Supreme Emptiness

If nothing unexpected happens,

it should be one of the Four Mythical Prodigies, Li Shangqiu.

The leader of the strongest team Wuji within the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.

Jiang Fan remained unperturbed.

If he were one of the four Vice Pavilion Masters, the older generation at Ninth Layer of Core Formation Perfection,

perhaps Jiang Fan would be somewhat wary.

But having the realm without the tempering of years,

it simply meant his Spiritual Power was marginally stronger.

Though strong, he couldn't deliver suffocating strikes like the seasoned seniors.

Jiang Fan said indifferently, "Even though I don't particularly like the Master of Dharma Seal,"

"but now, I'd like to say a word for him."

"Since when does my business require your questioning?"

What an absolute joke!

Is the Dharma Seal Vajra trying to enlighten Jiang Fan, yet he needs the approval of Li Shangqiu?

Who does he think he is?

Does he have the gall to question Jiang Fan's qualifications?

If he has the guts, he should chase down the Dharma Seal Vajra and ask him!

The murmuring voices that filled the space abruptly fell silent.

Pairs of eyes slightly widened in astonishment.

The only one bold enough to talk to Li Shangqiu like this would be Ye Banxia, right?

Of course, even Li Shangqiu wouldn't dare order Ye Banxia as he did earlier.

Bullying only occurs when the disparity in power is glaring.

Between the strong, there is often mutual respect.

Behind Li Shangqiu, his team members' expressions chilled instantly.

Their figures shifted subtly.

As team members, who would stand idly by while their leader was insulted?

Li Shangqiu raised his hand, and they immediately quieted down,

merely staring coldly at Jiang Fan.

"Even if you're a new disciple, you should have guessed who I am by now, right?"

Li Shangqiu's gaze was icy. "Yet you still dare to talk to me like this."

"It seems you really have some skill."

"Come!"

"Let me assess whether the so-called enlightenment list of the Dharma Seal Vajra lives up to its name."

A wave of oppressive energy from Ninth Layer of Core Formation Perfection burst forth from him.

Jiang Fan's gaze remained composed as he was about to step forward.

The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, hovering in the air, said calmly, "I haven't left yet!"

"Disperse!"

"Prepare to submit your identity tokens for merit accounting."

Li Shangqiu immediately withdrew his Spiritual Power.

He gave Jiang Fan a long, penetrating look, saying, "Let's continue this fight later."

Jiang Fan didn't bother with him.

Instead, he curiously took out his identity token.

This object could automatically record merit?

Following the crowd, he held his identity token while queuing for registration.

Standing at the back of the group, Yunyang Master had an expression of deep astonishment.

"Fan Jiang actually made it onto the Dharma Seal Vajra's enlightenment list?"

"Shang Shiqiu, why didn't you tell me?"

Shang Shiqiu suppressed her laughter, saying, "Master, isn't it clear to you now?"

Yunyang Master let out a long sigh:

"I've only ever heard of the Taicang Continent and the Sea Demon Clan making it onto the enlightenment list."

"But for our little region to have one of its own…"

"What a pity. It's such a shame."

Plop—

Jian Linyuan and the others held back their laughter.

They eagerly anticipated their master's reaction when the truth was revealed.

Leng Qingzhu spoke in a hushed voice: "Well done, Junior Sister Shang."

"Master buries herself in books all day; she's practically turning into a fool."

"She needs a little bit of teasing like this."

Shang Shiqiu smiled smugly but quickly became worried, saying:

"But I didn't bring Junior Brother Jiang into our senior team."

"Will Master blame me for not looking after this new junior brother?"

Leng Qingzhu shook her head:

"You don't need to worry about that."

"Since Junior Brother Jiang is new, his participation in the team would lower merit points."

"Master will understand your decision."

Shang Shiqiu immediately felt relieved.

She calmly waited for the moment the truth would be revealed and her master would smile with joy.

The merit accounting was personally handled by the four Vice Pavilion Masters.

Each individual entered a separate tent alone.

When Jiang Fan's turn came,

he entered Gu Huaxi's tent.

Gu Huaxi was holding a pen, sighing as she recorded the previous senior disciple's merit points.

"Out of ten or so registered disciples, the highest merit score is only one hundred points."

"The exploration of the underground world is becoming increasingly difficult."

"I really don't know how this system can sustain itself anymore."

In fact,

the problem didn't arise just now.

The issues had appeared as early as a hundred years ago.

The tenth layer remained unexplored.

The ninth was gradually depleting.

The disciples drawn by fame had dwindled, and the resources mined were progressively drying up.

At that time, the disciples' gains could easily exceed one hundred at the lowest.

A hundred years later,

a hundred merit points was already considered high.

At this rate, the underground world would eventually become barren land.

The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, which relied on the underground world, would completely decline in turn.

Shhh—

Someone entered.

Gu Huaxi looked up and found it was Jiang Fan.

The tight lines on her brow instantly softened, and she smiled cheerfully:

"Oh, it's you!"

"Your first time in the underground world; not quite used to it, right?"

Jiang Fan nodded slightly, saying, "Indeed, it was quite unfamiliar."

Especially that Hua Xin.

It was his first time encountering something so bizarre.

The entity could freely shift its appearance and seemed capable of reading minds.

First mimicking the aura and charm of Concubine Yunxia, then taking the name Liu Li.

This couldn't be coincidental.

This ghostly woman definitely had the ability to capture human thoughts!

Gu Huaxi laughed: "That's normal, very normal."

"Just the Yin Qi in that place alone makes people uncomfortable."

"You'll get used to it after going a few more times."

"Did you make any gains there?"

Jiang Fan pondered, then took out his identity token and said:

"Yes, I did."

"Just not sure if it counts as merit."

Gu Huaxi chuckled lightly.

As a newbie, most disciples only explored the seventh layer.

The bold ones might tread into the eighth.

Those layers had been trampled repeatedly by earlier disciples.

Finding even a single valuable piece of ore would be deemed lucky.

Where could they possibly find anything noteworthy?

Gu Huaxi reassured him: "Don't be discouraged, no matter your gains."

She took Jiang Fan's token and placed it into a jade-like artifact resembling a pillow.

While she did so, she patiently explained:

"Merit calculation is divided into two parts."

"The first part involves stepping into areas yet to be discovered by prior explorers. This is what the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion values most and the primary source of merit."

"The second part assesses the treasures you've obtained. The identity token roughly senses the item's level and assigns corresponding merit points."

"However, its weight is fairly light."

"Even if you find a Spiritual Artifact, the merit won't exceed a thousand points."

"So, whatever the test result is, don't be surprised."

She was concerned Jiang Fan might take the results poorly,

so she gave him some words of caution upfront.

Jiang Fan silently pondered.

According to Shang Shiqiu, the hidden space they'd found was worth three thousand merit points.

The tomb he, Wu Manyue, and Ren Guhong discovered seemed similar in scale, which should also be worth three thousand merit points.

If equally divided, each person would receive one thousand.

Furthermore,

he had acquired the ancient black scripture, nine Dragon Heart Blood Lotus seeds, the Execution Pen, a bronze Array Plate, the Yin Marrow Talisman, and a black bell.

These should also be worth a fair amount of merit, right?

Adding it all up, four thousand points seemed like a conservative estimate.

Among the participating disciples in this exploration, it wouldn't be considered low by any means.

He nodded, saying, "Got it, Master Gu. I'm mentally prepared."

"I won't be surprised."

Gu Huaxi nodded slightly,

impressed with Jiang Fan's steadiness.

That poise reminded her of herself in the past.

Even if it seemed like the sky was falling, she wouldn't be startled.

The merit calculation results were in.

She glanced at the figure with a mild smile.

Still murmuring, "Good, good—you're mentally prepared."

"As long as you're prepared, that's enough…"

"Ah?"

"How much?"

She was so shocked that she instantly stood up.

Inadvertently releasing Qi Force, she sent the desk flying.

Jiang Fan quickly grabbed the desk, calming her, saying:

"Master Gu, please stay calm!"

"Don't get excited!"