After pondering for a long time, Zhang Deming had a rough plan and set the matter aside.

’There’s plenty of time, anyway. A month is all I need to come up with a plan, so there’s no rush. Besides, with so many eyes on me, it’s better not to be too quick.’

As he thought, he took out the materials with a flip of his hand and began to absentmindedly craft Spirit Nurturing Beads. By now, making Tier One Spirit Nurturing Beads was second nature to him.

Moreover, as his Cultivation improved, the ability of Fasting was gradually manifesting, and Zhang Deming’s need for sleep was also starting to decrease.

Once he reached the Duality stage, going ten days or even half a month without eating, drinking, or sleeping would be perfectly normal.

If he cultivated some special Daoist Techniques on top of that, he would be just like the Immortals of legend, drinking dew and feeding on qi in his pursuit of longevity.

He was thus able to produce a pile of Spirit Nurturing Beads every day, all of which Zhang Deming placed in his storage room, building up resources for his plans.

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At midnight, Zhang Deming, who had been sound asleep, suddenly opened his eyes. An image had appeared within the Spirit Nurturing Space.

The image showed a Cultivation Secret Room in a courtyard belonging to the Little Hui Peak Array Department, within the Celestial Spirit Sect’s Outer Sect.

In the image, Xu Weihai held a Spirit Nurturing Bead, his expression anxious. After a long moment, he finally calmed himself, took a deep breath, and activated it.

The Spirit Nurturing Bead dissolved into countless motes of light, forming a hollow sphere that enveloped Xu Weihai.

The Rune from the Spirit Nurturing Bead shot directly into the center of his forehead.

Xu Weihai closed his eyes to comprehend for a long time before suddenly opening them, the joy on his face impossible to conceal. With a wave of his hand, all sorts of Array fluctuations began to ripple through the secret room.

Although they were all low-level, their sheer variety showed that his fundamental skills were solid.

The image ended there, transforming into a mote of light that floated in the Spirit Nurturing Space.

’Achieving Enlightenment Dao in the dead of night... Honestly, it’s like he’s some kind of thief.’

Zhang Deming had been selling Spirit Nurturing Beads for a year and a half at least, and he’d rarely seen anyone achieve their Enlightenment Dao so furtively in the dead of night.

"In that case, let’s start now. The timing is actually perfect," Zhang Deming murmured after a moment of contemplation.

He reached out and tapped the mote of light, and through it, Zhang Deming saw Xu Weihai.

He saw the man test his new Techniques in the Cultivation Room for a long time before finally suppressing his excitement. Exhausted, he returned to his bedroom and lay down on his bed.

’Judging by his movements, the wound on his butt must be almost healed.’

Zhang Deming surveyed the situation, took a step, and arrived once more within the Chaos of the Spirit Nurturing Space.

Zhang Deming stood within the Chaos, surrounded by a vast expanse of white. With a mere thought from his Heart Spirit, a massive city was born from the Chaos beneath his feet, rapidly taking shape.

In moments, the city was fully formed.

Having done this, Zhang Deming waved his hand again, and a floating island appeared beside him. The island was modeled after the Xuanhua Tower; while the style was similar, the design was completely different.

And so, a massive city floated in the Chaos, surrounded by it. At the city’s center, a small island hovered not far overhead, easily visible to anyone looking up.

Zhang Deming looked at the pavilion at the island’s center and focused his mind. A stone monument materialized before the pavilion, and a plaque appeared over its main gate.

The words "Duzun Tower" appeared on both objects simultaneously. The calligraphy was vigorous and imposing, exuding an aura of absolute dominion that washed over the area.

After finishing all this, Zhang Deming inspected his work. Finding no issues, he waved his hand, and the mote of light representing Xu Weihai floated before him.

Zhang Deming tapped the mote of light, and a portal appeared. However, he neither pulled the person through nor went through himself.

First, Zhang Deming transformed himself into a pendant, identical in appearance to the one Xu Weihai had found and subsequently lost.

Once the transformation was complete, Zhang Deming plunged into the portal.

In just a blur, Zhang Deming, now in the form of a pendant, arrived within Xu Weihai’s Heart Spirit.

At the same time, Xu Weihai, lying on his bed, felt a wave of disorientation. When he came to his senses, he found himself in a vast, white space.

A small jade pendant floated before his eyes. Other than that, there was nothing but a vast, white emptiness all around.

"Alas...!"

Before he could even cry out in alarm, a long sigh echoed through the space. The sound was desolate and mournful, as if it had traveled across millennia to reach him.

"Alas... The ages have passed in an endless stream. Who now stands alone, revered above all?"

As the sighing words faded, a wisp of greenish smoke rose from the pendant before him. The smoke swirled and slowly coalesced into the figure of an old man.

The man’s face was ancient and deeply wrinkled. His hair, as white as snow, was not dry and withered but shone with a crystalline light, like threads of spun silver.

He wore a simple blue Daoist Robe, one that was exceptionally plain and ordinary.

After the ancient figure had fully formed, he gazed silently at Xu Weihai, not speaking right away.

For a moment, Xu Weihai was frozen, forgetting everything.

After a long pause, Xu Weihai finally snapped out of it. He immediately bowed his head and said, "Celestial Spirit Sect Outer Disciple Xu Weihai pays his respects, Senior."

The ancient figure didn’t reply at once. After a long pause, he asked, "What year is it now?"

Xu Weihai was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Senior, it is September 7th, Year 34,226 of the Hongmeng Era."

Upon hearing this, the ancient figure fell silent again. After a long time, he sighed, "More than twenty thousand years have passed? Time truly flies..."

Xu Weihai’s pupils shrank. He couldn’t believe it—he had actually encountered one of the legendary ten-thousand-year-old monsters.

’And from the looks of it, a monster like this seems to be trapped in a bottle...’

’Sealed?’

’Hibernating?’

’So the storybooks weren’t entirely made up! No wonder so many people love reading them in their spare time!’

Xu Weihai kept his head bowed, standing respectfully, mostly because he had no idea what to say.

The ancient figure had a distant look in his eyes, as if he was only just returning to the present after drifting through the long river of time. He raised his gaze and began to size up Xu Weihai. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Xu Weihai felt extremely nervous, unsure of how he should respond.

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