Instead of walking all the way, I decided to take the shorter route, this time with Taiyin in my arms. Sky Stepping was still a skill I was not extremely proficient in, but the girl did not need to know that. After her initial shrieking of fear, she seemed to be having a wonderful time. I couldn’t blame her; flying was a special experience. Even as someone who had lived in a modern world with airplanes that flew way higher than I could currently, there was something special about being able to fly with your own body, to take off into the skies and roam freely, unhindered by gravity. I would never say this to Yu Song, but sometimes I was honestly jealous of his ability to shoot up into the skies without a care.As we moved about the skies above the sect, I slowly began to lower my speed, descending near the familiar courtyard where the former Yan clan members had settled. It had been surprising to see how many of them had chosen to stay behind, but I suspected part of that was because

The doll walked up to the girl, still moving around freely, unlike the other dolls that had fallen. I looked at Yan Yun. "So, what do you think? There's clearly something special about this one doll in particular, but even so, her ability is quite curious." "It is indeed quite curious," Yan Yun said. "I suspect she might be manifesting Puppeteer Chi, although it could also very well be Life Chi—to give life to inanimate objects. It's difficult to say right now, given that she is still fairly young and does not understand her own abilities," she explained. "Does that happen very often? To awaken an ability without truly understanding what it is?" I asked. "Indeed, it does happen, although it is not exactly common. Sometimes people unlock insights that they do not understand consciously, but they do understand it instinctively. I suspect Taiyin knows exactly what her ability is; she just doesn't know it consciously," Yan Yun said. "Do you think it could work on people, her abil

“Indeed. For example, one scholar had managed to figure out how to make certain mixtures of sand and seashells, among other things, to create this liquid rock sludge—the cement, I believe. He had gotten the inspiration from one of the merchants who brought it over from the western continents. But the man himself had been unable to earn any money from his discovery, as the masons and bricklayers had protested and threatened him from sharing his findings. The recipe that he had found was superior to ours, and I managed to acquire it.”I shook my head in disappointment, reflecting on how some things never change, regardless of the world one is in."I hope you gave him fair compensation," I inquired, concerned about the scholar's treatment."I did, or I tried to. He seemed very skeptical about why a cultivator would want his recipe, since traditionally we had just used those capable of manipulating earth elements to directly form structures instead," Yueling explained."Right, which I’m s

“But it is not completely hopeless,” Lord Zhou added. “The nobles will be waiting to see whose side you are on. Whose pawn you truly are. No one expects you to be independent; rarely has anyone ever been in a position like yours without some sort of backing. This will be beneficial for you to gain favors and form connections. But if they learn of the threats you pose to them…”“I am aware, my lord. And I am working on the problem as we speak. There are lots of potential connections that have already been formed; the people who are aware are starting to reach out to learn more about me. The Shie have already shown some interest in supporting me, having found out earlier about some of the things I’m doing through Liuxiang. The sect patriarch of Cloudy Peaks has also shown some interest, but his knowledge is more limited, and his intentions are to test me,” I said.“That is good. The Shie are powerful, as one of the ducal clans within the empire, their backing is powerful support. Especi

Chi circulated around Flee as she sat in her chamber meditating. Her Path had shifted when the heavens had changed. Her Qi had changed, alongside the heavens, as Chi had taken its place instead. As a result, her lightning had shifted subtly as well, though she couldn’t quite tell how.It was as if before her lightning had a constant shape, a defined form where it knew exactly what it was, but now it felt fuzzier, like instead of something fixed, it was more a bundle of potential, possibilities that could go in any direction she wanted.Flee took in a breath, trying to meditate as best as she could while following the cultivation arts that she had read. She couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated, her goal had been to follow in the footsteps of her great master, but now it felt like she had just been left behind, while he soared far ahead of her.Flee let out a breath, the feelings of frustration interfering with her cultivation. She opened her eyes, looking at the cultivation book