Deng Qing asked, "Can these Merit Voucher be retrieved?"
"Of course. How much do you want?"
"Take one hundred first."
The young man nodded, took the bracelet, stuck it to the jade pendant, then pointed out one hundred Merit Voucher and handed them over.
After Deng Qing checked it, he stuffed it into his Waist Pouch.
He checked his bracelet and found that the number of Merit Voucher inside had indeed increased to four thousand nine.
He put on the bracelet, thanked the young man, slung his bag over his shoulder, and was about to leave when the young man spoke again, "Officer Deng, if you're not in a hurry, could you stay a moment and we could have a chat?"
Deng Qing had an idea. As a newcomer, he wanted to know more about what was going on in the institute, so he was more than happy to do so.
He cupped his hands and said, "Very well, may I ask your honorable name, sir?"
The young man smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "My surname is Huang, and my given name is Yu, the Yu of beautiful jade."
As he spoke, he pointed to the west side of the Merit Reward Hall, where a place was set up for resting and drinking tea.
The two went over and found a quiet table to sit down.
"Kunpeng Drink, two cups, please."
Huang Yu gave instructions to the approaching attendant.
The waiter whispered, "Thank you, one Merit Voucher."
Huang Yu reached for his waist, and Deng Qing pulled out a Merit Voucher and handed it to him.
He's eager to make friends, so he won't be stingy!
Huang Yu gave him a thumbs up, "Brother Deng is magnanimous."
Deng Qing waved his hand, "Brother Huang, you're too kind. I wonder what you have to say about keeping me here?"
Just as Huang Yu was about to reply, the waiter brought over two white porcelain cups.
The cup contained a light blue-green drink, and even before tasting it, a delicate fragrance reminiscent of lotus leaves wafted into the nose.
Deng Qing picked up the cup and took a sip.
It has a slightly cool and astringent taste upon entry, but a sweet aftertaste emerges after swallowing.
Huang Yu smiled and said, "This Kunpeng Drink is refreshing, replenishes Qi-Blood, and tastes good. It contains some refined tonics, so drinking a cup is very beneficial."
Deng Qing, sensing the changes in his abdomen, asked, "Has Wasteland Blood been mixed into this?"
Huang Yu gave a thumbs up again, "Brother Deng has a good eye. This is the research result of the Central Martial Dao Lower Court. It allows people to drink the prepared Wasteland Blood directly, which is a great innovation. The research team that studied this topic received a huge reward."
Deng Qing nodded, "It's indeed not simple." He himself was an expert in playing with blood, and he knew all too well how difficult it was.
Deng Qing said, "Brother Huang, did you stop me because you have something to tell me?"
Huang Yu waved his hand. "I dare not presume to offer guidance. Firstly, I find you familiar; secondly, I am simply curious."
Deng Qing smiled and said, "I'm certain this is our first meeting."
Huang Yu carefully examined Deng Qing, then suddenly her eyes lit up, "I remember now!"
Deng Qing looked at him while holding her cup.
Huang Yu pointed at him and whispered, "You are Brother Sincerity!"
"Last time in the Liangshan Desolate Soil, to protect those Martial Exam Student, you led a large group of Wasteland Beast away and even recorded the scene with Image Recording Needle, wasn't that you?"
Deng Qing was taken aback, then realized what he meant, "That's true."
"I knew I'd seen you somewhere before!"
Huang Yu said in a low voice, "That video was played in the courtyard for many days. The head of the courtyard even gave a special talk, telling everyone to learn from your childlike heart and to take responsibility when things happen."
Later, when people talked about this, they called you Brother Sincerity. For a while, that name spread quite widely.
Deng Qing chuckled, but couldn't help feeling smug. This was top-tier publicity; it hadn't been in vain that he had directed this project.
After exchanging a few polite words, Deng Qing Huang Yu said, "Brother Deng is quite something. I've never heard of anyone whose name has reached the level of an academy head."
You're exaggerating.
Deng Qing cupped his hands in greeting, "But I wonder what Brother Huang means by curiosity?"
Huang Yu said, "What I'm curious about is, Brother Deng, why are you only arriving now? That's far too late."
Deng Qing put down her cup. "Why is it so late?"
"Your Military Selection Aide for this round of martial arts competition is nearing its end."
What are you settling the accounts for?
Deng Qing had a bad feeling.
"Performance results."
Seeing his blank expression, Huang Yu was somewhat surprised. "Brother Deng, you don't even know this?"
Deng Qing shook his head, "Please explain in detail, Brother Huang."
Huang Yu said, " Among the Military Selection Aide, the bottom ten ranked at the end of the settlement period will be eliminated."
Deng Qing's eyes widened. "Elimination? Weren't we already on the list? We're being eliminated even if we're on the list?"
Huang Yu said, "This elimination doesn't mean being removed from the register, but rather being transferred to serve in remote areas. It will be difficult to come back."
Deng Qing quickly grasped the key information, "May I ask, how long until the settlement period?"
Huang Yu said, "It's difficult to handle in less than three months. I think Brother Deng should be more realistic and make plans sooner rather than later." Deng Qing asked, "May I ask what my plans are, Brother Huang?"
He had been trying to figure out why Huang Yu kept him, and he was certain that everything changed after Huang Yu learned that he had five thousand Merit Voucher.
Of course, this does not mean that Huang Yu necessarily has bad intentions.
People naturally like to associate with rich people.
Huang Yu said, "I have acquaintances here. When the settlement is completed, I can help Brother Deng get a better position."
Clearly, he wanted to earn the brokerage fee.
Deng Qing said, "I see. Thank you, Brother Huang."
However, I still intend to take a gamble.
Huang Yu frowned slightly. "That's fine too. Brother Deng can give it a try first."
As he spoke, he prepared to get up.
Deng Qing cupped his hands and said, "Brother Huang, please wait. Since we're discussing business, we can talk about future business later. Let's get the current business done first."
Huang Yu became interested. "What business is there right now?"
Deng Qing said, "I wonder if Brother Huang would be interested in becoming my advisor? In return, I will pay Brother Huang five Merit Voucher per instance."
Although Deng Qing could not be said to have a complete grasp of the value of the Merit Voucher, he already knew quite a bit about them.
For example, Military Selection Aide receives a fixed five Merit Points each month, and one Merit Points can be exchanged for ten Merit Voucher.
In other words, his monthly salary is fifty Merit Voucher.
He offered one-tenth as a consultation fee, which was by no means low.
Sure enough, Huang Yu's eyes lit up. "Brother Deng is so straightforward..."
Before he finished speaking, Deng Qing quietly took out five Merit Voucher, placed them on the table, weighed them down with a water cup, and pushed them over.
Huang Yu glanced around, quickly put the book away, and immediately his smile became much more sincere. "Brother Deng, please ask me anything. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."
Brother Deng, you can also ask around; no one who has interacted with me has a bad reputation.
Of course, anyone who doesn't get along with me eventually finds the reason for their own problems.
Deng Qing said, "Then let's take it slow."
I'd like to know the ranking of our cohort, specifically, what kind of result is eleventh from the bottom?
Huang Yu said, "Brother Deng is straightforward, so I can't be anything less. Let me start from the beginning."
For example, Brother Deng, your official title is Military Selection Aide, but your assignment is Sword Examiner.
Sword Examiner have a fixed monthly task: to accompany students in sword practice. Once they have practiced ten times, their task for the month is considered complete. Of course, even if no one asks them to, it's still considered finished. In short, five Merit Points will be credited to your account each month.
The final ranking in Military Selection Aide is based on the accumulation of Merit Points, not the retention of Merit Points.
It's important to remind you that the 5,000 Merit Voucher in your account are a supplementary reward; they haven't been recorded as corresponding Merit Points and therefore are irrelevant to your performance evaluation.
In addition, you arrived too late, and you're already far behind others in terms of accumulating fixed monthly Merit Points.
Moreover, they also have accumulated Merit Points from their regular tasks.
The latest results update shows that the eleventh-to-last student has accumulated over 240 Merit Points.
It is precisely because the gap is so large that I advised Brother Deng to give up, quickly find a way, and plan for the future.
"Thank you for the suggestion, Brother Huang. I will consider it."
Deng Qing asked, "Where can I see the task list from the Merit Reward Hall?"
It's in your bracelet.
Huang Yu pointed to Deng Qing's wrist, "You just need to focus your mind on it, and you can find it."
Deng Qing did as instructed.
As soon as his thoughts entered the bracelet, lines of text appeared.
After a brief search, he quickly found what he was looking for: trials of Wasteland Iron, analysis of medicinal properties, surveying of earth veins, deduction of cultivation techniques...
A wide variety of things, you name it.
But as he looked on, he realized something was wrong.
Many entries are grayed out, showing only the name, but not the specifics of what is done or how much compensation is given.
He tried to probe the gray text with his mind, but there was no response.
The other green items can be opened by mentally scanning them.
Deng Qing withdrew his thoughts and inquired about the reason.
Huang Yu said, "You don't have enough permissions. The ones you can open are the ones that are appropriate for the tasks you're authorized to perform."
Deng Qing nodded, then focused his mind on the bracelet again, opening each green item.
"Recruit one sparring partner to assist in refining the Swordsmanship."
Deng Qing's spirits lifted; this was a perfect match.
Looking further down, the pay is also good, one Merit Points per day.
He only earns five basic Merit Points per month.
He was secretly delighted, but as he looked further down, the light in his eyes immediately vanished.
The applicant must be from the Furnace Realm.
Deng Qing silently exited the task, scrolled down, and clicked on another one.
This time it's about cultivating wheat seeds, so there are no specific skill requirements.
Deng Qing patiently read on, and soon his eyebrows rose. The task required the hired person to be on duty day and night, not to sleep, and to measure the height of the wheat seedlings every hundred breaths.
Deng Qing read it twice to confirm that she hadn't misread it.
I took a 100-breath reading every time, without sleeping day or night.
Good heavens, at this rate, the wheat seedlings won't even grow tall before they collapse from exhaustion.
He quickly backed out and asked Huang Yu why there was such a bizarre task.
Huang Yu said, "You've only seen a few missions. Once you see more, they won't seem so special anymore."
Deng Qing nodded and said, "I noticed that these tasks were all issued in the name of the respective research groups."
Huang Yu took a sip of his drink and said, "This has to be explained from the beginning. In the early years, the Martial Dao Institute mainly conducted research on Martial Dao. For example, deducing cultivation techniques, improving pill formulas, refining weapons, setting up formations, and so on."
As the Desolate Soil was explored deeper and deeper, people discovered that the "Wasteland Qi " had so many uses.
As she spoke, Huang Yu raised her wrist and pointed to the cup on the table, "For example, the bracelets we wear now and the soups we drink are all the results of the Martial Dao Institute's research on the Desolate Soil."
This means that while the Martial Dao Institute is also conducting Martial Dao research, it will inevitably have to devote a great deal of energy to related research.
To improve efficiency and clarify responsibilities, each research project is the responsibility of its respective research group.
The fees that the Martial Dao Institute provides to each research group are called "Merit Points".
By the way, I must remind you that Merit Points cannot be traded between individuals; only Merit Voucher can be traded.
This means that the only entities issuing the missions can be the Martial Dao Institute and the various research groups.
Deng Qing suddenly realized, picked up his cup and gently clinked it against Huang Yu's, then asked, "Brother Huang, I have another question for you. Where can I obtain the True Condensation Pill?"
He was more concerned about this than how the research group operated.
After all, no matter how much one struggles, improving one's cultivation level is the ultimate goal and fundamental objective.
Huang Yu said, "Speaking of the True Condensation Pill, it's available in the Merit Reward Hall. However, this pill is precious, and Merit Voucher alone are not enough to obtain it."
"You need permission, right?"
In just a short while, Deng Qing experienced the power of authority several times.
Huang Yu smiled, "Exactly!"
To be more specific, in the Merit Reward Hall, only some items can be purchased with Merit Voucher. However, for resources in the core area, purchasing them requires prior authorization.
Leaving aside other people's situations, let's take Brother Deng as an example. You are Military Selection Aide. If Military Selection Aide can be ranked on the monthly Merit Points Increase Ranking, they will be able to obtain the right to purchase a True Condensation Pill.