Allocating points

After hearing the shopkeeper's words, Qu Zan said, "I don't know anything about that. They just caught my eye."

Yet something stirred in his mind. The antiques containing essence had all come from the Vast Sea.

Was this a coincidence? Or did their richness in essence have something to do with their location?

The shopkeeper said, "The desert is extremely dry, with very little moisture, so there's almost no mold or insect damage. That's why antiques from the desert are always in excellent condition. Besides, their surfaces are coated in fine sand and alkaline frost. A gentle wipe reveals the original bronze color..."

Having made a sale right off the bat, the shopkeeper was in an excellent mood and explained a good deal to Qu Zan.

"The alkaline frost hasn't even been wiped clean from these two pieces, which means they were only recently unearthed!" the shopkeeper said with a smile. "You might even be their very first owner!" He gave his buyer all the emotional gratification he could want.

"I have a few more antiques like these. Would you like them?" the shopkeeper asked cheerfully. He wanted to sell a few more.

"Maybe next time," Qu Zan said.

He still had twenty-odd taels of secret silver in his pocket, but he was also thinking of finding his younger sister a better place to live.

After picking up the two antiques, Qu Zan parted ways with Namkha and headed straight back to his monastic quarters.

It was already midnight when he returned to his room.

He shut the door, made sure there were no outsiders nearby, then took out the two antiques and eagerly placed his hand on them.

[You have touched fortune essence. Absorb it?]

Qu Zan chose to absorb it.

An invisible, formless substance flowed into Qu Zan's body through his fingertips.

[Fortune essence +1.6]

"So much!" Qu Zan could scarcely believe his eyes. Most of the essence he had absorbed before had amounted to less than 1, yet this time there was so much.

The sight filled his heart with joy.

After he absorbed the fortune essence from the other antique:

[Fortune essence +1.2]

Together with what he had left over, his available points now totaled 3.4.

[Name: Qu Zan]

[Body: 2.4]

[Consciousness: 2.7]

[Available points: 3.4]

[Talents:

Extensive Learning lv2 Progress 12%

Patience lv2 Progress 20%

Giving lv1 Progress 1%]

[Methods:

Lion's Roar Heart Mantra lv1 Progress 10%

Sun Salutation lv1 Progress 12%

Pain Reduction lv1 Progress 1%]

His available points this time exceeded either of his two existing attributes.

How should I allocate them? Qu Zan looked over the panel.

Both body and consciousness were important-the palm and the back of the hand were both flesh. Besides, upgrading his [Patience] talent to lv3 would activate an associated ability, [Patience · Unmoving Radiance].

"All three are important." The 3.4 available points seemed like a lot, but they were still far too few.

He chose the safe approach and increased all three.

The body was the foundation...

[Body: 2.4] → [Body: 3.6]

A warm current poured into his body. Qu Zan felt as though his life force had been set ablaze, and vigorous vitality burst forth from within him.

His constitution underwent a transformation, his blood and vital energy flourished, and his strength surged. He felt as though he had inexhaustible power.

He gave a light leap and found his body incredibly nimble. Hopping back and forth in the small room, he felt that his strength, jumping ability, and explosive power had all improved.

When he took off his monk's robe, he discovered that his muscles were more sharply defined, full and firm.

After increasing his body, he continued by increasing his consciousness.

Not only did his fleshly shell need to transform, but his spirit also needed to ascend.

[Consciousness: 2.7] → [Consciousness: 3.8]

After this increase, his mind felt cool and refreshed, and his mental state became incomparably clear. As his consciousness grew stronger, he felt his control over his body's movements improve as well.

The weariness previously hidden deep within his sea of consciousness was swept away.

With his stronger consciousness, he could gather his thoughts and focus more quickly.

Qu Zan invested all the remaining 1.1 points in Patience.

Its progress jumped by a large margin.

[Patience lv2 Progress 20%] → [Patience lv2 Progress 56%]

"Still about halfway to the next level!"

I still need to save money and hunt down essence, Qu Zan thought.

There's nowhere near enough essence to spend, Qu Zan sighed inwardly.

He tallied his possessions: twenty-seven taels of secret silver, a One-Eyed Dzi Bead, a gemstone ring, the two antiques he had bought today, and a large brick of tea.

Those latter items could all be exchanged for money. He might have to sell them at a discount, but they still had value.

The next day, Rusu even asked Qu Zan why he had not practiced at the Consort Wisdom Court. He said he was not interested in that sort of thing and declined.

Qu Zan spent the next few days studying as usual.

"Tomorrow's our day off. Are you ready to learn the Yoga Method?" Doje asked excitedly over dinner.

Qu Zan frowned. "How come you're more enthusiastic about teaching than I am about learning?"

"Am I? Maybe I'm just too eager to help others," Doje said with a chuckle. "You've always been the one helping me. I suppose I want to repay the favor sooner."

"I think you just can't wait to see me struggle while I'm learning," Qu Zan said calmly.

With his thoughts exposed in a single sentence, Doje grinned. "Of course not. How could I be that petty? The Yoga Method is quite difficult. When you're cultivating, obstacles are inevitable.

"Practicing the Yoga Method has plenty of benefits. It opens the chakras, harmonizes your vital energy, drives out cold and illness, and slows aging! Besides, I've learned a set of fist techniques. Combined with it, they're pretty powerful!"

"Good. I've been wanting to test myself against you anyway!" Qu Zan's body was now at 3.6, but he still did not know what level that put him at.

It would be a good opportunity to spar with Doje.

"What abilities do you get from practicing the Yoga Method?"

Doje lowered his voice. "Practicing the Yoga Method puts the Seventy-Two Thousand Channels within your body in order, unleashing the life force hidden inside. It's a profound method that mobilizes your life energy, nurtures the energy within your channels, and lets you attain Buddhahood in the flesh!"

"Combined with techniques for fighting an enemy directly, killing tigers and leopards barehanded isn't impossible! Still, it lacks the supernatural ritual abilities that the Scholar Monk lineage can master. My Lama said that once you reach its deeper levels and master Mahamudra, you'll be no less capable than a Scholar Monk."

Within the Corpse Camel Temple, Warrior Monks held lower status than Scholar Monks. Scholar Monks commanded Vengeful Ghost Control, all manner of rituals, and mysterious supernatural abilities. That did not mean Warrior Monks were inferior to Scholar Monks.

In a real fight to the death at close range, Scholar Monks were still flesh and blood. They would still die if their necks were broken.

That was also why Qu Zan wanted to learn the Warrior Monk Dharma Method.

For others, learning too much meant biting off more than they could chew. For Qu Zan, the more, the better.

"I need to go home tomorrow. The weather's getting colder, and I want to find my younger sister a warmer place to live. I'll learn from you when I get back in the afternoon," Qu Zan said.

"Looking for a place?" Doje nodded in agreement. "It'll start snowing before long. You really should hurry!

"Do you have enough money? If not, I can give you a few taels. Earlier, when the senior brothers in my court were sparring, I won two matches and earned a little prize money."

As he spoke, Doje took secret silver coins from the cloth pouch at his waist and offered them to Qu Zan.

Qu Zan shook his head. "Not for now. If I need any, I'll ask you."

Doje nodded. "All right. We're brothers for life. If you're short of money, just tell me," he said with considerable generosity.

As Qu Zan walked out of the dining hall, Rinchen approached from the opposite direction.

Qu Zan and Doje pressed their palms together and greeted him.

Rinchen nodded in return and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Gyatso, are you taking part in the Courtyard Competition Dharma Assembly?"

Qu Zan nodded. "Scripture Master Huode thinks highly of me and recommended me for the Dharma Assembly. I've also been studying scripture with him."

"Are you confident you can make the top ten?" Rinchen asked.

"I'll do everything I can!" Qu Zan answered honestly.

Rinchen lowered his voice. "Do your best. Quite a few Lamas and Venerables will be attending this Dharma Assembly. If you astonish everyone with a single feat, some High Monk might take notice and accept you as a disciple. Then receiving Empowerment and gaining extraordinary power wouldn't be impossible!"

"Thank you for the encouragement, Senior Brother," Qu Zan said gratefully.

After finishing his meal, Qu Zan continued studying Scripture with Huo De Lama until late into the night.

Qu Zan rose before dawn and left early.