Chapter 19 Heavenly Merit
The Mask changed him into various celebrities: first into Grandpa Andy, Andy into Edison, Edison into Master Zhao…
Wang Chen was having a blast.
As long as he visualized a face in his mind, the face-changing mask could reproduce it flawlessly.
It was incredibly lifelike and without any flaws.
However, when he changed to the fourth face, Wang Chen suddenly discovered that the mana in his dantian had been completely depleted!
He immediately reverted back to having no face at all.
This took Wang Chen by surprise.
It was clear that using the mask to change appearances consumed mana.
The problem was that he hadn't noticed the mana draining away at all.
Wang Chen had an idea and called up the Immortal Cultivation panel.
His gaze instantly sharpened!
Beneath the skills section, a new slot had appeared unexpectedly.
[Equipment]: Thousand Mechanisms Changing (Sealed): 3/100000
The equipment was displayed!
Wang Chen tried removing the face-changing mask and then looked at the Immortal Cultivation panel again.
The equipment slot was still there.
But now, it was blank with no content.
As soon as he put the mask back on, the display returned.
Now Wang Chen could be certain that it was this mask, known as "Thousand Mechanisms Changing," that had activated the equipment slot.
But this led to even greater confusion for him.
Thinking for a moment, Wang Chen took out the sword from his storage bag and held it in his hand.
There was no change in the equipment slot!
Wang Chen was somewhat baffled.
The sword was unquestionably a magic artifact, so why couldn't it be included in the equipment slot?
In fact, Wang Chen had another magic artifact on him.
That was the storage bag.
Just like the magic sword, which was already worn on his body, it too didn't show up on the display.
Wang Chen was completely stumped.
Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it and turned his attention back to the mask itself.
Wang Chen didn't overlook the "Thousand Mechanisms Changing" suffix (Sealed), nor the plus sign after the 3/100000.
The plus sign was gleaming gold.
This meant he could allocate points to this piece of equipment.
Breaking the seal?
But the many zeros following the 1 made Wang Chen feel incredibly frustrated.
If his guess was correct, breaking the seal on this piece of equipment would require a hundred thousand points of Human Virtue!
Just kill him already.
Wang Chen glanced at his current Human Virtue points.
15 points.
Over the past two days, he had worked hard clearing the Spirit Fields and had only amassed this small number despite eliminating more than a dozen Monsterized Earth Rhinos.
Although he was very curious about what the mask would be like once unsealed,
the very sensible Wang Chen thought it better to leave it be for now.
Another time.
Wait a second!
Wang Chen suddenly made an exciting new discovery on the Immortal Cultivation panel.
[Heavenly Merit (Alter Fate): 6]
Unbeknownst to him, he had actually gained 6 points of Heavenly Merit!
This discovery filled Wang Chen with both shock and joy.
He had been worrying about how to obtain the Heavenly Merit necessary for altering his fate,
and now he actually had some.
The gold plus signs after each of the following five items: [Physique], [Root Bone], [Comprehension], [Divine Soul], and [Cultivation Technique]—all indicated that he could allocate points now!
It was as if he had found what he sought without even searching.
The bottleneck at the third tier of Qi Cultivation could be broken, and his inferior Root Bone and Comprehension could be improved!
A life of defying fate and changing destiny was about to begin!!
Wang Chen took a long, deep breath, trying to contain the excitement bubbling inside.
Stay calm, he had to stay calm.
Swallowing hard, Wang Chen first tried adding 1 point to [Root Bone].
According to the original owner's memories, both Physique and Divine Soul could be strengthened through cultivating corresponding techniques.
Root Bone and Comprehension, on the other hand, could only be improved by consuming treasures of heaven and earth.
And such heavenly and earthly treasures are fought over desperately by Golden Core True Persons, and even Nascent Soul True Immortals get tempted upon encountering them!
For a lowly cultivator like him, it was impossible to even catch a glimpse unless he stumbled upon a massive stroke of luck.
[Heavenly Merit] suddenly dropped by 1 point, and [Root Bone] increased to 3 points at the same time.
Wang Chen immediately felt an itching sensation throughout his bones, as if something was trying to crawl out from his marrow.
His heartbeat abruptly quickened, blood rushing through his body.
He felt as if he was going to soar into the air.
But this sensation lasted only for a moment.
Wang Chen indeed wanted to invest a few more points into [Root Bone], but the plus sign behind it had turned gray.
Having had the experience of adding points to Geng Metal Finger before, he was not too surprised.
The method of adding points to [Heavenly Merit] was clearly the same as for [Human Virtue].
The first time it costs 1 point, the second time it would require 10 points.
As for whether the third time would need 100 points,
that was yet to be verified.
Unable to add more to [Root Bone], Wang Chen invested 1 point into [Comprehension] as well.
Unlike the increase in [Root Bone],
there was absolutely no sensation when [Comprehension] reached 3 points.
He refrained from investing points in [Physique], [Divine Soul], and [Cultivation Technique] for the time being.
The former two could be enhanced through practicing cultivation techniques.
Breaking through the latter would instantly elevate him from a low-tier Qi Cultivator to mid-tier.
With his current physical condition, such a decision was clearly unwise!
Wang Chen had already made up his mind.
As soon as his internal injuries were fully healed, he would rent a Cave Mansion in Cloud Mountain City to break through.
The abundant spiritual energy there was conducive to consolidating one's realm.
It was very beneficial for cultivation.
Having added only 2 points, Wang Chen still felt somewhat unsatisfied.
He added 1 point to "Thousand Mechanisms Changing".
[Equipment]: Thousand Mechanisms Changing (Sealed): 4/100000
[Human Virtue (Breaking Threshold): 14]
It was indeed the Human Virtue points that were consumed!
Wang Chen felt exhilarated but also resigned himself to reality.
Closing the Immortal Cultivation panel, he took off the Thousand Mechanisms Changing mask and placed it, along with the Magic Sword, into his Storage Bag.
He returned to his quiet chamber to continue his cultivation.
With his Dantian empty and devoid of mana for body protection, encountering any danger would leave him with not even the chance to cry.
He did not know if it was an illusion or if the enhancements in Root Bone and Comprehension were the reasons,
but when Wang Chen resumed practicing the Five Elements Skill,
he noticeably felt that his grasp and understanding of this cultivation technique had deepened quite a bit.
The speed of his Qi condensation had also improved.
The next day, Wang Chen still did not go out, staying home to recuperate and restore his body to its optimal state.
On the third day, feeling that his meridians were fully recovered, he set out for Cloud Mountain City.
Wang Chen hailed a passing carriage at the roadside.
This type of open-topped carriage pulled by two Dragon Scale Horses was very common in the regions surrounding Cloud Sun Sect Territories.
Mainly utilized for carrying passengers.
By giving the coachman a Fragmented Spirit Stone as the fare, he could take one to the gates of Cloud Mountain City.
The former owner of the body rarely rode in Dragon Scale Horse carriages, choosing to walk fifty miles to save a Fragmented Spirit Stone.
Wang Chen did not care about such a small amount of money.
His savings now exceeded a hundred Low Spirits, and he had made a sizable sum from looting corpses.
From now on, he would eat only Spirit Rice without even nibbling on husks!
When Wang Chen boarded the carriage, there were already over a dozen people sitting inside.
They were all low-level cultivators heading to Cloud Mountain City, with many weather-beaten Spiritual Plant Farmers among them.
Most of them wore expressions of distress and sorrow.
Some were sighing in despair.
By eavesdropping on their conversations, Wang Chen learned that the Earth Rhinoceros Beetle pestilence had spread throughout the entire Outer Sect region.
Thousands of Spirit Fields had been affected, and many Spiritual Plant Farmers suffered heavy losses.
Yet, the Cloud Sun Sect had not responded in time, leaving everyone to fend for themselves in pest eradication.
If such a situation continued, it was feared that not many households would be able to pay their land rent by the end of summer.
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The first update is here, seeking votes.