Regard Ji Ziling’s embarrassed retreat, Ye Feng burst into laughter.

“This girl, serves you right!”

“Is the Sect Leader’s face something you can just pinch as you please?”

“But seriously, Ziling has such good skin, what does she use to maintain it? Or is it that once you cultivate, skin quality naturally becomes this good?”

Ye Feng raised his eyebrows, lost in thought.

The Scripture Pavilion.

Ji Ziling’s face was so red it reached her neck, and her heartbeat quickened. Sitting in her seat, she was restless for a long time.

After a while.

She lowered her head and looked at the ancient text that Ye Feng had given her.

The title, “The Manuscript of Root Potential,” caught Ji Ziling’s curiosity as it came into view.

“What kind of cultivation technique is this?”

Ji Ziling hurriedly flipped the title page open.

“Hiss!”

Ji Ziling gasped sharply, stood up, and stared wide-eyed at the text on the title page.

This technique could stimulate the potential of one’s root bones!

Firstly, “The Manuscript of Root Potential” was divided into three layers.

Its essence was to use ancient array patterns, inscribing them within the Qi sea and meridians, to accelerate the speed of cultivation and awaken potential.

Upon achieving perfection at the first layer, the speed of the meridians’ operation would increase by fifty percent, and the speed of cultivation could also rise by fifty percent.

Upon achieving perfection at the second layer, the speed of the meridians’ operation would double, and the speed of cultivation could also double.

Upon achieving perfection at the third layer, by accumulating in depth and bursting forth in height, it could stimulate the root bone potential, and if maintained over a long period, there was hope of promoting one’s own root bones to advance!

“Worthy of being the Sect Leader, you can even deduce such an extraordinary and otherworldly auxiliary cultivation method, that’s amazing!”

To stimulate root bone potential was taboo!

But Ye Feng had broken that taboo.

In Ji Ziling’s view, he was too strong!

“However, not everyone who practices ‘The Manuscript of Root Potential’ can stimulate their root bone potential. It’s a matter of fate. But even so, achieving second layer mastery would double the speed of cultivation, which is a significant increase.”

Ji Ziling muttered to herself.

She had supreme-grade root bones.

If she could practice “The Manuscript of Root Potential” to second-layer mastery, her cultivation speed would double, allowing her to make breakthroughs faster.

As for root bone potential…

If she could stimulate it and break through to a higher divine grade from supreme grade, that would be truly terrifying.

“This technique is marvelous!”

Ji Ziling began to practice.

She had decided, if she was going to be the guinea pig for this technique, then why couldn’t that guinea pig be herself?

Tackling such a “daunting task” of stimulating root bone potential, she would be the one to undertake it first!

Ji Ziling thought to herself.

On the recliner.

Ye Feng watched the scene in the Heaven-Asking Mirror and chuckled.

He realized that Ji Ziling’s inner drama was truly something.

“But letting Ziling practice first is good. After all, she’s a genius with supreme-grade root bones, with extraordinary comprehension, and her cultivation is very fast,” Ye Feng murmured to himself.

Inside the Scripture Pavilion.

Many disciples came and went.

They saw Ji Ziling leaning over the table, her eyes wide as she stared at an ancient text on the table, her brow occasionally furrowing as if encountering a tough problem.

“I heard that Senior Sister Ziling has supreme-grade root bones. If even she is stumped by a problem, it can’t be that difficult, right?”

“Probably so!”

The disciples did not disturb her.

Slap!

Suddenly, Ji Ziling slapped the table and exclaimed, “I knew it, so this is how you cultivate it!”

She immediately sat cross-legged on a cushion and entered the state of cultivation.

Countless ancient symbols surfaced around her, branding themselves into her Qi sea and meridians, causing twisting pain, but she still clenched her teeth and endured.

“Is she cultivating some kind of spell?”

“Look, Senior Sister Ziling is sweating, and it seems like she’s still biting her teeth and enduring. It looks very painful.”

“Shh! Keep your voices down.”

The disciples immediately held their breath.

Half an hour later.

Ji Ziling took a deep breath.

She could feel that her cultivation speed had already increased by thirty percent, and she was close to achieving perfection at the first layer.

“Continue cultivating!”

Ji Ziling closed her eyes and began again.

That afternoon.

Clutching the ancient tome inscribed with the “Manuscript of Root Potential” cultivation technique, she approached Ye Feng, drenched in sweat as if she had sprinted three thousand miles with a mountain on her back.

“Sect Leader, I… I’ve achieved Perfection in the First Level!”

Ji Ziling panted heavily, collapsing onto the rattan chair beside Ye Feng, her pretty face covered with beads of sweat.

“Achieving Perfection in the First Level in half a day, not bad!”

Ye Feng praised.

This speed was already very fast.

“So, how do you feel now?”

Ye Feng asked further, “With your talent, you’ll definitely be able to cultivate to Second Layer Mastery within three days. Normally, your cultivation speed would double, and if you enter the Spirit Gathering Tower, the cultivation speed would be at least more than ten times faster than usual.”

Ji Ziling nodded: “I feel great.”

She hesitated for a moment, then added:

“Moreover, after cultivating ‘The Manuscript of Root Potential,’ I found that my meridians and Qi Sea have been further developed, storing a lot of special energy. When the time is ripe, it might indeed help in advancing my Root Bone Potential.”

“Right, it’s all about this accumulation,” Ye Feng said with a smile.

Those ancient symbols imprinted in the Qi Sea and meridians all contained incredible power and were beneficial in every way without a single harm.

With enough accumulation, it could trigger a qualitative change.

“Okay, continue cultivating; once you’ve achieved Second Layer Mastery, or an even higher level, this Auxiliary Cultivation Method can then officially be promoted within the Sect,”

Ye Feng said with a meaningful look.

“Okay,” Ji Ziling nodded.

But soon, she murmured, “Sect Leader, aren’t you worried about others stealing the technique, since you’ve just handed me the original manuscript?”

“There’s no need to worry,” Ye Feng shook his head.

He wasn’t afraid someone would steal away this Auxiliary Cultivation Method.

Because he had set a trap.

A person not recognized by the System—like infiltrators from the Soul-Devouring Clan, such as Wang Xuanping—couldn’t remember the contents of the technique for the life of them, let alone cultivate it successfully.

“Okay then!”

Ji Ziling had no idea why Ye Feng was so confident.

But since he said so, there shouldn’t be any issues.

Whoosh!

Ji Ziling ran back to the Scripture Pavilion to continue her arduous cultivation.

Ye Feng stood up.

He glanced at the Refining Furnace next to him, still tinkling, and raised an eyebrow, “This long?”

Clang!

Suddenly, the lid of the furnace shot into the sky.

The modified Crimson Edge Halberd flew out from within, hovering sideways in front of Ye Feng. Its surface had more Ancient Array Patterns, and it was shrouded in a faint golden hue, like a ball of flame.

Whoosh.

The Refining Furnace closed its lid again and shrank to the size of a palm, disappearing into the System Space.

“Tired!”

Ye Feng received a thought wave from the Refining Furnace.

“This guy…”

Ye Feng suddenly realized that the Refining Furnace, having ascended to a Spiritual Treasure, had also birthed a hint of spiritual intelligence—it even knew how to express fatigue now.

“It won’t start cutting corners, will it?”

Ye Feng couldn’t help but mutter.

Then, he looked at the Crimson Edge Halberd floating in front of him.

After almost a day and a night of modifications by the Refining Furnace, it had grown stronger than before, with a significant improvement in the level of its Artifact Spirit.

Even without someone controlling it, the halberd could exert ninety percent of its power.

What did that mean?

A single Crimson Edge Halberd could battle a Seventh Layer Divine Origin Realm opponent!

And Hu Feifei, when entering the Fourth Combat Form, was only slightly stronger than this.

“Not bad,”

Ye Feng smiled faintly.

With a casual wave of his hand, the Crimson Edge Halberd vanished into thin air. If the Misty Sect faced any crisis, it would appear on its own to slay powerful enemies.

…

As time went on, the celebration for Misty Sect’s elevation to Two-Star Rank was approaching fast.

Not only was Ye Feng looking forward to it, but the disciples were also excited, voluntarily ending their cultivation, leaving the Spirit Gathering Tower and the Cultivation Tower, and started bustling about in the Sect.

With lanterns hung festively and trees planted and watered,

the Sect Main Plaza, expanded several times over by Shi Lei, was spacious enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people.

County King City, Divine Wind Sword Sect, Sword King Sect, Myriad Islands Alliance, Yunhua Sect, Liuyun Sect, and other factions were all preparing gifts.

A grand ceremony was coming!

But in the shadows, a crisis was also looming.