48.ii Wondrous and True

~ Bodhi ~

The monk pulled up the largest stack of magazines – ones all featuring Sun Zhaoling. The headline of Zhaoling’s debut read: The sage who feels the truth of things through the soles of his bare feet.

It was obvious that Zhaoling never really went out of his way to pose for these spreads, but he definitely had presence; it could be felt through each and every image. Even though Bodhi knew nothing of the Barefoot Sun’s staff, there was something about it that just seemed iconic.

Though Zhaoling was glamoured, his appearance still echoed his true essence of the lar gibbon – bleached blond hair that tapered in all the same places. His pale sideburns contrasted against his darker complexion, the exact shade of which was somewhere halfway between Ritsu’s and Anari’s. He was actually taller than Ritsu, but the weight of his long arms caused him to slouch a bit.

Ever since his graduation from Sheer Will Academy, Zhaoling has been managed exclusively by a team of sheep spirits. Bodhi thought this was interesting, but fitting seeing how sheep were widely known to be the utilitarian pragmatists of the spirit world. They were probably the biggest reason why Zhaoling hadn’t acquired any notable flair to his appearance since leaving the academy.

Bodhi yawned. Damn. It’s probably getting late.

They were getting too caught up in Zhaoling’s journey to sagehood that they forgot to glean for the most important information – the Barefoot Sun’s staff. Once again, Bodhi took in the staff’s ornate sleekness, along with its shifting pattern of galaxies against the blackness of deep space. As if a miniature universe moved and breathed along its glassy surface.

Apparently Sun Zhaoling called his staff Nebula’s Parting and claimed it was a gift from the luminaries. Another odd bolt in the machine of this sun clone’s making. Why, do you ask? Because most spirits were very superstitious about accepting things made by luminaries. You see, their nature bias is thought to repel Luck.

This new information made Bodhi briefly forget about their fatigue. The skin around their eyes felt stretched and dried out, but they kept reading, eager to know why a sun clone would go into battle with a weapon that could possibly distance the wielder from a Lucky outcome.

In between paragraphs, Bodhi stole a quick drink of soda.

“Hold on? He… wait – he what?” The monk nearly spewed the fizzy drink over the cushions when they found out exactly what Sun Zhaoling was capable of.

The Barefoot Sun was blazing a trail as a champion who deliberately opted out of tapping into his Immortal State in order to gain rank. What was more, he had beaten clones while they were Radiant but he was not.

“Who is this guy?” Bodhi whispered. Clearly, Zhaoling didn’t give a hoot about the strength and stamina of the Immortal State, neither in his opponents, nor in himself. What kind of crazy power was he packing that made him like this?

This variation of the Sevenfold Peach decided to remove every sun clone’s greatest trump card. But what could Sun Ritsu do against someone whose strength never hinged on his ability to ascend?

Would his diamond body be enough?

Bodhi wanted to lie down. The food in their stomach wasn’t settling and the overcaffeinated peach soda probably wasn’t helping.

~

When it came down to how Bodhi felt about Ritsu’s chances against these finalists, let me tell you where the monk’s head was at. From their perspective, it was safe to believe that Sun Yong Kid was his own worst enemy. Sun Ritsu wouldn’t have to really do anything. History proved that Yong Kid would eventually crack under the pressure and self implode before he could become a problem for Ritsu.

Then there was Sun Terra, who was definitely scary, but at least she was simple. Ritsu could overcome her as long as Bodhi could teach him enough about his own strength and how it matched against the Earthbound Sage.

Blue Force was going to be a pain in the ass, but his weakness, if Bodhi’s observations were correct, was a pretty big one that could be exploited. Maybe with the help of Seven and Ham Song, Bodhi could nip that in the bud. Besides, Ritsu’s guard was already up when it came to Blue Force, so all Bodhi had to do now was teach him how to beat his opponent to the punch.

Sun Ritsu’s diamond body was going to be pretty useless in this round, but it might come in handy in some other way. Bodhi thought about it some more. They wished there was a way to get up close and personal with some of these other clones. If only Ritsu had been a sports fanatic and followed at least one of these Suns as they climbed through the ranks. The monkey needed to watch how a pro went about a tournament like this before jumping right into the game. Right now this all felt like a crash course, which only increased Bodhi’s stress and unevenness of sleep, despite all of their mental exhaustion.

What was more, there was one sun clone in particular that made Bodhi especially nervous – Sun Zhaoling. That barefoot monster was on a mission to break the whole damn system! For what reason, Bodhi was too tired to think it through. Protected by a herd of no-nonsense sheep and equipped with a cosmic staff that totally disregarded the notion of favorable outcomes, it felt like Zhaoling was trying to make a point that up until now, was not much of a concern to anyone willing to pay attention to him. The judges and spectators probably thought that the Sevenfold Peach’s new rules were leveling the playing field among the clones when in reality, it was giving Zhaoling all the advantage.

Sweet immortal peaches or not, Ritsu’s inner Immortal was where he drew his strength in high pressure situations – there was no doubt about that. What was going to happen when he was up against a Sun who took away that security blanket?

The magazines crinkled under Bodhi as they shifted their weight and rose to their feet. They had a plan. These Suns may collectively pose a very complex problem for Team Lemon Lime, but thankfully, Ritsu was uncomplicated, willing to work hard, and more importantly, he had put his trust in Bodhi.

So that left the monk with no choice. Sun Yong Kid, Terra, Tie Quan, Zhaoling – it didn’t matter. Any one of them could bring it. Sifu Bodhi wasn’t afraid.

They’d simply take our nameless monkey king and make a monster out of him too.