Hui tossed the branch not far from the hut. The wolf gave him a disappointed look.

“We can’t throw it long, senior. I’m sorry,” Hui said, bowing to the wolf.

It grumbled and wandered over to the branch, plopping down to gnaw on it. It gave off an irritated air and rolled over. Lying on its back, it lazily pawed at the branch in its mouth.

Hui tipped his head and looked at the branch more closely. Is it really a spiritual treasure? It looks like a branch to me. Mmm, I’ll admit, it has a little more qi than an ordinary branch, but not on the level of fighting a wolf for it!

Ah, I’m really not a plant cultivator. I suppose I’ll have to take the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect disciples at their word.

Hui sighed and walked over to a clearing. He drew out his paper and his ink brick and sat down, drawing out one of the brushes Bai Luoren gave him. I have to copy the talismans, or else I’ll be truly out of luck during the next round of the tournament. I’ll use the paper and ink I made for my combat talismans, and save the high-quality paper and ink for talismans I’m going to sell.

Speaking of talismans I can sell… so far, it’s Boulder-Cutting Wind and the barrier talisman. If I can unlock the secrets of the scraps Bai Luoren sent me, that adds two higher-tier talismans to my repertoire, but it does require me to study them… that’s time I don’t have right now. I’d love to have more talismans in my pocket for the tournament, but that’s a waste of time unless I get struck by sudden inspiration.

He summoned out the two talisman-scraps just in case, but the heavens refused to align, and enlightenment did not spark down upon him. Hui sent them back into his storage ring and shook his head, focusing on the new talismans instead. He settled into the lotus pose and set his papers before him, mixing the ink with his qi.

Sending his qi into the new talismans Bai Luoren had sent, he closed his eyes and allowed the image of the technique to form inside his mind. His brush danced across the fresh talisman paper, shaping the formulae for first one, then the other new technique.

He raised the first talisman. “Activate!”

Ice burst from the talisman, a huge glacier that charged upward from the ground and pierced toward the sky. Hui’s eyes widened. “Bai Xue’s glacier attack? What was it called… Ancient Glacier Strike?”

He paused, then frowned. “No… not quite. But it’s a sister technique. Hmm… let’s call it Starbound Glacier Strike.”

Lifting the second talisman, he put on a fierce expression. “Go!”

Unlike the other talismans, a burst of qi fed into his body. Startled, Hui dropped the talisman. The qi faded. He picked it back up, and the qi returned. Closing his eyes, Hui felt the shape of the qi. I can’t comprehend this qi, but I know, somehow, that it’s a wood technique. And I can shape it, like—this! He pushed the qi out of his body.

A ten-foot-tall statue of Zhubi appeared before him. Rough and ragged, the wood curled around on itself, a Zhubi about to strike. In places, it sprouted bark almost like scales, but the eyes were little more than lumps, and the upturned nose lacked nostrils. It rattled into place, then fell over, unbalanced.

Zhubi hissed, tipping his head to get a better look.

Hui laughed. “It’s you, Zhubi!”

Zhubi leaned back and forth, unimpressed.

“Everyone’s a critic,” Hui remarked, petting the snake’s head.

He stood over the statue, waiting, and as expected, after a few moments, the qi faded, and so did the statue. Whatever I make with it won’t last forever. I can’t make anything too large or too detailed, and I suspect that the faster I shape the qi, the longer the object will last, the bigger the object can be. Mmm, a useful utility technique, indeed.

Alright! I’ll make equal numbers of all five talismans. Wind, barrier, fire, ice, and wood. It’s a good variety to work with. With this much, I should be able to find a chink in anyone’s armor, as long as I work hard. It’s not a guaranteed victory, but it’s a guaranteed opportunity to stand a chance in a fight.

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He closed his eyes and meditated, grounding himself. Opening them, he lifted the brush. Qi poured from his body, shaping the formula, giving life to the technique. Hui moved on to the next, then the next, almost in a trance. Over and over he repeated his actions, until at last his qi ran dry.

Hui’s brush staggered to a halt. His hand froze. He fell forward, exhausted, and caught himself with his free hand, panting.

With some effort, he sat up, pushing his hair out of his face. He steadied his breathing and settled his hands in his lap, circulating what remained of his qi and drawing in the qi around him. Un. Now to meditate and rest. And repeat, until I turn the paper I have into talismans!

Quiet footsteps interrupted his meditation. Hui looked up as his master approached. Weiheng Wu tucked his hands behind his back and nodded at Hui, casually walking along.

Hui jumped to his feet and bowed. “Master, small disciple has a question.”

Weiheng Wu stopped and nodded, waiting.

“Earlier, I… I think my soul fell out of my body. Did you… do you know why that would happen?” Hui asked.

“Yes,” Weiheng Wu said.

Hui waited.

Weiheng Wu walked on.

Okay, fair. This small disciple doesn’t know what he expected. After all, when has Master ever explained himself? Hui shook his head at himself.

His master’s sword unsheathed itself. Weiheng Wu stepped onto the blade.

“Wait, wait, wait, Master, I, er, I keep running into a… I think it’s a reaper. A lady who… she isn’t happy to see me, and she seems even stronger than Master. Do you—can you help me stay in my body?” Hui requested, running after his master.

Weiheng Wu turned and pointed at Hui’s dantian. “Cultivate life qi. If life and death are in balance, your problem should resolve itself.”

Hui glanced down, feeling the tiny golden orb shift in his dantian. Eh. You’re telling me… to cultivate that until it’s equivalent to my entire second system of death qi? Master, I’m not a genius at your level! That’s not an immediate fix!

A thought came to him, and he looked up at Weiheng Wu. “Earlier, Master, the thing we talked about in Bai Clan, is… is my falling out of my body related to that?”

“Now is not the time,” Weiheng Wu said, glancing at Starbound Peak and all the cultivators of various sects flying around it. Ever so slightly, he inclined his head.

Oh? Master thinks my falling out of my body is related to the Midnight Massacre and, by extension, my arrival in this world? Or… no, I still haven’t confirmed that Master knows I’ve reincarnated or transmigrated. I don’t think I can go that far.

Mmm, so if I’m reasonable about my assumptions, then… I think I can say that falling out of my body is a side effect of the Midnight Massacre and me cultivating death qi. Some combination of that.

I need to find out more about the Midnight Massacre. But how?

Hui took a deep breath, calming his thoughts. All things in their proper order. First, I need to finish making talismans, so I can win the next fight. If I fight the Azure Fang or Silk Heart sects, I’m likely in for no more than a bruising, but there’s bad blood between me and the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect, and now I know they’ve got something against Master as well—or maybe they’re just jealous of him?

No, I don’t know what they and their Sect Master Mu are up to, but I don’t want to take a risk, either. If they are willing to turn a coincidental encounter where they’re in the wrong into an attempt to take Master’s hand, who knows? Maybe they’ll try to take his small disciple’s life, as well.

Second, I need to cultivate life qi, so I can stop falling out of my body. That reaper woman is frightening. Is she a cultivator who ascended to the immortal realm and was recruited by the underworld? Is she a transcendent being born in the upper realms? Either way, I need to stay as far away from her as this small, very alive cultivator can!

Third… third, I research the Midnight Massacre. But the first two steps come first! Resolving the threats to my life are more important than research!

Atop his sword, Weiheng Wu paused. He turned to Hui.

Hui looked up. “Master?”

“You protected Langlang. Thank you.”

Langlang? Is that… senior wolf’s name? Hui stared at his master for a long moment, flabbergasted in more ways than one. Master actually thanked me. Is this really Master?

Weiheng Wu turned and flew off on his sword.

Abruptly, Hui realized he’d been rude. He bowed repeatedly to his master’s back. “It was nothing, Master! Small disciple would protect his seniors any day!”

When Weiheng Wu vanished over the forest, he turned back to his talismans. Storing the finished ones in his ring, he sat down and lifted his brush again. If only there was a way to generate infinite qi! This mountain is a wonderful training ground, but if I could sit on a natural well of qi and write talismans, I could write them almost nonstop!

Wait. Master always vanishes off somewhere to cultivate. Based on what I know of cultivation, higher levels require more qi. Even Master should be beholden to this law. By that logic, Master vanishes off to somewhere that’s completely inundated with qi, in order to show such heaven-defying results.

Ah! I should’ve asked him to take me along!

Hui sighed and shook his head. It’s too late now. Best to focus on what I can accomplish, rather than what might be. He dipped his brush in the ink and called the formula to mind. Steadying his breathing and circulating his qi evenly, he began to write once more.