Chapter 135 – A Reward Well Earned

Even though he had somewhat expected it, Ren was still taken aback by the sensation of earning karmic merit by his own hand instead of through his cultivation. Though his Fire of Merit, which was said to record the merit he earned, wasn’t represented inside his dantian, he knew his actions had grown it. Ren had started to get more sensitive to movements of karma ever since he entered the late stage of the foundation establishment realm, even gaining the barest hint of influence over it.

But more importantly, Ren wasn’t the same ignorant fledgling who struggled to find scraps of knowledge to learn from. While he had been studying and honing his skills in alchemy, array formations, and forging, he had carved out time for the most important foundation of his cultivation. Books on karma were rare in the outer sect’s Hall of Learning, but ‘rare’ in the Azure Mountains was still a thousand times more accessible than in the Heavenly Sword Sect. Ren had made sure to pay for copies whenever he could so he could continue to ponder on them later.

It had taught him to expect his current situation. The books had explained what he already instinctually knew. Helping a stranded soul move into the Cycle of Reincarnation was considered a meritorious act in the eyes of the world. Conversely, forcibly stranding a soul was a terribly sinful act, and learning that had awakened a new fear in Ren. But that was a problem for later. In any case, his instincts hadn’t been demanding he erase ghosts but send them on their way.

Inside his dantian, the Fire of Life showed the signs of fluctuations that preceded a breakthrough, but Ren clamped down on it. He didn’t want to halt it entirely, only delay it. The flames slowly settled, but Ren knew he had less than a day before the opportunity passed him by. That would cause complications of its own, as squandering the opportunity for a breakthrough made it harder to regain the lost momentum and initiate it a second time.

Knowing he had to hurry, Ren retrieved his array. The pillar rods of the cage array still had use, especially after they’d proved effective by capturing the vengeful ghost. The demonic cultivator was still unconscious after receiving a strong backlash from when the ghost he had been nurturing passed on. He was quickly bound and searched. Ren found a spatial pouch and a few weapons with a gleam of oil-like substance on them. Most definitely poison.

‘Perhaps Mei Ling would like to examine them. 'Unlikely, but I never can tell what catches her eye,' Ren told himself as he carefully put them away.

As for the pouch, it would take some time to break its connection with its current owner. Dawn was still a few hours away, but Ren didn’t stall. The halls of the sect were operational day or night. The man stirred when he was but a short distance away but could only make muffled grunts around the rag Ren had stuffed into his mouth. Ren had no compunction in taking the murderer to the rightful authorities for punishment, but he didn’t care to hear any begging, bargains, bribes, or threats of brutality.

Ren was stopped by patrolling guards right outside the hall and was quick to make his case. He brought out his token, which had the record of the mission he had accepted, and explained how he had caught the murderer. Without the ghost or any physical evidence, Ren would have had to surrender himself until the facts could be verified if not for the demonic qi still leaking from the bound man’s injured cultivation. The guards quickly took over and invited him to wait until they could secure further proof from the spatial pouch he handed over.

A kindly attendant poured him some tea in the waiting room. “You may wait here while we confirm things. Don’t worry, if you caught the true culprit, then you will be swiftly rewarded, but even if that wretch is unrelated to this case, you won’t get into too much trouble, I think. The sect gives dispensation to a select few, but this fellow offered no such record.”

Ren’s leg was shaking in impatience, but he forced himself to stay calm. He had no other choice but to await the announcement of the outcome. To distract himself, he engaged in conversation.

“Why does the sect even allow demonic cultivators to begin with?” he inquired.

The attendant nodded her head in understanding. “There are many paths to power, but oftentimes one has no choice in the one they walk. The sect does not hold it against those born with such affinities or those who were helplessly forced into it. They are given demonic manuals that straddle the borders of orthodoxy and which could maybe even do good in the right hands.”

“Such an enlightened approach! Indeed, it is better to give hope than to punish the innocent for something they have no choice in." Ren admired his sect's understanding. They wholeheartedly acknowledged that every path had the potential to reach the peak and then put it into practice.

Just as Ren finished his first cup of tea, another attendant came in and proclaimed the expected result of their findings. The spatial pouch had been pried open to reveal his guilt. A single page of a powerful manual written in the demonic language and a book of notes where he translated it. The man clearly hadn’t anticipated capture because he even had lists of potential future targets! With that, things unfolded rapidly.

Ren was given a share from the man’s belongings as per sect law, but since some items were restricted, he was paid in mid-grade spirit stones. 50 of them! This one mission had already earned him half as much as he had in his first mission against the plant tyrant, and he hadn’t even been given the official reward yet! That was provided in a single-use spatial pouch. He could only open it and remove the items within, after which the pouch would break down.

He sent his divine sense inside to examine his reward, and his eyes bulged in shock. It was one thing to read about the increased rewards, another to have it in his hands. The 50 contribution points, equivalent to 500 mid-grade spirit stones, of the original reward were already impressive, but the outer sect elder had added on a special reward as incentive. Ren was almost vibrating from excitement with a new reason to return home swiftly.

He took a deep breath and stopped himself from acting hastily. He bowed in gratitude to the attendants and departed.

“I do want to return home immediately but if I don’t make use of this windfall, then I will be letting a valuable chance to get stronger slip through my fingers. I have so many techniques to upgrade! I also have to consider preparing resources for my core formation breakthrough! If I return now, I would actually be harming myself.” Just then his stomach let out a small rumble. “And speaking of harming myself, I may have missed a few meals in my rush to prepare for last night. I can’t think clearly on an empty stomach, can I?” Ren might be forcing matters a bit, but he could spare that much time at least.

Fortunately, he knew just the place for a quick yet indulgent meal. In his time in the outer sect, Ren had sampled various dishes and cuisines, if only to broaden his horizons. One day, he had heard about a strange place that served cheap dishes of spectacular quality, the outer sect dining hall. Curious, he had swallowed his pride and joined the throng of impoverished cultivators to enter those long halls lined with benches. From the far end, servers emerged holding gigantic woks and plates loaded with simple fare. But from the instant he breathed in the aroma of the bowl of thin mushroom soup, he was convinced.

The dining hall was like a hidden secret sect inside the outer sect. The sect funded them and provided ingredients, and it was turned into a new dish every meal. At first Ren had thought them saints who worked miracles with the meager ingredients given to them and ignored certain rumors about them, but that had changed when he caught a peek at the chefs entering the kitchen one day.

Every single chef’s physique was like a mountain of muscles coated in fat, carrying an enormous black wok on their backs like a tortoise’s shell. They had the air of soldiers heading into a battlefield, in their arms the most lustrous spirit plants, vegetables, and flanks of meat emanating rich qi. There was even one chubby fellow who looked somehow familiar despite the odd behavior. After that day, he couldn’t deny the rumors that the chefs ate the best ingredients while serving only the leftover scraps.

If it was to be his last meal in the sect for a while, there was still nowhere else he’d rather eat because even their scraps outstripped anything he could make. If he didn’t already have so much on his plate, Ren would have insisted on learning to cook from such professionals. What they did with food was true artistry! His feet had already started to lead him there.

After scarfing down his meal, Ren had hurried to the Martial Hall. The Martial Hall was the single largest repository of techniques and manuals among all the other Halls. Stored within were techniques from every path, even those like painting and cooking, because one of their core functions was to explore the martial potential in them. Ren may have had his doubts initially, but after he saw a feeble tailor turn their bulky opponent into an impotent puppet by manipulating them with strings in a martial tournament, how could he deny the validity of their function?

Unlike the Hall of Learning, which was a pagoda, the Martial Hall was utilitarian. The inside of the building was almost like a fortress guarding a treasure. It contained a multitude of sparring arenas and reinforced testing chambers where one could develop their skills in safety. On the upper floors was the library of manuals. If he had been forced to search through the endless shelves by hand, Ren would have lost his patience. Fortunately, the pedestals similar to those in the Hall of Learning were present to instantly search for specific manuals or techniques.

Ren had already built up a small fortune in his days studying, enough to afford a few improvements to his skills, but he knew that the best techniques could only be purchased with contribution points. He wanted to make the most of 50 contribution points, possibly saving a few for emergencies. Luckily, he had spent some time in the past months searching for suitable techniques. It would certainly speed up the selections.

When he was done, Ren all but sprinted to the nearest building hosting a Sword Phase Formation and pressed his sect token down on the pedestal and selected ‘The Edge of Ecstatic Salvation and Eternal Damnation,' his abode’s true name, and paid the required cost.

He landed in the familiar little outpost and had just thrown out his flying sword when a high-pitched voice stopped him in his tracks. The tone was incredibly supercilious. It belonged to someone who didn’t demand but expected obedience without even the possibility of refusal.

“Fellow disciple, I require a moment of your time.”

‘What now?’ Ren wanted to tear his hair out in frustration! He had been so close to getting home and initiating his breakthrough! But the moment he laid eyes on the speaker, a chill went down his spine.

The little boy was like a crane among chickens. It was instantly apparent that he had an extraordinary background, both by virtue of his illustrious apparel and precious doll-like appearance. Ren was on his guard because you could never tell a cultivator's age by their appearance. This darling child could be a 1000-year-old spicy ginger, capable of swatting him like a fly.

“I am searching for my grandfather. Tell me, have you seen him? He was last seen around here searching for something. If I find it, perhaps I could find him?”

Ren remembered that old man’s words, “Trust your nose!” And this whole thing smelled off to Ren!