Meng Qi's "Ideal"

Ge Chongshan, who had watched the sword from the closest distance, had the same stiff expression as the Hidden Emperor Fortress Lord. Yet his pupils had shrunk violently, needlepoint-thin. Unlike the Hidden Emperor Fortress Lord, he could still mutter in disbelief, "Such swordsmanship, such swordsmanship..."

Even an immortal dancing with a sword could be no more than this!

That was the cry in his heart, and the unspoken thought of every other expert outside the hall. That sword was a startled swan beyond the heavens, a divine dragon probing with its claw—its trace could not be seen, only its might could be felt!

The details of that sword kept replaying in their minds, but all they could remember was that dazzling sword-light, piercing straight into the heart, and the sensation that even heaven and earth had turned their eyes toward it.

For some reason, a thought suddenly flashed through Ge Chongshan's mind: "'Divine Sword Beyond the Heavens,' 'Divine Sword Beyond the Heavens'... With swordsmanship like this, no wonder her sobriquet is 'Divine Sword Beyond the Heavens'!"

At that moment, with the Hidden Emperor Fortress Lord's death, the black-clad men who had transformed into "Poison Beasts" grew even more frenzied, their bodies rotting even faster. The scene instantly spiraled out of control into utter chaos.

Ge Chongshan was an experienced expert who had roamed the martial world for years. He quickly recovered, gathered his strength, and shouted, "The demon has been slain! The poisonous mist only makes people powerless. Kill these 'Poison Beasts' before that happens, and we'll be safe!"

"Brothers, I'll help you!" After steadying everyone's morale, he rushed forward, his Iron Fan stabbing straight into a black-clad man's back. He intended to end the fight before the sensation of weakness deepened.

At the same time, a grand, solemn, yet cold and indifferent voice rang in Meng Qi's ears:

"Hidden Emperor Fortress Lord slain. Main Quest completed. Each person is rewarded with fifty Merit Points. Returning."

Meng Qi's vision went black. He felt as if he could not see his fingers before his eyes, while his ears fell into an eerie silence.

Then a smear of white light appeared, and the White Jade Plaza, resembling an immortal's pavilion, once again emerged before Meng Qi's eyes.

"So we really returned directly..." Meng Qi felt slightly delighted. Being familiar with a similar Reincarnation World could count as one of his advantages. Otherwise, with his current paltry martial arts, he would always feel somewhat inferior before his companions.

"Quest completed. One Free Treatment may be obtained."

A milky-white radiance descended over Meng Qi. It made him feel warm and comfortable, as though he were soaking in a hot spring. All his exhaustion and soreness vanished, his energy recovered, and his spirits soared.

"Eh? The injuries recovered that quickly?" The astonished voice belonged to Qi Xia. She, too, was bathed in the milky-white radiance, and her flesh-and-blood left shoulder writhed and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. After four or five breaths, it had been completely restored.

Jiang Zhiwei rose within another beam of white light and moved her legs. Both delighted and shocked, she said, "I've recovered too. Even Shaolin Temple's Great Return Pill probably couldn't have such an effect."

"Perhaps only a Dharma Body level Land Immortal or a corresponding immortal pill could produce such an effect." Zhang Yuanshan circulated his qi and discovered that the poisonous mist he had inhaled earlier had somehow already been purged. "It's a pity I've never seen such an immortal figure act, so I have nothing to compare it with."

Meng Qi had heard Xuan Xin explain that all the great sects currently holding the martial world's supremacy had once produced a Dharma Body level Land Immortal. However, proving the Dharma Body was difficult, and those sects did not always possess an immortal-like figure. In fact, most sects lacked one most of the time. The True Martial Sect, Xuant Sect, Sword Washing Pavilion, and Great River Gang were examples of this. That was why a highly valued successor like Zhang Yuanshan had never witnessed a Dharma Body Master act. Meanwhile, Shaolin, which possessed a Dragon Subduing Arhat, had vaguely become Great Jin's leader.

Of course, even without a Dharma Body level Land Immortal, these ancient great sects could not be underestimated. More or less, they all possessed a Sect Protecting Divine Weapon—either something left behind by an ancestor who had proven the Dharma Body, or something obtained through an extraordinary encounter. If an Outer Scenery peak grandmaster fought desperately, these divine weapons could unleash power approaching the Dharma Body level. For example, Xuant Sect's "Time Saber," suspected to have been forged by the Heavenly Emperor, was one of the ten great divine weapons on the first page even by the mysterious Lord of Six Paths Samsara's appraisal, and was the most unfathomable of them all.

It was precisely because these divine weapons stood guard that the great sects did not collapse into decline when they lacked a Dharma Body Master, leaving them vulnerable to opportunists. However, if a sect rotted from within and failed to produce even an Outer Scenery peak grandmaster for several successive generations, its divine weapon would also become coveted by outsiders. Over the past two or three thousand years, there had been no shortage of great sects that had vanished or declined in this way.

—From the conversations of Xuan Xin, Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhiwei, and the others, Meng Qi had roughly pieced together the cultivation levels of this world: After the "Hundred Days Foundation Establishment" came the "Qi Accumulation and Body Tempering" (Meditative Qi Accumulation) stage. Once the hundred meridians were fully opened and qi accumulation had succeeded, one switched to cultivating the viscera and acupoints, opening the nine apertures bestowed by heaven. This was the "Orifice Opening" stage.

After that came the "Outer Scenery" realm, which Meng Qi had yet to understand well. Crossing beyond the "Outer Scenery" realm led to the "Dharma Body" realm of the Land Immortal level. There were different Dharma Bodies, Dao Bodies, and Golden Bodies, such as the Arhat Golden Body, Tathagata Golden Body, Bodhi Golden Body, Supreme Dao Body, and Taiji Dharma Body. It was said that the difference between different levels of Dharma Body was as vast as the abyss between heaven and earth. Yet to those in the earlier realms, they were all equally endowed with vast, unfathomable divine abilities.

As for whether there were any realms beyond that, Meng Qi had no idea.

The milky-white radiance slowly faded away. The Lord of Six Paths Samsara once again sent down a cold and grand voice: "From now on, during every Reincarnation Quest, if the Main Quest is completed, then no matter how severely injured you are, so long as you have not died, you may enjoy treatment without spending Merit Points. If the Main Quest is not completed, then aside from the corresponding punishment, requesting treatment will require payment of the corresponding Merit Points. The more severe the injuries, the more Merit Points will be required. For the specific prices, consult the miscellaneous goods list."

"That is indeed fair..." Qi Zhengyan murmured softly, and the normally taciturn man seemed faintly excited.

Meng Qi nodded. It was true. Being injured while completing a quest should count as a "work injury." If the quest was ultimately completed, it should be "reimbursed."

At that thought, he suddenly became alarmed: The Lord of Six Paths Samsara seems to possess vast divine abilities. Could he detect these strange thoughts in my mind that do not belong to this world? If my identity as a transmigrator is exposed...

As he thought about it, he sighed. The Lord of Six Paths Samsara possessed vast divine abilities and had brought him here without his slightest awareness. For all he knew, his soul had already been searched and his memories inspected.

Sigh, perhaps the Lord of Six Paths Samsara already knows... Meng Qi decided to make the best of a bad situation and thought wryly, To Ge Chongshan and the others, we count as "transmigrators" too. What's so strange about transmigrators?

"The 'Hidden Emperor Fortress' quest evaluation: Jiang Zhiwei alone received 'Average'; the rest received 'Ordinary.' There are no additional rewards. Jiang Zhiwei also failed to meet the standard for a lottery draw and is rewarded with only ten Merit Points." The Lord of Six Paths Samsara's words left everyone stunned. So, besides the Merit Point reward, there were also additional rewards and opportunities for lottery draws?

The corner of Meng Qi's mouth twitched. Did this count as a passing evaluation?

Suddenly, each person found a jade booklet in front of them.

"This is a copy of the exchange catalog. It also records the number of Merit Points you possess. After selecting what you want, proceed to the Central Light Pillar to exchange for it. Aside from the jade booklet, which must remain behind, you may freely choose whether to store all items here or take them back to your original world."

As soon as the Lord of Six Paths Samsara finished speaking, five White Jade Gates appeared around the statues of Divine Beasts and Immortal Birds. Each bore the name of one of Meng Qi and the others.

"There's no item for storing things on one's person—uh, a magic treasure?" Meng Qi asked based on his own "experience." What about a personal storage space?

"You must exchange for it yourself. It is in the miscellaneous goods catalog." As the Lord of Six Paths Samsara spoke, the jade booklet before Meng Qi began turning its pages on its own and stopped directly at a similar item:

"Mustard Ring, rare object, the simplest spatial item. Exchange price: three thousand Merit Points."

Meng Qi glanced at the number of Merit Points that was constantly displayed in the upper-left corner of the jade booklet—"eighty"—and could only respond with a dry laugh.

"From this moment onward, you may attempt exchanges." After the Lord of Six Paths Samsara said this, he fell silent. The entire White Jade Plaza became soundless.

Meng Qi heard the words in his ears and excitement surged in his heart. He finally had a chance to exchange for profound martial arts!

His life in the Servant Courtyard had whetted his appetite for martial arts to a sharp edge. He was utterly unwilling to spend his whole life muddling along as a menial monk!

"What should I exchange for?" Meng Qi knew far too many divine techniques and martial arts. His mind was a chaotic mess as he looked through the entries in the martial arts catalog, dazzled by the choices.

"'Six Meridian Divine Sword,' complete version. Exchange price: one thousand three hundred Merit Points."

"'Minor Formless Skill,' complete version. Exchange price: one thousand two hundred Merit Points."

"'North Profound Divine Skill,' complete version. Exchange price: one thousand five hundred Merit Points."

"'War God's Manual,' complete version. Exchange price: two thousand one hundred Merit Points."

Perhaps because he was still dazed, Meng Qi saw only the martial arts he was familiar with.

After being stimulated by those numbers, Meng Qi slowly came to his senses. He laughed bitterly at himself and said, "Why did I start looking at Outer Scenery-level martial arts? I don't have nearly enough Merit Points!"

At the same time, he flipped back and forth through the pages. He saw that the "Great Celestial Absorption Skill" was listed among the Orifice Opening martial arts and cost five hundred Merit Points. He also saw many other familiar martial arts and secretly speculated: "Most of the Gold Series Ultimate Arts are at the Orifice Opening level. Only the Carefree Sect's divine skills and a few techniques such as the 'Six Meridian Divine Sword' are classified as Outer Scenery-level, and they belong to the cheapest category. As for the Huang Series, nearly all the top extraordinary arts are in this category. It seems the hallmark of the Outer Scenery realm is communication with heaven and earth..."

The Shaolin ultimate arts of the Gold Series were marked with the word "ordinary," while those of this world were not. However, they were noted as being capable of being sublimated and advanced from the "ordinary" level.

"What should I exchange for?" Meng Qi muttered this question again. Influenced by the feverish excitement of looking through those martial arts, an image of his "future" slowly took shape in his mind.

Yes, he had to wear white robes whiter than snow, carry a sword bright as light, ride a fine steed, cloak himself in moonlight, tread across water as though it were level ground, and defeat powerful enemies with a single sword strike. He had to be as dashing as possible! As handsome as possible!

Meng Qi was practically drooling from his fantasy. He secretly decided to develop in that direction when a clear, melodious voice suddenly rang beside his ear: "Little Monk, have you decided what to exchange for?"

"No." Meng Qi immediately sat up straight and looked solemnly at Jiang Zhiwei. "Miss Jiang, what about you?"

"Neither have I." Jiang Zhiwei shook her head. "I don't have much use for what I can currently exchange for, while what I want to exchange for is still short by twenty Merit Points."

Ah, she came to borrow money from me—no, borrow Merit Points? Meng Qi's heart began struggling violently. Should he lend them or not? If he did, he would have only sixty Merit Points left, limiting what he could exchange for. If he refused, he and Jiang Zhiwei had weathered danger together, their relationship was not shallow, and she had helped him greatly. His conscience would feel terrible. Besides, befriending her would give him more security in the next quest. If he offended her, she might casually pull a few strings during the next quest and leave him dead without a burial place.

Sure enough, borrowing money was an eternal and overwhelming dilemma! Meng Qi sighed softly. He had originally decided to "play dead" and see how things developed, but then he recalled Jiang Zhiwei's character, martial arts, and sect background as revealed since they had met. In the end, the words slipped out of his mouth:

"Borrow nine, repay thirteen!"

Pfft. Jiang Zhiwei could not hold back her laughter. "You're so young. Where did you learn such filthy talk?"

Then, beaming with delight, she cupped her hands playfully. "I appreciate your kindness, but how could I have the face to beg alms from a poor monk like you? I came to give you some guidance, so you wouldn't choose the wrong martial arts."

"Then I ask Miss Jiang to enlighten me." Relieved that he did not have to lend her "money," Meng Qi cupped his hands happily.

"Little Monk, you really have no awareness of being a monastic." Jiang Zhiwei demonstrated the gesture of pressing her palms together. "To be honest, you need to exchange for quite a lot before you can barely stand on your own. Even if we pooled all our Merit Points together, it probably still wouldn't be enough. You can only proceed step by step."

"You've never learned the Leaping Technique. If you encounter an enemy in the future, you won't even be able to dodge. And if you need to travel, climb mountains, or pass through forests, you definitely won't keep up with us. When things are urgent, we can't possibly wait for you. So you must learn a Lightness Skill."

"Next, you need to exchange for an External Hardening Kung Fu, such as Iron Cloth Shirt. That will greatly improve your ability to stay alive."

"These two things are the top priority. If you still have Merit Points left, exchange for a Basic Blade Art. It's easier to master than swordsmanship and will let you improve your practical combat strength in a short time. After all, none of us knows when the next Reincarnation Quest will begin."

Iron Cloth Shirt, blade techniques... A broad-shouldered, burly man suddenly appeared in Meng Qi's mind, carrying a long blade, his skin the color of black iron. Th-this is supposed to be the future me? This isn't what my "ideal" looked like! The whole style is wrong!