“Wrong, you fool!” Lan Yi roared right back. “Prince Quiang has failed us with the most vital resource we have. Water!” He flashed a cold smile as Xu Tie’s voice went silent. “That’s right,” he said, turning to face the council. “We all know the truth of it. The northern falls have gone dry, and the prince and his accomplice within Silver Sands academy, the former headmistress herself, have been revealed as trying to hide that fact with artifice and illusion while forcing the good citizens of this city to suffer the consequences! You wish to know why food prices keep increasing? Why there were not one but two water shortages in our city’s vaunted plumbing that this fool Xu Tie and his cohorts dared to declare sabotage? It’s because the rifts are being so poorly maintained that all the rivers are running dry!”
He turned to flash the smirking Gold Titan a sycophantic smile. “And unlike our present prince who does nothing for the betterment of our people, the honorable Xien Tang will make a point of daring the delves not just once a month, but multiple times every week, until pristine Water cores are secured for all our ritual sights, and our city’s water supplies are secured for another hundred years! Who cares about a token tithe to our neighbors, after all, if it assures steady water for our families for decades to come? Especially since we know that two more of those cores, Ice cores, not even proper Water, and the just the tiniest of slivers remaining, are about to run dry, which will leave us no water at all, and the city utterly doomed! At that point, we will be begging Qiangshi to take over and spare our miserable lives, even as our city dries to dust and we’re all forced to flee! And you all know damn well what happens when hundreds of visitors become thousands and neighboring cities are overwhelmed. The suffering compounds. Tolerance turns to contempt, and before you know it, we’re all in chains, slaves to fresh masters of cities far more fortunate than our own!”
Lan Yi then bowed his head toward the Gold Titan. “Yet the soon to be Prince Xien Tang has promised to spare our glorious city that fate! Who cares if his clan has only just been formed? Should he manage to save our city, I think we can all agree that he will be worth every honor we can bestow upon him! And what’s a small yearly grain tithe, compared to no grain at all? We’ll put the burden on the lazy farmers who fail to do their job, right where it belongs! Prince Xien Tang is even willing to lend us his strongest farmers in return for our chaff. Hungry mouths that produce nothing in return. Hardly a sacrifice at all, it is a trade that’s entirely to our benefit!”
Those words froze the council, even Lord Xu Tie’s allies flinching before his gaze, as everyone was forced to face what was no doubt their greatest fear. Alex’s dismay turned to a bleak smile. Of course no one in the counsel knew exactly what had transpired. There were no cell phone signals in this time and place, and instant messages via party chats were something that only those who treated Ruidians like battle brothers would ever know.
Alex doubted he would have had any chance against such a powerful, deadly clan as the Duo Lis if they hadn’t been forced to divide themselves into multiple squads that night, so desperate they were to secure their coup. And it was their great misfortune as much as Alex’s luck that his daring attempt at a rescue meant that he was forced to tear through so many Duo Li sympathizers as they sought to control both the city entrances, the council building, and the ritual sights, all while additionally disposing of as many opposing political voices as they could.
So how could any council agent here fathom what he and his companions had actually managed to accomplish that night? Especially since Alex had embraced acts that would surely haunt his dreams to assure that there would be absolutely no survivors spreading tales once he had left the battlefields in question.
Lord Xu Tie flashed a worried look Alex’s way. Alex nodded encouragingly even as the mood in the council shifted. He pointed to the set of pristine glass windows on the far side of the grand council hall that their plan depended upon, dawn now less than half a glass away. Alex was only surprised that Xu Tie hadn’t spoken of his own ordeals, but he assumed that the man knew what he was doing.
“Let me make sure I understand the thrust of your argument, Lord Lan Yi. You feel we would be best served surrendering over a thousand years of independent rule by becoming a vassal state in order to secure the services of a Gold who would… what… be able to delve our rifts more frequently?”
“Because he can guarantee a fresh water supply indefinitely!” Lan Yi snapped. “My clan’s water caravan service has stood the test of time for centuries! We supply water to all the outposts that need it, and gained our titles servicing Liushi during the last drought to effect our people. So I know better than most the vital importance of backup sources of water! What you fail to understand, fool, is that not only is the just and honorable Prince Xien Tang willing to delve for our benefit, as a vassal state, our nominal yearly tithe will also assure us unlimited use of Qianshi’s own reservoirs. Our so-called ‘token submission’ does nothing more than secure our city’s future for the next century! And if you’re too shortsighted to appreciate that fact, then maybe you’re not a true son of Liushi at all.” The man said the last with a sneer.
Alex sensed Xu Tie boiling with outrage, and gently squeezed the lord’s shoulder. “You’re being goaded,” Alex whispered, pretending he hadn’t sensed the man wince under his gentle squeeze.
Xu Tie cleared his throat, speaking in a much calmer voice than his opponent hoped for. “The point stands. The bottom line isn’t tithes or protection. It’s water. Is that fair enough, my fellow councilmembers?”
“It’s a whole host of things!” Lan Yi snapped, though an increasing number of councilmembers nodded on both sides of the isle.
Lord Xu Tie frowned thoughtfully. “Let’s say that despite our significant differences… I agreed with you that securing a safe and steady water supply was the number one issue facing our city, Lord Lan Yi, and to that end, I would be willing to entertain the idea of bringing on whatever resources were needed to secure it.”
Lan Yi blinked in surprise, before giving Xu Tie a thoughtful smile. “Then I would say that perhaps I’ve misjudged you, and you’re capable of common sense, after all.”
Xu Tie’s answering smile didn’t quite reach his cool gaze. “Then it is equally my hope that should the north and western rift’s waterfalls be fully restored, not with any cheap illusions, but pristine water flowing cold and true once more, that my fellow councilmembers will be equally willing to concede that we don’t need to sell our souls to outsiders! Especially on a night where half a dozen of our fellow brothers and sisters of the council who would oppose an outsider’s rule end up missing on a night that smells of ash and bitter tears.”
He then turned to glare at the Gold, which Alex thought damn impressive, considering the strength of the now distinctly displeased-looking giant’ aura. “Because if the bloody events of this night is what this Gold Titan being on his best behavior is like, imagine how tight his fist will squeeze when it’s around all our throats!”
“That is slander! Vile slander!” Lord Lan Yi screamed in outrage. “You will be jailed for that, fool!”
Xu Tie laughed coldly. “You see, my brothers and sisters of the senate? Accusations and threats are the ultimate refuge of those who would crush your liberties. Playing off your fears to force you to acquiesce, dishonoring our ancient ancestors who fought against all odds to secure our freedom, our independence, our liberty!”
Alex blinked, surprised to see that the councilman’s words had near the entire counsel on both sides of the chamber peering his way with unnerving intensity. Though whether it was because they were actually moved by his words, Alex sadly wasn’t sure.
Xu Tie turned to glare at Lan Yi. “You declare me guilty of slander? The very night our city’s enemies tried to burn me alive in my own home? Where multiple bands of mercenaries tried to execute me on my way to this very meeting? You need only look at the ruins of my home to see the truth of my words!”
“You have no proof!” Lan Yi roared in protest. “No proof of anything you have claimed! Therefore you are guilty of slander and will pay the price!” He flashed a hate-filled smile full of malice. “And the price you pay will be steep indeed.”
Xu Tie snorted, gesturing to the spite-filled councilmember. “And there you have it, my fellow senators. He doesn’t even deny that my house was burned to ash, or even bother asking for proof, merely insisting that I have none. Almost as if he knew in advance.” He roared past Lan Yi’s shouts of denial. “This is the face of the man who would sell you all out for a silver pittance, so long as he gets to master what would be a farce of a council before the Gold Titan glaring at us all with unmistakable contempt, even now! If you wish to have that man placing chains about your children’s necks before the year is out while the sellouts among us laugh in our faces, you need only cast your vote in his favor. But before you do so… I invite you all to look out the far chamber walls of the palace, when the rising sun touches the caldera's face. I think you’ll witness a sight breathtaking enough to put this awful night behind us like the bad dream it is, refuse this vote of no confidence, and be remembered by your children and children’s children as brave men and women who refused to surrender our city to connivers and tyrants!”
Lan Yi’s eyes widened in genuine, unmistakable dismay as the first pink lights of dawn pierced the farmost eastern windows of the grand senatorial hall at that very moment. The chamber filled with whispers of disbelief. As first one, then another, and then a flood of senators raced for the windows from which Alex sensed multiple enchantments that his Artificer pinged as both assuring structural integrity and somehow enhancing sight.
Alex bowed his head, genuinely impressed with the man’s timing.
“Not so remarkable as all that. The vote of no confidence is scheduled for first light. The rest is arguments and bluster,” Xu Tie murmured. Almost as if he could read Alex’s mind.
Alex blinked, finally feeling the effects of racing and fighting the whole night through. Had he formed a party with the man he increasingly admired by his side? He shook his head, realizing he didn’t have a clue.
“Is it really wise for us to antagonize a Gold?” Alex whispered, stealing a sidelong glance at the Titan glaring daggers of hate their way. A killing intent so fierce that Alex had to make a willpower check not to flinch, and he could now sense the pallor in Xu Tie’s cheeks underneath his cool, confident air.
Surprisingly, Xu Tie smirked. “He’s under oath. No ruler or contender is permitted retribution against the council or the city for being deposed or denied office. Even a Gold Titan would suffer consequences should he break it.” He flashed a bitter smile. “If nothing else, we’ve brought ourselves plenty of time where our foes can do nothing, if this is the strongest piece they would bring against us. Assuming, of course, that my fellow councilmembers actually believe the sight before them.”
Yet even Alex found himself moved by the sight of the morning sun shimmering upon multiple waterfalls splashing into the lush valley below, and dozens of hopeful gazes, more than a few squeezing shut eyes leaking tears as they murmured their gratitude, made it clear that the entire council felt the same.
“Impossible!” A wild-eyed Lan Yi declared, before flinching before the Gold’s increasingly displeased gaze. “You restored not one but both water falls? But you have no access to cores of Water or Ice. That’s an illusion! It must be!”
“And why must it be illusion, Lord Lan Yi?” Asked the barrel chested cultivator with salt and pepper hair and the air of a former legionnaire that had come to their political rescue minutes before. “Isn’t it the sacred duty of our premier academy to retrieve the cores we need? Surely if they were going to pull a miracle from their rings, it would be this night of all nights.” Lord Shi chuckled with mirth. “Ha, for all we know, they’ve had a prize in reserve just for such an occasion. No doubt this will increase the schools prestige like nothing else. Isn’t that right, headmistress?”
If Lan Yi had looked dismayed before, now he looked absolutely petrified, and Alex could well imagine why.
Alex’s eyes widened, catching sight of an ageless woman with jade green eyes and a bemused smile, wearing a form-fitting robe that was almost but not quite a kimono, radiating the imposing spiritual energy of a Deep Silver. Her eyes twinkled as she dipped her head the former military cultivator’s way, and Alex couldn’t deny that she totally gave off Silver Academy headmaster vibes, and hardly looked like she had just been freed from enemy confinement.
Alex’s heart swelled with gratitude for Nili and her companions. That adorable kitsune who just happened to be the head of her own JiangHu clan had truly come through in the nick of time. He flashed a satisfied smile, only slightly nonplussed when the headmistress’s measuring gaze locked upon his own, before flashing him the tiniest of smiles in return and dipping her head. Far lower than any struggling and recently expelled student deserved.
Almost as if she somehow understood just how great a role he had played in the events leading up to this moment.
“It is just as it should be. My elites completed a series of runs that yielded rich rewards indeed,” the headmistress declared, gazing at the trembling Lord Lan Yi calmly, as if she wasn’t well within her rights to strike him dead after his clan had forcefully imprisoned her.
Lan Yi’s eye bulged with dismay, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to remark on her freedom, instinctively acting as if he had no idea just how close she had come to losing her head to the wiles of her enemies. Enemies that included the entirety of the Duo Li clan. “You found a Water Core? It should have been reported to the council immediately!”
The Headmaster raised one manicured eyebrow, causing Lan Yi to flinch and stumble back.
“You would tell me my job, Lord Lan Yi?”
“Of course not!” he blathered. “But we should have been informed!”
She slowly shook her head. “The more people we told, the greater the risk of interference, and I place the wellbeing of the city above political maneuvering, a stance I expect each and every one of my fellow senators to hold.”
She flashed a warm smile, taking in the entirety of the senators gazing with genuine delight at the roaring falls. “As you can all plainly see, all four of our falls now flow strong and true. As the windows so clearly show, windows you yourself insisted be enchanted by Qianshi outsiders with glyphs of piercing sight, the falls are genuine and true. So let this dispel the last of the false rumors that any illusion was crafted by our school with any trace of malicious intent!”
Alex hid a smile of his own, for all that he was well aware that illusory enchantments had most definitely been in play. But since her intent had been the height of altruism, she was technically correct, and wishing to dispel false rumors wasn’t the same thing as denying her part in the deception altogether. She said absolutely nothing about true rumors, after all. A double deception assuring that her cultivation base would remain strong even in a political den of vipers, Alex thought. At least the entire counsel was now nodding in either open enthusiasm or gruff acceptance, Alex now certain that all accusations of impropriety on her part would quickly dry up like a water puddle in the midday desert sands.
“You did exactly what was proper, honorable headmistress,” Lord Shi declared aloud, his fellows nodding in animated agreement. “You secured both the northern and western falls and informed us in the most magnificent way possible, the proof before our very eyes! And this way, no third party has a chance to interfere before the deed is done!”
The headmistress dipped her head Lord Shi’s way. “Precisely.”
Lord Lan Yi visibly blanched, voice growing desperate. “But what about the other falls? You managed to recover one more too thin ice core. So what? That buys us months. Only months! Two more falls will soon expire, and then we’ll be in worse trouble than ever!” He forced a placating smile. “Far better we take advantage of our improved position and bargain with the just and honorable Xien Tang for even better terms! Maybe the slave quota can be removed in deference to our own, ahem, gentler customs?” He gazed anxiously the Gold Titan’s way.
At least the man didn’t lower himself to even acknowledge Lan Yi’s obvious desperation, Alex noted, though he looked the farthest thing from happy. Still, Alex noted the furrowed brows and worried expressions of a good chunk of the senate body. Best to strike while the iron was hot and assure victory before his enemy could claw it back.
Alex caught Xu Tie’s gaze. The Senator cleared his throat.
“Headmistress. May one of your students speak on behalf of the college?”
This earned a number of curious glances and a thoughtful nod from the woman whose jade green eyes pinned Alex where he stood for a long awkward moment as he slowly pulled free a treasure that had the entire council gazing at him in wide-eyed awe.
Even if he held but a handful of Water Core slivers, their sparkling beauty certainly caught the eye, and perhaps they had other uses besides the rifts. Such as Reny’s garden, Alex offhandedly thought, before bowing his head and speaking to the headmistress of the school he was technically kicked out of.
“We had a profitable run, honored headmistress.”
She smirked. “Indeed you have, aspirant. And may I ask why you’re currently in possession of such a precious prize upon which the fate of our city rests?”
Alex flashed a cold smile. “Because the men who tried to kill us on our way to the western caldera face would never expect someone like me to be carrying the city’s salvation.” His words immediately caused the council to break out in furious whispers.
“Lies!” Lan Yi roared, glaring with genuine hate. “You’re a Ruidian outsider. Your accusations mean nothing!”
Alex couldn’t help snorting at that. “Who said I was accusing anyone here of anything? I’m certainly not saying that any member of your clan and a score of armed mercenaries were waiting to intercept us at the ritual sight, actually thinking they could take out our school’s elites before we could instill our Ice core and rescue the city.” Alex then spoke over the man’s furious shouts of denial. “And it was the farthest thing from a Lesser Ice Core. And I have it on very good authority that the Gold-tier Water Core we then instilled at the northern ritual sight will keep those falls flowing with water for a thousand years or more!” He cried, now holding nothing back as he allowed the handful of shattered Water core fragments to splash from one hand to the other in a priceless waterfall.
“For where this golden core was shattered, the one we installed was not! The most pristine and beautiful Water core you could imagine! Now permanently affixed to our caldera basin, a prize that no foe below Jade could hope to pry free!” He belted the words out like a challenge.
And much to Alex’s awe and horror, the massive Gold Titan caught his eyes and glared. Bold, granite features more terrifying than handsome locked onto Alex’s own.
As if attempting to crush Alex with his killing hate alone.
Yet much to the giant’s visible surprise, Alex neither crumpled nor wept. Instead his lips stretched wide with fierce hunger as his heart pounded in his chest, roaring with a desperate desire to dance with his old friend Death once more, embracing the Path of Peril for the ultimate prize.
“The boy’s lying! It’s all a trick! The boy holds worthless glass only!” Lan Yi’s eyes lit with feverish desperation. “Clearly, Silver Sands academy is compromised. They tainted the windows, there’s no fall flowing at all on the northern summit. It’s an illusion!”
Alex tore his gaze away from the Gold he was a fool to even think of goading, sneering at Lan Yi's pathetic bluster. “If that’s what you think, then I invite the honorable headmistress to examine my prize, and if she finds it worthy, to claim it for herself to use as she sees fit for the betterment of our city.”
The bemused headmistress calmly approached.
Xu Tie immediately flowing into a bow so low it was almost a kowtow, Alex copying his movements while still presenting the twenty ice core slivers with a dancer’s grace, earning a twinkling smile.
“Please rise, honored patron and student of Silver Sands, while I examine your prize.”
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Alex felt the pearlescent slivers leave his palm, rising up alongside Xu Tie, suddenly feeling an anxious twist in his gut as the strikingly beautiful headmistress frowned down at the prize she now held in her ivory white hand. What was taking her so long? Unless...” Alex felt a surge of dread as her eyes slowly lifted to meet his own.
“Twenty fragments, each as potent as a lesser beast core. Though not one of them are worthy of the basin itself, all still have utility for both alchemists and artificers, and there can be no doubt that this was once a Golden Water Core.” She gazed at Alex for long, thoughtful moments. “And all one has to do is look out the window to witness for themselves just how powerful the arterial flow of the western river now is. A marvel of Gold that might well last a thousand years.” She dipped her head and smiled her approval. “Well done, aspirant. We shall have to speak more of your adventures this evening at a later time.”
Alex bowed once more. “It would be my honor, revered headmistress.”
She then turned to face the council, raising the glittering core fragments up high. “By my oath as headmistress, I declare this boy’s account to be genuine and true. These fragments alone are worth ten thousand credits, which will be immediately added to his Silver Sands balance.”
She turned to glare Lan Yi’s way, instantly cutting off his spluttering protest. “No doubt my esteemed council colleague merely wishes to verify the quality of the cores now secured to both the northern and western ritual sights. I wholeheartedly support our doing such immediately, so long as we can all agree that examining the falls firsthand, dipping our hands into the flowing waters and sensing the purity and rapidity of their flow, is all the proof we need to verify and vindicate this heroic accomplishment. The matter will then be finally and definitively put to rest, at which point I think we can all agree that our dear prince who has done so much to protect this city and fund our greatest college should never have to face a vote of no confidence from any councilmember again!”
The headmistress then bowed her respect to the counsel as a whole.
“I, in turn, will redouble my efforts to assure that delving quotas are always kept full, and that all Ice and Water cores are sold directly to the college. I will further enact oath-binding measures that ensure that no delver is permitted to hoard or sell Water or Ice cores for themselves… or to sell to any third party intent on surrendering them to foreign interests.” She said the last with a glare Lan Yi’s way that had the man positively fuming. “A measure which I’m sure will delight the Duo Yi clan, forever concerned with our city’s welfare, to no end.” Those words earned several derisive snorts, making it clear that more than a few councilmembers suspected Lan Yi and his family of dark schemes indeed. “...And I will reaffirm with you all that doing our part to keep our city fed and watered will remain Silver Sand’s highest priority, as always. Are we all agreed?”
The air filled with murmurs of ascent, and more than a few groans at the thought of facing a long hike in the morning desert sun after being up all night and the chaos consuming the city.
Alex’s bemused smile froze when he heard whispers from those who insisted that they examine the ritual sites themselves… and too many other councilmembers absolutely refusing to risk any chance of facing the restless dead… some whispering that caravans were now reporting revenants that could survive at least the first few hours of dawn.
Lord Shi cleared his throat. “I, for one, take the evidence before my eyes as proof of good faith and feel no need to risk whatever troubles might be brewing in the desert sands. The pristine falls speak for itself, as do the brave and meritorious actions of Headmistress Shweng Fa and her disciples.” He dipped his head Alex’s way.
Alex immediately bowed low in response, hiding his bemused smile at how many lords and ladies of the court quickly protested any need to go out into the hot desert sands filled with walkers and possibly enemy agents, or even take a hike around the ridgeline trails surrounding the basin proper, suddenly feeling no need to examine all four falls firsthand.
“Well then,” Lord Shi said with no small amount of satisfaction. “Let’s take our vote, so long as we agree that anyone who would oust our good and just prince must at least examine the falls for themselves before they dare to judge our school, our city policies, or our leader! Any objections?”
Lord Shi flashed an increasingly flustered looking Lan Yi a smile mirroring Xu Tie’s own as the vote was cast, every councilmember slamming down a tile of either ebony or ivory.
Though Alex felt an increasing amount of tension, and the Gold Titan’s glare caused more than a few councilmembers to blanch as they held out their tiles, when the tally was done the council rang with words that would shape the fate of the entire city, and Alex’s place within it.
Lord Shi bowed his head to the now smiling prince. “The vote of no confidence has failed. Long live Prince Quiang! Long may he rule!” He abruptly roared, slamming fist to chest, a gesture immediately mirrored by every councilmember present, Alex witnessing the gamute of emotions from relieved triumph to existential dread, yet not one councilmember refused to salute.
Not even Lord Lan Yi, who no doubt had absolutely no idea of just how heavy a blow his clan had suffered that night, though the headmistress sudden appearance no doubt gave him an inkling that where others were embracing the dawn, his long night had just begun.
The prince gave a satisfied smile, rising from his chair on the council floor to ascend gracefully to the gilded throne above them all.
“We accept the Council’s Judgement and commend it’s wisdom,” the prince declared, flawless features seeming to simultaneously lock gazes with them all. “We commend as well the foresight of our premier academy, its headmistress, and its most loyal members for putting our city above all other considerations. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten.” His gentle smile firmed. “As there have been multiple fires reported, we will now dispatch rescue squads led by Ice and Water specialists, reinforced with security contingents, lest unaligned third parties seek to profit from the chaos.”
He then turned to a wild-eyed Lan Yi who looked like he was staring at the executioner’s block.
“Lord Yan Yi. If you would escort our guest to the caravan awaiting his convenience where he may expect generous boons for his troubles, we will continue our session.”
“At once, Your Grace,” Lan Yi’s voice was little more than a dry whisper. He visibly trembled as he approached the hard-eyed Gold. Alex could sense the moment the murmured conversation dwindled, everyone with half an eye on the seething Titan, readying themselves, even if a room full of Bronze with just a sprinkling of Silver had no real hope against a Gold.
Only the headmistress and one or two others had even a chance of putting up a retreating fight for at least a few seconds, buying precious time to allow at least some of the council to escape, Alex easily sensing the swirling strands of Qi that a handful of Silvers and the headmistress herself were desperately readying… just in case.
Yet Alex could tell by the contemptuous smile Xien Tang favored them all with, just how pathetic and ineffective those desperate chants would be, if the monster decided to take them all out, here and now. And by the way his eyes twinkled, craggy lips creeping up in a dreadful smile, it was obvious he was contemplating just that.
Alex felt such awful tension that it was all he could do not to summon his fangtian ji.
Xien Tang abruptly tilted his head back and roared with laughter. So unexpected that half the council jolted in surprise. So powerful that Alex could feel the entire chamber of stone vibrating, the glass windows rattling, and this filled him with genuine dread.
This was no half-step cultivator. Xien Tang had well and truly broke through to Gold. Despite his earlier mad daring when he forced himself to meet the Titan’s smile, refusing to back down or cower, Alex still knew he would be an absolute fool to underestimate the monster before him.
He knew that. As assuredly as his next breath, he knew the Titan below could tear right through the city single-handedly. And the fire in his eyes made it clear that the Xein Tang knew it as well.
The monster’s laughter ended as abruptly as it began. “And so I leave. Oath given and kept. Just remember… this was your choice.”
He flashed a cold, pitiless smile. “Your lives could have been so sweet, if you had only had the wisdom to swallow your pride and kneel before masters that would have been far gentler than you fools deserve.”
“Are you threatening us?” The headmistress herself said, her voice a furious, strained whisper.
The giant’s grin grew hard and cold. “Do you think me a fool, witch? Oh no. I wouldn’t dream of violating the word of our… covenant. I will leave peacefully and depart for Qianshi, and I will do nothing to alter the course of my return. Exactly as sworn.” He snarled and spat. “And you will never have to worry about me daring these council chambers again. Exactly as sworn.”
The sights of relief were audible as the monster stomped towards the exit. Before abruptly stopping.
“Because if I ever choose to return, the first thing I’ll do is knock this farce of a counsel hall to the ground!” He roared, his killing aura promising them all that their days were numbered as he angrily stomped off.
Alex exchanged looks with Headmistress Shweng Fa and Lord Xu Tie as the entire assembly erupted in anxious shouts and frantic whispers.
“He’s bluffing,” Shweng Fa assured. “He risks his cultivation base if he ever returns.”
Lord Xu Tie cleared his throat. “Regrettably, headmistress, the Duo Li clan was responsible for his oath bindings. If they were deliberately sloppy, or included clauses that our clerks were too foolish to spot, then it’s quite likely that he will be in a position to return. As to whether he’ll have free reign to lead troops against us or attack the city as a whole…” He turned to glare at a wild-eyed Lan Li, presently shouting at his cohorts. “When dealing with a clan of snakes, anything is possible.”
Alex sighed at those words before putting the panicked shouting behind him out of mind and taking a moment to gaze out at the crystalline waters splashing from the falls, assuring that their valley would continue to thrive as a lush green oasis in the desert for many years to come.
Despite how perilous a night it had been, the lives lost, the horror endured… in the end, he and his companions had done it. They had restored the rivers vital to life in the caldera, foiled the cold-blooded machinations of their enemies, and rescued this beautiful city that had shown such gentle warmth, even genuine concern, to a tribe of people Alex had never expected to suffer anything but perpetual hardship and scorn.
Alex didn’t know why he was smiling so brightly, wiping the sting from his eye as he beheld the glorious sunrise promising a fresh new day, innocent of the treachery and horrors of his endless past. He only knew that the entire city now had the faintest of golden glows… and was truly humbled to find it now so deeply connected to himself. He couldn’t help but dare to entertain the idea that maybe, just maybe, this city might be a place where he could truly begin anew.
The joy of friendship… such a beautiful, precious thing that he had caught genuine flashes of in the smiles of his boon companions, despite the perils and demands of the hour. And there was no mistaking the look of fierce gratitude in Lord Xu Tie’s eyes, or the unspoken promise that had been in the headmistress’ gaze as well.
He had made friends as well as enemies, this time around. Powerful friends who need never fear Alex bragging or gloating about his own accomplishments, or even spreading stories about this night at all. Yet the gazes he had held before bowing his head in polite humility, were those of men and women who knew damn well that their triumphs and, in some cases, their very survival, was only thanks to the intervention of the one band of heroes willing to challenge the fate of an entire doomed city, and had, by some miracle, seen that madness through.
He flinched, knowing better than to say anything, or even respond when a soft voice whispered in his ear.
“We have much to discuss about your future plans. Both in the realms of cultivation and your role within this city… young hero. I expect you at my office two days hence. And I expect you to be a bit more prompt for my pleasure than you were for poor Elder Win.”
Alex froze at the gentle admonishment and request from the most powerful cultivator now in the room, second only to the monstrous Gold Titan that could have so easily crushed them all. Before this night, he would have thought himself utterly beneath the notice of the powerful. He was both gratified, and beyond embarrassed that the headmistress, of all people, knew of his escapades so well.
But he was still savvy enough to know better than to respond. The gentle touch to his shoulder and whisper in his ear was all that needed saying, and was more than enough to send his heart racing with more than simple mental fatigue. Knowing darn well that he’d need more than a few days peaceful reflection and meditation to consolidate his gains… or perhaps process the trauma and horror of no less than six lethal engagements in a single endless night if he were being honest with himself… though he increasingly suspected that was the purpose it served for most cultivators, regardless of what it was called.
Yet if anything, the unexpected heady joy he felt only grew. He couldn’t help but think that perhaps all past censure and restriction regarding his place at Silver Sands had bee lifted. Or perhaps… it had effectively never happened in the first place.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, realizing that his dreams of being able to study in peaceful tranquility with masters genuinely interested in helping along any path save that of endless peril, with access to countless tomes of Deepest Silver, would soon be open to him. With the headmistress herself interested in his future, and he could only assume a freed Reny and Elder Wu as well, he would finally… finally! Have the chance to ascend along paths far, far sweeter than any he had ever dared before.
And best of all, what truly brought undisguised tears to his eyes he no longer felt any shame in failing to hold back, was how free he felt. Utterly free of the awful foreboding weight of spite-filled deities glaring down at his piece, wishing only to make him suffer for their own bitter pleasure.
Xuon Li had been a test of sorts, indirectly at least, Alex was absolutely sure of it. The singular cultivator in the entire city radiating Lord Justice’s malevolent stamp upon his features… and Alex had stayed his furious hand, stepping back and leaving the man to his own fate, whatever it might be. It had been one of the hardest struggles he could recall, not ending this awful night right there… and he couldn’t describe how grateful he was at the self-control he had exhibited, lest his own impulsive actions awaken sleeping gods to the enemy still living and breathing in the world below. An act that he had absolutely no doubt would doom this city in a heartbeat, and renew his endless bitter struggle against titanic forces forever beyond his comprehension in terms of power and malevolence, who, until now, had forever been eager to make him suffer, just so that his master in some small way would as well. He had no idea what Xuon Li’s fate would be, and frankly he didn’t care, so long as he could avoid crossing paths with the man, ever again.
To finally be free of that hideous trap, that maze of madness, was more than enough reason to permit salty warm tears running freely down his cheeks, he decided, even if no one less than Lord Xu Tie himself, also with tears in his eyes as he viewed the dawn by Alex’s side, gave his shoulder the warm squeeze of a beloved kung fu brother. The golden cord of karma between them shining so brightly that even he could sense it, and Alex’s heart swelled with a sensation he was terrified even to acknowledge, lest the naming of it cause it to be taken away.
Instead, what he chose to feel was profound humility and gratitude.
So grateful that he finally had the chance to savor the isekai life he had always hoped for. Free to live, learn, explore, and grow. Free to savor all of life’s possibilities, to make lasting friendships that wouldn’t abruptly shatter… perhaps even learn to love again, one day, without living in constant fear of it all being torn away.
So, despite all he had sacrificed in terms of power, he truly felt like he had come out leagues ahead of where he had ever been before. And considering the speed and rapidity that ancient skills under new names were coming back to him, including a mastery of both Dark Qi and Lightning that was already approaching what he had been capable of in his last life… he knew it was only a matter of time before he would surpass all that he had ever been before.
Best of all, he could sense it… the thrum of a certain super cable whirling about his soul promising the most glorious ascension imaginable.
So close he could taste it.
Just a single world-shattering revelation away.
Now the only pressing question that remained was how long they could keep their precious city safe from the depredations of a Gold Tier monster and the unseen forces behind him who were clearly eager to take it all away.
Character Sheet
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Alex Hammer
Class – Cultivator: Disciple of the Boundless Path
Rank 7 Cultivation Achieved!
Physical Characteristics
Strength – Silver Rank 1 (65)
Vitality – Silver Rank 1 (65)
Quickness – Bronze Rank 5 (40)
Finesse – Bronze Rank 5 (40)
Spiritual Characteristics
Scholarship - 14
Perception - 19
Willpower – Bronze Rank 2 (25)
Qi Pool – Silver Rank 6 (190)
Health Points: 785
Perks
Insightful – Rank 2
Charismatic – Rank 3
Lesser Shadow Affinity
Increased chance of cultivation breakthroughs.
Draconic Ancestry.
Greater Wind Affinity
Beast Core Mastery
Favored Skills
Golden Realms Kung Fu – Rank 10
Wind Crane Kung Fu – Rank 8
Poison Spitting – Rank 6
Stealth – Rank 4
Lock Picking – Rank 4
Qi Disciplines
Enhanced Water Shield – Rank 10
Enhanced Water Strike – Rank 8
Thorn Shield – Rank 5
Shield of the Burning Grove – Rank 2
Oak Strike – Rank 5
Fire Shield – Rank 4
Flame Fist – Rank 6
Earthern Shield – Rank 4
Stone Fist – Rank 5
Avalanche – Rank 1
Enhanced Wind Qi Deflection – Rank 6
Wind Blast – Rank 1
Enhanced Wind Blade – Rank 9
Doom Blade – Rank 7
(Dark) Storm Shield – Rank 8
Enhanced Storm Strike – Rank 9
Lightning Blast – Rank 3
Doom Strike – Rank 4
Dark Qi Absorption – Rank 5
Piercing Strike (Spell Cleave) – Rank 10
Forest Flight (Spring Leap – aka Bullrush!) – Rank 6
Wind Walking – Rank 7
Note.You are currently unable to use Prismatic techniques until harmony with enhanced Wind Affinity has been achieved!
Prismatic Shield – Rank 6
Prismatic Strike – Rank 6
Qi Perception-linked Disciplines
Artificer – Rank 7
Find Weakness – Rank 7
Qi Perception – Rank 8
Soul Sight – Rank 7
Spiritual Teacher (Student) – Rank 8
Forest Sense – Rank 8
Alchemy – Rank 4
Desert Sense – Rank 2
Additional Abilities & Techniques
Full Regenerative Capacity
Gift of Tongues
Biochemical Mastery – Rank 8
Desert Fox Cultivation Technique – Rank 6
Prismatic Fox Restoration Technique – Rank 8
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