Chapter 700 - 147: Ministry of Rites Poaching People, Advancement, Exchange Delegation

I hadn’t been in a hurry to advance because the environment wasn’t safe and I was constantly busy. Now that I’m back home, I can finally give it a try.

When I broke through to Duality, I chose the Enhancement Skill as my First Transition branch. If I stay on this path, I now have two choices for my Second Transition: Oratory and Sleeve Qiankun.

Both Techniques are highly compatible with my current Rune Core. Although Oratory is at the Magic Level, it hasn’t gone through the Branch Rune Tree process; it’s still gestating.

Looking at the two Runes, Zhang Deming knew that regardless of his choice, the fusion and transformation of the Second Transition, combined with the Technique’s Magic Level, would cause his Rune Core to birth a new, synergistic ability, just as Spirit Nurturing Enhancement had before.

After a long period of contemplation, Zhang Deming’s gaze fell upon Sleeve Qiankun. He had enough Qi Fortune to raise it to the Magic Level. ’And since the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Technique is inherently powerful, integrating this technique into the core first should yield better results.’

Having made his decision, Zhang Deming focused his will.

"Consume eighty units of Qi Fortune to upgrade Sleeve Qiankun to Tier Four Magic Level?"

"Yes!"

As the Qi Fortune surged in, the Rune for Sleeve Qiankun began a deep and complex transformation. Rich spatial fluctuations emerged around Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming had originally planned to wait for the Magic Rune to finish its transformation before beginning his Second Transition. However, the moment he sensed the fluctuations, he paused. Acting on a Cultivator’s instinct, he followed his Cultivation Technique and began initiating the Duality Second Transition.

Halfway through its transformation, the Sleeve Qiankun Rune was expelled by Zhang Deming, pausing its evolution.

Immediately after, his Rune Core flew out and fused directly with the Sleeve Qiankun Rune. The Sleeve Qiankun Rune resumed its transformation, even pulling the Rune Core into the process.

The fusion of the two Skills was exceptionally simple—almost unreasonably so.

It was even simpler than his previous fusion with Tai Chi, making it seem as if the resistance he had felt from his lack of Talent during past advancements had been a mere illusion.

Sleeve Qiankun and the Spirit Nurturing Summoning Rune Core were an unbelievably perfect match.

As the Rune transformed, Zhang Deming’s Rune Core became exceedingly complex—far more so than those of many Three Talents Cultivators.

When the transformation finally completed, Zhang Deming froze. A Spiritual Power Sea Absorption, several times stronger than the one from his breakthrough to Duality, erupted from the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower. In the blink of an eye, it engulfed the entire Spirit Nurturing Peak and showed no signs of stopping.

It continued to spread all the way to Celestial Spirit Peak. If not for the influence of the Four-Star Spirit Vein there, which halted its expansion, the vortex of Spiritual Power would have likely spread beyond the Sect’s borders.

Even so, the phenomenon still alarmed the entire Sect, causing everyone, already on high alert, to turn their gazes toward Spirit Nurturing Peak.

With the grand conference imminent, many members of other Sects had already arrived. This sudden development caught the attention of countless people.

"Is someone breaking through to the Three Talents realm?"

"The spiritual pressure feels like it, but there’s no sign of a tribulation. It’s just a massive Spiritual Power Sea Absorption. How bizarre."

"Does anyone know who’s causing this?"

"Spirit Nurturing Peak? I’m not sure. That’s the most mysterious peak in the Celestial Spirit Sect, isn’t it?"

"Could it be one of the three elders of Spirit Nurturing Peak breaking through?"

"Impossible. Those three old-timers are already in the Three Talents realm. Even if Gan Zili, whose Cultivation lags behind the others, were to break through to the Celestial Realm, the phenomenon wouldn’t look like this. The scale is too small."

All across the Inner Sect, chaotic discussions erupted. Members of the Celestial Spirit Sect and the visiting Sects alike were buzzing, adding even more energy to the atmosphere of a Sect already in the spotlight.

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「Celestial Spirit Peak, Immortal Fate Hall.」

Shang Tingjie and the other People from the Outer Realm frowned as they watched the phenomenon. Shang Tingjie spoke first. "Have you managed to contact Mysterious Man Number One (Xue Su)?"

His first officer, Dong Shenwen, replied, "No. There’s been no word since he last went silent. The Number One Watch Tower even attempted to force a communication link, but there was no response."

"Dead?" Shang Tingjie asked.

Dong Shenwen shook his head. "It’s unclear. Apparently, the Artifact can still sense his presence. For some reason, even forced communication is ineffective."

"And Mysterious Man Number Three?" Shang Tingjie asked.

"The Number Three Watch Tower responded. They said that helping us notify the Celestial Spirit Sect nearly exposed Mysterious Man Number Three, so he has entered absolute radio silence. They won’t contact him unless it’s a matter of absolute importance," Dong Shenwen replied.

Shang Tingjie frowned. "The Celestial Spirit Sect Dark Pawn program has been running for three to five decades, hasn’t it? And we’ve only managed to plant seven Dark Pawns. Three were compromised, and one is useless."

"That leaves three viable agents. One has gone dark, and one is confirmed dead. What in the world is that Mysterious People division doing?"

"Contact their headquarters directly. Tell them the conference begins the day after tomorrow, and that we need Number Three to find a way to communicate with us before then."

"A face-to-face meeting would be best. It would make coordinating our future plans much easier. This operation will have a profound impact on the Celestial Eye Parasite Plan. There is no room for error."

"Well... I’ll try. But I can’t guarantee a face-to-face meeting. Captain, you know how much painstaking effort the Mysterious People Team put into planting these Dark Pawns. They won’t risk exposure to contact us unless the situation is critical," Dong Shenwen replied.

"The conference is imminent. How is that not critical?" Shang Tingjie countered.

"But they’ve already replied that everything is ready. The policy from the start was for the Nest and the Mysterious People to have no contact. It’s for the safety of both parties," Dong Shenwen replied.

Shang Tingjie shook his head. "Too much has happened within the Celestial Spirit Sect recently. Furthermore, this current phase is meant to firmly establish the foundation of the Celestial Eye Parasite Plan, so contact is essential."

"I’ll go and try, but I can only do my best. Our Nest has very little direct leverage over their Mysterious People division, and even Command might not be able to exert enough influence," Dong Shenwen said.

"Sigh..." Shang Tingjie lamented, "Just do your best. In some ways, our Celestial Universe is truly inferior to Hongmeng. This Federation system of ours is just too bloated for certain matters."

The first officer didn’t respond. Gazing at the Spiritual Power Sea Absorption outside, both men fell into a long silence.

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