Chapter 574 - Jade Consortium

The entire class collapsed with a cry. Even Klein groaned and crumpled.

Eric clenched his jaw, stiffening his spine, now glaring right at the haughty cultivator floating down to the marble tiles just before him.

“Projecting the weight of your ascension on mortals? Seriously?”

The ageless woman’s gaze hardened, swirls of cloth whipping around upon unseen breezes, and not single strand of her hair fell out of place. “Show respect, outlander trash.”

Eric suppressed a smirk, thoughts racing as he caught the horrified countenances of a pair of heavily armed men kitted in lamellar armor radiating Metal Qi, with guandao as ramrod straight as their spines.

“This is Jade Consortium grounds, is it not?” He declared aloud. “And unless I slept through all my teacher’s droning lectures… these count as sacred grounds where no customer may aggress another, nor force unwanted duels.”

“You’re point, outlander?”

Eric stared at her incredulously. “You’re flaring your killing aura before a class full of mortal children! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

The air grew thick with sudden awful tension. The pair of guards at the entrance gazed at Eric in horrified disbelief.

The ice beauty before him glared at him with a killing fury. “You would DARE take such a tone with me, you worthless piece of filth?”

A jian of pristine Ice shimmered into existence in her hand.

“I demand satisfaction at once!”

Eric's lips curled in a savage grin as his heart began to pound, the blood singing in his veins as private academy attire was instantly switched for bare chest, bluejeans, and the mithril blade sheathed at his waist as he shifted his hips, hand sliding to the hilt of his dachi as he flowed into a bladed iado stance, ignoring the whimpers and desperate sobs of his classmates.

“Gladly, bitch. Let’s do this.”

Eric couldn’t quite hold back the dark glee he felt at the look of horrified outrage on his would-be opponent’s countenance when a chortling Bunbun chose to speak up.

“You hotbloods need terms! And an oath that no clan vendetta will be happening, whoever loses. Now, is this to first blood, till surrender, or death?”

The jade beauty curled her lip. “Death for the filth before me. And there will be no clan vendetta, for he is NOTHING and utterly BENEATH my clan’s concerns.”

Eric chuckled coldly. “You begging for your life is enough satisfaction for me… and whatever sweet loot you have in your storage devices, of course. That’s all mine too.”

“Awesome!” Bunbun patted Eric’s head. “We’re good, Fearless Leader. Now let’s make Eve proud! We’ll go on ten. Klein? Quit blubbering and give us a count!”

The Ice Beauty, who hadn’t given her name any more than Eric had, looked only momentarily perturbed, but surprisingly seemed to accept it as Klein, with the shell-shocked countenance of a man uncertain if he was awake or dreaming, began a ragged count.

“Ten!”

Eric’s lips stretched wide as he shifted his balance, fingers caressing the hilt of his blade.

“Nine!”

Jade Beauty’s glare turned to a surprised blink.

“You said ‘Eve.’”

“Eight!”

The pair of guards had fled into the building.

Eric said nothing, nostrils flaring as he TASTED the sweet, sweet peril in the air.

“Your spirit familiar said ‘Eve!’”

“Seven!”

“Who is your master, boy?”

“Six!”

The woman held up her fist. Klein sank back to his knees with a whimper.

“I said, who is your master?”

Bunbun chortled. “Oh, she doesn’t have a fucking CLUE, does she, Fearless Leader? But she’ll soon find out!”

The woman’s eyes flashed with bitter heat. “You dare to stand before me as if you were my equal? You will apologize for your offense and kneel before me, now!”

Eric frowned. Almost certain that he sensed… yes, there was a neuron firing madly in the corner of his mind that might or might not be mirroring what a perk or two, a lost perk or two, might be frantically trying to tell him.

So Eric calmly removed his hands from the sheath and hilt of his blade and honored the woman with a sweeping bow. “This one apologizes for any unintended offense he may have caused you. Please don’t let this wayward student of an absent master take up any more of your time on a morning as beautiful as this one.”

The Silver before him sniffed. “As if I would taint my precious silks with your dirty blood. Know your place in the future, outlander.”

With those words she walked right past him, head held high, as if he was nothing at all.

Eric kept his features stiff, giving no trace that he could smell the stink of her fear. Just the faintest flicker of caution in a soul that normally feared absolutely nothing… and barely worthy of note, compared to the deep stench of dread radiating from his entire class.

“Well, I’m glad that’s over! I guess they like hazing the noobs, am I right? Ha! Alrighty. Shall we head inside, guys?”

Eric didn’t wait for a response, merely strode to the entrance, which currently had no guards at all.

Just a closed pair of doors. And now he was standing right next to the glaring Jade Beauty, both of them pointedly not looking at one another.

A deep gong reverberated from within the building, which Eric was grateful for, since he really wasn’t up to small talk with a woman he had been about to duel.

The doors cracked open, revealing an exquisitely attired man with eyes of darkest violet and horns barely worth mentioning as he peered intently at them both.

“Welcome to Jade Emporium. I shall be your host, Xi Xiun. And for the benefit of our newest guests, allow me to clarify that under absolutely no circumstances are vendettas to be initiated or duels carried out upon Jade Consortium property.” He gazed at them pointedly for long moments. “Now with that understanding… you may both enter and be welcome.”

Eric flashed Jade Beauty a positively shit-eating grin. “I’m afraid we’ll have to forgo trading pointers for another time, dear kung fu sister. We wouldn’t want any of our friends or business associates to misunderstand.”

The woman shuddered. “Please never speak to me again.”

Eric snorted. Bunbun snorted louder.

Their host, radiating a fearsome amount of Silver-Tier potency, blinked. “Oh my. How fascinating. Has the gauntlet already begun? Please, this way.” His grandly gesturing arm revealed the most luxurious of high end boutiques Eric had ever seen in an arena-sized amphitheater, for all that one wall was absolutely covered in golden pins with tiny tiles hanging upon each one and what Eric almost thought an exotic depiction of a map. Eric’s interface pinged the pegs as belonging to tens of thousands of individuals, showing ownership of stock shares or something else

Yet his eyes were quickly drawn to far more intriguing creature comforts and fascinating treasures, including upholstered seats and davenports of exotic beast hides strategically placed around dozens of glass cases absolutely packed with phylacteries, cultivation tomes, glowing swords, and countless other spiritual treasures along the auditorium-sized display room that stretched for literally hundreds of yards.

As did the truly massive trading board that had first caught his eye, all of it framed in pristine white jade, of course.

Eric took a deep breath of rarified air, taking in the extended display of wealth and opulence, noting no less than a full dozen cultivators in the Energy Gathering stage that his interface casually pinged as being the equivalent of Ranks 10 through 40. The Jade Beauty was the only one who had broken through to Silver, and to Eric’s amusement, was now glaring at most of the awe-struck young and not so young men trying to flatter her with praise. It seemed that she found being around them just as distasteful as she had clearly found Eric to be.

“Poor princess,” Bunbun chortled. “Ooh, look there. Professor Klein is looking at us like we have two heads!”

Eric smirked. “Well to be fair, Bun, we kind of do.”

“Oh, that’s actually a good point. Ha! And look, he’s being carded by the guards, huffing in outrage, as if he’d actually dare something funny with two score kids around and the Westwind logo on half their gear.”

Eric frowned thoughtfully. “You think I need more Westwind exclusive attire to fit in a bit better?”

“Nah. No chance in hell of you fitting in now, Eric. Besides, aren’t you and your almost lover launching a competing clothing line?”

“I guess, and nope. Not happening. I won’t break a poor girl who’s only crime is falling in love with these guns.”

Eric winked and kissed his bicep, earning the laugh he had been looking for.

And yes, some horrified looks from his classmates. But at least his rabbit laughed!

“Good one, Eric. Though you might, um… that’s better!” She enthused when Eric popped back into his school attire once more, his Wind-aligned mithril dachi also back in his ES Space.

“Okay, wow! The guards are actually lecturing your professor. Klein looks like hes actually having a panic attack! Oh wait, the guard gave him back his jade slip. I guess they were just messing with him? Anyway, what next, Fearless Leader?”

Eric winked. “Now, we blend in and learn whatever we can about how to actually make use of this place, along with the rest of the class.”

“Cool. And then?”

“Then I buy a couple of elixirs for my foster mom.”

“Aww, you should! She’s looking a bit peaked, Eric.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of bothering me.”

“Me too. She seems like a sweetheart. So, what are we doing after that?”

Eric flashed his familiar a positively madcap grin. “Then, of course, we take over the world.”

Bunbun chortled gleefully. “Awesome plan!”

At that point Xi Xiun seemed to flow over to Klein, presently drenched in sweat, who had clearly seen better days.

“Ah, greetings honored Westwind associates. Just in time for our scheduled introduction. And please, enjoy some white bark lotus tea from our personal reserves.” He smiled at the awed looks of gratitude coming from half the class as a bowing servant presented them with a polished hardwood trolley filled with tea cups on the top tray and a number of tasty looking pastries just below.

“Who wants tea? We nearly got killed by a highland queen! And why the hell isn’t that blond-haired fool been summarily kicked out? He should be expelled or face charges. He nearly got us killed!”

“Shut up, Hanz. That’s white bark lotus tea! It’s what the elites drink topside. It will actually infuse our meridians with Spiritual Energy and maybe even awaken the spark of cultivation within us.”

Eric tuned out whispers both angry and pointed, accompanied by glares his way, sensing as well the carefully contained excitement exuded by those with at least one Dragon Gate open, clearly from cultivating clans.

Sure, Eric had a plan, and part of that plan included scoping out the entire trading hall and seeing what juicy insights he could hear from actual cultivators who he increasingly thought might be highland visitors more than local cultivators, but he couldn’t be sure without investigation.

Yet those yummy, cream filled crullers were calling out to him and a single bite filled with sweet honey cream goodness was just as delicious as he thought it would be, filling his belly with tingling happiness.

He avoided the tea, for all that the rest of his class eagerly claimed the china-filled cups, Qi Perception making it clear that there was more there than simple tasty herbs. Not that he needed to fear shit with his Qi and Mental resistances. But still.

“I don’t suppose you have any hot chocolate?” He asked the nearby servant who flinched, for some reason, when Bunbun waved a paw. “And a carrot. If you got one.” She tapped Eric’s head. “Preferably one full of juicy Spiritual Energy. He’ll pay for it!”

The guard traded a quick glance Xi Xiun’s way, who somehow nodded to the servant’s unspoken question even as he addressed the rest of Eric’s class, before flowing into a graceful bow.

“At once, honored guests.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Hissed an outraged student stomping up to Eric with pouty features and full lips in desperate need of a kiss. Delicate fingers held pastry and tea that trembled and she nearly spilled her drink, the hot blotches caressing both of her otherwise flawless cheeks flaring with her anger. “Daring to mouth off you your betters, nearly costing us everything, because you’re too stupid to even understand how close we came to dying?”

Eric just smiled and took a bite of his cruller.

Her horns quivered with outrage. “Seriously? Have you no shame at all?”

Eric looked up at his Bunbun, happily munching on her own cruller, before she snorted with laughter.

“None whatsoever,” Bun happily declared. “My fearless leader is absolutely shameless! But he’s really good at taking out the trash, which the pretty jade princess almost was. Now, how about you shut up and sip your tea, cutie, so that all the bad thoughts and anxieties will float away.”

“My name is Yan Hi, not ‘cutie,’ you barbaric spirit beast!” She hissed, pointedly taking a sip of tea and glaring at them both before huffing and striding several pointed feet away to listen to Xi Xiun’s animated lecture about all the services that Jade Emporium offered.

Bunbun whistled. “Sweet! According to our buddy Xi, here, all sorts of cultivation toys are for sale, if the price is right.”

Eric dipped his head, focusing with only half an ear. “So, the tea…”

“Yup! Enchanted so that all the Qi your silly flaky classmates and professor absorbed in the last minutes will saturate their body meridians, not their head. Which will both invigorate them, and assure that they totally forget that their classmate nearly got them killed… or is so absurdly powerful that there’s no way he can hide in plain sight much longer.”

Eric winced. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“I knew that tea looked funny.”

Bunbun snorted. “Don’t worry. It’s mild enough that even 5 Qi Resistance would have left you sipping a nice brew and no worse off. It’s designed to put mortal visitors at ease and spare them quick deaths, because no cultivator need fear losing face in front of mortals who will forget awkward moments quickly enough. It’s why a Silver-Tier Jade Beauty didn’t even try to kill all the mortals witnessing you put the fear of awesome into her. The brew’s also very good at minimizing trauma when mortals realize firsthand just how fragile their lives truly are.”

Eric furrowed his brow, before nodding in cautious approval. “Okay, that actually sounds reasonable. But I still prefer hot chocolate.”

“Yeah. Me too. Ooh look, Xi’s getting to the good stuff!”

Eric happily took a sip of the hot cacao he and his familiar were both handed by the deferential waiter before turning his full focus on Xi Xiun who had led them to a few glass containers containing obvious spiritual treasures.

“And here you may find vials of Ocean’s Essence and Drake Ichor. The latter will infuse any body cultivator with the boons of strength and vigor… and the former will allow all the Water-aligned orthodox cultivators among you to clean multiple meridians with but a single drought, potentially leaving the truly gifted at the cusp of Energy Storage! Best of all, unlike so many cruder concoctions and amateur extracts, this blessed brew will cause absolutely no strain to your foundation and will leave you absolutely primed to take your first true strides along immortality’s pristine steps.

“Furthermore, should you or your clans have the prudence to select Jade Emporium as your sponsor, we can assure you smooth access into one of the many elite highland academies that we have excellent ties with, the moment you’re on the cusp of Energy Storage. You will then have the opportunity to train under true masters of your chosen affinity who will assist you in learning the cycling techniques best suited to your spiritual constitution and elemental affinities! Truly one of the best investments you can make in your futures as immortal cultivators, I assure you.”

He smiled at the awed looks and excited whispers filling the air.

“Is he serious? I thought treasures like this were forbidden to us.”

“Clearly, not for the truly connected.”

“My brother has a Water affinity. This would be perfect for him!”

Bunbun cleared her throat. “Begging your pardon, honorable Xi Xiun, but how much would such an elixir cost? And the referral. Let’s not forget about that.”

Their host clapped his hands together, bowing ever so slightly in Bunbun’s direction. “For an elixir capable of washing away any roadblock and renewing the fortunes and future of a lowland clan? Three million in gold notes or bullion.”

The classes whispers of excitement turned to groans of dismay.

Bunbun tilted her ears thoughtfully.

“Would a Blue Corp affiliated imperial bank account suffice?”

Xi Xiun positively beamed. “But of course! Funds transferred from a netherworld imperial bank account would indeed be acceptable for establishing a line of credit at this Jade Emporium branch. We would, of course, have to verify your account.”

Bunbun nodded. “Of course,” she said, with a crunch of her treat between sips of hot chocolate. “Awesome spirit fruit, by the way. Sharp, tangy, and sweet!”

“So glad you enjoy, honored guest. Now, as for actual sponsorship with the might and honor of one of the most powerful organizations on the face of Titan Prime assuring a smooth transition to a highland academy… we have a number of working relationships with prestigious topside cultivation academies that will assure every student’s dream of quality instruction, access to a steady supply of cultivation resources, and genuinely interested teachers where said student will be free of all duties, obligations, or intrigue, for the extremely reasonable fee of ten million credits per year.”

He smiled at the looks of sheer dismay that the entire class was giving him.

“And best of all, after four years of study, said students will automatically matriculate with honors and be eligible for any number of crafting or teaching assignments within said academy, where they may look forward to a future full of endless opportunities to advance and get ahead!”

Bunbun rubbed her paws together, carrot and cup swooshed into her sequestered portion of Eric’s own ES Space which a surprised Eric suddenly realized might hold all sorts of interesting things.

“Ooh… you said to start! I don’t suppose there are additional ranks of privilege, prestige, and comfort that can be purchased?”

Xi Xiun’s warm approving chuckle was a tingle down all their spines. “Of course, honored spirit beast. Greater cultivation resources, spiritual treasures, exquisitely comfortable quarters with enchanted bathes and saunas... even dual cultivation partners can all be secured for ever greater considerations. Though of course the most elite tiers require a greater, ahem… standing than our dear Westwind Sponsors support, at present.”

“As if any of us could ever afford that,” Chevrain sighed.

Bunbun snorted. “As if that’s a problem you’ll be having.”

Eric winced. “Be nice, okay?”

“Sorry, fearless leader.”

But Chevrain, clueless, preoccupied, and with a very mortal Perception attribute, hadn’t heard a thing.

Rachel gazed longingly at the vial. Eric blinked, wondering if it could really be that easy.

“Rachel…”

She flashed him a sad smile. “It would be so awesome, wouldn’t it? But Uncle Domini would never allow it. I know he secretly looks down on all of us struggling just to clear a few meridians, having dared a wild youth in the netherworld as a System-enhanced classer. But…”

Eric’s heart melted. “Are you, by any chance…”

Rachel bit her lip, gazing longingly at the vial. “I think I am. But my clan won’t even pay for me to get checked, saying it’s a waste of resources and isn’t even necessary with our clan’s cleansing exercises… and I needed every credit I could gather, every favor I could call in, to launch our clothing line. But, well, I do feel so comfortable in the sea. I love the waves, even on the stormiest days, as long as the waters are, well, normal.” Her lips curved in a wistful smile. “Mother says I could swim like a fish, since she first placed me in a bath. And that vial is all but calling to me.”

Xi Xiun was suddenly before the pair of them so smoothly that even Eric was impressed, their host favoring Rachel with an uncle’s gentle concern. A look so filled with genuine warmth and empathy that Eric silently applauded the man’s Acting skill.

“As a special courtesy to our honored guest, we would be happy to examine your affinities for free, should you wish it.”

Rachel stiffened, eyes wide with desperate hope. “I… I would like that very much. But I’m not sure if there’s really a—”

Eric interrupted her with a kiss upon very surprised lips. Breaking every rule and stricture he had set for himself.

A kiss she returned in full, before breaking it off.

“Eric!” Her cheeks flushed. “You can’t. I thought you...”

“I lied. I’m nineteen. And there’s a reason. Trust me.”

He ignored the hot whispers flowing through his classmates, his eyes on the beautiful uncertain girl before him. “Trust me,” he whispered again.

She squeezed his hand. “Okay.”

Within seconds, a silent servant handed Xi Xiun glowing silver globe radiating such strong potency that Bunbun whistled.

“Now that’s a spiritual treasure!”

Xi Xiun flashed an indulgent smile. “Our spirit beast guest is a creature of uncommon perception and taste.”

“Damn right, I am. And call me Bunz.”

“Of course, honored Bunz.”

Bunbun smirked. “Honored Bunz. Hear that, Fearless Leader?”

Eric nodded politely, noting the way their host flicked his curious gaze Eric’s way, his smile just a bit too knowing as he gently claimed Rachel’s hand.

“Please, don’t be shy, child. You need but press just a sliver of your Qi inside the globe, and all will be revealed.”

Rachel wasted only a moment gazing anxiously Eric’s way. When he gave her an encouraging nod, her uncertainty turned to focus, and Eric could sense her focusing everything she had into pressing a tiny bit of herself into the globe.

A globe that went from pristine cloudy white to the softest shade of seafoam blue.

The entire class gazed her way with wonder, more than a few muttering about wanting to try it out themselves.

Xi Xiun gave a pleased smile. “How wonderful, Lady Domini. You have a full set of intact meridians and have already cleared one of your Dragon Gates of all mortal plaque! Most remarkable of all… not only are you Water aligned, but trace amounts of Wood and Metal would allow you to embrace any Ocean-oriented cultivation path for absolutely phenomenal results without any concerns of antagonistic Qi Flows or unexpected roadblocks. None, whatsoever!” He gave an indulgent chuckle. “You truly are perfectly aligned for the Sea Cultivator’s path. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a fortuitous encounter with a Greater Sea-Aligned spirit beast."