Alex blinked, so stunned by the messages flashing in his mind’s eye that he was momentarily caught off guard by his opponent’s lightning fast strike.
“Got you that time, Alex!” she happily crowed.
Alex chuckled ruefully, calling a quick pause before they started again, awed by the notifications still flashing inside his head, but also a bit chilled that he had allowed himself to get distracted by them. What if this had been a real fight? At that moment he resolved to never allow himself to lose focus like that again. He would incorporate knowledge granted only when he had the time necessary to do so, and otherwise he would just let it wash right through him, keeping his focus only on what mattered.
But still, no wonder Qie Qie had beaten him so thoroughly at first! According to his interface, she had achieved rank four in whatever Bronze-ranked martial discipline involving spears that she had mastered, probably a Water art. And it was obvious that Bronze-ranked skills gave you an additional plus five to your skill modifier per each additional rank. At least, if you had ascended to Bronze Ogre status. So too with every rank in Bronze physical attributes. If his inference was correct, she was currently rank one Bronze in Finesse and Quickness and rank four Bronze with her spear, resulting in a thirty-point bonus over and above the plus five for her spear rank and the base bonuses for mortal levels of Finesse and Quickness, a forty-five point total bonus. No wonder she had been so happily toying with him for days before it all finally clicked for him.
He was humbled and awed by the incredible edge his Soul Sight and Find Weakness skills gave him, the total modifier reducing Bronze ranks, it seemed, once he got a ‘lock’ on a person. Of course, it took time for him to get a sense for an opponent’s Qi flow, and with all the hours he had spent sparring with Qie Qie, his familiarity bonus wasn’t too surprising.
Of course, numbers aside, she was still faster. Much faster, considering that single Bronze rank gave her the equivalent of twenty Speed! So he was forced to play defense, only on an equal playing field because he had just enough time to maneuver his weapon to best intercept hers. And the moment she over committed…
You have successfully countered your opponent's thrust. Opponent’s weapon is now off-line. Your opponent is off balance! You are now inside her guard. You have struck your opponent’s left temple! You have deliberately pulled your blow.
The soft clang of wood against padded bronze could be heard, Alex instinctively jerking back his strike, terrified of hurting Qie Qie twice in one day, knowing that she probably had nothing like the divine regeneration technique he had devised in an epiphany while dancing upon the edge of oblivion, months ago. Repeated blows to the skull and neck for her might have very serious consequences, Bronze rank and spirit doctors or no.
Qie Qie blinked, gazing at Alex in stupefied disbelief, cheeks flushing with humiliation. “I did it again!” she whispered. “Somehow, I left myself wide open to you, twice in one day!”
“Yes, you did,” said a familiar voice from the other side of the gate that Alex instantly recognized.
Qi Perception check successful! You are not alone!
But that was something Alex had already known, feeling suddenly a fool for not thinking to check if his master had returned before insisting that he and Qie Qie should spar just outside his master’s compound.
Qie Qie’s face instantly lit up. “Zhao Doushi!” she gushed, before kowtowing before Elder Panheu, gazing at them both with a smile behind his elegant shimmering silver gate, with none other than a scowling Zhao Doushi by his side. “This lowly Bronze greets the most revered Elder Panheu.”
Elder Panheu beamed. “Did you see his form, Zhao? Look at how he’s blossoming! Holding his own against a Bronze like that. Did I not tell you that forging him in fire was the only way to go?”
But Zhao Doushi hardly acknowledged his mentor’s words, just glaring at a suddenly pale-faced Qie Qie. “A Bronze, letting herself be bested by a basic cultivator? That is beneath you, Qie Qie. Your master would not be pleased, did she know.”
Qie Qie trembled, her cheerful smile of just seconds before instantly wiped away, revealing a girl suddenly on the verge of tears. Her mouth opened and closed several times as a frowning Zhao Doushi left the compound, gate springing open at his touch, slowly circling the hunched over Bronze who seemed to wilt under his glare. “Your flaws and rigid stance are inexcusable as a disciple of Mistress Shui.”
He turned to Elder Panheu, one eyebrow raised.
Elder Panheu nodded. “By all means. Your forms are compatible.”
Zhao Doushi nodded. “Come, Qie Qie, we have much to go over, and little time,” he said, directing her to enter the compound, Qie Qie conveying so much with the helpless look she sent Alex’s way.
Alex winked and gave her a thumbs up.
She blushed furiously and quickly shifted her gaze.
Alex couldn’t help grinning back, realizing his hunch had been spot on, before kowtowing himself before Elder Panheu. “This lowly cultivator warmly welcomes his master’s return.”
Panheu chuckled softly. “It is I who am pleased to see you, Alex, blossoming so quickly, rising like the phoenix from the ashes of your own defeats, forging yourself into a Ruidian actually worthy of attending this academy.” He then winked. “And I just made another five spirit pearls and a modest pouch of gold on fools who swore you wouldn’t last a week!”
Alex grinned. “I’m always pleased to earn my master a profit.”
Panheu’s bemused gaze suddenly turned iron hard. “And you didn’t think to incorporate White Crane techniques with your spear work?”
Alex flushed. “Forgive me, sir, I understand now why it was so important to you that I gain rank five adept status… I mean, gain a sense of any and all weapons I would use with White Crane, so that all the bonuses would stack for maximum impact… I mean, so that I can appropriately coordinate proper form with the storm of Light Qi swirling around me.
“And as for the sparring contest just finished, everything finally came together just earlier today, when I was sparring with Qie Qie back in class. It was my intention to wait until your return before inquiring about how I can translate that spinning storm of Qi into spear use, as I didn’t want to waste time forging shoddy techniques on my own.”
His master gave a measuring nod. “Acceptable. Alright, Alex, now’s as good a time as any for our first lesson on White Crane spear use.” He glared daggers at the twilight gloom all around. “But let’s head back inside the compound where we don’t have to worry about probing eyes or minds, because one thing we do not want to do is give away the secrets of our techniques to unworthy opponents who would only use it against us at the time and place of their choosing.”
Alex swallowed, quickly nodding and following his master, who was now facing him with a razor-sharp bladed staff he had pulled seemingly from nowhere. “Alright, Alex, mirror me just as you did your first days under my roof.”
And without another word, his master began to practice White Crane spear forms, Alex taking careful note and doing his best to imitate every movement, paying particular attention to the serpentine way his master would slide his weapon’s staff against Alex’s own, easily shifting his balance, twisting his wrists, hips, and knees just so, and the spear seemed to all but flow around Alex’s defenses. Even going as slow as they were, his master scored points on him effortlessly, the Qi-forged tip scoring Alex’s bronze armor as if it were wax, but exquisite control kept it from ever actually pricking his skin, and Alex already understood the lesson his master was trying to impart with that demonstration.
Finally, Elder Panheu gave a satisfied nod. “There, Alex, do you think you have a sense of it?”
Alex dipped his head. “I believe can mimic your flow if I practice the kata slowly. I will do my best to ingrain it in my mind and body before I let sleep claim me tonight.”
His master beamed. “Good! Then we can work on increasing your tempo tomorrow, and sparring with White Crane spear technique
the day after!”
Alex blinked. “But what about...”
His master waved his hand. “You’ll skip them for a few days. What matters is that we maximize your accelerated growth and get this ingrained as fast as possible, so you’re out there sparring again in earnest as quickly as possible, and not slipping into old forms or bad habits!”
Alex swallowed, bowing his head, hoping his instructors wouldn’t despise him for his master’s decision. He didn’t think Master Pan would care, so long as he came back a better fighter, and Master Liang almost seemed to respect him as a person, and would certainly understand the difficulties faced by any soldier doing his best to follow his commander’s orders. And as for Fu Shen… that was a lost cause, however he looked at it. The man utterly despised him, regardless of what Alex said or did.
“I noticed that even with your thrust, you always wind your shaft as you propel your blade forward...”
Panheu nodded. “An excellent technique for knocking aside attempts to counter your thrust, and after a thousand hours of practice, you’ll find yourself able to strike your foe just as quickly and accurately with a winding thrust as you would with a straight-line attack. Yet you will be far deadlier, for you can angle your strike where your foe is least expecting it, knocking aside any desperate counters when he tries to compensate for it!”
Alex grinned. This was exactly the type of technique he was eager to learn. “But the really tricky part will be incorporating that storm of swirling Light Qi into the movement.”
His master chuckled, though his gaze was hard. “And I have no doubt that you’ll manage just that before the season is finished, Alex. If not here, then in the crucible of combat that is all of your classmates now jockeying for rank, prestige, and mentors.”
“Understood, sir.” He’d either master White Crane spear form, and fast, or his master would no doubt force him to endure ever greater challenges until he was forced into another breakthrough, unless catastrophe struck him first. But if Alex had a choice in the matter, he’d far rather grow as a student without putting his life in constant peril.
Then he winced, suddenly recalling a prior commitment.
He immediately flowed into Dogeza before his master. “This lowly one apologizes, but he has a work assignment this evening.”
Elder Panheu frowned.
“This one begs for your understanding. I fear if I don’t shine in the eyes of those few Silvers with choice assignments carefully garnered by a clerk putting his own reputation on the line, I will make yet more enemies and find nothing but drudgework left to me, always having to be on the lookout for those who would sabotage my efforts, so hungry they are to see me expelled, leaving me little time to train as I should.”
If anything, his master looked even less pleased, before finally shaking his head and sighing. “You gave your word, keep it.” He flashed a cold grin. “Shame all the conniving cultivators out there by always standing tall, playing fair, and keeping your word. Those who don’t call you a fool will hate you and seek your downfall. Yet another peril to push you to excel.”
Alex silently groaned, saying only. “This one will hurry back as soon as his assignment has been completed.”
He spared a glance for Qie Qie, all but wilting under the scathing tongue of Zhao Doushi who seemed to find flaws with every aspect of her posture and stance, for all that Alex had been dumbstruck by how fast and skillful she was, his Soul Sight and Find Weakness skills the only reason why she hadn’t knocked him out cold in seconds.
He flashed her panicked gaze a sympathetic smile, knowing this was not how she had envisioned interacting with the man Alex was increasingly certain she idolized. But Alex had no doubt she’d be all the better for the bitter she was enduring, if she had the strength and resolve to take it all in without wilting. He paid her and Zhao a deep respectful bow, showing his respect for her struggles and admiration for the man who had taken it upon himself to make her that much stronger, despite the rough barbs to his tongue, only then pivoting on his heels and exiting the residence as fast as his feet could take him.
His second work assignment of the week was on the far side of Dragon Academy, after all, having to cut through what he still thought of as the main campus, keeping his head respectfully lowered as he passed the occasional cultivator out at that hour, with far fewer students he recognized and considerably more radiating a subtle pressure he now recognized as Bronze.
He couldn’t help wondering if they spent their days cultivating and working, receiving more specialized training in the evenings, when the departure of lesser students had left the campus a far quieter and more serene place. Of course, they’d be far more dangerous to offend than a cultivator of his own rank, so Alex made himself as obsequious as possible, even going so far as to use his Qi Perception to avoid darting around various buildings when others were coming his way, or embracing stillness, as if he was merely meditating, in the midnight shade of rustling trees that served as perfect cover in the twilight gloom, thinking of himself as just an echo of the environment all around him.
Congratulations! Stealth is now Rank 3! Who says cowardice doesn’t pay off?
Alex winced at the internal message his interface relayed, grateful that at least it didn’t interfere with his external senses, now almost certain that it was WiFu’s sly voice he heard, rather than the poor, long-dead AI he had almost befriended before jumping through a demonic portal that should have spelled his doom.
And maybe it had. Maybe he was now on his third life where both his memory and his physical form were kept intact. Either way, he had absolutely no desire in risking death yet again over something as stupid as offending a Bronze, when simple deference and discretion could see him through.
And eventually he did make it to Master Qin Shi’s residence, discreetly announcing himself to the wide-eyed servant gazing at him so strangely before the man jerked a quick bow and dashed for someone higher up the food chain than himself.
Within moments a man of average build and coal black eyes who did not quite give off the pressure of a full-fledged Silver was scowling at him from the other side of the gate. Alex absently noted that the bars were of bronze, not silver, reaffirming his earlier suspicion. The man might be an instructor, perhaps only a half-step away from Silver, but he had not elevated himself yet.
The man scowled, adjusting the sash to his crimson cultivator’s robes. “Yes?”
Alex bowed low, showing great deference without actually kowtowing before the Bronze.
“Greetings, Master Qin Shi. This humble student is here to attend to whatever needs you might have, as per the request left at the assignment hall.”
The man peered intently at Alex for long moments before slowly nodding. He took a quick, almost furtive look around Alex before hurriedly ushering him through and locking his gate behind him.
“Do you truly understand the assignment, Ruidian?”
Alex flashed a polite smile. “It was admittedly the blandest of requests. But our mutual… friend made it clear it was a message with many meanings.”
Qin Shi nodded. “How experienced are you at tending gardens?”
“I would say I have some skill at tending to plants infused with Heaven and Earth energies and extracting their potency into any number of potions and tinctures.”
Qin Shi’s eyes widened. He flashed the tiniest of smiles. “I thought I recognized you. You were Liu Jian’s assistant for a time, yes?”
Alex blinked in momentary surprise, before understanding at last why the man looked just a bit familiar and was so much less hostile than most. He was one of the many desperate cultivators who had turned to Liu Jian for help with cultivation pills. And this was despite the fact that he was obviously in good standing with the Academy to have his own residence.
Perhaps conflict between his faction and Lai Leng meant that man’s concoctions were unavailable to him, or perhaps he just didn’t trust the alchemist. Not that Alex blamed him. For all that Lai Leng seemed
to be in place precisely because he was so fractious and at odds with so many, allowing those cultivators to benefit from the edge that pills forged by a man you were in conflict with gave you, as if honing the blade of your mind against the whetstone of friction, to Alex it didn’t seem worth the risks of damage or actual foul play.
And obviously Alex wasn’t alone in that concern, now recalling how very many Bronzes would sneak furtively through his old master’s door.
“Yes,” he said, before the pause could grow too awkward. “I was.”
Qin Shi sighed. “It was most unfortunate to find that his property had been destroyed. Most unfortunate. I… pity all the poor mortals who depended upon his kindness.”
Alex bowed his head in genuine agreement. “Myself as well, Master Qin Shi.”
The man shook his head. “I heard the rumors, his name being identical to the man recently claimed as kin by the Sovereign Prince himself. But it’s wishful thinking to think our humble alchemist was the same Liu Jian that was recently elevated to Gold. Still, I understand why so many instructors of this school formally took that stance, whatever their personal suspicions. A far more noble end for a former instructor here to be the hero of his tale, motivating us all with his ascension, than just another lowly alchemist who perished before the spirit beasts he was desperate to harvest.”
He tilted his head, peering intently at Alex. “I don’t suppose you can tell me what really happened to Liu Jian?”
Alex, fearing Qin Shi might be right, though hoping his mentor was, in fact, the one who had achieved Gold instead of perished to those infernalists, could only shake his head. He was surprised that Qin Shi would reveal such confidences to him so soon after meeting him, but he already knew to be wary, lest the man before him was just trying to get Alex to lower his guard. Still, there were some things he could freely say.
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Forsworn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 3 Page 16