352: Apprenticeship Ceremony!

Master Xuan Heng finished speaking and flicked his wide sleeve.

Three streaks of light hovered in front of Su Ming.

"This is the True Inheritance Token. Your Divine Soul imprint has been recorded in it. Holding this token, you may visit all peaks except for a few Forbidden Grounds in the Sect."

"This is the Formation Peak True Inheritance Robe. It is inscribed with the 'Star Dou Body Guarding Formation' and can withstand three full-force strikes from a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator."

"This is the 'Formation Nurturing Jade'."

Master Xuan Heng pointed at the last ornament, which resembled mutton-fat white jade. "Wearing it constantly can nourish your Divine Sense and enhance your sensitivity to the flow of Array Patterns. Although your Ruoshui Art is excellent, Divine Sense is the foundation of setting up Formations and must not be neglected."

Su Ming received them with both hands, his heart stirring slightly.

Every one of these three items was tailor-made for survival and cultivation development. It seemed this Revered Master had indeed conducted a detailed 'background check' on him.

"Thank you, Revered Master, for the treasures," Su Ming bowed again.

"Alright, now that the formal rites are complete, you Senior Brothers and Senior Sister should get acquainted." Master Xuan Heng revealed a slight smile and looked at the other three. "Stop hiding things, where are the welcome gifts?"

Luo Feng was the most eager. He scratched his head, pulled out a thick Azure Jade Slip from his robes, and handed it over: "Junior Brother, you know your Third Senior Brother is poor; all my assets are invested in Formation Plate Materials. I don't have any great treasures. These are just some notes from my years of researching Formations... mostly reviews of failed cases. Take them as reference so you can avoid some detours later."

Su Ming's eyes lit up.

In the eyes of others, this might not be as valuable as a Magic Treasure, but to him, this was an invaluable "good thing"!

"This truly is a good thing," Lin Yu also praised. "Success cannot be replicated, but the reasons for failure are largely similar. With this, you can save a large amount on trial-and-error Materials costs."

Su Ming accepted it solemnly: "Thank you, Third Senior Brother. This is exactly what your Junior Brother urgently needs."

Next was Senior Sister Eldest Senior Sister Ling Shuang.

She did not take out her Storage Pouch, but instead pointed two fingers like a sword and lightly tapped the Void Realm.

Buzz!

The temperature inside the hall plummeted. A streak of ice-blue Sword Qi, solidified as if material, floated from her fingertip. Instead of dissipating, it folded and compressed layer by layer in the air, finally transforming into a prismatic ice crystal hovering before Su Ming.

Inside the ice crystal, it seemed a blizzard was Sealed.

"Frost Heart Sword Seal."

Eldest Senior Sister Ling Shuang was concise: "It Seals a streak of my Origin Sword Qi. Crush it in a moment of crisis, and anything below the Golden Core can be slain."

Su Ming's pupils contracted slightly.

Anything below Golden Core can be slain!

"Hiss... This Senior Sister is reliable; when things happen, she truly steps up." Lin Yu clicked his tongue in wonder. "The value of this item is probably higher than a High Grade Magical Artifact. It seems although she is cold, she is quite protective of her own people."

Su Ming carefully wrapped the "Sword Seal" in spiritual power, placed it deep inside his Storage Pouch, and cupped his hands: "Thank you for your generous gift, Senior Sister. Your Junior Brother will certainly use it with caution."

Finally, it was the turn of Second Senior Brother Second Senior Brother Qin Yi.

Second Senior Brother Qin Yi chuckled, reached into the Storage Pouch hanging at his waist—which looked like a leather pouch—and rummaged for a long time before finally pulling out... an egg?

It was a black egg the size of a watermelon. The surface of the eggshell was covered with irregular dark-gold patterns. It felt slightly cool to the touch but was extremely heavy, as if holding a piece of profound iron.

"Catch, Junior Brother!"

Second Senior Brother Qin Yi shoved the egg directly into Su Ming's arms. "Your Senior Brother dug this out of a strange ruin a few years ago. I've tried hatching it for years without success, and no matter how I roast it, it won't cook. But its vitality is absolutely vigorous! Even the Spirit Beasts I raise, including that irritable Blazing Fire Lion, avoid this egg. It definitely isn't an ordinary species!"

Su Ming held the heavy black egg, his expression somewhat stiff.

Won't cook... Second Senior Brother, did you actually try roasting it to eat?

"Don't listen to his nonsense." Lin Yu's voice suddenly became serious. "Disciple, this egg... something is wrong. My Divine Sense can't even penetrate it? The patterns on the shell are not natural; they look like an extremely ancient Creature Sealing Art. Take it! This might be a huge find."

Hearing this, Su Ming immediately put the black egg away, revealing a sincere smile: "Thank you, Second Senior Brother. Your Junior Brother will definitely 'hatch' it properly when he gets back."

Second Senior Brother Qin Yi blinked, seemingly relieved: "That's good, that's good. This little ancestor has been occupying the best spiritual cave dwelling at my place without doing any work. Giving it to you is perfect."

Seeing that the Disciples had finished their greetings, Immortal Master Master Xuan Heng lightly coughed, and the main hall returned to solemn silence.

"Besides the apprenticeship today, there are two important matters."

Master Xuan Heng's gaze swept over the four people, his expression turning solemn. "In three days, the Guihun Valley will open for the Kindling Fire Sacrifice. In the recent Northern Territory conflict, the Sect suffered heavy losses, and countless heroic souls are returning home. All of you must attend, dressed in plain clothes for the sacrifice. No one is permitted to be absent."

The four replied in unison. Su Ming lowered his head. When the image of Zhao Tieji's blood-soaked battle robes flashed through his mind, his heart sank.

"The second matter."

Master Xuan Heng looked at Su Ming, his tone softening slightly, carrying a deliberate understatement. "Seven days after the Kindling Fire Sacrifice, there will be the 'True Inheritance Heart Questioning Formation' at the Huanbo Sea."

Hearing those three words, Su Ming felt Luo Feng's gaze toward him carried a hint of sympathy.

"Su Ming, this is a necessary step for the Sect's promotion to True Inheritance, merely routine procedure," Master Xuan Heng said lightly. "Although the Heart Questioning Formation is overseen by the Peak Master of the Prison Peak, its essence is to verify identity and prevent invasion by external demons. Your Heart-Nature is resilient, and you have just accomplished a great feat. Just maintain a normal state of mind and don't worry too much."

Su Ming smiled bitterly in his heart.

A normal state of mind? This meant hiding his biggest secret right under the nose of the Peak Master of the Prison Peak, who was known as the "human lie detector."

"Your Master is trying to relieve pressure for you," Lin Yu said. "But if he knew of your Master's existence, he probably wouldn't be 'normal' anymore."

Su Ming respectfully assented, showing no ripple of emotion on his face.

"Alright."

Master Xuan Heng waved his sleeve. The spiritual power waterfall began to flow again. "Eldest Senior Sister Ling Shuang, Second Senior Brother Qin Yi, Luo Feng, you may withdraw. Su Ming, you stay here."

The three exchanged glances, bowed again, and withdrew.

Before leaving, Luo Feng winked at Su Ming and mouthed the words: "Good luck."

Once the hall door closed again, only the Master and Disciple remained in the spacious Star Pivot Hall.

Light and shadow shifted; the stellar phantom seemed to press down slightly.

The look of majesty on Immortal Master Master Xuan Heng's face receded slightly. He looked at Su Ming, who was still kneeling on the prayer mat, and suddenly sighed. In that instant, he did not look like a mighty figure governing a peak, but rather a somewhat weary elder.

"Get up. There are no outsiders here."

Master Xuan Heng pointed to the prayer mat beside him. "Sit closer."

Su Ming stood up as instructed and sat down beside Master Xuan Heng, his demeanor still respectful.

"Have you finished reading the Basic Rune Deconstruction Essence I gave you?" Master Xuan Heng suddenly asked.

Su Ming was startled, then replied: "Reporting to Revered Master, I have finished reading it. The parts about rune deconstruction and reconstruction benefited this Disciple greatly. However, regarding the description of 'Void Realm Array Patterns' in the latter half, this Disciple's cultivation is still shallow, and I only have a partial understanding."

"A partial understanding is correct."

Master Xuan Heng looked at the star map above his head. "That book was originally meant for the Golden Core Stage. The fact that you understood the first half means you haven't gone astray."