"Exotic Beast? Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about?" Zhang Rongfang's expression remained unchanged, but he didn't utter a single word.
The food stalls were crowded with people, and there were many passersby.
He didn't understand why the other person would deliberately bring up such a troublesome matter in this situation and environment.
"Young man, you are too cautious. Not bad, not bad. You are indeed much more careful than I was back then." The man nodded approvingly.
"Let me introduce myself. My surname is Zhang, my given name is Yun Qi, and I am a local from Citong."
Now, I'm leading a group of friends, brothers, and younger generations, doing some work on this ground to make a living.
"Zhang Yunqi, I don't know what brings you here, Brother Zhang?" Zhang Rongfang was at a loss for words. This man had come to his door out of nowhere.
Then, the first thing he said was that he had secretly observed their attack on Spirit Vein that day.
Is this a warning or a reminder?
"Sir, may I have a word with you in private?" Zhang Yunqi invited.
"Why not?" Zhang Rongfang was highly skilled and daring. When he was at the third level of External Medicine, he dared to fight against Internal Method. Now, after seven rounds of External Medicine, his physical fitness has increased by several times, his Golden Toad Skill has improved, and his overall strength is even better than before.
He was naturally even less afraid.
"Good courage. Come with me," Zhang Yunqi said admiringly, then turned and walked away into the distance.
It was Zhang Rongfang noticed that the man's right leg was lame, making his gait uneven and quite unsightly.
Without saying a word, he followed closely behind.
The two walked through the streets and alleys and stopped in front of a teahouse with a somewhat old sign in the central area of the city.
The tea room has a plaque that reads, "One Person Tea".
"This tea is meant to be enjoyed alone to truly appreciate its essence and flavor. That's why I often come alone."
But today is an exception.
Zhang Yunqi smiled and explained, then went inside first.
The doorman was a fair-skinned girl with a ponytail, about fourteen or fifteen years old. She wore a traditional, loose-fitting gray long coat, and her knees kept bumping against the hem of the coat as she walked, which looked somewhat comical.
The long dress didn't seem to be hers; it was a bit too big. But the girl didn't seem to mind and still tried to smile.
"Uncle Zhang, it's been a long time since you've come!"
"Hmm, give me a Humble Abode."
"OK."
Zhang Yunqi, accompanied by Zhang Rongfang, followed the little girl and soon arrived at a quiet room made entirely of bamboo.
The walls, the floor, the tables and chairs—everything is made of bamboo.
Even the teapots 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 fragrance of bamboo.
He walked to the Prayer Mat, knelt down, and then fixed his eyes on Zhang Yunqi opposite him.
At this moment, Zhang Yunqi had already ordered the tea and asked the girl to close the door.
The room fell silent immediately.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Zhang Yunqi smiled amicably.
He Unveiling of the teapot on the table and smelled the tea inside.
"Many years ago, this was my favorite teahouse. It was inexpensive but very unique, and the tea was also quite good."
"Indeed, this is the first time I've ever seen a tea room like this." Zhang Rongfang nodded in agreement.
"Alright, enough said. Now that you've seen it yesterday, what are your thoughts on those Spiritization monsters?" Zhang Yunqi calmed down.
"Opinion? What opinion could I possibly have? I have no opinion. I just want to know what the weaknesses of the Spirit Vein and the Spirit Guard are. Can every Spirit Vein be killed by just keeping killing it like you do?" Zhang Rongfang asked bluntly.
Now that he was certain that the other party was the same group from yesterday, he decided to cut to the chase.
"Then you're probably going to be disappointed, sir." Zhang Yunqi shook his head slightly.
"What makes you say that?" Zhang Rongfang frowned. "I saw you surround and kill that Spirit Vein with my own eyes, which means that you have already mastered the secret of the Spirit Vein's immortality."
He now has some doubts about whether the Heavenly Maiden Secret Treasure is a complete fabrication, and whether the real Secret Cache is actually held by the group of people in front of him.
"Sir, please don't be anxious," Zhang Yunqi said gently.
Just then, the girl with the ponytail brought in the tea.
She put down the tea, arranged the refreshments, bowed slightly, then turned and left, carefully closing the door behind her.
Until the little girl was completely gone.
Zhang Yunqi then continued speaking.
"Actually."
He paused.
"What you see is not the whole story."
"Not all?"
"Of course." He nodded. "I wonder if you have truly fought Spirit Vein and killed him?"
"Yes, I have." Zhang Rongfang nodded.
"That makes things simple." He smiled. "After Spirit Vein is killed, it will revive in a short time. You know that, sir, right?"
"Of course I know."
"The more thorough the recovery, the more it will consume them, sir, are you aware of that?" Zhang Yunqi continued.
Zhang Rongfang fell silent for a moment.
He carefully considered the sentence.
The more thorough the recovery, the more resources are consumed?
"So what constitutes a complete recovery?" Zhang Rongfang frowned and guessed. "What do you mean by that? Could it be that you insist on waiting until he is fully recovered before taking action, just to increase his energy expenditure?"
"That's right." Zhang Yunqi sighed softly. "Sir, you may not know this, but the strength and number of times an individual can be resurrected after Spiritization are entirely determined by the Spirit Thread within their body."
The more Spirit Thread you have, the stronger you are, and the more times you can be resurrected.
To kill Spiritualized Individual, the first step is to consume Spirit Thread.
"Consuming Spirit Thread?"
"Yes. The Spirit Thread has the instinct to constantly reconnect with itself and restore itself. If it is severed once, it will frantically try to reunite and restore itself to its original state."
This process is extremely taxing on its own resources. Zhang Yunqi nodded.
"So, that's why you waited until he was fully recovered before taking action?" Zhang Rongfang immediately understood.
"Yes," Zhang Yunqi affirmed.
He picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for each of them.
Golden tea slowly steams up, releasing a rich aroma.
For a moment, it seemed to lighten the heaviness of their conversation.
"Then, how many times do we have to kill Spirit Vein to completely kill them?" Zhang Rongfang couldn't help but ask again.
"Actually, no matter how many times we try, we can't kill them." Zhang Yunqi shook his head. "All we've done is weaken them, weaken their state. Weaken the state of their Spirit Thread."
This is to lay the groundwork and prepare for the final, crucial strike.
"The final, crucial blow." Zhang Rongfang suddenly recalled what the group shouted when they finally killed Spirit Vein in the Woodland.
The last time, someone shouted.
Then everyone quickly dispersed.
"It seems you have thought of that, sir." Zhang Yunqi nodded approvingly. "Yes, when Spiritualized Individual dies a certain number of times, its Spirit Thread will be weakened to the extreme, and then Spirit Burst will occur."
After the explosion, all the Spirit Thread within its body will be ejected, killing all surrounding individuals, plundering their lives, and then returning to its body to reunite and revive.
This Spirit Burst is our only chance to seize and kill these monsters.
"Spirit Burst. Back then, you took advantage of the explosion to launch a remote attack on the corpse itself?" Zhang Rongfang recalled the situation and asked in a deep voice.
"Exactly. Spirit Burst is the moment when Spiritualized Individual is at its strongest and weakest."
At that moment, they will unleash terrifying destructive power, but they will also expose fatal weaknesses.
This weakness, if we seize it in time and use special weapons, can be completely eliminated! And this is the fundamental secret we have explored and researched at the cost of countless lives.
It is you, sir, who have traveled so far to come here, seeking the very secret that lies within.
Zhang Yunqi let out a long sigh.
"Does the gentleman have Secret Cache Key with him?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Rongfang was immediately startled, as if he understood something.
"You are the Secret Cache!?" He suddenly lowered his voice, almost standing up from his seat.
But even though he didn't actually stand up, he leaned forward, his muscles tensing slightly.
"To be precise, we are merely guardians of the Secret Cache, a part of it, insiders who know a little about it," Zhang Yunqi nodded.
"Three keys, corresponding to Three Maps, corresponding to Three Secret Caches. And at each location, there is an absolutely secret Secret Cache."
These words sent shockwaves through Zhang Rongfang's mind; it turned out there were three copies Secret Cache.
"Did you recognize me because of the mask I was wearing?"
"No, because of the key. We have a special way to track the key you have," Zhang Yunqi replied.
"Sir, there is no need to be nervous. In this world today, there are monsters that are difficult to kill. We pure humans are far inferior to them in every aspect. Only by sticking together can we avoid being enslaved."
"I understand," Zhang Rongfang a deep breath. "I'm just a little surprised."
He carefully recalled and sorted out everything that had happened along the way.
"So, have you figured out how many times the Spirit Vein dies? How many times do they die before they reach their weakest moment?"
"Spirit Guard typically die forty-nine times. Spirit Vein, on the other hand, require ninety-nine deaths. And each time, you must wait until their Spirit Thread are fully restored before killing them to deplete their essence."
Therefore, each time we kill these monsters, it requires our concerted efforts and consumes a great deal of time and energy. The slightest mistake can result in heavy casualties.
Zhang Yunqi sighed.
"What if we kill him as soon as he recovers and can move a little? Wouldn't that be safer?" Zhang Rongfang countered.
"It's no use. We've tried this method before. We used our Spirit Guard to try and kill him thousands of times. But it was completely useless. In the end, he remained perfectly healthy."
Zhang Yunqi shook his head.
"Only when the Spirit Thread are completely connected and healed can there be any consumption."
Zhang Rongfang was speechless for a moment, feeling that this kind of Spiritualized Individual was really too abnormal.
Moreover, the other party's description unconsciously reminded him of the completely indestructible Liquid Robot in the science fiction movies he had watched in his previous life.
"What about high temperatures? What if we throw them into a furnace or a volcano?" he suddenly exclaimed.
"It seems you don't believe me, sir. In any case, once we open the Secret Cache, we'll have the chance to try it ourselves and see for ourselves. What do you say?" Zhang Yunqi shook his head.
That's exactly what I was thinking!
The two ate something simple, drank some tea, and exchanged various information.
Zhang Yunqi did most of the talking, while Zhang Rongfang asked the questions.
Many questions that had been puzzling Zhang Rongfang were answered here.
Especially regarding Spiritization.