Chapter 84 - Endless Curiosities (1/2)
Xing Jing stood behind Fu Xue, her muscular body firmly planted on the ground, although her expression was that of playfulness and excitement.
”Where... Did she come from?!” Fu Xue asked herself in confusion. On her back, the protective rock armor that had managed to resist more than one of Sui Lin's Piercing Heavens crumbled apart.
That sort of power... How did it hit her without her even realizing?!
As Fu Xue looked at the strong woman, both she and Sui Lin attempted to probe the newcomer to no avail.
”Don't tell me that her cultivation base is so much higher than mine that I can't even decipher her presence” Sui Lin suddenly felt anxious about that strange girl.
”Oh? That Fu Clan girl completely dropped her guard, didn't she? I guess that's what happens when Xing Jing enters the fight” Master Breaker said confidently.
Next to him, Master Cloud remained silent. Unlike the fighters in the middle of the Arena, how could someone with their level of cultivation fail to probe Xing Jing?
”Where did you pick such an interesting fruit, Breaker? That girl's cultivation is... No, she doesn't even have a cultivation base, does she?”
In the thousands of people assembled for the Cross Branch Arena, Xing Jing was definitely the closest to what could be called a mortal.
Her dantian was as empty as could be and not even an ounce of Shinsoo radiated from her body.
”I... I can't see her,” Fu Xue referred to her divine sense. In front of it, Xing Jing was completely absent, ”No, rather her presence is so faint that I'm not used to see her.”
Both Sui Lin and Fu Xue had confused expressions, their guard suddenly going up as means to protect themselves from the unknown.
Pointing at them, Xing Jing laughed loudly until her eyes were clouded by tears.
”Aahaha that look is the best... Every time I meet someone new they look at me like this. Don't worry You'll understand my secret soon.”
Xing Jing wiped a tear from her eye and re-assumed her original stance.
Under her robes, all the muscles in her body tensed. Hidden under her clothes, the tattoo that connected her belly with all her members started to emit a soft dark light.
”Here I come!”
As soon as her voice escaped her lips, Xing Jing was nowhere to be seen. By sheer reflex, Fu Xue turned around, a sudden possibility striking her mind.
She was right. Xing Jing had not disappeared. Her speed was just on that level. Facing Fu Xue from the other side, Xing Jing let out a horizontal kick.
The n.a.k.e.d foot blasted through the rock protection, the almost invisible tattoo on her sole flashing just once.
Being further away, Sui Lin had a slightly better view of what had happened and yet she didn't have time to react. Xing Jing's movement, there was definitely no technique behind it. Xing Jing was just... running!
In an attempt to stop her from coming for herself, Sui Lin bit her tongue and was about to send a drop of blood onto her paintbrush when she stopped abruptly.
”Character Formation is useless. In fact all of my techniques are. Without feeling her divine sense, I can't send my techniques to hit her at all.”
She had suddenly understood what the terrifying presence of Xing Jing meant. But she had yet to comprehend how it was possible.
Having been hit twice with the force of a tree trunk falling onto her, Fu Xue was enraged and injured.
With a lot less energy than when she had started the fight, her stone golem form shed away to reveal her bruised body.
”I can't maintain it any longer which also means I can't get hit anymore.”
More than anybody present she understood the level of power than Xing Jing could deliver, although her singular presence was still a mystery.
Xing Jing seemed lost in thoughts for a moment when Fu Xue revealed herself from under the rocks. She looked at the petite girl up and down, slowly shaking her head.
”Listen, Fu Xue, right? I don't want to hurt you too bad. I am going to-”
Xing Jing didn't finish her sentence before Fu Xue, enraged by her condescending tone produced a flying sword and sent it towards her.
Xing Jing's eyes opened like giant marbles and she realized how her way of speaking had offended her. Bowing multiple times in rapid succession, she easily evaded the flying sword and apologized at the same time.
”No no no! I'm so sorry Sister Fu, I didn't mean to say it like that. Listen I will explain my fighting style to you. I didn't want to offend you I swear!”
Even as veins were beating furiously on Fu Xue's temples, the fighter from the Cloud-Formation Pavilion forced herself to calm down.
”I might as well listen to her and recuperate a bit of energy while she talks” she said to herself and then out loud, ”Go on.”
”Thank you, I'll be quick. Listen, my body is different from all of yours. I'm not a cultivator, you see?”
”...”
From the distance between the center of the arena and the seats, the only people capable of hearing her explanation were of course the Elders and the Pavilion Masters.
”Is that true, Breaker?” one of the other Masters enquired.
Master Breaker stroked his beard, his head swaying slowly from side to side ”Hmmm yes and no. Xing Jing doesn't have a cultivation base in the normal sense. For a reason I ignore, her dantian doesn't absorb even the slightest drop of Shinsoo. But it doesn't mean she is completely devoid of it.”
Master Furnace, the woman in charge of the Shinsoo-Medicine Pavilion was listening with great care. Maybe Xing Jing would be worthy of her medical attention. Curiosity for the human body was the reason for her existence after all.
The large Master Breaker continued, ”From what evidence I've gathered, Xing Jing's Shinsoo acquired through meditation or other means goes through her body to her dantian and then gets dissipated. Before leaving her into our care, her Clan must already have had an idea about that, as they covered her body with spiritual tattoos. The way they work is completely natural to Xing Jing.”
”She simply uses her body in a normal way and the tattoos send Shinsoo into her muscles?”
Master Breaker nodded at Master Furnace's remark.
”That, coupled with her natural talent for martial arts, Xing Jing is a beast on the ring. I even made her an instructor for hand-to-hand combat in my Pavilion, she teaches up to the second-step disciples although she herself is only mortal. But she's a ticking bomb as well...”
Naturally, all the experts gathered to see their disciples clash in the Cross Branch Arena understood what Master Breaker meant.
A girl who was fighting despite not having an ounce of Shinsoo nor divine sense was both heroic and destined to suffer. Divine sense was a crucial part of fighting, allowing to probe and see the opponent as well as their technique, but the lack of could be compensated by reflexes and alertness.
However, with the most resilient body amongst all the eighteen contestants, the latter was precisely Xing Jing's weakness. Master Breaker had deemed her strong enough to have the honorary title of Liquid Realm third step without knowing what her limits were. What would happen if her muscles couldn't take all the Shinsoo she had absorbed thus far?
***
”I'm stepping out” Sui Lin cut Xing Jing's explanation abruptly, ”you both continue fighting but I'm out of energy. My techniques are the worst match for your strength.”
Sui Lin turned on her heels, putting away her paintbrush, ”Sorry everyone, Sister Mei, you can take my place.”
Now only Fu Xue and Xing Jing remained in the Arena. As the pale-faced Sui Lin rejoined the side-lines and Mei Yunei joined the fray, Fu Xue was slowly recuperating.
”So you're like a glass sword. I can't wait to see how you'll shatter.”
Contrarily to Sui Lin who would rather conserve her energy and leave when she knew she couldn't face an obstacle, it was not in Fu Xue's mentality to give up in a fight.
”A glass sword... I like that” Xing Jing laughed, all the while assuming a powerful fighting stance.
She knew better than anyone else how close the analogy was to her reality. Because of the lack of Shinsoo in her dantian, her muscles had been reinforced in a way that made her body the strongest for her level, but it also meant she couldn't do what most cultivators could.
In essence she was the only mortal in an Immortal World. Any injury she obtained would have to be recovered from, like a mortal would. Without Shinsoo she was incapable of regenerating her body or closing up wounds by herself.