NOVEL NEXT 78. Sun Ting’s Awakening
(Back at Sun Ting's Estate)
"WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?"
Sun Ting's shout echoed throughout the room as he stared at Bu Cai, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, as if he was looking at someone crazy.
He couldn't believe what Bu Cai had just told him- Never in a million years!
His closest friend had just told him, with a straight face, that he could help fix the constitution which has haunted him throughout his life?
"Sun Ting, I know you will take me as a complete clown for saying this...But you have to believe me!
Your constitution is not a curse, rather, it is closer to a blessing. A huge blessing!"
As he listened to the words coming out of his best friend's mouth, Sun Ting felt the urge to strangle him to death.
A blessing?
Everything he had was stripped from him because of this thing, and now he had just been told that it was a great boon?
Sun Ting was ready to instantly lash out at Bu Cai for saying something like that- Even for a joke that was too much!
He was about to scream curses at his friend, however, he swallowed back his anger after hearing Bu Cai spit out two words,
"Dao Physique."
The moment Sun Ting heard that, it was as if he had been struck by lightning.
He had a Dao Physique?!
He knew, well, what a Dao Physique was as his very own sister had one. It was said to be something so amazing for cultivation, that the difference between someone with one and without one, was equivalent to the difference between heaven and earth!
And he has something that incredible?
Impossible!
His mind instantly rejected the notion of that, as it was completely absurd.
How could he remain as trash for so long with one?
As if Bu Cai could read his thoughts, he once again spoke out and said,
"What do you find so unbelievable about it?
Didn't you tell me how great you felt after finally putting your hands on art?
Didn't you say you felt something similar to that psycho sister of yours?"
Sun Ting kept shaking his head and confronted what Bu Cai was saying,
"You're lying!
If that was so, then why have I not been able to feel that sensation again when I tried art again?!
This is definitely a curse and not some blessing as you say!
Plus, why have you only told me now then about this?
If you were really my friend then you would have told me as soon as you found out?!"
The room turned completely silent for a couple of moments until it was broken by Bu Cai's sigh.
...
(Bu Cai POV)
You complete moron!
I knew he would refute whatever I'm saying with his life on the line if I did this!
He is incredibly adamant about the fact that his constitution is a negative thing, and won't change his mind because it's scarred him!
I felt like I was about to burst a vein because of this annoyance.
I sighed and didn't say anything else as I walked over to him and lifted him by the collar for the second time today.
This time he struggled harder to escape and shouted,
"I can walk and stand by myself!
Stop this shitty prank and just admit that my trash constitution can't be fixed, rather than saying nonsensical stuff like I've got a Dao Physique?
What a fucking joke!
A Dao Physique for art, something that I have no relation to at all?
Bullshit!
If I have a Dao Physique then the dead dog next door is a Taotie!"
I didn't even listen to his tantrum anymore and didn't feel like explaining anything, therefore I just dragged him out of the bedroom and into the living room where a stool was set up with an easel and some blank paper set up on it.
I threw him onto the stool and said in a deathly serious tone,
"Draw you pathetic fucker.
Concentrate and vent your anger out through the drawing!
If you put your heart into it and stop doubting yourself, I can assure you that you will understand everything?"
Sun Ting's expression morphed into one of sheer rage and he roared at me,
"STOP WITH THIS BULLSHIT, BU CAI!
Why should I do it, huh?
I won't do it!"
He started to get up from the stool and wanted to leave.
But I couldn't let that happen.
I put my hand on his shoulder and pushed him right back down. and said to him in a cold tone,
"Don't even fucking think of leaving this stool before doing what I say.
If you continue to refuse I'll beat you until you do as I say!
Nobody would give a shit anyway."
I then let out a cold laugh and mocked him saying,
"HAHAHA, your dear family would probably reward me for getting rid of a shitstain like you anyways!"
As I said that last sentence, I could feel from the hand on his shoulder that he was shaking.
Shaking of anger.
It was exactly as I intended it, I knew from talking with him a lot that his father always called him a shitstain and that it was something he always hated.
Even though I was a bit annoyed by his attitude, I wasn't actually mad or anything at him. I was doing this because I had to draw out intense emotion in him whilst he was doing art.
Art was something that had to have the will and emotion of the artist in it to truly be 'art'. And to utilise his Dao physique he had to make true art.
I bet everything on this, as I had no other ideas.
After thinking through it a bit, I came to realise that rather than trying to instil positivity in him I should instead opt for forcing him to draw with negative emotions.
How was I even going to get that psycho sister to make Sun Ting, someone she hates, happy?
If I had more time, then I could possibly do it. However, after today I'd be back training for most of the day and would leave in a few weeks to go back to the Chen Clan- I simply didn't have the time to do something like that.
This, however, was a quick way of achieving the goal- But it came with negatives as well.
Firstly, if this happened to fail and he wasn't able to utilise the physique through this then he would be destroyed mentally. This was because what I'm doing is really not something a friend should do. I, myself, have experienced getting ridiculed by someone I trusted, and it's not pleasant.
Secondly, even if this does succeed it could still cause a rift in our friendship. After all, I had just threatened and insulted him alongside hadn't truly told him about this physique once before this- Though, I could try and lie about that part and say I only had speculations or something.
With this hole in the relationship, I may not be able to rely on him for help against Long Tian. One of the main reasons I've tried to put in so much effort with Sun Ting over other young masters was because he would be very useful. If his mental state improves and he puts more effort into bettering himself with his talent, then he could easily become a strong ally.
Lastly, he could even decide to cut all ties with me making all my efforts useless- This was the absolute worst-case scenario.
Anyways, after shaking and gritting his teeth for a while, he eventually realised it was futile and he couldn't refute me or escape from this. Therefore, he finally began rubbing the brush, that was close by, into the inkstone and began drawing.
I watched nervously as he placed his brush on the paper and started drawing.
In the beginning, the brush moved around normally. Nothing out of the normal happened, and a sense of panic started to rise.
Did I bet wrongly?
Have I fucked up?
I was sure-
It was then, that the magic happened.
Sun Ting, who was initially slouched over, abruptly changed his seating posture.
His back and shoulders were straight, and the incessant shaking had ceased. Even the atmosphere had shifted.
It was as if he had suddenly been possessed.
I removed my hand and looked up at the drawing and... I was stunned.
The brush that was moving sloppily at the start was now dancing around the sheet of paper. Each stroke was made with confidence and elegance, like a professional, and each time he flicked his wrist I'd get sucked further into the beauty of the drawing.
What shocked me though, was the faint glow that followed the trails of ink on the paper.
It was a vivid red that seemed illusory, yet was very real.
But what surprised me about this wasn't the colour of it... No.
It was the feeling that arose in me as I looked at the drawing.
I felt a tint of anger.
It was initially nothing obvious, but after watching the drawing progress, it soon became evident to me that somehow...
...My emotions were being manipulated.
I clenched my fists and grit my teeth as memories of my past life surfaced- Ones that I had long not thought about..
Some involved my time in the orphanage, and how some of the older children would kick me about and trip me.
Others were about my futile attempts at trying to regain the scholarship I lost, and how I had to cope with losing what I worked hard for, by myself.
However, what really started to rile me up was the memories of... Chen Xiao, the friend of mine I had spent the longest with.
Chen Xiao was someone I had known since middle school all the way up to the end. He always had a friendly smile on his face that made many have a good impression of him.
He was my first friend, and someone I regarded as a real brother.
Well, who'd've ever thought that he'd end up becoming the one who stole almost everything I had saved over my high school days from the government allowance?
Just... DAMMIT!
...If I ever got to see that guy again I'd definitely ruin him!
IF ONLY-
I suddenly snapped out of my fit of anger and regained my rationality- it was bizarre.
I quickly looked around and saw that the drawing had been completed.
It was a drawing of a beautiful and eloquent white dove with a healthy body and head but had withered and broken wings alongside hollow eyes.
It was quite a creepy drawing, but it also looked very realistic and was an impressive piece.
I shifted my attention from the art to Sun Ting and realised that he was sitting in a lotus position. The Qi in the surroundings seemed to fluctuate around him.
...
He was currently... Breaking through?!
It had to be said that Sun Ting had mid-grade roots and had barely cultivated, therefore at the competition he was only at around the fourth stage of Body Refining realm.
But now, he was giving of fluctuation of a peak Body Refining realm cultivator!
Feeling curious about what was happening, I used [Analyse]...
==================
{Analyse}
[Name: Sun Ting ]
[Age: 16 ]
[Cultivation: Ninth Stage of Body Refining (Currently breaking through)]
[Dao(s): Art Dao, Emotion Dao, Desire Dao, Sword Dao
[Skills: Drinking (Proficient), Drawing (Advanced), Information-gathering(Intermediate), Martial Arts(Intermediate), Footwork(Intermediate)...]
[Inherent Talent: Myriad Emotions Art Physique (Awakening) ]
[Background Story]
Sun Ting is the younger brother of Sun Qiu, the spear princess.
He grew up being given attention and care by his parents and sister and had a lot of expectations placed on him from birth.
Unfortunately, Sun Ting hadn't awakened his physique naturally like his older sister therefore his talent was overlooked and was treated like a waste after finding out he had awakened mid-grade spirit roots.
He slowly grew depressed because of his lack of talent and also built up an obsession to get back the love and care he once received from his family. Therefore, he became a hedonistic person who would build a relatively bad reputation.
Fate: Originally, Sun Ting was meant to die after he annoyed Long Tian when he was drunk. His body was slashed in two.
Currently, he is awakening his physique fully and his accumulated emotions are being used to help with cultivation and comprehension.
Myriad Emotions Art Physique is one that heavily relies on the emotions of the holder. It can use emotions to help comprehend the Art, Emotion, and Desires Dao. It can also, to a certain extent, use the intense emotions of the holder and others to boost cultivation.
[Importance in Plot: E (His death made it easier to get closer to Sun Qiu.) ]
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It's worked!
Finally!
As his cultivation improved, Sun Ting's pale complexion started to change into a healthier one.
I was feeling very proud of myself and believed that if there was a 'best friend of the century award', then it should go to me.
I also thought about what face that psycho woman would make when she saw how easily I healed him!
Honestly, even I didn't expect it to be this easy!
I thought he'd have to be drawing for a few weeks before some results, but it seems that all that depression led to cultivation.
Speaking of which... Why was he still drawing in Qi?
*Gulp*
1st stage of Qi Refining, 2nd stage of Qi Refining, 3rd stage...
...What the fuck!
W-Wasn't this too broken?!
...
Why don't I have a bullshit Dao physique?!!!!
...
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Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Any suggestions or things I could improve on are welcome.