~
Terrifying demonic aura and energy swept wildly across the area, rousing countless Monster Beasts and Demonic Beasts.
Amid his surprise, Ji Ruo, standing on a treetop, still hadn't figured out what was going on when the Tree Demon beneath him suddenly woke up and began shaking violently.
The leaves rubbed together, making a chaotic rustling sound.
With the aid of [Common Tongue], Ji Ruo finally understood what the Tree Demons were saying.
The Tree Demon beneath him was clearly saying—
"Rustle rustle~ (Things are bad! Run for your lives!)"
Ji Ruo: "?"
The ability [Common Tongue] didn't fully translate foreign races' languages. Instead, it let Ji Ruo understand what those languages were trying to express.
These Tree Demons hadn't even woken up when they were chopped down, yet now they'd been roused by the wildly spreading demonic aura and energy. That showed just how terrifying the demonic aura was.
The Tree Demons shook frantically, pulling their roots out of the ground and running in turns. They hadn't run this fast even when Ji Ruo burned that one Tree Demon earlier!
Caught off guard by the Tree Demon's sudden movement, Ji Ruo was flung off its body and nearly landed face-first in the dirt.
Liang Shixian asked anxiously, "Ji Ruo, what's happening? Why have all these Tree Demons suddenly woken up?"
He had no idea what Ji Ruo had seen in the tree. Warriors at the Martial Apprentice stage couldn't clearly sense demonic aura or energy.
Liang Shixian only felt that breathing had suddenly become difficult, but he had no idea what was going on.
But Ji Ruo didn't know either!
"I don't know. Something big seems to have happened over by the mountaintop. Don't just stand there—hurry and run with them!"
The Tree Demons' voices were so jumbled that even Ji Ruo's [Common Tongue] could barely make sense of them.
"Rustle~ (Scary, scary, so scary!)"
"Rustle~ (Run, run, run for it!)"
The Tree Demons fled in panic. Ji Ruo had planned to run along with them, too, but after scooping up the trembling Rosie, he suddenly heard a loud crash.
He turned around and saw the Tree Demon he'd hollowed out earlier to pickle fish. Its "wound" hadn't had time to heal, and it collapsed with the slightest movement.
The bare stump pulled its roots out of the soil and fled with the main group of Tree Demons, looking incredibly strange. It hadn't noticed that its trunk had fallen to the ground. It seemed to have just received an order from "itself" and started running. Then its body became separated, and unable to receive any more orders, it began running around at random.
Meanwhile, the part of the Tree Demon lying on the ground shook its leaves frantically. The rustling was louder than ever.
"Rustle rustle rustle~~ (Damn it! My body's been hollowed out by bugs! My body's broken! My legs ran away!)"
Ji Ruo unconsciously slowed down.
"Rustle rustle~~ (Damn it all! Those awful wood-boring bugs! I didn't even notice them!)"
"Rustle~ (Leader! Save me!)"
Ahead, the thickest Tree Demon shook its branches in reply. "Rustle rustle~ (You're on your own, brother. Run for your life!)"
Ji Ruo stopped.
After thinking it over, he gritted his teeth. "Class monitor!"
"Huh?"
"Give me a hand."
Ji Ruo turned around and hoisted the weeping trunk onto his shoulders.
Liang Shixian was dumbfounded. "Y-you... Why aren't you running for your life? Why are you carrying it?"
Ji Ruo coughed awkwardly. "Well, we're Tree Demons now, aren't we? I figured we ought to have a little collective honor and stick together, never abandoning anyone. That'll help us fit into the Tree Demon family later, too."
"Do you seriously think we're playing house?" Liang Shixian was completely at a loss. But seeing Ji Ruo running after the group with Rosie perched on his head and the trunk on his shoulder, struggling a little, Liang Shixian sighed and came back to help carry it.
Collective honor, the Tree Demon family—what a load of nonsense!
They were both Level Seven Martial Apprentices, with decent physiques. Carrying a Tree Demon was a little strenuous, but in a way, it was like running cross-country with a weighted load. It counted as training.
Ji Ruo carried the trunk closer to the crown and said gravely to the Tree Demon, "Brother, don't cry. We'll carry you along!"
[Common Tongue] converted the meaning of his words into something the Tree Demon could understand. The Tree Demon was instantly overcome with gratitude and shook its branches in reply.
"Rustle rustle~ (Thank you, brother! There's true affection among the trees! Thank you! May a good tree live in peace all its life!)"
"Ahem."
Ji Ruo coughed awkwardly.
[Congratulations, young host! You've unlocked the sub-function achievement: Collective Honor as a Tree Demon!]
[The effect of the Sense of Immersion skill has increased by 10%!]
[Note: To put yourself in someone else's shoes, you must first step into your own role!]
Ji Ruo was delighted, and his slight embarrassment vanished in an instant.
"No need to thank me, no need to thank me. We're all Tree Demons. We should help each other!"
The Tree Demon was even more grateful. "Rustle~ (You really are a good tree!)"
Ji Ruo beamed. "Yes, yes, I am!"
Liang Shixian: "..."
He was starting to wonder whether Ji Ruo really could understand the Tree Demons.
The two of them carried the Tree Demon and jogged along with the main group for about half an hour. The Tree Demons weren't moving very fast.
The group still showed no sign of stopping, and Liang Shixian's breathing had begun to grow heavy.
Only then did Ji Ruo realize they still hadn't opened their Qi Vessels. No matter how strong their bodies were, they were still only at a human level, not beyond it.
Running cross-country with a weighted load took a lot of stamina.
"Class monitor, remember the 'Total Concentration Breathing' I told you about? Follow my rhythm and breathe with me."
Ji Ruo spoke.
Though he hadn't opened his Qi Vessel yet, his breathing remained steady because he'd been using his self-created "Total Concentration Breathing."
His version wasn't the same as the original "Total Concentration Breathing." Maintaining the original breathing technique for a long time required a great deal of practice.
But the version Ji Ruo had created didn't require that.
When creating his breathing technique, he'd drawn on several basic breathing techniques taught at school.
Those techniques had been compiled by Li Yuanqing, the Department of Education's deputy director, who had streamlined breathing methods from various Martial Dao techniques before incorporating them into the curriculum.
Breathing techniques had no other purpose than to help circulate one's blood and energy and improve one's control over their body. In theory, they enabled a person to make one unit of strength or stamina produce its full effect, with almost no loss.
Ji Ruo had studied those techniques, then combined them with his imagination and the max-level comprehension granted by his [Dual Mastery of Blade and Sword] buff to create "Total Concentration Breathing." In theory, it combined the best aspects of every basic breathing technique he knew.
One unit of strength could produce one and a half—or even two—units' worth of results!
Liang Shixian paused, then did as he was told.
After several days together, he'd gotten a rough sense of Ji Ruo's personality and knew Ji Ruo wouldn't lead him astray.
Besides, the breathing technique Ji Ruo had taught him really was ingenious.
Then—
"Cough, cough, cough!"
His breathing rhythm suddenly changed, almost leaving Liang Shixian unable to catch his breath. He stumbled and nearly fell over.
"Class monitor, take it slow. Don't rush. The worst thing you can do in martial arts is try to get ahead of yourself."
Liang Shixian: "..."
Thanks to reader Hundred Cycles of Reincarnation for the 100-point donation!
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