Let Me See What This Is All About

After a great deal of self-persuasion, Zhang Shan finally calmed down and began to explain.

"Merit Points are basically the currency of us Imperial Guards. We can't possibly rely on getting tiny rewards from missions every single time to cultivate. If that were all there was to it, we might as well go escort caravans."

"Every time we complete a mission, we receive Merit Points. At the Merit Hall, those points can be exchanged for all kinds of weapons, treasure fruits, pills, and other treasures."

"Take that Crimson Jade Fruit from last time, for example. It was worth sixty Merit Points."

"But how did you not know about Merit Points? Someone should have explained it to you after you were promoted to Banner Commander..."

Suddenly, Zhang Shan seemed to remember something, and a resentful expression appeared on his face again.

"That's right. You rose too quickly. Not long after becoming a Banner Commander, you were directly promoted to Centurion. The Pacification Bureau hadn't even had time to send someone to explain it to you."

Shen Qing's eyes lit up. A Crimson Jade Fruit only cost sixty? Catching one Sun Yun had earned him three hundred?

A windfall.

"Where is the Merit Hall?"

"On the right as you enter the Pacification Bureau."

After getting the exact location, Shen Qing exchanged a few pleasantries before lifting his leg and running toward the Merit Hall.

Zhang Shan stood there without moving for a long time. After a while, he turned and headed out of the Pacification Bureau.

The Banner Commander hurriedly followed. "My lord, where are you going?"

"Where? To solve cases! I want opportunities too!"

The duty captain in the Merit Hall immediately rose and saluted upon seeing Shen Qing.

"Greetings, my lord."

"May I ask what my lord wishes to exchange for?"

Shen Qing tossed over his Centurion token.

"Help me check how many points I have. My name is Shen Qing."

The captain had just sat down and glanced at the token when he immediately stood back up. "Greetings, Centurion Shen."

He then quickly flipped through the records and soon found Shen Qing's entry.

"Lord Shen, according to the records, you currently have six hundred and thirty Merit Points."

"Capturing White Dragon Cult remnant Liu Chengle earned one hundred Merit Points. Killing the traitorous Banner Commander Sun Yan in Baiyun Town earned thirty Merit Points.

"The Ping An Town family extermination case earned twenty Merit Points. Exterminating the blood cultivator lineage in Chaoyang County earned one hundred Merit Points. Capturing Cloud-Piercing Hand Sun Yun earned three hundred and fifty Merit Points. Oh, and there are another thirty Merit Points sent over from Qiushui City."

"A total of six hundred and thirty points."

The more the captain read, the more animated his expression became.

Was this really the record an Acting Centurion should have? It was absurdly lavish.

"Lord Shen, what would you like to exchange for?"

"Do you have any treasure fruits or pills that can be used to cultivate true qi in the Xiantian Realm?"

The captain hurriedly bent down and picked up two ledgers.

"Yes, yes."

"This white ledger contains the treasure fruits and pills available here in Luoshui City, which can be obtained quickly."

"This green ledger contains treasure fruits available at Pacification Bureaus in other provinces. We can also submit requests to have them transferred."

Without even thinking, Shen Qing tossed the green ledger aside.

Transferred from another province? That meant filing for approval first—approval from the Centurion at the Merit Hall, then approval from the Battalion Commander of the Pacification Bureau, then the Pacification Commissioner, and finally sending the request to another Pacification Bureau. After waiting bitterly for ages, they would tell you that the treasure fruit over there was gone too!

Then the request would be rejected, and he would have to pick another treasure fruit and start the approval process all over again.

By the time the treasure fruit finally reached his hands, the day lilies would have gone cold.

Shen Qing rapidly flipped through the ledger. It had more than a hundred pages, each recording a treasure fruit or pill that could be used for breakthroughs in the Xiantian Realm.

This was the power of a national machine. For an ordinary sect to have even one thing with such stable production would count as a deep foundation, yet the Wu Dynasty had directly thrown more than a hundred kinds at you.

Without further thought, Shen Qing looked straight at the most expensive pages.

[Snow Jade Butterfly Flower]

[Merit Points: 190]

[Gentle medicinal properties. Used for breakthroughs in the Xiantian Realm, accelerates true qi condensation and purifies true qi. Refreshing taste, with a faint mint flavor.]

Mint flavor? Good stuff. Buy it!

[Bitter Lotus Fruit]

...

[Bitter taste that cannot be removed for three days.]

Bitter taste? Go stay wherever it's cool!

[Ten Blood Pill]

[Merit Points: 200]

[Potent medicinal properties. Extremely effective at purifying true qi and can also increase strength. Note: excellent flavor, similar to braised beef.]

Shen Qing licked his lips. Excellent flavor? Similar to braised beef? Buy! He wanted to see what this was all about.

[Purple Dew Nectar]

[Merit Points: 220]

[The finest Xiantian Realm treasure medicine developed by the Divine Medicine Pavilion. Its flavor is no different from orange juice.]

The finest treasure medicine for the Xiantian Realm? One bottle cost two hundred and twenty Merit Points?

But after buying it, he would only have twenty Merit Points left.

But it tasted like orange juice.

Let me see what this is all about!

All in!

The captain accepted the ledger, recorded Shen Qing's requests, and respectfully said,

"Lord Shen, the treasure medicines are expected to arrive within three days. Would you like them stored at the Pacification Bureau or delivered elsewhere?"

"Hm? Aren't the treasure medicines kept at the Pacification Bureau? Can't I get them immediately?"

The captain shook his head. "Reporting to my lord, it isn't like that. Our Merit Hall is merely a record office. The treasure medicines are actually stored in a secret location in Yongning Commandery. It is said that troops guard the place. We only send them the requests, and they handle the allocation."

Shen Qing nodded in understanding. Storing them at the Pacification Bureau truly was inappropriate.

In Yongning Commandery, the Pacification Bureau was both the safest and one of the most dangerous places. It was safe because it had more than a dozen Xiantian Realm experts, and the Battalion Commander was even a martial artist of the Grandmaster Realm.

It was dangerous because they dealt with serious criminals every day. Sooner or later, some lunatic would rush the Pacification Bureau. It would not matter much if people died, but damaging the treasure medicines would be heartbreaking.

"Send them directly to the West City Hundred Households Office."

Shen Qing waved his hand and turned to leave the Merit Hall.

The moment he stepped outside, he saw Scholar striding toward him.

"Boss, Boss, I finally found you."

"While I was walking earlier, someone from the Pan Family handed me an invitation. They said they wanted to invite you for drinks, Boss."

Shen Qing took the invitation and glanced over it. "The Pan Family?"

Scholar hurriedly spoke.

"I've also looked into the Pan Family over the past two days."

"Their old patriarch, Pan Honghu, is an old-established Centurion of the Luoshui Town Pacification Department. He only retired a few years ago."

"What deserves attention are his three children. His two sons, Pan Ruhai and Pan Ruyuan, are both Centurions in the Pacification Bureau, while his daughter, Pan Xiaoping, married into the Ning Shui Count's Mansion."

"They can be said to be basking in the noonday sun in Luoshui City. In recent years, they may have wanted their lineage to take another step forward."

"The invitation is written politely enough, saying they want to drink and make merry, but there may be daggers hidden beneath the smile. Pan Ruhai wants to climb higher, and Pan Ruyuan is gathering allies and building momentum for his brother. They want you to pick a side, my lord?"

Shen Qing frowned. Another drinking banquet? More drinking-table culture?

Back on Earth, what Shen Qing hated most was drinking-table culture.

Shen Qing waved his hand. "Not going, not going. Do I even know him? Why is he asking me out for drinks?"

Drinking, drinking, drinking all day long. Drink my ass.

He casually tossed the invitation to Scholar. "Find any excuse and turn it down for me."

"Come on. Isn't there a famous snack street in Luoshui City?"

"Bring Black Dog and the others. Let's go eat and drink."

Time came to the afternoon of the third day.

A group of soldiers delivered the three treasures to the Hundred Households Office.

Shen Qing opened the crate in his room. Inside were three small wooden boxes.

He opened them one by one. The first contained a snow-white Snow Jade Butterfly Flower that gave off a faint fragrance. It was roughly the size of a palm, and even bringing a finger near it let him feel a faint chill.

The Ten Blood Pill looked like an ordinary pill, but its fragrance alone was enough to make saliva flood one's mouth.

As for the Purple Dew Nectar, that was interesting. It was contained in a pale white porcelain bottle, yet a faint purple glow seeped through the porcelain.

Shen Qing chuckled. They had finally arrived.

Let me see what this is all about.

Without overthinking it, Shen Qing directly tossed the Ten Blood Pill into his mouth.

Shen Qing's eyes widened. It really tasted like braised beef!

Delicious!

He picked up the Snow Jade Butterfly Flower in his left hand and took a bite. Mint flavor spread through his mouth!

Cleansed the palate!

Then he picked up the Purple Dew Nectar and took a gulp. Ice-cold and refreshing.

A blissful smile appeared on Shen Qing's lips. Now this was cultivation.

The immense medicinal power instantly surged wildly through his body, while the Overbearing True Qi Art circulated at full force.

When other cultivators trained, they generally raised their total amount of true qi first, then purified it afterward to improve its quality.

But Shen Qing was different.

His left brain controlled the absorption of medicinal power, allowing his total true qi to grow wildly, while his right brain operated the Overbearing True Qi Art, violently purifying the quality of his true qi.

Two-pronged, he improved at breakneck speed.

What did you say? Realm bottlenecks?

They simply did not exist.