Chapter 519: Chapter 456: 3 Missions

"Thank you, Master Wei."

Zhao Lin was stunned. He hadn’t expected to earn so many Merit Points just by lifting a finger.

They chatted for a bit, and when Zhao Lin saw that Wei Zongchuan didn’t mention the matter of the Wuliu Gourd, he was inwardly relieved.

Not long after, he walked out of the office and looked out into the distance. The sight of the vast sky and wide sea invigorated him.

...

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, eighteen months had passed.

During this year and a half, business at the Golden Core Hall and the Red Pearl Pavilion boomed, making them famous merchants in the Dongfu District.

Thanks to Liang Song joining, the Golden Core Hall also added a new product line: Spirit Beast Eggs. They sold eggs cultivated in Yanmen County, which proved very popular among cultivators.

Meanwhile, the Red Pearl Pavilion had become quite famous throughout the three southeastern prefectures. Passing cultivators had all heard the saying: "For Spirit Pearls, go to the Red Pearl Pavilion."

Lu Yuanxiu and Zhou Hongfang had both inspected the shops and were quite satisfied with Zhao Lin’s management.

Lu Yuanxiu had subtly hinted to Zhao Lin that if he could break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would recruit him as one of his own, making him a commissioner in the prefectural government.

Zhao Lin was very tempted. Being a Shopkeeper was stable, but the path for advancement was limited. Moreover, once he reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, the share of profits from managing the shops would no longer be enough.

A commissioner was different. The pay was excellent, and they wielded real power. It was a position many cultivators dreamed of.

In terms of his cultivation, with the help of abundant Merit Points, Spirit Stones, and Acupoint Opening Pills, Zhao Lin was only three Spiritual Acupoints away from perfecting the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

He still had four Acupoint Opening Pills on hand. As long as he solidified his cultivation and proceeded step by step, he could reach the Peak of Qi Refining within three months.

’It’s time to prepare for the Foundation Establishment Pills!’

Zhao Lin currently had about fifteen thousand Merit Points. Based on the shops’ current performance, he should receive a dividend of five thousand Merit Points at the end of the year.

Twenty thousand Merit Points wouldn’t be enough to exchange for two Foundation Establishment Pills.

A Foundation Establishment Pill cost about ten thousand Merit Points, but the price for a second one increased by twenty percent, requiring twelve thousand Merit Points.

The price for a third would then rise to fourteen thousand, and so on...

The purpose of this rule was to prevent Foundation Establishment Pills from being concentrated in the hands of a few. To obtain multiple pills, one had to make greater contributions.

Zhao Lin knew very well that with his level of talent, he would need at least three Foundation Establishment Pills to guarantee a successful breakthrough to Foundation Establishment in one attempt.

’Ten thousand, twelve thousand, and fourteen thousand... Three Foundation Establishment Pills will cost thirty-six thousand Merit Points.’

Zhao Lin did a quick calculation. He was still short by sixteen thousand Merit Points.

To earn that many Merit Points in three months, the only way was to undertake sect missions.

And they would have to be high-level missions.

Zhao Lin had previously earned over twenty thousand Merit Points from two missions to Red Tail Island, but now the Earth Dark Sect had sealed off the Pearl Shoal. They had adopted a scorched-earth policy, preferring to not harvest the Spirit Pearls themselves rather than give the Chenghua Sect the chance to occupy the area.

The mission rank dropped from Gold to White, and one could only earn two or three hundred Merit Points at most per trip. It was now difficult to earn a large amount of Merit Points there.

After thinking it over, Zhao Lin decided to go to the Merit Hall to check for missions.

"Cloud-Soaring Flight!"

Zhao Lin left the market district, launched himself into the air, and shot towards Dongfu County like a great bird at incredible speed.

After more than a year of practice, he had mastered all the Tier Two Skills from the Spirit Cultivation Map.

To have mastered seven Tier Two Skills while still in the Qi Refining Realm was an unprecedented feat in the entire Xuanyuan Continent.

「Dongfu County, Merit Hall.」

"Steward Wang, I’d like to know if there are any missions that award three thousand or more Merit Points and are only open to Qi Refining Realm cultivators."

Zhao Lin asked the old steward upon arriving at the Merit Hall.

The steward was the same old man who had admonished Zhao Lin before. Three years had passed, and he looked even more ancient.

He had a deep impression of Zhao Lin, so this time he offered no advice and simply took a jade slip from his sleeve.

"It’s hard to get even one or two thousand Merit Points from a White-rank mission. Three thousand is basically impossible. Only Purple-rank missions will do."

"It’s almost the end of the year, so there are fewer sect missions available. There are only these three Purple missions. Take a look."

Zhao Lin thanked him, took the jade slip, and immersed his Divine Sense into it.

There were only three Purple missions.

First mission: Go to the Yin Kui Realm to gather Yin Kui Mushrooms.

The Yin Kui Realm was a very famous minor realm, filled with extremely dense yin energy and inhabited by a large number of Yin Devils.

Yin Devils were the product of Yin Souls evolving to a certain stage. They were more ferocious, extremely difficult to deal with, and their combat prowess was comparable to that of a cultivator at the Peak of Qi Refining.

In the Yin Kui Realm grew a precious Spirit Grass called the Yin Kui Mushroom, which was a key catalyst for important pills like the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Dragon Ascending Pill.

Zhao Lin had been to the Yinfeng Realm before, which also contained many Yin Souls, but it was nothing compared to the Yin Kui Realm.

According to the mission description, the Yin Kui Realm had an extremely high risk level.

On one hand, there were numerous Yin Devils. On the other, the yin energy in the Yin Kui Realm was so heavy, containing a large amount of Yin Sha Qi, that cultivators returning from it would need to recuperate for at least three to six months before they could attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Judging from the Merit Points earned by past cultivators, one could earn at least three thousand Merit Points just by making it out alive. The highest earner had received twelve thousand.

It was worth noting that Honorary Elder Miao Kefa had been swarmed by Yin Devils and suffered irreversible injuries while undertaking this very mission.

Zhao Lin was satisfied with the potential Merit Point reward for this mission, but the mandatory half-year recuperation period afterward was a major drawback.

The second mission was simpler: station at the Great Stone Sect’s Profound Titanium Realm for three years for a reward of nine thousand Merit Points.

The Great Stone Sect was in the Zhong Mountain Realm, which, along with the Dongling Realm, the Western Realm, and the New Origin Realm, were known as the four "Great Realms" of the Xuanyuan Continent.

The Profound Titanium Realm was a minor realm under the jurisdiction of the Great Stone Sect, rich in Profound Titanium Stone.

Profound Titanium Stone was an extremely important ore in the Cultivation Realm. It was incredibly hard, and high-level magic treasures and warships were all made from it.

Although the Profound Titanium Realm belonged to the Great Stone Sect, the Chenghua Sect had purchased one hundred years of mining rights, so it was currently considered Chenghua Sect property.

However, the Profound Titanium Realm was an unstable minor realm where spatial fissures often appeared. The Protective Array couldn’t completely prevent cultivators from breaking in.

Cultivators "poaching" for ore frequently entered the Profound Titanium Realm to gather Profound Titanium Stone.

The responsibility of the stationed cultivators was to capture, expel, or even kill these trespassing miners.

According to the mission details, the nine thousand Merit Points were just the base reward; there were additional bonuses for each trespassing miner captured.

Typically, a stationed cultivator could earn fifteen thousand or even more Merit Points over three years.

This mission had high requirements for combat strength. Only those who passed a combat assessment to prove their abilities could contend for the opportunity.

Obviously, this mission offered more Merit Points.

The problem was, it would take three years.

Zhao Lin was already thirty-eight years old; unlike other cultivators, he didn’t have three years to spare.

Next, Zhao Lin turned his attention to the third mission.

When he saw the name of the mission, his eyelid twitched.

"Enter the Bajiang Realm and execute the sect traitor, He Shanfeng!"

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