Just How High Are the Chances?

In the Hall of Merits of the Palace of Grand Beginning, an old Daoist with eyebrows draping down to his chest and an air of heavy decrepitude sat with his eyes slightly lowered. Immersing his divine sense into the jade seat beneath the hall floor, he attended to the vast sea of merit point records. Most confirmations, records, and disbursements of merit points were handled automatically by the Hall of Merits. Major transactions and anything involving heavenly merits and above, however, were placed under the charge of dedicated Perfected Persons, who either inspected them after the fact or vetted them in advance. If the Perfected Persons could not reach a decision, there was also a True Monarch on rotation. Another old Daoist walked over with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding the same dying lethargy of someone with little lifespan remaining. Approaching the long-eyebrowed Daoist, he said, "I'm here to relieve you, Senior Brother. Anything unusual this month?" The long-eyebrowed Daoist withdrew his divine sense and sighed. "The war in the north has grown more ferocious. Merit points and heavenly merits have both surged, and redemptions are far higher than usual. Sadly, many fellow disciples and juniors have fallen as well—it is truly heartbreaking. But just now, there was indeed an odd matter: Wei Yuan, a disciple of Sky Azure Hall, spent three thousand heavenly merits to obtain a permit to teach the Six Books of Body Casting." The newly arrived Daoist was shocked. "Three thousand heavenly merits?! Where did he get so many heavenly merits? And how could a single permit be worth three thousand? Even thirty would be too much!" "He asked for quite a lot of slots." "How many could it possibly be? Surely not three thousand—one heavenly merit per slot? That would be utterly ridiculous." The long-eyebrowed old Daoist took a deep breath. "He asked for a hundred thousand." The relieving Daoist nearly stumbled. "How many?!" Rising slowly to his feet, the long-eyebrowed Daoist said, "I found it strange as well. The Six Books of Body Casting aren't something just anyone can cultivate. I hear that boy Wei Yuan's domain holds only about a hundred thousand people. Surely every single one of them isn't going to cultivate it, right?" The relieving Daoist said, "Don't you and I know all too well how high the talent requirements are for the Six Books of Body Casting? A hundred-odd thousand mortals might sound like a lot, but you'd be hard-pressed to pick out even a few dozen fit to cultivate them. It would only make sense if every last one of those hundred thousand people were descendants of immortals." The long-eyebrowed Daoist chuckled. "Who knows, maybe there really are descendants of Immortal Monarchs." The relieving Daoist did not laugh. "Three thousand heavenly merits is no trivial matter. The boy Wei Yuan might simply be young and naive, but Sky Azure Hall is hardly one to suffer a loss quietly—and right now they are dirt-poor. In my opinion, you had best report this to True Monarch Xuanyue. Otherwise, if the True Monarch refuses to acknowledge it later and holds you accountable in anger, you'll be in deep trouble." The long-eyebrowed Daoist nodded. "Indeed, that is wise." He departed in haste. The relieving old Daoist sat down, sank his divine sense into the jade seat, and set about processing merit matters. Most of the Perfected Persons on rotation in the Hall of Merits were advanced in age with dwindling lifespans, no longer fit for venturing out to battle. Though their combat prowess had declined, their discerning eye and experience remained, making them more than qualified to handle merit matters. A single shift lasted one month, and depending on the volume of affairs, the number of Perfected Persons on duty varied. Taking a look at the shifts in merit points and heavenly merits over the past month, the relieving Perfected Person drew in a sharp breath and blurted, "How could so many have fallen..." Inside Sky Azure Hall, True Monarch Xuanyue sat within the main hall, her aura noticeably unsteady. At this moment, only two Perfected Persons stood flanking her—one on the left and one on the right—leaving the vast hall feeling distinctly desolate. Standing in the hall, the long-eyebrowed Daoist recounted the matter of Wei Yuan's redemption with heavenly merits. True Monarch Xuanyue pondered in silence for a moment before speaking. "The boy has his own plans. Since he made the exchange, let it be. It is not our place as elders to interfere." The long-eyebrowed Daoist had only come to give notice. Since the True Monarch gave her blessing, he said nothing more, took his leave, and stepped outside. As he crossed the threshold, he suddenly felt a tremor in True Monarch Xuanyue's aura, and his heart grew heavy. Inside Sky Azure Hall, True Monarch Xuanyue coughed lightly and said, "When Fenhai returns, have him make a trip to the Western Regions to see if there is anything that needs looking after over there." Beside her seat, a Sky Azure Hall Perfected Person said, "Junior Brother Fenhai just pushed deep into the Liao domain; I fear he won't be able to pull away anytime soon. By the way, the Cui family will soon have a flying boat bound for Qingming. Supposedly, it's packed with a great many clan youths who previously had no hope of casting a foundation. Our two halls still have some young disciples who are in dire need of experience. Why not have them hitch a ride on this boat? Cultivating through trials in the northern frontier is experience, and so is doing it in the Western Regions." The other Perfected Person, from Water Moon Hall, said, "The fighting in the north is tense. If we send disciples off to the Western Regions, won't it invite criticism?" The Sky Azure Hall Perfected Person snorted heavily. "Our two halls have lost plenty of people as well. Who could dare say a thing? At worst, I'll go take another shift at the front lines in exchange for the chance to send our disciples to the Western Regions!" The Water Moon Hall Perfected Person sighed and held his tongue. At this moment, True Monarch Xuanyue suddenly said, "You two are at a critical juncture in your cultivation. You should remain in the hall and continue your comprehension; perhaps your chances of breakthrough in the future will increase by half a tenth. As for the front lines, I will go myself." Both Perfected Persons were thoroughly alarmed. "Your injuries haven't healed, and you've only just returned—how can you go to the front lines again?" True Monarch Xuanyue said, "The Liao Clan has nearly fought their way to the northern gate of our sect; we cannot simply sit by. Besides, we old folks ought to win more room for the younger generation to grow. How many disciples are planned to go to the Western Regions this time?" The Sky Azure Hall Perfected Person said, "Six between both halls." The Water Moon Hall Perfected Person immediately showed his displeasure: "What do you mean 'between both halls'? It's clearly five from Sky Azure Hall and one from Water Moon Hall! We have disciples in need of practical experience too. Add three more!" True Monarch Xuanyue gave a gentle laugh. "Let them all go, all of them! However, the Western Regions are plenty perilous as well. One can tell just by looking at that boy Wei Yuan's heavenly merits—in just a few short months, he has already claimed first place among Dao Foundation cultivators. For this trip, prepare more artifacts and medicinal pills. Do not be stingy." The Sky Azure Hall Perfected Person stared at the tips of his feet, his tone flat and devoid of inflection. "Hitching a ride on the Cui family's boat doesn't come cheap. The hall is strapped for funds right now; after paying for the tickets, there's barely anything left. So there are no artifacts. We could manage two pills, but they won't be anything special." The Water Moon Hall Perfected Person scoffed. "If you don't have the coin, don't hoard the connection without letting go! Where is your self-awareness? How do we buy the tickets? Tell me the route, and I'll issue an extra bottle of mid-grade healing pills to your hall's disciples." "Top-grade!" The Water Moon Hall Perfected Person said coldly, "Only mid-grade. Do you want them or not?" "I'll take them!" ... On the main peak of the Qingming Domain, Wei Yuan faced the morning sun, cradling the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword in his hands as he meditated upon the blade. Moments later, two streaks of crimson sword qi spurted from his eyes; his sword contemplation for the day had borne fruit. Just as he put away the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword, Wei Yuan's divine thoughts stirred. He sensed a medium-sized flying boat approaching the domain, followed by several cultivators disembarking and flying toward the interior at high speed. They signaled with the insignia of the Cui family, prompting cultivators from the domain to take to the air and guide the vessel inside, directing it to a designated landing area. The flying boat descended slowly. Wei Yuan and Cui Yu were already waiting at the landing field. This flying boat was far larger than the last, measuring a full fifty zhang. Painted in deep black and azure, it was one of the Cui family's frontline flying boats, capable of being converted into a warship when necessary. Once the boat came to a steady stop, the cabin doors swung open, and several hundred people disembarked one after another! A young man in a green robe carrying a sword on his back walked forward ahead of the rest. First offering Wei Yuan a salute, he said, "I am Cui Luoyu of the Cui family. By order of the clan, I bring three hundred and seventy clan disciples to cultivate in Qingming." He then saluted Cui Yu beside him. "By command of the clan elders, I am to remain here to assist my cousin, and incidentally keep watch over the clan disciples lest they act recklessly and tarnish the Cui family's reputation." Cui Yu said, "Why did so many come this time? Besides, this isn't such a big matter—why would they have you make the trip?" Cui Luoyu was older than Cui Yu, already twenty-seven years of age, and had long reached late-stage Dao Foundation, nearing perfection. He ranked among the top five of the previous generation of Cui clan youths and was truly a favored son of heaven. With sufficient cultivation and high status as the direct son of the Third Branch, he was at the prime age to take on heavy responsibilities within the clan. Why would he run off to Qingming and stay for a time? In the eyes of a colossus like the Cui family, the Western Regions' Qingming was nothing more than a barbarian wilderness; any random county back home had vastly more people than Qingming. Dispatching Cui Luoyu here was practically equivalent to exile. Cui Yu had originally come to rescue Wei Yuan, only to end up boarding a pirate ship and finding himself utterly unable to disembark. Furthermore, unable to compete with his cousin of immortal foundation within the family, he had grown somewhat disheartened with clan affairs. Compounded by back-to-back major battles upon Qingming's initial founding that left no breathing room, he had remained to this day. Cui Luoyu then said to Wei Yuan, "A word in private, please." The three walked a short distance away, and Cui Luoyu said, "Aside from looking after and supervising the clan juniors, I have another matter on this trip. It has nothing to do with the elders, but is a private entreaty from several clan seniors. They wish to ask the Domain Lord: if one does not face life-or-death peril and has an ample supply of resources and precious medicines, what are the chances of successfully casting a Dao Foundation?" Wei Yuan asked, "Is the foundation damaged?" "Undamaged." "Are there specific requirements for the Dao Foundation?" "As long as a Dao Foundation can be cast, there are no special demands. Of course, if its grade can go up a notch or two, like Cui Changfeng's, that would be even better." Wei Yuan furrowed his brows. "Such a thing can only be chanced upon, never demanded." "Understood. Thus, so long as a Dao Foundation is achieved, that will suffice. Should there be a pleasant surprise, there will be a generous additional reward." The words "generous additional reward" registered with Wei Yuan instantly. Cui Luoyu's eyes burned bright as he looked at Wei Yuan and asked, "So under these conditions, what are the chances of achieving a Dao Foundation?" *How high the chances are depends on how heavy the reward is...* Naturally, Wei Yuan could only think this to himself and not say it aloud. Just as he was pondering how to reply, he suddenly sensed familiar auras of cultivation arts. Weren't these the Sovereign Time Scripture of the Pure Heaven Orthodoxy and Myriad Aspects of Great Yin Moon Splendor? Wei Yuan looked toward the source of the aura and saw over a dozen disciples of the Palace of Grand Beginning disembarking from the boat. However, they stood off by themselves, keeping well clear of the Cui family crowd, while some dandyish youths of the Cui clan pointed fingers and whispered amongst themselves with smirks. The relationship between the two sides was visibly fraught. Wei Yuan was puzzled. Why had fellow disciples from Sky Azure Hall and Water Moon Hall come as well? Could it be that either hall had disciples unable to cast a Dao Foundation? "What's going on here?" "A small misunderstanding." Cui Luoyu was helpless as well, at a loss for words for a moment. After weighing his phrasing, he said, "These disciples from Sky Azure Hall and Water Moon Hall wanted to hitch a ride on our boat to come to Qingming for practical experience. But the two Perfected Persons didn't bring enough money—they only bought tickets for passage, not for meals. "I figured a bit of food was trivial and offered to treat them along the way. Who would have thought the disciples of your halls would be so fiercely principled? They said they would not eat food handed out as charity, and since they hadn't paid, they would rather go hungry. As a result, some of our clan's spoiled young masters spoke rather discourteously, and an argument broke out." It took several days for the boat to travel all this way. Wei Yuan hastily said, "Then let's get them fed first!" Cui Luoyu said, "No need to bother with the Cui clan folks; they just ate." Wei Yuan paused. It was morning, still some time before lunch and nowhere near mealtime. How had they just eaten? Cui Luoyu replied expressionlessly, "Ever since that quarrel, those fellows have been eating eight meals a day." Wei Yuan stared in bewilderment, then felt a wave of admiration. Now those folks truly knew how to spite someone in a spat.