Chapter 106 – Training Injury to the Finger, Heading West to the Medicine King Valley
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Two hundred meters away, Zheng Huo was drenched in sweat, gritting his teeth, trying not to make a sound.
But his right index finger had already exploded into a bloody mess!
Like a shattered bamboo, it splintered into strips of flesh—barely retaining a finger’s shape thanks only to the remaining bone.
In front of him, a large tree had been blasted into pieces, with seven others behind it pierced clean through.
It was clear that he hadn’t taken Yu Xian’s warnings seriously.
While cultivating the Tongling Finger, he had sought power greedily, overestimating his own physique—resulting in a grievous backlash injury!
Yu Xian rushed over quickly. Seeing the condition of his finger, he immediately pulled out a bottle of high-grade Tier-3 healing pills from his robes. With concern, he said, “Brother Daoist, quickly take this.”
Zheng Huo hurriedly took the pills with his other hand and swallowed two, barely suppressing the pain.
As the medicine took effect, his shredded finger began to regenerate some flesh, and the bleeding stopped. The paleness on his face also gradually faded.
Just moments ago, he had thought he might have to live with only nine fingers.
The Tongling Finger… its power was undeniable, but the demand it placed on the finger’s durability was utterly outrageous!
If the finger couldn’t endure enough, then only a small amount of spiritual energy could be compressed into it, and the resulting attack would be mediocre—perhaps not even as good as ordinary Foundation Establishment techniques.
But if too much spiritual energy was compressed, though the attack would be powerful, the finger would be the price to pay.
There was no perfect solution.
Though Zheng Huo’s finger was starting to heal, it clearly wouldn’t recover fully in less than two or three days.
Still, it was fortunate he could keep the finger—thanks to Yu Xian’s timely help!
After all, he didn’t have any Tier-3 healing pills on him.
“Ah, I regret not listening to you, brother. I was too greedy for power and nearly crippled myself,” Zheng Huo said, face full of shame and lingering fear.
Yu Xian had clearly warned him not to seek excessive power with the technique, or his finger would be at risk.
But Zheng Huo, too confident in himself, had compressed too much spiritual energy into his finger. The resulting explosion was strong, but the damage nearly cost him the whole finger.
Yu Xian sighed and said, “It’s my fault for not emphasizing clearly enough. This technique demands a powerful physique. But thankfully, your finger is intact. Otherwise, I’d be truly remorseful.”
Hearing that made Zheng Huo even more embarrassed.
Yu Xian had explained it well—it was his own arrogance that caused this. Blaming anyone else was absurd.
Scratching his head awkwardly, Zheng Huo said, “Brother, you’re too kind. I’m the one who should be ashamed…”
Yu Xian smiled, seeing that he was recovering, and didn’t dwell on it. He nodded and said, “Since you’re alright, rest up. Two days from now, we’ll head to Medicine King Valley.”
“No, no need to delay,” Zheng Huo quickly said. “It’s just a small injury—I’ll be fine tomorrow. Let’s leave then! The sooner we go, the sooner you can meet your master.”
Yu Xian thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. But if you’re still unwell tomorrow, we’ll wait another day.”
“I’m fine—truly!” Zheng Huo laughed. “We rogue cultivators face wind and rain every day—what injuries haven’t we suffered? It’s just one finger, and it’s still attached. Tomorrow, we go.”
Yu Xian gave a slight nod and turned to leave.
Only after he was gone did Zheng Huo’s forced smile disappear. Gritting his teeth, he blew on his still-bleeding finger.
“Ten fingers linked to the heart,” he muttered. “How could it not hurt!?”
With a pained expression, he pulled out some treasured healing ointments, applied them carefully, and then exhaled deeply. Enduring the pain, he once again sat in meditation to stabilize his mind and continue his comprehension of the Tongling Finger.
After this painful lesson, he was determined to find the balance: enough power without destroying his own body.
Meanwhile, Yu Xian returned to his original position and sat down cross-legged again.
He had already grasped the basics of Tongling Finger. From now on, it was about refining how quickly he could compress and release spiritual energy—something that would take extensive practice.
He resumed his comprehension of Wind Riding Technique.
This technique was similar to Swift Wind Steps, but more complex. Its incantations were harder to recite, and its spiritual energy demands were multiple times greater.
With his current peak Qi Condensation level, he could use Wind Riding to soar up to sixty zhang, and it was five to six times faster than Swift Wind Steps. But he could only sustain it for two incense sticks’ time before exhausting all his spiritual energy.
After all, the rate of energy cycling at the Qi Condensation realm was four to five times lower than Foundation Establishment.
This was a proper Tier-3 spell—unless one had Foundation Establishment cultivation, it was like a small horse pulling a heavy carriage: unsustainable.
Yu Xian shook his head. After four hours of comprehension and testing, he realized that unless it was for chasing an enemy or fleeing, this technique wasn’t worth using—it consumed too much energy.
As night fell, Yu Xian recovered the spiritual energy he had lost using Wind Riding Technique, and began to study the third spell.
Earth Flame Art.
Just the name suggested it was a fire-based spell.
After a brief study, Yu Xian shook his head.
The spell was powerful.
Once cast, it could cause an eruption of molten flame from a spot within ten zhang ahead. The strength of the eruption depended on the caster’s cultivation and ability.
Even its weakest form would produce a one-zhang-thick column of lava that could shoot skyward, dealing immense damage.
But the flaws were glaringly obvious.
The spell took twenty seconds to gather power, then ten seconds of ground rumbling before erupting like a miniature volcano. Even if the area of effect was one zhang—who would be dumb enough to stand there for thirty seconds?
The energy consumption was outrageous.
Yu Xian didn’t even need to try to know—he likely couldn’t even cast it with his full reserves at peak.
Long casting time, slow release, massive spiritual energy cost.
Sure, it was powerful… but impractical.
“Fine, I’ll still learn it,” Yu Xian muttered. “Maybe one day if I get a control spell or binding treasure, I can use it to finish off tougher enemies.”
But really—if you had a way to bind someone completely, there were a thousand ways to kill them.
Why Earth Flame Art?
Such a waste.
Yu Xian sighed, memorized all the incantations, and closed his eyes.
He meditated through the night, restoring his energy and body to peak condition.
At dawn, the forest was shrouded in mist. Before Yu Xian could get up, Zheng Huo came running over, beaming with excitement.
“Brother, look what I found!”
Yu Xian opened his eyes, stood up, and asked, “What is it?”
Zheng Huo held out two wooden tokens, each engraved with a few spirit symbols. “These are identity tokens from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. With these, we can pretend to be members of the alliance—should keep us safe on the road!”
He grinned. “Found them in Ju Long’s storage pouch.”
Yu Xian nodded slightly. “That’s good. No need to hide or dodge anymore. Since the Baiyun Sect is destroyed, this area is now Rogue Cultivator territory. Disguising ourselves as members is the best option.”
He had been considering whether to kill a few Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators and take their gear to disguise themselves anyway. But since Ju Long’s pouch had what they needed, no need to go out of the way.
Each took one token. Then, casting spells, they headed west toward the Medicine King Valley.
This was Yu Xian’s second time heading there.
The humiliation from Guo Pin, Lier from Xuanyuan Sect, and Gu Hanfeng of the Valley—he remembered all of it.
He didn’t have the strength yet to take revenge, but this time, he went with the faint hope of reuniting with his master.
The hatred—Yu Xian would never forget.
The distance between Baiyun Sect and Medicine King Valley was over 100,000 li. Riding a Ten-Thousand-Li Crane would take just over five days.
But if they walked, it would take over a month.
Yu Xian didn’t tell Zheng Huo he had a Cloud Egret.
Not because he didn’t trust him, but because… people’s hearts are unpredictable.
Though he considered Zheng Huo a friend, they hadn’t known each other long. The value of a spirit beast pouch was just too great. Yu Xian couldn’t be sure Zheng Huo wouldn’t be tempted.
Too many “brothers” and “sworn allies” had turned on each other for less.
So for now, Yu Xian kept it secret.
Zheng Huo, unaware, simply flew beside Yu Xian with his Foundation Establishment flight technique.
He was proud, excited even, to have made a friend like Yu Xian—still so young, yet destined to become a powerful Golden Core, maybe even Nascent Soul cultivator.
The two traveled west for three days, covering over 10,000 li, and finally slowed down.
“Brother, up ahead is a place called Zhaoyue Market. I remember it’s overseen by a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. Not sure if he’s still there, but let’s check. If it’s still active, we can rest there.”
“Alright.”
Yu Xian was short of breath. After three days on the road, his body was exhausted. A place to rest would be ideal—safer and more comfortable than the wilds.
The two pressed forward.
Beyond a mountain, a bustling market appeared in the distance.
Though the Baiyun Sect had fallen to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, not much had changed. Former sect disciples became rogues. Rogues became members of the alliance.
Most didn’t want to refine pills, grow herbs, mine, forge weapons, or raise beasts—they still roamed the world, looking for fortune.
They were still rogue cultivators.
So little had really changed.
Zhaoyue Market remained bustling, only now under the Alliance’s control, and taxes were slightly higher.
Yu Xian and Zheng Huo arrived, both wearing alliance tokens.
They quickly noticed—everyone else in the market also had the same token.
Apparently, everyone understood the value of a “protection badge.”
Yu Xian kept his spiritual fluctuations hidden.
But Zheng Huo’s Foundation Establishment aura was hard to miss.
Foundation Establishment cultivators were rare. Even if there had been 400–500 of them in the big battle, they were spread out over hundreds of thousands of li.
This market only had three total.
“Brother,” Zheng Huo whispered, “in a market like this, Foundation Establishment still carries deterrence power. It saves us a lot of trouble.”
Yu Xian nodded in agreement.
Sometimes, showing strength was the best protection.
Indeed, the moment Zheng Huo’s cultivation pressure swept through, the rogue cultivators around them made way—no one dared approach or ask questions.
They walked straight into an inn.
“Ah! Senior, welcome!” The innkeeper was stunned, then quickly greeted them with respectful bows. “Would Senior like a drink or a room?”
“Stop rambling,” Zheng Huo said coolly. “Two top-grade suites. My brother and I just came down from Baiyun Sect—we need to rest.”
The innkeeper’s expression shifted slightly, but he quickly bowed again. “Right away, Senior! Please follow me!”
Anyone who had come down from Baiyun Sect was likely involved in that bloody war—undoubtedly dangerous.
Zheng Huo nodded proudly, and he and Yu Xian followed the innkeeper upstairs.
They were given two large premium rooms, each to themselves.
Standing before the door, Zheng Huo casually tossed five low-grade spirit stones. “Go on.”
He didn’t care about the awkward look on the innkeeper’s face.
He simply smiled and said to Yu Xian, “Brother, go ahead and rest. We’ll leave tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
Since Zheng Huo had arranged everything, Yu Xian had no complaints. He entered his room.
Zheng Huo closed the door behind him, then turned to the innkeeper, frowning. “Why are you still here?”
The innkeeper forced a smile. “Nothing, nothing. Rest well, Senior. If you need anything, just call—I’ll be nearby…”
He turned and left, but his expression immediately twisted into one of disdain. Mouth silently cursing.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator… booking two premium rooms… and only giving five spirit stones?
What a cheapskate!
But what could he do? He couldn’t offend someone like that.
Zheng Huo, naturally, didn’t care.
Heh, rogue cultivators had it tough—save where you can!
With a calm smile, he turned and entered his own room.
