Chapter 173 Rock Owl: Why Don't You Call Yourself Lin Jiang Like Me?
Splash—
Under the night sky, Jiang Lin splashed his face with the cold water of the lake, trying to calm himself down. Just a moment ago, he had nearly seen the woman's entire body.
When he later helped her to circulate blood and dissolve bruises, Jiang Lin was actually using his spiritual sense to check the state of the seal inside her body.
All the meridians in the woman's body were entangled by faint purple threads, causing all her Dou Qi to congeal completely, leaving her unable to mobilize even the slightest trace.
What surprised Jiang Lin a little was that, despite being a Dou Huang powerhouse, once stripped of Dou Qi her body turned out to be so fragile. At this moment, Jiang Lin seemed to gain a brand-new understanding and insight into the cultivation realms of this world.
Most people in this world were Qi cultivators. Once they lost their Dou Qi, their physical constitution would sharply decline. Only under the blessing of Dou Qi could they maintain the physical strength expected of their realm.
The green-robed woman was the same. Without Dou Qi, her body was only slightly stronger than a normal person's—clearly a Dou Huang who never cared about body refinement. Her cultivation reached the Dou Huang level only in terms of Dou Qi mastery and meridian toughness; her physical strength lagged far behind.
Jiang Lin, on the other hand, had only reached Dou Shi in Dou Qi cultivation, but his physical body could already wrestle with a Da Dou Shi, and his meridian toughness was comparable to a Dou Ling. In this case, even if Jiang Lin's Dou Qi were sealed, he could still punch a Dou Shi and kick a Da Dou Shi. The only difference would be a great reduction in his mobility.
For Jiang Lin, Dou Qi functioned like a high-performance fuel—much more efficient than raw stamina—for driving his powerful body.
"After all, people who train both Qi and body are always very rare in this world." Jiang Lin squatted at the edge of the lake, gazing at his reflection under the moonlight and sighing faintly in his heart.
"Brother Lin, how is she?" In the quiet moonlight, Xiao Yan walked over, sat down on a rock, and curiously looked Jiang Lin over.
Jiang Lin shook his head. "When you cultivate in the future, try to pay a little more attention to training your body. Otherwise, you'll end up like her—once you lose your Dou Qi, you'll really be as helpless as a child."
"Her injuries aren't fatal. Even though her body is frail, the toughness of a Dou Huang's meridians is still there. She'll recover slowly on her own."
"Ah—so that seal only restricts her Dou Qi?" Xiao Yan was surprised. He had thought the Amethyst Winged Lion King's amethyst seal suppressed overall strength, but it turned out to be just Dou Qi.
But then again, sealing overall 'strength' would be even more abstract, wouldn't it? How could something tangible like physical strength be sealed?
"What else would it be?" Jiang Lin lifted his head toward the Lan Eagle standing watch above the waterfall in the dark, then took out his refining notes to make some records.
"Remember to use another name when addressing her. I have some guesses about her identity—though I'm not certain yet—but she's definitely someone high-ranking in the Jia Ma Empire."
"Mm, understood. Xiao Yan has learned something today." Xiao Yan nodded. Finding out that the Dou Huang woman was reduced to helplessness just because her Dou Qi was sealed deeply shocked him. He silently resolved to put more effort into strengthening his body.
At this point, Yao Chen added, "Actually, if your soul cultivation is high enough, then even if your Dou Qi is depleted or sealed, you can still unleash formidable power."
"Of course, people like Jiang Lin who train in Qi, body, and soul at the same time are extremely rare." Yao Chen couldn't help but sigh.
In his view, Jiang Lin must have a soul cultivation method; otherwise, it was impossible to explain his powerful soul strength.
Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan exchanged casual chatter outside. After a while, the screen inside the cave shifted. The gray-robed woman stepped out, her face tinged with embarrassment. In a soft voice, she said, "I…I've finished."
Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan glanced at each other, then turned back into the cave.
Jiang Lin added more wood to the nearly burned-out campfire, warming up the cave further. Actually, as Xiao Yan often said, they didn't even need a fire—Jiang Lin himself was like a walking furnace. Normally, he was a low-powered hand warmer; when cultivating, he was a small sun warming both body and heart. Jiang Lin's fist made Xiao Yan swallow the last part of that joke.
The fire was prepared mainly for the green-robed woman. With Dou Qi protecting them, neither Jiang Lin nor Xiao Yan ever felt the cold.
"…" Both Xiao Yan and the woman sat quietly, watching Jiang Lin tend the fire. The atmosphere in the cave grew a little heavy.
"…We've been calling you 'Senior' all this time, but we still don't know your name." Helpless, Jiang Lin broke the silence among the three.
"Y-you can just call me Yun Zhi. There's no need for 'Senior'." Yun Zhi stretched her hands out toward the fire. Jiang Lin really was very considerate. This cave behind the waterfall was damp and chilly. For two young men like Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan, brimming with fiery energy, it wasn't a problem. But for Yun Zhi, once she lost her Dou Qi, it was the first time she felt how weak her body truly was.
She noticed there were almost no traces of fire in the cave, meaning the two usually never lit a campfire indoors. The first thing Jiang Lin did after she arrived was start a fire. Was this… the carefulness of a former healer?
"And you two? What are your names?" Yun Zhi asked the pair across the fire.
"Rock Owl." Xiao Yan grinned. He actually wanted to say "Yao Yan," but ever since meeting Jiang Lin, he felt "Rock Owl" sounded better.
Jiang Lin looked at him with slight surprise, then slowly said, "Jiang Lin."
'Huh? Brother Lin directly used his real name? Wouldn't it have been better if he switched it, like 'Lin Jiang'?' Xiao Yan was startled. Jiang Lin had just reminded him not to reveal his real name, saying "Xiao Huohuo" was too famous in the Jia Ma capital. But… Xiao Huohuo being famous, what did that have to do with him, Xiao Yan?
Jiang Lin warned him, yet now Jiang Lin himself didn't care? Hadn't he been to the capital too? With his talent, he was bound to be famous there as well.
"Heh heh heh…" As Xiao Yan puzzled over this, Yao Chen chuckled in his heart. "Little Yan, have you considered that maybe the name 'Lin Jiang' you suggested is actually Jiang Lin's real name?"
"…!" Xiao Yan froze, his expression stiff. Right! No wonder Jiang Lin looked so surprised when he said "Rock Owl"!
"You two… one Dou Shi, one Dou Zhe… and you dare wander deep into the Magical Beast Mountains? Aren't you afraid of danger?"
Yun Zhi felt Jiang Lin's name was a little familiar, though she was sure she had never heard of it before.
(END CHAPTER)
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