Silver Fox & The Western Hero
Warrior Forsworn
M H Johnson
Copyright © 2020 by M H Johnson
Cover art by Andrey Vasilchenko
Typography by Bonnie L. Price
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and events are the work of the author’s imagination and all locations are either fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons or events is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Thank You
Additional Links
1
“There he is. Look at him in his hemp robe!” sneered one of a handful of students passing by a prostrate Alex, earning a cold chuckle from his companions as they made their way past the homes of the most skilled and potent instructors in all of Dragon Academy.
“Favored champion of the trials? Ha! A lucky slave who snaked his way past is more like it,” said yet another academy disciple, dipping forward for a quick snap kick to Alex’s side, earning a groan as their mocking laughter washed over him, the students not content to leave him be until their ridicule had flayed his ears as much as their feet had bruised his flesh.
But Alex did nothing save resume his posture when they finally grew bored and left. His stance was that of a supplicant put on display, baring his neck before the entire school as he humbly spent the entire day outside Elder Panheu’s much-envied cultivation sanctuary, his restless eyes catching occasional glimpses through the silver gate of the grand pavilion, training grounds, and cultivation gardens he would now be expected to care for, though he did take small comfort in the magnificent view of the sea below the cliff face upon which his mentor’s estate was located.
Alex shivered as a cool breeze fluttered through his thin hemp robe, playing across flesh still covered in lacerations.
He had spent the entire night embracing his Eternal Fox body cultivation technique within the garden shed that was now his home, infusing his cells with a pristine mixture of his own Dark and Light Qi in the handful of hours he had been allowed to rest, more than enough time to fuse hairline cracks, repair torn ligaments, and soothe countless bruised organs.
His body was intact, save for dozens of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. He would allow his skin to heal naturally, however, feeling it best to hide just how fast he could recover. So long as he was careful, no one should suspect that his injuries were only skin deep.
And were it not for his Eternal Fox technique, he’d certainly be wincing with the strain to his knees after so many hours kowtowing before the world.
“You will change into these robes and embrace the penitent’s position without leaving your straw mat until dusk, Alex,” a solemn-faced Elder Panheu had quietly said that morning, brilliant blue eyes peering at Alex from a face that otherwise looked very much like almost every other Golden Realms citizen he had met; epicanthic folds, high cheekbones, glossy dark hair, and a certain natural grace he had always admired. A beautiful people reminding him so much of his Chinese friends back home. A home forever lost, memories a lifetime ago and a world away.
Here, in his new life, he lived within a realm of massive city-states surrounded by fecund fields so saturated with Wood and Earth Qi that crops grew at a phenomenal rate, and beyond those bountiful fields grew massive verdant forests filled with endless wonders, priceless spiritual herbs, and countless deadly spirit beasts, with only the occasional walled town or village to be found in the wilds, most so isolated that they were hardly aware of being ruled by any empire at all.
Each major city in this incredibly vast world would take well over a month to reach by trade caravan, so far apart they were from one another, as most of the world was still a vast, sparsely populated wilderness. Yet all the major cities were still connected by mystical High Roads that compressed a journey of over a thousand miles into a single day and night, for those few citizens who could cultivate and were strong enough to walk them.
For everyone else, well-guarded trade caravans were the only safe means of traveling between the cities, stopping and trading with numerous nameless walled towns along the way, no bureaucrat even caring enough to learn their names, let alone their customs, history, or traditions. For the glorious Golden Empire cared nothing for tiny inconsequential towns, and were happy enough to leave them to their own devices, so long as they continued to supply the major cities with the fresh produce and livestock so necessary for keeping those massive population centers fed.
Alex shivered as much in awe of his circumstances as he did the cold breeze, having been put in cryogenic suspension only days or perhaps hours before he would have died of terminal illness, and what he thought had been simply awakening as a sentient copy of his neuromatrix within a simulated reality had, in fact, been awakening to a new life entirely.
According to his own assistant AI, Alex wouldn’t have even been assigned it, or the personal interface Alex still used to get a sense of his growth, skills, and levels, if he wasn’t actually alive with all the rights and privileges such entailed. Of course, his AI had confirmed little after that, not saying a word ever since Alex had gambled with his life in a desperate attempt to save a score of nobles and one strikingly beautiful girl from the darkest of sacrificial rights, certain he was jumping into a portal leading straight to Hell.
Only to awaken once more in an exhausted stupor by the banks of a quiet river near the Trade Road leading back to Yidushi with an iron collar around his neck, having fallen straight into the arms of slavers and their train of sorrow and woe.
And somehow Alex had risen above the wiles of vile slavers and corrupt merchants alike in the weeks leading up to his arrival at Dragon Academy, for all that he had awoken destitute and penniless, save for his single divine storage ring that allowed him to store whatever treasures he found, even his own spiritual energies, to use when he needed them the most.
The humblest of copper bands, so tarnished and ugly that only the lowest of the low would think to adorn themselves with it.
A priceless artifact the Golden Emperor himself would move Heaven and Earth to claim, if only he knew of its existence.
The parting gift of an enigmatic inspector, given to Alex upon his first rebirth, having worked at Alex’s side to rescue his beloved city from invaders who looked just like Alex, Vikings from another age, called Ruidians in this time and place, and scorned by nearly everyone. An inspector who was also known as Silver Fox, or WiFu when in human form. A god of mischief, chaos, and change, who valued transformation and growth within a society, a culture, a people, above all else. A god credited for bot
h rescuing Yidushi and the Golden Empire it was the tiniest part of, as well as for nearly destroying both, in countless tales Alex had overheard during his travels so far.
An enigmatic god who had gifted Alex with the burden and boon of forging a unique eight-element cultivation path in a world that only formally recognized five. A cultivation path which could even incorporate Dark Qi, which the entire world saw only as waste. And Alex—still weary with exhaustion more mental than physical after enduring half a dozen death matches and an entire day prostrated in a kneeling position with his head touching his straw mat outside his master’s manor in a manner very reminiscent of the Japanese Dogeza—tapped into the cultivation path he himself had discovered for the energy he needed to keep going.
He was, essentially, kowtowing before the entire school and any student or master who chose to walk this way for the affront of his very existence. A former Ruidian slave who had dared to stand tall when everyone had expected him to fall, and perhaps worst of all, had the gall to mouth off the school’s revered masters. And for all that mocking one’s opponents and laughing in the face of death was more than acceptable for a man embracing his doom, Alex had the temerity to actually survive his trials.
And so a penance had to be paid.
For all that his soon-to-be mentor had done no more than pass Alex a straw mat, hemp robe, and force him into the Dogeza position, Alex had instantly understood. He could burn with humiliation and refuse, or he could see it as the final test before being accepted as a student that it was. And really, after all he had endured to get to this point, what was a little kneeling?
“It’s your choice, supplicant,” Elder Panheu had said. “But if you cannot fathom why this is necessary, then you lack the wisdom needed to progress any further than you already have.”
Something in the elder’s gaze. Alex had immediately bowed. “It would please this one to kowtow for as long as you require it, Master.”
Panheu had just sighed and shaken his head, saying only, “It is not for my benefit, supplicant. It is for your own,” before heading back inside.
And so Alex had endured an entire day of snide comments, derisive chuckles, and even the occasional kick to his rear. But there seemed to be rules even in this, for no one dared strike his head or vulnerable organs, not even the last pair, though they seemed to delight in shoving him over with their feet.
“Look at this Ruidian dog! I can’t believe my kung fu brother lost three silver betting against him. He must have greased himself in lard to slide past everyone better!”
“Look at him now. Thought he was so tough? At least the prizes he stole were stripped from him. Now he’s just a servant paying his penance. See? Karmic justice in the end, brothers.”
These comments earned a few dark chuckles, but Alex didn’t look their way as the trio of young cultivators finally departed, with a final kick to his rear far harder than most.
Yet no matter how bad the abuse got, each episode was punctuated by long periods of calm where Alex was left completely alone, able to feel the ocean’s breeze, less than a hundred yards from the lip of the cliff overlooking the glorious blue sea, crashing waves and the cry of seagulls a peaceful counterpoint to the warm setting sun caressing his skin.
He took advantage of one of those lulls to pull up his full character sheet, the last surviving remnant of his AI interface, which had proven incredibly useful in plotting his own future growth and allowing him to find solace in how much he had achieved already since awakening naked and alone in the bowels of a ship full of raiders carrying enough poison to kill everyone in Yidushi, what might have been a thousand years ago.
___________________________________________________________________
Alex Hammer
Class – Cultivator: Disciple of the Dual Path (Unlimited potential. This is a Divine path.)
Rank 6 Basic Cultivation Achieved
Physical Characteristics
Strength 15 (Exceeds 95% of Population)
Vitality 16 (Exceeds 98% of Population)
Quickness 15 (Exceeds 95% of Population)
Finesse 15 (Exceeds 95% of Population)
Spiritual Characteristics
Scholarship 11 (Exceeds 62% of Population)
Perception 13 (Exceeds 83% of Population)
Willpower 14 (Exceeds 90% of Population)
Qi pool 14 (6 Meridian Gateways Open)
Health Points: 225
Perks
Insightful – Rank 2
Charismatic – Rank 2
Favored Skills
Poison Spitting – Rank 4
Golden Realms Kung Fu – Rank 5 Adept status achieved! (This is a Tier 1 Basic martial art.)
Weapon forms incorporating Golden Realms Kung Fu:
Fangtian Ji – Rank 4 / Short Spear – Rank 4 / Long Spear – Rank 4 / Gladius – Rank 4 / Dao – Rank 3
Silver Swan Kung Fu – Rank 2 (This is Tier 3 Silver Ranked martial art.)
Weapon Forms incorporating Silver Swan Kung Fu:
Fangtian Ji / Short Spear / Dao
Qi Disciplines
Adderstrike – Rank 6 (Expanded Comprehension / Impact Invulnerability / Efficient Strike.)
Bullrush – Rank 4 (6) (Instantly move 5-50 feet in any direction / Lightness / Maneuverability.)
Piercing Strike – Rank 0 (You have yet to fully comprehend this art.)
Qi Deflection – Rank 0 (You have yet to fully comprehend this art.)
Qi Absorption – Rank 2 (Rank 3 vs. Fire-aspected Qi. Breakthrough made! Synergistic use with Biochemical Mastery reduces all Poison-aspected Qi attacks by an additional 5 points.)
Qi Flood – Rank 1 (Flood a grappled target (or artifact) with Dark Qi!)
Qi Perception-linked Disciplines. (All of these abilities are Qi Perception-based. Their rank may not exceed Qi Perception rank. Note: all specialization points invested in Qi Perception will boost all underlying skills.)
Qi Perception – Rank 4 (Sense all physical and Qi manifestations around you within 40 feet with concentration. Sense Spirit Beasts and their flow of Qi. +4 to Perception checks.)
Artificer – Rank 3 (Understand, manipulate, or destroy treasures and artifacts!)
Find Weakness – Rank 2 (Works on Artifacts, Constructs, Demons, Spirit Beasts, and Cultivators! Note: basic check with Qi Perception lets you sense the weakest points in any opponent’s physical body and technique. Advanced skill rank and successful use of Soul Sight is needed to actually pierce a cultivator’s Qi defenses.)
Soul Sight – Rank 2 (Sense the flow of Qi through any Spirit Beast (effortless) or Cultivator (difficult). If this skill is not successfully used, Find Weakness can only sense surface weaknesses.)
Spiritual Teacher – Rank 4 (You may now directly impart the knowledge of any and all cultivation disciplines upon suitable students with a skill check! Diligent focus is required over a period of days, weeks, or months. This skill allows suitable students to enjoy multiple breakthroughs up to Spiritual Teacher rank, or half of master’s rank in underlying skill. Note: mystic Heaven and Earth carriage ride transcended all normal limitations.)
Qi Purification Techniques Learned:
Dual Path Purification Technique (95.6% Efficiency)
Cleansing Breath Purification Technique (3.25% Efficiency)
Qi Restoration Techniques Learned:
Golden Realms Meridian Restoration Technique (100% Efficiency)
Qi Cycling Techniques Learned:
Dual Path Dark Qi Cycling Technique. (1% Efficiency – You will be able to use it upon advancing to Bronze, in conjunction with an eight-element Light Qi cycling technique you have not discovered yet!)
Body Cultivation Techniques Learned:
The Eternal Fox Body Restoration Technique – Rank 6
- Multiple Breakthroughs! This is a Divine technique. Each breakthrough requires an additional Rank.
- Incorporates Golden Realms Meridian Restoration Technique at 100% efficacy and works with all elemental aff
inities at all levels of cultivation.
- Every 1000 hours of cultivation will fully regenerate one pound of lost or damaged flesh per rank in Eternal Fox for even a basic cultivator. Scrapes can be healed in minutes! Even damaged organs and spinal cord injuries can be healed if cultivator is able to focus upon them.
- Saintly Aura can heal curses and infernal wounds. (This is a Divine technique.)
- Aspirants can use Dark Qi to speed their own healing.
- Perfect Dark/Light Qi synergism. Dark Qi is so well-channeled that cells no longer age with successful skill checks!
- Power Healing (Requires Beast Cores, Spirit Pearls, or Qi stored in a divine storage artifact.) Healing Rate will temporarily increase one-hundred-fold until meditative trance broken or Qi source fully used up. Can safely be used for any length of time, cultivator remains aware of environment!
A Path Cloaked in Mist
Thanks to your constant training and use of body cultivation techniques, you have permanently gained 1 point of Impact Resistance!
- You have taken your first step in forging a new body cultivation technique. Details: unknown.
Biochemical Mastery – Rank 5 (Now includes Alchemy – usable in Divine Artifact only.)
You may now synthesize or cure any poison or formulae mastered. Limitations apply.
Botanical Formulae mastered: 28
Botanical Poisons mastered: 8 Ancient / 6 Modern
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Forsworn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 3 Page 1