Chapter 1406: Merit Pavilion
"Hmm." Duan Ling Tian nodded in respond to Guo Li's question about the City Governor of Mound Hill City's order to protect her.
"Thank you," Guo Li thanked him sincerely. She felt touched.
"You're leaving the cottage... Are you going to the Merit Pavilion too?" Duan Ling Tian asked, changing the subject.
"Hmm." Guo Li nodded.
"I've already used up the days to leave the camp once every three months... I wonder if I can still leave the camp." Duan Ling Tian suddenly remembered this matter.
"I heard it won't be considered as leaving the camp if you're just trading your points at the Merit Pavilion as long as you register with the Overseer first," Guo Li said.
"Then it shouldn't be a problem." Duan Ling Tian smiled and subsequently walked into the pavilion at the side of the high platform with Guo Li.
After registering with the Heavenly Harm Guardian, the duo left the Latent Dragon Camp and headed to the Merit Pavilion.
The Merit Pavilion in the City Governor's Estate was an individual four-level pavilion.
The pavilion had a plain but quaint appearance.
When they entered the first level of the pavilion, Duan Ling Tian saw a familiar silhouette who had just come out of the pavilion and walking in their direction. "Jin Yuan Bao?"
"Senior Brother Duan." When Jin Yuan Bao saw Duan Ling Tian, a charming smile appeared on his face.
Senior Brother?
Duan Ling Tian and Guo Li were stunned when they heard the way Jin Yuan Bao addressed him.
"I'm two years younger than you, and I'm not as powerful as you. It only makes sense that I address you as Senior Brother," Jin Yuan Bao said with a smile.
Duan Ling Tian finally recalled Jin Yuan Bao, similarly, was also a disciple of the City Governor of Mound Hill City.
"Junior Brother Jin." Duan Ling Tian smiled as well.
"Senior Brother Duan, I've already exchanged for the thing I wanted from here... I'll make a move first." Jin Yuan Bao left the Merit Pavilion after informing Duan Ling Tian and nodding at Guo Li.
"Duan Ling Tian, did I hear it correctly? Did Jin Yuan Bao call you Senior Brother? And he said he's less powerful than you?" Guo Li was shocked as she looked at Duan Ling Tian. "Did you fight him?"
She knew Duan Ling Tian had become the disciple of the City Governor of Mound Hill City and had asked the City Governor to protect her as a favor. Although she knew Duan Ling Tian had become the disciple of the City Governor of Mound Hill City, she did not expect Jin Yuan Bao to address him as Senior Brother.
"No." Duan Ling Tian shook his head.
"No? Then..." Guo Li wanted to ask further, but Duan Ling Tian interrupted her, "You'll find out soon enough."
Guo Li was confused, but she did not continue questioning him.
"31 points? Is there a mistake?" Guo Li looked at the staff at the first level counter in Merit Pavilion in shock.
"No." The staff shook his head. "The three-man team you were in obtained a total of 93 points during the test three days ago... You're part of the team so naturally, you obtained 31 points."
"You can trade your 31 points for 3,100 Merit Points. Would you like to do that?" The staff asked.
"Wait..." Guo Li shook her head. She could not make sense of what was happening. "I remember the three of us obtained a total of 73 points... How come it's 93 points now? Where did the extra 20 points come from?"
Guo Li had an epiphany as she looked at Duan Ling Tian who was standing next to her. It was as though she had just seen a ghost. "Duan... Duan Ling Tian, did... did you kill that Perfection Mortal Shedding Stage bandit?"
Killing a Perfection Mortal Shedding Stage bandit would allow them to obtain 20 points.
Guo Li began to hyperventilate as she spoke. She stared at Duan Ling Tian unblinkingly. She did not want to miss the expression on Duan Ling Tian's face.
She confirmed her speculation when she saw Duan Ling Tian nodding.
"Duan Ling Tian, you..." Guo Li felt speechless and amazed as she forced a smile on her face.
She finally understood why Jin Yuan Bao had addressed Duan Ling Tian as Senior Brother.
"Let's trade for some Merit Points," Duan Ling Tian said with a small smile.
"Hmm." Guo Li regained her senses when Duan Ling Tian spoke and traded her 31 points for 3,100 Merit Points.
It was Duan Ling Tian's turn to trade after Guo Li was done with her turn.
"The Merit Points are in here?" Duan Ling Tian looked at the Crystal Card in his hand, surprised.
The number '3,100' floated out whenever he exerted his True Energy into the Crystal Card. That was the number of Merit Points he had in the card.
"There's a Saint Inscription inscribed on the Crystal Card," Guo Li explained to Duan Ling Tian. She did not seem surprised.
"Saint Inscription? That means this is the work of a Saint Inscription Master?" Duan Ling Tian was even more surprised now.
Based on what he knew, there was no Saint Inscription Master in Mound Hill City.
Guo Li smiled as she responded, "Duan Ling Tian, this Crystal Card isn't produced from the City Governor's Estate of Mound Hill City."
"It isn't produced from the City Governor's Estate of Mound Hill City? What do you mean?" Duan Ling Tian was stunned.
"This Crystal Card comes from the seventh-rate force above Mound Hill City. The Merit Points come from that seventh-rate force as well," Guo Li explained, "That seventh-rate force is a powerful sect... Excluding the Mound Hill City, there are another 17 cities in the area that are ruled by the sect."
"Similar to the City Governor's Estate of Mound Hill City, the City Governor's Estates of the 17 cities are eighth-rate forces as well, and they also own an eighth-grade Saint Stones reserve," Guo Li said, "The 18 cities will have to present a large number of seventh-grade Saint Stones and recommend young geniuses to the seventh-rate sect every three years."
"The seventh-rate sect will give out Merit Points to each city according to the number of seventh-grade Saint Stones they submitted and the quality of young geniuses they recommended."
"I heard the City Governor's Estate of each city can use the Merit Points to borrow Human Rank Primitive Saint Grade Martial Tactics or exchange for Human Rank Primitive Saint Weapons and high-grade Saint Grade Pills," Guo Li said in one breath.
'A seventh-rate sect controls 18 cities, including Mound Hill City?'
'A seventh-rate sect that owns Human Rank Primitive Saint Grade Martial Tactics, Human Rank Primitive Saint Weapons, and high-grade Saint Grade Pills?' Duan Ling Tian was shocked as he processed Guo Li's words.
"Duan Ling Tian. Based on your talent, the City Governor of Mound Hill City will definitely recommend you to the seventh-rate sect... I'm afraid I, on the other hand, will never have a chance like that," Guo Li said, mocking herself.
'Getting recommended to the seventh-rate sect?" Duan Ling Tian's eyes lit up. He had an eager expression on his face.
Since he had arrived at the Dao Martial Saint Land, he had been rising up. The higher he was, the faster he would be able to find his parents.
Moreover, if he wanted to return to earth, Elder Huo had said he needed to level up and stand at the peak of this planet.
The City Governor's Estate of Mound Hill City was just a stepping stone for him.
'Man struggles upward as water flows downward'. This was a theory that would never change.
"Let's go to the second level and see what we can exchange with our Merit Points," Duan Ling Tian said, changing the subject when he noticed Guo Li seemed to be a little upset.
The first level of the Merit Pavilion in the City Governor's Estate of Mound Hill City was where they received their Merit Points... Meanwhile, the second, third, and fourth levels were the place they exchanged for items with their Merit Points.
When they arrived at the second level, Duan Ling Tian discovered they could borrow Saint Grade Martial Tactics and Saint Grade Dao Tactics here.
"So many saint tokens?" Guo Li exclaimed after she walked around the second level.
There were at least a hundred saint tokens containing Saint Grade Martial Tactics and Saint Grade Dao Tactics on the second level of the Merit Pavilion... Although the Guo Clan where Guo Li came from was a ninth-rate force, they only possessed a few saint tokens.
Furthermore, those were just saint tokens with Human Rank Prominent Saint Grade Martial Tactics and Saint Grade Dao Tactics.
'90% of these saint tokens contain Human Rank Prominent Saint Grade Martial Tactics and Saint Grade Dao Tactics... The remaining 10% have Human Rank Mediocre Saint Grade Martial Tactics and Saint Grade Dao Tactics.' Duan Ling Tian discovered this fact after walking around the second level with Guo Li.
An old man patrolled the second level of the Merit Pavilion. He did not say a word from the beginning until the end.
Duan Ling Tian was certain the old man was the powerhouse guarding the second level of the Merit Pavilion.
Soon after, Duan Ling Tian discovered the old man's cultivation base was at the Paramount Mortal Shedding Stage when he activated the Divine Eye!
Apart from the old man, there were young men in silver armors standing at the four corners of the second level of the Merit Pavilion. They looked imperturbable. Their eyes were focused and did not wander around.
'Four of them are at the Perfection Mortal Shedding Stage,' Duan Ling Tian figured out their identities when he saw their silver armors. They were members of City Governor's Estate of Mound Hill City's 36 Guardians.
"Senior, how do I borrow Saint Grade Martial Tactics from the Merit Pavilion's second level with Merit Points?" Guo Li asked when the old man was near her and Duan Ling Tian.
"You'll be able to read a Human Rank Prominent Saint Grade Martial Tactic once with 100 Merit Points and Human Rank Mediocre Saint Grade Martial Tactic with 1,000 Merit Points. You're not allowed to bring the saint token out of the Merit Pavilion," the old man said calmly.
"1,000 Merit Points just to read it once?" Guo Li exclaimed in shock when she heard his words.
One had to read the saint tokens five times in order to memorize the Saint Grade Martial Tactic.
One would only be able to read the content of the technique's first stage of cultivation that was also the Fundamental Awareness Stage on their first read.
They would have to cultivate the technique to the Fundamental Awareness Stage before they could read the content for the second stage that was also the Elementary Stage...
Therefore, one would need to read it at least five times before one could completely master the Saint Grade Martial Tactic.
It was only natural that Guo Li was shocked since it would take 5,000 Merit points to master a Human Rank Mediocre Saint Grade Martial Tactic.
Duan Ling Tian, on the other hand, was smiling.
'1,000 Merit Points to read it once?'
One must know that he was different from the usual Martial Cultivators.
Ordinary Martial Cultivators would have to read the Saint Grade Martial Tactic five times at least to obtain all the contents in the saint token.
However, his extraordinary Spiritual Energy allowed him to completely memorize the Saint Grade Martial Tactic in the saint token after only reading it once.