I was actually having quite a lot of fun coming up with Han Yimu's movement art as I decided to let the creative side of me (which I actually had, apparently?) take over when I was rudely interrupted by a notification that I was expecting, just not this quickly.
[--Spirit Mine has completely devoured the Spirit Core. While it has not processed it fully, it has underwent the first stage of evolution][Spirit Mine's Sentience has evolved: Infancy --> Adulthood][...][A Spirit evolving in any capacity is either a long, arduous journey that they may never complete, or an overnight miracle. Though the steps towards Intelligence are the same, results vary massively depending on how a Spirit evolves. As the Spirit Mine has used a Divine-tier Spirit Core, it has achieved nearly fully optimal evolution. Its intelligence is currently comparable to a two-year-old][...][The Spirit still cannot directly communicate with a Host, but Host should offer it a name first before proceeding]
I never truly forgot about the little thing that Eternity had stashed away somewhere, and I kind of just... let it be. I never even took Spirit Stones from it as I wanted to accelerate its growth as much as possible. After all, ten thousand Stones would have just barely been a temporary relief, and my mind is in the future, when I can use it to fuel an entire sect's worth of disciples.
Regardless, even with the Spirit Core, I didn't think it would evolve, least of all this quickly. I just thought that it'd consume the Core and gain a few extra abilities, and that would be that.
And now it was even asking for a name. Hmm. Name, name, name. My naming sense is obviously awesome, but I haven't named a living thing yet in this world. And, unlike quite a lot of parents back on Earth, I'm fully aware that it's a name this 'kid' will have to live with for a long time, so I should probably abstain from making it too exotic.
But also... one's name is the first imprint of identity; it should have some uniqueness to it, I suppose. I mean, I liked 'Jake' well enough, but in grade school alone I've met like eleven other boys with a name 'Jake', and that number continued to grow throughout my life. Most kids never even called me 'Jake' as it was reserved for one or two dudes who were considered 'the coolest'.
So, what should I name a spirit that's born of a mine, now taking its first steps into adulthood? I find it kind of weird, though, that the Sentience stage of 'Adulthood' grants it the level of intellect of a two-year-old. How the heck is that adulthood? I think we're both being scammed, little mine-y.
Name, name, name.
Boulder? No, I'd just be reminded of another Boulder and laugh every time I'd use the name. Rock? No, can't do that either. Stoney? No, that just sounds like it's addicted to quirky brownies and hotboxes.
... should I just give it like a generic, can-be-anyone's name? Ashley? Joey? Blake? Jamie? No, that'd just make it get bullied more as they'd stick out like a sore thumb against the conventional names of this world.
Haah.
Maybe I shouldn't complicate it too much and just call it Ling? It's simple, easy to remember, it sure as hell won't get bullied because it's too unique, and it's not some generic woo-hoo. Yeah. Let's just hope it likes it.
[--Spirit Ling has been registered as Host's Direct Disciple][However, Host will be unable to view its status window until it reaches the stage of Intelligence][...][Due to the evolution, Ling has experienced several changes and gained new abilities][Spirit Stone Evolution: similarly to Host's Spirit Qi Purification Art, Ling can now passively upgrade lesser stones into their higher tiers. The rate is marginally worse than the art's, but is helped out by the fact it does not have to consciously dedicate its time to doing it. The host simply needs to give Eternity the stones and retrieve them when the conversion is done][Material Consumption: Ling has obtained the ability to consume materials and process them into evolutionary progress. While common and usable materials such as ores can be used, toxins and poisons will work as well. Anything that contains a trace of energy can be fully consumed. Note that Ling still cannot exist outside of Eternity's containment, so it cannot be summoned externally. Materials must be fed to it][Spirit Sense: Ling has become extremely sensitive to existence of dense pools of Qi, be they of another Mine or another nature. It can detect presence of Qi Swirls within a 100 mile radius. Note that Ling does not have the ability to discern the source of the Qi Swirls: it could be another mine, or simply a battle between two cultivators. Trust the ability at your discretion][...][Ling has taken the first step towards Self-Actualization. At the current rate, it will take 39,458,393,009 years to achieve it]
... did my eyesight temporarily go bad or does that shit say thirty-nine freakin' billion? You know what--not even gonna ask.
Just like with the Spirit Core, I'm assuming I'll have to be another 'miracle' in order to facilitate it taking that next step. For now, though, I'm actually super happy with the Spirit Stone Evolution alone. I don't like when the kids take the time to upgrade the stones as it does take a while, robbing them of the time they could have spent cultivating. With this, some of that burden, at least, will be alleviated.
As for the other two, they're a bit more circumstantial, and my big fear is that the Spirit Sense will become an annoying alarm that's gonna be ringing constantly as I'm not even sure what constitutes a 'Qi Swirl' that's dense enough to trigger it.
Oh well, we'll see.
Not much to do about it just yet, so instead I circled back to the idea I had for Han Yimu's movement art. For now, he's kind of a blank slate, to be honest; he's still learning how to properly wield the spear, and if the basis of everything I've given him so far is to be the foundation of his future, I think he'll land somewhere between Wan Lan and Dai Xiu in terms of the style.
Sort of like an AoE machine that thrives in large-scale combat and loves when there are rivers of blood around. Now, I can't literally base the movement art around that, though it'd be morbidly cool, indeed, but if I make that sweeping assumption... I do have an idea.
Spear is long and has a great reach, but what if he could just... throw it places? I mean, I'm no weapon expert, but a spear and a javelin are practically identical? Right?
Khm.
Anyway, so, if he could throw the spear, could he not just... go to it as a movement art? He really could shock hearts into early grave with that jump-scare shit.