"How did you do that?"
"Just cultivate slowly and adapt."
Wang Zhong withdrew his hand that had been patting the other's back, took the empty cup and refilled it, answering calmly.
Taking the teacup, A Die took another sip and then exclaimed, "You're lying!"
"If everyone could withstand a weight of ten thousand jin just by cultivating slowly and adapting, as you say, then wouldn't everyone on the continent be a Titan Giant Ape!"
"Believe it or not, I don't care."
"Anyway, that's how I cultivated."
Wang Zhong replied indifferently, placing the teapot next to the pastries.
The fact did sound somewhat fantastical, yet he had indeed cultivated to this point step by step.
From four hundred jin to eight thousand jin, and then to ten thousand jin. With enough time to adapt to each weight change, he could always achieve a state of lightness with great weight.
Tilting his head slightly, A Die scrutinized Wang Zhong's expression. Finally, she realized that he didn't seem to be lying.
This fact left her mouth slightly agape, utterly astonished.
"We do have something weighing around ten thousand jin on Sea God Island."
"But on Sea God Island, there exists a weapon that weighs a hundred and eight thousand jin..."
"Mmph!"
Suddenly realizing she had divulged something significant, A Die quickly covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide.
As Wang Zhong looked at her curiously, she shook her head repeatedly and mumbled through her covered mouth, "I didn't say anything!"
"And you didn't hear anything!"
Her reaction made Wang Zhong pause. He didn't quite understand why A Die was behaving this way.
"You just said Sea God Island has a..."
"No! No! No!"
"You misheard! You misheard! You misheard!"
"I said nothing! I said nothing! I said nothing!"
Her repeated denials only deepened Wang Zhong's surprise. Was there a need to hide such a thing?
"You..."
Wang Zhong was about to say more when A Die suddenly submerged herself at the bottom of the pool, hiding away.
"A Die, you idiot! You big idiot!"
"You're not supposed to tell outsiders about Sea God's affairs! You idiot!"
Curled up at the bottom of the pool, full of regret, A Die wore a distressed expression, deeply regretting her earlier words.
"A Die, come up. I won't ask anymore."
"The pastries will get cold!"
The ripples on the calm surface of the pool gradually subsided. Wang Zhong realized that the weapon must be something extremely important and not meant to be disclosed.
Gurgle, gurgle.
A small head emerged halfway from the water. Her sea-blue eyes held a questioning look, as if asking, "Really?"
Her pitiable appearance made Wang Zhong chuckle.
"Alright, come up and finish the pastries."
"That must be a secret of your Sea God Island. I won't ask, nor will I put you in a difficult position."
After receiving this assurance, A Die exposed her upper body from the water, placing her hands on the edge of the pool, and cautiously asked again, "Really?"
"Really!"
"I promise!"
Wang Zhong nodded heavily, making a solemn vow.
"Thank you!"
"We, the people of Sea God Island, have sworn before Sea God not to reveal any part of that matter to outsiders."
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leak this to you."
"It's just that it's very important."
A Die pursed her lips, explaining as she apologized to Wang Zhong.
"Silly girl."
"It's your secret. Why are you apologizing to me? You didn't do anything wrong."
Wang Zhong gently stroked her long hair, smiling to comfort her emotions. This little fish was too naive and too kind. She felt guilty simply because she hadn't been able to help him. Such kindness was too pure.
Although she had just emerged from the water, surprisingly, there wasn't a trace of dampness on A Die's hair.
Allowing Wang Zhong to stroke her head, A Die blinked her eyes and reached for another pastry, popping it into her mouth with a smile.
As expected, she was just a child; her emotions came and went quickly.
Like a little squirrel, after devouring all the pastries, A Die rested her chin on her hands and tentatively asked, "You want to use greater weight to cultivate yourself, right?"
"Then why don't you go into the sea!"
"In the depths of the sea, the immense pressure is the same thing as the weight you desire, isn't it?"
Wang Zhong's eyes suddenly lit up. Yes, the ocean pressure that squeezed from all directions in the deep sea served a similar purpose to weighted Soul Tools.
Moreover, he had cultivated in deep pools before. At that time, he had only intended to use the buoyancy of water to help his body adapt more quickly to the overly heavy Soul Tools, neglecting that water pressure was also a form of weight.
"A Die, thank you for the reminder."
"If you hadn't said it, I would have forgotten about it!"
Wang Zhong withdrew his hand, smiling as he expressed his gratitude to A Die.
After the matters in Gengxin City were settled, Wang Zhong decided to set sail for the sea. He hadn't engaged in physical weight training for a long time. Since adapting to ten thousand jin without feeling anything, his weighted Soul Tools, though on his person, had not been activated.
He currently felt his joints were a bit stiff and his muscles somewhat sluggish.
"It's alright. I'm glad I could help."
A Die rested her chin on her hands, responding with a cheerful smile.
With the matter of cultivation resolved, Wang Zhong's immediate focus was on the planning and renovation of the Holy City in Gengxin City, as he had envisioned.
In the original plan, Miles was supposed to be the catalyst for that grand reform. However, due to the three women's fear of the Spirit Hall, Miles had survived.
Consequently, the reform had no possibility of beginning.
Therefore, Wang Zhong now had to find an alternative path, a crucial opening from somewhere else to unlock the situation.
But where would this opening come from, and who would be the starting point? This gave Wang Zhong a headache.
"Do I really have to change things little by little, and then gradually let outsiders know about the changes in the main hall of the Spirit Hall?"
"If this were to be done with such a slow and steady approach, it would take not just one or two years to see results, but at least ten, twenty years, or even more."
Too long!
Wang Zhong did not want to wait that long.
"Or, I could let my teacher handle it!"
Suddenly, Wang Zhong thought of a solution.
If he were to inform his teacher of his methods for building a Holy City, and she were to promote it in her capacity as the Pontiff, everything would become extremely simple.
Considering the numerous benefits, Wang Zhong couldn't help but feel tempted!