manifestation of my True Blood Avatar. I fused it with my spirit and core to create this nascent soul. This aura technique is called Blood Heart Melody.â
The name prompted Cha Ming to check his heartbeat, and as expected, he noticed it was being manipulated. And not just his heart â the pulsing of his qi, of his mind, and of his emotions. Cha Mingâs Heartforge Spirit Flame naturally cycled through intense emotion, cold emotionlessness, and inspiration. Blood Heart Melody dealt with those same emotions, but it used his blood and soul to attack that cycle with music.
Sometimes, the melody was weak. At other times, it was powerful. It didnât take long for Cha Ming to understand the Abbotâs meaning â his Heartforge Aura had a good framework, but it lacked rhythm. It lacked life.
Cha Ming began to vary the intensity of his flame. A personâs heart would be at a regular pace, but that pace varied depending on the circumstances. Whether it was strenuous exercise, a fateful encounter, or tense situation, a heartbeat would have its own music. Its own melody.
Youngsters had a quick heartbeat. As they grew older, their heartbeat slowed down. Falling in love was a sure way to get your heart moving. Cultivation, on the other hand, could stop oneâs heart entirely.
It wasnât long before Cha Ming gained preliminary control over this rhythm. He didnât paint this time but listened for music. Perhaps it was due to his earlier bribery, but the abbotâs music was simple and easy to dissect. He came up with a counter-melody, which greatly enhanced his own aura and Heartforge Spirit Flame.
They fought back and forth for what seemed like hours until finally, the Abbot stopped. âYour spiritual energy has run dry,â said the abbot. âBut your performance was acceptable. You get a pass.â
Cha Ming blinked and realized that it had only been ten minutes. âSo little time?â he said. His energy stores were completely exhausted, and his robes were soaked through with blood. âHow could this possibly count as a pass?â
âWell, I canât expect you to be a match for a soul expert,â Abbot True Blood said. âLasting ten minutes against me is already very good. Give yourself credit where itâs due.â
Cha Ming clasped his hands and bowed. âMany thanks for your instruction, Abbot True Blood.â His gains in this battle werenât small.
âThe True Blood Region finds no issue with Daoist Clear Skyâs proposal,â Abbot True Blood announced. âWe suggest giving him time to rest.â
âSeconded,â Grand Artifier Fei said.
âI protest the decision but will abidef,â said Azure Tempest.
This time, Cha Ming rested for a whole day. âIâm ready,â he said to the sect master.
âAre you sure you rested enough?â Azure Tempest asked lazily. âIf you like, we could find you a massage, and have the caterers prepare a special meal for you. The battlefield waits for everyone, or so Iâm told.â
âMy apologies for making your wait, Sect Master,â Cha Ming said drily. âNearly dying twice over was a little too much for me. It would be a pity if I canât withstand so much as a single sneeze from you.â
Sect Master Azure Tempest did not fly up above the amphitheatre like the others. Instead, she transformed into an azure blur that immediately shot towards his platform. Cha Ming was ready, however. He assumed Clear Rune Form, executed Triune Soul Burn, and then used Clear Rune Steps to get as far away from her as possible.
Sect Master Azure Tempest was hot on his heels, so Cha Ming used Bloodstorm Rush to open a gap. A spatial fissure appeared as twin tempests materialized where heâd been standing.
She just tried to kill me! Cha Ming thought. For real! She made no attempt to hide her killing intent. If not for his creation of Bloodstorm Rush heâd have been ground into meat paste.
There was reason Cha Ming had used Bloodstorm Rush and not another Clear Rune Step. Over the course of the sect masterâs pursuit, heâd noticed that even while dodging, he was still taking damage. The sect master was perceptive and had keyed on one of the weaknesses of his Clear Rune Field: using the field required him spreading out his body, which made him susceptible to area of effect techniques.
âTch. You found out already,â Azure Tempest said. âAnd here I thought I could teach you a lesson about covering up your weaknesses.â She attacked again, and this time, Cha Ming was as bit better prepared. He used Bloodstorm Rush to dodge an azure wind scar the size of a house - only to discover that Azure Tempest was right in front of him.
It was too late to dodge, so Cha Ming met her descending palm with his staff. The impact destroyed Cha Mingâs body, which immediately reformed not far away. He inspected his energy reserves and paled when he realized that a single attack had taken out twenty five percent of his reserves. âYour reputation as the sect master with the greatest offensive power isnât undeserved,â Cha Ming said.
âShow me what youâve got or die Clear Sky,â Azure tempest said.
Cha Ming didnât hesitate. He sent out the Clear Sky Brush and began to paint. Flames erupted from the Clear Sky Brush. Yang flames filled the sky and yin flames filled the land. Beauty and death mixed for a precious instant before shattering. Cha Ming channeled the power of mental trauma and heartbreak into a painting made of soul fire, which he then sent crashing down onto Sect Master Azure Tempest.
To his dismay, Azure Tempest simply raised a hand and pushed. A blast of azure wind blew away both types of flames, scattering his attack. âThis attack is useless against those with stronger souls,â she said. âTry something else.â
âSince my Spirit Flame Style is useless, have a taste of this,â Cha Ming said. He pulled Disaster into his brush and painted his own tempest filled with tiny azure claws. They cut the sky, filling it with tiny azure wind scars that filled the nearest five hundred meters.
âInteresting,â Azure Tempest said. Her eyes and her hair began to glow with the purest azure coloring as a howling wind picked up with her at the center. Her wind clashed with Cha Mingâs, creating a zone of shattered void between them. âYouâve combined Azure Tempest Descends and Azure Wind Scar and improved upon them. What do you call this technique?â
âItâs not a technique, itâs a painting,â Cha Ming said. âI call it Sky Tearing Wind. Itâs part of a sequence, if you want to experience it.â
âIf this is just the start, Iâm looking forward to it,â Azure Tempest said. âBut donât think Iâll let you have it easy.â Her aura blasted out and combined with her azure tempest winds. The wind scars it produced were much larger than his. It wasnât long before Disaster started losing ground.
Seeing that Sky Tearing Wind alone was not enough, Cha Ming drew Coral into the Clear Sky brush and painted a second layer. âThis one is called Blood Calamity Hail.â Chips of icy blood that flew out of Cha Mingâs brush and combined with the Sky Tearing wind. The ice chips were tiny claws made entirely of crystalized true blood.
The combined power of both paintings fought back Azure Tempestâs storm. But not for long â the sect master coughed out a mouthful of blood that flew into the winds and strengthened the storm. The sky began to shatter from the conflicting laws, and Cha Mingâs painting began to destabilize.
Cha Ming drew Luther into the Clear Sky Brush and painted the third layer. âThis is the third painting is called, Soul Lashing Rain,â he said. Drops of cat-shaped lighting drops splashed onto his composite storm, giving it life. Wind, blood, and lightning combined, immediately doubling the power of the storm.
âYou might not know this, but Azure Tempest Descends is separated into four stages,â said Sect Master Azure Tempest. âYou have experienced the first three, Winds Gather, Winds Shatter, and Sky Asunder. Letâs see how well your painting holds up Clear Sky. This is the fourth stage, Azure Tempest Descends!â
The storm winds intensified, but instead of growing, the storm compressed. Her five-hundred-meter tempest shrank down until it was only twenty meters in diameter before abruptly descending onto Cha Mingâs location.
By now, the winds were so powerful that even the strongest Daoist at his level would not be able to withstand it. Only with a Dao Godâs constitution would one be able to endure them, unless one first broke through to the shell marking realm.
Using Clear Rune Steps to evade was out of the question, since fusing with the land would make him doubly vulnerable to the attack. Teleportation was impossible due to the stormâs spatial shattering effect. Using Bloodstorm Rush would also be suicidal. The technique enabled one to move quickly and evade a great amount of physical damage, but it left one susceptible to certain forms of attack, wind being one of them.
âIf thatâs all you have, then die!â Azure Tempest shouted. She stomped downwards, evoking a resonance with the local laws, shattering them, and sending the azure tempest crashing towards Cha Ming. There was nowhere to run. There was no way to defend. Cha Ming could only fight head on.
To date, Cha Ming had only partially fused bloodstorm energy. His bloodstorm wings, Bloodstorm Crush, and Bloodstorm Rush were good attempts, but they couldnât be sustained for very long. Heâd also fused these three same paintings together in his battle against Dao God Blood Seal.
The fusion of wind, blood, and lightning was apocalyptic. Heâd learn that fighting blood seal, and had become very familiar with how the three energies could fight by witnessing dozens of squabbles between the three elemental cats that had devastated his residence.
It was these feelings he drew upon as he painted a large cat fighting two tiny but bold kittens. It was a strange thing to paint while fighting a sect master, but results couldnât be argued with. The three paintings compressed together into a bloodstorm painting in the form of a catâs paw that met the descending tempest and the sect masterâs palm.
The paw print and the tempest smashed together, pitching fused bloodstorm energy and his three elementals, Luther, Coral, and Disaster against the laws of wind and shattered space. Cha Ming knew it was impossible to wind, but he knew that if he didnât meet her minimum expectations, he would die. Also, barely holding on and embarrassing himself would allow the sect masters to save face.
Both his painting and Azure Tempestâs technique exploded. Wind and spatial energy crashed into Cha Mingâs body, destroying it again and again. He lost count of how many times he broke down and regenerated, and how many times his three helpers, Luther, Coral, and Disaster materialized as a shields of bloodstorm energy to mitigate the impact.
âI yield!â Cha Ming called out. âYou win! Itâs impossible for me to defeat you!â
The wind stopped almost immediately. âAnd here I thought you were lacking self awareness,â Sect Master Azure Tempest said. âDo you admit your mistakes?â
âI am no match for you all,â Cha Ming said. âI can only try my best.â
âIn that case, you barely pass on power and law control,â said Azure Tempest. âBonus points for innovation. You also pass my true test, knowing when to fight and when to yield. The Azure Tempest Sect seeâs no issue with Clear Skyâs proposal.â
Cha Ming heaved a sigh of relief as he dragged himself back to the bloodstorm platform. He was battered an low on energy, but he would recover.
Good job out there, Abbot True Blood said to him as he Sr down to recuperate. Sheâs been unhappy all meeting long. Maybe sheâll start being reasonable now that sheâs let off some steam.
Howâs your soul?Huxian asked Cha Ming. He sent a wave of vitality over to enhance his recovery.
Iâll live, Cha Ming said. These sect masters were harsh on me, but they were careful not to harm my foundation.
Thatâs good, Huxian said. But remember your promise. Youâll rest for a year. Real time, not time accelerated.
I already promised, Cha Ming said. Now letâs see what they decided on in the end.
âWith all three regions agreeing in principle to combine our regions, negotiations can now move forward,â Abbot True Blood said. âBut weâll need a name. What do you all think of using Bloodstorm Region as a working title?â
âItâs not a bad name,â Grand Artificer Fei agreed. âWhat do you think, Sect Master Azure Tempest?â
âItâs an acceptable name,â Azure Tempest said. âNot very original, but descriptive. Also, I feel we need to give Clear Sky a bit of face. Weâre taking Bloodstorm Gorge, after all. Unless thatâs changed?â Cha Ming shook his head. âExcellent.â
âI suggest we break up into smaller groups and discuss with each of our factions before voting on any major decisions,â Abbot True Blood said. âIt occurs to me that this amphitheater and these mountains would be a fine location for this activity. Clear Sky, does this thing have a key or something? Or a command imprint to control the formation?â
Cha Mingâs eye twitched. âYouâve all agreed in principle, but I didnât see any signed documents.â
âCome now, whereâs all the hope and good faith you keep talking about?â Abbot True Blood said.
Cha Ming glared at him fiercely before tossing him the formationâs keystone. âHereâs the backup key. Youâll have the real one once I see a signed and certified agreement.â
Cha Ming was half-dead from exhaustion and would require an extended recovery. He and Huxian left after leaving instructions with the caterers. One week of catering tops. After that, the sect masters could take care of their own catering.
Cha Ming and Huxian returned to the Heartforge Realm, tired to the bone but quite satisfied with how things went. âAbout that trade dealâŚâ
âIâll swing it somehow,â Huxian said with a shrug. âI have a lot of pull. If Twisted Horn doesnât agree, Iâll paint his furniture red and put an indelible target on his back.â
âWhat a year,â Cha Ming said.
âTell me about it,â said Huxian. âYouâd be amazed at how hard it is to buy high quality bath salts. I spent days on my communicator to figure it out, and it still took a year! All to kill a stupid leech!â
Cha Ming chuckled. âI wonder who else is back.â
âI think Petrosâs lights are on,â Huxian said. âWant to invite him over?â
âSure,â Cha Ming said. âAnd Iâve been thinking. Damage aside, my place is looking pretty good these days. I have paintings and furniture. I can make half-decent dishes. Do you mind if I host a small party in about a week?â
Huxianâs jaw dropped. âYou? Host?â
âIs there a problem?â Cha Ming asked.
âJust⌠let me confirm,â Huxian said. âYou. Are inviting people. That arenât me. Into your house?â
âOnly a few people,â Cha Ming said defensively. âI need to ease into it. Iâll ask Petros if heâs game. Invite your two girlfriends over if theyâre up to it.â
âTheyâre not my girlfriends,â Huxian said.
âSure they arenât,â Cha Ming teased. âBy the way, how are Miyue and Bifang doing?â A shoe came flying his way.
