Chapter 278

Do you want to exchange the Great Ming Empire Edict?

Yes!

The edict fell into Mu Yi's hands, and he instantly felt an unusual sensation.

This feeling…

Mu Yi thought briefly, then suddenly became enlightened; this feeling was exactly the same as when he previously commanded a million troops.

No, that's not right—there are still some slight differences…

Mu Yi carefully sensed the imperial will stored within the edict—a rather pure willpower, somewhat similar to the power of incense, yet also different.

It seemed like different paths leading to the same goal, yet displayed myriad forms; after a moment of contemplation, Mu Yi put it away, thinking that if he could decipher the imperial will inside the edict, perhaps he would gain new insight.

There was nothing worthwhile left to exchange from the remaining Great Ming Military Merit, and after searching for a while, Mu Yi found two useful items inside.

A Daoist ritual for summoning deities and its accompanying true spirit matrix diagram.

Previously, the real person on Mount Wudang summoned the incarnation of the King Spirit Official using this very thing.

Although Mu Yi is not a Daoist, he is officially on staff, so summoning deities is far more convenient for him than for those Daoists.

However, Daoist summoning relies on the ancestor master's favor and worldly incense, whereas his summoning draws on his own personal connections.

Having a channel and lacking one are two different matters; without a medium to summon the deity Tu Yu Lei, he could not obtain such a reward.

Even if this was already part of the big boss's scheme, sometimes a pawn still needs to have value.

To become a player, one must first be a piece; this is an unchanging truth.

Do you want to spend all Underworld contributions to raise your Divine Rank to the fifth level!

Yes!

Current Divine Rank is fifth; Heavenly Court benefits have been unlocked, granting one participation in the Peach Banquet, and specific divine duties must be obtained at the Underworld Yanluo Hall.

The rank increase proved far more useful than Mu Yi had imagined; he could feel his connection with Jiuzhou becoming more precise, and the Divine Rank began to reciprocally nourish his body.

Just as he was thinking this, a Zongwang notification appeared on his retina.

Divine Rank blessing granted permanent body growth bonus, soul strength bonus, extra boost from positive environments, and extra mitigation from negative environments.

With fifth‑rank Divine Rank, reputation with all Jiuzhou factions rises above friendly, and you gain an audience with the Underworld Fengdu Great Emperor!

Fifth‑rank Divine Rank special effect: can store incense power, condense an incense golden body, whose attributes are linked to incense power (more incense power yields a stronger golden body).

Mu Yi, who thought it unrelated to him, suddenly sensed several strands of incense flowing into his Divine Rank; previously he lacked such ability and noticed nothing, but after the rank increase, that faint incense power became unusually evident.

Mu Yi couldn't help but follow the incense power to investigate.

After passing through the incense power, he found himself inside a Temple, where the incense originated from the worship of the common folk.

First Day Divine Lord Temple…

Mu Yi let out a dry laugh; he recalled that this was the Dungeon where he previously met Wen Ren, and he hadn't expected that later it actually erected a temple for the First Day.

It seemed he was playing a god‑like role within this Temple, thus inheriting the First Day's blessings.

May the First Day Divine Lord bless…

Bless my son to be admitted to high school this year…

May the First Day Divine Lord bless…

The prayers within the Temple rang continuously, and Mu Yi also sensed a presence akin to imperial will, as if this Temple had become an officially recognized main shrine.

However, Mu Yi also felt that the Temple sat at the convergence of earth veins and water veins, serving to suppress them.

Indeed, the Central Plains does not tolerate idle deities; every Temple has its purpose.

Shaking his head, Mu Yi cut off his perception of the incense power; though only for a moment, the incessant prayers for blessings gave him a slight headache.

No wonder they say incense is toxic; to condense an incense golden body, this direct immersion in incense power might, over time, remodel the whole person.

Then, when alive, would one be a human or a deity forged by incense? That would be a completely different matter.

Having already witnessed the power of collective will, he would not underestimate the incense power from sentient beings; following the knowledge granted by his Divine Rank, Mu Yi condensed his own incense golden body.

However, this incense golden body was pitifully tiny—smaller than Mu Yi's pinky finger—and its entire form was illusory, as if it would dissipate with a breath.

So this is the incense golden body without divine duties, without merit, without a domain? Mu Yi curiously sensed his golden body.

It was a strange feeling; he could perceive simultaneously as both himself and the golden body.

But this is way too weak!

He was somewhat dissatisfied with his incense golden body, but Mu Yi clearly forgot one thing: he doesn't even have a Temple.

Mu Yi shifted his focus onto the incense golden body and sensed that, limited by the lack of incense, he could not wield most abilities; the only skill he could use was the ember talent born from his spirit, and its effect was pitifully weak.

He casually retracted the golden body back into his Divine Rank; this isn't something that can be solved overnight—he'll deal with it later.

Based on your overall performance, your campaign rating is Legend (9).

You have obtained a Legend campaign chest (9); do you wish to open it?

Mu Yi slipped into the Reincarnation Realm and slowly opened the chest in his hand; although protected by Jiuzhou's awareness, there is little difference in this world, yet on his own territory he feels a bit luckier.

Gained 300,000 points of Universal Experience!

Gained 150,000 Zongwang Disaster Coins!

1 point of free Transcendent attribute!

Legendary Glory Fragment ×1!

Mu Yi blinked; this loot sheet looked quite abundant.

But compared to the rewards from previous Dungeons, it seemed a bit meager.

Generally, campaign yields are far stronger than Dungeon rewards, yet this time… it's hard to put into words.

Mu Yi blinked and focused his gaze on the Brilliant Battle Merit and Underworld Treasury rewards; it seemed the big prize was still pending.

Even though it felt meager, it was actually quite useful.

The Legend ability "Know Destiny" obtained earlier from the Legendary Glory – He Luo God Fragment, though not overt, proved crucial at critical moments.

Earlier, on several occasions Mu Yi held back from using the token; each time it was an insight provided by Know Destiny's support of the sensed attribute.

Mu Yi allocated the free attribute point to Constitution; his Transcendent perception attribute has already reached the Transcendent limit. Unless he now transforms into a Legend creature, he will inevitably break the balance of the various forces in his current body.

An overly extended will easily causes a split between flesh and soul.

Strengthening his Constitution a bit can also let Mu Yi sustain the outbursts of various abilities for a longer time.

He briefly adapted to his enhanced body; because of his overly powerful will, the process was completed quickly.

This is also the path Mu Yi has chosen now: using divinity to command refined Qi, and using refined Qi to support the divinity's eruption.

Without hesitation, he used a Legendary Glory Fragment; unlike the previously limited fragment from He Luo Shen, this fragment covers a considerably broader scope.

"You have obtained the Legend ability—Epic Strong!"

Epic Strong 【Legendary Specialty】:

Your Constitution has completely transcended the mortal realm, indistinguishable from an adult Dragon; you can now further strengthen your flesh, making you even stronger.

Your vitality is greatly increased (based on current Constitution); the vast majority of attacks cannot inflict a death judgment on you, your flesh begins to resist most low‑level spells, and your material absorption effect is significantly enhanced.

Constitution positive correlation check +1, Constitution saving check +1.

An instantly effective Legend ability; the moment it was obtained, Mu Yi felt his body changing, shifting toward greater resilience and strength.

The more powerful flesh makes Mu Yi's newly adapted body again become somewhat uncoordinated; this ability is not particularly special—when he later ascends to Legend, he will likely possess it, making it a low‑tier draw.

However, just as he chose to strengthen his Constitution, this ability is the foundation that supports everything; possessing it is a guarantee at any time.

He took a deep breath, and Mu Yi did not continue to advance further.

Now he deeply understands the importance of mastering power; he sits cross‑legged atop Kunlun Mountain, adjusting his condition.

The strengthening of his Constitution gave Mu Yi an additional force within his body, blood‑Qi from the refined system, entirely different from the Inner Qi of the Qi system, yet it blends seamlessly with it.

Under the influence of will, blood‑Qi and Inner Qi seem to merge; as they fuse, Mu Yi senses them becoming deeper, and the Inner Pill that stores them also brightens.

Mu Yi raised his hand and struck a circle in the air; a white aura appeared around his fist. He was somewhat dissatisfied with this display, as it indicated an imbalance in his control of power.

True power should be concentrated at a single point; any destructive impact on the surroundings signifies a dispersion of power.

Mu Yi attempted to balance the forces of refined Qi, spirit, and divinity within, punching repeatedly into the void.

The divine power of the Military Strategist acknowledges the fist as a weapon, so Mu Yi rightfully gained the Master of Fist Techniques specialty.

These specialties guide Mu Yi in controlling his internal power; as he continues to strike, the gust generated by his fists grows weaker, eventually vanishing entirely.

"Hoo~"

Mu Yi expelled a breath of foul air, opened his tightly shut eyes, and a sharp gleam shot from his eyes.

The refined Qi, spirit, and divinity approached balance, and his power returned to his control.

This self‑training reminded Mu Yi of the feeling when he commanded a massive army; the refined Qi, spirit, and divinity were unified.

Although they seem unrelated, in fact both illustrate one point—that practice makes perfect.

"Should I devote more attention to training the army?" Mu Yi pondered.

There are many paths to power; consolidating great strength into oneself is one ability, commanding ten thousand troops is another.

As a Military Strategist, this should have been one of his two legs, yet he seems to have neglected the training of command.

"……"

He said little more; Mu Yi closed his eyes again, immersing his mind in cultivation. No matter which path lies ahead, continuing along the road beneath his feet is the best choice.

Mu Yi cultivated for a full seven days; later it was no longer simple practice but a grind resisting external temptations.

After he entered deep meditation, various abnormal sensations began to arise.

This was not a heart demon or the like, but a keen perception arising when divine will is developed to its utmost.

Even the slightest stray thought can trigger a feeling of the soul's change, and these changes will be infinitely amplified by the will.

The burning, freezing, tingling, and pain—these infinitely magnified sensations will interfere with the state of unified refined Qi, spirit, and divinity.

However, Mu Yi has long become accustomed to these; the fishing meditation method taught by Jiang Taigong works well, filling his mind with the calm of a still pond.

No matter the stimulus, it raises ripples in the lake of his mind, which eventually settle back to calm.

This is a common cultivation method in Jiuzhou, capable of merging refined Qi, spirit, and divinity together.

When Mu Yi opened his eyes again, his body's condition had been adjusted to a perfect state.

His body and Inner Qi still have flaws, unable to achieve perfect unity of refined Qi, spirit, and divinity.

The current perfection is only under the will's command, allowing body and Inner Qi to reach balance.

In a great mood, Mu Yi plucked an unripe peach from the Peach Tree, bit into it, and the sweet juice made him even more delighted.

He casually opened the Brilliant War Merit Exchange Shop.

Compared with the Ming dynasty's "stinginess", this war‑merit exchange, likely sourced from the Heavenly Court and Underworld, appears far more generous.

Brilliant War Merit Exchange Shop:

1. Directed Advanced Profession Exchange

Description:

Detected that the player's base profession is General; this option has filtered the corresponding subsequent advanced professions.

Players may spend Brilliant Military Merit to exchange for this reward.

Option 1: Military Immortal

Option 2: Overlord

Option 3: Military Sage

…

Just the first page of exchanges already thrilled Mu Yi; it clearly states that this advances the General profession and does not conflict with the Reincarnation Lord profession, evidently a suitable upgrade for him.

2. Directed Divine Power Development Exchange

Description:

Detected that the player possesses undeveloped divine abilities; this option has filtered the corresponding subsequent development guide.

The player may spend Radiant Military Merit to exchange for this reward.

Option One: Commander

Option Two: Great Fog

Option Three: Totem

Option Four: Military Strategist - Deceiving the Heavens and Crossing the Sea

……

Mu Yi became even more excited; the few powerful divine abilities that Chi You passed to him have already given him a preliminary taste, and if he can continue to develop them, he will obviously become even stronger.

Put aside everything else, just this Great Fog alone, as long as it can solve the problem of friend‑or‑foe confusion, it will instantly become the most practical divine ability in Mu Yi's hands.

No matter who he meets, first activate Radiant Glory to force a one‑on‑one challenge, then unleash Great Fog to obscure the face; then wouldn't that be like cutting a Legend to pieces?