You Gotta Have Some Sense of Collective Honor

Terrifying demonic and fiendish auras swept wildly, startling countless beasts and monsters into motion.

In his shock, Ji Ruo, standing atop the treetop, had yet to grasp the situation when the slumbering tree demon beneath him suddenly awakened and shook violently.

Leaves rustled, producing a chaotic, scraping sound.

With the blessing of [Common Tongue], Ji Ruo finally understood the language of the tree demons.

The tree demon beneath him was clearly saying—

"Rustle rustle~ (Trouble's here! Wind's tight, time to bolt!)"

Ji Ruo: "?"

The ability [Common Tongue] didn't fully translate the foreign language; it let Ji Ruo grasp the meaning behind the words.

These tree demons hadn't woken up even when chopped down, yet now they were jolted awake by this spreading demonic and fiendish aura—proof of just how terrifying that aura was.

The tree demon shook wildly, its roots tearing from the ground and moving in alternating strides—when Ji Ruo had burned that other tree demon earlier, these guys hadn't fled this fast!

Because of the tree demon's sudden movement, Ji Ruo was caught off guard and thrown off, nearly face-planting into the dirt.

Liang Shixian asked anxiously, "Ji Ruo, what's going on? Why did all these tree demons suddenly wake up?"

He didn't know what Ji Ruo had seen from the tree, and as a Martial Apprentice, he couldn't clearly sense the presence of demonic or fiendish auras.

Liang Shixian only felt his breathing grow uncomfortable, but had no idea what was happening.

But Ji Ruo didn't know either!

"I don't know either. Something big must be happening up on the mountain. Don't just stand there—follow them and run!"

The tree demons' voices were so chaotic that even Ji Ruo's [Common Tongue] barely made sense of them.

"Rustle~ (Scary scary so scary!)"

"Rustle~ (Run run hurry run!)"

The tree demons fled in panic, and Ji Ruo was about to follow, scooping up the trembling Rosie, when he suddenly heard another loud crash.

Turning his head, he saw the tree demon he'd hollowed out earlier to pickle fish—its 'wound' hadn't healed yet—collapse as soon as it moved.

The bare stump pulled its roots from the soil and scurried after the main group of tree demons, looking utterly bizarre—the stump hadn't realized its trunk had fallen; it seemed to have just received 'its own' command and started running, only for its body to separate, losing all further instructions and stumbling wildly.

Meanwhile, the fallen part of that tree demon shook its leaves frantically, the rustling louder than ever.

"Rustle rustle rustle~ (Damn! My body's been eaten hollow by bugs! My body broke off! My legs ran away!)"

Ji Ruo instinctively slowed down.

"Rustle rustle~ (Curses! Those wretched borers! I didn't even notice!)"

"Rustle~ (Chief! Save me!)"

Ahead, the thickest tree demon shook its branches in reply: "Rustle rustle~ (Brother, fend for yourself—wind's tight, time to bolt!)"

Ji Ruo stopped.

After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth: "Class monitor!"

"Huh?"

"Give me a hand."

Ji Ruo turned back and hoisted the weeping trunk onto his shoulder.

Liang Shixian was dumbfounded: "You, you, you—why aren't you running for your life? Why are you carrying that thing?!"

Ji Ruo coughed dryly and said, "Well, it's like this—we're tree demons now, right? I figure we need a bit of collective honor, no abandoning or giving up. That'll help us blend into the tree demon family later, won't it?"

"Do you really think you're playing house?!" Liang Shixian's mind went numb, but seeing Ji Ruo already trudging after the fleeing tree demons with Rosie on his head and the trunk on his shoulder, he sighed and came back to help carry it.

Collective honor, tree demon family—what utter nonsense!

Both of them were already seventh-level Martial Apprentices, with decent physiques. Carrying this tree demon was tough, but in a way, it was like weighted cross-country training.

Ji Ruo, holding the trunk near the crown, said gravely to the tree demon, "Brother, stop crying. We'll take you with us!"

The meaning in his words was converted by [Common Tongue] into something the tree demon could understand. The tree demon was so grateful its branches shook in response.

"Rustle rustle~ (Thanks, brother! There's true feeling among trees! Grateful! May good trees live in peace!)"

"Ahem."

Ji Ruo coughed awkwardly.

[Congratulations, host kiddo, on unlocking the secondary achievement: Collective Honor as a Tree Demon!]

[Immersion skill effect increased by ten percent!]

[Note: Put yourself in their shoes first, and others will follow into yours~]

Ji Ruo was thrilled, the slight embarrassment instantly forgotten.

"No need to thank me, no need. We're all tree demons—helping each other is only right!"

The tree demon grew even more grateful: "Rustle~ (You're a really good tree!)"

Ji Ruo beamed from ear to ear. "Yes, yes!"

Liang Shixian: "."

He was starting to wonder if Ji Ruo could actually understand the Tree Demon's language.

The two of them carried the Tree Demon and followed the main group, jogging slowly for about half an hour—the Tree Demon's movement speed wasn't fast.

The main group still showed no sign of stopping, and Liang Shixian's breathing had begun to grow heavy.

Only then did Ji Ruo realize that the two of them hadn't yet opened their qi channels. No matter how strong their physiques were, they were still at the human level, not yet transcendent.

Weight-bearing cross-country travel consumed a lot of stamina.

"Squad leader, remember the 'Total Concentration Breathing' I mentioned before? Follow my rhythm and breathe with me."

Ji Ruo said.

Although he hadn't opened his qi channels yet, Ji Ruo's breathing remained steady—this was because he had been using his self-created 'Total Concentration Breathing.'

The version Ji Ruo created was different from the original 'Total Concentration Breathing.' The original breathing method required long-term practice to maintain for extended periods.

But the version Ji Ruo created didn't need that.

When he created the breathing method, he had referenced some basic breathing techniques taught at the school.

Those breathing methods were compiled by the Deputy Department Head of the Department of Education, the elder Li Yuanqing, who had integrated breathing methods from some Martial Dao techniques, simplified them, and included them in the teaching materials.

The breathing method had no other function—it assisted in circulating blood and qi and improved control over the body. In theory, it allowed one unit of strength or stamina to fully exert the effect of one unit, with almost negligible loss.

By referencing those breathing methods and using his imagination, boosted by the max insight buff of [Dual Mastery of Blade and Sword], Ji Ruo created the 'Total Concentration Breathing.' In theory, it combined the advantages of all the basic breathing methods he knew.

One unit of strength could exert the effect of one and a half or even two units!

Liang Shixian was stunned for a moment, then followed suit.

After a few days, he had barely managed to grasp some of Ji Ruo's personality traits and knew that Ji Ruo wouldn't set him up.

Moreover, the breathing method Ji Ruo had taught him was indeed exquisite.

Then—

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The sudden change in breathing rhythm nearly made Liang Shixian choke, his steps faltering as he almost stumbled.

"Squad leader, take it slow, don't rush. Practicing martial arts is most taboo when it comes to seeking quick success."

Liang Shixian: "."

Thank you to the reader 'Hundred Cycles of Reincarnation' for the 100-point tip~

Thank you to the reader 'Yu Xue Lishang' for the 1123-point tip~

By the way, if you tip a character enough, it seems you can unlock a character skin or something.