Scorching Sun Golden Ranking, Enormous Rewards

"Twenty Dao merits!"

A flash of delight immediately crossed Lu He's pale face.

He instinctively took out his identity jade token and saw that the Dao merits displayed upon it had indeed become twenty-six.

But he had not rejoiced for long.

His attention was drawn to a glimmer of golden light slowly emerging before his eyes.

"So this is the Scorching Sun Golden Ranking that voice mentioned?"

Lu He fell into thought, his gaze immediately focusing on the golden glow.

In an instant, a golden ranking that filled his entire vision abruptly appeared before him.

Name after name flickered across it. At a rough glance, nearly three hundred people were listed.

Without a doubt, these were all geniuses who had passed the first Demon Pass.

"There are actually so many people..."

Lu He's gaze narrowed slightly, surprise stirring in his heart—he had personally experienced just how troublesome the ape demon of the first pass was.

But upon further thought.

Troublesome as that fellow was, it was still only at the first level of Qi Consumption.

His Summon Mist as Soldiers Art was not suited for head-on slaughter, and only barely reached the "beginner" realm after being enhanced by the Myriad-Dharma Marvelous-Insight Treasure Wheel, yet it had still managed to wear the creature to death.

Presumably, if others had cultivated their spells to the beginner level, passing the first pass was only reasonable.

After all, it was not just people from the Azurehold Herb Garden gathered here. The seeds of factions such as the Demon-Suppressing Pavilion and Hundred Hunts Pavilion were said to have clawed their way out of slaughter and battle.

With that thought, Lu He's expression returned to calm.

Before long.

He found his own name near the bottom:

[Two hundred ninety-third, Lu He (First Demon Pass)]

At the same time, lines of Dao script abruptly appeared at the edge of the golden ranking, gleaming with intense spiritual radiance as though afraid Lu He might fail to see them.

[Time remaining until rankings are finalized: thirty days]

[Ranking rewards for this round:

Top ten: one thousand Dao merits!

Eleventh to thirtieth: five hundred Dao merits!

Thirty-first to one hundredth: two hundred Dao merits!

One hundred first to two hundredth: one hundred Dao merits!

Two hundred first to three hundredth: fifty Dao merits!]

"One thousand Dao merits?"

Lu He's breathing abruptly caught.

Even in the state of the Immaculate Heart Ape.

A tempestuous sea still surged uncontrollably within his heart.

A lower-grade Qi Consumption method cost fewer than ten Dao merits, while one thousand Dao merits... perhaps it would even be enough to exchange for an upper-grade Qi Consumption method?

Magical artifacts, treasures—he could buy them all.

Huff—

After taking several deep breaths in succession.

Lu He gradually calmed down, then shifted his gaze toward the very top of the golden ranking.

[First, Zhang Daosi (Eighteenth Demon Pass)]

[Second, Yuan Xia (Sixteenth Demon Pass)]

...

[Tenth, Gu Yunyao (Fifteenth Demon Pass)]

...

Staring at the glaring label of "Fifteenth Demon Pass" behind the tenth-ranked name.

Lu He was slightly dazed.

At that moment, no matter how well-mannered he was, he could not help cursing inwardly.

The gap between them... was truly too vast, so vast that Lu He could not even summon the slightest thought of competing with them for now.

"Gu Yunyao... could she be that Senior Sister Gu from the Inner Garden?"

Lu He murmured, recalling what Qin Lie had just said.

"The fifteenth Demon Pass, and they still have to clear out Demon Race cultivators below the third level of Qi Consumption... could these people have already reached the fourth level of Qi Consumption, or even higher?"

Time trickled by.

Within the Heavenly Craft Tower of the Void Mirage Realm.

Five enormous, indistinct counters stood inside, each inscribed in Dao script: [Magical Artifacts], [Talismans], [Pills], [Formations], and [Miscellaneous].

At this moment, Lu He stood ramrod-straight before the [Miscellaneous] counter, his gaze full of anticipation, as though searching for something.

At a certain moment.

"Found it!"

He stared fixedly at a jade slip before him:

[Spirit Gold, a foundational material for refining magical artifacts. No attribute restriction. Price: five jin per Dao merit.]

"One Dao merit buys five jin. Upgrading the Myriad-Dharma Marvelous-Insight Treasure Wheel to the second layer requires one thousand jin each of the five elemental spirit golds, which means... one thousand Dao merits!"

After doing the simple calculation.

Lu He's expression could not help turning stiff.

After a long while.

"Hot tofu cannot be eaten in haste. I'll take it slow from now on; there will come a day when I gather it all."

He turned away and muttered to himself, as if comforting himself.

The next instant.

Dense mist rolled, and Lu He appeared at the entrance to the Void Mirage Realm.

The Heavenly Craft Tower was the last stone archway he had entered. He had already visited the other four—the Dao Merit Tower, Dao Canon Tower, Dao Combat Platform, and Dao Demonstration Platform.

The Dao Merit Tower was the simplest of them all, containing hundreds upon thousands of Dao merit missions.

But those missions either required a team, had requirements for one's progress through the Ancient Demon Pass, or consumed an enormous amount of time.

Thus, Lu He merely looked through them and did not accept any.

The Dao Canon Tower, meanwhile, contained all manner of inherited spells.

The Dao Combat Platform, as its name implied, allowed one to spar in Dao combat with other seeds after entering.

However, entering cost one Dao merit.

The Dao Demonstration Platform was a place for practicing spells, and it was entirely free!

He especially liked that point.

In the main hall of his cave abode.

Lu He lay sprawled across the table, beginning to plan out his second talent Dao diagram.

"The magical artifacts, pills, formations, and talismans sold in the Heavenly Craft Tower are all incomparably expensive. Just as Senior Brother Jin said that day, if I can master any one of them, I'll surely earn Dao merits faster than by simply hunting Demon Race cultivators!"

"Pill refining, artifact refining, and formations are out of the question for now. The upfront costs are too high, so—"

"Talisman making!"

Lu He's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Making talismans was good. Their prices were not low, and they were consumed quickly as well.

Especially in the future, when everyone was desperately hunting Demon Race cultivators for Dao merits, they would definitely be in high demand.

The key was that he had just seen in the Heavenly Craft Tower that the blank talisman paper and spirit ink required for talisman making were not expensive.

The only costly things were the talisman-making inheritance and the magical artifact talisman brush...

"Those two together will cost at least over a hundred Dao merits. I still need to first take on some Dao merit missions, or go out and hunt Demon Race cultivators to save up."

"However, sharpening the knife does not delay the cutting of firewood. I should first cultivate the Layered-Origin Tide Breath-Absorption Method to the beginner level, then cultivate the two spells... no, three spells to the proficient realm before anything else."

Just then.

Bang bang!

The door of the cave abode was suddenly knocked upon, followed by a gentle voice from outside.

"Is Junior Brother Lu here?"

Hearing this.

"So he arrived this quickly?"

Lu He hurried toward the cave abode's entrance, pouring the dharma power from his dantian into the command talisman in his palm as he walked.

Rumble—

The cave abode's doors swiftly opened.

Outside stood a man in azure robes, a flying sword beneath his feet, who had evidently been waiting for some time.

Upon seeing Lu He.

The man waved one hand, and two streaks of spiritual light immediately flew from his sleeve, landing gently in Lu He's hands and transforming into a jade slip and three bottles of spirit pills.

"Junior Brother Lu, here is the Wave-Treading Body-Escape Art you purchased in the Void Mirage Realm, along with three bottles of Azure Water Essence Pills. Senior Brother has delivered them."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Lu He put away the jade slip and pills, then cupped his hands in thanks.

At this, the man waved his hand and replied with a smile:

"You're too polite. Delivery is free according to the rules this time, but next time, one Dao merit will be charged. I hope Junior Brother takes note."