Alex swallowed. “This one is grateful, Master,” he said to their backs, for all that he had been in mortal terror when Panheu had first jolted him out of sleep, slicing open his palm faster than Alex could blink, and carrying him over to the gate as if he weighed no more than a feather.
At least Alex had had the presence of mind to feign perfect equanimity, even when the gate pulsed a crimson hue the same shade as Yinzi’s eyes. He shivered at the memory, fervently hoping today’s work assignment might be a bit less precarious than yesterday’s.
The first class of his day went no better and no worse than he could have hoped, smiling and nodding politely at all of Fu Shen’s barbed insults, actually learning a bit more about the Golden Realms and the customs of the Yidushi city council that served as advisers to Administrator Ruizhi while still being bound by ancient noble rulings made by those who technically outranked them, such as Lady Jin Yu, whose mandate made it a crime to commit acts of atrocities against Ruidians, else they would no doubt have been purged long ago, as Fu Shen noted with particular relish.
“But being the daughter of the god of mischief, perhaps there were less than benign reasons for her allowing the festering plague within our city to continue to eat our food and breathe our air,” Fu Shen sneered, glaring directly at Alex as he said it. “Class dismissed!”
Alex quickly suppressed the jolt of hot bile coursing through his gut, the bitter tang of iron and blood in the back of his throat, vision suddenly red with killing fury.
It was one thing to insult himself. That he would laugh off like water off a duck’s back.
But to insult the serene noblewoman who had gazed at him so sympathetically as he slowly slipped into the living earth, nothing but flowers in his wake, after working in desperate concert with Alex to strike down that terrible storm of ships determined to see her city burn?
“An instructor who teaches with barbed insults against sacred tradition and ancient history, who would disparage divinity who willingly fell to the earthly realms, accepting the burden of mortality as she rescued Yidushi in her night of greatest peril? You are right, Master. Mischief does indeed rear its chaotic head, even in the heart of Dragon Academy.”
He immediately flowed into a bow as the man’s eyes widened in humiliated outrage. “No matter our rank or station, we must always be wary of arrogance and hypocrisy, lest we would dare to mock the gods themselves, and accept whatever penalty they might exact upon our ungrateful flesh. If not in this life, perhaps the next one. This lowly Ruidian thanks you for your lesson by example, honored Master Fu Shen.”
The whole class went deathly silent. Alex could feel the sudden killing aura in the air. Everyone was gazing at Alex with a mixture of awe and horror. And Fu Shen himself looked apoplectic. So speechless with fury and humiliation that he too was momentarily frozen, his gaze one of horrified disbelief and killing fury.
Insight check made!
Alex instinctively understood how priceless and precious that heartbeat of time was, how only in having the arrogance to act in that moment of utter tranquility before the most violent of storms, could he possibly survive what was to come.
With the smooth grace of fifteen in Finesse and Agility and the equivalent of thousands of hours of intense kung fu practice, Alex flowed free of his seat and was already out the door.
“The Ruidian is right, students,” said Master Fu Shen several moments later, his voice exquisite in its precision and control. “Never mock those gods worthy of your devotion, lest you be reborn a worthless piece of trash like the creature who knows better than to ever enter this classroom again. Class dismissed!”
Alex chuckled softly to himself, already making his way down the hall. He could just imagine WiFu laughing quietly in his head. He knew he had played the fool, but that was one insult he wouldn’t let stand, having the presence of mind to frame the words in such a way as to let the professor damn himself. Very well. He knew the school actually tested first year students on their knowledge of city history and local geography, and he had carefully examined the thick, leather-bound tomes two particularly scholarly students had been peering over while their master spoke. He would make a point of checking a copy out from the library, or perhaps seeing if he could purchase copies from the city below. Independent study for him, then, though he knew he’d be doomed when it came time for manual test taking. But he had known that would be the case from the moment Fu Shen’s outraged glare had met his own the day before.
Fortunately, his next class was utterly free of drama. Master Liang’s gruff acceptance of Alex as just another cultivator meditating in his class, and one he actually acknowledged as not being utterly abysmal in his cultivation and control of his own peripheral Qi flow, had been refreshing to witness the day before. Only now did Alex realize what a striking contrast it was compared to almost everyone else he had met since attending Dragon Academy.
He gave Alex a genial enough nod when he entered the classroom that day, overseeing a score of students all in lotus position. And that’s when it clicked for Alex, noting the man’s strong posture, the hawk-like gaze of a man used to inspecting those under him, the curt, gruff acceptance of Alex himself, not too concerned with his appearance, caring only about his potential.
Master Liang had once been in the Royal Army, much like Alex’s old mentor Liu Jian had been. He was all but certain of it.
Not that it made any difference to their lesson, which had to do with drawing up and refining Qi from the divine energies all around them.
“All of us are cultivating? Good! I know most, no, all of you are still clearing your meridian channels, and sad to say, for many of you, it’s as far you’ll ever go. But for those of you who do manage to break through to Bronze, you won’t be cultivating away your own impurities, but will have to draw the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth directly into your meridians, cycling it as you refine your Qi, and eventually forge deliberate channels between all your meridian gateways.
“With every channel you forge, you ascend a rank in Bronze, and for those of you eager to begin the moment you achieve your final breakthrough as a basic cultivator, clearing all your channels, have a care!” Hard eyes glared warningly at his students. “You want to think long and hard about the best pattern for your meridians, because the pattern you forge will be yours until you return to the River of Souls centuries or, if you royally screw up, just a few short years from now.”
More than a few students paled at these words.
“Scared? You should be. A healthy dose of fear can keep a cultivator alive, so long as your resolve remains as hard as steel. For fear and resolve together make wise soldiers who know when to be cautious and when to strike forth with bold determination! So when and if you do find yourself just a half-step away from Bronze, I advise caution, prudence, and careful analysis, perhaps more than at any other point in your lives! Heed the words of your mentors. Study carefully the tomes, treatises, and cultivation manuals they assign to you. And for those unfortunate few left to their own devices, a librarian in your corner can be your very best friend, at least as a student, guiding you to cultivation manuals best suited to your strengths, particularly with a consultation with one of our spirit doctors, who, together with a favored librarian, can save you hundreds of hours of frustrating study leading nowhere as you struggle to find the meridian pattern that would work best with your inclinations, affinities, natural strengths and weaknesses.
“But all that’s a lecture for another day. Those of you who make it through all four seasons in my class, able to draw in the spiritual energy all around us, refining your Qi using just your peripheral channels, will almost certainly achieve Bronze! Now today’s technique is based on the Cleansing Breath purification technique. Those of you still mastering Steel Bear, continue what you’re doing. You’re not ready for this.
“The rest of you need to visualize the flow of Qi flowing through your open gates, eating away at any remaining blockages. Good. Now try to imagine your
selves sitting within a storm of Light Qi surrounding you. Flowing around, through, and into you. It might feel no more real than a tingle, the slightest hint of a breeze of potential. But I assure you that a veritable storm of spiritual energy surrounds all of you. It but remains for you to tap into it, to feel a trickle of it bleeding into your peripheral channels. Carefully, just a trickle, not a flood, though I doubt any of you will be at risk of extending themselves too far this semester. Yet it is only when you have begun forging your meridian channels as a Bronze that you can afford to cultivate an unlimited amount of Qi. And fear not, once you are Bronze, you need never fear taking in too much Qi! In fact, yours will be a lifetime developing your future cycling technique, which should be specialized and tied to the meridian channel pattern you are forging, to draw in and refine as much spiritual energy as you possibly can, as finely as you possibly can.”
At that moment one student tentatively raised his hand. “Yes, Chang Yi?”
“Forgive the question, master, but Cleansing Breath is a pure Light Qi technique, yes? I thought we moved on to our specific elemental affinities when it came to cycling? Isn’t that so much more, well...”
Master Liang snorted. “Of course you do! No one can truly cycle Light Qi. It is an absurd idea even to suggest! You already know that Cleansing Breath is the ideal purification technique, as it establishes the strongest of foundations, and does not risk hampering or stunting the growth of a second element within your blood. Yet you can also use it to better understand the flow of spiritual energy all around us, and using it in this way will strengthen your peripheral channels and prepare you for true cycling one day.”
Liang gave a pleased nod. “If you fools can actually manage to sense the flow of Light Qi, even if you can do no more than feel it surging through your outermost peripherals, then even the most exotic cycling techniques will be open to you, once you achieve Bronze!”
Chang Yi bowed his head. “Thank you for the clarification, master.”
“Alright. No further interruptions? Good. Now embrace Cleansing Breath. Excellent. Feel the Qi flowing through your opened channels and your body entire… feel it eating away at your remaining blockages, feel the Light Qi naturally released fill your body with power and potential...”
Master Liang paused, Alex quickly slipping into a meditative state, cycling his Qi just as instructed.
“Good. Now I want you to imagine breathing in the flow of Qi all around you. Not just purifying the Qi in your meridians, but drawing in fresh pneuma with every breath. For some, it might help instead to visualize yourself as a plant. Imagine the warm golden light shining down upon you to be absorbed directly into your skin, filling you with life-giving energy.”
For long minutes Alex frowned, trying to do just that. But the air he breathed tasted just the same as always, no added vitality. And though the warm shaft of sunlight felt wonderful, it did little more than soothe him with the memories of bygone summer days.
He then furrowed his brow, almost imagining that he could taste a hint of something, but no more. Perhaps it was because of the sheer size and potency of his blockage, even now filling him with so much Light Qi as to make it hard to sense the added flow of anything else. Add to that the concentration required to store most, but not all, of the Dark Qi residue he generated into his ring, and he thought himself lucky just to be able to focus upon basic cycling. Fortunately, no one at this school seemed to have a clue about his affinity with Dark Qi. Even with almost all absorbed into his ring for later use, the bit he carefully left remaining left him as foul smelling as any other cultivator present.
Master Liang nodded thoughtfully at a couple of students. “Good. I think a few of you are actually capable of grasping this. Eventually. Alright, continue to cultivate until the second bell.”
And Alex did just that, an entire hour going by as he focused on the very same techniques he did every day under Elder Panheu, only now trying to absorb more added Qi with his breathing and the sun gently caressing his skin, getting absolutely nowhere.
At least the soft muttering and hisses he heard made it clear he wasn’t alone in his struggles, Alex resigning himself to what might be a long month spent trying to learn this technique, assuming it ever clicked at all, which Master Liang made certain to inform the class after the first bell was by no means a sure thing.
Before Alex suddenly shook his head, realizing he was being a fool.
Master Liang hadn’t just been using a metaphor. There truly was a storm of Qi around him. A whirlwind of Light Qi he was learning to sense with ever greater clarity as he did his best to embrace the Qi techniques around Elder Panheu’s White Crane kung fu.
Struck with sudden inspiration, he did his best to visualize himself cultivating in that swirling storm of Qi he could sometimes tap into when practicing White Crane. Only instead of simply letting that whirlwind empower his blows, he imagined drawing a portion of that potent energy into himself.
Insight obtained! You see the similarities between Golden Realms purification technique and White Crane kung fu. It’s almost as if they were two pieces of a puzzle in perfect balance with one another!
You have had a breakthrough! You have learned White Crane cycling technique at 1% efficiency! Note: you have forged no meridian channels. Peripheral channels have been flooded with Light Qi. Save versus channel strain successful!
Struck with sudden inspiration, Alex imagined that swirling storm of energy being eagerly gobbled up like powerful fuel by his cells via his Eternal Fox body cultivation technique, knowing that Light Qi was a mixture of all elements, and intuitively sensing the Dark Qi his body was absorbing as well. He was struck with the sudden certainty that, if nothing else, tapping into this stream of power and potency could serve him like a very diluted version of Power Healing.
White Crane cycling technique at 5% efficiency!
White Crane cycling technique at 10% efficiency!
White Crane cycling technique at 20% efficiency!
Breakthrough made! You have incorporated White Crane cycling technique into Eternal Fox body restoration technique! White Crane cycling technique will now facilitate a two-fold increase in normal Eternal Fox rate of regeneration! This will increase an additional 100% for every 20% increase in White Crane cycling technique efficiency achieved!
Congratulations! Cleansing Breath purification technique is now at 45%!
And for that second precious hour, Alex lost himself in the sheer joy of transcendent insight, a thousand half-understood truths suddenly clicking together into one wonderful whole, his entire understanding of the world around him seeming to grow and expand, taking in the flow of Qi all around the classroom entire. When he finally opened his eyes, the entire class was gazing at him intently.
Most especially Master Liang, who was giving Alex the strangest of smiles.
“I do believe our Ruidian has had a breakthrough.”
The whole class, whose gazes Alex now understood to be as much envy as awed disbelief, broke out in angry whispers.
Soul Sight perception check made! +6 to all skill checks while under the influence of Transcendent Insight!
“How do you feel, Alex?” asked Master Liang.
Alex bowed low. “This one is grateful for your insights, master. I believe it has led to enlightenment.”
“Impossible!” snapped none other than Chang Li, the plain-looking muscular youth of about twenty who happened to be in all of Alex’s classes, distinct from others only in the unusually frustrated glare in his eyes. “There is no way a Ruidian could gain enlightenment. Gain a thousand hours’ worth of insight in an eyeblink? This crass fool who dared to insult Master Fu Shen and storm out of class? The gods wouldn’t favor trash like him! He’s mocking us with his smile. I know it! The only insight this fool will have is the taste of my fist!”
Alex held the hot-eyed gaze of the fuming cultivator before him and smiled. “Bring it, asswipe.”
The entire class gazed in open-mouthed awe at th
e depth of Alex’s insult. His smile grew. He was glad some insults translated perfectly.
Master Liang’s grin was like that of a wolf, a hard palm gripping Chang Li, who looked ready to charge for Alex’s throat. “What an interesting development! It appears challenge has been offered and accepted! Since both you young fools share classes, I can think of no better place to settle this than in Master Pan’s!”
The entire class slowly made its way to Master Pan’s arena-like classroom, earning the stares of many passing students who tagged along at a discreet distance as they made their way to the training circles, Master Pan nodding his approval when Master Liang explained the situation to him, the students of both classes gossiping in excitement as Chang Li bragged about how he was going to absolutely destroy the foreigner.
Alex only smiled at their wide eye-looks of disbelief and outrage, still feeling the warm tingling glow of enlightenment coursing through him, savoring the odd connection he felt with the world around him, everyone’s meridian flows showing up bright and sparkling like rivers of diamonds before Alex’s eyes.
Master Pan gave Alex a bemused smile. Then he blinked, gazing carefully at Alex, smile hardening into something a bit more serious. “I must admit, Ruidian, I’m surprised to see you back here so soon! Your master’s pockets must be deep, and you are certainly more tenacious, or perhaps foolish, than I took you for.”
“He dared disrespect Master Fu Shen and me to my face!” hissed Chang Li. “I will extract vengeance with my fists, break him into submission!”
Sheng Jie, looking every inch the noble scion with his fine silk short-sleeved changshan and matching burgundy ankle-length pants, paused practicing forms with his masterwork blade, flashing an aristocratic sneer in Alex’s direction. “This worm dared to insult you and a master? What a fool. I bested him so easily yesterday, he shuffled off like the crippled dog he was!” He sneered and spat, glaring at Alex. “I’m surprised he didn’t kill himself out of shame, after crawling back to his master.”
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Forsworn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 3 Page 12
