The Day of Heavenly Punishment Approaches

  The Day of Heavenly Punishment (Thiên Ph?t) ? was drawing near. An atmosphere of anxiety and fear permeated the immortal cultivation sects ?? that still remained within the Pearl Jade Nation ??. Although they tried to restrain themselves, the Elders of the clans who had not yet left the Pearl Jade Capital could not sit still. The instinctive fear of an impending calamity compelled them to act.

  Unlike the profound, vague, and calculating approach of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion (Huy?n Thiên Các)—who only dared to "read the Heavenly Scroll" (Thiên Th?) and transmit news through children's rhymes or knife vendors—the Elders of many other cultivation sects ?? could not maintain their composure. They saw clearer omens and felt the pressure from the Heavenly Dao (Thiên ??o) ?? weighing heavily on the kingdom. Fearing that their descendants would be implicated in the wrath of heaven and earth, they decided to force their juniors to leave immediately.

  Their warnings were filled with extreme worry, accusations against the Heavenly Dao ?? for letting the Pearl Jade Nation fall into this state, and a sense of powerlessness against destiny. Although these words stemmed from love and a desire to protect their descendants, they carried resentment and a crude revelation of heavenly secrets, violating the unspoken rules of the universe. They did not understand the nature of the Heavenly Dao ?? and interpreted it according to their own understanding, causing listeners to misunderstand its true intent.

  Almost immediately, these Elders felt an invisible pressure crushing their souls and meridians. The spiritual energy (Linh khí) in their bodies became chaotic, and their cultivation level began to decline uncontrollably ??. Some even felt intense pain, as if thousands of needles were piercing their acupoints, while others were struck directly by lightning and instantly turned to dust ??. This was the punishment from the Heavenly Dao ?—a severe warning to those who dared to speak the words of the Heavenly Dao without understanding its true purpose. This was completely different from the Seers ??, who could speak the words of the Heavenly Dao without being punished, as they were authorized messengers who clearly understood the boundaries and objectives.

  Meanwhile, Thiên C? T? (Heavenly Pivot Master), the Head of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion ??, maintained a calm expression. His deep gaze fixed upon the distance, where stars rotated ceaselessly in the night sky. He had foreseen these events, knowing the price paid by those who did not understand the rules of the Heavenly Dao ?? but talked too much, precisely embodying the saying, "The mouth invites calamity." He remained silent, continuing to monitor the flow of the Heavenly Scroll ?? and the stars converging on the Pearl Jade Capital ??.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  The descendants of the cultivation clans, though not fully understanding the complexity of the Heavenly Dao, sensed the urgency and fear from their seniors. Thus, a new wave of migration began ??, and the cultivation clans started abandoning the Capital of the Pearl Jade Nation. However, some clans stubbornly refused to leave, as the Capital was the wealthiest and most prosperous place in the kingdom, where silver was common currency, gold was used for general exchange, and jade and treasures filled the street markets, living up to the kingdom's name—rich in jewels and jade.

  The immortal sects panicked upon seeing their valuable elites and talents destroyed by the Heavenly Dao's punishment ?. They immediately issued a command ?? to all, from inner and outer disciples to elders, to remain within their respective sects. Anyone who dared to leave would be immediately expelled and forbidden from returning to the sect ever again.

  The duration of this prohibition was one month before and one month after the day the Pearl Jade Nation was judged by the Heavenly Dao.

  Noe ??, after a long period of hiding, received information from Han Th??ng ????? that the arrest warrant against him had been revoked a long time ago. He further learned that Phong Tr?n ?? had been promoted to Commander of the Imperial Guard (C?m V? Quan) and Commander of the Dark Shadow Army (ám B? Quan). It was Phong Tr?n ?? himself who had deleted all of Noe's information from the court's confidential files, so no one would bother Noe anymore.

  Noe ?? was surprised by Phong Tr?n's current status, so he opened the Heavenly Scroll (Thiên Th?) ?? to check. He was even more astonished to see the Heavenly Dao's ?? assessment of "The Uncrowned King" (V? vua kh?ng ngai) for Phong Tr?n. His strength and basic stats had skyrocketed, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage (Trúc C?) and approaching the limit to ascend to the Core Formation stage (K?t ?an). Such a complete transformation from an ordinary person to a power level nearly equal to a great general, in such a short time, was extremely perplexing.

  Noe ?? investigated further and gradually understood the issue: Phong Tr?n ?? had used the amount of Divine Merit (Th?n ??c) that Noe had gifted him to exchange for his current strength and status. The exchange rate was:

  1 {Divine Merit} = 1 {ten thousand Yin Merit} = 1 {million Yang Merit}

  This was the first time Noe ?? learned that one could convert between different types of merit, but the conversion could only go downwards (Yang Merit cannot be exchanged for Yin Merit, and cannot be exchanged for Divine Merit). Furthermore, Yang Merit has a maximum limit of $10^{50}$. This state is called Perfected Merit (C?ng ??c Viên M?n), meaning one cannot increase it further, equivalent to a person completing every mission in their life.

  After consulting all the necessary information, Noe ?? confidently headed straight to the Capital of the Pearl Jade Nation ??. He found a Sub-Quest from the Heavenly Dao named "Protect and Educate a Son of King Chau Ng?c T?" ??, so that this person would be worthy of becoming the next king.

  Noe ?? met Phong Tr?n ?? and presented this plan to him.