Chapter 97: A Stroll for Solace

Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Stroll to Clear the Mind

When Xia Zheng awoke, he found Nalan Sheng sitting cross-legged on the bed, deep in meditation. Xia Zheng decided not to disturb her, quietly waiting for her to emerge from her trance. For a Mind Adept, cultivation was most often a state of stillness, markedly different from the practices of other Espers.

After about half an hour, Nalan Sheng finished her meditation and opened her eyes. Her gaze was as clear as a mountain spring, untouched by dust. Xia Zheng could sense the aura of spiritual power radiating from her, making it obvious that she had made significant progress—perhaps even reached a new level.

Once Nalan Sheng had fully withdrawn her spiritual power, Xia Zheng finally spoke. “Congratulations, Sheng Sheng.”

“Thank you, brother,” Nalan Sheng said softly, lowering her eyes. Gone was the serene, unreadable expression; now her gaze brimmed with affection.

“What makes you say that?” Xia Zheng asked, sitting up and drawing her into his arms.

Pressing herself against his chest, Nalan Sheng replied, “Last night, I seemed to sense your spiritual power. Afterwards, my own power surged dramatically. This morning, I felt on the verge of a breakthrough, so I tried to cultivate—and to my surprise, I succeeded.”

“Oh? Was it because of me?” Xia Zheng tried to recall his own state last night, but nothing particularly memorable came to mind.

Nalan Sheng nodded. “You must have made progress too, which allowed me to sense it. After all, we’re both Mind Adepts, and our hearts are closely linked.”

Xia Zheng then settled into the posture for meditation, turning his awareness inward. He found that the expanse of his spiritual sea had indeed grown, allowing him to refine greater reserves of spiritual sense—his total capacity had increased.

“How was it, brother?” Nalan Sheng asked eagerly as soon as Xia Zheng finished meditating.

He nodded. “You were right. My spiritual power has grown, though not enough for a breakthrough.”

The two, delighted by their mutual progress, spent a tender moment together before moving on to their daily routine.

Nalan Sheng hadn’t yet fully resumed her own cultivation, since Xia Zheng’s upcoming tournament remained their chief focus for now.

By mid-April, the weather had turned thoroughly warm. The publicity surrounding the tournament was in full swing. Even Azure City had caught the fever, growing livelier by the day. During this period, millions of spectators had poured in from across the Federation, causing the city to swell beyond its usual limits. The Presidential Palace, in response, issued restrictions on entry, while the military dispatched elite units to bolster citywide security.

Xia Zheng’s parents still resided at the Tianren Corporation base. After the initial excitement wore off, boredom set in. Xia Zheng asked Claire to arrange some simple work for them; they weren’t picky about pay or benefits—just something ordinary would do.

Gradually, the couple adapted to life among the Tianren squad, growing more familiar with the world of Espers. They were especially proud to learn that their son was now a rising star among them, taking part in the prestigious tournament.

Yet after watching a few qualifying matches on TV, Xia Zheng’s parents found the scenes too bloody to bear. The thought of their son facing such terrifying opponents sapped any remaining interest. Like many ordinary Federation citizens—and the families of other squad members—they wanted only for their loved ones to stay safe and healthy.

Understanding this, Xia Zheng suggested they stick to reading the news and papers, and not force themselves to watch his matches. He understood the gulf between regular people and Espers—he’d once been one of them before his own awakening. Perhaps he had been more envious and excited about that world, but everyone’s heart was different. Some longed for adventure; others for peace. There was no right or wrong in these choices—only differences in temperament.

Xia Zheng paid little mind to such mundane affairs, comforting his parents as best he could. His real attention was on preparing for the imminent group stage. Time was running very short.

He had by now fully mastered five skills: Thunder of Mind, Divine Eye, Mind Force, Water Shield, and Flame Armor. His proficiency was nearly flawless. After intense practice in real combat, his Mind Force was finally under perfect control.

His proficiency with Ice Arrow and Flame Arrow was nearly perfect as well; casting them posed no difficulty, and he could complete the spell in under two seconds—a remarkable speed.

In addition, he’d developed a combined technique—Flamefrost Sword—by fusing the first two skills he’d honed. Though still short of perfection, he succeeded seven or eight times out of ten, and one out of fifty was a flawless release. He believed that with continued practice, especially in real combat, he would eventually achieve mastery.

Yet Xia Zheng still felt this was not enough. His true opponent was not the other three in his group, but Ryan.

Three days before the competition, Xia Zheng hit a bottleneck in his training.

“The skill derived from the Visualization Diagram is simply too powerful to control—it’s impossible to practice here. I’ll have to find another place,” Xia Zheng thought. He had tried the advanced skill, Soar, but the results were unsatisfactory. His spiritual power was sufficient to sustain the spell, but unlike before, he couldn’t scale it down for practice—the skill could only be unleashed at full strength, with no way to weaken it.

But in his current environment, that was impossible. So Xia Zheng resolved to seek out a more secluded place.

Unfortunately, being in Azure City, he found it nearly impossible to do so. Leaving the city now would likely mean he couldn’t re-enter, due to the new regulations. The city had become strict about entry and lax about exit; leaving was easy, but coming back would be a real hassle. He didn’t want to overuse his limited connections.

The Foundation had no base in Azure City, and he needed at least a Level Five Esper training room. The best he could find were Level Four, most only Level Two or Three—a fact that left him quite troubled.

Nalan Sheng and Dream Fox did their best to help him, and Xia Zheng felt uncomfortable relying on them too much.

Feeling stifled, Xia Zheng informed them he’d be going out for a bit, then drove the Foundation’s car to the city center, hoping that a stroll might spark an idea. Nalan Sheng and Dream Fox assumed he was simply tired from training and wanted to relax, so they weren’t worried.

After finally finding a parking spot, Xia Zheng was free to wander.

The streets were packed—an ocean of people. Other than during major festivals, Azure City never saw such crowds. The local business community was delighted; business was booming, and they were optimistic about the tournament’s prospects, as was the Professional League, which attracted even more investment.

Wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, Xia Zheng tried to avoid attention—as a minor celebrity now, he had no wish to become a spectacle.

Everywhere, people discussed the thirty-two tournament contenders. Many were betting heavily. Xia Zheng noticed his group stage odds were 3.5, while the others in his group—Zhao Cun, Latina, and Arnold—had odds of 1.5, 1.9, and 2.2 respectively.

“Damn, they really don’t think much of me!” Xia Zheng muttered, angrily betting a million bonds on himself, causing the lottery shop owner and customers nearby to gape in astonishment. Fortunately, the wagers required no real-name registration—just a linked bank account—so Xia Zheng had no worries about privacy.

He’d considered betting even more but decided against it, since he had no real interest in gambling; he simply wanted to send a message to those who’d set his odds.