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Chapter 183: The Merit Ranking After Over a Month—Has Zhao Xing Gone Mad?
🕑 Added 2024-10-30 16:53:02 +0000 UTCIn the temple of City No. 92, there were three halls, each dedicated to a different celestial deity of the Three Divisions.
The Tianxiang Hall enshrines the Star Lord of Wealth, who can bestow titles and promotions upon meritorious officials.
The Tianliang Hall enshrines the Star Lord of Longevity, who can extend lifespans, compensating for the life energy consumed by some warriors when performing certain martial techniques.
The Heavenly Heart Hall enshrines the Star Lord of Calculation, who oversees the recording and calculation of battle merits.
Since City No. 92 was of relatively low rank, it only enshrined these three deities. In a higher-ranking city, all Six Celestial Lords would be honored.
However, the Lords of Calamity, Life, and Rebirth are typically only dispatched in larger or more critical wars.
"Calamity, Life, and Rebirth," Zhao Xing mused as he made his way to the temple. "These three are usually deployed for high-end legions or wars of annihilation."
"The Six Celestial Lords are all First-Rank Yin Gods, even more powerful than ordinary First-Rank gods."
"They can change fate, increase fortune, or even resurrect souls."
As Zhao Xing approached the temple, he recalled the stories of these six Celestial Lords.
In the era of Emperor Wu, there was a general whose strength was undeniable, but his luck was notoriously bad—he kept getting lost in battle.
After this happened twice, Emperor Wu dispatched two Celestial Lords, Calamity and Life, to assist him, intending to enhance his luck and alter his fate.
Yet, in their quest to find this general, even the two Celestial Lords got lost due to the overwhelming influence of the general's ill fortune. It wasn’t until the war ended that they managed to return with the general.
The impact of fate and luck—truly terrifying.
"The Celestial Lord of Rebirth can even resurrect the souls of the dead," Zhao Xing thought further. "According to the Records of the Netherworld, when a person dies, their seven souls perish, and their three spiritual souls drift, becoming ghosts wandering the battlefield."
"If a ghost dies again, they become a 'Specter'. If a Specter is killed, they become 'Shade,' and if a Shade dies, they become 'Void.'"
"The Rebirth Lord of Great Zhou can gather a person's three souls from the 'Void' level, allowing them to transform into a Yin God."
"This enables the meritorious warriors to be worshiped forever, their spirits tied to the destiny of Great Zhou."
"Of course, if the soul is bound or devoured and flees far enough, then there's no saving it," Zhao Xing reflected.
In war, it’s always good to have priestly friends.
Even a Ninth-Rank priest could call upon the Rebirth Lord to gather the Yin soul of a Seventh-Rank official like Zhao Xing—without much effort or cost.
And if it were someone like Chen Lu, a Seventh-Rank official, the Rebirth Lord could even restore their soul from the 'Specter' level, reuniting their spirit.
Chen Lu, despite his devotion to the Shennong God, would undoubtedly seek help from the Rebirth Lord. In fact, inviting this deity is a necessary practice for anyone reaching the Seventh Rank.
"I need to accumulate a million battle merit points as soon as possible," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "In case something happens to me, with a million points, I could be enshrined as a Yin God."
"Someone would worship me, and as a Yin God, I’d remain forever with Great Zhou."
"This would be another way of 'living.' When the era of spiritual revival comes, there might even be a chance for resurrection."
"But that's much harder to achieve—at least ten times more difficult than living through one's natural lifespan into the era of spiritual revival."
Zhao Xing had always been polite to priests, for Great Zhou's system of enshrining Yin Gods was his last resort in dire situations.
Back in Cloud Gate City, he had been courteous to Shen Mingyu and close to Zhang Yi. Upon arriving in the southern war zone to take up his position in City No. 92, he treated Chen Lu with equal respect, even splitting a portion of his spoils with him.
This was the underlying reason for his behavior.
Of course, priests were highly respected in this era, so Zhao Xing’s actions never raised any suspicion—no one would guess his long-term intentions.
Chen Lu could never have imagined the depth of Zhao Xing’s planning.
Upon arriving at the temple, Zhao Xing discarded all distracting thoughts, focusing only on matters related to battle merit.
Having studied the Great Dream Spring and Autumn, his Dream Storage Technique allowed him to distribute memories, storing them safely.
His memories and thoughts of previous lives could be easily suppressed when necessary.
Using the Dream Storage Technique as a cover, even if someone detected anything strange, they would attribute it to an idle daydream.
Everyone has their moments of fanciful thinking, after all.
If Zhao Xing were to openly declare, "Spiritual energy will revive after sixteen dynasties," most would dismiss it as the ramblings of a madman—unless he could gradually prove his claim step by step.
Arriving at the Heavenly Heart Hall, Zhao Xing lit incense.
Then, he took out yellow paper and began writing a divine petition.
Writing petitions had specific rules.
Red ink for gods, black ink for ghosts.
The rank of the god you’re summoning dictates the quality of the materials used.
Since the Star Lord of Calculation is a First-Rank Yin God, even though only his Sixth-Rank avatar was present, Zhao Xing had to use higher-grade materials out of respect.
After writing the divine petition, Zhao Xing burned the paper and offered his prayers.
"Zhao Xing, Quartermaster of the Shenwei Army, humbly requests the presence of the Star Lord of Calculation."
As Zhao Xing recited his words, the yellow paper ignited, and its light illuminated the deity's statue.
Moments later, the statue of the Star Lord of Calculation, holding a measuring rod, opened its eyes.
"Zhao Xing of the Shenwei Army, for what purpose have you summoned me?" the deity's voice echoed.
"Your humble servant has completed the military tasks for Heartworm Grass and Blood Essence Fruits and requests the Star Lord to calculate the battle merits," Zhao Xing replied.
The projection of the Star Lord descended from the statue and floated toward the piles of Heartworm Grass and Blood Essence Fruits outside the hall.
After a brief inspection, the deity returned.
"According to the military task rules, you are entitled to 15,000 battle merit points."
"These items will be sealed in the military’s storage vault. Should there be any loss, you will be penalized 30,000 battle merit points," the Star Lord declared.
"Understood. I will comply," Zhao Xing bowed.
Once these items were submitted for battle merit, they belonged to the military, not the Shenwei Army, and their details were logged.
The transfer team from the military realm would soon arrive at City No. 92 to collect the items.
If the supplies were lost, it would be a severe penalty, especially since they belonged to the military. Losing Shenwei Army supplies wouldn’t be as grave.
Why submit the items now, instead of waiting for the transfer team?
Because the merit rankings were calculated in stages, and reaching certain milestones earned rewards.
Moreover, June was almost over, and the transfer team was about to arrive.
If the city couldn’t be defended, his life might be forfeit. In that case, submitting the items now or later wouldn’t make much of a difference.
"Thank you, Star Lord of Calculation!" Zhao Xing burned another yellow paper as part of the send-off ritual.
This type of divine summoning, tied to completing a military task and performed in the temple, incurred no personal cost to Zhao Xing—the court covered the expenses.
Leaving the temple, Zhao Xing stored the Heartworm Grass and Blood Essence Fruits in the military vault.
As long as the city wasn’t breached, there was no chance of theft or loss.
If the city fell, then survival would be the only concern.
After submitting the task, his battle merit surpassed 100,000 points.
Zhao Xing glanced at his Earth Mirror, his rank rising within the top 4,000.
During his rest, Zhao Xing visited the City Lord’s residence to review military reports.
He regularly checked for updates to avoid missing critical intelligence that could affect his strategic decisions—and his survival.
"For now, the Shenwei Army is performing remarkably. The units led by Liao Rulong, Huang Mian, Zhou Zhen, Wen Shaoyang, and Fu Qing are advancing rapidly."
"Among the armies of the Five Great Cave-Heavens, the Shenwei Army ranks in the second tier, right behind the strongest five or six forces."
The Shenwei Army had once been at the bottom of the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven rankings, only reorganized in the past two years.
Many of Yang An’s old subordinates had been lost.
It was widely believed that the Shenwei Army would be a weak force. Many commanders, when separated from their old units, faltered.
But the Shenwei Army defied expectations, showing great courage.
"At the end of June, the military will calculate 'Army Merits.'"
"All the soldiers killed and ground conquered by Liao Rulong’s unit contribute merit to the logistics officers in the rear."
"I left seclusion on June 20th and arrived in City No. 92 in the evening of June 23rd."
"Which means I’m basically earning battle merit by doing nothing."
Zhao Xing hadn’t participated much yet, but he was about to reap the rewards.
When the military merit is calculated, it doesn’t break things down in too much detail. Rear logistics officials earn merit based on rank.
Zhao Xing estimated that by the end of June, he’d gain another 10,000 battle merit points—possibly more.
Doing nothing and gaining 10,000 points—this was the advantage of joining a powerful army!
He hadn’t accepted anyone’s invitation before, but following Chen Lu to the Shenwei Army was already showing benefits.
"In this phase, the army advances quickly, gaining merit and opportunities."
"I arrived as the commander of this city right from the start."
"I heard that Shi Yong couldn’t even secure a commander’s position in the Hujiao Army. Even on the front lines, he’s just a leader, not even a captain."
"Guang Junyang in the Xuanjia Army is also playing second fiddle to Xia Jing, even though he has mastered advanced techniques."
"Zhuang Zhiqing became a city commander, but Feng Qiu and Li Feng are both working under him."
"Cao Shuang and Jiang Tianming only recently joined, and it’s difficult for them to compete with the more seasoned Seventh-Rank officers."
Had Zhao Xing agreed to Wei Yuan’s invitation to join the Hujiao Army, he likely wouldn’t have landed such a good position.
Sure, they promised him a battalion command.
But after a few battles, if he didn’t perform well, he’d be sent back to cool his heels.
If he had joined the Hujiao Army, Zhao Xing figured it would’ve been tough to outshine the others.
Look at the Hujiao and Xuanjia Armies—many of their Seventh-Rank officers were already in the top 100 of the Seventh-Rank merit rankings.
Of course, Hujiao Army was a first-tier force, and their monthly merit calculations reflected that, earning more merit than other armies.
"Gold Feather Court has reinforced its defense of the Blazing Flame Desert, likely to protect the Green Gang Crystal Mines."
"Even though Prince Hal was killed, Lü Yuanwei’s accomplishments are truly extraordinary."
"The northern edge of the Fire Demon Tribe’s territory borders the Blazing Flame Desert. If Liao Rulong’s unit moves quickly enough, they might be able to follow Lü Yuanwei’s trail and benefit."
"Seizing the Green Gang Crystal Mines will bring Lü Yuanwei massive merit," Zhao Xing speculated.
The Green Gang Crystal Mines produce a crystal ore that significantly enhances the abilities of those in the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Gang Realm.
Conquering the mines and guarding them for a year would yield enough merit to grant a thousand noble titles to the army.
"This territory of the Fire Demon Tribe is a goldmine in the early stages. In my past life, it was Lü Yuanwei who captured the Green Gang Crystal Mines, maintaining a lead throughout the entire training campaign and dominating the Sixth-Rank merit rankings."
"By the time the mid-to-high-tier legions were deployed, he had already advanced to the Sixth-Rank and been granted the title of Shenlei Marquis. He continued to excel, reaching the Fourth-Rank within a year."
"Even though his forces suffered a defeat later, leading to his demotion, he still retained a lower Fifth-Rank position, preserving his earlier achievements. That’s quite rare."
The latter half of Emperor Jing’s southern campaign ended in a significant defeat, and after Prince Liang’s rebellion, Emperor Jing demoted many generals.
The fact that Lü Yuanwei maintained his early gains and kept his Fifth-Rank title as Shenlei Marquis was an impressive feat.
"This man is both talented and incredibly fortunate. If Liao Rulong’s unit truly engages the Fire Demon Tribe, I’ll need to be there on the front lines."
Zhao Xing knew farming merit was fast, but the Green Gang Crystal Mines offered even greater rewards.
Even following behind Lü Yuanwei and scooping up the leftovers would be immensely rewarding.
"The Purple Dragon Court has dispatched beast troops, including White Dragon Gold Claw Beasts, Earth Jiao Dragons, and Iron-Backed Eagle Dragons."
"The Holy Spirit Court has sent Sixth-Rank Ghost Kings and soul soldiers. The number of priests in the southwest war zone has surged—likely because the Holy Spirit Court specializes in controlling ghosts and souls... Hmm, that pesky Xuantian Sect is meddling again."
Zhao Xing snorted derisively as he read the intelligence reports on the Holy Spirit Court.
The royal courts of the southern wilds were all backed by external sects, and the Holy Spirit Court’s main supporter was the Xuantian Sect.
"Meanwhile, the reports from the Fiery Light Court are of little value. It’s all one-sided, and they’re defending barren lands. Attacking them yields the least rewards, and it’s exhausting to boot."
The mere thought of the Fiery Light Court made Zhao Xing angry. In his previous life, during the era of Emperor Wu, he had been assigned to attack the Fiery Light Court.
At the time, he had just been resurrected for the Nth time by Liu Tianning, hoping to earn some merit in the southern wilds and restore his rank.
Excited, he had led his brothers into battle, only to be assigned the task of fighting one of the 25 elite troops under the Fiery Light Court, the Babok Tribe.
The Fiery Light Court controlled vast lands, much of it harsh and inhospitable, and the Babok Tribe’s army was incredibly tough.
They even bred a special beast called the Babok Worm.
Though called a worm, these creatures were massive, each over a kilometer long, and their specialty was burrowing underground.
The Babok Tribe’s army usually traveled with these beasts, rarely moving through the air or on the surface. Most of the time, they moved underground.
Fighting the Babok Tribe was a nightmare. If you chased them, they’d burrow underground. If you stopped to camp, they’d launch surprise attacks from below.
The Babok Worms had thick, tough hides that were nearly impervious to normal attacks. Even if you cut one in half, each end would continue to burrow and act independently.
The Babok Tribe's soldiers were resilient and relentless, and their tactics were unconventional.
On top of that, their territory was of little value, so the military realm offered meager rewards for tasks involving them.
Year after year, Zhao Xing had fought them for nine grueling years. By the end, he had been so tormented by the Babok that he even dreamt about their larvae under his blanket at night.
By the time that war ended, his brothers in the guild had all risen through the ranks, reaping the rewards of Emperor Wu’s campaigns, while Zhao Xing found himself lagging behind, a whole rank lower than his peers.
In his frustration, Zhao Xing had tried to embezzle a few million, only to have his hand cut off by Liu Tianning.
The anger had been so great that he couldn’t eat for months.
Still, there had been a silver lining. The prolonged conflict with the Babok Tribe had forced Zhao Xing to refine his Earth Element techniques to a masterful level, with many of his Earth techniques surpassing their original limits.
"Anyone fighting the Fiery Light Court is an idiot," Zhao Xing muttered, his resentment still fresh.
After reviewing all the latest battle reports, Zhao Xing made the Green Gang Crystal Mine his top strategic focus.
The other territories weren’t as valuable for the moment, and it was better to farm battle merits in peace.
Lü Yuanwei’s assault on the Fire Demon Tribe would likely take time.
For now, Zhao Xing decided to stay focused on farming and refining his techniques.
His water-affinity talent was especially strong, and the Drop of Water technique had already reached the Sixth Transformation.
The Thunder Breaking Delusion Finger had reached the Fourth Transformation.
Soaring Serpent Transformation was at the Third Transformation.
The techniques Awakening Thunder Transformation, Earth Fiend Thunder, Volcano Technique, and Yin Wind Fiend, which Zhao Xing had studied at the Original Dao Field, had all reached the First Transformation of the high-level techniques.
Both Five Elements Mist Concealment and Primordial Instant, thanks to Zhao Xing’s understanding of the Yin-Yang Self Technique, had reached the Second Transformation.
For most Seventh-Rank cultivators, mastering nine advanced techniques would have already inflated their ego beyond control, but Zhao Xing always set high expectations for himself.
If he wasn’t invincible, he still had to keep training!
The Seventh-Rank Earth Fiend Realm mainly involved deepening one's mastery of techniques. With nine advanced techniques under his belt, Zhao Xing wasn’t planning on learning any more for the time being. Instead, he focused on refining one technique in particular.
Since his current priority was earning merit through farming, he chose to focus on mastering Primordial Instant from the Essence Breaking Techniques.
Every day, he was either farming or on his way to farm.
From June 25th, Zhao Xing ramped up his efforts.
For eleven hours each day, he farmed and practiced, dedicating half an hour to sleep and another half hour to managing official duties.
This intense schedule continued until July 1st, when the transfer team from the military realm arrived, requiring an hour of his time.
As soon as the team departed, Zhao Xing returned to the fields.
"He’s at it again," Han Bing remarked from afar, watching Zhao Xing dart around the fields like a busy bee.
"He was like this in the Ten Suns Cave-Heaven, and now he’s the same here."
"Have you ever seen him sleep?" Wang Ji asked.
"No," Han Bing shook his head. "Whenever I go to report to him, he’s always awake."
"There really are geniuses like this in the world," Wang Ji mused. "Even with acupuncture to restore my energy, I can only last five days. After that, I have to sleep for twelve hours straight."
"You actually tried it?" Han Bing asked in surprise. "Even if you admire him, don’t throw your life away trying to imitate him."
"I can’t keep up anyway," Wang Ji sighed.
Zhao Xing had his Sleep Bug Technique, the top-tier Great Dream Spring and Autumn, and soul armor for protection. Wang Ji couldn’t replicate that.
After a few days of trying, Wang Ji had been left drowsy, with his training and work efficiency severely reduced.
On July 4th, Primordial Instant reached the Third Transformation.
Zhao Xing’s battle merit surpassed 250,000 points.
By submitting accumulated materials from his advanced tasks, he shot into the top 1,000 of the Seventh-Rank merit rankings.
At this point, Primordial Instant hit a bottleneck at the Third Transformation.
By July 20th, after submitting more advanced tasks, Zhao Xing's merit ranking rose to 431st.
It was his first time entering the top 500!
Though Primordial Instant remained stuck at its current level, a spark of inspiration lingered in his mind.
Starting at that point, Zhao Xing entered a state of deep concentration, seeking a breakthrough.
From July 20th to July 30th, he submitted no tasks, and by the August 1st ranking, his position had dropped back outside the top 500.
From August 1st to August 10th, Zhao Xing was no longer in City No. 92.
He had unknowingly wandered out of the city and into the wilderness.
He walked barefoot, his hair disheveled, gazing at the flowers and plants growing in the barren soil. Nearby, many straw puppets guarded him.
"The shackles of life’s growth—how can they be broken further?"
"The path of self is so difficult!" Zhao Xing muttered to himself. He had never been stuck on a minor obstacle for so long.
Whenever he fully committed himself to mastering a technique, he usually overcame such hurdles quickly.
But this time, the breakthrough eluded him.
For the first time, he understood the frustration of lesser talents.
Facing an obstacle, unable to pass through.
He could see the scenery beyond the door but couldn’t enter.
"Primordial Instant... breaking the shackles of life... how do I break them?"
As Zhao Xing walked, deep in thought, grass grew under his feet.
But once he moved on, the grass withered again.
High above, Chen Shijie and Long Xiao stood aboard the Swordfish Airship, quietly watching Zhao Xing below.
"Old Chen, is that kid alright? He looks like he’s lost his mind."
"He’s fine, just in a state of deep concentration," Chen Shijie replied calmly. "Don’t worry about him. He’ll break through."
"Really?" Long Xiao glanced at Long Aotian, Zhao Xing’s Mountain Cat, who was clearly agitated. "He doesn’t look right to me."
"Your Shennong Division is really strange. Why does figuring out a minor obstacle make it look like they’ve gone mad?"
In early August, Liao Rulong’s army returned to the rear supply cities to rest after finishing off the Wolf God Tribe.
Chen Shijie and Long Xiao also returned to City No. 92.
Inside the airship’s cabin sat another individual—Liao Rulong himself.
Zhao Xing’s sudden rise into the top 500 Seventh-Rank merit rankings had caught the attention of this Sixth-Rank Captain.
He wanted to see for himself what kind of genius this Quartermaster was.
After all, other Seventh-Rank warriors were risking their lives on the front lines, yet none had accumulated more merit than Zhao Xing, a mere Quartermaster. Liao Rulong was intrigued!
But when he arrived in City No. 92, Zhao Xing had already entered this bizarre state.
"A minor obstacle?" Chen Shijie shook his head. "When your sword technique advanced from the Third to Fourth Transformation, how much more powerful did it become?"
"He’s mastering an advanced technique. Every step forward in an advanced technique brings significant gains. And the leap from the Third to Fourth Transformation is a crucial one."
"It’s the difference between entry-level mastery and achieving a minor completion."
"The Shennong Division’s techniques aren’t strange; they’re just difficult to master."
"That’s the reason Zhao Xing can farm his way to such high merit. If it were you, would you not practice such a technique?"
Long Xiao still muttered under his breath, "But he really looks like he’s gone mad... Look, he’s even eating grass now."
"Shut your mouth!" Chen Shijie snapped. "I’ve told you, he’s not gone mad!"
"Fine." Long Xiao turned and headed back into the cabin, grumbling, "Can’t even say anything... You trust him more than me."
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