He had a grandpa in a ring…
Looks like this disciple of mine might just be a heaven-blessed genius after all.
“Go find a place to settle down for now. Once you’re ready, come back here to see me,” Zhong Qing instructed Lin Feng casually.
“Yes, Master.” Lin Feng bowed respectfully before turning to leave.
After Lin Feng left, Zhong Qing grabbed a sack nearby and headed straight into the storage room.
Not long after, following Elder Jian’s instructions, Lin Feng found an excellent cultivation cave—it was right at the heart of a formation. Cultivating there would yield twice the result with half the effort.
“Command Hall Peak is actually pretty good overall. No one disturbs us here, and it’s convenient for acting independently. Even if the formations are crude, they’re still better than nothing. Once I help you get the strange flame and you’re able to cultivate, following my guidance, you’ll surpass everyone, even that so-called purple-level talent,” Elder Jian said, emerging as a white-haired, immortal-like phantom, hands behind his back.
“Thank you, Elder Jian.” Lin Feng’s face lit up with joy.
“Alright, now go pay your respects to your cheap master,” Elder Jian added. “Though he won’t help you much, he did get you into Command Hall Peak. You’ll be spending a lot of time here with him, so it doesn’t hurt to maintain a good relationship.”
“Understood, Elder Jian.”
After making some basic arrangements, Lin Feng headed to Zhong Qing’s small courtyard.
Thick snow blanketed the yard. Inside the hall, Zhong Qing lounged on a recliner, warming himself by the fire.
After advancing to the Star Profound Realm, weather no longer affected him. But in such a cold climate, not having a fire just felt wrong.
“Master.” Lin Feng respectfully stood in front of him.
Zhong Qing lazily opened his eyes and sat up. “Since you’re my disciple now, I should give you something. I’ve got a stash of cultivation techniques—pick a few that you like.”
“Uh…” Lin Feng hesitated, secretly seeking Elder Jian’s opinion. After all, Elder Jian had promised to personally provide him a cultivation method once he absorbed the strange flame, so he didn’t really need Zhong Qing’s gift.
“What are you hesitating for? Even if it’s useless, it’s a kind gesture. Just accept it. You don’t have to use it. Just play along and show some manners,” Elder Jian scolded.
“Yes.” Lin Feng nodded silently, then looked at Zhong Qing and said, “Thank you, Master.”
“They’re in that sack over there. Pick whatever you want,” Zhong Qing said, pointing casually at the sack nearby.
A sack? Lin Feng blinked in surprise.
Sure, he might not need these techniques. But considering Zhong Qing had a Star Profound Realm cultivation, surely the techniques wouldn’t be bad, right?
He had still been holding some expectation.
But putting them in a sack? That was kind of insulting.
What good technique could possibly be kept in a sack?
“Whatever, it’s not like you need them anyway. Just grab one for show and move on,” Elder Jian muttered.
Lin Feng nodded, squatted down, and opened the sack.
And then…
The moment he opened it, an overwhelming wave of ancient, mysterious, and terrifying energy blasted toward his face. Golden light, red light, multicolored radiance—all burst out, nearly blinding him.
Lin Feng was stunned.
Even Elder Jian, who had planned to doze off, was instantly jolted awake and cursed out loud, “What the f—”
“Re-re-re-respect-level techniques!!!”
Elder Jian’s tongue knotted up as he trembled, his voice full of disbelief.
Then, another sharp scream erupted from his throat.
“Holy-rank… damn it, there’s even holy-rank!!!”
“No—wait, E-e-e-emperor-rank…”
“Mother of god, tell me I’m not dreaming!”
Hearing Elder Jian’s shocked cries, Lin Feng finally grasped the situation.
Though he couldn’t cultivate yet, Elder Jian had already taught him the fundamentals.
So he knew very well what these techniques represented.
Elder Jian had once said he’d give Lin Feng a king-rank technique after he obtained the strange flame. Just one king-rank technique was enough to start a bloodbath. The entire Azure Jade Sect couldn’t even trade their whole sect for a single complete king-rank technique.
But king-rank… was trash compared to respect-rank. Let alone the even higher holy-rank and emperor-rank.
Lin Feng’s hands began to tremble. His entire body tensed as he slapped his face, thinking he was dreaming.
But the pain on his cheek said otherwise.
This was real.
Right in front of him was a sack stuffed with respect-rank, holy-rank, and even emperor-rank techniques.
“That one! That emperor-rank Great Wasteland Scripture! No, wait—the Flame Emperor Canon!”
“And that one—the Great Body of Heaven and Earth Sutra suits you too!”
“Wait, wait, the Great Zhou Wasteland Bone Art is also great…”
Elder Jian stared through Lin Feng’s eyes, overwhelmed. One looked good, but then another looked better, and he didn’t want to let go of any of them.
Following Elder Jian’s frantic commentary, Lin Feng picked one up, put it down, grabbed another, only to reach for another one right after.
Zhong Qing seemed to notice Lin Feng’s internal conflict and smiled faintly. “If you like them all… then just take them all.”
“R-really?” Lin Feng looked at him in disbelief.
Zhong Qing nodded.
Seeing this, Lin Feng no longer held back. With Elder Jian’s guidance, he selected five emperor-rank techniques best suited to his path.
“I’m so excited… I’m going insane!”
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
“Five emperor-rank techniques!!!”
Inside the desolate ring, Elder Jian jumped for joy like a child, as if the techniques were his.
Then he turned serious and reminded Lin Feng, “Brat, listen closely. The fact that you possess five emperor-rank techniques—no one can know. Only you and your master. Not a soul more.”
“If this leaks… one fart from someone trying to steal them could obliterate this entire space.”
Lin Feng nodded solemnly.
He might be young and inexperienced, but he wasn’t stupid.
Zhong Qing, as usual, placed a copper kettle filled with cold water over the fire and turned his head. “Chosen already?”
“Yes, Master,” Lin Feng nodded respectfully.
“Good.” Zhong Qing nodded, reached into the sack, pulled out a stack of techniques, and tossed them into the fire.
Instantly, the flames roared to life.
Moments later, the copper kettle began to steam.
“That’s wasteful! Criminally wasteful!” Elder Jian inside the ring nearly went mad, screaming in despair.