He then took a deep breath, placed his fingers against the ring and imagined not putting his hand in it directly, but just pressing it against the surface of the ring before popping free, into his hand.
He blinked to find his fingertips around a single blade of grass.
He couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear.
Wasting not another moment, he plucked free Silver Fox’s Divine Purification Manual, rereading the key points about successfully separating and refining both his Dark and Light Qi. From the cycling manual he understood how WiFu cycled his purified Qi in the divine pattern that allowed him to use his strengths and elements best, giving him a foundation no mortal could hope to match.
And it was completely worthless to him, being as he had affinity with 8 core elements and Silver Fox, for all that he was a divine power, had affinity with only 4 that Alex could recognize, and it seemed the mortal cultivators of this world only acknowledged 5 in any case. So how the heck would he find a manual that suited him?
He then flipped further in the second cultivation manual, finding great comfort in the fact that he had what amounted to a divine manual that could teach him how to perfectly cycle his Dark Qi through mirror meridian pathways. But he knew he would need an equally strong cultivation technique for his eight Light Qi affinities if that power was to be properly contained and not end up using him as much as he would use it.
He knocked his ring against the tome in his hands, finally understanding the knack for sending it back into storage.
When he suddenly froze, gazed at the ring, and savored another one of those perfect moments, understanding at last what an idiot he was being.
Silver Fox himself said that his ring was capable of storing anything, and he could visualize any sort of container or other object he wished within the landscape of his ring, being as it was a divine fusion of space and dream.
He felt a jolt of hope and wonder shoot through him, needing only a single question answered before he began his experiments.
9
“You wish to know how one might store Qi?”
Alex nodded as Liu Jian furrowed his brows. “That’s actually a fascinating topic, though I am curious as to what inspired that line of questioning?”
Alex shrugged, careful with his words, and even more careful not to tell a direct lie to a man he so admired. "It occurred to me as I was trying to cultivate, that it might help me if I had some way to store whatever Qi I managed to break free of my blockage? I know normally it cycles naturally through the peripheral channels of our body until we reach the Bronze stage and begin to forge our own channels, as close to perfection as we can manage. But perhaps right now, if I could find a way to store that Qi, it might work far better with a technique designed to my strengths."
The older man snorted and took a thoughtful sip of his tea. “I’m afraid you’ll need far more than a modified technique to help you past this first bottleneck you are faced with, but I will humor you. Only artifact grade items can actually store Qi, and these are only found in objects of circular or infinite construction, like an earring, finger ring, bracelet, or the like. And I have only seen rough sketches of these treasures. These artifacts are so precious that few outside kings and the emperor that rules all those nations sworn under him will have this toy in plentiful supply. An occasional powerful lord might be fortunate enough to buy, discover, or steal such a prize, but he will make sure no one ever knows about it, lest his liege lord demand it as tribute immediately.”
He shrugged thoughtfully. "Though except for storing Qi in preparation for battle, it is of limited use for day to day cultivation. For the most part, you use the Qi you generate to further refine and better yourself, your potential, your storage capacity, and the strength of your meridian pathways and Dantian cores."
Alex’s eyes widened. “Cores?”
Liu Jian sighed. “Yes. Multiple cores become active, cycling and refining Qi into pure Wu Wei, for those who ascend to Gold. And few save kings and emperors and their deadliest assassins ever achieve such a feat. Best to put it out of mind immediately. Even a Silver is a cultivator of considerable renown, able to teach at any academy he desires. And less than one in a hundred thousand, or perhaps it is closer to one in a quarter million, achieve even the first rank of Silver."
Alex winced. “Got it, I’ll keep my sights set on a Silver’s single core.” For now.
The alchemist laughed. “Keep your sights on opening a single gate! Then set your sights on the next and the next. Perhaps in a century or two, you’ll actually be ready to forge your first Bronze channel. And with your massive meridian gates, perhaps you’ll even be given those extra years as Qi revitalizes and replenishes your physical form.”
He flashed a gentle smile. "It's a thousand-mile path you walk, child. And you but take the first steps. No need to sprint this early in your journey."
Alex bowed his head. “So, Qi storage devices are useful for battle, are always in a circular shape, and have little use in speeding cultivation rates.”
The older man nodded. "In the wilds surrounding our city, certain herbs, flowers, and blossoms are also natural vessels for Qi, and are key components in Cultivation pills. Even these, however, require a master alchemist to forge, and are far beyond what the common cultivator can afford, unless they are affiliated with an academy or the like."
Alex smiled. “Understood. I don’t suppose you have any sketches of these plants or artifacts?”
His benefactor snorted, his expression warring between exasperated and amused, and when he eventually brought back several dusty scrolls and one tome, Alex was awed by the exquisite illustrations that made the depicted objects come alive in his mind’s eye.
His smile only widened when his master, seemingly pleased with his interest, came back with several exotic-looking plants and one opalescent lozenge that seemed to glow to his inner eye.
His eyes widened. “Is that what I think it is?”
The older man glowered, as if suddenly regretting his desire to show them off. “Don’t you dare take it and swallow it. You’ll make an enemy of your only friend and it won’t do you that much good, so great are the ridiculous blockages within your meridian matrix.”
Alex swallowed, bowing his head. “Understood. Even to look at them is an honor. If it’s not too impertinent… may I smell them?”
The man’s eyes widened, before he chuckled ruefully. “Had I not seen how well you work by my daughter’s side, compounding tinctures and compresses just as well as she after only a few weeks’ time, and your obsessive need to smell and taste everything, I would point you to the door right now. As it stands?” He sighed.
“You may smell them, Alex, but put your lips on nothing.”
Alex nodded, catching the faintest whiff of everything.
You have discovered Lotus Blossom – Median Market Potency Unknown.
You have discovered Qi Blossom – Median Market Potency Unknown.
You have discovered Golden Apple – Median Market Potency Unknown.
You have discovered Lesser Cultivation Pill – Grants Cultivator 5000 cultivation points.
Alex blinked, stepping back, bowing formally at the waist. “This one is humbly grateful for the personal instruction.”
Liu Jian snorted. “Then ‘this one’ should go and enjoy the rest of his day off, as I am trying to enjoy mine!” His gaze narrowed. “But not with my daughter.”
Alex blinked and flushed. “But I never even...”
“I know. Which is why my words alone buffet your ear. But you are both at an age ripe for trouble, and both of you touched by the fox. If there was ever a recipe for disaster…”
Alex swallowed, bowing his head. “I will do my best not to disappoint you, Master Liu.”
Barely able to contain his excitement and assuring himself a bit of privacy behind the centermost tree in the meditation courtyard, Alex took a deep breath, opened WiFu's divine manual, and committed to memory his patron's fascinating technique
for visualizing his blocked gates and, indeed, his Qi as a whole, as a knotted mass of Dark and Light Qi that merely needed to be carefully unwound and separated from each other to open the path to perfect refining and the first step along an incredible path to power.
After what seemed hours of frustration, his fuzzy visualization of the topmost meridian blockage snapped into clear focus in his mind’s eye, his heart racing with excitement and a strange fatigue after focusing for so many hours as he finally sensed the infinitely intricate strands of obsidian black and brilliant Light Qi that made up that massive shiny gray pearl blocking his meridian gate.
Then, after finally finding exposed strands within that titanic spool of Qi, he imagined grabbing both the Dark and Light threads, then carefully using the divine fox's technique of slipping one strand through the other in a method so complex Alex wondered if WiFu had somehow found a way to hop dimensions so as to bypass tangled knots entirely.
Peripherally he could sense his own dripping sweat, hear his own ragged breathing, knowing he was somehow pushing himself to the very edge of what he was capable of.
He forced his breathing to the steady rhythm WiFu taught in his manuals as he took that last crucial step, visualizing within his storage artifact a band of perfect darkness, that glowed with the sheen of endless night.
He then carefully visualized threading that strand of Dark Qi he had gathered through his storage ring and into the obsidian band sitting upon an end table by the comfortable leather chair within his visualized library.
His vision seemed to waver as he encountered tremendous resistance, like sprinting up a steep incline, only this weariness transcended the flesh and bit into his very soul.
And then he was through.
He took an awed gasp as he felt the Dark Qi spiral away into storage, almost like it was being drawn into a massive gravity well, and Alex suddenly found it almost effortless spooling up the potent Light Qi he sensed sparkling with all the hues of his 8 elemental affinities, allowing the Qi to flow through his body, saturating the peripheral channels that were very different from the perfect ones he one day hoped to forge, but quite adept for invigorating his physical body and, if the tales were true, naturally extending his life.
Baseline Dual-Path Purification Technique Successfully Learned! You are now cultivating at 50% of peak efficiency.
Alex’s eyes widened, so thrilled by the news that it was all he could do to keep his focus on mastering the technique, making sure it was so well ingrained he could initiate it again effortlessly at will. His rate of refinement had just jumped 12-fold, and with enough practice and discipline, he hoped to one day achieve true mastery.
What had been incredibly difficult soon became exhilarating. A desperate trudge uphill had become a race down the other side, his familiarity growing as his body filled with glorious refined Qi.
Dual-Path Purification Technique now at 55% of peak efficiency.
Alex blinked and gasped, gazing at a concerned-looking Liu Li kitted in full armor with her pike held high. He rubbed his eyes as the first rays of dawn speared his eyes.
"Alex, why are you out here? You didn't make a sound, and I could have speared you!" She tilted her head, a curious smile pulling the corner of her soft red lips. "Were you really out here, cultivating all night? You're going to be crap in the shop, but at least you’re finally showing the heart of a true cultivator.” She gave a sad shake of her head. “Not that you’re likely to clear more than a single gateway in this lifetime, but at least you have the spirit, now.”
She flashed a wicked smile. "Now go kit up. This might actually be good for you. Soldiers don't have the luxury of always fighting well-rested, and at your non-existent rank, meditating all night won't make up for zero sleep. So prepare to train your heart out, Alex, I'm going to push you like never before."
Alex groaned, his euphoria of moments ago replaced by dread.
He didn’t even bother telling Liu Li about his breakthrough. She’d probably laugh at him unless he actually pulled out one of the tomes gifted to him by Silver Fox, and he wasn’t quite ready to do that yet.
Still, he kitted up like a good sport, prepared for the worst, and was not disappointed.
For all that his limbs were bursting with energy that morning, his reflexes were a bit lacking. His partner managed to see through all his feints and evade nearly all his blows, his own body soon throbbing under her wickedly fast barrage of counterstrikes, even with all of his armor on.
Still, the look and approving nod she gave him was a balm for sore muscles, though it caught him off guard.
“You did well, today, Alex. I’m impressed.”
Alex winced. "My limbs have never felt stronger, but my reflexes feel a bit off."
She smiled. “Your sense of self and environment start to change when you embrace cultivating. Even if you haven’t yet broken through, it’s already helping to forge you into a better you.”
Alex chuckled. “Boy, I wouldn’t mind being a better me.”
She laughed at that, patting his armored shoulder. “Once you freshen up, meet me in the shop. I think you’re going to be okay to work today.” She gave a rueful shake of her head at the clothes he had carefully laid out, the same ones he had worn every day since he had arrived. “I still can’t believe those are the same clothes! They never wrinkle, stain, or wear out, not a lick of dirt or sweat stays on them, and they always smell like a fresh spring day.”
She smirked. "If I didn't think that fairy tale you sometimes tease me with was so outrageous… I'd almost believe you."
“Just because of the clothes WiFu gave me?”
She solemnly nodded. “Those clothes would be worth a fortune if you dared tell anyone that you never needed to wash or clean them, that stains just slide right off, and not a single thread is starting to fray.”
She frowned and bent down, drawing her blade and sawing at the hem.
“Hey!” Alex said, shocked to see her trying to tear a hole in his silk shirt.
She smirked. “Relax. I wasn’t cutting hard, but even with no more pressure than a twitch of my wrist, I should have torn at least a few threads of your changshan. See?”
She performed the same motion upon a strip of ornamental cloth in her armor, and he could see the threads part. “Your shirt’s practically a magical treasure!”
Alex winced. “Please don’t say it too loud. One, I don’t want to be robbed of it, or have idiots like Broken Fang think they got something to prove trying to ram a knife in my gut, proving a sturdy shirt won’t save my life, and I’m quite happy to concede that point without putting it to the test!”
She smirked at his quip. “You’re just rubbing the fact that you don’t have to do laundry in our faces.”
Alex smirked. “Exactly that. For all that you and your father hired Old Lady Xiao to wash all your clothes in return for free medicine I know is worth far more than the cost of her labor."
“True. But without us, a gentle autumn would turn to a fierce cruel winter wracked by pain, very quickly.”
Alex bowed his head. “You have a good heart. You and your father both.”
She laughed at that. “And you have room and board to pay for. I’ll see you in back, once I change into clothes that weren’t touched by a fox deity.”
Alex laughed at that, quickly finding that he was at the top of his game despite the gentle fog of fatigue taking hold, the excitement of his breakthrough and the constant energy coursing through him more than making up for his occasional yawn.
He quickly fell into a pattern of cultivating for 4 hours every evening immediately after dinner and rinsing his mouth, finding that the superior cultivation plus 6 hours of normal sleep left him as invigorated and energized as he had ever felt before in his life.
As his body subtly began to improve, Liu Jian and his daughter both began to increase the intensity of their training, expanding his martial techniques and apothecary mastery both.
And by the end of his third
week, the multiple notifications he got filled him with a fierce sense of satisfaction.
Dual-Path Purification Technique now at 75% of peak efficiency.
Congratulations! You have achieved Rank 2 in Long Spear.
You have achieved Rank 2 in Golden Realm Kung Fu.
You have achieved Rank 2 with Gladius.
Your Strength and Vitality have been permanently increased by 1 each.
You have mastered and have full immunity to all adverse effects from: 8 Ancient Poisons, 20 Basic Botanical Formulae, and 15 Apprentice Botanical Formulae. You have achieved complete immunity from adverse effects from all Standard Reagents within Apothecary. (You do not have immunity to Secured Ingredients within Apothecary.)
Immunity to the effects of all caustic compounds or inhaled irritants is now 60%
If he had a single regret, it was that they still seemed shy about letting him work at the front of the store. He would have liked to interact more with the customers, but after what happened the first day he had served in front, he understood why.
He had hated the guy from the moment he had walked in the door. Too perfect features curled in an arrogant sneer, hair looking like he had come out of a salon which was quite a feat in this world, he was dressed in silken robes lined with crimson and gold. And from the second those dead black eyes met Alex’s own, he snarled and spat.
“Get out of this store, foreigner. You don’t belong here.”
Alex ground his teeth, forcing his voice to calmness. “How may I help you, honored customer?”
Cold eyes flashed. The young man curled his fists. “You will bow your head when you talk to me, worm. You will show me respect or I will beat it out of you, you disgusting piece of filth!”
Alex felt a cold chill. The arrogant lordling was perhaps the same age as Alex, but radiated an arrogant intensity alien to any kid back in his old school, endless years ago. And he couldn’t help spotting the dao at the guy’s waist, the curved saber-like weapon all too capable of carving him to ribbons.
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Reborn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 1 Page 16