The Correct Use of Merits

"Below the Saint, all are ants."

Gu Changqing spoke these words not only for Di Xin but also for himself.

Leading the Investiture of the Gods meant that the ultimate opponents would always be the Saints.

Given Tong Tian's nature, relying on him was impossible.

"Is there a Secluded Room in the mansion? I wish to enter seclusion."

Gu Changqing asked Wen Zhong.

"Yes," Wen Zhong replied. "Junior Martial Uncle, please follow me."

Wen Zhong led Gu Changqing to a Secret Chamber, then went to prepare for the military expedition.

Inside the Secret Chamber, Gu Changqing sat in deep thought.

Wen Zhong had not yet left Chaoge, meaning there was still some time before the true Investiture of the Gods began.

During this interim period, various factions would emerge, and Chaoge would become a chaotic mess.

However, in the early stages, the various sects wouldn't send many high-level experts.

Di Xin already possessed the cultivation of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and he had the Kongtong Seal and the Human Emperor Sword, two supreme treasures. As long as he didn't stray, he should be able to maintain control.

It was also time for him to seize the opportunity to improve his own strength.

Gu Changqing sat cross-legged. He was already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, so taking pills was no longer effective.

Cultivation could only rely on self-Enlightenment.

He had been studying the Primordial Creation True Scripture for many years but had never grasped its method.

He knew every single character, but when put together, they made no sense.

At this moment, Gu Changqing possessed numerous treasures and immeasurable Merits, as well as an extraordinary text like the Primordial Creation True Scripture. Yet, his own comprehension was truly lacking.

One could say he had a mountain of treasures but no way to enter it.

After much contemplation, a flash of insight suddenly struck Gu Changqing, and he recalled a legend.

It was said that burning Merits could enhance one's cultivation.

Gu Changqing acted on the thought immediately, drawing out Merits and beginning to burn them.

As the power of Merits burned, his mind became clear.

When he resumed comprehending the Primordial Creation True Scripture, it began to flow smoothly.

This is...

Enlightenment!

So Merits had such a wondrous use!

A million Merits burned away in less than a day, equivalent to burning a Mid-Grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure.

So that's how it was!

Merits couldn't directly transform into cultivation; they could only aid in Enlightenment.

"Heh! Who said that?"

At this moment, the system's voice echoed in his mind.

"A hundred billion Merits can be directly transformed into a Merit Saint."

What?

Gu Changqing was slightly stunned. I currently have over one hundred and sixty billion Merits.

Doesn't that mean I can immediately become a Saint?

"How about it? Do you want to transform?"

When Gu Changqing heard the system prompt again, he suddenly shivered.

The system was a cheat, no doubt!

But even with a cheat, it was impossible to ascend to heaven in one step.

There was something fishy going on!

Gu Changqing asked, "Will becoming a Merit Saint have any side effects?"

"There are no side effects, but becoming a Merit Saint will cut off your path to Proving the Dao."

"The Heavenly Dao is immortal, and Saints are immortal, but the Heavenly Dao is not eternal either."

This...

Hearing the system's words, Gu Changqing abandoned the idea of becoming a Merit Saint.

"Below the Saint, all are ants" sounded awe-inspiring, but in reality, Saints were merely chess pieces of the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Dao used the Saints as chess pieces, and the Saints used all living beings as pawns!

He decided to continue burning Merits and cultivating on his own!

After comprehending the Primordial Creation True Scripture, Gu Changqing realized that Tong Tian hadn't lied to him.

While the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill and the Limitless Creation Pill had no side effects, they did indeed make one's foundation unstable.

Gu Changqing immediately re-cultivated, and after six months, his cultivation returned to the early Great Luo Golden Immortal stage.

Burning Merits could indeed put someone in a state of Enlightenment, but it was truly expensive!

Although his foundation was now solid, he had lost 180 million Merits.

In the Primordial World, who could be as extravagant as Gu Changqing?

180 million was an astronomical figure to others.

But for Gu Changqing, it was just a drop in the bucket.

Cultivating as a Great Luo Golden Immortal was even harder to advance.

"Increase it tenfold!"

At this moment, Gu Changqing was enveloped by the Merit Sacred Fire.

The cultivation of a Great Luo Golden Immortal had clear pathways, but...

"It's still not enough!"

"Increase it tenfold again!"

The Merit Sacred Fire burned furiously, and Gu Changqing's mind was clearer than ever, making his cultivation flow like water.

Currently, Gu Changqing's cultivation consumed hundreds of millions of Merits every day.

This was also why Gu Changqing cultivated in the Secret Chamber of the Grand Tutor's Mansion; if he had done this in Biyou Palace, Tong Tian would have slapped him dead long ago.

It's too damn wasteful!

It's too damn extravagant!

As a Saint, even he wouldn't dare to play like this!

Cultivation knew no time, and in the blink of an eye, three years passed.

Gu Changqing emerged from seclusion.

By now, he had reached Great Luo Peak, just one step away from Primordial Golden Immortal.

The Primordial Creation True Scripture followed the path of Proving the Dao of Mixed Origin by force. The initial stages were consistent with other immortal cultivation paths, but the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage was the watershed.

The immortal cultivation method passed down by Hongjun involved severing the Three Corpses after reaching the Great Luo stage.

Severing one corpse made one a Quasi-Saint, two corpses made one a mid-stage Quasi-Saint, and three corpses made one a late-stage Quasi-Saint. If the Three Corpses merged with the Dao, one would reach the peak Quasi-Saint stage.

Successful merging with the Dao meant Proving the Dao of Mixed Origin, or instantly becoming a Saint.

After becoming a Saint, there were further distinctions: Initial Saint, Heavenly Dao Saint, and Great Dao Saint.

Gu Changqing had doubts about this system because there were only a few Merit Saints in the Primordial World, but not a single Mixed Origin Great Luo Golden Immortal.

After the Six Saints, apart from Houtu, no new Saints appeared until the advent of the Age of Dharma Decline.

The Primordial Creation True Scripture was different. After Great Luo Golden Immortal, one progressed to Primordial Golden Immortal.

Primordial Golden Immortal was a process of refining laws. There were no early, mid, or late stages; once the Law Body was complete, one Proved the Dao of Mixed Origin.

Above Primal Chaos were Primordial Taiji Great Luo Golden Immortal, Primordial Taisu Great Luo Golden Immortal...

These were too far off, and Gu Changqing didn't think much about them.

Although his cultivation had reached Great Luo Peak, he had expended a hundred billion Merits.

He still had five or six hundred billion left, which wasn't enough to sustain further seclusion; he always needed to keep some pocket money.

Feeling the solid foundation and explosive power within him, Gu Changqing secretly smiled.

Now this is what you call immortal cultivation!

If he encountered the Chan Sect Twelve Immortals again, he could suppress them with a flick of his hand, even without using magic treasures!

A hundred billion Merits, well worth the cost!

Gu Changqing's divine sense swept through the area. Wen Zhong was not in the mansion, having clearly already set out for the North Sea.

Chaoge City was no longer as prosperous as before. Disciples from the Western Sect, Chan Sect, and Human Sect, among the Three Sects, had begun to fully infiltrate Chaoge.

The once-thriving Chaoge had been ruined by the disciples of the Three Sects, becoming a murky, ghost-ridden place.

What has Di Xin been doing?

Gu Changqing frowned slightly, only to see Di Xin also emerge from seclusion.

This kid!

Clearly, Di Xin had also been in seclusion cultivating these past three years, not managing state affairs.

Di Xin, like him, had re-cultivated once, and his cultivation had stabilized at the mid-Great Luo stage.

Mid-Great Luo?

This kid is quite monstrous!

He was a cultivation genius who just happened to be sidetracked by being a king!

This guy didn't have any Merits to burn!

After Di Xin emerged from his seclusion, he infused all of his Body Protecting True Dragon Qi into the Luck Golden Dragon.

The Luck Golden Dragon, which had been somewhat unstable, solidified once more.

Now that he was a mid-stage Great Luo expert, he no longer needed the True Dragon Qi for protection.

After completing this, Di Xin didn't rush to handle state affairs. Instead, he went straight to the Grand Tutor's Mansion.

"Your disciple, Zi Shou, requests an audience with Master!"

Di Xin knelt before the entrance of Gu Changqing's Secret Chamber.