Free Web NovelChapter 199: Chapter 199: Your Military Merits Cannot Be Redeemed
Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but be speechless when he saw the price.
He had casually browsed around earlier and seen many Secret Techniques. The most expensive among them, the Demon Ape Battle Form, only cost a thousand Military Merits.
But for the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, the First Layer alone cost two thousand Military Merits!
Reaching the Fifth Layer required a terrifying eight thousand Military Merits, and it also demanded Army Guardian Level clearance!
One had to remember, this was only the price for the Secret Technique itself. After purchasing the technique, one still had to buy the corresponding Spiritual Medicines for cultivation—another significant expense.
’Cultivating this Secret Technique is practically burning money.’
’No wonder they sell it one layer at a time. If they sold it all at once, I’m afraid even a Grand Commander would struggle to afford it.’
And in reality, that was exactly the case.
A Martial Artist’s strength was fundamentally determined by their Realm and Martial Soul, two aspects that were very difficult to change.
To improve beyond that foundation, one had to cultivate Secret Manuals for Sword Techniques and Fist Techniques, or practice Secret Techniques.
Secret Manuals were much cheaper than Secret Techniques, but cultivating them was highly dependent on talent. If one lacked talent, even a King-grade or Emperor-grade Secret Manual would be useless.
Secret Techniques, on the other hand, had much lower talent requirements than Secret Manuals, but their price and resource consumption far surpassed them.
Among the Great Xia Dragon Guards, even for those at the Captain Level, only the absolute top-tier members could afford to use Secret Techniques. Sun Daxiong, for one, could not.
After a moment’s hesitation, Chu Qingyun reached out and took the scroll for the Third Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern Secret Technique.
Although this Secret Technique was expensive, its advantages were just as Sun Daxiong had described: even with frequent use, it had no negative side effects on the body.
Chu Qingyun had no desire to cheap out and use a Secret Technique like the Blood Bear Transformation.
Injuring his body and damaging his Martial Dao foundation would be an incredibly difficult setback to overcome.
After selecting the Secret Technique, the three of them walked toward the Spirit Medicine District.
As they passed the materials section, Chu Qingyun’s eyes swept over the items and suddenly caught a name: Thunderlight Stone!
Upon seeing it, Chu Qingyun immediately stopped, his face flushed with excitement.
He suddenly remembered that cultivating the third form of the Thunder Sword Manual required Thunderlight Stone.
Mastering the third form of this King-grade Sword Technique would allow him to condense Sword Qi, marking a massive leap forward on his path of the Sword Dao!
Here, he faced a choice. If he cultivated it directly, he could only form ordinary Sword Qi. But with the aid of a Thunderlight Stone, he could condense the far more powerful Thunder Light Sword Qi!
Back in Flame City, Chu Qingyun had asked many people, including Qin Ya, but none of them had ever heard of anything called a Thunderlight Stone.
So, Chu Qingyun had gradually put the matter out of his mind. He never expected to stumble upon it here!
"Thunderlight Stone, 2,000 Military Merits each. Requires... Army Guardian Level clearance!"
’Damn it!’
Reading the last part of the description, Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
He could have grudgingly accepted the price of two thousand Military Merits per stone, but the last part was a killer: it required Army Guardian Level clearance!
In other words, he could look but not touch!
In that moment, Chu Qingyun finally understood why Sun Daxiong had complained so bitterly about this regulation.
’This is so messed up! It would be one thing if they hid it from view, but they dangle it right in front of you and then refuse to sell it!’
’It’s maddening!’
The boost a King-grade Sword Technique would give to Chu Qingyun’s power was undeniable.
From the first form, Thunderbolt Flash, to the second, Thunder Sword Momentum, his strength had taken a monumental leap.
And the jump from the second form to the third was a breakthrough from Sword Momentum to Sword Qi.
One could only imagine what mastering the third form would do for him. It would be a qualitative leap in power!
If he had to choose, Chu Qingyun would rather give up on cultivating the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern and pick this Thunderlight Stone to form Thunder Light Sword Qi!
Seeing the mix of resentment and helplessness in Chu Qingyun’s eyes, Sun Daxiong let out an understanding sigh.
"Chu, just look your fill. Don’t even think about it. You can’t buy it..."
"Sun, is there any way to get Army Guardian Level clearance?" Chu Qingyun asked, his eyes unwilling to leave the Thunderlight Stone.
"Uh, become a Guard General."
’That’s about as helpful as saying nothing at all.’
In the end, Chu Qingyun had no choice but to give up on the Thunderlight Stone and head to the Spirit Medicine District.
When he first entered the Exchange District, he’d felt as if someone was seeing right through him. He understood that although the district appeared lax, with only a few staff members around, in reality, powerful experts were presiding over it.
’Even with a trump card like my Storage Ring, I can’t be reckless. I don’t know if some expert is watching. If I get caught, I’m done for.’
The Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern involved condensing a Fire Pattern, and the Third Layer, a Wood Pattern.
In the Spirit Medicine District, Chu Qingyun chose a Tier Three, Fire Element Spiritual Medicine called Red Fire Vine. He purchased ten of them, each costing 800 Military Merits.
He had previously used a Fiery Red Lotus to complete the Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern on his right arm. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Chu Qingyun estimated that these ten stalks of Red Fire Vine should be more than enough to cultivate the Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern to perfection.
The Spiritual Medicine and the Secret Technique alone cost him 12,000 Military Merits. Even with the ten-percent discount granted by his Captain Level clearance, the total was still 10,800 Military Merits.
This made Chu Qingyun lament. ’Fifteen thousand Military Merits sounded like a lot, but it gets spent so quickly.’
With his remaining Military Merits, Chu Qingyun picked up three Wood Element Spiritual Medicines. He planned to exchange the leftover points for Primordial Spirit Liquid and Primordial Stones, using up every last Military Merit on his Assessment Token.
After they finished picking out their items, the three of them walked out together.
"By the way, Sun," Chu Qingyun asked Sun Daxiong as they were leaving, "I have three Tier Three, Fire Element Spiritual Medicines that are tainted by Fire Poison. Can I get rid of them here?"
Sun Daxiong nodded. "You can sell them directly to the exchange counter. They’ll purchase rare items with Military Merits. However, the exchange rate for Primordial Spirit Liquid might be a bit low, and since yours are contaminated, the price will likely be even lower."
At the entrance to the Captain District, there were staff specifically assigned to handle the settlement of Military Merits.
A man with a weaselly face and shifty eyes took Chu Qingyun’s Assessment Token and official Token, looking him up and down. "So, you’re Chu Qingyun?"
Chu Qingyun frowned at the question.
’This guy’s tone is hostile. It seems like he’s heard of me.’
"I am," Chu Qingyun replied, his expression calm. "Please settle all the Military Merits from my Assessment Token. Convert the remaining balance into Primordial Spirit Liquid and Top-Grade Primordial Stones."
"Exchange?" The man sneered and casually threw Chu Qingyun’s two Tokens on the ground. "Sorry, your Military Merits can’t be exchanged."
Seeing the Tokens on the ground, anger flashed in the eyes of Chu Qingyun and his two companions. Their expressions turned grim.
This guy was clearly and blatantly trying to provoke them!
However, the weaselly-faced man and the other clerks responsible for settling merits all sneered back. They acted as if they had powerful backing, completely unconcerned by the anger of three captains.
