Chen Xu was taken aback. Had he been tainted with fresh evil qi?
In that moment, he was startled and nearly believed that the Mr. Zhou before him was, in fact, an evil spirit in disguise, ready to reveal his true form and devour him whole after toying with him!
But soon, Chen Xu rebutted himself. What kind of evil spirit would offer a cup of Upper Grade Moonlight Flowing Spirit Immortal Tea before eating someone?
Though he was suspicious, he didn't have to be so small-minded…
In an instant, Chen Xu's mind raced as countless thoughts tumbled within.
Fortunately, Mr. Zhou soon said, "Young friend, have you encountered any strange and unusual events recently?"
Ah, so that's what it was!
Chen Xu immediately replied, "Sir, last night, as I fell asleep, I unexpectedly encountered my fellow friend using Spirit Mud to create a likeness to cut off my head. Upon awakening, I fiercely battled with him…"
He recounted the events of the head-swapping incident from the previous night, narrating while recalling, still somewhat haunted by the lingering fear.
He managed to turn the tables last night, partly due to timely response and partly due to luck.
The greatest stroke of luck was his awakening of the Food Cauldron Celestial Book just before Lin Qi's attack.
Of course, the Food Cauldron Celestial Book is Chen Xu's deepest secret. He would not reveal it to anyone or any creature, not even a stone.
The head transplantation technique was bizarre and uncanny no matter how he thought about it.
Chen Xu then asked Mr. Zhou a question that baffled him: "Sir, they say the head is the head of the Six Yangs, a person's divine thought should be primarily in the head.
If I swap heads with Lin Qi successfully, and my head is placed on his body, then... who will govern his body, me or him?
If the heads are swapped, will he still be himself?"
Mr. Zhou silently listened to this strange tale, showing no surprise, as if accustomed to such matters.
He said, "You mentioned he also bound your legs with a kind of Soul-Cutting Silkworm, which in truth was a form of Soul-Devouring Technique.
If the head transplantation technique succeeds, he would use the Soul-Cutting Silkworm to devour your soul. With your soul gone, what use would a lone head be?
Your head will be at his disposal, and your divine soul and intellect will naturally be his, becoming his resource for growth."
Chen Xu felt a chill down his spine, further resolved to kill Lin Qi early and not give him a chance to awaken again.
Mr. Zhou seemed to perceive his urgency and anger and said, "Although this technique appears formidable, the success rate is actually low.
All evil techniques have various drawbacks. With this head-swapping soul-devouring technique, even a minor error could lead to a backlash.
Should the practitioner suffer backlash, at worst the mind will be chaotic, at worst life force will be lost.
Like you, having escaped the head-swapping calamity and destroyed his avatar, you can take advantage of this connection to kill him from afar."
Chen Xu immediately understood Mr. Zhou's implication, promptly stood up, and saluted, saying, "Please teach me, sir!"
Mr. Zhou glanced sideways at the teacup before him, smiling slightly, "Is this just to ask for guidance?"
Following his gaze, Chen Xu quickly picked up the teacup and presented it in front of himself, while kneeling, ready to bow.
But a gentle force held him back. Chen Xu looked up to see Mr. Zhou saying, "Offering tea is enough, no need to bow. Since we have this fate, I can teach you a few things, as for accepting disciples..."
His withered face now showed a trace of melancholy: "I traveled from north to south, and set up the Star Array outside Jichuan County, others thought it was because I'm fond of talent, seeking to gather a few young people around me.
But in truth, it's merely for avoiding disaster."
Avoiding disaster!
For someone as mysterious and powerful as Mr. Zhou, he actually needed to avoid disaster?
Chen Xu couldn't fathom receiving such an answer, and saw Mr. Zhou smile, saying, "What? Hearing that I need to avoid disaster, are you scared and afraid to serve the tea?"
How could he not dare?
Chen Xu immediately bent over, raised the teacup to his forehead, and said, "Please drink the tea, sir."
Despite his lame leg, his tea-serving gesture was elegant and dashing, exuding a unique grace.
Mr. Zhou said, "That's right, young people should be spirited and fearless. However, some hardships, if avoidable, should be avoided."
Then he took the tea Chen Xu offered before him, drank it, and imparted a technique to dispel the soul path evil arts.
The reason it's called a technique and not magic is that even common people can learn it, making it a widely dissemination of breaking evil method.
Chen Xu carefully remembered it, not daring to miss any detail.
Apart from this technique, Mr. Zhou also casually spoke with Chen Xu, passing on a few simple self-preservation skills.
For instance, "If encountering a ghost, an ordinary little one, just bite your tongue tip till it bleeds and spray it at the ghost, it will weaken, and you can capture and bind it."
"And for the Beast Creation Skill, which turns a living person into an animal, make them drink a large amount of water in a day to break this Beast Creation Evil Technique."
"As for the Painted Skin Skill, the painted skin fears fire most. A burn will peel it off. But painted skin ghosts are often fiercely evil, easy to peel but difficult to kill, requiring cultivation level…"
Afterward, Mr. Zhou asked Chen Xu, "I see you have abundant qi blood and full spirit, you must also be practicing some basic Body Refining Technique. Is that so?"
Chen Xu actually didn't have any specific cultivation method, relying entirely on adding points.
However, once he gathers 1000 likes, he will naturally unlock the Food God Cultivation Technique Scroll, so Chen Xu didn't deny having cultivation methods.
He nodded in acknowledgment, and Mr. Zhou said, "You're practicing well, but you need to pay special attention that Essence, Qi Blood, and Divine Soul should progress together and not favor one excessively.
If you overly favor one, like your divine soul being powerful, but cannot keep Qi Blood and Essence up, over time it may lead to insufficient qi blood supply, divine soul suppressing the body, eventually causing depletion of essence and qi blood.
This way, despite having strong mana, lifespan and physical body will suffer.
People often say those overly wise are vulnerable, referring to those with excessive mental exertion, a divine soul too strong, yet their physique and foundation fall short, resulting in bodily destruction and divine injury."
Finished speaking, Chen Xu looked at Mr. Zhou, and Mr. Zhou looked back at Chen Xu.
A moment later, Chen Xu suddenly realized, exclaiming in shock, "Sir, you…"
Mr. Zhou nodded slightly without avoidance, "Yes, it's because my divine soul is too strong while my essence and qi blood are depleted, resulting in my current appearance."
Chen Xu was left speechless, wanting to console him but found not a single word came to mind despite his search.
Mr. Zhou said, "Scholars need to take the imperial exam, they need qi cultivation, and this is precisely why."
What?
Chen Xu didn't understand this sentence, but felt vaguely that it was crucially important.
He quickly focused himself to listen.