Chapter 97 - The Faceless Lady

The wall the crimson dressed woman leant against wasn't just any wall…it was a wall made of corpses.

[Ding!]

[Player Selafia Challenges the Qi Persona to the battle of the Soul Weapon.]

The figure stepped towards Cheng Xiu at those words.

Cheng Xiu calmed her heart, and observed the woman's physique. She needed to know what the woman's strengths and weaknesses were.

Two swords on strapped to her back indicated that she was primarily a swordswoman, but there was an air about her that made it seem like the faceless woman was a weapon expert in general, it was just that she decided to use swords more often.

"Welcome," a melodious disembodied voice said.

There was something special about the voice. Something familiar.

She could not help think that the underlying tone of the voice was similar to something that she had heard often, but there seemed tpo be a barrier between her and the knowledge of that recognition that Cheng Xiu was not as keen to dive deep into.

Cheng Xiu nodded at the woman, assuming that it was her voice.

"I am Nameless," the voice said.

Cheng Xiu hmmed. She tthought for a moment. She wondered if there was a connection between this lady and the Immortal Name Quest other than the Quest being the thing that raised this chance to find her Soul Weapon high enough for her to consider it.

The red-clad woman stepped forward towards her again.

Cheng Xiu bent her knees, ready to fight.

She went to grab her sword only to find that her sword was not there anymore.

Cheng Xiu frowned.

The red-robed woman unsheathed her sword and waved it towards Cheng Xiu.

There was a flash, a bow, and a quiver filled with arrows appeared in front of Cheng Xiu.

Cheng Xiu backed up and turned to the faceless woman in a questioning demeanour.

"To find your Soul Weapon, you must find your Weapon first," the voice said. "And this bow and arrow will help you see."

"Will it? Do we just fight with each other until one defeats the other?"

The voice chuckled. "All you have to do is survive."

The red-dressed figure raised her sword and planted it to the ground.

Three golden rings formed around Cheng Xiu.

"These are called Level Rings," the voice said. "As long as you can cross all three rings, you will get the Soul Weapon Shard."

Cheng Xiu sighed. It sounded so simple that she was sure it was going to be a difficult task.

"Why the bow and arrows then?"

"Please choose a direction and move forward."

Cheng Xiu sighed again. She was not getting an answer for that question it would seem...or she would find out soon anyway that there was no need to inform her.

Cheng Xiu grabbed the bow and the quiver from the air and placed it on her shoulder. She then looked around.

She looked at the woman and took a step towards her.

An unbearable pressure pressed down on Cheng Xiu from all sides, making her fall, front first, into the ground.

She coughed out blood.

Cheng Xiu felt her breath hitch and found it difficult to breathe.

Black spots appeared behind her eyelids, and her head felt like it would be crushed at any second.

She began to panic. In a moment of helplessness, as she felt like her entire being was crushed, Cheng Xiu's mind churned.

Prensure Rooms...

She had heard of Pressure Rooms, constructed to train Alliance Soldiers who could use Qi Manifestation.

It was a room designed to put invisible pressure on people so that their Qi would start to act out in its attempt to save the person. This would lead to a stronger constitution, and they also found themselves able to use their Qi much easier, their movements were smoother and their thoughts were faster.

Cheng Xiu guessed that she was in something similar to that. The ring must be creating a pressure room so that Cheng Xiu felt Pressure on her body and Qi.

Cheng Xiu felt her head spin from the pain that wracked her entire body.

She wanted to think of the method the article mentioned about how to counter the Pressure room but she was unable to focus on anything except for the pain she felt.

Deep in her core, the Qi started to flow at high speed.

Cheng Xiu sighed as she felt the pressure let up a little. The pain was now bearable at least. She tried to push herself off the ground but found it impossible.

She thought of the method that the Trainees supposedly used to make themselves able to withstand the pressure.

Qi Circulation.

The method to be able to train in the pressure was to consciously circulate the Qi in the body.

The method to begin being able to withstand the pressure was the Qi in the body automatically circulating.

Cheng Xiu was not sure how she would do that. It was something that those who were blessed did on their own, and she was a Qiless in reality...

Cheng Xiu heaved out a breath as she realised that her thought process was not in the line that it should actually be at.

She might be a Qiless in reality, but in this game she was a Cultivator. Someone with an Active Qi Centre.

She was, unlike in reality, able to use her body like a Blessed One would. So, theoritically, her body should react in the way that any Qi-full person would react to the Pressure, by circulating the natural flow of Qi in their body at a faster pace.

Almost like an echo to her thoughts, she felt the pain in her body ebb away.

Cheng Xiu smiled as a silver luster appeared over her skin.

Her body was circulating the Qi in it faster and faster. She was gaining more and more power from that action.

Cheng Xiu laid there unmoving for sometime, as she let the feeling of Qi Circulation getting faster and faster.

Finally, as she felt the last dregs of pain disappear from her body, Cheng Xiu curled her hand into a fist. There was no lingering pain either.

She took a deep breath and started to push herself off the ground. It was a herculean task as she felt she carried multiple bags of heavy object on her back and tied weights to her limbs.

Cheng Xiu scrunched up her face, and pulled herself to her feet, despite the protest in her limbs.

She started to pant, and looked at the faceless woman with a complicated look.

Even though she knew that the woman was just doing as she was programmed to, Cheng Xiu thought she could feel the disappointment in Cheng Xiu at taking so long to just to ge tback to her feet.

Cheng Xiu took a deep breath, took hold of her weapon and took a step forward.

This time, perhaps because she was expecting it, Cheng Xiu was able to force herself not to fall on her face, and only fell on her knees.

Cheng Xiu frowned as she waited for the weight to lift from her.

Cheng Xiu closed her eyes and walked forward again. The pressure was lesser somehow. Or perhaps she has gained more momentum.

Her steps became steady.

Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and walked on.

The woman smiled and raised her sword again.

Cheng Xiu's heart sank in trepidation. It couldn't be that she was increasing the pressure on her was she?

There was a flash of light and shadowy figures rose from the ground.

Cheng Xiu stepped back.

Cheng Xiu realised what the figures were as they made their way towards her. They were corpses with ash skin, bleeding wounds, and dead fish eyes.

Cheng Xiu wrinkled her nose as a putrid smell rose from the ground as more and more figures rose from the ground.

Cheng Xiu realised what her next task was. Kill the corpses.

[Ding!]

[Player Selafia has to kill the Zombies that are walking her way, and make it to the next ring in half an hour.]

Cheng Xiu wanted to curse. It was already difficult for her to stand on her feet, damn it! And now she had to fight Zombies while going forward? And that too at a time-crunch? Why not just ask her to live without breathing while they were at it!

Cheng Xiu felt like her emotions were getting over complicated but Cheng Xiu found herself not caring about that as she moved forward.

She couldn't back out now. This was her choice in the first place, and she would have to face the consequences of that even she did not want to, so she might as well just accept the attack, and face it head on!

Cheng Xiu took a deep breath, and regretted it as the putrid smell forced its way into her senses.

Cheng Xiu gritted her teeth, and notched the arrow into the bow, and aimed.

Her hands shook as the Zombies crawled closer and closer towards her.

She let the arrow fly away and hit the zombie closest to her.

It hit the man in the forehead, and his head burst into fleshes and blood splatters.

Cheng Xiu cringed as some fell on her, but shook off the feeling as she notched another one, and took a step forward.