NOVEL FROG Chapter 36: The Rampage Squadron has poor Human Resources
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 36: The Rampage Squadron has poor Human Resources
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The first bolt of lightning slammed into Xi Fu, charring his flesh. He screamed, even as his Qi circulated, desperately attempting to reinforce his body. The second bolt fell. He punched up at it, fist sizzling as the burning Qi was dispersed.
Tribulation Lightning was known as the Highest Yang, infected with the raging will of the Heavens. Not only did it burn and char his flesh, but he could feel a berserk raging will pushing itself into his flesh, blocking his Qi from healing or reinforcing, demanding he submits to its supreme authority...
'Wait a second... Isn't that just like my Spear Intent?' he realized.
Now intrigued, he allowed a bolt of lighting to smash into his palm. Rather than resist, he observed, past the way the lightning electrocuted his nerves, past the way the heat charred skin, to the deepest level, where the burning Yang of Heaven Qi forced its way through his flesh.
It was domineering and uncompromising, a will that demanded that everything before it submits to its laws without question. He felt his head begin to buzz as he gained a deeper understanding of the Heaven Qi. Whereas before it was like he was studying a painting by slapping it a million times- now his blindfold was removed and he could stare at the painting directly. Even still, it was ming bogglingly complex and convoluted, flittering in and out of reality in a way he could not fundamentally grasp.
'Heaven Qi... and Heaven Defying- Are one and the same?' Xi Fu's eyes widened. 'A will that forcefully demands everything submit to its principle. The only difference is... Who is currently in charge, and who is currently rebelling! The one distinction between a Rebel and an Emperor is... the Law! And one day, the Rebels may even defeat the Monarch and seize the throne! At that point, the Law says they were in the right the whole time, and the former dynasty becomes criminals!'
'Does that mean, a cultivator can replace the Dao of Heaven? If so... has that happened before? Are the current Heavens even the same ones our ancient ancestors lived under? How many times might the Dao of Heaven have been usurped?'
A lance of burning white lighting ripped down the sky, filled with burning killing intent that shocked Xi Fu to the core.
Human beings were never meant to use Qi. Unlike spiritual beasts, they were not born into power, they did not naturally grow stronger through their bloodline. It was said all human cultivation originated from an ancient blasphemy when man first stole power by absorbing the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth.
However, despite this transgression, the Dao of Heaven was filled with boundless love for all life. It was like a stern father whipping his son to teach him a lesson. Within the Tribulation lighting earlier was the burning Yang Qi of Heaven, but also boundless vitality that could be used to temper oneself and solidify your breakthrough.
It felt like Xi Fu had touched on something he shouldn't have, and the lighting was no longer concerned with giving him a harsh but fair lesson, it was like every drop of lighting in the clouds above was gathering with an intent to utterly exterminate him. The feeling was like a human's killing intent, only far more absolute and uncompromising.
"Fine then! Fuck you!" Xi Fu raged.
This whole time his Spear Intent had been bubbling just below the surface of his skin, the promise he made to defy everything, including Heaven itself when he first smashed through that invisible barrier and broke Bing Meilui's ice. Xi Fu stopped suppressing it, roaring as he felt an indomitable will gather within him.
A mental image of Bing Meiulu's ice replaced the heavens above. A chain, a blockage... something that must be pierced!
He simply raised his palm, gathering his own power. Countless pieces of enlightenment flittered through him as he formed it, more perfect than ever before.
'A subtle bend like the haft of a spear, not rigid but able to flex. The path of least resistance like a river, smooth and clear, not a turbulent flow but a stream of laminar power...And filled with my Heaven Defying Spear Intent!'
"I'll call this move the Cloud Carving Spear!"
A river of force ripped forward from his hand, dancing towards the sky mockingly as if daring the thunder to strike back at. Despite the smooth flow of force, it was nonetheless absolute and uncompromising, no less berserk than when he had first manifested his Spear Intent. A river might carve through the entire mountain. Its softness did nothing to reduce its chaotic power!
The air itself seemed to shatter as the logic of the world failed to halt his attack. Then, the bolt of white lighting exploded down from the sky, meeting his intent. For a moment all he saw was white.
---
"Congratulations on breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Xi Fu."
The man lay atop a bed in the medicine hall, his entire body covered in bandages. He slowly craned his head to stare up at Bing Meilu, eyes filled with despair.
"Don't worry so much, the burns shouldn't take more than a day or two to heal. Normally wounds incurred from Heavenly Tribulation take a long time to heal, but you managed to destroy the Heaven Qi in the attack with your Spear Intent, so it's just an ordinary burn. The real issue is that your Spear Intent has clearly grown a lot stronger. At this point, you'll likely not be able to properly use it till the late Foundation Establishment Stage. I know it must be tough for a genius like you to hold yourself back, but if your Spear Intent advances any more you'll not be able to control it until Core formation, so I recommend you focus on other things until your cultivation base catches up to your Spear Comprehension."
"I-I swear I didn't mean to, Boss!" he cried, shoulders shaking. "It just happened?"
Bing Meilu nodded. She understood how one could get carried away when cultivating. While she was a genius in a league outside of Xi Fu's comprehension, some of the same concepts were relatable. Her breakthrough to Immortality had actually happened entirely on accident and well before she had expected it.
'What was I supposed to do, not improve my cultivation method?' she laughed.
"Just be careful," Bing Meilu said, staring at him intently. "You're the most talented cultivator in my faction, I can't afford to lose a spear cultivator f your calibre right now."
Xi Fu shivered at the greedy way she stared at him. For the first time, he understood why some women didn't like the way men hit on them.
'Is this what it means to be looked at like a piece of meat? Men are more than just their Spears you cultivation freak! I have a personality you know?' he thought.
"If you keep getting injured I'll never be able to hold my planned faction event," Bing Meilu sighed. "This is the second time I've had to push it back because of you. Please be more careful in the future."
'I'm sorry me blowing off my feet was inconvenient for you! It's not like I did it on purpose. Is... is this what victim blaming feels like?'
Bing Meilu turned to leave, but Xi Fu called out to her.
"Boss- I... During the tribulation, I think I might have figured something out- that I shouldn't have-"
"Some things are better left unsaid," she cut him off, narrowing her eyes. "Don't tell anyone about what you may or may not be thinking about."
"Yes... I understand Boss!"
---
Once Xi Fu fully recovered, the eighteen members of the BMFS Faction, nine in the inner circle and nine in the outer circle, gathered in front of their base. Bing Meilu stood atop a platform of ice, the short child imperiously staring down at the assembled cultivators.
"Good morning to all my faithful slaves. I'd like to say that I'm overall very pleased with the progress made by some of you."
Her eyes bored into Xi Fu's intently and he shivered.
"The rest are doing okay too. With your cultivation speeds progressing acceptably fast, there is one thing left for us. Tempering. There is no point in cultivating if you never learn to effectively utilize your power. Baptizing yourself in the blood of war is a necessary step for any cultivator worth their salt. It also happens that our highest realm cultivator, Jiang Hu needs dragon blood to advance his cultivation."
Murmurs broke out as people began to realize what Bing Meilu was ordering. A brutal smile covered her normally expressionless face.
"That's right, we're going on a dragon hunt!"
---
The BMFS Faction strode through 70th Port Snake towards the mission hall.
Bing Meilu entered, followed by Jiang Hu, Li Ji and Xi Fu. She walked towards a receptionist, a polite-looking young man.
"I'd like to request permission for our faction to leave the sect on a self-given training mission."
"Faction name and member count?"
"Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves Faction and we have nineteen members including me."
The receptionist flicked through some papers, frowning.
"I don't see any registered faction by that name."
"It might help if you look up our old name, the Crimson Dragon Faction." Li Ji stepped in, far more experienced with the bureaucracy of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada.
The receptionist nodded, flicking out a folder and smiling.
"Yes here it is, please put in your request form- Alright, danger level: minimal, members, eighteen, time outside the sect, one to three months. Does the faction leader Jiang Hu, accept?"
Jiang Hu nodded, showing his identity token quickly.
The receptionist readied a green stamp before pausing. He leaned forward and began to whisper.
"As fellow servants of the Rampage Faction, do you have permission for this? The annual faction competition is coming up in the time you will be out of the sect..."
"Is there anyone in the world that I, Bing Meilu need to ask permission from?" the girl replied, shaking her head dismissively. "If the Rampage Faction has an issue with our training trip, they may come to speak to me personally."
The receptionist, Jiang Hu, Xi Fu, and Li Ji, all stared at her as if she were utterly insane.
"Just stamp the paper!" she ordered.
The receptionist gulped, turning to stare at Jiang Hu. He hesitated for a moment, before nodding.
"Fine, it's your head on the block," the receptionist muttered, stamping their request form green.
"Mission request granted, you have permission to leave the sect with your faction. You are expected to return within three months, or whenever is reasonably possible. Should you receive the order on your sect identity token, you are to drop every and return imminently."
"We understand, thank you for the help," Bing Meilu politely bobbed her head, before turning and leaving.
As they stepped out of the mission hall, Li Ji immediately whirled towards her.
"Boss- Have you gone insane?"
She did not respond, staring at Li Ji with a blank expression. He gulped. A minute of silence passed, and sweat began to bead down his forehead.
"What this humble slave meant to say is... um, do you understand what it means to challenge the Rampage Faction?"
Bing Meilu rolled her eyes. Li Ji was smart- but far too inexperienced. That was a problem that would be solved with time but...
"Li Ji, if you are going to be my steward, you need to learn to not question me," she shook her head. "I know exactly what I'm doing."
The Rampage Faction had a single Nascent Soul Commodore and multiple Core Formation Captains. While in total they far eclipsed the BMFS faction, that did not actually make them a threat.
First of all, their Commodore should not be concerned with something as small as the Crimson Dragon Faction. It was unlikely even any of the Captains would bother with such a small fry business. That left only the low-level Privates and Lieutenants.
As far as enemies under Core Formation went, Bing Meilu could not even imagine her faction losing. Not with what she had been teaching them.
'And that's if the Rampage Faction even tries to do something over a single missed event. If they're smart, they'll use a gentle hand on their subordinate factions to avoid pushing us into the arms of another faction. Not to mention, proving we aren't pushovers will only make them respect us more.'
The nineteen of them marched in silence towards the outer gates of the sect. Standing in front of it was a man in red robes, flanked by five bulky followers. He wore white robes embroidered with silver birds, marking him as a Liuetenent with a cultivation of Foundation Establishment, while the five were in the later stages of the first realm. Upon each's robes was a large red token in the shape of a sword, identifying them as members of the rampage faction.
"That man is Hong Hui, a peak second realm who is generally in charge of wrangling Rampagae's small subordinates," Li Ji whispered.
"Junior Brother Jiang Hu! Long time no see huh? You've reached the sixth stage already!" the man clapped, smiling. "I knew you had it in you."
While this might seem friendly at first, it was actually quite impolite. Both Jiang Hu and Hong Hui are within the second realm, and with only a difference of four stages. Socially speaking, they should address each other as equals. However, the Rampage faction had to be clear about where its tributary factions stood.
"Thanks, Brother Hui. I see you have also broken through - oh, you're still at the peak of the Foundation Establishment? My bad, must have been my poor eyesight."
Even though Jiang Hu might look like a musclehead battle enthusiast, he was actually decently adept at playing these kinds of subtler social games, it seemed.
Hong Hui's smile strained slightly at the muscular man's words. He was obviously quite annoyed at the insult, his stagnant cultivation must have been a sore spot for him, but it would look weak to get angry at such a minor jape.
"Ah good old Hu, huh looks like that layabout Xi Fu finally built his Foundation. What, did he get a sudden bout of enlightenment about the Great Dao while plowing one of his broads?"
"If only..." Xi Fu sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Then it looks like the Crimson Dragon Faction-"
"It's the Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves Faction now, actually," Bing Meilu interrupted.
Hong Hui blinked, turning to look at the mere Qi Condensation brat who had interrupted him. He blinked in shock.
"Did- Jiang Hu, did you have a little girl join your faction? Do you have something you want to tell me? And what's this about a name change."
"It's actually my faction now," the girl smiled politely. "Dear me, I forgot to introduce myself. I hope Junior Brother will forgive my faux pas."
Hong Hui frowned, staring intently at her.
"I am Bing Meilu, disciple of Prime Elder Hai Yu of the Moon Crying Swan Palace. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I've recently taken control of what you used to call the Crimson Dragon Faction."
"Is that so? I had not heard we were playing host to such an exalted figure," he said sarcastically. "And what do you mean by 'your faction'. Jiang Hu, I know you'd never give up the faction you forged with your blood sweat and tears to some little girl just because of her background, or have I misjudged you?"
"Actually I duelled him for it," Bing Meilu smiled. "I'm sure Jiang Hu can regale you with the details later, however, as we have business to attend to."
"You're in Qi Condensation."
That was all he had to say to explain his utter doubt as to her 'duelling' fifth stage Foundation Establish expert, Jiang Hu 'The Crimson Saber Bandit', who even amongst his realm was renowned for his combat skills.
"I hope you don't think a paltry one-realm difference matters in the face of the difference between one such as I, the direct disciple of a grand elder, and those who grew up in the most deprived outer sect portion of the Gulper Armada," Bing Meilu smiled kindly. "Do you really think the direct inheritance of the Twelve Heads of the Avian Sect is that weak?"
Behind her, she could hear Li Ji dramatically gasp in shock at the sheer offensiveness of her words. She was practically insulting the entire 70th Port Snake, retiring it as a deprived backwater full of weak cultivators. It was a naked offence.
"Then why don't Senior Sister and I exchange pointers so I can test out this so-called inheritance!" Hong Hui said, his Qi flooding out angrily.
'Just as planned,' Bing Meilu sighed.
"Don't make me laugh. The likes of you are not worthy of my time. If you can defeat Xi Fu, who is barely in the Second Realm, I'll allow it." she loudly chuckled.
Xi Fu turned to look at her with an expression of horror and betrayal.
"Boss, no you can't!"
Hong Hui broke out into explosive chuckles.
"That's hilarious? Trying to pawn off the fight on a higher-realm subordinate? What happened to your bluster?"
"Yeah, Boss! Why don't you deal with him yourself?" Xi Fu begged.
"Hahaha! Even your subordinate doesn't have the balls to fight me-"
"I don't want the Hong Clan coming after me for revenge if I accidentally kill him. Boss, please have mercy."
"...Excuse me?"
The full aura of a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator leaked out into the air, as Hong Hui's furious eyes gazed onto Xi Fu.
"Did you just say you might accidentally kill me? Me? Who is a fully formed peak Second realm cultivator, when you've barely trod a foot into establishing your foundation?! Xi Fu, I knew you were a renowned playboy, but I did not know you had a suicide fetish!"
Realizing he had screwed, Xi Fu coughed into his palm, looking hesitant.
"Senior Brother I would never insinuate something so offensive-"
"I accept your boss's offer." Hong Hui said, voice trembling with barely restrained outrage. "You and me, Xi Fu. let's see if you're as talented with your actual spear as you are with one you give out to the sluts at The Creeping Vine Inn!"
'Boss! Why me?' Xi Fu sobbed internally.