Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another twenty-something days had passed.
Before the Merit Obelisk, Fang Yuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the rankings displayed upon it. His position on the Merit Board had already dropped to fifth.
In the beginning, he had always been among the top ranks, but the situation changed not long after.
Some Gu Immortals had discovered that by focusing their minds into the Merit Obelisk, they could probe through the numerous options available.
These options were clearly priced — one could exchange one's accumulated merit for them. Immortal materials, Immortal Gu, Immortal Gu recipes, Immortal killer moves, even Immortal Gu houses — everything was on offer.
Based on the merit accumulated by people like Miao Ming Shen and the others, they could only afford the bottom tier of rewards. Those rewards they couldn't reach were like carrots dangling before a donkey, greatly stimulating the Gu Immortals' enthusiasm.
Competition grew ever more intense as a result.
But Fang Yuan's heart wasn't in it. His target had always been the Regret Gu.
The Regret Gu was extremely important to Fang Yuan. The rewards displayed on the Merit Obelisk, though generous, were merely icing on the cake for him. The Regret Gu, however, was a lifeline in a snowstorm — a qualitative leap in assistance.
Yet among these rewards, the Regret Gu was not listed. Neither was the Merit Obelisk itself.
This meant that the rewards here were deliberately limited.
The absence of the Regret Gu from the rewards did not mean it didn't exist within this Paradise.
Fang Yuan had not spent these days in vain. He had been gathering clues everywhere, deliberately selecting tasks, using Wisdom Path methods to continuously calculate and eliminate various doubts. In the end, only the Demon-Suppressing Sea of Regretful Crying remained in his sights.
There were countless rumors about this body of water.
Through Fang Yuan's calculations, the probability of the Regret Gu being hidden there was quite high.
Yet, despite knowing the location, he could not approach it no matter what he tried.
The task from over twenty days ago — punishing the dishonest merchant — had brought Fang Yuan to the closest point he'd ever reached to the Demon-Suppressing Sea of Regretful Crying. But he had tried, and once he went more than thirty li from that small island, he could go no further.
"How can I enter the Demon-Suppressing Sea of Regretful Crying?"
This problem gave Fang Yuan a terrible headache.
The arrangements of Paradise were simply too powerful; Fang Yuan could not act as he pleased. His own attainments in the Space Path were not particularly strong either. He had long tried Fixed Immortal Travel, and it simply didn't work — even the Immortal killer moves he had devised afterward proved useless. This meant that once Fang Yuan left this Paradise and wanted to return, Fixed Immortal Travel would be of no help to him.
"As for these people…" Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed as he looked at the other Gu Immortals' names on the Merit Board.
He planned to keep them around.
On one hand, slaughtering Gu Immortals within Paradise carried enormous risk.
On the other hand, keeping these Gu Immortals alive to earn merit and exchange for task rewards would make each of them like fattened chickens and ducks. When they eventually left, Fang Yuan would make his move — not only would it not be too late, but the harvest would be even greater.
So Fang Yuan not only refrained from harming them, but did his best to help them, providing ever more detailed intelligence.
Among Miao Ming Shen and the others, the competition was growing increasingly fierce — especially since they could now probe the task rewards. After all, these rewards were available to everyone; whoever exchanged first got them, and once someone else claimed them, you lost your chance.
Though outright assassination between them hadn't occurred yet, tripping each other up, backstabbing, and deliberately spreading false intelligence were all becoming more and more common.
In this situation, the "honest and sincere" recluse Chu Ying stood out like a crane among chickens, immediately distinguishing himself. Miao Ming Shen and the others said nothing on the surface, but their goodwill toward Fang Yuan grew with each passing day.
The turning point came three days later.
A new task appeared on the Merit Obelisk: travel to the merfolk's holy city, participate in the Sea God Festival, and protect the holy city from beast attacks.
The moment this task appeared, Fang Yuan selected it.
"The opportunity I've been waiting for day and night has finally arrived!" Fang Yuan's heart was filled with excitement.
The Sea God Festival was a celebration unique to the merfolk. During this festival, unmarried men and women among the merfolk would form new families. More importantly, a Holy Maiden would be selected.
The Holy Maiden held an extremely high status in merfolk society.
And Fang Yuan had already gathered key intelligence — within this Paradise, the Holy Maiden's role was even more crucial. After each Holy Maiden was selected, her primary task was to enter the Demon-Suppressing Sea of Regretful Crying, using her song to calm the murderous intent of the giant demon beneath the sea, thereby restabilizing the Demon-Suppressing waters.
"The tasks on this Merit Obelisk all serve to benefit humanity and merfolk, to bring fortune to all living beings, and to punish evil and reward good. Once the Holy Maiden is selected, she will inevitably enter the Demon-Suppressing Sea of Regretful Crying. Perhaps then, related tasks will appear. But regardless, I need to take on this task first and make contact with the Holy Maiden in advance…"
"The day I've longed for day and night has finally arrived!" Xia Lin pushed open the inn window, and the noise and bustle of the street immediately washed over her.
Her room was on the second floor. Looking down from the window now, Xia Lin could see the street packed with people, a river of bodies, shoulders rubbing and toes stepping on heels. Shop signs fluttered like banners on every side — stalls along the road sold Gu, street food, and there were stone gambling halls. Every business was thriving.
Xia Lin's mood was swept up by the atmosphere, and she grew cheerful.