Before Wei Xu departed, the only thing he hadn't fully explained was the ball of golden light that had been sent into Zong Shou’s Sea of Consciousness.

When Zong Shou’s spiritual sense probed deeper, he felt that above the swirling vortex of his soul power, a nine-story golden pagoda was currently suspended.

It pressed down upon those few true talismans, anchoring his entire spirit. Zong Shou cautiously sent a sliver of his soul sense inward, and then his entire being froze.

He could clearly perceive this nine-story golden pagoda, yet as his soul sense approached, he realized the object simply did not exist.

Anything gifted by a Saint Realm expert could not be ordinary. He knew this just from the token and the jade slip. But what exactly was this ‘nine-story golden pagoda,’ and what was its purpose?

There seemed to be no change within his divine soul; if anything, it felt more stable.

Wait, stable?

A flicker crossed Zong Shou’s mind, and he spread his soul sense outward. A faint smile then touched the corners of his lips.

He observed that the fissures, which had been on the verge of shattering around his Nascent Soul, were actually being reinforced and restored bit by bit under the impetus of some inexplicable, mysterious force. Some of the wounds were even ‘healing.’

The process was extremely slow. If Zong Shou hadn’t been deliberately observing, he might never have noticed. The treasure Wei Xu had given him was a rare item in this world capable of mending the Nascent Soul!

To completely repair and seal his shattered Nascent Soul would likely require time measured in decades or even centuries. But for Zong Shou, at least, a sliver of hope was visible. Moreover, the strengthening effect of the golden pagoda on his soul was clearly perceptible. He no longer had to dread the terrifying consequences should the vortex of his Sea of Consciousness finally break. He didn't need to worry ceaselessly, day and night.

Zong Shou couldn't discern its profound functionality yet, but knowing this much was sufficient.

However, thinking it over carefully, none of the three spirit artifacts Wei Xu gifted could actually be used for combat.

The transportation jade slip allowed him to shuttle between the Qiantian Mountain and the Cang Sheng Dome, offering a means of escape in dire emergencies. As for the token, besides serving as proof of his sect membership, its primary use was identity concealment. If he wished, even a Ninth Tier Spirit Martial Venerable might not recall his true appearance.

As for the nine-story golden pagoda, for now, it could only remain within his Sea of Consciousness, unheeded. To him, all three items were useful, yet none contributed to enhancing his combat prowess.

Frowning, Zong Shou pulled a small, fist-sized pouch from his sleeve. This was also a gift from Wei Xu before his departure—the Xiaokun Bag he had long coveted.

Probing it with his divine sense, Zong Shou was rendered speechless. Not only were there no usable spirit artifacts inside, but there were very few elixirs as well. The only consolation was that the few dozen medicine bottles present contained rare, high-quality goods. These exclusive elixirs of the Cang Sheng Dao were famous throughout the Cloud Realm; even the Dan Quan Sect, renowned for alchemy, could not compare with these medicines of the same category.

Afterward, there were several yellow jade tokens, similar in appearance to his own, but they were blank, without any inscribed names. They were merely ordinary Third Tier spirit artifacts, possessing some minor protective capabilities, and naturally lacked the power to render one’s appearance unforgettable. There were four in total, all pre-inscribed with the identity of an Inner Disciple of the Cang Sheng Dao main sect.

Zong Shou was initially puzzled, then comprehension dawned, and he let out a soft 'hmph.' If nothing unexpected occurred, these tokens were surely meant for Chu Xue and Zong Yuan. With the insight of a Saint Realm expert like Wei Xu, how could he possibly overlook the potential of Chu Xue’s Battle Martial Body? As for Zong Yuan of the Purple Thunder Spear Sect, his reputation was already established.

Wanting a buy-one-get-two free deal, yet stubbornly refusing to provide a single decent magic artifact or spirit tool—his Senior Brother truly had lofty expectations!

Having made up his mind, Zong Shou decided to keep the tokens hidden from daylight for the time being, fixing his soul sense instead on the other two items.

The entire Xiaokun Bag spanned about two hundred zhang in area, possessing the highest quality—equivalent to a small, vast city. But currently, apart from the items already mentioned, it was empty. Only some books were stacked in one corner, and crowning the pile were two purplish-gold secret codices. Unlike the other books, these two inherently contained spiritual energy, clearly marking them as non-mundane.

One was the Neiguan Xuanting Duanti Jue (Inner Observation Profound Thunder Body Tempering Art), and the other was the Da Yi Luo Tian Kong Ming Fa (Great Easy Luo Heaven Nether Method).

With a thought, Zong Shou brought both books out of the Xiaokun Bag. Upon a brief examination, he saw that both secret codices were secured by a spiritual lock; forcibly opening them would result in immediate self-destruction. Frowning in thought, Zong Shou took out his sect token and placed it upon the books. Sure enough, as a purple light flashed, the codices automatically opened.

The first one to open was the Neiguan Xuanting Duanti Jue, and the very first line on the first page caused a tightness in his chest. It was written by an unknown hand, but the script was fiercely sharp, bristling with murderous intent:

"This codex is the supreme body-tempering method of the Cang Sheng Dao, available only to direct lineage disciples of this sect. True inheritors and inner disciples of other branches within the Cang Sheng Dao may practice only after obtaining approval and guarantee from a sect elder. If any sect disciple privately imparts this knowledge, or passes it to outsiders, execution without pardon!"

Zong Shou’s eyelids twitched, and he turned to the next page. In a moment, a slight hint of joy spread across his face. This codex detailed an extremely peculiar method of meditative internal observation called the ‘Spiritual Micro-Visualization Technique’ (Lingwei Guanshang Shu), which allowed a practitioner to glimpse the state of their own physical body and temporarily enter a state of 'micro-observation.' This visualization technique was entirely unique.

However, since the book was titled 'Body Tempering Art,' its primary function was naturally to refine the physical body. The so-called Spiritual Micro-Visualization Technique was merely supplementary, enabling one to borrow the power of thunderbolts to continuously temper and stimulate the flesh. According to the explanation on the first page, this book ranked at the Tenth Grade Saint Spirit level during the Desolate Cloud Era. In the Cang Sheng Dao, it absolutely qualified as the supreme body-refining scripture!

Zong Shou let out a groan. In his past life, he had exhausted every effort, only securing two Seventh Grade Legendary level techniques and one Eighth Grade Earth-Penetrating level technique after achieving the Celestial Rank. Now, upon joining the sect, this Tenth Grade martial arts secret text had fallen into his hands so easily.

Tempering the body with lightning power—after ten thousand years, some people had already conceived of achieving this through various mechanical means. But the primary requirement for this method was an extremely detailed understanding of every part of the martial artist's body, down to the state of every cell. At least in his technologically advanced era, no one had managed to succeed truly. The core of this martial arts secret text was this ‘Spiritual Micro-Visualization Technique.’ Naturally, this technique had a near-harsh requirement: a powerful consciousness and absolute control over the power of thunder. His own conditions were perfectly suited.

Zong Shou possessed an astonishing memory and committed the entire contents of the book to memory in moments. However, he suppressed the urge to try it immediately and picked up the Da Yi Luo Tian Kong Ming Fa. Since the previous Body Tempering Art had already filled him with immense surprise, Zong Shou naturally held even greater expectations for this next one.

Upon opening it, the same warning of execution without pardon opened the book. It was also a supreme secret text that only direct lineage disciples of the Cang Sheng Dao could cultivate.

Zong Shou impatiently flipped to the next page, rapidly scanning and memorizing the text line by line. The joy in his eyes deepened further. This volume had nothing to do with martial arts; it was a technique for Spirit Master meditation, of the same Saint Spirit grade as the Neiguan Xuanting Duanti Jue.

The greatest difference between this Spirit Master secret text and ordinary meditation techniques was that cultivating this method did not enhance the Spirit Master’s sensitivity to any particular attribute or several attributes of heaven and earth spiritual energy. Instead, it fundamentally improved the Spirit Master’s divine soul, enhancing their innate aptitude, and drastically increasing their computational power and deduction capabilities.

If the deduction capability became sufficiently formidable, and the quality of the divine soul reached the Sun Roaming Realm, a special ability—Replication and Imitation—would manifest. It allowed for the instantaneous, complete duplication of spirit arts or secret techniques, even martial intent. Whether friend or foe, as long as the technique was not above one's own rank, there would be almost no time lag—meaning this method could be used in battle! Imagine: when an enemy uses any spirit art or secret technique, one wouldn't need to form seals, use talismans, or make any other preparations—simply perceiving it with soul sense and then directly copying it.

Placing both secret codices back into the Xiaokun Bag, Zong Shou showed a look of internal struggle. After a moment, he let out a slight sigh and retrieved the two yellow jade tokens, inscribing the names 'Su Chuxue' and 'Zong Yuan' upon them sequentially. From this day forward, these two could be considered Inner Disciples of the Cang Sheng Dao main sect. If they could reach the Celestial Rank, they would possess the qualification to be inscribed on the Xuanming Golden Register. Wei Xu’s regard for these two was evident.

Zong Shou gritted his teeth in vexation. He had intended to use them for leverage, to bargain with the sect for some benefits. Yet, Wei Xu had simply dropped two secret codices, forcing his compliance. Both the Neiguan Xuanting Duanti Jue and the Da Yi Luo Tian Kong Ming Fa were perfectly suited to his cultivation needs.

However, upon closer inspection, it seemed even more likely that Wei Xu had specially selected these cultivation methods for Zong Yuan and Chu Xue. Zong Yuan practiced lightning-element techniques and had already comprehended the Mad Thunder Spear Intent; cultivating the Neiguan Xuanting Duanti Jue would undoubtedly lead to a rapid surge in his strength. As for Chu Xue, despite possessing the Battle Martial Body, she couldn't rely solely on instinct to fight. The Da Yi Luo Tian Kong Ming Fa could improve her spirit art aptitude and increase her calculation power, ensuring she wouldn't be unable to learn even a slightly profound talisman in the future—it was precisely the right prescription.

As the seventh direct inheritor of the second generation of the Cang Sheng Dao main sect, he would automatically hold an elder status upon entry. As long as these two became Inner Disciples and he guaranteed them, they would perfectly meet the conditions described on the first page of the secret codices. To call this coincidence, Zong Shou would never believe it! His Senior Brother had indeed planned quite meticulously!

Harrumphing again, Zong Shou hesitated briefly, then took out another yellow jade token and carved the name 'Zong Ruoshui' upon it as well. (To be continued)