"Find any place to live for now. Once you are settled, come back here to find me," Zhong Qing instructed Lin Feng calmly.
"Yes, Master."
Lin Feng bowed politely and then turned and left.
After Lin Feng departed, Zhong Qing found a burlap sack from the side and walked into the storehouse.
Before long, following the guidance of Elder Jian, Lin Feng found an exceptional immortal cave located directly above the eye of the formation. Cultivating in such a place yielded twice the results with half the effort.
"This Mufu Peak is generally quite good—no one disturbs you, and it's convenient for going about your business. Although the formation is inferior, having one is better than having none. Once I get the strange fire for you and you are able to cultivate, following my teachings, you are bound to surpass everyone instantly, including that so-called purple talent."
Inside the room, Elder Jian materialized as an illusory figure, stepping forth with white hair and the air of an immortal sage. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and spoke.
"Many thanks, Elder Jian."
Hearing this, Lin Feng expressed his gratitude with a pleasantly surprised look on his face.
"Alright, go see your casual master," Elder Jian said at this moment. "Although he won't be of any substantial help to you, he did successfully bring you into Mufu Peak after all. Moreover, you will be spending a very long time here, living day in and day out, so you inevitably still need to build a good relationship."
"Yes, Elder Jian."
After briefly settling in, Lin Feng hurried over to the small courtyard where Zhong Qing resided.
Thick snow was piled high in the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard hall, Zhong Qing lay on a recliner, warming himself by the stove.
After his cultivation soared directly to the Star Profound Realm, weather factors could no longer affect Zhong Qing in the slightest.
Yet in such freezing conditions, not having a fire burning just felt like something was missing.
"Master."
Arriving before Zhong Qing, Lin Feng stood respectfully at attention.
"Mmm."
Zhong Qing opened his lazy eyes, sat up, and said, "Since you have already become my disciple, it is only natural for your master to show some gesture."
"I have stored some cultivation manuals here, so pick a few you like and take them to practice."
"This..."
Lin Feng's face revealed a hesitant expression.
Inwardly, he could not help but ask Elder Jian for advice.
After all, Elder Jian had previously said that after he devoured the strange fire, Elder Jian would personally give him a set of cultivation manuals, so he actually had no need for the ones Zhong Qing was offering.
"What is there to hesitate about? Even if it's completely useless, it's still a token of goodwill. At worst, you just don't practice them; you still have to put on a good surface display," Elder Jian scolded, unable to help himself.
"Yes."
Lin Feng nodded inwardly, then looked at Zhong Qing and said, "Thank you, Master."
"Right there in the burlap sack beside us, pick them out yourself," Zhong Qing said softly, pointing to the sack on the side.
A burlap sack?
Lin Feng could not help but be stunned.
Although the manuals Zhong Qing gifted might not be necessary for him personally, Zhong Qing was at the Star Profound Realm after all, so the manuals he gave away presumably wouldn't be too bad.
Therefore, Lin Feng actually still held a fair bit of anticipation.
Yet who would have thought that the manuals being given to him were kept in a burlap sack? This truly left him speechless.
After all, what kind of good manuals could possibly be kept inside a burlap sack?
Even Elder Jian within the Desolate Ring could not help rolling his eyes.
"Forget it, it doesn't matter. You don't have any use for them anyway, so whatever manuals they are doesn't matter; just take them to keep up appearances," Elder Jian's voice rang out in a reminder.
Lin Feng nodded, then squatted down and walked over to the burlap sack at the side, casually opening it.
However.
As he opened it, various ancient, profound, and terrifying auras rushed straight toward his face.
At the same time, all kinds of golden light, red light, and multicolored radiances blinded his eyes.
Lin Feng was instantly startled out of his wits.
Meanwhile, Elder Jian, who was preparing to temporarily fall into slumber to rest for a moment, also snapped to attention, directly swearing loudly: "What the hell?!"
"Imp-imp-imp-imp... Emperor Tier manuals?!"
Elder Jian's tongue even tied itself in knots, his eyes wide and trembling as he uttered a voice full of terror.
The moment that voice finished, another sharp shriek burst from his throat.
"Saint Grade, holy crap, there are Saint Grade ones too!"
"No wait, they're Em-em-em-emperor Tier..."
"Oh mother dear, I'm really not dreaming, am I!"
Hearing the various exclamations transmitted by Elder Jian in his mind, Lin Feng finally reacted belatedly.
Although he could not yet begin cultivating, Elder Jian had long since popularized this cultivation knowledge for him.
Thus, he was abundantly clear on what these manuals represented.
One had to know that the manual Elder Jian previously claimed he would give him was merely King Tier.
If a King Tier manual were taken outside, it could spark a massive bloody storm; even if the entire Xianjiang Sect were sold off, it wouldn't be enough to exchange for a single King Tier manual.
Yet in front of Emperor Tier manuals, King Tier was nothing more than scum.
Let alone the even higher-level Saint Grade and Emperor Tier ones.
For a moment, Lin Feng's hands trembled, his muscles tensed all over, and he slapped his own face, seemingly afraid that all of this was a dream.
Yet the stinging pain from his face told him that this was no dream.
It was happening right before his very eyes, truly and solidly!
Such manuals of the Emperor Tier were actually stuffed into a burlap sack and placed right in front of him!
"Brat, hurry and pick, hurry and pick one out ahhh!!"
Inside the Desolate Ring, Elder Jian completely lost his composure, wishing he could jump out and pick one himself.
"That one, pick that Emperor Tier Great Desolation Scripture—ah no, choose the other Emperor Tier one, the Fire Emperor Scripture."
"And that one, that Great Heaven and Earth Scripture is also very suitable for you."
"Wait, wait, that Grand Zhou Desolate Bone Art is not bad either..."
At this moment, following Lin Feng's line of sight, Elder Jian became completely dizzy, feeling that this one was good, but that one seemed even more suitable, yet not wanting to lose the other one either.
Following Elder Jian's cries, Lin Feng picked up this manual and put it down, then picked up another, and upon picking up that one took a fancy to yet another.
Zhong Qing, standing to the side, seemed to see right through Lin Feng's thoughts.
He could not help smiling slightly.
"Since you like them all, just take them all!" Zhong Qing reminded him softly.
"Re-really, is that okay?"
Lin Feng looked at Zhong Qing with an expression of excitement.
Zhong Qing nodded.
Seeing this, with Elder Jian's help, Lin Feng stood on no ceremony and directly selected five Emperor Tier manuals that best suited his path.
"So exciting, so exciting."
"Ahhhhhhh..."
"These are five Emperor Tier manuals!!"
Inside the Desolate Ring, Elder Jian jumped up and down with joy, acting as if these manuals were being given to him.
At the same time, he could not help solemnly reminding Lin Feng: "Brat, remember this: the fact that you possess five Emperor Tier manuals must not be revealed to a single soul, besides you and your master."
"Once word gets out, the people who come to snatch them could shatter the very space you are in with a single fart!"
Lin Feng also nodded solemnly.
Although he was young and did not understand many things, that did not mean he was stupid.
Out of habit, Zhong Qing fetched a bronze kettle filled with cold water, placed it on the stove, and asked sideways, "Have you picked everything you wanted to select?"
"I've selected them, Master," Lin Feng replied respectfully with a nod.
"Mmm."
Zhong Qing nodded, reached his hand into the burlap sack, grabbed a stack of manuals, and tossed them directly into the stove.
Instantly, the fire blazed fiercely.
Before long, rolling steam began to billow from the bronze kettle.
"Ah, what a waste of natural treasures, what a waste of natural treasures!"
Seeing this scene, Elder Jian within the Desolate Ring almost went mad, letting out loud roars from inside the ring.
Even though these manuals were the ones Lin Feng had discarded, it did not mean they were trash or of poor quality.
On the contrary, if any single one of them were taken outside, it would likewise be an earthquake-level existence.
Yet.
They were just burned directly like this.
If this wasn't wasting natural treasures, what was?
Lin Feng likewise felt a sharp ache in his heart.
"Master, such good manuals, why did you burn them!" Lin Feng asked, his face full of incomprehension.
"I have plenty of this stuff; if I don't burn it, keeping it takes up too much space."
Zhong Qing said calmly.
Lin Feng: ??
Elder Jian: ??
Listen to that.
Was this something a human being would say?
Zhong Qing, however, remained unfazed and continued adding manuals into the stove.
Although he knew these manuals were extremely overpowered, when there were simply too many of them, they ceased to appear all that precious in his eyes.
He couldn't possibly go around giving them away everywhere; until his cultivation realm rose, doing so would only bring him massive trouble.
Not to mention, his broken sign-in function was still churning them out day and night.
Before long, the bronze kettle emitted a humming sound.
Zhong Qing lifted the kettle and brewed a full pot of tea for himself.
He held the pot of tea, slowly stood up, walked to the side, and said to Lin Feng behind him, "Follow me."
"Yes!"
Lin Feng acknowledged respectfully and followed Zhong Qing into another side room.
Inside the room, all kinds of weapons were on display.
"Pick one that suits you best yourself!" Zhong Qing said calmly.
Lin Feng and Elder Jian looked at the dazzling array of weaponry filling the room. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing special about them, but when they drew closer, they instantly perceived the clues within.
Every single one of these weapons possessed a spirit.
Within them were contained energies that made one's heart palpitate with terror, chilling the soul at even a second glance.
Elder Jian's breathing, which had just calmed down slightly, once again grew rapid.
Clearly, the weapons filling this entire storehouse before his eyes were just as high-grade as the manuals he had seen moments ago.
Among them, divine weapons of the Emperor Tier, Saint Grade, and Sovereign Tier were in no short supply.
"Kid, hurry up and choose, choose!"
Elder Jian said, full of anxiety.
Today, he was entirely like a country bumpkin entering the city; every single manual and every divine weapon stimulated his nerves.
Lin Feng was similarly overcome with uncontainable excitement. Accompanied by Elder Jian, the two of them finally, with much hesitation, made their choice.
It was a saber as black as ink, named Ink Saber.
Lin Feng stroked the Ink Saber in his hands with unceasing fondness, the excitement in his heart refusing to settle for a long time.
Today's harvest was simply too massive for him.
So massive that even if he walked his original path without any obstacles and traveled smoothly all the way to the absolute peak, he might not necessarily possess everything he could hold right now.
"Kid, earlier we were far too rash."
"I originally thought your master was trash, but he exposed the Star Profound Realm. I thought he was merely at the Star Profound Realm, but now I realize it goes far beyond that. During my prime, I'd probably be nothing more than trash in front of him!"
"We were too disrespectful earlier; hurry up and kneel, and kowtow five times to address him as master all over again!"
Inside the Desolate Ring, Elder Jian reminded him with a solemn expression.
By this point, how could he still not know that his previous judgment had been completely off?
This person's background was bound to be extraordinary beyond measure.
Otherwise, how could anyone be so immensely wealthy as to use Emperor Tier and Sovereign Tier manuals to boil water and brew tea?
Hearing the instruction, Lin Feng dropped directly to his knees.
He had already been immensely grateful that Zhong Qing allowed him into Mufu Peak. Although he hadn't initially believed Zhong Qing could teach him anything, deep down, he had already regarded Zhong Qing as his master.
At this moment, however, Zhong Qing had completely and utterly conquered Lin Feng.
"Disciple thanks Master for this bestowal."
Lin Feng knelt respectfully on the ground, paying his respects with a sincere and earnest expression.
"Get up."
Zhong Qing waved his hand, and a gentle force lifted Lin Feng to his feet.
He then spoke softly to Lin Feng, "You don't need to overthink things from now on; just stay in Mufu Peak and cultivate steadily. I guarantee you will become a top-tier figure."
And Zhong Qing was not exaggerating.
As long as he activated the Good-for-Nothing Bond, Lin Feng's cultivation would receive a hundredfold amplification.
Coupled with Emperor Tier manuals and other enhancements, such a speed was something even the most supreme natural talents could never hope to rival.
"Many thanks, Master," Lin Feng said with a face full of gratitude.
"However..."
At this moment, however, Zhong Qing's tone abruptly shifted, his gaze landing on Lin Feng's storage ring. "This ring of yours..."
As those words fell, Lin Feng's face instantly showed a trace of panic.
Inside Elder Jian's mind, it felt as though a thunderclap had exploded.
Cold sweat instantly poured down.
Point at me.
This big shot is pointing right at me!!
Only then did he snap to his wits—Lin Feng's master had long since discovered his existence! His own little concealment tricks simply did not exist before this person at all!
At that moment, Elder Jian nearly suffered a myocardial infarction from sheer fright.
Recalling the things he had once said and his disdain for Zhong Qing, he unconsciously felt his legs grow weak.
"Senior, I was wrong; I have sinned."
"Earlier I was too rash and shouldn't have offended you with my words like that."
Within the space of the Desolate Ring, Elder Jian's soul body instantly bent his body low, respectfully repenting before Zhong Qing.
In reality, Zhong Qing had no idea Elder Jian was carrying out such an elaborate inner monologue.
The reason he brought up the ring grandpa was actually because he had his own considerations.
If he guessed correctly, this ring grandpa and his own disciple should share a bond where one flourished, both flourished, and one suffered, both suffered; the two were bound together.
Therefore, he considered that when it came to teaching, he might as well just play the role of a hands-off manager.
Although he had plenty of good things and his own strength would rise rapidly, when it came to actual instruction, he probably couldn't truly compare to this ring grandpa.
And the faster Lin Feng cultivated, the faster he would receive feedback.
So, strictly speaking, this ring grandpa could become his ultimate hired laborer!
How could he possibly let such a supreme hired laborer slip away?
"This is a divine soul secret medicine, take it."
Zhong Qing pulled a portion of medicinal herbs from his storage ring and handed them to Lin Feng. This portion of herbs was likewise something he had obtained from signing in previously; he still had plenty of such miscellaneous items.
"Oh my god!!"
Seeing this secret medicine, Elder Jian inside the storage ring instantly widened his eyes.
Following that came immense gratitude and tears of thankfulness.
He never dreamed that not only would Zhong Qing let bygones be bygones, but he would actually gift him a divine soul secret medicine—and one of such a precious grade at that.
Given his severe condition, even if Lin Feng followed his planned route unimpeded all the way to the end, he would only have a ten percent chance of resurrection, let alone the fact that cultivation was treacherous and whether Lin Feng could even reach the end remained an unknown.
Thus, there was a high probability that he, Elder Jian, would never see the light of day again in this lifetime.
Yet with this secret medicine, while he couldn't immediately resurrect and be reborn, he was infinitely close to it.
And his eventual resurrection and rebirth would jump to a hundred percent certainty, leaving only a matter of a short time!
What did this equal?
It equaled Zhong Qing granting him a brand-new life!
This kind of recreating grace caused Elder Jian to drop to his knees inside the Desolate Ring space, knocking his head heavily against the ground several times.
Lin Feng, too, received the divine soul secret medicine with trembling hands, likewise dropping to his knees.
He understood what this single pellet of divine soul secret medicine meant for Elder Jian.
His own life had been full of hardships: born into a humble family in a small place, lacking the slightest cultivation talent, being rejected in marriage, and suffering humiliation.
He had wanted to leap off a cliff to end his life, and it was the appearance of Elder Jian that allowed him to regain confidence in living.
It could be said that Elder Jian was as important to him as a father.
"With Master present, please accept another bow from Lin Feng. Lin Feng swears right here that he will cultivate diligently and never let Master down. Master need only give a single word, and Lin Feng is willing to climb mountains of blades and plunge into seas of fire, and even if he falls into hell and never enters the cycle of reincarnation for all eternity, he will not hesitate!"
As Lin Feng kowtowed, he raised his hand and sincerely swore an oath.
In his heart, he understood that it was the Zhong Qing before him who had bestowed upon both him and Elder Jian a new existence and a new life!
"Alright, get up."
Zhong Qing smiled warmly, then helped Lin Feng to his feet and said, "Next, I shall teach you how to cultivate."
"But Master, I..."
At this point, Lin Feng lowered his head and said, "Actually, I don't have any cultivation talent at all. I don't even have white-grade talent."
"I'm sorry, Master. I deceived you."
Lin Feng's face was filled with guilt.
Zhong Qing smiled calmly.
"I've known about your talent for a long time."
Hearing this, Lin Feng's face burned hot, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
As expected.
Before this mysterious master of his, the fact that he lacked talent had long since been seen right through.
"Then Master, why did you still accept me as a disciple?" Lin Feng asked out of curiosity.
"Perhaps because you caught my eye," Zhong Qing said with a smile, naturally unable to reveal the real reason. He then continued, "As for your talent, in the eyes of others it might be an insurmountable problem, but to me, it is no problem at all."
Hearing this, Lin Feng's eyes lit up, and his breathing grew rapid.
"You only need to do as I say."
Zhong Qing said softly while his thoughts turned.
The reason he hadn't activated the disciple's hundredfold amplification right from the start was to find a starting catalyst.
Without any catalyst at all, directly activating the hundredfold amplification would, firstly, greatly diminish the disciple's conviction in him as a master, and secondly, make it rather difficult to explain should the disciple ask questions.
Under Lin Feng's expectant gaze, Zhong Qing smiled calmly: "First, pick one of the core cultivation manuals I gave you earlier. I will now teach you a heaven-defying incantation; you only need to recite the incantation I teach you in your heart while cultivating."
With that, Zhong Qing leaned in close to Lin Feng and mysteriously transmitted his words via voice transmission.
Lin Feng listened earnestly, but upon hearing it, his entire view of life was thrown into doubt.
"Master, it's this simple—will this really work?"
"Of course it works, you just need to do as I say," Zhong Qing instructed solemnly. "Remember, the incantation I taught you can only be known by you alone; if you leak it, it will lose its magic."
"Alright, go to the next room and try it out now."
With a carefree smile, Zhong Qing leisurely reclined back on his lounge chair.
Lin Feng scratched his head.
Just chanting "Give a damn about nothing, open the manual and just go for it!" and one could actually cultivate?
Harboring doubts, Lin Feng crossed his legs and sat down in the adjacent room.