Chu Li followed Jing Xiaojie up the Conscience Road and went around the basilica. They turned to the right and entered another ravine. The view in front of them suddenly opened up.
This ravine was almost ten times bigger than the previous one. It was wide and spacious with endless small courtyards. A few trees shaded these courtyards. It was indescribably quiet and elegant.
"This is where we will be staying." Jing Xiaojie pointed at the surrounding courtyards that were built according to the mountain and smiled. "If you walk further in, you will reach the Southern Sky Gate. The previous one was just the Conscience Hall."
Chu Li exclaimed, "What a spectacular place."
It was cold outside. The Conscience Road was made of ice as if it was constantly emitting cold air. However, the ravine was as warm as spring. The air was moist and it was really suitable for living.
Chu Li fell in love with the place the moment he saw it. He was delighted and praised, "This is a great place."
"Are you satisfied?" Jing Xiaojie smiled and waved her hand proudly. "Then pick a courtyard here. As long as it is empty, you can choose."
Chu Li asked, "How do you know which one is empty?"
"The courtyard doors are all locked." Jing Xiaojie said, "Courtyards that are occupied are not locked."
Chu Li nodded and pointed to the easternmost room. "That one!"
The courtyard was close to the forest. Perhaps because it was too close, it was blocked from the morning sun. The sun needed to rise a little before it could shine into the courtyard. Hence, no one chose it.
"There …" Jing Xiaojie took a look and stepped to the front of the courtyard. She pointed. "This one?"
Chu Li nodded. "I think this one is good!"
The place where spiritual energy gathered was not visible to others.
"Okay, this is it," Jing Xiaojie said with a smile.
She clapped her hands three times.
Beside her, a beautiful young girl fluttered over. She was dressed in a white robe and curtsied. "Senior Sister Jing."
"This courtyard belongs to High Official Li Qi from today onwards." Jing Xiaojie pointed at Chu Li and smiled. "Open the door and he will belong to you."
"Greetings, High Official Li." The beautiful young girl curtsied and said, "I am Zhao Xiaoqian."
Chu Li closed fist saluted and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Zhao."
"There's no need to be so polite, Exalted Li." Zhao Xiaoqian smiled sweetly. "This little girl will take her leave."
She walked away slowly, but disappeared in the blink of an eye. Soon, she came back with a key, unlocked the courtyard door, and pushed it open.
The courtyard was paved with green bricks and was spotless. The garden was filled with hundreds of beautiful flowers, and a delicate fragrance assailed the nostrils.
Chu Li nodded in satisfaction. It was obvious that this place had always been taken care of. It was not desolate, and the atmosphere was pure.
"Then let's do it here." Jing Xiaojie smiled and said, "Follow me to the Hall of Offerings to receive your salary."
Chu Li followed her out of the courtyard and walked inside.
There was another valley within the valley, which was shaped like a gourd. They entered another valley, which was even more spacious, like the belly of a gourd.
The martial arts field was bustling with noise and excitement. He saw Mo Yufang's graceful figure practicing her swordsmanship in a corner. Sword light flashed and a layer of white light wrapped around her, as if she was wearing a silver armor. It was a very beautiful sight.
Jing Xiaojie introduced, "This is the martial arts field. You can come here to practice, it's even livelier. Of course, you can also practice in your own courtyard if you think it's too noisy. Brother Li, you're a High Official now, so they don't have to hide from you when they practice."
Chu Li asked, "Can I practice Southern Sky Gate's martial arts too?"
"Yes." Jing Xiaojie nodded. "But the level of martial arts you can practice is relatively low. You need to contribute to see higher level martial arts."
Chu Li nodded thoughtfully.
Jing Xiaojie pondered and said, "Southern Sky Gate emphasizes that the sect is for us, and we are for the sect. No disciple is idle. If you want to practice advanced martial arts, you have to contribute enough."
Chu Li asked, "Is it the same for all disciples?"
Jing Xiaojie nodded. "It's the same. Whether you're a High Official or an official disciple, the rules are the same. If you want to practice advanced martial arts, you have to rely on your own ability. If you're not good enough, you can only blame yourself for being incompetent. You can't blame others or the sect."
Chu Li pondered.
Jing Xiaojie said, "There are missions from the sect in the Merit Hall. Every mission has its own merit points. Once you accumulate enough merit points, you can exchange them for martial arts. You can choose whether it's strong or weak."
Chu Li smiled. "Can I find someone to help me?"
Jing Xiaojie said, "It's fine as long as I complete the mission. It doesn't matter if I find someone to help me or not. … My martial arts is only average, but I can help with other things. Senior Brother Fan owes you a favor too, so he can help too."
Chu Li nodded and smiled. "Looks like I can practice Southern Sky Gate's advanced martial arts."
"It's not that easy," Jing Xiaojie said. "But you have the rare study, so it might not be difficult."
She thought of Chu Li's prediction ability. He could do what others could not. Everyone would welcome him, and they would help each other. It would not be difficult to accumulate enough merit points to exchange for advanced martial arts.
It was as if she could see Chu Li soaring into the sky.
"How about going to the Merit Hall?" Chu Li asked.
Jing Xiaojie nodded. "Then you can wait for me at the Merit Hall. I'll go get my salary."
She pointed at a basilica on the left as she spoke.
Chu Li nodded.
He walked diagonally, bypassing the martial arts field, and arrived in front of the Hall of Merit. The three words "Hall of Merit" were hanging on the door plaque, and the antique hall was like a giant beast crouching there, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.
Chu Li went up the nineteen steps, lifted the curtain, and entered the basilica.
The basilica was empty except for huge screens. Thirty-six screens were placed together, forming a labyrinth.
The screens were densely packed with small words. Three young men were walking slowly along the screens. Their eyes scanned the words on the screens as they mumbled to themselves. They looked conflicted.
Chu Li glanced at them and imprinted all the words on the screens into his mind. Then, he quickly flipped through them.
There were many missions written on the screens.
"Kill Flower Picker Bai Zhangling, three hundred and twenty merit points."
"Kill River Dragon Xu Fan, two hundred and fifty merit points."
"Kill Heaven Blade Sect Elder Zhou Yong, five hundred merit points."
…
Chu Li looked at the missions and realized how difficult it was to obtain merit points.
Anyone who had more than a hundred merit points was a top-notch master. It was almost impossible for a Southern Sky Gate disciple to kill them. Only a rising star like Fan Yi, a top-notch master in the sect, was qualified to take on missions worth more than a hundred merit points.
He inexplicably smiled.
This was a stroke of luck, killing two birds with one stone.
Doing missions here and killing those evil bandits, not only could one obtain merit points, but one could also obtain merit points, which would increase at the same time.
However, the downside was that he could not seek help from the Great Mercy Temple as he would inevitably be exposed. Instead, he would have to seek help from a Southern Sky Gate master.
After a while, Jing Xiaojie and Mo Yufang came in together. They glanced at the basilica. Chu Li was the only one left in the basilica. The other three had left.
"This is your salary!" Jing Xiaojie handed him a cloth bag.
Chu Li smiled at Mo Yufang.
Mo Yufang smiled sweetly. "Congratulations, Big Brother Li. You've finally fulfilled your wish and become our High Official. From now on, we're a family."
Chu Li sighed. "Yes, I'm quite lucky."
He opened the cloth bag as he spoke. Inside were three small porcelain bottles, a jade pendant, and a thin booklet.
PS: Update complete.
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