Chapter 366: Chapter 50: We’re All 1000-Year-Old Foxes; A Ghost Story Is Hard to Tell

’My heart aches! My Spirit Stones!’

’I was already in a bad way, and you scammed me out of a huge chunk. Are you trying to make my condition terminal?’

’This is infuriating!’

Yang Guangfu nodded, then turned and left.

Zhang Deming moved the box into his storage room. When he saw the pile of meticulously processed materials in the corner, his expression twitched.

’Before, I thought I’d gotten a huge bargain on these materials. Now, it looks like it was just a massive trap. If I had known, I wouldn’t have secretly kept them.’

’However happy I was before, that’s how speechless I am now!’

’Maybe... I should return the large portion that’s left? That would save me several thousand in costs, wouldn’t it?’

Of course, this was just a random thought. If he actually returned them and they discovered his success rate, those three old guys would probably hound him every day, trying to steal his secrets.

Besides, he hadn’t returned them before. To do so now, after the Spirit Stones had been allocated, would be too obvious. He couldn’t afford the loss of face.

Although his heart ached, Zhang Deming could only blame his own inexperience and accept it this time.

With that, Zhang Deming left one box in the Cultivation Room, poured out the Spirit Stones, and sat cross-legged atop the pile to begin his AFK Cultivation.

’Hmm, aside from being a bit hard on the rear, everything else feels great. In fact, it’s fantastic!’

’No wonder some people in my past life had the strange habit of sleeping on piles of money. So this is what it feels like.’

Zhang Deming was only a few tens of thousands of Experience Points away from his cap anyway. So, after a few days of AFK Cultivation and consuming several thousand Spirit Stones, his Cultivation reached the Tai Chi Second Life Peak.

Cultivation Technique: Water Wood Divine Control Method (Tier Six)

Cultivation: Tai Chi Lv2 (600,000/600,000)

Rune Core: Spirit Nurturing Summoning Skill Lv3 (5/50)

Branch Rune: Enhancement Skill Lv3 (50/500)

Skills: Omitted...

Spiritual Power Recovery: 200 Spiritual Power / 3 minutes

Experience Growth: 20 Experience / 3 minutes

Having had a smooth and natural breakthrough to Tai Chi One Life, Zhang Deming simply quieted his mind for a moment before attempting his next breakthrough.

But before that, with a flip of his hand, Zhang Deming took out two Basic Technique manuals.

Oratory: Lies and Oratory: Decree.

Since he was going to make Oratory a Branch Rune for his Two Lives stage, he had to make it perfect. Although his Oratory skill no longer had a rigid format, these two techniques should be able to refine it further.

"1 Ordinary Energy. Small plugin is editable.

Editing conditions met!

..."

He expertly touched a Qi Fortune Light Ball and began editing the two Techniques.

As expected, the two new Rune Balls fused into it completely.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming let out a long breath. After calming himself, he followed his Cultivation Technique to activate the advancement method. He opened his mouth, and the Rune Ball for Oratory emerged.

Under the dual empowerment of his own Mastery and the script’s ’mounting’ function, the Rune Ball was not only incredibly complete, but Zhang Deming also understood it intimately.

Without much difficulty, the Rune Ball shattered, revealing a complete Rune inside: ’Words’.

At that moment, Zhang Deming’s hands flew through a series of Spell seals. The ’Words’ Rune vibrated a few times and flew directly into the space between his eyebrows. The Rune Core of his Spirit Nurturing Summoning Technique began to grow complex once more.

A moment later, Zhang Deming’s entire body shuddered. All the Spiritual Power in his Dantian surged through him, disappearing into his flesh.

The instant the last trace of Spiritual Power vanished, a strand of even purer Spiritual Power was born.

Zhang Deming’s aura began to grow rapidly. At the same time, two white balls of light rose above his head, spinning.

A not-so-large Spiritual Power Sea Absorption occurred again. Similarly, it didn’t spread far before it became saturated, just barely stopping before being drawn back in.

At the cliff’s entrance, Yang Guangfu faintly sensed it. Having experienced this once before, he didn’t even come out to check.

He glanced briefly toward the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower, then looked away.

After a long while, Zhang Deming let out a long breath. Another incredibly easy minor breakthrough.

With a flicker of his Heart Spirit, the Cultivation Technique Script panel appeared.

Cultivation Technique: Water Wood Divine Control Method (Tier Six)

Cultivation: Tai Chi Lv3 (0/1,200,000)

Rune Core: Spirit Nurturing Summoning Skill Lv3 (10/50)

Branch Runes: Enhancement Skill Lv3 (55/500), Oratory Words Lv3 (10/50)

Skills: Sleeve Qiankun Lv3 (0/100), Jade Demon Blood-Sucking Vine Lv3 (0/50), Hidden Breath Technique Lv3 (0/50), Flying Technique Fragment Lv3 (0/50), Spiritual Shield Lv3 (0/50), Yin Yang Chess Dao: Position Lv3 (0/50), Heart Dream Control Lv3 (0/50), Reconnaissance·Spiritual Eye Lv2 (0/10)

Spiritual Power Recovery: 200 Spiritual Power / 3 minutes

Experience Growth: 20 Experience / 3 minutes

As a new Branch Rune, Oratory started with one-fifth of its progress bar full. The Rune Core and the Enhancement Skill also each gained five points.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming was once again thankful that his first choice had been the Enhancement Skill. Although the progress was a drop in the bucket, at least it was grinding forward bit by bit.

Zhang Deming was even leaning toward choosing the Enhancement Skill for his breakthrough to the Duality realm.

’After all, what did it mean to single-handedly forge a new path?’

Even for something like Oratory: Words, which was just a small branch of the broader Oratory path, countless people still swarmed to it.

The Enhancement Skill, however, wasn’t some minor branch. It was about pioneering a completely new road.

For something like that, Zhang Deming would want to do it even if it didn’t perfectly match his Rune Core—let alone the fact that it was a great match. Well, to be precise, the Enhancement Skill matched *any* Rune Core.

By its very nature, it was extremely compatible and could synergize with any Technique.

Zhang Deming looked at the 1,200,000 Experience Points required and wasn’t too surprised. At his current rate of experience gain, plus tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, he could reach the Duality realm in a year at most.

Therefore, his need for advancement materials was now, it could be said, extremely urgent.

As for the few missing items on his list, if he couldn’t move about the Sect freely, then the only remaining avenue was the Alliance.

...