The Hall Master of the Incense Offering Hall
The messenger reporting the victory has already set off. This is the second day of the great battle. Li Yingqiu is leading the supply train to the front-line military camp, where she will report the battle situation to the abbots and elders.
If this were the real world, Lin Xu would never have been able to expose the situation of Azure Cloud Mountain. Fortunately, NPCs are rigid in their actions; they don't have as many tricks up their sleeves as humans, thinking about how to attack their own people or seize Azure Cloud Cave Abode.
Less than an hour later, the patrolling Evil Eye came to report that a convoy that had gone to transport heavy goods had returned, accompanied by a Daoist priest dressed in purple robes.
"Which elder is it?" Lin Xu thought, his consciousness attaching itself to the Evil Eye, and looked towards the direction of the convoy. He was immediately shocked, "It's actually Daoist Xuanzhen!"
Daoist Xuanzhen was the abbot of Xuanwei Monastery, and Lin Xu dared not be negligent, so he quickly got up to greet him.
"Disciple pays respects to the Abbot!" Lin Xu bowed to the Abbot, who was seated on a cloud.
"Well done." Daoist Xuanzhen nodded, looking at him with a smile. "I heard you killed that ferocious beast. Take me to see the battlefield."
"Yes, Abbot, please." Lin Xu took off on a cloud, and the two quickly flew towards the mountainside.
The battlefield was not yet cleared. The flesh and blood of the underground monsters had been devoured by the Red-Robed Ghosts, but the broken stones and severed vegetation still clearly told the story of yesterday's fierce battle.
To enhance the impact, Lin Xu specifically ordered that the carapace of the Manticore be preserved.
At this moment, the giant beast, which was over thirty meters long, remained in the gruesome state of having fallen from the sky. Its scorched skin and broken, tattered bat wings displayed its ferocity and majesty in life to the visitors.
"That's it! Lin Xu, you did a good job." Daoist Xuanzhen's tone carried a hint of emotion. He was one of the few awakened beings among the Xuanwei Monastery. Although he still lacked emotions, he possessed an independent thinking ability that ordinary NPCs did not have.
Lin Xu did not answer; he stood quietly to the left rear of the Daoist.
Daoist Xuanzhen's gaze swept over the carcass of the Manticore and looked at the large number of monster corpses piled up beside the pit.
These are remnants of yesterday's great battle, and also symbols of Azure Cloud Mountain's achievements.
"You've done a great service this time, what reward do you want?" Daoist Xuanzhen couldn't stop smiling.
If a real boss or superior asked this question, Lin Xu would simply give credit to their superior. However, the NPC wasn't buying it. He stated his intention directly. "Master, this disciple wishes to become the head of the Incense Offering Hall."
Daoist Xuanzhen was not offended. His gaze was fixed on the piles of monster corpses on the battlefield, as if he were doing mental calculations.
After a moment, he nodded. "With your merits, that's enough. True disciple Lin Xu, accept your appointment!"
"Disciple is here!" Lin Xu turned around and bowed before the abbot.
"From this day forward, I hereby appoint you as the head of the Incense Hall, in charge of the incense offerings, merit records, and taxes of the spiritual fields at the Xuanwei Monastery Incense Offering Hall. I bestow upon you a Xuan Jade Seal, a purple robe with cloud patterns, and three volumes of the 'True Explanation of Incense Offerings'." With a slight flick of his sleeve, Daoist Xuanzhen conjured a warm, luminous Xuan Jade Seal and a purple robe with cloud patterns, which then landed steadily in Lin Xu's palm.
With a slight tap of his fingertips, three jade slips shimmering with pale gold runes floated up and slowly disappeared into Lin Xu's brow. In an instant, the profound mysteries of the "True Explanation of Incense Offerings" surged like a tide, countless mysterious seal characters evolved on their own in his sea of consciousness, and the power of the people's wishes poured out like a galaxy in his sea of consciousness.
A moment later, Lin Xu slowly opened his eyes from the echoes in his sea of consciousness, his eyes seemingly containing the profound meaning of the flickering incense and the flow of vows.
"Thank you for your grace, Abbot!" Lin Xu bowed again, the black jade seal in his palm slightly warm, and purple qi aura faintly appearing between the falling sleeves of his robe.
Daoist Xuanzhen looked at him and said, "With the great battle imminent, the promotion ceremony will be postponed for now. You will take up your post directly."
Lin Xu nodded in agreement, his fingertips lightly tracing the raised ancient seal script for "incense" on the black jade seal.
It's done!
There's no need to accumulate merit through weapon crafting anymore; killing enemies is itself a meritorious act.
After completing the Enfeoffment, Daoist Xuanzhen did not linger for a moment and quickly returned to the front-line military camp.
"My lord," Li Yingqiu stepped forward and bowed.
"Well done." Lin Xu nodded in satisfaction, watching the abbot's departing figure and muttering to himself.
It seems the final battle is not far off.
"My lord, what preparations should we make?" Li Yingqiu asked cautiously.
He shook his head. "No rush, I need to go back to the Daoist temple first."
Li Yingqiu hesitated for a moment, her straightforward personality belying this demeanor, which made Lin Xu smile slightly, "Just say what you want to say."
"My lord, I wish to bring the adventure group I was with to Azure Cloud Mountain." She looked at him earnestly. "The development of Azure Cloud Mountain is no simple matter, especially due to the restrictions imposed by the rules of the Spirit Realm. The technology trees of the real world cannot be fully applied here. We must establish a complete trade route in the real world to acquire the resources needed for our territory."
Lin Xu nodded. "Besides buying, there's also selling—resources produced in a territory can also be sold through this channel. Don't worry, just go for it."
Once the Dharma Seed is implanted, she becomes one of our own, so there's no need to worry about her loyalty; her abilities can be cultivated gradually.
"Yes." Li Yingqiu breathed a sigh of relief, but her expression remained somewhat worried. "But sir, why did you send my teammates to Azure Cloud Mountain?"
Lin Xu frowned slightly as he paced on the ground. "I've considered this issue as well... The seed of Dharma Seed is the deepest connection. If adventurers were to relinquish their previous Bond with the Spirit Realm, it might be possible for them to reach Azure Cloud Mountain through this profound connection."
Li Yingqiu's face lit up with joy, but then she shook her head with worry. "The safe houses in the Spirit Realm are the lifeblood of adventurers; no one will easily sever Bond with the past..."
He nodded. "It's quite simple in theory, just use incentives. Once the Dharma Seed is implanted and the Daoist profession is established, I'll also give away a set of magical artifacts. I'm sure there will be plenty of people willing to join. However, the initial experiments must be conducted with caution; only Daoists who have had the Dharma Seed implanted and Divine Aperture have been opened should be allowed to try it."
Lin Xu looked at Li Yingqiu: "I'll go refine a batch of magical artifacts first, and you can take them back and try them out later."
"Yes, sir." Li Yingqiu bowed.
Purple Ribbon and Cloud Pattern Robe, a purple-grade fine magic artifact. When worn, it increases spell resistance by 40%, spiritual strength by 50, mystical deduction by 1, and mana regeneration by 10 per minute.
It comes with a magical Mystic Light Body Protection: it condenses purple qi into a screen to block magical damage; it can conceal the figure and weaken the enemy's mental lock, lasting for five breaths. "I haven't even had a chance to wear this red robe properly before I changed into another one." Lin Xu stroked the sleeve of the purple robe with cloud patterns, and where his fingertips touched, the cloud patterns rippled slightly, as if starlight was wandering between the threads.
Lin Xu's gaze fell on the group of underground prisoners held captive in the cave.
In this territorial war, the defending forces of Azure Cloud Mountain suffered heavy losses.