Chapter 896 — Life Is Full of Serendipity
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Yes—I've found that the energy passing through my body isn't entirely useless. A tiny fraction of it does remain behind, slowly repairing my injured body!" Wei Zhao said excitedly. "The area it repairs is pitifully small, but I can still feel it."
"Mm... so that's what you mean..." Jiao Yazi stroked his chin. He truly could not bear to discourage Wei Zhao, yet after a moment's hesitation, some things still had to be said. "You're not wrong. Since you're circulating the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, that is in itself a process of absorbing and converting energy. Though your meridians are damaged, their function is not wholly lost, so you can still convert a very small amount of energy—but that's scarcely a drop in the bucket compared to before..."
"Oh? So that means if I keep cultivating like this, there's a chance I could recover my strength?" Wei Zhao was overjoyed at Jiao Yazi's words, having missed the implication hidden beneath them.
"Yes, there is that possibility!" Jiao Yazi nodded. "In about a hundred years, you should be able to repair a third of your meridians!"
"Huh?" Wei Zhao was badly startled by Jiao Yazi's words. "A hundred years? Just to repair a third?"
"Mm. If you cultivate day and night without rest, then in roughly thirty thousand days you'll have repaired a third. In about a hundred thousand days you'll have restored one whole meridian, and from then on you'll be able to repair all your meridians quickly..." Jiao Yazi counted off on his fingers for Wei Zhao.
"..." Wei Zhao was momentarily speechless. "But it doesn't feel that slow to me. Judging by how fast my body's injuries are healing, it would only take a few days to mend the wounds on my body..."
"That's right, of course!" Jiao Yazi nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "External experts temper the body; internal experts temper the meridians. You don't have the body of an external expert—yours is only a little tougher than an ordinary person's—so naturally it heals quickly. But meridians, now..."
The truth dawned on Wei Zhao. So that was the reason. Seen that way, his earlier joy really had been for nothing!
"Hoo—" Wei Zhao gave up trying in a fit of dejection and sat down on the ground within the jade pendant space. "Elder Jiao, is there really no other way?"
"If I weren't merely a disembodied soul, perhaps I could try something. And if the master were here, he could help you too..." Jiao Yazi said.
"Everything you say is unrealistic... Isn't there anything a bit more practical?" Wei Zhao asked with a bitter smile.
"There is. The practical option is that you train as an external expert," Jiao Yazi said. "Look at that Ma Zhu—after training as an external expert he's plenty tough. If you hadn't had that all-powerful energy bomb of yours, you'd have been dead for certain."
"Uh..." Wei Zhao blinked. "You're telling me to go practice the Golden Bell Shield?"
"It's the easiest path I can think of for you to recover your strength!" Jiao Yazi nodded.
Wei Zhao said nothing. He brooded for a long while, and at last nodded. "Perhaps you're right. It's the only way..."
"I'm glad you can see it that way. After all, all roads lead to Rome. Who knows—when you open the second stone door in the cave, you might stumble on some unexpected prize!" Jiao Yazi said.
"Yes... why didn't I think of that?" Wei Zhao's eyes lit up. His own path of cultivation was different from that of external experts, but it was not quite the same as an ordinary internal expert's either. What he cultivated was the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, a most rare martial art. If behind the second stone door there was some way to repair meridians—who could say?
"Life is always full of serendipity. When the cart reaches the mountain, a road will appear; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself out!" Jiao Yazi said. "When you're at your wit's end, perhaps you'll find willows and bright flowers beyond another village?"