The Blood Sea Merit Stele

When the three followed Earth One out from the passage deep beneath the ground, sea wind immediately swept toward them, carrying a harsh saltiness mixed with the heavy scent of blood.

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes slightly.

After spending so long inside the dim underground corridors, even the softened light outside took him a moment to adjust to.

Before them stretched an enormous harbor.

Piers of black stone and hardened timber extended along the coastline, with hundreds of spiritual vessels of every size moored close together.

Some ships had hulls rising more than ten zhang above the water, their surfaces covered in slowly circulating runes.

Others were far smaller. Their wood had been bleached pale by years of seawater, deep claw marks remained along the sides, and in several places the blood had not even dried.

The crowded piers were in constant motion.

Spirit herbs.

Ore.

Sea-beast cores.

Chests sealed with formation patterns.

Cargo was unloaded from merchant vessels without pause.

Elsewhere, dozens of enormous iron cages had been arranged in rows, each containing a living sea beast.

One creature covered entirely in blue armor suddenly thrashed against the bars, making the black chains around the cage shake violently.

The cultivator responsible merely glanced at it, activated the formation engraved across the cage, and continued counting the goods.

Farther away, a group had just returned from sea.

Three could still walk on their own.

Two had to be supported by companions.

One had lost his entire left arm.

Behind them, a third-rank sea beast that had not yet completely died was dragged across the wooden pier by iron chains.

The creature struggled.

Fresh blood poured from its wounds.

A merchant waiting nearby immediately crouched to inspect it, lowered his offered price, and began bargaining with the returning cultivators while the sea beast continued dying beside them.

Hao Nhien watched for a moment.

Then withdrew his gaze.

The Sea City he had passed through earlier still possessed the appearance of a prosperous metropolis.

Crowded streets.

Luxurious shops.

Merchants arriving from countless regions.

But here at the harbor, everything moved quickly.

Transport.

Inspection.

Valuation.

Transfer.

Earth One walked leisurely ahead with his staff.

“What newcomers see outside is what Sea City possesses.”

He looked toward the spiritual vessels docking one after another.

“But here…”

“This is where Sea City earns its living.”

Hao Nhien asked,

“By earning from what?”

“Whatever has value.”

Lang Tuyet walked beside him.

The lingering distraction she had carried after leaving the Sea Lake was no longer obvious.

Her gaze passed over the unloading areas, the people responsible for recording transactions, and the identification plaques worn by cultivators returning from sea.

Lanh Hoa remained half a step behind Hao Nhien, one hand near his sword.

From time to time, he looked toward those returning from sea, particularly the injured ones.

He said nothing.

Earth One led them through the harbor district.

The farther they went, the more Hao Nhien realized that although the place was crowded, it was not chaotic.

From docking assignments to cargo reception, from the inspection of sea beasts to the areas where they were valued, every process had someone responsible for it.

“Does Earth Spirit control all of this?” Hao Nhien asked.

“No.”

“Then who does?”

Earth One smiled faintly.

“Price.”

Hao Nhien paused.

“Price?”

“What has no value is gradually eliminated.”

“What has value will naturally attract people willing to keep it alive.”

Earth One looked toward the merchant ships lining up to dock.

“Sea City has its rules.”

“But what makes these people gamble their lives on the ocean every day is ultimately profit.”

Lang Tuyet glanced at him.

“That sounds like something said by someone who profits from both sides.”

Earth One did not deny it.

“That is why this old man has survived until today.”

The corner of Lang Tuyet’s mouth lifted slightly.

She said nothing more.

After passing an entire row of piers, the space ahead opened into a vast plaza surrounded on three sides by black-stone buildings.

At its center stood a towering stele, rising conspicuously above the forest of masts behind it.

The plaza was packed with cultivators and merchants.

Some had just returned after completing missions.

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Some groups were negotiating how merit should be divided.

Others were angrily arguing with the officials responsible because a mission had been canceled or its reward altered.

Yet almost everyone looked up at the stele at least once.

Across its surface, countless lines of white, gold, and red text appeared and disappeared continuously.

Some carried the names of those who had accepted them.

Some had been crossed out by a red line.

Others appeared only briefly before quickly dimming.

At the bottom of the stele were five large characters in dark crimson.

Blood Sea Merit Stele.

Hao Nhien raised his head and read.

Escort a Merchant Vessel Along the Eastern Sea Route — 5 Merit.

Hunt a Third-Rank Sea Jiao — 9 Merit.

Investigate Sea Region Seven — 15 Merit.

Capture the Black Banner Pirates — 53 Merit.

Some simple missions offered only one or two points.

More dangerous assignments could reach into the hundreds.

Earth One stood beside him with both hands resting atop his staff.

“You see it?”

“Mm.”

“What do you think?”

Hao Nhien looked at the numbers.

“Cheap.”

Earth One laughed.

“For you, yes.”

Lang Tuyet also looked upward.

“The missions are not cheap.”

“What he wants is simply too expensive.”

Earth One glanced at her.

“Is there a difference?”

“There is.”

“People who cannot afford something often prefer blaming the price.”

Earth One laughed again.

“You really are a merchant.”

Hao Nhien did not join in.

His gaze continued moving upward.

The higher he looked, the fewer missions appeared.

The text shifted from white to gold, then finally to dark red.

At the very top, one mission stood apart from all the others.

It did not flicker.

Did not change.

There was no name showing who had accepted it.

No indication that anyone had ever completed it.

It remained motionless among the constantly changing lines, as though it had existed there for a very long time.

Heaven-Rank — Recover a Lost Object.

Directly beneath the words was a small engraving.

Most of its lines had faded with age.

Only one corner remained relatively clear.

Hao Nhien’s pupils contracted slightly.

He had seen those lines before.

Not merely seen them.

Inside his storage ring were two key fragments bearing a similar shape.

According to what he had learned from the letter in the Heavenly Spirit ruins, joining all three fragments could open the passage leading back to the Firmament world.

Hao Nhien already possessed two.

The third was believed to have been entrusted by the Saintess to a group of Heavenly Spirit people who had left Dong Nguyen.

He had never expected to see an engraving connected to the very thing he had been searching for here in Sea City.

Hao Nhien said nothing.

Beside him, Lang Tuyet’s breathing slowed for a single beat.

He knew she had recognized it as well.

Almost simultaneously, both withdrew their gazes.

Earth One stood slightly ahead of them.

The end of his staff suddenly stopped moving.

He slowly turned his head.

The corner of his mouth curved upward.

“Oh?”

“It seems the mission at the top is more interesting than a Sea Jiao.”

Lang Tuyet answered calmly,

“It is Heaven-Rank.”

“Naturally it should be more interesting.”

Earth One looked at her.

Then at Hao Nhien.

He asked nothing further.

Hao Nhien raised his eyes toward the mission again.

“What is the lost object?”

Earth One looked toward the top of the stele.

His smile gradually faded.

“People in Sea City call it many things.”

“A treasure.”

“A sacred object.”

“A key.”

“Some even claim it opens the greatest opportunity anywhere in this part of the sea.”

“And what does Senior call it?”

“A key.”

Lang Tuyet asked,

“A key to what?”

“That is precisely the problem.”

Earth One laughed.

“Some say it opens an ancient dwelling.”

“Some believe a treasury belonging to vanished beings lies beyond it.”

“Others believe it concerns the secret of surpassing the limits of cultivation that exist today.”

“What does Senior believe?” Hao Nhien asked.

Earth One did not answer immediately.

He slowly looked toward the sea.

“I believe the object is truly important.”

“For someone in this old man’s position, that is enough.”

Hao Nhien remained silent.

Earth One continued,

“For nearly a hundred years, Earth Spirit has spread information about it more widely.”

“Many merchant associations, sects, and major powers have joined the search.”

“Nothing has been found.”

“And before that?”

“Before that, it was the concern of those standing above this old man.”

Earth One looked at the Heaven-Rank mission again.

Then lowered his voice until only the three beside him could hear.

“In the records this old man has been permitted to read, the object always appears alongside the same description.”

“A door.”

“A road beyond the current limit.”

He paused.

“Void Transformation.”

“Tribulation Transformation.”

“Perhaps even realms beyond what cultivators of Can Van can reach.”

“No one knows what actually lies beyond that door.”

“But the mere possibility that it concerns a higher cultivation path has been enough to drive countless people mad.”

This time, there was no amusement in Earth One’s voice.

Hao Nhien thought silently.

What Earth One had just said confirmed that Earth Spirit truly was searching for the remaining key fragment.

But his explanation of the door differed from what Hao Nhien and Lang Tuyet knew.

The three fragments together could open a passage leading back to the Firmament world.

Earth One, however, spoke of an opportunity to transcend existing cultivation limits.

Did he truly not know the key’s actual purpose?

Or was he deliberately concealing it?

Hao Nhien could not yet tell.

He glanced briefly toward Lang Tuyet.

She was still looking at the stele, her expression composed.

But the hand inside her sleeve had slowly tightened.

Whatever Earth One knew, Hao Nhien had no intention of revealing that he possessed two fragments.

If Earth Spirit learned that, the nature of their transaction could change completely.

Earth One watched the two of them for a while.

“What this old man knows is only that much.”

“If you want more, I am afraid the object itself must be found first.”

Hao Nhien looked at the mission again.

“There is no reward listed.”

Earth One nodded.

“Heaven-Rank missions do not use ordinary calculations.”

“Then what do they use?”

“Value.”

Earth One pointed toward the dark-red line.

“Ordinary missions have fixed rewards.”

“But special assignments like this are evaluated separately according to the value of the contribution.”

“If you brought back something Earth Spirit has spent nearly a hundred years searching for, would you truly want to sit down and count merit point by point?”

Lang Tuyet immediately asked,

“Then it can be exchanged directly?”

“Yes.”

“Information counts?”

“Yes.”

“What if the location can be confirmed?”

“A different value.”

“What if the method of reaching it can be determined?”

Earth One looked at her for a little longer.

“Another value entirely.”

The corner of Lang Tuyet’s mouth curved slightly.

“So the object itself does not necessarily need to be delivered.”

“As long as the information is valuable enough, Earth Spirit will still accept it in trade?”

“Of course.”

“For a merchant association, accurate information can sometimes be more valuable than an object no one knows when they will ever obtain.”

Hao Nhien’s attention shifted.

He had originally assumed that completing the Heaven-Rank mission would require handing over the key fragment itself.

But if information alone could be exchanged, then perhaps he had another route to the records he needed without surrendering the treasures already in his possession.

Hao Nhien looked at Earth One.

“If I provide a clue concerning the lost object, could it be exchanged for the right to examine the records on Guiding the Soul Back to the Boat?”

Earth One considered for a moment.

“If the information can be verified, this old man can submit a proposed transaction to headquarters on your behalf.”

“Will headquarters agree?”

“That depends on the value of the information.”

Earth One looked at him.

“This old man can make the proposal.”

“I cannot make the decision for headquarters.”

Hao Nhien nodded faintly.

At least now he knew what kind of preparation might be useful.

After a while, he looked back toward the engraving.

“Senior knew from the beginning that I would pay attention to this mission?”

Earth One laughed.

“No.”

“I merely guessed that you would look at the most expensive thing.”

Lang Tuyet’s lips curved faintly.

“Not necessarily because it is expensive.”

Earth One turned toward her.

“This old man never said it was necessarily because of the price.”

Their gazes met briefly.

Neither explained further.

Hao Nhien understood.

Earth One had noticed the unusual reaction between him and Lang Tuyet.

The old man had chosen not to question it.

That did not mean he had forgotten.

At that moment, something changed across the plaza.

The crowd gathered before the Merit Stele suddenly parted to both sides, opening a broad path from the far end of the square.

No one shouted.

No one ordered them away.

Yet cultivators who had been arguing loudly only moments ago unconsciously lowered their voices.

Several hurriedly moved aside.

Hao Nhien turned.

A group of people dressed in black robes was slowly approaching.

An eye embroidered in dark red marked each sleeve.

The crimson thread did not glow.

Nor did it release any obvious spiritual fluctuation.

Yet the instant Hao Nhien looked at the symbol, discomfort rose instinctively within him.

It was not pressure.

Not killing intent.

It felt instead as though something behind the embroidered eye were quietly looking back at him.

Hao Nhien frowned.

Then immediately withdrew his gaze.

Behind him, Lanh Hoa had also stopped.

The hand resting on his sword tightened slightly.

Lang Tuyet watched the approaching group.

Her expression became serious.

Earth One merely gave a faint snort.

Hao Nhien looked toward him.

Since their meeting, Earth One had remained calm through almost everything.

Even when Earth Two had pressured them, the old man had shown little emotion.

But now it was obvious that he disliked the appearance of these black-robed people.

The man at the front reached the Merit Stele.

He did not look at the constantly changing missions below.

Instead, he slowly raised his head.

His gaze moved upward.

Then stopped at the very top.

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes.

The black-robed man stood there for a moment.

Then turned toward Earth One.

Their gazes met across the plaza.

Earth One did not avoid him.

But the hand resting atop his staff tightened slightly.

Hao Nhien raised his eyes toward the faded engraving beneath the Heaven-Rank mission.

The final key fragment.

The thing he had been searching for ever since leaving Dong Nguyen.

He had never expected a clue to appear here in Sea City.

And now—

it seemed he was far from the only person interested in it.