The Mysterious Heavenly Secret Pavilion, Extraordinary Cultivation Elixir!

"Uh... Pavilion Master Qin, although I obtained the Water Gliding lightness skill manual, I haven't actually learned it yet."

Lu Ming thought it over and decided to tell the truth, since this kind of thing would be obvious the moment he tried to demonstrate it.

As for Qin Zhonghai giving up on recruiting him over this, he could only accept it helplessly, though he felt a bit of regret inside.

After all, this was the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Becoming one of their secret agents would bring him many benefits.

If he lost the protection of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, Shen Changfeng, who had just dared not make a move, would immediately bare his claws at him.

"Not learned?" Qin Zhonghai was taken aback, clearly not expecting such an answer.

He had obtained a second-rate lightness skill manual, yet Lu Ming chose not to learn it?

"Could it be that you've been practicing the third-rate lightness skill Grass Gliding all along?" Qin Zhonghai asked.

Lu Ming shook his head: "I haven't been learning Grass Gliding either. Recently, I've mainly been cultivating Cloud-Piercing Finger, a second-rate finger technique taught by Master Wei."

Qin Zhonghai fell silent.

The spacious carriage swayed slightly as it moved, and the atmosphere inside grew somewhat awkward.

Lu Ming said: "Actually, I previously..."

Qin Zhonghai interrupted him: "Let's talk about it when we get to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion."

With that, he closed his eyes to rest.

Lu Ming had no choice but to swallow his words, a trace of nervousness stirring within him. It felt like he had studied hard for an exam, gone in full of confidence, only to find the test was on a completely different subject.

Of course, though he was a bit uneasy, he wasn't panicked.

He possessed the Divine Ability Panel. As long as he didn't die, his future was boundless. If the Heavenly Secret Pavilion didn't take him in, it would be their loss.

But right now, he truly needed a force like the Heavenly Secret Pavilion as a backing to handle certain troubles; otherwise, he would be constrained in his actions.

He had also prepared for the worst. The worst outcome would be returning to his previous state, staying in the Military Service Bureau until the big exam.

Soon, the carriage arrived in front of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

Aside from being four stories tall, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion looked unremarkable from the outside, like an ordinary building.

It was nighttime now, and people were coming and going inside the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Many wore black veils, as if they didn't want anyone to know they had visited.

Though there were many people, the environment wasn't noisy at all. There was no idle chatter; everyone moved about in a hurry.

As soon as Qin Zhonghai entered, he drew the attention of many.

"Pavilion Master Qin!"

"Pavilion Master Qin has returned. Eh? Is this young man a junior of yours?"

"Could he be Pavilion Master Qin's disciple?"

Many people greeted him curiously, their eyes falling on Lu Ming, who followed behind Qin Zhonghai.

Qin Zhonghai gave a slight nod in response.

Lu Ming followed him to the back courtyard. There was a small Martial Arts Arena here, with weapon racks nearby holding all eighteen kinds of weapons—spears, swords, halberds, and more—as well as various training setups like wooden stakes.

It was already night, but torches were lit around the arena, illuminating the place brightly.

"Pavilion Master Qin." Some people were practicing martial arts in the arena. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Qin Zhonghai nodded: "Continue with your work. I'm bringing in a newcomer."

"Yes." That person glanced at Lu Ming and then turned away.

Qin Zhonghai led Lu Ming deeper into the arena, where there was another door.

Inside, it was like a partitioned training ground. No one was there, as if it was specially used for testing newcomers.

Bang!

Once inside, Qin Zhonghai closed the inner door of the training ground, cutting off all outside gazes.

Inside, the firelight flickered, also brightly lit by torches.

"You wanted to say something earlier. Go ahead." Qin Zhonghai stared at Lu Ming.

Lu Ming immediately said: "Yes. Actually, I was about to say that although I haven't practiced Water Gliding, it's because Master Wei taught me a first-rate lightness skill—the Cloud-Stepping Technique."

Qin Zhonghai's gaze sharpened: "A first-rate lightness skill, the Cloud-Stepping Technique? Have you achieved entry?"

Lu Ming nodded: "I have achieved entry."

Qin Zhonghai said: "Can you demonstrate it?"

"Of course, no problem."

Lu Ming took a deep breath, stepped back slightly, and stood in the center of the training ground. Then he began to demonstrate the Cloud-Stepping Technique.

"Each step lands as if treading on cotton fluff, each lift of the foot like pulling a kite string..."

Qin Zhonghai watched Lu Ming's demonstration, murmuring to himself, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

The Cloud-Stepping Technique was characterized by suddenness, speed, and a soaring spirit that seemed to rise straight into the clouds.

"Excellent lightness skill!"

Qin Zhonghai watched Lu Ming finish his demonstration and couldn't help but praise, "I've heard of this lightness skill before, but I've never been able to see it in person."

Now, with his interest piqued, he looked at Lu Ming and asked, "This lightness skill of yours—would you be willing to trade it with me?"

Lu Ming's heart stirred. Trade lightness skills?

The Cloud-Stepping Technique was a first-rate lightness skill. If Qin Zhonghai wanted to trade, he would at least have to offer another first-rate lightness skill in return.

If that happened, wouldn't his next evolution of the Leg Dao Divine Ability be much easier?

After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll need to go back and ask Master Wei. After all, this was taught by him, so I can't just trade it away casually."

Qin Zhonghai nodded. "That's only proper. Then let's set this matter aside for now.

"Since you haven't trained in Water Gliding, switching to the Cloud-Stepping Technique is the same.

"You have a talent for lightness skills, but right now, your Cloud-Stepping Technique hasn't even reached minor success, so your lightness talent isn't at the top level yet.

"With your current talent, you can only serve as an Outer Pavilion spy for the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, helping them investigate intelligence below Grade C."

Lu Ming asked, "Oh? What conditions are needed to truly join the Heavenly Secret Pavilion?"

Qin Zhonghai smiled faintly. "Unless you have top-tier lightness talent, or you can count the number of stars in the sky."

The former was within Lu Ming's expectations, but upon hearing the latter, he was stunned.

"Count the stars? How is that possible!"

It was nighttime. Lu Ming looked up at the sky, filled with countless stars densely packed together—how could anyone count them?

Moreover, with his past life experience, he knew that the stars in the sky were actually suns in the universe, each one a blazing star.

And the number of stars in the universe was in the billions, nearly infinite—how could anyone count them all!

But Qin Zhonghai chuckled lightly. "Countable. Why wouldn't they be? The stars in the sky are actually a fixed number."

At these words, Lu Ming's pupils contracted, and his heart shook.

In this world, the number of stars was a fixed number?

What a joke!

Lu Ming found it hard to believe. Every aspect of this world, including the night sky, was extremely similar to his past life. He had originally assumed that beyond this world lay another universe.

If the number of stars was a fixed number, then that might not be the case.

He probed, "Why is the number of stars a fixed number? Isn't it uncountable?"

Qin Zhonghai said, "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed."

Heaven's secrets? The Heavenly Secret Pavilion!

Lu Ming suddenly felt that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion was probably far more mysterious than outsiders imagined.

But if such a mysterious force wasn't even a Dao lineage, then how powerful must the great Dao lineage behind the Military Service Bureau be?

A trace of longing rose in Lu Ming's heart. If he had the chance, he would definitely enter a great Dao lineage and see what it was like there!

But he knew this was difficult. From ancient times to the present, Red Cloud County had produced very few disciples who could join a Dao lineage. In an ordinary year, having one or two who could join a third-rate sect was already considered good!

And above third-rate sects were second-rate and first-rate sects. The great Dao lineages stood even higher above them.

Of course, the reason third-rate sects were still so sought after was that all established sects had quotas to join the great Dao lineages.

So, as long as one could join an established sect—even just a third-rate one—there was still a chance to enter a great Dao lineage.

Lu Ming's current goal was to at least join a third-rate sect.

"Alright, now let me talk about your treatment as a spy of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion." Qin Zhonghai's voice snapped Lu Ming back to reality, and he perked up, looking at Qin Zhonghai with anticipation.

Qin Zhonghai continued, "First, there's the cultivation medicine of our Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Its effects are completely different from those of other forces in the county.

"The Enlightenment Pill! That's its name, and its effect is to induce enlightenment, greatly improving your efficiency in training martial techniques."