Merit Points

"From Shrimp Whisker Grass to Fish Dragon Grass, and then to Fish Dragons, this process is quite long. It also depends on timing and location, often taking decades, and even then, you might not find a single example within a thousand-mile radius. The Yimu Gathering Spirit Soup delivered by the sect to Bai Ri Mansion forcibly accelerates this process, artificially creating Fish Dragon Grass. However, this method lacks innate spiritual energy. Fish Dragon Grass created this way loses its vital energy connection with its own kind and can never transform into a Fish Dragon. Similarly, if the process of a Fish Dragon Grass transforming into a Fish Dragon is interfered with, even if a Fish Dragon is eventually obtained, it will be congenitally deficient and will struggle to grow further."

"It's a shame, really. These Fish Dragon Grass were harvested a bit too early by the younger generation. If those ten-plus stalks of Fish Dragon Grass had been allowed to grow for a few more centuries, allowing their energies to interact and naturally gather to form life, the Fish Dragons produced then would be truly top-grade. Even without any bounty posted, simply offering them to the sect would fetch over two thousand five hundred merit points… Of course, that's something that can only be encountered by chance and cannot be sought."

At this point, the old Daoist's meaning was clear. He looked at Jin Huan, "This is the principle behind the transformation of the Fish Dragon lineage. Mansion Lord Jin, what do you think?"

A prolonged silence filled the pavilion, both inside and out. Everyone seemed like carved wooden statues. Only the slender Fish Dragon swam carefree in the void, occasionally flicking its tail and passing before Jin Huan's eyes, an unspeakable irony.

For Jin Huan, this was nothing short of the most direct humiliation. As the supreme leader of Bai Ri Mansion, when had he ever endured such indignity? At this moment, the two juniors outside the pavilion believed Jin Huan was about to fly into a rage, and a direct confrontation with the old Daoist was not out of the question.

But the reality was not that simple. After a long silence, Jin Huan finally spoke, "Senior Brother Yu speaks with reason… I was too simplistic in my thinking."

Lu Yang remained composed, but the two young men were dumbfounded. They had never seen the resolute Mansion Lord Jin admit fault before.

Yu Ci, however, was not surprised at all. In fact, anyone who had witnessed the divine abilities displayed by the old Daoist last night, as he had, would have been similarly prepared. Moreover, behind the old Daoist stood the unfathomably profound Li Chen Sect!

However, while Jin Huan could not act out in front of the old Daoist, he certainly hadn't forgotten about Yu Ci. A glance cast his way made Yu Ci understand that once they left the gates of Zhixin Temple, this Mansion Lord Jin would definitely make him pay.

From this moment on, for Bai Ri Mansion, Yu Ci had been elevated from "prey" to "enemy."

This was quite a significant upgrade!

Yu Ci chuckled inwardly, remaining seated. Jin Huan, on the other hand, stood up and bid farewell to the old Daoist, "Senior Brother Yu, my business here is concluded, so I shall not disturb you further. I take my leave. As for these two children…"

"Let them follow the rules."

The words were unsympathetic, but more practical than any guarantee. Jin Huan nodded and walked out of the pavilion. The old Daoist also signaled the Daoist who had guided them earlier to lead Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi to the guest rooms. The commotion caused by Yu Ci was thus resolved, raised high and set down gently.

The older individuals were fine, but the younger ones found it hard to accept, especially Jin Chuan. In his view, his grand-uncle taking this step was an utter disgrace. The old Daoist was one thing, but what was Yu Ci, who was still sitting there as if nothing had happened, to be considered?

As the youths left with the guiding Daoist, they kept looking back, imprinting the face of the detestable Daoist into their minds.

Watching them leave the garden, Yu Ci also breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, he heard the old Daoist beside him sigh again, just as he had before.

"Dominating a region for a hundred years, deciding the life and death of millions with a single word. How can such a person have less spirit than in his youth… What a pity!"

Uh, what would he be like when he had spirit? Yu Ci couldn't bring himself to ask this question. The old Daoist merely let out a sigh and turned his gaze back to him, "You exchanged three hundred merit points, young one. What do you wish to obtain?"

Yu Ci thought for a moment but didn't respond directly. Instead, he asked another question, "Master Yu, what exactly are these merit points and messages you mentioned earlier?"

Old Daoist Yu Zhou smiled upon hearing this, "You mean Good Deeds… You are indeed sharp, young one. Very well, follow me."

With that, the old Daoist led the way out of the garden. Yu Ci collected the Fish Dragon from the pavilion and followed.

It didn't take long to travel from the west courtyard to the central courtyard. Yu Ci followed the old Daoist through halls and doors, arriving before a small hall in the third courtyard of the central hall. The crowd here was noticeably larger than elsewhere, with people coming and going, quite lively. Yu Ci looked up at the plaque above the hall:

"Tongde Hall?"

The old Daoist led him into the hall. Inside, the arrangement was peculiar. There were no divine statues, only a long scroll hanging in the center with the words "Boundless Merit." Behind it was a screen wall. The left and right walls were painted snow white, covered in densely packed text and images.

Upon closer inspection, these images and text were not painted but were a constantly shifting flow of light projected onto the walls. Each character glowed, perfectly clear. Differentiating them, the two walls were divided into four columns. The first column on the left bore the character "Quest", the second "Announcement". The first column on the right was "Method", and the second "Material".

The old Daoist stood beneath the "Boundless Merit" scroll and explained in a deep voice:

"The path of immortality is vast and solitary. Those of us who pursue the Great Dao face calamities from heaven and earth. Few achieve great success. Besides self-cultivation and stabilizing one's mind, one must also strive for all resources to increase the odds of success. This is what is meant by wealth, companions, methods, and location. However, the world is vast, and within a lifetime, it is difficult for one person to acquire sufficient resources. Therefore, the sect established this Tongde Hall to facilitate the allocation of resources among sect disciples, and between the sect and the outside world. It is to supplement our deficiencies with the abundance of others, gathering the strength of the entire sect to ascend the Great Dao.

"To make different types of resources easy to compare and trade, the sect quantifies all resources in units of 'Good Deeds.' Whether it is an item, a set of cultivation techniques, or a task, it can be converted into a certain number of Good Deeds and publicly displayed in Tongde Hall for sect disciples to know.

"These four columns on either side have different purposes. The 'Quest Column' on the left lists 'Good Deed' messages posted by the sect to gather resources and temper disciples. The rewards are high upon completion, but the difficulty is also high. The 'Announcement Column' lists 'Good Deed' messages posted by individuals within the sect; rewards and difficulty vary. As for the two columns on the right, the 'Material Column' lists the conversion rates between various cultivation materials and 'Good Deeds,' while the 'Method Column' lists the prices of various cultivation methods."

Yu Ci listened with his ears and looked with his eyes, quickly understanding the system. He couldn't help but marvel that even within this seemingly otherworldly cultivation sect, there was such a place with such a strong mercantile atmosphere. He glanced back; the old Daoist gestured for him to look closely.

Since that was the case, Yu Ci didn't hesitate. He first walked past the four columns, getting a general overview. Then, according to his needs, he stopped beneath the Method Column.

In Sky裂谷, during his few days with Ye Tu, the young man, with his profound and solid theoretical foundation, had given him much guidance, including the "Concentric Circle Theory" that he greatly admired. Besides that, the young man had reminded him to seize opportunities and find a superior "longevity art" as the true path of cultivation.

Ye Tu's idea of him joining Half-Mountain Island had ultimately not materialized, but Yu Ci remembered the young man's advice. Especially after he unexpectedly transformed all his vital energy into "innate qi" through the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror half a month ago, he realized that Ye Tu's advice was indeed the most pertinent.

He was indeed lacking a true "longevity art." Not to mention the elusive "Refinement" method, even the daily new "impurities" in his true qi showed that the "Nine Palaces Moon Bright True Return Marvelous Method" he had practiced for over ten years was no longer suitable for his current situation.

Therefore, Yu Ci first stood beneath the Method Column.

The top three rows of this column were in large golden characters, neatly arranged and very clear. The ink characters below shifted with the light flow, occasionally flipping. These top three rows, however, had never moved an inch. Looking at the very top entry, the name of the cultivation method was:

Heavenly Mansion Profound Subtle True Penetration Nine Degrees Scripture

Just seeing the name of this scripture made Yu Ci's spirit tremble. He then looked at the required Good Deeds for exchange, but what met his eyes were not numbers, but two large characters: "Unlimited!"

Below the Heavenly Mansion Profound Subtle True Penetration Nine Degrees Scripture was the Nine Degrees True Text Form Refining Chapter, also followed by the word "Unlimited." The third one was better, labeled as the Flying Feather Concealed Form Heaven Ascending Method. It was no longer the despair-inducing "Unlimited," but a concrete number: one hundred thousand!

Further down, the characters turned into ordinary ink color. The first one at the top was still a big one, the Supreme Clarity Golden Fluid Divine Elixir Art, priced at ten thousand. For Yu Ci, this was still an unattainable number. Below it were various elixir arts and breathing techniques, priced around ten thousand or eight thousand, considered the first tier among the ink-colored entries.

Seeing these numbers, and then thinking about the three hundred Good Deeds he had yet to receive, Yu Ci didn't know what his expression was like, but it certainly wasn't good.

"You're very interested in these methods, young one. Do you also seek longevity?"

At some unknown time, Old Daoist Yu Zhou had appeared behind him. Yu Ci was in a bad mood and simply replied, "Yes."

"What spirit!"

The old Daoist praised him, but then calmly stated the facts, "If you seek a longevity art, these three hundred merit points are far from enough."

Yu Ci grinned, but he still had a question, "Are these golden and ink entries all longevity arts?"

The old Daoist replied, "These are the profound methods by which our sect sustains itself in this world. The Heavenly Mansion Profound Subtle True Penetration Nine Degrees Scripture is the general outline of our sect's cultivation. The Nine Degrees True Text Form Refining Chapter is a secret method for overcoming tribulations. The Flying Feather Concealed Form Heaven Ascending Method is a Void Stepping technique. These three, combined with the elixir arts, breathing techniques, and other methods below, form the complete longevity art you seek. By cultivating according to this, you will have a chance to break free from the shackles of mortal flesh and pursue immortality."

"Secret method for overcoming tribulations? Void Stepping technique? Elixir arts?"

Yu Ci seemed to recall Ye Tu mentioning these, but couldn't quite remember. It was still the old Daoist who explained them to him:

"The Elixir Art, as in, the method for Core Formation; the Void Stepping arts, which allow cultivators to fly beyond the nine heavens, undergo transformation and change form; and the Tribulation Crossing secret arts, which enable True Men cultivators who have attained the Dao to pass through the heavenly jealousy tribulation, in order to seek eternal life. The Elixir Art, Void Stepping arts, and Tribulation Crossing secret arts – these three are indispensable. Only when the three are unified do they form the complete structure of a longevity art.

"Furthermore, there is a requirement for 'self-consistency' within this. That is, the Void Stepping arts must correspond to the Core Formation achieved, and the Tribulation Crossing secret arts must also adapt to the True Man's divine abilities after attaining the Dao. It's like the Buddhist sarira, which is equivalent to Core Formation cultivation, but it's difficult to coordinate with the Xuanmen's Void Stepping arts. This means that to make the Elixir Art, Void Stepping arts, and Tribulation Crossing secret arts progress layer by layer and harmonize as one, that is the great path of cultivation..."

The old Daoist spoke very clearly, but Yu Ci's face grew dark as he listened. According to the old Daoist, to obtain a true "longevity art," one must acquire the Elixir Art, Void Stepping arts, and Tribulation Crossing secret arts. Never mind the Elixir Art and Void Stepping arts; just looking at the price of the Tribulation Crossing secret arts made it clear that such things were purely meant to ensnare people and would never be made available to rogue cultivators like himself.

To obtain a longevity art was this difficult?

The old Daoist said leisurely from the side, "The difficulty of longevity, can you comprehend it?"