Though the so-called shop only listed a handful of items, the six onlookers grew more shocked with each one they saw.
The final item, the Heaven and Earth Seal of Approval, practically blinded them.
After this was done, the Book of All Living Beings in Elder Huang’s hand flew up again, hovering beside him.
He continued, "Furthermore, during the opening of the new district, through a fortunate coincidence and for various reasons, Disciple Qin Shizhong (Dragon and Snake) has performed exceptionally well. As such, he is hereby awarded the ’Promotion to Enlightenment Dao’ benefit one time as encouragement."
As he finished speaking, Elder Huang pointed a finger, and his entire being stepped forward.
The crowd’s perspective shifted, arriving in a Cultivation Room—specifically, the one at the Flying Spring Waterfall Cliff Entrance.
Inside the Cultivation Room, they saw Qin Shizhong sitting cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut.
As their perspective shifted, Qin Shizhong woke up. At the same time, Elder Huang materialized from the void, coalescing from countless points of light.
Before the stunned Qin Shizhong could react, Elder Huang, without a word, reached out and tapped him between the eyebrows.
’An Immortal caresses my crown; Longevity from Braiding Hair!’
For no reason, a phrase that often drifted through the skies above the All Living Beings Tower and Xuanhua Tower surfaced in their minds.
Instantly, Qin Shizhong’s aura surged from Peak Apprentice to the Tai Chi Stage, and an extremely ethereal Rune flickered on his brow.
His entire body suddenly contorted. His clothes ripped apart in an instant, and his body vanished, replaced by a two-meter-tall Qiu Ape.
The Qiu Ape’s eyes were vacant, as if lost in thought, having seemingly entered a special state.
The ape form lasted for only a few seconds before the Qiu Ape’s body suddenly went limp, contorting again into a grayish-brown python over ten meters long. The great serpent’s eyes were also unfocused.
This form also lasted for only a few seconds. Then, an ethereal Rune shattered on the python’s brow, and the creature vanished along with it.
In its place stood a stark naked Qin Shizhong, dazed and lost in profound comprehension for a long time.
The onlookers, who had taken everything in, were all slightly stunned to see Qin Shizhong transform twice. ’No wonder Steward Zhang values him so highly. He’s actually planning to pursue a path of dual transformation.’
Even among the Core Disciples of the Celestial Spirit Sect, very few possessed such luck and talent.
Following this, the five of them stared at the Book of All Living Beings in their hands with even more fervent gazes. ’The third benefit from the shop was already this powerful; doesn’t that mean the fourth one will be heaven-defying?’
Elder Huang paid the crowd no mind. After Qin Shizhong’s transformation was complete, he dissolved into a sky full of light points and vanished.
The crowd’s perspective returned to the top of Xuanhua Tower. Elder Huang was still standing with his hands clasped behind him, his Daoist Robe fluttering, the Book of All Living Beings hovering at his side.
Everything that had just happened felt like a dream, as if none of it had occurred at all.
Elder Huang scanned the group and said, "Now that all audits for the new district are complete, the Celestial Spirit New District is officially established. For all of you to be able to enter the Alliance and have your names recorded in the book is a great Karma Technique, a tremendous opportunity. I hope you will all cherish it."
With that said, Elder Huang waved his hand, and all the visions disappeared. Each person came back to their senses.
Immediately, they all held out their hands, palms flat, and summoned their own exclusive Book of All Living Beings. They saw the shop and stared at the items one by one, their eyes burning with fervor.
But when they saw their Contribution Point balances, they all gave wry, silent smiles.
······
In the Spirit Nurturing Space, Zhang Deming cut off the connection to the others and let out a long sigh of relief.
With the establishment of the transaction system and benefits, the initial framework of the Alliance was now in place. From here, it just needed to be slowly operated and perfected.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Deming exited the Spirit Nurturing Space.
After more than a month in seclusion, Zhang Deming left his room and stepped into the small courtyard, gazing at the bright sunlight outside.
His cultivation had reached the Duality stage, and his Magic could now be promoted to Tier Four. This allowed Zhang Deming’s constantly tense heart to finally relax.
For an ordinary Cultivator, the Three Talents stage is a great leap, because that is when most will have one or two Tier Four Skills. But for many geniuses, the Duality stage is the great leap.
This is because at the Duality stage, one can already master Tier Four Law-Level Techniques, which is a massive enhancement.
Magic. The name itself holds the key. Secret Level techniques are just ’Skills,’ while only Law Level techniques qualify as true ’Magic.’
For all Techniques, their true power only begins to manifest at the Law Level. For example, with movement-type techniques, the Law Level allows for Flying. With Bloodline-type techniques, the Law Level allows for true mimicry of one’s innate form, and so on.
In short, the Law Level is the beginning of the transition from mortal to Extraordinary.
Now that his cultivation was at the Duality stage, in terms of short-term power, he could even reach the Three Talents stage or possibly even attempt the Four Symbols. Here in the Celestial Spirit Sect, while he couldn’t be the top dog, it was enough to intimidate people.
Therefore, the Deep Blue Business Alliance’s "Blossoms in Celestial Spirit" plan could more or less be realized. The cultivation of Venerables could also begin. After all, using the Spirit Nurturing Bead plus the Enhancement Skill to harvest the Qi Fortune and Merit of a Venerable should be feasible.
Before doing so, however, the Deep Blue Business Alliance couldn’t just be a nominal entity. And his current title as a figurehead Peak Master was clearly not enough.
Don’t be fooled by the decent profits the Deep Blue Business Alliance was currently making, or by the fact that no one in the Sect was bothering him. That was only because there were just four or five shops. While the profit margin was considerable, the total revenue was actually nothing special.
However, once Zhang Deming implemented his "blossom everywhere" plan, the massive income of Spirit Stones and the powerful faction the Business Alliance would become would inevitably attract the Sect’s attention.
If the entanglement of interests became too great and he stepped on the toes of certain people, his current nominal status would definitely not be enough to serve as a deterrent.
Zhang Deming thought for a long time before coming to a decision. He took out his Identity Card and sent a message. Then, he stood up, looked at the nearby waterfall, and said, "Flying!"