As Zhong Ming cultivated, his physical body, like fine steel tempered a thousand times in fire, grew increasingly pure and resilient.

At the same time, his acupoints opened one by one. This not only increased the amount of the Flame of the Sun he could store, but the countless acupoints, scattered like stars, also connected to form a network, allowing a powerful Divine Technique to gestate within his body.

WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

BOOM!

A scorching heat emanated from Zhong Ming’s breath. In time with his breathing, the cells within his body greedily devoured energy, strengthening themselves.

While Zhong Ming cultivated, time slowly slipped by.

Soon, one day passed. Then a second, a third, a fourth...

In the wake of Zhong Ming’s seclusion, Qinghe Commandery Mansion had gradually grown quiet over the past few days.

Of course—with more and more sects arriving at the Qinghe Commandery Mansion, complete peace was essentially impossible.

They fought to make a name for themselves, to display their own abilities, and, more importantly, to seize greater advantages in the upcoming alliance.

Every day, people clashed within the Qinghe Commandery Mansion.

Challenges against the True Disciples of Major Sects were especially common in the Qinghe Commandery Mansion.

However, as the saying goes, once you’ve seen the ocean, all other waters seem shallow.

After witnessing the spectacular feat of Zhong Ming suppressing the entire city by himself, the Cultivators of the Commandery Mansion had long since lost interest in these fights. No matter who won or lost, the current battles seemed bland and unremarkable to the Cultivators of the Prefecture City.

Moreover, after every fight, the Cultivators of Qinghe Commandery Mansion would tell the newcomers all about Zhong Ming’s power and invincibility.

"With strength like yours? Against Zhong Ming, you wouldn’t even be worthy of forcing his hand!"

"Is he really that strong?" Most of the newly arrived Cultivators were unconvinced.

To this, those in the know would often sneer and tell the newcomer, "If you don’t believe it, feel free to challenge Lin Kong, the True Disciple of the Void Moon Sect, or Di Yun, the True Disciple of the Celestial Sound Sect. Back then, those two gave it their all and still couldn’t withstand a single glance from Lord Zhong Ming."

"..."

These words were usually enough to silence any doubters instantly.

With the help of their respective sects, both of them had already made a full recovery.

Over the past few days, people who knew of their prior defeat had challenged them, hoping for a lucky victory. However, the outcomes for those challengers were often tragic.

’I can’t beat Zhong Ming, but I can still beat the likes of you!’

’I may have lost, but that doesn’t make me weak!’

With this mentality, both Lin Kong and Di Yun were utterly ruthless toward their challengers. They went all-out in every single fight.

This all-out approach ensured that after their loss to Zhong Ming, neither of them tasted defeat again.

Because of the city-wide adulation, coupled with the successive victories of Lin Kong and Di Yun, Zhong Ming’s reputation in the Qinghe Commandery Mansion hadn’t faded in his absence. On the contrary, it grew even more intense.

In fact, his absence and the air of mystery it created had already turned him into a legend within the Qinghe Commandery Mansion.

The Seven Profound Sect and Ji Qingyue also benefited immensely from this.

Over the past few days, wherever the disciples of the Seven Profound Sect went, they were treated as guests of honor.

As for Ji Qingyue, she leveraged her relationship with Zhong Ming to completely overshadow Ji Qinghui and Ji Qingkang. She had leaped to become the most favored heir of the Qinghe Commandery Mansion.

...

The quiet atmosphere had made the common Cultivators of the Qinghe Commandery Mansion—those who had witnessed the "big show"—somewhat complacent. Their interest in watching the ongoing spectacles had waned.

However, none of them believed the current calm would last.

Everyone understood that this was just the calm before the storm.

This was especially true as the opening of the Star Sea Secret Vault drew ever closer. Reinforcements from the six Major Sects arrived one after another, including three Daoists whose power surpassed even that of True Disciples. Afterward, the atmosphere in Qinghe Prefecture City grew suffocatingly tense.

"A storm is brewing..."

"Three Daoists... As expected, the six Major Sects haven’t given up."

"That’s only to be expected."

"Looks like this expedition into the Star Sea Secret Vault is destined to be anything but peaceful!"

Some hoped to find treasure in the Secret Vault, others hoped to make a name for themselves, and some just wanted to watch the show. Still others were secretly plotting in the shadows. But regardless of their intentions, everyone in Qinghe Prefecture City looked forward to the opening of the Star Sea Secret Vault with a sense of anticipation.

And amid this widespread anticipation, the great gate of the Star Sea Secret Vault, drawn forth by the Array, gradually began to reveal itself.