Chapter 349

Chapter 349: Seizing Fortune

At the border entrance set up by the Buddhist sect, a remarkable scene unfolded. Elegant young men seemed to possess an endless supply of spiritual materials, tossing bundles into the Merit Box.

“Local tycoon!”

“Big spender!”

“Wealthy merchants!”

“Rich enough to rival a nation!”

Everyone struggled to comprehend Li Hui’s actions, including his companions, who could only display expressions of shock.

Numerous spiritual plants filled the Merit Box. Although they looked like ordinary branches, they were imbued with unimaginable spiritual energy. If handed over to the right alchemist, this would amount to a colossal fortune.

Li Hui didn’t even blink, maintaining a light smile as he filled every Merit Box to the brim. He turned around and said, “Bring more Merit Boxes. From today onward, let everyone pass freely through this entrance. Isn’t that a fair request?”

“Fair enough, fair enough!” The fat monk eagerly agreed, quickly notifying the elders of the sect, knowing he couldn’t possibly consume such immense wealth!

Once they filled seven hundred Merit Boxes, Li Hui’s body trembled lightly, and a soft silver light radiated from his nails. Next, he focused on purifying the Fortune Ascending Talismans using his profound qi.

The sound of flowing water echoed in his ears, though no one else could hear it. The Fortune Ascending Talismans had already stored up enough fortune, but with the purification by his profound qi, the silver glow on the talismans rapidly diminished, eliminating the impurities.

“Useful!” Li Hui felt excitement bubbling within. He thought, “It was right to pursue this route of profound qi; indeed, I can purify the fortune and make side effects minimal. Of course, this isn’t the primary goal; I need to repair the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman.”

When the fat monk brought over a stout old monk, having fetched a magical Merit Box from the temple, he mused on how he would get it filled.

Li Hui smiled faintly, urging little crab Xie Xuan to trim the branches quickly, as he started to pour in various spiritual materials on a large scale, seemingly in a fit of anger to fill the magical Merit Box.

To prevent the silver snake bracelet from interfering with the Merit Box, he naturally kept a distance.

After half a stick of incense, even with the purification, the Fortune Ascending Talismans had gathered full fortune again, flowing like rivers over his head. Li Hui slowly reached out, trying to establish a connection with the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman.

“Boom!” A loud sound erupted as a mobile temple set up for the boundary suddenly tilted, and news quickly spread that a monk had cut corners, causing a mishap with the luck!

“Luck, oh luck! Invisible and intangible, yet I can seize it!” Li Hui continued to drop spiritual plants, no matter the cost. Since he was determined to repair the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman, he would persevere.

“What is this?” the old monk gasped, never having encountered such a huge offering to the Buddhist sect. He thought to himself, “This isn’t just a benefactor; I should start calling it a gold mountain.”

Li Hui proclaimed, “With these medicinal materials, the Buddhist sect can produce medicines in large quantities to help injured citizens, clear dark energy for the wounded, and provide health and longevity for children. This is true merit.”

As his words exited his mouth, petals fell like rain, and Buddhist light radiated, with auspicious energy cascading down.

The old monk was bewildered; what kind of person was this? Such a scene was only witnessed when great monks preached, having only appeared a few times in the past hundred years in Daliang Kingdom.

“Hmm? Gaining merit?” Li Hui scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Here he was seizing fortune, yet he spoke those words to let the people know the temple could produce medicines in abundance—they should come to seek help, lest those bald monks grow too arrogant!

Hidden within the Arhat fruit, the second head of the Six-Armed Arhat was condensing, perhaps reducing the calamities during the promotion to mid-Gather Spirit. With such benefits, Li Hui was more than willing to invest.

As he cleared out nearly half of the Mysterious Pearl’s production, in a dazed state, an image of a divine beast appeared in his mind. It had bull horns, a cat’s face, horse hooves, and twin wings…

It was pure white, with fur like swirling clouds. Its left eye was hollow and blind, while the right glinted with a dark light, as if obstructing its vision.

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the dark glow covering Bai Ze’s right eye.

At that moment, Li Hui sensed that all four Fortune Ascending Talismans within him had lost their fortune. He hurriedly cast out more spiritual plants, seeking even more from the Merit Box.

“Your virtue is like rivers and lakes, I cannot express my gratitude enough!” The old monk referred to himself as a little monk. How could he know that the abbots of the major temples and the elders of the Buddhist sect felt heavy-hearted and hurried out of their meditation rooms to gaze at the temple overhead?

Li Hui was stunned, realizing he seemed to have transformed into Bai Ze, glancing into the distance.

With that glance, he saw through all lives!

With that glance, he penetrated mountains and rivers!

With that glance, he understood blessings and longevity!

It was indeed miraculous, but it came quickly and faded just as fast. The Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman resumed its dormant state, and Bai Ze’s figure disappeared without a trace.

At that moment, Li Hui withdrew his hand, his heart racing with excitement: “How incredible! Bai Ze’s glance seemed to see through the three realms, guiding me to discover where treasures lie, which towns nurture talents, and where great dangers lurk. Unfortunately, to repair the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman, besides drawing on fortune, I still need many precious materials. I wonder if this talisman, when powerful, could see through the silver snake bracelet.”

“Thank you, benefactor! Thank you, young master!” The old monk rambled, his mouth twitching with excitement until he fainted.

“Master! Oh no, Master! You mustn’t go!” The fat monk squatted down in grief, feeling his opportunity arise. If he could weaken this old man, the rewards would directly fall into his hands.

Li Hui summoned the little monks, whispering to Jing Tian Tong and Yuan Xiaozhu. The two were skeptical, but with the task set upon them, they had no choice but to take a trip.

Huang Shiqin summoned the black eagle, but this time the journey felt distinctly different. Li Hui occasionally sent people away, as though deliberately testing how much authority he commanded, dispersing everyone in all directions.

Three days later, everyone gathered in Shijia City.

When they saw Li Hui, their expressions turned peculiar.

Jing Tian Tong clasped his fists, saying, “Thanks to the master’s guidance, Tian Tong feels honored to have obtained three Husband Stone, enhancing my vision even further.”

Huang Tongliang laughed heartily, “I discovered a thousand-year-old rare brew! A large wine cellar buried in the mountains and fields, and fortunately, the wine jars made by elite craftsmen are sturdy; even if one jar breaks and leaks wine, it will be noticed by cultivators. Now, brother, let’s strike a deal and share a bit more with me.”

“Three to seven; you get three, I get seven. No negotiation,” Li Hui shook his head.

Everyone shared their good news, all acquiring treasures without danger, especially Peng Xiaoqing, who found a cave left behind by an ordinary practitioner at the Bosa stage, obtaining several powerful magical treasures, causing envy among all.

At this point, everyone could hardly guess the truth. The master had earlier contributed "merit" so generously; it must be related to these rewards, though the methods remained too mysterious to measure.

“The road ahead will not be smooth sailing; we must help each other for mutual benefit and face the risks together,” Li Hui smiled lightly, thinking, “This is only the beginning. I’ve put in so much and must recover my costs.”

At that moment, Song Zining entered, leading two little monks, and said, “Young master, I have brought them!”