I lay on the bed in a West Hutong residential house. For a great many people, tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.

Ding!!! Host detected completing the mission "Restore the Healing Arts to Glory," triggering hidden achievement: "Xuan Gate Sweeper"!

Ding! Host has exposed Wen Dezh ao's conspiracy, dismantled the collusion between Baizhen Pavilion and the Xuan Gate, and assisted the Nascent Soul-stage Director in reclaiming his position — indirectly saving the lives of mortal and cultivator alike, totalling over ten thousand souls. Merit Points are being tallied…

Ding! Total Merit Points accumulated: 1,000,000! (Note: saving one life is calculated at 100 Merit Points; altering the structure of the Xuan Gate earns an additional bonus of 100,000 points.)

Ding! All previously incomplete missions related to Baizhen Pavilion and the Xuan Gate Management Bureau have been detected as meeting the conditions for "Chain Mission Completion." All rewards are now being distributed!

A rapid-fire volley of notification chimes detonated inside my skull, rattling my vision black at the edges. One million Merit Points?! Every single mission completed? I reflexively opened the system panel, and sure enough, that pitiful zero that had been sitting in the Merit Points column had transformed into a genuine, gleaming 1,000,000.

"Old man System, you sure you didn't miscalculate?" I sat bolt upright in bed. "Over ten thousand souls? When did I save that many people?"

"My dear Daoist Lu!" The system elder's holographic projection blinked into existence, cradling a bowl of White Elephant brand old hen noodle soup, his expression uncharacteristically animated. "How many mortals did Baizhen Pavilion kill every year refining that Rank Scales Powder and their evil pills? How many loyal men were wrongly slaughtered in the thirty years Arthur Wen held the Xuan Gate Management Bureau in his grip? You swept the whole lot of them away this time — if that isn't salvation, what is? That old scoundrel Everett Li worked hard rounding up the suspects out front, sure — but without you dragging the Director back, could any of those arrests have ever stuck? This virtue is yours by right. You've earned every last point."

I stared at the reward list flickering wildly across the panel, my heart hammering. Entries like "Investigate the Location of Baizhen Pavilion Headquarters," "Destroy the Rank Scales Powder Stockpile," and all those "deadbeat" missions now bore bright, vivid "COMPLETED" stamps at the end of each line. The corresponding rewards came crashing into my system inventory like they cost nothing:

Ding! Mission "Investigate the Location of Baizhen Pavilion Headquarters" completed. Reward: Mastery of Tracking Arts, 500 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!

Ding! Mission "Destroy the Rank Scales Powder Stockpile" completed. Reward: Mastery of Talisman Arts, 800 High-Grade Spirit Stones!

Ding! Mission "Expose the Xuan Gate's Dark Secrets" completed. Reward: 10 Thunder Burst Talismans, 1,000 High-Grade Spirit-Gathering Stones!

In an instant, my system inventory was packed to bursting with an assortment of dazzling, exotic items. Mid-grade spirit stones piled into small mountains; high-grade spirit stones radiated a warm, lustrous glow; jade slips containing the Talisman Arts and Tracking Arts manuals floated suspended in the air; Thunder Burst Talismans crackled with a dangerous violet electric light — and who knew what other treasures were tucked away inside.

What excited me most was this: as my Merit Points broke through the million mark, the System Shop's interface suddenly blazed into a shimmering cascade of colour. Every item column that had previously been locked in grey unlocked all at once, the sheer density of goods making my eyes swim.

"The System Shop has unlocked Advanced Access. The host may browse and redeem at will." The system elder's voice carried a trace of smug satisfaction. "Have a look, rookie. This is what a proper cultivation blessing looks like."

I drew a slow, deep breath and focused my attention on the shop interface. It was divided into several broad categories: Cultivation Arts, Elixirs, Talismans, Magical Treasures, Materials, and Esoteric Techniques. Under each category, a staggering array of items spread out before me, all of them making my mouth water.

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Cultivation Arts

Nine Heavens Moon-Grasping Formula — A supreme ancient water-attribute cultivation art. At full mastery, one can summon the waters of the Nine Heavens. Price: 50,000 Merit Points.

Heaven-Scorching Formula — An overbearing fire-attribute cultivation art. Requires a fire spirit root to train. Price: 60,000 Merit Points.

Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Ancestor — The supreme heart-law of sword cultivators. Must be used in conjunction with a sword-path magical treasure. Price: 100,000 Merit Points.

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Elixirs

Nine-Cycle Xuanhuang Pill — Reforges the physical body and elevates cultivation. Price: 2,200 Merit Points. (A genuinely fair price — what a steal!)

Knot-Breaking Pill — Assists Core Formation-stage cultivators in breaking through bottlenecks. Price: 15,000 Merit Points.

Marrow-Cleansing Pill — Purges the marrow and refines the bones; improves spirit roots. Price: 20,000 Merit Points.

Ten-Thousand-Longevity Pill — Extends lifespan by a hundred years. Price: 50,000 Merit Points. (This one is absolutely worth every point!)

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Talismans

Earth-Shrinking Talisman — Collapses a thousand li of distance. Price: 5,000 Merit Points.

Invisibility Talisman — Sustained concealment for one full shichen. Price: 3,000 Merit Points.

Spirit-Gathering Talisman — Increases the density of ambient spiritual energy tenfold. Price: 8,000 Merit Points.

Evil-Vanquishing Talisman — Specifically counters wicked cultivators. Price: 10,000 Merit Points.

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Magical Treasures

Azure Void Sword — A mid-grade spirit weapon. Price: 40,000 Merit Points.

Qiankun Pouch — Storage space of ten cubic metres. Price: 10,000 Merit Points.

Soul-Suppressing Pagoda — Seals and subdues soul-forms. Price: 60,000 Merit Points.

End of Chapter 65: The System Chimes a Million Times — And the Shop Finally Opens