NOVPUBLast time in the secret realm of the Ten Thousand Beasts Domain, Lu Ye had some realizations.
Compared to the battle merit gained from simply killing enemies, if one could participate in some major events within the secret realm and play an important role in them, then the acquired battle merit would be much more substantial.
Such was the case within the Ten Thousand Beasts Domain secret realm.
However, the battle merit he earned last time wasn't much, only about thirty thousand points. The reason for this was that there were quite a few Haotian Alliance cultivators participating in the encirclement and suppression of Niu Meng, so it seemed the battle merit was split among them.
In Xianyuan City, the reason he could earn such a massive amount of battle merit by killing enemies was that many of the Insect Race he killed were comparable to those in the True Lake Realm.
The base number of battle merit represented by the True Lake Realm and the Cloud River Realm was too different.
A cultivator at the Cloud River Level 9 only counts for sixty points of battle merit, but one at the True Lake Level 1 is worth one hundred points, and the True Lake Level 9 has a full nine hundred points.
If it were not for Lu Ye playing a crucial and even a leading role in the subsequent events in the Soaring Dragon World, it would have been impossible for him to gain such huge rewards.
More than two hundred and eighty thousand battle merits could be exchanged for as many as seventeen gold-hued spirit fortune sticks.
With his current cultivation at the Cloud River Level 6, seventeen gold-hued spirit fortune sticks could at least advance him to the Cloud River Level 8, and there was even hope to break through to Level 9!
Lu Ye was in a good mood.
After descending to the first floor, upon reaching the main hall, in an instant, pairs of eyes from all directions focused on him.
Lu Ye lifted his gaze and swept over the crowd, noting the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators who had previously blocked him outside the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union, as well as Xia Liang and Tan Sheng.
He had already shaken off Xia Liang and the others, but now, they encountered each other here again.
Xia Liang and his group weren't specifically resolute in killing him, but rather in need of finding a healing cultivator to help with poison treatment.
The Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union did all kinds of business, naturally including healing and expelling disasters. Inside the union, they always had highly skilled healing cultivators in residence, although their fees were quite expensive.
Under normal circumstances, cultivators of the two major factions were reluctant to come here for the union's healing cultivators' help.
Yet Xia Liang and the others had no choice, as this place was the nearest Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union to them, so they could only rush over.
On the way, they received news of Lu Ye hiding in this branch of the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union.
Seeing one's enemy now, naturally, was quite irksome, each individual's eyes brimming with killing intent and coldness.
Lu Ye pretended not to see them.
Inside the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union, unless they no longer wished to live, it was absolutely impossible for them to dare to make a move rashly.
Under the watchful eyes of a group of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, he walked straight toward where the Heaven's Augury Pillar was located and joined the queue at the end.
"Brother Xia, don't be impulsive, detoxifying is the priority. Lu Yiye, unless he uses the Heaven's Augury Pillar to return to the Nine Provinces, it is absolutely impossible for him to escape," Tan Sheng said with a somewhat pallid face, his breathing unsteady, as he spoke to calm Xia Liang's emotions.
Xia Liang took a deep breath, feeling a stabbing pain in his chest and abdomen, and nodded slightly, "I'm clear on that!"
The two of them looked deeply at Lu Ye one more time before seeking out the mercantile union manager to request the help of the union's healing cultivator to detoxify them.
In front of the Heaven's Augury Pillar, the queue advanced quickly since the cultivators here had already decided what they wanted to purchase, so they generally didn't linger long.
In no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it was Lu Ye's turn.
He stepped forward, raised his hand to press on the Heaven's Augury Pillar, and with a slight thought, the vast Heaven's Augury treasure vault immediately appeared before his eyes.
As usual, he looked for uncanny fires or pill fire reserves that could feed the Talent Tree, but there weren't many to find, only managing to buy a mere dozen or so.
Then he purchased many demonic pills and took the opportunity to replenish his array banners, spending no more than ten thousand points of merit in total.
What followed was the main event and also the moment Lu Ye was most looking forward to.
He couldn't help but feel a little thrilled.
This was his first time holding such a vast amount of battle merit to exchange for gold-hued spirit fortune sticks.
With a thought, he summoned, "Gold-hued spirit fortune stick!"
The scenery of the Heaven's Augury treasure vault around him changed rapidly, but it seemed to be different from the norm. It did not settle down quickly, nor did any gold-hued spirit fortune sticks appear before him.
A piece of information suddenly appeared in his mind. After a brief sensation, Lu Ye understood the specifics of this information.
"Granted access to the Hall of Battle Merits."
Hal of Battle Merits?
What place was that?
Lu Ye was somewhat surprised. Recalling everything he had learned about the Cloud River battlefield, he realized there were no records of the Hall of Battle Merits.
He was not a fledgling freshly entered into the Cloud River battlefield anymore, and he was clear about the most basic things regarding it. Many events, even if he had never encountered them, he would have at least heard of.
Moreover, the name Hall of Battle Merits was highly indicative. One would know its purpose just by hearing it. If other cultivators had entered the Hall of Battle Merits before, it made no sense that there was no information about it at all.
However, from the information he gleaned, it seemed that the Hall of Battle Merits was not open to just anyone. The content of this information mention eligibility...
Lu Ye was unsure about the specific eligibility needed to enter the Hall of Battle Merits, whether it required carrying a substantial amount of battle merit or some other requirement.
This world was becoming more and more interesting.
Having obtained the eligibility to enter the Hall of Battle Merits, Lu Ye naturally wanted to take a look.
Lu Ye silently recited the words "Hall of Battle Merits" in his mind.
The next instant, the rapidly changing surroundings abruptly froze, and as Lu Ye looked up, he saw before him a thick, ancient door that was tightly shut. On the left and right of the door, two flood dragons with horns on their heads were swimming about, almost as if they were alive.
As Lu Ye looked at them, the two flood dragons suddenly stilled and both turned their gaze toward him. Their massive vertical pupils were emitting a cold light. Their tongues hissed as they flickered in and out of their mouths, sending shivers down one's spine.
A desolate and fierce aura rushed toward him head-on.
Lu Ye was secretly alarmed.
These two flood dragons... were actually alive!
Moreover, the aura on their bodies was unfathomable. With Lu Ye's current level of visual acuity and perception, he simply couldn't detect their depth.
Two flood dragons guarding the door?
Just what was this Hall of Battle Merits all about?
Above the door, there was a plaque that seemed to have rusted over time, engraved with the three big characters of "Hall of Battle Merits."
"Oh?"
All of a sudden, the flood dragon on the left spoke human language, with its long body winding out from above the door, circling around Lu Ye. Its enormous head came very close to Lu Ye's face, and the hot breath from its mouth made Lu Ye's skin prickle with pain.
"So many years have passed, and finally, someone comes again?" It seemed to be sniffing the scent of Lu Ye's body, "And such a young and tender boy at that!"
The flood dragon on the right, coiled atop the door and motionless until this point, also spoke, "Not bad bravery!"
Even though Lu Ye had an extraordinary temperament, his mind was tense at this moment. Fortunately, he understood that what had entered here was not his physical body, but a manifestation of his mind. Despite the heavy feeling in his heart, there was not a trace of panic in him. This gave the flood dragon on the right a good impression, thus the approving remark.
"It just remains to be seen whether he will live long!" The flood dragon on the left continued, with tones of mockery and scorn in its voice.
It withdrew back to its spot and once again coiled up in its own territory.
Then, both flood dragons began to wriggle simultaneously, curling themselves into concentric circles.
As the bodies of the two flood dragons formed two concentric circles, suddenly, from within the door, came a click, as if a lock was being opened.
"Go in! But boy, you must remember one thing. Everything inside the Hall of Battle Merits can only be used by yourself, and any information regarding the Hall of Battle Merits must not be revealed to anyone, not even a single word!"
Lu Ye clasped his fists in salute, "This junior has noted it down!"
He finally understood why he had never heard of the Hall of Battle Merits before.
It turned out that there were so many restrictions to entering the Hall of Battle Merits.
Putting aside that things obtained from within could only be used by oneself, one also couldn't reveal any information about the Hall of Battle Merits to others.
In this way, even if someone had entered the Hall of Battle Merits before, no one else would know about it.
Moreover, considering the information previously revealed by the flood dragon on the left, it seemed that qualifying to enter the Hall of Battle Merits wasn't something simple, and it wasn't just a matter of carrying enough immense battle merits.
According to the information it had revealed, it had been many years since someone had entered the Hall of Battle Merits.
Perhaps it had been ten years, or maybe twenty or thirty years—Lu Ye was the first person in these years.
As Lu Ye's thoughts churned, the doors to the Hall of Battle Merits slowly swung open.
He stepped inside.
A spacious room unfolded before him, the walls all around made of some material he couldn't identify, exuding an extremely solid and robust feel.
However, Lu Ye was certain that even if cultivators from the Divine Sea Realm came here in person and attacked with all their might, they wouldn't be able to damage even the slightest bit of this place.
It didn't resemble the Heaven's Augury treasure vault with its shelves everywhere.
Inside the entire Hall of Battle Merits, there wasn't a single shelf in sight. Instead, black stone pedestals stood erect here and there. At a glance, there were at least eight hundred of them, if not a thousand.
It seemed as though each of the stone pedestals held an item.
Lu Ye walked toward the pedestal closest to him, and saw that it was covered by a layer of light screen and within it, a gold-hued spirit fortune stick caught his eye.
Gold-hued spirit fortune sticks could be directly exchanged in the Heaven's Augury treasure vault, so their appearance here in the Hall of Battle Merits seemed a bit redundant?
However, Lu Ye's attention was not on the spirit fortune stick, but rather on that layer of light screen. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
This was unmistakably a protective array.
And it was an extremely sturdy and exquisitely delicate protective array!
With his current proficiency in the Array Path, Lu Ye could easily set up a protective array, but he could never manage to set one up as small and exquisite as this.
When it comes to formations, it's not always the case that the smaller the coverage, the easier it is to set up.
Indeed, within a certain range, this holds true. But if one goes beyond this range, the difficulty of setting up the array rises sharply.
This protective array before him was beyond Lu Ye's capability, so upon seeing it, his interest was piqued.
Being a qualified array cultivator, naturally, he wanted to understand how such a small array could maintain stability.
If he could comprehend the profound mysteries behind it, it would surely bring great improvements to his own mastery of formations.
