"Perhaps you haven't thoroughly grasped the benefits of merit." Zuo Xie spoke to himself, "Let me explain to you. Those who obtain vast amounts of merit are divided into several types. One type is the Merit Sage, who directly ascends in a cloud of radiance. Another type is the Virtuous Great One, such people are enveloped in virtue golden light and carry a sacred aura. They possess terrifying divine skills, capable of shaking rivers and breaking the void, even destroying planets. The third type is the Virtuous Sage, such people have condensed a Merit Gold Seal. I assume you must have already condensed a Merit Gold Seal?"

"Merit Gold Seal, what is that?"

Zhang Bin pretended to be utterly puzzled, asking.

However, inside him surged a tempest of astonishment, for his understanding of merit was not as clear as this youth's.

Were there truly so many mysteries surrounding merit? That the Merit Sage could directly ascend in radiance?

Could the Virtuous Great One truly master such terrifying divine powers?

Was there even such a thing as a Virtuous Sage in the world?

Did he himself belong to the Virtuous Sage? The seal indeed engraved the four characters: Zhang Bin the Virtuous Sage!

"Gaga... Zhang Bin, stop playing dumb with me. My Merit List has already revealed to me that you are a Virtuous Sage." In Zuo Xie's hand suddenly appeared a book, flipping through a few pages, a new name indeed emerged: Zhang Bin, Virtuous Sage, Merit Points: Ten thousand.

Zhang Bin's divine sense was exceptionally powerful, naturally he sensed it immediately.

His face displayed a peculiar expression, bewildered, he said: "What on earth is this Merit List?"

"Hehehe... This is merely a magical treasure to detect a person's merit. It's of no use otherwise, it only detects merit." Zuo Xie laughed sinisterly.

"Why have I never heard of such a treasure in the world before?"

Zhang Bin pretended to be very naive and asked in astonishment.

"The Merit List has never been shown in front of people, naturally, you wouldn't know." Zuo Xie said, "I obtained this treasure by chance. Therefore, I can know whose merit value is high, and I befriend them. Hence, you are now my friend."

"Is that the only significance of the Merit List's existence?"

Zhang Bin asked doubtfully.

"Of course, there are other significances, such as informing you how much more merit you need to become a Virtuous Great One." Zuo Xie said, "In the martial world, there are major misconceptions regarding the comprehension of merit. Without acquiring a certain amount of merit, cultivation bears little benefit. The help is very limited. Only by becoming a Virtuous Great One can one receive the favor of Heaven and Earth. Luck will improve tremendously, everything will go one's way, possessing terrifying divine skills, breaking through bottlenecks would pose no difficulty, achieving cultivation to the Ascension Realm would basically be no problem."

"How many merit points are required to become a Virtuous Great One or a Merit Sage?"

Zhang Bin asked curiously.

"To become a Virtuous Great One is not easy, it requires a hundred thousand merit points. To become a Merit Sage requires obtaining a million merit points." Zuo Xie said with a sigh, "Throughout history, countless cultivators have strived to earn merit, yet those who become Virtuous Sages are very rare, not to mention Merit Sages. They mostly turned into white bones, becoming dust. Let me tell you a secret, cultivating to the Virtuous Great One and ascending to the Immortal Realm brings great advantages, one might receive a small official position. As for the Merit Sage, one can become a high-ranking official, perhaps obtain a Spirit Mountain, living freely and attaining immortality."

"If what this guy said is true, then I just earned ten thousand merit points, and need ninety thousand merit points to advance to a Virtuous Great One." Zhang Bin pondered in his heart, "If I transform the Sahara Desert into an oasis, and convert other small deserts similarly, and diligently eliminate Earth's pollution. Advancing to a Virtuous Great One might not be impossible. Not hoping for benefits in the Immortal Realm, but merely for obtaining great divine skills, it's worth the effort."

However, his face showed a troubled expression, he said in astonishment: "The required merit points are too many, it's fundamentally impossible to become a Virtuous Great One, not to mention a Merit Sage. It seems earning merit has little significance, it might be better to diligently cultivate, perhaps quickly breakthrough various bottlenecks. Cultivating to Ascension Realm and soaring to the Immortal Realm."

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, completely wrong." Zuo Xie said, "If cultivating diligently could breakthrough bottlenecks, the Immortal Realm would have been overcrowded long ago. Cultivation isn't merely about diligence. Even if you have peerless talent, even if you possess endless Heavenly Earth Elixirs. But to cultivate to Ascension Realm Great Perfection and ascend to the Immortal Realm, it's almost impossible."

"Why is that?"

Zhang Bin asked in astonishment.

"There are too many reasons, like bad luck, being destroyed by more powerful cultivators. Or because the Heavenly Tribulation is too terrifying, wiped out by the tribulation. Or stuck at a certain bottleneck, unable to breakthrough anymore. Struggle for thousands or tens of thousands of years, still unable to breakthrough, what kind of despair is that?" Zuo Xie said coldly, "Thus, earning merit ironically became the fastest path, because merit increases when accumulated, it doesn't stagnate, and the more merit, the luckier one becomes, it's unlikely to perish. Using a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand years, it may not be impossible to become a Virtuous Great One. The only concern is earning merit while uncertain of the merit points, difficult to persist. My Merit List easily detects the merit value, befriending me is your best choice."

"I see." Zhang Bin suddenly realized, his face abruptly turned cold, his eyes also emitted icy light, he said coldly: "Since you possess such miraculous magical treasure, able to detect merit points. Why are you not earning merit yourself, and running to me? Don't say you want to do merit together, I feel no merit aura from you, on the contrary, your crimes are immense!"

"Ah... Kid, you indeed aren't simple, you've seen so much unexpectedly?"

Zuo Xie expressed surprise.

Know that he had been trying hard to conceal the sinful aura around him, ordinary cultivators, absolutely cannot see through.

Even Zhang Bin, a Virtuous Sage, couldn't see through either.

For his sin value far exceeded the merit value Zhang Bin obtained.

"Speak, what exactly are you, what intentions do you have?"

Zhang Bin emanated a mighty killing aura.

Chiang Xue and Feng Fei also prepared to strike.

Sensing the adversary's malevolence, Zhang Bin solely relied on the seal on his forehead.

The seal seemed eager to fly out and attack the opponent.

Like it encountered an arch-enemy.

"Zhang Bin, you are too suspicious, I've told you so many merit mysteries, yet you doubt me." Zuo Xie sneered and shouted, "Do you perhaps intend to seize my Merit List?"