There was no living soul in this world which Xiān Dì would allow to speak to him like this. Indeed, were it not for that soul-bond, Xiān Dì was certain that he would have slain Shen long ago, when he had been more arrogant than he was now. It was this reason, among others, that had led him to avoid his martial brother for many decades; they had no choice but to talk things out. The bond had been wrought so long ago that removing it would tear both their souls apart, much like a cage of iron bands could not be removed from within a great tree that had once been held together by those same bands.
“The Sage would have become a problem regardless," Xiān Dì said. "Who knows what devilry he would have invented if he managed to worm his way into a proper sect. That man… Did you know he could fly solely under the force of his Qi? And he had the gall to say he did not know martial arts when we met. Speaking of martial arts, I must disappoint you, as I have not come just to see my martial brother...”
Xiān Dì waved his hand, and six thick scrolls made of Serpent-tree scalewood slipped out of his sleeve onto the table. They were bound in cord of varying colour and held shut with mutton-fat jade seals.
“What are they?”
“Six cultivation manuals for methods which I devised over the last six centuries. They are written in Hundredfold Divine Wisdom Sigils, making each a library unto itself. Breathing methods, fitting martial arts and weapons, breakthrough conditions, tribulations, pills and elixirs, arrays and formations, even favourable terrain conditions. I want you to distribute them to those who will use them to give the most face to my New Era of Cultivation.”
He gestured at the two leftmost scrolls. One bound in red, the other in jade-green.
“Two of them are Yang. One is Yang Complimentary, the other is Yang Contrasting. The first must go to a man with a strong inner Yang, and the latter to a woman of the same nature.”
Then, to the two rightmost scrolls. One was bound in pale blue, the other in dark purple.
“In the same way, these two are Yin. It is up to you to find the recipients of these four. The Scholarly Toad Sect contains a high number of eunuchs who did not pass the imperial examinations or were not selected for other reasons.”
The middle two were last, bound in black and white respectively.
“These two are neutral. They require excellent spiritual strength, and the White Scroll requires a strong affinity for a single element, while the Black Scroll benefits from the absence of any one strong affinity. Send one of these to the monks of Er Shan, and the other to any small monastery in the countryside.”
A flick of the Emperor’s finger sent them sliding across the table towards Shen. Another wave of his sleeve. This time, artifacts fell out. Rings and bracelets, slips of jade, a trio of immaculately-crafted jade swords bundled together. A forearm-length knife whose edge reflected uncounted copies of itself lined up. A thick, curved, golden-edged sabre whose spine jangled with six rings of varied, but equally complex design, each made of material aligned to one of the five principal wuxing elements. Lastly, a silver dart attached to a length of sinew-rope. At the rope’s other end was a six-sided weight with a spiked underside, bearing numeral symbols on each of its flat sides. One, five, ten, thirty, fifty, one hundred.
Everything bore the imperial seal in some form; a white dragon curled in a circle around a peach flower. The knife had it on its pommel, while the swords had it on their scabbards, and the sabre on its basketlike guard.
“These shall accompany the scrolls.”
Once more he sent them over to Shen, and summoned a whole new wave of scrolls and artifacts. They bore a different seal, one not used in any official capacity, but Shen felt the same magic radiating from it as the seals on the previous objects. While some of these artifacts seemed of reasonable design, others were so grim and radiated such ominous auras that Shen could not expect them to be anything but the tools of killers. He presumed that his liege intended to use these as equipment for a shadow sect, or perhaps to found a demonic sect that would serve the Emperor without even knowing it.
“And these. They are to go to outlaw cultivators, or to those who have sought cultivation in the past in contravention of my mandate, but take care that they are not overly likely to become a subversive or rebellious element. These Seals of Abyssal Wisdom contain my mercy, but I would regret invoking it. They are to serve as twofold proof of my intent to see Pateirian cultivation reinvigorated, rather than to bait cultivators out of hiding for a purge."
“But… These do not bear your seal. How are they to be tied to you?”
“They are not. Whereas these heroic cultivation manuals and artifacts shall be bestowed by the Heavenly Dao, these unheroic counterparts shall be bestowed by the Abyssal Dao. In this manner, both sides of the Dao shall be aligned to my intent. Coincidentally, a particular convergence of stars is about to take place; a thousand astrologers across the empire will behold this event and correlate it to the appearance of divine and abyssal artifacts in the hands of a new generation of cultivators. See to it that the Dao bestows these treasures upon worthy candidates. My Seals of Divine Wisdom and those of Abyssal Wisdom will ensure that a candidate is compatible and grant them the guidance to make use of these gifts; otherwise, the candidate’s spirit will be devoured. I will not hold an error or two against you, but that error is yours and yours alone - the Dao does not err. Those who are bonded to these artifacts shall become the Sons and Daughters of Fate, destined for greatness as living proof for my edict’s righteousness under the Mandate of Heaven. They shall become generals, sect-elders, instructors at the White Tiger Cultivation Society, heroes on the battlefield. I want you to find the prodigies among prodigies. However…”
Akaso
If you’d like to read ahead, consider heading on over to the Patreon! You get up to 20 advance chapters for both Retribution Engine and Cherno Caster.
I’d also greatly appreciate it if you could rate my story, maybe even leave a review or advanced review!
For a link to the discord, check the synopsis.
There was no living soul in this world which Xiān Dì would allow to speak to him like this. Indeed, were it not for that soul-bond, Xiān Dì was certain that he would have slain Shen long ago, when he had been more arrogant than he was now. It was this reason, among others, that had led him to avoid his martial brother for many decades; they had no choice but to talk things out. The bond had been wrought so long ago that removing it would tear both their souls apart, much like a cage of iron bands could not be removed from within a great tree that had once been held together by those same bands.
“The Sage would have become a problem regardless," Xiān Dì said. "Who knows what devilry he would have invented if he managed to worm his way into a proper sect. That man… Did you know he could fly solely under the force of his Qi? And he had the gall to say he did not know martial arts when we met. Speaking of martial arts, I must disappoint you, as I have not come just to see my martial brother...”
Xiān Dì waved his hand, and six thick scrolls made of Serpent-tree scalewood slipped out of his sleeve onto the table. They were bound in cord of varying colour and held shut with mutton-fat jade seals.
“What are they?”
“Six cultivation manuals for methods which I devised over the last six centuries. They are written in Hundredfold Divine Wisdom Sigils, making each a library unto itself. Breathing methods, fitting martial arts and weapons, breakthrough conditions, tribulations, pills and elixirs, arrays and formations, even favourable terrain conditions. I want you to distribute them to those who will use them to give the most face to my New Era of Cultivation.”
He gestured at the two leftmost scrolls. One bound in red, the other in jade-green.
“Two of them are Yang. One is Yang Complimentary, the other is Yang Contrasting. The first must go to a man with a strong inner Yang, and the latter to a woman of the same nature.”
Then, to the two rightmost scrolls. One was bound in pale blue, the other in dark purple.
“In the same way, these two are Yin. It is up to you to find the recipients of these four. The Scholarly Toad Sect contains a high number of eunuchs who did not pass the imperial examinations or were not selected for other reasons.”
The middle two were last, bound in black and white respectively.
“These two are neutral. They require excellent spiritual strength, and the White Scroll requires a strong affinity for a single element, while the Black Scroll benefits from the absence of any one strong affinity. Send one of these to the monks of Er Shan, and the other to any small monastery in the countryside.”
A flick of the Emperor’s finger sent them sliding across the table towards Shen. Another wave of his sleeve. This time, artifacts fell out. Rings and bracelets, slips of jade, a trio of immaculately-crafted jade swords bundled together. A forearm-length knife whose edge reflected uncounted copies of itself lined up. A thick, curved, golden-edged sabre whose spine jangled with six rings of varied, but equally complex design, each made of material aligned to one of the five principal wuxing elements. Lastly, a silver dart attached to a length of sinew-rope. At the rope’s other end was a six-sided weight with a spiked underside, bearing numeral symbols on each of its flat sides. One, five, ten, thirty, fifty, one hundred.
Everything bore the imperial seal in some form; a white dragon curled in a circle around a peach flower. The knife had it on its pommel, while the swords had it on their scabbards, and the sabre on its basketlike guard.
“These shall accompany the scrolls.”
Once more he sent them over to Shen, and summoned a whole new wave of scrolls and artifacts. They bore a different seal, one not used in any official capacity, but Shen felt the same magic radiating from it as the seals on the previous objects. While some of these artifacts seemed of reasonable design, others were so grim and radiated such ominous auras that Shen could not expect them to be anything but the tools of killers. He presumed that his liege intended to use these as equipment for a shadow sect, or perhaps to found a demonic sect that would serve the Emperor without even knowing it.
“And these. They are to go to outlaw cultivators, or to those who have sought cultivation in the past in contravention of my mandate, but take care that they are not overly likely to become a subversive or rebellious element. These Seals of Abyssal Wisdom contain my mercy, but I would regret invoking it. They are to serve as twofold proof of my intent to see Pateirian cultivation reinvigorated, rather than to bait cultivators out of hiding for a purge."
“But… These do not bear your seal. How are they to be tied to you?”
“They are not. Whereas these heroic cultivation manuals and artifacts shall be bestowed by the Heavenly Dao, these unheroic counterparts shall be bestowed by the Abyssal Dao. In this manner, both sides of the Dao shall be aligned to my intent. Coincidentally, a particular convergence of stars is about to take place; a thousand astrologers across the empire will behold this event and correlate it to the appearance of divine and abyssal artifacts in the hands of a new generation of cultivators. See to it that the Dao bestows these treasures upon worthy candidates. My Seals of Divine Wisdom and those of Abyssal Wisdom will ensure that a candidate is compatible and grant them the guidance to make use of these gifts; otherwise, the candidate’s spirit will be devoured. I will not hold an error or two against you, but that error is yours and yours alone - the Dao does not err. Those who are bonded to these artifacts shall become the Sons and Daughters of Fate, destined for greatness as living proof for my edict’s righteousness under the Mandate of Heaven. They shall become generals, sect-elders, instructors at the White Tiger Cultivation Society, heroes on the battlefield. I want you to find the prodigies among prodigies. However…”
Akaso
If you’d like to read ahead, consider heading on over to the Patreon! You get up to 20 advance chapters for both Retribution Engine and Cherno Caster.
I’d also greatly appreciate it if you could rate my story, maybe even leave a review or advanced review!
For a link to the discord, check the synopsis.
