For the next few days, Lu Ming and his family stayed at the Zhong Clan's courtyard.
The courtyard was where Zhong Ying's mother lived when she was still alive. After her mother passed away for some reason, Zhong Ying married into the Lu Clan, so few people lived in the courtyard. However, Zhong Taiyue always ordered people to clean it, so the courtyard was very quiet.
During this time, they also attended the Zhong Clan's dinner party. Lu Ming met people from the other two branches of the family and recognized some of his uncles and aunts, but they weren't particularly close, as their relationship wasn't deep.
These uncles and aunts treated his family fairly well, at least on the surface. Lu Ming knew that this attitude was inseparable from the talent and strength he had shown in the divine acupoint of the Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall.
After all, everyone could feel how much Zhong Taiyue valued him. As the pillar of the family, Zhong Taiyue's every move was filled with unquestionable authority.
Lu Ming wasn't idle while he stayed here, because on the second day after the bet was made, Zhong Taiyue came to visit him with a big smile.
"My dear grandson, let's begin cultivating the three Upper Divine Ability of the Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall today."
Lu Ming was naturally delighted with this and immediately agreed.
In a secluded courtyard planted with many plum trees, Zhong Taiyue stood with his hands behind his back. Looking at the young man before him, he first introduced, "Our Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall possesses three Upper Divine Ability: ' Great Golden Bell,' ' Flood Dragon Mystic Gang,' and ' Qi-Breaking Spirit Nail.'"
"Among them, the Great Golden Bell is the most famous, as its defensive power is so strong that it ranks among the top in the many defensive supernatural abilities of Fengyang Prefecture, and can be called a miraculous technique for protecting oneself and saving one's life."
" Flood Dragon Mystic Gang, on the other hand, is an offensive supernatural power. It is made by condensing Primordial Qi into a force that transforms into the shape of a dragon. It is imposing in its spirituality and its attacks are domineering."
Which one would you like to learn first?
Lu Ming's eyes brightened slightly. As expected of the Fourth-Tier Divine Ability Hall, these three Upper Divine Ability were all quite profound. If he could master them, he would not only be able to increase the speed at which he condensed Divine Ability Dharma Mark, but also greatly enhance his combat power.
In a battle between Divine Ability Practitioner, the higher the number, grade, and level of supernatural abilities one cultivates, the greater their advantage.
Since Lu Ming opened his bones, he has almost always won against stronger opponents in his battles, relying on the advantage of his supernatural power level.
Since he lacks the advantage of Primordial Qi, he will compensate by relying on his supernatural powers.
As for the divine abilities of the Thunderfire Hall, Lu Ming has basically mastered them to the end. As for the Grandmaster Divine Ability called " Purple Firmament Great Thunder Talisman " in Lu Jin's hands, it is extremely difficult. Generally speaking, one needs to become a Divine Ability Master to cultivate this level of divine ability. However, Lu Ming possesses " Fire Lotus Yuan Qi ", so he may not need to wait until then, but at least he is not quite there yet.
Therefore, if Lu Ming wants to improve his combat power, he can only cultivate more Upper Divine Ability. However, superior Upper Divine Ability with inheritance are very expensive, and even though the Thunderfire Hall is not what it used to be, it is still quite troublesome to obtain them.
As for joining other Divine Ability Hall, that's even more unlikely.
Fortunately, he still has connections through his maternal grandfather, so Zhong Taiyue's bet was like a godsend for Lu Ming.
"Let's learn the Great Golden Bell first."
Lu Ming immediately replied, as he had long coveted this defensive divine ability.
Zhong Taiyue nodded, first instructing Lu Ming to take off his shirt, then with a flick of his sleeve, a golden gourd appeared in his hand amidst a flash of light. Lu Ming glanced at his cuff; clearly, Zhong Taiyue also possessed the " Heaven and Earth Sleeve."
Zhong Taiyue poured out golden powder from the golden gourd. This powder was exceptionally dazzling and was filled with powerful and pure Primordial Qi.
"This is Holy Gold Powder, a secret ingredient for cultivating the Great Golden Bell."
Zhong Taiyue spoke casually, then dipped his fingers in gold powder and began to trace patterns on Lu Ming's upper body skin, eventually creating golden runes.
"Next, I will guide the flow of your Primordial Qi, forming a supernatural trajectory. At the same time, you will absorb the golden energy contained in the ' Holy Gold Powder,' which will be imprinted on your Divine Ability Bone."
Lu Ming nodded. He now had considerable experience in cultivating Upper Divine Ability, so he was naturally very familiar with these steps.
So, under Zhong Taiyue's guidance, Lu Ming officially began cultivating the Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall, a Upper Divine Ability known as the " Great Golden Bell ".
And the cultivation went exceptionally smoothly.
With his innate talent of " Sub-Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone ", Lu Ming absorbed " Holy Gold Powder " at an exceptionally rapid speed. In less than an hour, he had used up all the " Holy Gold Powder " in Zhong Taiyue's gourd.
"Your absorption rate of ' Holy Gold Powder ' is surprisingly fast," Zhong Taiyue, somewhat surprised.
Lu Ming smiled. This was Sub-Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone; how could it not be fast?
He sensed his Divine Ability Bone and saw a faint golden mark on one corner, resembling a blurry golden bell imprint. At this rate, he would probably be able to successfully master this " Great Golden Bell " in just a few days.
Once you get the hang of it, you can amplify it with " Fire Lotus Yuan Qi " and accelerate your cultivation speed with a unique "top-down" cultivation method.
"Tsk, you seem to have quite a talent for cultivating supernatural abilities. Could it really be some kind of Mutated High-Grade Divine Ability Bone that enhances comprehension of supernatural abilities?"
Zhong Taiyue was quite surprised. After all, he had taught tens of thousands of disciples over the years, and there were no fewer than ten of them with High-Grade Divine Ability Bone. Yet, none of them had ever absorbed " Holy Gold Powder " at the speed that Lu Ming had.
For example, the gourd of " Holy Gold Powder " in his hand took Zhong Quan two days to use up when he first cultivated the Great Golden Bell.
Lu Ming asked curiously, "Can Mutated High-Grade Divine Ability Bone be detected? I haven't felt anything special since I awakened."
"The so-called superior mutations come in all sorts of strange paths. Some mutations are extremely compatible with a certain type of supernatural power, allowing for rapid progress in cultivation. Once such a mutation encounters a compatible supernatural power, it will produce some special reactions. However, mutations that amplify supernatural power talents are more subtle and difficult to test. They can only be felt by oneself during repeated cultivation of supernatural powers," Zhong Taiyue pondered.
"Ever since I broke through my bone marrow, my cultivation of supernatural powers has progressed at an astonishing pace. Could I really be a superior-grade mutant?" Lu Ming feigned surprise.
"That's possible!"
Zhong Taiyue's gaze towards Lu Ming grew increasingly joyful. This little grandson of his was giving him more and more surprises. If he truly Mutated High-Grade Divine Ability Bone, then his future achievements would surely be extraordinary.
However, the more talent Lu Ming displayed, the more regretful and heartbroken Zhong Taiyue became. What a promising talent! Why didn't he pay attention to him back then? As a result, Lu Ming grew up in the Thunderfire Hall, which meant that Lu Ming's feelings would definitely lean more towards the Lu Clan.
Fortunately, it's not too late to discover this now.
After all, compared to the Thunderfire Hall, their Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall is clearly more competitive. As long as they treat Lu Ming well in the future, they can also make the Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall have a place in his heart.
Since we've missed the initial opportunity to cultivate a relationship, we can only take it slowly.
"Let's end today's training here for now. We'll continue tomorrow. A-Ming, you'll be staying here. If you need anything, just tell your grandfather. We're family, so don't be shy," Zhong Taiyue said with a gentle smile.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming smiled and said, "Indeed, there is something I would like to trouble you with, Grandpa."
"Go ahead and say it!" Zhong Taiyue nodded quickly. He wasn't afraid of troubling Lu Ming; on the contrary, he was afraid that the boy would be too polite and unwilling to bother him.
Lu Ming took out a piece of paper with some materials written on it and handed it to Zhong Taiyue: "Grandpa, could you please help me search for these materials in Fengyang Prefecture? Also, this is the Heavenly Gold Sand needed to purchase them. If it's not enough, please let me know and I'll get more."
These materials are needed to cultivate the other three spiritual banner supernatural powers in the " Four Aspects Divine Banner Great Spirit Restriction " obtained from Zhou Fuling. Lu Ming has been studying them for some time, but some of the materials are particularly difficult to find and cannot be bought in Qingyuan Market. Now that he is in the prefectural city, it may be easier.
Zhong Taiyue took it, glanced at it, and nodded in agreement without asking any questions. However, when he saw the cloth bag filled with Heavenly Gold Sand that Lu Ming handed him, his old face immediately hardened, and he scolded, "Why are you being so formal when you're asking your grandfather for a favor? Put it away quickly, or I'll get angry."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming readily put away the cloth bag and said with a smile, "Alright then, I'll use this money to buy some small gifts for Grandpa later."
Zhong Taiyue nodded with satisfaction. Then, looking at the tall and handsome young man before him, a thought suddenly struck him. He smiled and said, "My birthday banquet is in three days. All the powerful forces in Fengyang Prefecture will come to offer their congratulations. Among them are many noble ladies from various families. Their looks, temperament, and talents are all quite good, definitely better than those from Qingyuan Market. If you take a fancy to one, just tell your grandfather, and I'll help you set them up."
He was thinking that if Lu Ming took a fancy to a noble lady from one of the families in Fengyang Prefecture, wouldn't he have to live in the prefectural city permanently?
Thinking this, Zhong Taiyue couldn't help but praise himself for his cleverness, already wondering which noble lady, around the same age as Lu Ming, was in the picture.
"By the way, Old Man Zhao Clan's granddaughter is quite beautiful. I've met her before; she's a lovely girl. We can arrange for her to meet Lu Ming on a blind date. If they hit it off, not only will Lu Ming be able to stay in Fengyang Prefecture for a longer period, but we can also strengthen our relationship with the Zhao Clan —a win-win situation!"
Upon realizing this, Zhong Taiyue beamed with joy. Before Lu Ming could say anything, he turned around and began making preparations.
Lu Ming, watching his hurried departure, was both amused and exasperated.
In an effort to keep him around, the grandfather even started pimping.
That's outrageous.