Unlike his Universal Solvent and other substances—which he could generate significant quantities of in short order, channeling either beast cores or untapped experience—this complex, deadly concoction took precious minutes to generate sufficient quantities to do him any good at all.
Then all the furious pounding stopped as abruptly as it had started.
Alex felt a lurch in his chest.
Death was fast approaching, and he was running out of time.
49
“How does it feel to be utterly bested by an outsider, Little Ku?”
The deadly whispers he had somehow sensed would spell his doom were abruptly cut off.
“You will rue the day you dared to cross my clan, Ruidian!” roared the voice mere inches beyond his door. "Mark my words, filth, you will be begging me for the mercy of death before the day is through. Begging for my infinite kindness, and you shall receive none!”
Alex forced himself to laugh, even as he stilled the anxious knot in the pit of his stomach, while stripping himself of every article of clothing he had, save for the nearly indestructible bone button pants and what he thought of as his Warring States period helm, claimed as a prize of battle. The piece was reinforced with so much Steel Qi, it might even protect his skull against the monster battering at the flimsy door between them. Or maybe not.
But what choice did he have?
“I can’t believe you are doing this!” Xun Hu hissed. “You look like a fool!”
Alex winced but nodded. “I know. Still, this is how it has to play out.”
The girl gave a hopeless shake of her head. “I should have run off when I had the chance.”
He returned a bitter smile. “You can do that at any time. You know that.”
The girl snorted. “Hardly.”
“Xun Hu?”
Dull brown eyes gazed hopelessly up at his own.
“Can I count on you?”
She clenched her jaw but eventually jerked a nod. “You’re a complete and utter idiot for not just running away while you could, but yes. I’ll do my part.” Her gaze grew haunted, hard veneer cracking. “I just…”
He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll be fine.”
Straightening, he turned and shouted at the door. “Oh, I don’t think I’ll be doing any begging before you, Little Ku. I think it’s far more likely that certain other parties are going to get involved, and you’re going to have to kowtow before them with your tail between your legs, while the whole academy will know you don’t even have what it takes to break down a single flimsy door or take down a lone Ruidian. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if, from this day forward, people will be laughing at you behind your back wherever you go, even if they have to fake a smile to your face. Kind of galling when you think about it, isn’t it?”
The door rocked with a single titanic blow… then nothing but dead silence.
“Sorry, Little Ku, but your dreams of crushing me are going to forever be just that. Dreams.” He let the deadly silence build. “That is… unless we come to a mutually beneficial agreement.”
Suddenly the silence was alive with a fierce intensity that Alex could practically taste, even from the other side of his gate-reinforced door.
“And what would these terms be, scum?”
Alex smirked at the hungry edge to the Spirit Wolf’s voice. “You and I agree to fight. You give me your cultivator’s oath that none of your proxies or pawns will interfere with me before, during, or after our fight. The winner claims whatever prizes he likes from the loser, save the loser’s own person, of course.”
Xun Hu’s eyes widened. “Are you serious, Alex? There’s no way that monster would—”
The air erupted with mocking laughter. “Those are the terms upon which you’d bet your life, fool?”
“Those are the—”
“Done! Come out and face me, Ruidian! Prove to me you have the courage to look your own death in the eye before I tear you limb from limb!”
Biochemical Mastery interface accessed. Beast Core accessed. Universal Lubricant generated. Universal Solvent generated. Black Poppy Poison generated. Unorthodox storage mechanisms in use.
Ignoring the furious pounding in his chest, Alex unleashed his will upon the portals keeping the pagoda intact under even a Silver Giant’s assault, save for one, which Xun Hu alone could see.
If all else failed… if his brains ended up spattered in the field of grass that already knew the taste of his blood…at least Xun Hu would have a chance to flee.
He hoped.
“Alex…”
“Just do it.”
He clenched his jaw, doing his best to ignore the awful feeling that he was walking to his own execution as he slowly opened the pagoda door and took in the sight of the giant waiting across the expanse of blood-spattered grass, not bothering to hide a fierce, hungry grin.
“So, the worm has stopped running. Finally, you surrender to the inevitable fate of all those who dare to cross my clan!” the massive Duo Ku bellowed, a good 6 foot 5 of hulking cultivator who radiated deadly intent, and Alex couldn’t help but wonder how incredibly stupid his improvised plan truly was. One wrong move, and Alex truly was as good as dead.
Afraid? Yes. He could admit that to himself now, as the fearsome cultivator squeezed together massive fists, eyes twinkling with darkest mirth as his scarred cheeks twisted in a cruel grin.
“Too frightened even to speak? You will be speaking soon enough, fool. I promise you that!”
Alex took a deep breath, doing all he could to focus on the moment, to time his actions with exquisite care, a part of him not even believing he was daring this madness.
He ignored the furious pounding of his heart, Qi Perception making it clear that this monster was just as deadly as Alex had feared. In almost any circumstances, he had no doubt that Duo Ku’s speed could destroy him in the blink of an eye.
And probably would.
But all he needed was a single moment.
He stumbled back as if in fear, the pack of sycophantic fools laughing at their master’s side. Once Alex’s peers, they now sounded just like jackals in truth when Alex forced himself to step forward.
“Are you ready?”
A flash of the fingertips, and Alex felt a sick jolt of dread at confronting so many hostile smiles when Xun Hu failed to answer.
But he dared not look back for reassurance. His only choice was to step forward in nothing but WiFu’s ancient gift of near indestructible pants and the helm upon his head, not even wearing his changshan tunic as he forced himself to advance, one plodding foot after another.
And how Duo Ku smirked and laughed, his ruby hair loop and ear studs sparkling in the muted sunlight as he produced his own triple rune-marked talisman of silver and gold with theatric slowness. “To dare mock me like a lion, dressed as a fool! Are you hoping for mercy, Ruidian? Do you wish to serve in my court as a youling fool?”
Alex swallowed, pushing against the crushing weight of dread he felt. “This is how my kind chooses to wrestle. You can’t grab my cultivation uniform if I’m not wearing one, and you can’t grab my hair if I’m wearing a helmet, Duo Ku!”
The man gave an almost pitying smile, cracking his neck, formidable hands straightening the lapels of his own kung fu uniform. “Do you truly think that all we will do is wrestle? What a naïve fool you are.”
“He’s covered in fear sweat, Master, Ku!” said one of the remaining students. “What a coward!” The entire pack of sycophants mocked Alex with their laughter, but he was not blinded by hate, despite the terror he felt. He could see the fear in their eyes. Same as his own.
At least he was willing to fight through it.
Even as he forced himself to walk forward, raising a talisman of darkest shadow, he prayed he would succeed in his plan.
But all Duo Ku did was sneer in contempt, inhumanly quick hands flashing his talisman before he darted forward so fast that Alex almost lurched to a stop. As the looming giant pinned Alex with a chil
ly smile, he abruptly waved his talisman underneath Alex’s own.
The man chuckled coldly. “Did you truly think I would allow you to set the terms, Ruidian?”
His sneer abruptly vanished, eyes widening when he heard the subtle clink of jade upon silver as the shadow talisman and the arm that had been holding it faded to nothing, while Alex’s own near-translucent talisman tapped the underside of Duo Ku’s own.
“I challenge you to a duel to first blood, using any tool or technique at our disposal. The stakes are every nonliving item of value that the winner chooses to claim, and an oath that neither shall attempt to personally maim, hinder, or kill the other after the match, or deliberately set our living pawns to maim, hinder, or kill the other. Not unless we're willing to take on Dongfang Hong himself! The sole exception being officially sanctioned matches between us in the Trials to come!”
The entire academy seemed to ring with the declaration echoing inside Alex’s mind, enhanced by the Spirit Qi inherent in his artifact to such a degree that his words were delivered to all present as if he had spoken them aloud. For all that it had been a thought occurring in an eyeblink of time, assuring no opponent could pull away from any challenge, once contact had been made.
And whether that was delusion or no, it was clear enough that the Spirit Wolves adjoining their chief had heard it just as if Alex had declared it aloud, before erupting in derisive laughter.
“That’s not how challenges work, fool!” snapped Zha Shi, one of the students positioned behind the instructor shaking his head in pity.
Before the group of fallen students and treacherous instructors grew deathly still, finally gazing down at the totally unexpected sight of Duo Ku’s weighty silver talisman growing strangely translucent and ephemeral under the fathomless obsidian sheen of Alex’s own.
Alex was momentarily stunned, as surprised at that moment that it had actually worked as everyone else present.
A mistake that nearly cost him his life.
Perception check failed!
Quickness check failed!
Your opponent has successfully locked your wrist!
So fast that Alex couldn’t even blink before it happened, the monster’s meaty hand was gripping his forearm with terrible tightness, causing such unexpected, blinding pain that he cried out, fighting not to drop to one knee.
Duo Ku peered into his face, flashing the coldest of smiles. “Interesting,” he said, actually sounding like he meant it. “You were able to trump third tier silver, and with such an unorthodox challenge. A challenge that, win or lose, would allow you to remain here, a thorn in our side, completely unmolested, and assure you a chance to compete for the greatest of all prizes that Phoenix Academy has at its disposal, celebrating the games to come when a bride is claimed and a kingdom won. A prize worthy of a prince… perhaps even the emperor himself.”
Mocking laughter washed over a gasping Alex. “And you would tie up all of my pieces, yet leave your oath viable enough that, should we meet in the competition, only there could I or my pawns crush you, malice no pretext as we jockey for the greatest reward. And you wouldn’t even have to fear for your life when we defeat you utterly.”
The monster gave no tells, his open palm slamming into Alex’s solar plexus so fast and hard that he was sent flying back, too stunned even to breathe before his back crashed against the ground, flipping end over end before coming to rest at last.
Only then did Alex feel the horrific pain tearing through him, his chest a ball of unspeakable agony, panicked eyes widening as he realized he couldn’t even draw in a single breath.
You have been critically struck by Eagle Palm Strike!
Four ribs have been cracked.
You are suffering Mild Concussion.
You are unable to breathe!
And before Alex could begin to access Power Healing, or even coax his stunned diaphragm into taking in a single breath of air, his enemy was looming before him with that same dark, gleeful grin showing off massive iron grey teeth as he examined Alex like a curious bug.
The Giant slowly clenched his fist that Alex could sense radiating deadly waves of Molten Qi.
“Pathetic! You would dare to declare yourself worthy of the trials? I felt your ribs creak under my blow!” His lip curled in a sneer. “For someone who dared to meet my gaze as if he were even worthy of my hate, for someone who actually managed to take down one of my wolves, I had expected better.”
His cold smile grew. “It would have been a shame if I had actually shattered all your ribs and ruptured your heart. Your pain would have ended far too soon to serve as an appropriate lesson for all the other fools who would think to defy the natural order of things.”
Duo Ku shook his head in contempt before Alex finally overcame the deadly stunning blow, realizing it had been as much a Qi attack as physical shock that had frozen his lungs.
The pain in his lungs was like fire. But at least now he could breathe.
This earned him a raised eyebrow, the hint of a mocking smile. “Gasping for breath already? Good. Then it’s time for our lessons to begin in earnest!”
The Giant yanked Alex upright, scowling only momentarily at the oily sweat that now covered his palm as he shoved Alex forward.
Alex didn’t fight the rough assistance forcing him back to his feet, though he struggled not to trip over himself as he stumbled back and took in deep, ragged gasps of air as Qi Absorption cleansed the last of the malignant effects of his opponent’s deadly blow.
Even as it revealed unexpected secrets which might or might not prove useful… assuming Alex survived the merciless man who had so easily mastered him with a single blow.
And just when he locked gazes with his amber-eyed opponent, the giant seemed to disappear.
Qi Perception check successful!
Quickness check Failed!
Unified Martial Arts skill check… Partial Success! You are unable to fully counter your opponent’s attack!
Left Tibula shattered!
Alarm bells rang inside Alex’s head, Qi Perception making it damn clear his opponent was about to destroy him.
But despite the equivalent of 6 Basic and 13 Bronze Ranks in his Unified Martial Art, despite his recent ascension granting him Rank 4 Bronze in Finesse and Quickness both, now as fast and resilient as any Bronze could hope for, he still wasn’t fast enough to counter the deadly blow that sent him crashing to the ground with his ribs erupting in fresh agony.
All he had managed to do was break his arm as a furious meteor of hot metal and fire pounded into his side, and he didn’t need to scan the interface messages flashing across his consciousness to know that bones had been broken, flesh more pulverized than bruised from a blow so powerful that he had nearly cracked his own ribs while trying to parry the blow.
But what frightened Alex most of all was his opponent’s terrifying control, Duo Ku pulling his strike just enough that the shattered bone wouldn’t tear through Alex’s forearm.
Duo Ku’s eyes widened in momentary surprise before furrowing his brow. “I moved just as you blinked. And I’m faster than any Bronze. There is no way you should have been able to block my strike with your inferior strength and speed.”
Alex said nothing, just embracing the odd pause for an emergency burst of power healing. Because of course Duo Ku was right. The monster had moved too fast for anyone slower than Liqin to follow, especially if they blinked or lost focus for even an instant. But Alex had advantages which most cultivators did not, Qi Perception being just one of them. And it was obvious by the way the handful of students were furrowing their brows or mocking Alex that they hadn’t followed their new master’s movements as anything more than a blur either.
For long moments, the Spirit Wolf leader just stared thoughtfully at his victim, cruel smile widening as Alex did all he could to hold back the scream while cracked bones began fusing themselves together in the handful of precious seconds he hoped he had. Still as brittle as glass, with only a fraction of the cel
lular connections restored, but they should hold, assuming he could survive the next handful of blows.
He gave a moment’s silent thanks for his Path Cloaked in Mist body cultivation technique, allowing him to absorb at least a small portion of whatever damage he suffered from each blow. It might pale in comparison to a Bronze or Silver’s most resilient body cultivation techniques, but it was fully compatible with Eternal Fox, and far better than nothing.
“A brittle fool whose bones snap like twigs, flesh bruising as easily any mortal’s, and still he dares to rise,” Duo Ku noted.
“Pathetic!” the nearest student declared.
“Lower than dirt, Master!” hooted another of Alex’s former classmates, no longer disguising the fact that it was Duo Ku, not Bang Jiao, who he owed allegiance to.
“Make him pay for what he did!” another sycophant shouted, all of them joining in with the catcalling at Alex’s expense before a single cold glare from their new master shut them off like a switch.
Duo Ku’s gaze grew thoughtful as Alex forced himself to assume a balanced stance, leading with his uninjured right arm as he continued power healing the cracked bones in his left, readying himself for what was next to come, for all that he both dreaded it and wished his foe would just get it over with.
Because if he had misjudged his enemy’s viciousness, then he really was as good as dead.
“Strike at me, Ruidian.”
Alex blinked as his opponent assumed what, in any but the most confident and skilled of fighters, would have been a foolish stance, standing tall and proud with his hands on his hips, knees hardly flexed at all, taunting Alex with the most condescending of smiles.
“Our contest is to first blood, fool. And already, you must see the folly of your ill-considered challenge. I can effortlessly shatter your bones like glass, leaving you breathless in the heights of agony, all without shedding a single drop of your blood!”
Mocking baritone laughter seemed to fill the space between them, the air smelling of jasmine, citrus, and sweat, the damp grass rustling at their feet.
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path Page 71