Shock!

The so-called Funding Association was actually a private organization within a sect.

It had nothing to do with the Guiyuan Sect.

Du Tian led Zhang Su all the way to a spacious courtyard.

Knock, knock, knock.

Du Tian stepped forward and knocked on the door.

The courtyard gate opened. When an Outer Sect disciple saw Du Tian, his face lit up with delight.

"Senior Brother Zhao, have you chosen a funding offer?"

Du Tian shook his head and said, "Senior Brother Zhang is dissatisfied with all the offers you provided, so he has come to the Funding Association in person to discuss matters with you."

With that, Du Tian stepped aside, revealing Zhang Su behind him.

"Senior Brother Zhang?"

The Outer Sect disciple immediately realized who he was.

This was Zhang Su, whose name had recently resounded throughout the Outer Sect!

"Senior Brother Zhang, your presence brings glory to this humble place. Please come in!"

The Outer Sect disciple was exceedingly respectful toward Zhang Su.

Zhang Su walked straight into the courtyard.

This courtyard had also been rented temporarily by the Funding Association. There were quite a few people inside, mostly Outer Sect disciples.

The Guiyuan Sect had a rule: anyone who was not an Outer Sect disciple was forbidden from living in the Outer Sect.

These Outer Sect disciples were not sponsored geniuses. They had merely been hired with silver each month to keep the Funding Association running.

Zhang Su entered the reception hall.

"Please wait a moment, Senior Brother Zhang. The vice president of the Funding Association will be here shortly."

Zhang Su nodded.

Then Du Tian whispered into Zhang Su's ear, "The vice president of the Funding Association is called Yan Bo. He is also an Outer Sect disciple at the ninth level of the Blood Qi Realm."

Before long, Yan Bo arrived.

He wore a white robe and carried himself with considerable bearing.

"Junior Brother Zhang."

"Senior Brother Yan."

The two sat down.

Yan Bo asked, "Junior Brother Zhang has probably received quite a number of funding offers already, correct? What is it that you find unsatisfactory? If you have any requests, please feel free to state them."

"Requests..."

Zhang Su looked at Yan Bo and said calmly, "Zhang does indeed have a request. Your funding offers are far too low—only fourth-tier funding."

Yan Bo understood at once.

He had roughly guessed as much.

Yan Bo smiled and said, "Junior Brother Zhang, funding tiers are assessed by the sponsors. Junior Brother may possess great talent, but you are currently overage. Within the sect, it is exceedingly difficult for overage disciples to advance into the Inner Sect."

"Perhaps that is the sponsors' concern."

"Overage... that is indeed a problem. However, perhaps those sponsors do not know Zhang's true talent!"

Yan Bo was slightly taken aback.

He carefully sized Zhang Su up and down, seeing the confidence brimming from him.

Could Zhang Su have some other source of confidence?

At that moment, Zhang Su mobilized the blood qi within his body.

Boom!

A mighty blood qi pressure burst from his body, instantly enveloping Yan Bo.

"This is... breaking the limits of the human body?"

Yan Bo was also at the ninth level of the Blood Qi Realm.

Yet even now, he had not broken the limits of the human body.

He had constantly been tempering his blood qi, attempting to cultivate Internal Force, but there was still no sign of Internal Force being born.

Thus, he possessed only around a hundred strands of blood qi. His perception of blood qi exceeding a hundred strands was extremely keen.

In an instant, he sensed that Zhang Su's blood qi at this moment far surpassed a hundred strands.

He had undoubtedly broken the limits of the human body!

And Yan Bo knew all too well what breaking the limits of the human body meant.

Only by cultivating a top-tier technique was it possible to break the limits of the human body and exceed a hundred strands of blood qi.

Whoosh!

Yan Bo's expression changed drastically.

He stared fixedly at Zhang Su.

"Junior Brother Zhang, you... you cultivated a top-tier technique?"

"No, I did not cultivate a top-tier technique."

"You did not? Then how did you break the limits of the human body?"

Yan Bo was deeply puzzled.

"The technique I cultivated is the Heaven-Swallowing Blood-Nurturing Technique."

"The Heaven-Swallowing Blood-Nurturing Technique? That sounds somewhat familiar..."

Yan Bo searched his memories carefully.

He had spent no short time in the Guiyuan Sect's Outer Sect.

He considered himself fairly knowledgeable and well-traveled.

The name of this technique was certainly imposing. He seemed to have heard of it before, but could not recall it for the moment.

"Wait, the Heaven-Swallowing Blood-Nurturing Technique—that... peerless divine technique?"

Suddenly, Yan Bo remembered.

It truly was not a top-tier technique, but rather... a peerless divine technique!

Throughout the vast Outer Sect, there were over ten thousand disciples.

Quite a few dared to cultivate peerless divine techniques.

Just like Zhang Su before—had he not cultivated a peerless divine technique as well?

Yet disciples who could successfully cultivate one to the entry level, much less use one to break the limits of the human body, were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns!

Among the Outer Sect disciples, only the top three had cultivated peerless divine techniques.

The other seven all cultivated top-tier techniques.

"That is right, a peerless divine technique! Senior Brother Yan, what tier of funding can Zhang obtain with such talent?"

Zhang Su looked Yan Bo directly in the eye.

"Breaking the limits of the human body with a peerless divine technique..."

Yan Bo's heart surged like storm-tossed waves.

That was a peerless divine technique!

Something beyond the reach of the Outer Sect's ten thousand disciples.

Everyone had ambitions and wanted to cultivate peerless divine techniques.

But how many had actually succeeded?

Now, someone who had mastered a peerless divine technique stood right before him.

"Hahaha, Junior Brother Zhang, forget all those previous offers—reject every last one of them! I am confident that once this news spreads, Junior Brother will receive countless third-tier and even second-tier funding offers!"

At this moment, Yan Bo no longer mentioned the issue of being "overage."

Being "overage" was a major problem for most Outer Sect disciples, even some renowned geniuses.

But before a peerless divine technique, being overage was nothing.

So long as one could master a peerless divine technique, no one would care about being overage.

"Senior Brother Yan, I am pressed for time. Whichever party offers second-tier funding first, I will sign a contract with them immediately."

Zhang Su spoke.

This was also Zhang Su giving Yan Bo some face.

After all, there was room for maneuver here.

Whoever Yan Bo informed first would naturally gain the advantage of time.

Yan Bo immediately understood.

He rose to his feet and cupped his hands toward Zhang Su. "Thank you, Junior Brother Zhang! Within one hour, a second-tier funding contract will surely be delivered before you."

"Fine. Then I will wait here."

Zhang Su then closed his eyes to rest.

He needed only one second-tier funding offer.

As for what benefits Yan Bo could gain from this, that was Yan Bo's own ability and had nothing to do with him.

Thus, Yan Bo immediately turned and left.

Presumably, he already had someone in mind.

At that moment, only Zhang Su and Du Tian remained in the reception hall.

A tempestuous sea had long been raging in Du Tian's heart.

Shocked!

He was utterly shocked!

Others did not know, but Du Tian lived under the same roof as Zhang Su and understood Zhang Su's circumstances like the back of his hand.

How long had it even been?

Zhang Su had actually mastered a peerless divine technique without a sound?

He had even broken the limits of the human body.

Amid his delight, Du Tian also felt profound awe toward Zhang Su.

Because he could no longer understand Zhang Su.

"Senior Brother, you could actually wait a little longer. Perhaps someone will offer first-tier funding."

Du Tian reminded him softly.

Yet Zhang Su shook his head. "If I keep waiting, perhaps someone will offer a first-tier funding contract. But how long would I have to wait? Ten days, a month, or perhaps several months?"

"I am already overage. Even a month is far too long. I fight for every moment!"

"Besides, a second-tier funding offer is enough for me to cultivate Internal Force and advance into the Inner Sect. Once I advance into the Inner Sect, whether it is second-tier or first-tier funding, the contract will have to be signed anew..."

Du Tian opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing.

Indeed, be it second-tier funding or first-tier funding—

once Zhang Su advanced into the Inner Sect, there would be no real difference.

Zhang Su waited quietly in the reception hall.

Yan Bo had said one hour.

But in truth, an hour was not needed at all.

Only half an hour later, Yan Bo returned.

Zhang Su opened his eyes.

Yan Bo stepped aside, revealing two women behind him.

One wore a green dress and had a graceful figure. She was likely a maid.

The other woman wore a veil. With lotus-like steps, she approached Zhang Su and curtsied. "Gu Ying greets you, Young Master."

"Hm? Gu Ying?"

Zhang Su's pupils suddenly contracted.

He had heard that name before!