AutonomousPen posts
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[MA] 417. An Actual Challenge
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 1/3Next chapter:Thursday] Killing Void Spawn required Energy, usually in the form of physical matter. That was an issue when fighting them at the edges of Reality, where their influence could affect a cultivator's ability to absorb qi. Undoubtedly, part of the purpose of the Void Insertion Points was to cause trouble for the upcoming battle.But they had failed, so nothing prevented Shen from pulling qi into his b...
[MA] 416. Lagoth
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 3/3Next chapter:Tuesday] The place on the other side of the portal was very different from Flower City. It was called Treespire and, as its name implied, was a massive B+ tree miles wide and dozens of miles tall, shaped like a twisted spire. It had no branches or leaves except for a lettuce-shaped coming out from its very pointy top. The thing was even more expansive than the tree, casting a humongous shadow upon the...
[MA] 415. Sour
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 2/3Next chapter:Saturday] The nine miles of the Shen's domain were pathetic before Pagarti's wide expanse. The false drow's domain tainted the world with a light red and blue evermoving Borealis, but it was barely visible inside the gray of Pagarti's.The boy's domain also lacked substance. It was like cotton to the City Lord's iron. Pagarti had honed his domain through countless battles agains...
[MA] 414. Not Entropy
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 2/3Next chapter:In a few minutes] The world was laid bare to Shen. He was fundamentally different from almost everything else and, thus, saw things differently. It wasn't quite like a 3D person could see everything in a 2D drawing, but not that far off, either.He understood how people were so sure Reality had three Aspects. He could see them. Each was simultaneously the other. Each was both an endless plane and a...
[MA] 413. A Boon and a Test
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N: Chapters thisweek: 1/3Next chapter:Thursday] The day passed without any noteworthy events. Shen and E'livia relaxed a little, grabbed some food, and talked. She then taught him some more Galan.Eventually, he reached the level of understanding over half the things he heard—and by that, he meant advanced-level stuff, including complex words and sentence structures. That more or less concluded her business. From then on, he coul...
[MA] 412. Logical Connection
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week:3/3Late chapters:1Next chapter:Tuesday] "So it's the opposite of what I did," Shen summarized after E'livia explained T'onir's ability.T'onir had used a technique to make his Path "more real." He consumed elixirs and other expensive resources to "anchor" his Path to Reality. When his Path moved, so did Reality itself—to a point. The effects were similar enough to a domain,...
[MA] 411. Not Entirely Sure
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N: Sorry I'm late again. This was the last week of classes until August. I'll write the late chapter tomorrow but release it on Tuesday.Chapters this week:2/3Late chapters:1Next chapter:In a few minutes] Shen didn't reorganize his Path. He didn't try to better balance himself. There was no need. He had been going at this wrong all along.He clenched his False Center and removed every barrier within.Shaft became everythi...
[MA] 410. Biased
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Sorry this chapter is late. There were technical issues on Saturday. Chapters LAST week: 3/3Late chapters: 1Next chapter: In a few minutes] E'livia knew a disguise technique. Supposedly."I look like an aeonian now," she claimed right after the qi in her body ran wide for a moment. She hadn't changed one bit. "They're everywhere in the Inner Worlds.""I thought you belonged to the holin species," Shen r...
[MA] 409. When She Deems it Fit
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week:2/3Late chapters:1Next chapter:Saturday After the pleasure came the weirdness.Half a glass of Eternal Molten Bluefrost didn't make Shen drunk like a mortal might become, but it was close enough. His deepest desires didn't become less beholden to his Honor; in fact, his Will and Honor somehow worked bettertogether. They found a balance that made both his Will and Honor satisfied and dissatisfied at the same tim...
[MA] 408. E'livia, No!
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 1/3Late chapters:1Next chapter:Thursday] 'Did it work?' E'livia asked herself. 'It worked, right? G'ana said it would work. It has to have worked. He's not saying anything. Is he going to hug me again? He isn't, is he? I can't stop myself if he does.'E'livia's childhood friend, G'ana, had once told her how to get rid of annoying males who got too close: by pretending to...
[MA] 407. Too Many Red Flags
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week:3/3Late chapters:1Next chapter:Tuesday] E'livia opened her mouth to reply but thought better of it, nodded, and replied, "This is a restaurant. An average one." She blushed. "Dad said I shouldn't go to one of the cheap hedonist ones but that you were unlikely to like anything too classy. And you're paying. It'd be impolite to ask for anything more."Shen smiled. He appreciated the lack o...
[MA] 406. Connected the Dots
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 3/3Next chapter:Tuesday] "Begin," E'lemer commanded.As much as Shen would like to progressively see what his new spear could do, his priority was survival, which meant ending things quickly. So, Shen immediately went all-out.He deployed his True Realm and rushed toward the T'onir. The holin waited with his knees bent and staff held diagonally behind him. Shen reached him, and they used the same attack...
[MA] 405. Dimming the Brilliance
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[We're back! And refreshed! Let's roll.Chapters this week:1/3Late chapters:1Next chapter:Thursday] Shen went through a dark stone portal and randomly emerged on one of the few dozen metal arrival platforms floating above the fighting ring.At first glance, the Arena below looked like any other massive circular raised platform surrounded by auditorium-disposed spectator benches, except for its size and materials. The platform was a...
[MA] 404. Chapter Not Found
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N:I couldn't resist naming this chapter that.Announcement:I'll take a week off in June, from the 1st to the 8th. I need the time to organize a lot of stuff in my life.I'll leave 1 chapter to be released after I return. Things are crazy tiring around here. My apologies—again.Chapters this week:1/1Late chapters:1Next chapter:Tuesday, 11th] E'lemer was waiting for Shen right outside the Armory. E'livia was still cli...
[MA] 403. A Genuine Extension
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Announcement:I'll take a week off in June, from the 1st to the 8th. I need the time to organize a lot of stuff in my life.Late chapters:0 (this was the last one)Chapters this week:0/2Next chapter:Thursday (2 chapters)] Some of Shen's metaphysical senses were like having an out-of-body extension of himself. He felt the world through his Laws like invisible spiritual fingers prodding around and sending sensory feedback to his mind...
[MA] 402. Rude of You
Previous Chapter — Table of Contents — Next Chapter[A/N: Dear readers, please ask stuff for our 400-chapter celebratory Q&A!Ask anything you want to know in the comments section of this or the previous two chapters. I'll pick some questions and answer them later this week.I'll obviously avoid spoilers, but this is a great time to ask about that thing that has been bothering you for a while.Chapters this week: 1/3Next chapter: Thursday] Shen found E'forion on the other side ...
[MA] 401. Was It Worth It?
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N:Four hundred chapters! \o/How about a Q&A to celebrate? Ask anything you want to know in the comments section of this or the previous chapter. I'll pick some questions and answer them later this week.I'll obviously avoid spoilers, but this is a great time to ask about that thing that has been bothering you for a while.On another note, I have released all the late chapters! \o/We're now back on schedule.Chapters this week:6/6 (...
[MA] 400. A Song
Previous Chapter — Table of Contents — Next Chapter[A/N: Four hundred chapters! \o/How about a Q&A to celebrate? Ask anything you want to know in the comments section of this or the next chapter. I'll pick some questions and answer them later this week.I'll obviously avoid spoilers, but this is a great time to ask about that thing that has been bothering you for a while.Chapters this week: 5/6 (3 of which are late chapters)Late chapters: 1Next chapter: In a few minutes] Shen gl...
[MA] 399. Silly Girl
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 1/3Late chapters:2Next chapter:Tomorrow (Wednesday)] "This is Flower City, Teolhora's only Garden City," E'livia introduced as they approached.Flower City was precisely what its name suggested: a vast flower field. It didn't have trees or any kind of "larger" nature. Instead, flowers littered the ground as far as the eye could see, an ocean of beauty only broken by the bare minimum of the ...
[MA] 398. Congratulations Are In Order
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week:1/3 (3 of which are late chapters)Next chapter:Thursday] For hours, E'livia pushed her qi into the golden blood runes she had drawn. The runes glew up shiner and shiner until, five hours after she began, they were brighter than the setting sun. Another hour later, the pillar going to the heavens blinked out of existence, and the Void orb started shrinking. It stopped when it became a tiny spot and remained like th...
[MA] 397. Crushed Under His Own Weight
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 3/3Next chapter:Tuesday]] Shen looked at the world for a couple of hours. He felt his Laws and how they interacted with each other and the physical realm. He concentrated, relaxed, tried everything he could to get any sort of enlightenment.Not a single insight or question about his Laws surfaced in his mind.His Laws were what they were. He understood what he understood of them. There was no improving his mastery over...
[MA] 396. That's Impossible
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N:Chapters this week:2/3 Next chapter:Saturday] E'livia frowned when Shen interrupted her ritual. The frown only deepened at his question. It upset her enough that she stopped pretending to be afraid of him."What's your play here?" she asked straight.Once more, her straightforwardness was refreshing. Instead of trying to guess his reasons or investigate in a roundabout manner, she asked and expected a clear answer. She...
[MA] 395. Way Too Nervous
Previous Chapter — Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N:Chapters this week:1/3 (a late chapter!)Next chapter:Thursday] E'livia woke up to her soul shaking like a bagatisk. It took her a moment to notice there was a pattern to the trembling. It was meant to shock her awake without actually injuring her.By that point, she had already gone a little wild with the one doing their best to wake her up.She couldn't be fully blamed. Anyonewould use their full force if they woke up with t...
[MA] 394. Tens of Thousands of Times
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week:3/3 Next chapter:Tuesday] The Prophet replied almost before Shen finished speaking. "We can."The voices came as before, with no emotion or different tone. Yet, the strange connection Shen felt to Void Energy kind-of-almost-but-not-really made him feel something. He took it to mean that the Void could, yes, acquiesce to his request, but it might not be the best choice.So, he asked, "Can I ask for different ...
[MA] 393. Find Help
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 2/3Next chapter:Saturday] The Void Energy had disappeared from the corpses and the underground area. At first glance, Shen couldn't find any signs of where it had gone. Some beasts were feasting on the bodies by the town outskirts, but that was all. Most corpses were untouched, and the city was just as Shen had left it.E'livia, however, had a technique to let her track whoever had removed the Void Energy—or...
[MA] 392. Making People Scared
Previous Chapter — Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N:Sorry for the delay. As I said in Discord, there was an event in college last week.Today's chapter was scheduled for today but will be delayed until Thursday. Sorry again.Chapters LASTweek: 3/3Next chapter:Thursday)] E'lemer decreed, "VSU Delegate E'livia has failed her test and will be punished upon her return to the Gardener Sect. She has already been deemed unworthy of resolving the current Void Sighting by herse...
[MA] 391. Rules
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week:3/3Next chapter:Tuesday] Shen's aura was out before the girl's mind's command to move her body spread through her soul. Yet, his aura was almost immediately overwhelmed by her domain.Nonetheless, her domain couldn't get inside him. He just found out that inside him rested his own domain—one he instinctively knew not to use with his injured soul. Still, just having a domain, and it more or less coveri...
[MA] 390. Delegate
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N:Chapters this week: 2/3Next chapter:Saturday] Pagarti was meditating in his Null Room, a subspace that looked like endless nothingness. The Myriad Worlds were too close to the Void, which messed with feeling the Laws of Reality. Path Outlining Ethereal Harmonization Realm cultivators—or B-ranks, as the Alliance called them—were rare for a reason, even in the Inner Worlds. Null Rooms, however, allowed one to focus entirely within...
[MA] 389. Power
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[A/N:Chapters this week:1/3Next chapter:Thursday] Shen flew to the city center beside the guard. The man—of the unan race—introduced a few things to him like a guide. Shen listened but didn't make small talk. The guard wouldn't be fun to defeat, so he was beneath Shen's desire to care.The city was called Alaans. It had more beauty than the Void town, with architecture that reminded him of Arabic ones on Earth; at least, i...
[MA] 388. Desire for Violence
Previous Chapter— Table of Contents— Next Chapter[Chapters this week: 3/3Next chapter:Tuesday] The first thing Pagarti noticed about the newcomer was his glassy eyes. They were white, like his long hair, and contrasted beautifully with his dark bluish skin. Yet, they weren't entirely present. They lacked life like someone recently turned into a vampire: someone with an identity crisis who, thus, couldn't center themselves and their Path into their new existence. The dark elf—...
