Chapter 93

The Merit Hall occupies a mountain peak alone, one built on the mountainside, one built on the mountain peak. Several large halls are connected together on the mountainside, which is very magnificent. This place specializes in handling merit matters for the Dao Foundation Realm; if you want to query, verify, or exchange merit points, you must do it here. People are constantly coming in and out of the several large halls, which is very busy.

In the Tai Chu Palace, merit is the main source of resources for the vast majority of disciples. Even disciples from noble families must find ways to seize merit points and exchange them for resources after casting their Dao Foundation. Otherwise, if they rely entirely on family support, they will easily be ridiculed by others.

The merit list is completely public, and everyone pays equal attention to the top and bottom of the list; instead, no one cares about the middle part. No matter how thick-skinned one is, one cannot stand being hung at the end of the list for a long time, being pointed at by others from time to time.

Furthermore, after casting the Dao Foundation, the resources required for cultivation increase significantly, and many rare items will be needed. Unless it is a top noble family like the Bao family or the Cui family, it is difficult for a middle-class family to afford all the expenses of a Dao Foundation cultivator. As for those small families, it is already exhausting all their efforts to be able to provide a disciple to cast a Dao Foundation.

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

At this time, Wei Yuan was still first on the grand examination leaderboard, and because the golden axe and horse gear had already been exchanged to the palace, Wei Yuan's merit points were now over fourteen thousand. However, the second-place Bao Yun's merit points had quietly reached eleven thousand. In just two days, Bao Yun had gained more than three thousand merit points, obviously having fought another big battle. The third place was a person named Xiao Chonglou, who appeared out of nowhere and took seven thousand merit points in one go. Just two days ago, Wei Yuan had not seen this person at the top of the list at all. The Tai Chu Palace is indeed full of hidden talents.

However, this grand examination was already over for Wei Yuan. After all, he had gone deep into the Liao Region to behead Young Master Agula and had fought back against the Snow Eagle Dharma Form and escaped, which was equivalent to slapping the entire Agula tribe in the face. If Wei Yuan appeared on the front line again, it is hard to say what the crazy Liao barbarians would do. Although it is very disgraceful for a Dharma Form to sneak-attack a junior, the war between the two races is not a martial arts competition, and there is no rule of king against king, general against general.

After checking his merit points, Wei Yuan felt confident. He first came to the immortal silver exchange and exchanged seven thousand merit points for immortal silver. Such a large amount of immortal silver naturally could not be given directly in kind; the Daoist handed Wei Yuan a piece of exquisite jade paper, on which remained a wisp of Dao rhyme from the Merit Hall. With this paper, anyone could exchange it for seventy thousand taels of immortal silver from the Tai Chu Palace at any time.

Wei Yuan carefully put away the jade paper and let out a long breath. From now on, his debt was only twenty-three million seven hundred thousand taels; the fraction at the end had been removed, and he had taken a solid small step.

Wei Yuan's usable merit points were instantly halved, but the leaderboard records total merit points, so even if they were all spent, it would not affect his ranking.

After dealing with the debt, Wei Yuan came to the place specializing in exchanging various cultivation methods and Daoist arts and asked the Daoist sitting behind the desk: "This senior brother, are there any Body Forging cultivation methods available for mortals without talent to practice?"

"Tell me in detail, who is going to practice it?"

"Advanced in age, has never practiced before, and the foundation and physique are relatively weak. It is best if it is the kind that is easy to get started with and has the function of strengthening the body and prolonging life," Wei Yuan said.

After hearing Wei Yuan say a few words, the Daoist understood, saying: "Little junior brother is young, it seems there are still mortals in your family?"

"I come from a poor background and only entered the Tai Chu Palace because I was valued by my teacher; no one else in my family has practiced."

The Daoist nodded and said: "Filial piety is commendable! However, after casting a Dao Foundation, one's lifespan can exceed three hundred, and a Dharma Form True Person enjoys a lifespan of a thousand years. Stepping onto the path of immortal cultivation, sooner or later you will drift further and further away from your clansmen. After a hundred years, you will find that even your nephews and nieces have left you behind. You are smart to know how to come to the Merit Hall to exchange for cultivation methods. The six basic Body Forging methods of our Tai Chu Palace have too high requirements for foundation and talent, and those with slightly poorer bones will find it difficult to make progress even after practicing for decades. Wait a moment, I will go find some for you."

A moment later, the Daoist returned and placed three jade papers in front of Wei Yuan, introducing them one by one: "This is the 'Pine Crane Longevity Art', which takes the charm of the pine and crane; it excels in being easy to get started with, and can nourish a wisp of Dao power while forging muscles and bones, having the effect of strengthening the body and prolonging life. But this method progresses slowly and requires years of grinding work, with high requirements for mental state, and it is not good at fighting and warfare after completion. Practicing this method to Body Forging completion, one's lifespan can exceed a hundred."

Wei Yuan's heart moved; this cultivation method was suitable for Wei Youcai. Anyway, the old man had nothing to do, and he could live a long life by practicing slowly after tea and meals.

The Daoist continued: "This is the 'Fierce Tiger Coiling Mountain Stance', which comes with a set of Fierce Tiger Blade Techniques and Tiger Walking Footwork. After completion, physical strength will be stronger than most unranked Body Forging, excelling in combat. However, this method requires using medicine to wash the body to eliminate hidden injuries, which consumes quite a bit of gold and silver. In addition, those who are naturally physically weak are not suitable for practice."

On the third jade paper was a visualization diagram, visualizing high mountains and flowing water. This method is suitable for people with destiny to practice, but the requirements are much lower and much simpler than the 'Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon' diagram.

The three cultivation methods each have their own emphasis. Wei Yuan weighed them slightly and wanted to give up the 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' diagram. He himself had been tortured by visualization methods for ten years, and now he was naturally repulsed by any visualization method. Besides, in that small place of Ye County, where would there be any destiny?

These three cultivation methods were either collected by the Tai Chu Palace from other small sects or were ancient methods that had been deleted and revised, each costing only one hundred merit points. However, when exchanging, Wei Yuan hesitated for a moment but still exchanged for the 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' diagram. During the grand examination that year, wind and clouds gathered in Feng Yuanjun County, which attracted the three great immortal sects, and Wei Yuan still had this matter vividly in his mind.

Although ten years have passed, according to what he learned in the destiny theory class, the destiny gathered in Feng Yuanjun County should have long since fallen on individuals, and these people do not know where they have gone. Generally speaking, people with destiny will always have some opportunities, and it is unlikely that they will always be holed up in a poor and remote place.

However, Wei Yuan held a little bit of luck; perhaps someone in his family had some destiny, then practicing the visualization diagram would get twice the result with half the effort, and it could prolong life. After exchanging for the cultivation methods, the Daoist said again: "Little junior brother, if it is for the elderly and elders in your family, then instead of exchanging for cultivation methods, it is better to give some elixirs. There are many elixirs available for mortals to take in the elixir area over there, most of which have the effect of prolonging life."

"Are there such elixirs?"

"There have always been cultivators who want to help their families and protect their descendants. Many mortals do not have the talent for cultivation, but everyone can use elixirs. So, there have always been many more people exchanging for elixirs than for cultivation methods."

Wei Yuan thanked the Daoist and went to the elixir area according to his guidance. A moment later, he exchanged for several bottles of elixirs for prolonging life, which actually cost seven hundred merit points, much more expensive than the cultivation methods. Wei Yuan put away the cultivation methods and elixirs, preparing to send them to his family when someone from the palace went to Feng Yuanjun County. Wei Yuan could not leave the Tai Chu Palace at will for the time being, but such small tasks could be entrusted to others at the Task Hall, and the cost would not be high.

Having prepared the cultivation methods and elixirs for his family, Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. After ten years of cultivation, he could finally do something for his family. Although Wei Youcai was old and unlikely to step onto the path of immortality, at least he could live for more than ten years, and he could be physically strong and eat and drink well in his later years, which was enough.

After dealing with family affairs, Wei Yuan went to the core exchange area.

The core exchange area is a separate large hall, with nearly a hundred desks placed in the hall, each with a jade tablet on it. At this time, there were about thirty or forty people in the hall, each finding a desk to browse the contents of the jade tablet.

Wei Yuan found an empty desk at random, inserted his identity jade tablet into the groove on the desk, activated the jade tablet, and began to browse with his spiritual sense.

The information in the jade tablet was almost as vast as the sea, divided into dozens of major categories according to elixirs, talismans, cultivation methods, magic tools, magic treasures, materials, etc., and each major category had multiple subcategories. For example, there were seventeen subcategories under elixirs, and then each subcategory had sub-subcategories, and only then were various specific elixirs. Just the various types of elixirs and poisons alone numbered nearly a thousand.

When querying specific items, not only were there descriptions, but most also had images, and some supreme items even had a wisp of Dao rhyme for comprehension. For example, there was an immortal elixir called the 'Heaven-Propping Creation Elixir', which is said to have been left behind by ancient immortals. After a Dao Foundation cultivator takes it, they can ascend to the sky in one step and directly achieve the Dharma Form. It is just that the Dharma Form formed after taking the elixir is a fixed Heaven-Propping Azure Peak, which ranks at the very bottom among all Dharma Forms.

!.

Seeing the 'Heaven-Propping Creation Elixir', Wei Yuan was startled. Can a Dharma Form True Person also achieve it by eating an elixir? Although it can only achieve a fixed lower-rank Dharma Form, a Dharma Form is still a Dharma Form, and even the trashiest Dharma Form is stronger than the vast majority of Dao Foundations. Among so many Dao Foundations in the Tai Chu Palace, less than half a percent can achieve a Dharma Form.

It is just that being able to achieve a Dharma Form by taking an elixir made Wei Yuan feel very uncomfortable.

In Wei Yuan's heart, immortal cultivation is originally going against the heavens, and only after going through thorns and thistles and experiencing hardships can one achieve great power; this is immortal cultivation. Now this makes Wei Yuan feel that the immortal heavenly scenery he had worked so hard to reach after experiencing all kinds of calamities was easily stood upon by someone just by taking medicine.

Wei Yuan suppressed the discomfort in his heart and checked the exchange conditions for the 'Heaven-Propping Creation Elixir', only to see that it required exchange with Heavenly Merit. The so-called Heavenly Merit is a higher grade above ordinary merit points, which can only be obtained by completing tasks related to the Dharma Form. Heavenly Merit can be exchanged downward for ordinary merit points, but merit points cannot be exchanged for Heavenly Merit. The 'Heaven-Propping Creation Elixir' requires exchange with Heavenly Merit, so no matter how many merit points Wei Yuan has, he cannot exchange for one.

Wei Yuan closed the elixir category and turned to browse magic tools. He had now cast his Dao Foundation and needed a few suitable magic tools to protect himself.

Among magic tools, swords are the most numerous, forming a separate major category; followed by bows, arrows, and heavy crossbows, which are listed as one category; and then other weapons.

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

Divine Sharpness Beheading Axe: Tempered for many years by the Primordial Spirit of a powerful alien race, it has three major effects: Divine Sharpness, Sharp Blade, and Beheading; it is a supreme killing weapon.

Isn't this the golden axe of the Liao tribe Young Master? Wei Yuan had just exchanged it to the sect, and it was already in the exchange catalog? Then Wei Yuan glanced at the exchange price: four thousand five hundred merit points.

Wei Yuan silently closed the magic tool major category, deeply understanding at this moment that it is reasonable for the Tai Chu Palace to be so prosperous.

Suddenly, a major category directory jumped into Wei Yuan's eyes: Boundary Stone.

(End of chapter)