Chapter 10

"I wonder if five hundred thousand merits are enough to show my sincerity?"

The moment the five hundred thousand Golden Clouds of Merit appeared, Jieyin and Zhunti, who had been wearing angry expressions, froze.

That was five hundred thousand merits!

The Two Sages of the West had always stopped at nothing to earn merit.

Had they known such an opportunity would arise, they would have been willing to roll on the ground and hug his leg!

Jieyin was the first to recover.

At some point, he had taken out that Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure again.

A brilliant chrysanthemum-like smile bloomed across his face as he said:

"Although we Sages must care about our reputation, since Fellow Daoist wishes to buy it sincerely, it is not impossible to discuss!"

Kunpeng had long since grown numb to Jieyin's rapid change in attitude.

After all, five hundred thousand merits was by no means a small number. It was more than enough to exchange for a Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Only someone as wealthy as Lu Changsheng would be willing to exchange so much merit for a single Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure.

Seeing Jieyin's change in attitude, Lu Changsheng felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

As expected, the feeling of smashing someone with merit whenever we disagree is truly exhilarating!

He muttered inwardly.

Just as Jieyin was preparing to hand over the Spiritual Treasure with one hand and receive the merit with the other, Lu Changsheng sensed that five hundred thousand might not be the system's limit.

He immediately began testing the system's bottom line.

Seeing that Lu Changsheng did not reach out to accept the treasure, Jieyin and Zhunti assumed he found five hundred thousand too expensive and hurriedly spoke up:

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, you need not feel burdened. If you think five hundred thousand merits is too expensive, my junior brother and I can lower the price.

"Just name your price!"

"Neither of us truly cares about merit. We simply wish to become friends with Fellow Daoist."

In the eyes of Jieyin and Zhunti, how many merits was a Sage's dignity worth? Let alone five hundred thousand—even five thousand would be worth selling for.

Thus, when Lu Changsheng did not accept the treasure, they immediately lowered the price themselves.

Lu Changsheng, however, waved his hand.

"You're right. Five hundred thousand merits is indeed somewhat outrageous.

"I think we should make it—"

As he spoke, he held up one finger.

Before Lu Changsheng could finish, Jieyin and Zhunti's expressions stiffened, and they hurriedly cut in:

"On... one hundred thousand merits... would... would be fine too... Let's just consider it forming a good karmic connection with Fellow Daoist."

The two regretted saying too much. They had just been bargained down by four hundred thousand merits!

Hearing their anxious voices, Lu Changsheng shook his head.

"The price I was going to name is one million merits!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took out another mass of five hundred thousand Golden Clouds of Merit and handed it together to the completely dumbfounded Jieyin.

Kunpeng also held his forehead and sighed helplessly.

"Great Master is truly a master of bargaining!"

Looking at the one million merits before him, Zhunti could not help swallowing.

This was the first time the two brothers had ever seen anyone spend money so extravagantly.

After standing stunned for a moment, Zhunti immediately recovered.

He hurriedly took out another Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure and asked:

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, may I ask whether you need any more treasures?

"I still have one here. Would you like to take it as well?"

It was not that Zhunti had abandoned all concern for dignity.

The other party had simply offered too much.

Lu Changsheng glanced at the treasure in Zhunti's hand and laughed loudly.

"I'll take it! Not only Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures—so long as it's a treasure, I want all of them!"

Faced with Lu Changsheng's lavish spending,

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a look, gritted their teeth, and sold Lu Changsheng every treasure they possessed except the Merit Golden Lotus and the Six Pure Bamboo.

Lu Changsheng glanced over the dozens of Innate and Acquired treasures.

With slight disappointment, he said:

"I truly didn't expect that, despite being Sages,

"you would have so few treasures on hand."

He had thought that, no matter how poor the Two Sages of the West were,

they could at least produce more than a hundred treasures.

Who could have known

that, after adding everything together, they did not even have a hundred?

In the end, he had spent only ten million merits to buy them all out.

It truly surprised Lu Changsheng.

Hearing Lu Changsheng say this, the Two Sages of the West wore embarrassed expressions,

and regret also welled up in their hearts:

Why had they not accumulated more treasures back then?

Just as they were secretly ashamed,

Lu Changsheng began refining every treasure he had just acquired with merit,

right in front of them.

Jieyin and Zhunti were left staring in stunned silence.

"Isn't refining them this way a little too wasteful of merit?"

Seeing Lu Changsheng refine even a Low-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure with merit, Jieyin could not help saying painfully:

After all, merit was so precious.

Ordinary cultivators would use it only at the most critical moments—

such as to increase their cultivation,

or refine their Companion Spiritual Treasures and high-grade treasures.

For someone like Lu Changsheng to spare no low-grade treasure and refine them all with merit,

there was probably no second person like him in the entire Primordial World.

"Oh, this Venerable has plenty of merit. Wasting a little is nothing."

Lu Changsheng answered casually.

Jieyin and Zhunti were green with envy. This fellow was simply too extravagant.

To avoid going mad with jealousy, they hurriedly took their leave and returned to Mount Sumeru to enter secluded cultivation, intending to use merit to improve their cultivation.

Kunpeng, meanwhile, watched eagerly as Lu Changsheng successfully refined dozens of treasures of varying quality into Merit Treasures. He had already become numb with shock.

"As expected, only Great Master would dare squander merit like this! If it were any other life-form, they would be heartbroken beyond measure."

Just as Kunpeng sighed, thinking Lu Changsheng's extravagance was finally coming to an end, Lu Changsheng suddenly spoke:

"Little Kun, go take care of something for me."

Kunpeng asked curiously:

"What does Great Master require?"

Lu Changsheng casually took out a bamboo slip, used his finger as a brush to sketch across it, and handed it to Kunpeng.

"Announce to the Primordial World the quantities of merit listed here. This Venerable is willing to exchange merit for any number of spiritual roots and spiritual treasures."

Kunpeng froze after hearing Lu Changsheng's words.

His divine sense swept over the jade talisman's contents, and he was utterly dumbfounded.

Treasure and Spiritual Treasure Merit Exchange Price List:

Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure (spiritual root): five million merits.

High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure (spiritual root): three million merits.

Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure (spiritual root): one million merits.

Low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure (spiritual root): five hundred thousand merits.

Acquired Supreme Treasure: three hundred thousand merits.

Acquired Spiritual Treasure: fifty thousand to two hundred thousand merits (depending on grade).

All kinds of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures would likewise be priced according to grade.

This was not wastefulness. This was practically a prodigal child—the Primordial World's number-one spendthrift!

Seeing Kunpeng staring blankly at the bamboo slip, Lu Changsheng frowned.

"Why haven't you gone yet?"

Kunpeng came back to himself, his face filled with shock.

"Great Master, there are countless treasures throughout the Primordial World. Will there really be no problem if we announce this?"

Lu Changsheng grinned.

"It's fine. Go handle it."

Lu Changsheng's goal was to spend all his merit. If the Primordial World's treasures were enough to consume a quadrillion merits, that would naturally be even better.

Looking at Lu Changsheng's spendthrift appearance, Kunpeng felt deeply distressed. He thought to himself: If all this merit belonged to me, I would have become a Sage long ago.

"Great Master truly is a thoroughgoing spendthrift!"

Kunpeng sighed inwardly and began acting according to Lu Changsheng's instructions.

As a late-stage Quasi-Saint expert, he did not need to personally travel across the mountains and rivers of the Primordial World to announce the news.

With a single divine ability, he could make his voice resound throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and the countless heavens and worlds.

That was no difficult feat for a Quasi-Saint.

Kunpeng cast the spell as instructed, spreading Lu Changsheng's announcement throughout the Primordial World.

Countless life-forms were astonished upon hearing the news.

Inside Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi were drinking tea and discussing the Dao. When they heard Kunpeng's voice, both revealed surprised expressions.

"Exchange merit for treasures and spiritual roots? And use such an enormous amount of merit? That is simply wishful thinking."

After hearing the entire announcement, Zhen Yuanzi's face was full of disdain.

Without being muddleheaded for a thousand or ten thousand kalpas, no one could say such absurd things.

Hong Yun, however, made a calculation with his fingers and frowned.

"This announcement came from Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, while the exchange location is Wuji Heaven, the Great Thousand World Fellow Daoist Primordial opened. Could the master of the Wuji Heaven Daoist temple have another plan?"

Although the two had heard the announcement, its contents were too shocking for them to believe easily. They decided to observe for a while first.

At that moment, the vast majority of experts in the Primordial World also chose to wait and see.

After all, merit was far more difficult to obtain than treasures. Ordinary people would never exchange merit for treasures or spiritual roots.

It was like using one gram of gold to exchange for one gram of silver. Although both were money, their values were worlds apart.

Among the many experts waiting and watching, Houtu was one of the few who chose to believe it.

"Senior Brothers, although this announcement came from Demon Master Kunpeng, the location is Wuji Heaven.

"Your junior sister believes that what Fellow Daoist Changsheng said must be true!"

The moment she heard that Lu Changsheng was in charge, Houtu chose to trust him without hesitation.

Even though the announcer was Kunpeng, the Demon Race's Demon Master and an enemy of the Witch Race, Lu Changsheng had once casually given her one hundred thousand merits and even guided her to discover a method for the Witch Race to cultivate the primordial spirit. Thus, Houtu trusted Lu Changsheng completely.

"Junior Sister, there is something suspicious about this.

"First, Saint Primordial opened a Great Thousand World atop Wuji Peak,

"and then news spread that treasures could be exchanged for merit.

"However one looks at it, it seems like a scheme.

"Why don't we wait and watch for a while before deciding!"

Dijiang frowned, and his tone carried uncertainty.

It was no wonder he was so cautious. This was a critical period in the Witch-Demon War.

The Demon Race's Demon Master had suddenly announced such an unusual piece of news. Anyone who heard it would inevitably grow wary.

Houtu, however, did not take her elder brother's advice to heart.

"Since Senior Brother has doubts, your junior sister will go investigate the truth first!"

Seeing that Houtu had made up her mind,

Dijiang could only have Xing Tian accompany her as a guard,

in case anything unexpected happened.

Just as Houtu led Xing Tian toward Wuji Peak,

the three Demon Emperors of the Demon Race Heavenly Court were also discussing the matter.

"What exactly does Fellow Daoist Changsheng intend by having the Demon Master spread this news?"

Taiyi had once witnessed Lu Changsheng's methods,

so he did not doubt the news's authenticity.

He simply could not figure out its hidden purpose.

After all, there had never been a benefit offered for no reason in the Primordial World.

How could such an opportunity descend so easily?

"I cannot deduce Fellow Daoist Changsheng's true intentions."

Fuxi calculated with his fingers for a long while, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

Exchanging treasures for merit was unprecedented.

It was something no one had ever heard of.

They would not even dare imagine it in a dream.

Di Jun, however, was not particularly concerned with the announcement's contents.

Instead, he began considering recruiting talent.

"Whatever plans Fellow Daoist Changsheng has are unrelated to us.

"Since he has released the news,"

I'll simply show my support.

This is the perfect opportunity

to find a way to invite Fellow Daoist Changsheng to join the demon race's faction.

Taiyi nodded in agreement:

With the recent fighting having eased somewhat,

the Heavenly Court has Emperor Xi and me holding down the fort,

so you may go without worry.

The trigrams shifted between Fuxi's fingers,

and he nodded silently.

Fellow Daoist Changsheng has never held any grudge against the demon race, so there should be no problem with making this trip!

Just as Demon Emperor Dijun finished making some preparations and was about to set off for Wuji Peak,

East King Duke, who was at his dojo in Purple Mansion Prefecture on the Three Immortal Isles of the East Sea, also developed a similar idea.

"Though I don't know what Fellow Daoist Changsheng intends to achieve this time, with my status as the Head of Male Immortals, recruiting a Grand Unity Golden Immortal should surely not be difficult."