Cultivators Are So Weak in This World-Chapter 255: Method 231, Part 1

"Exotic creatures? Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about." Zhang Rongfang’s expression remained unchanged, but he didn’t let slip a single word.

By the snack stall, the crowd was bustling, with many passersby.

He didn’t understand why the other person would bring up such troublesome matters in this kind of situation, in such an environment.

"Young brother is overly cautious, not bad, not bad. Compared to me in my younger days, you are indeed much more careful." The person nodded appreciatively.

"Let me introduce myself, I am Zhang Yunqi, a local from Citong.

Nowadays, I’m just living with a group of friends, brothers, and juniors, doing some work on this land to make a living."

"Zhang Yunqi... May I know why Brother Zhang is looking for me?" Zhang Rongfang was momentarily at a loss for words, as this person had inexplicably sought him out.

And then, right off the bat, he mentioned the incident of secretly observing them encircle and hunt the spiritual veins that day.

Is this a warning or a reminder?

"Could we have a word in private?" Zhang Yunqi invited.

"Why not." Zhang Rongfang, skilled and fearless, had dared to confront internal martial arts when he was at External Medicine level three. Now, at External Medicine level seven, his physical strength had increased by several folds, and his Golden Toad Skill had improved, making his overall abilities superior to before.

He naturally feared nothing.

"Courageous. Follow me then." Zhang Yunqi praised, turning to walk away.

It was then that Zhang Rongfang noticed that the person’s right leg was crippled, making his gait uneven and quite awkward.

Without saying a word, he followed closely behind.

The two of them weaved through the bustling streets and alleys, stopping in front of an old tea house sign in the central district.

The tea house bore a signboard inscribed: One Person Tea.

"This tea is best appreciated alone, to savor its essence and taste. That’s why I often come here by myself.

But today is an exception."

Zhang Yunqi explained with a smile, leading the way inside.

The gatekeeper was a fair-skinned ponytail girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in a traditional oversized gray robe. As she walked, her knees continuously hit the hem of the robe, making her look somewhat comical.

The robe seemed not to be hers, being too large, but the girl didn’t mind and continued to smile earnestly.

"Uncle Zhang, it’s been a long time since your last visit!"

"Hmm, prepare a humble room for me."

"Alright."

Zhang Yunqi led Zhang Rongfang, following the little girl, to a quiet room entirely made of woven bamboo.

The walls, floor, tables, and chairs were all made of bamboo weaving.

Even the teapot and teacups were wrapped in a layer of bamboo weaving.

Zhang Rongfang took off his shoes and walked in wearing only socks, immediately smelling a faint bamboo fragrance.

He walked to the edge of a floor cushion, knelt down, and fixed his gaze on Zhang Yunqi opposite him.

By now, Zhang Yunqi had ordered the tea and asked the girl to close the door.

The room fell silent.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Zhang Yunqi smiled amicably.

He lifted the teapot on the table and sniffed the aroma of the tea inside.

"Many years ago, this was my favorite tea room, reasonably priced, but quite unique. The tea wasn’t bad either."

"Indeed, this is the first time I’ve seen such a tea room." Zhang Rongfang nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let’s not digress. Since you observed yesterday, what are your thoughts on those spirit creatures?" Zhang Yunqi calmed down.

"Thoughts? What thoughts could I have? I only want to know, what are the weaknesses of the spiritual veins and guards? Can every spiritual vein be killed like you did, just by keeping at it?" Zhang Rongfang asked bluntly.

Since he confirmed they were the group he saw yesterday, he saw no point in being evasive.

"Then I’m afraid you might be disappointed." Zhang Yunqi shook his head slightly.

"What makes you say that?" Zhang Rongfang frowned, "I saw you encircling and killing that spiritual vein, which shows you already understand the secret to its immortality."

Now he even doubted whether the Celestial Maiden’s hidden treasure was real at all, or if the real secret lay with the people in front of him.

"No need to be anxious." Zhang Yunqi said gently.

Just then, the ponytail girl brought in the tea.

She placed the tea and snacks, bowed slightly, and then turned to leave, carefully closing the door.

Not until the girl completely went away did Zhang Yunqi continue.

"Actually..."

He paused.

"What you saw was not the whole truth."

"Not the whole truth?"

"Indeed." He nodded. "I wonder if you’ve ever truly fought and killed a spiritual vein?"

"Yes, I have." Zhang Rongfang nodded.

"Then it’s simple." He smiled, "After a spiritual vein is killed, it revives within a short period. You know that, right?"

"I certainly do."

"The more complete their revival, the more it drains them. Did you know?" Zhang Yunqi continued.

At that moment, Zhang Rongfang fell silent.

He chewed over that sentence carefully.

The more complete the revival, the more it drains them?

Then what is considered complete?

"What do you mean by that? Is it possible that you all have to wait until he completely recovers before taking action, to increase his exhaustion?" Zhang Rongfang guessed with a frown.

"Exactly so." Zhang Yunqi sighed lightly, "Sir, you may not know, after Spiritualization, the strength and number of revivals of the individual are completely determined by the Spiritual Line within.

The more Spiritual Lines, the stronger the power, the more times they can revive.

And to kill a Spiritualized individual, the first step is to consume the Spiritual Line."

"Consume the Spiritual Line?"

"Yes... The Spiritual Line has the instinct to continuously link and restore itself. If cut off once, it will desperately try to reassemble and recover to its original state.

This process is very consuming of its essence." Zhang Yunqi nodded.

"So, you wait for him to fully recover before taking action?" Zhang Rongfang suddenly understood.

"Yes." Zhang Yunqi affirmed.

He picked up the teapot and poured each of them a cup of tea.

The golden tea water slowly steamed up, emanating a rich tea fragrance.

For a moment, it seemed to diffuse the heaviness of the topic they were discussing.

"Then, how many times do you have to kill the Spiritual Veins to completely kill them?" Zhang Rongfang couldn’t help but continue to ask.

"Actually, no matter how many times, you can’t kill them." Zhang Yunqi shook his head. "Everything we do is merely weakening, weakening their state. Weakening the state of the Spiritual Line.

Laying the groundwork and preparation for the final critical strike."

"...The final critical strike..." Zhang Rongfang suddenly recalled the content shouted by the group when they finally killed the Spiritual Veins in the forest.

The last time, there was someone shouting.

Then everyone quickly scattered.

"It seems sir has thought of it." Zhang Yunqi nodded lightly with appreciation, "Yes, a Spiritualized individual, after dying a certain number of times, the Spiritual Line will be weakened to the extreme, then the Spirit Explosion phenomenon occurs.

After the explosion, all Spiritual Lines within will eject outward, killing all nearby individuals, plundering their lives, and then returning within, to regroup and revive.

This Spirit Explosion phenomenon is our only chance to catch and kill these creatures."

"Spirit Explosion... Was that the time when you took the opportunity to remotely attack the body itself?" Zhang Rongfang recalled the situation then and asked gravely.

"Exactly. Spirit Explosion is the strongest yet weakest moment for a Spiritualized individual.

At that moment, they unleash terrifying destructive power, but also expose fatal flaws.

And this flaw, as long as we grasp it timely and use special weapons, can completely kill them!

And this is the fundamental secret we have paid countless lives to research and find.

Also, sir, this is the fundamental secret you have come all the way to find."

Zhang Yunqi sighed deeply.

"Does sir have the hidden treasure key?"

This question made Zhang Rongfang’s heart suddenly startled. It seemed he understood something.

"You all are the hidden treasure!?" He lowered his voice suddenly, almost about to stand up from his seat.

But although he didn’t really stand up, he leaned forward, his muscles slightly tensed.

"To be precise, we are just the guardians of the hidden treasure, a part of it, the ones who know a bit of the secret." Zhang Yunqi nodded.

"Three keys correspond to three maps, corresponding to three hidden treasures. And in each place, a piece of absolutely secret hidden treasure is placed."

This sentence stirred raging waves in Zhang Rongfang’s heart, as he realized there were three hidden treasures.

"You recognized me because of my mask?"

"No, because of the key. The key on you, we have a special method to track it." Zhang Yunqi replied.

"Sir, no need to be nervous. Nowadays, the world is full of these difficult-to-kill monsters. We pure humans, in any aspect, are far inferior. Only by banding together can we avoid enslavement."

"I understand..." Zhang Rongfang took a deep breath, "I just... just a bit surprised."

He carefully recalled and sorted out everything along the way.

"Then, have you researched the number of times a Spiritual Vein needs to die? How many times do they die for the weakest moment to appear?"

"Spiritual Guardians generally need forty-nine times. Spiritual Veins need to die ninety-nine times. And each time, the Spiritual Line must be fully restored before killing again to consume its essence.

So, each time killing these monsters requires us to work together, consuming a great deal of time and energy. Any carelessness can lead to heavy casualties."

Zhang Yunqi sighed.

"If not waiting for them to fully recover, but killing them immediately when they can slightly move, wouldn’t it be safer?" Zhang Rongfang countered.

"Useless. We have tried this method, killing them over a thousand times with Spiritual Guardians before. It was completely useless. In the end, they remained in good condition."

Zhang Yunqi shook his head.

"Only when the Spiritual Line is completely linked and healed can it cause consumption."

"..." Zhang Rongfang was speechless for a while, only feeling that these Spiritualized individuals were excessively abnormal.

Moreover...

From the other’s description, he unconsciously recalled those indestructible liquid robots from the sci-fi movies he had seen in his previous life.

"What about high temperatures? Throwing them into a furnace, a volcanic crater?" He suddenly spoke.

"Sir seems to disbelieve. No matter how, once you and I open the hidden treasure, you can personally try it. How about that?" Zhang Yunqi shook his head.

"That is my intention!"

The two of them ate a bit and drank some tea, exchanging various information.

Most of it was Zhang Yunqi speaking, and Zhang Rongfang asking questions.

Many of the questions that had puzzled Zhang Rongfang in his heart for a long time were answered here.

Especially regarding Spiritualization.