Chương 13: Martial Emperor Physique
The old man's gaze could only be described as scorching. Like a young child seeing their new favourite toy, but to Zhang Baichi, this type of gaze was the most threatening. 'Special Constitution? What is he talking about?'
He stared at the old man, the look in his eyes conveying a mixture of wary and uncertainty. Seeing this gaze, the old man retreated half a step and plopped down on the ground with his legs crossed. One arm rested on his thigh and held his chin up as he continued to gleefully smile.
"Kid, I think you've got a kind of Special Constitution.", his tone was sombre, and he was clearly very serious about this matter. "I've seen hundreds on geniuses in my time here, but none of them fought like you. You're basically controlled by your instincts. For a sword cultivator, this is a good thing, but also very dangerous."
"…Senior, what is a Special Constitution? I've never heard of something like this.", Zhang Baichi hesitantly asked. Of course, the term 'Special Constitution' was something he had grown tired of while reading novels in his past life, but he had to make sure that they meant the same thing in this world. Moreover, being too smart could lead to the old man doubting him.
The old man nodded. "That's normal. Special Constitutions are not something regular mortals or even normal cultivators can come into contact with. Special Constitutions can allow a cultivator that stand leagues above their peers, to the point where there is no comparing between the two. For example, the Sacred Flame Order, one of the other top sects in the continent, was created by someone with a Special Constitution."
Zhang Baichi looked at the Elder with a doubtful expression. "So, they make people stronger? Or rather, people that have them are inherently stronger? Inherently geniuses? What is it that makes them so special, then? Are they just inherently more suited to cultivating?"
"Smart", the Elder laughed, "but that's not all. A Special Constitution can have all kinds of effects. For example, the Sacred Flame Order's founder was a genius, but his Special Constitution was different: It made him inherently suited to cultivate fire elemental Techniques. A simple Mortal-Class Technique of the fire element would be as strong as others' Spirit-Class Techniques when used by him."
"So strong?", Zhang Baichi appeared shocked, but more so at the fact that these Special Constitutions were so similar to what he knew rather than about their strength. He lost himself in a thought, silently contemplating his own situation.
The old man kept quiet when he saw this and let Zhang Baichi think about the implications himself. He stroked his beard and trailed of into his own thoughts.
'I'm led by my instincts? Does that mean that I'm, like, a genius for battle? I remember reading a novel about someone like that… Instantly seeing through the opponent's techniques, always knowing the right move in every situation, being able to fight people across realms… Something like that? But why would I have that? The old Zhang Baichi was just some nobody, and I've also never fought any great battles in life. I was always slow to react, actually.', Zhang Baichi mused to himself.
He couldn't come up with an answer for himself, but the old man in front of him seemed to know, anyways, as he was the one to call Zhang Baichi out on it. "So, I'm like that, as well? But I'm not talented in fire elemental techniques, but combat in general? I've never really had to fight a real battle before, so I'm not sure how I'm supposed to fight and just reacted to my opponent's moves. That's already a Special Constitution?"
"The fact that you can survive a fight by relaying on what 'feels right' is already proof of your Special Constitution.", the old man smiled again. He adjusted his position and told Zhang Baichi another story. "Long ago, there was a Martial Emperor in our continent of Southern Edge. He was a legendary figure who never lost a single battle, be they fair one-on-one, unfair battles against people stronger than him or even one against hundreds or thousands. He never lost, and was eventually crowned unrivalled in the continent. It's said his sense for battle was unwordly, that he never made a wrong judgement and that he never wasted any movement."
Zhang Baichi listened quietly, inwardly rolling his eyes. 'A legendary senior who ruled an era, huh… And I guess they had some great secret. And probably left some inheritance in a supposed tomb for future generations…'
"The Martial Emperor was beyond what we call a genius. He was a monster, a true freak of nature.", the old man's eyes showed the slightest hint of fear, as if remembering a frightening scene from long ago. This surprised Zhang Baichi and caused him to interrupt the old man. "Senior, have you met the Martial Emperor?"
"…I have not.", the old man said while shaking his head. "Within the sect, there's many records left behind by various seniors. I read a few of those and every single one painted the Martial Emperor in the same light. Apparently, he even came to our sect back then and swept through all disciples, elders and even defeated our sect master of that time."
"He really was unparalleled, and every record described his strength and feats with great reverence. He was strong to the point that people revered him instead of being jealous.", the old man sighed in awe, but quickly shook his head again and smiled. "But let's not talk about his feats anymore. What's important is, that he had a certain Special Constitution. He himself described it as always knowing what to do in every situation, as if led by instincts alone. He had no need to think about battle and could concentrate his thoughts on advancing his cultivation and comprehending the Dao. He called it the Martial Emperor Physique."
"…Which is similar to my situation?", Zhang Baichi concluded. He looked at the old man with a frown. "Senior, you believe I have the same Special Constitution as that Martial Emperor?"
The old man nodded. "And I'm not the only one that thinks so. At least, the Lu and Ji families are after those secrets as well. That is why they sent people to you clan. And why your family is no more."
Zhang Baichi's expression fell and his gaze grew sharp. "My family was murdered because a bunch of old dogs thought we had Special Constitution? Are the Lu and Ji families nuts? My parents were regular mortals, as were their parents and everyone else!"
The moment the old man spoke about his family, Zhang Baichi felt an indescribable rage in his chest. Was this the old Zhang Baichi thirsting for revenge? For justice? He didn't know, put he hated this feeling. The old man once again sighed. "It wasn't just a thought. A few decades ago, a ruin left behind by the Martial Emperor was found. From there, people found out that he was originally from the area under our Fleeting Storm Sword Sect's control. And that his surname was Zhang. The records also stated, that he left everything he had for his descendants."
A thoughtful look appeared in Zhang Baichi's eyes and his head drooped low as he suppressed the anger in his heart. He lifted his head and looked at the old man with cold eyes. "So, what do you want to do now? What if I have that Special Constitution? Will you hand me over to the Lu or Ji families? I can tell you right now that I have no idea about any inheritance and that I have no idea about any ancestor who was supposed to be a great cultivator. My family was one of regular mortals, as was I before I came to the sect."
The old man smiled wryly. "I know. After what the Lu and Ji families did, the Sect Master sent people over there to settle things and look for survivors. Our Jian family were the ones to bring you and a few servants to the sect."
"'Our' Jian family? The Sect Master and you are both surnamed Jian?", seeing as the topic had shifted away from his supposed Special Constitution, Zhang Baichi shifted the focus on another matter. Since he had now heard about Special Constitutions, he was sure the system could make a more accurate judgement than the old man, so he would ask it later.
Right now, he had the perfect opportunity to learn more about the sect and he was truly short of that kind of information.
The old man nodded and started talking with a neutral expression again, aware that Zhang Baichi wanted to shift the focus away from himself. "Mh. The current Sect Master, Jian Wubai, is my younger brother. He's also the head of our Jian family, one of the three great families in our sect."
'Brother? Than this geezer is actually a bigshot? The Sect Master's elder brother and the Elder in charge of the Law Enforcement Division?', Zhang Baichi mused again, shocked.
Jian Fu smiled at him and once again rested his hands on his chin. "Right. I guess I'll have to tell you a bit about the sect's internal workings for you to understand. This might take a little while."
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