The Jade Shadows Must Die [Cultivation LitRPG]

After visiting the Quartermaster, Rix had another stop planned: the library. He'd been meaning to make it there since he'd arrived, but he'd had a lot of other things to contend with. Today was the day he rectified that.

The library was a long room lined with shelves that sat near the mess hall. As he opened the door, he was immediately hit by an unfamiliar scent, earthy and dusty and a little sweet. From top to bottom, the place was stuffed with books and scrolls of every shape and size. He'd been in libraries before — even the Lantern Quarter had simple spaces for people to sit and enjoy the Chronicles — but the sheer quantity on display here shocked him.

Given the time of day, there was almost nobody present, save for a single unfamiliar inmate who sat behind a desk at the far end of the room. Rix surmised that his prison job was probably to act as a librarian.

Rix greeted him as he approached.

"Hi there," the man replied, looking Rix up and down. "New prisoner?"

"Newish," Rix replied.

The man nodded and spread his hands wide. "Welcome to the library. We've got books on all manner of things. What takes your fancy? Feel like immersing yourself in one of the Chronicles to take your mind off things? You wouldn't be the first." To support his point, he held up the book he was reading: A Fire Made Night. Rix had read that one. Not his favourite, but all the Chronicles were special in their own way.

"Not today," Rix said. "I was wondering if there was anything here about the Fractured Realms or the fadeborn."

The man looked at him with renewed respect. "A diver, are you? Couldn't do it myself," he said. "The only diving I do is into a good book."

Rix did his best to smile, but the man could tell he was only humouring him because he cleared his throat and pushed on. "Well, then. Fadeborn. There's plenty written on them." He led Rix to a shelf in the back corner. "Everything here is on the fades or the realm. Feel free to browse for as long as you want. You just can't take anything out of this room. Let me know if you need anything else."

Rix nodded his thanks and began browsing as the man returned to his desk. After collecting a small stack of books, Rix retreated to one of the tables in the middle of the room. The first book he opened was called 'Tanto's Guide to the Fractured Realm'.

Though little is known about the true origins of the fadeborn, one thing is accepted; they are the pure manifestation of Entropy. Left unchecked, they will eventually run rampant across all known space.

Rix flipped forward a few pages. As interesting as the greater cosmic battle was, his immediate concern was finding anything that would help him right now in his day-to-day.

Though the fadeborn come in myriad shapes, sizes, and demeanours, some things are understood:

Number one: Fades spawn in the Fractured Realms during the daily entropy storms. There are two factors that influence this process — the density of the entropy and its volume. Denser entropy typically spawns stronger fades. A larger quantity of entropy spawns a larger number of fades.

Number two: The fadeborn's only mission is to claim as much mana as they can. Like Martial Souls, they use this mana to grow stronger in some way we don't fully understand. They seek it in numerous places: in natural treasures, in each other, and in us. This means that in the Fractured Realm, fadeborn will mostly be found hunting natural treasures, though they have been witnessed battling one another when resources are scarce.

Number three: Through exhaustive study, scholars have developed a rudimentary understanding of how the strength of the average fadeborn at a given entropy density maps to the strength of the various martial tiers. This allows us to use entropy levels to determine safe diving practices for Martial Souls at all levels.

Number four: As fades improve in strength, they seek out higher entropy areas within the Fractured Realms where the treasures and prey are stronger. The more mana they consume, the faster, stronger, and more adept they grow. As fades begin to reach a power level roughly equivalent to our Omens, there is a noticeable spike in intelligence, in particular, though they are typically still more bestial in nature than not.

Number five: There is no exact formula for how much essence the System can draw out of a fade upon killing it, although there is a general correlation with strength. The System appears to divide all rewards for a kill evenly, even if the exact contributions are less balanced.

Number six: Fadeborn have been divided by scholars into various archetypes for categorisation. These include:

Prowlers: Swift, agile ambush predators that rely on surprise and quick strikes.

Juggernauts: Massive, heavily armoured fadeborn that use their size and durability as their primary weapons.

Swarmers: Smaller fadeborn that attack in large numbers, overwhelming their prey through sheer volume.

Warpers: Fadeborn that manipulate space or perception, using disorientation and confusion as weapons.

Burrowers: Subterranean fadeborn that emerge from the ground to ambush prey or create hazardous terrain.

Sentinels: Defensive fadeborn that guard territories, often with ranged attacks or area-denial abilities.

This list is not exhaustive, and not all fadeborn fit neatly into a category. You will find, as you begin your journey into the Fractured Realm, that fadeborn differ dramatically depending on the area you dive. The Sentinels near one dive portal may look and fight in a completely different way to those near another.

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That was more helpful. He could already imagine the classifications of everything he'd fought. The spider-fades were no doubt prowlers, while the bear-fade he'd fought on his first day was likely a juggernaut. It also confirmed a few things — there was no exact measurement for how much each fade was worth, and that kills were indeed divided evenly.

The notion that fades fought one another was something he'd never considered, but it made sense. Animals fought for territory and resources, so why wouldn't they?

What really stood out, though, was that comment on fadeborn intelligence. The shimmering fade had definitely exhibited signs of cleverness, even personality. If the book was to be believed, that placed it at equivalent strength to an Omen, or higher. What was such a creature doing in an area of such low entropy?

The book continued, going into great depth on the various theories regarding how the fadeborn formed and whether they had societies, but that wasn't what he was really here for. He wanted something tangible. The next hour he spent fruitlessly flipping through book after book, spouting all manner of philosophies and ideologies and studies, but it was all either too general or too technical to be useful for his current situation.

It wasn't until he'd nearly exhausted his pile that he stumbled upon a goldmine.

'The Fadeborn of Spiritlock.'

To call it a book was generous. It was a tattered collection of paper bound together with string. Rix hadn't even picked it up intentionally. It fell out of the cover of another book. Nonetheless, once he leafed through it, he immediately realised what he'd found.

I'm keeping my name off this thing cause a lot of people see the Martial Path as nothing but one big struggle. They don't want nobody helping each other, because everybody who dies just means more fades and treasures and power for them. But that's a cursed way to live, as I see it. There's no harm in helping people survive a little better in this place. It's hard enough even when you know what to expect.

So this is my little record, everything I've encountered in the Fractured Realm. Maybe it'll help you get out of a pinch.

The booklet was less than fifty pages, all handwritten, but Rix drank it in. It had descriptions and breakdowns and images of every fadeborn the author had encountered, complete with combat style and tips to take them down.

Next to an image of what was clearly the spider-fade was written:

So, these nasty buggers are what I call Nightmare Legs. They're like big-ass spiders with six legs, about the size of a medium dog. Don't let their size fool you though – they're mean as hell. They work in packs and like to jump out at you when you least expect it, using those pointy legs to stab you before chomping down with their boney jaws. Your best bet is to get them up close, but even then you have to watch out for those front limbs. They'll rear up and use them like spears.

Oh, and here's the kicker – some of the older ones can shoot spines from their bellies. First time that happened I nearly wound up a pincushion. So keep your eyes peeled and your guard up. There's always one more of them than you think.

That wasn't telling Rix anything he didn't know, but it verified that the author knew what they were talking about. The description of the behemoth he'd fought was even better.

Listen up, folks. This beast is a real piece of work. I call it Big Ugly, and for good reason. Imagine a small wagon, but alive and angry as a cornered boar. It's covered in these thick metal plates, making it a walking fortress. Got three nasty horns on its head, and when this thing charges, it's like an avalanche bearing down on you. Those horns can skewer you, and if that's not enough, it might just decide to squash you flat. Trust me, you don't want to be in its path when it gets moving.

Now, how to fight this monster? Well, I ain't no hero, but I've taken down a few. The trick is to use its size against it. Big Ugly's tough, but it ain't too bright. If you've got a spear or something long, aim for the spots between its legs and body when it's charging. Hit it right, and you can trip it up. Once it's down, it takes a while to get back up - that's your chance. Go for the softer bits under its belly or around its neck. And if you're really desperate, climb on top of it. Can't hit what it can't reach, right? Just watch out for when it tries to roll and squash you. Oh, and whatever you do, don't let it corner you. In tight spaces, you're as good as dead. Fighting this beast is like trying to topple a moving mountain, so be smart and stay light on your feet.

Now that was useful. While he'd overcome the one he fought, it was a close thing, and prising off one of its plates was fiddly. This gave him something new to try next time he encountered one.

He spent the next two hours absorbing everything he could of this prisoner's experiences. The fades were far more diverse than he'd imagined. There was a variety the author called Shifties, which were tall and long and almost looked like people if you squinted. They could warp light and create illusions to disorient you, before tearing you apart with razor-sharp tendrils. Apparently, they required you to rely on your other senses to track them, which turned them into easy kills.

Then there was the 'Rat Flood', which was basically just a swarm of fades about a foot long. They resembled rats, but had metallic bodies that were surprisingly tough, and they overwhelmed their prey with sheer numbers. Area of effect abilities and enclosed spaces were the keys to victory there.

There were fades of every shape and size, and by the end, he had at least a vague idea of how to fight each type. He wasn't going to assume the list was exhaustive. As the Quartermaster had made clear, the realm was full of surprises, but it was a good starting point.

The only disappointment he had was that there was no mention of the strange shimmering fade he'd seen. Was it really something nobody had encountered before?

Or, more chillingly, perhaps nobody who encountered it came back alive.

A few other prisoners came through while he researched, but nobody appeared to be looking to start any trouble. If anything, the library was the most peaceful place he'd found in Spiritlock. He'd often felt that way in the city too. The little rooms set up to share the Chronicles were rare places of calm and solitude, even in the chaos of Cloudpiercer Citadel.

When he'd finished with the booklet, he stashed it back in the cover of the book it had come from and returned it to the shelf. He would definitely be referring to it again.

"I'm done with those," he said, approaching the librarian.

The man nodded. "You were there for some time. Find what you were looking for?"

"Better, honestly."

The man grinned. "Good. To my mind, there's nothing a book can't solve. You need anything else?"

Rix's condition was beginning to catch up with him. His wounds already felt better than they had that morning, but it seemed there was a growing cost to constantly processing stargrass. There was an exhaustion building in the back of his head that threatened to overwhelm him.

But there was one more thing he wanted to check.

"Does the library have any kind of record of all the corporations in the city?" he asked.

The man nodded. "Looking for potential sponsors?"

Rix allowed himself a small smile. "Something like that."

The man led him to a slim book on a shelf in the corner. "It's a little out of date. Spiritlock doesn't exactly sink a lot of resources into this place," he said, gesturing to the room around him.

"That's fine," Rix replied. "I'm just curious about something."

He took the book back to his seat. 'Registered Corporations of Cloudpierce's Citadel', it was titled. Each page was dedicated to a different Martial Corporation and contained a lot of boring information about disciple numbers and profitability and organisation charts. Some of the corps he'd heard of, but many more he hadn't. The city was vast, and the machinations of the corporate elite had never been a significant concern of his, beyond Xu Han and Xu Sho.

He continued to thumb through the pages, searching the insignias until eventually he found what he was looking for. A corporation with the insignia of a great tree.

The group that had left that letter on his pillow.