Chapter

Alex awoke with a gasp, momentarily disoriented to find himself in his masters old garden shed, hit with a strange mix of alarm and nostalgic familiarity, having called his humble little shack with the too thin but comfortable enough mattress for the two months that had been the calm ideal student’s life he had always hoped for. Humbling work tending to gardens he had grown to love, and daily lessons with a master who would push Alex to the utmost, and make him all the stronger for it.

Alex shook his head, realizing he had played the fool once more, daring to tangle with forces he only half understood, radiating so much spiritual energy that he had alarmed an entire academy sufficient for the headmaster himself to investigate. And if Alex hadn’t been his former disciple…

Alex shuddered and quickly shook the thought away. A sealed off cube would have done nothing but make things worse when it eventually gave under Jade pressure had, his desperate gambit failed. He had needed that breakwall just as he had had it. And any sentinel left to protect him would have perished in the blast, and would have fallen to a Gold in any case.

But still… the look of terrified panic on Shalu’s face when he began sweating blood and squealing like a stuck pig warmed the cockles of his heart.

Still, Alex hadn’t gotten this far by playing the fool, instantly disbanding his three gates after having one open to his realm which his palanquin fell through, far better that than the sea, he thought, as the three gates formed a triangular container around Alex’s shed, Qi Perception making it clear that the compound was presently empty, and Alex lost himself in meditation, eager to consolidate his gains, losing himself in the glorious vision of his massive supercable orbiting around a planet-sized core, generating a spiritual current that Alex could now taste in the back of his throat.

A part of him wanted to howl with fierce joy for having successfully devised a path forward that forsook completely the finesse of seven or twelve strand meshes or baskets fit to contain any mortal core. His would rely instead of a single loop possessing a tensile strength bordering on infinity that he would happily add energy to with every kill made, and every core stolen. Until his cable was whipping about what would be his core at speeds sufficient to drag space itself at near the speed of light, if Terran physics was anything but a metaphor, here. He laughed at the sheer madness of the very idea. Nonetheless, his was a path that would rely on brute force alone, that would approach the event horizon of immortality through the application of absurd amounts of potency, his second Silver Tier having cost him the equivalent of two rank 1 Jade cores, or 12 Gold ranks and 14 Silver Ranks, Alex having used up all his resources save for a Rank 5 Silver and his Rank 1 Divine soul stones. And, of course, a handful of Grade A lesser beast cores still secured about his neck.

All of which meant that to achieve Rank 3 Silver he would need to consume the equivalent of at least a Rank 3 Jade, or 21 ranks worth of Gold soul stones. It was an absolutely absurd amount of power he would have to accrue, especially since it had taken only a single Deep Silver soul stone leveraged free from his enemy for Panheu to breakthrough to Gold at last.

On the bright side, his nemesis Shalu, that he could sense shrieking like a tormented animal the heavens above, was still forced to foot 6/7ths of the bill. It was a thought that filled Alex with unholy glee. “I guess living well truly is the best revenge,” Alex said to himself with a smile he was sure would get him kicked out of the academy in a heartbeat, if anyone saw it but him.

With a happy little hum he stretched and took note of all the delightful ways he had grown with this, his latest level, with a quick look at his abbreviated character sheet.

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Alex Hammer

Class – Cultivator: Disciple of the Dual Path (Unlimited potential. This is a Divine path.)

Rank 2 Divine Silver Cultivation Achieved!

Physical Characteristics

Strength - Silver Rank 4 (141) (Relentless Resolve and a dragon's might are now recognized as core elements of your path.)

Vitality - Silver Rank 4 (141) (Eternal Resilience and a dragon's fury are now recognized as core elements of your path.)

Quickness – Silver Rank 2 (90) (Chaotic Unpredictability is now recognized as a core element of your path.)

Finesse – Silver Rank 2 (90) (Mastery of Oneself is now recognized as a core element of your path.)

Spiritual Characteristics

Scholarship - 14 (Exceeds 84% of Population.)

Perception - 18 (Exceeds 99% of population.)

Willpower – 20 (Rank 1 Bronze achieved the hard way! - You have the resolve to walk in the Valley of Death and slip free of the River of Souls.)

Qi Pool – 165 (145) (Silver Rank 5 - 20 Points reserved: Divine Soul Stone anchored. Note: Forged and peripheral channels now enjoy added resiliency!)

Health Points: 1811

Perks

Insightful – Rank 2

Charismatic – Rank 3

Lesser Shadow Affinity - You can now see Shadow Qi! You have +6 to spot all those using Shadow to ambush or confuse you.

Golden Apple of Wisdom consumed. Increased chance of cultivation breakthroughs.

Draconic Ancestry. - The blood of golden dragons flows through your veins! You enjoy inhuman Strength (+1 Silver Tier to Strength and Vitality, once adulthood has been reached.) You may now purchase additional ranks in Strength and Vitality as if they were 1 tier lower than they actually are, in terms of cost and requirements!

All damage from heat and flame, spiritual or mundane, is reduced in severity by 2 Damage tiers. All cold-based attacks and physical sources of damage are decreased in severity by 1 Damage tier.

Favored Skills

Eternal Fox Kung Fu – Rank 8 (Incorporates all benefits and techniques of Rank 8 in Golden Realms, White Crane, and Silver Swan Kung Fu.) This art involving the mastery of movement, Qi flow, and battle; serves as the cornerstone of the Path of Pearlescence.

Poison Spitting – Rank 5: This skill has evolved from knack to martial technique! You can now spit a stream of water (or caustic poison) with enough force and accuracy to knock jade hairpins free of scalps with ease!

Stealth – Rank 4

Unused Eternal Soul Stones

1 Divine (Rank 1)

1 Silver (Rank 5)

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He took a deep, satisfied breath as he slipped through his invisible gate and walked the garden paths he knew so well, stretching in the grassy training area overlooking his mentor’s manor in the twilight before true dawn, only then beginning his morning exercises. He couldn’t help but delight in the ease and grace with which he could send both sharktooth dao and fangtian ji spinning through the dance of Silver Swan, White Crane, and Golden Realms kung fu, now joined together in one near perfect unified whole.

His movements had never been quicker or surer, his instruments of death cleaving through the air in a dizzying series of parries, strikes, and counters, going through the forms of his Unified martial art with a speed and grace he had only achieved on his best days, before achieving Rank 2 Silver in both Quickness and Finesse. Even better, his Rank 4 Silver Strength and Vitality meant his energy was endless, and he could whip his weapons about with the speed and grace of what would once have been the lightest of training staves, his martial prowess now close to rivaling that of the most impressive Silver Giant Alex had ever met, a man who had been entrusted with guarding the princess of an entire nation.

Alex could still perfectly recall the sight of Princess Xian Hong’s guardian half-brother sending multiple Silver tier opponents hurtling to their deaths with each swing of his deadly stone rod in was a battle so perilous that Alex still felt a cold chill at how close he had come to death that day, for all that he reveled in the breakthrough that had allowed him to make even a god bleed.

Alex finished practicing his forms with first light of true dawn, taking a moment to just savor the moment as the crimson sun slowly rose over the blazing ocean as he took in the glorious seascape before him, breathing deep of air smelling of the sea as the waves crashed upon the rocky shore below the cliff’s edge where he stood, a single seagull’s cry marking the start of a fresh new day.

“Master Panheu, isn’t that the Ruidian who fled shortly after you took took over the reins of Dragon Academy?”

And Alex couldn’t help but grin at the familiar voice, Alex now sensing the underlying innocence underneath her haughty demeanor, a girl whose horizons hadn’t been stretched at all in the almost year that Alex had been gone. Alex did note that heir formerly cracked Bronze foundation did seem much repaired, at least, the skin beneath her blush, kohl, and lip dye possessing the glow of health that any young Bronze body cultivator diligent with both their cultivation and exercise might enjoy.

Alex hid his gentle smile with a respectful bow, though he couldn’t quite hold back his cheeky grin as he met the twinkling eyes of his former mentor. Panheu had always given off an aura of an older martial aesthetic with his hooded gaze and silver-white hair, though his features had always been unlined, even if roughened like that of a true outdoorsman.

But now he radiated the fearsome potency of a true Gold, radiating a Vitality that was humbling to behold, Elder Panheu now looking both like a senior cultivator and a man who could effortlessly smash through a mountain, so potent were the spiritual energies emanating from him, truly looking both ancient, vital, and ageless, all at once.

Alex was both chilled and awed by the sight. And he would be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge the relief he felt when his master’s hard gaze crinkled the tiniest bit for an amusing wayward former disciple. Eyes that could have flattened with the promise of inescapable doom, had Lady Jidihu’s former husband and deadliest assassin in her arsenal decided that Alex was a threat that needed to be removed.

“Indeed,” his former mentor said. “It appears my former student has profited mightily from what were no doubt many exciting adventures, exploring the world beyond and finding his own path forward in the realm of cultivation. And we are delighted to have him stop by for a stay.”

Peng Dan’s eyes widened at this. “Really, master? But if he wasn’t...” She paled and quickly lowered her gaze when the headmaster quirked his brow, now gazing her way. “Forgive this foolish girl, Master Panheu,” she said breathlessly, kowtowing before him.

Panheu chuckled softly. “None of that, child. We wouldn’t want the grass to stain your pristine white sparring gi. We will leave those marks for showcasing the flaws in your technique!”

The girl winced. “Of course, Headmaster. But I thought perhaps, today...”

“You will demonstrate your increasing mastery of your recent breakthrough, after finally learning to sense and channel the storm of White Qi all about you?”

Her cheeks flushed with a tinge of crimson as she caught Alex’s perfectly innocuous gaze. “I um… yes, of course you are right, Headmaster Panheu. But what about...”

“Alex?” Panheu flashed a brilliant grin. “His timing couldn’t be better. My herb garden has missed his ministrations terribly. In fact, the boy’s been all but irreplaceable! We are pleased to benefit from his exceptional talents for so long as he chooses to visit our fine institution.”

Alex suppressed a chuckle at Peng Dan’s odd expression, before bowing his head. “It will be as you say, Headmaster Panheu.” And Alex was surprised and oddly pleased to find the gardening tools exactly where he had last left them, and he couldn’t help but crack a smile as he found himself tending to rows of spiritual herbs that he was almost certain hadn’t benefited from a proper gardener’s touch since the last time he had pruned and cared for them, almost a year ago.

Still, he found the exercise of tending the garden both enjoyable and soothing, his heightened Finesse and Strength rendering the work near effortless. He delighted in how well his exquisite coordination allowed him to pluck, prune, care for the plants at a speed no basic cultivator could have matched, soon achieving a state of Zen that allowed him to lose himself in his work and the delightful scents of hundred different blossoms perfuming the morning air.

He soon gazed down with no small amount of pride for his carefully organized selection of cuttings that would be perfect for brewing with a number of health tonics and cultivation boosting pills, and a far larger pile of cuttings fit for nothing save the mulch pit Alex had just finished turning.

He gazed at the now perfectly tamed garden with a satisfied smile when he was done. A quick wipe with a rag and a dash of biochemical mastery allowed him to wipe odorless sweat and grime from his face and arms as quickly as his eternal set of clothing sloughed off dirt and grime, leaving his attire looking as if he had just stepped out of the dry cleaners just minutes after he had cleaned his tools and returned to the sparring area.

Peng Dan, who had paused in her training to take a sip of tea with the headmaster, was gazing at Alex with something close to awe.

“Headmaster Panheu, he managed to weed and tend to your entire garden in less than half a glass!”

“That he did, Peng Dan,” Panheu acknowledged, before beaming at Alex. “The garden prospers under your care as always, dear boy.”

“I’ve arranged the cuttings just as you prefer, Master Panheu,” Alex said with a smile.

Peng Dan immediately frowned at that. “That’s headmaster to you, Ruidian.” Then her brows furrowed in puzzlement. “And you look considerably taller than you did the last time I saw you. And the size of your shoulders… are you truly the same boy who looked like a lost puppy before fleeing with his tail between his legs, Ruidian?”

Panheu chuckled softly and Alex just smiled politely. Then his old mentor’s gaze hardened. “And what do you think of the selection of cuttings you so neatly prepared, Alex?”

Alex frowned thoughtfully, as if his every word wasn’t being measured to within an inch of his life. “I’d say more frequent pruning by someone who knows the needs of your plants would do your garden wonders, Headmaster Panheu. But as for specifics...” he held a sprig of Sageroot and smiled. “Still at about 155% of median market potency, with most of the other herbs also being about one and a half times more potent than what you’ll find in the Yidushian traders in the city below, thanks at least in part to the strong spiritual energy in the air.”

Panheu flashed a pleased smile, the earlier tension in the air instantly fading. “And the soil you yourself helped to enrich, before arranging the garden with an eye for proper shade, drainage, and soil alkalinity that would do any Ruidian farming community proud.” He gave a pleased nod. “And I have no doubt that my garden will bloom all the brighter for your ministrations this morning, as well.”

Alex smiled but didn’t deny it. Besides tending to the roots and soil as any good gardener would, he had used Biochemical Mastery almost instinctively to secrete a bit of concentrated minerals where it would do the most good as well.

Peng Dan, however, was gazing at Alex more intently than ever. “But… forgive this lowly student, headmaster, but how is it possible? His physique… the way he carries himself… has he truly broken through to Bronze? And no one could have gained that much muscle that quickly, no matter how many cultivation pills they took or fortuitous encounters they enjoyed!”

Panheu’s gaze never left his own. “Indeed. Our dear Alex has made a delicious mockery of so many flawed assumptions during the time he was here, so why not a few more in the year he was away? And if my eyes do not deceive, his foundation hasn’t been impaired at all by cultivation pill toxicity or any other ailment.” He gave an approving nod. “You have never looked stronger, or more fit than you do at this moment. Even after your most remarkable breakthrough.”

He flashed a smile Alex found positively chilling. “If anything, I suspect you’ve recently enjoyed another breakthrough of a caliber that would leave most students of this school green with envy. But appearances can be deceptive, as we both know, my dear Alex. So let us test these assumptions in ways that transcend all attempts at artifice and deception. The only true way to measure a cultivators merits in the only arena that matters.”

Peng Dan’s eyes widened when Panheu glanced her way and smiled. She shivered and flowed into dogeza, before daring to raise her head and address the man who was apparently her personal tutor still, despite him wearing a headmaster’s robes. “Master, are you suggesting that I spar with him?”

Panheu’s eyes positively twinkled. “As enjoyable as that might be to witness… no. I believe it would serve you far better to observe a demonstration of our art as it was meant to be used upon the battlefield.

Peng Dan paled at those words, her gaze turning strangely pitying, before she bowed her head. “I will be honored to embrace whatever lesson you have to each, headmaster.”

Panheu turned back to Alex, this time with a pair of spears in hand he had summoned from who knew wear. Alex didn’t need to examine them closely to know they weren’t training blades, as he tossed one Alex’s way.

“I can see you have grown in ways any cultivator would envy, in a very short period of time. Now is the perfect time to test the degree of your growth and the strengths of your convictions, unless you lack faith in your art?”

Alex bowed his head. “So long as it is understood that our goal is neither to maim nor kill the other, but rather to bring out the best in one another, I accept.” He very deliberately added no further strictures than that, earning the faintest nod of approval from Panheu.

His former mentor smiled, and Alex could already sense the intense storm of spiritual energy spinning about the shaft of Panheu’s spear. “Very good, disciple, then let’s begin.”

The air rang with the crack of spear against spear.

Alex’s heart raced with a mixture of exhilaration and no small amount of fear, meeting the fearsome gaze of a Gold who had been forged in fire no less intense than Alex’s own, he was sure. He could feel the incredible force his master was able to bring to bear. His strength might still be in Deep Silver, but his mastery of the storm of Light Qi flowing through the air gave his winding movements the power of a Gold.

It was all Alex could do at first to knock aside teasing thrusts that would nonetheless have disemboweled him, had he failed to treat his mentor’s assault seriously. Before a moment’s panic turned to ice cold focus. So often he got to choose the pace and flow of battle, seizing the initiative and overwhelming the enemies, that he was used to summoning the power of the storm and the crashing sea at his leisure. He was never forced to bring it instantly to bear on an opponent’s terms, and it took him long perilous moments to separate the Flow of Light Qi from the pounding force of the sea, his arts now inextricably tied together, that Alex was wincing from three cuts, too shallow, one deep, before he had finally found his center.

Peng Dan’s countenance had taken on a ghastly pallor. As if understanding only in that moment how serious the situation was. That the indulgent tutor she knew and perhaps loved was a far cry from the fierce master who had been so determined to forge Alex in fire. “Master Panheu… he’s bleeding. Alot.”

Elder Panheu’s smile had faded, his gaze turned hard and cold. “You disappoint me, disciple.”

Words that cut Alex to the quick. Or would have, had he not finally found his center, allowing the words to wash over him as the probing attack, and distraction, that they were.

All his focus was now on the opponent before him, now reading the swirling flow of Qi around Panheu every bit as intently as the shifts in stance and posture, such that when Panheu’s spear darted forward as inhuman speeds to kiss Alex’s flesh yet again, the air rang with a crack, Panheu’s bushy white eyebrows widening as his spear was forced out of alignment even as he twisted away, but not before the rip of torn fabric could be heard by all.

Only then did Panheu smile. “So, you haven’t forgotten all my lessons after all. Very good. Now we spar in earnest!”

He flashed a fierce smile promising pain, but Alex focused only on the storm of spiritual energy flowing through him and his spear, shifting his balance as he wound his weapon about Panheu’s own once more, only now revealing the true extent of his Silver Tier Strength and Quickness, forcing it off line before snapping forward with what would have been a crippling thrust, had his master not step-slid away, knocking Alex’s weapon aside with a soft chuckle.

“Yes, Alex, this is what I want to see! My killing arts embraced by a disciple who knows what it means to forge himself in fire!”

And if Alex had been holding back before, so had Elder Panheu, now exploding off his backfoot and lunging forward with a deadly barrage of winding thrusts, embracing what White Crane excelled at, knocking all opposing spear shafts and weapons aside even as it plunged in for the kill. It was perhaps the core element of an art forged in war that had later been rounded to a more unified whole.

A deadly assault which few had any hope of countering, especially against a Gold.

Not unless they could outmaneuver a Gold… or combine the devastating power of the tsunami to the swirling storm of Qi, synergizing perfectly to send Panheu’s shaft flying an eyeblink before Alex windmilled his shaft forward, the pole shrieking through the air with all the force and fury Alex could bring to bear, a heartbeat away from being instinctively infused with Blackswan. Because the spear might be the king of all impaling weapons on the battlefield, but a reinforced spear shaft whipping downward could shatter skulls or necks with frightful ease, a fangtian ji’s axe heads almost beside the point with all the force Alex had generated.

Finesse Check made!

Before Alex snapped into focus, reining in his killing intent with a heartbeat’s panic, Rank 4 Silver Strength meaning he stopped dead a half inch from his smiling master’s neck, even as the shaft of his weapon cracked, the weapon jerking forward to kiss his master’s skin, of course not hurting the man at all.

Only then did Alex register the echo of Peng Dan’s scream, peripherally noting how she was gazing at him with wide-eyed disbelief as horror turned to awe, her mentor obviously unharmed.

Panheu chuckled, for all that Alex’s heart was hammering wildly in his chest, both exhilarated and horrified by what he had come so close to… but no. No, his master was protected by what were no doubt Gold tier wards. He was sure of it.

The man had to be.

And the way he was smiling, as if Alex had revealed himself to be a prize like no other, sent an unexpected shiver down Alex’s spine.

“Very good, Alex. Very good! When an opening presented itself, you took full advantage! Synergizing White Crane and Silver Swan so perfectly, so smoothly, that if I didn’t know better, I would think they were one and the same.” He gave an approving nod. “I taught you an art fools are quick to underestimate, yet there is no better that royals alone don’t control, that will allow you to knock your foe’s weapons aside as you deliver a killing thrust. How fitting that you have worked hard to incorporate its strengths with a chaste concubine’s killing arts, warping your own Dantian to deliver swings channeling the force and fury of the sea.” He gazed thoughtfully at Alex’s cracked shaft. “And we already know how easily the roaring sea can overwhelm even Silver Tier wards, after poor Fu Shen had the overweening arrogance to challenge my student without even bothering to unsheath his blade.”

He chuckled softly even as Alex winced at the memory of Fu Shen’s surprised head spinning through the air. And for all that Alex had been forged in a crucible like no other that day, finally breaking through to Bronze, with nothing but a killing fury for the monsters who had had nothing but contempt and disdain for Alex from the moment they met, he was still human enough to flinch at the memory of the fierce killing intent that had him decapitating his teacher without a moment’s hesitation or regret, until now.

Panheu chuckled softly, shaking his head in gentle reproof. “No point in regrets now, Alex, a year after the dead was done. When you are forced to act, you must follow through to the bitter end. Had you waffled, it would be you wheezing out his last upon my blood-slicked garden.”

Alex winced, chilled despite himself, by how well his master could read him.

“If it helps, Alex. The man despised you from the moment he laid eyes on you and even I could sense his unholy glee at the thought that he finally had pretext to cut you down. All you have to do is remember his killing intent to realize how in the right you were.”

Alex blinked and took a relieved breath. AS much as he had been lost in his own revelations, even he had felt the man’s killing intent. Regardless, his mentor was right. What was done was done and he had survived his foes machinations. The man had clearly hated him, and the moment he, or any other idealist, began showing mercy to men who wanted him dead would only earn contempt for his troubles, and very likely a slit throat followed by the purging of everyone and everything he loved before the ruthless bastards who had destroyed him for his mercy laughed and claimed for themselves everything he had worked so hard to achieve.

He had to choke down his bile at the thought. His mentor was right. This was far too savage a world to allow misplaced pity to destroy him just as utterly as any enemy’s treachery. The virtues of compasion and idealism were treasures in his own right. He would not let this cruel world warp his own sense of virtue, his own desire to make a difference. But the moment someone revealed themselves as an enemy...not simply trapped, misled, or acting out, but motivated by malice or hate, Alex would do all he could to cut them down. He wouldn’t let a misguided sense of pity imperil everything he had worked so hard to achieve.

Now Peng Dan was looking at Alex with something close to horror. “Master Panheu, this Ruidian, he marked your flesh!”

“Indeed he did,” said a beaming Panheu.

And Alex was chilled to see that it was true.

The girl swallowed. “But… why? Why did you let him? How was he able to?”

Panheu’s grin widened. He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Do you truly wish to know? After almost two years of the gentlest of lessons, gifted by the most wise, sagacious, and understanding teacher you could ask for, I thought you were at peace with, or at least understood the path you were on?”

Peng Dan blinked, now looking both confused and uncertain. “Master?”

Panheu sighed and shook his head, even as he caught Alex’s eye with his hardened gaze, making it clear that their own match was far from over, his spear now weaving and darting through the air at a speed Alex frankly found terrifying, every once of his attention and focus now on countering that weaving bringer of death, struggling just to keep the razor sharp steel tip from doing more than prick his flesh repeatedly as Alex strove desperately to incorporate the power of the crashing waves and howling winds in unison just to deflect that terrible, deadly spear.

To little avail.

And all the while Alex desperately fought with everything he had, Panheau spoke in measured tones as befitting of a classroom as the now bloody training grounds beside his manor.

“For nearly two years you trained by my side with the gentlest of instructions, having only to diligently practice what I had to teach to the best of your ability, morning and night. As a reward for your efforts, not only did you successfully repair your foundation after your family poisoned you with an excess of imperfect cultivation pills, but you additionally managed to form your third Bronze Cord. And with consistent focus and dedication, I don’t think a forth cord is beyond you, should you have the patience to cultivate and train with the same dedication as you are now.”

Peng Dan positively beamed with those words, even as Alex desperately weaved and dodge a thrust that nearly disemboweled him. “That is wonderful to hear, master, I had so hoped I had the ability to go further, and my family will be so pleased that...”

“It will take you ten years, Peng Dan.”

The girl’s eyes widened with dismay. “Master?”

Panheu smirked, even as he weaved his spear past Alex’s defenses, gently slashing open the skin of Alex’s chest. Alex hissed as he leaped back, desperately knocking his opponent’s spear with his own before exploding off his back foot and thrusting forward with his winding spear that Panheu countered with the grace of a conductor, as if Alex was moving to the steps of a dance Panheu had already masterd perfectly.

Alex couldn’t help but chuckle, seeing his mentor master their battle, just as well as he himself had so many foes.

Panheu turned his cold gaze upon a suddenly wilting Peng Dan, his hands twisting and weaving the shaft of his spear to master Alex’s offensive as adeptly as if he weren’t looking away. “You chose the peaceful path that is every student’s right to claim. Particularly females not expected to endure the front lines of war. Gentle flowers expected to blossom for the sake of their clan. Children who see cultivation as but one step on a path to claiming a strong mate, and one day whelping strong sons of their own.” he smiled gently when Peng Dan lowered her gaze, cheeks blazing with shame.

“And there is nothing wrong with this path,” Panheu quickly assured. “So long as you understand the path you are on. That of a future mistress to an aloof, overweening nobleman, or wife to a man who actually loves you, and one day the mother of your own clan. For you, cultivation is a pleasant journey as you seek to better yourself and enjoy your life, is that not the truth of it, Peng Dan?”

If anything, the girls flush deepened, her words so soft Alex could barely hear them over the crack of wooden shafts, as he desperately countered his mentor’s serpentine spear that truly seemed to have a mind of its own, so little did Panheu seem to pay attention to it. “Yes, master, you are correct.”

Panheu gently smiled. “And do you think you’ll even be continuing all the exercises I’ve spent so long teaching you? Training and cultivating for four hours every day for the next ten years?”

“I… I don’t know, master. I had intended to train every morning for an hour, so I never lose my foundation, but...”

Panheu nodded. “I understand. And I have no doubt you will savor a golden youth spanning many decades filled with festivities, celebrations, distractions, the complex games of clan intrigue and the simple joys of family, just as I have no doubt you will slip free of the mortal coil a grandmother many times over… never advancing your cultivation even a half-step, after you leave the gates of this academy for the last time.”

Pen Dan fell to her knees in tears, as if Elder Panheu’s decree had struck her to the quick. She bowed her head, unable to deny what must have been a painful truth to accept. But her mentor wasn’t done.

“Take a good look at the Ruidian boy daring to challenge me with my favored weapon! Do you understand what he’s managed to accomplish in the time it took you to strengthen your foundation and achieve your third Bronze cord?”

Peng Dan frowned thoughtfully, now peering intently at a desperately struggling Alex, sparring for all he was worth. “When I first met him… he was just a basic cultivator, wasn't he? And now he’s… yes, he’s taller, and the muscles on his frame would make most of the elites at this school green with envy. He’s not huge like the Silver Giants who are the true kings of this school, but his speed, master!” Her eyes widened, truly taking in their contest. “Master, he whips that spear around almost as fast as you, like it weighs no more than a reed in his hands! Is he Silver? But… how?” She gave an awed shake of her head. “No. It’s not possible. Silver Giants are huge, bulky. They can’t move like that. And he wasn’t even Bronze when last I saw him, and only a year has passed!”

Panheu gave an approving nod, for all that the spear in his hands was a blur. “His proportions are remarkably balanced, such that he doesn’t look any larger or stronger than a well put together Bronze, because he has embraced the path of grace and speed, just as much as he has the raw physique that most successful Body Cultivation paths emphasize,” he said, now turning his almost fatherly gaze to Alex, covered in a patina of blood from countless shallow flesh wounds already healing over. “Striking a balance of this sort is extremely rare. But what is most remarkable, I think you’ll agree, is that he managed to do all this free of cultivation pills or alchemical brews, with a foundation stronger than the bedrock below our feet, in less than a year’s time!”

Peng Dan visibly blanched at that declaration. “But… how, master? How is such even possible?”

“It’s possible because he chose the Path of Peril!” the headmaster roared, eyes flashing with a fearsome killing intent, his weapon flashing forward for the killin blow.

A blow Alex just barely managed to deflect before windmilling his shaft back around to slice open Panheu’s left cheek. An act which earned Alex an approving chuckle. “Because he forged not just his body, but his very soul, fighting with everything he had, just to survive!”

“Because even the most flawed cultivators can benefit in times of peril, struck by revelations from the heavens... or the underworld,” Peng Dan whispered, gazing at Alex with something close to wonder. And fear as well.

“That’s right!” Panheu enthused. “I have counseled more than one broken student of mine to join the imperial legion, to their benefit! For the killingfields will either bring illumination to even the most hopeless cultivators, as the spirit to survive transcends even a flawed mortal coil… or it will bring death! Because one thing the crucible of battle does not accept is mediocrity! Not for those who dare the front lines, anyway!”

Peng Dan paled, glancing between Panheu and the furiously fighting Alex. “But he’s just a Ruidian! Are you saying…”

But Elder Panheu just grinned, saying nothing else as the girl gazed at Alex in growing awe and more than a little bit of fear.

But for all that Alex knew being used as an object lesson, he found he didn’t care in the slightest as his mind tingled with flashing insights and possibilities, finally feeling as if he were coming to understand the weapon in his hands like never before, even sensing how better to use his own fangtian ji as he wove together wind and wave into one unified cohesive whole.

No longer simply reacting to his opponent’s blistering pace, Alex began striking between the beats, surging forward with swirling Qi knocking all counters aside, propelling his weapon with the same undeniable force as a flooded river pounding past all resistance, washing away dams and levies and even a Golds furious parries as if they weren’t even there.

And how fiercely sweet it felt when his blade kissed Panheu’s flesh once more, drawing a single drop of crimson victory as Alex’s understanding grew by leaps and bounds in the blink of an eye, such that he almost didn’t feel the vicious slash that cut open his thigh, or the message flashing across his interface, quickly suppressed.

Congratulations! Eternal Fox Unified Martial Art is now Rank 9!

All that mattered was that he was in harmony with his art as never before, his spear just an extension of himself, one with the swirling maelstrom of spiritual energy all around him, one with the endless sea of Qi smashing all resistance aside.

Elder Panheu chuckled softly. “And I do believe my much-missed student is having something of a breakthrough. Why do you tremble with terror, Peng Dan? Sit, observe, learn.” Enigmatic eyes spared only a second to glance at the pale-faced girl gazing wide-eyed at them both. “What you learn here will do more to assist your next breakthrough than ten years of sporadic tutoring when you leave this school to become your clan’s pretty centerpiece once more.

The young woman winced at this, but she didn’t deny it, merely bowing her head in respect before making herself comfortable, her gaze now just one more weight Alex could feel pressing against him, just one more burr of distraction upon which he could hone the blade of his soul in the Crucible of Conflict, eager to blossom as never before.

Neither Alex nor Panheu let up their pace, an unspoken understanding reached, Alex humbled by how profound the heavens kissing the endless sea behind his master looked, the feel of the green grass against his calves, the fragrant aroma of countless herbs and blossoms he had tended to just hours before, all of it alive with profundity and meaning as he and his mentor exchanged spears for Dao, then fists and feet, and at last, fangtian ji, the pair of them weaving a masterwork bridging the gap between life and death, where perfection was absolute conviction. A will that would transcend both mortal injury and death. The promise of something that seemed to transcend mortality itself.

And by the time the pair of them finally stopped for more than the brief periods both had used to meditate and consolidate their insights, the sun had set once more, and Alex had never felt such exhilaration, and frustration.

Sensing that somehow they were on the cusp of something profound, just a sliver of meaning, a single flash of profound insight away.

And he could tell by the way Panheu regarded him with a rueful smile that his mentor felt it to.

“A most remarkable lesson, Alex.”

Alex solemnly bowed his head. “This disciple thanks you for the lesson, Headmaster Panheu.”

His mentor quirked a smile. “I notice you are no longer an ‘unworthy’ disciple, even in your flattery. This is good, Alex. For no man who achieves Silver is unworthy in anyone’s eye. Particularly not when forged in the fires of perseverance, as you have been.” He turned to gaze fondly at a now sleeping Peng Dan. “The poor girl was trembling with the weight of her insights by the time dusk was upon us. I believe you’ve helped me do more to secure her forth cord than half a decade of pointless exercises she is too afraid to push past.”

Alex couldn’t help smiling at that. “And yet I can’t help but notice how fondly my former master gazes at the young woman curled up in his cloak.”

Panheu chuckled softly. “She is nothing like my half-wives, all fire and spice, those two. But she is a sweet, gentle thing, with delightfully mundane dreams, and will no doubt make some future lord a most ideal mate. Tea, Alex?”

Alex gratefully accepted the cup Panheu offered him, before preparing his own.

“Thank you, Master Panheu.”

“It is I who should be thanking you for a most… invigorating lesson.” Panheu gave a slow nod of approval. “To find you combining it so gracefully with Silver Swan, and perhaps a touch of Golden Realms as well… most remarkable.” His gaze hardened. “But had your insights proven flawed, did you attempt a hodgepodge of techniques without any unifying center, I would have beaten you for your foolishness, clipping your wings until you had cast off all impurities and embraced the true art once more.”

Alex shivered under the weight of his mentor’s gaze.

“I have no doubt of that,” Alex said at last, taking another slow sip of the delightfully fragrant tea.

Panheu let the silence build for long moments, gazing intently at Alex while sipping his tea. “There are so many questions I could ask, Alex.”

Alex winced at that, surprised his mentor hadn’t asked about why he was there, what he had been doing for the past year, why he had come back, and most specifically, how exactly he had been managing to cultivate on an inert portal door acting as a massive transparent platform. “I’m sure you do,” he said.

Panheu grinned. “But as it stands, I only have one.”

Alex blinked at that.

“You could feel it, couldn’t you?”

And instantly Alex understood what his mentor meant, when the air had been so alive with deeper meaning and profound truths he could almost taste, when every lunge, parry, and counter had seemed to echo a thousandfold, each movement somehow kissing inifinity, when every twist of his hips and slash of his fangtian ji had seemed simultaneously destined to have happened and transcendentally profound, as if life were pages upon a book and their dance of blades and staves an ink carving upon the pages of existence itself.

And the entire time Alex had felt both profoundly moved and like he was just on the cusp of understanding… everything… before the feeling faded just on the cusp of profound revelation.

Alex couldn’t deny it, didn’t try to deny it, just dipped his head.

“We’re on the verge of something… aren’t we, Headmaster?”

Panheu positively beamed. “Indeed we are, on the cusp of something grand, and how happy I am to see that you understand.”

Alex chuckled. “I could almost taste it.”

Panheu dipped his head. “So could I.”

“What exactly does it mean?”

His mentor gazed thoughtfully at the starry nighttime sky. “All you have to do is pull out any of the Silver tier tomes in the library to make a study of any number of advanced techniques of both Bronze and Silver. For all that most of the focus is on properly clearing your meridian channels as a Basic cultivator, and learning how to forge the strongest Bronze cords your inherent gifts and affinities will allow, an equal amount of focus is put on body hardening and strengthening techniques, and how to channel the elements into devastating blows fit to cripple any opponent. This is part and parcel of what it means to be a body cultivator.” He chuckled softly. “And you know better than most, just how vital learning how to fight is for any cultivator, and most especially, how to manipulate your Qi affinities to aid you in any battle for dominance or survival.”

Alex nodded, all of what his mentor said made perfect sense to him.

Panheu sighed. “But the ugly secret kept from almost all cultivators is what occurs once Gold tier is reached.”

Alex blinked at this. If his mentor was aware of some deadly bottleneck or other issue affecting Golds… he was more grateful than ever he had chosen to have his breakthrough within sight of his former school. “What happens when you achieve Gold, master?”

Panheu flashed a humorless smile. “You find that, despite a handful of extremely efficient techniques for forging a Gold core and strengthening your foundation, there is very little in the way of Gold tier martial arts techniques you’ll find listed at any Cultivation Academy.”

Alex blinked at this. “You’re kidding.”

His mentor smirked, slowly shaking his head. “Sadly, not at all. You might find a couple treatises on the more esoteric methods of Qi manipulation used by various Wujen, but this, more often than not, involves advanced Silver Techniques that are both powerful and perilous, and that a Gold tier Wujen, with much more power and control at their fingertips than Silvers, can make use of advanced Silver techniques with far greater efficacy and far less risk. It is definitely a powerful step forward, but as far as Gold tier striker techniques, let alone manuals detailing advanced methods for embracing kung fu at a deeper level, one with the dao of existence itself, you won’t find one shred of such a path within the tomes of even this school.”

Alex gazed at his instructor nonplussed for long moments, unable to believe what he was hearing. Though it all made a terrible sort of sense. “Let me guess. Gold tier tomes describing advanced techniques or kung fu methods do exist, but they are the property of the most powerful factions or ruling clans, and there is no way in hell they’re sharing prizes that powerful with anyone not sworn to their service.”

Panheu grinned. “An interesting supposition. Not one that I would ever dare say aloud, but by all means, follow your idea through to its logical conclusion. If that were true, than why are there Gold tier tomes of any sort to begin with? Why not confiscate them all?”

Alex blinked at this, digesting the words for long moments. Having so profoundly turned the tables on several Low tier, perhaps just Rank 1 Golds, Even if they had had the potential for more over endless centuries they would now never see, and the near death encounter Alex had suffered at the hands of a General Li-Jaw Long who was clearly a valued tool of Dongfang Hong’s forces. A man who had effortlessly cut him in half with a beam of light that could cause inconceivable damage if flicked across any battlefield. A man who had somehow managed to slip free of a Ward that no one below Jade should have been able to force their way past.

Alex suppressed the anxious lump in his throat before speaking his mind, now deciding that, as foolish as he had been, goading his enemy away from his sanctuary had been his best move. Had he not, that deadly beam of Gold tier destruction could have obliterated his entire palace and everyone within it.

“I’m guessing they don’t care about Gold tier cultivation manuals because the more people who break through to Gold, the bigger pool of future candidates any ruler of a nation will have to choose from. And those newly forged golds will feel mighty powerful, just with the stat boost breaking through to Gold gives them. Because they would still be head and shoulders more powerful than their former peers. But even so, the stranglehold on Gold tier techniques makes sure the balance of power is firmly maintained, and that no Gold upstart will be in any position to rest power away from any established force, like the ruler of a principality or nation.”

Alex gave a rueful chuckle. “So even as cultivation entices and beckons us to strive ever forward, to advance to the point that we feel truly free of the shackles of obligations imposed upon us by others, the truth is that the strata of the upper ranks are more rigid than ever. That there is more pressure than ever to conform and comply and kneel before your chosen master at Gold, just to have access to the elite techniques you will need to survive any challenge from Golds belonging to the established power structures. Well connected Gold who I’m betting make a point of challenging, and perhaps destroying, any wild cards who refuse to bow before any master at all.”

Panheu’s eye were positively twinkling. “What an interesting conjecture you have entertained us with this evening, disciple.”

Alex bowed his head. “I get the feeling this disciple has been allowed to speak freely on a topic very very few cultivators are allowed to learn anything about at all… for a specific reason?”

His old mentor gazed at him for long moments with eyes that had no doubt measured the live of hundreds of souls. A man Alex was forcefully reminded had once served as the head assassin of Jidihu, mother of his own disciple Yinzi, who might, or might not, be extremely pissed with Alex at that moment.

He swallowed, appreciating more than ever how precarious his position was. Of course, he had no doubt that Panheu could have taken him out at pretty much any time, had that been his objective.

Instead, his mentor just smiled thoughtfully. “How would you like to see if we can achieve that breakthrough we’re both on the cusp of understanding, Alex?”

And with those words, Alex suddenly understood. A sudden shiver down his spine as it all clicked.

Now it all made sense.

Why Panheu was being so gracious… and so demanding.

Alex lowered his gaze, shaken by what he had seen in Panheu’s gaze.

As if he knew.

Knew what Alex had to do to achieve Rank 10 in his unified art, and what the next step would be.

Knew the control Alex had in his own self forging. Or the 20 total points he had never spent, saving up for the day when growing ability costs would far outstrip the points he normally spent per level, buying 3 characteristics and getting the 4th body characteristic for free. The cost to increase a tier had doubled from 1 to 2 to 4 points, yet his own level up points hadn’t progressed geometrically. He had been saving points just to make sure he could meet any spike in cost down the road, so that he would, hopefully, be able to break through to Jade, one day, however many decades or centuries or years that might be, with all 4 physical stats having broken through to Jade, so he wasn’t locked out of growth in any of those directions.

Right now he got 12 points per Silver tier, which would normally allow him to advance 3 stats and claim the 4th for free, but with absolutely no points left over. If it were not for his Draconic Strength and Vitality costing only the Bronze tier cost of 2 points per rank instead of 4, thanks to his racial discount, he would have no excess points saved beyond the 12 he had earned from Basic and Bronze. And if his hunch was right, his Draconic blood would allow him to do far more with those 2 stats than just buy Silver at reduced cost, an experiment he was eager to put into effect if he ever reached Silver Rank 4.

But that would leave him with no spare points at all, after next level.

Alex took a deep shuddering breath, doing his best to ignore the weight of his former master’s gaze, considering if he could really afford to spend any of those points.

Then he found himself wondering if he would ever have an opportunity like this again, the very night air still alive with a profundity he could scarce put into words. A chance to forge something transcendent by his master’s side, a man who had worked so hard to challenge him, following a path of conflict that so suited Alex as well. And most importantly, perhaps, he would be mastering an art that was absolutely fundamental to the path both Yinzi and Hao Chan were betting their future cultivation bases would be able to carry them through to Gold. Perhaps beyond.

Alex gave a slow nod. “I think there’s a lot to be said for us pushing each other to the limit, seeing just how far we can take White Crane… and everything else we’ve learned.” He took a thoughtful sip of tea, choosing his words carefully. “You were gracious enough to give me credit for a well-balanced physique, and I am grateful for it. But my body does have a flaw. One thing I lack...”

“Is a proper body hardening technique. Absolute folly for any Silver finding himself in the thick of battle as often as you do, my dear Alex,” said Panheu with a calculating smile, his eyes seeming to read Alex at least as deeply as his own Soul Sight allowed.

Alex grimaced at that. “Exactly. Which was why I was hoping, before we strove to push ourselves any further than we already have, you could give me time to...”

His words were abruptly cut off by the weight of a Gold’s disapproving stare, all warmth and bonhomie instantly frozen. “Are you a fool, Alex? Do you truly not understand how unique the opportunity before us is? Are you ready to give that up like it was nothing?”

Alex frowned, even as his heart lurched under the weight of his mentor’s fearsome gaze, he didn’t let it show on his face. “Fool? Yes, many times over, of that I’m pretty bloody certain. But I don’t understand why you’re insulting me now.”

Panheu gave a pitying shake of his head. “Do you know why so many Silvers stagnate, even in the thick of battle?”

“Because it’s far harder to advance as Silver than Bronze or Basic, and they are reaching their natural limits?”

It was a sensible answer, but all Panheu did was stare. “Think, Alex.”

Alex frowned. Then he got it.

The thick of battle had been the key. Because there was no surer way of breaking through a bottleneck than risking your life in extreme peril, forcing your psyche and soul to push through all resistance in a desperate bid for survival.

But when one possessed body cultivation techniques so strong that they were well neigh unkillable save from the deadliest Silver assassination techniques, how challenging was it to tear through milling swarms of panicked low rank soldiers? How was that any different from daily training back at the monastery of their origin, without their bodies or souls being forged in any sort of fire at all?

More a lukewarm bath suitable for their pride and ego… and little else.

“I… think I understand,” Alex said at last, his throat dry despite the tea he had sipped, a beaming Panheu not hesitating to top him off. And Alex did understand. To catalyze his growth, to truly tap into his own potential, he would be sparring with Panheu with near killing intent. And he knew without a word being said that his mentor wouldn’t hesitate to push him to his limit, up to and including breaking bones or worse.

So Alex truly knew his own peril, truly became one with his art, utterly focused on mastering the tools necessary for survival, in ways he couldn’t hope to if his life wasn’t going to perpetually be on the line.

It was all he could do to sip of fresh jasmine tea, with just a hint of blood, sweat, and sweetest triumph.

Alex felt a shiver of wonder at his own daring, raising his head and met his now beaming mentor’s eyes, before nodding. “To hell with secretive Golds and their locked away techniques. What does that matter, compared to what we can forge ourselves?” Even as he said the words he felt the easing of his own will that had locked so much of his potential away.

In an eyeblink, the air was alive with endless potential once more, and Alex had never felt more refreshed. More alive, than he did at that moment.

Elder Panheu, much to Alex’s surprise, honored him with a bow, as if between equals. “Excellent. We shall begin in the morning. I very much look forward to seeing just how far I can push you, Alex. For your breakthrough will become my own.”

Alex chuckled ruefully. “Good thing I take so well to being forged in fire.”

His mentor grinned. “Indeed. I do plan on inviting several favored associates to bear witness… and no one else.”

Alex bowed his head, before locking gazes with his mentor once more. “In that case… there are two guests I would also like to witness whatever it is we manage to accomplish, even if it’s just a few really intense sparring matches.”

Panheu’s eyebrows raised in polite inquiry. “Really? You have friends unseen at your beck and call?”

Alex grinned. “If you like. But don’t worry, you know at least one of them very well.”

Panheu gazed at him for long moments, before abruptly smiling and dipping his head. “Very well, then. Your friends will be welcome, so long as they obey the precepts of this school while they are here. Until the morning, then.”

And Alex couldn’t help but chuckle when his mentor gestured to the garden shed with a twinkle of his eye.

“I hope you don’t mind my arranging my sleeping quarters as I see fit?”

Panheu laughed. “However you like, Alex.”

And a grinning Alex did just that.

You have successfully summoned one Interdimensional gate leading to your Eternal Palace!