"Envoy Zhou, this will be your residence within the sect from now on," the man said. "Take some time to get familiar with the sect's rules and cultivate our secret technique. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to seek me out, and I will spare no effort in explaining everything to you!"
In a rugged valley filled with scattered rocks, Zhou Chun and a middle-aged man dressed in a silver-white dragon-embroidered robe were settling down.
He looked at the simple stone hut built from local materials in front of him, and after a slight twitch at the corner of his eye, he turned to the man next to him and gave a cupped-fist salute, "Zhou understands. Envoy Yu, your efforts are appreciated."
Hearing his words, the middle-aged man hurriedly returned the salute, "Not at all, not at all. Envoy Zhou is the favored talent of Protector Guan from our branch. In the future, we shall rely on Envoy Zhou's care and support."
After a few more compliments, he turned around and left the valley.
Once he saw the middle-aged man off, Zhou Chun turned back to look at the stone hut and couldn't help but show a bitter smile.
By now, more than a month had passed since he joined the Dragon Transformation Sect.
After meeting the Azure Dragon Sub-Temple's Vice Hall Master Deng Hai that day, he had handed over the fabricated tale to Protector Peng, and then waited for news within the Azure Dragon Sub-Temple.
Unexpectedly, after half a month, Protector Peng came with rewards from Vice Hall Master Deng for him.
One had to say that Vice Hall Master Deng was not stingy at all. He not only exchanged all the "Dragon Coins" Zhou Chun had brought over into the currently circulating Spirit Coins of the Dragon Transformation Sect, but he also returned the Flying Dragon Snatch Magic Artifact to him.
But soon after, he was taken by Protector Peng away from the Azure Dragon Sub-Temple, traveling thousands of miles into the wilderness to reach their current Golden Dragon Branch Altar!
The Golden Dragon Branch Altar was located deep in an uninhabited wilderness, a completely new territory. The manpower of the Golden Dragon Hall could not compare to the five branches that were established earlier.
After Zhou Chun arrived at the Azure Dragon Sub-Temple, because he cultivated a top Metal Element Cultivation Method and had a deep connection with the Dragon Transformation Sect, he caught the favor of the Golden Dragon Hall's Hall Master Li Tianxing, who then awarded him a mid-grade second-order Defensive Dharma Artifact.
Then he was tasked to serve under the Great Protector Guan Cheng of the Golden Dragon Hall.
As the Great Protector of the Golden Dragon Hall, Guan Cheng was a late-stage Purple Mansion Cultivator with uncommon power.
After arranging a few sparring matches between Zhou Chun and several Golden Dragon Hall envoys, he became quite appreciative of Zhou Chun's abilities.
When he learned that Zhou Chun's regular cultivation also required the refinement of some Golden Qi, he arranged for Zhou Chun to cultivate in the current valley.
This valley concealed a Profound Iron Mine beneath its ground, with a rich concentration of Golden Qi, so dense that ordinary cultivators couldn't even meditate here.
But it was perfectly suited as a cultivation site for Zhou Chun.
At this moment, Zhou Chun wasn't the least bit happy with Great Protector Guan Cheng's arrangement.
With his intelligence, after getting a little insight into the Golden Dragon Hall, how could he not understand the intention of the Azure Dragon Sub-Temple's Vice Hall Master Deng?
He was clearly being used as a laborer to pioneer the wilderness!
The Golden Dragon Branch Altar of the Golden Dragon Hall was just propped up with a sect gate for show; there were countless things left to be done.
And these tasks were related to the construction of the Golden Dragon Hall and its sub-temple, having nothing to do with the Dragon Transformation Sect's plan against the sects of Jingguo Country. It wasn't likely to gain any access to the secrets of the Dragon Transformation Sect, either.
Yet sadly, even though Zhou Chun had seen through this, he was now unable to resist.
The Dragon Transformation Sect was not a place where he could act recklessly.
Since his name was registered in the Golden Dragon Hall, unless he chose to flee back to Jingguo Country right now, the Dragon Transformation Sect would no longer accommodate him anywhere else.
"Sigh, since I'm here, I might as well settle down," he muttered to himself, collected his thoughts, and walked into the stone hut to review the rules and other matters of the Dragon Transformation Sect.
He had already received the benefits from the Green Lotus Temple, and it was absolutely impossible for him to go back now.
Even if he gained nothing from the Golden Dragon Hall, he would still have to stay for thirty years.
The rules of the Dragon Transformation Sect were nothing out of the ordinary, similar to various other sects and powers.
However, a few specific stipulations were laid out in the rules: no harming Flood Dragons within or outside of the Dragon Abyss Marsh, no hunting Demon Beasts within the Dragon Abyss Marsh, and no unauthorized entry into the territories of Jingguo and Fengguo.
Once Zhou Chun had memorized all the rules, he then turned his attention to a book of classics.
This book was the "Secret of Dragon Transformation," about which he had been extremely curious before.
After officially becoming a Missionary Envoy for the Golden Dragon Hall of the Dragon Transformation Sect, he had obtained this "Secret of Dragon Transformation" from Great Protector Guan Cheng.
Of course, the "Secret of Dragon Transformation," with its five layers, only recorded two in this copy. The subsequent techniques would only be imparted after he managed to open up his Purple Mansion in the future.
For the time being, his task was to successfully cultivate the "Secret of Dragon Transformation" as soon as possible.
Only by mastering the "Secret of Dragon Transformation" could he be permitted to leave the Golden Dragon Branch Altar and move freely.
As Zhou Chun flipped through the fundamental secrets of the Dragon Transformation Sect, he quickly became engrossed in its contents.
By then, he had encountered quite a few Secret Techniques, and he had practiced several of them.
However, even the techniques recorded in the four external chapters of the "Golden Cauldron Profound Art," as well as the powerful "Ancestral Resurrection" Secret Technique, could not hold a candle to the "Dragon Transformation Secret Technique"!
The "Dragon Transformation Secret Technique" was not merely an individual secret technique, but a second cultivation technique!
Just as Zhou Chun had learned before, to initiate the cultivation of the "Dragon Transformation Secret Technique," one must take fresh Flood Dragon Spirit Blood as a catalyst.