Chapter 194: Education

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Education

His remaining injuries could fully heal on their own, relying on the recovery abilities of a Foundation Establishment Body Cultivator, which were in no way inferior to those of a Demon Beast.

But he knew his own body best.

Previously, he had been beyond saving; not even an Immortal could have helped him.

But his body’s current recovery was definitely not due to his own natural healing.

It had to be Jiang Xu who had used some miraculous method to bring him back to life.

And...

Zong Ziqi inspected his body internally. When his focus reached a certain spot, his body trembled slightly.

He saw that his Dantian, which had long been shattered to pieces, now had some of its outermost cracks starting to mend!

Even though these were only the cracks on the very surface of his Dantian, they had shown no signs of healing since his battle with the Spirit-Devouring Insect—until just now!

"Brother Jiang!" Zong Ziqi was extremely agitated. "How did you do it?! Not only has my body recovered, but even the injuries to my Dantian have eased slightly!"

"Your Dantian is healing too?"

This puzzled Jiang Xu.

’Could the Healing Technique have such an effect?’

’Can it actually match the power of a Treasure Medicine?’

On second thought, Jiang Xu felt that wasn’t quite right.

Jiang Xu had pushed himself beyond his limits before, but even that had only managed to heal the most superficial damage to Zong Ziqi’s Dantian.

To fully restore Zong Ziqi’s Dantian was impossible, even if it meant draining Jiang Xu completely dry.

"I’d love to fix it for you, but I don’t have that ability yet. Just saving you nearly killed me. If you want your Dantian fully healed, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for me to break through a few more Realms."

"Nearly killed you?"

Zong Ziqi was stunned. Seeing the scattered Array Flags and depleted Spirit Stones around them, his heart filled with an indescribably complex feeling.

Shame, guilt, indignation, joy...

A complex medley of emotions churned within him.

He had originally made it his mission to eliminate demons because he wanted to avenge Jiang Xu.

He never imagined his actions would cause Jiang Xu such monumental trouble.

And in the end, he had to make Jiang Xu risk his life just to save him.

’Why... did it turn out like this?’

Zong Ziqi lowered his gaze, falling silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

The two of them remained in a stalemate for a while. Seeing that the other wasn’t speaking, Jiang Xu didn’t know what to say either.

’If I try to comfort him, it might backfire. If I scold him, he might actually take it to heart.’

After a long pause, Jiang Xu finally broke the silence, just to say something.

"By the way, I heard in the Sect that your ambush this time wasn’t entirely the work of Demon Cultivators. Apparently, some Cultivators from our own Righteous Dao leaked information. Do you know who the traitor is?" Jiang Xu recalled Qian Jianjun’s words.

"Righteous Cultivators were involved too?" Zong Ziqi’s expression shifted. He carefully replayed the events leading up to the incident in his mind, and his face gradually turned cold.

"Hmph, so it was him! Brother Jiang, I have a lead. It must have been that person who brought me to this state!"

"So? Need any help?"

"No need! I don’t need your help to deal with a mere scoundrel. As soon as my injuries recover, I will definitely get my revenge!"

Zong Ziqi’s sharp edge was fully exposed as his Sword Intent flared. He seemed to have improved significantly since Jiang Xu had first seen him.

Sword Cultivators always find it easier to break through during life-or-death situations. This time, Zong Ziqi had taken a trip to the Ghost Gate and back, and his Sword Intent had likely grown stronger for it.

However, Jiang Xu was still a little worried.

"Maybe you can handle the scoundrel from the Righteous Dao, but those three from the Demon Dao seem very troublesome. How about I help you out?" Jiang Xu said after a moment’s thought.

"If Brother Jiang can help, that would be for the best. However, your Realm is still at Qi Cultivation. Being able to escape doesn’t mean you can definitely win. If you aren’t completely confident, then perhaps we should plan this out more carefully..."

Zong Ziqi was still hesitant.

He had now witnessed some of Jiang Xu’s abilities, but he had never fought alongside him and didn’t know his true combat strength.

On top of that, the guilt he had felt for the past three years was still present, and he subconsciously didn’t want Jiang Xu to get involved in such a risky affair.

Jiang Xu wasn’t a fool either.

At his current Realm, if he were to face those three Demon Cultivators, his strength would be sorely lacking.

But he had a Foundation Establishment Pill!

"I’ll reach Foundation Establishment right now. You stand guard for me for a while, and use this time to recover from your injuries. Once I succeed in my Foundation Establishment, we’ll go and stir up trouble with those three villains!"

Zong Ziqi had a sudden realization.

’If I can’t win without Foundation Establishment, then isn’t the solution just to reach Foundation Establishment?’

’Brother Jiang is so smart!’

"Then, Brother Jiang, are you going to start your Foundation Establishment right now?" Zong Ziqi asked.

"Zong, my boy, I’m not trying to lecture you."

Jiang Xu put on the air of an experienced senior and began to lecture Zong Ziqi pretentiously.

"You’re far too careless! How can you be like that?"

"Think about it. Before you ran into the Mother-Child Spirit-Devouring Insect, it was your lack of caution that led to your downfall."

"And now, you’ve almost died, also because you weren’t cautious enough. You failed to account for the factors that could lead you into such a dangerous situation beforehand."

Zong Ziqi listened humbly, nodding from time to time.

It was clear that his incautious habits had truly caused him a great deal of suffering.

Seeing Zong Ziqi being so receptive, Jiang Xu naturally grew more and more enthusiastic with his lecture.

"In a situation like ours, of course we can’t just start the Foundation Establishment on the spot. Do you know where we are? Do you know whose territory this is? Do you know who might pass through here? Then there are all the preventative measures for various incidents, the contingency plans for unexpected events..."

"Only after you’ve understood everything clearly can you make a reasonable and safe choice."

After listening, Zong Ziqi couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration:

"Brother Jiang, every word you speak is a pearl of wisdom. It’s truly amazing! But... we’re out here in the middle of nowhere. How are we supposed to learn about all that?"

Jiang Xu shook his head and sighed.

"Rotten wood cannot be carved! You have to be proactive and seek out information yourself; it won’t just come to you while you wait. You ask how to find information... you use your legs, of course!"

"While you were unconscious, I surveyed the surrounding terrain. I also have a simple map of Dinghai State here."

"We’re near the starting point of the cross-state passage from Dinghai State to the Demon Spirit State. I’ve checked the area; there are no Cultivators within a few kilometers, only some mortal villages."

"If we want to get information, we’ll have to go to Demon Communication City, which is a few dozen kilometers away. That city is the true starting point of the cross-state passage. Only by passing through it can one begin the journey toward the Demon Spirit State."

Zong Ziqi became thoughtful after hearing this.

"Demon Spirit State... I think I’ve heard that name before."

"Oh?" Jiang Xu’s interest was piqued. "You’ve heard of it?"