Chapter 58: A Natural Born

'What an I missing if I stay here?'

Hunter was both a good training partner and teacher, but that was only because Feng Biao had learned so little.

Yet as strong as Hunter seemed he was a step below Fang Zhang, who himself was a step below the person before Feng Biao.

"Song Zhilan, I'll stay, but can you do me a favor?"

"Totally what is it?"

"Please train me. I don't need constant guidance just point me in the right direction when I go off course."

"Yeah, let's use this as an opportunity to get stronger together," Song Zhilan said with a bright smile.

Liu Wei said his goodbyes and made his way for the exit. Before he did he looked back at Feng Biao and Song Zhilan and thought to himself.

'If I had been given a Divinity that was combat-focused like Feng Biao I'd be able to stay here with her.'

'Or if I had a Primordial Marked then Song Zhilan and I would equal...then I could approach her as a man...'

Continuing to fantasize about things that never were Liu Wei disappeared in a flash.

"Alright, Feng Biao I want you to give me your strongest attack. Don't even think about holding back!"

"Ok Song Zhilan," Feng Biao said as he prepared to summon the Vajra.

"Stop!" Song Zhilan yelled out.

'She's already spotted a flaw?'

"Since I'm your teacher now it's only right if you address me properly. Master seems a bit too diminutive, how about Big Sis?"

'Huh?'

"Can't I just call you my teacher?"

"Nooo, that makes me sound like an old lady."

"And Big Sis doesn't?"

"You're young. If anybody hears that they'll picture a beautiful girl maybe 3 years your senior."

"Ahem, I'll be in your care then Big Sis."

Feng Biao had tried to say so with as much respect as possible. Lowering his head as he did.

It was only the sound of giggling that made him raise his head.

"Wow I didn't expect you to actually say it," Song Zhilan said as she clearly held back a fit of laughter.

"I said it because you insisted?"

"Nevermind that are you gonna hit me or do you just want to keep chatting?"

"Alright, but be careful."

"[Vajra]"

'She's still standing still?'

"Song Zhilan I think you might need to block this one."

"No, I don't."

"Uhh alright," Feng Biao said as he prepared to lunge forward.

'I mean she'll probably be fine, right?'

Feng Biao dashed forward driving the Vajra into Song Zhilan's raised palm.

'I didn't even see her move her arm.'

Trying to force himself forward Feng Biao found himself blocked completely by Song Zhilan's open palm.

"Hmm, it's ok."

"It's not cutting you?"

"It's not touching me so how could it?"

Staring at the point of contact Feng Biao saw that the Vajra wasn't even touching Song Zhilan's palm. It had actually been stopped just in front of her palm.

"You're very wasteful," Song Zhilan said as her hand gripped around the Vajra. The next second it was crushed.

Song Zhilan seemed entirely unfazed by the lightning that was released and continued.

"You don't know that do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you attacked me I watched the flow of your Divinity. It's random, you generally made it flow into your arms and legs but a lot of it was just sitting around throughout your body."

"Then there's your Divine Armament, you were just pumping in Divinity into it haphazardly."

"I have to feed it Divinity or it falls apart."

"That doesn't mean you should just pump as much Divinity as possible into it. You need to minimize the amount that flows into it while exerting control over inside the Vajra."

"Here," Song Zhilan said tossing a crystal to Feng Biao, "focus your Divinity into this. Try to make it jump out of hand without moving it."

"Do that and you can move on to step 2."

Song Zhilan watched Feng Biao close his eyes intently and sighed.

'Unfortunately, he both developed his Mark late and he didn't attend an academy.'

Feng Biao's prospects were not great. He would no doubt be stuck playing catch up. Watching his Divinity flow into the crystal Song Zhilan saw he was making a common mistake.

'Beginners tend to do this. Fill up the ball with Divinity and try to lift it.'

This was both inefficient and difficult. The proper way was to allocate Divinity in key points within the object willing them up. To lift something one only needed to grip it, not shove their entire fist into it.

When people did this it usually took them an hour or so to lift the object. The more Divinity you wanted to exert control over the harder the task became.

When Song Zhilan had taken the test she had instantly recognized the most efficient way. It wasn't because she was a genius, it was because she had been on a constant diet of math and combat training before she received her Mark.

To her, the question of how to lift an object was both a geometry and physics problem. The most practical way to grab an object was a problem she could formulate an answer to.

Watching the crystal floating in the air Song Zhilan thought about what she would have to do in Feng Biao's situation.

Looking at him Song Zhilan guessed he was probably at the Tempered Mortal Rank.

'Probably just sit quiet, smile, and marry Brandon.'

She had first met Brandon when she was a young girl. After her parents had signed her up to get her future read an Oracle said Song Zhilan's Fate was tied to the Steele family.

Upon hearing this the Steele family became interested and after their own Oracle stepped in it was declared she was "highly compatible" with Brandon Steele.

She had been too young to realize she had been part of a grand political marriage negotiated between the HCF and the FSA. When she was told the boy standing in front of her was her future husband she had just laughed as a child does when they're embarrassed.

Brandon hadn't.

They met from then on occasions. Each time Song Zhilan began to realize just how serious the situation was and how little she wanted to marry Brandon.

"Hey Song Zhilan what's the next step?"