The white-faced demon’s corpse was cleaved in two, though the absence of his right arm, previously severed, rendered the halves asymmetrical.

Jiang Wang landed before the remains, and with a loosening of his grip, the longsword in his hand shattered into countless fragments, which fell to the ground.

Its mission was complete.

The sword, crafted from ordinary materials, could not withstand such prolonged infusions of Dao Yuan.

And once more, Jiang Wang keenly felt the emptiness within his Tongtian Palace. Not a single one of those lively, adorable little things remained.

Before the untethered grey mist could spread, Jiang Wang returned to the official road. He observed a portion of the mist drifting towards the roadside, but it was halted by an unseen force, slowly dissipating.

Jiang Wang knew this must be the power of the array inscriptions etched into the road.

After a brief wait, the booming thunder grew louder, approaching from afar. Zhang Linchuan arrived with several leaps, landing beside Jiang Wang.

“Jiang Shidi did not leave this place, I trust?” he inquired.

Despite the recent battle, his robes remained immaculate, and even his hair was styled with meticulous care. His every movement exuded refinement.

“I encountered… that demon from Tangshe Town.”

“He would certainly seek to reclaim the blood you spilled, or else be forced to flee the Zhuang Kingdom.”

“I killed him.”

Zhang Linchuan’s eyebrow twitched. “What?”

Jiang Wang gestured toward the direction where the white-faced demon had fallen. “I only wonder if the corpse might be useful, if we might glean some clues.”

Recovering from his surprise, Zhang Linchuan shook his head. “Their souls are flawed. Even in life, searching their memories is useless, let alone after death. I killed several just now, and it was the same with all of them.”

“I see.” Jiang Wang felt no disappointment. For him, the slaying of the white-faced demon was reward enough.

He did not begrudge Zhang Linchuan’s decision to pursue the other enemies first, rather than remaining to protect him. He was no damsel in distress, and Zhang Linchuan was not his nursemaid.

Moreover, were it not for Zhang Linchuan’s pressure, the white-faced demon would never have been so devoid of fighting spirit, choosing instead to flee immediately. Nor would his cohorts have afforded Jiang Wang a chance for single combat.

Zhang Linchuan glanced at the area where the grey mist dissipated, a trace of lament in his eyes. “The array inscriptions on this road have been corrupted. I must report this to the authorities so they can dispatch someone to repair it quickly.”

The two horses had not fled. Jiang Wang shook the reins, and his steed pranced eagerly to life.

At that moment, he felt a sudden shift within his Tongtian Palace. From some unknown depth, a Dao Yuan tumbled forth – then another, and another, until five had emerged in quick succession. They were more complete and more perfectly formed than before.

While they did not fully replenish his previous expenditure, this windfall was a welcome surprise.

Now he understood more deeply the lessons imparted by the senior Daoists.

Dao Yuan, the origin of the Dao. Their birth was not merely a sublimation of Qi and blood, but a flawless fusion of intent and power, the most authentic reflection of a sentient being upon the origin of Heaven and Earth.

……

They returned to the Daoist academy early in the afternoon and went directly to Dong A’s residence to report their findings.

The door stood open, but the courtyard was empty save for Fang Heling, pacing restlessly.

His eyes brightened upon seeing the two enter, empty-handed.

Fang Heling dutifully greeted Zhang Linchuan, then feigned consolation. “It seems Zhang Shixiong had little to show for this venture… Even for a genius such as Zhang Shixiong, being burdened with a novice proves too difficult.”

He certainly did not consider *himself* a novice. His family had a century of history and produced several cultivators. He had been exposed to the world of cultivation, so he was familiar with cultivators’ combat. But this Jiang, who came from a small town, probably did not have any exposure to the world.

Jiang Wang ignored him.

Zhang Linchuan, however, was in a playful mood. “Oh? It sounds as though Heling had quite the fruitful journey.”

“It was fairly successful,” Fang Heling said modestly, though he could hardly contain his eagerness to boast.

It seemed that while they investigated clues at Fulai Inn, they discovered someone else was spying on them. But Li Jianqiu acted decisively and captured the spy alive. A search that seemed doomed to fail became an investigation with a clear path, all thanks to this captive!

Of course, how much Fang Heling had contributed to this result was open to debate.

“Where is Li Shidi?” Zhang Linchuan asked.

Fang Heling faltered, a touch of awkwardness in his expression. “He is in the room. Dong Shizheng is using secret techniques to search the prisoner’s soul.”

Dong A performing a soul search, Li Jianqiu attending to him, and Fang Heling not even qualified to observe… His contribution to the operation was clear.

Zhang Linchuan and Jiang Wang could not intrude, so they waited in the courtyard with Fang Heling.

Jiang Wang remained silent, closing his eyes to guide the Dao Yuan within his Tongtian Palace to their proper positions. Zhang Linchuan and Fang Heling engaged in desultory conversation.

Fang Heling was naturally pleased. Dong A had stated that the mission merits would be divided in a ratio of nine to one. Jiang Wang had clearly gained nothing, while they returned with a living prisoner. This was the first step in widening the gap between them.

Before long, Dong A, clad in black Daoist robes, strode out, followed by Li Jianqiu.

Li Jianqiu shook his head as he met Fang Heling’s expectant gaze.

Dong A spoke, “This man’s soul is flawed. I could only extract scattered fragments, inconsequential matters.”

Fang Heling seized the opportunity to impress. “Their defenses are so thorough! There must be a clandestine organization behind them! This matter is certainly not simple!”

Dong A remained noncommittal, turning his attention to Zhang Linchuan.

Zhang Linchuan then recounted the events that had transpired after reaching Tangshe Town, without embellishment or fabrication. As for the details of Jiang Wang’s two encounters with the white-faced demon, Dong A did not inquire, and Jiang Wang need not reveal.

He was a proper Daoist academy disciple, not a criminal, and required no interrogation.

Upon hearing the report, Dong A merely nodded. “Jiang Wang did well.”

The words were terse, but to those familiar with Dong A’s temperament, it was a rare compliment.

Both Zhang Linchuan’s and Li Jianqiu’s groups had uncovered new leads, but neither had secured a decisive outcome. The mission could hardly be considered successful. Yet Dong A awarded each of them five merit points as encouragement.

For Zhang Linchuan and Li Jianqiu, they had only intended to introduce their inexperienced junior brothers to the world of rank assignments. A positive outcome would be welcomed, but not having it was not an issue. Their senior brothers had guided them the same way back in the day.

For Jiang Wang and Fang Heling, five merit points was not a small sum, equivalent to half the reward for completing a low-level, ninth-rank assignment.

Ninth-rank missions yielded between ten and one hundred merit points, while eighth-rank missions offered between one hundred and five hundred, depending on the difficulty.

Dong A, ever efficient, deemed the current mission temporarily concluded and dismissed the disciples.

With matters concluded, Fang Heling nudged Zhang Linchuan and Li Jianqiu to join him for a drink. Jiang Wang considered it for a moment and decided to visit the Merit Hall.

……

The Merit Hall stood directly opposite the Shrine Hall, a testament to its importance.

The hall was barren, containing nothing but a merit tablet that was hovering above the offering table and faintly radiating light.

There were no guards, for the merit tablet possessed the power to protect itself. It was, in and of itself, a spiritual treasure. More precisely, the merit tablet enshrined in Maplewood City Daoist Academy’s Merit Hall was but a subsidiary tablet, its main body residing in the National Daoist Academy, nourished by the national faith.

Jiang Wang had come all this way for a glance.

Before the merit tablet stood a Daoist, clad in hemp robes, of medium height. His hands were clasped before him, his gaze fixed on the tablet.

His face was hidden from view, but any inner disciple whom Jiang Wang did not recognize was bound to be of higher cultivation.

Because they were all his Shixiong.

Jiang Wang did not wish to intrude, so he made his way toward the merit tablet. He calmed his mind and focused his gaze on the tablet. The radiant light flickered, and information flowed into his mind.

This was only a subsidiary tablet, and he could only access information pertaining to Maplewood City Daoist Academy. The main tablet, he had heard, encompassed all things and contained all knowledge. But for Jiang Wang, that was still far away.

The options for exchange on this subsidiary tablet of Maplewood City Daoist Academy were plentiful, enough to overwhelm Jiang Wang. But the prices listed for the various items made him want to turn and leave.

The cheapest meridian-opening pill cost one hundred merit points. Its true value was, of course, much higher, but Daoist academy disciples received a degree of support from the Dao sect. Exchanging for a second meridian-opening pill would require one thousand five hundred merit points! That was the actual price for the meridian-opening pill.

Furthermore, even the cheapest standardized spell sword cost a minimum of five hundred merit points!

Jiang Wang glanced at his own meager five merit points… Yes, he had only come to broaden his horizons.

Since it was a tablet, there had to be a ranking. And Jiang Wang noticed that Zhang Linchuan was ranked only third on this merit tablet.

The person in second place was named Wei Yan, a military officer in the City Guard rather than a Daoist academy disciple. Judging by his name, he might be related to Wei Quji.

And Zhu Weiwo, who topped the list with one thousand three hundred merit points, was the de facto senior brother of Maplewood City Daoist Academy, rarely seen. Jiang Wang knew of him only by name.

The second-ranked Wei Yan had only seven hundred merit points, similar to Zhang Linchuan, but they were far below Zhu Weiwo.

Jiang Wang paged down and noticed Li Jianqiu in seventeenth place before breaking his connection with the merit tablet.

“A newly admitted Shidi?”

The Shixiong seemed to have waited for him.

Jiang Wang turned at the sound of his voice and saw a warm face.

“Greetings, Shixiong. I am Jiang Wang, I joined the inner sect not long ago.”

“Greetings, I am Wang Changxiang.” Wang Changxiang was not particularly handsome, but his smile radiated warmth. “Then, until next time.”

“Farewell.” Wang Changxiang did not stay and Jiang Wang’s mind sparked. He recalled Wang Changxiang was ranked seventh on the merit tablet, far above Li Jianqiu.

Of course, the merit tablet only tracked merit points, not personal strength. But it certainly reflected certain things.

While in the outer sect, his sworn brothers and he had excelled. It was only after entering the inner sect that they realized the true scale of this world.

Li Jianqiu, Zhang Linchuan, and Wang Changxiang had all been encountered, and each had different qualities, but they were all exceptional. Jiang Wang was nowhere near their match.

If Maplewood City Daoist Academy alone could produce such talents, what about Qinghe County, and the entire Zhuang Kingdom?

What about the world-renowned geniuses, those admired and revered by heroes from every nation? What kind of people are they?

These thoughts did not discourage Jiang Wang. Instead, they ignited an unquenchable fire in his heart.

At least now, he was on the path to transcending the mortal coil, standing on the same field as those dazzling figures. What was there to fear?