The next day.
August on Jinting Mountain was unusually hot.
Lu Zhou went to the pavilion to cool off.
Without practicing cultivation techniques, life became exceptionally dull, much like an old man lounging at the village entrance before he transmigrated.
His third and ninth disciples stood guard outside like door gods.
After the assassination attempt by Zhou Jifeng, neither dared to be careless.
Although they believed Lu Zhou had enough strength to fend off assassins, allowing such petty thieves to infiltrate Jinting Mountain would be their negligence.
"Master, is Fourth Senior Brother really going to be okay?" Little Yuan'er couldn't help but ask.
Lu Zhou gave a faint smile and said, "Don't worry."
Beside him, the third disciple, Duanmu Sheng, said, "Little Junior Sister, although Fourth Brother is playful and sometimes unreliable, he always puts in his utmost effort when it comes to tasks. You can rest assured about that."
"Mm-hmm... I'm just afraid Fourth Senior Brother will get so caught up in playing that he'll forget the task."
"He wouldn't dare... If he forgets, I, as his senior brother, won't let him off easily, even without Master stepping in," Duanmu Sheng said with a straightforward air.
"It would be great if Seventh Senior Brother were here," Little Yuan'er muttered.
"Little Junior Sister, don't speak nonsense," the third disciple said.
Betraying the sect is a grave sin. Mentioning it in front of the Master is just asking for a scolding.
Little Yuan'er realized her mistake and quickly stuck out her tongue.
Lu Zhou shook his head and said, "It's fine."
"Old Seventh is indeed a rare talent, skilled in scheming. But he enjoys manipulating people's hearts too much and tends to overthink."
Smart people are always cunning.
Such individuals are difficult to control and hard to deal with.
"Senior Sister's letter has arrived..." Little Yuan'er pointed to the messenger bird in the sky.
The messenger bird was not an ordinary one; it was a species raised on Jinting Mountain and nourished with spiritual energy, having long since mutated. Some powerful messenger birds had become one of the many ferocious beasts in the Great Yan world. Among wild beasts, there were even swifter ones like the wild goose and the fish messenger.
The messenger bird dropped the letter into Little Yuan'er's palm.
"Master."
"Read it."
"Yes."
Little Yuan'er opened the letter and began reading: "Master, ever since the Ten Great Sects besieged Jinting Mountain, Luo Changfeng of the Celestial Sword Sect has died. In the struggle for the sect leader position, the Celestial Sword Sect is now in chaos.
"After Zhou Jifeng returned to the Celestial Sword Sect, he did not assume the position of sect leader. The former sect leader, Luo Xingkong, has temporarily gone into seclusion. I suspect Luo Xingkong might use this opportunity to break through the Primordial Spirit Tribulation and reach the Dao Union Realm.
"During my night investigation, I discovered Zhou Jifeng harbors ulterior motives."
After reading, Little Yuan'er handed the letter to Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou shook his head and said, "A bit slow. Inform Zhao Yue that she can assist him if necessary."
"Yes."
Duanmu Sheng felt puzzled and asked, "Master, Zhou Jifeng is just a newly entered Divine Court Realm cultivator and our adversary. Why help him?"
Lu Zhou did not answer his question.
Until their loyalty reached above 80, everything had to be handled cautiously.
Seeing the Master remain silent, Duanmu Sheng awkwardly turned his head, not daring to ask further.
[Ding, Ming Shiyin has completed the task you assigned.]
[Ding, this task rescued 105 members of the Ci Family, earning 1050 Merit Points.]
[Ding, received 105 people's devout kneeling, earning 1050 Merit Points.]
[Ding, this task killed 82 bandits, earning 820 Merit Points.]
...
Hearing these notifications, Lu Zhou was surprised.
Could this be the correct way to utilize the system?
This one task earned so many Merit Points. Adding the previous remaining points, there were a total of 2904 points.
"Master, Fourth Senior Brother sent a flying letter." Little Yuan'er shot into the air like lightning.
"Read it."
Little Yuan'er read aloud, "Disciple has successfully completed the mission, rescued the Ci Family members, and killed the bandits... Additionally, during my investigation, I discovered that the cultivators behind the bandits seem to be related to Eighth Senior Brother's Fierce Tiger Stronghold. Disciple will investigate this matter thoroughly."
The first half of the message was about the task.
The latter half was purely an excuse to play for a few more days.
Lu Zhou was in a good mood and didn't mind. You can't expect a horse to run without feeding it.
"Master, Fourth Senior Brother says this matter is related to Eighth Senior Brother... How could Eighth Senior Brother do such a thing?!" Little Yuan'er said angrily.
"Eighth Brother, after all, is a strong Divine Court Realm cultivator. He shouldn't meddle in worldly affairs. It's likely those cultivators are committing evil under your senior brother's name..."
Lu Zhou nodded and said, "Regardless, it's good for Fourth Brother to investigate."
With the Master's words, the disciples naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.
.
In the afternoon.
Lu Zhou did not receive any notification about Zhou Jifeng's task completion, so he returned to the Demon Heaven Pavilion.
He also reconfirmed the Merit Points: 2904.
"Shop."
"Purchase Dharma Body, Two Forms Transformation."
[Ding, consumed 1000 Merit Points, obtained Dharma Body Two Forms Transformation.]
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
At the moment of obtaining the Dharma Body, Lu Zhou felt his cultivation rapidly soaring.
From the Mind Orifice of the Profound Understanding Realm, it advanced to the Mouth Orifice.
The benefits brought by the Dharma Body were far more than that; the energy in his Dantian and Meridians flowed like a river, continuously.
In the blink of an eye, it advanced from the Mouth Orifice to the Nose Orifice, almost reaching the Eye Orifice.
In the Profound Understanding Realm, the Five Orifices—Mind, Mouth, Nose, Eye, and Ear—four were instantly opened.
.
Feeling the energy throughout his body, Lu Zhou nodded with satisfaction.
This rate of progress was unprecedented.
"Purchase 2 Reversal Cards."
[Ding, consumed 1000 Merit Points, obtained 2 Reversal Cards.]
"Use."
Above the Demon Heaven Pavilion, it was as if a vortex appeared, drawing in the surrounding vitality and channeling it into Lu Zhou's aged body.
Vitality surged, and black hair gradually increased.
The two cards made Lu Zhou younger by 600 days.
Perhaps due to being accustomed to the slow pace of the old body, being 600 days younger brought a refreshing feeling.
Not too obvious, yet very comfortable.
On Earth, no one could experience such reverse aging.
This was probably how Lu Zhou felt now.
"Spending 2000 Merit Points in one go, it really doesn't last long."
"Lottery."
[Ding, consumed 50 Merit Points this time, thank you for participating, Luck Value +1]
"Lottery."
[Ding, consumed 50 Merit Points this time, thank you for participating, Luck Value +1]
...
After five consecutive draws, all were "thank you for participating."
Lu Zhou paused the lottery and checked the personal panel—
Name: Lu Zhou
Race: Human
Cultivation: Profound Understanding Realm, Eye Orifice
Dharma Body: Two Forms Transformation
Merit Points: 654
Remaining Lifespan: 1209 days
Items: Ji Tiandao Peak State Card*2, Fatal Block*3 (Passive), Baize
.
"Comparatively, the Merit Points from completing tasks aren't as abundant as imagined," Lu Zhou muttered.