Chapter 599: Merits

Seeing a group of fellow disciples, some close to his size, others a year or two older, and some who looked at least his age, calling him "little senior brother," Ink Painting still found it a bit hard to get used to.

These disciples’ calls were also hesitant and awkward. They seemed to feel embarrassed, their voices as quiet as mosquitoes, afraid of being heard.

But this was Elder Xun's wish. Elder Xun had high virtue and great prestige. Even some true inheritance elders of the inner sect wouldn't easily disobey his words, let alone these newly admitted outer sect disciples.

However, with repeated practice, they became accustomed to it. After calling out several times, they became skilled. Still, some people secretly felt unconvinced. Occasionally, a "troublemaker" would find an excuse to "provoke" Ink Painting.

Ink Painting, however, didn't take it to heart. There was no need to make a move; he only needed to bring up Elder Xun's name, exercise the authority of "little senior brother," and assign them more array law assignments. These "troublemaker" disciples immediately became well-behaved.

A cultivator in the early Foundation Building stage has a divine sense between ten and thirteen lines. These disciples had just entered the Foundation Building stage, and most only had a divine sense of ten or eleven lines. Drawing one or two arrays was fine, but drawing more truly made them "suffer unbearable pain."

Ink Painting drew arrays every day, so he had a very precise grasp of the amount of divine sense required. The assignments he gave them were just enough for them to complete, but it was very strenuous and painful, though not to the point of damaging their sea of consciousness. It was a small lesson.

Intimidated by Elder Xun's authority, they dared not refuse to draw. After Ink Painting disciplined them in this manner several times, no disciples dared to publicly challenge his "authority."

As time passed, Ink Painting's identity as "little senior brother" was gradually accepted by the disciples. Although he was the "little senior brother," Ink Painting didn't put on airs. He treated people the same as before.

Many disciples began to secretly seek out Ink Painting during class breaks or after class to ask about array law. Some who were confused about array law, couldn't understand in class, and dared not ask Elder Xun, would come to ask Ink Painting. Ink Painting was much more approachable than Elder Xun.

And when others asked about array law, Ink Painting never held back, explaining everything thoroughly. He still remembered the exhortation from his teacher Yan during his cultivation: "The way of arrays is like water, passing it down will only make the source flow far and wide..."

Hoarding knowledge would only cause array law, which contains the Great Dao, to decay and become a pool of stagnant water. Therefore, as long as someone was truly willing to learn array law, Ink Painting would sincerely impart it and explain carefully.

Having received the favor of Ink Painting's teachings, these disciples called him "little senior brother" more naturally.

Later, Elder Xun became more and more "lazy," and Ink Painting taught more classes. His relationship with these fellow disciples also became closer. The camaraderie of "half teacher, half friend" deepened.

Elder Xun silently watched all of this and felt comforted. With this kind of friendship, over time, Ink Painting would have a foundation within Tai Xu Sect. The longer the time, the deeper the friendship, and the firmer the foundation.

However, the number was still small... Tai Yi Residence only had nearly a hundred disciples. These nearly hundred disciples attended array law class together and would only call Ink Painting "little senior brother." And this generation of prodigies had nearly a thousand people. Those who didn't attend class in the same transmission room naturally wouldn't be taught by Ink Painting either...

Elder Xun silently thought: "Later, I must find an opportunity to let all the disciples of this generation attend Ink Painting's 'class' and all call him 'little senior brother'..." Not a single one should be missed!

Elder Xun thought ahead. The foundation of a sect is its people, the disciples who carry the sect's inheritance. Friendship with the sect's disciples is friendship with the sect. Tai Xu Sect is one of the Eight Great Sects. Its disciples, though not comparable to the "Four Great Sects," are still considered outstanding in various states of the cultivation world.

Being on good terms with his fellow disciples, when Ink Painting leaves the sect and travels the world in the future, he will naturally have connections. Fellow disciples across the Nine Provinces, old friends in the Four Seas. Wherever he goes, there will be people calling him "little senior brother," making things more convenient. Having the support of his fellow disciples, he won't forget the sect's friendship.

And with the sect to rely on and the help of his fellow disciples, even if he is alone in the future, he won't be too afraid of being ostracized by noble families or tempted by demon sects. Only then can he have the confidence to uphold his original heart, not stray into evil ways, and pursue the true Great Dao...

Elder Xun's gaze was deep as he nodded.

Suddenly, he thought of something else, furrowed his brow, and realized another problem: "Although the foundation of a sect is people, the sect itself also has a system of inheritance..."

"The sect's rules must still exist, and he must still be exposed to the logic of disciple inheritance within the sect."

"Things that come too easily are often not cherished..."

"And we can't be too partial to this child; otherwise, it will have no tempering effect..."

"He still has to face the hardships he should face..."

Elder Xun raised his eyebrows slightly.

Ink Painting still didn't know of Elder Xun's painstaking efforts and good intentions. He was busy every day, cultivating, attending classes, and also responsible for "lecturing." The time he saved was used to learn array law.

Ink Painting was currently learning a "Rain Ze Array." This was a type of eight trigrams Ze system array law, a second-rank fifteen-line array. It was also the most difficult array law Ink Painting had learned so far within the limit of his divine sense. This array was also given to him by Elder Xun.

Elder Xun seemed to want to cultivate Ink Painting's good nature and gentle disposition in the array way. Therefore, the arrays he gave Ink Painting to learn were all related to water, wood, earth, or stone, such as arrays that nourish all things or promote cultivation. There wasn't a single killing array.

Ink Painting accepted it as it was. He would learn whatever was given to him. The atmosphere in Tai Xu Sect was peaceful. There were no sinful cultivators, no demonic cultivators, no human traffickers, and no evil spirits. He didn't need a killing array for the time being. His main purpose was to enhance his divine sense by learning array law. Then, after enhancing his divine sense, he would learn more difficult array law... In this way, his divine sense and array law would complement each other and advance together.

And his cultivation breakthroughs were also closely related to his divine sense and array law. He cultivated the Heaven Derivation Art, whose bottleneck was in divine sense. He needed to solve puzzle arrays, especially for breakthroughs in major realms, which required solving the Heaven Great Array. This time, he didn't have his martial uncle to "help" him. He estimated he would have to rely on himself, so his divine sense must be strong and his array law must be refined.

All of his spells depended on the power of his divine sense. Divine sense was the foundation of his path. Cultivation always emphasized accumulation over time, like water forming a channel. It couldn't be rushed for now. Ink Painting's current plan was to learn fifteen-line array law, temper his divine sense to sixteen lines or even higher, so that when his cultivation advanced, the bottleneck would be easier to break through. First, he would learn fifteen-line array law, then sixteen-line, then seventeen-line, and so on...

But half a month later, Elder Xun told Ink Painting that he had no array law to give him to learn. Ink Painting was stunned.

Elder Xun sighed, "I forgot to tell you before, there are also rules within Tai Xu Sect."

"Rules?" Ink Painting blinked.

"Rules!" Elder Xun emphasized and then patiently explained to Ink Painting. "These rules were set by the old ancestors, and I can't change them."

Ink Painting nodded, finding it very reasonable, completely unaware that Elder Xun himself was one of the "old ancestors" he was referring to.

Elder Xun continued, "The array law taught in class is stipulated by the sect; it is given to you for free..."

"But the array law outside of class, logically speaking, is to be paid for."

"Especially since you just entered the sect, only in the early Foundation Building stage. Theoretically, the highest level of array law you should learn should not exceed eleven lines."

"Twelve- and thirteen-line array law, even if you are fast, will only be taught in the next academic year or the year after."

"Moreover, this is not mandatory."

"Generally, an array master in the early Foundation Building stage, even at the peak of the early Foundation Building stage, finds it very strenuous to learn twelve-line array law, let alone thirteen lines..."

Elder Xun looked at Ink Painting, "So, the fourteen- and fifteen-line array law you've learned is seriously beyond the scope; I broke the rules and taught it to you."

Ink Painting felt moved and gratefully said, "Thank you, Elder Xun!" Then he worried a bit, "You... won't settle accounts in the autumn and ask me for spirit stones, right..."

Although he didn't know exactly how many spirit stones a second-rank fourteen- or fifteen-line array law would cost, this kind of array law, properly collected by the sect and belonging to the Eight Trigrams system, wouldn't be cheap... The main thing was that he had learned a lot. Unknowingly, Elder Xun had already given him many array diagrams. There was only one fifteen-line Rain Ze Array, but Ink Painting had learned a lot of thirteen- and fourteen-line arrays.

If he had to pay for all of these, his meager family fortune would instantly be "bankrupt." Ink Painting frowned, a little worried.

Elder Xun silently looked at Ink Painting, let him worry for a moment, and then said, "You don't need to worry about that. Since I gave it to you, just rest assured and learn. You don't need to pay any spirit stones. Moreover, within Tai Xu Sect, the sect's inheritance is not bought with spirit stones."

"Not with spirit stones?" Ink Painting was slightly startled, "Then what do you use?"

Elder Xun said, "Merit."

"Merit?" Ink Painting frowned. When he entered the sect, no one had told him about this...

Elder Xun explained, "Merit refers to a disciple's contribution or merit to the sect..."

"Not only Tai Xu Sect, but the entire Qian Xue State boundary, the Four Great Sects, the Eight Great Sects, the Twelve Flows, the Qian Xue Hundred Gates, as well as the thousands of sects under the Hundred Gates, all implement a 'merit system'..."

"This was a rule set by the predecessors of the Qian Xue State boundary to reform the sects, enhance the sect's cohesion, narrow the gap between rich and poor disciples, and allow every disciple to have an opportunity to obtain cultivation resources and elevate their status in the sect."

"If the gap between rich and poor disciples is too large upon entering the sect, and the difference in identity and power is too great, it will inevitably lead to flattery, sycophancy, and vanity."

"The poor will become the cattle and horses of the rich, and the weak will cling to the strong."

"In this way, the sect will naturally become corrupt, and the dao heart will be corroded by fame and fortune, and no one will wholeheartedly pursue the dao anymore."

Ink Painting suddenly realized, "So when entering the sect, the sect will limit the amount of spirit stones a disciple can bring into the sect, and control other things like elixirs, spiritual tools, heavenly materials and earthly treasures..."

Elder Xun nodded, "Exactly. Since you've entered the sect, you naturally have to rely on your own efforts."

"Children from good families still need to rely on their own abilities to earn merit and exchange for cultivation resources, thereby experiencing the difficulty of cultivation;"

"Ordinary children from humble backgrounds can even more so through effort and self-reliance, exchange the heavenly materials and earthly treasures they can't obtain outside with sect merit, thereby breaking through realms and seeking the supreme Great Dao..."

Only... now in these Eight Great Sects, this kind of disciple with "humble origins" is becoming less and less... Elder Xun sighed softly in his heart.

"Merit..." Ink Painting's eyes lit up, "Then can this merit be exchanged for good things?"

Elder Xun nodded, "Better than you think..."

Ink Painting's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly thought of that name: Tai Xu Divine Sense Transformation Sword True Art! If his merit was high enough, could he exchange for this extremely powerful divine sense sword art that might be hidden within Tai Xu Sect?

After considering, Ink Painting still didn't ask Elder Xun. This kind of matter should be kept secret... If he told Elder Xun and he asked how he knew, and he couldn't answer or answered poorly, it would be easy to reveal the secret of "Heaven Machine Derivation." Moreover, besides this divine sense sword art, could he also exchange for... second-rank ultimate arrays? Ink Painting's eyes brightened slightly, full of anticipation.

Elder Xun didn't know Ink Painting's little thoughts and continued to lecture Ink Painting: "...Therefore, merit is extremely important to sect disciples."

"The sect's merit system can also enhance disciples' centripetal force and sense of belonging to the sect." You contribute to the sect, and the sect rewards you and helps you cultivate. With this back and forth, the relationship becomes deep and thick... In this world, without the binding of interests, most affections are just like reflections in a mirror, unable to withstand any setbacks.

Elder Xun, having lived for so long, naturally understood this truth. Ink Painting thought of another matter and asked, "Elder, you said merit is also related to sect status. Are you referring to the promotion of outer and inner sect disciples?"

Elder Xun was a little surprised and nodded, "Yes." He thought for a moment and asked Ink Painting in return, "Ink Painting, what do you think is more important when the sect accepts disciples, talent or character?"

Ink Painting thought for a moment and said, "Talent and character are both important, but character is actually more important than talent."

Elder Xun nodded, "Correct. It's just a pity that sects now only value talent when accepting disciples and don't look at character..."

"Although hearts are hidden behind faces and often change, a person with poor character doesn't necessarily not reform and turn good, and a person with good character might also be influenced and become less upright."

"And aptitude, good is good, not good is not good, it's simple and clear..."

"But even so, cultivating without discussing the heart, even with one body of cultivation, will ultimately be empty and even easily become a puppet of others' divine sense..."

Ink Painting nodded in deep agreement. He had seen too many cultivators who died at the hands of his martial uncle because their dao heart had been planted with demons. Those with firm willpower could often hold on for a while. Those with shallow character would immediately go mad just from a glance from his martial uncle...

But... why did Elder Xun suddenly bring this up? Ink Painting was a little confused and asked, "Elder, what does this have to do with merit?"

Elder Xun sighed deeply, recalling past events: "In the beginning, the sects in the Qian Xue State boundary didn't have this merit system. At that time, there were also fewer rules, and they attached great importance to talent when accepting disciples."

"A high-grade or upper-middle-grade prodigy would often be fiercely competed for by numerous sects."

"Merit law, dao law, spirit energy, spirit elixirs, heavenly materials and earthly treasures were given as they pleased, whatever they had."

"But..."

"This also made these prodigies too arrogant, feeling that everything they obtained was based on their own abilities, forgetting the sect's efforts and kindness."

"Numerous ungrateful and rebellious 'prodigies' who even entered the demonic path were common."

"Thereafter, the predecessors painstakingly considered and then set the 'merit' rule. No matter how good a person's talent is, if they want to obtain the true inheritance, they must make a significant contribution to the sect."

"Outer sect disciples' promotion to inner sect, besides looking at aptitude, also requires looking at their merit."

"Inner sect disciples, whether ordinary disciples or true inheritance disciples, must also make a certain contribution to the sect to be qualified for promotion to elder."

"In other words, as long as you contribute enough to the sect, you can enter the inner sect, become a true inheritance disciple, even a true inheritance elder, and even..."

"Become the sect master!" Elder Xun's tone was generous.

After speaking, he glanced at Ink Painting and saw that Ink Painting only nodded without any look of anticipation. He then understood in his heart that Ink Painting had no intention of joining the inner sect. Joining the inner sect required paying respects to a master. Ink Painting's reluctance to join the inner sect meant that he didn't want to abandon his original master's inheritance. Even becoming the sect master of Tai Xu Sect seemed to hold little attraction for him. This also showed that this child indeed had a master's inheritance. Moreover, he valued emotions and righteousness and only recognized his first master. Elder Xun felt a little regretful but also praised him in his heart.

Elder Xun then added a few more sentences, explaining the origin and purpose of the merit system to Ink Painting, and then said, "So from now on, if you want to learn array law, you have to make some contributions to the sect, earn merit, and only then can you exchange for those fifteen-line, sixteen-line, or even higher-level array diagrams."

Ink Painting thought about it and felt it was reasonable. There are no free lunches in the world. It was impossible for the sect to let him take advantage of it. If there were more disciples like him who took advantage of the sect until it was bare and closed down, that wouldn't be good...

Ink Painting nodded and asked again, "Elder, then how should I earn this merit?"

Elder Xun saw that Ink Painting wasn't dissatisfied and nodded slightly, explaining, "Getting an 'excellent' grade in each class assessment can earn some merit..."

"Refining tools, elixirs, talismans, and drawing array law for the sect can also be converted into merit..."

"At the Qian Xue Grand Event, such as the Dao Discussion Assembly or the Sword Discussion Assembly, getting a ranking will be rewarded with merit..."

"Besides, the sect will also have some tasks, such as cooperating with the Dao Court Division to capture some sinful cultivators, evil cultivators, demonic cultivators, etc., which will also be counted as sect merit..."

"Of course, this kind of matter is too bloody and dangerous, not something you can do now..."

Elder Xun said a lot. Ink Painting silently remembered it in his heart and then doubtfully said, "Elder, why didn't I know any of this before..."

Elder Xun raised his eyebrows, "That's because you didn't have the authority to know."

"Authority?"

Elder Xun pointed to Ink Painting's waist. Ink Painting suddenly realized, "Tai Xu Order?"

"Correct." Elder Xun said, "When you entered the sect, someone should have told you that the Tai Xu Order is extremely important and told you not to lose it..."

"Not only is it used for cultivation, attending classes, and entering and exiting the sect, more importantly..."

"The Tai Xu Order determines your authority within the sect!"

"When you just entered, your Tai Xu Order is only basic. Besides cultivation, attending classes, and entering and exiting the disciple residence, it basically has no other authority."

"After you have been in the sect and cultivated for a full year, and the sect has a thorough understanding of you, only then will they open the true Tai Xu authority for you..."

"This is also the 'merit' authority."

"With the authority, you can, according to the names on the Tai Xu Order, do things for the sect, earn merit, and exchange for various inheritances of Tai Xu Sect's hidden treasures, such as merit law, dao law, and array law, as well as spirit stones, elixirs, spiritual items, and other cultivation resources..."

Ink Painting was a little shocked and then said, "But, I've only been in the sect for four or five months, and my Tai Xu Order's authority shouldn't be open yet, right..."

"It doesn't matter," Elder Xun said, "I'll help you open it in advance."

"Ah?" Ink Painting was stunned, "Can you open it for me in advance?"

Elder Xun nodded, "You've been learning array law from me for so long, so naturally, I have a thorough understanding of you. Opening an authority in advance is not a big deal."

"Give me your Tai Xu Order." Elder Xun instructed.

Ink Painting respectfully handed over his basic, simple Tai Xu Order, which only had one sword line, to Elder Xun. Elder Xun took it, his divine sense moved slightly, and a faint light flashed on the Tai Xu Order. Then Elder Xun returned the Tai Xu Order to Ink Painting, "Alright."

Ink Painting was a little surprised, "That's it?" Opening the authority was so simple... He pondered in his heart, vaguely having some guesses. Elder Xun seemed to have used his divine sense to touch and move the array law within the Tai Xu Order, changing the authority... But as for exactly what he did, Ink Painting, who was only in the early Foundation Building stage, still didn't understand.

Ink Painting took the Tai Xu Order and scanned it with his divine sense. Indeed, he felt that his Tai Xu Order was different from before; there seemed to be more things inside.

Ink Painting hadn't looked closely yet when he thought of another problem. "Elder, you said the sect's rules cannot be changed..." Ink Painting looked at Elder Xun suspiciously, "But isn't this also changing the rules?"

Elder Xun paused. This little child, this little head, why does it turn so fast... Elder Xun looked serious, "It doesn't count!"

"It really doesn't count..."

Elder Xun nodded, "I say it doesn't count, then it doesn't count!"

Ink Painting didn't know what to say. However, Elder Xun opening the Tai Xu Order authority for him was also a good thing, so he didn't dwell on it... As for rules or no rules, he, a new disciple, wouldn't know.

Ink Painting held the Tai Xu Order, his face full of anticipation, thinking about looking closely later to see what tasks there were and what good things he could exchange for...

Elder Xun looked at Ink Painting and finally instructed, "Cultivator's cultivation should be steady and stable. Don't bite off more than you can chew..."

"Although I opened the authority for you, you have only just entered the sect, your cultivation is still shallow, and you have no experience..."

"In the beginning, just take some low-level, entry-level tasks, draw arrays, sweep the dao field, guard the gates, and so on..."

"Those tasks like chasing sinful cultivators, killing evil cultivators, sweeping flat small and large demon sects..."

"Don't take those dangerous tasks, absolutely not..."

"Mm-hmm!" Ink Painting nodded obediently.

6k words, a little late again.