35 The End Is In Sigh (1/2)
After her short session of meditation in order to adjust a little bit to the pressure, Shin Sumi continued to regulate her dantian but at least was able to move more freely than before.
Her clothes were soaked with sweat and now that she realized it, an acrid odor was starting to form from certain areas. Because cultivators were much better than mortals at regulating their bodily functions, it rarely happened that they needed a bath.
In fact since she had started to unclog her Shinsoo Apertures, Shin Sumi had only bathed out of pleasure but not out of need.
Thinking about her courtyard and its pond, back in the sect, Shin Sumi sighted loudly, suddenly missing her comfort after all these months of training and running.
Her eyes darted off in the distance immediately. The stream of clear water that was maybe a dozen meters wide turned in between roots and rocks, forming a shallow neck from which a slight slope created a natural beach.
As she approached the stream, Shin Sumi saw to her relief that the giant fish hastily swam away, as if they were afraid of her.
”If this is a training ground, generations of fish must have been hunted for food by disciples of the sect” she thought, herself wondering if they were as tasty as they looked.
In a swift motion, Shin Sumi disrobed and threw her red garments on a rock to the side all the while jumping in the refreshing water, splashes flying in every direction.
She played happily for a couple minutes, leisurely floating at the pace of the river at times, occasionally propelling her back towards the beach.
Only when she decided she had fooled for long enough did she start washing herself in order to get back to cultivating and exploring around.
Using her hands she rubbed her body, focusing on the areas that were the smelliest, from the armpits on down. She had reached her midsection when she suddenly froze.
”What is...” she started before falling into a deadly silence.
She then let out a scream in which true horror could be heard and almost passed out. Her vision had turned pitch black for half a second before she managed to catch herself.
It was only after that her mind realized what was going on, and her complexion turned as red as the bloody sky. She finished her affair in less than twenty seconds, not daring to look down at her body. Or more accurately at the male anatomy that was hiding her true identity.
She only lowered her gaze after having donned another set of robes, being sure that she was covered again.
She quickly washed her previous clothes and put them into her bag of holding.
Her hastened heart-rate slowly receded, her mind returning to a state of relative calmness.
Never had she thought in all her life that the first time she would see a naked man, it would be herself paradoxically. She thought about her family for a brief moment.
More than a year had passed since she had been ordered to wed an Official from the big city Lord's court. It wasn't the first time she reminisced about that moment, but it certainly was the first time her will wavered.
”I miss my family” she thought, ”Mother and Father at home must think I am dead by now. Brother too, and Second Uncle in the library as well.”
The weight of breaking her familial duties could be felt on her heart. She knew that at some point she would have to face the consequences of her decisions.
In the Immortal World where everyone had to maintain a righteous mindset in order to progress, torments from the past could become a major obstacle in breaking through to the next level.
If her heart wavered, Shin Sumi would become unable to reach her maximum level, remorse and regrets ever dragging her down.
”When this is over, I will go to them and explain what my life has become. I am sure they would understand. After all, what is a small position like an Official's wife compared to a legendary Immortal, right little nut?”
A hint of sarcasm tinted her words. The 'Immortal legends' she spoke about referred to the myths little kids from the mortal realm liked to hear before going to sleep. They were all about pure-hearted individuals, living enlightened above the clouds. Dragons amongst men.
None of the lecherous and cunning people that would kill others for the sake of their own future. What a joke it was.
The little nut didn't answer her rhetorical questions. Shin Sumi wished her sworn sister Xiao Yue was here.
”I wonder how far along she is. I hope she didn't run into too much trouble. If ever we get the chance, I would like to reunite with her as soon as possible.”
Little did she know that Xiao Yue was having the exact same thoughts, reaching the last crossway platform before the central floating continent.
Xiao Yue was a promising disciple who could be said to honor the orange garments that she wore. She couldn't quite compare to the handful of yellow robed Honorary Disciples, but even among her peers she could almost be called a prodigy.
She had fared pretty well in the first stage of the tournament, clearing the illusion after a dozen hours. It allowed her to be part of the first quarter of disciples to arrive to the blood sky path.
She wasn't considerably late compared to Shin Sumi, Tai Bu and the yellow robes disciples in general, but even half a day was a big difference.
On the scale of the whole floating platforms path it was close to nothing but while taking into consideration the physical aptitudes of the differently colored disciples, the timing could only get split further and further.
Xiao Yue was about a week behind Shin Sumi at this point, but with no way of knowing that her sister was actually in front of her.
She would sometimes turn her head towards the light pillars in the distance longingly, thinking about Shin Sumi.
”What are you looking for, Big Sister Xiao?” asked a teenage girl wearing an orange dress too, ”do you think people are after us?”
Contrary to herself, Xiao Yue's travelling companion Kan Xi was far from the picture of bravery and excitation. She was a reserved girl that had joined the sect only recently and intensely regretted participating in this Rising Star Tournament.
”No, Kan Xi. Again, I would tell you if there were people after us. Now keep running, I'm not going to wait for you.”
Xiao Yue sighed loudly and thought ”At least Kan Xi isn't slowing me down too much. Sumi, you have to catch up soon!”
Kan Xi was not convinced. She had seen Xiao Yue look backwards anxiously a lot recently and that in turn made her anxious too. Having been born in a really poor family, her whole life had been about running away.
She thought that it would be all over when a warm and beautiful man had descended from the sky to take her away to the Immortal World.
With her frail constitution she lacked fighting power and her confidence was hence dragged down. Despite her orange robes, she had only been in the sect for a few months and had just recently started to feel the Shinsoo around her.
It was even impressive that she would be able to muster enough strength to follow Xiao Yue as they ran along the path to the floating continent. The latter guessed that her talent wasn't bad at all after all.
”Kan Xi, let's stop at the next platform. We should arrive tomorrow or the day after to this big landmass, I feel that it would be better to arrive with our power replenished. Now sit down and cultivate the way I showed you.”
Kan Xi diligently crossed her legs on the ground and closed her eyes after nodding affirmatively. She circulated her energy along a precise path, not deviating from the way Xiao Yue told her to by even a single drop.
Xiao Yue had good eyes and even better experience. From her own tales she had instantly been able to discern that Kan Xi wasn't training to the best of her aptitudes.
It was known that some ways of cultivating were more adapted than others to certain people, as well as the fact that some ways were simply more powerful independently of the individual.
It was the case for Shin Sumi's complete Shinsoo Gathering Manual that was thought to have been lost to the world, instead becoming an incomplete lesser spell.
As she was resting too, Xiao Yue once again was lost in thoughts. Her eyes looked up to the floating landmass that now covered about half of her field of vision.
Just like all the disciples with no exception, she was wondering what was the point of this stage of the tournament.
***