Merit

Biodata

Power Progression

System Functionality

Merit Acquisition

Merit is awarded for acts the panel judges to be righteous, corrective, or socially beneficial. Its judgments may be unusually phrased and do not always align with Zhao Zhi’s understanding of events. 1 2 6

Martial-Art Enhancement

The panel can consume Merit to instantly raise a known martial art. Each upgrade supplies Zhao with extensive cultivation memories and the corresponding immediate improvement in strength, inner qi, or technical mastery. 4 6 19 25

• Standard Xiantian arts can be raised through successive costs of 50, 50, 100, and 100 Merit from Entry to Completion. 19 32
• Incomplete higher-order arts such as the True Martial Mountain-Suppressing Technique and Little Spring Technique require 300 Merit for initiation and minor mastery, then 600 each for major mastery and perfection. 32 39
• The Incomplete Little Netherworld Sword also requires 300 Merit per early advancement, reflecting its exceptional rank and destructive power. 25
• The panel can develop a cultivation method that Zhao cannot safely understand through ordinary practice, as shown by the initial activation of Innate Unity Qi Technique. 4

Identification and Evaluation

The panel identifies martial arts, supernatural beings, and certain moral qualities that Zhao could not otherwise immediately recognize.

• It identifies the damaged stone stele beneath Flying Cloud Stronghold as the Incomplete Little Netherworld Sword. 25
• It classifies Iron Horse Manor’s blood-eyed guards as “inhuman,” granting Merit for their deaths. 16
• It identifies Lu Guangyi’s beast-hide manuscript as the incomplete Little Spring Technique. 39
• It distinguishes the entities at Liang Family Village as Malevolent Entity Auras rather than ordinary travelers. 42

Technique Fusion and Evolution

Merit is not limited to improving existing arts. It can merge compatible methods and evolve them into new cultivation systems.

• Zhao fuses the True Martial Mountain-Suppressing Technique with the Little Spring Technique, Innate Unity Qi Technique, Iron Horse Grounding Stance, and other internal arts to create the Modified True Martial Mountain-Suppressing Technique. 41
• The fused art is then upgraded into Primordial Unity True Art: Foundation Establishment, producing Primordial Unity Inner Force. 42
• Using the Innate Qi Transformation Technique as a template, the panel further evolves it into Primordial Unity True Art: Meridian Opening—Remnant. Its incomplete result reflects Zhao’s lack of additional Meridian Opening methods to draw upon. 50

History

The Merit Panel manifests shortly after Zhao Zhi awakens in the body of a Qingfeng County constable. It initially displays his two beginner martial arts, a reserve of 50 Merit, and its core rule: virtuous deeds generate Merit, which can raise martial-arts realms. 1

Its first use allows Zhao to perfect Seizing Hand in the middle of a lethal confrontation, immediately changing the balance of power against Zhang Er and Li Qingchang. The panel thereafter becomes the foundation of Zhao’s rapid rise from a blue-clad constable into a major martial figure. 1 2

As Zhao confronts gangs, corrupt officials, great families, bandit strongholds, and supernatural threats, Merit rewards become increasingly large. The system’s scope also becomes clearer: it rewards not only direct rescues and punishments, but dismantling criminal organizations, correcting abusive conduct, and charity undertaken under Zhao’s influence. 9 13 31 40

After Zhao acquires several incompatible inner-qi methods, the panel demonstrates a more advanced function by fusing them into a unified art. This eventually produces the Primordial Unity True Art and enables Zhao to enter the Meridian Opening Realm through a self-created, though incomplete, cultivation path. 41 42 50

Limitations

• Merit is finite and must be accumulated before the panel can enhance, fuse, or evolve martial arts. 4 40
• Reward values are not transparent or predictable; Zhao notes that the panel’s judgments can be subjective. 6
• The panel cannot remove every danger created by rapid advancement. The Little Netherworld Sword still places severe strain on Zhao’s meridians and consumes immense inner qi. 29 31
• The quality of a created technique depends on the source material available. With only one Meridian Opening technique as a template, Zhao’s Meridian Opening Primordial Unity True Art remains a remnant rather than a complete method. 50
• Multiple internal cultivation methods can destabilize one another until they are fused or otherwise reconciled. 19 39 40

Trivia

• The panel’s first recorded reward is already present when Zhao awakens; he is unsure whether the 50 Merit came from his river rescue or from the original body’s prior actions. 1
• The panel can be observed and activated through Zhao’s consciousness without him opening his eyes. 41
• Its notifications often frame violent justice in absurdly polite language, including describing the rescue of an assaulted girl as “completely rescuing a man addicted to lust.” 1
• No independent voice, personality, or direct communication from the Merit Panel has been shown.