“How did you open it?”
“Just a small trick.”
The object in Lin Feng’s hand was a Storage Ring, which was also the reason he had just held the severed hand and flashed an eerie smile.
Logically speaking, something like this should become completely locked after its Master dies.
But since the one who opened it was Lin Feng, there was no problem.
A Mortal-style male protagonist who cannot crack a Walnut—what kind of male protagonist would he be?
Whenever the plot requires it, he could even crack open a Storage Ring with his teeth.
The Storage Ring was not large. Apart from the several heavily perverted Cultivating Immortality Diaries written by Wang He, everything else was Dry Goods.
Zhang Ze and Lin Feng roughly read through the Diary once before burning it outright.
It was too perverted and too Unlucky.
Their evaluation of Mr. Wang He changed from “idiotic Demonic Path practitioner” to “an idiotic Demonic Path practitioner who deserved to die even after being hacked apart a thousand times.”
Among the remaining items was a research notebook recording Wang He’s study of the Blood Fiend Technique and other Demonic Sect Cultivation Methods.
Those Cultivation Methods were basically all Poisonous Cultivation Techniques.
However, judging from how new the Secret Manual was, it seemed he had barely read it a few times.
There were also some Thousand Mechanisms Item Blueprints he had finished designing but never produced.
Several Maps of new Spirit Snake Flotilla Strongholds, along with a stack of letters exchanged with Demonic Path practitioners.
The letters contained nothing serious. Half of them were insults traded back and forth, while the other half were recommendations of which Brothels were fun after they grew tired of insulting each other.
The remaining items consisted of a pile of Spirit Stones and Medicinal Herbs, medicinal pills and elixirs, as well as the Magic Treasures and hidden weapons Wang He usually used.
Identity Waist Tokens, spare clothing, and other miscellaneous items were also inside.
“Brother Zhang, their current Stronghold is the Secret Realm I mentioned to you before.”
“The Spirit Snake Daoist’s Cultivation Level is not low. He is said to have reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Are we still going?” Lin Feng asked.
“Of course. We’ll first check the outskirts. If there’s no opportunity, we’ll slip away.”
Zhang Ze said this while looking up at the sky, watching the System’s Prompt.
【Obtained Crucial Item: Spirit Snake Flotilla Map】
【Spirit Snake Flotilla dungeon opened. Qingjing Land Wilderness event refreshed】
【Hidden Quest opened: Unawakened Spirit Snake】
Of course, none of this was Crucial. What was Crucial was that Zhang Ze saw the Progress Bar of his Epic task, 【City of Thousand Mechanisms】, move.
Just like with "bargain hunting," it moved by 0.1.
But moving was moving.
There might be something extremely important inside that Spirit Snake Flotilla.
Brother Feng’s Luck really was invincible.
However, they still needed to think carefully about how to Infiltrate.
“Forget it. There’s no rush.”
“Let’s divide the spoils of war first.” Zhang Ze pointed at the things on the ground.
“Killing that Demonic Path practitioner was entirely Brother Zhang’s achievement. I—”
“Brother Lin, please don’t refuse. Without you, I couldn’t have opened this Storage Ring.”
“All right.” Lin Feng nodded.
“I’ll take this Thousand Mechanisms Blueprint and these few Demonic Sect Secret Manuals. You can have all the remaining Spirit Stones, Medicinal Herbs, and similar things, Brother Lin. How does that sound?”
Seeing that Lin Feng was about to refuse again, Zhang Ze waved his hand.
“I’m not losing out. Knowledge is Power.”
Sword Sect, Seventh Sword Pavilion, the Pavilion Master’s room.
The Sword Sect Main Pavilion was Personally guarded by the Sect Master.
The Pavilion Masters of the other Six Sects were all Personal Disciples of the Sect Master.
“Knowledge is Power. That Child said it.”
The Pavilion Master of the Seventh Sword Pavilion was stroking his bald monk’s head with one hand as he listened to Elder Li’s account.
Although Elder Li had established a Rule with Zhang Ze, he was still Somewhat uneasy.
After all, Zhang Ze’s practice of going in and out was essentially no different from taking advantage of the Sword Pavilion.
It would have been fine if he were playing around by himself, but now that he wanted to drag two Elders into it, he had to inform the Pavilion Master no matter what.
After Zheng Yi finished listening to Li Guanqi, he asked with a smile, “What’s wrong with it?”
Elder Li sighed. “I always feel that something is strange. Logically speaking, I am his Master, but I have never seriously taught him anything.”
“Although his Cultivation Level is not poor, he has recently become Obsessed with Merchants. He has also taken an interest in external Cultivation Methods. This is ultimately a hidden danger. I’m afraid this Child—”
“You’re afraid he’ll take the wrong path, right?” Zheng Yi asked.
Elder Li nodded.
Zheng Yi, sitting in his Wheelchair, shifted his thoughts slightly, and the room’s window was pushed open by an invisible hand.
The midday breeze swept away some of the gloom in the room.
Zheng Yi brought up something unrelated.
“We Cultivators may have Lifespans of hundreds or thousands of years, but we still have not reached the point of eternal life and Undying existence.
“Mortals can live at most a hundred years, and most die at seventy.
“Qi Refining practitioners can live for more than a hundred and fifty years, but once people pass eighty, they are still frail and aged.
“Foundation Establishment grants a Lifespan of two hundred and seventy years, which still passes in the blink of an eye.
“Golden Core grants five hundred years, Nascent Soul can live for more than a thousand years, and only Deity Transformation can remain imperishable for five thousand years.
“Only Void Refining, Body Integration, Tribulation Crossing, and Mahayana practitioners can count their Lifespans in tens of thousands of years. Although they can glimpse eternal life, they are constrained by heavenly tribulations, and every step is like walking on thin ice.”
Zheng Yi commented on the Lifespans of Cultivators at each stage as he looked into Li Guanqi’s Eyes.
“Too short.
“It seems long, but it is still only an instant in the blink of an eye.
“Many Cultivators do not have time to study the things they like.
“You, Bu Yu, and Jing Chun are all Disciples I raised.
“Jing Chun likes the Thousand Mechanisms Technique. You believe the Spiritual Charm of the Sea Clan contains a unique method, while Bu Yu is Obsessed with pharmacology and Prescriptions.
“But in the end, all of you returned to the Sword Dao. Why?”
“Because we had no time. We did not dare to gamble.” Having heard this, Li Guanqi already understood.
“That’s right. If you bet wrong, you can only waste a hundred years of time, to the point that your Body dies and Dao perishes.
“The road is long. The farther one travels, the harder it is to achieve an Epiphany.
“That is why the various Sects guard their knowledge jealously. They absolutely do not pass down even Low-level Cultivation Methods.
“At least, that is their public attitude. Everyone shares the same Tacit understanding.”
Zheng Yi raised one finger, and Righteous Qi intertwined with Sword Intent, cleaving apart a swath of distant clouds.
“It is like this sword of mine. I comprehended it over 130 years, but teaching it to you only requires three days.
“I do not care who can learn this sword, but many people do.
“That is precisely because every sentence and every passage of these Cultivation Methods was exchanged for the time and lives of Heavenly Talents.
“Take this Tiny Spirit Recognition Technique. Just because someone took the wrong path, an entire Puppet Beast Sect was exterminated.
“The Heavenly Sect always claims to be the leader of the Righteous Path precisely because they once produced the Heavenly Lake Saintess, who transformed one method into ten thousand.
“She pointed out the path for the Human Race.
“But after all these years, it seems we have each reached the end of our paths again.
“Several years ago, that Dian Dao from Dragon Tiger Mountain came to find me and obliquely brought up this matter.
“It wasn’t only him. Many people among the Six Sects of the Righteous Path had the same thoughts.
“But to this day, neither he nor they have dared to take a single step forward.
“Although Dian Dao is eccentric and dares to scorn the rules of the various Sects, he does not dare gamble his Immortal Path.
“Because he lacks Talent. He does not possess the Talent of that Heavenly Lake Saintess.
“Nor does he possess the Talent of your Disciple.”
“You mean… Zhang Ze?” Li Guanqi could not believe Zheng Yi’s implication.
Zheng Yi smiled and continued.
“Zhang Ze is very young, younger than all of us. Moreover, this Golden Armor Soldiers technique has already proven something.
“The time he took to develop this new Cultivation Method was even shorter than the time an Ordinary Cultivator needs to learn Five Ghosts Transport.
“Regardless of whether that Child succeeds.
“We should let him give it a try.
“Perhaps in the future, he will be the one to point out a second path for us.”
Li Guanqi was filled with excitement, but then he remembered another hidden danger.
“But if Zhang Ze does this, won’t he provoke the other Sects—”
Hearing this, the Old Man Zheng Yi suddenly shed his image as a lofty expert.
He Stealthily whispered into Li Guanqi’s ear.
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
“This morning, that Child Jing Chun sent me a letter saying that the Sect Master has already broken through to the next Realm.”
“Now our Sword Sect…”
“Is invincible under heaven!”
Qingjing Land, somewhere in the mountain forest.
“You’re invincible, Brother Zhang.” Lin Feng sat beside the Campfire and sincerely exclaimed.
“If I’d had another Method, who would do this?” Zhang Ze said viciously.
“But why are you practicing how to stand on your head?” Lin Feng asked, puzzled.
“I’ve got a loose tongue!” Zhang Ze looked as if he were about to cry.