Chapter 17

Meng Qi was quite resistant, but reason compelled him to admit that Jiang Zhimi's words made a lot of sense. Lightness, external hardening techniques, and saber techniques—these three, once exchanged, along with some time for practice, would absolutely transform him, so he wouldn't end up like this time, barely managing to kill Cheng Yong and barely escaping a dangerous situation.

"Jiang Senior Sister is very right." Zhang Yuanshan had approached at some point, with Qi Xia and Qi Zhengyan following behind him.

"Senior Brother Zhang, have you completed the exchange?" Jiang Zhimi asked somewhat surprisedly, as she hadn't seen Zhang Yuanshan go to the central light column.

Zhang Yuanshan smiled slightly and said, "Not yet. I thought that the 'Master of the Six Realms' specifically mentioned companions and allies as two different terms, so I guessed that perhaps our next mission will still be together. Therefore, I took the initiative to invite Senior Sister Qi and Junior Brother Zhengyan over, hoping that before we make our exchanges, we can discuss and pool our ideas, so that each companion's strength can be enhanced to the best extent, increasing the chances of successfully completing the next mission, and avoiding what happened to Junior Brother Qingjing and Yan Xiang."

As he spoke, he looked a bit somber.

Meng Qi nodded gently, admitting that Zhang Yuanshan indeed had the talent to lead a small team, considering all aspects thoroughly and taking care of others' emotions.

Zhang Yuanshan looked at Meng Qi and said, "Lightness and external hardening techniques are your current priorities, especially the Iron Shirt, which is not only an external hardening technique but also has basic internal cultivation methods, allowing you to initially condense your dantian. Moreover, it will lay a solid foundation for your future practice of Shaolin's supreme techniques like the 'Indestructible Body of the Buddha' and the 'Golden Bell Cover.'"

"Alright, thank you, Senior Brother Zhang and Miss Jiang. I'll follow your advice," Meng Qi replied through gritted teeth. Although he yearned for the style of defeating opponents with grace and charm, his current priority was to prioritize his life.

Zhang Yuanshan nodded and then looked at Jiang Zhimi, "Junior Sister Jiang, you are still twenty merit points short? Are you planning to exchange for the Heavenly Wisdom Pill?"

At the mention of the "Heavenly Wisdom Pill," Qi Xia had a look of "I knew it," while Qi Zhengyan appeared excited, as if he had longed for this pill for a long time.

"Right, the Heavenly Wisdom Pill, one hundred and ten merit points," Jiang Zhimi wasn't surprised by Zhang Yuanshan's accurate guess, as she knew he would also choose this first, "I have already condensed the nine acupoints related to my ear, and I am just half a step away from opening the dual ear acupoints. Originally, I planned to open them through self-cultivation, but time does not wait for me, so I must improve as soon as possible, hoping that the interval between future missions will be long enough for me to make up for it."

At this moment, the voice of the Master of the Six Realms suddenly sounded, "The interval between missions can be as short as a month or as long as three to five years."

"Then what about our next mission?" Zhang Yuanshan asked loudly.

"Five hundred merit points to exchange for this information," the Master of the Six Realms replied as coldly as ever.

Jiang Zhimi sighed, seeing Meng Qi's puzzled look, and kindly explained to him, "When opening acupoints, you can use specific spiritual pills to assist, but each pill can only work once. The next time, you need a better pill. For example, if I use the Heavenly Wisdom Pill to open my ear acupoints, I cannot use it again to open my nose acupoints; I would need at least a pill of the level of the 'Heavenly Vision and Earthly Hearing Pill,' which is worth at least six hundred merit points."

"Even my Sword Washing Pavilion does not have an abundance of such pills. If I want to obtain them, I must make corresponding contributions, or my master can use his private collection."

"However, if not urgent, you should not rely on pills to break through, as this will leave some issues that must be addressed through hard work. Otherwise, when you try to advance to higher realms, it will be much more difficult. Of course, the lower the realm, the easier it is to make up for it."

Qi Zhengyan suddenly sighed, "For someone of my ordinary talent, the hope of opening acupoints might only lie in these pills. If not for entering this cycle world, how could I have the virtue to obtain a Heavenly Wisdom Pill..."

Of course, many people like him can also open acupoints through the baptism of time, but by then they might be in their thirties or forties, leaving little time for further advancement.

Hearing Qi Zhengyan's words, Meng Qi felt a sense of kinship, realizing that he and himself were both at the bottom of their sects, with no hope of advancement. This cycle world was both dangerous and full of opportunities!

"Ha ha, the Miscellaneous List clearly states that the Master of the Six Realms can directly help you enhance your internal energy, condense acupoints, open acupoints, and break through realms, but the price is higher than the corresponding pills," Qi Xia said with a smile, "Do you need him to handle everything for you?"

Jiang Zhimi said seriously, "What others give can easily be taken away, only what belongs to oneself can be relied upon in the end."

Qi Zhengyan nodded, his expression calm, it was unclear whether he had taken it to heart.

Zhang Yuanshan pondered for a moment and said, "Junior Sister Jiang, how about I lend you twenty merit points to exchange for the Heavenly Wisdom Pill?"

He pressed down with his right hand to stop Jiang Zhimi from speaking and continued, "I still have two of the nine acupoints related to my ear uncondensed. Continuously relying on pills or the Master of the Six Realms to enhance might leave irreparable hidden dangers in the future, so I plan to proceed steadily. Moreover, your strength is greater than mine, and if you improve, it will be more beneficial to us than if I improve. Ha ha, I didn't expect you to have learned the 'Sword Without Self,' which even Senior Uncle Su could only use after opening four acupoints!"

"The 'Sword Without Self' is one of the nine killing moves of the 'Great Supreme Sword Canon,' a Dharma Body level technique, and my master's famous move. I have only grasped the surface, and even my master dares not claim to have mastered it," Jiang Zhimi explained in detail, knowing that Meng Qi was "shallow in knowledge."

Meng Qi's gaze moved down, and the jade book flipped to the "Sword Without Self":

"Sword Without Self, one of the nine killing moves of the 'Great Supreme Sword Canon,' exchange price: 18,700 merit points."

This made Meng Qi secretly marvel. Without the main text, just a single move was worth so much! The descendants of major sects truly had advantages!

"Regardless, after opening your ear acupoints, you won't be completely drained after one move," Zhang Yuanshan said openly and generously.

Jiang Zhimi frowned, "Senior Brother Zhang, what about you? What are you planning to exchange for?"

Seeing Zhang Yuanshan act this way, Meng Qi not only secretly admired him but also felt a bit relieved: "Thank goodness I didn't refuse to lend merit points earlier, otherwise, in everyone's eyes, I would have been completely overshadowed by Zhang Yuanshan, a stingy and miserly monk..."

Suddenly, Meng Qi heard Jiang Zhimi's voice in his ear, as soft as a mosquito: "We, the descendants of the sect, do not lack resources, so we can be generous with merit points, like a wealthy friend who gives one tael to a person in distress, and a poor friend who gives five mace. Although the kindness is the same, the character and affection of the latter are clearly more worthy of my admiration."

Ha ha, Meng Qi was suddenly delighted, realizing that he had inadvertently gained a high moral ground!

Just as he was happy, Meng Qi suddenly realized that Jiang Zhimi was speaking, but the others had no reaction.

Jiang Zhimi chuckled, "The skill of transmitting sound in secret, even without opening the mouth acupoint, can be used by forcing internal energy, but due to my previous injuries, my luck was obstructed, and I could only focus on the sword."

Zhang Yuanshan, of course, couldn't hear what Jiang Zhimi said to Meng Qi, and he smiled in response, "As Junior Sister Jiang said earlier, I excel in defensive techniques and cannot fully utilize their offensive capabilities. The 'True Wu Seven Sections Scripture' is too profound for me to break through in a short time, so I am looking for a sword technique that excels in offense. Of course, for now, I can only exchange for one move to study."

"Hmm, which school's sword technique?" Hearing about a sword technique, Jiang Zhimi's face seemed to glow, beautiful beyond compare.

"Hidden Sword Tower's 'One Hundred and Eight Sword Techniques of Heaven and Earth'—'Heaven Dark Earth Black.' Ha ha, if we talk about offensive techniques, your Sword Washing Pavilion's sword techniques are the best, but with Junior Sister Jiang here, I really can't bring myself to exchange and study them," Zhang Yuanshan said with a smile.

The Hidden Sword Tower is a Northern Zhou sect, one of the six sword schools, and has always been mentioned alongside the Sword Washing Pavilion.

Jiang Zhimi's eyes flickered, "The 'One Hundred and Eight Sword Techniques of Heaven and Earth' are derived from the Hidden Sword Tower's fundamental sword technique, the 'Thirteen Sword Techniques of No Birth.' They are truly life-risking techniques. In the future, I must seek guidance from Senior Brother Zhang. By the way, thank you for the merit points, Senior Brother Zhang."

Meng Qi secretly looked at the jade book and found that the 'One Hundred and Eight Sword Techniques of Heaven and Earth' were an Outer Scenery level sword technique, worth 6,000 merit points. However, if broken down into the main text and different moves, the main text was 1,000 merit points, and other moves ranged from 40 to 60 merit points. Zhang Yuanshan chose a move that required 50 merit points, just enough to use up his merit points.

"Junior Sister Jiang is willing to accept my merit points, I am honored," Zhang Yuanshan said with a smile, "So, it definitely won't be 'Nine Out of Thirteen,' and after the next mission, you can return them to me as they are."

Pfft, Jiang Zhimi and Qi Xia both burst out laughing, while Meng Qi awkwardly raised his head, his face slightly red as he looked at the clouds floating in the sky.

"What if I die in the next mission?" Jiang Zhimi asked with a smile.

Zhang Yuanshan shook his head and smiled, "Then consider it my poor judgment."

Jiang Zhimi didn't say anything more and turned to Meng Qi, "Little monk, have you chosen the martial arts you want to exchange?"

Meng Qi had been listening and choosing while they talked, and he nodded, pointing to the jade book, "Following the advice of Senior Brother Zhang and Miss Jiang, I have decided to exchange for the 'Shaolin Iron Shirt' manual, the 'Eight Steps of Divine Speed' manual, and the 'Five Tigers Cut-Off Door Saber' manual, which are 30, 20, and 30 merit points respectively. Actually, I wanted to directly exchange for the first three levels of the 'Golden Bell Cover,' but it requires 120 merit points, so I'll have to wait until the next time."

He referred to the sect's supreme technique, the 'Golden Bell Cover,' where the first four levels are in the Qi Accumulation stage, requiring 20, 40, 60, and 100 merit points respectively. Other types of 'Golden Bell Cover' were cheaper, but each level's effect was not as good as this one. After all, if the 'Golden Bell Cover' reaches the twelfth level, it can achieve the 'Dharma Body of the Buddha,' invulnerable to all attacks!

This 'Iron Shirt' from the main world is a quick technique derived from the 'Golden Bell Cover,' roughly equivalent to the effect of the first three levels—Shaolin martial arts have a solid foundation, and the first three levels must be completed to achieve the small success of the 'Iron Shirt,' making ordinary weapons ineffective.

Therefore, Meng Qi, who needed to improve quickly, ultimately chose the 'Iron Shirt' rather than just the first level of the 'Golden Bell Cover.' However, the 'Iron Shirt' can evolve into the 'Golden Bell Cover,' and Meng Qi planned to retrain the 'Golden Bell Cover' in the future to make up for the shortcomings of the quick technique.

After careful selection, Meng Qi just managed to use up his merit points. Actually, he originally wanted to exchange for the 'Divine Speed of a Hundred Changes' that Wei Xiaobao learned, but since it allowed a low-level martial artist to escape danger multiple times, this lightness technique was naturally extraordinary. Even though it was a technique from the end of the martial arts era, it was still considered one of the strongest in the Qi Accumulation stage, worth 100 merit points, so he had to give up on it with a sigh.

Fortunately, Meng Qi later discovered the 'Eight Steps of Divine Speed,' which, according to the detailed description, was a simplified version of the 'Divine Speed of a Hundred Changes.' If one had extraordinary martial arts talent, it was not impossible to directly comprehend the 'Divine Speed of a Hundred Changes' from it.

"Exchange manuals? Do you have time to practice?" Qi Xia suddenly spoke up.

Meng Qi frowned and shook his head, "If I had a year, it wouldn't be a problem, but the 'Eight Steps of Divine Speed' can be easily grasped if one has good insight, perhaps within a month. For the basic saber technique, I only need to reach the entry level, so a month should be enough."

Wei Xiaobao was an example.

Jiang Zhimi thought for a moment and said, "Then directly exchange and practice the 'Iron Shirt.' Once you master this external hardening technique, you will be considered a low-level expert. As for the saber technique, I will look for a common saber technique manual within the sect."

A common saber technique manual... Meng Qi felt a bit embarrassed.

Directly practicing the 'Iron Shirt' required double the merit points, and the remaining just enough to exchange for the 'Eight Steps of Divine Speed.'

"Zhimi, can you still go to Shaolin after returning to the Sword Washing Pavilion? And the round trip will waste time," Qi Xia said with a smile, "I love reading and have a good memory. The Great River Gang has also collected many common manuals and miscellaneous knowledge. How about I write down a saber technique for Junior Brother Zhen Ding?"

She chuckled, "I know that Senior Brother Zhang and Zhimi are fully focused on the martial arts of their own sects and only have a basic understanding of common manuals and miscellaneous knowledge, making it difficult for you to recite them."

"Right, I have only heard about other martial arts from my master during practical sparring," Zhang Yuanshan admitted with a nod.

"So, my little sister, who remembers many useless manuals and miscellaneous knowledge, has an advantage," she said with a smile to Zhang Yuanshan, "Just now, I organized some manuals and miscellaneous knowledge and exchanged them with the 'Master of the Six Realms,' gaining an extra 50 merit points. As long as I concentrate, the manuals will form."

"Ha ha, fortunately