Bullrush! Bullrush!

You are paying 10x standard cost!

Tier 2 Gold enhanced Strength check made!

Distance traveled is minimized!

You successfully lurched away from Deathtrap!

You have saved against significant Meridian Strain!

Alex heard the gasps and furious hisses, like rays of killing intent from the crowd above pinging against his soul. Tasting the malice of so many, and the surprised awe of so many more, Spirit Qi giving the tantalizing ephemeral hints it so often did, utterly immune to the machinations of the flag-wielding wujen hidden in the arena walls.

He howled with exhilaration matching his terror, relieved to find that internal Qi, as he had suspected, was much more resistant to the Wujen’s manipulations. But the shockwave of thick, gelatinous Qi he had had to pierce had still slammed into his meridians. Yet he found he could slice through it using the same techniques with which he had once coaxed the rivers of spiritual energy along the jade steps along the Path of Ascension to wash over his form.

He might only have lurched backward a handful of feet.

His ankle might be screaming in pain as it popped out of its socket thanks to the Gold Titan’s Qi enhanced strike.

But Alex had survived the trap.

For a few seconds, at least.

Now it was time to survive by any means necessary, as his ankle screamed in agony.

“Well done, Lord Thunder!” Alex said with a bonhomie laugh as he desperately rolled and gained distance. “You got my ankle on our first exchange! I’m going to have to concede the match, unless you’ll give me a minute to recover, in which case I’d dearly love another round!”

Alex made damn sure his voice carried over the whole arena, a wave of surprise rippling through the crowd. As if surprised that Alex had actually offered to concede as gentlemanly as any cultivator enjoying a good-natured sparring match. Not some wounded young master shattering before the taste of true pain, and most definitely not like some character caught in a tale who would fight endlessly on like a fool… though that he most definitely was.

But his enemies didn’t need to know that.

Lord Thunder blinked and frowned, his murderous snarl melting away as if forced to process the smiling young sportsman gazing at him as if this really were an honorable contest.

Long, precious seconds where Alex might have been forced to bite his lip so hard he was tasting his own blood as he choked back a scream… but that was the price one paid when power-healing snapped a tortured joint back into proper configuration.

Before his opponent could fully reign in his killing intent to speak in a lord’s cultured voice, Alex was back on his feet.

Giving the crowd a bemused half-bow as he frantically power-healed the last of the strain away, troubled by just how low his spirit beast core reserve was getting as yet another one crumbled to dust on the choker hidden by the collar of his shirt.

Alex blinked in mock surprise, gazing down at his ankle. “Look at that! I guess I’m okay after all!” Alex chuckled ruefully for the crowd’s benefit as well as Lord Thunder’s. “Guess it just stung for a minute. Shall we continue?”

The pinch-faced announcer glaring at Alex with a measly Bronze’s killing intent that he actually found oddly soothing at this point. It was as if corrupt announcers trying to twist fights against him was a constant so prevalent at this point, that it was oddly comforting.

Alex smirked at the man. “I mean, sure, you could declare I lost the fight, but is that really what you want?”

Alex winked.

The announcer blanched.

Lord Thunder’s face purpled with fury. “So you know.”

Alex laughed. “Of course, you pustulent sack of bloated filth who’s so obviously Long Wang’s lackey! I’ll bet you get dreams and visions of throttling and butchering every Ruidian you can, your master doing all he can to break the rules of accords you couldn’t possibly imagine, just so long as he can see me dead.”

But before Alex had even finished his mocking taunt, projected for Thunder alone to hear, the arena was already echoing with the monster’s thunderous roar as his furious fist tore through the air with a blow that would have obliterated nearly anything lacking a Gold’s Vitality.

And Alex might have been forced to work against multiple foes, but he could tell they were still drained from their concerted effort to kill him.

So all he had to do was shift his arms a handful of inches as Gold Swan pierced the currents so eager for his death, left hand clamping on an over-extended wrist, Alex now using suddenly confused currents meant to aid Lord Thunder to draw the arm straight and TWIST! As a snarling Alex’s right palm slammed against the man’s now hyper-extended elbow with crippling intent.

In that moment of sublime fury and furious vindication, Alex could so easily visualize the approving smile of a trio of deadly kitsune who had taught him so many lessons about crippling and maiming his foes as the air suddenly rang with the screams of a Gold Titan.

You have successfully Pierced Wujen Veil!

Find Weakness skillcheck made! 100% penetration bonus against all physical defenses is now in effect! Dark Qi covered palm pierces multiple ward talismans!

You have successfully impaired Flag Formation with close-ranged strike!

Tier 2 Gold hyper-extended elbow LOSES contest against Tier 2 Gold palm-strike channeling the force and fury of the storm.

You have successfully shattered your opponent’s elbow!

Golden Swan kung fu is now Rank 5! (All underlying unified skills now enjoy a +5 to all skillchecks!)

“Get back, you monster! You will step back now!” Screamed the red-faced announcer, his thin pencil mustache trembling with outrage even as he blanched and stumbled back when Alex grinned his way.

“Of course,” he calmly said, doing just that as Lord Thunder screamed and howled, eyes filled with furious hate.

“This isn’t over, you filthy piece of pig dung! You think you’ll get the best of me? You’ll fall, Ruidian. Fall as all your kind does before me!” The monster flashed a furious smile, as if hoping to goad Alex.

Instead Alex smiled, choking back his fury with so many calculating Silvers and Golds gazing down at him. Measuring him more intently than ever. Instead he shrugged. “You feel like murdering your own citizens, your Ruidian pets, then that’s your karmic burden to bear.”

He then flashed a savage grin. “Wouldn’t it be fitting, however, if instead of finding yourself reborn a YanTu noble who throws off countless fools who underestimate him, you were instead born as a member of the very race you so clearly despise, with no memory of your previous glory at all?” Alex smirked up at the crowd, actually having the gall to wink. “Now that would be, how do they say? Karmic just deserts. Don’t you think?”

Lord Thunder blanched and paled, lurching back. “No. There’s no way you’re a… reborn? No! I refuse to believe it! We would have heard of it, if such abilities existed, fool!”

Alex smirked. “Then by all means, fight on, ‘Lord Thunder.’ There are countless lessons that I’d love to teach you.” Alex then deliberately gazed Dongfang Hong’s way, noting the furious intensity of the man’s gaze, and deliberately winked.

As if they shared a secret between them.

Before tearing his head back to face the Gold gazing at him in open-mouthed disbelief.

Because he absolutely couldn’t stand the sight of Liu Li and Xian Hong gazing his way with gazes filled with such desperate hope and crushing despair.

Because when Alex’s mind opened up to them, offering party invites… he didn’t just receive no response…

He sensed nothing at all.

As if they weren’t even there.

A furious Lord Thunder glared at Alex for long moments, before tilting back his head and roaring with laughter. “Well played, Gold! One day you’ll have to tell me how you disguised yourself to look like a Ruidian flashing Silver so well.”

And just like that, his contempt and killing intent was gone, having spoken in the tongue of YanTu nation, with hardly any accent at all.

As if Alex’s boasts, his victory over the man, had instantly elevated him from worthless trash despised by his god, to worthy opponent using subterfuge to trick the opposition, just like so many cultivators did.

Of course the man was testing him. Alex knew that right off, or he wouldn’t have switched languages. Which also revealed hidden allegiances as well as anything else, for a warrior the announcer had declared as a valiant warrior of QuiJing Province.

“Until we next spar. May it also prove equally beneficial to our cultivation bases,” Alex replied in the absolutely flawless noble dialect of YanTu, earning a grunt and a hard nod from Lord Thunder, who immediately stalked off, head held high.

The pale-faced announcer didn’t even bother declaring a winner, clearly loath to offend a Gold.

Instead he cried, “Does anyone else dare to challenge this contender today?”

Alex didn’t even care that he was being given no chance to rest. Instead he laughed and smiled into the crowd, happy to show an avaricious hunger he normally kept well in check.

“No? Then let the performances begin! Youlings, acrobats, and dancers, please attend!”

And in very short order, Alex found himself being led to his seat in Jidihu’s cloaking Shadows, so subtle no one would think anything of them, yet powerful enough that Alex felt at least one killing gaze slipping away as he found himself in their Gold tier apartment seating, utterly beyond the boxed seats of a lifetime ago, sharing fierce congratulatory smiles with Panheu and the others, all of them also scheduled for several matches that day.

“Well done, disciple. Well done!”

Alex laughed. “And there was resistance like you wouldn’t believe,” he said, smiling at the man’s curious look before Alex explained in great length the unseen opposition to both Panheu and his disciples.

Jidihu quietly cursed. “Formation flags and Gold Tier wujen. That foul man will stop at nothing to eek out any edge he can!”

Panheu snorted. “As would any half-decent prince eager to secure himself a throne. Admit it, wife. You’re just jealous you couldn’t get your pawns in place first.”

The kitune’s mock outrage turned to a smirk. “You have me there, husband. Though we have access only to Silver, not a royal prince’s Gold.”

Alex frowned, however. “Still, I don’t think it’s safe for the girls to spar. I was fighting a Tier 2 Gold Strength monster who had been intent on killing me, before he found himself questioning whether or not I have noble roots of my own.”

Panheu smirked, Jidihu’s nod making it clear she was cloaking their words as always. “All but declaring yourself a YanTu noble, when most pretend they have no Ruidian blood in their veins at all. But we all know the lie of that, and why you’ll so rarely see them head to Yidushi, for all that it’s just two cities away from their nation. Well done.”

His mentor’s grin turned curious. “I don’t suppose there’s any truth to that claim? Is our fox-aligned hero actually royalty in his own right?”

Alex laughed. “Common origins, I promise.” He then winced, refusing to lie. “But, um, maybe an extremely exclusive patron who’s the only reason why I’m here at all.”

Jidihu nodded. “You’re the fox’s scion. A child of the pantheon. Compared to that, the rest is really quite irrelevant.”

Alex snorted. “I’d hardly call myself a child of… Anyway, half of them absolutely despise me and would like nothing more than to see me dead.” He sighed. “I feel like WiFu and Qing Bai are the only one’s who care for me at all. Though maybe that’s not fair. Grandmother Yi Wang’s ruled in my favor once or twice. I just have no idea what she thinks of me after what I did to Shalu.” Alex blinked, only belatedly noting the horrified looks both Jidihu and Panheu were now giving him, their general mask of bonhomie ripped away to reveal an existential terror that shook Alex to see.

He quickly raised his hands. “No, it’s okay! Only WiFu can hear me, and he’s snorting in total agreement right now. But, yeah, I’d recommend you guys repeat none of that, ever, in case bad things happen.”

The pair exchanged solemn glances. “It’s so easy to forget, isn’t it husband? When he carries on, mooning over our girls like a normal boy.”

Panheu nodded. “Before he happily hones himself against the killing edges of multiple Golds at once, pulling the beards of half the audience with declarations sure to catch Dongfang Hong’s attention, as if the man wasn’t already arranging to cripple or kill this foolish boy who takes such delight in swimming in the deadliest of currents.”

Alex winced, having no doubt that he was being reprimanded in the guise of solemn flattery.

Panheu then gestured down to the arena below. “Now enough on that. You don’t need to fear the girls sparring on this day of challenges. We’re not so foolish as to allow men to challenge them for their hands that easily!”

Jidihu smiled. “No. Today’s the day the world can see just how well my darlings can dance, channeling all the spiritual energy of creation and desire, with the killing edge of pure innocence forged in the killing-fields of war!”

Alex blinked at the rapturous intensity of Jidihu’s expression as a sprightly tune began playing in the arena sands below.

And then Alex understood, as he turned down to look, captivated by the sight of no less than a dozen dancers dressed as daringly as Hao Chan’s original uniform back at Dragon Academy. All of them embracing the music as they twirled and spun about.

Yet no more so than Hao Chan and Yinzi both, flashing brilliant smiles as silvery hair glowing with vital spiritual energy flowed with their movements. Instantly, at least to Alex’s mind, all the other girls paled like flowers bowing before the sun and moon as the girls who meant everything to him filled the air with a spectacle that took his breath away as they pirouetted and spun about in a breathtaking performance. Their dance was a fusion of exquisite grace and eye-catching acrobatics, the pair telling a tale of virtue and battle with movements alone.

Alex felt such a chill, recognizing the trials all three of them had endured, artfully portrayed with only each other and the other dozen dancers somehow caught in the spiritual energy of the performance. A tale of hardship and struggle and fierce desperate battles, pulling victory from the jaws of defeat, after having cut off the invasion of their beloved home, before striking a blow against the very tyrant playing at headmaster gazing down at them all with an iron hard gaze that made Alex wonder if he too understood the nature of the tale.

But that was only the beginning of their performance. Their already impressive leaps, hinting at incredible grace, strength, and so many tantalizing secrets, became higher, so much higher, as Hao Chan embraced the glory of the song now filling the entire arena to the fullest, dancing and floating above the crowd entire as she flipped Yinzi end over end, who began springing up from behind the shadow of one confused dancer after another, all of them instinctively remained true to the dance as Yinzi orbited the sun like a glorious moon, the pair seeming to ignore physics altogether as they showcased physical talents that would have left any gymnast or figure skater sobbing with envy.

Slowly, softly, wind-flute, erzu, and a dozen other woodwind instruments faded to the gentle whispers of autumn rain as summer’s glory gently passed. Hao Chan, Yinzi, and the dozen other girls then flowed into a perfect shared curtsy, and Alex’s eyes widened as their uniforms gave them the momentary appearance of a summer flower finally closing the last of its petals to dream through the cold winter months of the glorious sun once more.

The crowd erupted in applause. Even the other girls were gazing at Hao Chan and Yinzi with something close to awe, and Alex smiled at the sight of an older woman now desperately pleading with Alex’s disciples, no doubt trying to hire them. And the look in Hao Chan’s eyes made it clear she had just embraced her childhood dream of being a performer, elevated by the crowd’s roar.

Then her silver eyes instinctively looked his way, she and Yinzi both, spearing his heart with their smiles and leaving him breathless.

Alex’s cheeks burned at Panheu’s snort. “Better keep a close eye on them tonight, darling, or I fear they’ll manage to do what countless opponents have failed to.”

“Of course, husband,” said a bemused Jidihu, gazing too intently at Alex for comfort. “No doubt this will push these young brilliant fools to strive for Gold with an intensity that would put even you in your place, old man.”

Panheu chuckled with laughter and Alex couldn’t help grinning as well, before realizing that Jidihu was no longer there. He furrowed his brow. “How does she...”

“She’s kitsune, boy. How do you think?”

Alex snorted. “I actually have lesser shadow Qi affinity now. I should be able to...” He winced at the look Panheu was giving him. “Or maybe not.”

“She was the head of our organization for decades. And had been active in the field for decades longer still. Not even Golds can find her. There’s a reason why she has earned the respect that she has.”

Alex silently nodded, both electing not to say anything further, as now it was possible for spies to eavesdrop, and neither had any interest in revealing anything more to enemies that would stop at nothing to see them dead, if they truly understood the threat before them.

Yet for some reason Jidihu didn’t hesitate to allow a handful of suitors to pay their respects to both Hao Chan and Yinzi, going so far as to lead them to their boxed seats that otherwise seemed to slip past everyone’s eye. Fortunately, the Gold tier suitors Jidihu escorted inside had different things on their mind than trying to take Alex, as one Gold Tier Administrator or noble scion after another stopped to congratulate their clan on a masterful performance, flatter Jidihu with praise, eye Alex with hard smiles trying to measure if he was a kung fu brother to charm or competition to destroy… and of course, flatter Panheu as much as decorum would allow.

“Your disciple’s mastery over his opponents was second to none, Elder Panheu,” declared one officious looking Wujen dressed in exquisite purple silks threaded with Gold and enough spiritual energy to protect any mortal from an entire platoon of Bronze Ogres. With features so flawless they were almost effeminite, Lord Huang Sun looked more like an actor playing a heroic wujen than the gritty hard-eyed cultivator one might expect, radiating what he thought of as a perfectly smooth flow of spiritual energy through his meridians showing a life that had been free of the desperation and struggle that caused burs and irregularities within so many foundations, yet with that seeming perfection was an odd fragility.

Somehow, Alex was certain that for all its warping and unnatural formation, even Elder Panheu’s foundation was stronger than Lord Huang Sun’s, full of the furious potency of one who had forged themselves in the most perilous of crucibles, whereas this youth, or as young as a Gold cultivator could be and still break through, had none of that, and Alex wouldn’t be surprised if it took him a century to condense his Golden Core any further. Not that he needed to do so, as even a Rank 1 Gold Wujen was a miracle on the battlefield and could spell the difference between victory and defeat in anything but the most furious struggles, according to his former mentors.

And the look he gave Alex was oddly respectful as he caught a blushing Hao Chan’s grasp and gently placed a small box of nacre-covered hardwood, holding within it a beautiful pair of gold pearlescent earrings radiating spiritual energy that awed even Alex to see.

“Flawless pearls for a flawless beauty,” He said with a smile when Hao Chan blushed and covered her lips with wonder, just as Jidihu had coaxed her to do. “I can only pray that you find my gift worthy of gracing your features the next time you delight us all with your splendor.” He flashed a disgustingly charming smile, teeth as white as perfection, lowering his voice as if sharing confidence. “Should you find your spirits flagging, you need but think of your dear friend Huang Sun for your reserves of passion and spiritual resolve to refill anew.”

Hao Chang gasped. “Lord Huang Sun. Truly this is a priceless gift! And though I regret that my Silver path demands both sacrifice and celibacy, I promise you that I shall treasure these prizes in the spirit they were given.” She then favored him with a curtsy so low and gracious he couldn’t help but smile even as Panheu gave a pleased nod at the furious grudge match happening below, catching the Gold’s attention.

“Lord Huang Sun. A moment of your time. Being as you are a skilled wujen who has achieved the extraordinary feat of reaching Gold in less than a century, I’m curious as to your take on the match below.”

Alex schooled his features to reveal nothing as the man was expertly corralled free of a still deferentially smiling Hao Chan, his obvious disappointment at being unable to talk her up replaced by genuine interest in the battle between the cultivators happening below, even Alex finding the match between the pair of powerfully built Golds trading techniques of Fire and Stone fascinating, chilled by both the Inhuman strength and the ferocity of their struggle. Because as Jidihu had quietly explained, this second day was customarily one for blood feuds and grudge matches to be resolved between Deep Silver and recently ascended Gold elites before the competitions continued in earnest on the morrow.

Hao Chan exchanged a teasing grin as Alex looked on with increasing impatience at the growing pile of prizes and treasures she had accrued from no less than half a dozen potential suitors, and Yinzi was positively glowing that no less than two had given her face as well, even if her smile had become a bit strained when they made it clear that they were even willing to overlook her mixed heritage, so stunned they were by her beauty.

Yinzi had rolled her eyes at that, and had gotten even by being both bold and exceedingly flirtatious, before playing utterly naive seconds later, flashing a wicked smile when Panheu would gently commend and flatter the boys before engaging them in conversation and dismissing them soon after.

All in all, Alex had thought it a painfully long afternoon, even if he had enjoyed watching the grudge matches below. Because it was his first real opportunity to see the fierce savagery with which Deep Silvers and Golds fought… and it had been almost exactly like his master had implied.

Almost all their focus had been on their own ascension, with mastery of martial techniques seen as inferior to simply infusing themselves with so much power that no one could possibly resist them. None were fools, however, Alex pinning their average weapon skill at Rank 5, which only the most elite veterans in the world below would normally be able to achieve. And Rank 5 with a martial technique and a striker technique made the ascended warriors below exceptionally deadly.

All the same, Alex was looking forward to the matches on the morrow more than ever. If his hunch was right, his enemies were in for a major surprise, when corridors that had once held so many deadly golden traps eager to bind him with formations emptied completely, because Alex seriously doubted Dongfang Hong got where he was by being stupid enough to leave such blatant signs of cheating when imperial agents were preparing to enter the school, even if what they were looking for was limited to the students that had dared to ring bells of both Gold and Jade, as opposed to any coup over Baidushi or the school.

“Alex, keep up your cover!” Jidihu’s polite hostess mask as she reigned over their guests turned to a hard glare, making it clear that Alex had to play his role just as did his disciples. But all he could do was stare at the spot where Dongfang Hong had been sitting long enough to witness both of Alex’s remarkable victories before taking his leave, Liu Li and Princess Xian Hong having followed in his wake.

He just couldn’t get over the hopeless expression in their gazes. Yet when he reached out to them in ways he was loath even to describe… the familiar taste of their minds was gone to them.

He could sense nothing at all.

Alex locked gazes with Jidihu, his fingers twitching in handsign. “Something is wrong. I must have missed something the first time I checked the...”

But Jidihu was firmly shaking her head. “You missed nothing, Alex. I was right there by your side, and few among the living have more experience ferreting out secret compartments, or a scent trail, than me.”

Alex blinked, nonplussed as her smile grew. “That’s right. You can smell a hell of a lot better than I can!”

“I would hope so,” she conceded. “And Alex? I smelled nothing. No trace of either girl in those chambers.”

Alex blinked. “Wait, you have their scent?”

“Of course. I knew Liu Li’s father quite well, though it’s been years since I last visited their apothecary, and one of my shadow hands has already brought me fabric once worn by Xian Hong.”

Alex’s thoughts began to race. “So you’ve already made inroads last night.”

She smirked. “Of course. No need to say anything more than that.”

Alex’s eyes widened as he gazed in the direction that the imperial regiment was gathering, as everything suddenly clicked. “The girls aren’t here. No one’s in danger here, in these tunnels.”

Jidihu’s gentle brown eyes crinkled in a smile. “Exactly. And is it so surprising that your old friend walks her current path of her own free will? Why wouldn’t Liu Li settle on a powerful prince soon to rule a kingdom, and why wouldn’t his niece settle on a lesser role like city administrator or perhaps the right to rule a Province as a Crown Princess, in return for family harmony?” She shook her head. “Truly Alex, your propensity for embracing the most absurd path imaginable has its virtues, but more often than not, the most boring and logical answer is also most often the correct one. Now if you’ll excuse me… it’s time I saw the last of our guests off,” she declared with a smile.

“Mother’s right. It’s one thing for us to live heroic storybook ideals because we’re so closely tied to my father, your patron! But most people want only a single adventure or two before retiring to lives of stability and comfort,” Yinzi whispered with surprising insight, popping up in Alex’s shadow the minute their latest guests had been so artfully shown the door that they thought themselves fast friends of their future father-in-law, who didn’t disabuse them of the notion, even holding in his exasperated sigh as he carefully sealed the door behind them, before being led a short way off by Jidihu at her most charming, and Alex could imagine how strange it was when moments later their hostess had left, and they had absolutely no recollection of where, exactly, their arena apartment had been located.

“Well, that’s the last of them.” Panheu gazed at Alex and his disciples and gave a satisfied nod. “We’ve turned half a dozen potential points of conflict into admiring suitors and potential sparring partners for our Alex, whom they are now all but certain is a YanTu noble in disguise. Because of course no mere Ruidian could have the power of a Gold Titan flowing through his veins.”

Alex frowned. “But I’m not. I’m...”

Panheu’s eyes flashed. “An absurd monster who actually shattered a Gold Titan’s elbow, with no less than three Gold Wujen using flag formations to confound you while doing so!” His exasperated glare turned to a fierce smile. “And that’s the advantage of an actual Gold tier art, disciples. Our specialization in the flow of Qi itself, as opposed to any specific elemental attack, might limit our offensive capabilities for mass destruction. But our ability to counter our enemy’s attacks and pierce their defenses on a one-on-one basis is utterly unmatched!”

“Because our Alex is facing off against foes who are entirely dependent on Silver techniques, however well mastered,” a returned Jidihu said with a certain amount of asperity. “Techniques which could still kill him, or any of us, dare we play the overconfident fools.”

Panheu nodded. “Precisely. What Alex managed to pull off over the last two days is nothing short of profound, and you’d better believe that those who were once eager to destroy him are now eager to have me take them on as students of my own!”

He winked at his wife. “No matter what cards of fate the future has in store for us, we’ll be able to make an absolute killing as private tutors for the spoiled scions of our beloved nation.”

Jidihu snorted. “As if you wouldn’t get bored in a single decade.”

Panheu shrugged. “A thousand spirit pearls per annum can forgive a lot of boredom, darling.”

“True. And this way no one bats a single cynical eye your way, everyone immediately understanding that you’re just showcasing the girls to maximize the Pin Jin you could hope to get from marrying them off, while showcasing the virtue of your Golden art like nothing else. I do believe even Dongfang Hong’s killing aura is beginning to fade, realizing Alex isn’t here to challenge the fates. He’s here to showcase the virtue of you arts and fatten your purse with spirit pearls! And that’s a practicality any ruler can respect.”

Panheu’s smile was all teeth. “Which is exactly what we want.”