--Castle of Black Iron
--Length: 1 Krosha
--Width: 1 Krosha
--Spirit Qi Value: 0.7
--Merit Value: 35
--Basic Energy Reserve: 0.2
--Special Output: None
The increase in Spirit Qi Value didn't surprise Zhang Tie. Those sprouting potatoes grew a little more every day, so of course they would provide more Spirit Qi Value. Nearly half a day had passed since morning; it would've been strange if the value hadn't increased. If the rest of the plants sprouted, the surge in Spirit Qi Value would come then. This was only the beginning. The other attributes hadn't changed much, but the increase in Merit Value startled Zhang Tie. He remembered that it had only been 3 when he checked in the morning. Then, on a whim, he'd spent two Merit Value on mutating and evolving a potato, leaving him with 1. How had it increased so much in half a day? Zhang Tie opened the Merit Value log to check what had happened today:
--On the afternoon of February 14, 889 Black Iron Calendar, the handsome and imposing Fortress Master helped his mother make rice wine at home, lightening her workload and making her feel comforted. Merit Value increased by 1.
--At dusk on February 14, 889 Black Iron Calendar, the handsome and imposing Fortress Master brought rice soup to the Orphanage of Compassion and donated 10 copper coins. His good deed brought happiness to many people. Merit Value increased by 32.
--On the evening of February 14, 889 Black Iron Calendar, after finishing dinner at home, the handsome and imposing Fortress Master took the initiative to clean the house, washing the dishes and sweeping the floor. Keeping the home tidy would put his family in good spirits. Merit Value increased by 1.
Looking at the sudden, dramatic increase in Merit Value, Zhang Tie pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the passage at the very top of the Merit Value log, the one that laid out its meaning:
"Eradicate evil and promote good: this is the greatest mercy the Creator has placed in the mortal world. Revere heaven and cherish humanity: this is the nearest stairway for mortals to ascend to heaven. Fortunate one, on your journey back to heaven, please make the Creator's mercy shine throughout the world, so that all the gods in heaven may know your heart! Go forth and reap the most sincere joy and gratitude offered to you by countless living beings. Go forth and bring an end to evil souls and boundless darkness. Become the person you wish to be, and you will discover that when you become yourself, you will surely walk in the light. A glorious and brilliant road has already unfolded beneath your feet!"
Though there was still much he didn't understand, seeing those words and the huge increase in Merit Value filled Zhang Tie with encouragement. His understanding of how to earn Merit Value had deepened. He didn't yet have the ability to eradicate evil, but "promoting good" meant doing what he could to help others. Big or small, as long as it helped someone and made them happy, it seemed to earn Merit Value. Haha, not bad! I love you so much...
Thinking of all the "fruits" the little tree would provide in the future, Zhang Tie burst out laughing. If Castle of Black Iron could turn into a person and appear before him, he really wanted to give her a couple of hearty kisses...
After planting the seeds and checking Castle of Black Iron's basic attributes again, Zhang Tie was raring to go. He ran over to the Manjusaka Karma Myriad Fruit Tree and circled it carefully twice. Huh? Zhang Tie paused, his gaze fixed on one of the strange little tree's branches.
He remembered that yesterday, the branch had been bare. Now, a pale green fruit the size of a grape hung from it.
He was about to reach out and touch it when, as his hand neared the fruit, a line of text appeared before him.
--The Flawless Fruit is growing. It cannot yet be eaten. An unripe Flawless Fruit will immediately vaporize and disappear if it leaves the Manjusaka Karma Myriad Fruit Tree. 124 hours remain until the Flawless Fruit ripens...
The line of text made Zhang Tie snatch his hand back. Only then did he remember that when he'd first obtained Castle of Black Iron, the Manjusaka Karma Myriad Fruit Tree had seemed to offer him a choice—to use energy leaking from his body to grow some kind of Flawless Fruit. Could this little grape-like thing in front of him be it?
The Flawless Fruit took 168 hours to grow, exactly seven days, or one week. So the little fruit should ripen next Friday. Zhang Tie wished he could eat it right now and experience the effects of the Flawless Fruit, but he understood that haste made waste. In the end, he restrained his impatience. After circling the tree twice, he even boldly touched its oddly shaped leaves. Then he found a spot and plopped down, not caring about the dirt covering the ground. He propped his chin on his hands and stared off into space.
He'd been busy in this space by himself for over an hour. Looking at the bare ground around him, he had to admit that it had seemed novel at first, but after a while, it was really quite boring. For now, all he could do was wait for his mental strength to recover a little before leaving. This place would be great for exercising and running, but he was too tired to run today. He wondered whether his parents had come home yet. Probably not. It was Saturday, and his father had the day off tomorrow. If they were following their usual routine, they'd likely be back later.
What should he do with the time he had left? Sit here staring into space and wait for his mental strength to recover naturally? Or... meditate? Zhang Tie was amused by the thought. Ha... give me a break. Meditation was such an advanced skill and cultivation method. How could an ordinary school in Black Flame City teach it? There might be methods for increasing mental strength through meditation in Black Flame City, but that knowledge was monopolized by a tiny minority. Ordinary people had no chance of learning it. Even Captain Colin had once said that those in the Black Flame City military who knew meditation methods for increasing mental strength were few in number and all had various powerful connections. That fearsome One-Eyed Dragon had made it to captain without knowing how, let alone anyone else.
Without mental strength, it was impossible to cultivate the Divine Palace Bright Point. After staring blankly for a while, Zhang Tie suddenly slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten? He had a copy of Heart-Punishing Divine Calculation. He had time to spare, so he might as well brush up on it instead of sitting there like an idiot.
He acted on the idea at once. He quickly recalled the relevant parts of Heart-Punishing Divine Calculation, which he'd read at least ten times over the past two days whenever he had a spare moment. He'd fully understood them and could almost recite them from memory. Zhang Tie sat cross-legged, rested his hands naturally on his legs, and half-closed his eyes. Before long, his mind had settled. For some reason, this time he seemed to enter a meditative state much faster than usual.
As soon as his mind settled, Zhang Tie followed the methods and formulas taught in Heart-Punishing Divine Calculation and began visualizing an abacus. This was its most crucial and important step. The entire mental arithmetic method was built upon the abacus he visualized. Once a person could form a stable abacus in their mind, they could perform rapid mental calculations. If he had to explain the principle of Heart-Punishing Divine Calculation in a single sentence, it was this: using the mind instead of the hands to work an abacus inside one's head. It was that simple.
The only thing Zhang Tie didn't understand was why the abacus he had to visualize in his mind had to be golden, with a brilliant, radiant glow. The book didn't say why, and Zhang Tie couldn't figure it out. He didn't feel like digging into it, either. He just assumed that was how it was supposed to be.
Following Heart-Punishing Divine Calculation's instructions to start big and work down, from simple to difficult, Zhang Tie first visualized a rectangular abacus frame in his mind, then a crossbar inside it, and then three vertical rods. Three rods meant he could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with numbers of up to three digits. That was the minimum requirement of Heart-Punishing Divine Calculation. Once he'd visualized the three rods and the whole image had begun to stabilize, he started visualizing the upper bead on the first rod, followed by its four lower beads, then the upper and lower beads on the second rod, and then those on the third, continuing in sequence...
The first time, Zhang Tie had only just visualized the upper bead on the first rod when the entire image in his mind collapsed...
The second time, the same thing happened...
The third time, he managed to complete the first lower bead on the first rod...
The fourth time, he completed the second lower bead on the first rod...
After an unknown number of failures, the pitiful three-rod abacus in Zhang Tie's mind finally took shape and stabilized, after breaking apart four more times. What was 125 plus 579? Zhang Tie focused his mind, and a few addition formulas clicked into place on the abacus. The beads on the three-rod abacus in his mind shifted slowly, as if someone had moved them by hand, and finally settled on a number he could read: 704.
What about 18 times 39? A few more formulas clicked into place... 702!
987 minus 789? A few more formulas clicked into place... 198!
Zhang Tie laughed with delight, unable to stop himself. He tried several more times, working through three-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The beads on the abacus he'd visualized in his mind moved a little faster. After a few more tries—56 times 29? A few more formulas clicked into place. The golden abacus in his mind shook, then suddenly shattered into pieces and vanished.
Zhang Tie opened his eyes. The result of that last calculation had exceeded the three-rod abacus's range, as if the pressure had grown so great that a steam boiler had burst.
Those four silver coins had been well spent, Zhang Tie confirmed once more. He hadn't expected to get such a bargain.
Oh no, what time was it? His parents would be worried sick if they came home and found him gone. Zhang Tie abruptly remembered what mattered and sprang to his feet. He didn't prepare at all, and forgot to check whether his mental strength had recovered. He closed his eyes and focused on the gate in the area between his brows—out...
The next second, Zhang Tie appeared in the bathroom in his home's courtyard. By the light of the waterproof oil lamp, he saw that the bathroom door was still locked from the inside. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If his parents had come home to find him gone, and the bathroom door wouldn't open and he didn't answer when they called from outside, they would've kicked it in already. Zhang Tie opened the bathroom door and slipped out to take a look. He immediately relaxed. It was only a little after eleven at night, and the front gate was locked, too. His parents really hadn't come home yet. That was close.
Standing in the pitch-black, empty courtyard beneath a sky full of stars, Zhang Tie patted his chest in relief and reassured himself that he had to be more careful when entering and leaving Castle of Black Iron. If something like this happened again, his secret might be discovered. He'd better conserve his mental strength. Then Zhang Tie suddenly froze as a thought struck him: Wait, how had my mental strength recovered so quickly?