But just then, the Xuan Qi he released brought Xuanqing back to his senses.
Merit was a good thing, but relying on it to raise his cultivation too early would shake his foundations and make the path ahead far more difficult.
He had Double Merit Fortune and the body of the number-one Spiritual Root.
His cultivation speed was already beyond anyone's reach. Why rush?
Absorbing the merit directly would certainly send his cultivation soaring, but that power would ultimately be external.
With unstable foundations, when he faced a truly powerful enemy in the future—or even a Sage—his merit would become a handle they could use against him.
Better to... save it for now, just in case.
Xuanqing made up his mind.
The merit clouds in the sky began to descend.
About sixty percent of them formed an incredibly thick golden pillar of light, which poured straight down onto Nüwa.
Another ten percent went to the innate soil and the Human Creation Whip beside her.
The remaining thirty percent was split into two portions.
Two large portions flew toward Xuanqing, while a smaller one flew toward Fuxi in the distance.
Xuanqing watched the mass of Merit Golden Light flying toward him. It was several times larger than what he had received for repairing the Western Lands, but he chose not to absorb it.
With a thought, the Merit Golden Wheel appeared behind him.
"Absorb!"
Xuanqing formed a hand seal and activated his innate ability.
The enormous Merit Golden Wheel no longer absorbed merit in the usual way.
Instead, like a bottomless vortex, it swallowed the entire mass of Merit Golden Light!
The wheel then began spinning rapidly as the laws within it surged.
The Merit Golden Wheel continuously compressed and refined the immense power of merit.
At last, it stored the