Huangxiu

Chapter 993 Merits
Huang Daochu blinked, looking completely bewildered.

Leng Tieya clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Senior Brother Huang, thank you very much!"

Huang Daochu asked, "What are you thanking me for?"

"Brother Huang's words are invaluable!" Leng Tieya exclaimed, "They've cleared away the clouds and revealed the rising sun!"

Huang Daochu's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "You think I'm right?"

“At least for me now, that’s absolutely right!” Leng Tieya laughed. “If it weren’t for Senior Brother Huang’s words, I wouldn’t have broken through so quickly.”

He discovered the common ground in the cultivation of the Great Demon and the Venerable One: enlightenment.

At this level, ascetic practices are not so effective.

On the basis of rigorous self-cultivation, one must awaken spiritual insight and comprehend the mysteries of the world and the universe.

Only when one's understanding aligns with one's own understanding can one leverage the power of heaven and earth to elevate one's spiritual realm.

Huang Daochu's words sparked his inspiration, leading to enlightenment and allowing him to easily advance to the eighth rank.

Without this kind of enlightenment and the flash of inspiration, it would take at least ten years, maybe a hundred years, or even several hundred years to break through to the eighth rank.

No wonder the inner palace is so deserted; not only are there few of them, but they are all not in the palace and have disappeared without a trace.

They were probably all out looking for inspiration and sparking new ideas.

Huang Daochu was immediately overjoyed: "Good, I knew they had gone astray. Junior brother, your actions prove that what I said is the true path!"

Leng Tieya laughed and said, "Senior Brother Huang, I dare not say that this is the Great Dao."

Huang Daochu frowned: "What?"

"Does Senior Brother Huang think the same way he did twenty years ago, now that his mindset changes with his circumstances?"

"Naturally different!"

"What about our path to becoming a Great Demon? The ninth rank and the eighth rank are not necessarily the same, and the third rank and the ninth rank are probably even more different."

“…The mind changes with the environment…The mind changes with the environment…” Huang Daochu murmured, falling into deep thought once again.

Seeing his reaction, Leng Tieya stopped bothering him and left refreshed, heading towards the easternmost palace.

This is the only palace in the entire inner palace.

Under the bright sunlight, this palace built of purple wood appeared solemn and dignified.

Like a giant beast crouching, ready to leap out at any moment and soar into the sky.

His extrasensory perception failed to penetrate the purple wooden hall, preventing him from seeing what was inside, which only fueled his curiosity.

He is no longer worried that his reincarnation as a god will be discovered.

Even if one discovers that there is a gap in the void, one can still escape.

So I walked forward calmly, and came to the bottom of the nine steps of the main hall, looking up.

The eaves of the main hall hang low, long and curved, resembling the outstretched wings of an eagle.

The plaque above the entrance bears the two large characters "Jiuyuan".

He stared at the two large characters, finding them increasingly profound and captivating.

……

Inside the main hall, a handsome middle-aged man sat upright at his desk, reviewing documents.

An elderly man with white hair and beard stood bowing beside him.

The old man would occasionally take the files, place them on a stack to the side, and then hand another one to the handsome middle-aged man.

He said softly, "Xiao Leng has been standing outside for an hour."

"He's a quick learner..." the handsome middle-aged Zhou Jiongming said casually.

As the chief steward of the inner palace, he had witnessed far too many Great Demons.

None of those who achieve the status of a Great Heavenly Demon lack comprehension.

To become a Great Heavenly Demon, one needs a stroke of luck, a flash of inspiration, and an instant of enlightenment that leads to a leap in one's realm.

This leap is a leap in life; without enlightenment, even when the opportunity arises, one cannot seize it.

The Great Demons are all quite capable, but there are differences in their levels of understanding.

The two large characters "Nine Abyss" embody the supreme demon's understanding of the heavens.

However, it was shrouded in an aura that obscured its presence, preventing those around it from sensing its extraordinary nature.

To sense the extraordinary nature of this, one must not rely on any particular aura, but solely on the original characters of the calligraphy; such sensitivity requires exceptional keenness.

He could concentrate on his understanding for an hour in one go, and immerse himself in it for an hour, demonstrating astonishing comprehension.

The white-bearded old man chuckled and said, "A remarkable person has arrived at our Great Heavenly Demon Palace. Congratulations, Steward."

“Good comprehension is not everything,” Zhou Jiongming said. “Opportunity and luck also play a role.”

"This young Leng is extremely lucky," the old man said with a smile. Zhou Jiongming nodded slightly.

To be able to snatch a Void-Breaking Demon Artifact, especially one obtained at the Heavenly Demon Realm, is undeniably incredibly lucky.

"It's a pity he just entered the palace." The old man said with a regretful expression.

If one enters the Great Demon Palace from childhood, then one becomes a direct disciple.

These disciples tend to have a stronger sense of belonging to the Great Heavenly Demon Palace and are more loyal to it.

Those who joined the Heavenly Demon halfway through were somewhat inferior, while those like Leng Tieya, who joined only after becoming a Great Heavenly Demon, were even inferior.

The palace didn't place much hope on these disciples to remain loyal; they simply cooperated and each got what they needed.

The Great Demon Palace has increased its strength and has also gained experience and wisdom in martial arts training.

These later disciples not only assisted in cultivation but also performed tasks for the Great Heavenly Demon Palace.

Within the Great Heavenly Demon Palace, the requirements for these disciples are more lenient, but they will not be given important positions.

Those important positions will still be given to direct disciples.

The Great Demon Palace possesses a vast amount of intelligence and industry.

These industries and intelligence require management, and are usually only accessible to direct disciples of the Great Heavenly Demon Palace.

Those who are not direct disciples can only contribute their efforts to earn merit, but cannot be in charge of management.

Zhou Jiongming said calmly, "Judging from his character, he's not bad."

The old man nodded hurriedly.

The Great Demon Palace often refuses entry to those whose character is not up to par.

Even the best qualifications won't cut it.

If someone has exceptional talent but lacks the right character, they may end up raising a menace who will ultimately backfire on them.

Leng Tieya let out a long sigh of relief and slowly woke up from the illusion.

When he looked at the two characters "Nine Abyss" again, the shock he had felt earlier was gone.

Yet it still feels incredibly flavorful and leaves a lasting impression, making it worth watching repeatedly.

"Come in," Zhou Jiongming's voice rang out.

Leng Tieya's spirits lifted, and he slowly stepped across the threshold into the main hall.

Zhou Jiongming put down the file and looked at Leng Tieya: "All settled? What's the matter?"

"Steward, I would like to see the martial arts manuals and secret records in the palace."

Zhou Jiongming said, "It's in the Wanxiang Hall in the outer palace. Just go and see it."

"You don't need merit points to enter the Hall of Myriad Manifestations, do you?" Leng Tieya asked.

“Treasures and elixirs are limited and cannot be given to every disciple, so they can only be distributed through merit points,” Zhou Jiongming shook his head, “but there is no need for these secret manuals and records.”

Leng Tieya smiled.

That makes you think they're quite generous.

Zhou Jiongming said, "The merits of inner palace disciples are not easy to obtain, so you should be prepared."

Leng Tieya asked, "Then how do I acquire merit points?"

"If there are major operations within the palace, you can participate, or go to suppress any disturbances and be stationed there for an extended period of time."

"This time, if we want to destroy the Nether Bone Sect, it will be an opportunity."

"How many merits?"

"If nothing unexpected happens and no outer palace disciples are lost, you will receive a thousand merit points and can enter the Demon Abyss for two months of cultivation."

"Have they already been picked up by the two senior brothers?"

"If you participate, you will also receive a thousand merit points and two months of training in the Demon Abyss."

"Steward, my cultivation is shallow, and I am unable to protect the inner palace disciples. It would be a sin for me to do so."

“Well, that’s up to you.” Zhou Jiongming nodded: “There are many ways to gain merit, such as finding demonic artifacts, entering cave heavens, or eliminating the scourge of humans or demons. All of these will yield considerable merit, and you can choose any of them.”

Leng Tieya raised an eyebrow: "Eliminate the scourge of the human or demon race?"

“These are all harmful to our demon realm. Eliminating them would be a great achievement, but they are often too dangerous, and few people take on such tasks,” Zhou Jiongming said. “Your cultivation is still weak, so it’s best not to take on such tasks.”

Leng Tieya nodded slowly.

He inquired further and figured out how to obtain merit, then clasped his hands in farewell and left.

After leaving Jiuyuan Palace, they went straight to the outer palace.

Instead of going to the Hall of Myriad Phenomena, he went to find Song Lianshuang to see how she was doing.

(End of this chapter)