The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 728: Chapter 152: The Essence of Communication

Looking at his more than sixty points of Qi Fortune, Zhang Deming didn’t immediately upgrade his Techniques. Only four of his equipped Techniques were left to reach Law Level. There was no hurry; he would handle them all at once after the Dao discussion assembly was finished.

He had planned to say a quick hello to Gan Zili and the others before returning to the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower to wait for the next part of the assembly, but Gan Zili called out to him.

The group left the square together. As they walked, Zhang Deming asked, “Is there something you need, Senior Brother Gan?”

Gan Zili looked at Zhang Deming and said, “The initial survey of the Geng Metal Secret Realm is complete. With the opening ceremony approaching and the Luan Family’s arrival, I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Deming’s face lit up in a pleasant surprise. “Really?” he asked.

Gan Zili nodded. “Yes. The Martial Uncle said that thanks to you, the Five Elements Secret Realm is now partially complete. The Geng Metal Core even managed to retain a trace of its Grotto Heaven Attribute.”

“This will serve as an excellent catalyst for the Sect’s future Fusion of the Secret Realms and its preparations to create a Grotto Heaven. So, no matter how you look at it, your contribution this time is significant.”

Zhang Deming smiled. “The credit isn’t mine alone. Senior Brother Dang Ketao also put in a great deal of effort.”

“You smooth talker,” Gan Zili teased. “As if he needs you to hand him that credit. Have you forgotten his surname?”

Zhang Deming froze for a moment, then immediately changed his tune. “Er, actually, my contribution was much greater. Senior Brother Dang Ketao was just along for the ride!”

The rest of the group stopped in their tracks. Even Yuee Mengsheng shot Zhang Deming a look. Gu Liancai stared at him with a strange expression and said, “Junior Brother, have you no shame? Weren’t you always so cautious and discreet? When did you become so thick-skinned?”

Zhang Deming looked at Gu Liancai with a completely serious expression. “We Cultivators should never shy away from what is rightfully ours,” he said gravely. “We contend with the heavens for our very destiny. The contribution was mine to begin with, so how could you call me thick-skinned?”

Gan Zili: “…”

Yuee Mengsheng: “…”

Gu Liancai’s face twitched. Looking at Zhang Deming’s dead-serious expression, he nodded. “Alright, you win. I have nothing more to say.”

“Ahem…” Gan Zili coughed before continuing, “Now that the Grotto Heaven has been sorted out, your contribution this time will be rewarded in two parts.”

“The first part relates to the spoils from within the Grotto Heaven, and the second part is for the recovery of the Grotto Heaven itself. After some deliberation, the Sect has decided that since the spoils from within consisted mainly of the Daoist Collection, you will be allowed to choose your reward yourself.”

Zhang Deming’s expression flickered. “The Geng Metal Scripture Pavilion… is it really still intact?”

Gan Zili nodded. “Yes. In fact, it’s in much better condition than the Turtle Water Scripture Pavilion—almost completely undamaged. Because of this, the Celestial Spirit Scripture Pavilion has acquired another floor’s worth of the Daoist Collection, and they’re ecstatic about it.”

“That’s why they’re giving you very flexible options: you can choose between resources, Contribution points, or Techniques. However, since the main prize was the Daoist Collection, the reward will be dispensed by the Guardian Tower.”

“This means if you choose Techniques, your options should be quite extensive. If you choose anything else, the reward will be significantly less valuable. After all, that lazy bunch at the Guardian Tower doesn’t have many other resources. They have enough for their own use, but they’re by no means a wealthy department.”

“Plus, you’re a big name at the Guardian Tower these days. Your contributions to them this past year alone are worth ten thousand years of Technique development from all the other Disciples in the Sect combined.”

“So if you ask for something from the Daoist Collection, I estimate they’ll let you take your pick of almost anything.”

Zhang Deming wasn’t too concerned about resources, however. The one thing he truly cared about was what lay inside the Geng Metal Scripture Pavilion. He immediately pressed, “Is there a Geng Metal-aspected Tier Five Cultivation Technique?”

Gan Zili paused, taken aback. He looked at Zhang Deming and said, “You aren’t really trying to collect all five of the Tier Five Cultivation Techniques from the Five Elements Blessed Land, are you?”

“The Rumors about the Five Elements Secret Scripture have been spreading for years. Plenty of people have the elementary version of the Five Elements Cultivation Technique that the outer Disciples of the Five Elements Blessed Land once used. People have been studying it for years, but no one has ever discovered anything.”

“Therefore, either the Fusion of these Cultivation Techniques requires some crucial missing component, or the whole thing is just a rumor! Is it really worth wasting two opportunities on this?”

Zhang Deming’s face lit up. “So you’re saying they actually found one?”

Gan Zili looked at Zhang Deming and gave a silent nod. “That’s right. This time, they did find a Tier Five Cultivation Technique, the Geng Metal Refining Essence Technique. After studying it, the Guardian Tower believes it’s part of the same set as the other four, making them the legendary five Core Cultivation Techniques.”

“This piqued the interest of the Guardian Tower, but the people from the Main Pavilion studied it for nearly a month straight and came up with nothing. So… you should really think this through.”

Zhang Deming’s face was filled with delight. He nodded, unconcerned. “Mm, I understand.”

Gan Zili hesitated. Seeing Zhang Deming’s clearly dismissive attitude, he shook his head and continued, “As for the second reward—the one for the recovery of the Grotto Heaven itself—the Sect is giving you two options.”

“What are the options?” Zhang Deming asked.

“Either a certain amount of Contribution points, or they’ll allocate a plot of land for you within the Grotto Heaven,” Gan Zili said.

Zhang Deming paused, surprised. “For me to build a Cave Mansion?”

Gan Zili shook his head. “Of course not. Forget about this reward; with your status as a Tier Four Spirit Nurturer alone, you could build a Cave Mansion in any of our Sect’s six current Secret Realms if you wanted to. That hardly requires a special reward.”

“This ‘plot of land’ refers to a clan territory. In other words, after the five Grotto Heavens are Fused, the Sect will allocate an area to you as your own private domain.”