Chapter 741: Advice from a Romantic and the Beginning of the Second Discourse

Allowing disciples from other peaks, especially Peak Masters, to go in and browse is not a problem.

Of course, it isn’t free. You’ll need to spend your own Contribution points to purchase the Techniques, Junior Brother. I don’t have the clout to make the folks at the Guardian Tower give you Techniques for free.

Their daily lives are much like mine; they don’t pay much attention to external affairs. They’re unyielding because they have no desires, which makes them difficult to influence,” Fanx Yunfei said.

Zhang Deming’s face lit up. ‘Of the Inner Sect Fifteen Peaks, I’ve only managed to fleece two of them. Now it looks like I can add two more to the list.’

“That’s enough, that’s more than enough! Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother!” Zhang Deming replied, his face beaming with joy.

“It’s nothing. To be honest, I’m just currying favor by catering to your interests,” Fanx Yunfei replied.

‘Uh… is he serious? How am I supposed to respond when he says that right to my face? Never mind, forget it. Something’s clearly off with him today. I’d better get out of here.’

A flurry of thoughts crossed his mind. Zhang Deming bowed again and said, “In that case, I won’t disturb you any longer, Senior Brother!”

With that, Zhang Deming turned to leave once more.

Behind him, Fanx Yunfei suddenly spoke, as if to himself, in a voice just loud enough to be heard. “Yesterday, I happened upon a report saying our Sect has detected some unusual interstellar communication signals from the Outer Realm these past few days.”

Although they haven’t pinpointed the exact location, because the communication lasted for quite a while, they’ve narrowed it down to a general area—right on your Spirit Nurturing Peak.

The Sect is already in enough turmoil with the Two-Realm Conference going on. It would be best if you laid low for a while, Junior Brother. You don’t want to get tangled up in something and have it all be a big misunderstanding.

After all, you’re a true son of our Sect, Junior Brother. And your current standing wasn’t easily won. It’s best to be careful.

These matters concerning the Outer Realm… they aren’t so simple. Even our entire Sect doesn’t dare get involved carelessly.

The Celestial Secret Grotto Heaven has resurfaced because of this, and the Celestial Secret Three Elders have been seen moving frequently between the Three Great Holy Lands. Junior Brother Zhang, these are murky waters for people like us!

The Celestial Secret Dao is all about cause, effect, and Karma Techniques. Whatever you’re planning, Junior Brother, unless you’re prepared to be dragged deep into the mire, don’t even think about stepping in.

Even this Exchange Conference… *sigh*… everyone knows it’s not just about learning each other’s techniques on the surface! You still have a long way to go, Junior Brother, and your Cultivation isn’t high. It’s best to be cautious.”

Zhang Deming, who was walking away with his back to Fanx Yunfei, froze. He turned his head in confusion, looked at Fanx Yunfei, and said, “Senior Brother, what are you talking about?”

Fanx Yunfei smiled. “Who knows? I’ve been alone for too long, just muttering to myself. You’d better hurry along and tend to your own business!”

Hearing this, Zhang Deming forced a smile, bowed once more, then turned and left in a hurry.

Fanx Yunfei watched Zhang Deming’s receding figure until he had long since vanished. Only then did he seem to come to his senses, sighing as he said, “No matter how talented you were before your reincarnation, your current Spirit Root Pointing aptitude has sealed your fate. There are some quagmires… I hope you understand your own limits. If you can’t recognize your place soon and insist on stirring things up, even the Celestial Spirit Sect won’t be able to protect you every time!”

In the entire courtyard, there was only him and a single blade of grass. It was impossible to know who he was speaking to.

······

Zhang Deming hurried out of the Wu Earth Secret Realm. Only then did his expression begin to shift.

As the eldest ancestor of the Fanx Family, an Old Demon who had lived for over a thousand years, Fanx Yunfei was privy to the deepest secrets of the Celestial Spirit Sect. His words today revealed far too much, carrying both a stern warning and a well-intentioned reminder.

‘I was too impulsive before!’

‘In my desire to fleece the Two-Realm Exchange Conference and seize the greatest prize from my arrangements in the Outer Realm, I had risked making contact. It seems that brief clash during our last communication via the notebook left some unresolved issues.’

‘Still, the fact that Fanx Yunfei told me this means the Secret Group definitely hasn’t traced the signal back to my Flying Spring Waterfall Tower. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said what he did.’

‘It looks like I’ll have to do my best to avoid contact with those people from the Celestial Universe Federation from now on. The best plan is to fleece this last bit of wool, pick my peach, and then cut off all contact.’

‘Just as Fanx Yunfei said, the waters of Hongmeng are too murky. At my current ‘height,’ if I step in, I’ll sink into a quagmire with no way to pull myself out.’

‘Even more likely, I could unintentionally become a pawn in the games of powerful figures, trapped and unable to escape.’

As Zhang Deming pondered all this, he continued making Spirit Nurturing Beads in his Cultivation Room. Even with a Tier Seven Cultivation Technique and the Tier Four Spirit Nurturing Technique, his production of Tier One Spirit Nurturing Beads hadn’t improved much.

This was because he had nearly reached the peak of his ability in crafting Tier One Spirit Nurturing Beads, both in terms of speed and process.

Meanwhile, he had just opened another eight shops. With twelve shops in total, his monthly demand for Spirit Nurturing Beads was now over a thousand.

Although he could meet the demand by pulling all-nighters for two or three days, he definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up if he continued to expand. Therefore, it was best to build up a stockpile now, however small.

······

As Zhang Deming focused on making the beads, time flew by. In the blink of an eye, the better part of a day was gone.

Zhang Deming, who was in the middle of making beads, suddenly paused. On the back of his hand, the special Array Pattern for the Exchange Conference’s Grand Array began to flicker with Spiritual Light. The flickering of the Rune meant the conference was about to start.

Zhang Deming stepped outside the tower and lightly tapped the Rune on his hand. His entire body transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the massive island overhead—or more precisely, toward the cluster of smaller floating islands surrounding it.

At that moment, similar streaks of light flashed across the entire Celestial Spirit Sect. It was as if a meteor shower was falling in reverse, a sight of extraordinary beauty.