Eternal Thief
chapter-1176

"You made an Upper Ascension Grade-1 Limit Talisman?!" Elder Marguerite blurted in disbelief as if hearing something absurd, and Lloyd was the same.

After all, they all knew that a limit talisman was a hundred times more difficult to make compared to a normal talisman, as they required a deep understanding of arrays and formations.

Not to mention, George was a 1-Star Ascension Solider yet successfully created an Upper Ascension Grade-1 limit talisman on his very first try. This means he was really a peak 1-Star Spirit Rune Crafter!

Normally, any profession, whether Spirit Forging, Spirit Crafting, or Spirit Alchemy, can only create Upper Ascension Grade treasures when it reaches the peak middle stage (6-Star) of an ascension rank or advanced stages (7-Star9-Star) because it requires not only powerful souls and deep comprehension of ascension laws but also potent Qi.

This means that either George's soul was extremely powerful from his current cultivation or his Qi was that special.

Whatever the case, if they had taken his words for granted before, they all completely believed him now, and they knew that George was a true genius of Runic Path.

Although his Spirit Forging was far behind his Spirit Rune Crafting, he had said himself that he didn't have the knowledge and method to train in Spirit Forging, which means his Spirit Forging talent might be equally terrifying.

Elder Dewey and Elder Homer ignored the skeptical duo and quickly made their way toward George. The former quickly took the pendant from Ace's hand to examine it.

Ace didn't care as he was mulling over that strange feeling again because his cultivation had increased slightly and more than from the forging before.

"System, is there something you're not telling me? Can my cultivation increase by simply forging and rune crafting?" Ace questioned the system with uncertainty.

"[There are many mysterious things, and sometimes it would be more beneficial for host to figure them out yourself than learning them in advance and harming yourself by losing the benefits.]"

Ace's expression changed slightly as he somewhat understood what the system was implying, so he gave up on seeking system help. Although he knew something was up, he could tell that whatever the secret was, it was really beneficial for him. He even had some clues that this strange phenomenon was related to his Fantastic Physique and Meridians or maybe the Darkness Order.

He knew he'd figure it out eventually as long as he did more forging and rune crafting, and he was planning on doing exactly that.

"What flawless craftsmanship. I'm afraid if not for the lack of materials and your cultivation being too low, this limit talisman might've been a lower ascension grade-2." Elder Dewey exclaimed while praising George, thoroughly impressed.

"You're too kind, Lord Elder. I'm still too far away from reaching 2-Star Spirit Rune Crafter." George humbly bowed before excitement flashed past his eyes, "Does that mean now I can join the Artifact Inferno Guardian Sect?"

"If you can't join, I'm afraid no one can." Elder Homer's tone contained rare praise and humor, as he was completely won over by George's talent.

If Elder Homer hadn't already used his Elder apportionment, he would've used it on George without hesitation. But his jolly mood suddenly changed when he thought about something, and he became gloomy.

Elder Dewey sensed the change in Elder Homer's mood and sighed as he looked toward Lloyd and Marguerite before he sternly said, "I want you two to keep this news to yourself. By no means, and I mean absolutely by no means, George's talent should get out. Know this; this matter is related to the rise of our sect, and since you both were close to John, I'm not making you sign Law Contracts. Don't make me regret my decision, and in return, I'll make sure your clan remains safe in the sect."

Lloyd was startled by Elder Dewey's sudden change in tone. He wondered why Elder Dewey suddenly changed his attitude and was acting so protective of George now.

Nonetheless, the promise was enough for Lloyd to cheer in joy, and he was sensible enough to know Elder Dewey wasn't joking about George's position. George was destined to rise with his talent, and offending him or Elder Dewey was nothing but shooting on his own feet.

"Please be worry-free, Elder. In the name of my ancestor, I hereby pledge to keep everything that happened here to myself and take it to my grave. If I ever reveal it, may the heaven smite me to death!" Lloyd took a solemn vow without hesitation, and Marguerite quickly followed suit.

Elder Dewey nodded in satisfaction before he said, "Now, give up some privacy; I need to discuss the upcoming trial with George."

Lloyd and Marguerite quickly complied and left them alone. Ace also felt strange seeing the old guys react like this, and he thought it had something to do with that 'back door' entrance.

But Elder Dewey's next words made him realize that it wasn't that simple, "George, my boy, what I'm about to say to you will be unfair to you, but know this that I have no ill intent. I'm doing this for your own safety because your talent is a thorn in many people's ambition, and they didn't care about the rise or fall of the sect as long as it benefitted them."

'Heh, typical internal conflicts.' Ace instantly guessed what Elder Dewey was talking about, as he wasn't an idiot and knew about corruption in massive organizations.

The Sects were extremely large, even larger than empires of Mortal Sky Heaven, and they were without any doubt the true rulers of the Mortal Ascension Heaven, so he had already taken their arrogance and disdain towards the humble into account.

Still, Elder Dewey and Elder Homer seemed like honest and upright people, so he didn't have any bad impression of them. He knew people like them existed everywhere. Nonetheless, he won't change his goals because of such people; all he can do is avoid them.

"I understand." George solemnly nodded.

Elder Dewey knew that George was far from being naïve. He was also part of a first-grade sect, so he should know that every sect has filth, and the AIG sect wasn't any different. However, Elder Dewey knew that not everyone had their own benefits in mind; most of them cared for the sect, like Elder Homer.

Only some people were rotten to the core, and they affected everyone else, and he wanted George to avoid those people at all costs.

"If you understand, then I can be at ease. So, for the time being, you can't show your rune- crafting talent. You'll enter the sect as a Spirit Forger, and I'll teach you everything you need to know until you become a one-star Spirit Forger.

"To avoid any suspicion, I can only teach for a month, and since you are already familiar with Spirit Rune Crafting, your foundation is absolutely solid. So, I think it would be enough for you to be able to forge a lower ascension grade-1 weapon.

"But this doesn't mean that you can slack off with your Spirit Rune Crafting. Once you enter the sect, I'll provide you with Spirit Rune Crafting knowledge, but you can only practice it in

secret."

Seeing that George was taking everything seriously, Elder Dewey solemnly stated, "Your goal is to become a Core Disciple or Chief Forger Disciple of the sect before you can show your dual

runic talent!"

Ace was surprised by this foreign term and tentatively asked, "Dual Runic Talent?"