Chapter 55: Manipulation
Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Manipulation
Xia Chu immediately tossed her previous frustration to the back of her mind. A bright, slightly smug smile bloomed on her face. "Hahaha! Yep! Aren’t I awesome?"
She waved her wrist. "Didn’t see that coming, did you? Neither did I! They used to say that the higher your cultivation, the higher the chance of awakening a high-tier Superpower.
"I was already prepared to not have a Superpower at all. I never expected it to be Tier 4!"
Fang Chen watched her jump for joy and recalled that he had heard the same rumor back then. "That’s all just superstition. I stepped into the True Martial Realm at sixteen. I also heard back then that if I settled in the True Martial Realm for another two years and refined my cultivation further, the Superpower I awakened might be stronger. But the result? It’s still just Tier 2."
Xia Chu giggled, completely unbothered. Instead, she stood on her tiptoes and patted Fang Chen’s shoulder with an air of old-fashioned maturity. "It’s fine, Chen! From now on, it’ll be my turn to protect you. It’s the same thing!"
Her eyes sparkled. "Come on, I’ll take you somewhere to show off my Superpower!"
The two walked side by side as Xia Chu led Fang Chen to a secluded riverbank.
Fang Chen was indeed curious about what exactly a Tier 4 Superpower was and how severe its side effects would be.
Xia Chu stood still by the river and casually grabbed at the empty air in front of her. The calm surface of the river seemed to be seized by an invisible giant hand. A column of water soared into the air like a living creature, hovering obediently by her hand.
"Go!" she shouted softly with a flick of her wrist.
The water column instantly solidified and shot out like a high-pressure water gun. With a SPLAT, it accurately struck a rock on the bank, forcibly piercing right through it!
Fang Chen’s gaze narrowed. "Your ability is to control water?"
"Yeah!" Xia Chu retracted her hand, and the water column scattered back into the river with a SPLASH. "The Superpower is called Free Water Control. As for the side effect..."
She wrinkled her little nose. "Even though it’s a bit annoying, I think it’s acceptable. It’s just... every time I use this ability, my sense of taste will permanently weaken by a fraction. If I use it too much, everything I eat in the future might taste like nothing."
Hearing this, Fang Chen thought the side effect was practically mild in comparison. "This side effect is already incredibly forgiving. Take Ye Yuxuan, for example. Every time he uses his Wind Element Superpower, he randomly loses a finger. If he uses it too much, even Sealing and casting Magic later on will be a problem."
Xia Chu nodded vigorously. "That’s exactly what I thought! So I’m just not going to worry about it. At worst, I’ll just consider myself to have a light palate and be living a healthy lifestyle!"
Fang Chen looked at the flowing river water, his mind immediately turning to practical combat applications. "Try to see if you can manipulate it precisely and change the shape of the water flow. For example, form it into a spiral to sever that tree trunk over there."
He pointed to a nearby tree.
"I’ll give it a try!" Xia Chu focused her mind and waved her hand again.
A stream of water rose in response, rapidly spinning and tightening in the air. It transformed into a high-speed rotating water drill that fiercely wrapped around the tree trunk!
CRACK!
The tree trunk snapped on impact, its cross-section covered in jagged, torn marks.
"Success!" Xia Chu said excitedly.
A hint of approval flashed in Fang Chen’s eyes. "Very good. Now try again. See if you can condense and attach a layer of Water Armor to the surface of your body for defense."
This time, Xia Chu took a little longer, and fine sweat appeared on her forehead. Finally, a thin, even, and flowing Water Curtain covered her entire body like close-fitting armor, refracting the sparkling ripples in the setting sun.
"It’s done!" She was panting slightly, but her eyes shone brightly.
"I’ll test its durability." Fang Chen took a step forward.
"Chen, go easy on me!" Xia Chu subconsciously shrank her neck.
"Don’t worry, I know my limits," Fang Chen said.
He unleashed the Five Sounds Rock-Breaking Fist!
THUD!
His fist struck the Water Armor, emitting a muffled sound. The flowing Water Curtain undulated violently, like a lake surface after a boulder was thrown in, dissolving and dispersing the impact force layer by layer.
Fang Chen retracted his fist, feeling the sensation of the strike. "How is it?"
Xia Chu blinked and stretched her body. "It doesn’t hurt! It feels... like being pushed hard by someone, but the force was spread out."
Fang Chen realized that most of the striking energy had been absorbed by this layer of flowing water. This ability was completely superior to the Cotton Bone Force Release Technique cultivated by Sea Dog. It was no wonder Superpower Users with Elemental Affinity were so highly sought after.
However, a doubt still surfaced in Fang Chen’s mind. Ye Yuxuan possessed a Tier 3 Wind Element, while Xia Chu had a Tier 4 Water Element. Was the difference between a high tier and a low tier really just the severity of the side effects?
He carefully recalled how Ye Yuxuan described his own Superpower—"driving True Qi to convert it into Wind Element abilities." Meanwhile, Xia Chu’s Superpower was "Free Water Control." One core lay in release, while the other lay in free control.
Fang Chen pondered for a moment before his gaze grew sharp. "Ye Yuxuan’s ability requires consuming his own True Qi to generate the Wind Element. Later on, when his Elemental Affinity improves, he can also use Magic to control the water around him.
"Looking at it that way, this Tier 4 Superpower doesn’t seem all that powerful?"
Fang Chen thought to himself. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his eyes lit up. "Since it’s free control, then theoretically, anything containing moisture is within your range of control, right?"
He looked at Xia Chu, his tone filled with inquiry. "Come, Xia Chu. Try and see if you can manipulate the blood inside my body."
Xia Chu froze. "Huh? That..."
She understood the deeper meaning behind Fang Chen’s words, and her face turned slightly pale. "I... I’ll try."
She focused her mind and made a gripping motion in Fang Chen’s direction. Fang Chen immediately felt the blood flow in his body speed up significantly. His blood pressure rose, his heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably, and a slight wave of dizziness washed over him.
"Can you make it any stronger?" Fang Chen’s expression remained unchanged; he even proactively extended his left hand. "For example, make the blood in my left hand break right through my skin and flow out?"
Xia Chu bit her lower lip and concentrated harder, fine sweat beading on her forehead. But a moment later, she shook her head with a sense of defeat. "I can’t... It feels like there’s an invisible barrier, like I’m separated by a thick wall. I can’t grab hold of it, and I can’t control it that precisely."
Fang Chen wasn’t surprised; instead, this verified a certain hypothesis of his. He said calmly, "Then come closer and try holding my hand directly. Physical contact might enhance your Perception and control over the moisture inside the target’s body."
"Chen, let’s not..." Xia Chu looked at Fang Chen’s outstretched hand, her eyes filled with worry and fear. "What if... what if something really goes wrong and I can’t control it?"
"It’s fine," Fang Chen said in a steady tone. "This is your Superpower. The sooner you figure out its limits and true power, the better you’ll be able to use it to protect yourself in the future. In this day and age, one more trump card means one more degree of safety."
Unable to withstand Fang Chen’s insistence, Xia Chu hesitated repeatedly before finally extending her slightly trembling right hand and gently grasping Fang Chen’s left hand.
"Begin," Fang Chen gestured.
Xia Chu began to channel her Superpower.
The next moment, beneath the skin on the back of Fang Chen’s left hand, it was as if countless microscopic red dots instantly seeped out. Immediately after, thin, bright red threads of blood actually broke through the skin barrier and floated out, condensing into a bloody mist in the air!
"Ah!" Terrified by this sight, Xia Chu let out a scream and immediately let go of his hand. Her Superpower was interrupted, and her face turned deathly pale. "Chen!"
Fang Chen looked at the blood beads seeping from the back of his hand and the lingering bloody mist in the air. Not only did he not panic, but a burning light erupted in his eyes instead.
"It worked!" His tone carried an uncontrollable excitement. "It really is possible! This is the true, terrifying aspect of the Free Water Control Superpower!"