Chapter 14: After the Spar
Just as Xiao Hong was doubting her life, Qiao Guiying's voice reached her.
“Was that the Star Shifting Steps at the Small Accomplishment level?! And more importantly, the Spirit Transformation Technique??!” Qiao Guiying gushed as she flew over and landed next to Xiao Hong, her expression equal parts shock and delight, “Marvellous! To be able to master not one, not two, but three Profound-Rank Arts in such a short time is nothing short of miraculous!
“Moreover, you even reached the Novice level for Spirit Transformation Art!”
Qiao Guying stared at Xiao Hong in amazement. Her Junior Sister’s talent was so surprising that she even wondered if she was hallucinating. One has to understand that to reach the Novice level in a Profound Rank Technique, even prodigies had to cultivate it for years! Ordinary people would take decades to do it! But this girl had reached Great Accomplishment in three months. For three Techniques! That might as well be one Technique a month!
‘This… Junior Sister’s talent is so terrifying!’ Qiao Guiying’s shock had yet to pass, ‘Even now, with my awakened Bloodline, it would take me almost 2 years to reach the same level as she did!’
Qiao Guiying’s heart, which had been anxious since she learned that Xiao Hong was going to the Trial, relaxed slightly. She smiled as she got closer to her companion.
As she did, however, her eyes fell upon Xiao Hong, whose chest was heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
Qiao Guiying’s imagination suddenly went wild as she stared at the droplets of sweat that flowed down her flushed cheeks and slender neck. They flowed down and disappeared beneath her robes - robes that let just a hint of her elegant collarbone show through. As she got closer still, a pleasant scent that faintly resembled a Blue Iris floated over, stimulating her nose.
Qiao Guiying’s cheeks couldn’t help but flush as she recalled those vivid fantasies she had every night.
She shook her head vigorously. ‘How indecent of me! Sister Hong is so innocent; I cannot let my dirty thoughts taint her!’ Qiao Guiying, who, apparently, had a massive misunderstanding about her Junior Sister’s character, scolded herself inwardly.
Xiao Hong, who was by her side, thought, ‘What’s wrong with this girl? Why is she blushing and shaking her head like a rattledrum?’ Her eyes rolled downwards and she immediately understood, ‘Hohoho~!’
She barely managed to suppress the smirk that threatened to split her face and decided to verify her assumptions. Shifting her weight to her left hand, she reached out with her right and tugged downwards at her collar, while throwing her head backwards and exhaling, “Fuuh!”
Qiao Guiying who had just managed to suppress her deviant thoughts, was sabotaged upon viewing the enticing spring scenery. All her efforts to contain her feelings went down the drain as soon as she saw the hint of a black strap that contrasted beautifully against the creamy skin. The soft flesh that deformed around her underwear once again brought up those fantasies, more vivid than ever before.
Qiao Guiying’s hands itched. She really wished to bring those fantasies to life, But she once again shook her head. ‘No, no, no. I mustn't, I mustn’t!’
“You’re one to talk, Sister Ying! With my current power, I should be able to defeat powerful 4th Disaster realm cultivators. But you effortlessly beat me using a single Black-Rank spell and some sword qi!” As Qiao Guiying was trying her best to control her breathing, Xiao Hong replied to Qiao Guiying’s previous exclamation, ‘oblivious’ to the inner turmoil her actions had induced in her companion.
She still wanted to play the ‘innocent Junior Sister’ for a while more. Mainly because it induced the cutest reactions in Qiao Guiying.
“Oh! Huh, uh…” Qiao Guiying, who had been distracted by her ‘indecent’ thoughts, was startled and subconsciously blurted out, “That’s because I awakened my Bloodline-” She suddenly realised what she had said and her eyes immediately widened. Instantly, her own and Xiao Hong’s Divine Sense swept out scanning for anyone nearby.
Xiao Hong’s Divine Sense extended out to nearly 240 metres in all directions, scanning extremely carefully. She did not find anyone, but she was still not satisfied. So, she shaped her Divine Sense into a beam more than a mile long and swept it around like a radar.
Only after ensuring that they were alone did she and Qiao Guiying breathe a collective sigh of relief.
“There’s no one in range of a mile I can detect, Sister Ying.” Xiao Hong told her companion.
Qiao Guiying nodded gratefully, “Thank you, Sister Hong. I…” Qiao Guiying froze. Her jaw dropped at least two feet as she eyed Xiao Hong in astonishment. Her voice was slightly feeble as she queried, “D-did you just say ‘mile’?”
Even a Nirvana Realm expert will find it impossible to extend his Divine Sense beyond 600 metres, no matter how they shape it, let alone a mile. So, Xiao Hong’s situation was weird - no matter how you swung it.
“Mh-hm.” Xiao Hong winked at Qiao Guiying. It was her way of saying - ‘Since you let me in on a secret, I will too’
Qiao Quiying’s heart warmed as she understood the implication. A wide smile appeared on her face, crinkling the corners of her eyes. “Thank you, Sister Hong.”
***
They continued chatting for a while.
“So, you’re saying that my Soul is special? And it is this Heavenly Star Spirit Constitution?” Xiao Hong asked curiously. Although she knew it wasn’t the case with her, she still asked.
Qiao Guiying shook her head lightly. “Not quite. I’m saying that is one of the possibilities. It is nigh impossible to judge one’s Spiritual State as that would require peering into your very Soul - which is one of the greatest taboos in the World of Immortal Cultivation. Even Demon Dao Cultivators - known for their unscrupulous ways - don’t do this often.
“It is only through the outwards manifestation or very particular tells that we would be able to narrow down the possibilities.
“First, is that their comprehension ability is off the charts. They can very quickly comprehend complex subjects like Alchemy, Array Formations and Talisman making. Their understanding of Battle Techniques, Spell Arts, and Cultivation Methods is much better than even the more extraordinary geniuses.
“Secondly, their Divine Sense is incredibly powerful, allowing them to scan ranges far beyond any ordinary cultivator, and very rarely, beyond the limit.” She looked at Xiao Hong who was listening to her with great concentration. “Like you, Sister Hong.
“Thirdly, their control over Essence is almost cheat-like. The finesse shown by them would cause others to fall into depression. They can do things with their Zhenqi that no one in the same cultivation realm could ever hope to replicate.
“Fourthly - and this by far the most obvious tell - they can breeze through the Soul Palace Realm as easy as eating or drinking. They often don’t even require Heavenly Spirit Pills - which others simply can’t do without.
“Fifth, their Battle Prowess at the Fusion and Transformation Realm leave everyone else in the dust. They also gain tremendous advantages in the Core Formation Realm, but I’m not privy to that knowledge.
“These are all signs that you may have a special Spiritual Constitution. As for the more specific type, I am not sure myself. No one in the Qiao Family's history had a special Spirit Constitution. The only things that I know are rumours and speculations.”
Xiao Hong nodded absentmindedly. She knew that she definitely did not have any such special Spirit Constitution. It was just her Spirit God’s Soul Cultivation Method that strengthened her Soul immensely. Her ‘insane comprehension ability’ was completely the credit of her system.
Her control over Zhenqi was definitely far better than most in the same realm, but that was thanks to her experience in Alchemy. And it definitely wasn’t as awesome as Qiao Guiying told her.
However, it was a great excuse for her abilities. It wasn’t perfect, but she could manage.
Qiao Guiying told Xiao Hong everything she knew. Even as she did, she took several furtive glances at her companion’s slightly exposed chest. Even though there wasn’t much other than just the hint of a strap and the beginning of the curve, it was still of great interest to Qiao Guiying!
In contrast to the majority of girls in the Cultivation World, the Old Xiao Hong, whose dressing style the new Xiao Hong had inherited, was quite conservative. She always wore her Sect uniform to her neck, showing very little skin compared to the other girls in the Sect who weren't really bothered about showing off a bit of cleavage.
It was one of the quirks of the Cultivation world that Xiao Hong had a hard time wrapping her head around. Clearly, they were very conservative when it came to same-sex couples, but when it came to the looser standard for modesty they were perfectly fine!
However, she supposed it could still be explained - the Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation was a thing after all. Most Dao Companions practised at least one type of Auxiliary Dual Cultivation Method since it was considered a legitimate way to increase one’s cultivation.
Cultivation was extremely difficult on its own. So, if there was a way to enhance their cultivation speed by choosing a partner, then why the fuck not? So the ladies of the Cultivation World often dressed in ways that showed off a certain amount of skin - not much, not nearly as much as the Auctioneer Jia Lan. But a bit of cleavage here or a bit of midriff there was fair game.
It was definitely enough to rouse the desires in the hearts of men.
And it was the same for male cultivators! They often selected sleeveless clothes to show off their muscular arms or left their front open - showing off their well-built and athletic bodies.
In the past few centuries of the cultivation world, getting tattoos was the new fad among men. A male cultivator was more likely to get a girlfriend if he had tattoos than if he did not!
It was because of this, that one could see many men walking around sporting dragons and phoenixes on their chests.
However, there was an unwritten rule that when visiting public establishments of the Sect like the Affairs Hall or the Alchemy Hall, tattoos weren’t to be shown off. The older generation did not like this new fad at all. And in a world where older generally meant stronger, Gen Z did not mess with the Boomers.
Anyway, this was the first time she had seen Xiao Hong show as much skin. So Qiao Guiying was justifiably excited - or at least that is what she told herself!
***
The two decided to have some real food instead of the same old Fasting Pills, so Qiao Guiying decided to go hunt some Demon Beasts while Xiao Hong rested; her Qi was quite depleted after all that sparring.
As Qiao Guiying flew through the sky above the forest, searching for prey, she thought back to Xiao Hong’s display of talent. She remembered the time when she felt envious every time she saw someone more talented than her, wishing she could have the same or even better talent.
Yet, today, even as she flew through the sky, the only emotions in her heart were happiness and relief. There was no trace of the envy that she had expected.
‘Is it because my talent is now far better than before? Is that the reason why I don’t feel envious? Or is it…’
She wondered.
***
On the other hand, Xiao Hong stared down at her still slightly exposed strap and thought back to her actions, “Despite being a girl for only 2 years, I've become quite the expert in the art of seduction!”
“Now that I think about it, the fact that I accepted my female form so quickly is rather strange. Initially, I’d thought it was because I was a pervert that I accepted being in a female body so quickly.
“Or perhaps, it was the old Xiao Hong’s memories that affected me.
“But, obviously, the old Xiao Hong doesn’t affect me as much as I thought she did: my behavioural patterns do have changes, but not as significant as I’d have expected under this assumption.”
She frowned a little, unable to understand what was going on. While she was thinking, another possibility occurred to her.
“... Have I perhaps always been Xiao Hong? And only when ‘I’ tried and failed to awaken ‘my’ Divine Sense that my memories awakened?”
Xiao Hong felt this was the most plausible answer for now. Although it failed to explain a lot of things, it was the best explanation she could come up with.
As for her ‘reincarnation’ or ‘transmigration’ she decided to not even think about it. She got the idea, but the mechanics of it were something too far beyond Xiao Hong’s comprehension to even speculate.
She reckoned she needed to be at least at the Essence Soul Realm to figure that stuff out. While Soul Palace onwards the cultivator dealt with the Soul Gate and the Sea of Consciousness, it was only the outer layer.
So she did not even bother thinking about it. Though, as unlikely as it was, she hoped it was a Cosmic Coincidence that she ended up here.