NOVEL FROG Chapter 33: Heaven Defying Spear Intent
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 33: Heaven Defying Spear Intent
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After Li Ji, she called Jiang Hu over to her.
"Unlike Li Ji, you lack any specific problem. Instead, the issue is... everything. Your cultivation methods are generally weak and disappointing. None of your combat arts are particularly impressive either. I think a full rework is required."
Jiang Hu raised an eyebrow silently. He nodded in acceptance. To someone of Bing Meilu's background, the techniques he'd managed to scrounge up must be very weak.
"Tell me about your cultivation methods." the girl ordered.
"Yes, Boss. For my Qi Cultivation, I use the Dragonflame Heart Index, allowing me to manifest draconic fire. I have reached the sixth stage of the Foundation Establishment. For my Body cultivation, I use the Bronze Body Fire Refinement, allowing me to transform my body into tempered metal. I also dabble in Saber Cultivation using the Armada Standard Saber Arts and the Thirteen Sabers of Yi."
"Mhmm. I think I have a method more suitable for you."
Bing Meilu waved her hand and a tablet of ice flew towards Jiang Hu. It contained the instructions for the Redscale Drake's Metamorphosis up to the Nascent Soul Realm. A dual body-qi method based on the principle of repeated sheddings to slowly transform into a manifestation of a fiery drake. Bing Meilu had looted it from a random corpse during the Seige of the Iron Palace Heavens. She had of course excluded the upper parts of the technique, but it could be cultivated all the way to the Deathless Realm.
"...Boss... this technique requires dragon blood?" Jiang Hu said in absolute confusion. "Where am I supposed to get that."
The girl stared back at him, mirroring his absolute confusion for a long moment.
"Where... Where do you think Dragon Blood comes from? Sheep?"
Jiang Hu's mouth rose and fell several times as if he could not find the words to speak.
"I mean to say- How am I supposed to afford it?"
"Afford it? Do you think I'm made of money? Why would we buy something that can be acquired for free?"
"Maam, are you suggesting... I kill a Dragon?"
"Well, what else would you do, marry one? Of course, you're supposed to kill it! How else do you suggest we get Dragon Blood, huh?"
"Ahem, I think what Jiang Hu means is... how exactly would he go about killing a dragon?" Li Ji stepped in, smiling awkwardly. "Surely you have profound wisdom that could enlighten him on the matter."
"Oh..." Bing Meilu nodded in realization. "I see. I always forget what is common knowledge on the continent. If you want to kill a dragon, you hit it with something heavy until it dies."
Li Ji brittle smile shattered and he sighed loudly.
"You see, it's very difficult to cut or pierce through dragon scales, so blunt force trauma is more effective," the girl continued. "Plus you can use the heavy object as a weight to keep the dragon earthbound so it doesn't fly off. They can be annoying, agile little things."
"Of course, Maam. I'm sure Jiang Hu will keep that information in mind."
"Good. Now, as for your combat technique... They are completely unacceptably weak. Begin practicing these. They should harmonize well with your new cultivation method."
Bing Meilu once more waved her hand, weaving her ice-qi into the shape of a manual detailing the Dragon Slaughtering Saber Arts of Xianwu In The Steel. As a Deathless cultivator, she'd spent a few millennia mastering every weapon conceivable, so she had countless techniques for any weapon. This one in particular shed found in a spatial ring taken from a bandit she'd killed in an Immortal World.
Jiang Hu's jaw dropped as he flipped through the manual. As a saber cultivator, he could obviously recognize the quality and difficulty of the techniques described in the manual.
"I-this- Boss, I, Jiang Hu swear to loyally serve you forever and bring honour to these sabre arts," the man said, completely shaken.
"That was already expected of you," she rolled her eyes. "Xi Fu! Your turn."
The tall spear cultivator stepped towards her, resting his weight on his spear.
"As a Spear Cultivator, your cultivation method is not that relevant. So long as you continue to advance your mastery of the Weapon, your cultivation base will increase. You've reached the mid-level of Spear Qi but have yet to progress further despite having the potential. Your main flaw is simply being lazy."
Bing Meilu waved her hands and ice began to cover Xi Fu's feet, freezing them to the ground. His eyes widened but he did not resist.
"Your task is simple. Break out of these restraints with your Spear Qi. Until then you cannot leave."
Xi Fu grimaced and nodded. He lifted his spear, twirling it downwards and preparing to thrust-
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the Ice cultivator demanded angrily.
"Um..." Xi Fu asked in confusion. "I'm doing what you asked?"
"I asked you to use your Spear Qi. Did I say you could use your weapon?"
"But- I can't use my Spear Qi without my spear? Not until Foundation Establishment will I have that level of regulation over my Qi."
"Nonsense. The core of Spear cultivation is the indomitable will to pierce everything. If the rules of cultivation are restraining you, stab them."
Xi Fustared in utter confusion. Bing Meilu rolled her eyes.
'Ughh...Mortals. I expound on the deepest truths of the Dao of the Spear and they lack the discernment to even understand the magnitude of the wisdom in my words. Despite being simple they actually contain endless profundity and variations.'
Bing Meilu waved her hands, a line of qi tugging Xi Fu's spear into her hands, leaving the man disarmed and bewildered.
"Do your best. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. Now, Ji and the elemental cultivators come up."
The five remaining inner circle members stepped forward.
There was Slave Six, the head of the elemental four, an earth cultivator in the Eighth stage of Qi Condensation. He was followed by three seventh-stage cultivators, one practicing fire, one water, and one metal. Four of the five elements required for the Five Phases formation the group was attempting to master. They were followed by Private Ji, who was in the low fourth realm of Qi Condensation.
"I think I've managed to find a way to kill two dragons with one spear. Your four are looking for a wood cultivator, and Private Ji here needs to restart his cultivation."
Slave Six coughed into his palm with an awkward expression. He clearly did not like the idea of the fifth member of his group being the notorious idiot Private Ji.
"Actually Boss, Private Zhao and Private Li have expressed interest in joining up with us-"
"But neither of them agreed to join my inner circle, correct?"
The earth cultivator nodded, his thick black bead bobbing in the air.
"So it looks like the choice is clear," Bing Meilu said, turning to stare at Private Ji Hui. Through her spiritual sense, she could see his disgusting, ill-formed meridian system, an offence to the entire history of cultivation in the human race.
"Ji, I told you last week to cripple your own cultivation base and start over. Is there a reason you've yet to follow my orders?" the girl asked, narrowing her eyes frostily.
Private Ji bit his lip.
"If I really have to I will. I guess I just thought that maybe you could fix up my cultivation as you did for Li Ji. Spirit-Dog cultivation has always called to me, so I thought you might have a way to make it work. I suppose even a genius like you can't fix mistakes as bad as mine..." he sighed despondently.
Bing Meilu's eyebrow twitched. Can't? Of course, she could... She simply did not want to. Ji Hui becoming a wood cultivator would be very convenient for her. She'd already spent enough time babysitting the group of talentless mortals and she planned to break through to Foundation Establishment soon. If she had to find a suitable Wood Cultivator to join her inner circle, she'd have to waste even more time. Compared to wrangling his misshaped spirit dog cultivation manual, teaching him wood cultivation would be a better choice.
"Hah, what did you think Ji, that Boss would just magically snap her fingers and fix your fucked up cultivation base? She may be a genius but she's not a god!" The fire cultivator of the elemental four teased the younger boy.
Jiang Hu joined in on the teasing too, smirking viciously.
"Didn't I tell you, Ji? You should have just cultivated a normal method as I said. Even Bing Meilu can't make your stupid idea about using Spirit-Dog cultivation methods work."
With every comment, the young woman's expression grew more severe and emotionless. It would be very easy to just let it go and have her wood cultivator... But Bing Meilu was a former Paragon. She had to have a certain amount of self-respect... else what the hell did she cultivate for?
"There may be a way," Bing Meilu said face utterly expressionless. "But it'll be far weaker than Wood cultivation."
"Really? There's a way?" Private Ji gasped, mood lightening.
"I-I don't recommend it. Just think of how powerful you'll be if you enter a five-man formation? That will be a lot better than any kind of Beast-based cultivation."
"If there's any hope for my far-fetched idea to work, I must follow it. I swore an oath before heaven I would follow the path of the Spirit Dog as far as it could take me, until the very end!" Private Ji Hui said, fire blazing in his eyes.
'Oh my god...I forgot he was an idiot.'
"Fine... Slave six, go ask your potential wood cultivators if they are willing to join my inner circle." Bing Meilu sighed in exasperation.
The black-haired man nodded, running out to follow her orders. Bing Meilu looked over to Ji Hui, who stared at her with bright, excited eyes. Fine, might as well get this over with.
"The issue of your cultivation is... well everything. But the main issue is simply that you are attempting to fit a square peg into a round hole. The physique and nature of Spirit-dogs is completely different from your human biology. You don't even have the same meridian system. What you are doing is like trying to forge a sword using a recipe book on baking apple pies."
Private Ji nodded, seeming unbothered by her sharp assessment of his cultivation. She was unsure if he was simply unflappable or too stupid to understand why he should take offence. Bloodline feuds had been started over more flattering descriptions of a cultivator's invented method.
"The closest thing I can think of to your attempt- no even calling it that is a bit generous- your mistake, would be something like The Beast-Man Becoming Art, which is focused on overlaying spiritual beasts with one's metaphysical existence, or the Hundred Soul Imbiber's Cookbook, which is focused on devouring the beneficial aspects of various spirit beasts."
"The first sounds better to me," Private Ji coughed. "I have far too much respect for Spirit-Dogs to eat one. Spirit Dogs saved my father's life."
'Is that the source of his foolish obsession? I can't be bothered to care...'
"Either way your current meridian system is not recoverable. I'll show you how to gently disperse your cultivation base so you can start cultivating the Art..."
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Xi Fu stared at the ice. The ice stared back, mocking him. It had already been a week since he had been trapped here. He could not feel his feet, chilled as they were by the unmelting ice. He must have frostbite by now.
Sparks of energy seemed to dance at his fingertips, leaking into the air. It was no use. No matter how much he tried, his Spear Qi could simply not take proper shape without an actual spear to guide it. Instead, it harmlessly dispersed into the environment. As far as Xi Fu knew, it was not possible to manifest Weapon Qi without a weapon until Foundation Establishment.
'Am I really just going to be stuck here until Bing Meilu forgets about me and I starve to death?' the man complained, sighing. 'What the hell is even the point of this useless exercise? My cultivation speed was fine!'
Xi Fu was talented. He'd always known that. Whatever he tried always came easily and he'd never had to put much effort into his cultivation. Even after entering the Bird Talon Continent's foremost sect, he'd comfortably costed by on a few hours of practice a week. He spent the rest of the time playing around with pretty girls or folling around with his sworn brothers in the Crimson Dragon Faction.
'Time well spent!' he smirked.
But now he did wish he'd practiced a little harder in all that time. He had been stuck here for over a week and he was starving to get ravenous.
'Goddamn it, I'm supposed to be a genius, so why won't this fucking work!'
And so, for perhaps the first time in his life, Xi Fu was faced with a task he could not just pass with a halfhearted effort or a couple attempts. If he wanted to get out of this ice... he'd have to do something new.
He'd have to... try.
Days passed by without sleep. Xi Fu felt like he'd tried everything. Shaping his Qi into all sorts of formations and patterns and shapes, winding it into a rope, and altering it into different frequencies and wavelengths. In just a few days his understanding of his Spear Qi had advanced by leaps and bounds. And yet he was still infuriatingly unable to project it far from his body.
The unmelting ice stared back at him mockingly.
Xi Fu grit his teeth and kept drying, even as he grew hungrier and thirstier and drowsier. As his eyes and ears grew work, and his vision became hazy, he began to sense something.
It was not easy to describe with words. He had touched upon something metaphysical. Every time his qi uselessly diluted into the air, he gained a clearer and clearer picture of this thing. It was like trying to memorize a the shape of a painting by slapping it over and over from different angles.
Eventually, Xi Fu began to understand what it was though he could not adequately explain it.
"But- I can't use my Spear Qi without my spear? Not until Foundation Establishment will I have that level of regulation over my Qi."
"Nonsense. The core of Spear cultivation is the indomitable will to pierce everything. If the rules of cultivation are restraining you, stab them."
Xi Fu's ninth-stage cultivation place shuddered. Every drop of liquid Qi that filled his Dantian, every wisp of gas in his meridians. For the first time in his whole life, Xi Fu put everything he had into a single attack. This was not like the countless probing blows he had used earlier-slapping a painting a million times to memorize the pattern-
This time he was filled with the indomitable intent to rip through everything before him, no matter what it took.
The Qi leapt from his hand, swirling and rippling with chaotic turbulence, swirls and whirlpools. What he was doing should be effectively impossible. Without a Foundation to regulate and stabilize his Qi, it should simply dissipate into the air.
Instead, it followed his Intent, like a loyal dog followed after a tossed ball. Where he willed, the Qi went. And he willed it down.
A hazy, invisible force ripped forward through the air, shuddering and tearing, as if the very atmosphere was trying to hold it back. A moment later the ground beneath his feet shattered and exploded. A ravine chaotically ripped across the ground as his haywire Spear Qi rocketed forward.
Looking down at the bloodied stumps where his feet used to be... only a single thought flitted across Xi Fu's mind.
'The Ice is gone... That's relieving.'
The cultivator slipped forward, falling unconscious, completely drained of Qi, dehydrated and exhausted.