His fervent anticipation for the new Divine Treasure had Zhong Ming reading for an entire day.

The next day, as the group set off for Qinghe County aboard a Flying Ship, Zhong Ming was still reading.

And now, he was even holding a book.

It wasn’t that he had recorded the information from the Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation—he couldn’t do such a thing, restricted as he was by a contract.

Zhong Ming was holding the book merely to use the scent of ink and paper to enhance his atmosphere for Reading, making it easier for him to enter a state of single-minded focus beyond just Mind Reading.

The method proved to be quite effective.

However, the sight of him like this struck Yan Chen, Su Lingya, Han Yu, and the others as rather odd.

—Of course, Zhong Ming wasn’t the only one heading to Qinghe County. To ensure his safety and to negotiate the terms of their cooperation with Prince Qinghe, Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng and Sect Leader Zong Chengze were also accompanying him.

Furthermore, because Prince Qinghe was preparing to open the Star Moon Treasure Vault for the young prodigies of the surrounding regions to train and seek treasure,

Yan Chen, Su Lingya, Han Yu, Xue Yao, Yi Yunya... all these top talents had also been brought along by the Sect Leader.

’Although with their level of Cultivation, it’s impossible for them to seize any treasures, this experience will ultimately broaden their horizons and temper their Dao Hearts.’

With a dozen or so people gathered on the Flying Ship, the atmosphere was quite lively. At this moment, seeing Zhong Ming holding a book, deeply engrossed in his reading, the others wore strange expressions, but no one voiced any doubt, much less thought he was just putting on an act.

On the contrary, they began to wonder if this was an effective method of Cultivation.

Han Yu thought, ’Cultivation isn’t just about fighting and killing; it relies more on comprehension... Reading to clarify one’s ambitions might truly increase one’s wisdom.’

At this thought, Su Lingya, Han Yu, and the others exchanged a glance... then also picked up books and began to read.

Time passed gradually amidst the scent of ink and the quiet reading of the group. Soon, a full day had gone by.

On the second day, as the morning sun pierced through the sea of clouds, the group had already crossed vast distances and arrived at Qinghe County.

To show their respect for Prince Qinghe, Zhong Ming and the others were roused early by the Sect Leader and gathered at the prow of the Flying Ship.

Because Qinghe County had requested aid, Zhong Ming’s initial impression of the Prince who ruled it all was not very good; he had assumed the man was mediocre and incompetent.

But now, standing amidst the clouds and looking down upon the magnificent scenery of Qinghe County, Zhong Ming’s attitude slowly began to change. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

’This Prince might not be strong, but he’s obscenely wealthy.’

Though they were still far from the county city, Zhong Ming could already see Spirit Fields stretching uninterrupted to the horizon, covering tens of thousands of acres.

And these Spirit Fields weren’t just planted with plump Spirit Rice; there were also Five-Colored Spirit Flowers vying for splendor and rare Spirit Grasses sprouting in vibrant green.

This alone represented an asset worth at least a million Spirit Stones.

As the Flying Ship drew closer to Qinghe County City, the prosperity of Qinghe County became even more staggering.

Qinghe County was named for a river, and upon that great river, thousands of boats sailed without end. Upon reaching Qinghe County City, Zhong Ming saw hundreds of Flying Ships landing and taking off.

Even in his past life, Zhong Ming had rarely witnessed such a scene of prosperity.

If even Zhong Ming was impressed, Yan Chen, Han Yu, and the others felt an even greater pressure.

"This Qinghe County... it’s not much worse than the Prefecture City, is it?"

Wei Jingcheng chuckled at the remark.

"Not quite. The Prefecture City of our Jade Province has a population of several million; this place is nowhere near that scale. However, the powers in the Prefecture City are deeply entangled and full of riffraff, whereas in Qinghe County, the Prince’s family reigns supreme. When it comes to wealth alone, the Prince is on par with any Major Sect from the Prefecture City!"

Of course, that comparison was limited to wealth. In terms of power, Prince Qinghe’s Mansion was far inferior to the Major Sects of the Prefecture City.

However, upon realizing this, Zong Chengze and Wei Jingcheng weren’t discouraged at all. On the contrary, they grew incredibly expectant.

’This is perfect,’ they thought. ’If Qinghe County possessed both wealth and power, why would the Prince need to ask us for aid?’

"Halt!"

Flying Ships were forbidden from landing or taking off near the Prince’s Mansion. As Zhong Ming’s group approached, a standard-issue Qinghe County Flying Ship moved to intercept them, and its captain inquired about their purpose.

Upon learning they were here to participate in the "trial of the Star Moon Treasure Vault," the captain of the Forbidden Guards raised an eyebrow, his expression not particularly welcoming.

In the end, however, he said nothing and simply guided the Seven Profound Sect’s Flying Ship to land in an open space near the Prince’s Mansion.

As their Flying Ship descended, Zong Chengze, Wei Jingcheng, and Zhong Ming discovered that over a dozen other Flying Ships of various designs were already parked in the clearing.

This caused the men to exchange a glance, their brows deeply furrowed.

’These people... they couldn’t all have been invited, could they?’

’If that’s the case, it won’t be easy for us to obtain the resources we need.’

Unquestionably, the resources Prince Qinghe could offer were finite. Under these circumstances, the more sects that came to his aid, the smaller each one’s share of the resources would be.

Some sects might even be excluded entirely.

Under these circumstances, the expressions of Zong Chengze and the others, who had hoped to gain some benefits from Qinghe County, naturally soured.

Soon, however, they composed their expressions.

Someone from the Qinghe Commandery Mansion came to receive them. To the surprise of Zhong Ming and the others, their welcomer was not some ordinary official, but a woman dressed in fine robes, her bearing elegant and refined.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists of the Seven Profound Sect, to Qinghe County. My name is Qingyue. By my father’s command, I have come especially to receive you."

In Qinghe County, for someone to dare use "Qing" in their name, their status was self-evident.

With the Commandery Princess herself welcoming them so graciously, much of the gloom in the hearts of Zong Chengze, Zhong Ming, and the others instantly lifted.