Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 627 : Water Lotus Heart

Qiu Qiu stood in the waiting room in silence.

With Alice and Jin withdrawing due to… the battle by the main hall, she was now automatically the winner of the zero powers category.

But without Alice and Jin being here, it felt a little pointless.

The other contestants didn't interest her at all. She recalled Alice's words when she asked about the state of Unity.

According to Alice, she has already developed the foundations needed, all that's left is patience.

Once again, she was confused by this. Her master said the same.

She was impatient.

But how?

In a fight, she rarely loses her focus.

Granted, she wasn't able to keep her composure against Jin. However, looking back, she could probably keep her composure now. Even if he does better than her, so what?

Yet, Qiu Qiu felt as though this wasn't enough. There was still something else she was missing. Something that's stopping her heart from becoming 'calm'.

'What am I missing?' Qiu Qiu let out a sigh.

She didn't know.

Closing her eyes, she sat in a meditative position and reflected on her actions.

Water Lotus Heart.

It was a basic technique taught to most of the people within the Demon Extermination Squad. A mental technique that the Squad Leader used when he was training in the past.

This method was a way for the user to reflect on themselves, a way to regain their calm. At best, it helped a person calm themselves before a big moment. It wasn't a superb or secret mental technique.

Old Man Mo didn't say much about it either. Simply put, if you wanted to use it, use it. If you don't, then so be it.

With all the recent talks of her not having patience, Qiu Qiu felt the need to use it once more.

To regain her calm and figure out why they thought that she was impatient.

A way to observe herself from an outside perspective and see what they see.

Beneath her, the battle between her and Jin was reflected upon the water's surface.

When did she lose her composure?

'At the thought of losing.'

Why?

'Because. . .' Qiu Qiu hesitated.

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The answer to that question seemed unbefitting of her. An answer that brought her shame.

Why?

The water surface began to ripple as her own twisted expression came into view. The way her eyes glared in disbelief, that anger, that arrogance.

'I looked down on him. I thought myself as better, more talented, more hard working. I dismissed everything about him, thinking he was a nameless bum.' Qiu Qiu admitted, unable to deny the expression of arrogance on her face.

The moment victory came into question, her arrogance took over.

Why were you arrogant? You were taught to treat every fighter the same on the battlefield. Even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered. So why?

Why did she, who was taught not to be arrogant, become someone that easily looked down on others?

'I thought myself on the path of glorious purpose. I thought… that I was special. I thought that… I was talented. And that only the Cult could defeat me through heinous methods. I thought myself as the best.' Qiu Qiu glanced down in shame.

As her master said, she was too fixated on winning or losing.

Why? What does a victory bring her? Does winning in this festival bring her closer to ending the cult? Did the recognition of others bring her closer to closure? Did the cheers of the crowd really matter that much?

Do not lose focus Qiu Qiu.

There is only one goal you need to focus on. Discard your distractions, discard your fixation on fame.

You are not special, you are not chosen by the heavens. You are simply someone on the path of revenge. A dirty desire of murder for relief.

Do not feel shame but do not feel yourself superior.

Do not lose sight of your goal.

Feel the path that leads you closer to your goal.

'The path that leads me closer…'

Even if she attains the state of Unity, what then? Will she continue to drown herself in the pleasure of fame? Just achieving the state doesn't bring her closer.

'Did I waste my time?' Qiu Qiu smiled bitterly.

But she knew that it wasn't as simple as that.

As her master said, to lose is to learn. To learn is to take a step forward towards her goal.

If so, what has she learned? What did this loss bring for her?

It could be summarised as one word to Qiu Qiu.

Clarity.

She felt her mind becoming clear. All her fixations, all her arrogance and all of her greed. She could see all of it and understood what was unneeded.

'Discard your distractions. Focus only on the goal.'

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Qiu slowly opened her eyes as a smile appeared on her face.

Looking back, it was almost funny how addicted she had been to the feeling of victory.

The feeling of being special.

It was a drug that couldn't be given up until she suffered a loss.

In that regard, she felt grateful to Alice and Jin.

They opened her eyes to the truth.

In the same extent, she felt sorry for her Master. A sense of pity.

Despite telling her to drop her fixations, he was ensnared by his own. His own hatred of the Cult blinded him to the possibilities that were open to him.

The benefits that Alice brought and how to best utilize them.

'It's as they say, I've been impatient.' Qiu Qiu breathed calmly through her nose as her heart felt calm.

Like the calm surface of a lake, it was a clear reflection of her thoughts and mental state.

Standing up, she made her way to the main arena as she was going to fight the first round in the overall tournament composed of people from all categories. A sparring contest to put it bluntly.

This time, she won't look down on her opponent.

Every fight is an opportunity to grow, a chance for her to understand her martial arts better.

An opportunity for her to take a step towards her goal of becoming someone capable of toppling the Cult.

As she stepped towards the arena, she paused momentarily, unable to comprehend what she was seeing in front of her.

Standing in the middle of the arena, Alice crashed down from above as she revealed her real form to everyone in the crowd.

After seeing the bounties placed everywhere, they understood that she was the demoness.

What was she aiming for?

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves as Jian Luoyan stood up with a twitching smile.

Now that they finally cleared up the misunderstanding, why was she here to crash the festival???

"Yo~ Didja miss me? You know what I want, you know why I'm here. Bring me your strongest fighters!" Alice declared as Jian Luoyan face palmed immediately.

Meanwhile, Hualing and Xiao An couldn't help but chuckle seeing Alice challenge the sect so openly like this.

The disciples of the Empyrean Dragon Sect felt anger and annoyance rising after seeing Alice declare her intentions so boldly.

'What is she doing???' Jian Luoyan wanted to shout at Alice but couldn't. He couldn't lose his composure in front of so many.

But what she was doing now was essentially putting them at a lose lose situation.

He knew that all of the disciples were no match for her. But if he was to accept this proposal and lose, the honour of the Empyrean Dragon Sect would be harmed.

Alternatively, if he was to face off against her, it'll look like bullying.

Granted, he knows that she wasn't easy to take care of.

No matter what he chose, the outcome wasn't looking good!

Alice didn't seem like the kind to lose on purpose either.

Before Alice could say anything else, she noticed Qiu Qiu walking up to the stage with a sword by her side.

"Ohya?" Seeing something different with her gaze, a smile appeared on Alice's face.

Golden chains manifested as Alyss took over.

"You look a little different from before." Alyss smiled at her as Qiu Qiu nodded her head.

"I did a little reflection. Sorted out my priorities and figured out what truly mattered to me." Qiu Qiu admitted.

Nodding her head in appreciation, Alyss couldn't help but praise the girl in her heart.

After all, this kind of change and reflection wasn't something anyone could do. It was hard to admit one's faults, especially when it comes to the ugliness of certain human emotions.

For Qiu Qiu to have such a drastic change in her disposition, Alyss understood that she must've reflected upon herself deeply. To look back at everything she's done and her performance.

"You mentioned that I can always ask you for a spar. Since you desire someone to challenge, may I volunteer to take the place as your sparring partner? I may not be the strongest fighter here so I hope you can bear with me." Qiu Qiu chuckled, entering the sword drawing stance.

Nodding her head, Alyss had Alice create a sword of blood and steel. Holding it in the same drawing stance, Alyss unleashed her Absolute Zone.

"!!!" A shiver trembled through Qiu Qiu's body as she could feel her grip shaking.

This sense of threat. . .

She was scared.

However, she wanted to understand it.

The path that she wanted to walk, the path towards her goal…

There were no short cuts.

Therefore, she'll face the respect that Alyss was giving her head on.

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Qiu calmed her mind. A task far easier to do than what she had expected and expanded her own Offensive Zone.

Instant Draw – Killing Arc!

Instant Draw – Perfected Killing Arc!