Inside Class Yi Cave Abode No. 5 in Cloudfoot Celestial Palace, the light shone brightly, and Ding Buxing sat upright on a stone bed.
His expression was grave, his brows slightly furrowed, and his lips moved faintly as he muttered to himself.
From the look of him, he seemed like a lunatic talking to himself.
Yet all around him was empty, without another soul in sight.
He seemed to be speaking earnestly to the unremarkable Spatial Ring in his hand.
"Elder Pan, please tell me the truth. Can this secret technique really extend my royal father's life by a full two hundred years?"
Ding Buxing's voice was full of urgency. His eyes stayed fixed on the ring in his hand, as though he could find an answer within it.
A moment later, a slightly hoarse voice carrying a measure of authority drifted out of the Spatial Ring:
"Heh, why would I deceive you? At my age, with my cultivation, would I really fool you about something like this?"
A trace of hesitation flashed through Ding Buxing's eyes before he continued, "But my royal father is only a mortal. Will this secret technique really work on a mortal?"
"Don't you only have a middle-grade spiritual root yourself?" The voice carried a hint of amusement and a touch of pride.
"And now, haven't you become a Foundation Establishment middle stage cultivator, enjoying a lifespan of two hundred and twenty years?
"From a mere middle Qi Refining stage cultivator to where you stand today, you've spent only twenty-odd years, all told.
"All the hardships along the way, all these achievements-wasn't it I who single-handedly made you what you are?
"And without the Protector Command Token in my possession, could you have turned peril into safety? Could you have reached Class Yi Cave Abode