Sweeping the Merit Hall!

As Lin Xiao calmly stated, "Next up, pills," and led his team, each wielding a Profound Grade Spirit Artifact, up the stairs to the third floor, the Weapon Pavilion on the second floor of the Merit Hall fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone's gaze was fixed, blankly following the backs of the youths until they disappeared around the corner of the staircase.

Immediately after, a suppressed, mountain-shattering roar of astonishment erupted!

"They're crazy! This group from the Yellow Class... no, this Chief Instructor Lin is truly insane!" "Nearly a hundred thousand Merit Points! He spent it without even batting an eye? Does he even know what that means?!" "Arming them to the teeth... he said he'd arm his team to the teeth earlier! I thought he was just joking, but now it seems... he's serious!" "Let's go! Hurry and follow them! I have a feeling we might witness the most insane spending spree in the history of Cloud Creek Academy's outer court today!"

The crowd was in an uproar! Countless students put down the items they were browsing and, like sharks smelling blood, surged towards the stairs leading to the third floor, eager to witness this historic moment with their own eyes.

Third floor of the Merit Hall, Pill Pavilion.

Unlike the cold, metallic, and murderous aura of the Weapon Pavilion on the second floor, stepping into this place brought a rich, thick medicinal fragrance that invigorated the spirit and seemed to soothe every limb and bone.

The entire third floor was divided by rows of medicine cabinets crafted from warm jade. On top of these cabinets were crystal-clear bottles filled with pills of various colors and swirling lights, each emitting an alluring medicinal fragrance and spiritual energy fluctuations.

The atmosphere here was much quieter than on the second floor. Those who could reach the third floor to redeem pills were all elites from the Profound Class, or even students from the Heaven Class. They were all cautious and meticulous when selecting pills, afraid of wasting even a single hard-earned Merit Point.

However, this tranquility was soon shattered by a series of neat and heavy footsteps.

When Lin Xiao, leading his "Profound Grade Spirit Artifact Dream Team," majestically appeared at the entrance of the third floor, everyone in the Pill Pavilion instinctively stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes uniformly towards them.

When they clearly saw who it was and the Profound Grade weapons in their hands, all emitting a spiritual light, everyone's pupils contracted sharply!

"It's... it's Lin Xiao and Yellow Class Nine!" "What are they doing here? And holding... My heavens! Are those weapons all Profound Grade?!" "Am I hallucinating? Wasn't it them who cleared out nearly half the inventory of the Weapon Pavilion on the second floor just now?"

An uncontrollable wave of gasps and discussions instantly filled the Pill Pavilion.

Lin Xiao seemed oblivious to the shocked gazes around him. He calmly surveyed the layout of the Pill Pavilion and then led his group directly to the elder's counter in the center of the hall, responsible for redemptions.

The person in charge of the Pill Pavilion was an elder with white hair and beard, wearing a pill master's robe, and an arrogant expression. He seemed completely unconcerned with the surrounding commotion, currently closing his eyes and sniffing a fiery red spirit herb with a look of intoxicated pleasure, not even bothering to lift an eyelid.

"Elder." Lin Xiao's voice was calm.

The pill master elder then opened his eyes with some impatience, a flicker of displeasure crossing his cloudy old eyes at being disturbed. He glanced at the Yellow Class insignia on Lin Xiao's and his group's chests, his brow furrowed even deeper, his tone filled with undisguised disdain and dismissal.

"Child, what business do you have here? This is a vital area for pills, not a place for brats like you who can't even discern the scent of the medicine. If you wish to redeem some crude Body Refinement Powder, the first floor will suffice."

His words were sharp and harsh.

However, upon hearing this, the members of Yellow Class Nine showed no anger on their faces. Instead, they looked at the elder, who seemed oblivious to his impending doom, with an almost pitying gaze.

Another one.

They could already foresee the extreme, life-questioning experience this high-and-mighty pill master elder was about to endure.

Lin Xiao couldn't be bothered to waste words with him.

He directly took out a meticulously prepared list, filled with dense handwriting, from his embrace and placed it gently on the counter.

"Prepare the pills for us according to the types and quantities on this list."

"Hmph, overestimating yourselves."

The pill master elder snorted dismissively and picked up the list. He wanted to see what earth-shattering pill names a group of poor Yellow Class brats could possibly write down.

However, the moment his gaze fell on the first item on the list, his contemptuous expression froze slightly.

[Profound Grade Lower Grade Pill, Core Condensation Pill, three hundred bottles.]

"Core Condensation Pill? Three hundred bottles?" The pill master elder raised an eyebrow slightly. This Core Condensation Pill was the best for late-stage Body Refinement Realm cultivators to aid their cultivation and purify spiritual energy. It was not cheap, costing fifty Merit Points per bottle. Ordinary Profound Class students could only afford one or two bottles a month. These kids were asking for three hundred bottles right off the bat?

He suppressed a hint of surprise and continued reading.

[Profound Grade Lower Grade Pill, Spirit Recovery Pill, three hundred bottles.]

[Profound Grade Lower Grade Pill, Golden Bone Pill, three hundred bottles.]

[Profound Grade Lower Grade Pill, Calm Heart Pill, three hundred bottles.]

As he saw the list of Profound Grade pills, all in units of "three hundred bottles," the hand holding the list began to tremble uncontrollably! His arrogant old face gradually turned red!

This... was this a joke?!

The total price of just these few items alone exceeded sixty thousand Merit Points!

He forcibly suppressed the storm raging in his heart and moved his gaze to the end of the list.

However, when he saw the last two lines, his previously calm state of mind could no longer be maintained. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning from the heavens and shot up from his seat!

[Profound Grade Middle Grade Pill, Blood Qi Pill, thirty bottles!]

[Profound Grade Middle Grade Pill, Muscle Regeneration Powder, thirty bottles!]

"Blood Qi Pill?! Muscle Regeneration Powder?!"

He exclaimed, his voice becoming sharp and piercing due to extreme shock!

These two pills were top-tier Profound Grade Middle Grade items! The Blood Qi Pill could temporarily stimulate a warrior's entire blood and qi during combat, unleashing power beyond their limits! And the Muscle Regeneration Powder was a life-saving divine medicine; as long as it didn't injure vital organs like the heart, even severe injuries like severed limbs could regenerate in a short period!

Due to the rarity of materials and difficulty in refining, these two pills cost a thousand Merit Points per bottle! Furthermore, the redemption quantity was strictly limited; only Heaven Class Chief Instructors could redeem one bottle per month with special privileges!

And this young man before him... was asking for thirty bottles of each?!

What did he intend to do? Eat them like candy?!

"You... you... do you know what you're writing?!" The Alchemist Elder's finger trembled as he pointed at the list; he couldn't tell if the young man before him was a complete lunatic or an unimaginably wealthy super-rich individual!

Facing the Alchemist Elder's ghost-like expression, Lin Xiao remained unfazed.

He once again gently placed the student jade token, which had already become the center of attention, on the counter.

The remaining, still terrifyingly long string of numbers on the jade token emitted a heart-stopping golden glow under the bright lights of the Pill Pavilion.

"Charge my card."

The same words, the same calm tone.

Yet, they seemed to possess the most terrifying magic in the world, plunging the entire Pill Pavilion into dead silence!

The Alchemist Elder stared intently at the jade token, his cloudy old eyes wider than any copper bell! He swallowed hard, feeling his throat as dry as if it were about to catch fire.

He finally understood what kind of being he had provoked today!

"You... you are... Chief Instructor Lin?!" His voice became stammering due to excitement and fear.

Lin Xiao nodded and pushed the list forward.

"Pills."

"Yes! Yes! Absolutely!" The Alchemist Elder's attitude did a complete 180-degree turn! His arrogant old face now smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum, full of flattery and obsequiousness. "Chief Instructor Lin, please wait a moment! The pills you want, even if the stock is insufficient, I... I will personally refine them for you on the spot today, even if I have to smash my alchemy furnace!"

With that, he, with an agility completely unbefitting his age, personally rushed into the Pill Pavilion's storeroom and began frantically preparing Lin Xiao's terrifying order.

The surrounding students, who had been watching, were already so shocked by this scene that they had completely lost the ability to think.

"I... I didn't mishear that, did I? He... he ordered sixty bottles of Profound Grade Middle Grade pills?!" "The total price... the total price must be... must be over a hundred thousand Merit Points again?!" "Devil! He's definitely a devil! Are Merit Points just a string of numbers to him?!"

Under everyone's almost numb gaze.

Soon, the Alchemist Elder pushed out a small cart piled high with crystal bottles, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Chief Instructor Lin! All the pills you ordered... they are all here! A total of... a total of one hundred and fourteen thousand Merit Points!"

Lin Xiao, without changing his expression, signaled him to swipe the card.

"Beep."

Another sum that could make anyone's heart stop was deducted.

After finishing this, he looked at the remaining Merit Point balance on his jade token, which was less than ten thousand, and finally nodded with satisfaction.

"Weapons and pills, we have them all."

He turned to look at the team members behind him, who were already giddy with happiness and smiling from ear to ear.

"Only two more things are needed."

"Armor, and Talismans!"

With that, under the respectful, almost fawning gaze of the Alchemist Elder, he led his mobile treasury and majestically headed towards the Armor Pavilion on the fourth floor!

Fourth floor, Armor Pavilion.

Fifth floor, Talisman Pavilion.

For the next hour, the entire Merit Hall was completely engulfed in a golden storm of "shopping spree" led by Lin Xiao!

In the Armor Pavilion, Lin Xiao once again generously spent thirty thousand Merit Points to custom-make a set of Profound Grade Lower Grade soft armor for every member of his team, crafted from the hide of a Second-order Demonic Beast, the 'Ironback Rhino'! This armor was light yet durable, and when worn inside, it could withstand a full-power strike from a Body Refinement Seventh Level cultivator!

In the Talisman Pavilion, Lin Xiao even spent his remaining eight thousand-plus Merit Points! He exchanged them for over a hundred Talismans of various types, all First-order. From offensive 'Fireball Talismans' and 'Ice Spike Talismans' to defensive 'Golden Light Talismans' and 'Earth Wall Talismans', and auxiliary 'Swiftness Talismans' and 'Breath Concealment Talismans', there was everything!

Although these Talismans were not of high grade, they could play a crucial role in turning the tide of battle at critical moments!

When Lin Xiao finally led his team, who were armed to the teeth from head to toe, inside and out, out of the Merit Hall's main entrance.

The balance of Merit Points on his jade token, representing immense wealth, had become a desolate number—three hundred and fifty points.

Two hundred and twenty thousand Merit Points were spent in less than two hours!

However, Lin Xiao showed no hint of heartache on his face.

He looked at the 'Yellow Class Nine' team before him. Although their cultivation realms were still stuck at Body Refinement Third or Fourth Level, their equipment, pills, and trump cards were enough to rival, or even surpass, the core teams of the Heaven Class! His eyes were filled with boundless ambition!

Money can be earned again.

But a steel army that can fight alongside him, share life and death, cannot be bought with any amount of money!

"From today onwards, everyone enters the highest intensity closed-door cultivation!"

Lin Xiao's voice resonated clearly in every team member's ears, filled with undeniable authority!

"Cultivation techniques, martial skills, pills, weapons... I have given you top-tier resources that would make the entire outer court envious!"

"Three months from now!"

"I want everyone to see what kind of... monsters my Yellow Class Nine is!"