Extra Scenes from Book 1

Here are three scenes I inserted into the book during the editing phase. You may have seen some of them, depending on when you started reading. Take this as the dessert after Book 1.

Thank you all for the kind comments on the previous chapter, and see you some time next week!

***

The Forest of the Strong burst with activity. Builders came and went, carrying materials in abundance. Their enhanced bodies made everything faster.

Gymonkeys and brorillas swung through the trees, watching the humans below, while Harambe lounged at the roots of the bananarm tree, absent-mindedly lifting a 100kg dumbbell. A human arrived beside him—a member of the Bare Fist Brotherhood. Harambe didn’t know her name, but he was used to her presence by now. He did not react.

With a small bow, the young woman reached up to the tree and plucked three bananarms. She then bowed again and took off, where three red-dressed men waited in the distance. Only a moment after she left, the bananarms regrew.

The situation around the Clear Pond and the High Speed Bush was much more hectic. People arrived occasionally, transferring a set amount of credits to a Bare Fist Brotherhood clerk before either picking a leaf off the bush or stripping to their underwear and entering the pond, which was packed full with no regard for gender.

The professor had been industrious.

After all their members had benefited from the resources, she had contacted the nearby towns and offered the resources for a price. They were magically renewed every time, so they could be distributed freely.

They wouldn’t last forever, of course—that would make no sense. The Brotherhood had someone watching over the resources at all times. If they showed the slightest hint of decay, the business would end—but everything was going great so far. The professor estimated that, in the short-term, the credits they made off this business were more useful than keeping the resources intact. After all, the faction shop offered many great things, including a goblin battle simulator she had already purchased.

For a hundred credits, anyone could access one of the resources. Three hundred would be enough to access all three, and that was a great price for the life-saving +10 in all Physical stats. Only the Ice Pond was kept a secret, as it was the true core of the Brotherhood’s strength.

Cultivators streamed in from the nearby towns, slowly at first. Then, news began to spread, and people arrived from farther and farther away to partake in the brotherhood’s resources. Credits were flowing in at a tremendous rate, more than ten thousand a day, and the brorillas took care of any troublemakers. Thanks to the influx of people, the nearby Valville was flourishing, too.

The Brotherhood was still relocating its headquarters from the town to the forest, and the main building was almost built by now, as were the training grounds and gyms. Due to the nature of their resources, most members chose Physical-oriented paths.

On the surface, everything was going great. But in reality…the professor was worried sick. Both for Jack, whose every battle she watched with bated breath, and for the future. Their faction’s leader had just defeated the sharken scion, revealing his true identity, and the Animal Kingdom wasn’t above playing dirty. They had to gather power fast.

For that reason, she let some nearby factions use the resources for free in exchange for a sworn alliance. She also kept their massive profits at hand, ready to buy whatever defensive items were necessary at a moment’s notice.

All in all, things seemed to be going great, but the professor didn’t allow herself to relax. The clock was ticking. When the brewing storm arrived, it would be her job to protect everyone.

And to do that, the Bare Fist Brotherhood had to grow fast.

***
Alexander both loved and hated the Integration.

On one hand, it had given him power. He had risen in status and in the chain of command. His former bosses would have to serve him, if he hadn’t killed them already.

On the other…he now had to deal with idiots. Those people would have never achieved success in the pre-Integration world. They were stubborn, naive, short-sighted, and idealistic; qualities that should put them as far away from power as possible, dooming them to remain cogs in the machine for the remainder of their lives.

And yet, here they were.

Just because they could punch, or whatever each of them did, they had suddenly climbed to the top of the world. And they thought they deserved it. Dealing with them was so tiring for Alexander… At least, this situation was only temporary. The elites would seize back control, cultivation resources would be tightly moderated, and society would return to relative order.

And he would be the king of Earth.

He knocked on the door—the number 1 was painted on it in golden color—and waited. Somebody pulled it open from the other side. “Alex!” An excited voice reached him, souring his mood further, but he showed a smile.

“Sir Salin,” he replied, nodding. “Thank you for your patience.”

“Don’t be like that! Come on, loosen up a little.” The canine slung an arm over his shoulder, grabbing him like a friend and pulling him inside. Alexander resisted the urge to freeze him, or even better, pull out his gun and shoot him. He still carried one of those. They did wonders for intimidation; integrated memory was wonderful.

Plus, it gave him confidence.

Still with an arm over his broad shoulders, Gan Salin led Alexander inside the house. Two more people waited there; Shard Presht—the sharken—leaned against a counter. Rufus Emberheart faced the window, only showing Alexander his back.

This leonine was the only person Alexander acknowledged. He knew how to behave. Serving under him was a good decision—which was handy because there was no other choice. In this new world, the only way to survive and prosper was to hug the legs of the strong, and anyone who didn’t see that was a fool.

“Alexander,” Rufus’s deep voice rumbled.

“Sir,” Alexander replied, lowering his head in subservience. “I have the information you requested.”

“Good. Let’s hear it.”

Rufus was still facing away, but Alexander didn’t dare dally. “The Flame River has recruited Jack Rust, Dorman Whistles, Edgar Allano, and the Sage. They also approached Li Xiang and Kane Vanderdecken, who both remain neutral. No important factions have sided with them.”

“Of course they haven’t,” Rufus Emberheart replied softly. By the side, the sharken chuckled darkly.

At this point, Alexander could have waited, prodding Rufus to ask him to continue. That would subconsciously raise Alexander’s standing. Unfortunately, he didn’t dare; the leonine was frighteningly sharp, and he permitted no tricks. Alexander had already lost an agent like that.

“On our side,” Alexander continued unprompted, “we have five smaller factions whose leaders participated in the tournament, as well as sixteen independent fighters. We are awaiting the response of nine more, but most of them will probably join us as well. Additionally, we have established contact with every major government that is still standing. All of them have pledged allegiance to you and the Animal Kingdom.”

Rufus nodded slowly. “How long would we need to squash any resistance?”

“One to three days, sir. Nuclear weapons are forbidden by the Star Pact, but we can use starships to send elite teams into their bases—provided the Tournament has ended, of course. Only Dorman Whistles and the Sage have no known base of operations, but with our connections, we’ll discover them within two days even if they try to hide.”

“Very well. Is there anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Then, you may go.”

Alexander turned to leave, politely shaking off Gan Salin’s arm, which had remained on his shoulders all this time.

“And, Alexander?” Rufus’s voice came again. Alexander turned, bowed, and waited. “You don’t need to bow that low in my presence. I can see your respect, and that is enough.”

Alexander took the cue and raised his head, meeting Rufus’s face. He was stern without being threatening, while his eyes and smile carried the charm of a friendly yet skilled commander. He practically oozed confidence.

He was a born king.

“Thank you, sir,” he replied.

“I am pleased with you, Alexander. Do not disappoint me, and this planet will soon fall to your feet.”

Alexander waited for a moment. When no further words came, he replied, “Thank you, sir,” and departed.

As the door slid closed behind him, he raised his head to look at the afternoon sky. The gambles of his entire life were paying off. He would finally rise.

***

The night before the finals, just before the sun rose,

Rufus Emberheart sat alone in his house.

There weren’t many moments when he could think freely. Around others, he had to show the face of a king. Only now, in his privacy, could he let his mind roam free.

And he needed that, because his Dao was struggling.

Settle down, he commanded it, furrowing his brows, but it was difficult. Supremacy was fleeting.

His Dao was already strained by coming to this planet. It whispered that a truly supreme person wouldn’t need to lie or cheat. However, he knew that was the way of the world; the rules only applied to the weak, which he was not. It was power guiding him, not fear.

He could control that doubt.

But now, his vest had been stained by a monkey. Moreover, he had been unable to avenge that insult on the spot, even though he tried.

“Argh!” Rufus roared, releasing his frustration freely. He raised a paw and smashed one of the mundane instruments to pieces.

Additionally, the owner of that monkey had defeated him in a bidding war. That was the hardest to stomach. Rufus had miscalculated, played his cards wrong, and because of that, he had lost.

All those incidents combined into a heavy pressure in his soul. Cultivating the Dao of Supremacy was like walking on a sword’s edge. It gave the cultivator tremendous power, but its requirements were overwhelming. Every step had to be perfect, or you would tumble into the abyss. Missteps could not be tolerated. It was a Dao that would either take you to the heavens or nowhere at all.

Thankfully, he was still low in Grade; the Dao Tree of Supremacy would never stand for these insults. It would crumble like a tower of cards.

I need to regain my momentum, Rufus thought, narrowing his eyes. I must turn adversity into opportunity and triumph with the majesty of a king.

There was nothing he could do about his Dao’s protests to cheating, but as for the other two… They both converged on one enemy.

Jack Rust.

Rufus Emberheart would never lower himself to antagonize a monkey. The real culprit was Jack Rust, who had also taken away his Rainbow Dao Pill and dared meet his blow without shattering.

There were many paths to regaining the upper hand, but only one of them was truly supreme.

I will break through to the E-Grade right now, proving I do not need the pill. I will make it in time. Then, I will destroy him in fair battle, I will slay his monkey before his face, and I will dominate his allies. In one fell swoop, my Dao will be justified.

He needed that resolve. If not, his Dao would be unstable, and his breakthrough to the E-Grade would not be perfect.

The pill was only an extra assurance. He was confident in succeeding regardless. His master—who was also his grandfather—advised against it, but to follow that advice was cowardice, and Rufus could no longer afford it.

For his path to be perfect, he had to follow it with all his heart.

As this resolve filled him, it resonated with his Dao. The crown in his soul invited him, as it had been doing for the last few months. This time, Rufus obliged. The world faded away until only the supreme crown and himself remained. He had unshakable confidence in himself.

He would reign supreme.