"Main God Hall... it was actually damaged?"
"And the previous instances had felt a little crude, with gaps and omissions..."
"And there were the Main God Apostles' privileges..."
Wu Ming's eyes shone brighter and brighter. "All of this can only mean one thing! The Main God Hall is still damaged, rudimentary, masterless, and rigidly following a set of rules..."
Wu Ming was incredibly excited. If that's the case... if I can take control of the Main God Hall and become the ruler of all the heavens and worlds, what couldn't I have?
Wu Ming was excited—utterly, completely excited.
Even if one relied on the Main God Hall to become a Primordial Saint or a Western deity, one would still exist beneath its authority. But he had the hope of growing into the master of the Main God Hall itself. The two were worlds apart!
"But... what is True Sight?"
Wu Ming looked around. Everything was empty; the primordial chaos and chaos had vanished. Only the Main God Hall stood high above, with nothing else in sight. It felt rather like an empty, blank space.
Feeling that something was off, he opened the exchange list, and his mouth slowly fell open.
"Chaos Technique: When chaos first began, what was the thing that came into being? Those who practice this technique return to their origin and forge a Chaos Golden Body, everlasting through the ages! Exchange cost: one million Heavenly Merits! (Unavailable!)"
"Heaven and Earth Creation Technique: Once mastered, it transforms Earth Fire Wind Water, splits heaven and earth, and creates a world! Exchange cost: 990,000 Heavenly Merits! (Unavailable!)"
"Grand Ultimate Supreme Clarity Profound Technique: The foremost Daoist technique, personally passed down by the Ancestor, with the highest realm being that of the Supreme Limitless Saint! Exchange cost: 900,000 Heavenly Merits! (Unavailable!)"
"Twelve Ancestral Witch Essence Blood... unavailable! Xuanyuan Sword... unavailable! Chaos Bead... unavailable!"
Wu Ming was speechless. "Basically, nine out of ten things on the Heavenly Merit Ranking are out of stock... The Great Merit Ranking is damaged too. At least the basic Minor Merit Ranking is more or less complete..."
"Main God Hall... is there a Reincarnator trading plaza?"
[No!]
"What about the numbers of the other Reincarnators? Can I look them up?"
[Insufficient authority. Unable to answer!]
"Are there any other Main God Apostles like me?"
[Insufficient authority. Unable to answer!]
After several attempts, Wu Ming couldn't help giving a bitter smile. "All right... The exchange list is incomplete, and there isn't even a trading hall... So this really is the most rudimentary Main God Space, and especially rigid, huh!"
"I was happy to learn that the Main God Hall had gaps I could fill, but this kind of Main God Hall makes me feel like I've gone from a rich, handsome young master to a penniless loser in an instant!"
He grumbled, but since treatment was free, he might as well use it. Wu Ming immediately said, "Main God Hall, I want treatment!"
A beam of white light fell over him, enveloping his whole body. It was as if warm water flowed over him, leaving him cozy and warm.
[Ding! Treatment complete!]
Wu Ming moved his arm. "I don't feel much..."
Indeed, after the treatment, aside from his head feeling a little clearer, he could barely feel any difference.
If he hadn't known the Main God Hall wouldn't deceive him, he would have thought it was some scam the place had cooked up to fleece him.
"Also... Main God... why are all my belongings gone..."
Wu Ming tried communicating with the Main God Hall again, but although he had a little authority, it wasn't enough for it to answer every question he asked.
After getting a string of [Insufficient authority. Unable to answer!] responses, Wu Ming more or less figured it out.
"Because they're external items, and powerful ones at that, I have to pay an extra fee in merit every time I enter, just to bring treasures from the outside into the Main God Hall?"
Wu Ming looked incredulous. "Seriously... it's all about the money!"
But considering that the Main God Hall had only just been established and was already skimming off merit conversions, he could tell that its energy reserves were not merely stretched thin—they must be in a precarious state. Aside from being speechless, he had no other reaction.
"Forget it... Main God Hall, can you scan me and pick out the most suitable profession, techniques, bloodline, and so on? Or at least give me some advice!"
[Insufficient authority. Unable to answer!]
"One star!"
Wu Ming was thoroughly frustrated. He opened the exchange list for Spirit Turtle Qi Cultivation Technique and asked, "If I exchange for this technique, can I master it right away?"
[The Main God Hall only provides manuals. To practice a technique, you may spend one hundred Minor Merits to exchange for a chance at Enlightenment. Your progress will depend on your own aptitude!]
This time, the Main God Hall answered immediately.
"It can't even pass on the technique?"
Wu Ming was dumbfounded. That meant his hope of acquiring a hundred or eighty years' worth of power and becoming a peerless master in an instant had gone up in smoke.
"The Enlightenment chance depends mainly on aptitude? Then I'm out of luck..."
Wu Ming clearly remembered that in his previous life, he'd spent several months just getting started with the Turtle Breath Technique.
It was clear enough that he had little talent in this area.
Still, the hardest parts of cultivation had always been getting started and breaking through bottlenecks. If he could use the Enlightenment state provided by the Main God Hall to get past those hurdles, it would be worth the cost.
"Merit is precious right now. I'd better save it, see what resources are available outside, and come back to the Main God Hall for anything I can't find. That's the best plan!"
Wu Ming glanced at his personal status.
At that moment, the text on the light screen changed:
[Reincarnator Number: Gengshen 69]
[Name: Wu Ming]
[Cultivation: Body Refinement Realm, Fifth Level, True Qi]
[Equipment: None]
[Title: Main God Apostle]
"Can I choose to return to the Main World?"
[Yes! Note: You must not disclose information about the Main God Hall to anyone, intentionally or unintentionally. Violators will be annihilated!]
The expected taboo still made Wu Ming's scalp prickle.
"I wonder if the exemption from Main Quest penalties that I earned after three instances can be used for this too..."
Wu Ming sighed.
He knew that although he had made great contributions to the Main God Hall, he was still a long way from being able to ignore missions and annihilation.
And becoming the master of the Main God Hall seemed even more like a distant, unattainable dream.
But at least he had taken the first step!
"After I return to the Main World, when can I come back?"
[Ordinary Reincarnators will be summoned when the next mission begins. Main God Apostles may return to the Main God Hall at any time!]
"In that case, then... let's go back!"
After seeing that message, Wu Ming finally relaxed. He chose to keep his Minor Merits for now and return to the Great Zhou World.
"What's going on? Why hasn't my younger brother woken up yet?"
"I don't care. No matter what, I'm going to save him!"
In a daze, he heard a woman's voice by his ear. Wu Ming's body went cold, the hairs on his neck standing on end, as if he had come face-to-face with a natural enemy.
Such a vivid memory... that must be Wu Ming's elder sister, Wu Qing, right? I wonder why Wu Ming is so afraid of her.
Wu Ming slowly opened his eyes. He felt himself lying on a warm, soft bed, a brocade quilt covering him. If he remembered correctly, this was the room he'd woken up in when he'd first transmigrated.
"Young Master Ming is awake!"
A maid noticed him opening his eyes and immediately shouted.
"He's awake?!"
A woman in Daoist robes turned to look, her face filled with delight.
She had phoenix eyes and willow-leaf brows, thin lips like crimson apricot blossoms, and skin as translucent as jade, with a clear, ethereal air about her. She was a rare beauty.
Her face was cold, giving her a cruel, heartless air. Only when she looked at Wu Ming did her eyes hold a flowing, tender warmth.
The next moment, perhaps noticing Wu Ming's gaze, she drew that tenderness back, letting it settle into a hint of gentleness.
"Little brother, you're awake?"
"Mm?"
Wu Ming still hadn't quite come to terms with everything. He stayed silent, then raised his right hand.
A burning sensation, accompanied by a coolness, spread through it. He couldn't help letting out a low cry of pain.
"How could you be so careless?"
Seeing him like that, the iceberg on Wu Qing's face crumbled once more. She sat on the edge of the bed. "You actually provoked such a powerful enemy? If your sister hadn't been worried, you might have..."
"I'm sorry! Your little brother was wrong!"
Wu Ming's mind was a mess as he looked at his right hand, wrapped up like a pig's trotter.
Clearly, it had been burned earlier, then treated with medicine and carefully bandaged. That was why it looked like this.
"Oh?"
Wu Qing let out a soft sound, her brows shifting as a hint of coldness seemed to flicker across them. Wu Ming's body went cold again. "You've been unconscious for a day and a night. You should get some proper rest..."
She said no more, but rose gracefully and left.
Wu Ming was still dazed. "Unconscious? And the injury to my hand? It looks like... going to the Main God Hall was a soul transmigration? Only my spirit was transferred... This Main God Space really is rudimentary!"
He examined his dantian and gave a bitter smile. "I'm still at the fourth level of the Inner Strength Realm. What a rip-off! At least I remember all the insights from breaking through into the True Qi Realm. The bottleneck is gone, so I can advance whenever I want..."
"Please, this way, Overseer..."
Wu Ming didn't wait long before Wu Qing opened the door again and invited an elderly Daoist inside.
The man wore a kasaya beneath his Daoist robes, a Five Sacred Mountains crown on his head, and Cloud-Treading Boots. His face was lean and refined, with a three-strand long beard, and he carried a distinctly immortal air.
What Wu Ming found most unforgettable, though, was the old Daoist's pair of eyes. They were like stars, as if they could see straight through him.
"Mm! I can guarantee that your younger brother's body and soul are both fine. His earlier fainting was likely due to fright. He just needs plenty of rest!"
The old Daoist's star-bright gaze flashed and faded. He stroked his beard with a smile.
"Thank you, Overseer!"
Wu Qing bowed respectfully and escorted the Daoist out. She then dismissed the servants and returned to the bedside. She could no longer maintain her icy expression; it crumbled completely as she pulled Wu Ming into her arms and wept like a pear blossom soaked in rain. "My little brother... your sister was so worried... I was afraid I'd never see you again..."
Before you continue