Chapter 93: Feedback (Bonus Chapter 5)

The Merit Hall occupies a single peak, one built on the mid-slope and another atop the summit. The mid-slope houses several grand halls linked together, immensely imposing. This is where all matters concerning Foundation Establishment realm merit are handled—any inquiry, verification, or exchange of merit must be done here. Numerous people constantly come and go between the halls, bustling with activity.

In Tai Chu Palace, merit is the primary source of resources for the vast majority of disciples—even those from aristocratic families must find ways to acquire merit and exchange it for supplies after forging their Dao Foundation. Otherwise, relying solely on family support invites ridicule.

The Merit List is fully public; everyone pays equal attention to those at the top and those at the bottom, while those in the middle are largely ignored. No matter how shameless, one cannot bear being permanently stuck at the very bottom, constantly pointed at and whispered about.

Moreover, after forging the Dao Foundation, the resources required for cultivation surge dramatically, demanding many rare items. Unless one belongs to a top-tier clan like the Bao or Cui families, even mid-tier clans struggle to cover the full expenses of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. As for small clans, merely producing one disciple who forges a Dao Foundation drains them completely.

Before entering the Merit Hall, Wei Yuan checked his own merit.

At this time, Wei Yuan still ranked first on the Grand Examination leaderboard, and since he had already exchanged the Golden Axe and horse gear to the palace, his current merit exceeded fourteen thousand. But the second-place holder, Bao Yun, had quietly reached eleven thousand. In just two days, Bao Yun had gained over three thousand merit—clearly another major battle. Third place was a man named Xiao Chonglou, who had suddenly emerged and amassed seven thousand merit in one go. Two days ago, Wei Yuan had never seen this man among the top ranks. Tai Chu Palace truly harbors dragons and tigers.

But for Wei Yuan, this Grand Examination was already over. After all, he had penetrated Liao territory, slain the A Gulala chieftain’s heir, and escaped back alive despite fighting off the Snow Eagle’s Dharma Form—effectively delivering a loud slap to the entire A Gulala tribe. If Wei Yuan appeared on the front lines again, the furious Liao barbarians might do anything. Though it was dishonorable for a Dharma Form cultivator to ambush a junior, warfare between clans was not a martial contest; there were no rules of “king versus king” or “general versus general.”

After checking his merit, Wei Yuan felt confident. He first went to the Immortal Silver Exchange and converted seven thousand merit into Immortal Silver. Such a vast sum could not be given as physical currency; the Daoist handed Wei Yuan a delicate jade paper inscribed with a trace of the Merit Hall’s Dao resonance. With this paper, anyone could exchange it at any time for exactly seventy thousand taels of Immortal Silver from Tai Chu Palace.

Wei Yuan carefully stored the jade paper and exhaled deeply. From now on, his debt was reduced to just twenty-three million seven hundred thousand taels—the trailing zeros were gone, a solid small step forward.

Wei Yuan’s available merit had instantly halved, but all leaderboards recorded total merit; even if spent entirely, it did not affect ranking.

After settling his debt, Wei Yuan went to the area dedicated to exchanging various cultivation techniques and spells, and asked the Daoist seated behind the desk: “Brother, do you have any body-cultivation methods suitable for ordinary people without any talent?”

“Describe precisely—who needs to cultivate?”

“An elderly person, never cultivated before, with weak and unstable foundations. Preferably one that’s easy to enter, good for strengthening the body and prolonging life.”

After hearing a few words, the Daoist understood fully: “Young brother, you’re so young—does your family still have ordinary people?”

“I was born poor; only my teacher’s favor got me into Tai Chu Palace. No one else in my family cultivates.”

The Daoist nodded: “Filial piety is commendable! But once you forge a Dao Foundation, your lifespan exceeds three hundred years; a True Person lives a thousand. Once you tread the Immortal Path, you will inevitably drift apart from your kin. In a hundred years, you’ll find even your nephews and nieces have passed before you. It’s wise of you to come here to exchange techniques.”

Moments later, the Daoist returned and placed three jade papers before Wei Yuan, introducing each: “This is the Song Crane Longevity Scripture. It draws the essence of pine and crane, easy to enter, and during body refinement, it gently nurtures a thread of Dao power, promoting health and longevity. But progress is slow, requiring years of patient, steady practice, and demands high mental discipline. Once perfected, it is poor for combat. If cultivated to the peak of body refinement, it grants over a hundred years of life.”

Wei Yuan’s heart stirred—this technique suited Wei Youcai perfectly. The old man had nothing to do; he could cultivate slowly after meals and live longer.

The Daoist continued: “This is the Tiger Coiling Mountain Posture. It comes with a complete Tiger Blade technique and Tiger Step. Once perfected, your physical strength surpasses most low-grade body cultivators, excelling in combat. But it requires medicinal baths to heal internal injuries, consuming considerable silver. Also, those born with weak constitutions should not practice it.”

The third jade paper bore an image for visualization: towering mountains and flowing water. This method suits those blessed with fortune, though far less demanding than the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Diagram and much simpler.

Each technique had its focus. After brief consideration, Wei Yuan decided to abandon the Mountain and Water Diagram. He himself had been tormented by visualization techniques for ten years; now, any such method felt inherently repulsive. Besides, in the small town of Ye County, where could fortune possibly lie?

These three techniques were either collected by Tai Chu Palace from minor sects or revised ancient methods, each requiring only one hundred merit. But when exchanging, Wei Yuan hesitated, then added the Mountain and Water Diagram as well. He still remembered vividly the Grand Examination years ago, when Feng Yuanjun had drawn the attention of three Immortal Sects.

Though ten years had passed, according to what he’d learned in the Fortune Lessons, the fortune accumulated in Feng Yuanjun should now have settled upon individuals—though their whereabouts remained unknown. Generally, those blessed with fortune always gain opportunities; it’s unlikely they’d remain trapped in remote backwaters.

Yet Wei Yuan clung to a sliver of hope: perhaps someone in his family carried a trace of fortune. Then, practicing the visualization diagram would yield double results, greatly extending life. After exchanging the techniques, the Daoist added: “Young brother, if you’re doing this for elderly family members, it’s better to exchange for pills rather than techniques. The pill section has many suitable for ordinary people, most of which prolong life.”

“There are such pills?”

“Many cultivators wish to uplift their families and protect their descendants. Many ordinary people lack cultivation talent, but everyone can use pills. So, exchanging pills has always been far more common than exchanging techniques.”

Wei Yuan thanked the Daoist and followed his directions to the pill section. Moments later, he exchanged for several vials of longevity pills—costing seven hundred merit, far more expensive than the techniques. He stored the techniques and pills, planning to send them home when someone from the palace traveled to Feng Yuanjun. Wei Yuan still couldn’t leave Tai Chu Palace at will, but such small tasks could be entrusted to others via the Mission Hall, at low cost.

Having prepared the techniques and pills for his family, Wei Yuan sighed in relief. After ten years of cultivation, he could finally do something for his family. Though Wei Youcai was too old to walk the Immortal Path, at least he could live another decade or more, healthy and strong in his later years, eating well and drinking well—that was enough.

After settling family matters, Wei Yuan went to the Core Exchange Zone.

The Core Exchange Zone was a single grand hall, filled with nearly a hundred desks, each holding a jade tablet. About thirty to forty people were inside, each selecting a desk to examine the tablet’s contents.

Wei Yuan picked an empty desk, inserted his identity jade tablet into the slot, activated the tablet, and began browsing with his spiritual sense.

The information within the tablet was vast as an ocean, divided into dozens of major categories: elixirs, talismans, techniques, magic tools, magic treasures, materials, and more. Each major category had multiple subcategories. For example, elixirs alone had seventeen subcategories, each with further subdivisions, then individual pills. Just the varieties of elixirs and poisons numbered nearly a thousand.

When searching for specific items, descriptions were accompanied by images, and some top-tier items even carried a trace of Dao resonance for direct experience. For instance, one elixir, the Celestial Creation Pill, was said to be left by ancient immortals; a Foundation Establishment cultivator who swallowed it could instantly ascend to a Dharma Form. But the Dharma Form formed was fixed as the Celestial Azure Peak, ranking among the lowest of all Dharma Forms.

!

Seeing the Celestial Creation Pill, Wei Yuan was startled—could a Dharma Form cultivator achieve their state simply by swallowing a pill? Even if it only granted a fixed, low-tier Dharma Form, a Dharma Form was still a Dharma Form; even the worst was stronger than most Foundation Establishment cultivators. Among Tai Chu Palace’s countless Foundation Establishment disciples, less than half a percent ever achieved Dharma Form.

Simply swallowing a pill to achieve Dharma Form made Wei Yuan deeply uneasy.

In Wei Yuan’s mind, cultivation was defying heaven itself—a path of thorns and trials, forging great power through hardship. Now, it felt as though the celestial paradise he had struggled through countless tribulations to reach was being effortlessly claimed by others who merely swallowed pills.

Wei Yuan suppressed his discomfort and checked the exchange conditions for the Celestial Creation Pill—only Heavenly Merit could be used. Heavenly Merit was a higher tier than regular merit, obtainable only by completing tasks related to Dharma Form. Heavenly Merit could be downgraded to regular merit, but regular merit could not be converted into Heavenly Merit. Since the Celestial Creation Pill required Heavenly Merit, no matter how much regular merit Wei Yuan possessed, he could not obtain even one pill.

Wei Yuan closed the elixir section and turned to magic tools. Now that he had forged his Dao Foundation, he needed several suitable magic tools.

Swords were the most numerous among magic tools, forming a separate major category; next came bows and crossbows, grouped together; then other weapons.

As Wei Yuan browsed, suddenly a golden axe caught his eye:

Divine Blade Severing Peak Axe: Cultivated for years by a foreign elite’s Primordial Spirit, possessing three abilities—Divine Edge, Sharpness, and Severing. A top-tier weapon of destruction.

Wasn’t this the A Gulala heir’s Golden Axe? Wei Yuan had just exchanged it to the sect—and now it was already in the exchange catalog? He glanced at the price: four thousand five hundred merit.

Wei Yuan silently closed the magic tools category, now deeply understanding why Tai Chu Palace flourished as it did.

Suddenly, a major category caught Wei Yuan’s eye: Realm Stones.

(End of Chapter)