I Can Use Myriad Divine Abilities

The clear chirping of birds awakened Zhang Yuan from the deepest of dreams.

Lately, he often dreamed, finding himself in a bizarre world where he lived various lives.

However, when Zhang Yuan awoke, the memories of the dream were reduced to scattered fragments, settled in his mind.

He got up, draped a coat over himself, and came to the windowsill.

As he opened the window, the chill of an early autumn morning seeped in silently, carrying a faint scent of osmanthus blossom.

Outside, white walls and black tiles were nestled among the trees, with thin morning mist winding around, faint sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard.

A scene almost like an isolated paradise.

Although Zhang Yuan had lived in Lin Xian Manor for seven days, he never tired of the scenery here.

After a simple wash, he went out for breakfast.

Despite being called a manor, Lin Xian Manor is essentially the size of a small town.

Situated in a valley outside of the Upper Scenic Celestial Peak Gate, its houses and cottages are densely packed, housing tens of thousands of people, making it quite prosperous.

The generations of people who lived here had countless ties with the Upper Scenic Celestial.

Naturally, there were also those like Zhang Yuan, who traveled vast distances to learn martial arts and various skills!

Much like an ordinary county, Lin Xian Manor also had a main street lined with teahouses, taverns, inns, and grain shops, filled with the bustle of daily life.

But unlike most cities, the lifestyle here was leisurely and relaxed.

Even the elderly farmers walking by the roadside with hoes showed little sign of toil or hardship on their faces.

Innocent children chased each other through the bluestone alleys, leaving behind silvery peals of laughter.

Being amidst this scene, one’s mood naturally lifted.

Minced meat pancakes, fried doughnuts, butter tea, glutinous rice cakes...

Zhang Yuan bought and ate as he walked along.

Prices in Lin Xian Manor were quite high, with rents and food prices rivaling those of the Xia Ruins.

But for Zhang Yuan, who had tens of thousands in wealth, such daily expenses were negligible; he would have bought a place to live if the houses were available for outsiders.

After eating and drinking to his fill, Zhang Yuan proceeded as usual to the mountain gate, arriving at Yitian Peak where the Martial Pavilion was located.

The Upper Scenic Celestial Nine Peaks and Seven Palaces had the Martial Pavilion occupying one peak alone.

But it wasn’t part of the seven palaces.

Ascending the long steps, Zhang Yuan reached the peak.

Yitian Peak soared into the clouds like an unsheathed sword stabbing straight at the sky.

It stood proudly apart from the other peaks, unconnected by the Profound Iron Celestial Ladder.

The peak’s top appeared to have been sheared flat by the Divine Sword of some great power, upon which a grand palace pavilion was built, becoming a holy place for martial artists to cultivate.

When Zhang Yuan reached the top, on the Martial Arts Arena before the Martial Pavilion, dozens of martial artists were practicing their fists and weapons.

The glint of blades and the clash of swords, with shouts like thunder, stirred one’s blood!

Zhang Yuan went to a room on the third floor of the Martial Pavilion.

A Daoist Child was standing guard at the door; upon seeing Zhang Yuan, he immediately bowed and then gently pushed open the door.

Zhang Yuan nodded in thanks and stepped inside the room.

Inside, a gray-robed elder sat cross-legged on the floor with eyes closed, beside him was an incense burner.

Zhang Yuan respectfully greeted, "Disciple Zhang Yuan greets Master Wei."

This gray-robed elder was named Wei Long, one of the Dharma Transmission Elders of the Upper Scenic Celestial Martial Pavilion, responsible for teaching External Martial Artists.

Though Wei Long appeared aged with his white hair, in reality, he was a Tier Six expert, and his Fire of Life was far from being extinguished.

Zhang Yuan had attended five days of lessons here and had gained tremendously.

"Hmm."

Wei Long opened his eyes, nodded slightly, then casually picked up an incense stick, brushing it with his fingertip to light it instantly.

Zhang Yuan sat cross-legged opposite him, watching as he inserted the incense into the copper burner.

Withdrawing his hand, Wei Long calmly said, "Today, I am going to talk about the path of Qi movement through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians."

Zhang Yuan immediately focused his mind, listening attentively.

The Upper Scenic Celestial was one of the four great ancestral courts of the Daoist School.

Martial lineages and Daoist lineages originated from the same source in ancient times, giving the Daoist Sect a long and profound martial arts tradition.

For a martial artist like Zhang Yuan, coming to the Upper Scenic Celestial to cultivate was akin to attending a top university in a previous life.

There was so much to learn.

Take Wei Long for instance, this Dharma Transmission Elder not only had immense strength himself but also possessed vast knowledge of martial arts, perfectly covering Zhang Yuan’s gaps in this area.

Zhang Yuan’s cultivation realm advanced rapidly, but his foundation was not solid, lacking guidance and teachings from a high-tier expert.

Hui Zhi undoubtedly offered him a most precious opportunity.

Zhang Yuan’s future martial path would benefit from this immeasurably!

Zhang Yuan was keenly aware of his own weaknesses, so the questions he asked Wei Long were all difficulties encountered during his cultivation, including some seemingly basic knowledge.

Learning for a few days, he often had moments of sudden clarity.

Starting to clarify his own path of cultivation bit by bit.

But this wasn’t free.

Zhang Yuan was currently taking one-on-one private lessons, costing a bit of Daoist Merit per incense session.

He typically consumed five Daoist Merits a day.

Money spent in Lin Xian Manor on food and lodging was gold and silver.

But within the Upper Scenic Celestial, learning martial arts and exchanging resources required Daoist Merit!

Having just arrived, Zhang Yuan had no Daoist Merit in the Upper Scenic Celestial.

Fortunately, his Upper Qing Reception Order came with fifty Daoist Merits, allowing him the opportunity to study in the Martial Pavilion by exchanging them.

Yet in just a few days, Zhang Yuan had utilized nearly half of his Daoist Merits.

So after the lecture ended, he went to the Merit Hall on the first floor of the Martial Pavilion.

The Merit Hall was spacious, bustling with martial artists mostly with the same purpose as Zhang Yuan: to take on various Daoist Merit tasks.

Rows of wooden racks lined both sides of the hall, with wooden tokens engraved with words hanging on them.

These were all task tokens.

Martial artists coming to the Merit Hall could choose a task, take down the task token, and then return with evidence of completion to pass verification and receive the corresponding Daoist Merit.

Some task tokens were recently posted, while others had been there for a long time.

The higher the placement, the harder the task.

The highest ones might have been hanging there for decades.

Unattended by anyone!

Having been here only a few days, Zhang Yuan wasn’t very familiar with the Upper Scenic Celestial and naturally wouldn’t intentionally challenge difficult tasks.

His gaze swept across the lower levels of the racks, looking for suitable targets.

But around Zhang Yuan were many competitors.

Some hesitated, others were quick and decisive, some whispered with companions...

Task tokens were taken one after another.

The atmosphere in the Merit Hall was orderly yet tense.