Qi Perception-linked abilities (Note: These abilities may not exceed Qi Perception rank. All specialization points invested in Qi Perception will boost all underlying skills!)
Artificer – Rank 3 (You have a chance of deducing the inner-workings of arcane artifacts using Qi Perception, given sufficient time and elemental affinities.
That which can be understood can be manipulated, duplicated, or destroyed.
Any artifact whose nature you can fully grasp you can make use of without penalty.
Any artifact whose nature you can fully grasp you have the potential of forging.
Insight gained! You can use Dark Qi to destroy almost all mortal artifacts, or flood deadlier artifacts with Dark Qi once a weakness or flaw in its construction is discovered. You may even flood diabolical artifacts with Qi sufficient to break summoned horrors free of their bindings. Warning: this can have unpredictable results.)
Find Weakness – Rank 1 (Presently usable only on Artifacts, Constructs and Demons.
Degree of success determines degree that enchanted armor or wards can be pierced. Note: Piercing Strike skill enjoys massive success boost when used in conjunction with Find Weakness. All other Qi attacks will enjoy increased efficacy when used in conjunction with Find Weakness.
Against Artifacts (Enchanted Armor) or Constructs, the Find Weakness skill is boosted by Artificer skill!)
Body Cultivation Techniques Learned:
The Eternal Fox – Rank 3 (Regenerate 3 pounds of lost biomatter per 1000 hours of cultivation. Saintly Aura: will heal curses and infernal wounds. Works with all elemental affinities at all levels of cultivation.)
Qi Purification Techniques Learned:
Dual Path Purification Technique (95.6% Efficiency)
Cleansing Breath Purification Technique (3.25% Efficiency)
Qi Rejuvenation Techniques Learned:
Golden Realms Meridian Restoration Technique (95% Efficiency)
Qi Cycling Techniques Learned:
None
Interface Enhanced Skills
Biochemical Mastery – Rank 5 (Now includes Alchemy – usable in Divine Artifact only.)
Full Regenerative Capacity (Heal rate based on Vitality. Injuries will be free of scarring. Missing limbs will require 1 week per pound of bio material lost to regenerate fully.)
Flaws:
Bound to Slave Collar. (Critical Failure has Qi-welded this artifact shut. Artifact’s antithesis to your affinities prevents removal! Note: collar is inert and cannot directly harm you. You have successfully short-circuited your collar!)
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Alex gave a nod of satisfaction as he dressed himself in the most comfortable and serviceable clothing he could find, which just happened to be a perfect replica of the incredibly soft, comfortable, and if Liu Li’s tests had been any indication, nearly indestructible changshan shirt, slacks, and leather shoes that had been left for him upon first awakening to this world.
Perception check made.
He smiled as he noted, perhaps for the first time, the subtle foxes woven all about the collar of his shirt, so well did they blend in. Not that he at all begrudged the shirt’s ultimate maker, knowing all he had to be grateful for as he perused the crates of gear he hadn’t had time to port back to the caravan, finding several serviceable hauberks of lamellar armor, the individual lamellae all made of treated spirit beast hide and as resilient as anything, save perhaps the best quality steel.
All the bronze helms he found looked almost identical to the Warring States helmets he had seen in museums, save for the low hanging nose guards and indented cheek plates that still allowed for unrestricted breathing and vision while giving that much more protection, the indentations assuring that thrusting blades aimed at the cheeks or nose would be caught before they could skip into the eyes, and Alex was glad to see the insides were well-padded so as to absorb the force of most blows.
Equipping the best of that armor, along with a pair of bronze greaves he had found, he felt as ready as he ever would, bracing himself as he exited his ring and emerged outside once more.
Bullrush!
He instantly popped into the top foliage of a tree just above him, his feet braced and kept utterly still as he carefully eyed the area from the treetop, the leaves his toes graced twitching not at all under his weight.
He took a deep breath and then smiled, detecting no sign of spirit beast, cultivator, demonic entity, or anyone else in the small clearing that was just a short distance from the main Trade Road.
Then he frowned, teeth grinding, as he felt a certain unwelcome presence he had thought, hoped, he had been completely freed from.
The unwelcome weight of the slave collar was still around his neck.
12
You have gathered 15 samples of Qi-infused toadwort. You have gathered 10 samples of Qi-infused foxglove, you have gathered 7 pristine apples, you have gathered 2.5 pounds of pristine chestnuts.
Alex smiled faintly with every new find, always taking a certain amount of pleasure in harvesting natural earthly treasures, delighting in the way his Qi Perception let those pristine mushrooms, plants, and fruit light up in his vision, just as if he were playing his favorite games from lifetimes ago.
Of course, in those games he could just gather, formulate, and relax, and the worst that would happen to him if he messed up on any quest was a reset to his latest save point.
The fact that he was technically in enemy territory with a collar he could only attempt to keep hidden with a red band he had tied around his neck, knowing his wild plan was laughably unlikely to succeed and that too bad of a blunder would likely see him killed, did lend a certain degree of tension he chose to call excitement to his otherwise monotonous journey along the Trade Road that he could only hope would lead him back to Yidushi. Eventually.
Even if it was madness, even if the odds were that he’d be captured as a runaway slave thanks to the damned collar long before then, still, from everything that Silver Fox had intimated and Liu Jian had said, the keys to unraveling the mystery of an eight elemental cultivation technique were somewhere in Dragon Academy.
Had to be somewhere in that academy.
Otherwise, what had he been struggling so desperately to achieve?
In that moment he lowered his head, just the slightest bit ashamed of himself. Even if others could embrace the simple hunger of personal growth above all else, he knew what it was like to be touched by something beyond himself, a beauty and grace that transcended his ego.
He had wielded a divine artifact and fought against the minions of Hell, twice, worthy only because for just a brief double handful of moments he had transcended his own limitations, his own personal desires, and risked his life for a cause far greater than himself.
He chuckled ruefully, both grateful and humbled by what he had experienced. Both honored to have been the vessel of that divine artifact, and all too aware that the vast majority of the time he was the farthest thing from a saint.
And when all was said and done, it was his hunger to better himself that pushed him forward day after day, that motivated him to push his enhanced strength and endurance as he jogged along the road from dusk to dawn, stopping only to harvest whatever treasures lit up in his Qi Perception.
Day after day he fell into that rhythm, subsisting quite well on the considerable rations he had claimed and the incredibly potent fruits and nuts he foraged, until the moment his focus was completely shattered by the desperate scream he heard just off the main road.
Knowing he was playing the fool, rushing headlong into danger, did nothing to slow down his feet when the cries increased in desperation.
“Uncle! What are you doing?”
Clammy hands tightly gripped his fangtian ji as Alex burst into the clearing just beyond the main road, instantly taking in the sight of half a dozen massive wolves, with glaring hate-filled eyes and slavering obsidian teeth, circling a carriage and wagon guarded only by a trio of terrifie
d-looking spearmen, all their eyes wide with fear, save for one powerfully-built man whose flat, cold eyes made it clear that he had faced death numerous times before.
But the odds still didn’t look good.
Particularly not for the rotund noble lord and the trio of youths gazing out of the carriage windows, several of which had been shattered, the reinforced steel beams all that had kept the windows from being broken through, the frames themselves warped and bent. Even the stout carriage door, surprisingly sturdy in Alex’s limited opinion, showed off numerous scars and gouges, as if tooth and fang had tried desperately to burst through.
But the most telling evidence of the peril the hapless travelers faced could be seen in the handful of fallen guards splayed upon the ground, hamstrung and disemboweled, intestines spooling between pairs of ravenous-looking spirit beasts even as one man, just moments away from death, mouthed a silent scream before his assailants ripped him apart.
Then his eyes stared sightlessly into the River of Souls which all his fellow fallen companions had already joined, their lifeless corpses ripped and torn to bloody pieces by the savage monsters that seemed as eager to snap at each other as the surviving humans.
And perhaps it was the violent snapping struggle to devour as much meat as they possibly could that had slowed their assault for a few more lingering moments, time enough to fill their victims with hopeless despair before going in for the kill.
Alex took in the scene of horror in an eyeblink, knowing exactly what he had to do.
Bullrush!
Before the girls in the carriage could even inhale fresh screams, he had crossed forty feet in an eyeblink, now perched on the very top of the wagon frame, utterly still, and in that frozen sliver of time, weightless, his eyes settled upon the howling monster of a wolf that had just torn the throat out of one of the frantically struggling guardsmen, his shouts instantly transformed to a choking gurgle as the massive alpha greedily lapped up the blood, before the beast was stopped in its tracks.
Adderstrike! Skill check made! Whole body usage results in momentary invulnerability!
Not that he had needed it with the seven-foot drop to loamy ground, but he had channeled all his Qi into delivering a powerful thunder kick, which at that dropping angle was very much like the heel stomp he had once delivered to thick sturdy tree trunks to absolutely explosive effect. And though the massive spirit beast had been no tree trunk, his skull shattered similarly explosively, bone and brain splattering everywhere, Alex reveling in that moment of surprise, his fangtian ji cleaving through the air in a chopping blow that sent yet another spirit beast’s head flying free of neck with a fountain of hot, caustic blood Alex was now utterly immune to, before he spun on his backfoot and thrust in a single fluid motion, his Qi Perception instantly orienting on the charging blur of hot Earth and Metal Qi that was yet another demon wolf now abruptly jerked off its feet, much as Alex himself was, as his ji blasted through the spirit beast’s wide open maw, the sharpened crescent axe heads ripping completely through its cheeks as his spear head blasted down its throat.
Finesse check made!
Alex turned his stumbling fall into a roll, coming to his feet with gladius in hand just in time to meet the furious rush of the remaining spirit wolves that seemed determine to pull down their greatest foe with a mad frenzied rush.
And Alex knew he dared hold back no longer.
Adderstrike!
Adderstrike!
He blasted his gladius through the throat of one massive beast who nonetheless managed to bear him down with spine intact, washing Alex’s face in a shower of spurting blood. Alex’s desperate Qi attack did little more than crack free a tooth of yet another snarling wolf darting in, as if to tear into Alex’s flank the moment his packmate had dropped the young cultivator.
Surging with adrenaline, Alex prepared himself for a desperate frenzy, knowing he was only moments away from death, lest he reveal himself entirely before strangers.
The sudden squeal of a mortally-wounded wolf rang like music to Alex’s ears as he managed to tuck his feet under the corpse of the now-dead wolf and flip it off himself, rolling to his feet just in time to catch sight of the larger guard ramming his spear into the throat of the final spirit beast, sending it crashing to the ground.
And for an endless moment, they all just stared at each other, the ache in Alex’s side making it clear he had received injury despite his armor, hands slick with sweat and gore, offhandedly wiping wolf blood away from his face, gazing at the pair of surviving guards as the rotund man and the children within cried out a desperate barrage of questions.
The hot tension Alex suddenly felt with the spearmens’ glares eased when first one, then the other, gave begrudging nods.
“Ruidian,” said one, dipping his head as if that title alone was greeting.
Alex force himself to swallow, nodding back in turn. “Name’s Alex,” he said.
The other flashed a cold smile. “A Ruidian who can fight. Good.” He turned to the carriage. “That’s merchant Hao Zei and his kin.” The powerfully built man gave Alex a curious look. “I’m surprised you’re not dead.”
Alex flashed a grim smile, realizing that the storm of wolves charging into him had no doubt hidden any use of his abilities. “What can I say? I got lucky. And when my luck ran out, you chaps came to my aid in just the nick of time.”
The older man nodded. “You part of another caravan? Just happened to hear our cries?”
Alex shrugged, thinking on his feet. “I got separated from my caravan awhile back. Been making my way along the Trade Road hoping to run into another group heading back to the city. Glad I found you guys.”
The younger man snorted, gazing disdainfully at Alex. “Must have been in sad shape, your caravan, to hire a Ruidian, of all people.”
The older man’s gaze hardened, but he didn’t say anything.
Alex forced himself to laugh off the younger guard’s barbed words, his contempt for Alex blindingly obvious. And the fact that Alex had saved the young guard’s life obviously meant nothing to him. He was Ruidian and therefore to be despised. If anything, he hated Alex all the more for forcing an obligation upon him.
Much to his regret, Alex knew a fair number of folks who felt that way in Yidushi, even if an equally fair number of people, especially Liu Jian’s acquaintances, were surprisingly accepting of him. But he was a long way from the at times gruff but ultimately good-natured and honorable alchemist whose kindness had rescued Alex from what would otherwise likely have been the most degrading of existences, and Alex now had no idea if he’d ever see the almost-fatherly figure ever again.
To say nothing of Liu Li, the memory of her beautiful gaze haunting him for an endless moment before he firmly pushed it away.
“What can I say? My former master admired my ability with a ji more than he despised my odd looks.” Alex gazed pointedly at the spirit wolf corpses all about them, most of them as big, if not bigger, than the surviving guards themselves. “And at the end of the day, it’s skill at arms more than a pretty face that will make sure we live long enough to see the next one, wouldn’t you agree?”
The younger man just glared, abruptly turning away. The bulkier guard flashed Alex a mirthless smile. “Come. Hao Zei no doubt wishes to meet you.”
And in very short order, Alex found himself before a fat man wearing the finest silk attire that did absolutely nothing to mitigate the greasy air Alex sensed from the man, for all that his slicked-back hair was perfectly in place, thin lips curving into what was no doubt intended as a grateful smile.
It froze in place, eyes glittering with an odd intensity as hot words slid between his clenched teeth. “Our benefactor is before us! And that he should be a Ruidian of all things… remarkable. Most remarkable.” He snapped his head around, and Alex could only imagine the expression that caused the diminutive young woman just behind him, hardly more than a girl, really, to pale.
Her large almond eyes widened slightly as if in qui
ckly-suppressed alarm, the girl clenching slender hands together and all but curling up in her cheongsam. Of finest silk and with a modest hem line, it was paired with a short crimson coat, as was the other girl’s, though her delicate little hat was a bright contrast, her ebony hair wrapped in a tight bun pinned just underneath, Alex saw, as she bowed her head.
“A fascinating twist to our journey, is it not, dear Hao Yin?”
The girl licked suddenly dry lips. “I suppose it is, dearest uncle.” She flashed a gentle smile Alex’s way. “A blessing for which we should all be grateful.”
The other girl, whose striking beauty left Alex at a momentary loss for words, dipped her head. “However you came to be here, Ruidian, your presence is a boon not to be overlooked.” She turned to the merchant. “Best you offer tribute at the temple once we’ve safely arrived, Father.”
The man only smiled, next waving to a shy-looking boy of perhaps fourteen, dressed in breeches and a comfortable looking vest and undertunic. “This is my nephew Hao Lin, sister to Hao Yin. I am taking both to Yidushi where my daughter Hao Chan will, should fortune favor us, attend Dragon Academy.”
Alex blinked before turning to the coolly appraising young woman and offering a bow of his head. “So you’re a cultivator? Wow. I’ll bet you’re excited about being able to learn at the feet of the masters!”
Blessed with high cheekbones, flawless skin, and natural grace, Hao Chan gave the faintest of smiles. “Overcoming the martial trials and graduating within the top half of the supplicants won’t be easy. Fortunately, it involves unarmed martial forms, for obvious reasons.” She glared at the monstrous corpses by their feet, seeming more incensed than shaken by the death so narrowly avoided.
“Had I been trained in spear as thoroughly as I was in dancing, had I even a single weapon on my person, the fight might have had a very different outcome,” said Hao Chan.
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Reforged: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 2 Page 15
