Death... and me

Roan wasn't sad because of that. If anything, he was happy. Back in the Damalu Sect, where a similar system existed, Rean and Roan could almost jump an entire realm to fight. Here, it was his limit to go one or two stages above, depending on the opponent. That was definitely a much better situation for him.

Roan then went to the counter to see how the challenges worked.

The worker at the counter then explained to Roan, "You can fight anyone as long as they accept your challenge. However, to fight for a position in one of the ranks, you need Merit Points."

"Merit Points?" Roan had read about it in the jade slip that explained the rules of the sect. All disciples could get Merit Points by doing missions, tasks in the Sacred Land, achieving some objectives during danger zone openings, and so on. In exchange, those points could be used to obtain almost anything. The only restrictions were on the items and services available for each section of the Sacred Land. For example, one could exchange Merit Points for Rank Two Divine Stones in the Inner Section, but one couldn't do it if one were part of the Sacred Land's Outer Section. Only Rank One Divine Stones were available for the same Merit Points in the Outer Section.

The worker nodded as he replied, "Yes. To challenge the bottom-most cultivator there, you'll need ten thousand Merit Points. However, if you succeed in your challenge, 80% of your points will be given back to you, and 20% is taken by the Sacred Land. If you lose, 80% of your points will be given to the individual you fought against, while the other 20% is taken by the Sacred Land again."

If Rean was here, he would like this system. Although one lost Merit Points even if one won, it was a good way of fighting inflation. The Huring Sacred Land was obviously much ahead of the Dalamu Sect in terms of management.

Roan didn't really care whether he entered the ranks or not, though. As long as he could fight the guys in there, he would be more than happy to comply. "Can I just challenge the people in the rank without having to fight for their position there?"

The worker nodded, although he didn't seem to recommend it. "Well, you can do that. However, I doubt anyone in the ranking will accept your challenge if you have no Merit Points for them to gain."

Roan had to admit the guy was right. If it was him, he wouldn't accept it either...or perhaps he would, just for the fight. Then again, he knew he was different from others in these kinds of situations. "Sigh...Merit Points it is, then."

Just as Roan turned around, the worker decided to give him another option. "If you desperately need Merit Points, there's a fast way of getting it. I don't recommend it, though."

Roan turned back to the worker, his interest piqued. "Say it."

"By being a helper," the worker replied. "No, I won't make things difficult for you. Although the official name is helper, in fact, it's more known as being a test subject. You can guess the rest, can't you?"

Roan pondered in silence for a bit before saying, "You mean, testing new pills, becoming a punching bag for someone's new skill training, testing out the efficacy of poisons, things like that?"

The worker nodded in response. "That's basically it. Depending on what you take, you can gain many, many Merit Points. But at the same time, you can become crippled. The only rule is that the test subject can't die."

Roan was thinking about heading to the Alchemist Hall to study and, at the same time, concoct pills to sell for Merit Points. With his pills having the effect of cleaning meridians, he was sure he could get quite a few points through that. However, it would take time for him to analyze the new recipes used by the people of the Sacred Land. Besides, he might not have the herbs necessary to concoct them. Since everything in the Sacred Land needed Merit Points, the herbs definitely wouldn't be an exception. On the other hand, this test subject thing seemed to guarantee him points.

"That seems feasible. Where can I apply for it?" Roan asked.

The worker then pointed in a certain direction before explaining, "You can find it in the request boards of the Mission Hall. These kinds of jobs are placed on a different board with a purple color. As soon as you enter the hall, you will see it on the right side."

He then warned Roan, "Try to avoid any request from someone with a cultivation much higher than yours. Also, although there are antidotes, it's not guaranteed that the poisons from the Poison Hall people can be completely eliminated."

Roan understood. "I see...but at the same time, these kinds of more dangerous requests are also the ones that pay the most, am I right? They keep increasing the price until someone gets greedy enough to accept the risks."

The guy nodded in response. "Indeed. However, you're new to the Sacred Land, aren't you? There's no need for you to rush after Merit Points. There's no shame in accumulating Merit Points steadily. I'm only mentioning these jobs because you will find about them sooner or later, so I'm telling you this beforehand."

Roan could see the guy wasn't lying. Perhaps because he was just a worker and not a disciple, he didn't try to push new recruits into those problematic tasks. "Very well. I'll think about it."

Of course, Roan had Rean's Purification skill, so it was fine. However, he wouldn't take those poison-related jobs. Instead, he was going after the training partners. It didn't matter that they were at a much higher level. With his knowledge of creating skills, those guys would happily pay so that Roan doesn't close his mouth. 'But first, I'll take a look at the skills repository. According to the rules in the jade slip, the Sacred Land's Inner Section disciples have access up to the second floor. Let's see what they have there.'