Chapter 38: Chap 38

 

Down to the third floor, the trial of Formless shell awaits. This technique is also leaked to the outside as Ten directions footwork. Its utility is marvellous, but utterly complicated to learn. Practitioners of this technique can create a formless shell that acts accordingly to their control. The idea of having an additional helper that can take action from a position away from you is great and all, but the shell has no self. The practitioners have to manually control the shell while they are controlling their body if they want any sort of benefit from the technique. It raised the argument “why carry two swords in one hand when you can do wonder with just one?” The metaphor is completely on point, because carrying two swords in one hand is almost exactly what controlling both your body and the shell feels. I tried this technique once to complete this trial and have never touched it again since.

 

For this trial, there is a cup and a little bit of dark water on one side of the room. Using the cup and filling the empty bowl on the other side, that’s the gist. Once the dark water is being moved to the other side, hidden mechanisms will shoot needles from the ceiling to the source of qi nearest to the dark water. These needles can make short work of qi armour from even the top disciples. This is where Formless shell comes into play. The disciples will bring the cup of liquid to the bowl while controlling the shell to protect themselves. If they fail one or two trips, there is still enough to complete the trial. Thus, steadiness wins the race.

 

If one feels lucky, they can throw the liquid to the small target thirty meters over there. However, it should be reminded again, the liquid is limited. The dark water is resistant to qi so most creative means ended up a failure before.

 

Dong Yun An takes a half-full cup and “tests the water”. As she is one-step deep into the detection zone, tens of needles come flying. She retreats in time, and the ground where she was about to lay down her foot became pin cushion. Tian Zhong and the other disciples almost made a jolt.

 

She puts the cup in a safe place behind her, then pulls one needle out of the ground. If I guess correctly, she is analysing the force behind the needles. Since it is just a needle, not much can be done to fling it any stronger. Even so, puncturing three-centimeters deep into the stone floor is pretty powerful. Probably gains the same info as what I had known, she throws it away.

 

She sits down on her spot, seemingly enters deep thought. Her legs cross with the outside ankles touching the floor. Her cheek rests against the right thumb and the second knuckles of the index, while the elbow of that arm presses on the knee of the same side.

 

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“Junior master. Do you think the junior master can pass this trial?” Li Gao whispered. (note: there are words to address male junior master and female junior master. I don’t want to make it more complicated so I used “junior master”. In this sentence, The first “junior master” refers to Tian Zhong. The second refers to Dong Yun An) 

“I don’t really know.” Tian Zhong replied. “She hasn’t completely recovered, so taking those needles head on is ill-advised. Another way is to use qi armour to weaken the needles’ power. However, her cultivation is too low for that. Even if she can, the mechanisms would target her meridian points. When that happens, qi skin or not, it would disrupt her body in the worst way possible. If she sustains too much damage, she won’t be able to handle the rest of the trial cave.”

“Tian- I mean Junior master.” Fang Xin called. “Can she bring the water over while evading?”

Tian Zhong shakes his head. “Even in her best condition, she would spill too much to complete the trial.”

“Junior master. Can’t you just let the mechanisms shoot all the needles then carry the water later?”

“I thought the same thing, Shi Xin, but I doubt your senior master, Zhao Ren, will be comfortable with that. He could ask to stop the trial and refill the needles.”

 

It just so happens that Yun An got an idea. She rushes back to the upper as her back disappears on the stairs. Loud noises crash down from above, making a few of them unnerved. Tian Zhong volunteers to check on her, but he quickly returns. He clears the entrance as heavy footsteps awkwardly descend.

 

Yun An appears with the intact door, an object her small frame should not be able to lift. She let the door lie flat on the ground as curious eyes anticipate her next move. Once again, she displays her extraordinary strength, bending the door into shape. When Zhao Ren puts one into one, his vein almost pops.

 

Yun An, after drenching her clothes in sweat, turns the slab of metal into a bell-shaped… cloak? Her master breaks out laughing as she uses it to complete the trial without spilling a drop.

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