She calmed down her mind and focused on keeping her planar energy in check as to not corrupt the results of her experiment, then willed the energy in her secondary meridians to move alongside her body. It was difficult, as if she had begun to learn the use of an entirely new limb, but this limb wasn’t a wing or a tail, or something else that she had never used before. It was a meridian network, and even though no creature was born with more than one, it was still familiar to her.

The first half of the circulation did not appear productive, but as soon as she started finalising the flow of physique energy into a technique, that changed.

True Ascendant physique energy, initially idle and dull, flared up, transforming into beams of sunlight within her meridians. Even without ever seeing it with her own eyes, she knew that this was the purest state yang energy could ever be in, and yet it was flowing through her meridians in ever-growing quantities, the light of the sun doubling in strength with every moment.

That immense build up lasted only a few seconds, ending just before her attack was unleashed, but that time alone made the yang qi shine brighter than a thousand suns. When it burst out of her fist, a roar, immense and earth-shattering, was a mere prelude to the attack it hailed.

A gust of wind, impossibly mighty and hot, was launched at the cavern’s wall. It shook not just the entire cave, but seemingly the entire world, heating the stone into glass and incinerating the remains of vines and grasses into nothingness as if they were struck with the breath of a dragon. What should have been a simple fist technique expanded into a heating haze that would have consumed all in its path if it had been used at the peak of Yi Wei’s strength.

Now, it was only able to last a second, after which it vanished without a trace – other than the glassed cave walls, of course.

The True Ascendant energy was completely exhausted from her meridians, although the physique was clearly still in place. In other words, physique energy seemed to behave like a multiple-use talisman, storing energy before unleashing it all in a single use.

‘And it just happens to be yang-type, like fire… I wonder, if I was to gain yin-type physique energy, could it also behave like a formation array, collecting and slowly using energy, thus allowing me to use it just like I use my planar energy?’ she wondered, though she quickly shook her head and threw the idea as far away as she could – she had already gained an impressive and unknown physique by luck, so to somehow gain a secondary one would really be pushing it. Even if the heavens were kind, they would not tolerate her ambitions indefinitely.

‘Anyway, this attack is certainly no weaker than anything a second realm cultivator could produce, though I have too little experience with the Emergent Anchor realm to estimate how it compares. Nevertheless, I shouldn’t be fighting at that level anytime soon,’ she thought, though the rather major increase in the strength of her opponents in recent times was somewhat worrying.

Still, that was something to worry about later. Her rather loud destruction of the vine hungry nest would certainly attract some attention sooner or later – plus, if the earth shook as much as she thought it did during the test of the True Ascendant physique force, then it would demand the inspection of someone in the fifth realm just in case there was some sort of damage to the very surface of the world itself – so it was best to get out of the area before discovered her and saw through what little remained of her mask and cloak. She looked down, and confirmed her suspicion that during the day’s activity, her clothes were once again torn apart.

‘Had I come out here with the expensive items I purchased last week, my money would have been completely wasted. Still, how has my chosen path destroyed my clothes so many times already? Is this how I’ll be punished for all of my luck so far?’

To get some use out of what remained, she rearranged the robes on her body to cover the significant areas on her body, before throwing the mask down onto the ground and crushing it. This wasn’t one she used for the Da Gang persona, so there was no need for her to keep it on her for any longer than was absolutely necessary.

‘Also, this mask was already half-broken after just one encounter, while the first one survived the Deadly Martial Colosseum’s pagoda and several fights. I should go to Ning Guanting and ask her if it is made out of an unusual material,’ Yi Wei considered,

She then retrieved the root of the nest, which had thankfully shrunk sufficiently for her to store it in the one pocket that survived without any obvious signs of it.

It was certain to have some purpose, so even if she would be unable to use it now or in the future, it could still be sold for a decent sum due to it being the core of a Half-Step Emergent Anchor planar beast.

Once she had searched the cave for any other items of value, and found none, she left, heading through the winding passages to the bright sunlight outside. Even without seeing the sky, it was easy to see that the sun was now completely over the horizon, that there were few clouds to block the light, and that a cloaked figure stood warily by the entrance of the cave, clearly waiting to see who or what would emerge from within.

Judging by the aura, it was someone in the second realm, so-

“Yi Wei?”

Moments later, she recognised the voice and figure, “Yi Yaling?”

The figure lowered her hood, and the familiar red-haired face of the naïve girl was revealed. However, there was something different about her, or rather her eyes. Previously, they were plain and grey, just as those of many members of the Yi family, but now they had a curious glint within them, like they contained a spark of golden light within them.

Out of curiosity, she got a little closer and sent out a thin tendril of her spiritual will to inspect the woman’s cultivation and found a stable aura of the second realm.

‘Well, this isn’t anything too surprising. If I recall correctly, she was at the ninth stage last time we spoke, so it isn’t too strange for her to have broken through,’ Yi Wei thought before addressing the girl, “What are you doing out here?”

“I heard that there was a vine wolf lurking in the area, preying upon the common folk, so I came over and wanted to kill it,” Yi Yaling explained quickly while taking a look at Yi Wei’s state, “I was told that it was around here, but since you’re coming out… like that, have you encountered it?”

“Yes, I found it and defeated it,” she gave part of the truth before moving on, “Hey, I feel that your aura is a little different. Did you make some progress with your cultivation recently?”

“Oh, you noticed!” her face – no, her entire figure – suddenly lit up with excitement, “I’m not sure what you were doing two weeks ago, but I went to the Deadly Martial Colosseum again, and my dad brought me to see a really cool fight! This guy, Da Gang, he used an amazing technique that created an endless storm of golden lightning, and when I looked at it, I just felt as if I understood something, and the next thing I know, I’m breaking into the Planar Pool realm! Awesome, right?”

Yi Wei nodded along, though these news were somewhat concerning, ‘To think that a random fight allowed someone to advance that easily… I haven’t heard any news of a whole slew of people doing the same, so I have to assume that Yi Yaling was the only one affected like this, but it still isn’t necessarily a good thing to be able to inspire others in combat to this extent. Imagine being close to defeating someone when they suddenly comprehend some aspect of the Dao as a result of your attacks and advance by a stage or even a realm!

‘Such a thing is unlikely, of course, just as few people ever get some degree of inspiration within their lives. It does raise a few questions, however.’

“Weren’t you cultivating a water type technique? How did lightning grant you inspiration?”

“You see, I…” the girl stepped forward to whisper into Yi Wei’s ears, “I was, but then my planar energy suddenly transformed without any warning, and now it’s like this!”

Just as her spiritual will was about to enter the girl’s planar aperture, Yi Wei saw a golden spark appear in Yi Yaling’s hand, growing rapidly until it condensed into a sphere of lightning almost indistinguishable from Yi Wei’s techniques on first sight. A little bit of inspection, however, revealed that the lightning was made purely from the fire and metal elements, and the overall purity and density was far lower than energy Yi Wei was able to use.

Nonetheless, it was on a level approaching the user of a forbidden skill, Jiang Sheng, which was an impressive achievement in and of itself. The thought that it was all from a random bit of inspiration was… a little jealousy-inducing.

Yi Wei made sure to not show it on her face, so Yi Yaling continued, “Since I learned a lot about techniques of fire and metal types – by the way, did you know that lightning is actually two elements? – I was able to stabilise my cultivation, but even the secret lightning technique my daddy borrowed from the family didn’t work with my planar energy, so he got a little angry at me for a bit.”

‘Your father can borrow secret techniques from the family at will? If you were the protagonist of a story, things would be really easy for you,’ she complained internally before forcing a smile, “I’m glad that my suggestions have been beneficial to you, but if you ever intend to go hunting in the outskirts of the district, be careful. Even though your strength has improved, you aren’t omnipotent. There are always things stronger than you.”

“I know that, but if I am too scared to fight wild beasts, how will I ever challenge the top of the family and right the wrongs they have committed?”

‘What?’

“Naturally, I respect my elders and the family as a whole, but the people who forced you to work under the scorching sun for so long that your beautiful snow-white skin got marred should not be allowed to remain in power! So, I will rise to the top and help our family recover from this disgrace!”

‘So she’s just an idiot. Got it. Where do I even begin with this?’ Yi Wei bit her lip to prevent herself from accidentally speaking some of her less polite ideas, “First of all, I am a servant of the family. Working for people is what I’m meant to be doing. If that’s the sort of thing you want to change, then you’d effectively be going against the entire family. In other words, you, a second realm cultivator, would need to oppose at least two people in the Linked Channels realm, at least ten in the Marked Core realm, around a hundred in the Active Core realm, thousands of Emergent Anchor realm cultivators and the tens of thousands below that. Do you really think that this would work even if you reached the sixth realm? Remember, so long as your skin and flesh can be pierced by weapons, then any regular man or woman could kill you if given enough time.”

“I-I know that, of course! However, the family should recognise talent, not strike it down. If I raise the issue, most of the higher-ups would certainly leap to my aid!”

Yi Wei sighed, “Are you so sure about that? Imagine having a child for a moment.”

“Eh? A-Alright, sure, I’m… I’m imagining it,” the girl blushed slightly.

“Now imagine that you have been raising him or her-”

“Her.”

“… That you have been raising her for fourteen years, doing your best to bring them to the top. Naturally, you want her to take over your position after your death, correct? So, you try to give her opportunities to shine, to rise above everyone else, but then some random dirty boy shows up and delivers an inheritance that is far more valuable than anything you or your child have ever had the hope of finding. Then, your child also comes along and tells you how that boy constantly bullied and offended her by intentionally beating her in whatever they did. What would you do in this situation?”

She didn’t even take a second to respond, “I’d take the technique and beat the little brat who dared to offend my sweet Ah Mei! Then, since it’s so important, I’d let Ah Mei take credit for it, and… wait…”

“Took you a while, though I can’t say I’m too surprised. Now, to give you another example, let’s just forget about Ah Mei-”

“No! I can’t forget about such a cute girl…”

“Ah Mei isn’t real, so move on.”

“Oh…”

“Are you done now? Good. Imagine that you were trying to prove yourself to the family after failing to do much of use for several years. Then, all of a sudden, just as you were about to be knocked down a spot in the hierarchy, a random girl shows up, using strange techniques and cultivating far quicker than anyone else, reaching… say, the third realm in just a few months despite starting off at the first. In addition, she is bringing some sort of treasure that allows the use of a unique cultivation technique.”

“I… I would take her in as my disciple, then share in her future glory,” Yi Yaling smiled, almost begging to be praised.

“That answer is far too reasonable for you. What would you actually do in such a situation?”

“Y-You’re right… I would secretly beat her up, get the techniques out of her, take the artefact and pretend that I was the one that found it… Dear heavens, I sound like such a terrible person, don’t I? Ugh…”

“Don’t worry, that’s not entirely your fault,” Yi Wei said, sighing in relief at the fact that the silly girl seemed to have failed to understand who the second example was about, “The Planar Continents are all about strength and worth. If you have the first, you have the second one as well, though not always the other way around. So long as you are of use, then it doesn’t matter what you’ve done or who you are, but if that use doesn’t outweigh a number of other factors, you’re not likely to survive for long. Yi Dongfang himself didn’t have much use, but his technique did, so they took it and passed it along to someone who they thought was better fit to carry it.”

“… Then, surely you don’t intend to just be a common servant for the rest of your life? You’re a genius, after all…”

“No, I do not. However, I also don’t intend to dismantle the entire system, like you seem to be. My plan, for now, is to get to a point where I have enough strength and wit to overpower the natural dislike of the lower members of the family, as well as the jealousy of those who desire whatever it is I may possess in the future. In theory, as long as I am able to cultivate, to, say, the third realm, then it would be completely unreasonable to keep me in my current position, and too foolish to kill me.”

“Wait, didn’t you say that intelligence was also important? Can’t you just show it off now and instantly leap up a few ranks in the family?”

She looked at her with a disappointed gaze, “Where have you gotten these ideas from? Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘one hundred brains are not match for a sword’?”

“No?”

“I made it up,” Yi Wei said, “The meaning is that we, the Yi family, do not currently require bright minds. Development of cultivation techniques is typically up to luck and inspiration, so any random oaf could manage it, and business deals can be handled purely with our name. There is no need for strategists, for there have been no wars for the past few thousand years, no need for bright minds in architecture or construction, since the Yi District won’t expand unless Yi City does, and no requirement for someone who can understand the great arts over someone who can simply do them, since no new recipes or methods have been created in some time.

“That’s not to say that the mind is useless in this age. Had I been born to a lower member of the family instead of servants, I could have lived the rest of my life as a trader and merchant, since the best deals won’t be made with our name alone. However, there are only so many people needed in each position, and it would be unwise for the higher-ups to choose me over any of the established members of the family, regardless of my ability, as their support is far more valuable than my skills seem to be.

“If I was to add to my mind with cultivation, or, in simpler words, strength, there would be a question – where did I get it from? I am not too talented in cultivation, and yet, somehow, I am making progress in a month that I have not been able to make in four years. In such a case, there is really only one logical answer: a treasure, or some other sort of powerful gift.

“As long as it can be salvaged and used on someone more useful, then I will be killed and it will be taken away from me. For the good of the family, or something like that. That is why I need to get to a higher realm first. Once I am a little too powerful to be handled casually, and once it can be ascertained that whatever I may or may not have used to advance quickly is no longer removable from me – even if it doesn’t exist, mind you – then there will be no other choice but to accept me with open arms and take advantage of whatever it is they’re able to make me do.

“After all, I am a servant, a servant who wasn’t treated as well as I could have been. Why would I be as loyal as someone who has been born and raised in riches from the start, like, for example… you?”

“Huh? What about me?”

“Why should the Yi family bother with me if they have a better rising star to cling on to? Even if you don’t end up as bright, or as powerful, or as capable in the great arts, you’ve been raised by a loving member of the family who had the clout to casually take out a secret-grade technique for you to look through. If all they have to do to gain your eternal trust it to pretend to get rid of some of the less savoury elements of the family, then that is a much better deal than annoying every other kid who would have been in my place if I didn’t show up out of nowhere.”

“That… You… you have given me a lot to think about. Do you mind if we get back to this another time?”

“No, feel free to leave. I should be going too.”

“Right.”

Yi Yaling hopped away, completely forgetting about her intention to ascertain Yi Wei’s current cultivation.

Yi Wei, meanwhile, stood still, and looked into her planar aperture. There, the mysterious characters that had been shaking slightly during her entire unprovoked rant slowly calmed and returned to their original stillness.

‘All of that didn’t quite sound like me… In fact, it was the same with the first time I mentioned Yi Dongfang. It was almost like I was combining my thoughts with someone else who had gone through a similar situation, albeit worse. These characters… since they’re able to store cultivation techniques, or possibly create them on the spot, then maybe they also contain the memories of someone who was suppressed by their family and constantly held back by various greedy individuals?’ she pondered, taking a few deep breaths to relax, ‘I’m not sure, but I do know that I’m not completely doomed yet. If things go wrong, then I’ll get back to this.’

Oculus

OLD: I'm still working on bonus chapters (ten are done, one is being written right now, and a minimum of three more are planned), but I have settled on three ideas for my next book. I'd like to get an idea of what my readers would be most interested in, so here they are:

1. After a strange dream, Miri awakens as a futanari, and finds her abilities as an artisan improving like never before. As she catches the attention of the people of Orbis, a world where thousands of realities collided only a few dozen years ago, she is drawn into conflicts and schemes by those that wish to make use of her abilities. The protagonist will not be a strong fighter and the focus will mainly be on the story and relationships she has with other major characters, including the occasional adult scene.
2. Two spirits that fight in the void between worlds are captured by an entity beyond their comprehension, but rather than being slain, they are placed within a calm, idyllic world where they are students attending their last years of school (where everyone just happens to be eighteen or over). With their powers sealed and no knowledge of how to escape this world, they are forced to use the memories of the humans they have become and attend school, learn new things, and understand why they can't stop thinking about one another. It will be a slow but (hopefully) fluffy romance tale between spirits turned into a woman and a futa.
3. A succubus lives a calm life within a small world, but it is interrupted when her creator, the Demon Lord, forces her out of it. Displeased by her laziness, it rips away her soul and forces her into chaotic worlds within a human form, to force her to grow stronger and fiercer, or die in the process. However, before she can arrive in the first of such worlds, the succubus is greeted by a strange figure with a violet eye, who offers her own assistance. With the power offered by this figure, the succubus sets out to recover her original powers, grow a massive dick, and get even with the Demon Lord. Expect lewds all the way through, with no major overarching narrative other than the protagonist's growth and the recurring meetings with various individuals from the Planes of Chaos.

Please select all that you'd be interested in reading in the poll below:

Edit: After realising that all three poll results would need a significant focus on characters, I have decided that my next project will be 『I Was Called A Demon』, a story set in the Planar Continents roughly 300,000 years prior to the events of Path of the Ascendant. I still intend to do the other stories, but they will come after IWCAD and Book 2 of Path of the Ascendant.