Torsten Hewson
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v6c9: He's a Fun Guy
🕑 Added 2025-03-13 03:52:04 +0000 UTCAfter breakfast, we did our usual morning exercise routine. It was a little weird to have some people watching us so intently, and occasionally shooting glances at Gramps, but like always it centered me and set me up for the day.
Today, after the stress of yesterday, would be kind of a free day for everyone. The little minor chores we had to do could be knocked out in perhaps half an hour, with the longest thing being cooking, and cleaning up after the meal.
It was cold and blowy out today, so most people started gravitating towards the greenhouse. Elder Shou moved as fast as he could while still being within the bounds of propriety, followed by his wife. Meimei was just after them, Zhuye on her back. Xiulan had the go board under her arm, talking with Ri Zu and Xianghua. Gou had his woodworking tools, as well as the board for his model village, while Bowu had the smallest pill furnace I had ever seen halfway assembled, chatting away with Huo Ten. I had made an offhand comment about model trains last week, and that had suddenly morphed into them making a scale model of a village complete with a working locomotive.
Which was awesome as hell. I had always loved those model trains.
Noodle was with Yin, the latter with one of Meimei’s story scrolls and a pitcher of water, clearly intending to simply sit on the hammock most of the day, acting as the greenhouse’s sun. Yun Ren clearly had the same idea, the man scrolling though his recording crystal, and clearly making some kind of slideshow.
Big D, the Torrent Rider, and Shaggy Two would be off into the forest for training—the young man was practically skipping along, clearly pleased that his Master was back in his natural form and on his shoulder.
Babe would be, as always, practising the blade, the ox already in deep meditation beside his plow.
Washy, Chunky, and Peppa had decided on a walk, while the last two, Tigu and Delun, would be carving ice sculptures.
Gramps, Minyan, and Ge brought up our rear, all three of the old monsters discussing… our workout routine?
They were clearly deep in conversation, and Gramps looked quite proud of himself.
The greenhouse, as always, was a lovely temperature, and while the others spread out, I found myself once more beside the root I had found in my first year here.
Elder Shou was already staring at it, a formation floating in the air around it. He had an intense look on his face as he nodded to himself. Elder Yukong was beside him, and she would occasionally hand him a slip of paper that would disperse into another formation.
“How is it looking, Elder Shou?” I asked him.
The man turned to me, and he brightened. “It has revealed some of its secrets to me. It's a subtle, shy child, but careful observation has borne fruit. Here.” He swept his hand through his formation, which suddenly turned into what looked like a graph, with peaks and valleys I could barely make sense of, but one thing stood out to me.
“The fire is fading?” I asked. Shou grinned.
“While the primary aspect of this Spiritual Herb is fire, that fire is actually in the process of being eclipsed by earth. It's just starting, and I nearly missed it.”
Meimei hasn’t been complaining about the smell as much recently, I realized, before refocusing on Shou.
“Do you think it would complete a full cycle?” I asked.
“A full wuxing cycle? That is an interesting hypothesis,” Shou said, stroking his chin. “And something to consider later. There are several Spiritual Herbs that do this, but its shape is not correct for any herb I know, and I have memorized every Spiritual Herb in our archives, and added one myself.”
I whistled, impressed because there were probably millions of Spiritual Herbs in those archives. The founders had scoured the continent collecting knowledge. And if he still didn’t know what this thing was…
“That is not to say the fully-grown variant of this herb has not been recorded, however. Some change drastically upon reaching maturity, and we might just have this Spiritual Herb’s final form recorded,” he finished. “I’ll go through the Founders’ personal notes, just in case there is something I missed. This is such a fun mystery.”
I smiled at his tone. “Well, here's to figuring this little guy out. Would you like to see how I’ve been taking care of him?” I asked.
Shou stepped back. “I heard you invented your own technique,” Shou declared.
“Yes, a formation… or rather, multiple formations smashed together.”
At that, Elder Yukong perked up.
I proudly showed them my favourite technique. I could infuse my Qi into our crops asleep by this point—literally. I had done this formation every single day, hundreds of times per day, for three years.
============================
“I see, I see,” Elder Yukong said. My formation was decompiled in front of her, in strands of glowing light as she examined it closely. She had taken one glance, copied it, and then took it apart. Expanding somebody else’s formation was supposed to be hard… but well, nobody told Elder Yukong that. “It's absolutely and utterly amateurish. I can see where you welded the techniques together. There are clear points where one’s Qi is wasted. Its construction is a mess. If you do it wrong it's going to melt whatever you try to infuse.” Yukong’s voice was clinical as she… critiqued my work.. I chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of my head. After all, all of those things were true.
“You conceived this formation from scrolls in the library?” she asked.
“Yes, Ma’am,” I replied.
She considered my words. I braced in anticipation.
“For your level of education, this is fantastic work. The formation bridges, while amateurish, are inspired, and it looks like you’ve been smoothing them out over the years.” She turned to look at me with a slight smile. “Do you want to know the reason we give our Outer Disciples that Qi infusion technique?”
“From what I’ve learned from the scrolls Lu Ri gave me… I’m guessing so that some of the disciples, annoyed by its inefficiencies, specifically go looking for a better way to grow the Spiritual Herbs?”
It made sense for a sect founded by scholars.
“That is indeed the case,” she said, her small smile widening… before it dimmed slightly again. “It would have been quite enjoyable to have had you around the sect.”
“It is a wonderful example of a Qi infusion technique,” Elder Shou declared. “Here, I’ll pen a copy of my own formation. Use it as you wish.”
“Thank you, Elder Shou,” I said with a bow, before I realised something. I had two Imperial Realm Cultivators here, and they seemed willing to not just help, but teach…
“Actually, I was hoping to have your expertise on some other matters, Elder Shou.”
The man’s eyes widened, and he gestured for me to continue.
“Firstly, Noodle, the Spirit Beast snake? My wife has been trying to determine a way to fix his spine, and I was wondering if you had any pointers for her.”
“You wish to aid your wife with her studies?” he asked.
“She's going to be the best Spiritual Doctor this side of the Empire,” I declared. “And to be the best you have to learn from the best.”
Shou laughed, practically preening under the compliment.
“Of course! Fixing a spine is tricky when one first begins, but it's entirely manageable! And your second request?”
“Well, you see, I have all these jars of demonic poison, and I was wondering how to get rid of them quickly. At first I thought some kind of Spiritual Herb might be able to feed on it? Help break it down faster?”
Shou pointed at me. “An excellent theory! Unfortunately… that is not entirely the case. Demonic Qi is much too toxic for most Spiritual Herbs. There are some that can do it, but they are… difficult.”
“The ones that can break down Demonic Poison are all mushrooms, aren't they?” I asked.
“They are all indeed fung,.” Shou confirmed.
“Let me guess: after they eat all the poison, they do something funky like growing legs or mutating to try and eat your soul?”
Shou laughed. “That is close enough to what happens. Demonic Qi is by its nature corrupting, and even the most resilient of fungi are not immune. Your caution does you credit. All truly wise men regard fungi warily,” Shou said sagely.
“Neither plant nor animal, and they always do the strangest things,” I replied. The mushrooms here, with barely any Qi at all, could make a laxative strong enough to make you shit yourself, or reduce the effects of cancer. The ones hopped up on lots of Qi? Those were entirely different beasts.
“Oh? You subscribe to that line of thought?” Shou demanded. “I’ve seen many arguments both for and against!”
“They don’t photosynthesize, and their cell walls are made out of the same material as insect exoskeletons, rather than what makes up a plant’s.” I paused. “Or at least, most of them don’t photosynthesize…”
“I knew it was a different material, but the same as an insect’s exoskeleton…?” Shou’s eyes once more grew distant. Then he sighed. “Well, one more thing to investigate. We must keep in touch, young man. But back to your original question—there are some that you can use to refine the poison in a pill furnace, and reduce its corruptive nature to turn it to a less volatile concoction, with the corruption being burned away by one’s own Qi. However… should you wish to attempt to use some of the Spiritual Fungus on this poison, I will not stop you. Perhaps you may figure out some way to make the reaction less risky.”
I paused at the trust in this man’s voice. Normally the old farts go “don’t mess with that, it's dangerous!”
Instead, Shou was just going to give me the demon-eating mushrooms that may or may not transmute into some kind of crazed abomination.
Which… was a thing.
If he actually gave me them I would be building a bunker. I was not having a zombie outbreak, thank you.
Shou chuckled at the look in my eye, then sighed contentedly. “This has been a most enjoyable trip so far. Come, let us take a break and have some tea—we must speak with your wife upon the nature of the spine.”
That sounded like a good time.
========================
Cai Xiulan was having a good time. Go was relaxing, the air smelled sweet, and the others were dealing with the old monsters.
Then, her good time was interrupted.
“May I have the next game?” a polite voice inquired.
Xiulan looked up at the face of Xiao Ge. He was smiling pleasantly.
She bowed her head.
“It would be an honour, Master Xiao Ge.”
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Jin and Shou are mood Kindred.
Editors: Aaron “Pastafarian” Sofaer, BargleNawdleZouss
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Comments
Ian Burns
Maybe! More likely you use it to make Imperial Realm cultivator juice.
Old Dog
Good point. Thanks.
Carl Gherardi
Humans are much more likely to take a mutation and turn it into a delicacy
Truedragon5374
Only those sworn to Korne probably
Jesse McGillen
It's xanxia land. We've seen weirder things happen!
Alex Ingraham
Ok, I just looked up Mykonids and they look cool, but I'm still rooting for 40K Orks cause they're funny lol. Oh good! Cause you need to burn the Ork fungus away to truly get rid of them... I wonder if Ghost Fire works on Orks?
Timothy Dana
Yes more of these characters from CSS and the loonies from SHI
Hoobs2
I think this is a comma instead of a “i” ““They are all indeed fung,.””
Truedragon5374
He said the plants tell him what they need "when they are in the mood." So maybe since Tianlan is a nature spirit, she can't force the issue and the plant is basically just asleep.
Ian Robert Darling Burns
It would fit the pattern. Live there for a little and then get the level up ding, are deeply confused because they didn't DO anything except live in accordance with their Dao...
StarkRG
Are you saying the Emperor is a vegetable? Or perhaps a fruit? Maybe he's a talking pineapple.
Truedragon5374
Well I was thinking more Mykonids than 40K Orks but sure. Yes, Yin most definitely counts, although technically she is a Sun cultivator, which I guess makes her a Fire and Light type, but maybe a higher tier or something. Also Tigu, who is an Instinctive Beast cultivator (with a possible metal type) recently got Anti-Ghost Fire chi added to her cultivation by a literal god. So I think she counts too.
Alex
A lot of information Tianlan should know is either lost or fragmented after her breaking, Jin probably has asked about the root before and Tianlan probably didn’t know.
Andrew Denton
Pretty much the same way that chess is.
Alex Ingraham
Orks: WAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! Jin: *Facepalm* NO GRIMDERP SHIT ON MY FARM!!! *Breaking the Rocks x3* 😆 Side note: I just realized we don't have a main fire cultivator in the story, huh... Unless we count Yin?
Alex Ingraham
"[ultra comfort and support]"
Elvis F Tejera
I for sure thought he mentally questioned doing so before deciding it would be more fun to let it grow more to find out himself. Either book 2 or 3 near the beginning when he talks about how the farm is changing. I could be misremembering.
Ian Burns
Why have I never connected Goombas and Orks? Because we can have a fusion! And because this is Fa Ram the gretchin are getting raised properly
Ian Burns
Why not both?
Ian Burns
Goombas etc are avatars from mycelial deep mind. Peach is ALSO a mushroom. And mushrooms are fundamentally reproductive organs..
Old Dog
As always, thank you for the chapter. Why doesn't Jin "ask" Tianlan what the root is?
Ian Burns
A demonic cultivator doing mushrooms is wasting their potential. Fungi are a power of symbiosis and regrowth. And, yeah, death. But all of nature is steeped in death, us included. They're not special that way.
Ian Burns
Fungi, more than anything, are the embodiment of life coming from death and the interconnectedness of all things. Not only is everything connected, not only is life a wheel of rebirth, fungi make a symbiotic network with the plants around them and free trapped nutrients to the ecosystem. You can do a LOT with that symbolically.
Ian Burns
I'm telling you, it's connected to the Emperor
Ian Burns
Combine it with Melania, Goddess of Rot and you're really cooking
Just A Dude
And now I'm just imagining a Mushroom Cultivator playing the role of the mushroom in the You Can't Kill Me In A Way That Matters meme.
Just A Dude
You act like they're two different things.
WolfKnight22
All hail Warhammer 40k
forest tate
Shrouded mountain sect already knows how to play
forest tate
When infusing the spirit herbs, he gets a direct benefit in the chi he put in them and the nature of the herb. Putting it into dirt seems wasteful if you don't think of his mantra of connectedness. Most cultivators don't embrace being connected in the same way.
Insertnamehereokokipressedokok
I think it's funny that they literally have yet to see the roots' final form.
forest tate
I like the mystery. My bet is on it being a sapling of the giant tree mentioned in the unbroken AU
Nathan Lenz
Hoping for Yukong and Tei Delun to interact at some point, so that she can realize this is a young man working on restoring formations made by the Ancestors. Could also be fun to see Shou and Yukong debate adopting a promising Formation specialist, plus it's a way they could end up as "family". They cant adopt Jin, but they could pseudo-adopt Delun and then the tie would be between him and Tigu, if they do end up getting together.
Pixelblade
You could grow some spicy truffles with demonic qi. Peppa might like those.
Marcin
mood Kindred ? Like Caiphas Cain and Guirlyman :D ???
Duke of Coffee
Technically yes.
V01D
I wonder when they’ll see the Divine Peach Sapling; we’ve not seen anything about what happened with the peach pits Washi brought back. You know, one way you can look at Purification is ‘Corrupting Corruption’. Make the Fungi into an Angry Buddha equivalent. Or it could possibly synergize with Peppa, who could theoretically qualify as one. (Kind of like how some animals get their poisons from the things they eat - if you can’t stop the effect, find a way to channel it productively! Without intelligence behind it, you can find a way to guide the effect, so that the Easiest Path for the effect to be channeled down minimizes harm. It might even be more effective to involve multiple types, to get them to develop a symbiotic relationship. Effectively , a LIVING formation… also like how some fungi coexist with the roots of a forest!) Also, given how Shen Yu has been healing, I actually think he is more in tune with Jin’s “you don’t HAVE to face the heavens alone” than he used to be. It’s definitely an idea Minyan would be fully on board with getting him to accept - especially more! (I feel like seeing how Jin raises his son would help Shen Yu realize where he went wrong, and what WASN’T his fault)
Maria Klein
Ohhh isn’t go a military style strategy game?
Maria Klein
If he’s the dr. Interacting with whatever mei is could be a possibility since her line is supposed to be gone right? There was a moment when gramps had a thought on her line but i forgot what it was. Could be wrong since I haven’t read the alternative universe though
Maria Klein
But think of the reaction if Gou took a picture for shou just for him to find out what happened 😂 🤣
Maria Klein
Holy crap! Never thought of intersect hockey games!! That would be awesome
Tacit Candor
Not sure this is actually a typo, though it's hard to tell. Fung might be a synonymous word that (sometimes) particularly excludes fungi containing chlorophyll?
Timothy Dana
Who thinks there should be a look-alike mushroom for the Blue angel mushroom in BOC?
Tacit Candor
Found myself hoping that some of the disciples get to visit the CSS for a bit. Maybe for a couple weeks when Ge heads back? I feel like Yin especially going to visit would be A. Hilarious and B. Probably a good growth experience? Regardless, this has been a really fun series of chapters. I probably just want more of these interactions tbh.
Seiden Kyoukai
@ENK To be fair, the entire mindset of the CSS is pretty much heretical to the majority of the cultivation world to begin with. Also, what was considered "blasphemous" wasn't the act of using Qi to nurture herbs, but the wastefulness in how they not only infused the herbs with more than the bare minimum, but also soaked the earth with their Qi. And as to why Jin's herbs are so much better, I honestly think it can be chalked up to the fact that Jin is literally a genius. Not in a normal way, but when you compare SHI Jin to the main story Jin, it's clear that he has an unnatural gift/affinity for hearing the earth. The contract with Tianlan certainly amplified it enormously, but i don't think you'd be able to find much anyone else with as much as a knack for understanding the needs of plants as much as Jin even among other true contractors.
John D Jones
ENK I think it's a difference between scale. Jin's formation infuses a tiny amount of his Qi into an Herb. With his crops he puts a huge amount into the earth itself. Like the difference between a bottle cap of Qi and a gallon or so. Think about Qi as blood. You might give a pinprick to a doctor for a DNA sample or something. But that's very different from cutting yourself to spill a bunch of blood onto the ground.
StarkRG
I kinda doubt they'd make the request, and I'm certain Jin would turn them down if they did. Fa Ram is his *home,* he's not just going to let it become an extension of a sect.
StarkRG
Mile-high basketball. Earth-realm speed soccer. I think the ball would have to be modified. Something that could withstand transonic speeds.
Brian C
You forget that the Qi Infusion technique that our MC uses was developed by his body's original personality, and he had kept it as a secret while still in the sect. I would further guess that making the original "flawed" infusion technique available is a multipurpose practice. Likely, it is a screening process to see which disciples go looking for it,bother with trying to use it, and finally to see which ones of the discipline and initiative learn from it. Think of how many people drive a car, but don't even seriously read the owner's manual. Now think about the person that not only reads the manual, but actually puts in the effort to find the fuse box, spare tire, jack, and so on, and continues to learn how to use all that information.
Gray Code
Yukong, on Jin's plant growth formation: "...I can see where you welded the techniques together. There are clear points where one’s Qi is wasted...." ...and leaks out into the earth? I wonder if this is what initially attracted Tianlan's attention?
Xander Lionheart
I'd love to read that. Jin introducing earth sports then watching it evolve into cultivator versions would be a great time. I'd love to watch me some cultivator volleyball.
Jay
It does sorta break the lore but not for your reason. Brings up the question of how/why Jin's spirit herbs are legendary even to the CSS when Shou has a better growth formation. But that can probably be swept aside with the secret ingredient being care and love. However that technique isn't the same as just pouring your qi into the earth expecting nothing in return aka the Shennong path. (It also required the person to willingly turn away from the path of immortality which is how Bi De managed to reach out to the spirit of both Howling Fang and the Sea of Snow and not form the contract. Nuanced but it still fits the lore)
ENK
Doesn't this chapter break the lore of BoC? The outer disciples being given a qi-infusion technique with the (hidden) intent of using it for cultivating plants, indicates that the concept of using your qi to enrich your surroundings is not foreign to them. Yet, all the earlier parts of BoC talks about this as if it's heresy and was only conceived of because of the isekai nature of the protagonist. Sure, you want Jin not to have just invented everything out of thin air, but the concept of willingly parting with your own qi was blasphemous to the extreme in the earlier chapters, to the point that when Bi De did it elsewhere, it was the first time in centuries, if not millenia, that the earth spirits had experienced it.
Samantha Kuhn
Is anyone else thinking that the Elders are going to ask that Fa Ram be a special "satellite" location of the CSS for expert training from an ally for certain disciples (with no true oversight from them, just Jin in charge and Elder Shou can vacation there, lol!)? Especially after Ge hears Xiulan's story? With Jin, Meimei, and everyone's help, Xiulan has an outlook FAR more in line with the CSS than ANY other sect! And a VERY innovative but morally upstanding and truly righteous goal. And then Lu Ri gave her the scrolls. Not to mention, she went from being burnt back to the 3rd stage of the initiate to the Spiritual Realm with ridiculous speed and punched up to the Earth Realm! Ge is going to find a fascinating specimen, just like Shou!
MysticallMist
Is he a fun guy... or is he a.. fungi?
V01D
“They are indeed fung”…
Matt Grayson
AHHHRRRGGGH! My eyes! I looked! Life is now devoid of mystery and purpose....
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Matt Grayson
What I love about Elders Shou and Yukong is that they are both nerds, but in distinctly different ways. One of the hallmarks of great writing is the ability to etch characters.
Victor
I am hoping in some way this plant is unintentionally going to be part of the way Jin will succeed in his unintentional declaration of raising he azure hills to heaven.
StarkRG
Maybe Jin can teach the elders hockey and they can have intermural games between sects. Cultivator tournaments are fine and all, but zero-powers sports can let rival sects battle with minimal casualties (though hockey is, at times, more like armoured boxing with interludes of hitting a puck around).
WarStrider72
Haha, Shou and Yukong are such nerds. Should couldn't wait one second more until he got into the green house! And the Sect Elders start proactively visiting the other cultivators of Fa Ram!
Red Viking
MOOHOOHOOHOOD KINDREEEHD~!
StarkRG
Plants: I've developed a chemical that, when eaten, causes a mild chemical burn, birds don't mind it so they'll preferentially eat my fruit and spread my seeds far and wide. Humans: Mmmm, spicy! Plants: Ugh, also, I've developed a neurotoxin that paralyses and kills insects. Humans: Give me an infusion of this every morning until I die. Plants: Oooh kaaay. Well, how about this neurotoxin then. It's *super* deadly. Humans: The tobacco industry is practically a god now. Plants: Fine, I give up. Fungi, you try. Humans: Woah, look at the colours! Humans are nuts.
THEMIGHTYBOXHEAD
don't you dare make me hope for a mushroom spirit animal!
StarkRG
That sounds like something out of Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Randall Brynsvold
I think you have top spore so far.
Randall Brynsvold
The author answered a similar question by saying Jin can't tell which they are, just that they're in Gramps' peer group so he thinks they're all Imperial. That's part of the fun of reading a story using the characters as narrators: some of what they guess or "know" can be wrong.
Randall Brynsvold
The dragon veins are the Qi meridians of the earth. The dragon veins of one province connect to the next at borders, but can be throttled down if the next province is a "sink" of Qi so that losses (as opposed to exchanges) are minimized. Tianlan and Chunky have been repairing shattered and discontinuous dragon veins, but I don't believe they have been making or growing any new ones.
RedFaux
MOOD KINDRED!!
Faiir
And they shall become Fungo Pops!
Aune
Might even say Mei has infused her medical qi(projected her soul upon them even(?) with how cultivation works here) into her mushroom landscape daily at this point? now imagine a sentient mushroom colony, a close mirror to Meiling's soul in many ways.
Tom Marshall
Could you imagine? Cultivator BS + their reality warping Waagh powers...
Lewis
Kemi's staff...
Insertnamehereokokipressedokok
Ge flops a token: Xuilan: Who was he?
Peter Gerganov
Plants evolved complex biochemical weapons over billions of years and we use those to spice up a meal. I don’t know that we’re the most eldritch but we’re certainly up there
Randomosity
No, Casual actually said what it is in Discord a while back -- search "The root is" (without the quotation marks) and you'll find it.
Andrew Denton
Much good it did her.
Kt-x
Thank you for the chapter 🙂
Anzer'ke
I think Yukong learning about the spirit empowering formation and the potential to use it to birth a new Province Spirit and heal the Qi Wastes might be enough to put her over the edge. For Shou I am not so sure what revelation would do it for him.
ChaosAndBunnies
"You cannot kill me in a way that matters." said the demonic mushroom. I can't help but think back to that tumblr post whenever I read about mushrooms. People can say what they want about the ocean being alien, but the most eldritch living thing, if you can even call it that, grows inconspicuously on our forest floors. Entropy given physical form, and we use it as a pizza topping.
Xander Lionheart
I could totally go for thirty chapters of daily life + peak cultivators. I always find the fantastic powers into ordinary life my favorite stories in any genre. I would gladly take an issue of X-Men playing a game of basketball over saving the world.
Alex Ingraham
@Baldanders 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Truedragon5374
I've noticed a few Dungeons and Dragons references in these stories. Also, alot of things that should go horribly wrong for Jin tend to work in the end. So my question is, what are the chances his experiments with Demon Bile and mushrooms is going to give birth to a race of sentient, humanoid mushroom people that live in his basement?
Alex Ingraham
Or mini 40K Orks get introduced to the world lol
Alex Ingraham
Pity the sore losers destroyed the Risk board lol
Alex Ingraham
Heh, Jin calls the first Orks Gork and Mork 😏 I also like the image of mini 40K Orks running around yelling, "WAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" But because they're tiny it's high pitched while Jin face palms in the background 😂
Alex Ingraham
Or Delta's hate for mushrooms from "There is no Epic Loot, Only Puns" 🤣
Harish
Would love to see a Plants vs Zombies moment here. Hell, Jin even has the perfect setup of plants coming soon.
Harish
Everybody at Fa Ram understands this all too well. Peaceful days ahead. As for all the action with the Demonic Cultivators, the Crimson Phoenix Empire is aware of them, Ge and Minyan now hold serious grudges for the attempt on Shen Yu's life and Shen Yu has taken an oath to take them down. Plus, Big D is going to protect Fa Ram, as all True Guardians should. As Jin once said, "There will be no Xianxia bullshit on this farm."
Sivartius .
A long time ago in the Discord Casual Farmer said that it's a super rare spiritual plant who's bloomed form is known & is actually useful to Old Monsters like Shen Yu, but no one has seen and recognized this stage before.
Justus Saucedo
So I'm almost positive you misunderstand what the "Dragon Veins" Its almost literal. They are Veins of Energy in the earth. They can't be grown, the only thing we know for sure is veins could be raised closer to the surface of the land. My guess is its something of a ancient plant that survived the "shattering" . we'll find out soon though
Rafiq Raiden
The demonic taint that seeped into the land via the demons attacks and death of so many demons poisoned the land. It was removed with the formation with metal wire and water. But that just siphons demonic taint from one place into a concentration in another. I'm this case bottles specifically made to contain the demonic taint. The difficulty is it's harder to destroy than solid (bodies) liquid (blood) and gas (chi). The concentrated taint seems to be "plasma" and a more concentrated version between liquid and gas.
Victor Segura
So the spring is Tianlan physical body, which is reducing the fire qi because of the new elemental balance in the country, right? Thats why they cannot identify it. The Founders never found or had contact with a province level spiritual herb, at most some local spirits and the Shennong pact protected them for th elast 6000 years.
NameGame
Turning to earth, hmm? I'm betting it's a baby dragon vein. Time will tell if I'm right, but that seems to fit and nobody has seen a baby dragon vein before that I'm aware of. Thanks for the chapter.
Kirivina
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
amin johari
Sky, right at the edge of breaking into Imperial. Would be funny af if those two break out into Imperial during ther stay at Fa Ram, just from interacting with a Shennong Path cultivator.
Kirivina
I just kept thinking of the HATE that Jake Thyane has for mushrooms. 😂🤣 (Primal Hunter for those who don't know)
Beau Richards
“They are all indeed fung,.” Shou confirmed. Small typo but great story as usual!
Dylan Dry
OK are Shou & Yukong in the Sky realm or the Imperial? Because they've switched back and forth several times now.
Benjamin Lawton
I dunno, I'd say we're getting a lot of mileage out of "immortal old masters being a bunch of closest dorks".
Geoffrey Sullivan
As much fun as the plot-driven posts are, I *live* for these - the light, fluffy, relaxing ones. Thank you for sharing them with us. :)
Daniel Mountain
Model trains are quite fun, indeed.
Andrew Mahaffy
Any other morels for our champignon? Nobody knows the truffles he’s seen…
BelligerentGnu
I can picture only Jin smacking anthropomorphic mushrooms with a rolled up newspaper.
Almer Reyhan
Peak chapter, as always. Thank you for the chapter!
Dwayne Parker
Mushroom Kingdom! Goombas as far as the mind’s eye can see!
Ant
Not sure which chapter is discussed in, bit it comes in 3 variants (phases?). Solid - like was being surgically implanted to make false demons / demonic puppets Liquid - like the corrupted blood spoiled when demons bleed Gas/ Miasma - gaseous form of the same, like a stench in the air left from demons passing through an area. The three forms are able to be broken down, though the most effective forms of chi to use changes depending on the form of the demonic taint. The way Mei removes demonic chi appears to transform it to liquid form?
Kyle
*patiently waits for more harem comedy from everyone's favorite senior brother*
Angel
This is so fun!! I love the pacing, tone, character development, and style. Although for the story it feels a bit like when one of my clients goes through a major identity shift, as though something fundamental about the entire story has shifted. It makes me curious where we go from here and if it will still feel like our beloved BOC after the chaos dies down. Often we think life will go back to normal after such and such, only to realize it will never be the same because we’ve fundamentally changed and grown. Perhaps on the other side of this arc it won’t be the same…and maybe that’s a good thing, maybe it will be immeasurably better, as we so often are after a big evolution. 💗
Baldanders
"...Seiyu? "Yeah?" "Come over here." "Alright." "...do those tits look familiar to you?"
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Duke of Coffee
Oh deer Xiulan (Grand Marshal) is going to fighting tooth and nail against Xiao Ge (Cloudy Sect Elder) on the Go match. Anyway the noodle spine can be fixed soon? Please let the spicy herb grow in peace. 😜
Guber
I love the absolute needing out these...well, needs do! Great stuff! Looking forwards to what Elder Ge is going to talk about with Xuilan!! And all the other things!
Brian P.
That gun was loaded in a separate play written by the same guy, though.
Cranky Otter
Anyone willing to refresh my memory on the various kinds of demon taint that occurred? Was it only the demon bodies they worked together to remove? Was there extra taint with those or was it just the maple grove taint that made it into jars?
Insertnamehereokokipressedokok
Heavy is the head that wears the Grand Marshal crown...
Zero Wrath
Probably not yet, but I think spring is fast approaching so maybe they’ll still be around for her to start kickin in her sleep. Not sure. Did they sense the winter spirit in the snowman? Don’t remember, but if not they might not make the connection till she is fully awake, assuming they stick around long enough for that.
CringeWorthyStudios
It’d probably be one of the disaster twins or one of the background SHI crew who notice.
CringeWorthyStudios
It’s the difference between fixing the code until it stops breaking and actually coding the thing properly. 😅
Parker Maisterra
Mushrooms end up growing legs….Man here’s hoping they’re like the Mushroom people from Dark souls or Dungeon Meshi and not some sorta Xianxia Ork from 40k.
Ligeia
Thanks for the chapter! I do hope that with Shen's advice, Meimei is able to repair Miantiao's spine! He is such a sweet snake who has spent far too long beating himself up. And after fixing his spine, maybe the spiritual herb concoction she used on Bowu's knee will help regrow Miantiao's eye?
Michael Larsen
I really like how the root seems to be moving through the cycle. It reminds me of how Jin’s smell changes with the seasons.
CringeWorthyStudios
That would be fun, though Casual has already said what the herb is over in discord. If you go to the “world of BOC” channel and search “the root is” you’ll find it. Pretty sure they’re actually going to figure it out soon though.
Michael Larsen
Where did that guy get off to! 😂
CringeWorthyStudios
Shen Yu just happily betrays everyone.
Ligeia
Xiulan will get TROUNCED.
Casualfarmer
Jin is terrible at sensing Qi and just assumes "Gramps friends=Imperial"
Kreylix
Will Master Ge ask Xiulan how she came to be here?
Stuffed Duck
I want to see the elders play Risk ... and with Minyan around, everyone acts like they are walking on broken ice.
TwoRavens
Patience. Chekhov loaded that gun ages ago, and it's still sitting on the mantle.
TwoRavens
And Jin will never let her live it down.
Casualfarmer
Minyan knows Liusei like Jeff Bezos knows an Amazon warehouse manager. The reason she knows her more in SHI is because Rou hangs out with her sometimes.
PickledTink
---- I had two Imperial Realm Cultivators here, and they seemed willing to not just help, but teach… ---- But you said before that they are at the peak of the sky realm, not the imperial realm.
M. Whitmer
exploring the mystery of fungi. surely that's makes for some of the most fun guys around.
Sean Ulrich
Hmmm… probably not. They could if they peaked at Jin’s soul or deeply at the formation. But they’ve mentioned a few times that they are guests, and that would be rude. Now if she woke up with the spring, they could probably tell.
Panzer
Perhaps Jin should seek the assistance of Master Worm, practitioner of Decay and Destruction?
Lanter
Gramps, smug: LOOK AT MY GRANDSON! He's still practicing the moves I taught him everyday, and he's taught it to his own people too 🥹😁
Baqc∞ART
Xiulan will lose again
Michael Larsen
The Elders may not ever adopt him, but they certainly are treating him like an Auntie or Uncle. So sweet.
Aki_Iokua18
She knows she not good at Go. She also knows that she’s better than Jin.
Justin Barnett
The herb is eventually going to let bi de transform into a phoenix. I know it.
Nemoboi
great chapter ^^
Synova Vitale
I wonder if they can sense our friend sleeping or not..
Often Irrelephant
All hail the Elder Nerds! And here's to that zombie outbreak containment unit.
Vasius
Answer go about to be a nuclear explosion.
Seaspike
Sigh... a pun chapter name? Shame... sshhhaaammmeee. 🤣😂
Sean Ulrich
My god I just found out. The title. Fun guy… fungi. *facepalms with the force of a xianxia protagonist slapping a young master*
Sean Ulrich
She is about to lose horribly at Go.
RedInkQuill
Thanks for the chapter
Anime Problem
So he literally just brute force coded the formation till it worked.
Mazerii
I was expecting Minyan to speak with Xiulan at some point due to Liusei, but Xiao Ge? Interesting...
Seiden Kyoukai
Aaaand Xiulan gets to get her ass whooped in go again :P TFTC!!!
Maple
Thanks!
