There were over a hundred sealed objects on the seventh underground floor of the Blossom Flag Building.

The strength of these sealed objects ranged from C to E. Gu Shen directly ignored the Class D and E sealed objects.

He didn’t have much experience choosing sealed objects, but choosing those with higher classifications would definitely be a safe bet.

First, choose the expensive ones, then the suitable ones.

I already have the Ruler of Truth. It is both a spear and a shield. What type of sealed object should I choose? Gu Shen analyzed in his mind.

The Ruler of Truth could transform his mental power into tangible combat strength!

Gu Shen didn’t know the classification criteria for sealed objects, but he guessed that the Ruler of Truth was at least a Class A sealed object, and a nearly perfect one at that. The only drawback was the immense burden it imposed when used. With his current mental power, using the ruler once could incapacitate him for half a day.

The drawback lay not in it but in himself.

The assassination of the Eternal Foundation hasn’t been resolved. Compared to an offensive sealed object, I might need a defensive tool with strong life-preservation capabilities. After careful consideration, Gu Shen eliminated a few unsuitable Class C sealed objects.

Finally, his gaze stopped on two bronze display stands at the front.

On one display stand was an extremely thin silver silk vest, shining brightly under the white light.

This Class C sealed object was called the Soft Cocoon of Wind and Snow, and it looked like an unremarkable silver silk vest.

But in fact, this vest retained the nature-type transcendental essence of ‘Frost’. If the user was a transcendent with a similar attribute, it could enhance the freezing range. If not, it didn’t matter. The defensive property of this vest was excellent, and when using mental power, the user could summon an extremely sturdy small frost shield, which was extremely resistant to damage from non-transcendental powers.

According to the description, Gu Shen roughly simulated it in his mind. If he had this sealed object when he encountered the high-yield explosives in the Dream Whisperer, it should have been able to help him easily resist the brunt of the explosion.

It was an excellent self-protection tool.

On the other display stand was a small bead bracelet with eleven beads, but nine of them were dim, with only two emitting a bright green fluorescence.

[The Six Blessings Bracelet, a damaged Class A sealed object, consumable. Every bead contains incredible blessing power. With each consumption of the blessing power, it can offset any material and mental attack. Current remaining uses: 2.]

The Soft Cocoon of Wind and Show and the Six Blessings Bracelet were both good choices…

But the quality of the Six Blessings Bracelet was clearly better than that of the vest. Even if it encountered a mental attack, it could still resist it. After all, it was once a Class A sealed object, albeit it had degraded due to heavy consumption.

After some consideration, Gu Shen made his choice. “I choose… the Six Blessings Bracelet.”

Observing from the side, Cui Zhongcheng watched Gu Shen make his choice calmly. When he rejected Zhao Qi’s request, he had given an impeccable reason. The mountain of gold had a lock, and he was just the person holding the key. But in fact, the person holding the key had immense authority.

At least within the Blossom Flag Building, he wielded absolute authority.

Giving away a sealed object was just a small matter.

There were hundreds of sealed objects in the repository on the seventh underground floor, but no matter how Gu Shen chose, the best he could get would only be a Class C sealed object.

In fact, he wanted to see Gu Shen’s eyesight for choosing sealed objects.

“Are you sure?” Cui Zhongcheng opened the red silver protective cover and took out the bracelet. He praised without any fluctuations in his tone, “You have a good eye. Although it’s a Class C sealed object, it’s actually as strong as a Class A one. But… this bracelet only has two uses left.”

“Two uses is enough.” Gu Shen directly wore the bracelet on his wrist. If not for the unknown dangers in the upcoming mission involving Shi Li, he would have preferred to choose a sealed object containing an immense amount of transcendental essence and then use the Blazing Fire to consume and digest it to strengthen himself.

He chose this bead bracelet for no other reason than safety.

It was enough to save his life at critical moments.

“Thanks!” Gu Shen thanked him perfunctorily after putting on the bracelet. Then, without stopping for even a second, he extended his hand like a debt collector and said earnestly, “There’s also a breathing technique.”

“…” Cui Zhongcheng looked at Gu Shen with a complicated expression. It’s definitely not a coincidence that Zhou Jiren took Gu Shen as his student. This little guy has the potential to become a real scoundrel.

“What kind of breathing technique do you want?”

Cui Zhongcheng sighed softly. Seeing Gu Shen’s confused eyes, he explained patiently, “The better the breathing technique, the harder it is to replicate. Only by observing the original and completing the Dream Decipher can you comprehend the concepts. Some breathing techniques are inscribed on paper, and some are branded into sealed objects. As far as I know, the mental-type transcendents in the Adjudication Bureau who have cultivated Jingzhe to mastery and continue to cultivate a second breathing technique often choose to observe the Valley Rain Scroll left by Gu Changzhi.”

“Wait… Valley Rain Scroll?” Gu Shen was stunned. “You mean, Gu Changzhi left more than one breathing technique?”

“Jingzhe, Valley Rain,” Cui Zhongcheng said. “These two scrolls are the guidance methods that Gu Changzhi publicly left for the young people of the East Continent before he fell asleep. They were left respectively in the Adjudication Bureau and the Penitentiary Bureau. The concepts of the two breathing techniques are different, and the order of viewing them doesn’t matter. Together, they are the famous Breath of Spring.”

Only then did Gu Shen realize that… the scene he saw in the Jingzhe Dream was just a residual mental fragment.

Jingzhe marked the beginning of the four seasons, and it was also the beginning of the breathing technique.

“Valley Rain is in the Penitentiary Bureau…” Gu Shen’s eyes were burning. “Are there any transcriptions of this breathing technique available for observation?”

“Are Gu Changzhi’s breathing techniques so easy to transcribe? In all these years, there has only been one Heavenly Pupil!” Cui Zhongcheng shook his head. “If you want other breathing techniques, I can try to arrange something. But the Valley Rain Scroll isn’t in Dadu. If you want to see it, you need to submit an application yourself. The prerequisite for the Parliament’s approval is that the applicant has at least the strength of the Sixth Level of Deep Sea.”

“The Sixth Level of Deep Sea?” Gu Shen smiled bitterly. “Isn’t the requirement too high?”

“It’s still the same saying. You can’t bite off more than you can chew. Before cultivating the Jingzhe Breathing Technique to mastery, it might not be a good idea to come into contact with the second scroll.”

Cui Zhongcheng said lightly, “It’s already a great fortune for ordinary people to comprehend one scroll of the Breath of Spring. Therefore, the Parliament has set the rule that transcendents below the Sixth Level of Deep Sea are not allowed to apply for access to the second scroll. This is both a restriction and protection.”

“Oh…” Gu Shen was helpless.

Cui Zhongcheng suddenly asked, “How long did it take you to comprehend Jingzhe?”

“Hah…” Gu Shen quickly laughed it off. “It’s not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning.”

Is this kid still keeping secrets at this juncture? Cui Zhongcheng didn’t say anything else. Since Gu Shen didn’t answer, he didn’t bother to ask further.

After a while, Gu Shen walked around the bronze display stands again.

He stopped at the most secluded display stand.

“Hmm…” Gu Shen bent over slightly to get a clearer view. Under the red silver cover of this display stand lay a slender clock hand.

“What is this?” He pointed at the red silver cover.

“A clock hand of unknown origin,” Cui Zhongcheng said. “As you can see, the seventh underground floor of the Blossom Flag Building is a repository used by the Zhao family to store low-level sealed objects. Many untraceable and unidentified sealed objects are stored and managed here. In my impression, this clock hand was sent here many years ago. Because it’s been too long, it no longer has active abilities, but it still contains a very strong transcendental essence. When anything touches this clock hand, be it human skin or objects, time will freeze.”

“Time will freeze?” Gu Shen immediately thought of Zhou Yexin’s broken pocket watch.

“Hmm… It’s only the very small part that’s in contact with the clock hand. It’s basically negligible.” Cui Zhongcheng stretched out two fingers and rubbed them. “Therefore, its classification is only E. It’s a sealed object hovering at the edge of the classification system and not really considered a sealed object.”

“Interesting.” Gu Shen smiled. “I don’t want the breathing technique anymore. Give me this clock hand.”

“Are you… sure?” Cui Zhongcheng frowned. This cunning kid doesn’t look like someone who would make a loss-making deal.

“I feel like I’m losing out a little. Why don’t you compensate me with another sealed object for exchanging the breathing technique for an unknown clock hand?” Gu Shen turned around and rubbed his chin. “I want that silver vest.”

Cui Zhongcheng: “???”

“Dream on. Take this clock hand and get lost.” Cui Zhongcheng made a prompt decision, closing the deal.

He used special forceps to take out the clock hand and placed it into a thin bag coated with red silver. “Okay, let’s write off what happened in River Shoal last night.”

After completing the transaction, Cui Zhongcheng breathed a sigh of relief, though he looked visibly tired. He really didn’t want to see Gu Shen anymore, so he personally sent him outside the Blossom Flag Building and repeatedly reminded him, “Don’t let that old fellow come to the building to cause trouble!”

Gu Shen nodded vigorously and promised to keep it a secret. Then he brought the two sealed objects and dashed off to a remote alley.

After confirming that there was no one around and that no one was following him, he heaved a long sigh of relief.

Swoosh.

The Blazing Fire flew out uncontrollably from between his eyebrows and instantly crashed onto the surface of the bag coated with red silver. It splattered into burning liquid flames and covered every inch of the bag.

If not for the red silver coating blocking it, it would have already swallowed the clock hand inside.

“You’re really a glutton. You’re always eating in the bowl but thinking about what’s in the pot and never satisfied.”

Gu Shen was starting to understand the significance of the existence of the Deep Sea Trials.

The path of advancement for transcendents was about continuously developing and controlling their abilities… But not every transcendent could perfectly control their ability.

Under the Blossom Flag Building, after sensing the transcendental essence contained in this clock hand through the red silver coating, the Blazing Fire in his glabella immediately burst out with strong mental fluctuations and guided him forward. It even ignored the essence it was currently digesting and transmitted a firm determination.

If the Blazing Fire could speak, at that time, it would have probably said: “Hahaha, I want to eat it!”

Gu Shen realized it now.

The seemingly weak and harmless flame between his eyebrows was actually an insatiable glutton.

In the pocket watch dream, when he had seen blood-colored flames of unknown origin… the Blazing Fire had also transmitted a strong urge to devour it.

 “You’re quite the eater.”

Gu Shen looked at the clock hand through the red silver bag. After the awakening of the Blazing Fire, the world in Gu Shen’s eyes changed color. The blue sky was no longer clear blue, and the white clouds were no longer snow white. If he truly opened his ‘mind’s eye’, he would see that the flow of the entire world was disorderly. The transcendental essences that redefined order in the material world were like scattered and erratic winds.

Within the thin bag was a considerably pure and massive amount of transcendental essence.

No wonder the Blazing Fire had such a strong desire to devour it. Just from the perspective of devouring the essence, the exchange between him and Cui Zhongcheng was definitely not a loss.

But putting aside the transcendental essence, this clock hand that someone had lost was just an ordinary item. Freezing time was indeed a heaven-defying ability, but it could only freeze a contact area of less than a square centimeter, which was rather useless.

However… wouldn’t it be a waste to consume it just like that?

After careful consideration, Gu Shen decided to keep this clock hand.

“You can’t eat it!” He transmitted his will to the Blazing Fire with his mental power.

“Wuwuwu…” The fire, which had opened wide, trembled in the wind, making sounds like whimpers. It gathered back pitifully like a pool of mud. Bit by bit, it detached from the red silver bag, eventually condensed into a flame again, and returned to between Gu Shen’s eyebrows, looking pitiful.

The Blazing Fire and his mind were connected. This feeling was very unique. It was as though he had a second soul.

Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness were all now doubled.

Sensing that it felt aggrieved, Gu Shen smiled wryly. “Be good. Listen to me. There will be more delicious food in the future.”

He felt as though he was coaxing a child.

But this child was quite easy to coax. After Gu Shen comforted it, the little flame between his eyebrows nodded and settled down obediently.

If Blazing Fire is still just a baby now, then its ultimate growth will be closely related to every choice I make. Gu Shen recalled the scenes in the Cage of Ghosts, and his expression gradually became solemn.

In the dream, his evil thoughts were almost overwhelming!

After awakening transcendence, he and the Blazing Fire had formed a symbiotic state.

The emotions it gave birth to would directly affect him. In fact, Gu Shen had already felt strong urges several times to open the red silver bag and control the Blazing Fire to swallow the clock hand. But each time, he suppressed these urges with his strong willpower.

I must never allow the emotions of the transcendental essence to dominate my behavior.

I am the master of my body. If I can’t control my transcendence, I won’t be far from losing control.

After suppressing the restlessness, Gu Shen heaved a sigh of relief.

He gently touched the space between his eyebrows. “Little guy, you have to remember… Gluttons won’t have a good ending.”