The Immortal Kobold

Settling in to the town time passed relatively quickly, while Xing Lei's amassed wealth was worthless in his eyes, it went a great deal farther in the town. While securing a small house and workshop, along with a serviceable cauldron had seen his pile of coins dwindle to mere handfuls it had served enough purpose in establishing the trio. Life in the port town was anything but boring after all, tribals frequently raided the expanding town and adventurers frequently raided the jungle.

For Xing Lei, the first year passed rather quietly, between establishing his foundation and quickly advancing to the [Spirit Fortification] stage in just under half the years passing had seen him in great spirits. The purity of the energy made just about everywhere he went a cultivation paradise so it wasn't like his old life where he had to seek out an obscure sect and worm his way into their hollowed grounds, this world seemed in its entirety to be that level.

When he was not meditating he was practicing his [Alchemy], buying up herbs from the market district and converting them to pills. Unfortunately this was the first major hurdle he had to really work at, this world revolved around potions. When he first set up his stall in the market few even looked sideways at his work. While even he admitted quietly to himself these rank one pills would be considered trash to the alchemy sects of his old life, they were still better than the bulky bottles of red water the adventurers favored.

Yet day after day he sat at the stall, presenting his buffed charisma and charm yet other than a few flirtatious looks from a few people none seemed even slightly moved to try a bottle of the medicinal pills. Xing Lei had started to feel it was an active plot by the local merchant guild to horn in on his profits but Al.u.s.triea explained the problem was actually two fold. First of all, a kobold behind the stall counter inspired confidence in no one, despite his charismatic sales pitch, he was still... a kobold.

The other factor was indeed the format. Simply put potions were how legitimate alchemists presented their trade. Pills were a complete unknown in this world. As much as he or Osilliaice might vouch for their effectiveness, the average adventurer wouldn't splurge their limited wealth on a risky sub product. There was a third point she failed to raise but explaining to Xing Lei that not everyone could produce bags of gold would likely go over his head. His initial windfall had ultimately failed to teach him about the basic economy of the world around him. Simply put, gold was rare, to have piles of it generally meant you robbed either a dragon's hoard or a kingdoms treasury. Most common folk worked in silver, or if you were back in the Ironhand outskirts, copper and copper peices were the currency of high frequency.

Yet Xing Lei couldn't be budged, between herbs and labour his pills were twice as effective as a potion but cost about ten gold cheaper. Still, who would spend that much on an unknown? Select few! Didn't matter that each pill healed more than a full potion and came in bottles of four, the fact the adventurers hadn't seen for themselves how these little round nuggets were superior worked against Xing Lei in the long run. Also, unlike his old world, getting an pill auction setup would cost an o.b.s.c.e.n.e sum. Mostly due to sole auctions for alchemists not existing.

Most alchemists rode the coat tails of greater auctions when rare items were sold in greater lots. The first time one of these auctions had happened Xing Lei had nearly fainted from spitting blood. When told his pills couldn't be auctioned against a line of credit nearly saw him cover the poor auctioneer in his blood spit. It was a first for the cultivator, even as a youth, as long as the auction house could verify a goods quality the source of the item could have been a wee child.

Dragged away by Osilliaice, she saved the poor auctioneer from having his floofy moustache ripped off by the visually irate kobold. Xing Lei nearly fainted when he wasn't even allowed in due to lack of funds. Never in his prior life had he ever been denied even witnessing an auction. Sure if you lacked funds you couldn't bid but that never stopped smaller cultivators from taking part to learn what sold, what didn't, and who the greater local powers were.

That evening was when Xing Lei hiked off into the jungle for his [Spirit Foundation] tribulation. That poor single bolt of lightning probably felt like the world was bullying it when Xing Lei actually threw himself into the sky to punch it into nothingness. He had sustained several heavy injuries for his rash actions in under taking a tribulation in such a foul mindset but he still got through it, had it been a later stage with multiple bolts falling he surely would have seen King Yama a second time in less than a decade. How that old king would have laughed at that situation, the formerly stoic and unfazed Xing Lei smacked dead by an early tribulation cause he was pissed off. Xing Lei would have had to thrown himself in a deep hole to escape that humiliation.

Still it had been a sobering experience for him. Sitting atop the roof of his home within the city, a jug of fragrant wine sat beside him as he stared at the wall so near by. The sounds of battle drifted on the winds towards him, the tribal halflings were attacking the expansion site again, Osilliaice was likely there, hired on as muscle to protect the work crews. Rubbing his muzzle he sighed as his mind drifted to his old life and what he had been doing during his old life's Foundation stage.

Truth be told he was still at home, wet behind the ears still learning what it was to be in charge of himself. Today, like then, he was being brash and unreasonable. Taking his genius for granted. Well assumed genius, he really had to wonder what such a title would mean when one had nothing to compare against. Was he a genius for having access to a power none else did? In truth he couldn't say so, it was a hollow claim, contested by none.

Taking a swig of the wine he turned to look deeper into the city, he listened to the sights and sounds of the civilization he found himself a part of and wondered where to go from here? He was an alchemist damn it all! Admittedly the pills he wanted to sell were trash tier but compared to potions they were still superior. Sure his initial windfall had been spent to outright buy the modest home he shared with his women day in and day out.

Xing Lei stared into the sky, doubt festing in his scaled c.h.e.s.t. They would, one and all rather be elsewhere. Al.u.s.triea talked of her homeland often, on her fears of the civil war they had left behind. Was Queen Silvertree still in control? Had the plan to flush out their enemies gone well? New of the western continent was sparse here, very little contained the trials and tribulations of the distant elven nation. In comparison Osilliaice was more easy going but it was still clear she too missed the tribe.

While she was less intent to discuss such things, the lizardess had her own quirks that stood out. Mainly her liveliness both in work and p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. To Xing Lei it seemed she was trying hard to fill an absence as she became a notable sell sword here on Tol-Vatal, her tendency to lead charges against the halflings got her a less than subtle reputation as a blood thirsty berserker. While such a rumor on the surface seemed negative, amongst mercenaries it was more an title of praise.

On the flipside, in the bedroom she was more in demand, she had begun laying eggs now and then per month and was becoming more and more frustrated to the point she looked at each wasted clutch with seething distaste. It was becoming clear at some point her d.e.s.i.r.e to reproduce had been triggered and she was constantly trying to get time with her mate whenever it seemed she would lay her eggs. Thus far he had avoided producing a fertilized clutch but it was only a matter of time.

It was not that he did not d.e.s.i.r.e to continue his line, this time before he was deep in his cultivation or they in theirs was the ideal time to have children. The problem was, unlike his old life there was no nurses or family to look after such. If children were produced now their cultivation would have to be put to the side. Trapped between duty to his mate and his own life goals tensions were rising thus Xing Lei sought solace upon the roof and watching clouds amble by, an act he had never done before either.

Sighing to himself, Xing Lei shook his head. Ignoring the wine jug he leapt across the roof tops heading for the recently completed new outer wall. He felt he needed to get out side the city, to thrust himself into the dangerous wilderness as he had when he had first established his [Spirit Foundation], he needed to hone himself and stop worrying about twists of fate. He needed to grow stronger and reach battlefields that would truly test himself... but that last one was starting to look vastly remote.

As he scaled the stone wall with all the ease of a spider, darting unseen around the patrols, Xing Lei dropped into the jungle and vanished into the foliage. The kobold rushed through the trees, bouncing off their branches, slinging himself around their trunks with even greater speed as he took to the wilderness that seemed to come alive around him. Much like the city, the wild, yet untamed, jungle was rife with it's own occupants. The Tol-Vatal jungle was well known for its large reptilian beasts and extensive dire beast packs.

This is what Xing Lei needed now most of all, tearing through the trees, his yellow eyes fl.i.c.k.i.n.g over each beast he came across. For the most part these were all standard beasts, strong against mortals surely but Xing Lei wanted something more. Deeper into the jungle he ran, tearing through the foliage with abandon, stealth was not what he needed, he wanted to attract trouble not avoid it. Fate was listening as the kobold tore through a thick bush and came upon a great reptile devouring another beast.

Pulling up short, the kobolds head tilted slightly, watching as the rather odd looking reptile tore into the guts of what had to have been a dire tiger. The feeling given off by the beast was at least a rank four, perhaps a rank five. His spear appeared in his grip as he watched the spirit beast lift its thick head, the reptilian visage turned and let out a roar that echo'd for miles, its bloody maw opened wide revealing huge jagged teeth easily the size of an average kobold.

Staring at the intimidating beast, Xing Lei gave a yell back as the large reptile charged him like he charged it. His clawed feet finding the terrain extra tricky as every stomp of the beasts feet was like a mini earthquake, the large maw snapping down at him like an immense bear trap. The fetid breath assailed his senses as he thre himself to the side, rolling out of the way of the large jaws that snapped shut mere inches from his tail. Bouncing back to his feet the spear lashed out, slashing across the things thick ankle, the leathery flesh barely slicing open and making the large beast roar in pain.

Squaring off, Xing Lei looked upon into the beady eyes of the beast, rage burned in those tiny orbs as it ignored its slashed ankle and charged forward again snarling as the kobold rushed right back, spear lifted high as the second round started...