Chapter 18: Seeing the High Mountains Again, Heading Toward the High Mountains Again

The white-faced demon's corpse was severed into two pieces, but because his right arm had long since been hacked away, the two sections appeared asymmetrical.

Jiang Wang knelt before the corpse. As his grip loosened, the longsword shattered into countless fragments, raining down upon the ground.

Its mission was complete.

The sword was made of ordinary material and could not withstand such a prolonged infusion of Dao Essence.

Once again, Jiang Wang felt clearly that the Heaven-Reaching Palace was empty. Those lively and cute little things were gone, not a single one remaining.

Before the masterless gray mist could spread, Jiang Wang returned to the official highway. He noticed a portion of the mist drifting toward the roadside, but it was blocked by an invisible force and slowly dissipated.

Jiang Wang knew in his heart that this must be the power of some kind of formation pattern etched into the highway.

After waiting a while longer, the roaring thunder approached from a distance. With a few leaps, Zhang Linchuan and the others landed beside Jiang Wang.

"Junior Brother Jiang, you didn't leave, did you?" he asked.

Despite the battle, his clothes and hat remained neat, and even his hair bun was perfectly preserved. His every movement exuded an air of elegance.

"I encountered... that demon from Tangshe Town earlier."

"Since you spilled his blood, he was bound to come for it; otherwise, his only choice would have been to flee the State of Zhuang."

"I killed him."

Zhang Linchuan's eyebrows twitched. "What?"

Jiang Wang pointed toward where the white-faced demon had fallen. "I just don't know if the corpse is useful or if it can provide any clues."

Recovering from his surprise, Zhang Linchuan shook his head. "These people have flawed souls. Soul-searching is useless while they are alive, let alone after death. I just killed a few, and they were all the same."

"I see." Jiang Wang felt no disappointment. For him, killing that white-faced demon was enough.

He did not resent Zhang Linchuan for choosing to pursue the enemy immediately rather than staying to protect him. He was not some fragile person in need of protection, and Zhang Linchuan was not his nanny.

Furthermore, if not for the pressure from Zhang Linchuan, the white-faced demon would never have lost his will to fight and chosen to flee immediately. And his accomplices would never have given Jiang Wang the chance for a duel.

Zhang Linchuan glanced at the spot where the gray mist had dissipated, sighing somewhat. "The formation pattern on this highway has been corroded. We must report this to the authorities so they can send someone to repair it quickly."

The two horses had not been spooked away; with a tug on the reins, they began to trot lively.

At that moment, he felt that within some unpredictable corner of the Heaven-Reaching Palace, a bead of Dao Essence suddenly rolled out—one after another, five in total. Moreover, they were fuller and more rounded.

Though it did not fully replenish his previous consumption, it was an unexpected windfall.

Only now did he gain a deeper understanding of the lessons taught by senior Daoists.

The so-called Dao Essence is the beginning of the Great Dao. The birth of Dao Essence is not a simple sublimation of blood and qi, but a perfect fusion of intent and strength—the most authentic feedback of all living things to the source of heaven and earth.

...

It was still early when they returned to the Dao Academy, so the two went directly to Dong A's courtyard to report.

The door was open, but the courtyard was empty, save for Fang Heling, who was pacing about looking bored.

Seeing the two enter empty-handed, his eyes lit up.

Fang Heling first gave Zhang Linchuan a polite greeting before saying, as if offering consolation, "It seems Brother Zhang didn't gain much this trip... Even for a genius like you, it must be quite difficult to lead a newcomer who knows nothing."

He certainly did not consider himself a newcomer. The Fang family had been around for a hundred years and had produced many cultivators; he had grown up seeing it and was no stranger to combat between cultivators. As for this man named Jiang, he was merely from a small town—what could he possibly know?

Jiang Wang couldn't be bothered with him.

Zhang Linchuan, however, had the leisure to tease him. "Oh? It seems Heling gained quite a lot this time."

"It went fairly smoothly," Fang Heling said with a forced modesty before impatiently beginning to boast.

It turned out that while they were investigating clues at the Fulai Inn, someone had been watching them from the shadows. However, Li Jianqiu had acted decisively, capturing the person alive. An investigation that initially seemed unlikely to yield much had suddenly gained direction because of this captive!

Of course, Fang Heling had played some part in it, though that was hard to say.

"Where is Junior Brother Li?" Zhang Linchuan asked.

Fang Heling froze in slight embarrassment before saying, "He's in the room. Master Dong is performing soul-searching via a secret method."

Dong A was soul-searching, Li Jianqiu was attending, and Fang Heling didn't even have the qualification to watch... his contribution to this trip was quite evident.

Since it was inconvenient for Zhang Linchuan and Jiang Wang to enter and disturb them, they had no choice but to wait in the courtyard with Fang Heling.

Jiang Wang remained silent, closing his eyes to send the Dao Essence from the Heaven-Reaching Palace to its designated hovering position, while Zhang Linchuan and Fang Heling engaged in idle chatter.

Fang Heling was naturally triumphant. After all, Dong A had previously stated that the mission rewards would be split 1:9. Jiang Wang clearly had nothing to show for it, yet they had returned with a live captive. This was the first step in widening the gap.

Before long, Dong A, dressed in black Daoist robes, strode out accompanied by Li Jianqiu.

Meeting Fang Heling's expectant gaze, Li Jianqiu shook his head.

Dong A said, "This person's soul is flawed. I could only retrieve some scattered fragments, nothing of importance."

Fang Heling jumped in to make an impression: "With such thorough precautions, there must be a strict organization behind these people! This matter is far from simple!"

Dong A remained noncommittal and simply looked at Zhang Linchuan.

Zhang Linchuan then described the events that occurred after they went to Tangshe Town, without adding any embellishment. As for the details of Jiang Wang's two battles with the white-faced demon, Dong A would not ask, and Jiang Wang saw no need to speak.

He was a legitimate disciple of the Dao Academy, not a criminal; he did not need to be interrogated.

Hearing this, Dong A merely nodded. "Jiang Wang did well."

The words sounded cold, but to those familiar with Dong A's personality, it was a rare compliment.

For this mission, both teams led by Zhang Linchuan and Li Jianqiu had submitted new clues, but since there were no further developments, the mission could not be considered a complete success. However, Dong A allocated five points of Dao Merit to each of them as an incentive.

For Zhang Linchuan and Li Jianqiu, they were merely guiding a junior brother through his first ranked mission; it was better if there were gains, but it was fine if there weren't. Their senior brothers had done the same for them.

For Jiang Wang and Fang Heling, five points of Dao Merit was not a small amount; it was equivalent to half the completion of a lowest-level Ninth-Rank mission.

Ninth-Rank mission rewards ranged from ten to one hundred points, while Eighth-Rank rewards ranged from one hundred to five hundred, depending on the difficulty.

Dong A acted decisively. Declaring the mission temporarily concluded, he dismissed the disciples.

Once finished, Fang Heling urged Zhang Linchuan and Li Jianqiu to go for a few drinks. Jiang Wang thought for a moment and decided to visit the Dao Merit Hall.

...

The Dao Merit Hall was located directly opposite the Sacrifice Hall, showing its importance.

The hall itself was empty of everything except for a Dao Merit Ranking Board that emitted a faint, clear light, hanging above an altar.

There were no guards here because the Dao Merit Board possessed its own means of self-protection. It was a spiritual treasure in itself; or more accurately, this board housed in the Fenglin City Dao Academy was a sub-board of the main Dao Merit Board, which was enshrined in the National Dao Academy and received incense and merit from across the country.

Jiang Wang had come specifically just to see what it was like.

Standing before the board was a medium-statured Daoist in hemp robes, hands clasped in front of him, staring blankly at the list.

His face could not be seen from behind, but in the Inner Court, anyone Jiang Wang was not familiar with had a higher cultivation than him.

Because they were all his senior brothers.

Jiang Wang did not disturb him and walked toward the board. He focused his mind and gazed at the list; as the clear light rippled slightly, a flood of information flowed through his mind.

This was merely a sub-board, so it only displayed information relevant to the Fenglin City Dao Academy. It was said that the main Dao Merit Board was all-encompassing, containing everything. But that was still quite far out of Jiang Wang's reach.

The exchange options on this Fenglin City sub-board were numerous, enough to make Jiang Wang's eyes spin. However, the prices of those items made him want to turn around and leave immediately.

The cheapest Pulse-Opening Pill cost one hundred Dao Merit points per pill. Its value was certainly higher than that, but as Dao Academy disciples, they received certain support from the Dao Sect. To exchange for a second Pulse-Opening Pill would cost 1,500 points. That was likely the true price of the pill.

Beyond that, even the cheapest standard-issue Dharma Sword started at five hundred Dao Merit points!

Jiang Wang looked at his five points of Dao Merit... well, his purpose for this trip was merely to broaden his horizons.

Since it was called a "Ranking Board," it naturally had rankings. It was only then that Jiang Wang realized that Zhang Linchuan, whom he considered unfathomable, was only ranked third on this Fenglin City sub-board.

The person in second place was named Wei Yan. He was not a disciple of the Dao Academy, but a military officer in the City Guard. Judging by his name, he might be related to Wei Quji.

And the person ranked first with 1,300 Dao Merit points, Zhu Weiwu, was the recognized Eldest Senior Brother of the entire Fenglin City Dao Academy, a man who was always elusive. Jiang Wang had only ever heard of his name, never seen his face.

One had to note that the second-ranked Wei Yan had only 700 points, which was similar to Zhang Linchuan, yet both were far behind Zhu Weiwu.

Jiang Wang scrolled further down and saw Li Jianqiu at the seventeenth position before severing his connection to the board.

"A new junior brother?"

The senior brother from before seemed to have been waiting for him specifically.

Jiang Wang turned at the sound and saw a face with a warm smile.

"Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Jiang Wang, having recently entered the Inner Court."

"Hello to you too. My name is Wang Changxiang." Wang Changxiang's appearance was not outstanding, but the smile on his face made him very approachable. "Well then, until next time."

"Until next time." Jiang Wang's heart stirred. In the Dao Merit Board he had just checked, this man was ranked seventh, far above Li Jianqiu.

Of course, the board only tracked Dao Merit, not individual strength. But in a sense, it did reflect certain things.

Back in the Outer Court, they had been the standout group of brothers, invincible in their path. Only after entering the Inner Court did they realize how vast the world truly was.

From those he had encountered so far—Li Jianqiu, Zhang Linchuan, and Wang Changxiang—they all possessed different temperaments, but every single one was an outstanding individual. Jiang Wang judged himself to be far from their match.

If a single Fenglin City Dao Academy produced such talents, what about the entire Qinghe Prefecture, or even the entire State of Zhuang?

And those geniuses who were famous throughout the world, making the heroes of various nations look up in awe—what kind of splendor would they possess!

Thinking of this did not discourage Jiang Wang; instead, an infinite fighting spirit burned within him.

At the very least, he had now stepped onto the path of the extraordinary and was standing on the same stage as those dazzling figures. What was there left to fear?