This quality suited Jiang Chen perfectly. It was also the fundamental difference between Xuan Pangzi and Hu Qiu Yue on the one hand, and that Yang Zong on the other.
Jiang Chen could tell that Xuan Pangzi's martial arts aptitude was, at best, average. Furthermore, the young man lacked the tenacity and ruthlessness that a cultivator typically possessed.
Perhaps he could sustain effort for a short while, but expecting him to pursue the martial path with an "never rest until death" mentality was absolutely impossible for Xuan Pangzi.
Hu Qiu Yue, on the other hand, was different. Behind his simple and honest exterior lay a tenacious and unyielding heart for martial cultivation.
With this assessment, Jiang Chen had a rough idea in mind.
He raised his cup. "You two have always treated me, Jiang Chen, as your big brother. So, today, as that big brother, I'll say one thing: if you trust me, then no matter whether your life's goal is to pursue wealth and status, or to pursue the martial path, I can help you achieve it."
"But the precondition is that you are my brothers, brothers for life."
Jiang Chen said this very seriously. These two were certainly his brothers now, but time could change many things. What he needed was loyalty that would never waver.
"Brother Chen, I, Xuan Pangzi, only have one thing to say: this body of fat is all yours. Whenever you get tired of delicacies and want to eat human flesh, just come carve a piece from me. If I don't trust you, then there's no one in this world I can trust!" Xuan Pangzi didn't even frown as he spoke.
"Brother Chen, I'm not good with words. But I've always felt you're a good big brother, one worth following." Hu Qiu Yue also made his declaration.
"Good. We are brothers, for life." Jiang Chen nodded. "That's enough for today. Remember, after the Hidden Dragon Trial, come see me again. I'll give you a little surprise."
For these two, Jiang Chen also needed to consider how best to help them. It shouldn't be excessive, yet it must be truly effective for them.
If it was too extravagant, it would inevitably attract unwanted attention and cause unnecessary trouble.
If it was too stingy, the effect would be poor, and giving it would be like not giving at all.
This required a customized approach and would take some time to figure out.
As the saying goes, a single hand cannot clap. In any world, relying solely on one's own strength meant that some things would always be beyond one's capabilities. Cultivating a group of people was an inevitability.
After sending off his two friends, Jiang Chen did not rest. Instead, he went directly into seclusion, entering his cultivation chamber.
During the day, those three hours in the Sword Qi Room had allowed him to gain much insight and reap a full harvest. The five streams of True Qi in his body and the five meridians had been constantly honed, impacted, bathed, assaulted, and transformed while resisting the thirty-two-fold sword energy in the room, until they underwent a metamorphosis...
That battle had allowed Jiang Chen to advance, almost unconsciously, to the Six-Meridian True Qi realm.
This was Jiang Chen's greatest gain from that fight.
"Upon entering the Six-Meridian True Qi realm, I feel my combat power has at least increased by two or three times." Jiang Chen sensed the changes in his body; he felt his physical constitution had been further strengthened, undergoing a complete transformation compared to when he first arrived in this world.
"My battle with Yan Yiming today also indirectly reflected some of my current problems. Although I won, it was a very clever win." Jiang Chen analyzed the fight, gaining some understanding of its pros and cons.
First, Jiang Chen was at a disadvantage in terms of martial techniques. The previous Jiang Chen's inherited family techniques had been practiced very carelessly. The only one he had bothered to learn with some diligence was the catch-all "Purple Qi Coming from the East Art." That was only because the Hidden Dragon Trial required it. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have bothered learning it.
To come to this world and still be using the supplementary combat techniques of the "Purple Qi Coming from the East Art" against opponents—there was no denying that in the area of martial techniques, Jiang Chen needed a serious upgrade.
Jiang Chen had looked into the Jiang family's inherited arts. They were called the "Cang Lang Art," a comprehensive technique combining Qi cultivation and combat skills.
The "Cang Lang Art" was a mid-grade mortal-level technique, with a maximum cultivation limit of the Nine-Meridians True Qi realm.
Its supplementary martial techniques were the "Wave-Breaking Blade" and the "Sea God Fist."
This "Cang Lang Art" was considered the cornerstone technique of the Jiang family.
"Truly, this is a rather poor family," Jiang Chen laughed bitterly. "The classification of techniques in this world seems to be divided into five major tiers: mortal, spirit, saint, earth, and heaven. Within each major tier, there are four sub-grades: lower, middle, upper, and supreme. Counting it up, a mid-grade mortal-level technique is practically the second-lowest tier there is. And this is considered a clan treasure?"
Jiang Chen had to lament that the starting point of his reincarnation was indeed rather low.
Of course, among all the martial techniques and cultivation methods in the world, being able to rank, even as the lowest-grade mortal-level lower-grade, meant it was a legitimate martial art.
Most martial artists, however, cultivated techniques that didn't even rank at all—ordinary martial skills.
So-called mortal-grade martial arts, in a kingdom like the Eastern Kingdom, were actually extremely precious martial art manuals.
What made Jiang Chen want to laugh and cry at the same time was that, regarding this "Cang Lang Art," the previous Jiang Chen had cultivated it from childhood until now, and had only just reached the "Minor Completion" stage.
"How lazy must this guy have been to cultivate his clan's cornerstone technique to this level? Was his mind really not on cultivation at all?"
In martial technique cultivation, Minor Completion was only the first step. After that came Proficiency, Major Completion, Perfection, and finally, the legendary Supreme stage.
Minor Completion was just getting started.