Those who can sit at the same table and drink with Leng Qianshuang are either direct descendants of the Sacred Court or top geniuses of a certain region, and they are probably all Sage- level powerhouses.
However, in this market, the aura of Sage emanating from them dissipated, and they looked no different from ordinary cultivators.
This is also a protection that the rules of the Saint Realm provide for lower-level cultivators.
Otherwise, if several powerful figures were to enter, wouldn't they be able to do whatever they wanted, thus defeating the original purpose of creating the Saint Realm?
Several people's eyes simultaneously fell on Han Xuanji, some with curiosity.
"I've long admired your name."
Su Ye spoke first, nodding slightly, his tone calm yet polite.
"I was on a mission in the outer realms on the day of the disciple-acceptance ceremony and was unable to witness Junior Brother Han's talent in person. Seeing him today, he is indeed a man of exceptional appearance."
"Senior Brother Su, you flatter me."
Han Xuanji returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, her demeanor composed.
Hong Ling's gaze was even more direct; she looked him up and down several times, then suddenly laughed:
" Qianshuang, your junior brother seems quite promising, but I wonder how skilled he is. At the Saint Realm, a deep foundation alone isn't enough."
You'll see when the time comes.
Leng Qianshuang replied indifferently, then pointed to the seat next to her, indicating that Han Xuanji should sit down.
After Han Xuanji took his seat, Leng Qianshuang continued speaking:
"This tavern is owned by a friend of mine."
Han Xuanji nodded.
Opening a tavern in this Saint Realm requires a considerable amount of points just for renting the space.
Here, points can be redeemed for almost anything you can imagine.
The quotas for access to Law Treasure, Cultivation Method, elixirs, intelligence, and places of inheritance include this cup of wine.
She swirled the wine in her glass.
"Therefore, the first thing everyone who enters the Saint Realm should do is learn how to earn points, and the second thing is to learn how to spend them."
Han Xuanji nodded, recalling that he had only scored 0.1 points for killing the Thunderhorn Deer, and couldn't help but sigh:
"I killed a Thunderhorn Deer on my way here. Its strength was similar to mine, and I only gave it 0.1 points after killing it."
At this rate, it would take forever to reach a place where the tradition is passed down through generations.
Upon hearing this, the people at the table exchanged knowing glances.
Wen Ruyu put down her wine cup and chuckled softly:
"Junior Brother Han, you may not know this, but when I first entered the Saint Realm, I spent my days hunting ordinary secret realm creatures. But when I looked at my token, it was only worth ten points."
His smile didn't contain any mockery, but rather a hint of teasing.
"This Saint Realm place is meant to torment people."
Leng Qianshuang took over the conversation, her tone more serious than when she was explaining the rules.
"The area you descended into is a normal area, where the strength of the beings there does not exceed that of Eternal True Lord Perfection at the peak, and there are ordinary species and Variant."
Ordinary species are like the Thunderhorn Deer you killed; their strength is mediocre, and they give you pitifully few points.
But the Variant are different. Variant are mutated creatures born from the Principle the Saint Realm, each with unique talents and abilities, and their combat power far exceeds that of others of the same level.
In the outside world, with your talent and Law Treasure, fighting against opponents of higher levels wouldn't be difficult at all.
But here, your physical body is flattened, and you can't bring in any Law Treasure. All you can rely on are your combat skills and understanding of the Principle.
In this situation, even dealing with the weakest of the Variant is not easy.
She paused, seemingly wanting Han Xuanji to understand the difficulty, and then added:
"Furthermore, Variant creatures cannot be attacked in groups. The rules of the Saint Realm require that you must fight Variant alone. You won't get points if you try to gang up on them."
"Many people come in and find they can't handle the level of difficulty, so they quit after a few days."
Su Ye added, his tone flat, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary:
"Those who can stay in this Saint Realm for long-term cultivation must at least be people with some skill in combat."
Listening to their explanation, Han Xuanji gained a more comprehensive understanding of the overall rules of the Saint Realm. Without beating around the bush, he asked frankly:
Is there a quick way to earn points?
The question was so direct that everyone at the table was slightly taken aback.
Hong Ling was the first to react, bursting into laughter, her spirited eyes curving into crescent moons.
"Junior Brother Han, many people have asked this question, but I've never seen anyone as blunt as you."
Su Ye and Wen Ruyu exchanged a glance and couldn't help but shake their heads, though a smile remained on their lips.
It wasn't that I thought Han Xuanji was reckless, but rather that I found this legendary disciple of the Holy Lord to be quite interesting.
Leng Qianshuang remained calm, clearly already accustomed to her junior brother's style of doing things—unconventional, straightforward, and often acting on impulse.
She downed the wine in her glass in one gulp, then set it down and said calmly:
"Yes, the most direct way is to challenge the Variant and complete achievement tasks."
The points reward for Variant is dozens or even hundreds of times that of ordinary species. Combined with the extra rewards from the Achievement System, the efficiency is far greater than farming ordinary species.
She paused, met Han Xuanji's gaze, and added:
"Alternatively, you can have someone gift you points. Points can be freely transferred between acquaintances and friends."
Upon hearing this, Han Xuanji glanced at Leng Qianshuang.
For a fleeting moment, he did want to say, "Senior sister, I don't want to work hard anymore."
But before the thought could reach his lips, he swallowed it back.
Although Leng Qianshuang is Sage, he must have a lot of points, but his relationship with this senior sister is not yet at the point where he can casually ask her for things.
Moreover, given his personality, owing favors is more troublesome than owing points.
Han Xuanji really didn't want to waste time grinding for points.
Moving bricks is out of the question.
The original design of this Saint Realm was to hone the combat skills and understanding of the Principle of the trial participants, which were his strengths to begin with.
It's not that he can't do it, but that it's unnecessary.
But he couldn't bring himself to directly ask Leng Qianshuang for points.
Although they were from the same sect, they hadn't spent much time together. For the past five hundred years, he had been in seclusion, and his interactions with this senior sister were few and far between.
The relationship hasn't reached the point where I can comfortably ask for things.
He suddenly thought of a compromise.
If asking directly doesn't work, how about borrowing?
The difference between lending and giving directly lies in...
Borrowed items must be returned.
And he happens to have the financial means to repay it.
Before coming to the Nine Mysteries Saint Realm, the information he consulted in the Scripture Hall clearly stated that "clearing" the Inheritance Grounds within the Saint Realm would also grant a large number of points as a reward.
"Clearing the level" naturally refers to taking the inheritance; the first person to clear the level receives a higher reward.
The Ten Directions Holy Lord's Inheritance Site, which was opened this time, had never had its most crucial core inheritance taken before, so the first-time completion reward alone was as high as 30,000 points.
If he can secure the inheritance, he'll have more than enough points to repay the debt.
As for whether he could pass the level, Han Xuanji felt it wouldn't be a big problem.
Just checking in should break the deadlock.
He was about to speak when Leng Qianshuang spoke first.
I have some extra points I can lend you.