Cultivating in Different Professions

Chapter 186: Chapter 132: Merit

"The Blood Strengthening Pill is more precious than even the Nine-Turn Blood Transformation Technique. You can’t exchange ordinary merits for it; you’d need special merits."

Special merits were only awarded for extraordinary deeds.

It was comparable to military honors from Su Mu’s past life.

Ordinary merits were like third-class honors, second-class at the very most.

Special merits, on the other hand, were first-class honors, or even distinguished honors.

Years ago, Zhao Jinglei, the Governor of the Wuling City Taiping Bureau, earned a special merit for holding back a Demon Tide. He slayed a Tier Three Demon Beast with a single strike, laying the foundation for a great victory.

After that battle, his injuries never fully healed. He ultimately died while serving as Governor, unable to advance his cultivation any further.

Unlike ordinary merits, special merits aren’t assigned a point value. A single special merit allows you to exchange for one special item from the Taiping Bureau.

For instance, you could have the Taiping Bureau custom-forge a Divine Weapon for you.

Or you could exchange it for a Blood Strengthening Pill.

Of course, trading it for the Nine-Turn Blood Transformation Technique was also an option.

"It requires special merits?"

Su Mu frowned. ’That makes it a bit too difficult.’

In the entire history of the Taiping Bureau, it seemed no Taiping Captain had ever earned a special merit.

A Taiping Captain was only at the Blood Transformation Realm. ’In the grand scheme of things, that’s a low-level grunt. Earning a special merit is an incredibly tall order.’

"There’s no way around it. The Blood Strengthening Pill is not something that can be easily produced. Even the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect might only refine a batch once a century, and they only make a small number each time," Luo Anning said.

A Blood Strengthening Pill could double the effectiveness of the blood transformation process with almost no side effects. There was no telling how many people had their eyes on an item like that.

Although the Blood Strengthening Pill was useless for Martial Artists at the Rebirth Realm and above, you couldn’t forget that those powerful experts have children and heirs.

It was easy to imagine that as soon as a batch of Blood Strengthening Pills was refined, plenty of influential figures would be clamoring to get one.

The fact that a sect as powerful as the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect only dared to begin the refining process under the protection of the Taiping Bureau said it all.

Su Mu glanced at Luo Anning, a strange feeling in his heart. ’Getting special merits is next to impossible. Luo Anning knows this, so why does she seem so determined to help me get a Blood Strengthening Pill?’

’Does she have some special connection?’

’But given Miss Luo’s straightforward way of thinking, she shouldn’t be the type to think of shortcuts...’

"Special merits... I guess the Blood Strengthening Pill and I just aren’t meant to be," Su Mu said with a deliberate sigh.

"Master Wan told me it’s not impossible," Luo Anning said earnestly. "We might not be able to get a special merit, but Master Wan said that if we can just gather one hundred thousand merits, he’ll figure out the rest.

"We’ve already earned ten thousand merits from this trip alone. If we just push ourselves a little harder and take on more missions... and I have a few senior martial sisters I know in the Taiping Bureau. I can borrow some merits from them when the time comes..."

Su Mu’s heart skipped a beat. His thoughts weren’t on what method Master Wan might have for obtaining the Blood Strengthening Pill, but on Luo Anning herself.

’She’s so earnest in her calculations, all to scheme for a Blood Strengthening Pill for me. But there’s nothing in it for her.’

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Luo Anning grew a bit uncomfortable under Su Mu’s direct gaze.

"Has anyone ever told you? You’re particularly charming when you’re being so earnest," Su Mu said with a smile.

Luo Anning’s face flushed red in an instant, like a ripe apple.

Su Mu smiled faintly. He didn’t ask what Luo Anning hoped to gain from all this.

’Miss Luo... she probably wasn’t after anything at all.’

She simply felt that her carelessness had caused Su Mu to end up with an ordinary Blood Exchange Technique.

She was an idealist who believed that everyone should fulfill their role. In her mind, a genius like Su Mu deserved to practice the best Cultivation Technique so he could slay demons and protect the peace.

’A little naive.’

’But undeniably adorable.’

The two made their way to Supply Point Seven without encountering any danger on the road.

For the most part, the outskirts of Daxing Mountain were a relatively safe place.

Unless special circumstances triggered a demonic rampage, the Taiping Bureau’s suppression efforts usually took care of the threats long before they could reach this area.

After all, handling such matters was the Taiping Bureau’s entire purpose.

Deeper within Daxing Mountain lay the first line of defense established by the Taiping Bureau. That was the most dangerous place.

"Su... Captain!"

At Supply Point Seven, Zheng Tu looked at Su Mu with a complex expression and clasped his hands in salute.

He and Su Mu went way back, in a manner of speaking.

Back when Su Mu was just a constable in the South City Bureau, Zheng Tu had even gone there to cause him trouble over a case.

Later, Su Mu had come to Supply Point Seven while escorting supplies and had stayed for a while. The two had buried the hatchet and become friends of a sort.

After that, he heard that Su Mu had become the Sima of the East City Bureau.

He never expected that by the time they met again, Su Mu would already be a Taiping Captain.

And he... he was still stuck guarding this supply point.

Zheng Tu laughed at himself inwardly. ’To think I actually tried to cause trouble for a guy like him back then. I really didn’t know my own limits.’

’Some people are just born to soar above the clouds.’

’In just a few short years, the man was already a Taiping Captain. They were no longer in the same league.’

A Taiping Captain might only be a seventh-rank official, but there’s a rule of thumb: treat an official as if they’re one rank higher. Even a Commander from the City Defense Army would have to show a Taiping Captain a great deal of respect.

And a minor Captain like him had to be even more deferential.

"Brother Zheng, long time no see."

Su Mu said with a smile. "Is Captain Lin around?"

"I’ve been waiting for you for several days."

Before Su Mu could finish, Lin Qi Huan’s voice rang out. The man himself then emerged, strolling out from a military tent.

Lin Qi Huan walked up to Su Mu and sized him up, his eyelid twitching almost imperceptibly.

"Not bad. It seems you haven’t been slacking off in my absence."

Lin Qi Huan gave a slight nod, remarking casually, "You haven’t let me down. When I was your age, I wasn’t much stronger than you are now."

He appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was cursing up a storm.

’What kind of monster did I pick up on a whim back in the Outer City?’

’Damn it! I left him to his own devices for a few years, and the kid somehow managed to temper his body to its absolute limit on his own!’

’I heard he even mastered two different Intents!’

’When I was his age, I was weaker by a whole lot more than just ’a little bit’.’

’I’m supposed to be his mentor, and he’s already surpassed me!’

"You may have some strength now, but don’t get cocky. There’s an endless supply of masters in this world. You still have a long way to go," Lin Qi Huan said slowly, his chin tilted slightly upward.

"I understand," Su Mu nodded and said humbly. "The strike you used to slay that demon all those years ago, Captain, has always inspired me to press forward. I still can’t replicate a strike like that even now."

"As long as you know," Lin Qi Huan said calmly. "But there’s no need to be discouraged. Cultivate diligently, and in a few years, you’ll be able to catch up to me."

Lin Qi Huan secretly swore to himself, ’I have to step up my own cultivation, or how will I ever be able to show my face as his senior?’

"You’re a Taiping Captain now. You can just call me Martial Uncle from now on," Lin Qi Huan said with a wave of his hand. "Before, your cultivation was too low, so there were many things I couldn’t teach you. That’s why I left you in the city to cultivate on your own.

"Now you finally have a solid foundation. Stick with me this time, and I’ll teach you a thing or two about how to slay demons."

Lin Qi Huan, finally remembering he was Su Mu’s direct superior, offered what was less an explanation and more of an excuse.

"Master Lin is famous for being a free spirit," Luo Anning whispered in Su Mu’s ear, a troubled look on her face. "He doesn’t even recognize all the Captains under his command."

She was technically one of Lin Qi Huan’s Captains too, but she’d barely seen him more than a few times.

Lin Qi Huan wasn’t like the other Taiping Captains of his rank. He preferred to act alone. Unless it was a major incident, he rarely summoned the Taiping Captains under his command for a group mission.

To put it nicely, he was unconventional; to put it bluntly, he was disorganized and irresponsible.

"You have four hours to rest. After that, you’ll lead the way. We’re going to take care of those Corpse Demons," Lin Qi Huan said with a casual wave of his hand.

"Get ready to be impressed. When I make my move, it’ll be over fast."

His tone was confident, his expression tinged with a slight arrogance.

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