Military Merit Exchange Booklet

The golden warrior had told Li Hao and the others to visit the City Lord's Estate later. However, the golden warrior was still busy atop the city gate tower at the moment, so Li Hao was in no rush. The trio set off toward the military camp. In the North City. When Li Hao and the others arrived, guards were already stationed at the entrance. The entire camp had felt somewhat desolate and lifeless on their previous visit, but it felt noticeably revitalized this time. Not only were there sentries, but Li Hao and his companions also spotted red-armored soldiers on duty in the distance. As the trio approached the iron grating, it swung open automatically. *Thump!* The guarding soldiers thumped their right fists against their chests, greeting the returning warriors with apparent excitement and enthusiasm. Li Hao and the others had grown somewhat accustomed to this and returned the salute. The three stepped into the North City. Li Hao gave it some thought and said, "Let's head to the armory. Maybe we'll gain something there. There's a silver warrior over there who's quite aloof. When I spoke to him last time, he barely gave me the time of day. I wonder if his attitude will be a bit better this time." The North City was vast, filled with numerous buildings. As new recruits, they did not dare wander aimlessly, though they did know where the armory was located. They proceeded forward. Along the way, they encountered more soldiers, all of whom promptly snapped off salutes. This time, in addition to red armors, quite a few black armors seemed to have appeared among the soldiers they met. A strange feeling rose within Li Hao and the others... Previously, there had been no black armors here. So why were black armors appearing now? Had they been here all along, or had the city unsealed a bit more following the recent battle, providing these soldiers with enough energy to awaken once again? Li Hao leaned toward the latter. Before this, there hadn't even been gate sentries. Evidently, apart from the four city guard forces, the rest of the black armors had likely been dormant. The Battle Heaven Army's camp was immense. In the past, perhaps hundreds of thousands or even millions had lived here when the Battle Heaven Army was stationed in full. Of course, the city itself might have only been one of the rotational barracks—the grounds of the reserve army. The trio continued forward, walking for nearly ten minutes before finally arriving at the armory. Li Hao had been here once before. Hong Yitang and Southern Fist, however, had not. Their bronze and black armors had been collected directly from the Recruitment Hall, as they were not as important as silver armor. Outside the armory, several black-armored soldiers were now stationed as well. Upon seeing the three, they saluted one after another. Li Hao's sense of wonder grew. This meant that quite a few black armors had indeed revived within the barracks. He didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. The trio entered the armory and walked forward. Moments later, Li Hao spotted the silver warrior in the distance. The other party spotted Li Hao as well. Before Li Hao even reached him, that familiar wave of mental fluctuation sounded in his ears. "Backdoor recruit, not bad!" The silver warrior seemed to know what had happened in the battle outside. "The Eight Great Families are indeed the Eight Great Families. The people of the guardian families are still impressive. Weak as you are, you'll do!" Li Hao was speechless! Back when this fellow was alive, he must have been a chatterbox—and an infuriating one at that. Still, his words were rather interesting. His sentience seemed quite high, perhaps even slightly higher than that of the three silver warriors outside the city. "How should I address you, Senior?" Li Hao stepped forward and exchanged pleasantries, even if the fellow's tone was somewhat obnoxious. "Deputy Director Zhang Liang of the Quartermaster Office of the Reserve Guard Army's Ninth Division!" The silver warrior seemed somewhat proud. As an official of the Quartermaster Office clad in silver armor, it was unclear who held a higher rank between him and a regimental commander like Li Hao. Li Hao felt his sentience was indeed remarkable; he didn't even stammer. Moreover, he seemed noticeably warmer than he had been last time. Without excessive formalities, Li Hao asked directly, "Director Zhang..." "Deputy Director!" "..." Li Hao was at a loss for words. The man was actually nitpicking that. "Deputy Director Zhang, we've earned some military merit, but we aren't sure how to use it. Could you give us some guidance?" "Military merit, eh... Good stuff!" Zhang Liang sounded somewhat nostalgic before continuing, "Battle Heaven City values military merit, and the entire human race places great importance on it! The military merit system is exceedingly vital. During wartime, it even became the mainstream system of the human race. "Military merit has many uses. You're all newcomers who haven't undergone recruit training, or else you'd know its importance! "I'll briefly mention a few uses. First, exchanging for cultivation treasures. Second, exchanging for currency. Third, accumulating merit for promotions. Fourth, exchanging for opportunities to comprehend the Dao—that is, having powerful experts expound upon the martial path for you. Fifth... I forgot!" The fellow was quite amusing; he didn't feel awkward about forgetting in the slightest and stated it plainly, adding, "My memories are damaged, so I only remember some inherent things. Still, I recall military merit having other uses. Maybe I'll remember later." Li Hao and the others nodded slightly as they listened. It was broadly in line with what they had previously imagined. Li Hao asked hurriedly, "Can we make exchanges here right now?" "Yes!" Zhang Liang answered directly, "In truth, merit exchanges aren't usually conducted here, but rather deeper inside at the Merit Exchange Hall. However, that place is dormant right now. According to wartime regulations, when certain branches become paralyzed, the Quartermaster Office assumes some of their responsibilities. So you can make temporary exchanges through me." The Merit Exchange Hall? Li Hao and the others were surprised. There was actually a dedicated department for military merit; the Battle Heaven Army's structure was remarkably thorough. Furthermore, numerous wartime regulations ensured that the Battle Heaven Army wouldn't easily fall into complete paralysis. Zhang Liang added, "A word of warning, though: many items are out of stock and cannot be replenished, so they cannot be exchanged for the time being! In addition, I am only a deputy director. Certain items require the director's signature and approval before they can be released." "Where is the director?" "The director... is dead." Zhang Liang sounded entirely calm. "Originally, the director and I held the fort here together. As the director grew older, he couldn't bear the loneliness and insisted on leaving the city... and then he died. Although I can act in his stead for some duties, I haven't received an official appointment from higher-ups after all. Battle Heaven City is dormant now, otherwise I would have been promoted!" Fair enough! Li Hao was speechless again, but quickly asked, "Then what can I exchange for?" Zhang Liang glanced at him and asked, "How much merit do you have?" "A bit over a hundred points..." "Not bad!" Zhang Liang's voice rippled out. "To accumulate this much merit in your very first battle, even with double credit, is quite impressive!" With that, he tossed over a small booklet. "See for yourself! This covers everything that can be exchanged for under one thousand points of military merit. There are several volumes of exchange catalogs, but looking at the higher-grade ones is useless for you. Once you're done looking, you can make your exchange with me! But remember, some items might no longer be in stock." "Understood. Thank you!" Zhang Liang offered no further response and sat back down in his spot. At this moment, he looked no different from the dormant soldiers, motionless. Only now was it truly apparent... that these people were genuinely dead. This was a dead city, devoid of any living souls. ... Li Hao and the others sat down to the side. All three were intensely curious, but Southern Fist had no way to satisfy his curiosity. He scratched his head and cheeks in regret, muttering, "If I'd known, I would've learned some ancient script too. Dammit, I can't read a single word!" He was filled with regret! Li Hao and Hong Yitang wanted to laugh, though Hong Yitang was also somewhat helpless. He knew a few ancient characters, but not many. When faced with an entire book of ancient script... he was blind to it as well. It was truly disheartening! Li Hao, on the other hand, had studied under Yuan Shuo for two years and recognized nearly all of it. After all, during those two years, his sole task had been studying such things. Two years was more than enough time to learn a language. Furthermore, ancient characters weren't entirely detached from modern writing. "It's actually not hard. If you two spend some time on it, you'll naturally learn it." Southern Fist couldn't be bothered to respond to him. What was he showing off for! Li Hao opened the booklet. *Military Merit Exchange Booklet.* He turned to the first page. Because the cap was treasures worth up to one thousand merit points, the booklet seemed to be sorted from highest value to lowest. Right on the first page were items worth one thousand points. Since Hong Yitang and Southern Fist couldn't read it, Li Hao had no choice but to read aloud: "Company commander promotion to regimental commander: requires 1,000 merit points!" "..." Hong Yitang was stunned. After a long pause, he said exasperatedly, "One thousand points? Killing a Rising Light gives you ten points. You'd have to kill a hundred Rising Lights to be promoted to regimental commander? Are you kidding me!" Li Hao thought about it and said, "A Rising Light is worth ten points, and a Three Sols is worth one point. Above Rising Light might be worth a hundred points, so killing ten experts above Rising Light would do it... I think back in the day, if the regimental commanders were alive, they were probably all above Rising Light! So for those aiming to become regimental commanders, killing ten peers of their own level might be difficult, but keep in mind that the Reserve Guard Army's Ninth Division only has twelve regiments even now... I actually think that's quite normal." The two pondered this and found that it made sense. Indeed! Put that way, Li Hao had effectively picked up a thousand merit points for free! Earlier, Hong Yitang had been hoping to snag a silver rank for himself, but now that looked out of reach. Li Hao continued, "Heavenly Gold Lotus, 1,000 merit points per flower. One flower has eight petals, possessing miraculous effects in nourishing mental energy." Hong Yitang's eyes flickered, and he suddenly interjected, "Heavenly Gold Lotus?" "Yes!" "The thing we obtained in the Cangshan Mountains last time—I saw it in an ancient text—was precisely the Heavenly Gold Lotus!" "..." Li Hao was also taken aback. He still had a petal and a lotus seed that he hadn't used. So that was the Heavenly Gold Lotus? Guarded by four great demons, that item actually appeared in the merit booklet, and its price was steep. Still, at one thousand merit points per flower... with eight petals to a flower, a single petal was only worth 125 merit points... That meant killing so many people this time had earned him just enough for about one petal? Li Hao's thoughts stirred, but he said nothing more and continued reading, "Series saber art: *Blood-Bursting Mad Saber*, *Emperor-Slaying Heavenly Saber*, and *Immortal-Extinguishing Divine Saber*—three saber manuals of the same series, valued at 1,000 merit points." "..." The moment he read that aloud, before Li Hao even processed it, Hong Yitang exclaimed in surprise, "This... If I remember correctly, that fellow Mad Saber cultivates the *Blood-Bursting Mad Saber*, doesn't he?" To think there was a complete series of saber arts here. A series meant one could cultivate the first manual, then move on to the second, and after finishing the second, proceed to the third. Each manual represented a stage. Hong Yitang's eyes gleamed as he said, "Mad Saber has only cultivated the first stage, yet he already possesses peak Three Sols combat power approaching Rising Light. But one can tell that he lacks follow-through. If he could get his hands on this entire series... that would be interesting. He might quickly complete the second stage and step into the third..." Ancient texts had become exchangeable goods here, though naturally, this was an ancient civilization ruin after all. Hong Yitang hurriedly said, "Check for me if there are any sword art manuals." Li Hao examined the pages carefully and flipped through them for a while before answering, "There don't seem to be many sword arts. There's a *Sword Intent Unity Art*, which probably has something to do with sword arts, but it requires 500 merit points to exchange." Hong Yitang said no more. Southern Fist hurriedly asked, "What about fist arts?" Ancient fist arts held great reference value as well. One could even cultivate them directly. Of course, people like them had already forged their own paths, so obtaining one would serve more as a reference than something to adopt blindly. Li Hao quickly flipped through the pages. "There are fist arts. *Bloody Lion King Fist*, 800 merit points!" "..." Neither of them uttered a word. Damn, that was expensive! Yet being expensive meant it had to be good. After all, a regimental commander rank only cost one thousand merit points, while these secret techniques casually ran into hundreds or thousands. It was frightening. There were secret manuals in the merit booklet, but not many. It seemed the military kept things relatively standardized, likely to avoid everyone practicing different arts, which would hinder coordination. Most entries were resources instead. For instance, Li Hao spotted a treasure that was not expensive. "Spirit-nourishing fruit, nourishes mental energy, 10 merit points each." Mental energy was the term used by the ancients. In the contemporary martial path, it was replaced by spirit intent. There were subtle differences between the two, but they were largely similar. A treasure capable of nourishing spirit intent actually cost only ten merit points each. Li Hao looked at it, feeling quite tempted. He just didn't know if there were any in stock! Li Hao looked further down and suddenly said, "There are energy stones listed here too. I wonder if they're divine energy stones. Cultivation energy stones, 10 merit points for one portion. Not sure how much a portion is." "Is there anything else?" Hong Yitang thought for a moment and asked, "For example, techniques to nourish the five viscera?" Li Hao scratched his head. "Can't tell from this. There are other manuals, but the names... every single one sounds outrageously domineering. Look at this 'Immortal-Extinguishing' and 'God-Slaying' stuff—how can you tell what they do? If 'saber art' hadn't been tacked on at the end, you wouldn't even know it was a saber art." There seemed to be quite a few secret techniques listed, but every single one had an awe-inspiring name. Li Hao glanced through them and often couldn't distinguish their functions. Crucially, they all demanded exorbitant amounts of military merit. Hong Yitang let out a breath. "Forget it. Why don't we go ask the quartermaster director..." Li Hao's thoughts stirred. He nodded and walked over to Zhang Liang. "Deputy Director Zhang, I can't quite understand this merit booklet. Are there any techniques listed that can help nourish the five viscera?" "Nourish the five viscera?" Zhang Liang was surprised. "Why would you need that? I see that your mental energy has already manifested. You should have long surpassed the stage of cultivating the five viscera..." Li Hao paused, confused. What did he mean? Zhang Liang added, "With manifested mental energy, you are already fairly strong, so your five viscera should be quite robust. What do you need that for?" Li Hao felt strange and quickly asked, "Wait... Deputy Director Zhang, are you saying that the ancients cultivated the five viscera first, and only then cultivated spirit intent—meaning mental energy?" "Is that not the case in your era?" "It is not!" Well, Zhang Liang was not overly shocked either. His voice rippled as he said, "Cultivation systems vary from era to era. Your cultivation system might differ somewhat from ours. In your situation, ordinary methods for cultivating the five viscera might not be useful. However... there are commonalities in the martial path!" Zhang Liang seemed to be recalling something. After a moment, he said, "Strengthening the five viscera might not be of much use to you. My memories are damaged, so I cannot judge your exact circumstances. However, there is a technique that is universally applicable. It doesn't offer massive help in strengthening the viscera directly, but it can link the five viscera together, connecting them into a whole. That way, strengthening one organ strengthens all five!" At these words, Li Hao's heart leaped. Strengthening one organ equaled strengthening all five? This... was incredible! "Director Zhang..." "Deputy Director!" "Right, right, Deputy Director Zhang, can this technique be exchanged for?" "It should be available, I can't recall clearly. Look for the *Five Bridges Construction Method*. It breaks through the barriers between the five viscera and erects five energy-transport bridges. That way, the five viscera form a cycle, and strengthening one organ strengthens all five!" Hong Yitang and Southern Fist quickly stepped forward as well, both visibly excited. The *Five Bridges Construction Method*? They had never heard of it before. It could actually breach the barriers of the five viscera? Both men grew tense, terrified that their merit points wouldn't be enough. Li Hao quickly flipped through the pages. After searching for a bit, he spotted the title. Moreover, the price... wasn't high! "Only 30 merit points?" Li Hao was astonished. He had thought it would cost hundreds or thousands! No wonder he hadn't seen it earlier; it was toward the back because it was inexpensive. "It was never meant to be expensive!" Zhang Liang explained, "This method is merely an ordinary cultivation technique. Under normal circumstances back then, academies provided it for free. However, not everyone in the military came from the academies. To respect the academies' copyright, the military charged a fee. In fact, if you remain in the military for three full years, this method is also free... You can stay in the military for three years and exchange for it then without spending a thing!" "..." The trio was speechless. Forget it, they had no intention of waiting three years to make the exchange. Li Hao asked hurriedly, "Is it difficult to cultivate?" "I don't know. It wasn't difficult back then, but ancient and modern cultivation systems differ. The three of you have manifested mental energy, so by rights, your five viscera shouldn't be fragile, yet fragile they are. Looking at you, there's even an imbalance among the five viscera... I don't understand your system." He truly didn't understand. After all, while people today practiced ancient methods, they always adapted them. Certain ancient methods were unsuited for direct application; using them blindly often caused issues. According to this man, since they had manifested spirit intent, they should have been formidable and free from worries regarding the five viscera. Yet the five viscera were currently the greatest trouble plaguing martial artists! "The *Five Bridges Construction Method* is balanced and gentle, not involving specific cultivation methods. For you, it might be very suitable. Finding a way to strengthen one organ could save you a tremendous amount of time." The trio nodded vigorously! Yes! Exactly! Li Hao was also somewhat thrilled. If he obtained this and handed it to his teacher, his teacher might quickly devise a new cultivation art. It offered immense reference value. "Um... can this technique be passed on to outsiders?" "..." Zhang Liang seemed to stare at Li Hao for a long time before replying, "In the past, techniques could not be taught privately. Under normal circumstances, there was no need to, as every martial arts university and military unit had them... The fee was charged precisely to respect the creators! They needed incentive, encouragement, and respect for creating techniques... However, this era no longer belongs to us. As long as it isn't disseminated recklessly, small-scale circulation is permissible." "Then the three of us..." "The three of you cannot!" "..." The three froze. Zhang Liang added, "You are military personnel. You may not teach it privately among yourselves; each of you must exchange for it individually. If anyone you teach later enters the military, they must also pay the retroactively required fee. Of course, if they never come here, there is no problem." The trio was speechless. In other words, they had to pay extra after all? If they wanted it, each person had to exchange for it separately? Teaching it outside was actually fine, since the military wouldn't police the outside world, nor could it. But the three of them were under its jurisdiction! Hong Yitang hurriedly sent a ripple of spirit intent: "Will this technique cause supernatural locks to snap?" "What?" "Supernatural locks!" "I don't understand what you are talking about." Zhang Liang replied flatly, "Ancient and modern times differ. Even the physical body may have undergone changes. I do not understand some of your terminology. However, as I said, the *Five Bridges Construction Method* is balanced and gentle. You can try it and use it as a reference. As for other combat techniques, you had better not exchange for them, as they might prove entirely useless!" This man didn't know about supernatural locks! Li Hao was somewhat surprised. Had the ancients possessed no supernatural locks? At this moment, all three set this as their exchange target. Li Hao asked again, "Those cultivation energy stones, ten merit points per portion—how much is a portion?" "You received ten stones earlier. That was one portion!" Li Hao was stunned, and in the next moment, wild joy surged through him! Are you kidding me! A pure divine energy stone is only worth one merit point? Holy crap! That's dirt cheap! Wait, earning one merit point required killing a Three Sols, so it wasn't truly cheap. Yet compared to the astronomical prices earlier, it certainly felt like a bargain. Li Hao hurriedly took out a divine energy stone. "This kind? One point for one stone? One of these is worth at least ten ordinary ones!" Southern Fist's eyes flickered. He looked at Li Hao, then at Zhang Liang, rapidly doing the math. This was equivalent to getting ten stones for one merit point. He had 120 points; deducting thirty points for the *Five Bridges Construction Method*, if he spent the rest on these, he could get around nine hundred ordinary stones. He still owed a debt of three thousand stones outside! At this point, Zhang Liang looked at Southern Fist. "Shouldn't this one... prioritize exchanging for a military rank instead? A black-armored soldier has very low clearance. Exchanging for a company commander rank carries benefits, and it only requires one hundred merit points!" Southern Fist paused, his face twisting into a grimace. "A company commander costs a hundred merit points? I..." *I only have a hundred and twenty points!* *I want to exchange for the Five Bridges Construction Method, which already costs thirty points. If I buy a military rank, I won't have enough for anything else!* He couldn't help asking, "Are there any perks to being a company commander? I haven't noticed any..." Aside from the armor being slightly sturdier, he really didn't care much. Zhang Liang asked in bewilderment, "You haven't noticed? Aside from armor durability, as a company commander, you can lead a hundred soldiers. When those hundred soldiers achieve merits, you receive bonus military merit rewards as their commander—that is one benefit! Second, your salary increases. Currently, as a soldier, you receive only one such cultivation stone per month. A company commander receives three, and a regimental commander receives ten, collectable at the end of each month..." Southern Fist showed little interest. In that case, he would rather exchange for them directly. One hundred merit points could buy one hundred stones right now; getting two extra stones a month would take over four years to break even. He wasn't very keen, but in the next instant, Zhang Liang added, "As a company commander, you hold the right to deploy one hundred suits of black armor and can activate them. However, those activated must pass military screening. As long as the candidate has no issues, you may select freely!" "..." Southern Fist froze. Li Hao was also slightly startled. "Deputy Director Zhang, do you mean... as a regimental commander, I can recruit my own troops?" "You may!" Zhang Liang nodded, but cautioned, "However, they must pass the qualification screening of the Military Supervisory Guard." Li Hao's thoughts raced, and he asked, "Deputy Director Zhang... I actually have one hundred suits of black armor... Um... those were from when the East Gate guard was wiped out, I..." Zhang Liang said calmly, "I understand! However, any armor taken outside the city or captured has its clearance disabled; it is merely an ordinary set of defensive armor that does not connect to the military network. As a regimental commander, you can activate clearance for one thousand suits of armor. It is just that... the bearers of these armors must meet the military's screening criteria!" What criteria? Li Hao asked eagerly, "Is the screening difficult?" "Not particularly. First, the Battle Heaven Army does not accept energy-path practitioners for now; there is a separate energy-path legion, though they belong to a different system than ours! Second, they must possess strong bodies; no weaklings. Third, they must pass the screening of the Guest Welcoming Tower to prevent infiltration by heretics. Fourth, they must undergo recruit training. The few of you can temporarily bypass this because the recruit training system is currently paralyzed and requires time to reboot. If you recruit new soldiers, you must wait until the recruit training system is back online... You entered through the backdoor, while the other two obtained guest clearance... Alternatively, if your recruits also obtain guest clearance, they can bypass recruit training as well." Li Hao asked hurriedly, "You mean that key?" "Correct!" He explained, "That key cannot be obtained by just anyone; one's heart must be righteous! If one's heart is not upright, one cannot obtain it; even if you see it, you cannot take it..." Southern Fist froze. Was that directed at him? His intentions were entirely righteous! Both Li Hao and Hong Yitang glanced at him. *This guy... has an unrighteous heart?* Southern Fist was completely speechless! Zhang Liang looked at him with hollow eyes. "An upright heart... means harboring no hostility toward Battle Heaven City... The Guest Welcoming Tower possesses such a screening system." Li Hao couldn't help asking, "Inner thoughts can be revealed as well? Besides... to be honest, all of us entered to seize treasures. How was Hong Yitang able to obtain one?" Here, he called him directly by name. Hong Yitang gave him a knowing smile. *Care to guess?* Zhang Liang continued, "Seizing treasures does not mean harboring hostility. Being curious about ancient ruins is human nature. Wanting to reap benefits is human nature. But those whose core intentions are consumed by greedy desires toward Battle Heaven City cannot gain recognition!" Li Hao still didn't fully understand, but he grasped the general idea: desire! Restraint of desire! Hong Yitang had apparently exercised restraint over his desires, so he had obtained one. Southern Fist... had too much greed, which was why he had failed! At this point, Li Hao asked no more questions and said after a moment's contemplation, "I want to exchange for the *Five Bridges Construction Method*, plus ten spirit-nourishing fruits..." That came to 130 merit points. Li Hao had 186 merit points in total. He wanted to exchange all the remainder for divine energy stones. That would be equivalent to over five hundred ordinary divine energy stones. Thinking of this, he couldn't help asking, "They say energy is lacking inside the city, so why does the Quartermaster Office still have divine energy stones available for exchange?" Zhang Liang glanced at him. "The energy we require... is not this kind! Put simply, it is life energy! The stronger the expert, the more abundant it is! Actually... it was never needed originally. Slaying people to revive the city is not what we seek. We originally possessed a guardian demon plant, making such measures unnecessary... But now, General Huai is dormant. As for what you call divine energy stones—energy stones—we still have them, but we are already dead and lack sufficient life energy to activate certain formations and systems..." Li Hao half-understood. Battle Heaven City did not lack this kind of energy, but rather another specific energy. General Huai? Did he mean that massive tree outside the city? A tree demon? The passage they had traveled through was the interior of a tree. "Then exchange the rest of my merit for energy stones!" Li Hao made his decision. Hong Yitang was also decisive: "I want one copy of the *Five Bridges Construction Method* and eleven spirit-nourishing fruits!" He had 140 merit points. As for divine energy stones, he didn't need them. Southern Fist wore a conflicted expression. He wanted to get promoted; that seemed useful... but... He wanted treasures as well! Li Hao asked again, "Can military merit be transferred?" "It can!" Zhang Liang replied, "Ordinary soldiers cannot, but a company commander can reward soldiers with military merit in the form of missions. Likewise, a regimental commander can reward subordinates with military merit through missions... However, it must be approved by the Supervisory Guard to prevent the private trading of military merit. That would be an insult to military merit; if discovered, all military merit will be confiscated, and punishment may be incurred!" Li Hao looked at Southern Fist. Seeing his hesitation, he could only say, "This soldier protected me earlier. Can I reward him with ten points of military merit now?" "You may try issuing this mission through your silver armor. If the Supervisory Guard approves it, then yes! If not... there is nothing to be done." "Will my merit be confiscated?" "For a first offense by a recruit, probably not." Li Hao looked at Southern Fist. "Martial Uncle He, let me try rewarding you with ten merit points. Black armor rank is too low; you should exchange for the military rank and the *Five Bridges Construction Method*." Southern Fist grinned from ear to ear and nodded hurriedly. Li Hao examined the armor, tried issuing the mission, and began waiting for the Supervisory Guard's review. He then asked, "How much merit does it take to become a general—that is, to get golden armor?" "Not much, ten thousand points is enough!" "..." Li Hao felt like crying. He had lost ten thousand merit points—no, nine thousand! Originally, as a member of the Eight Great Families, he could have been granted a general's rank. Yet because he was deemed too useless, that golden warrior had directly demoted him! Just then, Hong Yitang asked, "Can spring water of life be exchanged for?" "In the past, yes!" Zhang Liang shook his head. "Not anymore. General Huai has fallen dormant and can no longer provide it. Even in certain places within the city, only small traces remain—like the Hibiscus Courtyard where you stayed before, which only had some remnants!" Hong Yitang felt a pang of regret. He thought back to the storage ring he had picked up; aside from three large divine energy stones, it held a small bottle of liquid, which he suspected was spring water of life. From the looks of it, that stuff might be out of production! Why... had he been able to find it? It wasn't as if the city was completely devoid of people; even if they were all dead, could they really miss a storage ring? Zhang Liang said nothing more. After waiting a short while, Li Hao received a notification: the review had passed. Southern Fist was overjoyed; he had gotten it! He had actually wanted to exchange for divine energy stones, but on second thought, he decided to secure the military rank first. After all, there were still people outside! There would still be opportunities to make money. Getting promoted first was more convenient anyway; at least he would be able to contact Li Hao directly instead of having to go through Hong Yitang every time. ... A moment later, Zhang Liang stepped into the warehouse. Shortly after, he emerged and handed each of the three an item. "The spirit-nourishing fruits are preserved within a storage ring. Their effects remain, but since so many years have passed, their potency may have diminished slightly. Truthfully, they won't be of massive help to you, but they should produce some effect. "Do not rush to practice the *Five Bridges Construction Method*. Read it first, comprehend its meaning, and only then use it as a reference to experiment." At this point, he looked at Li Hao and Hong Yitang again. "The two of you should work hard. Although the Quartermaster Office isn't a dedicated exchange agency, we still possess a sword art that is actually very suitable for you two! The *Sky-Breaking Sword Art* was renowned back in the day, created in the early years of a supreme figure..." Hong Yitang's eyes lit up instantly. Zhang Liang turned his hollow gaze toward him. "You've... heard of it?" Hong Yitang didn't hide it and nodded. "Yes, though I never obtained the manual. It's said that the person who created it was an invincible existence during the ancient civilization era." "Of course!" Zhang Liang nodded, his voice rippling with reverence and admiration. "That was an invincible being. Even though this was merely an art from his early years, if you could obtain it... it would bring incomparable benefits to sword cultivators like you! Back then, the Li family's Sword Venerable also received guidance from him..." He looked toward Li Hao. "The Sword Venerable was also an invincible existence, but in his early years, and even later on, he received a great deal of guidance from the creator of the *Sky-Breaking Sword Art*. If you could obtain it... it would be of immense help to you!" Li Hao zoned out slightly. His family's ancestor had also received guidance from the creator of this sword art? Just what kind of figure was that? He couldn't resist asking, "Did... did my Li family's ancestor possess great strength back then?" "Naturally!" "Compared to the one who inscribed Battle Heaven City's name?" Zhang Liang was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Unknown. In the later period, the two never sparred. However, in the early days, the Sword Venerable was certainly stronger. Later, the Sword Venerable departed for a time... and grew stronger as well... That is far too distant for the likes of us!" Seeing that he couldn't give a definitive answer, Li Hao pressed no further. He wanted to ask more, but Zhang Liang was already growing impatient. "Let's leave it at that!" "Wait, how much merit does that sword art cost?" "Not expensive. Ten thousand points!" "..." *Get lost!* Li Hao nearly cursed him out. *Then why the hell did you bring it up!* If it was that expensive, he shouldn't have mentioned it at all. Earning ten thousand points meant killing ten thousand Three Sols—was he insane!