Chapter 530
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Chapter 530
It was immensely satisfying that there were expedient messages from Carlitos and Aridasa after things were over. They didnt really say anything of substance- they were basically just tests. Even so, replies were sent and the weeks-long process could continue. At the logical insistence of some, the communications devices they had given were slightly less than optimal. Best not to give away useful tactical information. Information could travel between the systems much more quickly than their ships, and there was constant work to minimize that time lag.
Now that they had returned, Anton focused on his own recovery. His injuries were minor, but there was a deep fatigue that built up from repeated combat, especially concerning the energies he called upon through Fleeting Youth.
Anton also had to consider how hed known to pull away from Roistea. There was a decent chance they could have taken out the force they had come up against, though with losses. That was presuming there wasnt anything else lying in wait, however. Anton wasnt certain about that.
All cultivators developed an intuition for danger, particularly during Spirit Building, but as with all of cultivation there werent necessarily hard limits. Anton did train in gathering and processing information, but predictive abilities in that manner werent really part of it. If it was merely intuition he would accept it, but if it was something he could control he would prefer to develop it further.
He thought back to what he sensed. Nothing really stood out. More or less standard barriers for the Sylanis Cluster. Perhaps a vague sense of the two Worldbinding cultivators they knew would be there. As for beyond that, there was nothing Anton could name. There was more, but he couldnt really describe it or its origin immediately. He would have to keep pondering on the topic, though whether it would produce fruit was unclear.
-----
... and if you really want to make them mad, burn down their favorite building, desecrate the gravesite of their favorite ancestor, or run off with one of their most eligible female disciples, Everheart finished his instructional segment.
I will defer to your expertise as the most hated man in the galaxy, Anton inclined his head, But I feel like perhaps those are only useful if you want a group to be mad at you. It seems relatively inefficient for starting wars between sects.
Just put on a wig, Everheart said. Nobody will know. Instant war.
I- Antons eyebrow twitched. Please dont tell me that actually worked once.
Three times before I hit fifty, Everheart grinned. I suppose it takes a bit more effort to deal with proper cultivators though.
Well, Im not having any part in that sort of thing, Anton said.
Yeah, youd better not. Youre extremely obvious, Everheart said. You should really take up a few dozen alternate fighting styles. Maybe start with wrestling.
Wrestling. Anton said flatly. Why that?
Its not too bad for close combat, and its fun to take down burly muscle guys by tying them into a knot. Strikes are fine if your opponent is unarmored, but you need more than that.
I know how to wrestle, Anton said. But I would be many times more effective just shooting them.
What if you dont have your bow? Everheart asked.
I can literally make bows appear from nowhere, Anton gestured to a dozen bows suddenly floating around them.
Everheart leaned forward, a massive energy pressing down on the area, forcing Antons aura back. He didnt actually force it all the way back to Antons skin, just made the point that he potentially could. What if your opponent completely suppresses your aura?
Anton wasnt inexperienced in unarmed combat, but he wouldnt call himself an expert. Not among people of his cultivation level, anyway. He could probably still take down anyone in Body Tempering or maybe Spirit Building if they limited their energy usage even without energy himself, but those beyond the early years of cultivation would be more difficult to handle. Not everyone would reach Essence Collection in just six years, but nowadays on Ceretos taking more than two decades to reach that point was an oddity, even for the least talented.
It was quickly apparent that Everhearts definition of wrestling did include strikes as he took swings at Antons face. It was odd, the attacks being so slow that he could have normally dealt with them trivially. His mind still processed at about the same rate, though it could be further enhanced by natural energy in battle. His body, however, was sluggish. He could tell his arms to move into position, but it was like dragging them through mud.
Anton managed to get a grip on Everhearts wrist and throw him back over his head, giving him enough time to reorient himself as he got to his feet. Without natural energy flowing through it, his body was an uncomfortable mix of fit and old. His knees and back hurt from the motions, but it was nothing he couldnt ignore. The mundane pains of a body hed dealt with before becoming a cultivator, and now hed experienced much worse.
It was not even the slightest bit surprising that Everheart fought dirty. Anton was simply startled to find the man had somehow managed to grab a handful of dirt somewhere as he threw it towards Antons face. At least his eyes blinked in time to shield himself from direct contact. It just meant he had to predict Everhearts following move with his eyes closed. His knee kicked up, expecting another tackle.
Everheart was both predictable and not. Antons knee indeed struck him in a lowered shoulder, but the man was already prepared to grab Antons leg. Instead of mounting Anton he twisted him around, bending the leg in ways Anton didnt know could happen without breaking something- and that was with extremely trained flexibility. He also didnt think it could be done so easily, because he didnt feel that Everhearts muscles were particularly stronger than himself and yet he could barely resist.
At least his same flexibility allowed him to kick with his other leg at angles that werent normally possible, catching Everheart in the nose. Over the course of the next hour or so the bodies trained to somewhere above average cultivator standards received their fair share of bruises, lacerations, and even a few breaks- though they would heal quickly with the application of natural energy or the most basic medicines.
The battle ended when Anton saw an opening and kicked his foot between Everhearts legs. He had honestly been expecting a counter of some sort, perhaps for his knee or hip to be immediately twisted out of its socket but he properly connected. Everheart doubled over, just laying curled up in a fetal position on the ground for a full minute. What the hell was that? Anton asked. Youre better than to get hit by that.
I just wanted to see if I could force you to take the opening Everheart grinned from the floor. Someones got to teach you to fight dirty. Anton sighed, reaching out his hand to pull up the other man, bracing himself for the battle to continue, but Everheart just accepted it and pulled himself up, stretching. Well, I think thats enough of that for now. Youd never win a proper match, but at least youre not useless.
Obviously, Anton said. I try my best not to leave any gaping holes in my abilities despite how unlikely a situation like this would be nowadays. Anton pondered for a second. Think you could beat a body temperer?
Most of them? Everheart nodded. Sure thing. Maybe not everyone in Life Transformation, but Ive got centuries of experience on everyone. Given Everhearts past, that might actually be centuries devoted to just wrestling, at least for one of his projections. Wouldnt even dream of it with Nthanda. Technique only works to a certain point. Im pretty sure I couldnt hurt her with just my body if she let me. He tapped his chin, Are all of the lower realm worlds this amazing or is it just us?
You know all of the ones I do, Anton pointed out.
Good point. Id say the Worldbinding numbers in the Sylanis Cluster are fine. Certainly better than expected even if Id known about the option. Rutera and Weos are too early to say, though I do like their big ship. Anton hadnt said anything about The Independence to Everheart- nor heard anything about him actually seeing it- but he wasnt surprised. Ceretos here seems pretty special. Maybe its just me?
Or maybe this is how lower realms should develop without upper realms invaders constantly suppressing them.
Or, Everheart held up a finger, Counterpoint- the constant invasions were required to eventually churn out something of worth.
I dont want to entertain that thought.
Dont get me wrong, I hate it, Everheart stomped his foot. This is our world, the upper realms can get their souls turned into mush if they think they are allowed to lay a finger on it. But conflict is likely a contributing factor.
I will concede it pushed some of us over the edge, but you didnt participate in any of the invasions did you?
No, Everheart admitted. I was between them. But Im special.
You sure are, Anton nodded sincerely. Some of it was even meant in a good way.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
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Chapter 530
It was immensely satisfying that there were expedient messages from Carlitos and Aridasa after things were over. They didnt really say anything of substance- they were basically just tests. Even so, replies were sent and the weeks-long process could continue. At the logical insistence of some, the communications devices they had given were slightly less than optimal. Best not to give away useful tactical information. Information could travel between the systems much more quickly than their ships, and there was constant work to minimize that time lag.
Now that they had returned, Anton focused on his own recovery. His injuries were minor, but there was a deep fatigue that built up from repeated combat, especially concerning the energies he called upon through Fleeting Youth.
Anton also had to consider how hed known to pull away from Roistea. There was a decent chance they could have taken out the force they had come up against, though with losses. That was presuming there wasnt anything else lying in wait, however. Anton wasnt certain about that.
All cultivators developed an intuition for danger, particularly during Spirit Building, but as with all of cultivation there werent necessarily hard limits. Anton did train in gathering and processing information, but predictive abilities in that manner werent really part of it. If it was merely intuition he would accept it, but if it was something he could control he would prefer to develop it further.
He thought back to what he sensed. Nothing really stood out. More or less standard barriers for the Sylanis Cluster. Perhaps a vague sense of the two Worldbinding cultivators they knew would be there. As for beyond that, there was nothing Anton could name. There was more, but he couldnt really describe it or its origin immediately. He would have to keep pondering on the topic, though whether it would produce fruit was unclear.
-----
... and if you really want to make them mad, burn down their favorite building, desecrate the gravesite of their favorite ancestor, or run off with one of their most eligible female disciples, Everheart finished his instructional segment.
I will defer to your expertise as the most hated man in the galaxy, Anton inclined his head, But I feel like perhaps those are only useful if you want a group to be mad at you. It seems relatively inefficient for starting wars between sects.
Just put on a wig, Everheart said. Nobody will know. Instant war.
I- Antons eyebrow twitched. Please dont tell me that actually worked once.
Three times before I hit fifty, Everheart grinned. I suppose it takes a bit more effort to deal with proper cultivators though.
Well, Im not having any part in that sort of thing, Anton said.
Yeah, youd better not. Youre extremely obvious, Everheart said. You should really take up a few dozen alternate fighting styles. Maybe start with wrestling.
Wrestling. Anton said flatly. Why that?
Its not too bad for close combat, and its fun to take down burly muscle guys by tying them into a knot. Strikes are fine if your opponent is unarmored, but you need more than that.
I know how to wrestle, Anton said. But I would be many times more effective just shooting them.
What if you dont have your bow? Everheart asked.
I can literally make bows appear from nowhere, Anton gestured to a dozen bows suddenly floating around them.
Everheart leaned forward, a massive energy pressing down on the area, forcing Antons aura back. He didnt actually force it all the way back to Antons skin, just made the point that he potentially could. What if your opponent completely suppresses your aura?
Anton wasnt inexperienced in unarmed combat, but he wouldnt call himself an expert. Not among people of his cultivation level, anyway. He could probably still take down anyone in Body Tempering or maybe Spirit Building if they limited their energy usage even without energy himself, but those beyond the early years of cultivation would be more difficult to handle. Not everyone would reach Essence Collection in just six years, but nowadays on Ceretos taking more than two decades to reach that point was an oddity, even for the least talented.
It was quickly apparent that Everhearts definition of wrestling did include strikes as he took swings at Antons face. It was odd, the attacks being so slow that he could have normally dealt with them trivially. His mind still processed at about the same rate, though it could be further enhanced by natural energy in battle. His body, however, was sluggish. He could tell his arms to move into position, but it was like dragging them through mud.
Anton managed to get a grip on Everhearts wrist and throw him back over his head, giving him enough time to reorient himself as he got to his feet. Without natural energy flowing through it, his body was an uncomfortable mix of fit and old. His knees and back hurt from the motions, but it was nothing he couldnt ignore. The mundane pains of a body hed dealt with before becoming a cultivator, and now hed experienced much worse.
It was not even the slightest bit surprising that Everheart fought dirty. Anton was simply startled to find the man had somehow managed to grab a handful of dirt somewhere as he threw it towards Antons face. At least his eyes blinked in time to shield himself from direct contact. It just meant he had to predict Everhearts following move with his eyes closed. His knee kicked up, expecting another tackle.
Everheart was both predictable and not. Antons knee indeed struck him in a lowered shoulder, but the man was already prepared to grab Antons leg. Instead of mounting Anton he twisted him around, bending the leg in ways Anton didnt know could happen without breaking something- and that was with extremely trained flexibility. He also didnt think it could be done so easily, because he didnt feel that Everhearts muscles were particularly stronger than himself and yet he could barely resist.
At least his same flexibility allowed him to kick with his other leg at angles that werent normally possible, catching Everheart in the nose. Over the course of the next hour or so the bodies trained to somewhere above average cultivator standards received their fair share of bruises, lacerations, and even a few breaks- though they would heal quickly with the application of natural energy or the most basic medicines.
The battle ended when Anton saw an opening and kicked his foot between Everhearts legs. He had honestly been expecting a counter of some sort, perhaps for his knee or hip to be immediately twisted out of its socket but he properly connected. Everheart doubled over, just laying curled up in a fetal position on the ground for a full minute. What the hell was that? Anton asked. Youre better than to get hit by that.
I just wanted to see if I could force you to take the opening Everheart grinned from the floor. Someones got to teach you to fight dirty. Anton sighed, reaching out his hand to pull up the other man, bracing himself for the battle to continue, but Everheart just accepted it and pulled himself up, stretching. Well, I think thats enough of that for now. Youd never win a proper match, but at least youre not useless.
Obviously, Anton said. I try my best not to leave any gaping holes in my abilities despite how unlikely a situation like this would be nowadays. Anton pondered for a second. Think you could beat a body temperer?
Most of them? Everheart nodded. Sure thing. Maybe not everyone in Life Transformation, but Ive got centuries of experience on everyone. Given Everhearts past, that might actually be centuries devoted to just wrestling, at least for one of his projections. Wouldnt even dream of it with Nthanda. Technique only works to a certain point. Im pretty sure I couldnt hurt her with just my body if she let me. He tapped his chin, Are all of the lower realm worlds this amazing or is it just us?
You know all of the ones I do, Anton pointed out.
Good point. Id say the Worldbinding numbers in the Sylanis Cluster are fine. Certainly better than expected even if Id known about the option. Rutera and Weos are too early to say, though I do like their big ship. Anton hadnt said anything about The Independence to Everheart- nor heard anything about him actually seeing it- but he wasnt surprised. Ceretos here seems pretty special. Maybe its just me?
Or maybe this is how lower realms should develop without upper realms invaders constantly suppressing them.
Or, Everheart held up a finger, Counterpoint- the constant invasions were required to eventually churn out something of worth.
I dont want to entertain that thought.
Dont get me wrong, I hate it, Everheart stomped his foot. This is our world, the upper realms can get their souls turned into mush if they think they are allowed to lay a finger on it. But conflict is likely a contributing factor.
I will concede it pushed some of us over the edge, but you didnt participate in any of the invasions did you?
No, Everheart admitted. I was between them. But Im special.
You sure are, Anton nodded sincerely. Some of it was even meant in a good way.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
Chapter 530It was immensely satisfying that there were expedient messages from Carlitos and Aridasa after things were over. They didnt really say anything of substance- they were basically just tests. Even so, replies were sent and the weeks-long process could continue. At the logical insistence of some, the communications devices they had given were slightly less than optimal. Best not to give away useful tactical information. Information could travel between the systems much more quickly than their ships, and there was constant work to minimize that time lag.Now that they had returned, Anton focused on his own recovery. His injuries were minor, but there was a deep fatigue that built up from repeated combat, especially concerning the energies he called upon through Fleeting Youth.Anton also had to consider how hed known to pull away from Roistea. There was a decent chance they could have taken out the force they had come up against, though with losses. That was presuming there wasnt anything else lying in wait, however. Anton wasnt certain about that.All cultivators developed an intuition for danger, particularly during Spirit Building, but as with all of cultivation there werent necessarily hard limits. Anton did train in gathering and processing information, but predictive abilities in that manner werent really part of it. If it was merely intuition he would accept it, but if it was something he could control he would prefer to develop it further.He thought back to what he sensed. Nothing really stood out. More or less standard barriers for the Sylanis Cluster. Perhaps a vague sense of the two Worldbinding cultivators they knew would be there. As for beyond that, there was nothing Anton could name. There was more, but he couldnt really describe it or its origin immediately. He would have to keep pondering on the topic, though whether it would produce fruit was unclear.-----... and if you really want to make them mad, burn down their favorite building, desecrate the gravesite of their favorite ancestor, or run off with one of their most eligible female disciples, Everheart finished his instructional segment.I will defer to your expertise as the most hated man in the galaxy, Anton inclined his head, But I feel like perhaps those are only useful if you want a group to be mad at you. It seems relatively inefficient for starting wars between sects.Just put on a wig, Everheart said. Nobody will know. Instant war.I- Antons eyebrow twitched. Please dont tell me that actually worked once.Three times before I hit fifty, Everheart grinned. I suppose it takes a bit more effort to deal with proper cultivators though.Well, Im not having any part in that sort of thing, Anton said.Yeah, youd better not. Youre extremely obvious, Everheart said. You should really take up a few dozen alternate fighting styles. Maybe start with wrestling.Wrestling. Anton said flatly. Why that?Its not too bad for close combat, and its fun to take down burly muscle guys by tying them into a knot. Strikes are fine if your opponent is unarmored, but you need more than that.I know how to wrestle, Anton said. But I would be many times more effective just shooting them.What if you dont have your bow? Everheart asked.I can literally make bows appear from nowhere, Anton gestured to a dozen bows suddenly floating around them.Everheart leaned forward, a massive energy pressing down on the area, forcing Antons aura back. He didnt actually force it all the way back to Antons skin, just made the point that he potentially could. What if your opponent completely suppresses your aura?Anton wasnt inexperienced in unarmed combat, but he wouldnt call himself an expert. Not among people of his cultivation level, anyway. He could probably still take down anyone in Body Tempering or maybe Spirit Building if they limited their energy usage even without energy himself, but those beyond the early years of cultivation would be more difficult to handle. Not everyone would reach Essence Collection in just six years, but nowadays on Ceretos taking more than two decades to reach that point was an oddity, even for the least talented.It was quickly apparent that Everhearts definition of wrestling did include strikes as he took swings at Antons face. It was odd, the attacks being so slow that he could have normally dealt with them trivially. His mind still processed at about the same rate, though it could be further enhanced by natural energy in battle. His body, however, was sluggish. He could tell his arms to move into position, but it was like dragging them through mud.Anton managed to get a grip on Everhearts wrist and throw him back over his head, giving him enough time to reorient himself as he got to his feet. Without natural energy flowing through it, his body was an uncomfortable mix of fit and old. His knees and back hurt from the motions, but it was nothing he couldnt ignore. The mundane pains of a body hed dealt with before becoming a cultivator, and now hed experienced much worse.It was not even the slightest bit surprising that Everheart fought dirty. Anton was simply startled to find the man had somehow managed to grab a handful of dirt somewhere as he threw it towards Antons face. At least his eyes blinked in time to shield himself from direct contact. It just meant he had to predict Everhearts following move with his eyes closed. His knee kicked up, expecting another tackle. Everheart was both predictable and not. Antons knee indeed struck him in a lowered shoulder, but the man was already prepared to grab Antons leg. Instead of mounting Anton he twisted him around, bending the leg in ways Anton didnt know could happen without breaking something- and that was with extremely trained flexibility. He also didnt think it could be done so easily, because he didnt feel that Everhearts muscles were particularly stronger than himself and yet he could barely resist. At least his same flexibility allowed him to kick with his other leg at angles that werent normally possible, catching Everheart in the nose. Over the course of the next hour or so the bodies trained to somewhere above average cultivator standards received their fair share of bruises, lacerations, and even a few breaks- though they would heal quickly with the application of natural energy or the most basic medicines.The battle ended when Anton saw an opening and kicked his foot between Everhearts legs. He had honestly been expecting a counter of some sort, perhaps for his knee or hip to be immediately twisted out of its socket but he properly connected. Everheart doubled over, just laying curled up in a fetal position on the ground for a full minute. What the hell was that? Anton asked. Youre better than to get hit by that.I just wanted to see if I could force you to take the opening Everheart grinned from the floor. Someones got to teach you to fight dirty. Anton sighed, reaching out his hand to pull up the other man, bracing himself for the battle to continue, but Everheart just accepted it and pulled himself up, stretching. Well, I think thats enough of that for now. Youd never win a proper match, but at least youre not useless.Obviously, Anton said. I try my best not to leave any gaping holes in my abilities despite how unlikely a situation like this would be nowadays. Anton pondered for a second. Think you could beat a body temperer?Most of them? Everheart nodded. Sure thing. Maybe not everyone in Life Transformation, but Ive got centuries of experience on everyone. Given Everhearts past, that might actually be centuries devoted to just wrestling, at least for one of his projections. Wouldnt even dream of it with Nthanda. Technique only works to a certain point. Im pretty sure I couldnt hurt her with just my body if she let me. He tapped his chin, Are all of the lower realm worlds this amazing or is it just us?You know all of the ones I do, Anton pointed out.Good point. Id say the Worldbinding numbers in the Sylanis Cluster are fine. Certainly better than expected even if Id known about the option. Rutera and Weos are too early to say, though I do like their big ship. Anton hadnt said anything about The Independence to Everheart- nor heard anything about him actually seeing it- but he wasnt surprised. Ceretos here seems pretty special. Maybe its just me?Or maybe this is how lower realms should develop without upper realms invaders constantly suppressing them.Or, Everheart held up a finger, Counterpoint- the constant invasions were required to eventually churn out something of worth.I dont want to entertain that thought.Dont get me wrong, I hate it, Everheart stomped his foot. This is our world, the upper realms can get their souls turned into mush if they think they are allowed to lay a finger on it. But conflict is likely a contributing factor.I will concede it pushed some of us over the edge, but you didnt participate in any of the invasions did you?No, Everheart admitted. I was between them. But Im special.You sure are, Anton nodded sincerely. Some of it was even meant in a good way.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
