Chapter 2: Deduct 1 to Gain Merit!

Merit wooden fish?

What kind of thing is this?

Lin Mo blinked, then realized—his breath hitched.

“Sss~! Could this be my divine assistance, arriving eighteen years late?”

Before his eyes, a holographic-like interface suddenly appeared.

All it showed was a small, simple wooden fish.

Is this a wooden fish?

What’s it for?

Lin Mo frowned, hesitantly reaching out to touch the wooden fish in the projection—and the moment his finger made contact, a prompt flashed onto the screen:

【Would you like to deduct 1 to strike the wooden fish?】

Uh… what?

So it really is an online Buddhist request!?

The next instant, his finger curled slightly, then snapped straight—deduct 1.

“Dong!”

A crisp, melodious strike echoed in his ears, and the interface refreshed again:

【Ding! Merit +1】

As the prompt floated up, Lin Mo felt a warm surge through his body, as if every pore had opened.

“Huhhh~!”

The summer night breeze brushed his face; beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Though his body showed no visible change, the numbness in his head—caused by late-night self-study—vanished instantly, replaced by a flicker of clarity.

Holy shit, deducting 1 really adds merit?

Lin Mo was startled.

In “After Honghuang,” merit wasn’t just a concept—it was a tangible, top-tier resource fiercely contested by ancient primordial cultivators.

Only those who had accumulated virtue through good deeds could obtain this rare resource.

Legend said the Supreme Lady Nüwa had created humanity, amassed merit, and ultimately achieved sainthood, becoming one of the Six Saints of the Cosmos.

“So… could I become a saint through merit too?”

The possibility struck Lin Mo—and his heart flared hot.

He extended his finger again and tapped the wooden fish on the interface.

【Ding! Cooldown timer: 29, 28, 27…】

The prompt refreshed.

Hmm, there’s a cooldown…

Lin Mo rubbed his chin. Including the time he’d spent thinking, the cooldown was probably one minute?

Would the cooldown stack?

He stared fixedly at the timer. At the final second, he swiftly tapped the wooden fish twice in rapid succession.

【Ding! Merit +1】

【Ding! Cooldown: 59, 58, 57…】

One minute.

And the cooldown hadn’t stacked.

Lin Mo tried several more times—each cooldown remained unchanged.

He was now certain: the cooldown was fixed at exactly one minute.

That meant sixty strikes per hour, 1,440 per day.

Even accounting for meals, sleep, and unavoidable interruptions, he could still accumulate roughly a thousand merit points daily!

Lin Mo let out a “Wuhu!” then fell into deep thought again.

So here’s the question—

How much merit is needed to become a saint?

He racked his brain but found no answer.

Mainly because he had no reference point—he couldn’t exactly go ask the Saintly Lady Nüwa at her temple.

As he pondered, he walked home.

Of course, his finger never stopped tapping “deduct 1” on the interface.

【Merit +1】

【Merit +1】

【…】

The interface continuously refreshed with prompts along the way.

By the time he reached home, his merit had accumulated to 29 points.

Lin Mo was a day student; his parents had rented him a small studio apartment in the city, about half an hour’s walk from Nanshan No. 4 High.

Too close for a bus, too far to walk comfortably—mainly chosen for the cheap rent.

As he neared the residential compound, he glanced at his phone’s time—

“Eleven already!”

He snapped out of the interface, looking up at the compound gate.

Gatekeeper Old Qin had clearly seen him—but still firmly shut and locked the gate.

“Heh.”

Lin Mo was used to this.

He lived in an old compound with no smart access system.

So the gatekeeper had unilaterally imposed an 11 p.m. curfew based on his own schedule.

Anyone entering after that time had to pay one yuan.

He called it “compensation for mental distress.”

Lin Mo pursed his lips, walked briskly to the gate, and glanced toward the guard booth—Old Qin was pretending to walk inside, but hadn’t sat down yet.

“Old Qin, c’mon~!”

He pulled out a coin, extended his hand through the gate’s gap, and waved it like he was teasing a dog.

Predictably, after a moment, Old Qin emerged, face dark.

“Don’t come back this late again!”

He snatched the coin angrily but unlocked the gate skillfully.

Behind him, a couple trying to sneak in were instantly blocked.

“What are you doing? Pay up! One yuan each!”

You’re still you, Old Qin—eyes sharp even at eleven p.m., never letting a single loophole slip through.

“You’re already up—why should we pay?”

The yellow-haired boy protested, attempting to slip past the gatekeeper with agile movements.

But he hadn’t counted on Lin Mo blocking him from outside.

The yellow-haired boy blinked at Lin Mo in surprise.

Lin Mo glanced back—this little punk thinks he can freeload off me?

Before the boy could react, Old Qin seized the moment, planted his hands on his hips, and stood squarely across the gate, chest out, radiating an aura of “My rules are the rules.”

The gatekeeper gave Lin Mo a grateful look.

Lin Mo smiled inwardly—hidden merit, silent glory.

Normally, he’d stop to enjoy the show.

But now, merit was paramount—he didn’t care about the couple’s battle with the gatekeeper. He strode straight through the compound courtyard and sprinted toward the old building on the right.

Stomp to turn on the lights, climb the stairs, unlock the door…

Seamless.

The entire process took less than thirty seconds—just in time to tap “deduct 1” at the final second of the cooldown timer.

【Merit +1】

The prompt refreshed.

Perfect!

Lin Mo smirked. He didn’t yet know what merit could do—but as long as it kept “+1,” he’d keep tapping.

The rented room was a basic one-bedroom studio; though old, it had all the essential appliances and furniture.

He washed up and got into bed swiftly, never forgetting to keep “deducting 1.”

By the time he finished, his interface showed 35 merit points.

Then…

He just stared at the merit value on the interface.

What the hell could this even be used for?

Lin Mo propped his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

Merit-related matters were too high-level—he was just a lowly Qi Refining Stage 2 cultivator, barely even complete. He had zero ideas.

If merit truly could cultivate into a sacred fruit, the amount required would surely be enormous—not merely the dozens of points shown on the panel.

“Damn it, I’ve got a divine hand, but at least give me a manual!”

Lin Mo couldn’t help but complain, then opened his personal panel and found the new attribute field—

【Merit】: 42

It seems the merit wooden fish and the cultivation system interface are linked…

He thought to himself, then suddenly had an idea, directing the merit on the interface into the technique 【National 108th Set of Five Elements Qi Refining Scripture】.

A crisp chime sounded in his ear:

【Ding! You have invested 42 points of Merit into the technique. Technique experience +8.4 (42 × 20%)】

It actually works!

Lin Mo’s eyes lit up as he turned his gaze to the experience bar on the panel.

The number after Qi Refining Level 2 instantly jumped from “249/300” to “258/300”.