“Ah, Alex, you actually made it on time, today. How refreshing,” declared Elder Win with a teasing smile. “No doubt your betrothed is having a good influence on you.”
Alex felt his cheeks flush under the bemused regard of his instructor and thirty odd pairs of eyes looking his way from the cushions upon which his classmates sat, embracing morning cultivation in an open air pagoda that was almost a gazebo, and Alex couldn’t help but whistle in surprise when he noticed the faint uptick in spiritual energy, realizing that their morning cultivation spot was doubling as a cultivation array.
“Yes, Elder Win! I made sure to get my Alex up bright and early, even if he is a bit of a restless sleeper!” Linnea happily declared, still holding his hand before leaning against him, her affection deepening the flush on Alex’s cheeks. And even if a surprising number of his fellow students were gazing at them in warm approval, like Quing and Lilly who were themselves holding hands, others were looking at them with open disgust.
“This is a cultivation academy, not a brothel. The least they could do is have the decency to leave this school and carry on elsewhere,” Tan Yi sneered.
“All they’re good for is delves,” declared Guan, the Bronze thug that Alex had soundly put in his place just days ago, now sitting up proud beside what everyone knew was his master. “It’s an insult to all true-bloods that we have to suffer their presence outside of their singular duty.”
“They’re not even good for that!” Tan Yi glared at his now flinching henchman. “They taint the very rifts with their presence. They should be exiled from the city altogether!”
Guan quickly nodded. “They should all be exiled immediately.”
Linnea’s cheeks flushed, her eyes widening with hurt surprise at the sheer weight of their contempt.
Alex felt a protective fury welling up in his chest. It didn’t even matter that he and Linnea were still just friends, and no more. He still felt fiercely protective of the girl who had slept by his side and had earned his trust. Jaw clenched, he caught Tan Yi’s sneering gaze, breath inhaled to roar challenge to the uppity asshole, yet the mocking smile on the youth’s lips made Alex pause.
Was he being set up somehow? Was this another trap?
And the slightest gesture from Win’s hand was enough to freeze Alex’s ire, wise enough to say nothing at all, save give Linnea’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s amazing how much they shriek and chatter, just like their monkey cousins in the western rift,” Alex sent with wink.
Linnea’s downcast expression perked right back up, transforming from insecure vulnerability to supremely confident. “Haters are going to hate, you know? I sure as hell am not going to let them ruin my day.”
Tan Yi’s eyes widened with outrage when Linnea dared to meet his gaze before her lips curled with disgust, as if he was little more than dung on her shoe, easily wiped off, then utterly ignored.
“How dare you look at me like that! Lower your gaze, Ruidian, or Guan will challenge you here and now!”
Guan sneered and cracked his knuckles. “And we’ll do it at three paces. No way in hell I’m giving the whole length of the field for you to practice your twisted magics. Three steps you get to scream, then I rip that pretty face of yours right off, and we’ll see how well your mongrel lover likes you then!”
“That will be enough.”
Win’s smile didn’t waver at all. Yet the spiky weight of his aura made both Tan Yi and the glaring Bronze by his side flinch and lower their gazes, though their instructor didn’t reprimand them any further. Instead, he turned to the rest of the class, acting as if the spat was utterly beneath them all.
Definitely a different approach than that of Rising Phoenix, where challenges were actively encouraged, Alex thought to himself, but maybe there was something to be said for letting things go, lest he end up getting caught up in yet another vicious cycle of vengeance and retribution, inevitably escalating until glorious disaster consumed the whole city, for better or worse. At which point Alex would end up embracing chaos and change to the ultimate degree yet again, then paying for it, as he always had before.
He took a deep breath, relaxing his clenched fist. All he had to do right now was reign in his temper, and savor a life far more peaceful and sweet that it otherwise would be. Which was easy enough to say, but just looking at Tan Yi’s haughty features made him want to challenge the little shit so dearly that he could taste it.
Alex did his best to put the little shit stain firmly out of mind, turning his focus to a calmly smiling Master Win.
“You all now know your spiritual energy proclivities, your aptitude for rifts, and how best to cleanse and strengthen your meridians so that you may advance to as close to perfection as is possible for each of you. All of you are additionally familiar with your assigned martial instructors, and each of you has a progression chart listing our goals and expectations for you over the coming three years. Assuming you all successfully pass this first semester, of course.”
He flashed a gentle smile at their mixed expressions. “And I don’t doubt that each and every one of you has what it takes to prosper at this academy, so long as you’re willing to put in the effort to ascend just as far as you can. Now there is but one major component that needs to be addressed, and your tenure as students here is all but assured.”
Luo and Xiao exchanged looks before flashing practical smiles. Alex grinned at the pair of guardsmen, glad that they at least understood, even if half the class was gazing at Elder Win with puzzled expressions.
“And what’s the final component, Master Win?” Ling Ling tentatively asked.
“He means credits,” Tan Yi sneered. “Are you truly that dense?”
Ling Ling’s cheeks flushed a pretty shade of crimson.
“Correct,” Elder Win said with a cool nod. “And there is no shame at all in asking questions. Only in being so foolish as to think that you already know all the answers. Because if that were truly the case, than why are you even here?” This was said with a pointed look at Tan Yi who flushed and glowered before quickly lowering his gaze, and Alex was almost positive that half the class were smiling on the inside as Tan Yi was subtly put in his place.
But only subtly, Alex noted.
Only with the softest of kid gloves.
Which made it damn clear that despite his blatant hostility toward Ruidians, his clan clearly had enough pull to assure him a relatively smooth and easy passage while he was here. As to just how much political clout the Duo Li clan did or did not have, Alex had no idea. He only knew that he’d have to be careful. Because as exhilarating as it might be to challenge the status quo, he was damn sick of everyone he had thought neutral or even benevolent abruptly turning cold, ruthless, and desperate when his enemies put the squeeze on all third parties, pressuring them to take sides and strike out at Alex with everything they had.
Just for once, he’d like to enjoy a safe, stable environment where peril and spite-filled young masters weren’t waiting for him around every turn.
And if that meant he had to ignore a certain smarmy little shit as opposed to take immediately ruthless action, then so be it. At least he was already in a much better place than he had ever been at Dragon Academy, so he had a hell of a lot less to worry about in terms of petty bullies.
In the end, it was gloriously simple.
All he needed to do to succeed here was ignore petty bullshit and focus on his own advancement.
And if Elder Wins bemused nod was anything to go by, that was the silent counsel that he was giving his students as he silently stood up and left the pagoda, the entire class flowing right behind him, and somehow it was an angrily huffing Tan Yi and his surly eyed lackey who were two steps behind everyone else.
Alex could barely hold back his smile. “How the hell did he arrange for such a classy insult, without saying a thing?”
“He’s a Silver tier cultivator. They have their ways,” Linnea thought knowingly back at him.
Alex smirked. “You have no idea either.”
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“Not a clue!” She happily conceded, clasping his hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulders as their instructor began extolling the virtues of the assignment center and all the ways they could earn credits while finding a professional path that was absolutely perfect for each of them.
The entire class smiled animatedly and nodded in oddly perfect sync, all of their questions and replies flowing absolutely perfectly into a carefully woven conversation whose strands somehow kept a surly cursing Tan Yi completely out of the loop.
Alex enjoyed the view of the lush crops and fruit groves below, a cool oasis that served as a wonderful contrast to the fierce bright morning sun of the desert, which he found exquisitely invigorating as Elder Win ushered them through the grand brownstone edifice that was clearly the job hall.
“And here you may take your pick of assignments, class,” Win explained, pointing to numerous hardwood boards covered in placards of ivory and bone. And quite unlike any other academy job hall Alex had entered before, this one was tended by no less than four smiling women dressed in matching qipaos of navy blue, bowing their heads as one. “Welcome to the Silver Sands assignment hall. How may we assist you today?”
Alex blinked, surprised to hear the girls speaking as one, their voices in harmonious sync.
He couldn’t help but think that they practiced for just such an occasion, and certainly they had impressed the students as Elder Win smiled.
“My students are eager to learn the particulars of how things are done at our job hall.”
“Of course, Master Win,” said the closest assistant with a solemn bow of her head, before turning to the students. “Welcome, aspirants. It’s always a pleasure to see new faces, and I look forward to being able to assist each and every one of you.” She then gestured toward the closest bamboo board covered in brass hooks with bone placards hanging off of them. “Your fellow students, instructors, and school administrators will make use of these placards to offer assignments to both students and professors in return for school credits. Upon these boards you may find everything from requests to assistance with farming crops to cultivating spiritual treasures for those amongst you with a horticultural knack. For those interested in the crafting professions, we have postings for alchemists and artificers seeking long term assistants. Assistance that can easily turn into apprenticeships for those of you who are judged to have talent as well as enthusiasm,” she declared, smiling before a couple youths whose eyes widened when the word ‘alchemy’ was mentioned.
Alex couldn’t help noting that, save for hurried first day placement with an assistant eager for those who had already proven themselves, no one had made any mention of honing new aspirants into crafters of one sort or another, which Alex thought interesting. He allowed the young woman’s enthusiastic voice to fade into the background, already knowing the path he was most interested in pursuing.
The assistant then made her way to the central board, gesturing with a smile at what were perhaps the most ornate collection of tiles of all those in the hall.
“And for those of you willing to dare the rifts, we have our beast core, spirit herb, and spirit meat hunting assignments.”
She solemnly handed out several of the placards, much as she had from the other boards. The contrast was immediately obvious, several student’s eyes bulging with surprise.
“Wait, this request for a week’s assistance learning the basics of tending spiritual herbs is paying a single credit… but if we can obtain even a rudimentary Metal beast core for one of the workshops, we can earn a hundred credits in less than a day?”
The assistant flashed a professional smile.
“That is exactly the case. You will find, I think, that Silver Sands masters offer a generous premium far beyond that which you might find at any of our city’s far smaller academies, as we boast the most skilled and sought-after artificers and alchemists in the entire region.”
The young man whose name Alex hadn’t quite caught shook his head in disbelief. “But why? It makes no sense!”
“It makes all the sense in the world,” Linnea coolly declared. “When you dare the deeps, you put your very life on the line, as at least half our class knows firsthand. And considering that one can only endure a certain number of delves before the buildup of waste Qi becomes unhealthy… your time is also at an absolute premium. So why wouldn’t Silver Sands pay us a generous premium for putting both our lives and health on the line?”
The youth blinked at those words. “Wait, you were part of that group. You and the blond Ruidian. I hear that if it wasn’t for you...”
“We would have been fine,” Tan Yi sneered. “And these two fools made a mockery of this entire hall, each earning 350 credits for a farce of a fight that the elders could have handled themselves in the blink of an eye!”
“Yet they were the ones who took down the spirit beasts and claimed the cores,” Elder Win gently reminded. “And thus they were rewarded for both their efforts and the countless hours of training they invested in themselves. Training that allowed them to think and act as one, just when it was needed. So yes, they profited mightily, as well they should have. For the lives that their quick thinking might save when it is far more than a test cannot be measured in simple credits.”
“Cheap Ruidian tricks that no true cultivator would depend upon,” Tan Yi haughtily declared.
“A trick that kept your head on your shoulders, you absurd little popinjay!” Lilly snapped, glaring at the arrogant young master before bowing her head Alex and Linnea’s way. “Some of us, at least, are capable of a little gratitude. And I now know exactly who I want with me, when me and mine are ready to dare the deeps.”
Quing squeezed her hand, dipping his head at her words. “Exactly.”
Tan Yi’s lips pressed in a thin line as more than a few aspirants snickered at his expense before the chuckles abruptly dropped off, his icy glare promising ugly retribution to anyone who dared to mock him.
Elder Win gestured to the perfectly still assistant, who had seemed to blend into the background the instant the comments turned barbed, now speaking as if there had been no tension in the room at all.
“The reward to be earned daring the rifts on behalf of our city are indeed exemplary. Those who earn sufficient credits will have access to far more than some of the most luxurious accommodations and fine dining in the city. You will also earn the opportunity for private study lessons with any number of skilled practitioners among multiple disciplines. And with your instructor’s permission, you can even earn access the most sacred tomes of our library, where the echoes of the insights learned by ancient masters can catalyze similar revelations within your own soul!”
Ling Ling squealed with excitement. “My brother said Silver Sand’s vaults are filled with spiritual treasures and powerful artifacts! Is it true we can actually buy enchantments with our credits?”
The young woman stiffened, stealing a glance Elder Win’s way.
Their master gave an easygoing chuckle. “Though I fear your brother’s tales might have been a bit exaggerated, we do, in fact, have any number of enchantments, both powerful and useful, available for even first year students like yourselves. So long as you manage to accrue the necessary credits. Why, you can even earn a consultation with our resident alchemist who can design customized batches of cultivation pills facilitating your next breakthrough with an absolute minimal strain to your foundation or any buildup of waste Qi. Waste Qi which, thanks to our school’s elite techniques, you are now learning how to wick away with greater ease and aptitude than almost any other cultivator out there! So continue to master your lessons and work diligently, and there’s no telling just how far you all can ascend!”
Alex’s fellow caravan defenders and Dui Zhong’s former guardsmen each raised their hands. Alex smiled, bemused by how carefully they avoided doing anything but give him the slightest of nods in passing, so diligent they were on muddying the waters of their mutual past. It just went to show how trustworthy and honorable they truly were, Alex thought, though he hoped they could give up the farce soon and form fast friendships once more.
“Is there a reason why we can’t just stick to rift assignments?” Xiao tentatively asked.
“Because your meridians will corrode if you delve too often,” Guan said with a snort, frowning as he looked at the pair. “I can tell you two know what it means to fight. Desert caravanners?” he asked.
The pair froze, slowly nodding. As if they sensed both that Guan was definitely on the opposing side of team Alex, but the question was fair one.
“We do,” Luo confirmed. “My kung fu brother and I enjoyed a fortuitous encounter in a desert rift. That’s both the only reason why we’re here, and why we’re older than most of you.”
“Understandable,” Elder Win declared with a nod. “No doubt your life experiences will prove extremely useful for confirming your path and understanding your personal dao. But it’s important to understand that rifts formed in the desert are both similar and quite different to the rifts that blossom along ley line confluences filled with the essence of life. For that which allows said rifts to blossom in such close proximity, and, indeed, allows for our entire oasis sanctuary to blossom with such rich, fecund life, are also tied to the cycles of decay and renewal in the most primal sense.”
Luo blinked at this.
“The city’s waste Qi is claimed and filtered by the rifts, before being further transformed and processed by all the rich life in the valley, where the crops, filled with fresh vitality, are harvested before filling our bellies, and the cycle is renewed continuously,” Alex calmly explained.
Guan frowned Alex’s way, before giving a reluctant nod. “The half-blood’s right. You can only delve in city rifts sparingly, or you risk straining your cultivation.”
Their instructor nodded. “Fortunately, if you stick to the Western rift and master the purification techniques you’ve been shown, you’ll be able to delve closer to once per moon than every other month. And if you find that you have a taste for the peril and the adventure of it, you could go quite far indeed, and wouldn’t need to worry about taking on any other assignments, unless you wish to.” Win’s bemused smile hardened. “So long as you’re wise enough to form a party with like-minded individuals who know what to expect, and train diligently together to fight and counter threats in a coordinated and disciplined fashion. Individuals far more interested in getting safely back in one piece than trying to make a big score are the ones most likely to survive and flourish as delvers.
He then turned to the rest of the class. “Many of you got a firsthand taste of just how exciting those rifts can be. An excitement that certainly isn’t for everyone. And thus, our school prides itself in offering many paths forward that you can all take full advantage of.” He quickly scanned the listings, before smiling and claiming a bone tile. “And today we will take a joint assignment that shall count as a full credit in all of your favor.”
He smiled at the polite looks this earned him as he solemnly passed the tile to the assistant. Her gaze brightened. “Ah, you will be weeding the spirit herb garden of the Yui residence. I believe it just received a new owner, and I have no doubt that they will be quite grateful for the assistance! Best of all, the property adjoins the caldera rim just past the college, which means you won’t even need to travel down to the basin to earn your credits. Wonderful!”