Chapter 38 Spiritual Beings and the Arena...
Inside the lounge, the two conversed as usual.
"I'm asking you, how many times have you received gene therapy since you came in?"
"Hmm, I need to think about that. About two or three times, I guess?"
“But you’ve only been here for less than three days. You know, some people have only had gene serums twice in a year. Besides, you’ve been put directly into Group A’s training these past few days.”
Pei Qing questioned, "Couldn't it be that those people made a mistake in the arrangements?"
“No,” the woman shook her head. “These researchers are the most familiar with the experimental data. Their judgments are extremely accurate and leave room for error. Haven’t you noticed that your physical condition has been getting better and better these past few days?”
Pei Qian thought back and it seemed to be true. On the first day of training, she was so tired that she couldn't even get up, but now, after just a short rest, she was already moving around freely.
“I’ve only seen one person in all these years who has progressed as rapidly as you. Your abilities may even surpass his,” the woman continued.
"Where is that person? Where are they now?"
"That person suffered irreversible damage to their mental sea a year ago due to an experimental error. They should have been destroyed, but I don't know for sure."
Pei Qing's buttocks were getting a little sore from sitting, so she adjusted her posture. "You've been talking for so long, but why haven't you gotten to the point yet? How are we getting out?"
She didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place for even a second longer.
"Gene serums can enhance mental strength levels, and higher mental strength levels mean you can access higher-level experiments and get closer to the core area."
"Then what?"
"The prison can be roughly divided into two parts. One part is where so-called criminals are held, which are also experimental subjects. The other part is the research institute, where they conduct experiments. I have observed that the research institute needs to send out drugs and other results at specific times. They must have a secret passage hidden in the core area."
"What's the use of you saying all this? So what if they have a secret passage? They'll definitely hide it very well."
"I've determined the approximate area where the passage is located, and the exact time of their next supply delivery." The woman's tone remained as calm as ever.
"?! Really? Where did you get this information?!" Pei Qing couldn't sit still any longer. This person couldn't possibly have done all this on her own; she must have an accomplice inside the research institute!
"These are things I can't tell you, since you don't seem to have agreed yet."
"I promise, I promise, whatever your plans are, count me in!"
That's great! At least the chances of getting out aren't so slim anymore! We should try no matter what!
What if!
Knowing there was a chance of escape, Pei Qing's steps became much lighter, and even the way she looked at women became more affectionate.
She acted like a very familiar, sisterly friend, putting her arm around the woman's shoulder. "Sister, you're so kind. I don't know where you got the idea that I have such amazing abilities, but since you trust me, I trust you too. My name is Pei Qing, what's yours, sister?"
“My name is… but you can just call me by my number here.”
"No, no, calling us by our numbers sounds so stiff. How can that show the strong friendship between us? If all else fails, you can just tell me a pseudonym!"
Even if the sky falls, Pei Qing's mouth will hold it up; she would never admit that the numbering was too convoluted to say.
"In that case, you can call me Feng Qi, Gui Cun Feng, Lu Qi Qi." The woman sighed helplessly. It had been many years since anyone had called her by that name. She thought she had forgotten it completely, but she didn't expect that she still remembered it clearly.
"Feng Qi, what a great name! Just hearing it makes you sound like a strong and independent woman!"
Looking at Feng Qi again, Pei Qian's eyes were full of admiration and envy. The woman had a strong figure, a sharp face under her short silver-gray hair, long phoenix eyes, thick eyebrows and eyelashes, and a meandering scar at the corner of her eye that added to her wildness, making her look like a wolf king lurking deep in the grassland.
"By the way, who are the top three on the overall rankings right now?" Pei Qing asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Beetle, gray wolf, jellyfish." Seeing that Pei Qing had finished her drink, Feng Qi subtly pushed his unopened one towards her.
"So this beetle is number one! Who is it? Where is it now?"
"He's dead, just now."
Pei Qing's excited expression froze instantly. It had just died... The only one who had just died was...
She spoke again, her voice hoarse, "The one whose mental sea exploded?"
“Yes.” Feng Qi confirmed her guess.
"But, but wasn't she number one? How could she have died so easily?"
"The higher you climb, the more potions you get; the more eager you are to succeed, the faster you die. This month, the top spot on the overall leaderboard has changed hands several times."
"What about the second and third? They're dead, so we won't even talk about them." Pei Qing was still shaken.
"Haha, don't worry, none of them are dead. You've seen the third place before, and the second place is sitting right in front of you, isn't he?" Feng Qi smiled, revealing her two gleaming white canine teeth.
“Jellyfish…” She recognized it. Could it be the man in the wheelchair? Without realizing it, Pei Qing blurted out what was on her mind.
"Yes, it's Luo Yu."
"Luo Yu, so his name is Luo Yu. Wait, how did you know his name? Don't you guys prefer to call people by their numbers?"
"Most people in this prison should know his name. His surname is Luo, the same Luo as the one from the Federal Supreme Research Institute." Feng Qi slowly dropped a bombshell.
"Even the highest research institute on the capital planet is involved? This prison has really deep connections..."
Pei Qian knew who Luo was as soon as she heard the name of the Supreme Research Institute. Especially in recent years, the Luo family had been at the height of its power. She had seen many reports on the Luo family's research achievements in the daily news of the welfare home, as well as Luo Yi, the current director of the research institute.
"Hey, you still say you're not the son of a powerful or wealthy person? How come you know everyone?"
"I am not. I just happened to meet him once many years ago and barely remember him. Besides, Luo Yu received special treatment for a period of time when he came in, and he didn't intend to hide it. Gradually, almost everyone knew about it."
"You're second, aren't you? You really kept it well hidden." Pei Qing teased, punching Feng Qi lightly.
"The reason we call this event a challenge in private is because you need to defend your title. The top-ranked player in each division has to accept challenges from other players in lower ranks until someone else takes over."
"However, unlike other levels of arena battles, the top three, which is the highest level arena battle, can choose to concede defeat without any penalty such as point deduction. They will only be demoted and will not be able to obtain gene serums, but there will be no danger to their lives. After all, every experimental subject at this level is extremely precious."
"To put it simply, there are more people challenging the number one on the overall leaderboard than the number two or three, because the gap between the top three and even the top five is not that big. For example, the previous number one beetle on the overall leaderboard had insectoid blood, extremely strong defensive capabilities, and extremely strong limb regeneration capabilities. Ordinary races cannot compete with insectoids in a life-or-death struggle, because they simply cannot win."
"The reason why most people maintain their current ranking is that they don't want to lose their stable income of credit points, which can be exchanged for lower-quality gene potions at the event resources."
"How many credits?" Pei Qing's eyes lit up again.
"Three hundred credits can be exchanged for the lowest tier of gene potion."
"So expensive!" Pei Qing's dream of lying down and doing nothing was ruthlessly shattered.
"These potions are not only expensive, but also of very poor quality, which will greatly increase the risk of your mental state exploding. Moreover, time is of the essence, and to avoid any unforeseen complications, I hope you can get into the top ten of the overall rankings as soon as possible."
"Top ten on the overall rankings! Is it that urgent? But didn't you just tell me that I only have a chance of winning in the lower-level arena rounds? Am I really not going to get beaten to death?" Pei Qing held her head in her hands, unwilling to face this disastrous reality.
"No, I've already said that your physical condition is very strong right now, otherwise you wouldn't be able to keep up with the training progress of Group A so quickly. You just lack some fighting skills, which you must acquire in actual combat."
Feng Qi gave her a deep look and continued, "Mental strength is not only closely related to your physical fitness, but also to the degree and duration of your spiritual body's materialization. You need to master it and apply it in battle. The stronger your mental strength, the easier it is to awaken special abilities."
"So what is your current mental strength level?" Pei Qing asked.
"Roughly estimated, it should be S-rank. We'll do the routine check every three days in a bit, and we should have the detailed data by tomorrow. By the way, after the check, it'll be the last day to register for this tournament. I'll take you to register."
"Alright, there's no other way, let's leave it at that."
Pei Qing closed her eyes, pretending that this would allow her to escape reality, even though reality would often slap her in the face.
"Go back and rest first. The examination will be conducted after lunch. Someone will take you to different laboratories. After the examination, I will show you the process of the arena competition."
Feng Qi turned around and gave Pei Qing some more snacks, then patted her shoulder.
"Your primary task now is to improve your strength and seize every opportunity to go to the core laboratory. By the way, what is your spiritual body?"
"A spiritual body? I don't have a spiritual body." Pei Qing answered casually as she pushed open the door, carrying a pile of snacks with a satisfied expression.
“Wait a minute,” Feng Qi reached out and grabbed her, his expression unusually serious. “It’s impossible. With your current mental strength, you couldn’t possibly not have an awakened spiritual body. Think carefully back and see if there are any details you’ve overlooked.”
"But I really didn't... wait a minute, what do spiritual entities look like?" Pei Qing suddenly thought of the tragedy from that day, those dark, swaying tentacles, the blood splattered everywhere...
She collapsed from exhaustion halfway through cleaning that day. When she woke up, she found the room had been restored to its original state, and there was no one else there except her. The bloody and mangled scene, the 'corpse,' and the sharp, dancing tentacles had all disappeared.
If it weren't for the scattered memories still lingering in her mind, and if it weren't for the string of blood beads in the corner reminding her, she would have truly thought it was all a dream.
Could those dark tendrils be her spiritual entity?
"Theoretically speaking, spiritual bodies can take any form, but most people are influenced by their physical bloodline when they awaken their spiritual bodies. For example, my spiritual body is a gray wolf because I have some wolf-orc blood."
“Generally speaking, humans with Zerg blood do not have a spiritual body, but their semi-Zerg state should not be underestimated. Some of them even possess the ability of a pure-blooded Zerg to fully transform into a Zerg, and their combat power is comparable to that of a partially fully fused spiritual body,” Feng Qi patiently explained. She realized that Pei Qing knew almost nothing about spiritual bodies.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, Teacher Feng, I have a small question. What do you mean by that 'fully integrated spiritual body' you just mentioned?" Pei Qing, a studious student, raised her hand and asked.
"The essence of a spiritual body is something that exists between the real and the unreal. It exists in relation to the spiritual sea. When spiritual power is strong enough, such as reaching level A or above, the spiritual body can detach from the spiritual sea and materialize, appearing independently to assist in combat."
"Spiritual body fusion is a higher-level form of physicalization. It integrates with oneself to further enhance physical attributes. Complete fusion means that you are the spiritual body and the spiritual body is you. Your combat power will experience a qualitative leap, and you can even tear apart mechs with your bare hands. As far as I know, there are probably very few people in the entire Federation who can do this."
"That's amazing!" Pei Qing exclaimed in amazement. "In short, a spiritual body is an independently existing product of condensed spiritual energy, right?"
“That’s one way to understand it,” Feng Qi nodded in agreement.
"Hmm, you said, could a human's spirit be something like a tree? No, I also feel it's a bit like some kind of animal with tentacles..."
"Are you saying that different forms of spiritual entities can coexist in one person's spiritual sea at the same time? That's impossible. Once a spiritual entity is awakened, its form becomes fixed. It's impossible for multiple forms to coexist; the spiritual sea wouldn't be able to handle it."
Feng Qi earnestly explained the science, as she couldn't understand how one person could have so many strange ideas.
"I see. Let me think about it some more..." Hearing Feng Qi say that, Pei Qing became uncertain again. Could it really be her hallucination? Was she experiencing visual hallucinations due to a mental illness?
After all, no one has stipulated that there will be no mental illnesses in the interstellar era, right?
Pei Qing greeted Feng Qi and wanted to go back to rest for a while. She was a little tired and had a headache. Just as she was about to leave, Feng Qi called her back again.
"I've thought about it carefully again. If you haven't had any prior knowledge or instruction about mental power and the spiritual body, then your spiritual body might be hidden deep within your spiritual sea, undiscovered by you. Naturally, it hasn't materialized. The spiritual body is an extremely mysterious form of matter, and indeed, it cannot be judged by ordinary standards."
"Okay, I understand. I'll go back and study it carefully. Goodbye, yawn~ I'm so sleepy..."
Pei Qing yawned and waved to her listlessly.
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Author's Note: Finally got to the arena match! I'm exhausted...
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