"..."

As the golden-red vertical pupil gazed at him, emanating a faint, dignified aura, Zong Chengze’s body tensed. He felt as if he were being seen through completely.

Although the feeling vanished almost instantly, that brief moment was enough for Zong Chengze to realize how extraordinary it was.

"This is... Solar Power... That eye of yours is connected to the Sun."

Having said this, he quickly waved his hand before Zhong Ming could respond. "Don’t tell me what Cultivation Technique you’re practicing or what ability you’ve gained... And you must never mention this to anyone else in the future."

"If anyone asks, just say you failed to learn anything."

After he spoke, still feeling it wasn’t safe enough, he added another warning, "Not even if Yi Yunya asks you. You cannot tell her." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

Zhong Ming was very receptive to the advice, as this concerned his own life and safety.

Meanwhile, the Sect Leader, who knew from that eye that Zhong Ming had successfully comprehended the technique, had to take several deep breaths to calm his turbulent emotions.

Then, unable to contain his excitement, he looked directly at Zhong Ming and said, "Is there anything you need for your cultivation? Speak freely. As long as it is within the sect’s power, we will absolutely not shortchange you."

Zong Chengze had reached the point where he would spare no effort in nurturing Zhong Ming.

There were two reasons for this. First, the current situation was too perilous; the sect needed a prodigy like Zhong Ming to stabilize things, and even to break them out of their predicament.

The second reason was that the main Cultivation Techniques of the Seven Profound Sect were mostly Profound-Level High Grade, or at best, Earth-Level Lower Grade.

With such techniques, reaching Foundation Establishment was no problem, but attempting Core Formation was nigh impossible.

And even if one succeeded by a stroke of luck, the grade of the condensed Golden Core would not be high.

What made the upper echelons of the Seven Profound Sect even more miserable was that since their Dao Foundation was already established, switching to a different Cultivation Technique was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

High-grade techniques that were also compatible with them were already hard to find. Even if they were fortunate enough to obtain one, without the guidance of a predecessor, the cultivation path would be riddled with hidden traps and fraught with peril.

For all these reasons, if Zong Chengze and the others were to rashly change their Cultivation Technique, their cultivation level and combat strength might not even be as high as they were now.

But not changing was even worse. Their Basic Technique was of too low a grade and had already limited their future.

Faced with this dilemma, Zong Chengze, Wei Jingcheng, and the others could only painstakingly research and optimize their existing Cultivation Techniques, hoping that one day they could raise the grade of the Seven Profound Sect’s techniques.

But optimizing and deducing improvements for a Cultivation Technique was no easy task.

Zong Chengze was very clear about his own limitations.

’On my own, I’ll never achieve this goal in my lifetime.’

This predicament was a common struggle for many smaller sects, one that almost none could overcome.

This was also why smaller sects rarely produced powerful Cultivators—it wasn’t just a matter of resources, but more importantly, their Cultivation Techniques.

Originally, Zong Chengze had resigned himself to this fate, but Zhong Ming’s appearance gave him, Wei Jingcheng, and the others hope for a breakthrough.

’To be able to comprehend a Celestial-Level Technique from the Golden Jade Tower... such Talent is simply outrageous... The techniques of our Seven Profound Sect will never be able to hold him back.’

’Once he advances to Foundation Establishment, or even Golden Core, there’s a high probability he’ll be able to optimize our techniques.’

’Because they share the same roots, there’s a very high chance that the optimized techniques will remain with the sect, allowing us to practice them as well.’

’In that case, the limits of the Seven Profound Sect—and my own limits—will be shattered!’

’This is a true case of "when one person achieves the Dao, their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven"!’

...

It was precisely because the future of the Seven Profound Sect, and even his own, rested entirely on Zhong Ming’s shoulders that Zong Chengze was so determined to nurture him without reservation.

And Zhong Ming didn’t stand on ceremony.

"I do have some things I require. First, Elixir Pills. I need a large quantity of them to aid my cultivation."

"Additionally, I plan to concurrently practice the Body Forging technique from Bright Stone Peak."

Hearing the request for Elixir Pills, Zong Chengze raised an eyebrow.

"The sect has plenty of Elixir Pills, and we can provide you with an unlimited supply for the Qi Refining Stage. But Zhong Ming, Elixir Pills contain Erysipelas. You must be cautious. Your future is limitless; you absolutely cannot risk leaving behind hidden dangers for the sake of temporary progress."

Zhong Ming smiled at his words. "I know, but please rest assured, Sect Leader. I am confident I can handle the Erysipelas."

As soon as he said this, Zong Chengze’s eyes lit up, and he subconsciously thought of the golden-red pupil from just moments ago.

’It must be that ability... To incinerate Erysipelas. Is this the power of a Celestial-Level Technique?!’

’Unfortunately, Zhong Ming can’t pass on a technique of this kind. And even if he were willing to teach it, I probably wouldn’t be able to learn it anyway.’

Shaking his head, Zong Chengze stopped overthinking it and nodded. "If that’s the case, then there’s no problem. I will go to Cuixiang Mountain to retrieve the pills for you shortly."

After that, Zong Chengze turned to the matter of concurrently practicing a Body Forging technique.

"Powerful Cultivators all train their Essence, Qi, and Spirit. It’s good that you want to temper your physical body; the sect will fully support you in this. However, I don’t recommend you learn the technique from Bright Stone Peak. The grade of their technique is too low—only Profound-Level High Grade."

This grade was indeed not very satisfactory to Zhong Ming, but he asked, "Isn’t the Body Forging technique from Bright Stone Peak the best one we have in the Seven Profound Sect? If I don’t practice that, what else is there?"

"Haha..." Zhong Ming’s confusion made Zong Chengze laugh. "If I say that, it’s naturally because there is a better option—in fact, a perfect opportunity has just presented itself."

Gazing eastward, Zong Chengze explained the situation regarding Qinghe County.

"Prince Qinghe’s strength may not be top-tier, but as a member of the Royal Family, his household has deep reserves. If we are willing to cooperate with him, it would be impossible for you to obtain a Celestial-Level Body Forging technique, but securing a chance to comprehend an Earth-Level High-grade Technique is practically guaranteed."

"Hmm... you might even have a shot at an Earth-Level Top Grade one. However, whether you can obtain a technique of that caliber will depend entirely on you."